A New World, Burning an Old Way

by xBUBBA1995x

Chapters

Chapter 2: Princess Cadance and the White Mage
Chapter 3: Got in trouble but it's ok, Because God Said hi Today
Chapter 4: My Permanent Fate in a Political Debate
Chapter 5: Love is like a fire, and I want to throw you in it
Chapter 6: A Demon Arrives, a Tyrant Lives
Chapter 7: Rest and Recovery
Chapter 8: Ghost of our past
Chapter 9: Old Faces
Chapter 10: What is the ‘Elite Four’
Chapter 11: Death is at your Door
Chapter 13: No play, I think not
Chapter 14: The not so bad Hangover
Chapter 15: Wet, yet wild!
Chapter 16: Family Matters
Chapter 17: Mirrored Days
Chapter 18: Retribution
Chapter 19: Canterlot part One
Chapter 20: Canterlot part Two
Chapter 21: Canterlot part Three
Chapter 22: Final Emotions
Chapter 1: Strange New World
Chapter 12: The Truth of the Matter

Chapter 2: Princess Cadance and the White Mage

Written by: BUBBA 1995
Edited by: zeus demigod 131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen

Chapter 2 - Princess Cadance and the White Mage

In front of me stood Princess Cadance. Just one look at her told me that she was the fairest in all the land. From the way Shining Armor looked at her you would think that they were together. Wait… Strike that. She just kissed him. They are together. HA! My detective skills are amazing.

“From what I have been told,” She spoke in a lovely voice. “I have you to thank for stopping the… Feraligatr? Odd name.”

“Yes Cadence, this is John. From what I have learned he’s the leader of these two… Pokémon.”

“Well I am sure the two of you have a lot to tell me, but first,” She looked back into the carriage. “Holly Heart.”

A unicorn popped her head out of the carriage. She looked… scared. Hesitant would be a better word, as if the sun itself was going to burn her if she stepped out into the light. Her fur was a dark green., her eyes were a light green, and lying on her nose was a pair of square glasses. Her silky black mane, was pulled back into a ponytail, while her tail was braided and ended in a white bow.

“Y-yes Princess.” She stuttered.

“Come now Holly Heart, don’t be scared,” Shining started. “It’s just a monkey with it’s head on fire. Though he did almost burn down a coffee shop just by standing next to it…” Shining’s attempt at jokes was not funny! It’s not my fault that things spontaneously combust around me. I mean it’s really entertaining, but come on.

“Nice to meat you Holly Heart. My name is John. Why are you here?” I scribbled.

She read the note and a let out a laugh. “You have a funny name.” She was still hesitant, but stepped out slowly. “Now… Hold still. Sir Shining Armor’s message said that you were intelligent, but didn’t speak our language. So he asked me to cast a spell on you so that we can understand you…”

I looked down at my notepad to write a message. Something along the lines of thank you, or that would be appreciated. But then I was blinded by a quick white flash. “Ah what was that?” I asked covering my eyes.

“Ah good… It worked.” Princess Cadance commented.

“Wow, your voice is deep…” Holly Heart added.

“Well, John. Now that you can speak, anything interesting to say?” Shining Asked.

I looked at him. Though most of my questions where answered, I needed some more information on the things that he had said to me. Like how we were living on Equus, and how he didn’t know what a Pokémon was. Oh and before I forget, how on earth did I get here. Granted that would not be the right ‘phrase’ for this situation now, would it?

“First off,” I started. “Planet Equus. How is it? Is it safe?”

“Mostly,” Shining Started. “Wild monsters are common in most parts. Though Equestria is a very safe place for the most part.”

“Alright. Second, other than Ponies, what other creatures live here?”

“Let’s see,” Holly Heart started. “Griffins, Zebras, Buffaloes, Dragons and Diamond Dogs, just to name a few.”

“And third, don’t you think we should finish dealing with this Feraligatr situation? Even though he is caged up, he can still do some damage. Hydro Pump, if aimed correctly, can hit us at this distance.” We were at least a good two hundred feet away from the Feraligatr, and though the chance was small, it could happen.

“In that case come with me to the castle, I have my own questions,” Princess Cadance stepped back into her carriage and beckoned me to join her. “And would like you to answer them, and for the Feraligatr,” She turned to Shining. “For now just take him over to the prison. Find the largest cage there and throw him in it for now.”

“Two things,” I interrupted. “First, I am not riding in that carriage.”

“Why not?” Holly Heart asked.

“Because I lit a coffee shop on fire, and my notepad...just by being next to them. I will not add the royal carriage to the list,” All three of them laughed at my comment. “And two, my Pokémon are coming with me, and they won't fit in here with us.”

“That reminds me,” Shining thought aloud. “How intelligent are Pokémon?”

“Most are as smart as you and I.” I stepped past him, and looked at Lex and Snow. “These two are smarter than I sometimes, but they listen to me because I know what I am doing.”

“So does this mean I could speak to the Feraligatr?” Shining asked.

“Yes, you could,” I looked over at Holly Heart, and was about to ask her to cast that spell again but.... She was missing… “Where is Holly Heart?”

Cadance gave me a sad smile. “She is hiding in the carriage.”

Why was she hiding? I glanced over at Feraligatr… Oh, right. Mass destruction. Everything exploding. Big scary monster. She probably didn’t want to go near it. It was kind of similar to how a child would act. Though she herself was a timid young girl. So I myself had to act diffrent so that she could trust me, or at least do what I asked her to. “Alright Holly Heart, you don’t have to go over to the cage if you don’t want too.”

Popping her head out from the carriage she asked. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Then how am I going to talk to it?” Shining Asked.

“I can translate for now.” I turned to the Princess. “Please excuse us Princess. We shall only be a moment.”

Shining followed as we started to walk to the Feraligatr. He did not speak. It might have been because how I had been acting. I always had that impression on local authorities when ever I would show up for an investigation. Then again, it could have been just because the Feraligatr was staring at us, it’s orange eyes were staring us down. I could see hate in them, fear too.

Lex and Snow on the other hand where looking as happy as ever. They normally had to deal with situations like this one. Whenever a wild Pokémon would attack, and after everything was done and done, they would watch them until the Pokémon Rangers would show up. From there I would just let them do their job, but now I had to do the cleanup job… It wasn’t really cleanup, though. Just Pokémon transfer. Move the Pokémon out of the way so that it didn’t harm anyone.

Ask me to deal with a emotional child that lost his Pokémon. I could do it. Ask me to battle through an army of Pokémon without my Pokémon. I could do it. I would just sneak past them, but I would do it. Moving a Pokémon was just annoying.

When we arrived at the cage Shining Armor was the first to speak. “Lex and Snow is it?”

They nodded. “It is nice to meet you Shining Armor.” Lex said. However to Shining it sounded more like… “Lux Lux Ray ray, ray Lux.”

“Can we get something to eat?” Snow asked. And like Lex she sounded more like… “Sol Absol, ab ab?”

“Sorry you two, the translation spell was only cast on me. He can’t understand you. Though if I ask I am pretty sure Holly Heart will cast it…” I looked over at Snow. “And as for your question, once we get this situation over I am sure the Princess will be gracious enough to provide some food.”

“Is she hungry?” Shining asked.

“Yes,” As I answered him my stomach growled. “It seems that I am also hungry…”

“We’ll get you something to eat soon, but for now,” He turned to the Caged Feraligatr. “Do you understand me.” The Feraligatr nodded. “Good… Now John here said that most Pokémon are just as intelligent as ponies, therefore I shall inform you of the charges that you face,” I raised an eyebrow. Charges? “You destroyed three two-story buildings, six shop stalls, one jungle gym, and one major gas line,” He let out a sigh. “Normally I would have read you your rights, but seeing that, at the moment at least, you are not a citizen of Equestria. Therefore, until the damages have been payed off, you are to work for your freedom.” Oh… Charges…

The Feraligatr's eyes went wide, then she furrowed her brow in anger. “What in the hell?!” Wait… the voice sounded feminine. He was a she… “I just woke in the middle of a no where, get attacked, and am now in trouble for that?!” She yelled. This time my eyes went wide.

Shining turned to me. “What did he say?”

“Give me a moment Shining, I would like to hear all that she has to say.”

“She?!” He looked surprised.

“Can you explain in more detail?”

“What does the Ponyta looking Pokémon mean by what did she say?”

“He can only understand me, but that’s not important. What do you mean by ‘You woke up in the middle of a pond and got attacked?”

The Feraligatr let out a sight. “I woke up, heard a scream, got attacked by a ponyta looking Pokémon with wings, protected myself, something exploded, he attacked me,” She gave a death stare at Shining. “Then he attacked me,” She gave a fearful stare at Lex. “Then I woke up in this cage. Is that simple enough for you?”

I face palmed. “This is going to be annoying…”

“You have handled worse.” Lex gave me a reassuring smile.

“Thank you… Now Shining,” I turned to him. A look of absolute determination on my face. He knew I was serious. “What would be the chances of one of your stallions or mares attacking the Feraligatr first?”

His demeanor changed. He looked me right in the eyes. He knew what I was asking him. I was hoping he didn’t. “What do you mean?” He knew what I meant. Just from my question he knew I was asking that maybe one of his ponies attacked first, and made the Feraligatr defend itself. That all destruction today was caused by a pony, and not a rampaging monster.

“Because the Feraligatr says that a Pegasus attacked her first.”

“...”

“If you could speak to the Feraligatr yourself then you would believe me.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you.”

“The Feraligatr may have been the bullet that caused the damage, but who pulled the trigger?” Shining looked confused at my analogy. I let out a sight. “Pokémon, no matter what the size, are very strong. If you attack one of them you better know what you’re doing, because it will defend itself, and it will attack you.”

“In that case I’ll go question the ponies around here, but for now ‘she’s to stay in the cage.” Shining turned around and walked away.

As he walked away, Snow took a step forward. “About that food…”

Yet again, I let out another sigh. “Snow,” I gave her an annoyed look. “You will get your food, but for now… Stop asking.” She then looked sad, and I know, I could have just told her not now, but the day has been… a bit stressful. “As for you, Feraligatr. For now just stay calm… Please.”

-:-:-

I gotta to say, Shining Armor knows his shit. We stood there for about two minutes before he showed up with an orange Pegasus. I wanted him go around to every single guard that had been on the scene. Narrowing the search to six Pegasi. Then to three. Then to just one. And that one looked worried. His fur was orange and his mane was blue, like Shining Armor’s, and his eyes were also blue… Were they related? Oh, and Holly Heart was with them. I thought she didn’t want to come near the Feraligatr...

“Holly Heart,” Shining stated clearly. “Cast the spell on the Feraligatr, and John’s Pokémon.”

“Y-y-yes sir!” Holly Heart replied. Her voice sounded strained, as if she wanted to cry, but she held it in. This… annoyed me. With a flash of her horn, a white glow went over Lex, Snow, and Feraligatr.

“Now this will let me understand you Feraligatr. I want you too tell me exactly what you told John. Word for word.” At that moment Holly Heart fainted. I moved fast, catching her. Her head lay over my right shoulder. She must have been so scared that she fainted.

Wrapping my arms around her I picked her up, letting her head rest over my shoulder. “Give me a moment Shining.” I started to walk towards the Princess. Who had been watching us this whole time, and apparently the coffee shop that I had almost burned down was still opened. I know this because she was sipping coffee out of a cup that had the logo of said coffee shop on it.

“Princess,” I said walking up to her. “Holly Heart fainted.”

She let out a annoyed sigh. “I told Shining that making her go over there and cast that spell was a bad idea. She’s not as powerful as Twilight, and could only cast the spell two or three times…”

Alright, so she fainted because of exhaustion. “She cast the spell four times... and who’s Twilight?”

Before Princess Cadance could answer we heard Shining yell the following. “YOU WHAT?!” We both glanced over to see the Orange Pegasus mumble something. At this distance, we could not make out what it was though.

“Is that Flash Sentry?” Cadence asked.

“I didn’t get his name,” I answered, before I placed Holly Heart in the unoccupied chair next to Cadance. “And again, I ask, who is Twilight?”

“She’s my sister-in-law, right now she’s over in Ponyville tending to her library or something.” Candace's face was beaming with pride. she must have loved her a lot.

“And is she stronger at magic then Holly Heart?”

“Yep. She is the bearer of the Element of Magic, and is the strongest magical user I know, other than Princess Celestia and Princess Luna that is.” She then took a sip of her coffee.

“So you’re not the only Princess?”

“No, I am not the only Princess. There’s Princess Celestia, princess of the sun. Princess Luna, princess of the moon. Princess Twilight, princess of… something, I don't really know what she is the Princess of really. Then there’s myself, Princess of love.” She then took yet another sip of her coffee.

Four royal Princesses. One of whom is the Sister-in-law to the mare sitting in front of me. They must not be related then, other than the title. Sadly any questions I had about the subject had to wait, I had work to do. Cadance took another sip of her coffee, and this time it was starting to bother me. Not because it was annoying, but because I wanted coffee now. I normally drink it when I’m stressed out, and this whole situation is stressful. Oh and let’s not forget the fact that I’m trying my best not to freak out.

“One more thing Princess,” I started. “Well... two things really. One, can I get some coffee?”

She smiled. “Take Holly Heart’s,” She pointed at the table. “She is not really going to need it now…”

“Very well,” I took the coffee and took a sip. It was sweeter than I liked, had a flavor of mint to it, and smelled like candy cane. “And for my second request, may my Pokémon and I get something to eat? Once this situation is over with that is.”

-:-:-

“Oh, so you get coffee , and I don’t get anything? How is that fair?” Snow commented sarcastically. Before I could even ask Shining of what had transpired while I was gone that is. I gave her a death glare, but she just smiled.

I took a drink of the coffee and turned to Shining. “Alright, where were we?”

“I took care of it.” Was all he answered. He looked… stressed out. Considering how I was facing the situation, I could only image how he was feeling.

“May I have some details?” He let out a sigh.

“Knight Flash Sentry was the first to confront the Feraligatr,” He turned to the Feraligatr and looked… sad. “However, the Feraligatr was asleep on a jungle gym and was awoken by a scream. Said scream was from a filly or some other pony, then Flash Sentry attacked. You know the rest, as for what we are going to do with her,” He pointed off in a direction south of us. “Outside the city, there’s a lake, it’s normally frozen during the winter, but at the moment she can go there.”

“So you’re allowing her to leave?”

“Yes. She can stay there as long as she likes, but if she enters the city then our little deal is off.”

“What deal?”

“I do not mess with them, and they do not mess with me,” Feraligatr answered. “And after a day like this, I don’t want anything to do with you Ponytas.”

“Alright then,” I took another sip of the coffee, and I could just tell that Shinning was now getting annoyed by it. He and I were somewhat alike. “Now what?”

“Now you come with me,” He started to walk back the Princess Cadance. “We have more questions, and it will help if you answered them quickly.”

Yep. He and I were much alike…

-:-:-

“And that is how Pokémon breed.” I finished. Finally explaining how ‘Pokémon’ work. I covered every topic. From Pokémon types, to Legendaries, to shiny pokémon, to… well, everything! Even how they have sex! Princess Cadance asked that one by the way.

Cadance and Shining sat across from me while Snow and Lex were sitting to my right. At the moment we were in the Crystal Castle’s Dining Hall! Larger than a house with a staff of over twenty cooks at its disposal. They had everything in stock. Well… almost everything, they didn't have oran berries. Damn shame really, grilled oran berries and hot coffee was always my favorite meal. As for what I did eat, whatever meat they had in the kitchen at the time. Something called ‘Manticore’, and my god’s. It was amazing. Snow had the same, but Lex had a fruit and veggie salad. Sometimes he can be so strange…

“Alright… last question,” Shining leaned forward. He no longer seemed stressed, in fact, he seemed happy. Why? Well ever since we entered the castle; he had removed his armor, taken some pain pills, ate a large hay sandwich, drank two large cups of coffee, and could not stop laughing when Snow told him about that time I got stuck in a washing machine. “What are you going to do, now that you’re both on Equus and are Pokémon?”

I… frowned. I didn't know, ever since I got here I had either been freaking out, fighting, or worrying. I didn’t really have any time to think about that, and I couldn’t even answer the question… I took on a sad expression. “I… don’t know, really. Before whenever I didn’t know what to do I would just call H.Q. for a mission, or for something that would pass the time. Here… I’m just an Infernape, no home, no job, and no idea what is going on. Hell I’m not even on the same world. This is even more stressful than the time I learned that Team Rocket was trying to Genetically Clone Pokémon.”

“Wait, what?” Cadance asked. “Genetic Clone? Like grow a life form?”

“This just raises more questions, but for now. Let’s think about those another time. For now, you don't have a place to stay, right?” Shining interjected. I just shook my head. “Well then why not stay in the Castle? You seem like decent ponies, I mean, Pokémon. That and if any more wild Pokémon shows up, whether they’re trying to destroy everything or not, you can deal with them. You do have more experience with Pokémon than I do, and I have a feeling that more will show up…”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Oh just say thank you,” Snow called over. “They are offering a free place to stay, how could you possibly say no?”

“She has a point,” Cadence added, giving us a large smile. “Now… how are we going to explain this to everypony…?”

“We’ll do that tomorrow,” Shining stood up and stretched. “For now, let’s get to bed. It’s getting late. That or I’m just tired, either way…”

“Well, you did fight a Feraligatr in head to head combat. They’re fierce in combat, and you did hold your own quite well.” Lex commented.

“Well,... thank you.”

“Well then, we should be getting to bed. I’ll have some ponies show you to your room. Do you all wish to share a room or...?”

“Two rooms,” I requested. “One fireproof, and with a large bed.”

Cadance blinked. Her eyes started to sparkle as she turned to Lex and Snow. “Awww, you two are together?” Snow blushed, and Lex just smiled.

Shining on the other hand laughed. “Now don't you go burning down the castle on us.” I couldn’t help but laugh. Though a part of me feared that it might really happen… But for now, time to get some sleep. Today is over, and I’ll worry tomorrow. Worry about what is going to happen. Worry about my Pokémon that aren’t with me… Oh shit.

“Ah! I forgot about my team!” I yelled out, startling everyone. Then there was a loud ‘slapping’ sound as Snow knocked me off my chair…

Author's Note

You can go to my profile to see the percentage of the story finished, as well as how much is edited. I will aim to make all chapters about the same length, but we'll see.

Re-edited by tdnpony

What is your opinion on this chapter? Did you like it?

Editor's Note- I’m liking how this story looks so far, and am really looking forward to more, especially Arceus’ announcement.

Please leave a like if you enjoyed my story. It really helps me get more readers and that is always a good thing.

Chapter 3: Got in trouble but it's ok, Because God Said hi Today

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tndpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen

Chapter 3 - Got in trouble today but it’s ok, God said hi today

Before I could even get to sleep, Holly Heart had to cast a spell to make my room fireproof, but since the Crystal Castle is actually made of crystals it couldn’t be burned down. The only thing that would burn would be the things in my new room. Now if that did happened, then string me up by my legs and feed me to a Gyarados, because this bed was SO COMFORTABLE! My body just melted into it.

As I lay there I couldn’t help but think about what happened today. From all the crazy, to all the insane. I was a Pokémon now, and living in another world. Who could say that? However, my day was not over. I wanted to take a bath, after a long day such as this, I needed something to relax. The bed helped, but it did not help me relax in the way of a hot bath would.

That’s why I started to fill the bathtub with water. Warm steamy water. I didn’t know what would happen to me if I stepped into the water, being a fire type and all. Would it just hurt? I placed my hand in the water. Nope, no pain. Just a slow numbing sting. The kind you would get from sitting on your hand or foot.

I stepped into the water, and started to relax. My body went numb, and while normally this would be a bad thing, right now it was not. Oh it felt so good. My back, which started to get stiff as the day progressed, started to loosen up. My army dangled out the sides of the tub. My new tail laid curled under the water. I couldn’t help but feel relaxed. I couldn’t help but feel… happy.

Then my mind started to wander, and that was a never good thing. Normally I had to keep it in check, otherwise I start to think about things that I don't want to. Dark moments in my past that need to stay buried in the back of my mind, but today I was lucky. I started to think about my Pokémon. Over the years I have lived I had made many friends. Most I gave away. Asked them to protect others. Live along side a child, or help the police force in some odd town. Then there are the ones that have passed on. For they will always be in my mind. Then… my eyes closed, and I fell asleep in the tub.

-:-:-

Meanwhile, in a lake outside of the Crystal Castle. A Feraligatr lay in the middle of a large lake. The sun started to rise into the sky, and as she opened her eyes she saw something amazing. Something that made her way too happy. She saw a Blastoise. Her eyes popped wide as his large shell, and her tail popped up at the sight of his cannons. She imagined him being a male of little words. Heroically standing there at the edge of the lake.

She needed to make him hers, she had to make him hers. After the whole Ponyta incident she needed something good in her life, and she had found it. Wasting no time she started to swim to the manly Blastoise. She had no idea what she would say to him but she did not care! Hello would do. No… he would be better. She started to slow as she hesitated, wondering what to say. The Blastoise looked over at her, and she could not help but blush. He looked so amazing, it was her time after all. But then the Blastoise did something she did not expect. He walked into the water and towards her!

“Why hello there,” He asked, his voice something between an old jazz singer and a talk show host. “Tell me have you seen any other Pokémon around here? Like a Absol, or a Luxray. How about a Ditto, or a Sawk?” It was then that her wet-dreams crashed and burned as the Blastoise didn’t try to hit on her. No! All he wanted was information!

She let out a low groan. “Well there goes that idea…”

“Excuse me?” He asked.

“Nothing, nothing, just lamenting my crushed dreams,” She laid back and started to drift away. “And for your question, the only Pokémon on that list that I know of is a Luxray and Absol,” She growled. “The former of the two hit me with Thunder!”

“May you tell me what direction they are?”

“Yeah,” She pointed a claw at a tall tower in the distance. “Over there, but watch out. The Ponyta’s there attack on sight, bunch of jerks.”

“Thank you, Miss Feraligatr. May we meet again in the future.”

-:-:-

I covered my face as I gave a hard sneeze. Apparently sleeping in a bathtub all night was bad for you, and since I was a fire type it was a lot worse. “Aaaahhhhh….” I growned.

“For the tenth time, stop groaning.” Snow told me.

“But I hate being sick,” I countered. “I can’t help it.”

“Don’t worry John,” Holly Heart reassured me. “I had the maid run off to the Castle Clinic to get you something for you cold, but for now,” She gave me a stern look. “Please stop groaning, and drink your soup.”

It was at that moment when a group of stallions stepped into the cafeteria. They had the look of ‘royalty’ to them. Upper class if you will. Since we sat in the corner of the room they did not see us at this time.

“Tell me, Green Horn. Do you know if that situation yesterday got resolved? I haven’t heard any news on the subject.” A gray Earth Pony asked a Unicorn.

“From what I heard from the guards,” The green Unicorn started. “A group of strange creatures showed up and took the rampaging monster down.”

“I heard that too, only after words they let the monster go free. Near the lakes outside of here!” A white Pegasus added in.

“Let it go? What in heavens name was that Shining Armor thinking?” The gray stallion started.

I watched as the group babbled on before Holly Hearts leaned over to me and whispered. “Those ponies are a part of the Council that runs the Crystal Empire. The Earth Pony is Clay, the Pegasus is named Winter Breeze, and the Unicorn is named Green Horn. I really hope they don’t see us… I can’t stand how they act. They are the worst ponies I’ve ever met.”

“Why is that?” I asked her.

“Oh, well, they don’t really like me too much. When I started living in the castle I lit Clay on fire, and turned Winter into a frog.” I couldn’t help but laugh at that. Said laugh turned into a choking cough. Then the cough turned into spitting up phlegm into a tissue.

“Aaaahhhhhh…” I groaned. It was at that moment that the three stallions looked over at us, and fear slapped itself on all their faces.

“...” Clay opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. “Um,” His eyes laid appone Holly Heart. “Holly Heart, who and what are they?”

“Well Mr.Clay,” Holly Heart took a professional tone. Similar to the way she spoke to the Princess. “There are the strange creatures that showed up to help yesterday,” She gestured to me. “This is John, Sir Clay. He and his friends where the ones that fought off the monster yesterday.”

I changed my demeanor before saying. “Good morning, Sirs!” In a slightly deeper voice. I raised my my cup of soup to them, before taking a drink. “Do not mind us, we shall be out of here soon enough. Please, don’t let our presence disturb you in any way.” The stallion started to relax. He looked at me curiously. I glanced at Holly and she also looked at me curiously.

“Well then… Nice to meet you, John. I suppose it would be best if I thanked you for what you did. Thank you.” He then turned to his friends and they went on their way. Grabbing some food then sitting as far away from us as possible.

“I love it when he does that!” Snow whispered to Lex.

“Um,” Holly Heart started. She was rather baffled at how I just acted. “What just happened?”

“I hate dealing with anyone that acts upper classed,” I started in a low voice. So that the ponies in the other side of the room could not hear us. “So I learned of a way to make my conversations with them short.”

“Oh, well, um,” She smiled. “I don't really know what to say to that.”

"You should hear about the time he had to go undercover, and infiltrate the leader of Team-Rocket’s birthday party. He almost burned the place down out of sheer frustration,” Snow then chuckled to herself.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Holly looked at me puzzled. “Were you a detective?”

“Yes,” I tapped my fingers on my cup. “Didn’t I tell you that yesterday?”

“I don’t think so.”

“In that case let me introduce myself fully,” I stood up and gave a salute. “John Mercy, International Police. Kanto division.” Holly’s face just turned red, Lex started to chuckle, and Snow game me a look. “What?”

“You look like an Idiot when you do that,” Snow commented. “Now sit down before those royals look over here.” I then sneezed.

“Dear Celestia, what is he doing now?”

“Too late.” Snow paw-palmed.

I looked over to see Winter Breeze staring at me in disgust. Same for Clay and Green horn. Wiping the snot from my face with a cloth, I turned to them.

“My apologies. I am a bit sick after falling asleep in the bathtub.”

“Well isn’t that just a sad thing to do,” Clay commented. What ever tolerance he had from me evaporated. “Don’t tell me you plan to see the Princess in your state?”

“I am, why do you ask?”

He scoffed. “You plan to see Princess Mi Amore Cadenza while sick? What kind of Gentlestallion sees Royalty sick?”

I started ignored him. Turning to Holly Heart I asked. “How long till that medicine get’s here?”

“Don’t ignore me, you, you brute!” He started.

“So Holly, what do you think today is going to be like?” I asked, not giving Clay any thought.

She looked at me. Then at Clay. Then at me. Then she gave a small smile. “Well John, Shining Armor wants you to show his troops how most Pokémon fight, so that if one of them goes rampaging through the streets again, they can take it down and move it out of the city.”

“Now you’re doing it too, Holly Heart?!” Clay’s face was turning red with anger. “You do know I can get your fired with just a word!”

Alright. That crossed a line. I gave Clay a stern look. “Clay, I do not like you. I do not care for you. I do not care if you died. Holly Heart on the other hand, I like her. I care for her. I barely know her, but I consider her a friend. Threatening her is the same as threatening me. I may not have the right to arrest you in this world, but I can and will throw you out the window.” Everyone went mute. Holly Heart’s face was red. Lex and Snow could not help but smile, and as for Clay. He just got angrier.

“You dare threaten me? One of the head ponies in the Council? I’ll have you bucked out of this city!”

-:-:-

Shining stood in front a row of new recruits sent in from Canterlot. It was time to introduce them to their new life of pain. And what better way to do that then by yelling? “Welcome to the Crystal Empire Recruits! Today you will learn that we run things around here a bit different then Canterlot. Security is tight, and everything is on time! You will eat when we tell you! You will sleep when we tell you! You will do what we tell you! Because by the end of your leave here, you will know the meaning of pain by heart, and you will learn to expect the unexpected!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Shining turned to see a gray stallion fly out the second floor of the castle, and a familiar looking flaming monkey in said window. Luckily for the stallion, he landed in a passing cabbage cart.

There was then another scream, one from the owner of the cabbage stand. “My cabbages! Nowhere I go is safe! Nowhere!”

-:-:-

I stood at attention. Several Crystal Guards standing at my sides. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor stared at me. Holly Heart just to their side. Snow was off in the distance, still laughing. Lex was with her.

“So… you threw him out of the window,” Shining started. “Why in Celestia’s name, would you throw him out of the window?”

“He threatened Holly Heart, sir.” I replied. Addressing him in the most professional of ways.

“Holly Heart,” Princess Cadance turned to her. “Is this true?” She did not answer, only nodded. “Please, Holly Heart. Use your words.”

“Yes, Princess. I mean, eh, yes he did threaten me, Princess Cadance.”

“And you threw him out of a window for it?” Princess Cadance turned to me.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Shining took a deep breath. “You do know you made our lives much more difficult?”

“I am aware that my actions may cause negative repercussions, but I will stand by what I have done. Never regret your actions, if it is to protect those around you, but always take responsibility for them. That is one of the many self rules that I have learned to live by.”

“Poetic, but doesn't help. The two stallions with Clay are petitioning to get you kicked out of the city, but we still need you to help train my stallions to deal with this ‘Pokémon’ incident.”

“That is ‘if’ more Pokémon show up. For all we know this may be an isolated case.” Princess Cadance added in.

“Yes, and thus, Cadance and I have decided to place you under arrest... for the most part,” Shinning started. “You shall be accompanied by my highest ranking stallion for as long as you remain in the Crystal Empire. You shall stay in his sight, and he is to never leave your side. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Shining Armor. I understand fully. Who is this stallion, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Flash Sentry,” Shining spoke, and the orange Pegasus from the other day stepped forward. “John, this is Flash Sentry. As part of his punishment, as well as being my right hoof stallion, he shall be the one appointed at your side.”

It was then that another stallion bursted into the room. His eyes were wide, and he panting. “Sir,” He started. “Sir, there is, there’s another...” He took a deep breath. “There is another Pokémon spotted near the city entrance, or at least we think it’s a Pokémon. It’s keeping its distance, but it’s still just outside the road.”

“What? Darn,” Shining gave me a tired look. “Looks like we need your help again.”

I turned to the stallion that charged in. “What did it look like?”

“Um, a large blue turtle. With two cannons sticking out its back.” My eyes opened wide. I knew what the Pokémon was. A Blastoise, but what would be the chances that this Blastoise was my life long friend?

-:-:-

It didn’t take us long to get to the edge of the city. The Crystal Empire was not as large as most of the cities back on earth. I’d say it was about a half the size of Saffron City all in all. Though it was a pain walking the whole way sick. Oh, and a side note, I noticed it was easier for this body to walk on all fours rather than just standing on two legs. Like I’ve been doing. A bit odd walking on four legs, but hey. I still got my hands. I’m just glad I didn’t transform into something with stubs for legs.

“Sir,” A Crystal Guard spoke, giving Shining armor a salute. “Glad you could make it,” He then pointed out in the distance. “The Pokémon is in that direction. Just to the side of the road.”

“Good. Now,” Shining looked over at me. “Alright John. Go deal with this Pokémon. As for you Flash Sentry, provide assistance to John, but let him handle the Pokémon.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Flash Sentry replied.

“Lex and Snow,” The two of them stepped forward. “With me.”

-:-:-

The four of us began to walk in the direction of the Pokémon. I had high hopes that this one was my Blastoise, but I had to consider it not being the one I knew most of my life. If he was hostile or friend, or if he was really a ‘she’ like the Feraligatr. Then we saw the Blastoise, and all of these thoughts were blasted away when Snow dashed forward.

The Blastoise braced itself, seeing the Absol dash at it with unknown intent. Then Snow jumped up and tackled the Blastoise square on the chest. The Blastoise rolled back with the impact, and wrapping his arms around her…

“What is she doing?!” Flash Sentry asked.

“Giving him a hug,” I replied. A smile grew on my face, while a confused look grew on Flash Sentry’s. Yep. This was my Blastoise.

“Snow, please, it’s good to see you too, but come on. We have to find John,” Blastoise said in a rather deep voice that took me by surprise. He then looked over at us as Snow jumped off of him. “I see that you found Lex, but who is this Infernape.”

“Oh him,” Snow waved her paw at Blastoise. “Naaah, don't worry about him. You know, just one of those days where John transforms into a Pokémon.” His eyes widened.

“Hey Eclipse,” I called out. “How you doing?”

He slowly walked over to me. “John?”

“Yep. It’s me Eclipse,” I shook my head. “I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but I am now an Infernape,” I gave him a smile. “I bet your day has been better than mine.”

He then grabbed me into a hug. A massive Ursa hug that popped my back. “Ah! It’s good to see you! So tell me, what have you been doing for the past two days?”

“Ahhhh, can’t breath, ah, put me down boy, down.” I gasped.

He chuckled. “Sorry about that, John.” Eclipse apologised.

“I’m confused,” Flash Sentry started. “What is going on exactly?”

“Flash Sentry, this is Eclipse. He is a Blastoise, and will be accompanying us back to the Crystal Empire.”

“Wait, what? But I thought we were going to send it on it’s way?” He asked confused.

“His way,” I corrected. “And Shining said that I was to handle this situation, now come on. Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are waiting for us.” I smiled. Somehow today just seemed to start looking up.

As we started to walk back something strange happened. “Greetings citizens of Equus, both old and new.” A voice boomed from out of nowhere. We all stopped and started to look around in worry.

“What in the world?” Lex asked.

”I am Lord Arceus, creator of the Pokémon realm.”

“What?!” Lex sounded, before bowing his head at no one in particular. I looked over at Eclipse and Snow. They were just as confused.

“You have no reason to fear me, I come in peace.” I bit my lip. Something told me that this was going to be bad.

“I have revealed myself to inform you that I am the one responsible for the Pokémon’s presence in this world, for the citizens of Equus, the Pokémon are the beings who have appeared over the past few days.”

“What is going on?” Flash Sentry asked.

“Ssshhh!” I shooshed him.

“I have my reasons for bringing them here, and to the leaders I will reveal them in time, but for now a warning, the Pokémon, while some may not seem it, are just as intelligent as any race who calls Equus home, and, seeing as how they are my subjects, I will not tolerate them being treated any differently than you would treat your fellow Pony, Griffin, Minotaur, Diamond Dog, Changeling, Deer, Hippocampi, Zebra, Horse, Buffalo, Cow, Donkey, or Dragon depending on whichever race you belong to.” There was a short pause before he continued. “To my Pokémon, I say this, I brought you, all of you, here so that you could live in peace, do not seek to harm the natives of this world, for I am the one responsible for your displacement. And to the Pokémon who went through changes when I brought you here I say this. You are the ones who proved themselves worthy, those who were fair, kind and good in the old world, consider this your reward. And to all of you, as sapients the laws of Equus, and the varying countries, now apply to you, and only the laws of Equus. That is all for now, but just to be clear, the Pokémon are not to be harmed simply out of spite, if you have a problem with what I’ve done, feel free to contact me, I currently reside in an ancient temple deep in the Everfree Forest, or a pocket dimension outside of the space time continuum, so if any of you wish to face the sheer power of a god, feel free to come by. Goodbye for now, though I doubt this will be the last you hear of me, and peace to you all.”

“Um, was that, was that the really Arceus?” Lex asked.

“I don’t know…” Snow replied. “Well… considering it was a voice in the sky, I’d say it was…”

“That was Lord Arceus alright,” Eclipse commented. “I just know it was,” He then looked over at me. “What do you think, John?” I did not hear him. My mind was wandering...again.

‘So Lord Arceus is real? A god who made everything. Real… But what does he mean by all this? And how does he exactly take every single Pokémon alive and take them to another world? Well I guess he is god after all, he can do things like that. And those he had chose as worthy?’ I thought, looking at my hand. ‘To be kind to Pokémon, I was selected to come to this new world? But changed into a Pokémon? Meaning… Meaning back on earth there are probably still hundreds...no, thousands, maybe millions of humans who were left behind and have no idea what’s going on…’

“John,” Snow waved her paw in front of me. “John, hello? Anyone home? Do I have to knock you on your butt again? John?”

I blinked. Then smiled. “Sorry, Snow. Just thinking about...” I trailed off. Not wanting to finish. “Look, I bet Princess Cadance and Shining Armor have a few questions. Come on. We have to get over there before a riot occurs or something.”

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long to come out. Being sick made it hard to write, and my editor going on a vacation didn't help. But it's here now, so enjoy.

Zeus-
I’ve quite enjoyed watching this fic grow from it’s original version, and I can’t wait to see Shining and Cadence’s reaction to Arceus. Keep up the good work Bubba.

tndpony-
There isn't really much to say, except that this fic went from one that I honestly thought was going to become a joke, and possibly the worst fic on the group, to one that I think can now become one of the best.

Please leave a like if you enjoyed my story. It really helps me get more readers and that is always a good thing.

Chapter 4: My Permanent Fate in a Political Debate

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tndpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen

Chapter 4: My Permanent Fate in a Political Debate

“One thing after another,” Shining sighed. “One thing… after another.”

“Look at the bright side, hunny. If we have questions, I’m sure that John will answer them.” Cadance reassured him. Though it was not that effective, considering from just the tone in her voice you could tell she was trying not to freak out. Hey, just like me!

“I hope so, Cadance. Because what he told us yesterday isn’t really going to help if everything blows up because of it.”

“What’s going to blow up now?” I asked. The two of them looked over to me. Then at Blastoise. He smiled and waved. And Shining just facehooved.

“Oh, who is this now?” Cadance asked.

“This is Eclipse,” I introduced. “He’s a Blastoise, a water type, a general badass, and my childhood friend,” I looked at Eclipse. “And this is Princess Cadance, and her husband, Shining Armor.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Blastoise gave a little bow.

“Sorry Eclipse, they can’t understand you.” He gave me a confused look. “They have to cast some type of spell on you so that they can understand you. I am sure Holly Heart would love to perform the spell,” I started to look around, and… I didn’t see Holly Heart anywhere. “Speaking of which, where is Holly anyways?”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!” We all jumped in surprise at Holly’s scream. She then came running out of the bushes, screaming at the top of her lungs as a small yellow spider clung to her back. “Get it off, get it off, get it off!” She cried out.

“Get me off of this thing!” It cried out.

I let out a sigh before stepping forward. Holly was running in a circle. Timing it just right, I swiped my hand forward, and snatched up the small Joltik clinging for its life. Holly didn’t notice. She just kept screaming. However, the Joltik did.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” He said, giving my hand one hell of a hug.

“Well you are welcome little guy, now why were you on her back?”

“Well… I, um, I’m kind of out of juice.”

“Come again? I’m pretty sure Holly is not filled with juice…” It was then that Holly tripped. I glanced up, and my eyes widened. I didn’t have any time to brace myself before she slammed into me.

“Holly Heart, John, are the two of you alright?!” Princess Cadance asked.

“What hit me?” Holly asked in somewhat of a drunken haze.

“Oh, you know, nothing much. Just a monkey with low self esteem.” Snow told her.

Holly looked down to see me under her. She blushed like mad and jumped off. “Oh my, um, I am so sorry, John!”

“It’s alright… I’ve… been hit by worse…” I slowly stuttered. “Really, I have… you just… knocked the wind out of me…” I took a deep breath.

“Not to interrupt, but don’t we have a ‘riot’ to look for?” Lex asked.

“He’s right, everypony. John, pull yourself up. As for everypony else,” Shining turned to the guard that they brought with them. “Head back to the city.”

As everypony started to walk away, Holly was at my side, helping me up. “I am so sorry, John.”

“It’s alright, Holly. And don’t worry about it, I’m fine. Now where did that Joltik go?”

“Um, what’s a Joltik?” She asked.

“That bug on your back was a Pokémon.”

“You mean… there are Pokémon that look like… large… Spiders…” Her pupils shrank.

“Aaawwwww, he’s so cute!” We looked over at Cadance, and saw the small Joltik sitting in front of her. However, he didn’t seem happy.

“I’m not cute, I’m fearsome!” He called back.

“Excuse me, Princess,” Holly started, catching Cadance’s attention. “What are you doing?”

Cadance picked up Joltik and held it towards Holly. “Holly Heart, just look how cute he is!”

Holly Heart jumped back, and hid behind me. “But, but, it’s a massive spider! Put it down, please,” She pleaded.

I chuckled. “Don’t worry, Holly Heart. Little Joltik here is not poisonous. The most he can do is give you a good zap.”

“Hey, don’t call me little!”

“But he’s a big Spider!”

“Aren't spiders suppose to have eight legs? I only see four…” Lex commented.

“I am a Spider!”

“I don’t care if he had ten legs, keep him away from me!”

“But he is soooo, cute!”

“That’s it! Everything dies!” The little guy yelled. He then sparked up, ready to electrocute everyone. Then… nothing happened.

Snow started to laugh. “Have a problem there? Need help? I’m sure they make medicine for your problem.” This made the little Joltik start crying. Frowning at his teammate’s action, Eclipse gave Snow a smack on the back of her head.

“Aw, don’t cry,” Cadance started. “John, why is he crying?”

“Because he’-*s an electric Pokémon that is too small to generate it’s own electricity, and can’t electrocute us because he’s out of juice,” I turned to Holly. “It’s the reason he was on your back. He can absorb electricity, and was trying to use your static electricity to charge himself.”

“Just… keep him away from me, for now, alright?” Holly asked. I nodded to her.

“Well then, if electricity is what the little dear needs, I’m pretty sure the generator we installed in the Crystal Castle could help this little guy out. How about it? If you come with me little cutie, you can feed off some of that electricity?”

“Wait, that thing is coming back with us?!”

“Yes, Holly Heart, he is, now please. Stop calling him a thing’.”

“Wait, don’t I get choice in the matter? I didn’t even say yes to coming with you yet,” Joltik stated.

“Oh, Holly, could you please cast that translations spell on Joltik here? I would like to know his name.”

“While you’re at it, could you please cast it on Eclipse too?” Snow commented, rubbing the back of her head.

“I am sorry to interrupt,” came a voice, and I looked to the side to see Flash Sentry. “But don’t we have something to do? Like, see if there is a Riot?”

“Of Course, of course. Thank you Flash Sentry for reminding us,” Princess Cadance stated. “Let’s head on back for now. Holly, you don’t have to cast the spell on Joltik, I’ll have another court wizard cast it. But please do cast it on Eclipse.”

-:-:-

Do I have to say it again? I hate dealing with rich nobles. Especially the ones in politics. No, a riot did not occur...yet. But one was certainly in the works. We watched as a pair of noble stood in the Conference Hall of the Crystal Castle, literally preaching about the ‘Tragedy’ that was bestowed upon Sir Clay, and they had a rather larger crowd on their side…

“It was horrible,” A Pegasus started. I recognised him, it was Winter Breeze. “We were about to eat our breakfast, then the horrible Monkey just grabbed Clay and threw him out the window.”

“It was all unprovoked,” Added a Unicorn. I recognized him too. It was Green Horn… “And that dreaded wench ‘Holly Heart’ was with him. I bet you she had something to do with this!”

My eye twitched.

“This is absurd,” One of the many onlookers stated. “Was this ‘Pokémon’ even punished? Didn’t his ‘God’ say to follow our laws?”

“Sadly no,” Green Horn stated. “He was taken by the guards, but later released.”

“That is why you all must sign this Petition. You have to get these monsters out of the city.”

“Come now,” Princess Cadance added in. “That is not what our records say happened. John threw Clay out the window after Clay threatened Holly Heart.”

“It must have been a lie, Princess. To get released,” Winter Breeze let out a sigh of despair. “I’ve known Clay for most of my life. We grew up in Canterlot together. He would never do such a thing.”

My eye twitched again, and this time Lex took notice to it.

“Ah nuts, code red! Code red!” He whispered to Eclipse and Snow. They looked at me, and with one glance they knew I was angry.

“What’s code red?” Flash Sentry asked.

“It seems that I have sparked a discussion of debate,” Flash Sentry, as well as my friends, looked up to see me walk into to the Conference Hall, and the room went quiet. “Isn't it appropriate for the party in question to defend itself?”

Princess Cadance was first to speak. “Yes, John, normally the ‘party in question’ gets to speak. If you would like to present your side of the argument, feel free to do so.”

“This is absurd! He should be kicked out of the city.” Winter Breeze commented.

“Calm yourself, Winter Breeze. We all must follow the laws of Equestria, whether we like them or not.” Princess Cadance warned.

“Yes, Princess. But as far as I can see it, these Pokémon have illegally entered Equestria, and are not protected by our laws.” Some random pony in the crowd added.

“So I’m an ‘Illegal Immigrant’’ who’s different from you, and because you’re both scared of me and don’t understand me, you want to kick me out of the city? As far as I can see, that is nothing short of racist behaviour, especially considering I heard that this world is supposed to be populated by various different species. What then, makes us any different from the other species that share this world with you? And as for my action, I do stand by what I did,” I took a step forward, and placed my hands behind my back. “And from what I have heard, the two of you have been lying about what had occurred earlier today,” Everypony was taken aback at what I had said. I rubbed my nose with my finger, still somewhat sick.“At the time in question, I was having breakfast with Lex and Snow, both of which are fellow Pokémon, and the lovely mare Holly Heart,” At this, I could see Holly Heart blush at me. “Then the two of you, as well as Clay, walked into the room. At first you didn’t bother us, but then Clay asked if I was going to see the Princess while being sick. I told him I was, and he went off. As he should. Seeing Royalty while being sick is not proper, but then he kept bugging us about it. And would not stop,” I started to pace around the room, not a soul would interrupt me. “So I started to ignore him, as did Holly Heart. We wished to mind our own business, and he would not have it. Then he threatened Holly Heart,” I took on a stern look. “No one threatens my friends, so I told him off. Again, he would not have it. Said to me that if I don’t give him respect he would kick me out of the city, kind of like how the two of you are doing. I was angry, at the time, and was suffering from lack of sleep. So what did I do? I threw him out of the window. I’ll admit that it was ill-thought of me, especially when I could have handled it better. However, because of that, I am currently working with the Crystal Empire in dealing with the issues concerning the other Pokémon, to make up for it. I am sorry for what I have done, and I promise to do my best to make up for it, but I will not stand by and let these two worthless stallions lie to this good city.” As I ended my speech, Snow started to clap. I gave her a stern look, but stopped as I saw the look of surprise on her face. Then I smiled.

It was a rather long time before anypony spoke up, and the first to speak was Princess Cadance. “Winter Breeze and Green Horn,” She had a rather strict tone in her voice. “Considering the fact that John is helping the Crystal Empire with the Pokémon problem, as well as how his story matches up with Holly’s story, I am considering throwing your petition in the trash. Now do you have a counter argument?”

They turned to each other. Muttering under their breath, and trying to come up with something that might help them.

“Princess, if I may,” A mare in the crowd stood up. “At the moment I am, as well as most of the ponies in the room, split in this matter. Yes, John here did help with the Pokémon matter yesterday, for I myself witnessed the matter, and understand that he can be a big help. However, he did still break the law. He has to answer for that in some manner,” she said, to which the two stallions smiled. Too bad for them, she wasn’t done. “However...” She looked down at Winter Breeze and Green Horn, frowning at the smug looks on their faces. “Throwing them out of the city is not an answer,” she said, almost smiling as the smirks on said stallions’ faces evaporated.

“Thank you.” I said, giving the mare a courteous bow.

“Then what are we suppose to do?!” Green Horn shouted out. “This ‘thing’put Clay in the hospital, in critical condition I might add!”

“Ah, shut up Green Horn! I went to see Clay this morning. Other than a broken leg and some scratches he is doing just fine!” A stallion in the back yelled out. It was beginning to become clear to the crowd that their motive wasn’t as noble as they had tried to make it seem.

“That is beside the point! He needs to pay for what happened to our friend!” Winter Breeze yelled out, throwing all false formalities out the window, making it clear that this was all about petty revenge from the start.

“Enough,” Princess Cadance yelled out. “I don’t normally do this, but in this case I am! The petition to have all Pokémon expelled from the Crystal Empire is being revoked! And due to both the false information and lies spoken in this Conference Hall, I hereby revoke Winter Breeze’s and Green Horn’s right to be on the Council. Guards, please escort them out of my sight.” At her orders, a group of crystal guards seized the two stallions, dragging them out of the room kicking and screaming about how ‘they’re nobles’ and how ‘they can’t treat them like that’, which we all promptly ignored.

“Well that went better than expected.” Snow whispered to Lex and Eclipse.

With a slight smile on my face, I turned to Princess Cadance. “Good to see that the truth always prevails in this world. Now if you’ll excuse me, I would like to find your husband. It’s about time he and I started to train your soldiers to handle Pokémon,” I turned to Holly Heart. “Would you like to join me, Holly Heart? I have a feeling that the translation spell you casted on me yesterday is going to wear off soon.”

“Um,” Holly looked at Cadance, as if looking for her approval, and Cadance nodded. “Of course, John. Wouldn’t want the spell to wear off in the middle of something important.” She then trotted over to me, and we walked out of the Conference Hall.

“Come on you three, I shall need your help.” I told my Pokémon companions. They could not help but smile as they followed me.

“Hey, quick question, whatever happened to that Joltik?” Lex asked. I paused when I thought about it. Since we arrived back at the castle, we had lost track of the little guy.

That was when we heard a scream from the Conference Hall. “Aaaahhhhh, what is that yellow thing?!” A mare yelled out.

“Well that answers that question…” Lex sighed, as they went to collect the little troublemaker.

-:-:-

“Hey, John, do you mind if I asked you something?” Holly asked me, as we walked through the castle, heading to the courtyard where Shining Armor was waiting for us.

“I don’t mind, Holly Heart. Ask me anything you like.”

“Did you really mean it, when you said I was a lovely mare?” And my brain stopped.

I did not answer right away, but I really did not know what to say. Surprising, isn’t it? In a short speech that I came up with practically on the fly, I was able to get a room full of stallions and mares to turn on both Winter Breeze and Green Horn, and yet this question stumped me. I truly did not know what to say.

“Oh my Arceus,” Snow gasped. A tone of worry in her voice. We all turned to her, and she had a look of shock surprise to her face. “It happened…”

“What happened, Snow? What’s wrong?!” I asked, somewhat worried, but glad for the distraction.

She turned to Eclipse. “Do you see it?” She asked him. He simply nodded. The same look of shock on his face.

“See what?” Joltik asked. “Is it the light? Don’t go into the light!”

“I don’t get it, what is going on?” Lex asked.

“Ya... what is going on?” Holly asked.

“It happened. It finally happened,” She whispered, before taking on a mischievous smile. “John here’s got a crush on someone.”

Holly’s reaction was simple. Her face light up as she blushed. Snow started to laugh. Lex made a ‘Oh.’ of understanding. Eclipse started to laugh with Snow. Joltik, the newest member of our little group, started to chant. “John and Holly Heart sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G!” And Flash Sentry, who has been quiet for most of the time spent with us, just looked confused. As for myself… apparently, I knew the move Headbutt. Because I just headbutted the wall next to me.

There reaction lasted as long as I held my tongue, because when I opened my mouth two words echoed out. “Shut up.” Joltik stopped chanting, Snow stopped laughing, and Eclipse made a ‘Oh shit.’ noise. I suspected that Holly Heart was taken back at my sudden change in tone, but I was not really looking at her at the moment. “You are acting like children, and though Joltik here is a child, the two of you are not. So grow up, you know I don’t like it when someone teases another about those types of feelings,” I turned to Holly Heart. She looked confused, and well… I know I was, but I really didn’t know how how to handle this situation, so really… my only option was to other say no to this or to say I’m not ready. “Listen Holly Heart. I do think you are a wonderful mare. In the two days that I have met you, you have been kind, nice, and helpful. As is, I see you as a friend, and though I can’t see the future, that has the option of changing. Though I myself would be somewhat uncomfortable about the whole situations, considering I have not even been attracted to anyone not of my species,” A small smile light up on Holly’s face when I said ‘attracted’. “ I do not have anything negative to say to the idea. Back in my old world, the closest thing to this that I can think of is Poképhiles, and that is a negative topic to think about. To most that is, but…” I let out a sigh, then a small sneeze. It seemed that me stressing out was making the medicine wore off. “Ask me to take down an organization, hell bent and taking over the world. No problem! Ask me change the minds of those who look to harm Pokémon? Childs play. This? Ya, can we talk about this another time?”

Holly’s answer to this was simple. One that surprised the shit me. “You talk too much,” She smiled then kissed my cheek. “So I’m attractive?” I facepalmed at this point.

‘Dear Arceus, why me?’

-:-:-

I needed a stress reliever, and the rush of battle was exactly what that stress reliever was. Shining told me that he was to face one of my Pokémon when I entered the Castle’s training hall, and that he would decide who he faced. As for the Training area itself, it was a large wooden building that lead out to a somewhat small outside coliseum. About the size of an average Pokémon arena. It seemed that it was recently built.

“So Shining Armor, who shall you fight,” I asked. My Pokémon at my side. “Eclipse here may be large and strong, but he is fast, and would make your fight with that Feraligatr look like childs play. Snow here may joke a lot, but she is fierce in battle, leaning more of messing with her opponent then anything else, always taunting her opponent more than anything else,” Shining nodded, then looked at Lex. “Lex here is the fastest of out of all of them, and can fight at close ranges and at long ranges,” Then I saw Joltik sitting on Lex’s head. Ready to fight! Looking proud. “And, um, Joltik here is not going to fight,” I reached out and picked him up off of Lex. “Sorry man, another time.”

“How dare you deny me the ferocity of battle,” He squeaked at me. “I’ll have your head!”

“Calm down little one,” Lex barked at him. “Besides, the ponies can't understand you either way, Holly Heart never casted that spell on you.”

“I still don’t understand why she didn’t! She casted it on Eclipse!”

“Silence,” I ordered. “Now Shining, who do you want to fight?”

Shining looked at me, then my Pokémon. He smiled as he looked over at his souldiers. Stallions and mares alike watched us. “I want to fight,” He gave me a seasoned look. One of experience. “I wish to fight you, John.” You know when I said I needed the rush of battle to relieve stress? This is not what I meant.

I kept my composure. I was surprised, and kind of freaked out. As an International Officer, I did know some fighting styles for self defence, and even trained with fighting-type Pokémon on a daily bases, but I saw how Shining fought. He could throw up a shield, use magic, and had probably many other things at his disposal. “Very well,” I started. Wait… Do I even know how to use Pokémon moves?! “I shall fight you, however, let us have some simple rules so that to not really hurt each other.”

“Good idea,” Shining started. “Considering that your Pokémon follow you, you must be very powerful.” Didn’t I tell him on the first day that I was a human, and that my Pokemon follow me because they had been with me for a long time? Wait… now that I think about it, I did NOT tell them that. I just told them about Pokémon types, and how they had sex…

“Ya, that is not why they follow me, and as for those rules. One, I won’t use any fire based attacks, if you don't use magic,” Or because I didn’t know how to use fire-type moves… “Two, Hooves and Hands only,” Didn’t really know how to use a sword, and did not want to fight him if he had one… “And Three, win conditions are either forfeit or first blood.”

“Those are acceptable battle rules, now come on,” Shining gestured to the arena. “We shall start right away.”

As I faced Shining Armor, my Pokémon headed to the stands with Holly Heart and Flash Sentry. A large group of stallions and mares started to cheer for Shining Armor. I felt somewhat thrilled about the situation, especially after that uncomfortable situation earlier. Then Holly Heart called out. “Kick his flank, John!”

“Why is she rooting for him?” A guard asked Flash Sentry, who could only shrug in response.

“And… Fight!” I glanced back to Shining armor, only to find him already launching a kick at me, and by sheer reflex, I managed to duck under his kick.

He was fast. Very fast. I back pedaled, only for Shining Armor to chase after me. He was getting in close, and fast. Not giving me time to breath. I had to act, to get him off of me. He threw another kick, this time spinning around and firing both back legs at my face. I moved to the side, and lashed out with a punch to his side. There was a ‘twap’ when the blow struck, and Shining was sent tumbling back as the blow knocked the wind right out of him.

I leaped over to the middle of the ring, taking time to gather myself as Shining recovered from having the wind knocked out of him. I then took a fighting stance. Standing tall, I spread my legs apart and put my fists up. Ready to ‘Box’ my way through this. Shining Armor may be fast, but an average Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee was faster.

He took a deep breath, and charged at me. As he got closer, he suddenly jumped to the side, before charging forward and striking at me, catching me by surprise. I knew I could not dodge this attack because of the way I was positioned, so I elected to take the hit and counter. I leaned forward, throwing my weight into my punch. My fist slammed into Shining’s face, while his hoof slammed into me square in the chest. We both stumbled back. It hurt. Enough to bruise, but not break bone. As for Shining… he was more or less in the same position as me. He was going to have a black eye, but he was fine. I took a deep breath, and readied myself again.

“You can do it, Captain!” One of the many onlookers shouted.

“Come on, John! You’re fighting like a newborn Magikarp! Go in and take him down.” Snow yelled out, much to my annoyance.

I slowly stepped forward, watching Shining intently. He repositioned himself, getting ready for me to strike. I dashed forward, and he braced himself for impact. I smiled, and jumped up and over him. Before he had time to react, I swept his legs from out under him, making him land on his side, and proceeded to elbow drop him.

There was a ‘Boooo’ coming from most of the crowd, as I pulled myself up off of the floor. Shining just gasped for air again. He was slow to rise, as I did hit him in the same spot as before: Right under the ribs, and slightly to the left. All I had to do is keep hitting him there, and he would give in.

Shining then fell to one side, and rolled to me, then kicked out both of his hind legs. They both hit me right in the chest, and I stumbled backwards. Again, the hit was not enough to break bone, but oh man it hurt! I really wish I knew how to do some fighting type moves right now, just so I can get this over with! Like Mach Punch or something! Then Shining leaped forward, not giving me a moment to wait, and hit me in the chest again.

“Alright… now I REALLY wish I knew Mach Punch or… anything really…” I muttered under my breath. Then… I felt something strange. Energy began to gather in my right hand, and for some reason, I just knew that this was the time to make my move. Considering that Shining Armor was rushing me down again, I had no objections to the notion and made my move. The world started to seemingly move slower as I dashed around to Shining Armor’s side. He slowly turned to look at me, only to see the business end of my… glowing fist?

There was a sudden gasp from the audience as the blow struck, sending him several feet away, before landing painfully on the ground..

“Oh shit…” Snow commented.

Shining Armor slowly got up. He was looking to the ground, panting heavily. “I… Give…” He started. “You win…”

“Good,” I stated. “Because I doubt I could have kept fighting…” Sadly he did not understand me.

“I… can’t understand… you…” Shining started, then took a deep breath.

Then there was a cheer from the crowded around us. Stallions and mares cheered out at us. Most enjoyed the fight, some looked disappointed, others looked surprised. As for my group of friends? They just smiled. They looked surprised at me, but smiled. And as for Holly Heart, she rushed over to me, looking both happy and worried.

“Hey,” I started, but she just shook her head. Then her horn flashed. I felt the magic go through me, and relaxed some. “Well… that was kind of fun.” I told her.

“Ya, it was fun to watch,” She and I looked over at Shining. He was talking to a group of ponies, all of them checking to see how he was. They must have been a group of medics or doctors. “Come on, I want you to be looked at too.”

I nodded and slowly started to walk with Holly. Now I don’t know if it was from a concussion, or just my brain playing tricks on me, but Holly Heart’s hips seem to sway just a bit more then normal as I followed behind her. I would go with ‘concussion’ considering it was the easier of the two option.

Then hell was unleashed upon the world as the Princess stepped into the room, and boy did she seem angry, especially upon seeing the state Shining Armor was in. “What in Celestia’s name is going on here, and why was I not told that Shining was to fight a Pokémon?”

We were all thinking it, but Snow was the only one to say it. “Oh shit…”

Author's Note

I did not really have much intention of Shipping Holy and John from the start, but why the hell not? I think it would be the 1st' Pokemon'x'Pony ship in the "A New World, a New way" stories.
(Chapters will come out every twelve or so days, depending on procrastination and other problems.

You know, I am rather enjoying this story. Glad to see that Pokemon and Ponies can fall in love.

Oh dear God, why are you here?

Zeus-
I like where this I going and I like how Bubba is handling the characterization thus far. Keep up the good work, can't wait to see where this goes.
tnd-
I’m quite liking where this is going. The plot is interesting, and I look forward to helping in developing the rest of this fic.

Please leave a like if you enjoyed my story. It really helps me get more readers and that is always a good thing.

Chapter 5: Love is like a fire, and I want to throw you in it

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen

Chapter 5: Love is like a fire, and I want to throw you in it

I sat on my bed, the doctor, a large Earth Pony stallion, looking over me. His eyes looked over at my chest, then to the clipboard in his hooves. “Two broken ribs,” He started. Holly Heart’s eyes widened. “Internal bruising,” She gave me a worried look. “And three of your other ribs are fractured.” The Doctor finished. Holly Heart’s mouth dropped.

“Two broken ribs?” I asked, surprised. I placed my hand on my chest. “It… doesn't feel that bad,” I feel like the universe hates me, because then I sneezed... “Aaaahhhh! I take it back!”

“John!” Holly was at my side in an instant. “Are you alright?”

“Of Course he’s not,” The Doctor started. “I’m surprised he is still able to stay conscious, let alone walk,” He then shook his head and looked at a clip board. “I’m going to be giving you some strong antibiotics, and painkillers. However, since I know nothing about Pokémon physiology, I am going to need you to come back tomorrow, and the day after that to monitor you and make sure you are healing, as well as to see if the medicine is helping,” He looked at Holly Heart. “And I am going to need you to make sure he doesn't do anything crazy, like fight the Captain of the Guard again.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” I slowly stood up, holding my chest. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m getting rather hungry. Holly, would you like to join me? I have some questions about Shining Armor.” Sadly all they heard was some monkey sounds, and me smiling.

Holly let out a sigh, then gave me a funny look. Did I ask her something wrong? “John,” She started. “You’re speaking monkey again,” Oh, the spell wore off. “Now hold still, I’m going to cast the translation spell again.” Holly’s horn glowed white for a moment, then I was blinded.

“Better?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.

“Yep,” Holly started. “So Doctor, when can we get on out of here?”

“You can leave once I give you your prescriptions.”

“Great. The sooner the better.” My stomach gave a low growl that only I could hear.

“Why? Do you not like doctors?” Holly asked, giving me a puzzled look.

“No, I have nothing against doctors,” My stomach rumbled again, this time they were able to hear it. “Just hungry. Care to join me, Holly Heart?” She blushed slightly, and nodded.

“I would say ‘get a room you two’, but considering this is actually your room, this would be it,” My face lit up red, as did Holly’s. “And as for you going out and about, take it easy. You’re under my care. Now if you’ll excuse me,” The Doctor headed to the door, grabbed his bag, and turned towards us. “Ones last thing. Try and stay away from Princess Cadance. I hear she is not too pleased with you and Sir Shining Armor.” We watched as the Doctor left my room, taking his equipment with him.

Several long and uncomfortable moments passed before either of us said anything. I opened my mouth to speak, but then Holly started. “Hey John, about earlier,” She started. I assumed she was speaking about our little ‘attraction’ towards each other. “When you were fighting Shining Armor,” Thank Arceus I was wrong… “When you used that punch on Shining Armor, your hand was glowing.”

She was right. I looked down at my right hand. I remembered it glowing, and just smiled. “It was a Pokémon move.”

“Didn’t you tell Shining Armor you would not use Pokémon moves?”

“I told him that I wouldn’t use any Fire-type moves, even though… I don’t know how to use any of them.”

“Wait, you mean you don’t know any fire based attacks?”

“I wasn’t originally a Pokémon. So this whole thing is kind of new to me, and being in a whole new world doesn't help.”

“Not a Pokémon? What were you then?”

“A human.”

“And what is that?”

Right… she didn’t know that either. “Bipedal monkeys like me, but hairless...and also not as strong, nor able to use fire.”

“Ok then...well, I have another question then, and um, it’s about your glowing hand.”

“The move was called Mach Punch. It’s a Fighting-type move that hits fast and hard.”

“...Anyways…” I blinked. Holly’s tone just changed to seductive. “We’re alone, in your room,” She took a step towards me. “Princess Cadance and Shining Armor don’t need your help,” She leaned in real close. “And considering how shy you are on the subject, I may as well be the one that starts things off.” There was then a gasp at the door, followed by the door opening. Holly Heart then ran and dove into the bathroom, out of sight.

Standing before me was Princess Cadance. She looked left and right, as if looking for somepony. “Um, John. I could have sworn I heard someone with you.”

I shook my head. “Just talking to myself, Princess. Been a lot on my mind.” I lied. Trying not to make this situation even more nuts…

Cadence blinked, before clearing her throat. “Anyways, John. I’m here to speak to you about Shining Armor, and the battle you two had. First off, next time my husband asks you to fight him or any of his guards, let me know. I can’t have him running around, getting into fights. For Celestia’s sake, you even gave him a black eye. Second, I think there’s a problem with the two stallions from earlier. Winter Breeze, and Green Horn. Nothing big, but still a slight problem. They’re trying to start a riot, saying you cheated your way out of justice, and got them fired...not that anyone is taking them seriously after what happened, since word has already gone out that they lied and falsified the information. Third, when Holly Heart leaves the bathroom, let her know that I have more dating advice for her.” There was then a squeak from the bathroom.

“Wait,” I asked. Looking at the Princess. “You mean, you were the one that told Holly too… and she… I’m sorry Princess, but what?”

Cadance chuckled. “If you couldn’t tell, Holly Heart is somewhat shy, and she asked me about stallions,” There was another squeak from the bathroom. “However, I did not know that you were the one she had her eye one,” She leaned forward, giving me a smile. “Even being the Princess of love, I did not see this one coming, mostly because you have only knows each other for… two days?”

“Do me a favor, Princess Cadance,” I started. Blushing at the whole situation. “Please, just try not to help. I am sure Holly and I could figure out things on our own...”

Suddenly, there was then a scream from the bathroom, and Holly Heart ran out with Joltik clinging to her back...again.

{Two minutes ago}

“Du-na,” Joltik hummed to himself, as he climbed up one of the castle walls. “Du-na,” One simple thought on his mind. Get Holly Heart. For if he did ‘get’ Holly Heart, Snow would give him a cookie. She said the cookie was the last of it’s kind. A chocolate fudge cookie, dipped in more chocolate! And it had to be his! IT HAD TO BE! “Du-na,” In the name of Arceus, THAT COOKIE HAD TO BE HIS! “Du-na, Du-na,” And there it was. John’s bathroom room window, and, oh, what is this? Holly Heart was just standing there for the taking. “Du-na, Du-na, Du-na-Du-na.” Getting ready to jump in, murder in his mind, one goal to reach, and…!

Holly Heart let out a squeak. It was one of those squeaks that a baby Joltik would make.

It was then that a blue angel Joltik appeared on Joltik’s left ear. “Don’t do it Joltik, think of the children!”

It was then that a red Joltik appeared on Joltik’s right ear. “Don’t listen to him. He’s a liar! There are no children involved in this. Just you, her, and that cookie!”

“It is a good cookie...” The Original Joltik pointed out. His mouth drooling at the thought of all that chocolate...

“It doesn't matter if that is a good cookie or not, this is wrong. Joltik, you said you wanted to be strong. Then do it now, be just like John. He’s strong, and I can tell he is even stronger on the inside!” The blue Joltik argued.

“This medical report does not agree with you,” The red Joltik stated, as he read a ‘mini’ version of John’s medical report. “Broken ribs, internal bruising, a bad cold… Nope. From the looks of this, his outsides are a lot better of than his insides,” He then threw the report out the window, and replaced it with a kitchen fork. “See, yet another lie, from the blue butt head.”

“It’s settled then,” Joltik concluded. “I’m doing it,” He then jumped forward, and yelled out. “DU-NA-NAAA!”

{Present time}

I let out a sigh, then raised my hand, and swiped it as Holly Heart ran past me. The quick motion slapped Joltik off of Holly Heart, making him land on my bed. He let out a gasp as he landed. Holly Heart noticed right away, and dove towards me, giving me one hell of a hug.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hate bugs, thank you John!”

“Ah! Holly! Can’t breath, the pain, aaaahhhhh!” I gasped, as Holly squeezed my broken ribs.

“Oh, I am so sorry, so, so sorry!” She held her hooves to her mouth, tears in her eyes.

“It’s… fine, Holly Heart. You did not mean it…” I took a deep breath, then turned to Joltik. “Joltik,” I stated loudly. “Front and center, now!”

Recovering from my slap, Joltik stepped forward, and raised one of his legs to me, giving me a salute. “Yes, sir! What is it John, sir?” His sarcasm made me want to slap him, again.

“Why were you on Holly Heart again?”

“Because of a bribe!” He answered. I glanced over at Princess Cadance to see her reaction. It was confusion. Right, Holly never casted the spell on Joltik… keep forgetting that.

“Who bribed you, and why?”

“Snow bribed me to scare Holly again, and as for why, I have no idea!” My eye twitched.

“And what did she offer you in return for doing this?”

“A cookie!”

“A cookie? She offered you a… cookie?” Correction, I now wanted to slap Snow.

In the corner of my eye, I could see Holly hiding staring at Joltik, using me as a human shield. No… I guess it would be a Pokémon shield. “Yep, she offered me a cookie, and since I’m just a child, I can’t be blamed for my actions,” He said in a woeful tone. “My mind was so easily tricked by that devilish Absol. Offering me a cookie to do something so simple,” He then bolted for the door, yelling at the top of his lungs. “Victory is mine!” My eye twitched again.

“Um, John. What did he say?” Princess Cadance asked.

“Six words, Princess. Snow bribed him with a cookie.”

“She what? I thought she liked me!” Holly called out.

I let out a long sigh. I seemed to be doing that a lot these days. “I need a nap.”

“It’s almost dinner, why not just wait till after dinner to go to sleep? You could, um...eat dinner with me?” Holly asked.

Princess Cadance gasped when she heard that, her eyes seemingly sparkling as she looked at us. “Ahhhhh, a romantic candle lit dinner with wine would be perfect!”

“Excuse me, Princess Cadance, but can you please stop that? I know you’re the Princess of Love and all, but if things are going to happen between Holly and I, then I’m going to need you to… restrain yourself.” I requested.

She let out a ‘let down’ sigh. “Very well,” She lifted her hoof to her chin. “On one condition. I have some questions about ‘love’ in your world,” Sitting down on my bed, I nodded to the Princess, letting her know it was alright for her to asked. “Holly told me about earlier, and how you blabbered on about being uncomfortable about the two of you. Why is that?”

Ah… It’s going to be one of those talks… The birds and the bees if you will. I know I told her how Pokémon breed, but this topic is something different entirely. I let out yet another sigh. “That is somewhat of a hard topic,” I leaned forward. My mind fulling concentrating on the subject. “First off, involving why I am… hesitant. I am twenty-six years old, and I have never been in an actual relationship. This whole subject is new to me. Second, and this is the subject that I do have a lot of experience on… Even though humans say we give Pokémon all the same rights as we do, in reality, they do not get the same rights. There are many laws that favor humans over Pokémon. One of them involving falling in love with Pokémon. Said law says it’s illegal.”

“WHAT?! How in the world can anyone say falling in love is illegal! I swear to Celestia, John. If you are one of those Humans, I will send you to the moon!”

I was… taken back at this. Then again, she IS the Princess of Love, so... “Um, no, I am not Princess. In fact, at the time I didn’t really care about the whole topic. I had other priorities, and love was not on the list.”

“How can love not be on that list?! What other things were you doing to not care about equality?!”

“Let’s see… How about, stopping an evil organization hell bent on taking over the world? Oh, and did I mention that said organization has both experimented on Pokémon and tortured them, AND are more than willing to do anything to achieve their goal?”

“What in the world?!” Holly gasped. “That sounds like… something you read out of those secret agent books!”

“It does, doesn't it?” I took a moment to think about my life. I worked for all the governments in the world to take down an evil organization.

“Alright, so you do have something more important to think about then love, but… Well that doesn't explain why you are so hesitant about it now. I know you can talk to ponies. Earlier you walked into my conference hall, and not only made one amazing speech, but turned the audience on those two stallions.” Princess Cadance stated.

“Yes, well… that’s on the subject of Pokémon love, and why I am confused about this. See, humans only love other humans. Or at least, that is how everyone wants it to be,” This time Princess Cadance’s eye twitched. “Then there are those who do fall in love with their Pokémon,” I placed my hand on my chin. “About… two years ago, I was asked to track down a boy. His name escapes me, but he fell in love with his Gardevoir. At the time, I was undercover, and could not go on the mission. Hell, even if I was able to go, I would not. Love is love, and there are real problems in the world to worry about.”

“What was the name of the law?” Holly asked.

“Poképhilia,” I answered. “And those who broke that law are known as Poképhiles.”

“Well as far as I know, there is no law for that here. And since you are no longer a human, why are you worried about it? We’re not Pokémon, and since you’re no longer on your own planet, what’s stopping you?” Princess Cadance asked.

I looked at my hand. It was still the same as I had before I changed into a Pokémon, but… I looked down at the rest of me. Other than my body changing, I was still me. I wanted to know what happened to Team Rocket, but considering Arceus’ message, I don't think I’ll have to worry about them any time soon. I was out of the job, in another world, and confused. I liked Holly Heart. If she and I were human I would easily take her out on a date. But this? I closed my eyes. “I’ll give it a try.”

“Give what a try?” Holly asked.

“Taking you to dinner,” I answered. She blushed, and Princess Cadance smiled. “This is a new world, and I can live it in a new way. Things are going to be strange, and it’s best if I move on. I have to adapt. So… why not?”

“In that case,” We all turned to the door. Flash Sentry stood there with Joltik attacked to his face. “Can you get this little face hugger off of me?”

We stood there for several moments before laughing.

-:-:-

Deep in the outskirts of the Crystal Empire, the remnant of a dark force started to stir. The last of the dark energy that was the remains of King Sombra shifted in its slumber. After his defeat at the hands of those wretched Crystal Ponies and their accursed Crystal Heart, the former tyrant had been blown to pieces, his body destroyed, his power now a mere shadow of its former might, and more importantly, his very essence barely clinging to the physical plane. Yet despite all that, he somehow still hung on through sheer force of will and hate, gathering what little remained of his power and focusing it into a somewhat coherent form, albeit that of a wispy black smoke.

However, as impressive as the feat was, it didn’t change the fact that he was, in every sense of the word, dying, and at the rate he was losing his power, he’d be lucky to even last till sunset of this day, if his consciousness regularly going in and out of slumber was any indication. However, by some unholy miracle, at the brief moment where his consciousness and awareness were at its highest, he noticed something. A dark power surging nearby. A dark power being used for battle. Gathering his remaining strength, the shade that was once King Sombra slowly moved to locate the source, and if he still had actual eyes, they would be as wide as dinner plates due to the sight he beheld.

“Fury swipes.” A pink horned Pokémon known as Nidorino stated as he attacked the source of the dark energy, known to the Pokémon world as Gengar. The Gengar jumped up, landed on Nidorino’s head, then leaped a good distance away from the Nidorino.

“Hypnosis,” The Gengar spoke. Sombra watched at the Gengar waved his hands, and a strange energy engulf the Nidorino. Forcing it to fall asleep. Wasting no time, Gengar spoke again. “Shadow Ball!” Then a black energy, the one King Sombra felt before, formed. Only to slam into the Nidorino.

That was it… Sombra found what he had been waiting for. He had been waiting so long, and there it was. A source of power that he could feed off of. One that even he did not know existed. If he still had a mouth, it would have twisted into a grin that could give any being nightmares. He knew the position he was in. He was weak from the blast of the Crystal Heart, and had already lost nearly all of his old power. This was new source of power, one unknown to him, was exactly what he needed. And he fully intended to take it by force if he had to.

With will beyond that of anything he had ever mustered, he pulled himself together, before slowly approaching the Gengar, being careful with each ‘step’, not wanting to lose his one chance. He was barely able to manifest in physical form, but he did not need it for long. When he was within a few feet of the Gengar, he charged right at it, and slammed into the Gengar who was caught completely off guard. As the impact happened, his form molded around him, engulfing the Gengar’s body and mind like some creature out of a horror story engulfing its prey.

Sombra could hear the Pokémon scream for it’s life, and he took great pleasure in it as he took control of Gengar, making its body his, while locking away its mind, making it a prisoner inside its own body. An evil smile forming on his face as he gained full control. In turn, that smile was reflected on the Gengar’s face, which twisted into the same evil expression of the tyrant, undeniable proof that this body was now under the full control of Sombra’s spell.

“Oh those Crystal Ponies have no idea what they are in for…” Sombra grinned as he formed a shadow ball in his new hand. Seeing this, his smile grew wider, before his laughter rang out. A chilling sound that promised only fear and misery to all who were in his way. And inside its own body, the Gengar screamed...yet his cries could not be heard by anyone...

-:-:-

After I successfully drugged myself up with the prescription medicine, I slowly walked with Holly Heart, Flash Sentry and Princess Cadance down the long hallway to the cafeteria. Due to my injuries, I couldn’t move as fast as I would normally. Not that it was a problem, since I was really in no rush. My right hand lay on my chest, and my left lay over Holly Heart’s side. I could not help but feel… fuzzy on the inside because of it.

“Any ideas on what we should eat?” I asked the three of them.

“Potato soup,” Holly answered. “Or how about… oh, a pot pie! With carrots, green beans, and extra gravy!”

“Didn’t you have that earlier?” I asked.

“It’s one of those things I could have every day…”

“Actually,” Princess Cadance started. “I was hoping the two of you would join Shining and I.”

“Really?” Holly asked surprised.

“Of corse. After all that happened today, we would love you to come and have a meal with us. Even though you did beat my husband.”

“Ah, come on Princess,” I whined. “Some broken ribs should be payback for that. You don’t have to keep pointing it out.”

Princess Cadance chuckled. “Sorry John, but being the kind of wife I am, I can’t help but get mad when Shining is hurt.” Her tone of voice was… knowing. As if something horrible happened before...or that he got himself hurt regularly. I would have to ask Holly Heart about it another day…

It was then that we turned a corner, and entered a large darkened room. I knew it was not the cafeteria like before, because that was down the hall. Were we making a quick stop here, or was this where we were going to eat? As we continued to walk into the dark room, the light from from my head was rather illuminating. It was then that I saw what seemed to be a long table with food on it, and several small tables all around me.

“Now why would you be taking me into a dark place like this, with food sitting here and no one eating it?” I smiled. “You know… It’s not much of a surprise when someone’s head can be used as a lantern.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” A stallion yelled out.

Then the lights went on, revealing that we were surrounded by the Crystal Empire Guard. They all looked disappointed, but had a smile on their faces nevertheless. Sitting on the far end of the table, was Shining Armor. He just face hoofed. Next to me, Princess Cadance looked disappointed, and Holly just looked confused. Probably wondering how I knew this was going to happen.

“Alright,” I started. “So what is all this for?”

Standing up, Shining Armor gave me a smile. “Well John,” He looked at me, and I saw the black eye I gave him. It was real bad from the looks of it. “After many of my guards ask to speak with you after the fight, Cadance and I thought that we should… host a party. So that they could get to know you, and since they will be working with you, it would be best for you all to get the introductions out of the way.”

“In that case,” I started, my voice taking on a loud but happy tone. “Let’s dig in! I’m hungry!”

If I didn’t comment on the food before, let me say it now. The ponies really did know how to cook. The Pot Pie that Holly recommended was great! The carrot soup was good, and the ponies even made crackers! All that was missing was grilled Oran berries, or this would have been perfect.

“So John. Is your head always on fire?” This was the first of many questions I was asked.

“Yes.” I answered.

“Hey, John was it? There is not a moment that I have not seen you with Holly Heart. Are you together?”

“No… Not yet at least...” I answered, blushing at this one. Still surprised at myself over the whole idea of it.

“You’re going to have to show me how to fight like that some day!”

“We’ll see,” I smiled. Knowing that dealing with rampaging and likely confused Pokémon would be a hassle, and that they have a lot of work ahead of them. “We’ll see…”

Then I was asked a question that… stumped me. “From the looks of it, you Pokémon don't have Cutie Marks, so I was hoping that you would tell me what your special talent is?” A mare asked.

“Alright… first, what is a Cutie Mark?” I asked.

“You don’t know what a Cutie Mark is?” The mare asked, surprised.

“He’s only been in Equestria for two days,” Holly pointed out. “As for what they are…” Standing up, Holly turned to her side. Showing me her flank. I… blushed, but luckily no one saw. “Well a Cutie Mark is pretty much what shows us Ponies what we are good at.” Holly’s Cutie Mark was a large four leaf clover. Behind it were four small light green ‘six pointed stars’, and behind them was a large dark green twelve pointed star. “As for myself. I am very luck when it comes to magic.”

“As for myself,” Princess Cadance added in. “I am great with love!” Showing her flank, she had a large blue heart as hers, with a nice decoration wrapping around it.

“Well then… To answer your question,” I turned to the mare. “If I would have to say what I was best at then… It would be reading emotions.”

“Read emotions?” She asked. “Like… interrogation?”

“No, no,” I waved my hands. “Nothing like that. I’m just good at asking questions and getting anwer.” The mare then smiled. Content with her answer.

So ya… there were a lot more questions that were asked of me, but most of them were just a simple yes or no question. The guards didn’t really seem all to worried, or concerned. In fact, it was rather worrisome. Didn’t they know how dangerous a Pokémon could be? You know what, on second though, they didn’t. Well, we’d have to fix that if they ever hoped to be ready to deal with Pokémon...but that could wait.

“Hey Holly,” I started sometime after all the questions finally stopped. “Where are Lex and Snow, and all of the other Pokémon?”

“They’re over in the corner,” Shining Armor told me. “I’m not surprised you didn’t see them. You were being asked a LOT of questions.”

“Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Holly Heart. Please excuse me. I wish to see how they are doing.”

“Don’t take too long, John. Dessert is almost here, and I asked for a banana split that we can share.” Holly told me. Only to be given a strange look from Princess Cadance.

“Why do I have a feeling you ordered that for him, more than yourself?” I could not help but smile. I was a monkey right now after all.

“Don’t worry, Holly. I’ll be quick.”

As I slowly stepped through the halls, Lex was the first to see me. He was always so perceptive. Snow sat with him. I still had to tell her off for getting Joltik to scare Holly. Eclipse sat behind them, leaning on the wall. He was… asleep. As for Joltik… Well… He was literally running circles on the wall. I am not joking. He must be on a sugar rush or something.

“Is he… alright?” I asked. Walking up to them.

“No,” Lex bluntly stated. “There is nothing alright about Joltik…”

“Don’t mind him John,” Snow said sadly. “Joltik gave him a headache…”

“Right…”

“Hey John! Do you mind if I made s’mores using your head? Can I? Can I? Can I?” Joltik asked, zipping over to me. He was… too hyper. It was getting late, and he needed to calm down.

“Hey Snow. From now on, Joltik is not allowed to have sugar.”

“What?! But sugar is great! That cookie was amazing, that ice cream was amazing, that bag of sugar was amazing! Don’t take it away,” He started to grovel at my feet as though I was his master, and he was begging me for forgiveness. “DON’T TAKE IT AWAY!”

“Ya... no more sugar.” Lex said, rubbing his head with a paw.

“Right… well I am going to ask for another bedroom for Eclipse, and I hate to do this to him, but I might want Joltik to stay with Eclipse.”

“As long as I can sleep without hearing him,” Lex deadpanned. “I’m good.”

“On that note, I think it’s time I head back over to the Princess’ table…” Truth be told, Joltik was cute and all, but he also freaked me out. He was smart and sarcastic, and I had no idea how he would act when he evolved…

I then let out a long sigh as I sat down next to Holly Heart. The day was starting to catch up to me, and it hit me hard. My body was starting to feel sluggish, and it was hard to keep my eyes open. I remember seeing that one of the side effects to the medicine the Doctor gave me was drowsiness. Good to see it was working...

“Are you alright, John?” Holly asked.

“Just… Tired…” I told her. Trying my best to stay awake.

“Holly Heart, can you help John to his room? I think it’s time for him to head on in,” Shining asked. “Oh, and Flash Sentry, you are relieved of duty till tomorrow morning. I shall have another stallion stand watch at John’s bedroom door until then.” The oddly quiet stallion that had been following me around all day simple smiled.

“Thank you, sir.” He then proceeded to trot over to the large food table, and gather up some of the left overs.

“You know, Flash Sentry doesn't talk much…” I pointed out.

“That’s because royal guards are trained to be as strong and quiet as a statute,” Princess Cadance told me. “You should see him when he is not on duty. He’s quite the chatter box.”

It was then that a Waiter showed up. He stood straight, and held our ice cream on a tray. “Your desserts,” He then started to placed them on the table. “Peach ice cream for the Princess. Vanilla for Sir Shining armor. And a Chocolate banana split for for the mare dating the monkey.” Holly Heart and blushed, and Shining chuckled.

Then… Joltik appeared on the table. Literally. Like, I could have sworn he was still on the wall across the hall a minute ago. He then shoved his face into the banana split. I was too tired to really react… But Holly Heart? Her scream was enough to wake me up, to the point where I promptly picked up Joltik, before I threw him out the door.

As he flew, he let out a scream of joy. “Wwwwwwweeeeeeee!”

“Princess Cadance, can we make it a law for him not to eat sugar?!” I asked, my head now plagued with a massive headache.

Author's Note

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No neal chapter notes for this one. Just glad the chapter is out.
A lot of big things happened! What do you think will go down!

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Chapter 6: A Demon Arrives, a Tyrant Lives

Warning: This is where my story turns dark.

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen

Chapter 6: A Demon Arrives, a Tyrant Lives

I awoke the next morning in a coughing fit of pain. The medicine had worn off, and all the coughing made my ribs feel worse then the day before. Though, I expected that to happen. Everything gets worse, before it gets better. I slowly pulled myself out of bed, and grabbed the two bottles of pills on the dext next to me. I quickly swallowed down my pills, and layed back down. Allowed myself to just lay in bed while I waited for the medicine to kick in. It did not take long, and after a moment all the pain started to recede. Enough so that I was at least able to walk around.

There was then a knock at my door.

“Are you alright in there, John?” Flash Sentry asked. His voice being muffled by the door.

Stepping over to the door, I opened it to see Flash looking worried. “Yes, Flash Sentry. I just needed to take the medicine, and wait for it to kick in.”

“Good to see your still able to stand then,” Flash Smiled. “Oh, Holly Heart left a note for you.” Reaching underneath his wing, he pulled out a small piece of paper, and handed, or hoofed in this case, it to me.

I opened the small note and started to read.

To John,

I had a great idea last night, and asked the Princess to see if I was able. She said yes, and trust me, you’ll love it, John! I’ll be working with the other Crystal Empire Mages to get it finished, and I’ll be finished after lunch. See you then.

Love~ ♥
Holly Heart

I could not help but smile. I then stepped back into my room, and placed the letter on the table next to my bed.”Hey, Flash Sentry,” I turned to him. “Do you know what time it is? I don’t seem to have a clock in my room…”

“It’s a quarter till seven.”

“Only six forty five? It’s that early?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well… in that case an early morning shower would be nice.”

“I shall be outside your door, if you need of me.” Flash Sentry returned to standing at the side of my door.

Moments later, I found myself sitting in my bathtub, water splashing over me. I even found it funny, when water hit my head, as it instantly turned into steam. I took in a deep breath. The steam helped me breath, and all in all, it was relaxing.

-:-:-

On a near by hill outside the city, sat two Pokémon. One was a rather old looking Mismagius, and the other was a rather worried looking Gengar.

“Don’t worry Gengar, I am sure we’ll find your brother soon enough.” The Mismagius spoke in an elderly voice.

“I’m sorry for troubling you, Agatha. But I hate it when we’re not together.” The Gengar explained.

“I know, Dear, I know. You two were always inseparable, even as young Gastly,” Agatha pointed out. She then gave the ghost Pokémon a smile. “Now come on, the city is calling us.”

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to just walk into the city? Arceus did ask the indigenous life around here to be nice, but I still have a bad feeling about this.”

“And what if we find Gengar?” Agatha asked her Pokémon. He fell silent, and the two started their walk to the city.

-:-:-

As I sat down at one of the many tables in the cafeteria, my stomach growling at the anticipation of the plate of food I had grabbed. Standing next to me was Flash Sentry. He was eyeing everyone in the room. I asked him if he ate anything this morning, and he did. Which was good, since he was not allowed to eat on duty.

“Tell me Flash Sentry, would Princess Cadance and Shining armor object to me exploring the city?” I asked, right before I took a bite out of a muffin.

“As long as I am there as an escort, they should not object.” He informed me.

“Good,” I then finished off the muffin, and turned my sights onto the orange I was given. “Because I wish to see how everypony is doing. Ask around about the Pokémon that they might have seen, or see if there are any problems.” After tearing out the insides of the Orange and devouring them, I turned my sights onto the last thing on my plate. A bowl of apple oatmeal. “Oh, and I do request that my Pokémon be watched as I am exploring. I do not want to see Joltik running around the city, declaring himself as the king of all Pokémon or something.”

“From this day forward I shall be known as King of all Pokémon!” I looked to my right to see Joltik eating a muffin, holding a butter knife high into the air.

I blinked at him, then smiled. I had no idea he was there. “Good morning Joltik, how are you today?” I asked.

“Well, you’re newly elected king finds himself tired of his castle,” He started in a ‘bad royal’ voice. “Therefore I shall join you on your journey around the city!”

I let out a sigh. “You’re just going to sneak out if I say no, aren't you?”

“I am now.” He answered.

“Very well, Joltik, you can come with me into the city,” I then took on a strict tone, one a father would use on his child. “But you have to stay with me. No wandering off. Do you understand?”

“King Joltik acknowledges your request, and shall accept the terms and conditions for this mighty quest!”

“Are you going to do that all day?” I asked, giving him a dead panned look.

“Yes, Sir John.” He answered, as he walked over to my plate, and started to eat what remained of my meal. I just smiled at him. Joltik was an odd one. He was young, smart, and worrisome. But in truth, I would rather deal with him then Team Rocket anyday.

‘I wonder what Team Rocket is doing, now that Pokémon don’t exist on earth...’ I asked myself.

“So that’s where Joltik ran off too,” I glanced over to see Princess Cadance standing before me. “Good morning John, good morning Flash Sentry.”

“Princess.” Flash stated, as he gave Princess Cadance a salute.

“I’m fine, Princess Cadance. Just looking forward to a trip around the city. If I’m going to help out everyone, then it’s best I know the city. Meet some of the locals, and introduce myself. Oh, and Flash Sentry is coming along of course.”

“That’s good to hear, John. Glad to see you going out and about,” Princess Cadance then turned to Joltik. “I was actually hoping that this little cutie could spend the day with me, in the Conference Hall. So I can show him to most of the ponies that I work with.”

“King Joltik does not wish to spend the day entertaining royals,” Joltik then grabbed the butterknife, marched over to me, turned to the princess and promptly shook his head. “That, and Sir John has offered me to join him around the city.” How ever. All that Princess Cadance heard was. “Jol, Joltik. Joltik, Joltik, Joltik, Joltik, jol.”

I smiled at the Princess. “I am sorry Princess, but I kind of told Joltik that I would take him with me, and from the looks of it,” I rubbed Joltik’s head. Eliciting a soft purr from him. “He would rather see the city.”

“Really? Darn… Oh well. Maybe next time.” Pouting, Princess Cadance turned to leave. “Oh, and John. Have fun out in the city. When you return, I do believe Holly is working on something for you.”

“Yes, she left a message for me. Thank you, Princess Cadance. Have a nice day,” I gave a courtois bow. “And if you see Shining Armor, give him my regards.”

As the Princess left the room, I took notice of the room around me. All eyes were on me. From the Crystal Guard, to the maids, and to the royals. “Can I help any of you?” I asked. Most of the royals, or at least the ones that were present when I flamed Green Horn and Winter Breeze, smiled at me. While the others looked away in fear.

-:-:-

With Joltik sitting on my shoulder, and Flash Sentry at my side, I took a deep breath as I stepped out of the castle. The cold air of the Crystal Empire tickled at me, and it made me glad I was literally on fire. Since I was no longer in a rush, I could finally see what this town really looks like.

Many of the buildings seemed to be made out of crystals, but a large amount of them seemed to be made out of wood. And from the looks of it, they were made recently. A lot of the Ponies themselves seemed different, and not from the way they look. Was I that blind when I first arrived not to see this? Most to all of the ponies themselves looked like they were made out of diamonds! And they seemed… slower. Happier. Content with letting the day roll past. It puzzled me. Were crystal ponies more calm than their non-crystal counterparts?

It was then that I saw a large statue. It looked to be of a dragon holding a large heart. It seemed odd to me, but I could not help but approach it. It was made of the same crystal that most everything in this kingdom seemed to be made out of.

“What is this?” I asked Flash Sentry.

“This is a statue of Sir Spike the Dragon holding the Crystal Heart,” He stated proudly. “When King Sombra tried to overthrow the kingdom, it was he who brought the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadance, and thus saved our land.”

“That sounded rehearsed.” Joltik pointed out, earning a flick to the forehead from me.

“Alright Flash Sentry, now I have two more questions. Who is King Sombra and what is the Crystal Heart?”

“Well the Crystal Heart is a magical diamond shaped like a heart that hold immense power,” He then took on a dark worried look. “As for King Sombra… That’s hard to explain.”

“How so?” I asked, expecting a story.

He began to explain the tale of King Sombra, and how he once controlled all of the Crystal Empire, over one-thousand years ago. How he was a monster of a king, that knew dark magic to control both the minds and memories of the crystal ponies. He then explained how the Crystal Empire mysteriously vanished only for it to reappear almost two years ago, along with Sombra himself. Though he was not stationed here at the time, he knew exactly what happened. From how Princess Twilight Sparkle helped find the Crystal Heart, to how Spike came into play at the last moments of hope, saving the Empire.

I staiyed quiet as I glanced back at the statue. Equus was strange world, but I knew earth had more elaborate stories there were true. “Thank you for sharing, Flash Sentry. Come on, there is much more that I would like to see, and we do not have all day. I do wish to come back to the castle before lunch.”

I began to walk down one of the many roads, and as I expected, many ponies just stared at me. Just from walking around the town, I could tell that Joltik and I were the first Pokémon that most of them must have seen. It was then that Joltik tapped my cheek, trying to get my attention.

“John,” He poked me again. “John,” He poked me harder. “John?”

“Yes, Joltik?” I asked, slightly annoyed.

“Can we go play at that park?” He then pointed a butter knife as a near by park. Wait, why did he still have that?!

“Joltik, why do you still have that?”

“You expect the King of Pokémon to leave his Excalibur behind? Preposterous!” He said, taking on that funny persona from before. I facepalmed. Joltik was so… strange. I bet there was not a pony in the world that was as strange as him.

Meanwhile, in a far away part of Equestria, a certain pink pony sneezed.

It was then that something small hit my side. I glanced down to see a child’s ball. As I placed my hand upon it to pick it up, a small colt came running up to me. From his size, I could tell he was very young. I doubted he even knew the world around him was changing.

“Can I have my ball back?” He asked in an adorable voice.

“Of Course.” I placed the ball on the ground, and rolled it to the young colt.

“Thank you mister,” I expected the boy to turn and run to the park. To keep playing with the other children, but no. He just stood there. Staring at me. “You’re head is on fire.”

I chuckled. “Ya, I know,” I smiled at the kid. “You know, from the sounds of it, you might want to go back and play with your friends.” The colt nodded and turned to run.

I watched as he started to play with the other fillies and colts, and let out a long sight. “Tell me Flash Sentry, what do you think will happen to the children?”

“May you be more specific?”

“If another Pokémon were to attack, would the children be safe?”

“Of course, we ponies are highly protective of our young.” Flash Sentry informed me. “However not everything goes to plan… Sometimes… sometimes young die...”

“That we do,” And elderly voice spoke up. I glanced to a near by bench to see a rather old looking stallion sitting next to a young mare. His coat was white, his hair grey, and his eyes were fading. He must have been blind. “That we do… Tell me, are you one of those Pokémon things that everypony is talkin’ about?”

“I am. My name is John, and as for what I am, well that would be an Infernape, and this,” I gestured to Joltik. “Is Joltik. He’s a Joltik…” I trailed off. I never liked calling a Pokémon by what type of Pokémon it was. “You know Joltik, how would you like a nickname?”

“A nick name? Like Snow and Lex? Sweet! Um, um, can I be named King Awesome! No, no, I want to be known as Doctor Yellow! Wait, how about…”

“Slow down, Joltik, slow down,” I rubbed the top of his head. “We’ll talk about that latter. For now just relax.”

The old man chuckled. “Well John, my name is White Light. This is my daughter, Autumn Leaf,” He gestured to an orange mare next to him. “And I have a question for ya.”

“Ask away,” I smiled. “Helping is something I am best at.”

“Good, good…” He took a slow deep breath. “If a Pokémon attacks, do we ponies have what it takes to stop them? I don’t want my children and their children to live in fear…”

“Do you want me to be honest,” I asked. He gave me a curious expression, and nodded. “No. Pokémon, no matter the size,” I gestured to Joltik. “Can be very powerful. Some can destroy mountains, some can split the ground we stand on, and others can manipulate the reality around us. Everything from time to space.” Both the old stallion and the mare looked fearful, and Flash Sentry gave me a worried look. “But I am working with the Crystal Empire to fix that problem. My Pokémon and I are here to help. Rather it be we that fight the Pokémon for you, or teach you all how to do it yourselves.”

“That’s… reassuring,” Autumn Leaf spoke. “But… what happens if you can’t stop them?” She sounded scared, and from the looks of her eyes she would not like the answer.

So I decided to lie. For if a Pokémon would get through, and if they saw the ponies as targets… many would die. “Trust me, most Pokémon aren't as strong as mine. Back in the world we’re from, they would send me after those who did bad, and no one ever got away from me!”

She gave me a smile, but before she could say another word, Flash Sentry spoke up. “John, it would seem that our time outside of the castle has ran out. Shining Armor is expecting us.”

“Of course,” He was lying. I could tell. Something in his voice told me he had a question for me, and it must have something to do with what I had said. “Lead the way, Flash Sentry!” I stated happily.

As we began to walk away, I heard the stallion mutter. “May Celestia watch over us all…” It really wasn’t a reassuring response.

-:-:-

We were halfway to the castle when I decided to ask him what was wrong. “Flash Sentry,” He turned to me. His eyes watching me intently. “What is bothering you?”

He looked worried, but only for a moment. “Is it true? What you said, about Pokémon?”

“Yes. Some Pokémon can destroy mountains, some can split the ground we stand on, and others can manipulate the reality around us. Everything from time to space,” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “But those are only the strongest of Pokémon. Some, like little Joltik here, are just children. You don’t really have anything to worry about.”

“Hey, don’t call your King little, Sir John! Or you shall taste my Excalibur!” He placed his butter knife upon my cheek. Poking me with it over and over.

“Oh, and by the way,” Flash smiled. “I thought you said you were a cop back on your world, not a bounty hunter.”

I smiled. “A little white lie never hurt anyone. That and, it’s better for the public to think I am somewhat of a badass.”

“Um… alright?” Flash Sentry offered.

“Yes, Flash Sentry. Everything will be alright,” It was then that something in the distance exploded. “Ah crap…”

“John, I need you to say ‘It will never rain Chocolate!’ for me,” Joltik stated intently. “Please?”

There was then another explosion. “Flash Sentry! Take Joltik and run to the castle,” I grabbed Joltik and handed him over to Flash. “Tell Shining that I will be first on the scene, and bring back up!”

“Wait, John! I was told to never leave your side!” He called out after me as I started to run towards the explosions. I found myself surprisingly fast, even with some broken ribs.

‘These drugs better not run out now!’ I told myself, as another Explosion rippled out.

Ponies started to run past me. Many were crystal ponies, but some of them looked normal. A lot of them were screaming, but others too scared to make a sound. Some of them even screamed when they saw me… It was then that I saw what was making the explosions.

Standing with his back to me stood a Gengar. A Shadow Ball fired out of him hand, and struck a pony. My eyes widened when the Pony exploded… “Why?!” I yelled out as I charged the Gengar, my fist now glowing as I readed myself to strike the Gengar. “Lord Arceus said to follow the laws of this world!” As the Gengar started to turn, I leaped forward and sticked. It was then that I fell threw the Gengar, as if he was made of smoke.

‘Damn it! The only move I know is Mach Punch, and that is no use on here… Fighting doesn't work on ghost!”

“Oh, what do we have here?” The Gengar spoke in a deep monstrous voice. One that sent shivers down my spine. It was then that I saw the Gengars face, or at least, his eyes. Normally a Gengar’s iris is black, surrounded by a red cornea. But this Gengar… Something was wrong with this one. His eye was red, and was surrounded by an ominous green glowing cornea that seemed to made out of smoke. It was literally flowing out of his eyes.

“Why are you killing these ponies?!” I yelled out, pulling myself up off the ground.

“Why? Do I really need a reason why,” He lifted his hand to me, and fired out a Shadow Ball. I jumped to the side and it missed. “I might just want to start a war,” He fired another one, and it too missed. “I might be doing it because it makes me smile,” He flew next me, and readed a point blank Shadow Ball. “Or I might be doing it because they tried to kill me!” I was not able to get out of the way. The Shadow Ball hit me in the lower stomach, and I flew back several feet before it exploded.

I screamed as I hit the ground. My fur as well as skin from the point of impact was burned off. Pain screamed through my body as my broken ribs rattled with the impact. I tried to get up, but my body would not respond. “Damn you,” I said through gritted teeth. “Why?! Why do this? Who the hell are you, and why?!” I gasped for air, as I started to cough.

I watched as the Gengar slowly walked over to me. His eyes glowing menacingly. “You are a strange one,” He started. “In death, all you can say is ‘why’, when most others just scream,” He placed his foot on my chest, making me scream. “Ah, there it is,” He pointed his hand at my face, and a Shadow Ball started to form. “But considering this is your last request… You monkey, have been killed by King sombra.” My eyes widened, and I could do nothing but wait for the Shadow Ball.

A Shadow Ball did come, but it was not King Sombra’s. I felt the pain in my chest recede as King Sombra was knocked off of me by Snow’s Shadow Ball. “JOHN!” She yelled as she slide to my side.

“If I could stand I would kiss you right now, Snow.” I joked through the pain. Happy I was still alive.

“This is no time to joke,” She yelled, as her eyes started to tear up. “We… we need to get you help, John. You need it, real bad.” She sniffed.

“We have bigger problems,” Sombra pulled himself up, and turned to us. “You,” I took a shallow breath. “Might want to take him out first…” I started to cough.

“But John I can’t leave you…” Tears started to flow down Snow’s face.

“No butts, those are for sitting…” I smiled. “Please, Snow. Take care of the Gengar first. More will die if you don’t…” Snow brought up a paw to her face, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

“Oh how sad.” Sombra pointed his hand at us.

“How sad? Is that all you can say? Do you even know,” Snow jumped to her paws and turned to face Sombra. “What John has done for the world?! What he had to sacrifice?!”

Sombra grind. “And you expect me to care?” Another Shadow Ball was fired at us.

Thinking fast, Snow took a deep breath. “Fire Blast!” She stated as she fired at massive ball of fire out of her mouth. The two attacks collided in the air and detonated, and if Snow did not cover me from the blast I knew it would have killed me from shear proximity.

I felt myself become weightless as Snow picked me up, letting me rest across her back. It was hard to hold on to her. It was hard to do anything really… My eyes were getting blurry, and my breathing was slow and shallow. ‘Blood loss… not good.’

“John, John please answer, John?!” Snow said to me, as she ran for my life. Explosions echoed behind us as Sombra was in hot pursuit.

“Snow? I’m still here. Just sleepy. Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere... Not ready to die… not ready…” It was hard to talk.

“Just stay in there John,” Snow told me. “We’re almost at the castle. We’ll get you help!”

“But… Sombra…”

“Who’s Sombra? John, that was a Gengar… Oh no, he’s hallucinating! No, no, no!” She started to pour on the speed, the Crystal Castle just around the corner.

“No, Snow… He said… His name was… King Sombra…” I rasped.

“Oh, good. It’s good you’re not seeing things, just stay awake. Don’t sleep, John!” In the distance, we could see those standing outside of the Castle. From Flash Sentry to Shining Armor, to Lex and Eclipse. Not to mention a number of Crystal Guards.

Lex was the first one to see us running towards them, as several more massive explosions boomed behind us. “John,” He called out, as he rushed over to Snow and I. “Snow, what the hell happened?!”

“Gengar named Sombra attacked, ponies are dead, John is going to die!” She yelled out in hast.

“What did she say!?” Shining yelled as he ran over.

“John is not going to die,” Lex growled at Snow. He then turned to Shining Armor. “Get John inside now!” He ordered.

Shining had more questions, but one look at me and he did not question it. His horn glowed, and I lifted into the air. “I have John. The two of you… that…” Shining’s eyes widened as Gengar stepped into view. Through just the eyes alone, he knew that it was King Sombra… He gulped, then turned to run...

“Kick ass, you two...” I called out, as I was taken away. Snow looked at Lex. They both looked scared for John, but they had something to do.

“Ah, my old castle…” The Gengar named Sombra stated. “It would be great to rule again! To show those crystal ponies that I am the one and only ruler for this land! Who knows, maybe this time I will take that Princess Cadance as my bride, make her a queen!”

“You’re going to pay for what you did to John!” Lex yelled out. Sombra glanced over at him, and gave a wicked smile.

“We’re going to take you down!” Snow added.

“I’LL KILL YOU,” Eclipse screamed. Both Snow and Lex blinked as there large blue friend blew past them at speeds that would make a Pidgeot jealous. “For what you did to John!”

Sombra smiled as Eclipse threw a punch at him. He began to turn around, so that he can attack Eclipse back when he phases through him. Eclipse smiled and opened his mouth. Sombra’s eyes widened as Eclipse brought his mouth down on his tail. The only down side of controlling this creature was that he felt the same pain as it did. He was then twisted about and thrown at Snow and Lex.

“Thunder!” Both Lex and Snow yelled out. The sky began to darken as several dark clouds started to form then a massive bolt of thunder stuck down. Millions of volts slammed into Sombra, slamming him into the ground. Then as soon as the clouds appeared, they vanished.

Sombra pulled himself as quick as he could, then let loose with several Shadow Balls. Snow jumped over the one that flew to her, then spit flames out of her mouth. Lex did the same, only his body glowed yellow before a massive blast of electricity was launched from him. Eclipse on the other hoof merely smacked the shadow ball out of his way as he charged down Sombra.

“Is that all you can do,” Eclipse yelled out, still enraged. “How WEAK!” He pointed both of his massive cannons at Sombra, before several balls of light fired out at Sombra. “Taste my Flash Cannon!”

Sombra smiled, before jumping out of the way. All of Eclipse attacks were heading straight for the Crystal Guards that stood in front of the Crystal Castle. All of their eyes widened, fearful for the attack that was coming, only for a massive shield to be erected in front of them. The explosion that rang out blinded them all. They all turned to see that Shining Armor had returned.

“By Celestia’s name…” Flash Sentry spoke. Shocked at what play out before him, yet grateful that Shining Armor was who he was.

“Eclipse,” Lex yelled out. “Calm your rage before you hurt an innocent!” Gritting his teeth, Eclipse nodded.

“Just stay back and let us handle it!” Snow added.

“Double team!” The two of them yelled out, before hundreds of them appeared. Sombra’s eyes widened.

“You creatures are much stronger than I imagined,” Sombra spoke up. “But it won't be enough to stop me! I once controlled all of this land with just my mind, there is no why you can stop me!” Sombra reached out with his magic, instead of using the power of the Pokémon he was in. Crystal spikes shot out of the ground and hit most of the illusions. Luckily, Lex and Snow were not hit.

“Ice Beam!” Snow fired out a blast of cold ice. Sombra moved to the right, and turn to her, a Shadow Ball ready in his hand. Snow was not able to move in time. The blast hit her dead on the nose.

“Snow!” Lex called out, as he ran to her side.

“You’re not getting away that easy!” Another Shadow Ball flew threw the air at them.

Lex’s eyes widened at the sight of the Shadow Ball. In his haste he felt as if he needed to save her. The one that was his mate. Eclipse appeared in front of them, his back to the Shadow Ball. It impacted, and Eclipse smiled. Shrugging off the blast as if it was nothing.

“How’s Snow?” Eclipse asked.

“Unconscious.” Lex whimpered. Rage now flowing through his eyes.

“Compared to the ponies, you both seem to be threats that must be dealt with,” Sombra stated. “But compared to their deaths, yours will seem like mercy!”

“Eclipse, make it rain…” Lex said quietly. “I’m bringing the Thunder…”

It was then that the Crystal Guard surrounded Lex and Snow. Putting themselves alongside Eclipse. “Get Snow out of here,” Shining told Flash Sentry. “The rest of you, back up the Pokémon!”

“Thank you, all of you.” Lex stated.

“Look out!” One of the stallions stated as Sombra fired another blast at them.

“When will you learn,” Eclipse called out, as he moved forward and slapped the Shadow Ball into the air. “That the same thing won't work!” He then looked up to the sky, and fired out a massive blast of water.

Sombra then glanced at the ponies and smiled. “Tell me Shining Armor,” King Sombra started. “Last time I faced you, I almost took your horn. This time, I shall take your wife, your kingdom, and all that you hold dear!”

“Damn you, Sombra! Why couldn't you just stay dead? Why couldn't you just~” Shining screamed at him before getting cut off by Lex.

“Thunder!” A massive blast of energy shot down from the sky striking Sombra. Sombra let out a scream.

“You’ll pay for that!” Sombra gave a death glare at Lex. Sadly, for him that is, that was all he could do.

“Thunder!” Another blast slammed into Sombra. This time making Sombra fall to his knees.

Sombra just sat there, panting. It was starting to get hard to move, and he could feel the life of the Pokémon he took starting to fade into unconsciousness. “I will have my revenge,” He called out one last time. “The Crystal Empire will be mine again!” Sombra knew he was beat. There was no way around it, but he had absorbed enough energy to from this dark soul to live for days. All he needed to do is find a newer and stronger host, and try again.

“Thunder!” Lex called out, but Sombra knew it was coming. With what little strength the Gengar’s body possessed, Sombra forced it to jump into the air, as he pulled himself out. Becoming a darkened shadow that moved along the ground. His get away was almost perfect, as all eyes were looking at the Gengar. All but Lex. With his amazing eyesight, Lex saw that Sombra had pulled himself out of the Pokémon, and began to slither away, but he was not able to chase, as King Sombra escaped through one of the many sewer drains…

“May Celestia bless us,” Shining started. “We need it…”

Author's Note

Sombra has shown himself...
John is in even more pain!
Shining is freaking out about Sombra returning!
Joltik didn't get a nickname!
It's HELL ON EQUUS! EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIVE! I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE OUT! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

(Ps. No Editors notes because they forgot to add it in.)
Ps.s. What do you think about the Chapter? Anything you liked and didn't like?

Please leave a like if you enjoyed my story. It really helps me get more readers and that is always a good thing.

Chapter 7: Rest and Recovery

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen

Chapter 7: Rest and Recovery

Beep… Beep… Beep…. Beep… Beep...

I opened my eyes to the sounds of a heart monitor. It was a sound that I knew well, but not through personal experience. In the end, I hated that sound… It was dark, and I suspected that it was late in the night. I took a glance to my right. My heartbeat seemed steady, though I could not exactly remember what placed I was in this state.

My breathing was slow, and it was hard to move anything. I noticed there was an Iv bag going into my arm, and from the looks of it it was filled with water. I could feel something heavy pressed on one of my legs. I slowly pulled my head up and saw Snow asleep. I smiled then noticed Lex sleeping on the floor. I smiled at them, and allowed myself to lay back down.

Beep… Beep… Beep…. Beep… Beep...

I didn’t notice when I had fallen back to sleep, but again the sounds of the heart monitor awoke me. As I opened my eyes this time, the world around me seemed just a bit different. The weight on my leg was no longer apparent, as Snow took refuge in the corner of the room, alongside Lex. There was some light coming through the close window, and it must have been the next day.

I slowly slid my hand to the side of the bed and snapped my fingers. Both Snow’s ears and Lex’s ears shot up. I snapped their eyes popped. A smile formed on their mouth. They both looked to me as I snapped again.

“John!” They said happily, jumping to their paws.

“Good morning… you two,” I started. “So… how long was I out…?”

“Two days,” Lex answered. He then looked worried. “Since the attack everyone has been on edge, but for most, mostly the ponies that don’t understand that is, it’s been hell.”

“Shining Armor doesn't know what to do about Sombra, and ponies think he’s lying when he told them who attacked. They say he’s trying to shift the blame to someone that’s dead, so that the Pokémon don’t get blamed. Princess Cadance is just stressed out, but understands both sides of the situation,” Snow cut in. “Everything just seem to be getting worse because of it…”

“Slow down, Snow. I’ll figure something out like I always do,” I let out a soft cough. “But for now… I just want to lay here,” I smiled at them. “Do you think you can prop me up? I can’t seem to move that well…” Lex nodded, and placed a paw at the side of the bed. There was a ‘Vvvvvv’ nose as the upper half of my body started to lift forward. “Thank you, Lex…”

“Need anything to drink? Water? A soda?” Snow asked, not knowing what to do.

“Water… please,” Snow started to move to the door before I called after her again. “Oh, and Snow?”

“Yes?” She asked. I took notice that her eyes were slightly watery.

“And… something thing… small to eat.” She smiled at me, then opened the door.

Flash Sentry stood on the other side. He glanced at Snow as she walked passed, than over to me. His eyes widened as he stepped into the room. “You’re awake,” He gave me a smile. “How are you holding up?”

“It’s a bit hard to breath, but other then that… just sore,” I told him. “How’s everyone holding up?”

“Holly Heart is emotional,” Lex answered. I turned to him. “Joltik is… sad. He looks up to you apparently. Shining Armor is surprised. Mostly at how you lived…” He stated the last part sounding a bit annoyed. “Eclipse is doing his best. A lot of ponies seem to be watching him closely, as he seems unstable...”

“The Nobles are confused. Both glad that you were able to stop Sombra from killing anymore ponies, but worried because they don’t know if it was Sombra. They think the Pokémon ‘Gengar’ was the one that killed the ponies, and some of them are siding with Green Horn’s original plan to banish Pokémon out of the city.” Flash added. As I watched him, I could tell that he seemed stressed. A lot must have happened in the past two days.

“How are… you and Snow doing?” I asked. Giving Lex sad smile.

“...We thought we lost you…” His eyes started to water.

“Please don’t cry,” I asked. I hated it when Pokémon cry… “You know… it takes a lot more than this to put me down. Remember when we first met?” I chuckled to myself.

“That’s not funny, John…” He said in a low sad voice.

“I’m sorry if this is a touchy subject, but can explain what you mean by that?” Flash asked. “Because it sounds like you went through worse.”

Beep… Beep… Beep…. Beep… Beep...

“It’s alright… It’s a long story… Happened about… six years ago,” I closed my eyes as Lex started to tell Flash Sentry how we met. “Team Rocket had me locked up in a cage. Apparently I was the first shiny Pokémon they were able to their hands on.”

“Um, what is a Shiny Pokémon?” Flash asked. I didn’t have to see Lex to know that he was smiling.

“Shiny Pokémon, such as myself, have a different color pattern then stander Pokémon. A normal Luxray would have a dark blue coat, with a light blue muzzle and what not. As you can see my coat is black, and my muzzle is yellow.”

“I see. Sorry for interrupting.”

“Anyways… Team Rocket wanted to see just strong I was. compared to the average Luxray,” I opened my eyes, and looked at Lex. He was crying… “They had me hooked up to a machine that would pump electricity through me… I was just a tiny Shinx at the time, and what they were doing was painful…” He let out a slow breath. “It was then that John here busted into the room I was in. After knocking out the scientist, he came to my aid. Only… the machine that was used on me was overloading, and would not shut down. I was… I was…” Lex gulped as he eyes started to shake.

“He was going to die,” I started. Letting Lex relax as I took over the telling of the sorry. “Unless I was able to get him out of it. As you can see, I did get him out. How? Well…” I let out a sigh. “By grabbing him and pulling. Just the pain from the voltage going through me almost knocked me out, but I stayed awake. I had to save Lex. No living soul deserves to die in a lab,” I smiled. “Luckily I was able to pull him free, but… My nervous system was nearly overloaded, and by that I mean I am lucky to be alive, because the amount of voltage should have melted my body. Honestly, I have not been able to feel much pain after that day.”

Flash Sentry didn’t know how to respond. He looked concerned... Or was that fear? It was hard to tell with him. He was able to hide his emotions well compared to most other ponies I have seen. He then smiled at me. It was a sad smile.

Beep… Beep… Beep…. Beep… Beep...

“Just get well soon, John. I have a feeling we are going to need you.” Flash Sentry then headed to the door.

As the door closed behind Flash Sentry, I turned to Lex. His eyes were watery, and he looked sad. “Lex,” I stated, in a commanding voice. “Dry up the tears! We got work to do! Once Snow gets back, I want you to go out there and inform Princess Cadance as well as Shining Armor, that I woke up. Furthermore, I need you bring them, along with Holly Heart, Eclipse and Joltik, to me.”

“J-John,” Lex brought a paw and wiped the tears from his eyes. He then smiled at me. “Yes, John. Just… one thing. Eclipse was tasked to watch over the Gengar that Sombra was controlling. Though some of the Royal say we need to execute the Gengar, Shining Armor knows the truth, and has Eclipse there mostly to protect the Gengar from the Ponies. And unlike you, the Gengar has not woken up.”

The door then opened, and Snow stepped in. She held a small tray in her mouth. I smiled as I saw some water and a bowl of oatmeal adorning the top. As she walked over to me, she gently placed the food on my lap.

“Thank you, Snow,” I picked up the glass of water and drank greedily. “That hit the spot… Now,” I placed the glass cup down, and turned to Lex. “Can you please go do as I asked, Lex?”

He smiled at me. “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

Snow watched as he left, while I started to eat, or rather inhale, my food. “Alright,” I stated, as I swallowed a spoonful of oatmeal. “How are you doing?” I asked Snow.

She brought her head down, drowning in her sorrows. “I… I t-thought…” I reached over and placed my hand on her head. She gasped, but let out a purr.

“I’m not going anywhere, Snow. I’m too damn stubborn to die.” She let out a chuckle.

Beep… Beep… Beep…. Beep… Beep...

“I swear to Arceus, I’m about to throw this thing out the window if it doesn't stop beeping…” I suddenly stated. This got Snow to start laughing, and she looked up at me. Her eyes had been watery, and I noticed something different about her. She was wearing a necklace. It seemed to be a small ruby with two chains coming out of it.

“What’s this?” I asked, as I pointed to the necklace.

“Oh, Holly Heart gave it to me,” She smiled, striking a poze. “Doesn't it look great on me,” I laughed at the kissy face she made. “But really, Holly said that it has a translating spell attached to it. So as long as we have these on ponies can understand us,” She pointed at me. “You have one too, as does Eclipse and Lex. Though… since Lex has so much fur it kind of disappears on him.”

I glanced down at my chest. Sure enough there was a blue ruby staring back at me. I smiled. This must have been what Holly Heart was making. I held the gem tight as I turned to Snow. “Mind if I ask some advice, Snow?”

“Go right on ahead.”

“Now… do you think that Holly Heart’s love for me is a simple crush, or something more? I’ve only known her for two days, at most, and you know how this is my first time ever thinking about a relationship.”

“Well John,” Snow started, placing her paw on her chin. “That’s the thing. I ask Princess Cadance about this and,” My eyes widened slightly. I was hoping the Princess did as I asked and stayed out of this… “There is something about the Crystal Empire that helps ponies fall in love. She said it was a ‘Crystal Heart’ or something, My mind flashed back to the statue of that dragon. “I have no idea how she said it works, but apparently if a bond between ponies can be made, it will be made in the Crystal Empire. Well… in this case it’s the bond between a pony and a Pokémon. All I know is that Lex and I have been getting closer, and Holly Heart likes you because of magic or something.”

The door then swung open, and something small and yellow grabbed my face. “JOHN,” Joltik yelled out. “Lex told me you were awake so I came here as fast as I could,” Hopping off my face, the little monster landed at the end of my bed. “Now I have to ask,” He placed two of his legs in front of him, as if explaining a serious topic. “Has anyone told you that you lit one of the hospital rooms on fire?” I blinked. Then my eyes widened.

“No…” I turned to Snow. “What’s this about a fire?”

“It was so funny,” Joltik started. “After they brought you in, the bed you here given lit on fire. Then ponies started screaming, Snow passed out because she thought you were on fire,” Snow gave Joltik a look that said ‘I’m about to kill you with fire.’ “I was able to steal the lollipop jar,” Oh dear lord, I hope they were sugar free! “They were great, and I was bouncing off of the walls,” They weren't…. “That was,” Joltik then gave me a sad look. “Until they told me you were really injured…” I stared at the little fuzz ball. He really did care for me, though we haven't had much time to bond.

“I never gave you a nickname, did I?” I asked him. He shook his head. “How about…” Let’s see… Joltik is an electric bug type. He’s funny, and goes nuts sometimes. If he’s not bouncing off the walls, he’s playing ‘king’ or something.. Shock? No.. Watt? No that doesn't work… I then smiled. “How about, Volt?”

He stayed quiet for a moment, before smiling at me. “That works,” He then stepped forward, and grabbed the spook I used to eat my oatmeal. “I Shall for this point on be known as King Volt,” He stated in that royal accent of his. He proceeded to lick the spoon “Ooooo, apples~”

I reached forward, and scratched Jol- no, his names Volt now… I reached forward, and scratched Volt on the head. He smiled at me. I then noticed that he didn’t have a necklace on. Holly must have never made him one. Too bad. I would love to see the look on Princess Cadance’s face if Volt said he was to be king now.

I let out a yawn. “Alright…” I started, picking up the tray of food in front of me, and setting it down on a table next to my bed. “Snow, could you please help me get out of this bed?”

Her eyes widened, and she placed a paw on my chest. “Slow down, John! You’re not going to get out of this bed!”

“Snow… You know your paw is right where my broken ribs are?” I wheezed, as she applied pressure. Trying to force me to stay in bed. Her eyes widened even more as she pulled away from me.

“I’m sorry,” She said, in a scared apologetical voice. “I’m so sorry, John! Are you alright?”

“Ya…” I wheezed. “Just… hard to breath…” I took a slow deep breath.

“John?!” I turned to the door. Standing before me was Holly Heart. Her eyes widened at me at the sight of me awake. “John!” With a surprising amount of force, she dove to me. Flying across the room. Volt and I both let out a sigh. For Volt, he knew he was about to be squished. For myself, I just knew it was going to hurt when she landed on me.

And… it did. I let out a low groan as she landed on me. The pain was not that bad, but considering all that happened to me, I probably broke another rib or something as she was giving me one hell of a hug. She didn’t squeeze tight though, to my surprise. The pain was just from her laying on top of me. She then started to cry.

“Hello… Holly Heart… I have to… thank you for the necklace… Aaahhh...” I slowly weeded. It was now harder to talk then before. “Do… you mind… getting… off?”

She lifted her head to me, and stared into my eyes. Then down at my bandaged chest. “Oh,” She then leaped off of me. “I am so sorry, John,” She cried. “Are, are you alright? I didn’t mean to hurt you! I’m sorry, I am so sorry!” Déjà vu anyone?

“Right…” I slowly breathed in. I then looked down at Volt. He lay unconscious, his eyes swirling in his head. I smiled. “So, Holly Heart. How have you been?”

She brought a hoof up to her face, to dry away some tears. “I’ve been better. Alost of us though thought that you weren’t going…” She gulped. Though her glasses, I stared into her light green eyes. They had small bags under them. I suspected she was not getting much sleep. Probably with what happened….

She really does care for me doesn't she?

“Holly Heart.”

“Yes, John?” She sniffed.

“Once I get better, we’re going on a date.” I stated bluntly. Everyones eyes shot open in surprise. Snow’s mouth shop open, and Holly Heart was dumb founded.

“I… I thought… I thought you wanted to take things slow,” She stuttered, as she stared at her hooves. Her face glowing brighter than my head. “W-w-why the s-s-sudden change?” Her stuttering was adorable.

I placed my hand on my chest. “This is the second time in my life where I woke up in a hospital like this,” I leaned back, and took a deep breath. “All my life, I had fought to save Pokémon. Fighting to protect them from those who would use them. Fighting to stop groups like Team-Rocket. But I don’t have to worry about those groups anymore… My lifes work came to a close when Arceus brought us here. Was it for nothing? No… I saved many Pokémon in that time, and though I was never able to bring them down, it doesn't matter. They are safe for now… But the thing is… I have never experienced love. Work always was in the way. But here in Equestria, I have the time now,” I moved my hand down to my stomach. There seemed to be a roundish indentation in my flesh. As if the Shadow Ball burned away the skin and muscle. “And before I die, I want to know what love is. I want to be happy. I don’t care what the world throws at me anymore. As long as I am happy, I know I can face it… And I don’t know if something is going to happen to me before then. So Holly Heart, what do you say? Dinner for two?”

Holly Heart’s face was still red, but she was no longer looking at her hooves. She was looking into my blue eyes. A small smile on her face. “Yes, John. I would love to go on a date with you.” Taking a step to me, she leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. There was then a flash of light. Pulling awake from me, Holly Heart and I looked down at Volt. He sat there with a camera, and a smile on his face. Where did he get a camera?

“What?” He asked.

“I don’t know how you can stand him,” Holly told me. “He’s so creepy…”

“Creepy?” I started. “Strange, random, and funny are the words I would use.”

“What do you mean?” She gave me a questioning look.

“The other day, Volt here declared himself king of the Crystal Empire. And named a butter knife the legendary sword Excalibur.”

“You’re joking,” She asked. I shook my head, and she looked questionable. “Oh… I see,” The then blinked. “Wait, I thought his name was Joltik.”

“As did I,” We glanced to the door to see Princess Cadance smiling at us. Standing behind her was Lex and Flash Sentry. “So, Joltik is now Volt? I like it.”

“Um… Princess… how long have you been standing there?” Holly asked, as she looked at her hooves.

Princess Cadance smiled mischievously. “Long enough,” She cooed. “Nice work getting a picture of that, Volt,” Volt leaped off of the bed, and scurried over to Princess Cadance. Only to crawl up Cadance’s back. “Anyways, It’s good to see you’re awake John. From what the Doctor said, I was not expecting you to be awake for another week.”

“Well Princess, just get me a wheelchair, and I’ll be ready and able to help the Crystal Kingdom.” I informed her.

She looked at me funny. “Um, I don’t think you should be getting out of bed. I know you want to help and all but-”

“Princess, the last thing I need is someone telling me to relax,” I interrupted. Her eyes widened. As did Flash Sentry’s. “Lex and Snow informed me about what is going on. Tensions are high, and if we don’t make progress I fear that something may happen to the Pokémon. I understand that the Crystal Ponies are now fearful of the Pokémon, and that they want to kick them out of the city.”

She remained quiet for some time before stating. “No matter what I say, you are going to try and help, aren't you?” I nodded to her. “I see… Well John, glad to see you're eager to help, but I really don’t think you would be able to fix what is going on. Some ponies, or at least the ones that survived being attacked by Sombra, saw Sombra’s eyes. They knew it was him. Others are just saying that they are hallucinating, or that they are lying to protect the Pokémon,” She then placed a hoof on her forehead, right under her horn. “It’s just one big mess that is stressing me out.”

“Don’t worry Princess. If there is one thing you can say about John, is that he has a silver tongue, and can worm him way into any situation and come out on top.” Snow stated.

“I kind of already knew that, considering how he talked both Green Horn and Winter Breeze out of their positions on the Council. Though… I don’t see why you can’t try. At the moment I am in session, and there is a depart going on about what we’re doing. Well… not at the moment. I let everypony have an early lunch so I can come and see you.”

“In that case,” I turned to Flash Sentry. “Flash Sentry, may you please find the Doctor I am assigned to, and ask for a Wheelchair. I would like to get to work.”

“Alright, one moment please.” Flash said, as he stepped out of the room.

“Holly Heart,” I turned to the green mare. “Once he get’s back, can you help me into the chair, as well as push me around?”

“Of course, John.”

“Thank you,” I took a deep breath, and turned to Princess Cadance. “Now then, Princess. Before we get going, I have one question for you. One that I need answered before I am able to help in any way, shape, or form.” I announced in a serious tone.

“What is it?” She asked, worried.

“What is the best place to take a mare out for dinner?” At that moment Princess Cadance started to laugh. As did Lex and Snow. As for Holly Heart, she just leaned in close and kissed me again. This time making me blush. It was at that moment that Flash Sentry returned with a wheelchair. Apparently, it didn’t take him long to find my Doctor.

Moving the chair next to my bed, Holly Heart started to help me up. “Careful,” I said, as I slowly moved my way to the wheelchair. “Careful,” I did my best not to move my upper body, as I moved into the chair. “There,” I let out a sight as I sat in the chair. “Thank you, Holly Heart. Alright everyone, there is a Council calling my name, and no time to lose!”

“They’re at lunch, John.” Lex pointed out.

“Oh… Anyone hungry?” I offered.

“I could use something to eat,” Princess Cadance started. “A hay sandwich sounds good right about now.”

“Same here,” Holly said. “Come on, let’s getting moving.”

“Shotgun!” Volt said, as he leaped off of Princess Cadance, only to land on my lap.

“Aren't you forgetting something, John?” Lex then asked.

“Forgetting what?”

“Eclipse,” He pointed out.

“Oh shit.”

Author's Note

Zeus- Error 404. Note not found.
tndpony- Well, things are certainly starting to heat up. I look forward to what comes next
As do I.
Damn it, Arceus. What did I say about showing up in my Editors notes? That's Zeus' thing not mine!

Please leave a like if you enjoyed my story. It really helps me get more readers and that is always a good thing.

Chapter 8: Ghost of our past

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen

Chapter 8: Ghost of our past

“Aaaahhhh! The pain!” I cried out as Eclipse gave me a massive hug.

“John, I thought we lost you,” Eclipse stated. “I thought you were going to die!”

“He’s about to die if you don’t let him go!” Snow yelled as she and Lex looked ready to attack Eclipse if he did not put me down.

“Oh shit,” Eclipse yelped, before dropping me into the wheelchair. “John, I am so sorry! Please, for the love of Arceus, can you forgive me?” I simply groaned.

“Eclipse, what were you thinking?! You know he’s hurt, so why do that?!” Lex yelled.

“I said I’m sorry, alright. I wasn’t thinking!” He yelled back.

“You’re damn right you weren‘t thinking!” Snow added in.

As the three of them continued to argue I found myself with a growing headache. The pain that occurred from the bear hug was almost unbearable and I can only imagine what it would have been if I could feel pain normally. Placing a hand on my head, as well as on my chest, I gritted my teeth.

Turning my head to the side, I motioned Holly Heart to lean in so that I could tell her something. “They’ll be at this for the next hour,” I whispered. “Inform Princess Cadance not to worry about the castle or anything. They won’t-” Before I was able finish my sentence, a mini thunderbolt hit Eclipse.

Eclipse slowly turned to Volt. He was on Princess Cadance’s head. His eyes glared death at the little monster. Lex’s and Snow’s eyes then slowly followed behind Eclipse. “Thank you Volt for getting their attention,” She cleared her throat. “Will the three of you please calm down?” She asked in a sweet voice. “From the looks of it, John is getting a headache.” The three of them turned to me. I was leaning to one side of my chair. My head resting on my fist. The look on my face telling them that I was going to make life hell for them if they didn’t stop.

“We’re sorry-” Eclipse stated.

“No,” I interrupted. “You all did wrong. Eclipse, you should have been more careful. As for you you two,” I turned to Snow and Lex. “Thank you for standing up for me, but don’t fight each other. Ever. The three of you are family. Don’t fight family.”

“John we’re-” Lex tried to apologize

Like before, I interrupted him too. “No,” I let out a sigh. “Please, the three of you just stay quiet. I want to check up on this Gengar then go deal with those ponies who are starting to hate Pokémon, and I’d like to get that finished before my headache starts to annoy me.”

The three of them sighed then nodded. I normally never got on to them when they fight, but they can fight somewhere else. Not here. Not now.

“Holly Heart,” I started. Turning to the green mare. “Can you please roll me over into the room with the Gengar. I wish to see his current condition, and assess his injuries.”

“Oh, um, yes. Of course, John.” Her horn glowed and I started to move into the room with the Gengar.

Laying on the bed was the Gengar. His breathing was slow, while his body looked bruised and beaten. All in all, it just looked like he was unconscious. Lex and Snow must have done a real number to him… “Does he have a medical chart?” I asked, turning to Holly Heart.

“I’ll ask one of the Doctors on hoof,” She said, before stepping out of the room.

I glanced back at the Gengar. Let’s see… I leaned forward. Allowing my brain time to think of what had happened to the Gengar. King Sombra must have taken over his body… Meaning either the Gengar was unaware of what happens, or he was conscious and could only watch as King Sombra attacked and killed those ponies...

There was a slight rustle in the air in the corner of the room.

I can only imagine the horror of seeing that happen and not being able to do anything about it. Turning my wheelchair, I moved myself to the other end the bed. Leaning close to the Gengar, I opened one of his eyes. His eyes seemed distant. Cold. As if there was no emotion in them. I wonder what the side effects of King Sombra taking over your body are… My money is on Psychological trauma… Leaning my head forward, I placed my ear on the Gengars chest.

-:- Flash Sentry’s POV -:-

We all watched as John examined the Gengar. “Does John have medical experience?” I asked. He seemed to look like he knew what he was doing.

Eclipse was the one to answer. “Over the years John has learned, both through personal experience and being taught, how to take care and treat Pokémon. Though he is no Nurse Joy, he does know what he is doing.”

“Who’s Nurse Joy?” The Princess asked.

“Nurse Joy is more of a common title. They are a famous family all across the world, whose job is to take care of Pokémon. They help any Pokémon that comes through the door, and do it all for free. They are, in a way, some of the kindest people you will ever meet.” Lex informed her.

“We could use a Nurse Joy right about now…” Snow added.

“...I have somewhat of a personal question for the three of you,” Princess Cadance started, as she turned to Eclipse, Snow and Lex. “How do you feel about John? Do you think he will be able to help us? The Crystal Empire, I mean. Do you think he will be able to help the Crystal Empire?”

You could hear the sorrow in her voice. She was truly worried about King Sombra, and with the Pokémon fiasco I could not blame her. I just wish there was more that I could do…

-:- John’s POV -:-

“Here is what the Doctors could tell from the Gengar.” I smiled at Holly Heart as she passed me the chart.

I stared at the chart... And continued to stare at the chart… There was little to no information on the chart. I took a deep breath, then facepalmed. Turning the page over, I found some Doctor’s notes on the back.

I, Doctor Red Pill, will be overseeing this patient. (Not that I want to. I really don’t care what happens to this ‘Pokémon’. I know one of the stallions he murdered!) From what we can tell he is not alive. Kind of. He is breathing, but we can not detect a heartbeat. From what that Turtle thing told me Ghost Pokémon are not supposed to have a heartbeat, or be able to breath. He is, to my disbelief, a ghost. The unliving. Now how in the hell am I suppose to know what is wrong with him if I have no idea what he is in the first place?

I glanced up at the Gengar. He was… breathing. He wasn’t suppose to breath. I leaned forward and placed my ear on his chest again. His breathing sounded like a cold shallow whistle. As if something inside of him was sucking in air, or that he felt alive in some way. As is, I can only speculate. I glanced back at the chart to read more of the Doctors notes.

Due to an incident where Doctor Red Pill tried to smother the patient, I, Doctor Vitamin, will be taking his place. Unlike Doctor Red Pill I have no hate for the patient, for I am aware of the rumors that King Sombra has returned. And, unlike Doctor Red Pill, I noticed some of the symptoms that occur when King Sombra takes over a mind. Or in this case, a body. These being: cold distant eyes that are unresponsive to light, and shallow breathing. I hypothesis that this Pokémon, this... Gengar, is in a coma. However I do not have a way to prove that hypothesis without more information on Pokémon.

“What happened to Doctor Red Pill?” I asked Holly Heart.

“Medical Discharge,” She stepped over to me and glanced over my shoulder. “After he tried what he did he was kicked out of the castle by Shining Armor himself.”

There was another slight rustle in the air in the corner of the room.

“Then is Doctor Vitamin on hand, um, I mean hoof?” I asked. She shook her head.

“Today is her one day off. He’s also your Doctor, though. I think he would disapprove of you moving around like you are. I mean, I know I do, but I know that you have things you have to take care off…” I smiled at Holly Heart. She was right. It would be best for me to lay down, but my best health doesn't come first in this matter. Pokémon are always my highest priority.

“Don't worry Holly,” I started. “I won’t do anything extreme. That's why you are here. I know you’ll stop me from over exerting myself. After all, we all will protect those we care for.” Holly blushed. She looked cute when she blushed.

There was another slight rustle in the air in the corner of the room.

“Anyways Holly Heart, I should almost be finished in here. Please tell Princess Cadance that it would be best that she headed back to her ponies. I shall join her once I am finished here. Oh, and I still need your help getting around. I don’t quite know the entirety of the castle just yet.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back then.”

“Please and thank you,” I called out as she left, eliciting a chuckled out of her. I watched as she left, my eyes following her every move. I could not help my myself and stared at her flank. I blinked, realizing what I was doing.

Smiling softly, I turned my chair to one of the corners of the room. Leaning forward slightly, I continued to stare at the corner of the room, never once blinking my eyes. I held this position for another twenty or so seconds before stating, “I know you are there. Show yourself…”

Several seconds passed before a rather old female sounding voice spoke up. “Well young man, you seem to have a keen eye.” It was then that a Mismagius appeared. She had a sad smile on her face. Her sad eyes lingered to the Gengar laying in the bed, then over to me. “Now don’t be shy, Gengar,” Her eyes moved over to the empty space next to her. “Say hello to the nice Infernape.” Fading into existence seemed to be another Gengar. He looked exactly like the one laying on the bed, except for a few differences. That being his size. He seemed slightly smaller.

“...” He did not speak, only glare at me with a sad expression.

“I am going to take a shot in the dark and say that you know this Gengar?” I gestured at the Gengar laying in the bed.

“You would be correct,” She started. “This Gengar was mine… It’s…” She closed her eyes to hold back tears. “Hard… to see him like this…”

“I see,” I frowned at them. “I’m sorry for has happened,” I rolled forward slightly. “I can only imagine what you are going though, but… I do have some questions I would like you to answer, miss?”

“Agatha,” She said. “Formerly of the Kanto Elite Four.”

I smile slightly and nodded in respect. “My name is John,” I started. “Though the circumstances could be better,” I glanced over at the Gengar on the bed. “It is a pleasure to meet you. You probably have some questions, don’t you?”

“Um, John, who are you talking to?” Holly asked as she entered the room. I turned to her and smiled.

I smiled as I turned to Holly Heart. “Ah, Holly Heart. Let me introduce you to Agatha and her Gengar.”

“Um, John… there’s no one in the room with you.” I glanced to the side only to see that Agatha and the Gengar were gone. I let out a sigh.

“Well Holly Heart, I was speaking to two ghost Pokémon that knew this Gengar,” I started to roll my chair towards her. “But it seems that they no longer wish to have a conversation.”

“Oh… did I interrupt? I’m sorry.” I smiled at Holly.

“Come now Holly Heart. I would never get mad at you for speaking up. I rather enjoy your voice,” She blushed. “And as for you Agatha. Next time we speak, please don’t leave the conversation half finished. It’s very rude, you know.”

“Oh, right, um, John. Princess Cadance said that once you are finished here to come and see her in her conference hall, and that she wants you to speak as a witness to King Sombra actions so that you can convince the ponies that do not believe he has returned.” Holly Heart informed me. I looked into her green eyes. It was about time I got to work isn’t it?

“Very well, Holly Heart. Time to get to work! If you don’t mind showing me the way, we can go there now. Best not to leave the Princess waiting.”

-:-:-

I patiently waited next to the door that lead into Princess Cadance’s conference hall. When we arrived Flash Sentry had been waiting for us. He told us to wait so that he could inform the Princess that I had arrived, so now all I was doing now is waiting for Princess Cadance to call me in to speak. Unlike before, she did not want me to simply stroll in and tell ponies off.

Speaking of telling ponies off, sitting in the stand, I could see Sir Clay. He had a few scrapes and bruises, but all in all he didn’t look that bad. A shame really. I should have thrown him just a bit harder. Luckily he had not seen me yet, and if he did then he didn’t show it.

Standing to my side was Holly Heart. She seemed worried, and even though I told her that everything is going to be fine, she didn’t listen. She was a worried that all Pokémon were going to be forced to be kicked out of the city. That being said, she was worried that she and I could no longer be together. Well… we could, but then she would have to leave the city…

Then there was Snow and Lex. They only came to keep an eye on me. Eclipse wanted to come too, but I told him to keep an eye on the Gengar. After that Doctor incident I wanted my best Pokémon on the job! The job in questioning being protecting Gengar. That and… I kind of wanted Eclipse out of the way. He seemed...off lately. Unstable even. I did not want him in a situation where he would try to kill the ponies I was arguing with, just because the pony pissed him off or something.

“Attention, everypony. I have an announcement to make before we continue where we left off,” Princess Cadance started. All eyes in the room turned to her. “Considering how todays topic is about Pokémon as well as the discussion on kicking them out of the city, I have asked John to oversee this hearing. Seeing that it would only be fair to have a Pokémon fight for their side of this argument, he’ll be representing the said Pokémon. John, if you will please enter the conference hall.” There was then a some questioning whisper throughout the room.

I slowly moved the wheelchair into the room. As I entered the quiet whispered stopped. All eyes were on me. Pony eyes went wide at the sight of me. Seeing as how the last time that they say me I was standing strong and tall. Telling off a pair of ponies without a second thought. Compared to what I was the other day I must look like hell to them. Especially Clay. His eyes were the widest it seemed.

“Good afternoon everyone. I bet your day is going better than mine.” I spoke up. Giving all crowed a big smile.

“Now then. Seeing as all parties are at hoof, let’s get this conference started then. Last I checked the line was split ‘Sixty-Forty’ in the voting to have Pokémon kicked out. The winner at the moment being the removal of Pokémon. Sir Clay, seeing as you seemed to be the driving force behind kicking the Pokémon out, would you mind taking the stand and explain why we should kick them out?”

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza? Must be a title. “As I have said earlier, the Pokémon have done nothing but cause pain and suffering since they have arrived. The incident with both that Feraligatr and that Gengar are proof enough that they need to be kicked out! For the safety of the Crystal Empire and the ponies that dwell in its care, we must kick out the Pokémon!” His argument is valid. We have been a big problem, but the recent Gengar attack was not caused by Pokémon hands… It was a Pony that killed Ponies. He just used the Gengar as the gun.

“Thank you, Sir Clay. Now John, seeing as you are the only one to defend Pokémon, do you have anything to say to that?”

“Yes, Princess Cadance. Several in fact. Just give me a moment to gather my thoughts. I am not in the best state of mind at the moment. If this was not so important I would not have gotten out of bed,” Leaning to the side of my chair I began to think. I needed to come up with something that shows Pokémon to not be so bad. This is going to be tough… since I don’t have much to work with… “Princess Cadance, is Volt with you?” I started.

“Oh, yes. He is.” Princess Cadance lifted a hoof to reveal Volt. Some of the ponies in the room gave the small spider a strange look. As for me. Well… I smiled at the little monster.

“Ah, good. Volt, mind come here.” Leaping off of Princess Cadance’s hoof, Volt scattered his way over to me. Most of the ponies in the room looked confused as to why Princess Cadance would have something as strange as Volt with her. I could not help but smile at their reactions.

Volt crawled his way up my leg, and made his way over to my hand. “Private Joltik Von’ Volt ready and able, Sir John!” He then gave me a salute. “What are your orders?” I chuckled.

“I hope you all can see little Volt here,” I started, lifting my hand into the air. “He is the smallest Pokémon to ever exist. I am rather surprised one of you has not stepped on him by now. Yes he is a Pokémon, and is capable of both great and terrible things, but all it would take is a simple misstep to take him out.”

“John, when you called me over here I thought I was going to help you. Not, you tell them to finish me off! Just yesterday I had to dodge a book that Holly Heart had thrown at me. I was so scared I saw a light. Then the light turned out to be Holly teleporting away, but that’s beside the point!”

Sorry Volt… I’ll apologize later for this. “If you were to step on him, his life would be over. You would just think that you stepped on a bug, and moved on with your life. But he is a living creature, just like you. Though he may be small, he has an opinion. He has a favorite food. He has feelings of love for his friends, and he has grown rather attached to Princess Cadance. I ask all of you, other than his size and the fact that you cannot understand him, is he still a person? He may be young. He may be small. But he has a heart. It beats like all of yours, and he does think like you. So tell me. Why are you going to kick him out of this city? I understand that some Pokémon have attacked ponies. I also understand that some ponies have tried to attack Pokémon. However, just because there is a bad apple in a group doesn't mean they are all bad. If anything, it just makes life harder for the rest. I know this from first hand experience.”

I placed a hand on my bandaged stomach. Though it was not be a good idea, I then pulled the bandages up. Revealing the massive wound that I had endured when Sombra attacked me. Ponies all throughout the room looked both shocked and sick at the sight. One even threw up. “But it is because of things like this, that I am fighting against this. Though I am truly sorry for what some Pokémon have done, we’re not all bad. And even you ponies have the power to fight us. Other than this wound, I have two broken ribs. And those ribs were broken from a training accident with Shining Armor. Though some Pokémon can be evil, you ponies do have your own bad apples. An example of this is King Sombra, and though he is the only one I know of I am sure there are more.” Many ponies looked sad at my mentioning of King Sombra. Some even looked angry as they remembered the tyrant.

“Now I ask this. Imagine if our roles were reversed. Imagine if King Sombra had shown up and killed Pokémon. Would it be fair for us to think that all Ponies are evil monsters? No. It would not. If our roles were reversed, I would be fighting for ponies. Trying to help you all. Now just think of that for a moment. Just a few bad Pokémon are going to make you damn us all from this amazing city. I have not even seen half of the Crystal Empire, and I can tell it would be a great place to have a family. To be happy. Your princess is the princess of love even. How could you not be happy in a place like that? I’ll tell you how. By everyone in that city wanting you gone. Wanting you to leave. And why? Because you’re a Pokémon. Now please, do the right thing. Don’t vote in favor of this. We may not be ponies, but we are alive. Just like you.” The silence that fell over the conference hall once I was finished was so thick that you could practically cut it with a knife.

There was a sniff from Princess Cadance. I turned to her to see her crying. Was what I said really that emotional? “S-sir C-clay. D-do you h-have a response?” She said through tears of sadness.

Clay did not answer. Like everyone in the room he seemed conflicted emotionally. He was glaring at me, but I could not tell if he was angry. He seemed… confused. Letting out a sigh he shook his head. “Yes Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. I would like to withdraw the motion for the banning of all Pokémon. Though I hate to admit it, John has a point. We cannot blame a whole race for the actions of a few. Pokémon are… just like ponies. However, Pokémon are still dangerous. I understand that we have to treat them as equal, but that doesn't mean that they cannot do harm. I suggest that any Pokémon within the city has to be watched, or at least something that will ensure to the ponies outside that the Pokémon will not go mad and attack them.”

“Might I suggest something then,” I interjected, though I had a small smile, happy that we were making progress. “Any Pokémon that wishes to live in the city has to go through a checking station or something. That way, you will be able to identify them, both so that you can keep track of the Pokémon living here, as well as keep an eye on them in case they suddenly start behaving strangely or cause trouble.”

Clay nodded. “That would be a good start, but it would be confusing at first. How many Pokémon are there?”

“Well…” I placed a hand on my chin. “There are Seven-hundred-and-twenty-one known species of Pokémon…”

“Seven Hundred!?” Clay yelled out. “Celestia help us…”

“Yes, Clay. Over Seven hundred. All with their own little thing going for them. Most being in the same family as the other, but… well that will come in time. I am just glad that we made progress in the short-” I was cut off by several painful coughs. I am glad I was not able to feel pain properly. Otherwise I would have passed out.

Everypony in the room was staring at me worryingly. To my surprised, even Clay seemed worried. I just sat there for a moment, breathing heavy. All their eyes watching me. “I am… sorry everyone, but I think it’s time for me to… get back to my room… Holly Heart… can you help me?”

Dashing over to me, Holly turned my chair around and started to move me to the door. “Sorry everypony, but John needs to rest. I think he over did it…” Holly said to everypony.

As I was pushed out of the room, the last thing I heard was Princess Cadance’s voice speaking up. “If there are no more questions or arguments, I motion that the motion to ban Pokémon from the Crystal Empire be revoked. All in favor?” Everypony in the room called out ‘aye’. “All opposed?” Not a single pony said a word. “Alright then. The motion to ban Pokémon from the Crystal Empire is now revoked. That being said, today seemed to have been a very emotional one… I say we all take the rest of the day off, and tomorrow we’ll start drawing up plans for Pokémon registration.” And with that, Princess Cadance flapped her wings and chased after Holly and I.

-:-:-

Beep… Beep… Beep…

I let out a sigh as I found myself back in the hospital. I was not disappointed or angry that I was here, but sad. Sad that I had to be in this bed. Sad that I was not able to move around. Sad that I couldn’t get up and go do… anything. I knew going to the conference hall and speaking with the ponies would would put a strain on my body, however I do not regret it. Within less than five minutes of me talking I was able to reach the hearts of the poneis. I could not help but smile at my achievement.

Beep… Beep… Beep…

My smiled vanished as the dreaded beeping came to mind.

Beep… Beep… Beep…

“Is John going to be fine, Doctor?” Princess Cadance asked Doctor Vitamin.

The red mare Pegasus looked at Princess Cadance sadly. “Well… I really don’t know, but as long as he doesn't go running around like he did today then his chances will improve. Despite what we thought when he first arrived, he did survive his injuries. On top of that,” She leaned over and removed the bandages around my stomach. “His healing rate is rather surprising. This wound has gotten a lot better in the two days he has been here. So… You know what. As long as he doesn't move at all he should be fine.” Doctor Vitamin then looked over at me. Her short white mane drifted over her blue eyes. A smile grew across her face.

I looked to the corner of the room. Lex, Snow, Flash Sentry and Holly all looked at me worried. “I could really go for a full restore right about now…” I spoke up.

Lex chuckled. “Ya. It is a shame that the ponies medical knowledge is not as good as the humans. But considering I don’t know anything on the subject, I shouldn't say a thing about it...”

Ignoring Lex, Doctor Vitamin turned to me and asked. “What is a… full restore?”

“A full restore is… well really good medicine. It can pretty much heal any wound. Cure any poison… Treat any burn… Ya that does sound like a good idea, John. You know, other than the fact that there is no way to get one.” Snow commented.

“Aaahhhh, your sarcasm! It hurts!” I joked.

“Ya Snow, stop it before John has to pass a kidney stone because of your sarcasm!” I chuckled and looked up at my forehead. Volt was sitting there smiling.

“Heal any wound…” We all looked over at Doctor Vitamin. She was looking at the ground, and seemed to be deep in thought. “If that is how well advanced your medicine was back home, then I must say we probably seem like caveponies to you.”

I started at the good doctor, and before anyone said anything I smiled and spoke up. “No not really,” I glanced over at the heart monitor. “Most of the equipment is the same, like this Heart monitor for example. Though we do have a lot of things that help us heal, most of the time we find ourselves lost. Not everything can be healed instantly, and sometimes we even find ourselves angry because we can not help those who are hurt.”

“I see…” Doctor Vitamin smiled at me. “Well then, I best be off. John, please stay in bed. As for the rest of you, keep him in bed. I am only going to say this once. If I learn he got up and ran around again, then I will be forced to tie him to that bed.”

Snow then took on an mischievous look. “Slow down Doctor that’s Holly Heart’s job.”

Both Holly Heart’s face as well as mine lit up red. W-Why did she have to say something like that?! “S-Snow!”

“I would say they should get a room, but you know. This would be it.” Lex added. Everyone in the room started to laugh, but Holly and I just grew more embarrassed.

“Being a medical professional I am trained in many fields. If the two of you ever have any problems in bed that requires medicine let me know.” Doctor Vitamin added in. Holly Heart covered her face with her hooves. As for myself, I closed my eyes. Doing my best to ignore them. As well as a small sensation between my legs...

“Oh, I need a laugh after what happened today,” Princess Cadance coed. I feared what her next comment was going to be seeing as she is the princess of love. “But for now, let’s give it a rest. I am sure it’s not good for John’s health.” Well then… that surprised me.

“Oh contraire Princess. That is great way for Pokémon to relieve stress.” Snow stated.

It was then that I heard a sniff from Holly Heart. Was she crying… I glanced over at her. My eyes widening when I say that she was in fact crying. Holly Heart must be very sensitive... Well then, I’ve had enough. “All of you,” I started in a cold angrily tone. “Shut the hell up. You are making Holly Heart cry.” Everyone went quiet, as they turned to me. They then slowly turned to Holly Heart. With how quiet the room became

“I-I’m sorry, Holly Heart…” Snow immediately apologize.

“I’m also sorry.” Lex added in quickly.

“I am too...” Doctor Vitaman quickly added stated before retreating out of the room. Her apology sounded more out of confused desperation than anything else.

“Other than Holly Heart and Princess Cadance. Flash Sentry, keep an eye on Snow and Lex. As for you Volt, you can stay as long as you don’t say anything that will hurt Holly Heart,” I then remembered that Holly can’t understand Volt. “I mean, as long as you stay away from her. You know how she is with you.”

Snow and Lex then exited the room, Flash Sentry following behind them, leaving Holly Heart, Princess Cadance, Volt and myself left in the room.

“Can I just ask one question… well three. Why would Holly tie you up? Why are you blushing, and what is good for Pokémon?” Oh right… he’s a kid.

“I will give you a cookie if you drop the subject.” Volt’s eyes popped open. He swiftly nodded, and placed a leg over his mouth. Then moved it to the side in the zipping motion.

I let out a long sigh. Then turned my attention to the mare I was… well. ‘Date’ would be the only good word for it. Even if we never went out or announced that we were a couple… “Are you alright, Holly Heart? I am sorry if they made you sad.”

She sniffed again. “It’s n-not that... It’s j-just been a e-emotional day. Their teasing w-was not t-that bad, just that, just t-that I’ve been w-worried about y-you. W-when you s-started coughing earlier I-I assumed the worst.”

“...So I got pissed off at them for nothing?”

“N-no. I l-like seeing you m-mad.” I blushed slightly.

“You know,” Princess Cadance started. Her tone was rather somber, though there was a slight undertone of happiness. “I can feel something between you two… But….” Letting out a quick sigh, Princess Cadance took on a sad smile. “For now John, just stay in bed. Though I haven't known you for long, I consider you a friend, and I ask of you to stay here and rest. You did what you needed to do. Pokémon can live in the Crystal Empire without having to worry about being kicked out, and though we still have to deal with Sombra, I suspect that things will go up from here. So please, just… just heal up alright. For Holly Heart’s sake.” With that, Princess Cadance turned to the door, but before she could leave, I spoke up.

“Thank you, Princess Cadance.” Though I could not see her face, I could tell she was smiling.

As the door closed behind Cadance, I turned to Holly. Tears still slowly rolled out of her, but she held a smile. “So… Holly Heart… how’ve you been holding up?” I offered.

She jucked chuckled. “John,” Leaning forward, she gave me kiss on the cheek. “You talk too much,” She then stood up and strolled over to the door. “Hurry up and heal up, ok! Once you’re healed up you have a date to take me on.” She declared, still crying. Though she tried to hide it, I could hear the sadness in her voice.

She then left the room…

Beep… Beep… Beep…

…

Beep… Beep… Beep…

…

“So about that cookie…” Volt started.

-:- Several hours later - In the royal bedroom -:-

As the day was drawing to a close, Princess Cadance sat at a desk in her and Shining’s room. She stared out of her window as Celestia’s sun started to fall over the horizon, giving way to Luna’s moon.

“Still worried, Cadance?” Shining Armor asked her.

“Of course I am! With everything that is going on how could I not be? John almost died, but he was able to convince everypony with in an hour of being awake that all Pokémon are not bad. Not to mention the fact that everypony is still on edge! Some of them are demanding the head of that Gengar! Not to mention the fact that I am trying not to freak out!”

“You mean, kind of like how you are doing now?”

“I just hope that the letter I sent to Aunty Celestia gets there in time. It’s a shame we don’t have a dragon on hoof, and had to send a Pegasus instead. A two day flight is not fast enough!”

“Well Cadance,” Shining smiled. “We did send it when John first got hurt, so it would get there right about now. Besides, once Princess Celestia gets wind of what happens I am sure she is going to get that Arceus fellow involved. From what I have heard from Lex, he is pretty much a god. With that I am sure we will take care of Sombra in no time! Just need to lay back and relax.”

Cadance face hoofed, but smiled. “Sorry, Shining. It’s just been… confusing. My emotions are all over the place, not to mention John’s speech was very moving,” She then walked over to the bed and layed down. “I don’t know what’s with him, but he has a way with words…”

“Seems I should keep my eye on him then, with the way he has you at the moment.” Shining teased.

“Oh shush,” Cadance then threw a pillow across the room at Shining Armor. “You know that Holly has her eye on him.”

“Oh I know. I’m just messing with you. You’re cute when you are like this.”

“I thought I was cute all the time?” Cadance whined.

“Nope,” Shining bluntly stated. “When you’re not cute you’re beautiful.” This made Cadance blush.

“Somepony is trying their luck…” Cadance commented.

“Is it working?”

“Come here and find out….”- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dear Auntie Celestia

I'm certain you're facing your own share of problems regarding the recent turn of events, especially since this Arceus said he's set up shop in the Everfree, but I feel that it is of the utmost importance that you hear of the crisis facing the Crystal Empire.

King Sombra has returned.

And he has used the bodies of Pokémon he's possessed to attack the Empire, so far he's only attacked once in the form of a Pokémon known as a Genger. But I am mortified to tell you that in this attack, he has already taken the lives of several of my little ponies.

I have hope that a former human known as John (now an Infernape) does not join the list of the departed, for he has become a good friend of mine. Tensions are running high all throughout the Empire and I don't know where else to turn. Shining Armor is doing his best to support me, but we need your help.

~Cadence.

Author's Note

Would you believe me if I said that I made John's speech up from the top of my head? Literally came up with it in about 20m. Also, sorry for the late chapter. Didn't have much inspiration until Zeus, TDN, and I had a chat about ideas for my story. Went well. Who liked the Chapter? Who Hates how I changed Holly's name? Who loved John's speech? Let me know in the comments below!

Zeus- Nice to see that some politicians do have a heart, and I’m glad everyone was able to come to a compromise. Now they just have to deal with Sombra.

TDN- The speech was easily one of my favorite scenes, better than the last one. Its also great to see that not all Nobles are unreasonable pricks.

Please leave a like if you enjoyed my story. It really helps me get more readers and that is always a good thing.

Chapter 9: Old Faces

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen

Chapter 9: Old Faces

As I lay on my bed, the day slowly ticked to an end. I could not help but think of what has occurred in the short week that I have been here. I was no longer a human, I was a Pokémon now, and I was now living in a world full of Ponies. It was… a strange concept to think about, but it’s better than dealing with Team Rocket. When I first arrived I had started to freak out, but I haven't really thought about my change since then… I was no longer a tall human, but an Infernape. Most people would ball up and cry, but other then being able to speak to Pokémon, I don’t see a real big difference with it. I still have my hands and legs. I don’t have twelve eyes, and I am still remotely similar to a human… Really the only thing that’s bothering me about this new body is my head. I don’t necessarily like my head being on fire, but it wasn’t so bad, especially since I haven’t accidentally set anything on fire...lately.

I glanced up at my forehead as Volt let out a cute snore. He had been laying there for the past three hours sleeping softly. Occasionally he would mutter to himself, but it didn’t bother me. I found it rather adorable. The little guy just seemed to put a smile on my face. Well… a lot of things seem to put a smile on my face since I arrived in Equus. Arceus’ message was clear in the fact that he loved his Pokémon… Though I had doubts that he was strong enough to bring all living Pokémon, and some humans, to another world, the proof is right in front of me! And because of that, no Pokémon was in danger from Team Rocket. No… no Pokémon was in danger from any madman that wanted to use them. And that put a smile on my face. Though I don’t necessary agree with his decision, I do approve of it. I have spent most of my life fighting, and now I can just relax… well. Kind of. Still have to deal with King Sombra...

There was then a shimmer in the corner of the room. I turned my head to see what it was, just as Agatha appeared. She looked… happy, yet sad. “You know young man, when I saw you go into that conference hall I didn’t know what to expect,” She started, before a smile formed on her features. “I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! You have a way with words, John. I did not want to be that pony fellow on the other end of that debate!”

“Thank you, Agatha…”

“You’re welcome, young man. Now, I have a question for you, regarding my Gengar,” She started. From the tone of her voice I could tell that she was rather angry at something. With everything that has happened, I would be angry too if I was in her position. “I’ve been able to learn some things over the two days I’ve been here, but I don’t quite know what happened to my Gengar. If you would be a gentleman and tell me what happened, I would be rather grateful.”

I started to tell her of the day in question. Of how King Sombra was once the ruler of the land. To how he was slain with the help of some Dragon, only to return within the body of her Gengar. Though I did not know the details of how he did it, I explained that he attacked and killed ponies. She was angry about this, but did her best not to scream. I would have. She had a lot more self control then I did. “...and… that is when I lost consciousness. I am sorry, but if you wish to know more, then you will have to ask one of my Pokémon... After I introduce you to them…”

“Honestly, I just wish I can find that stallion so I can give him a piece of my mind!” Agatha growled. Yep, I did NOT envy Sombra right now, cause Agatha was more than ready to tear him a new one then I was.

I didn’t respond right away. Placing a finger on my lips, I pointed at Volt. If we were going to have a little chat she would have to be quiet. Didn’t want to wake up Volt. “Tell me Agatha, why did you disappear earlier?” I whispered.

Agatha frowned. “Oh that. Well it’s kind of a force of habit now. I’ve been hiding from the ponies for the past two days that I kind of did it without thinking. I do apologize for it.”

“It’s fine, but… I would rather introduce you to the ponies than have you running off,” I let out a relaxed breath. The bed was rather comfortable, even if I couldn’t get to sleep. “You don’t have to hide from the ponies. Especially after today.”

Agatha nodded. “Yes well… that will come in time. For now you just get some sleep! Don’t need you kickin’ the bucket after what you did today.” With that Agatha moved towards the wall, before phasing through it.

“No Snow… I am not going to go scare Holly Heart again… John will get mad at me…” Volt muttered in his sleep. I looked up at him. He had flipped over and was sleeping on his back.

“At least you can sleep,” I whispered, before closing my eyes. “I just need to get some rest…”

-:-:-

Princess Cadence awoke with a yawn. Celestia's sun blinding her through the window. “Morning already?” She asked herself, as she stretched her back. She didn’t get much sleep the night before, but even if she didn’t, she still felt better since she knew that her friend John was alive and well… Well… alive at least.

Glancing over at her husband, Cadence could not help but smile. Shining Armor was always strong and heroic, but when he slipped he always looked so… relaxed. No matter what happened in the days to come, knowing that every morning she would wake up next to him, she knew she could face them. Even if death himself were to show up. Though some ponies would say King Sombra was Death himself…

Stepping over to the door, Cadence cracked it slightly to speak to the guards on the other side. “Can one of you go inform the morning staff to prepare something to eat… and some coffee,” Cadence brought a hoof to her face to rub out some sleep. “Today it is going to be a coffee day…”

“Yes, your Highness!” One of the guards answered.

Cadence smiled as she stepped over to the bathroom to take a shower. The warm water that splashed over her body was enough to wake her up from what little sleep clung to her. The cold air of the Crystal Empire made warm showers like this always enjoyable.

“I wonder what crazy thing will happen today…?” Princess Cadence asked herself.

From John’s amazing speeches, to all the stress about Sombra, Princess Cadence didn’t really know what to expect. As the water ran over her body, she could not help but imagine some of the Pokémon that she might learn about. There might be a Manticore like Pokémon. Now that would be scary. John did say he was a Infernape, and that there were three forms of that species of Pokémon… I wonder what they would be like…? She thought. Oh, it doesn't matter. I am sure John will let me know sooner or latter.

Finishing up, Cadence wrapped a towel around her mane & tail, and stepped out of the bathroom to see two plates of food waiting for her and her husband. Eggs, pancakes, and hash browns! Not to mention the large cup of coffee that she asked for!

Reaching out with her magic, Princess Cadence took of sip out of the now floating coffee. “Aaaahhhh….” Princess Cadence liked her coffee hot. With a shot of espresso. And extra cream. And extra sugar. Really it was the only thing that she ‘spoiled’ herself with. She would always eat healthy, but she always liked her coffee to be rather…. excessive.

Leaning in to take another sip, something wet and slimy slid across Princess Cadence’s face. Cadence blinked. She then stared down at her coffee. Uuuummm…. Tilting the cup around, Cadence was looking at her cup of coffee to see what the hell just happened. Only for a tongue to appear. Cadence’s eyes widened at the tongue moved forward and licked her again.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” She screamed, dropping the cup of Coffee. It somehow landed perfectly, and none of the coffee spilled out. In that same moment, Shining jumped out of his bed. His eyes were wide in surprise, but he moved as if he knew what he was doing. The door also was blasted open and the two guards outside ran in.

At the same time, all three of them asked. “What’s wrong? Princess/Cadence what’s going on?!”

“The cup! The cup is alive!” She screeched.

The three stallions blinked. Only to look down at the cup. It just sat there. Doing nothing. After all, it was just a cup. “Cadence, are you alright? Did you get any sleep?” Shining asked, somewhat concerned.

“Of Course I got some sleep,” Cadence yelled. “But that,” She pointed at the cup. “Just licked me!”

“...” Shining didn’t say anything.

Cadence stared at him. Then turned her attention to the cup. She knew she wasn’t going crazy. Leaning forward, Princess Cadence picked up the glass and moved it close to her face. Like before, it licked her. Shining’s eyes, as well as the two guards’ eyes, widened. “I told you I wasn’t crazy!”

It was then that her cup turned pink. The coffee slowly being drained from it. A quiet slurping sound echoed through the room as they watched. The four ponies starred in a rather dumb fashion as the pink cup drank it’s own contents.

“Um… Cadence. What is going on?” Shining asked, only for the cup to ‘burp.’

It then turned into a small pink helicopter. Sadly the ponies didn’t know what that was, but when it started to fly around they started to freak out. Cadence swung her hoof in the air to try and knock it away from her. Shining used his magic to try and blast the thing out of the air. The two guards however just swung their spears around, trying to hit the thing as if they were playing baseball.

“Aaaahhhh! Get it, get it, get it!” Cadence yelled out, before one of her hoof swipes smacked pink helicopter, making it spin out of control and crash into her dresser. They thought it was over, until the thing changed back into a pink ball. The guards readied themselves for it to attack… well they readied themselves for it to do anything really.

It then changed shape and color into a jet-black race car. The size of a children's toy. They just stared at it. To them, it looked like a toy chariot, but to their surprise it kicked into action. Driving it’s way between their hooves, the little car made it’s way under the royal bed. Only for it to fly out as a small grey and orange bird, heading for the open door.

“Don’t let it escape!” Shining yelled as it flew out the door.

-:-:-

Lex and Snow stared intently at each others eyes. Around them, ponies were getting their breakfast. Some of them watching the two in confusion, others watched with wonder. What are those two doing? Some of them thought. The only sound coming from the two was their breathing. It was then that Snow’s eyes started to water, and Lex smiled because of it. Some of the ponies in the room smiled. While others started to look worried.

For the last five minutes these two had just been staring at each other, and somehow ponies around them started taking bets to see who would win the staring contest. Most wanted Snow to win, but others went with Lex. Most of the ponies didn’t have anything better to do, and it just so happened that Lex and Snow had been bored out of there minds, so they started their little staring contest. Strange as it sounded, it seemed that a simple way to relieve boredom had become a small gambling game.

Snow then blinked.

“Aaaaahhhhhhh!” Most of the ponies in the room yelled, while the other half started to cheer.

“I just won one-hundred bits!” A guard yell. The Noblestallion next to her pouted silently.

“Damn,” Snow started. “I can never win that!”

Lex just let out a small laugh. “Ya well, you did your best,” He told her with a smile.

It was then that something small wiggled it’s way into the room by crawling under the door. No one saw it, because no one was looking at it. The small bug then shifted and grew into full grown pony guards. One with a black coat, and blue eyes. Whose mane was a dark brown. Within seconds, he was able to hide in the crowd of ponies in the room.

And then the doors flew open. Shining Armor stood there. eyes roaming over the crowed. Two stallions trailing along behind him. He didn’t speak, but instead stared intently at everything in the room.

“Um… Sir, are you alright?” One of the generic castle guards asked.

“Unfortunately no,” Shining Armor answered. His horn then glowed as a shield blocked the door behind him as well as the windows. “Everypony, we have a small problem,” Shining started, as he started to walk around the room. Lex and Snow gave eachother a confused look. “Some...thing is in the castle. I don’t know if it’s dangerous, but I can’t take any chances. Last I saw of it, it ran into this room.”

“Sir, you were the last one to open those doors, sir!” Another generic castle guard spoke up.

“This is true. If this thing somehow got in then you all would have saw it, right? Wrong! It can change it shape, and last I saw it. It was a small bug that crawled under the door. Yes it’s in here, and yes we are going to find it. It can change into things, ponies. So keep your eyes out. Anything that is out of place can be it!”

Lex and Snow blinked. “Was it pink?” Lex asked. His hopes slowly starting to rise.

“Yes,” Shining answered. “Don’t tell me that it was a Pokémon.”

“Maybe,” Snow answered. “Did it change into a bunch of different things, and eat something, or licked someone?”

“Yes, yes, and yes. It kept changing into things I’ve never seen, and drank Cadence’s morning coffee. Not to mention licked her… You know what it is, don’t you?” He asked suspiciously.

“Well…” Lex smiled. His golden eyes started to look around. “Said thing is called Ditto. But the real question is… Do we know it… him… her… Ditto’s don’t have a gender.” He seemed very energetic about something, and Shining couldn’t tell why.

“Let’s see…” Snow started to move around the crowed. Her nose sniffing the air. “Dittos always smell like clay. Not that one stallion mind you, he smells like shit,” Some ponies smiled at this, while others frowned. “I’m talking about…” She stopped. Her nose picked up on the rocky smell. Her eyes lingered for a moment, only to lock onto a tall stallion in the back. He was giving her a knowing smile. “I found him!” She stated. Everypony looked at the stallion that Snow was looking at.

Moving forward, Shining glared at the stallion questioningly. “Are you sure?” Shining asked. “He looks like a normal stallion to me.” It was then that the stallion started to melt, as if he was made of water.

Everypony around him moved back in shock. Only to see the glob that was the stallion shift forms. Changing into a tall and strange looking creature. Shining would have described it as a hairless ape. Yet it wore a lot of clothing.

“Wh...what is it?!” Shining asked.

“That would be John,” Lex answered. “Well… that would be what John used to look like.” Standing before them was a tall white human. Though John was in his twenties, the man standing before them looked much older. His hair was black, and his eyes were blue. He wore a long black trench coat, and what looked like a suit underneath.

He then pointed at himself.

“I’ll explain in a second,” Snow said, placing a paw forward at the ‘Not John’ replica. “Shining Armor, say hello to Flubber! He’s a Ditto that, like Lex and I, are John’s Pokémon. Now Flubber,” Snow turned to the ‘Not John.’ “You’ve heard the message Arceus said, right?”

Flubber nodded.

“Then we have some strange knews,” Lex strapped in. “John’s changed into an Infernape.”

The ‘Not John’ blinked. Then started to change shape again only to form into an Infernape. He then pointed at himself again.

“Ya, that,” Snow smiled. “That’s what John looks like. Only… you make him always seem much prettier than he actually is.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down,” Shining Armor moved closer. It was obvious that he was confused. “So this Ditto,” He gestured at the Infernape. “Can change into anything, and you know him?”

“Yep.”

“And that was what John looked like?” He asked.

“Yep.”

Placing a hoof to his head, he let out a sigh. “And I thought that Volt was strange…” His spell popped, and Shining frowned. “Look, can you just keep an eye on him for me? I’ve got a bad feeling about him.”

“Naaa, don’t worry about it~,” Snow waved her paw in the air. “Flubber’s a nice guy. Besides, if he really wanted to do something bad, then you would probably know.”

“And what does that mean?”

“It means that John is going to have a smile on his face! Come Flubber! I shall show you to our master!” Snow said in an oddly chipper tone. She then started to prance off. Literally… Shining Armor watched as Snow left the room. Followed by the one known as Flubber.

Lex let out a sigh. “Sorry about how ominous she made that sound, Shining Armor. What she means is that Flubber is kind off… well stronger than the both of us. If he really wanted to do something bad, then the Crystal Castle would probably end up a pile of rubble,” Shining Armor’s eyes widened. “Don’t worry, don’t worry! Flubber loves John too much to do anything crazy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go keep an eye on them for you.” With that Lex then ran off.

“Seems like today is going to be one of those days…” Shining told himself.

-:-:-

I awoke to the sounds of an opening door. I lifted my head slightly to see Holly Heart. Her horn was glowing white, and there were two food trays floating next to her. She had yet to notice me, and I decided not to speak up and startle her. She hummed softly as she placed the food on a table next to my bed.

I let out a yawn, that caught her attention. “Oh, good morning, John.” She said to me.

“Good morning, Holly. How are you doing today?” I asked.

She smiled. “Better, now that you’re awake.”

I sniffed at the air. “Something smells good. What do you have there?”

“I have fruit yogurt and a milkshake,” She started. “And for you, I brought oatmeal, some fruit, and some milk.”

I stared at her. “Really, a milkshake for breakfast?”

Her eyes shifted to the side. “What? It’s part of a balanced breakfast…” I chuckled.

“Thanks, Holly. Can you help prop me up, so we can eat?” I asked.

Reaching forward, Holly helped prop myself up. This caused Volt to fall off my forehead onto my lap, and somehow he was still asleep. Picking him up, I placed him on my shoulder. So that he would not be in my way of eating.

“...Um…” I glanced over at Holly Heart. She was just looking at Volt with an uneasy expression. “He’s not going to bother me, is he?”

“I’ll tell him not to.” I then scratched volts head with a finger.

“Alright then… Here’s your breakfast.” Lifting one of the trays over to me, I looked down to see that I did have oatmeal, milk, and some fruit. All in all it was a healthy breakfast.

Reaching out with the fork, I skewered a slice of an apple. Reaching up to place it in my mouth, I stopped. I had an idea… Moving the fork up to my head, I started to roast the apple with my head. I couldn’t help but laugh at myself for doing this. Holly Heart just looked at me strangely. “What?” I asked. Popping the slightly-burned apple in my mouth. “It’s part of a balanced breakfast…” I mimicked her from earlier. She started to laugh.

“I smell something good!” I jumped slightly as Volt’s voice rang out in my ear.

“Oh, good morning Volt,” I skewered a grape this time and lifted it to Volt. “Here, have a grape.”

“Breakfast in bed? Sweet! You need to get hurt more often John.” Reaching forward, Volt grabbed the grape and started to eat.

I turned to Holly. “So, anything planned for today?”

“Well today I have to go clean the library. Help reshelve the books and all that.”

“Anything good to read? Since I have to stay here I might want something to read.”

“Oh, there are a lot of good stories. What type of you looking for?”

“I can read anything. Whether it’s for fun or learning. Just no romantic books,” I started to eat my oatmeal. “Probably something that will help me learn about Equus would be-”

I was cut off by the door being slammed open. Standing there was Snow. A massive grin on her face. “Ggggggoooooooooodddddd mmmmooooorrrrrnnnnniiiiinnnnngggg!” She yelled out.

“Snow! What are doing?” Holly asked. She was rather taken back at Snow’s behavior.

“Just dropping in and saying hi, and seeing how John’s doing,” She strolled into the room swaying back and forth as if she was drunk. “Oh, did I… say… interrupt something?” She asked, staring at Holly Heart.

Holly’s face went red. “W-what?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Holly. Say John, you would not believe who I met today!”

“...and that would be?” I asked. Like Holly, I was rather taken back at Snow at the moment. Mostly because it was too damn early to deal with her….

“Introducing the one, the only, the taller and even better looking John!” Snow called out.

Then, standing at the door, was an Infernape. He did look like me, and, like Snow pointed out, was taller than me... Though I could not tell if he was better looking than me… kind of hard to know how good you look as a Pokémon when you spend your life as a human. Not to mention that before I became a Infernape, I’d never even seen one in person. All I really knew about them was what types of moves they knew, and how they all walk on all fours most of the time. As a side note, I never once walked on all fours. It just feels wrong to do so.

“So what do you think? He looks good don’t he?” Snow asked, as she slithered her way to my bed. “Well?”

“I… I don’t get what you’re asking, Snow.”

“Oh, I wasn’t asking you, John. I was asking Flubber!” I blinked. Then turned to the Infernape at the door. He smiled at me, then his body started to shrink. The color started to fade. Then standing before we was a pink blob. It was Flubber… and he had a smile on his face. His eyes stared at me, and I was a lost for words.

“Flubber...?” I started. He then leaped forward and landed at the foot of the bed. Only to give my foot a hug. “Flubber! It is you!”

“Um… What, I mean, who is Flubber?” Holly asked confused. I turned to her with a big grin.

“Holly Heart, say hello to Flubber. He’s a Ditto. Well… He doesn't have a gender really, but he likes to be called a he and not a she,” I turned to my foot to see Flubber sitting patiently. “And Flubber, this is Holly Heart. She’s a Unicorn that has been helping me with… well a lot of things since we ended up on Equus.” Flubber just smiled at Holly and waved.

“Um… John. How did he turn into that pink blob? Wasn’t he a Infernape? Like you.”

“Oh well… Dittos can transform into anything really. They can grow and shrink, and take almost any shape and size. They can become an exact replica of you or me, but normally they can’t change their face. This is how you would learn that something is a Ditto. However if trained well, like Flubber here, he can hid his face.” I explained.

“Alright… well… It’s nice to meet you, Flubber. I hope you’re not as crazy as Snow is.”

“So… does this mean I have someone to play with? Because I have a great game idea!” Volt asked.

“Oh, right. Flubber, this is Volt. Volt, this is Flubber.” I added.

Flubber just looked at Volt, then changed shape into a Joltik. Volt's eyes widened. “You look just like me,” Volt said, as he scampered over to Flubber. “Ya! The Voltage has been doubled!”

“Oh Celestia/Arceus, there are two of them now!” Snow and Holly Heart said at the same time. I could not but smile at the two. Yes, it was going to be trouble dealing with the both of them, but at least their antics could make me laugh.

I looked down at my plate of food and threw a grape into my mouth.

“Errr, so he can be anything?” Holly asked.

“Yep! Everything and anything! As long as he knows what it is,” Snow took on a huge evil grin. “Oh the fun things we can do...”

“Slow down Snow. I don’t want you to get into any kind of trouble now.” I commented, before taking a drink of my milk.

“So he could… technically become me?” Holly asked. In response to this, Flubber jumped off of the table and started to shift around. Then standing there was another Holly Heart. Flubber really was a master of transformation. He was one of the only Ditto’s able to change his face after all. His light green eyes matched Holly’s. His dark green coat was the same as Holly’s. Even Flubber’s mane and tail was the same as Holly’s

“Wow… It’s like looking in a mirror,” Holly commented. “Um, Can you do me a favor and not go around as me? Please?”

Flubber tilted his head to the side, then he glanced at me. I just shook my head at him and he frowned. Turning to Holly, Flubber nodded and changed himself into a copy of Snow. Only his coat was more grey then white. He smiled at Holly, showing his fangs.

“Um, thank you, then.” Holly didn’t really know what else to say to the strange Pokémon.

I placed my hand on my stomach, and let out a slight yawn. “That was rather good. Thank you, Holly.”

“Oh, you’re welcome, John.”

“Ya,” I leaned back. “Now if only I could walk around… then today would start looking up,” I leaned back in my bed. Snow’s and Holly’s expression saddened. They knew I didn’t want to spend my time in this bed, but we all must do that which we do not want to do sometimes.

Flubber tapped his paw on my foot. I looked over at the Ditto-Absol. He looked confused, and I suspected that Snow hadn’t told him that I was Injured. In response to this, I picked the tray up off of my stomach, and moved it so that Holly Heart could grab it from me. Then I lowered the blanket around my stomach so that Flubber could see my bandaged chest. His eyes widened at the slightly pink bandages. My wound must not be closed yet, and I suspected that my antics yesterday was the reason behind that…

“Ya, John got hurt real bad when he fought that Sombra/Gengar thing.” Volt commented, as he finished off the grape I gave him. It seemed anything he ate that wasn’t sugar he would eat slower.

Flubber glanced at Volt for a moment, then back to my stomach. His ears folded back and he stared at me. He blinked, and after a moment he slowly smiled. Yet again, his body turned pink, but this time it stayed pink as he changed himself into a Chansey. I stared at him for a moment, wondering what on Equus he was doing, only for that question to be answered as a soft glow started to pulsate through his new body. Are you using what I think you are using?

A blast of energy shot out of Flubber. It washed over me, it’s warm glow penetrating my body. Holly Heart gasped. My body glowing slightly, but the glow was starting to fade, just as fast as it came.

“John… why do I feel fuzzy on the inside?” Volt asked.

I could help but feel happy, as the energy of the Healing Pulse faded away. “Well…” I placed my hand on my stomach, and smiled. I couldn’t feel the wound anymore… It… it was gone! “Flubber, you… healed me.” I then threw the blanket to the side and jumped out of bed. Literally

“John, what are you doing?!” Holly yelled. To answer her question, I reached down to my stomach and started to pull off the bandages. Her eyes widened as I revealed my now healed stomach to her. There was something of a scar left behind, and I have to point out that I didn’t have any fur around said scar.

“I’m healed!” I cheered, only to then wrap Flubber in a hug. In response to this, he started to melt around me. Giving me one strange squishy hug. Only then his body shifted into black silk. Forming a long black trench coat.

“Oh right, I forgot he does that.” Snow commented.

“So, Holly, how do I look?”

She looked baffled, or was that concern. Stuned might be a good word to describe the odd look on her face. “What…” She stammered. “What d-do you mean, how do you look? How do you feel, John? What just happened? How come you’re all healed?”

“The answer to that would be Healing Pulse,” I started. Only to stop when I felt something nudge my cheek. I glanced down at Volt. He looked at me with puppy dog eyes. “Oh, what is it Volt?”

“Can I have some more to eat?” He begged in the cutest voice.

I let out a sigh, and turned to Holly Heart. “I’ll tell you on our way to the cafeteria....”

Author's Note

Rest in peace Robin Williams. I grew up watching your movies, and loved you as an actor. I know I can't say anything that has not been said, but at least I can name one of my Characters after you. Well... two really.
Ditto is named Flubber, after my favorite movie of you. And John's last name shall be Williams.
Rest in Peace Robin Williams. You will be missed. ~ Bubba

Zeus- Another great chapter, can’t wait to see more of Flubber, and you’re going to love what comes next even more.

TDN- Great chapter and another great addition to the team. I look forward to seeing what else Flubber is capable of.

Chapter 10: What is the ‘Elite Four’

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen

Chapter 10: What is the ‘Elite Four’

Today was looking up. Flubber found his way to me. I was no longer stuck in the hospital. I still didn’t know what I was going to do today, but that didn’t matter. Today was just too good to get me down. I even had a chip in my step, which was kind of odd for me. Normally I liked to keep myself calm and collected. Not happy go lucky and all that…

As we stepped out of the room, Lex stood there panting. He looked as if he ran a mile. “There… you… are… Snow…” He said. “I’ve been… looking everywhere… for you…” He took a deep breath. “Now where’s Flubber?”

Snow just smiled at him as we waited for it to click in. He looked up to me. Then at Snow. Then he blinked at looked at me again. It took a moment of staring at me before it clicked in his head. “Wait a sec... John? How the hell are you up?” Snow then started to roll around on the floor laughing.

“He put his nose to the grindstone, and after ten long hours of concentration he managed to force out the wounds that have haunted him so!” Volt stated. We all just stared at him for a moment.

“Yeah… so, what happened? How are you up and about?” Lex asked again.

“Flubber transformed into Chansey and used Healing Pulse.” I informed him.

“He can do that?”

“I liked my way better…” Volt silently whispered. I glanced over at Volt, and scratched his head.

“Anyways, want to come with us to breakfast? I’m going to grab Volt something small to eat, then it would be best to inform Princess Cadence about my sudden recovery.”

Lex just stared at me. “I just ran here from the cafeteria.” He deadpanned.

“Sorry about that.” Snow apologised.

“At least John’s alright, right?” Holly offered. Lex nodded to this.

“Oh, do you know where Eclipse is, by chance?” I asked.

“Probably with Shining Armor. Like you originally suggested to help his guards to train to fight Pokémon if the need ever arises, he’s probably in their training hall or something helping them fight,” Lex explained. “And before you ask, since I know you will, some of the more trustworthy guards are protecting the Gengar.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” I cut in. “There’s a Ghost-type Pokémon wandering around that knows the Gengar. She’s a Mismagius, and is accompanied by another Gengar. I’m hoping to find them sometime today so that Princess Cadence, and more importantly, Shining Armor and his Guards know that she’s out and about.”

“...is that who you were talking to the other day?” Holly asked.

“Yes, her name was Agatha.”

“Oh, good… So she’s around here somewhere?” I nodded. “And, she’s real?” I nodded, though I looked a bit confused. “Good… good. Um, at the time, I might have thought you had a concussion…”

“Nope, that Agatha lady came and talked to John last night. She was all floaty and what not,” Volt stated. I thought he was asleep! “She seemed pretty mad about something, and it looked like she was going to attack John, but I was there so he would have been fine. Lex has been telling me how to do super damage with my shock!”

I was staring at Volt. I would like to think that I was a sharp individual, and I thought he was asleep, but somehow he was awake through my little chat the day before. I then noticed that all eyes were on me.

“What?”

“Is there something wrong with my face?” I placed my hand on my face for a moment. No… everything was still there. “Did Flubber change into a tutu?” I glanced down at myself. No… that was not it either.

“Okay John, first off, we’re not looking at you, and second, that is hilarious.” Snow informed me.

Turning around, I glanced up to see Agatha, or at least, her head. She was upside down, with only her head popping out of the ceiling. She was giving me a look of confusion, as if she herself got hit by Confusion. And I knew exactly why she looked this way.

“Oh, hello Agatha. We were just talking about you,” I started. “Everyone, this is Agatha, like I said before. Agatha this is; Holly Heart, Volt, Snow and Lex,” I pointed at each of them as I went down the list. “And as for yourself, I take it that you are surprised to see me running around?”

“Of course I am,” She started, floating herself down in eye level, still upside down though. “Last night you looked as if you were practically on your death bed, but it seems you’re a tough one. Now how did you heal so fast..?”

“Did I forget to mention Flubber?” I asked. On cue, Flubber started to mold himself back into a Ditto and plant himself firmly on my shoulder. The one that was not occupied by Volt that is.

“Oh a Ditto… Um, that doesn’t explain how you are healed, young man.”

“Flubber, would you mind showing Agatha how you healed me?”

Flubber nodded, then jumped off of me, only to change into a Chansey. Agatha’s eyes widened in surprise, having never seen a Ditto that could transform without its intended form in sight.

“My, that is certainly interesting. I didn’t know Ditto were able to transform from just memory,” Agatha blinked.

“Yeah, well Flubber isn’t exactly your normal Ditto. He always liked transforming just for the fun of it, and we just took it a step further,” John nodded.

“Agatha...Agatha...You know, the name sounds familiar…” Lex mused, wondering where he had heard her name before.

“I would hope so. After all, even if I’m retired, I was once one of the Kanto Elite Four,” Agatha smiled. While she wasn’t a particularly proud person, one thing she did take pride in was her reputation as a member of the Elite Four.

“Elite Four? What...who are the Elite Four?” Holly asked, as she didn’t understand the term at all...aside from its literal meaning, which sounded like a very prestigious position.

“About that. I want to introduce Agatha to the Princess and the other Ponies so she doesn’t have to keep disappearing. How about we find Eclipse, then find Princess Cadence, then I’ll explain about our old world a bit more when everyone is here.”

“To the cafeteria!” Volt excitedly said while holding up a stick… We all just stared at Volt again. Where is he keeping these things? First it was a camera, now a stick? He’s the size of my fist, so where does he hide these things?

-:-:-

We started to walk down the many halls of the Crystal Castle. As we did, we passed very few ponies. Most of them being guards, a maid, and even an odd looking mail mare who looked lost. Out of all of them only the guards seemed to react to my presence. Most of them knew that I was injured, and though I did not recognize them, they knew who I was. They were worried about me, and even asked me if I was doing well. I told them all that I was fine now, and that they shouldn’t worry too much.

Oh, and let’s not forget to mention that one of the guards freaked out when they saw Agatha. She screamed something about ghost’s then ran off. I have to say it was rather entertaining seeing that mare run for her life. I felt sorry for her, but still.

It was then that the cafeteria was in sight. It was still early enough in the day that some ponies still wonders it’s halls, but late enough so that it wasn’t packed. Out of all the guards, the only ones to see me were the two standing at the door. Their eyes widened as I approached. I lifted a finger to my lips to tell them to be quite. They nodded, and I slowly walked in.

Some eyes looked over to me. It was good to see that I made an impression on the guards, but seeing them go dumbstruck at me was kind of getting… well funny. Everyone that saw me was surprised. Clearing my throat, I took in a deep breath. “Good Morning, Everyone!” I called out.

I was given the reaction that I was hoping for. All eyes dashed to me when I called out, then the looks on their face’s brought a smile to my face. No one in the room spoke. Snow silently laughing on the floor, before taking a deep breath and said. “Oh Arceus, you all look like you’d just seen a ghost!”

“Um, considering that there's a ghost right next to us, it’s kind of given that they would look like that,” Lex pointed out.

“John,” I turned my head to the right and saw Shining Armor sitting at a table with some guards. He too was surprised. “Would you like to tell me how, and why, you are walking around?”

“Well Shining Armor,” I turned to show him my stimic. “As you can see, I am fully healed up and ready to go,”

His eyebrows raised as he saw my massive scar. “How…?”

“Flubber, that pink Pokémon blob, healed me,” I explained. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Volt is kind of hungry,” I then started my way over to the rather good looking piles of food.

“Um, John. Who’s that with you?” I glanced at Shining, then over to Agatha.

“Shining Armor this is Agatha, Agatha this is Shining Armor. Now can I please get food!” Volt yelled out.

“He can’t understand you, Volt,” I smiled as the little monster facepalmed.. “Anyways Shining Armor, this is Agatha. Agatha, this is Shining Armor,” I then grabbed Volt, and stepped over to Snow. “Snow, can you please help him get something to eat before he goes and jacks someone’s food?”

“Oh, do I have too?” She pouted.

“Yes, now do it.”

I watched as Snow took Volt to get something for him to eat. As they walked off, Shining Armor had stood up and strolled over to me. He still looked surprised, but had gathered himself so that he looked composed in front of his guards.

“It is nice to meet you, Agatha,” Shining Armor started. “Allow me to fully introduce myself. I am Shining Armor. Head of the Crystal Guard, and husband to Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and co-ruler of the Crystal Empire.” With that Agatha’s eyes widened.

“Well then, if I knew I was going to meet with royalty today, then I would have done my hair,” Her joke flew over Shining Armor’s head, but I could not help but smile. “Now, allow me to introduce myself. I am Agatha. A former member of the Elite Four of the Kanto Region, and Ghost-type Pokémon Master!”

“Elite Four? What’s that?” Shining Armor asked.

Before they could get into a heated discussion however, I cut in so that we would only have to explain it once. “Let’s wait for Princess Cadence before we explain that,”

“No time to waste then,” Shining Armor said. “And John, seeing as you are up and about, I have some things I would like you to take a look at.”

“Alright, you can tell me that another time. For now, Lex, can you stay with Snow and let her know where we’re going?” I asked.

“Yeah… wait, where are you going again?” He asked.

“Court room,” Shining told us. “Princess Cadence spends most of her time there, seeing as how she has to keep an eye on the nobles.”

“Right… court room. Thanks,” Lex said, before strolling off to Snow.

-:-:-

I would have to say that this was the third time I had been standing before the courtroom. Unlike before, there were only a handful of nobles, and some new ponies in the crowd. As before, I waited for my cue to enter, as Shining Armor strolled in to inform Cadence about my recovery. Standing to my side was Holly. She had been quiet for the most part, and I noticed that when she and I were alone she would talk more.

Princess Cadence then took a quick glanced over in my direction, before turning to Shining. She then did a double take, and her mouth dropped open. Shining then laughed, telling her something I couldn't quite make out. I assumed it was something inappropriate because she smacked him lightly. I raised an eyebrow at the two, before they both strolled over to me.

“Good to see you are well, John,” Princess Cadence started. “Though… Shining didn’t really tell me how you were healed. Mind explaining?”

“Flubber, that pink Pokémon that drank your coffee, also known as a Ditto, transformed into a healing Pokémon and healed me,” I explained as simply as I could.

“...I take it I can’t be mad at him for drinking my coffee then?” Shining then laughed at Princess Cadence’s joke. “I’m just glad you’re up John,” Then then added. “Now… Shining mentioned you had someone with you…”

“That would be me, Princess,” Agatha spoke up. “My name is Agatha, I am a human turned Pokémon, as well as a former member of the Kanto Elite Four,” Agatha proudly stated.

“It is nice to meet you Agatha. My name is Princess Cadence, and if nopony has said if before me, allow me to welcome you to the Crystal Empire. Now, I just have one question. What is the Kanto Elite Four?”

“Alright then. I’ll explain,” I said, to which they came closer. “Back on Earth, each region had a...class system for Trainers in the Pokémon League. At the very top of the Pokémon League of each region is the Champion, the strongest Trainer of that region, and ultimately the goal of most, if not all, aspiring Trainers. Now, to reach the Champion, you need to first win the League Tournament to get a shot at the Champion. Once you’ve done that, you can move on to the Pokémon League itself and the Champion that awaits at the end. But before you can formally challenge the Champion, a trainer must prove himself or herself ‘worthy’, by challenging and defeating the Elite Four first. Only then can a trainer earn the right to formally challenge the Champion for their title,” I explained. However, my explanation seemed to only gain blank looks as it seemed to fly way over their heads. Sighing a bit, I decided to use a different approach.

“Alright then...let’s say each Region is a...kingdom of its own, with the Champion as the king or queen of that region,” I started. This time they seemed to nod in understanding. “Now any aspiring trainer can challenge the Champion for their ‘crown’ if they prove themselves worthy as an ‘heir’ by winning the League tournament of that region which is held once a year,” I continued, to which they nodded again, though they seemed a bit...apprehensive. “Now, once a trainer wins the League Tournament, and they desire to challenge the Champion, they need to first defeat the Elite Four of that region, the...errr...Personal guards if you will, of the Champion or ‘king’, before they can challenge the Champion. If they do that and defeat the Champion, the challenger automatically becomes the new Champion...unless they decide to decline the title for whatever reason,” I finished.

Cadence and Shining Armor seemed to think about it for a moment, before they came to a conclusion. “So...basically Agatha is, or rather was, an elite guard or Knight for the ruler of this...Kanto Region, with her job being that she’d challenge potential heirs as a trial of sorts to decide whether or not they are worthy of even attempting to take the crown?” Shining deduced, before frowning. “Sounds like a pretty shaky system to me. How can you possibly maintain a stable political system if you award leadership to anyone who has the most power?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at him missing the point, and it seemed Agatha agreed as she was chuckling too. “Well, I DID say that this was just an example. While being Champion IS an influential title/position, the Champion doesn’t actually rule over anything. Rather, it’s a goal that a lot of beginning trainers strive for. In fact, back when I first became a Trainer, I wanted to be a Champion as well… at least that was the case before I decided to become a Police Officer.”

“Is that so?” Agatha mused. “Well its a shame that you gave that dream up. I would have liked to have had a battle against you. I get the feeling you might have been able to give us a run for our money, though whether or not you’d be able to beat Red is another story. After all, ever since he took the title, there hasn’t been a single person, not even other Champions, who has managed to defeat him. I know, I challenged him a few times myself for the title.”

“Red? Who’s that?” Princess Cadence asked curiously, before adding, “And what do you mean you challenged him for his title? I thought you were supposed to be protecting him.”

Once again, we couldn’t help but chuckle at their misconception. “Oh no. Just because we’re Elite Four members, doesn’t mean we’re happy just staying in our position,” Agatha explained with a chuckle. “While the Elite Four are supposed to test a challenger’s worth, we’re still Trainers as well, and like any Trainer, we’re also allowed to challenge the Champion. So say I challenged the Champion and won, then automatically the title is transferred to me and I become the new Champion.”

“As for your question of who is Red, Red is the current Champion of Kanto,” I explained. “He’s also regarded as the strongest Trainer in the world, as he’s battled against other Champions as well, and he’s never once lost a match. I even had the fortune of meeting him once when I was taking down a Team Rocket base, and well… by that I mean he defeated every single Pokémon they had...by himself, while I went around handcuffing everyone. There had to be at least one-hundred Pokémon throughout that whole place. I was just glad I brought enough handcuffs for all of the trainers.”

“Is that so?” Agatha asked.

“He sounds rather experienced,” Shining Armor spoke. “I would hate to have to fight one of his Pokémon.” Shining stated, remembering how his fight with the Feraligatr didn’t go too well, and from what John had said, she was a wild Pokémon. If she had been a trained Pokémon, then he would have gotten really hurt.

“As you should,” Agatha frowned. “When I faced him, he only used one or two Pokémon at the time, yet he managed to take out all six of mine with them. Now while its a fact that my Ghost Pokémon are rather powerful, his are on a whole different level.”

“Speaking of Pokémon, how’s your Gengar doing?” I asked her.

“Sadly, he’s still asleep…” She answered.

“Wait,” Shining spoke up. “That Gengar… is… is... yours?!”

“Yes,’ She then looked saddened. “And I know that his fate is not your ponies fault. John told me that he was taken over when he attacked… We just wish he would start feeling better soon.”

“We…?” Holly Heart asked. “What do you mean by we?”

“Oh, well, I have two Gengars. One of whom is with me. Go ahead and show yourself, dear.” The second Gengar then showed himself. He was standing just to the right of Holly Heart.

Then the sudden appearance of a Gengar standing so close to Holly Heart, made the mare jump and scream. She literally jumped into my arms, her hooves wrapping around me. Her face was very close to mine. Her eyes were held shut, and I let out a sigh as I watched her. “Don’t worry Holly, he’s not going to attack,” I tried to comfort her. “Now if you would kindly let go of me, I could put you down.”

Before she could even comply to this, there was a flash of light. It came from Cadence, but she was not holding a camera. I then looked down to the ground to see Volt. He was sitting there smiling. A camera almost twice his size balanced on his back. “And that makes two!” He stated.

Looking down, Cadence smiled at Volt. “Good work Volt, that makes two pictures of the two of them!”

“S-sorry, John…” Holly whispered, before releasing me from her grasp. I then slowly placed her on the ground. Doing my best not to drop her, though I didn’t think that was going to happen. She was rather light.

“Anyways,” I said, as Holly Heart stood up next to me. She was looking rather bashful by the way. “Agatha here, as well as her Gengar, will probably be here until her other Gengar heals up…” I then noticed something, as I looked down at Volt. “Wait, where are Snow and Lex? Aren't you suppose to be with them?”

“Yep!” He answered. “But after I finished eating, they were having another staring contest or something, so I decided to just come here.”

We then heard the sound of a stallion running, and we watched as a Guard came running down the hallway. “Princess Cadence! Shining Armor! There’s an emergency!” He yelled, sounding rather frantic.

Taking action, Shining Armor turned to the stallion. “What is the emergency?!”

“There is a massive monster flying around the city, just outside the shield! It looks like it’s trying to find a way in!” He yelled out.

“Is it a dragon?!” Cadence gasped.

“No, it looks more like a bird, Ma’am! A massive black and red one!”

“It might be a Pokémon,” I cut in. “Shining Armor, you and I should head out to see what it is! Princess Cadence, you should stay inside where it’s safe! Same goes for you Holly Heart. I don’t want you to get hurt!”

Without another word, Shining Armor and I took off running. I didn’t really know where to go, but I just followed behind Shining as we ran. Behind us, I heard Holly call out. “Don’t get killed, John!”

-:-:-

I need a drink. I don’t know if Equus even had alcohol, but I would find a way to get a drink. Why? Simple. Yes, there was a Pokemon flying outside of the Shield. A large one. Shining Armor stood next me, and he too was taken back at the sight of the Pokemon, but it was because of different reasons. I knew who this Pokemon was, and he did not.

Ponies around the city already knew about this monstrosity outside of the shield. Almost all of them were now hiding in their homes, while others just ran around like headless chickens. Not knowing what to do. I would have joined them if I was not who I was today….

“It’s massive! Do most Pokémon get that big?” He asked.

“No… This… this is a special case…”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“Shining Armor, do NOT let any other pony interfere, or even come near this Pokémon…” I stammered. “We… we have to play this right, have to see what he wants and give it to him...or we are all dead.”

Shining’s eyes widened. “What?!” The look of fear that my words brought upon Shining Armor was understandable.

“This Pokémon is… This Pokémon is…” It was hard to get the words out, for I never once imagined I would have to deal with a situation like this in my life. “This is Yveltal… The Legendary Pokémon of Destruction, and the incarnation of Death…”

Author's Note

And so the call for help has been answered. Also, thank Zeus and TDN for speeding me along with this chapter. They really wanted this chapter out, and so I did my best to make that happen.
Don't expect the next one to be out this week though....

Zeus- And so Arceus’ ‘help’ is revealed, can’t wait to see how the rest of this folds out, great work as always Bubba
TDN- ...whelp, Sombra is officially SCREWED.

Like Always, like my story if you liked it. It really helps me in the long run.

Chapter 11: Death is at your Door

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen (Not yet Pre-Read)

Chapter 11: Death is at your Door

King Sombra stood upon a hill that overlooked his Crystal Empire, a twisted grin on his features as he looked down on the Kingdom. Since he had left that useless Gengar’s body, his magic has started to grow at a rapid rate, as though just that taste of power had been enough to reignite the spark of life that he formerly had. He couldn’t help but let out a dark chuckle at the irony. Just a few days ago, he had once clung to life by a thread, but now...now he was growing stronger and stronger by the hour, and though he was not as strong as he once was hundreds of years ago, he could tell that it was only a matter of time before he would regain his full power. The thought of that brought another sick grin to his face as he bided his time, waiting for the perfect time to strike and reclaim his kingdom, and this time, he’d be sure to utterly break those wretched Crystal Ponies and their Crystal Heart, and this time, no pony shall get in his way.

“These crystal ponies don’t know the horrors that will befall them once I grow to full power…” King Sombra smiled to himself. Other than waiting for his power to grow, Sombra had been planning strategies to attack the city. Unlike last time when his mind was...unstable from his recent awakening, this time he had regained the mind that had allowed him to properly wield his old powers that allowed him to stand at the same level as those Royal Sisters...which he’d deal with once he regained his Kingdom.

Focusing on the oncoming task at hoof, Sombra frowned slightly. With the Gengar body, he was simply able to flow through the shield of the city, completely negating the Crystal Empire’s defences, but now… now he had to find another way in…as foolish as the Crystal Ponies were, even they weren’t THAT stupid. They’d be taking further precautions this time.

“Aaaaahhhhh…” King Sombra looked down at the Pokémon under his hoof. Since leaving the city, King Sombra had gone exploring. To see what else these strange new creatures have to offer. Below his hoof lay a Weavile. It had attacked him some time before, and King Sombra had to assert his dominance.

“I thought I told you to be quiet!” King Sombra stated, before applying pressure down onto the Weavile, causing it to whimper in pain, something that brought a smile to his face. However, he was unable to enjoy the creature's torment for long, as he suddenly saw something large fly over to the Crystal Empire. It circled the shield. Sombra could feel something dark in the creature. Something… something that made him hunger for power.

-:-:-

“Ponies of the Crystal Empire. I am Yveltal. By the request of Princess Celestia, and the orders of Lord Arceus, I have come to your aid in killing off this… King Sombra,”

Yvelvtals voice echoed throughout the massive shield that protected the Crystal Empire. The ponies that were still outside screamed at his words, and started to run away from him. Trying to find shelter to hide from Death itself.

As for myself. I was… well. Not good. Yveltal was a Pokémon known for being the incarnation of Death. His home was in the Kalos region, and I myself have never been there. I knew a lot about the area, but what little efforts Team Rocket has made in the area never called for my attention…

“I request entry into your kingdom… So that I can speak with the one known as Princess Cadance.”

“C-C-Cadance?” Shining stuttered. “W-W-Why does he want too see her?”

“She is the ruler of the land, after all… If Arceus did send him, and Princess Celestia did get us help, then he would have to see her...” I informed him.

“Ya, normally it’s a bad thing when Death is at your door,” Volt commented. Wait! I shifted my attention to my shoulder. Standing there was Volt… Just smiling at me. “But in this case it’s… No, wait. It’s still a bad thing.”

“Volt…” I started. “Why are you here?”

“Moral support?” He offered.

I held my tongue at what I was going to say to the boy. In a time like this, I did not need distractions! “Flubber,” I raised my hand, giving the pink blob of jelly to form in. “Transform into something fast, and take Volt back to the castle,” I ordered. He nodded to me, then transformed into a mini helicopter. From there, a small roped ladder rolled out of the door on the Flubber-heli and Volt grabbed hold.

“Check it out! I look like one of those super secret agents in the movies!” Volt called out, as Flubber carried him back to the Castle. It was well… kind of adorable, given the situation at hand.

“Do hurry yourselves, ponies. Though I promised Lord Arceus that no pony or Pokémon would come to harm, you still do not wish to anger me. You would not like me when I am angry.”

Shining Armor gulped audibly when he heard that. He had faced plenty of different threats in his time as Captain of the Royal Guard, but this...this was something else entirely. This wasn’t like the other threats he had faced. He was willing to face a monster in the Everfree if it meant protecting that which he cared for. He was MORE than willing to fight Sombra, at full power, one-on-one, if it meant that it would protect his kingdom and more importantly, his wife. And he was more than ready to face any Pokémon that went on a rampage and subdue it by himself if needs be. But this...this was a whole different thing altogether. This was Death. Not some dangerous creature, but literally the incarnation of Death itself, and Shining Armor...wasn’t very confident of his chances if he tried to face this. “John… you’re the Pokémon expert here,” He placed a hoof on my shoulder. “I am going to trust your better judgment. What should we do?”

-:-:-

The plan was simple. It had to be. In a matter of seconds I had to think of a way to deal with this whole situation. Shining Armor told me he trusted me. He trusted me to deal with Death himself on behalf of his empire. Was I really that good of a person to gain his trust in only a week? No matter how I looked at it, I could never find out how to answer that question.

And so I stood outside of the Crystal Empire shield. Standing next to me was Shining Armor. The plan was simple. Just walk over to death, get his attention, and see what happens. He was sent here to help us after all. If Arceus sent all his Pokémon to Equus to protect them, why would he risk their safety? Ya… That was the plan. It was a gamble. Simple as that.

It took us only a matter of moments to run to where Yveltal was waiting. His eyes still roamed the city. His massive form loomed high above us, blocking out the sun. Seeing as this was my plan, I had to be the one to speak first. To somehow get this attention…

Placing my hands around my mouth, I yelled. “YVELTAL,” As loud as I could. His eyes slowly gloomed down to me. “SPEAK WITH US ABOUT SEEKING ENTRY INTO THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE!”

He came down fast and hard. Landing his massive form in front of us. He was easily three times as tall as I was, and a hell of alot more powerful. If he were to attack, then Shining and I were toast. Scratch that. There would likely be nothing left. He was a Legendary Pokémon, and a Legendary who represented Death itself at that, while I was just a human in a Infernape’s body. I could do moves, well… I only knew one move, but other then that I don’t think I could help if we were to be attacked. Please don’t attack…

Step one of the plan was so that Yveltal knew who we were. So that he would see us as
people of importance. So that he knew not to attack us…

“My name is Shining Armor, husband to Princess Cadance, and head of the Crystal Guard,” Shining started. “Before we let you into the Crystal Empire, we must know the details of why you are here.”

Step two of the plan was to see if he was lying…

“I have already stated my intention.” He told us. His voice was calm, but his eyes told another story…

“We understand that. However in a time like this, you can’t be too cautious. King Sombra is still alive and well, and he intends to take over the Crystal Empire. Seeing as how he has killed others with the hoof of another, we have to watch all those around us. For all we know, he could be hiding as anyone of us.”

“You Dare Accuse Me Of Being that Wretch King Sombra?!” Yveltal stated angrily.

“No, No, no, by all means no,” I cut in. “What Shining Armor means is that we have to be careful. King Sombra is a crafty one, and therefore we need to watch our backs at all times.” My comment seemed to calm Yveltal down… good.

“Very well then… Lord Arceus has asked me to come to the aid of the Crystal Ponies, by request of Princess Celestia. I was told not to harm any of you ponies,” His eyes lingered to me. “And Pokémon…” He flapped his massive wings, lifting himself into the air. “Now, shall we go inside? I was told to discuss this matter with Princess Cadance, ruler of this land. Or do you keep this shield in place, and reject my help. No… Reject the help that Lord Arceus has bestowed upon you?”

Step three, was to then other let him in, or send him off…

Shining Armor didn’t answer right away. He looked like he was trying to debate something within himself. Should he let Death in his home, and see his wife? Or neglect his help, and send him away. “I… I don’t know how strong King Sombra is going to get. Within the body of a Gengar, he was able to get into the City, bypass the shield, and kill ponies. We had trouble dealing with him before… and if we were to throw Pokémon into the mix… then I fear that more will only die…”

“What Shining Armor is trying to say,” I cut in, seeing that Yveltal as getting impatient. “Is that if we are to fight King Sombra, then we would like Death on our side.”

Yveltal gave me a blank look. “I am not a fan of puns. Now I came here to kill King Sombra. I would like to get this all over with. Let us head inside...”

-:-:-

King Sombra watched the event from afar, an amused look on his face as he wondered how the Crystal Ponies would get out of THIS one. The creature that stood before the Crystal Empire was powerful. Far greater than any of the other creatures that had appeared. In his mind, knowing how foolish they were, they would continue to hide behind the shield, expecting it to hold the creature at bay, thus angering the creature, and the creature would prove just how wrong they were.

As such, Sombra was understandably surprised when that did not happen. Instead, the shield surrounding the Crystal Empire started to dim, then vanished. His eyes widened at the sight, but he quickly regained himself, not intending to let this chance go to waste. Looking down at the Weavile, Sombra reached down with his magic, and a part of him entered the Pokémon’s mind. The Weavile started to scream, and Sombra started to root himself in her mind, taking control…

As before, the Weavile could do nothing but watch as her body was taken from her. The darkness around her controlling her every movement, and moving she was, like a puppet on strings. She felt herself running, as if she was running for her life, but no. King Sombra held her body in his magical grasp, and was forcing her to run to the Crystal Empire. She was fast. He was moving her body faster than she could ever could, and she didn’t know how or why, only that it was agonizing for her as her body was pushed beyond its limit.

“Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!” The voice that came from her mouth was not her own. It was a dark twisted evil male voice. At this point, if she could scream… she would be screaming harder than she had ever screamed before...

-:-:-

It worked… It somehow worked! Yveltal did not kill us, and he had no intention of killing anyone… other than King Sombra. The incarnation of death was here to help us deal with King Sombra, and though I was still suspicion of Yveltal, I could help but think about the one who sent him. Arceus. He was the one the brought all of the Pokémon to Equus. If he was strong enough to do that, then why does he not just come here himself and deal with the matter in seconds…?

“Please wait here, Yveltal. I shall bring out my wife for you to speak with.” Shining Armor spoke up.

I glanced to Shining Armor who began to stroll within the Crystal Castle, then over to Yveltal who just hovered next to me. Since we had entered the shield, all ponies hid. We didn’t see a single soul out on the streets, other than for the crystal guard. Like me, the Crystal Guards were scared, but for different reasons. No matter the size of a Pokémon, they were not that much of a threat. His Pokémon could handle them. But this? This was a Legendary…

“I grow tired of waiting…” Yveltal muttered.

I could not help but strike conversation with the Legendary. “Well… look at the bright side. The sooner this is over, the sooner you can leave…”

“Yes, and the sooner the ponies Princess arrives the sooner I can go end Sombra…”

“Yveltal… do you mind if I ask you something?” I started. His eyes slowly moved over to me. “Why… did Lord Arceus send you?”

He did not answer right away, but when he did, I was rather taken back. “...Given the question, I take it that you do not wish for me to be here.”

“What? No… Just… curious is all?”

“Do not hide behind a lie, Infernape. No one ever wants Death’s help, for in the end I am the end of all life. For only one can stray from Death, and that is Lord Arceus.” His words were… right. No one ever wants death. Well… no one sane. “As for why, well, Sombra has escaped his end for too long, and I am here to see that he no longer exist in this plane of existence.”

-:-:-

Princess Cadance sat at her throne. Around her stood many guards, and two Powerful Pokémon. Oh, and Volt. Can’t forget about him. Flubber did drop him off moments ago, only to fly off back to John.

“...so why are we here in the Castle, and not with John where the danger is?” Snow asked.

“Because.” Lex answered.

“That’s not an answer.” Snow pointed out.

“Yes it is.” Lex smiled.

“No it’s not. How is because a answer?”

“Because I said so.” Lex smiled grew as Snow pacepamed.

Princess Cadance could not help but laugh at the two. John did say that the two were a couple, and though they acted more like brother and sister, she could feel the love between them.

“I wonder how John is doing, since you know he’s dealing with Death an all.” Volt commented. This made Lex and Snow stop their bickering, and slowly turn to him.

“What did you just say?” Lex asked.

Princess Cadance looked puzzled for a moment. “I… didn’t say anything.”

“Oh, sorry Princess Cadance,” Lex apologised, before pointing a paw at Volt who had somehow perched himself on her head...without her realizing it. “I was speaking to Volt.”

“I said, that he is out there dealing with Yveltal. You know, the Legendary Pokémon of Death or something. Not that big of a deal, unless you’re into that kind of thing.”

“...so why are we here in the Castle, and not with John where Death is?!” Snow asked angrily.

Princess Cadence’s eyes widened.“Wait, Death? What did Volt say? We seriously need to cast that translation spell on him or something. He’s been a week, and we’ve done it!”

“He said that a Legendary Pokémon is outside and is the incarnation of death!” Snow yelled out in distress. “Now can we please go help John?!”

Cadance stared at Snow. Did she just say… death? As in Death himself? When I told myself that I would face anything, even death himself, I DID NOT MEAN IT LITERALLY! She screamed to herself.

“Princess Cadance,” A generic castle guard stated. “Sir Shining Armor has lowered the shield and is allowing the monster outside into the city!”

“He’s what?” Her mouth fell open.

“And it seems the monster wishes to speak with you!”

“What?” She asked again.

“And the monster is here to speak with you about dealing with King Sombra.” The guard added.

Princess Cadance facehoofed.

-:-:-

As Shining Armor approached the doors to the throne, he did not expect them to be thrown out in his face. Knocked onto his flank, Shining Armor looked up to see Candace. Only she looked mad… Very mad, and the way she was looking at him told him that she was mad at him…

“Um… Hi Cadance?” He offered.

-:-:-

In a small town called Ponyville, Mr.Cake stood cleaning one of the many tables in his restaurant. Happily picking up the empty cups and dirty plates. But then he took notice to something, and his attention was turn to a nearby window. It was a mental feeling that demanded his attention… Something he knew all too well.

A married stallion was facing the wrath of his wife for the first time in his life.

And Mr.Cake was not the only stallion to notice this. Many others did too. Everywhere from Manehattan to Appleloosa, married stallions knew that some stallion was getting yelled at. And all they could do is pray for him.

-:-Cadance-:-

Princess Cadance stood at the entrance to her castle. Standing before her was… well, Death...or at least the Pokémon’s version of Death. His name was Yvelta, and from what Shining Armor had told her, he was here to help deal with King Sombra. A part of her told her that this was a bad idea, and to run away. But another part of her told her that having death on her side was a good thing.

Giving her husband an unsteady sidelong glance, Princess Cadance gulping to herself, before walked up to him, her thoughts going so fast they could have pulled off a Sonic Rainboom. “Hello Yveltal,” She started. Hello? This is Death! Why would I say hello! I should have said greetings! “I am Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire. “From what my husband has told me, you have business with me?”

“Yes. Lord Arceus has tasked to destroy King Sombra. I am here to do so. And so that you do not have to worry, I have also promised Lord Arceus that I shall not harm any living Pony or Pokémon while I am here,” Yveltal spoke again. Cadance noticed that he sounded irritated. “Oh, and it was by request of Princess Celestia, that Lord Arceus has sent me.”

“I… see… It is good to know that the letter I sent to Celestia was received,” Princess Cadance took on a smile. Why did Celestia ask Arceus to send death?! Or does she even know!? I need to send a letter! “And we in the Crystal Empire will welcome anyone who is willing to help defeat King Sombra.”

“Good… Now tell me what you know about King Sombra,” Yveltal demand. “I would like to end his miserable life as soon as possible, and as fast as possible.”

“I do believe my husband can inform you on that,” Cadance gestured to her husband Shining Armor. Yveltal noticed that his right cheek was red. “Please ask of him anything, and for now, I need to make sure my ponies know that you shall be helping us. If you do excuse me, we shall speak another time,” Cadance gave Yveltal a bow, before turning to John. “John, if you would please join me, I am in need of your assistance.” John, please, oh please, tell me you know how to deal with a situation like this!

-:-John-:-

I gave Yveltal one last glance, before strolling after Princess Cadance. As I did, I wished Shining Armor good luck. Oh, and Judging by his cheek Cadance was not happy with how this all went down.

We walked for several moments before Cadance turned to me, her eyes wide. “John, please tell me you know what is going on. Shining did NOT explain it that well.” She sounded scared… and that surprised me. Her poker face was a lot better then mine was!

“Well…” I took a deep, and let out a long sight. “Yveltal is the Legendary of Death, and is here to take care of Sombra. He wished to speak with you, so I told Shining Armor to lower the shield. Since he got here, Yveltal has been getting more and more irritated as time goes on, meaning he is other anti social or very irritable. And finally, he is a Legendary Pokémon. Meaning he is very powerful. We would have to do our best not to anger him, and it would be best that he does not stay in the city while his time is spent here in the Crystal Empire.”

Princess Cadance just stared at me, not answering. She looked… blank. As if I broke her. It would be the human comparison to an a emotionless face. “So…” She finally spoke. “It was your idea to let him into the city?”

“Yes…” I answered.

“Oh Celestia, I slapped Shining for no reason! I need to apologize to him! Wait! I made him deal with Yveltal because of it, and he didn’t to it in the first place! Oh what kind of wife am I when I blame my husband for something he didn’t do?!” Cadance then looked like she was going to cry.

“Princess,” I placed my hand on her shoulder. “We can deal with that latter, but for now, you need to go tell your ponies that Yveltal is not going to eat them, or destroy them, or kill them, or turn them into road kill. Alright?”

“Right, right… Worry about the love of your life after your kingdom is taken care of…”

“No,” I cut in. “Don’t think of it like that. Think of it like… making sure the demonic Pokémon is happy and doesn’t kill everyone, including Shining Armor, because we all annoyed him. How would Shining feel if you went to his aid, only to annoy Death, and then we all die?”

“John,” Cadance and I turned to the side to see Snow standing with Lex. “You are horrible at cheering ponies up.

I then noticed Holly Heart was trying to hide behind them, only to perk up at the sound of my name. “Well I don’t know about that,” She stated. “John makes me really happy when I feel down.”

“That’s because you like him,” Lex added in. “And he makes you feel and warm and fizzy on the inside. Kind of like how Snow makes me sometimes.”

“You want to know what I think John makes Holly?” Snow asked. And I already knew what she was going to say… “We-” Stepping forward, I raised my hand to slap Snow, cutting her off.

“Snow,” I started. “Normally I would just put in your Pokeball for saying something like that, but since I no longer have them, I’ll just send you to your room instead.” I yelled.

“Aaawww! John that hurt, and what do you mean you’re sending me to my room?”

“Wait, wait, wait. John, Snow didn’t mean it. You know how she is. It was just a joke,” Lex said, trying to defend her.

“I understand that, but it doesn’t change the fact, and since I know you are going to go with her Lex, please just keep an eye on her.”

Snow slumped her head, then turned around. “This is fucken bullshit…” She muttered under her breath. I heard her, but held my tongue. I had enough to deal with at the moment. Lex then followed after her.

Turning back to where Princess Cadance was, I found an space empty. “Um… Princess Cadance?” I called out looking around.

“Oh, she left,” I turned to see Holly smiling at me. “Said something about getting to work.”

“Right… anyways, I would like to apologies for Snow. She gets out of hand sometimes, and now that I can understand her it has kind of gotten worse.”

“Ya… I’ll try to not let her bother me, but um, John…”

“Yes, Holly Heart.”

“Was that… really Death?”

“Yes, Holly. That was really death outside. The Legendary Pokémon named Yveltal.”

“...um… is he here to hurt us?”

“No. He is here to stop King Sombra, but if he tries to then I promise I will protect you.”

She smiled at me. “I know you will John… Oh, and one more thing…”

“What is it?”

“It’s about what Snow said…” She tilted her head and stared into my eyes. A soft smile adorning her lips. “She’s kind of right.”

“...” I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. “...” I opened it again, but again, nothing came out. With one comment, Holly Heart made my face red and my mind blank.

Leaning forward, Holly Heart kissed me on the cheek. “Now come on you,” She then started to trot off, only to wave for me to follow her. “I said come on, I have something for you,” And with that, my face grew redder. Holly Heart noticed this, then blushed herself. “Oh Celestia, John. I don’t mean that… I’m not ready for that… anytime soon…”

“Ya… I think I need a drink…” I finally spoke.

Author's Note

Don't really know what to say about this chapter. Yveltal is here. Sombra is growing. Cadance is freaking out. Holly Heart is becoming more attracted to John.... Ya I think I covered a lot in this chapter. What do you all think?
Zeus- I wonder how long Sombra will last now. I honestly can’t wait to see these two fight. *Grabs popcorn
TDN- Nice way of showing Yveltal. I also love Cadance’s reaction to hearing that Yveltal is Death. Tempting fate really comes to mind here.

And 200+ likes! Whooo! Can we get to 300?

Chapter 13: No play, I think not

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen (Not Yet Pre-read)

Chapter 13: All work and no play, I think not

I awoke the next day to a knock at my door. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was not even seven in the morning. Letting out a sigh, I pulled myself up and out of bed. The day before was a stressed filled one, and I was unable to get much sleep because of it.

After King Sombra left the Wavile, I had her limited to the castle hospital, and asked that when she wakes up for me to be informed. I had my doubts that she would wake up however, since the gengar has yet to wake up himself. But at least she was alive. The Doctors did say that her heart rate, as well as mental activity showing that she was not on a coma. I had to make a mental note to look up pony magic, but that was for another day.

Not to mention, both Flubber and Volt gave Holly a Heart attack (something they seem to have enjoyed doing a bit TOO much). After everything was done and over, she came screaming through the halls for her life, and slammed into me again. It didn’t hurt, but what little stitches I got to close my cut on my chest got reopened. So while scolding the two of them, I was forced to go back and get them replaced, and it didn’t help that Holly was crying the whole time. I hate it when she cries… Seeing her that way puts me down… But she cried even more when she learned how I got the cut, and how King Sombra attacked again...

Opening the door, I found Flash Sentry standing there. He gave me a salute before stepping to the side. Standing there was Sir Clay… “Hello, John,” He started. He looked genuinely sad, but had a smile on his face. “I… am sorry for waking you up so early. I am aware of the day you had yesterday, but this would be the only time I would be able to say thank you.”

“Thank you, for what?” I asked.

“For saving the Princess. When everypony learned that King Sombra found his way into the Crystal Empire again and attacked the Princess, we all feared the worse. But thanks to you she is safe. So John, I am here to thank you. Not just for myself, but for the Crystal Empire. From the bottom of all our hearts, thank you John for saving her, and though I can’t express how grateful we all are, I can at least help you out with something or other… If you are in need of anything, just ask.”

“...Sir Clay, thank you for the offer. And I’ll let you know if I need anything…” I covered my mouth, and let out a yawn. “But for now… I just need to get to work. I have to research as much as I can about the crystal empire. Hopefully by doing so, I might even be able to find something that will help us stop Sombra for good...or at least stop him from controlling the Pokemon to attack the city…”

“Well then, I hope you resource bares some fruit.’

“Oh, please don’t talk about fruit. I’m craving berries from my old world that Equus does not have...”

“My apologies, but still. If you are to ever need something, just ask.”

“Right well… I’ll be off then. Got to go see if Holly is awake. She’s helping me with…” I trailed off as I realized something. “Sir Clay, do you know of any good restaurants in the Crystal Empire?”

He chuckled. “Do I know of one? I own the best restaurant in the Empire. Why do you ask?”

“Because I want to take Holly on a date, but I don’t have any bits to pay for-”

Raising a hoof, Clay cut me off. “Consider it on the house. It’s called the Mare’s Stable,” He smiled. “North of that park that got destroyed. You can’t miss it. I’ll have a table set for you, and whatever you need will be one the house, like I said. It’s the least I can do.”

“Well thank you, Clay. Do you mind getting that all arranged today? We should get there around… say five or six.”

“Of Course. Now if you excuse me, I have work to get to, as do you.” With that, Clay turned and started to trot awake.

After he turned the corner, Flash Sentry turned to me. “John, you are one lucky stallion, you know that?”

“How so?”

“Reservations for that place cost five-thousand bits! That’s one tenth of a guards yearly salary!”

“So it’s that upper class? Wow… Holly and I are going to have a good time then.”

“Lucky bastard…” I then laughed at his comment.

-:-:-

As I made my way to the library, I started to think of the day before. Of all the strange things that happened. How it started out as a good day, only to drift to a horrible one. I am just glad that Yveltal left the city when he learned King Sombra attacked, but was never here to begin with. It irritated him, and made him angry, but I could not really tell why.

“Well there is a familiar face,” A sad voice spoke. I turned to see Agatha floating through the halls. “Hello John. How are you doing?”

“Mostly tired. How about you? You don’t sound too well.”

“Oh, well it’s Gengar. He has yet to wake up, and his brother is getting restless. Not leaving his side. It doesn't help that he doesn’t need to eat or sleep. He just stands there. Staring at him... It’s hard, you know. We’ve been together so long, that’s just…” She closed her eyes. Just from her tone of voice, I could tell she was going through a lot at the moment.

“I can imagine what you are going through. Many-a-times I’ve seen my Pokemon in the hospital… Though it’s hard to tell who is worse. Team Rocket or King Sombra…?”

“As much as I hate King Sombra at the moment,” Agatha growled. “I would have to go with Team Rocket…”

“Yes, I would normally agree with you, but… with what King Sombra told me yesterday…”

“Yes, the Weavile told me about that… how she was in non stop pain…”

“Wait, she’s awake?!”

“Yes she is, why do you ask- wait John! Where are you going?” As she spoke, I turned away from her and started to run. I told the guards to inform me when she awoke! So why was I not informed?

-:-:-

Quickly making my way to the hospital, I found that the room Weavile was left in was the same room I held the day before. As it was the only one available. I also found out that there was an overwhelming about of Ponies trying to get into the hospital to see the Princess, and a ton of guards stopping them. If I did not stand above the ponies, I do not think I would have been able to just get passed the shear about that there was. Oh, and being a monkey with you head on fire seems to make ponies get out of the way, so that’s a plus.

“Sir John,” One of the many guards started. “I assume you are here to see the Weavile?” She asked.

“Yes, I am, but I have a question as to why I was not informed when she awoke by a guard, and had to be informed by Agatha?” I asked.

“I am unaware of what you are speaking of, Sir. We sent Flash Sentry to inform you that she has awoken.”

“I see… I must have missed him.” I lied. Though I was angry at Flash Sentry, I was not going to get him into trouble. The look on his face when he learned that I am getting a free meal from apparently one of the best places around, was worth it.

“Do you wish for me to inform Princess Cadance that you have arrived?”

“Yes, please do, but also inform her that I shall be speaking to the Weavile first, and that she should get as much rest as possible.”

“Yes, sir.” She spoke, before trotting off.

As the guard left, I turned my attention to my old hospital room. Opening the door, I found the Weavile propped up in her bed. Like my friends an I, she wore a necklace around her neck. Her being an orange gemstone. Sitting next to her was a doctor that I did not recognize.

They both looked over to me, and the Weavile’s eyes lit up. “Oh, it’s about time you showed up! I have yet to thank you properly for saving me from that King Sombra monster guy!” She stated seductively.

Stepping into the room, I closed the door behind me. “Yes well… I’m am sorry to disappoint you, but I’m taken.”

“Really? Because you don’t smell like it. I’ve smelt what mated Pokemon smell like, and you don’t carry the scent,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

I blinked in confusion at what she said. “Well… that’s because I am not with… a Pokemon.”

“Oh, so you’re one of those Pokemon that have sex with humans.”

“No… I am with a pony, and… we have yet to… you know…” My face when red. “Can we just move off this topic?”

“Oh, you're nervous about sex?” Her smiled widened. “You know… I can help with that. After all you are the big strong hero that saved me from the worthless King. It would be only right that I repaid you in kind.”

“As entertaining as seeing all of this is, can we please get back to the matter at hoof?” The Doctor interrupted. “Besides Miss Weavile, you are in no shape for physical activities,” The Doctor then pointed at his chart. “This right here says that you have bruising all over your body, as well as internally. Do anything too crazy and you’ll tear yourself up from the inside out.”

“Wow Doc, you know how to drive the nail in hard don’t ya?” Weavile asked, giving me a sad look. “Seems like we’re going to have to have some fun another time…” She cooed.

I let out an annoyed sigh. “Anyways, once the Doctor is finished doing whatever he is doing, I have some questions for you. Mostly involving what happened to you when Sombra when inside of you and what not.”

“...I don’t want to talk about it...” Her demeanor changed. Before she sounded perky. Happy even, but with one question everything turned around. As she looked at me, I could tell that her eyes were shaking in fear. It must have been a horrible experience.

“I understand,” Turning my attention to the door, I smiled back at her. “I will be near by if you need someone to talk to. Although... we won't be doing what you keep suggesting...”

“Right well, Miss Weavile it seems that you have a lot of recovery to through. Not just physically… But look at the bright side, you’re in a lot better shape than when John first fought King Sombra,” His words didn’t really help the situation, but at least the Weavile didn’t look so sad.

In fact she looked curious. “What does he mean? Did King Sombra try to take control of you? Wait, no. Then you would not ask what it’s like…” She started to chuckle. “Though I really don’t think he could if he tried. You’re a lot stronger than you look, which is saying a lot. That big scars make you look like one strong cutie!” As she finished her sentence, the door started to open. Standing there, eyes wide, was Holly Heart.

“You… better not be talking about my stallion…” She said. The Weavile’s eyes widened.

“So you’re his mate? I would have never thought since you two don’t smell like each other… Sorry Holly Heart.” The Weavile apologised. “Oh, how is the Princess Doing?”

“Better,” Holly smiled. “She actually asked for me to check up on you.”

“I take it you two know each other…?” I asked.

“I asked to help her out,” Holly started. “With the bandages and the healing… So Weavile, why are you hitting on him anyways?”

“Well when you told me about this brave, kind, great and handsome stallion you’re dating I didn’t expect it to be him,” She defended herself. “I assumed it was someone like that Shining Armor fellow.”

“So I’m brave, kind, great and handsome?” I asked, turning to Holly Heart. She face went red, and she let out an eep. Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Careful Holly. If you get any redder, you’d look like you were on fire.”

“Yeah, you practically look like a Rapidash from where I’m looking,” the Weavile chuckled as well as she joined in on the good natured teasing. “Now then, what did you want to ask me again?”

-:-:-

All I could say is the encounter with the Weavile was… different. I would have to guess that it was her coping mechanism on dealing with King Sombra. It’s just a good thing that she’s so friendly. Most Pokemon that go through something like she did would just get angry, and do their best to avoid said species that did that to them. Many Pokemon back home did their best to stay away from humans after what Team Rocket did to them.

“John! You’re just the Pokemon I wanted to see,” As Holly Heart and I stepped into the Princesses room, we found Cadance smiling at us. Her faced seemed bruised from the attack, but all in all she looked well. “I wanted to thank you for saving me from King Sombra. I’m lucky King Sombra only slapped me, but thanks to you I didn’t suffer any more than what I’ve already have.”

“I just wish I could have gotten there sooner,” Shining Armor commented. “Or at least helped…”

“Um, don’t mind Shining, John. He’s been down since I was attacked. Everypony has…”

“Well Princess, I am glad to see that you are doing good. How goes the recovery?” I asked, placing my arms behind my back, and taking a rather stiff pose.

“Come now John, relax a little. After saving me you don’t have to call me Princess anymore. Cadance is fine, and as for the recovery… well I just wish that everypony would calm down some. I am in fine shape, and will be ready to go anytime. I just wish the Doctors can see that…”

“But Cadance, you’re hurt. You need to rest.” Shining Armor protested.

“See?” She waved a hoof at Shining. “Other than some Bruising, I am fine. Seriously, it’s not that bad.” She complained. She did sound stressed after all...

“Yes, I see your point, Cadance…” I let out a sigh. “But have you seen the amount of ponies outside? They are all worried for you. Each and everyone. I don’t think I would have been able to get in if the guards didn’t see me over the crowd.”

“Well, you do kind of stick out like a sore hoo,” Holly offered. “You know… with your fire and what not.”

“I’m just glad I have not lite anything on fire since I… since I…” I glanced over to my shoulder to see Volt sitting there. A large stick in his hands. My eyes glanced up to see a marshmallow roasting in my head fire.

Everyone in the room started to laugh at the sight, while I just felt hungry. “What?” He asked. Before sticking the whole marshmallow in his mouth, his cheeks puffing out. “It’s good.”

“Luckily Volt here as been keeping me entertained,” Cadance offered. “Flubber too, though right now he’s gone missing. Can’t really find him…”

“Right well, I do hope you get better Princess. I should be going now. Have to start my research on finding a way to stop King Sombra without having to drive him out of the Pokemon by force…”

“Alright then, well… I hope your research works out. I for one don’t want any pony and Pokemon come to harm just because of that damn stallion…” Cadance gave me a soft smile. “After speaking with that Weavile, as well as, well… all of you, I am kind of getting attached to Pokemon more and more.”

“Oh, speaking of the Weavile. She is doing better, and says hello, Princess.” Holly Heart added.

“Anyways, have a good day, Cadance,” I started, before turning to the door. “Oh, one one more thing. Holly Heart, do you have to do anything later? Like… say around five?”

“Um, no, why do you ask…?”

“Well isn’t it obvious? I’m asking you out on a date. We’re going to the Mare’s Stable’” Holly’s eyes widened.

“How on earth did you even get a reservation?” She asked.

Cadance gasped. “Oh, how romantic.”

“Well,” I crossed my arms. “It was a thank you gift from Sir Clay, for saving Cadance. He highly respects her, and is glad to see her safe.”

“Wow… Never did I think he would do something nice for me… well kind of me. So when are we going?!” She asked excited.

“Around five…”

“That’s like! Ten hours away!” She cried.

“Hay Cadance, when was the last time we went out for something like that?” Shining Asked.

“Two weeks ago,” She answered. “A nobel got drunk and hit on me, and you threw him out a window…”

“Oh right…”

“Wait,” Holly started. “Didn’t John do that to Clay?”

“Ya…” Cadance said with a sigh.

-:-:-

As the day progressed, and both grew happier as well as confused. The breakfast with Holly Heart, as well as half a dozen nobles sucking up to me, went swimmingly. She and I just talked about simple matters, not really knowing what to say to each other, but I knew she could not wait for our date. I could not wait too, but it was mostly to see how happy she will be. Something about seeing her happy, makes me happy. I suspected it had something to do with the Crystal Heart, but the more and more I dwell into the books about it, the more questions came up.

“Just a little over a thousand years ago, the Crystal Empire was protected by a great queen and her Crystal Heart, but King Sombra (Self proclaimed, mind you) took over and enslaved the population. Only for everything to vanish, without a trace."

So how did it vanish, and why? This was one of my first questions.

“The Crystal Heart, know for it’s magical power of love, is the power source of the Crystal Empire, but no power source is functional without something to keep it going. So thus the Crystal Heart is linked to each and every Crystal Pony that dwells in it’s city. As long as they are happy, as long as they have a smile on their face, then the Crystal Heart will remain. It grows in power as the Empire grows in happiness.”

So how is it that this Crystal Heart is able to vanquish King Sombra? As I read the many books, and as I took in more information, it was getting harder and harder to keep reading.

For everypony that I asked, none knew the answer. For every noble and scribe that lived in the Crystal Empire could not help me, for they did not know how the link worked. None of them knew how the magic of the Crystal Empire worked. How the love they have for each other and the love they have for the world around them fuels the Crystal Heart.

Every question I though of came to a dead stop. Nopony knew how the connection worked. Nopony knew how the Crystal Empire disappeared. No pony even knows why King Sombra hates them all so, for just the mere mentioning of his name makes ponies uneasy and uncomfortable. However, there was something I did learn. Out of all the questions that I had, I got one answer.

King Sombra hates the Crystal Heart. He loathes it. When he took over the Crystal Empire, he hid away the Crystal Heart, because it was the only thing that could stop him. With his power growing more and more each day he ruled, he feared the day that it would come to a stop because of it. It is his weakness. It is his fear…

-:-:-

Holly Heart watched as John pored over all the books she could find. The way he muttered under his breath as he read the books was rather cute to her, but while he read, she still had something to do herself. Since John first showed up, she asked Princess Cadance if she could assist him in any way, shape or form. To be his assistant, since he is here to help solve problems with Pokemon. And though that task grew to include solving the problem with King Sombra, her request still stood.

Her job was to help him. Appointed by Princess Cadance, she was his unofficial assistant. But she loved it. Before, she would just help out in the library, and learn any spell that was required of her. To help here and there. To deal with the Nobles that needed help, and to not cry when she is yelled at.

I’m really glad Pokemon showed up. She told herself. The Pokemon world brought John to me, and he makes me happy. And all she ever wanted was to be happy. To live like the Crystal ponies do. To be happy in a world new and different. Maybe that is why she fell in love with him so quickly… Maybe Princess Cadance was right about the Crystal Heart making ponies fall in love quicker.

“Holly Heart.”

“Yes, John?” She asked. Her eyes glowing at him.

“I am finished with this stack of books. Do you mind levitating the next one over?”

“Wait, what? That was seven books! How are you finished so quickly?!” She asked, surprised.

“I had to read a lot of case files in between missions and assignments. So I learned how to read quick and fast, and remember most to all of it.”

“Oh, alright then,” Holly Heart’s horn glowed as the next stack of books levitated over to him. “Here John.”

“Thank you, Holly.”

-:-:-

Two times has King Sombra failed, and it angered him. Both times John and his Pokemon intervened. Both times, he was stopped by those damn Pokemon… Though it was a two way road. King Sombra’s power grew with each Pokemon he attacked with. The power within the creature was invigorating, but yet has he found one strong enough to stop the the Pokemon protecting the Crystal Empire.

Glancing up, King Sombra say Yveltal flying in the distance. Though he had been doing his best to hide from the Pokemon of Death, Yveltal’s search for him was getting annoying. Being able to sense his surrounding, Sombra was easily able to hide from him, but Yveltal’s eyes were always watching. If he where to attack a Pokemon to take it over, he would have to do it quietly. But even this was a matter King Sombra could deal with. A Pokemon doesn’t have to be injured for him to take it over.

Glancing forward, Sombra glared down at a massive Pokemon. One whose body fat could rival that of a Ursa Major just before winter. Sleeping happily was a Snorlax, unaware of his impending doom. Reaching out with his magic, King Sombra reached into the mind of the Snorlax.

Awaking from Sleep, the Snorlax reached up to his head, and let out a groan of pain, but it was too late. He could not fight it. He could feel King Sombra taking over. His body, like those who came before him, started to scream out in pain.

“Now then,” King Sombra said though the body of the Snorlax. “I wonder what you can do…”

-:-:-

Snow and Lex say next to each other, watching as Eclipse tossed around guards over and over. Since the first started watching, early this morning, the guards have been getting better. They also have been getting wetter at time went on, too.

“So do you think one of them is going to get sick or something? Like catch bronchitis from all that water being thrown around?” Snow asked.

“If Eclipse was trying then yes. Otherwise no. They look like they are good. Other than panting for air, they are not showing any signs of getting sick.” Lex answered her.

It was then that a large blast of water slammed into the ground in front of them. Soaking them to the bone. “Sorry you two,” Eclipse spoke up. “But that’s what you get for standing too close to the splash line.”

“Whooo!” Volt called out from the corner of the room. “Ten points!” He yelled, while holding up a scorecard with the number ten on it.

One of the stallions that was training them made his move, and planted his hoof at the base of Eclipse jaw, only to jump back and take position. “Always keep your eyes on target, sir!”

Rubbing his jaw, Eclipse turned to the stallion. “Congratulations, you’re the first pony to pass today,” He aimed both cannons at the stallion. “Now do it again.” He let out a massive stream of water.

“So Volt,” Snow started, approaching the young Joltik. “You think this is funny?” She asked with an evil grin.

“Um, Snow… what are you doing?” Volt asked. Snow then shook her fur around, splashing the little guy.

Whipping the water from his face, Volt looked up at Snow. “If you wish to tussle with the great Sir Volt, then so be it,” In a flash Volt grew his Butterknife-Excalibur from hammerspace. “Then you shall feel his wrath!”

“Where do you even keep that?” Snow asked.

“That is none of your concern, Snow. For now you have to deal with the great Sir Volt! Wielder of the evils bane!” He then let out a small shock and hit Snow right on the now. The shock then traveled through her wet body, causing little pain.

“Ow,” Snow placed her paw on her face. “That hurt! Come here you little bug!” Snow then leaped forward, but before she was able to pounce on the little guy, he was washed away. Turning, Snow found Volt flying off, while on the back of a mini-Rayquaza. “Damn it Flubber, that’s not fair!”

“Fair? This is war, Snow!” He then let out a barrage of Electroweb at her, but was then shot down by a blast of Eclipse’s water.

“We’re going down!” Volt cried out, before the two crashed in the middle of the room. Flubber, who was still transferred him to a mini-Rayquaza, lay motionless. Volt grabbed his head in his arms, tears coming out of his eyes. “Flubber? Speak to me! You can’t die! We still have to vanquish the dreaded demon Snow… Why! Why must you die? WHY!?”

Snow then raised an eyebrow. "So… I'm a demoness, am I?"

“Don’t worry, Flubber! I shall avenge you,” He then drew his mighty Excalibur, and started to charge at Snow. “For Equestriaaaaaaaaaa!” Snow then trapped him under her paw. “No! I’ve been defeated! Curse you, demon, and your evils ways of stepping on me!”

Snow just glared at him, before she gained an evil look. “To the dungeons with you!”

-:-:-

As the day progressed, my work seemed to be drawing to a close. At least for now. Out of the thirty or so books Holly Heart found for me, I read through all but three of them. And though I do not want to get into the topic of the books again, I can say that I’ve learned a fair about of knowledge.

However, I do have to add that I need to expand my search. King Sombra is using magic to take over the minds of Pokemon. There maybe a spell out there that counters the effects, and it’s not just linked to King Sombra himself.

But that was for another time.

As I stood up from the table with the many books on it, I let out a long relaxing sigh, and popped my back. Glancing at a near by clock, I saw that it was three-fifteen. I had to started getting ready for my date. I would have to wear something nice and…

I face palmed. Other than Flubber transforming into something, I had nothing nice to wear. “Going to have to fix that…” I muttered to myself. I always did like looking my best. Even if it was for no reason.

Stepping over to the from office, I noted down my departing time, and started to head out. Leaving my work place with the books that I have both finished and have yet to read. I know they will be there tomorrow, because I was assured that they will, and that the librarian saw to it that they were untouched, so that my work would not go uninterrupted.

-:-:-

As I stepped into the shower, the warm water made my body numb. It was a relaxing sensation, and an enjoyable one. But unlike before I had to stay awake. I had to clean up, and get ready for my date.

Oh, and the soup smells like coconuts.

As I stepped out of the shower, I started to dry off using the towel. Only to start whipping my head, and… the towl caught fire. My quick reaction threw it back into the bathtub and turning on the water.

Meanwhile...

As Holly Heart stepped out of her shower, she wrapped a towl around her head, bundling her hair up. Fallowed by using a quick drying spell to dry the rest of herself off. “Alright…” She told herself and she stepped over to a mirror. “Time to make myself look nice for John…”

Using her magic, she lifted up a small box. Inside the box was assorted beauty items. Fake eyelashes, lipstick, eye liner. The average girly attire. It has however been a long time since she had to use this though… As she lifted the face eyelashes to her left she, she poked herself in said eye.

“Oh,” She brought a hoof up. “You know… I don’t think John will mind that I don't use these…” She said to herself.

She then closed one eye, and lifted the eye liner. Adding the light blue color to her eye, she smiled to herself. She always liked dressing up like this, but rarely did she. “Thank you, John… Thank you for being here…” She smiled as she finished her other eye.

Meanwhile…

As I finished drying myself off, I quickly looked through the clubnights in the bathroom to find any type of cologne, and to my surprise I found a rather large variety. The Mare’s Love? I read. No… Shifting over to the next bottom I found. Stallions Stallionhood…? I opened the bottom and took a whiff of the contents. It smelled light the genaric cheap cologne you could buy at the Pokéstory. The next one how ever caught my eye. Bold Cinnamon! Read the label, and it really did smell like cinnamon. “Looks like we found the winner…”

Dabbing the bottle with my finger, I rubbed the cologne across my neck, then down my chest. I wanted to smell nice, but too much could just be annoying.

“Well…” I spoke, looking into the mirror. “I’m ready… Wish I had something nice to where, but I’m ready… I really hope Holly doesn't mind”

Meanwhile…

Opening her closet, Holly Heart pulled out her only dress. It was a rather plain red blue dress, but it was hers. “I wonder is John likes the color blue… Oh, right, I forgot I gave him a Sapphire,” Holly Heart booped herself on the head, before putting her dress on the near by bed. “Now all I have let is my hair…”

Undoing her hair bun, Holly Heart stepped over to her mirror. Her horn then flash, and her hair was combed and strate as ever. “There,” She said happily, before stepping over to her dress, and throwing it on. “Alright. I’m ready… I really how John likes how I look.”

Meanwhile…

I stood outside of Holly Heart’s door. Somewhat nervous about knocking. Ask me to fight King Sombra? I do so without question. Ask me to take a mare out to dinner? And I’m nervous. Funny, right?

I’m still surprised I am even falling in love with her… I told myself. I never fell for a human back on earth, but not one week in Equus and a mare’s got my eye.

Lifting my hand, I knocked on the door. “Just one moment,” Holly’s voice called out. It didn’t take her long to come to the door, but when she opened it… I was shocked to say the least. Holly Heart wore a nice blue dress. Her hair was straight, unlike how she had it in a ponytail. The blue eye liner really contrasted with her green eyes, and wow did she look nice. “Oh John, are you ready for our date?”

“Um… yes.” I said uneasy.

She gave me a smile. “What’s wrong? Do I… Do I really look that good?” She asked in chipper voice.

Not wanting to make an idiot of myself. I nodded. “You look… really good, Holly...”

“Why thank you,” She then looked down to my feet, then back up to my face. “We seriously need to get you something nice to wear on our dates.”

“Ya…” I rubbed the back of my neck, and smiled. “Anyways, we should get going.”

-:-:-

As Holly Heart and I made our way out of the front of the castle, we found the city was rather empty, or at least this part was. Except of the large open carriage, being pulled by two crystal guards. “Sir John,” One of them spoke. “By the generosity of Princess Cadance, she has asked us to be your chaperone for your Date with Miss Holly Heart.”

Holly’s eyes, as well as my own, widened. “So we’re going to the Mare’s Stable in one of the royals carriages?” Holly Heart asked, rather happily. “John this is turning out to be one of the best dates I’ve ever been on… granted this is my first date, but that’s besides the point…”

“Do the two of you know where we are going?”

“Yes, Sir. We know that you two shall be going to the Mare’s Stable.”

“Alright then,” Stepping to the side of the carriage, I opened the door, and beckoned Holly over. “Holly, after you.”

“Why, thank you, John…”

-:-:-

The Mare’s Stable was a rather nice looking place. I would have to say it looked more country than anything else. It was made out of wood logs and red bricks, giving it that wester look. If it were not for the fancy decor then you would not think of this place of being upper class. They had actual gold-shoulders above each table.

“This is probably the fanciest place I’ve been to in all my life…” I muttered, as Holly and I were seated in the back.

“Ya…” Holly agreed. “I think that’s an understatement…”

“Would the two of you like some wine, to start you dinner?” A waiter asked, stepping up to us.

“Before we get to that, I’d like to know that you all are aware that Sir Clay is paying for this, right?”

“Yes Sir, he specifically said that you and your mare shall be tended to at no charge.”

“Good,” Holly piped up. “Now, what would be this places best wine…?”

“That would be Celestia’s Sun spice wine. Made with Oranges that has aged over two hundred years.”

“Oooohhhh….. One of those, please.”

“And for you, sir?” He asked, turning to me.

“We’ll just share a bottle.”

“Very well,” Pulling out two menus, he placed them on the table and smiled. “I shall return with your wine. Please excuse me.”

As the stallion walked away, I grabbed one of the menus and opened it up. Before I even looked at what it had to offer, I glanced at the prices. “One-Hundred bits for bread?”

“Wow this place really is expensive,” I glanced up to Holly, to see her looking through her own menu. “I think I’ll have the… exotice salade and two of those garlic breads.”

As my eyes scanned the page, I didn’t really like most of what I saw. It looked more like a expensive Vegetarian meal then anything else. That was… until I turned to the back, where they had some fancy looking fish. “Oh, looks like they sell fish,” Holly looked up to me, then turned her menu over. “I think I’ll just have a… I don’t even know half of what these fish are… Eeny, Meeny, Miny, you.” I then pointed at a fish called the Tobiuo.

“Well that’s one way to pick what you are going to eat…”

“Here’s your wine, John,” A familiar voice spoke up. Holly and I glanced up to see Sir Clay holding our bottle of wine. “And might I add, you’re going to love that one.”

“Clay, it’s good to see you,” I started. “Thank you for the wine, by the way. Now have have you been since we last spoke this morning?”

“Rather busy, but tonight is not about what I’ve done. It’s about the two of you. Please, enjoy your stay, and Holly Heart,” Sir Clay turned to her. Holly was doing her best to hide behind her mane. “I am sorry for all the trouble I caused you. I mostly did it out of spite, but please. Can you forgive me?”

Holly bit her lip. Her eyes drifting up to him, then down to the bottle he was holding. “I will… once you hoof over that wine…”

He chuckled. “Now then, you two enjoy yourselves...”

“Before you go, I’d like to apologies.” I quickly stated, before he walked away.

“For… what?” He asked.

“I’d like to apologize for throwing you out the window, when we first met. I understand it was wrong, and I don’t quite see how you have forgiven me for it, seeing as you are doing this.”

“John,” He smiled. “Consider that all under the rug. How can I be mad at somepony if he just saved somepony I hold dear?”

-:-:-

“John, are you-hua, are you trying to get me drunk?” Holly asked, as we walked, her more stumbled, out of the Mare’s Stable.

I chuckled. “What do you mean try? And aren't you suppose to say that when they give you the alcohol?”

“No!” She shot at me. “Maybe… I don’t remember... Now where did we park?”

“We didn’t park, remember. You told the stallions that pulled us here that we would walk back to the palace.” I told her.

“I did? Well that was a dumb idea,” She grumbled. “How am I suppose to make you fall for me while walking back to the castle?”

“Holly,” I said. “I’ve already fallen for you,” I then tripped over my own feet, and landed on my side. “See. I am literally falling for you.” I joked. (That wine was a lot stronger than I though. Even I’m somewhat drunk…)

“Come on, John, that’s not a-hua, not a bed. You’re beds back at the castle… or you could sleep in my bed. Wait… that would mean we would have to share a bed. Oooohhh, John you real are trying to make me drunk… you naughty stallion…”

“What?” I stammered, as I stood up. “No, never,” My face started to turn red, though the wine did most of it for me. “Alright, just a little…”

“John... Holly Heart... What are the two of you doing?” We looked up to see Flash Sentry giving us a concerned look.

“Flash,” Holly started. “It’s nice to see you! Tell me how are the kids?” Holly started.

“I don’t have kids… are the two of you drunk?”

“Of Course not, Flash. You’re the one that’s drunk.” I pointed out.

He let out a sigh. “Alright… just follow me then…”

“Not until I give John a good night kiss!” Holly stated angrily, and before I knew it… she kissed me again. But not on the cheek… on the lips.

-:-:-

To Cadance,

I will keep this short, seeing as you are likely very busy dealing with King Sombra, as well as any Pokemon that may be causing problems for you.

In Seven days, a world Summit shall be hosted here in Canterlot. Every race shall be attending, as well as Lord Arceus himself. I do hope that you, like Twilight, have had a mostly good experience with the new arrivals, and I hope that you will be able to share some good things about the Pokemon that you've encountered. Oh, and you need an advisory. Somepony to help you out with the meeting.

~Celestia

Author's Note

Well here's the next chapter everyone!

TDN- Relationship development. Nice
Zeus- “Can you feel the love tonight~” Great chapter Bubba, can’t wait for the next one.

Chapter 14: The not so bad Hangover

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A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen (Not Yet Pre-read)

Chapter 14: The not so bad Hangover

I, sadly, did not have a good night sleep.

It was plain and simple. If you drink two hundred year old wine, you’re going to get drunk. I’m just lucky that I don’t feel the pain part of a hangover. I still have to deal with the damned headache, but for me it came in the form of irritability, a shorten temper, and dizziness from light.

I could only imagine what Holly Heart was going through, since she could not handle her alcohol as well as I could. Lucky for her she gets to sleep in, but I don’t really mind. I rather enjoyed the night before, and hate to bother her about getting up. It is her day off after all. Let her sleep the hangover off.

As for myself, I was awoken by Flash Sentry, who apparently was appointed as my personal guard at a drop of a hat, which isn’t that much different from before. When he was tasked with watching me like a hawk. But I guess now I can tell him what to do, which is kind of a pluss. Considering how I wasn’t really willing to get my own breakfast, since I can’t really stand straight.

“Here you go, John.” I glanced up from my seat to see Flash Sentry smiling at me. My plate of food, as well as one for himself, balanced on his wings.

“Thanks…” Thanking Flash Sentry, I took my plate from him and started to eat. I didn’t really look at what I was eating, but I can tell you it tasted like blueberry. Kind of reminded me of Oran Berries, but remembering I can no longer eat my favorite food just made me annoyed.

“So other then coming home drink, and accusing me of being drunk, what happened last night with you and Holly?” He asked.

I glanced up at him, my eyes drooping at the lack of good sleep showed throughout my body. Taking a deep breath, I let out a barrage of words. “After we got there, we ate some really expensive dinners that tasted great, and drank some really expensive wine. Other than that, we made everypony in the restaurant get annoyed at us, and were asked to leave by the staff after I clearly stated that all those ponies complaining should shove it because I was on a date with a mare I like…”

“That’s…” He started.

“Something?”

“Yeah. That’s something…” He smiled. “So how much did it cost anyways?”

“More than ten-thousands bits...” I informed him, before chugging my apple juice. (I don’t really understand how I always get at least one thing apple when I eat breakfast, but It keeps happening.) His mouth dropped open.

“Ten… Thousand… Bits...?”

“Don’t get to slack jawed. Other than the wine, the food was that great. Well above average, but if it wasn’t free I wouldn’t go back.”

“Right… Anyways. After breakfast Princess Cadance wishes to see you, and Sir Shining Armor want you to fight him again. Though the latter of the two can wait.”

“Well Shining can go do that with Eclipse.” I grumbled. “I’m too hungover to think of a battle strategy…”

“Sir Shining Armor won't be to happy about that. He really liked your last fight, not including Princess Cadance getting mad at him.”

My head drooped as I finished of the last of my meal. All I really want is to go back to bed, but when have I ever let that stop me from doing something? I was almost dead and I got up and told off a pair of stallions. So how is it that a simple hangover be so damned annoying?

“Well… Best not to let the Princess wait any longer.” I said, as I stood up and placed the plastic tray away. Flash quickly followed suit, as we made our way out of the dining hall.

-:-:-

As we stepped through the castle, I couldn't help but get annoyed at all the windows. For each time I would walk past one, the light blasting in would blind my eyes. Generally making my headache worse. It didn’t help that almost everypony we walked passed said something jolly. Though that was more of a two way street. I would normally enjoy seeing smiles everywhere I go, but the none stop sounds made my ears ring. It’s times like this that I am reminded why drinking is bad, but I normally don’t get drunk to the point where I have a hangover.

“Are you alright, John?” Flash asked me.

“No.” I answered, as we turned the corner and entered the throne room.

Sitting at her throne was Cadance, while around her where ponies brushing about. Several armed guards stood near her, while even more stood around the room. Much more than normal I might add. As for the room, most of it was cleaned up. Some of the windows were missing, and the floor was crashed in most places, but at least it looked better then when it was filled with Crystals trying to impale me.

As for Cadance herself, she sat slumped over in her thrown. I could tell she was bored just from her body language. Around her the Noble ponies other where trying to get her attention, and when they got to close the guards would push them back. But as I approached her, her demeanor changed appone seeing me.

“John,” She started happily, right before she trotted over to me and gave me a hug, which surprised me. “Just the Pokemon I wanted to see!”

“Good morning to you too…” I gave her a small smile. “Now, you wanted to see me?”

“Yes,” Stepping back to her thrown, Cadance grabbed a letter and floated it over to me. “Celestia sent me a letter informing me about a world summit that is going to be hosted by the end of the week, and I want you to be the advisor!”

“Alright then…” I answered her, appone reading over the letter from Princess Celestia. “But I do have some questions. Like, as to why you want me to be your advisor, and to whom are the other world leaders?”

“Well for starters Shining and I trust you, John, and after saving my life from King Sombra, not to mention helping stop him on multiple occasions, we’ve decided that anything to do with Pokemon that you should be involved. And seeing as this world summit is all about Pokemon, it would be simple to say we need you there.”

“That’s a good point…”

“And as for the leaders,” She waved over one of the Noble ponies. Who held a large pile of books on his back. “I’ve arranged a pile of books for you to read up on. To learn about them so that when we get there, you’ll have an idea about how to handle them in conversation.”

“What does, Handle them in Conversation, mean Cadance?” I asked.

“Well… Since we are going to be defending Pokemon in this meeting, I am hoping to see you throw out one of your speeches…” She answered, a smile on her face. “The last two were great, and I really want to see the looks of Celestia and Luna when you throw one out.”

“Very well Cadance, I’ll start them right away.” Stepping over to the stallion, I grabbed the ten or so books from him.

“Not so fast, John. I have some questions as to how your date went. So… How’d your date with Holly go?”

“Considering they were smiling and laughing the entire time, I would say good.” Turning to the side, I saw Sir Clay standinding with a smile. “Tell me John, how goes the hangover?”

“How do you know…”

“You and Holly drank a whole bottle of Celestia’s Sun spice wine. I would assume so.”

“Really? A whole bottle of Celestia’s Sun spice wine! Wow John, I didn’t know you to be the connoisseur type… You won't trying to impress Holly where you?” Cadance teased.

I let out a long sigh, but smiled. “I’ll tell you about it once the headache goes away, Cadance. I promise, but for now, I am going to find myself a nice and quiet place to read, and a get to work…”

“Alright then, John, Just come and find me when you are ready. I have to get back to all this…” She waved her hoof around the throne room. “What a mess…”

-:-:-

Leaning against a tree in the body of a Snorlax, King Sombra watched as a group cowered in fear of Yveltal. For the past day or so, he had been doing this. Simple watching. Staying still, and watching Pokemon around him.

Thus far, he learned of two things. The first is that Pokemon feared Yveltal for being the incarnation of death. Something that made him both worried and happy. For Death himself is after King Sombra, but the possibilities of taking over such a creature invigorated him. The second was that there was a surprising lack of distrust between Pokemon. They would other group up in the cold snow, or have short conversations before parting ways.

Yet this whole time, King Somra waited.

He did not yet know the power of Yveltal, so he waited. When the Pokemon would leave his sights, he would move. When he could sense the dark presence of the Death Pokemon, he would go to sleep, or at least fake sleep. As to not being attention to himself. He didn’t want another failure to postpone his victory over the Crystal Empire. He was willing to wait, and to attack when he saw fit, but going out and losing every encounterment was getting old.

It was then that Yveltal let an annoyed growl, and took off. Leaving the Pokemon to quiver where they stood. And though the sight of the Pokemon quivering in fear made King Sombra smile, he had work to do. Out of the group, only one looked strong. And that was a Beartic. A mother to be exact. She was the largest Pokemon in the group, and clutching to her leg was a small Cubchoo. But he didn’t care for the cub… He wanted the mother… Standing up, King Sombra waited a moment for the Pokemon to separate then made his move.

The two Pokemon moved out of sight of the others, then he attacked. Crystals shot out of the ground around them, stopping them from making a sound, just before he reached out with his magic...

-:-:-

“Come on John! Can’t you take a break from those books?! You’ve been reading for hours!” Snow wined, as she grabbed on to my leg. “We’ve haven't done anything fun since we got here, and Lex and I have had so many staring contest that I’ve gone cross eyed! We even tried to play poker! And do you know how hard it is to play Poker with these pawn?”

I let an an annoyed sigh. Snow had been at this for the last ten minutes, and though I was able to ignore her for most of that time, things started to get out of hand. Snapping the book I was reading closed, I turned to her.

“Snow…”

“Yes?” She said, popping up with a smile on her face.

“You know I love you right?”

She blinked. “Um… yes. I know you love me…”

“Well sometimes love hurts,” I then flipped her on the nost. “And as for doing something fun, I’ll throw it on the list of things I need to do… Right above Eclipse shows me how to be a real Pokemon, and just below getting over this hangover.”

“Wait, you have a hangover? You went out drinking again?! Come on! How hard is it to say Hey, I’m going out drinking! Want to come? You know I like the taste of Orange just mixed with Whiskey! Why John? Why wont you let me have my Orange Whiskey?!”

“First off, that’s called a Whisky Sour. And secondly, I was on a date with Holly Heart.”

“Wait, you were on a date? With a girl? And you weren't undercover? OH! How as it? Did you get to third-base? Did you finally become a man?” She asked, with a twinkle in her eyes.

Pulling my head back, I then face planted the table I was sitting at. “You’re unbearable sometimes, you know that?” I muttered, as my face kissed table.

“Well John, love hurts sometimes... Oh, by the way, you lit a book on fire.”

I glanced up, and frowned as the book I was reading quickly burned apart. Grabbing the chard book, I knocked it to the floor, before the fire could spread, and stomped out the flames.

“That’s it! I need a break…” I stated. Throwing my arms into the air.

“Does that mean you’ll come and do something with Lex and I?”

Before I could tell her no, Flash Sentry rounded the corner. “Ah, there you are John!” He started.

I let out a very annoyed sigh. “Yes, Flash. What is it?”

“Weavile wishes to see you.”

-:-:-

“Princess, we have him.” A guard stated, as he entered the throne room. Floating behind him in a pink magical glow was Volt.

“No! Let me go! Whatever you think I did this time, you are wrong! You got the wrong bug! I didn’t do a thing! Not today at least! Come on! Let me go, please?” Volt cried out, yet same as always, nopony could understand him.

Glancing up from some paper work, Cadance smiled. “Ah! Good! Thank you, sirs,” Reaching out with her magic, Cadance grabbed Volt, and gently lifted him over to her hoof. “So cutie how are you doing today?”

“I’m not a cutie! I am Volt! The Lord of the Butter! Master of Excalibur! And you’re guards interrupted my food-raid of the Royal bakery! I haven't had breakfast yet! I had a whole plan too! Even drew it up in crayon, and your guards stopped me… I mean… I’m good. Had a nice breakfast, and was not stealing sweets in anyway, shape, or form!”

Cadance chuckled. “Slow down, Volt. You know I can’t understand you right?”

“Oh… right…” Volt muttered to himself…

“But don’t worry, I have something for you that will change that!” Cadance smiled, as she grabbed a small cloth from a near by desk. It was a light blue, and had a Crystal Heart image stitched on it. “Now hold still, so I can put this on you.”

With that, the cloth was folded in half before drifting over to Volt’s neck. “Alright! Say something.” Cadance smiled.

Glancing down at the cloth, Volt held part of the fabric up to see. “So… what’s this then?”

“It’s to let you talk.”

“Wait, so you can understand me now?”

“Yep. Now what where you squeaking on about earlier?”

“Oh… um… I was trying to get breakfast, before your guards snached me up.” Volt’s eyes then shifted left and right, before landing back on Cadance.

“Well then, you enjoy that bandana Volt. I’ll have the guards take you back to the cafeteria so you can eat. Come and find me when you’re finished, Okay cutie?”

“How many times to I have to say I am not a cutie? Do I look cute to you? I am a fearsome Pokemon, who will one day be stronger than John, and will be feared by all who hear my name,” Volt’s stomach then growled at him… “Right after breakfast…”

Cadance laughed. And boy did she need to. She knew that Volt was an exciting one, and rather odd. But John never said he was funny. “Oh, thank you Volt for the laugh. I am sure you will find your mighty sword, but go ahead and get something to eat. A mighty warrior can’t fight evil without something in his belly.”

“Bye for now Princess, I must slay the hunger in my gut! Until we meet again!” With that, Volt jumped off Cadance’s hoof, and sprinted his way out of the Throne room.

-:-:-

Today just didn’t seem to be looking that bright. It was a good day thus far, but everything just seemed gray. It could be because it was cloudy outside, and a light snowfall was blocking out the sun. Or it could be that I am just depressed because of that hangover. But really, I really should not be complaining. King Sombra was not attacking, and though I hate to think of what he is doing, I can’t help but feel good when he is not around.

“Weavile,” I started, as I knocked on her door in the hospital. “May I come in?”

It took her a moment to answer. “Yeah… Come in…”

Opening the door, I found Weavile in her bed. And… she looked like a mess... Her eyes were red, as if she was crying. Large bags hung under her eyes, from a lack of sleep. Her cheeks where wet, as the remains of her tears have yet to go away. And when she looked at me, I could not help but feel sorry for her, and angry at myself.

Why am I complaining about a hangover when there are those around me who are dealing with much worse?

“Please, close the door…” I did so. Any worries about myself drained away as I did. I can’t go around feeling angry or annoyed. I needed to keep myself together, and help those who really needed it.

“Weavile…” I started. “You… You called for me?”

“Yeah… I did…”

I didn’t really know what to say to her. What could I say? That it will be alright? King Sombra is still alive, so how could it be?

“I’ve… I’ve… John, how do you deal... with all the bad?” she asked.

“I… I don’t understand your question…”

She gulped. “Lex… told me about you. How you… fought Team Rocket… So… with all the bad they did, how do you… deal with it?” So that’s what she was asking. How did I deal with all the evil and dark things Team Rocket did. She was asking me for advice, so that she can deal with the evil that King Sombra brought upon her.

“Oh…” The question was a surprise. Simple as that. How did I deal with it? Yet even with the question being simple, the answer was somewhat hard. “What did I do when dealing with Team Rocket got to hard? Well… I would fight. Whenever Team Rocket would do something horrible. I would get angry and fight. Whenever they did something monstrous, I would fight... But when I got tired of fighting…” I trailed off. I didn’t really know what I did when I got tired of fighting. For over ten years of my life, I’ve been fighting an uphill battle. Shut down a Team Rocket facility, two more would spawn. Arrest those who do wrong, and more will show up to help them. “I… I don’t know.”

“Weren't you… human?” She asked.

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“Because it sounds like you fought more often than Pokemon…” She smiled. “No wonder you were able to stop me…” She then snift. “But… I don’t think fighting will help me… When he… when I attacked him… He stopped me. Without even trying!” She vented. “I always took pride in my ability to fight! But he just… stopped me! Not hours before Yveltal was flying around asking us all about some dark Ponyta like monster, but did I listen to his warnings? No! And now I can’t get him out of my head! His laugh! Damn his laugh!” She practically screamed.

I… knew in times like this from past experience dealing with those who lost something to Team Rocket, that now would be the time for a loved one to hug the victim. But Weavile and I were alone. Stepping forward, I placed my hand on her shoulder and pulled her forward some. She didn’t resist, but shoved her face into my chest and started to cry.

Seeing her like this… made me angry. Seeing her like this reminded me of all the times I’ve seen humans back on Earth crying over their lost Pokemon. Gritting my teeth, I grew angry. Before King Sombra showed up, I though life in Equus would be somewhat more relaxing then back on Earth. But no. I am still dealing with the same monsters as before, only this time they have a different face. “Don’t worry, Weavile. I promise you, that King Sombra will die for what he has done to you. And not just you, I promise that he will pay for all that he has done. For every Pokemon he harms... For everypony he has killed… He will die…”

-:-:-

As I closed the door to Weaviles room, I found a ghost smiling at me. It was Agatha, and she looked teary eyed. A smile strewed across her face. “I’m holding you to those words, young man. I’m holding you responsible for taking care of King Sombra. For… Gengar’s sake…” She didn’t say another word, only nodded at me and floated off.

And there it was. A burden. A task I had given to myself. Take care of King Sombra. I promised Weavile this, and now Agatha is holding me to it. But the burden was something I am willing to carry. To help those around me, I will do what must be done. I know that there are those around me that will help. Eclipse... Snow… Lex… Even Yveltal wanted him dead. Shining Armor would even help. Anyone in the Crystal Empire would help, really… But this burden was a heavy one… And I knew it was going to take all of us to carry it.

“Get back here!” My train of thought was cut, as the voice of a nurse yelled out. Then Volt came running past me, a jar candy on his back.

“You’ll never take me alive!” Volt yelled back, as a nurse then ran passed me.

“Watch me!” The nurse yelled as she rounded the corner after Volt.

I let out an annoyed sigh. At least he’s happy, right? I told myself. No matter how bad the world around you gets, the children always have a smile on their face...

Author's Note

So, so, so, so, so sorry for this chapter taking so long to come out! Writers block, helping Zeus, getting sick, and procrastination struck again!
TDN- Short but good. Another great chapter.
Zeus- Another great chapter, looking forward to seeing more.

Chapter 15: Wet, yet wild!

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony

Chapter 15: Wet, yet wild!

Holly Heart awoke with a yelp as she fell out of bed.

“Ooowwww.” She mound. Reaching up with her hoof, she rubbed her head. It was in pain, but not from the fall. Like John, she had a hangover. Unlike John, she was a lightweight when it came to anything alcoholic.

“I’m never drinking again…” She whined, as she tried to stand. Tried being the important word, seeing as she then stumbled over her hooves, and fell back onto the floor.

Deciding to wait for her head to stop spinning before getting up, Holly Heart glanced over to her wall-clock. Twelve-forty-one the clock read to her. She let an annoyed sigh. She never liked waking up late. It meant she had less time to do things in the day…

Standing up, this time succeeding and not falling over, Holly Heart strolled to the bathroom. And when she saw her reflection she was taken back. “Oh wow, I look like a mess…” She commented, as she looked over herself. Her hair was sticking up on one side, drool dripped down her cheek, and she what makeup she was wearing the night before looked all smudged.

Her horn started to glow white, as the near by shower kicked up. “I am so glad that I have the day off…”

-:-:-

“What do you mean, John said no?” Shining Armor asked Flash Sentry.

“Exactly as I said, Sir. John does not wish to fight you at the moment, and request that you try to fight with Eclipse.” Flash Sentry replies.

“Did you tell him that I was looking forward to it?”

“Yes, sir!”

“...damn. I was really looking forward to it…”

“We all were looking forward to it too, Sir!” There was then a massive explosion of water behind the two stallions, that somehow didn’t faze them.

“Oh well… As fun as it was fighting John, I can’t force him to fight me.” Another explosion of water stuck out, this time making several mares and stallion call out as they were knocked off their hooves.

“Once Eclipse is finished training this round of guards, do you wish to challenge him, Sir?”

“The answer is yes, but don’t tell Cadance. That’s an order…”

“I promise nothing, Sir. Your wife can be very persuasive.” Flash Sentry shivered.

A third explosion of water rang out, this time splashing the two stallions some, while at the same time knocking almost a dozen guards down at the same time. “Yeah… she can. Anyways, Eclipse! How are the guards coming along?!” Shining called out.

“Poorly!” Eclipse yelled back. “The guards last week where much better at this! Because when I said DODGE! YOU GET OUT OF THE WAY!” Eclipse yelled out, before blasting the newer guards in the face.

“That’s because these guards have been on patrol for the last week, and those who you were training we're here to get the training!” Shining Armor yelled across the training hall.

“Permission to speak freely, Sir?” Flash asked.

“Permission granted, Flash Sentry.”

“Three guards have reported having bronchitis, so I recommend telling Eclipse to lighten up some… or at least have some Medics on hoof… Also, to install some more draining pipes. The training ground is kind of flooded.” Flash Sentry pointed out, as he pointed his hoof down to the floor. A thin line of water could be seen though the whole room, in which only got bigger as time went on.

“We’ll put some work orders in, Flash Sentry. For now,” A stallion flew past them, his whole body dripping wet. “I have a turtle to fight!” The stallion that flew past them then stood up and charged passed them, only to be kicked back again.

“Sir, the training exercise is not yet over. They have another twenty minutes.”

Shining Armor let out an annoyed sigh. “Damn…”

-:-:-

Princess Cadance walked through the halls of the Crystal Castle. Her guards standing at her sides, and several falling seut. Though she hated it when security was this tight, this was King Sombra after all. Shining Armor was not willing to to let her be alone, or let her go anywhere without at least a dozen guards. And considering what King Sombra could have done to her, she knew that complaining about it was a waste of her breath, but that didn’t stop her.

“Do you all really have to come with me to just get something to eat?” Cadance asked.

“Yes, your Majesty!” A guard answered.

Cadance let out an annoyed sigh, as she turned the corner into the cafeteria. It was empty at the moment, for everyone was cleared out so that she could eat without being disturbed, or at least without the suspicion of being attacked.

Well. The cafeteria was empty, all except one hungover mare. A mare that sat in the corner of the room, that slowly ate a hay-sandwich, and whose blood shot eyes stared lazily out of a window. Princess Cadance smiled as Holly Heart looked over to her. I guess Holly Heart can’t really handle her alcohol.

How ever, before Cadance could set forward and speak with her court mage, a guard stallion stepped forward. “Ma’am, I am going to ask you to leave. The Princess is going to be eating, and we need this mess-hall cleared.”

Holly Heart let out a low grown, then face planted the table she sat at.

“Ma’am, I am not going to ask you again, I need you to leave, or I shall have you removed from this room.”

“That’s quite alright, Sir,” Princess Cadance said, as she stepped forward. “Holly Heart can stay here, and have lunch with me.”

“I am going to have to protest, Princess Cadance. We do not know when King Sombra will attack again, and in what body he might be in. He may be this mare sitting before us!”

“Thus far, King Sombra has only attacked with Pokemon, Guard. I don’t think he would waste his time and try to attack me in a ponies body.”

“Princess Cadance, we must follow protocol and-”

“Wasn't I surrounded by Nobles twenty minutes ago?” Cadance interrupted.

“Yes Princess, but-”

“And wasn’t it you that said that they could not get too close for the exact same reason?”

“Yes Princess, but-”

“And didn’t I go hug John, who I might add was closer to me than sitting across a table with Holly Heart here?”

“Yes Princess… But you see-”

“Calm yourself, guard. I’m just trying to prove a point. Relax. I am not going to get attacked, and this time I have all of you to get me out. If King Sombra was going to attack, then he would have done so. Now if you don’t mind going and getting me something to eat, I am going to have nice chat with Holly Heart here.” Cadance smiled.

“Yes… Princess…” The guard said, giving up.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Cadance asked, holding a hoof to her ear.

“Yes Princess!” The guard stated loudly. “What would you like to eat, Princess?”

“What ever the Royal Chef thinks I would like best. Oh, and something to drink. Something… tropical.”

“Yes Princess!” With that, the guard started to stroll away. As he went, Cadance let out a sigh. Sometimes she wished life was easier.

Turning to Holly Heart, Cadance moved to take a set. “So how is your morning doing? Better than mine, I hope.”

Holly Heart, whose face was still connected to the table. Let out a low mown. “Nnnnnooooo....”

“Oh don’t be so down, Holly. Not two months ago, you would have given your left hoof to go out with someone like John.”

“And two months ago you tried to hook me up with Flash Sentry…” Holly Heart commented, while turning her head so that it was resting on the table.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Cadance asked, her eyes shifting left and right.

Lifting her head up, Holly Heart started to rub her forehead. Just under the base of her horn. “But… you’re right… And what’s this about you hugging John?”

“Oh, it was just a friendly hug, don’t worry.” Cadance smiled.

“I’m just messing with you, Cadance. I know you have Shining. Besides, while you’re hugging him, I’ve already kissed him.”

“Really?” Cadance leaned in. “Was it on the cheek, or the lips?”

“Last night, it was the lips.” Holly smiled.

Cadance gasped. “What was his reaction?”

“I was too drunk to remember.”

“Aw, really? Did you at least wake up in the same bed?” Holly Heart’s widened, and her face turned red.

“Princess!”

“Aw come on, Holly. You can trust me. Did you wake up next to him or not?” Holly Heart buried her face into her hooves and let out a whimper. “No? Well… Wouldn't you like wake up next to someone like John?”

“...yes…”

Cadance clapped her hooves together and smiled. “Then trust me Holly Heart, you’re two more dates off from that! But really though, depending how things work out with King Sombra… John is kind, be he is so stubborn.”

Letting out a sigh, Holly Heart smiled as she moved her hooves away from her red face. “Y-yeah… I still can’t believe he got up while hurt just to stop us from kicking out Pokemon..”

“He’s going to hurt himself one of these day.”

“What do you mean one of these days?” Holly Heart asked, her demeanor surprisingly changing. “Everytime King Sombra shows up he goes out and hurts himself instead of playing it safe!”

“You can’t really blame him though,” Cadance found. “He’s very protective for those around him…”

“I… I just don’t want him to get hurt again…”

“I don’t want him to get hurt too, Holly Heart…”

There was then a massive explosion.

-:-:-

Yveltal let out an annoyed grunt as he surveyed the surrounding area. Many trees have been destroyed, the ground was torn up in many places, and any Pokemon in the area had scurried off to Arceus knows where.

“Underestimating me is your first and last mistake, Sombra!” Yveltal yelled out, as he let out another blast of Oblivion Wing.

King Sombra, who was currently inside the body of a Snorlax and a Beartic, growled. His attack to take out Yveltal failed. While Yveltal was taking a drink from the near by river, King Sombra let out a duel Ice Beam attack, and it hit, making him call out in pain, but it was not enough to even phase him! If King Sombra was going to take down Yveltal, he would need to play it out better!

Yveltal let out a tired Oblivion Wing, this one struck the Snorlax in the chest, knocking him back. Beartic moved forward, and let out blast of Blizzard. Yveltal clenched his beak as the ice attack rolled over him. He was never a fan of the cold, and being weak to ice attacks didn’t help!

“You’re dead King Sombra! There is no getting away from that!” Yveltal moved forward and thrusted one of his wings outward, delivering a Cut across the Beartic’s upper chest.

This is not working! King Sombra thought to himself, as the Beartic backpedaled away from Yveltal, and the Snorlax pulled himself up.

-:-:-

“Why is it, that everytime I start to relax, something happens?!” Cadance asked, annoyed.

“We don’t quite know Princess, but scouts say that the whole area looks like it was hit by some kind of magical blast.’

“I haven’t even had lunch yet, I can’t deal with this right now!”

“Please calm down, Princess. We’ll know more about the situation as time passes, please be patient, and enjoy your lunch.”

“Does Shining know about this?”

“Yes Princess, he’s the one that ordered the scouts to head out.”

“And where is he?”

“He’s training in the Training Hall, Princess!”

“He’d better not be fighting John again…” Cadance groaned.

“Of course not Princess. He’s just helping the guards train in preparation for any further attack by King Sombra.”

“Right… We’ll I’m going to go eat. You are dismissed…” Cadance then turned to step away from the stallion, who looked very scared. Shining Armor informed all guards that if they wished to watch him fight Eclipse, then Cadance must not know what he was doing…

Holly Heart gave Cadance a sad smile as she sat back at the table. “So where were we?”

Cadance turned to her, an evil smile growing on her lips. “We were… talking about… what you want to do with John. If I remember correctly, you said something along the lines of… using ropes?”

Holly Heart then face planted the table in embarrassment. “No… No I didn’t…” Making Cadance laugh.

“The only downside is that he might burn them trying to tie you up.” She quickly added, making Holly squeak.

-:-:-

As I stared out over the Crystal Empire, I could see smoke rising past the shield. I knew, just from the sounds that rumbled all through the Empire, that it was a battle. Most likely one between King Sombra and Yveltal. I gritted my teeth as I knew innocent Pokemon would be hurt…

Yveltal, from what little I saw of him, was more interested in seeing King Sombra taken care of so that he can leave, then well… anything, really. From that little encounter, I knew he would not hold back if King Sombra had attacked him in the body of some Pokemon.

I glanced down at the book I was reading. It was of Equestrian history, or to be more exact, it was of how the Crystal Empire came to play in Equestria. From the days before, as well as the time I spent reading now (And not doing as Cadance asked me…) I learned that King Sombra’s magic is that of Alicorn magic, and that Alicorn magic can be a very dark thing...

And that the only thing he fears is the Crystal Heart. It’s power of Love can completely stop him in his tracks… The only down side is, the only Cadance could use it. And I doubt that Shining Armor, or any of the Crystal Ponies for that matter, would even let those two be in the same room. Not after what he did. Even I hated the idea of putting her in harms way. She is Royalty, and the ponies love her as ruler. That alone would stop me, but she herself is my friend.

“John?” My train of thought got derailed as Lex’s voice spoke up.

I turned, and smiled at Lex. “Yes?”

“Can… can we... talk?” He asked in a rather sad voice.

Placing the book on the table, I nodded to Lex. “Of Course, is something wrong?”

He gave me a sad look. “Well… John… it’s kind of you, that’s… wrong.”

I blinked. Then blinked again. “I’m sorry, but can you explain?” I asked, trying not to sound both annoyed at the question and surprised.

“Right… well remember back on Earth, how you would get into your work too much, and sometimes you were forced to take the day off… because… because… you were working too hard and are stressed out?” I knew what he was trying to say. Back on Earth, I would wook weeks without breaks. “Well… earlier, Snow said she would come in here and ask you to come out and relax some…”

I let out a long sigh. “Lex, I’ve known you for a long time now, not as long as Snow or Eclipse, but long enough to know you are acting strange. We’ve only recently been able to hold full conversations, but I always took you for the calm one. Please take a deep breath, and say what you need to without stuttering.”

Lex’s ears drooped as he did as I asked. Taking a deep breath, he frowned. “What I am trying to say John, is that you need to slow down and relax. You’ve been reading and stressing about stopping King Sombra, and like back on Earth, when you stress out too much, you hurt yourself.”

“I’m pretty sure King Sombra has been the one hurting me...”

“What I am trying to say is that… can you just take a break? Come with Snow, Eclipse, Flubber and I and do something. Since we got to Equestria, Eclipse has been working with the Guards, you’ve been dealing with King Sombra, Flubber won't stop playing with Volt, and Snow and I have felt useless and bored since we don’t really have anything to do.”

“Before we would all go out and deal with things as a family. Fight alongside each other, dealing with the problems at hand. But now....you’re out there trying to do it all solo.”

Lex had a point. I had been fighting King Sombra alone as well as trying to find a way to stop him. I know if I asked for help then my family, not to mention the Crystal Ponies, would help me, but I do not want them to get hurt. I can’t let them get hurt. King Sombra is willing to kill those around him to get what he wants, and I can’t let that happen. I can’t see my family hurt. I can’t see my friends hurt. I can’t see anyone around me that I care for to be harmed.

I let out an annoyed sigh, knowing that I can’t stop them from helping me. The least I could do is get the out of harms way, or be lucky. “Alright Lex. You win,” I lied. It was not something I liked doing… but I can not let anyone get hurt. Not like how Weavile got hurt. “I won’t fight King Sombra alone, and I’ll take the day off to spend with my family.” I placed the book I was reading under my arm, and smiled. “So… let’s go round everyone up and… do something. Cadance might know of something fun around the Crystal Empire...”

“Well… that was… easy.” Lex smiled. “Before we had to drag you out to stop you from working.

“You also could not really talk before…” I pointed out.

“Yeah that would explain it.”

-:-:-

Shining Armor stood at the ready. Eclipse stood across from him. The room around them went silent as all eyes were on the two. Every guard held their tongue. Then tension in the air was visible, or well… it was all the steam coming from the water filled room, but that was besides the point.

Flash Sentry stood between the two. His hoof in the air… “” He yelled out, slamming his hoof into the ground, then flapping his wings and flying back to safety.

Eclipse moved first. He wanted to see just why Shining Armor was the head of the guard, and fired two massive balls of Hydro Pump at him. Shining moved fast, and barrel rolled out of the way, the water attacks splashed against the far wall.

“You can do it, Sir!” A mare guard yelled out.

“Yeah, kick Eclipse flank!” A stallion added.

Shining was next to attack. His horn light up, and a blast of magic fired out, striking Eclipse in the chest. Eclipse didn’t even flinch. “Volt hit harder than that!” Eclipse mocked, before figuring out another blast of water, this time two small but constant streams of water. Shining Armor brought up a shield to block the attack. The jets of water simple splashed off of Shining’s shield.

“You’re going to have to do better than that.” Shining Armor called out.

Stopping the blast of water, Eclipse dashed forward, reread his head back, and Skull Bashed his way through the shield, shattering it into pieces. Shining’s eyes widened as he leaped away from Eclipse.

Eclipse kept up his charge, and leaped after Shining. Rearing his fist back, Eclipse thrusted forward aiming a right hook at Shining. Shining braced himself… but the the attack never came. Opening his eyes, Shining flinched back as he saw Eclipse’s fist inches from his face.

“I think I won this one.” Eclipse smiled, stepping back.

Shining chuckled, and shook his head. “Yeah… thanks for not giving me a black eye...”

“Yes well, I heard about you not wanting Cadance to find out, and unlike John I know how to hold back.” Eclipse crossed his arms.

“Rematch!” Somepony called out. Eclipse and Shining glanced over to the crowd watching them, before glancing at each other.

“Flash Sentry!” Shining called out, as he took his position across from Eclipse.

“Yes Sir?” Flash asked, as he flew forward.

“Call it out again…” Eclipse told him, as he stood at the read. Flash Sentry stood between the two, again. And as before he raised hoof in the air…

“” He yelled out, slamming his hoof into the ground, before flapping his wings and flying back to safety...

-:-:-

Yveltal fumed as he flew towards the Crystal Empire. The fight with King Sombra was quick, frustrating, but above all else, depressing. And that’s because the damned stallion was able to get away. When he attacked, Yvelatl was taken by surprise, but the Pokemon King Sombra had attacked him with were weak, and the Beartic he was using had been lost.

Not killed however. Yveltal only wished to kill King Sombra, but he was not against killing those who got in his way. But does that mean he would? No. He promised Lord Arceus that he would not. And thus, the Beartic that attacked him was held firmly in his talons as he flew.

“The next time I see that stallion…” Yveltal growled, imagining King Sombra’s head on a stick.

It did not take Yveltal long to reach the Crystal Empire shield, but as before, he would fly around until they dropped the shield or came to see him…

-:-:-

Shining Armor raised up his shield again, letting Eclipse’s attack splash off. Then quickly lowing it, he dashed into attack Eclipse. As the attack closed in, Shining Armor brought a forehoof up and struck Eclipse in the chest. There was some force behind it, but nothing that could hurt him. Moving fast, Eclipse hopped forward, hitting Shining with his chest. Making the stallion roll back from the impact.

Jumping to his hooves, Shining Armor rolled to the side, as Eclipse let out a quick blast of Water Gun at him. Rearing up, Shining Armor began to circle around Eclipse. Eclipse’s eyes followed the stallion as he moved, getting ready to pounce on him when the time is right.

“You can do it Shining!” Everypony went silent. All eyes quickly turned to the crowed. Sitting in the back was Princess Cadance, sitting next to Holly Heart. The guards near her seemed uneasy.

Shining gulped. “Cadance? W-what, what are you doing here?”

“Mostly enjoying the view,” Cadance said, crossing her hooves. “After I spoke to a guard, I knew something was up, and Holly and I came here to see how you were doing.”

“Listen, Cadance, I can explain.” Shining Started.

“Explain what?” Cadance asked. “I told you not to fight John. I didn’t say anything about you fighting Eclipse.”

“Wait, so I’m not in trouble?” Shining asked, looking somewhat confused.

“Nope.” Cadance commented. “I just don’t want John to fight you again.”

“So… you’re not mad?” Shining asked.

“Nope… Oh, and Shining. You forgot to dodge.” Cadance smiled.

“I forgot to what-” Shining started before getting blasted by water.

Cadance let out a laugh, and turned to Holly Heart. “Now then… where were we?”

“I don’t quite remember... “ Holly Heart shook her head, before smiling evilly. “It had something to do with you and Shining and punishing him from not listening.” The guard’s eyes widened slightly.

“That’s revenge, isn’t it?” Cadance asked.

But before Holly Heart could reply to the Princess’s question, a mare guard ran into the room. “Princess Cadance! Shining Armor! The Legendary Pokemon Yveltal is outside of the shield again!” She yelled out.

Hearing that, everyone’s eyes widened, before Shining Armor immediately stood up. “Lower the shield!” he barked, quickly snapping everyone out of their surprise. “Let him in, but make sure to keep an eye for anything trying to get in!” he continued, his voice sounding rather worried. “We can’t risk King Sombra getting in again!”

-:-:-

“So… now what?” I asked, as I walked through the halls of the Crystal Castle, with Snow and Lex.

The said pair glanced at me, then at each other. “Um… Well…”

“We didn’t really think we would get to this point.” Snow quickly spoke.

“...really?” I asked, before laughing.

“Hey, you’ve been the one being crazy for the last few days, you can’t blame us!” Snow argued.

“Crazy?” I turned to Snow. “So… reading makes me crazy?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Really? Because using that logic then librarians must be off their rockers.” My joke made Lex laugh, while Snow just snickered.

“Well… fine.. fine… Let’s just find something to do then, and we can… can…” Snow glanced out a near by window, and her eyes widened. “John, Yveltal’s back…”

“Oh, god damn it,” Lex muttered. “There goes our plan to make John relax…”

I looked at Lex. He seemed crestfallen, and sad. He really did want me to go and spend time with him, but like me, he knew some things just come first. Reaching out, I placed my hand on his head, and rubbed behind his ear. “Don’t worry, Lex. Once I learn what is going on, I promised I we will… do something… I’ll let you two think about that, but until then, I have to go see what Yveltal wants…”

As I began to walk away from the two, I heard Snow kiss Lex, and tell him that it was going to be ok, and how… if King Sombra was coming that I would not fight him… I would let them fight for me… like back on earth. I could not help but feel a hole forming in my heart, for lying to my family. But I would rather have this burden… then seeing them in King Sombra’s hooves.

-:-:-

Red. It was the only thing I could see. As Yveltal told his tale of fighting King Sombra, my sighted was filled with red. How he had taken over more and more Pokemon, how Yveltal didn’t hold back… How this… Beartic... is now in the same state as Gengar and Weavile… It all just made me angry.

“Get this Pokemon to the medical ward!” Shining Armor yelled at a pair of Unicorn guards.

All across the Beartic’s body you could see bruises, cuts and gashes. One particularly long cut ran down the length of her body. I could not help but pain in my chest, as it reminded me of the cut King Sombra dealt to me when I was fighting him when he had taken control of Weavile.

“King Sombra attempted to… take me out,” Yveltal started. “It did not work.”

“Are you wounded, do you need medical attention?” Cadance offered.

“No, and no,” He started, to their surprise. “I just need a place to rest, so that I can sleep without the risk of him getting the drop on me again…” He growled, before narrowing. “And I will not let that happen again…”

“Well I am sure we can accommodate and… and… John, are you… alright?” I glanced over to Cadance. She was looking at me with wide eyes.

“Yes, why do you ask?” I spoke in what seemed like a calm voice.

“Your head… well, your fire is… well… bigger.” I glanced up. She was right. My fire was almost five times the size as normal…

Yveltal let out a low chuckle. “It seems… somemon hates King Sombra as much as I do, don’t you Infernape?”

He was… right. I hated King Sombra. Crossing my arms, I nodded at him.

“Good… He deserves nothing more than hate, for what he has done.”

“That’s an understatement,” I bluntly pointed out. “Now if you all need me, I’ll be over by a fire extinguisher until I calm down.”

“John?” I stopped, and turned to Holly Heart, who I did not know was here with us. “Are… you alright?”

I did not respond right away, but smiled at her. “No, Holly. I am… not ok…” I said sadly, before walking off. She quickly followed after me.

“John, what’s wrong?” She asked. “Please, you can tell me.” I did not answer. I just kept walking. Then… when I left the sight of Princess Cadance, Yveltal, and Shining Armor, I turned to her. My flames tickling the crystal roof as I walked.

“Holly Heart…” I started. “I don’t really want to talk about it at the moment… if we can-”

“No! Something’s wrong John, please, tell me what’s wrong?” She stepped forward.

I stared at her… Her light green eyes staring intently at me. She was a shy timid mare. One who normally kept to herself. One that somehow walked into my heart… that I somehow have an interesting in, even though she was not of my species… I bit my tongue, not knowing what to say. Should I tell her the truth, or ask her to drop it?

“I don’t really want to worry you over it, Holly…”

She shook her head, and placed a hoof on my stomach, where my scar was. “I can’t… You are the kindest person I have ever know… We didn’t even know each other for more than twenty-four hours, and you threw a stallion out a window for me. You’re also the first person I ever really liked...” She then blushed. “You’re the first person I have ever kissed… So please, John. Tell me what’s wrong?” I let out a long sight. I had a feeling that she would not let me drop this.

“So... it was your first kiss, too?” I started… She blushed.

“G-getting off topic John…”

I crouched down, to her eye level, and placed both hands on her shoulders. “I’m just… mad, Holly. I am mad because I feel like I can’t stop King Sombra. On earth, I would go out and take down hundreds of Team Rocket goons, but here… there's only one King Sombra, and I can’t even deal with him.”

“Well… you don’t have to deal with him along.” She offered.

I shook my head, before standing up. “Holly… Lex and Snow offered to… do something. Would you like to join us? I need something to calm me down about this whole situation…”

She glanced up at me with a sad expression, knowing I was changing the topic of conversation. “Yeah… I would love too.”

Author's Note

TDN- Well, the plot is moving along. Other than that...I dunno what else to say
Zeus- Sombra doesn't deserve hate, he is hate, and darkness, can’t forget darkness. Great chapter, can’t wait to see what John’s going to do.

Well... sorry this chapter took so long to write.
Got sick, started to procrastinate, didn't know what to write, the whole thing was just hard to write... Hope you like what I did write, though.

Chapter 16: Family Matters

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Edited by: Ausbrony

Chapter 16: Family Matters

Yet another soul has been scared by King Sombra. Beartic… she lay in the hospital, and like Gengar, she would not wake. For there is nothing that I, or anyone in the Crystal Empire, could do to help her. Well… almost nothing. I found the weakness to stopping King Sombra. It was… well right in front of everyone in the Crystal Empire. It stopped him before. It was the Crystal Heart, but yet… I did not know what to do to help those he had harmed. All I could do… is stop others from being in harms way, and let Princess Cadance use the power of the Crystal Heart. And that… that was most likely not going to happen. Even if I have to lie to them, I would not let Cadance get in harms way. I would not let anyone I cared for… Because as I stared at Beartic, the thought that one of my family or friends being in her position made my heart scream out in pain. And I could not help but think of all the times that they were hurt back on earth.

Eclipse has been with me from the start. I started my journey with him. We had been together for almost nineteen years of my life. He was just a little Squirtle that I could hold in my arm when we first met. And… I could not count the amount of times he would get knocked down, only to stand up and keep fighting. I originally wanted to take on the all eight Gym leaders in Kanto, then go for broke and fight the Elite Four! But my dream was taken from me when Eclipse had been stolen from me, and it took me a month to save him from Team Rocket. At that point, I dedicated myself to save and help others, so that they don’t have to deal with what Eclipse and I dealt with. I was only thirteen when I started to fight Team Rocket...

From how I first met Lex, and saved him from that damned Team Rocket device, and how as I recovered in the hospital, he never left my side, even while he was injured. People from the near by Pokémon Center had to come to the hospital to treat him, and even then, as they healed him, he did not trust them. He only trusted me…

Snow was the same. She didn’t trust anyone, and like Lex, she had her reasons. When I found her, she was caged, and like most Absols, she was being blamed from causing a natural disaster. This one being an avalanche that killed two kids. The town itself was a small one. They kept claiming that Snow was a demon Pokémon, one that was like no other. Seeing as most Absols are not even from Kanto, they didn’t even know what she was, and the stigma, or ability, of detecting natural disasters. And If I did not come when I did, she would have been executed… The whole town was out to kill her. If I did not shoot the Mayor in the leg, no one would have listened to me… And if King Sombra got his hooves on Snow, then it would be like that town all over again. Snow would be helpless, trapped with no way out. Only this time, I could not help her if that happens…

Flubber, well, he always got himself in trouble. He would go around messing with people all the time, and got into a lot of fights because of it. But there was never a situation in which he could not get out of. Literally, if you cage him, he will bust out. If you corner him, he will fly away. You could not get ahold of him… That was, until he pranked a Team Rocket scientist… The mad-man captured him almost immediately, by tricking Flubber. And if I did not come along then Flubber would have been dissected? And why would he be dissected? He is a Ditto, after all. They can grow and shrink in size, change into almost anything, and can use any attack by simple changing form. The damn scientist wanted to take him apart, to learn how he does the things he does, and to apply it to other Pokémon. He never left my side after that, in fact, he even pranked me after I saved him, by making me wear a tu-tu. And I don’t even want to imagine what King Sombra could do inside Flubber… Just the idea alone makes me me shiver.

It was then that something hit me upside the head, derailing my thought process.

“Did it work?” Snow then asked, grinning.

“John? You alright?” Lex asked.

I turned to them, and found Lex, Snow, Flash Sentry, Eclipse, as well as Shining Armor all staring at me. “I’m not really the one you should be asking that...” Pointing through the viewing glass. The room we all stood in was… well the “Emergency Medical Observation Room” that held itself next to the room that Beartic lay in. She had been rushed into the room and given immediate medical attention. Luckily, she was stabilized.

“King Sombra needs to be stopped.” Shining Armor spoke up. “Whether it be Pokémon, Pony, or any living creature, I can’t stand to see… anypony like this!”

“None of us can, sir.” Flash Sentry added, his eyes looking saddened at the sight of Beartic.

“If all of you do not mind, I wish to speak with Yveltal,” I started. “I have some questions about King Sombra that I need him to answer, and hopefully the answers he gives me may help me find out something to wake up the Pokémon affected by him.”

“Can… can you… make it quick? I, I mean we, still want to spend some time with you, John.” Snow surprisingly stuttered. She… never stuttered.

I let out a short sigh. “Of course, Snow. I promised that I would spend some time with you guys, and I intend to do so. Nothing has changed, but now I just need to look into something.”

“Mind if I tag along?” Eclipse asked.

“Of course I don’t mind, Eclipse.”

“No, you didn’t understand me, John. I mean, mind if I join you with Yveltal?”

My eyes widened slightly. “Oh, I see… Um, no. I do not mind if you come with me to see Yveltal.”

“Good, good.”

“Right…” Shaking my head, I headed towards the door. “Coming?”

-:-:-

Cadance was… well. Saying that she was worried would be an understatement. The first time Yveltal showed up, there was almost mass panic. So much so that instead of throwing a riot, all her citizens ran to the nearest building and practically played dead while he was in the city. This time around, they decided to do something a bit different, and to Cadance, a riot would have been easier to deal with…

No, what she had on her plate was a mob of ponies outside the castle screaming for answers. And how would something like this be worse then a riot? Well in a riot, when ponies are destroying everything, it’s easy to place blame on them, and to have them feel sad over destroying their beloved city. But in this exact moment, she had to deal with an angry mob, lead by two stallions who… Well the words she would use for them are not proper for a Princess to speak.

“Since those monsters have gotten here, everything has been getting worse!” Green Horn screamed over the crowds. Said crowd let out a angry cheer of agreement.

“They’ve attacked out city! They’ve killed our Ponies! But Princess Cadance won't do a thing!” Winter Breeze screamed. This made the crowd let out an even more angry cheer.

And the worst part about all of this… somepony no one ever told them that King Sombra had returned. All this time, Cadance though that her subjects know, and that they were relaxed about it. Trying not to go around screaming. Trying not to cause mass panic.

But no. Shining Armor never told them. The guards never told them. The Nobles… I wonder how many of the Nobles don’t know about King Sombra’s return…

“The Princess has done nothing! We demand action! We demand to know why she has done nothing! We demand Justice for those who have lost their lives!” Green Horn yelled out.

Cadance watched through a wall of guards as her ponies called out in anger. Riled up by the two hate filled stallions, who Cadance once thought were noblemen… “We are working on the situations, but we are not going to just execute the Pokémon,” Cadance called out. Trying to salvage the situation. “They have the right to live, just as we do!”

“Really?!” A random stallion yelled out. “What about my brother?! He had the right to live, but that Pokémon thought differently!”

“And what about my fiance?! We were going to get married in a week!”

“Face it Princess, these ponies want those Pokémon out of our kingdom, or six feet under!” Winter Breeze yelled out. “Are you going to deny them what they want? Are you not going to allow justice? Are you going to-”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Winter Breeze was cut off mid sentence by a very deep voice. One that was owned by a stallion who Cadance did not think would come to her aid. “What in Tartarus do the two of you think you are doing?!” Sir Clay yelled out.

“Clay?” Winter started. “Good, you’re here. Come, help us drive those damned monsters out of our fine city!”

Clay’s jaw dropped, before he yelled out. “No!” Shaking his head, Clay glared at the two of them. “You can NOT judge an entire race for the actions of a few of them. Furthermore, this is most certainly NOT the time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves, not when King Sombra has returned.”

“WHAT?!” The crowd screamed in unison, and like that. The riot was… put on hold. A wave a terror exploded throughout the faces of those present.

Clay raised an eyebrow, and glanced over at Princess Cadance. “They didn’t know?” He asked, shocked.

Cadance shook her head. “I thought they did…”

“Great!” A stallion in the crowd cried out. “We’ve now we have two crisis’s on our hooves!”

At this, Clay turned to the crowd. “What do you mean two? That first Pokémon attack that killed some ponies was caused by Sombra. Other than the very first one which was a misunderstanding, every other attack was caused by Sombra using the Pokémon like puppets. In fact, I went to check, and all I can say is that the Pokémon are just as much victims if not more so.”

Shaking his head, and gritting his teeth, Green looked angry. “No! That’s not possible! You can’t just… He can’t… No! You’re lying! You’re lying to protect those damn Pokémon! We know you are friends with them! You treated one at your restaurant! You like them, and want them to stay! Even though they have killed our ponies!”

“And I already explained that Sombra was the one who did it. The Pokémon who killed the ponies was being used like a puppet, and has yet to wake up thanks to what the real monster did to him!” Clay shouted. “Unlike you two, I actually did some digging about the incident, and all the evidence points to possession magic, and the only one capable of doing something like that is Sombra. And before you say that its a lie to protect the Pokémon, I’ll have you know that this is a statement from Princess Cadance AND Prince Shining Armor, both of whom were nearly KILLED in one of the more recent attacks, and if that’s not enough proof, I’ve seen the throne room. Its covered in crystal. BLACK crystal at that.”

“He’s back…” A mare stammered. The color in her face visible fading away.

“He’s… going to kill us…” The stallion from before spoke up, his eyes shaking.

“He can’t be back!” A mare screamed. “The Crystal Heart! It… It got him!”

“He said that the Princess was almost killed! Without her, we are doomed!”

“No we are not!” Sir Clay shouted, stopping them. “As long as we stick together, we can defeat him just like last time, and furthermore, we aren’t alone this time. Several of the Pokémon have already volunteered to help us, even after we nearly kicked them out of the city, and they’ve even begun training the guards to be able to stand up to any Pokémon that attack. Furthermore, John and the Princess are researching to find a way to eject Sombra from any Pokémon that he possesses, and its only a matter of time before they find something, and when the time comes, we need to be there for the Princess to allow her to use the Crystal Heart again, and hopefully finish Sombra for good this time! Heck, even the Pokémon’s God has lent us one of his children to help defeat Sombra!”

“But… But… he’s already gotten in. He’s already killed. What’s stopping him from coming and… and…” The stallion that spoke up trained off. Fear in his eyes. “I… I have to go! I have to get to my wife!”

“Stay calm please!” Cadance yelled out over the crowed. “Please, that’s all I ask, just stay calm and we’ll be able to take care of King Sombra. Please… don’t make things harder on all of us by giving up. The Crystal Heart depends on all of you to stay strong, and we all depend on it to keep us safe. If you all stay strong, then we will be safe.”

And with that… the riot was no more. Stallions and mares all looked fearful, scared, and confused. Not a sound was made, other than their hoof steps… The news of evil King returning… was not easy to swallow.

Winter Breeze and Green Horn stood in silence. Around them, ponies moved away. Heading back to their lives. The news of King Sombra had… put a stop to anything and everything they were trying to do. They had come with intentions of ridding their fine city of the Pokémon that have wronged it’s ponies, and the ape that had wronged them… But… King Sombra? How in the world did the news of his return not reach their ears, or any ponies ears for that matter? You would think, on the day of his returning that Princess Cadance would announce such a thing. They might even still have their jobs. But no...

“This… He can’t…” Winter continued to stutter.

“Why was no pony told about this?” Green Horn asked, glaring at Princess Cadance through the wall of guards.

“Because I thought everypony knew. I had thought that after the first incident with the Gengar, or at least after your first attempt to have the Pokémon kicked out, the announcement would have been made. I was not aware that nobody had told the citizens that Sombra had returned… If I did… I would have made that announcement myself.”

“Considering what just happened, you might have to, before any rumours get started.” Sir Clay spoke up.

“Yes… That would be best,” Cadance let out a long sigh. “I just hope John can find something that can help us.”

-:-:-

To say Volt was a saint, would be to say the sun was not bright, or that the sea was not blue. No… he was far from a saint. After all. He would do anything for a cookie. And what do you need to get a cookie? Money. And how do you get money? By doing what Lex and Snow do! Gamble! After all, they had fun doing it, right? And they even got themselves some bits to spend when doing it!

“Alright everyone, the name of the game is Kanto Hold’em,” Volt stated to the group of ponies in front of him. Most of them were medical apart of the medical staff in the castle, while others were just guards. Weavile was even there, her Doctors giving her permission to participate, seeing as it would help get her mind off of her… problems. “And we are playing with bits!”

“Yes, yes, yes. You already told us that part, Little one. Can we please just start the game?” Doctor Two Point stated.

“Wait, what is Kanto Hold’em anyways?” Nurse Light Star asked.

“You get two cards,” Volt started. “Then the dealer, Flubber here,” Volt motioned to Flubber, who was certainly transformed to look like John, only bright pink and dark yellow instead of brown and white. “Places three cards in play. We then use those cards to make our best hand! Placing bets and what no. He then places a fourth card down, we fold or place higher best. And then we do the same for the fifth card, but at the end of that one we show our cards and the winner is made!”

“So in other words, we’re playing Buffalo Poker?” Guard White Stone spoke up. His red and black mane falling down in front of his face as he did.

Volt blinked. “Dunno what that is, but...yeah?”

“Yes, it’s just like Buffalo Poker,” Doctor Two Point stated with a smile. “Which is good… I’ve played this game my whole life.”

“Don’t count your Pokémon before they hatch, Doctor. You mave have played all your life, but why don’t we let the cards talk for us?” Weavile stated. “Now Flubber, if you will. Make those cards dance!”

At that, the deck that Flubber held in his hands started to be shuffled. Before he placed it in front of Volt. Volt then split the deck for everyone, with surprising ease. Though it was the same size as him, he managed to do it. With that, Flubber then passed out some cards. Volt immediately smiled. His face up card was an Ace, and his face down card was another ace. He had a pair! And a rather high pair at that. Or… were aces low this game?

Others seemed uninterested in what cards they have, while Light Star seemed disappointed with what she got. That was, until Flubber places down the three cards. The first was a King of Hearts. The second was a Two of Spades. And the third was another Ace!

Moving over to a small back next to him, Volt grabbed out two bits and placed them in the center of the table. “Two bits for this one!” He stated proudly.

Doctor Two point did the same, his poker face not showing his emotions.

Guard White stone shook his head. “Yeah… I fold.”

Nurse Light Star on the other hoof, had a wide smile. “I’ll go five bits.”

“I’m going to agree with Mr.White here and fold…” Weavile sadly stated.

Flubber turned to Volt and waited patiently for him to add more money into stay in the game. Volt did so without hesitation, as did Doctor Two Point. Flubber nodded, and placed the fourth card in play. It was a Two of Hearts. Volt smile. I a… full house? Yeah, I am so going to get rich off of this!

Light Star bit her lip, as Volt placed in another five bits. Twenty thus far for the winner… “Alright little bug, I’ll play your game.” She said, before matching his bet.

“Of course you are playing my game. We are playing cards, aren't we?” Volt asked, Light Star’s comment obviously going over his head. The stallion that had yet to say a word since the game started placed his bits in.

“What’s wrong Doctor, cat got your tongue?” Light Star ask, to this Doctor Two Point simply smiled at her.

Pulling out the fifth card, Flubber placed down another King. The King of Spades. Meaning everyone had at least two pairs. I’m going to win, I’m going to win, I’m going to get ice cream tonight! I’m on fire! Wait, no, John’s on fire. I’m just winning.

Knocking his first on the table, Flubber jestered for the players to flip their cards showing their hands. Oppone doing so, Light Star and Two Point called out in rage, as Volt revealed his full house. Light Star on the other hoof had three pairs, while Two Point was rocking the same.

“Oh, I am sooooo rich!” Volt called out, dragging the pile of bits towards him.

-:-:-

There was only one place that Yveltal could stay where he would be comfortable. The Great Crystal Stadium! Size wise, it was larger than most Pokémon stadiums, but had more equipment out and about. Yet sightseeing was not why I was here. The embodiment of death was, and how I had some… questions for him. Most involving King Sombra, while others involved him or Lord Arceus.

And in my research, I learned several things. King Sombra was a stallion who… didn’t just hate the Crystal Empire. He feared them. That his magic comes from a dark energy flowing through him because of that hate. And how he uses fear to control those around him. Meaning in a way, his control over ponies stems from that same function… Or at least, that’s why I am theorizing. However, I did not know fully of King Sombra’s power…

“Yveltal,” I spoke, as we approached him. His eyes opened slowly, as if he was taking a nap in the center of the large stadium. “Sorry to disturb you, but I have a few questions involving King Sombra. As well as some… information you may find useful.”

Yveltal pulled himself up, stretching out his neck as he did so making a loud pop. “You’re the Infernape from the other day… what was your name again? Jake? Joey? Oh, it doesn't matter. State what you came to say, so I can get back to sleep.”

“It was John, and it would be best if we start. But before we do so, I do have one thing to ask, just to make sure I’m correct...”

“And that is?”

“Has King Sombra attempted to use his magic to take you over?”

“No, he didn’t really get the chance. He was too busy trying to kill me, and well… it didn’t work.”

“I see… well watch yourself. Last thing we need is for you to be turned… Now for the information,” I took in a deep breath before starting. “King Sombra is adept in dark magic, stemming from his hate for the Crystal Empire. He is a master in illusion magic, as well as several different unique spells… one of which,” I motioned to my latest scar. “Brings forth large black crystals. Now… moving back to his illusion magic… other than the obvious make you see things routine, he can make you experience your most deepest darkest fear.”

“So in other words, you’re trying to tell me to watch myself,” Yveltal started. “I’ll have you know John, that Arceus didn’t send me here just because he wanted King Sombra dead. He sent me here because he knew I could handle that tyrant. I thank you for this information, but it was not needed. Now is there anything else you need, or can I get go back to sleep?”

I… nodded, but to his dismay I was not finished. “Oh, no. Sorry Yveltal, but you have just a few more questions to answer, if you don’t feel inclined to help us take down King Sombra, then by all means go back to bed,” He narrowed his eyes at me. “However, if you feel that is it necessary to-”

“Just ask you damned questions, and don’t mock me.”

I could not help but smile. “As you wish…” Clearing my throat, I started to pace around Yveltal. “What occurred during your battle with King Sombra?”

Yveltal let out an very annoyed sigh. “He first attacked me when I was taking a drink…”

-:-:-

The water in the river was cold. Very cold. It was winter up north after all. Snow blanketed the land. Small shards of ice could be seen through the water, but they where small. The sky was partially cloudy, allowing very little sun shine through. I had been flying all morning, and the cold breeze as well as the cold water felt great. But then, I was attacked.

Two blasts of Ice-Beam ripped across my back. Covering part of me in ice. Unlike the cold air and water, this was not refreshing. This was painful. Roaring out in anger, I turned to the would be attackers, to find a Snorlax and a Beartic. Both of which had evil glowing green eyes. Well… the Beartic did. The Snorlax had his eyes closed.

“King Sombra I presume?” They both smiled at me. “Well then, in the name and will of Lord Arceus! I send you to death! Oblivion Wing!” Whipping my wings back, I unleashed a volly of death rays at them. The attack struck the Snorlax, but before impact he raised his arms up to block it. As the ray of energy blasted into him, the force pushed him back. Lines of dirt started to be torn up as his feet dragged along the ground, before he slammed into a tree. It held the pressure and wait for just a moment before exploding, making King Sombra trip up and slam hard on his back. Taking the full front of the Oblivion wing.

In the corner of my eye, I could see the Beartic’s mouth glowing for just a moment, before a blast of ice shot out. Flapping off of the ground, I made my way to the sky to dodge the attack. Below, the Snorlax started to pull himself up, while Beartic fired again at me. His attack missed wildly, as I was not making myself an easy target.

“Seems you won’t go down without a fight! Good… I want to watch you squirm!” I yelled out, before diving down at top speeds for another attack. “Sky attack!”

The Beartic, who had been my target, leaped out of the way of my attack. Only for several trees and a large rock to be destroyed in his place. Twisting my body around, I flew back in for another attack. Only for a Hyper Beam to strike me in the chest.

I gritted my beek, taking the blast, only for another shot of Ice Beam to join in on the attack. I let out a cry of pain, and was shot out of the sky. Landing hard in a near by lake. Moments passed, and I could see the two of them approaching from under the crystal clear water, and as they stood at the base of the lake, I unleashed a Hyper Beam. A real Hyper Beam. The water all around me was blown out of the way, revealing my position to them, but for them… it was too late. The massive laser struck the Beartic sending him flying. Several trees exploded as he crashed through them.

The attack made the Snorlax do a double take. I could see the look of worry in his face, and he damned well should worry. I had to take just a moment to catch my breath from an attack like that, but he knew he was next.

Acting fast, his body began to spark with electricity, before he shot out a Thunderbolt at me. But it was not fast enough, as the walls of water collapsed in around me his blasted reverberated through the water, and though I could still feel the tingle of electricity through the water, it was nothing compared to being hit directly.

Swimming out of the water at high speeds, I shot up and took to the air. King Sombra had started to run from me, but in his Snorlax form he was rather slow compared to my speed. It did not take long for me to catch up with him, and when I was within several yards, I dove down again for another Sky Attack. It struck him in the back, knocking him to the ground, making him roll into the wide-river, that flowed into the lake.

He tried his best to stand, but I didn’t let him. I started to fly around him, creating a massive gust of wind, and within moments, my Hurricane attack lifted him off of the ground and flung him back towards the lake. He let out a cry as he slammed into the water...

-:-:-

“Sadly, it was then that I lost him,” Yveltal finished. “When I started to search the lake where I had thrown him, I could not find him. He got away within that Snorlax, and when I went over to the Beartic, I found that he was a she, and that King Sombra’s presence could not be seen within her.”

“Well then,” I started, picturing Yveltal’s battle in my mind. “It seemed that while I have a hard time facing King Sombra, you on the other hand handled it rather… quickly. Though I recommend you try to hold back some, we may still be out to get rid of King Sombra, but innocent Pokémon lives are still at stakes. Best not to hurt them, just to get what we wait.” My commented was not just stating the obvious, but also a warning to Yveltal.

He let out a chuckle. “Yes, well. I answered your questions, now go. My back still hurts from those damned ice attacks.” With that, Yveltal turned from us, and laid back on the ground.

“Thank you for your time, Yveltal.” Eclipse thanked.

“Yes, thank you. What you told me was… useful,” Turning to Eclipse, I smiled. “Now, let’s return back to Snow and Lex… They have to be worried. You know how they get.”

Eclipse just… gave me a strange look, but nodded.

-:-:-

Apparently what Lex and Snow had planned was… well easy. They wanted me to relax. Simple as that. How? Well there was a large balcony overlooking the Empire, and they wanted a simple dinner there. Just them, Flubber, Eclipse, Volt, Holly and I. Just… like how we use to back on Earth. How every so often, I would go out and get something nice for us all to eat, and relax under the sun. It was the only time I could ever really relax. I don’t know how I didn’t think of it before, but seeing as how I’ve been preoccupied, I can understand why.

A simple large table was laid out. Food was placed over it, and chairs all around it. Eclipse took a seat at the far end of me, while Holly was to my right, and Lex and Snow where to my left. Since Volt was too small, he was sitting in a high chair, while Flubber was transformed into a Joltik, only he was multicolored. A rainbow, if you will…

“Well John? You going to take a seat so we can relax or what?” Snow asked.

I smiled at her, and stepped forward. The food smelled good, and though there were no say… Oran berries, I could still see some rather delicious looking food. Nothing you would find back home, but still. “Thanks, guys,” I commented as I took my seat. “It’s been… what? Months since we did this?”

“A year.” Lex commented.

“So can we eat?” Eclipse asked.

“Yep,” I gestured over the food. “Dig in everyone.”

And at that everyone started to eat. Well… everyone but Holly Heart. I turned to her. She looked… nice. She had a new dress on, nothing as fancy as the day before, but it was nice none the less. A nice white dress contradicted her green coat quite nicely. “Not hungry?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “It’s not right for everyone to eat before the honored guest to get something.”

I smiled at her, and reached forward and grabbed a scoop of the nearest food, and placed it on my plate. It was a cheesy macaroni, and it tasted rather great. Next was a veggie-pizza, and a large helping of salad. It was then, and only then, that Holly grabbed some food. I smiled at her. She was so polite… So nice… Shy and kind…

Tonight, King Sombra can wait. I am having dinner with the ones I love.

Author's Note

Why did this chapter come out so late?
Dog almost died, but she is better now.
I've been sick for the last two months.
Writers block and procrastination.
Thanks Giving.
So yeah... sorry.

Zeus- Good chapter as always, I especially like the battle scene, and Volt’s poker game was adorable

Aus- A cute little chapter. I loved the action scene with Yveltal and dinner on the balcony was nice~ Can’t wait for Sombra’s inevitable butt whooping though.

TDN- Nice transition chapter. A good cool down after the last few chapters.

Chapter 17: Mirrored Days

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Edited by: Ausbrony

Chapter 17: Mirrored Days

The days that followed my visit to Yveltal were similar, if not the same as the day in question. I would wake up, go to check on Weavile, Agatha, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Then went off and ate breakfast with Holly Heart. Until I made my way to the library. It was well… routine. I learned a great deal, and expanded my research into the fields of magic that King Sombra specialized in, and those that seemed to be linked to him in some way. It was… well… a learning experience.

Magic in Equestria was a strange thing. It flowed through every living and nonliving thing. Earthpony, unlike Unicorns, could not use their magic to… levitate thing, or make something appear out of thin air. They could, however, unconsciously, use their magic to help plants grow, and make their bodies stronger. While Pegasi use what magic they hold in them to manipulate the weather, and fly faster. Unicorns… well they are complicated. Their magic comes to what they are good at. Rather it be fancy tricks, out right fireballs, or in King Sombra’s case, dark magic. While I could find no real source of what dark magic is, I do however know that it comes from hate, or at least, something like it. The Crystal Empire library may have little when it comes to it, but at least it has the basics.

“John?” I glanced up from my book to see Holly Heart. “I found some more books that may help. Most of them are about magic, one of them is a history book about Zebrica, and the last one is a Daring Doo book. Daring Doo, and The Dark Dreadlord!” She stated ominously. “It has something to do with Dark magic, and who knows. Might help.”

“I’ll put that one of the top of the list then,” I smiled at her. “Right after I finish reading… this…”

“Which one is that?”

“The Magic of Love,” I told her. “It has nothing to do with magic, and is a love novel, but it’s short, so i decided to take a break and read it.”

“So you’re taking a break from reading, by reading?” She asked. I nodded. “Alright… well, how is it?”

I chuckled, then glanced down at the book before cleared my throat. “Caramel Carmelita… my love, please, do not be angry towards yourself. You were not the one who lost my heart… No for it was I who failed to see yours. In my tragic actions I have wounded myself by staying away from you. I knew you were saddened when I left you, but please… do not blame yourself. I was being inconsiderate. I was being hateful. It was I who was wrong! Would you please, oh please, forgive me for my actions. Oh, Carmel Carmelita, would you please?” Holly Heart then broke out giggling.

“What?” I asked.

“You… *giggle* the way…” She held her hoof up to her mouth and took a deep breath. “It’s just the way you read it! Did you have to do it in a… romantic voice?”

I smiled. “Oh yes, dear Holly Heart. I did.” She then blushed.

“A-any ways-how m-many b-books have yo-you read th-thus far?” She stammered.

I glanced over to a small notebook, which I had asked for the day after I spoke with Yveltal, and flipped over to the first page. “Let’s see… Eighty-one.”

Holly’s eyes went wide. “What?!” She nearly yelled. “How is it that you even read that much?!” Earning a sssshhh from the librarian.

“It’s not that hard, it’s jotting down notes that has slowed me down. Hard to tell what I can use and what I can’t. Some of the things I have learned about are just hypothetical conclusions or theories, pin pointing the useful information is harder than stopping a rampaging Onix with your bare hands.”

“Wait! You mean you could have read more?!” She practically screamed.

“Hey! You two be quiet over there! As much as I love ponies reading, I can’t have you disturb the other readers!” The librarian yelled out.

“She does know we are the only ones in here, right?” I asked Holly Heart. Holly Heart did not answer my question. No, she just stood there gawking at me, eyes wide at the fact that I read so much. “In an unrelated note, what’s that other stack of books there?” I asked.

Blinking out of her stupor, Holly Heart glanced at the small set of books on her back. “Oh, Princess Cadance asked me to look up how they greet ponies from other countries. Well… not ponies. Zebras, Changelings, Buffalo. You get the idea. Since the World Summit is in two days, she wants to be prepared, and well… it’s hard to prepare when she has to occupy her time dealing with her ponies and the threat of King Sombra.”

“Well,” I turned my atten back to the romance novel I was reading. “Best we both get back to work,” Snapping the book closed, I placed it to the side and reached for High Level Arcane Magic Spells Vol. XXI. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, and it would be best.”

“Yeah, I have to start reading. I have to remember most of this stuff so I can explain it to Cadance later.”

“Oh, one more thing. Eclipse stopped by, told me that Volt won some money in a Poker game or something, said he wants to treat us all to something for dinner. Are you in?”

“Volt knows how to play Poker?”

“I’ll take that as a yes…” She smiled, as we both started to read our work.

Sadly, as my eyes roamed over the first few pages of the book, my mind could not concentrate. I could see the words, but could not imagine them, for my mind was elsewhere. And by elsewhere, I mean Cadance and Shining Armor. They had been quite busy, as Holly Heart had said. Ponies of all shapes and sizes had went to see Cadance, and each one had just a single question to ask. “What’s going to happen?”

I had spent very little time with Cadance since this has started. What time I did spend was when she would summon me and ask if I had learned something, or if a pony had something to ask of me. And each time I went to see her, she looked more and more stressed out. Bags could be faintly seen under her eyes, and though it was hard to tell, her voice was waning as she spoke. As if she was ready to break down and scream. But I don’t blame her. Her kingdom is her life. Her life is for the kingdom, and a kingdom is nothing without it’s people. And right now, the people feel like nothing. It was a very sad thing to see, but I did my best to help. Lie, and telling her that I found something in my studies that may help, or reassure her that thing will be fine… Though… the latter of the two was never a lie. Things would get better… We were just fighting one stallion after all… Right?

As for Shining Armor, well, he was holding out. Unlike Cadance, he did not really speak with the public. His mind was on other matters, kind of like how mine is… He mostly focused on his troop’s training. Eclipse was a great asset to him, and on several occasions I learned that he is well respected through the guard. The side effects of that respect being a large flood in the training halls, forcing the Guards to move their practices elsewhere, which was both a good and bad thing…

The only other place to train was outside. In view of the public, and though we told them over and over that Eclipse was here to help train the guards, not hurt them, ponies still gave him worried glances. As if at any moment he would turn on them… For King Sombra could be anywhere, or anyone…

I slapped myself hard, making Holly Heart jump. “Sorry,” I told her. “Got distracted, needed to knock some sense into myself…” I chuckled. She gave me a worried look, but nodded, before returning to her reading. I let out a long sigh, before glancing down at my book.

Many Unicorns believe that their role with magical properties stems from their cutie mark. This is both true and false. As long as you have the magical prowess and knowledge to perform a spell, you could perform said spell, for anything is possible. Through this theory, we have proven that Unicorns of any nature can do anything if they put their minds to it, and with training, they can reach a stronger magical prowess. Meaning nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.

Yeah… nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it…

And that was the mentality that everyone has been in… Weavile had been… well getting better would not be the right phrase… Yes, she has gotten better, physically, but mentally she is still unstable. Doctors have told me that it would be a long time before she could fully cope with what has happened to her. But at least she had the chance to get better. Gengar, sadly, is still in the same condition, and Agatha… well she was dealing with the whole situations rather well... Gengar, the other Gengar, not the one asleep, had been… silent. He rarely speaks, and he doesn't eat. Which would be a bad thing, but he’s a ghost type. He doesn't need to eat…

As for King Sombra… I could only imagine what he is doing right now. Rather it be healing his wounds, or attacking another innocent Pokemon. Either way… Yveltal was on his tail. Only returning to the Crystal Empire to rest, while during the day he searched endlessly for that damned King Sombra.

“Oh! One more thing,” Holly started. “Princess Cadance wishes to see you. Almost forgot to mention it… seeing as… well, you, un,” Her face went red for a moment, before she smiled. “Yeah…”

“Thank you, Holly,” Standing up, I placed my book down. “I’ll be right back, please ask the librarian to not touch these books.” She nodded.

-:-:-

To say King Sombra was taking his loss to Yveltal well... Well, it would be a lie. King Sombra stood outside of his Pokemon slave. For the past few days, he had been in a fowl mood. His anger was visible coming off of him, in the form of a dark magical aura. His eyes shook in rage as he stared out over the Crystal Empire, for when he faced Yveltal, he did not expect to lose, and he did not expect that Yveltal would be able to cause harm appone him, through his Pokemon Slaves.

“P-please… L-let me, let me… Acc-cc-aa!” King Sombra tightened his magical grip around a near by floating Sawsbuck’s through. The Pokemon struggled in pain, before King sombra released him. Upon landing hard on the floor, the Snorlax that King Sombra had enslaved, moved to hold the Sawbuck down, so that it would not run away.

“Why don’t you be quiet like others?!” King Sombra growled. In the corner of the Sawbuck’s eye, he could see a small group of Pokemon standing at attention. Their eyes glowing a soft green, all smiling at him.

King Sombra had been busy… Over the nights since he attack, he would go out and get himself a new toy to play with. Not going out during the day, for fear that Yveltal would attack him again. But it was not the fear that drove him to hide, at least not in his eyes, no. It was the idea of revenge, that King Sombra craved. Knowing that he would need many more Pokemon under his control, King Sombra wanted to take Yveltal down with no problems. To show that even the Pokemon of death could fall prey to his will. And once he had taken Yveltal down, he would take him over… To use him to re-enslave the Crystal Empire. To use him to take over Equestria! To use him to finally kill that damned money that saved the Princess of the Crystal Empire!

king Sombra’s eyes drifted over to an going train, headed to the Crystal Empire. It was very fancy, and very royal, from the looks of it. “Now I wonder what this could be…”

-:-:-

“Thank you for sharing your worries about King Sombra, however we have the situation under control, please do not worry. I am sure that your farm will be there when you get back, and other than dust, you wont have anything to worry about.” Cadance stated.

The stallion standing before her looked concerned for a moment, but then shook his head in annoyance. “But I can’t Princess,” He started in a country accent. “My farm needs me, an’ I ain't goin’ to turn a profit if I can’t work! With King Sombra out there, I can’t go out an’ work without him comin’ for me! I have a family, and they need me!”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but please, understand. I know your family means a lot to you, I know your farm means a lot to you, but we can’t extend the shield to cover your farm. It’s just too far away, and we would run the risk of letting King Sombra, or one of the Pokemon he controls inside the shield. We’re already running the risk by letting Yveltal in and out, so we can’t take anymore chances.” Cadance pleaded.

The stallion looked as if he had another thing to say, but a guard stepped forward, and leaned in to say something to Princess Cadance. “Princess, we have news. The Friendship Express has arrived from Canterlot, and is awaiting for the shield to be raised so that it could dock in the station.”

Cadance smiled, before whispering back. “Allow the train to dock, but do keep an eye on the ponies that come from the Train. We don’t want King Sombra to somehow be on the train. Oh, and is John informed that I wish to see him?”

“Yes Princess. He is waiting in the side room, behind your throne, and we are waiting for Commander Shining Armor to arrive.”

“Thank you,” With that, the Stallion gave a salute, before walking towards the door. “Alright, now where were we,” Cadance started, before seeing that the farmer had left the room. “Right… Next!”

-:-:-

“Again!” Shining Armor stated.

Eclipse nodded, and readied himself for battle. He and Shining Armor had been at it for the entire day. Spectators, most being guards while others were civilians, watched on as the two jumped back into battle. Eclipse was, well, let’s be honest, taking it easy on Shining. The stallion was strong, but Eclipse did not want to hurt him. Shining did a number on John before, showing that he was strong, but unlike John, Eclipse's Body was durable.

Launching himself at Shining, Eclipse started to spin, twisting his body around while he lay dormant in his shell. Shining Armor rolled to the side, avoiding the attack, only for Eclipse’s arm to reach out and grab the ground beneath him, twisting his body and flinging him after Shining. He slammed into captain of the guard, knocking him to the side.

“Point, Eclipse!” A guard called out, before making a number under Eclipse name on the scoreboard. It was currently Fifty-Six for Eclipse, and Twelve for Shining. They were not really have a competition, just seeing who we get hit first. After all, ponies were not as durable as Pokemon, so Shining was learning how to dodge and evade. And because they were at it for so long, guards started taking score, while those who were not on duty… well, they gambled.

Stand up, Shining popped his back, before turning to Eclipse. “Again!” He started, taking a stance.

Eclipse frowned, but got ready. Ninety-two. He thought. He’s gotten back up from being knocked down ninety-two times. Shining took the initiative this time, and fired a blast of magic at Eclipse. He stepped to the side to avoid it, and he did evade it, but sadly it hit one of the guards in the background. Shining’s eyes widened, and both he and Eclipse moved to see if the guard was ok.

“Don’t worry,” The guard said, quickly standing up, his helmet knocked off, and mane sizzling. “I’m fine! I’m good… Just… give me a moment.” He stated before falling back to the ground, still conscious but moaning softly.

“Nice shot.” Eclipse complemented, making Shining chuckle.

“Well… I think after that, we need a break. You two,” Shining started, pointing at a pair of guards. “Help that stallion I shot, and get him to the Castle Hospital for a check up.”

“Sir, yes Sir!”

“Right away, Sir!”

Eclipse and Shining watched as the two stallions hauled the injured guard off, before turning to each other. “Again?” Shining started.

“I’m starting to get the feeling that Again is the only word you know.” Eclipse joked, again making Shining laugh.

“Sir?” A new guard started, as he approached them, before giving a salute.

Shining returned the gesture. “Yes?”

“Sir, the train has arrived from Canterlot, and Princess Cadance wishes to see you, Sir.”

“Thank you for informing me, Guard. Please return to your normal duties.”

“Sir, yes Sir!”

After a moment, Eclipse turned to Shining. “Eh, what train?”

“Princess Celestia and Luna sent it.”

“Who?”

“You’ve been here two weeks, and you don’t know who Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are?” Shining deadpand.

“John’s been the one learning about this new world, I’ve been the one training your guards. So no, I don’t. Care to explain?”

Shining let out a sigh. “Princess Celestia is the Princess of the sun, while Luna is the Princess of the moon. They raise and lower both the sun and the moon so that night and day.”

“Alright…” Eclipse frowned. The sun and the moon moved on their own, or at least, back on earth they did. Seems this place was more different than he first though. “And why did they send a train?”

“Because Princess Celestia is holding a world meeting, and Cadance and I have to be there. Cadance even asked John to be her advisor since he knows a lot about Pokemon, and has been so helpful.”

“Ah, so you are leaving the Crystal Empire,” Eclipse let out a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll keep it all in one peace for you while you’re away.”

Shining shook his head. “That’s what I am worried about… We have to go have a world meeting to talk about the Pokemon, but I don’t feel that it’s necessary at the moment, since King Sombra is out and about…”

“That’s understandable. These ponies are under your protections. You don’t want to leave them…”

Shining let out a long sigh. “Well… better not leave Cadance waiting. Stay here and… keep the Guards training going while I am away. Just take it a bit easier on them just in case King Sombra attacks…”

“Yes Sir,” Eclipse commented, before turning to the guards watching. “All of you that are on duty, and don’t have patrol duties, get over here! Time for a workout!”

As Shining started to walk away, all he could hear was the splashing of water, and the yells and hallers of stallions and mares who faced Eclipse’s wrath. It made him smile.

-:-:-

Waiting for Princess Cadance to finish her work did not take long. Her ponies were… scared, but understanding. It was something that I found most admirable about them. How they trust Princess Cadance… Then again, it would be out of fear… But I would have to speak with them to understand more... Something that I did not have the time to do, at the moment.

“John?” I smiled as Princess Cadance stepped into the room. “Ah, good. You are here. Now… where is Shining…?”

“Behind you.” Cadance jumped slightly as Shining answered her question.

“Shining, you know I don’t like it when you scare me!”

“Sorry Cadance, didn’t mean too.” Shining apologised.

“Right well… Moving on,” Cadance turned to me, before started. “John, as I have told you, I want you to be my advisor during the world summit. Have you read those books I mentioned?”

“Yes, Cadance. I have read the books, front to back.” I reassured her.

“Good… good… Now, so that you know what is going to happen, John, I shall explain what we shall be doing,” Cadance paused for a moment, as if she was thinking, then frowned. “Well… we are going to be taking a train to Canterlot. From there we shall meet up with Princess Cadance and Princess Luna, and after that we shall start the world meeting…” As she spoke, I could see it in her face that something was bothering her. It wasn’t hard to figure it out, with what is going on.

“Simple enough…” I started. “But do relax, Cadance. Everything will go fine, and while we are at Canterlot we can request help with dealing with King Sombra. We won’t have to worry about him after that.”

Cadance smiled, before Shining jumped in. “That’s what has me worried. While we are gone, the Crystal Empire would be vulnerable to an attack, and-”

“I thought I said I would take care of that.” The three of us turned to see Eclipse smiling at us, and next to him was Flash Sentry.

“Sorry, sir! I told him you didn’t want the meeting disturbed, but he insisted on coming!” Flash then apologies.

Shining Armor let out an annoyed sigh, as did I. “It’s… alright, and Eclipse, I know you said you would protect the Crystal Empire, but I am still worried. What if King Sombra would take control of you?” At this… my eyes widened.

“He can try,” Eclipse stated in a serious voice. “But it doesn't matter. As long as he is out there none of us are safe. Go to this… world summit, ask for help. Arceus has to be there. You could ask him to give more aid, than just Yveltal.”

“That was my idea, but I know Celestia and Luna would be more than willing to help… It’s just… I don’t want to leave My Little Ponies.” Cadance spoke in a saddened tone.

Eclipse was right, we had to go. This summit was a meeting about Pokemon. Arcus would be there… all the world leaders would be there… Not being there would a mistake. I could not help but snicker to myself. This situation reminded me about how I, while injured, went off to a meeting to help Pokemon. The parallels were… well, easy to see. Even though it may hurt, we had to go, and even though it would not be the safest thing to do, it is the right thing to do.

“Alright,” I said loudly, gaining their attention. “If we are going, then we at least need an idea of what we are going to do about King Sombra. How are we going to get there, are we going to Canterlot safe and sound, and what will happen here in the Empire while we are away...”

“Good idea,” Shining commented. “Coming up with a plain would help… at least, help us not worry so much...”

“Yes well… as much as I want to go, it still doesn't feel right. Seeing Celestia again, not to mention Twilight, since she is a Princess now, would be fun. Not to mention the fact that I would get to meet Arcus, as well as the other world leaders would be a honor, but leaving my ponies… How would the feel?” Cadance asked, concerned. They only just learned about King Sombra after all, and how Cadance, their Princess, their leader, was leaving. If I were in their shoes… well, I would be concerned.

“Then tell them,” I started. “Let them know that it’s for a good cause. Let them feel like it’s for the best,” I commented. “Otherwise, leaving without saying a word would be worse.” Cadance didn’t look at me while I spoke, only nodded. “And this time well don’t want another miscommunications, like how the information of King Sombra never really got out, so this time we have to make sure that they know, and that they understand it’s for the better good.”

“Perhaps one of your speeches would work?” Cadance offered, unsure about what to say about the whole situations.

“I can help you come up with something to say, but it would have to be you that said it, otherwise it won't go so well.”

“You sound like you’ve done this before, John…” Flash Sentry commented, before quickly apologized for interrupting.

“You don’t need to apologize, Flash. And yes, I have… well, somewhat. Coming up with plans to counter Team Rocket was always the easier parts of my job, back on Earth,” Turning to Shining Armor. “Moving on, we have to speak about the risk of leaving now. Make plans for different situations, while hoping King Sombra does not attack us, nore the Empire while we are leaving.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Meaning, he could attack us on the Train where we would be vulnerable!” Shining growled. “Oh, he better not! I’m going to give him what he deserves after going for Cadance! This Tirants better not try to-”

“Shining! Please, calm down.” Cadance called out, breaking her husband out of his stilly stooper. Shining fumed for a moment, before nodding.

“Sorry, it’s just…”

“You don’t need to explain, Shining. We understand,” I interjected. “Now, if he does attack the train, and I am not saying that he is, how do we defend ourselves, or stop him from attack the train outright.”

“Yveltal can fly, why not have him escort you most of the way?” Eclipse pointed out.

“That’ll work,” Cadance smiled. “Since he won the last fight with King Sombra, he may not want to attack the train.”

“Yes, well that is still a maybe… Now as for the Empire,” I glanced up at Eclipse. “You know you are not coming, right?” He nodded. “Good, because Eclipse, as he said, would be here to help defend, if King Sombra were to attack the Empire, if he can get through the shield that is.”

“You know Lex and Snow are both going to want to go with you,” Eclipse added in. “But I’ll need them here for help.”

“That reminds me,” Cadance started. “We need to know who exactly is coming with us.”

“Let’s see… Cadance, John, Flash Sentry, several Guards, Holly Heart, myself… The train conductors, as well as a small group of medical Officers…” Shining listed. “That… should be it, unless I am forgetting something.”

“What about Flubber?” Eclipse asked. “You know he hates being away from you. Truth be told, I’m surprised he spends so much time with Volt, since he normally never leaves your side, literally.”

Popping out of Cadance’s tail, Volt them screamed out in a holy voice. “Say his name and he shall appear!”

“You’re not coming.” I immediately started.

“Aaahhh, come on, John! I need the road trip! Just imagine the things I could eat in Canterlot! I don’t even know what that place is, but it sounds so fancy! It has to have something amazing to eat! You will not deny me the food, John! You Shall Not!”

No one spoke for almost a minute, before Cadance asked. “How long have you been hiding in my tail?”

“Bout’ two hours… Is that about right Flubber?” This time, popping out of Cadance’s mane, Flubber appeared, morphed into a tiny Joltik, only blue instead of yellow.

Flubber, the ever so quiet Pokemon, nodded. Cadance on the other hand, shivered.

“Moving on, when do we leave?” I asked.

“We are leaving before Eight,” Shining answered. “If you are not awake that early, we shall have somepony wake you.”

“In that case, Cadance, I shall start helping you come up with something to say to your ponies, and since we are going to be leaving so early, we may want to say it later today. We still have the afternoon on planning after all,” I placed my hand on my chin, before frowning. “Oh, yes. I have to inform Holly Heart of all this… If the two of you need me, I shall be with Holly, other in the library, or in the Cafeteria. Cadance, I recommend coming up with something to say to your ponies, so that I have something to work off of. As for now, bye for now.”

“Before you go, John. Tell me, how is Holly doing? I know you’ve been working hard lately, and are in high spirits, but she has been somewhat distant. We haven't really had time to talk in the last few days.”

“She is doing good,” I smiled, as I remembered the her bright red face as I read the love book to her.

“Oh, I know that smile,” Cadance teased, pointed her hoof at me. “You two did something naughty, didn’t you?”

My eyes widened. “Wait, what? No, no, Arceus no!” My face flushed, as I started to imagine….

“Oh? Well it seems to be on your mind, isn’t it?”

“I’m… I’m… I’m just going to g-go.” As I left the room, my dignity barely intact, I could not help but hear the sounds of Shining Armor, and Eclipse laughing.

Fallowed by Volt, asking a rather uncomfortable question. “So what are you all laughing about? I know John likes Holly, but what does him being Naughty have to do with anything?”

Author's Note

Alright! Finished edited, and ready to read.

Chapter 18: Retribution

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Edited by: Ausbrony

Special Guests and Pre-readers:
TheOneVolcarona, writer of A New World, a New Champion
Ubber+Reaper, writer of A New world, a Dawn

Chapter 18: Retribution

To say things are going well in the Crystal Empire... would be a flat out, bold lie. Things weren't going well at all. Last night, say… just before the sun was to set, Cadance called to her ponies. As I looked over the crowd of ponies that came, I could see many different emotions. Some had smiles on their faces. They mostly likely were hoping that King Sombra was dead, or that they were going to get some great news about our current crisis. Others looked… sad, and that’s not even the right word to describe the looks. Fearful? No… Terrified? No… this was calmer. Drained would be the best way to explain it. Tired eyes, a sad expression, lack of show emotion… It was a very, very sad thing to bare witness to. And as Cadance explained what we were going to do, some that were happy grew fearful. Some that were sad, grew happy. Some even became angry over this, while others just simply smiled, but shook their heads in disapproval. But the most important thing that came from it, was that Cadance, though she still feared for her ponies, knew that they understood what needed to be done. But even if you understand something, doesn't mean you have to like it.

And sadly, my mind was not letting me get the sleep I wanted. As I layed in bed, staring at the ceiling, I could not help but think of the day before us. Since I have arrived in Equus, or the Crystal Empire to be exact, I haven't really thought about the world outside of this rather.. great city. Back on Earth, I traveled a lot. Never really had a real home, well, I did. I had a large apartment in Saffron City. But it was never really home for me. I had been traveling since I was ten years old, and never really stayed in a place for more than a week at a time. I saw the world for what it was. The beauty and the pain. And now that I was going to see what Equus was like, well, I smiled. I enjoyed traveling, even if this trip was not going to be fore sight seeing, and not just reading about it in a book. We had work to do, but even then, a change of scenery would be nice. The Crystal Empire is a wonderful winterland, but the nice hot sun just seems a bit too good to pass up.

Yet no matter how happy I would be to get out and see the world, taking care of King Sombra came first. He is a monster, and I don’t have to explain why… Getting help is a priority, and risking an attack on a train ride is a risk we are willing to take, even if it is a low risk. We’ll have Yveltal with us, and seeing as King Sombra lost to his last fight, and how he seems rather precautious in his attack patterns, would lead me to believe that he would not attack again. In the end it is a gamble, and unlike Volt, I am not a fan of gambling. Finding out that a casino was run by Team Rocket, and had a base underneath it may have something to do with it, but that’s besides the point.

I glanced over at my clock, which I could see quite clearly since my head was on fire, and it told me that midnight has just past. I let out an annoyed sigh, and covered my head with my pillow. I could not get to sleep… which was not normal for me. It was to the point where I felt wide awake. As if I could run a mile or two, and it was frustrating!

-:-:-

“John, you do not look good! What’s wrong?” Snow commented.

I slowly turned by head from my cup of coffee to look at her. Ever since I got to breakfast, everyone had been commenting on how I looked. It was reasonable, really. I looked horrible. I walked with a hunched back, large bags could be seen under my eyes, and i kept yawning. So yeah, it was understandable why she would ask. What is not understandable is why she kept asking me it, over and over. I turned away from her and took a drink of my coffee.

“Come on, John! Answer, please! What’s wrong?! Why do you look like a Muk’s droppings?” She asked, while pushing against me. See, Snow was sitting to my right. And for some reason she was being very clingy. Past her was Lex, who had an annoying smile, as he watched Snow. Across from me was Holly, and Eclipse. Both of whom were enjoying breakfast. Meanwhile my breakfast got swarmed by Volt, who, and I quote, Was Fired out of a cannon into my eggs. He didn’t want to slam face first into my eggs, it just happened. And who shot him? Flubber. Who is now air lifting Volt off the table, as the little monster flies off with my muffin. But it’s ok. I have my coffee. As long as I can drink that… I’ll be alright. Just need this, so I can start my day…

“Ah, leave him alone Snow. Seriously, it should be obvious, he just didn’t get much sleep.” Lex stated, coming to my aid. Sadly, it just made things worse.

“Oh, I know. I’m just wondering why he didn’t get any sleep. Could he not go to bed, or was it more… Like, say… Did Holly Heart come and visit you last night.” Holly and I had the same reaction. We choked on what ever we were drinking, and coughed, before our faces went red.

“No, Holly slept in her room, last night.” Volt commented, as his mouth was full of my muffin.

“Oh. Well… did John sleep in Holly’s room? And, wait, how do you know that?” Snow asked.

“I slept on her ceiling.” Volt stated, his mouth still full of my muffin…

Holly, who was currently trying not to choke on her orange juice, just stayed quiet through the conversation. We were dating, but taking it slow. Slow enough where we weren’t doing… that. As for myself… coffee, coffee, coffee… Not as strong as some illegal drugs, but it let’s you keep your teeth…

“And why did you do that? You know, you do freak her out?” Eclipse asked from across the table.

“Oh, it had something to do with our little party last night,” Volt answered, swallowing what muffin he had in his mouth, finally speaking without his mouth full. “All I remember, is eating some apple cobbler, attacking John’s left leg with tackle, and then waking up in her room.

“So that’s why John almost kicked over the table last night.” Lex commented, and well… he was right. Volt had attacked my leg, and well… it was more a quick surprise than anything else.

But as the conversations went on, I did my best to block it out of my mind. I was too tired to communicate, but I suspected it had something to do with my headache. I just needed my coffee… Which was now empty… I let out a sigh, before standing up, and making my way off to a side table, one that had a coffee pot on it. It was almost full, but once I was finished with it, only say a cup remained. Something that I didn’t notice before, is that my large coffee mug held three cups… I smiled as I took a sip of the black coffee. I normally like my coffee with Oran Berry Vanilla creamer, but black was a close second.

“Attention everypony and Pokémon,” Shining Armor started, as I took my seat. “We shall be leaving in the hour, so finish up your breakfast, and get to your post.” With that, Shining Armor moved to his wife, Princess Cadance, before whispering something to her.

To this, Cadance frowned. She wasn’t really speaking through the morning, and, like me, she didn’t look like she got much sleep. Now, one disadvantage of drinking this much coffee, was that I could not take a nap on the train ride to Canterlot. Cadance could, but I doubted she would, with the idea that King Sombra may attack looming over our heads. And even if I did not drink this much coffee, I would right along side her in the ‘Staying Up’ department. Being asleep on a train while it’s being attacked is a horrible idea, especially since I know first hand how powerful some Pokémon can be, even without King Sombra taking them over…

-:-:-

The Friendship Express. That was the name of the train. It was a name that made me laugh, because of how child like it was, but seeing as we were going to Canterlot to make some new friends with the other world leaders, it was kind of fitting that we were going to arrive in it.

But while I found the train rather amusing, the rest of the train station was a busy mess. An organized mess, but a mess none the same. As we all could have guessed, ponies from all over the Crystal Empire had come to see their Princess off. It was good to see that they trusted her enough to leave them, but through the crowded, I could see mixed emotions. Happiness, sadness, even anger, could be easily spotted.

“Thank you, everypony for being understanding. I know my absence will be hard on all of you, but please remember to be strong. To hold it together. For our strength is what the Crystal Heart needs to keep us safe, and once we have returned, our safety will only grow as our friends in Canterlot come to our aid,” Cadance callout over the crowd. Ponies through the train station where both smiling, and crying. It was… emotional. I did not truly understand the feeling that they held towards Princess Cadance, but it was something to behold… “We shall return soon, goodbye ‘My Little Ponies’, and stay strong!” With that, Princess Cadance step away from the microphone she was using, and moved to board the train. Flanked by several guards, but it was not time to depart yet.

Shining Armor wished to speak, with me by his side. I didn’t know what he was going to say, but I suspected I was about to find out. “Princess Cadance, as well as myself, will return in within five days. If things go well, then we shall return with aid provided by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. And seeing as Lord Arceus, leader of all Pokémon, has already provided us with the aid of Yveltal, and we may gain his aid, as well. However,” Shining Armor gestured to me. “Another purpose for this meeting, is that we shall be discussing what shall happen to Pokémon. Some of you may not like them being here, while others welcome them for what they have done. So please do not worry for our safety. For no harm will come to us, nor will harm come to you as long as you stay strong,” Shining turned away from the crowd to address me. “Do you have something to say to them, John?”

I stared at him for a moment, before turning to the large crowd. “Nothing that hasn’t been already been said…” Normally, I would step up and say something reassuring, but other then the guards, nobody really knew who I was, and my words would be unwanted, or at least, to most.

“Alright then,” Shining turned to Flash Sentry, who had been standing quietly by my side. “Have the conductor leave the train station in two minutes, then fly off and give Yveltal the signal that we are leaving.” He turned back to me, then to the small group of guards, plus Holly Heart, and pointed to the train. “All aboard.” He ordered. The guards were first to move, and Holly and I trailed behind them.

“Ladies first,” I offered, allowing Holly to board before me.

“Thank you, John,” She smiled at me, before I followed behind her. Shining Armor following suit, closing the door behind him.

The seating arrangements were simple. Guards every other row, and Princess Cadance in the middle, with Holly and myself two rows behind her. Shining Armor, stood next to his wife, but only for a moment, giving her a kiss on the cheek before heading towards the front of the train. I suspected he was going to check some things before we really started moving.

“You know, this is going to be the first time I have left the Crystal Empire in over… a year?” Holly Heart whispered to me, as she stared out the window. She had the window seat by the way.

“Excited about leaving?” I asked, as I placed my arm around her shoulder. She jumped a little, but smiled at me.

Leaning on my chest, she nodded. “Yeah. I wonder how all this Pokémon business changed Canterlot…”

“What does Canterlot look like, anyways?” I asked. “I mean, I saw the pictures when I was reading, but a picture can only say so much.”

Before she could answer, the train gave a small jerk, before we started moving. Outside the window, I could see ponies waving goodbye, for the train started to move along. I could see colts, fillies, mares and stallions all the like, waving as we went. I say my team, my family waving, and before I could even think, we rounded the corner, of the train station, and made our way to the Crystal Empire’s shield. A small opening flickered, and the train passed through it.

“John?” Holly asked.

I looked down at her, and smiled. “Yes, Holly?”

“Are… are you alright? Your eyes are watery.”

I raised a hand to my eyes, wiping away what tears I shed, before smiling. “Sorry, just. I don’t like, even if it’s for the best, leaving my family. It just… feels wrong, and… this whole thing just feels off.”

“Don’t worry John, they’ll be ok.” Holly assured me, before resting her head on my chest. Glancing forward, I saw Princess Cadance staring at Holly and I. Her head peered over the railing, before she popped her head back down.

“It’s colder out here then inside the shield…” Holly mumbled. “But… luckily, I have a nice warm pillow…”

I glanced away from Holly, and looked outward to the world around us, or to be specific, outside the train. There was snow. Oh Arceus there was a lot of snow. Inside the Crystal Empire, you would occasionally see a patch of snow here or there. It was warmer inside the shield then out, but now that we are out and about, there was nothing BUT snow. A blanket of white covered the land, with a rather healthy amount of trees. In the distance, I could see the Empire getting smaller and smaller. We were moving rather fast, and from what I was told, we should make it to Canterlot and hour or two after Noon, giving us the whole afternoon to speak with the world leaders, as well as Arceus.

The concept alone of meeting a god was rather bland to me, to my surprise. I was shocked when I first came to Equestria, but as I have things to do, I put my emotions in check, or at least try to. Truth be told, I can’t tell you how I would act if I see him in the flesh, but in the end I could only speculate, but at least I’ll know my answer by the end of the day, right? As for the others leaders… Celestia and Luna would be the two I want to see the most. If they are anything like Cadance, then it would be a fun experience speaking with them. Otherwise, I’ll just be glad if they are as nice as her.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Shining Armor step back into the train-cart, followed by Flash Sentry. He looked content, but smiled when he approached Cadance. I could not hear what they started to speak about, the train was too loud, but whatever it was made Shining laugh, before turning to me. I had the sneaking suspicion that they were talking about Holly and I, but didn’t want to bother them about it.

“Sir, Shining Armor!” A guard started. “I believe we have a stowaway...” We all turned to the guard, and to our surprise, Volt hovered above him. Riding a mini-Charizard, all the while wielding a butter knife.

“Volt? Flubber? Didn’t I tell you two not to come?” I immediately asked.

“Well…” Volt started, in an excited voice. “I knew that this trip would be important, and I wanted to come along! But you said no, so I knew I had to convince Flubber to tag along, so that we could play more! He didn’t even question me, and agreed that it was a great plan!”

“You’re both grounded.”

“What?!” Flubber called out, saddened by me statment. “But, but, but,”

“No buts, Volt, you should have stayed back at the Crystal Empire.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, John. I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it.” Cadance started, waving me off, and jestering Volt to her. “Come here, Volt.” Flubber, along with Volt on his back, flew over to Cadance. However, my attention was drawn away from them as Holly tapped my check.

“Relax, John,” She whispered. “Just… Just take a nap with me. The train ride is a long one, and I know you’re tired.” I didn’t answer her right away, which made her frown. I didn’t want to go to sleep, just in case the train would be attacked. I wanted to help, and be the first into action so that no one else would get harmed by King Sombra. “Please?” She finished, in a cute voice. “Please, please, please?”

I let out a sigh. She was looking up at me with her big green eyes. Her cute eyes… “You’re… You’re hard to say no to…” I leaned my head back, and stared at the ceiling. Would it be so bad to take a nap? No… not really. I would certainly hear something if King Sombra attacked, and I would be woken up by someone if he did… “Fine… I’ll take a nap.”

“Yes!” Holly quietly cheered, before laying her head back on my chest.

“Shining Armor,” I called out. “Wake me if anything, and I mean anything happens. Alright?”

“Of Course, John. You get your rest. We’ve got a hectic day ahead of us, and you’ll need your strength.” With that, I leaned my head back, and closed my eyes. To my surprise, I still felt tired, even after the amount of coffee I had earlier. I shouldn't be able to even think about sleeping, yet maybe caffeine works differently on my new body. It did not take me long to fall asleep. With Heart’s head pressed against my chest was rather relaxing, to tell you the truth… Even with the amount of coffee I had consumed earlier, it was rather easy to go to sleep.

-:-:-

-THUD-

I was awoken from my nap by a rather loud noise. Glancing around, I found that everyone was looking up at the ceiling of the train.

“Shining, what’s going on?” I called out.

“Something’s on top of the train,” He started, before pointed at the two Pegasi standing near the door. “You two, fly out and see what’s going on up there.”

They nodded, before opening the door to the train, the one we got in on, and leaping out. It did not take long before we heard more sounds coming from atop the train. The clattering of Hooves could be heard, along with something else… We all stood in wait for the two stallions to return, but I had the suspicion that we had an uninvited guest. My suspicions were turned tto reality when a large dent formed in the ceiling, followed by the screams of a stallion.

“We have company,” Shining Armor yelled. “Have the Pegasi in the corresponding trains stop whatever is up there, Flash Sentry!”

Placing my hand on Holly Heart’s shoulder, I leaned in and asked her to let me go. Ever since the stallion started screaming, she held onto me like a baby Kangaskhan held onto her mother. She did not let go, but held on tighter. I let out an annoyed sigh, as all the Guards in the train cart all stood ready. Out the window Pegasi could be seen flying around. I could not see anything more than that, however. The only hints were the many sounds coming from above. It wasn’t till one of the Pegasi flew into the cart we were in that we were given a clue as to what was going on.

“Sir,” he started, taking deep breaths. “There’s a large Pokémon on the train! We, we think it’s… him!”

“Damn! Get back out there, fly up, and get Yveltal’s attention!” Shining ordered.

“Yes, Sir!”

“Wait,” I yelled out. “What does it look like?”

“It’s small, blue, large ears, long blue bangs, and keeps shooting ice at us!” He finished, before leaping outside.

Small… Blue… Large ears… Long blue bangs…? And an ice type, or at least knows an ice type move… I heard a whimper come from Holly Heart, as a blast of ice hit the ground just to the right of the train.

“Do you know what Pokémon this is, John?”

“I think it’s a… Glaceon,” I started. “An ice type.”

“Ice type… Didn’t you say something about them when you first arrived?” Cadance asked. “I think it was that… they are weak to fire, or was it fighting?”

“I’m a fire and fighting type…” Holly’s grip tightened. I could see it in her face, and she knew what I was about to do. Painfully, I pushed her away from me, before I stood up. “Shining Armor, keep Holly safe. I’m holding you accountable for her.”

“I will, and John. Good luck.”

I held my breath as I made my way to the entrance of the train. I could not fly like the Pegasi, but there was a ladder built on the side of the train I could use to climb up. Oh, and unlike the Pegasi, if I fell, I would not be able to just flap my wings and be safe… I had a hard time fighting King Sombra as it was, but on a moving train... no… Just no.

And there he was. Three Pegasi moved along the top of the train in combat with King Sombra, while other Pegasi flew alongside, waiting to attack, or to join in. I was also right. It was a Glaceon. He… she… hard to tell the gender while on the other side of the train cart, moved faster than the Pegasi. Making it very hard to land a blow. To my horror, as I stood fully on the train, King Sombra used ice beam one of the Pegasi. He was encased in ice, his body crunched up in pain. Yet, as I stared at him, I noticed the large dent in the train, from before. There was a small bit of blood, but as none of the Pegasi in front of me were bleeding, my thoughts turned dark as I imagined the wounded Guard falling off the train.

I had to make sure no one else got hurt.

Dashing forward, I moved as quick as I could, closing the short distance between myself and King Sombra. “Guards, I’ll take it from here! Get the frozen Pegasus out of here!”

The two Pegasi fighting, didn’t even look at me, before taking off to the sky, moving away from King Sombra. Not a Moment later, the two of them swooped in and grabbed the frozen guard. Leaving Sombra and myself.

“Oh, look. I was waiting for you to show up. Took your sweet time, didn’t you?” King Sombra taunted.

I didn’t respond, only dashed forward, and aimed a Mach Punch right at his face. He jumped back, moving out of my attack, only for my fist to smash into the train card, making yet another dent. I wanted to wonder how I was able to dent metal so easily, but I pushed that thought to the back of my mind. I had more important things to think about.

“Not in the mood to chat? Such a shame, and here I thought I would enjoy having a little chat before we end this little train ride.” With that, he opened his mouth, and fired a blast of ice at me.

I did my best to move out of the way, but it still hit. Getting out of the way of things was rather hard while on top of a moving train. The ice was cold, but it didn’t really hurt. No… it didn’t hurt at all. I smiled as I remembered just what was happening. I was a fire AND fighting type. He was an ice type… I had an advantage, a very distinctive advantage, due to having double resistance. Strange really, ever since I arrived in Equus, I never quite saw myself as a Pokémon since my body was so similar to my old one… But, like my ability to bend metal, I moved that though to the back of my mind.

Dashing forward again, I went to swing a Mach Punch. King Sombra went to get out of the way, but I was expecting him to move this time. His eyes widened as I smacked him in the face, knocking him to the next train cart. He lay motionless for a moment, before he started to laugh.

Standing, he turned to me. “Oh, that hurt. Not me of course, but the Pokémon I’m controlling? Oh she’s in pain, John.”

“The faster I get you out of her, the faster she’ll feel better. Just hang in there Glaceon! This is going to hurt.”

“You can’t hear it, but she’s begging for you not to, you know that?!” King Sombra yelled.

I… didn’t want to talk anymore. Jumping from one cart to another, I moved to punch him again. He, mostly, moved out of the way. My fist striking one of his hind legs. He growled at me, before unleashing a blizzard on the train. The temperature dropped immensely, as the world became white. It didn’t help that it was lightly snowing already, making the attack just a little more annoying. I did my best not to fall off the train, which was getting rather difficult to do since the cold steel that I stood on became slick and icy.

Something hard then slammed into my chest, making me fall onto my back. “You know, I’m starting to think that your only attack is that quick punch you do,” King Sombra spoke up. Before he leaped past me, and landed onto the train Princess Cadance was in.

Scrambling to my feet, I followed him, moving in for yet another attack. Like before, he tried to get out of the way, only to find himself hit right in the face. I was not the only one having problems with ice.

King Sombra, glard up at me as he stood up, before his eyes glowed for a moment, and a sharp and long black crystal shot up towards my face. Moving as fast as I could, I tilted my head to the side, only getting cut along the cheek.

It was then, a large whooshing sound reached my ears, as Yveltal flew alongside the train. My eyes widened as I say a bright glow coming from his mouth. Scrambling down between carts, the world tore apart as Vyletal unleashed a hyper beam across the top of the train. The train was fine, however. As for King Sombra, I did not know. But as Yveltal had a satisfying smile on his face, I would wager that he hit him. I felt sorry for the Glaceon, but it could not be helped.

Standing up, I dusted what snow was on me, before I knocked on the train door. The guards on the inside, as well a Shining Armor, all turned to look at me. I could not hear what they were saying, but the nearest guard moved to open the door.

“John, what’s going on out there?” Shining Armor asked.

“Is King Sombra gone?” Cadance added.

“I… I don’t know. Yveltal seemed to have hit in with a Hyper Beam, but I’m letting him handle it for now. He’s weak though, or is just in a weak body…” Stepping forward, I took a seat next to Holly Heart.

She immediately hugged me. Her head pressing down into my chest. I was taken back at this for a moment, before I placed a hand on her head. “It’s alright, Holly. It’s alright…”

It was not alright. The train jerked, throwing us all forward. I was able to reach out with a hand stopping myself, and Holly, from smacking the seat in front of us. But before anyone could speak up as to why the driver of the train slammed the breaks, the worst sound could be heard. A sound that no one wanted to hear… The sound of a crash. A massive one, that grew louder and louder. The train cart we were in started to violently shake, before we were thrown to the side. I hit the ground hard, Holly landing on my chest. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close, as I knew what was going to come next… Holly Heart screamed as I held her, before our cart disconnected from the one in front of us, and started to roll over and over. I could hear screaming, as Flubber wrapped himself around Shining and Cadance. Guards screamed in pain as some of them were flung outside of the train. It was hell, but it was short. Out train cart slammed into a tree, knocking Holly and myself from the train. I landed hard on my back, as I still hend Holly within my arms.

It took me a few moments just to catch my breath, before I was able to speak up. “H-Holly?” I started, in a shaky voice. “A-are you… are you alright? Holly?” She just cried. She didn’t answer, but she did cry.

Releasing her from my arms, she rolled off of my chest. Standing up, I glanced down at her, she looked fine. No cuts, just brewses. It took her a long moment before she finally spoke. “John?”

“Yes, Holly?”

“I-I’m.... I’m fine, go… go… go get King Sombra…” She said in a hoarse voice.

Reaching down, she let out a scared whinny as I picked her up. “Only after you’re safe.” She didn’t argue, or fight me, as I started to walk her away from the forest, and towards the upside down train card that we were ejected from.

I could see ponies pulling themselves out of the tran cards, while others lay motionless on the ground. I didn’t want to know if they were just knocked out, or were really… dead. It was hard to think, but as I drew closer, I could see Princess Cadance and Shining Armor pull themselves out of our destroyed train cart. Volt, bruised and battered, lay on Cadance’s back. Flubber along side him, trying to wake him up. My heart skipped a beat, when I saw a Glaceon standing above them, staring down at them.

“Shining! Cadance! He’s right there! Get away!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Shining looked at me, then up at the Glaceon. His reaction to King Sombra’s ice beam was amazing, as a shield went up between King Sombra, and himself. Cadance screamed, as the shield that she, Shining Armor, Flubber and Volt were in was wrapped in thick ice. You could not even see through to see if they were alright.

“You know, you’re beginning to be quite the bother!” King Sombra yelled. “I’m going to enjoy making you-” King Sombra was never able to finish his sentence as Yveltal flew down and clipped him with the tip of his wings, before landing hard behind me.

“You talk too much!” I yelled out.

“I could not agree more,” Yveltal added, before taking back off into the air, and landing next to King Sombra. Moving his beak in, he leaned close to him, his mouth growing again. He was going to do a point blank Hyper Beam, but King Sombra would have none of it. His eyes flashed, before two crystals shot up, slamming into Vyeltal’s jaw, making him fire the blast upward.

Then… King Sombra surprised us as two large Pokémon charged out from some near by trees. It was the Snorlax that Yveltal spoke of, and a Mamoswine. Yveltal would have moved to get out of the way, but Hyper Beam took a lot out of Pokémon, making him an easy target for the on coming heavyweight duo. Both of them slammed hard into Yveltal, with what I suspected was Takedown, or perhaps a Tackle. Either way, Yveltal flew to the side, slamming into one of the crashed train carts. He grunted, before pulling himself up, and talking to the sky.

The distraction of the battle gave me time to find a safe spot for to place Holly Heart. I didn’t want her to get hurt anymore… I didn’t want anyone to get hurt… As I ran away from the battle, Holly Heart still in my arms, I could heard the sounds of wind blasting out as Yveltal used an Air Slash.

As I ran around one of the train cart, I found, to my surprise, Flash Sentry. He was panting, as he pulled a stallion out of a burning train cart. I smiled, and moved towards him. “Flash!”

Glancing up at me, he grinned. “John?! Where are Princess Cadance, and Sir Shining Armor?”

“In a ball of ice, but I think they are alright, I hope…” I moved to place Holly Heart on the ground next to him. “I have a request, if you don’t mind.”

“Er, what?”

“Keep Holly safe. I need to be out and help Yveltal, and I can’t do it if I’m worrying about Holly, besides… She asked me to.”

“And… you better… I’m holding you to… to it…” Holly Heart spoke softly.

“Of course, John… You go do what you’re good-” Flash was cut off as an explosion rang out. Moving quickly, I moved around the corner to see what was going on.

Yveltal was flying low in the sky, his eyes roamed over his three targets. Glaceon, Snorlax and Mamoswine. The larger two had already attacked him, and from the attack, he knew they were strong. Not as strong as he was, far from it, but two of his targets were ice types, and Snorlax knew Ice beam… he had to finish the fight fast, otherwise he would not easily win.

Thinking and moving quick, Yveltal targeting the Glaceon with a Focus Blast. She was the weakest out of the group because of my fight. I smiled. Focus Blast was a fighting type move, and was too fast for King Sombra to get out of the way. It struck home, and it was apparent that it was super effective as King Sombra struggled to stand.

But as he did, he whipped his head towards Yveltal, targeting him with an Ice Beam. And he was one to talk about me not knowing only one move… Sadly, as Yveltal went to move out the way, the blast turned and struck him in his right wing. He grunted loudly as the blast formed a large block of ice on the edge of his wing.

Taking advantage of Yveltals temporary lapse in movement, King Sombra used the Mamoswine to bring forth a large pillar of black crystals. Yveltal let out a hiss, as the sharp crystals cut into the same wing that the ice had been on. Blood splattered out some, but Yveltal did not go down, he only just got angry.

Gritting his beak, Yveltal wipped both wings forward, shattering the dark crystals, and unleashing a flurry of Oblivion wings. The blast racked across King Sombra’s three Pokémon, blasting them back. The Snorlax flew back and destroyed the upper half the a tree, while the Mamoswine just rolled back. The Glaceon, on the other hand, slammed hard into a large rock, before falling to the ground. What bit of King Sombra that was held inside of her, bursted out of her, and drifted into the Snorlax, who was closest to her.

I took notice of this, and my eyes narrowed.

Growling, King Sombra in the Snorlax’s body, stood up and grabbed the large rock that Glaceon smacked into, before throwing it. I noticed that the thrown rock was a move… It was Smack Down. Yveltal, with his wounded wing, could not get out of the way, before the massive rock slammed into him. Knocking him to the ground.

Slowly pulling himself up, Yveltal looked forward to see several rocks floating and glowing around Mamoswine. The Ancient Power attack slammed into him, but Yveltal was still standing. Before he fired out another Focus Blast attack, blowing the Mamoswine through yet another innocent tree.

Unable to fly, and in pain, Yveltal was not able to move, as the Snorlax bared in on him. Unleashing a Blizzard. Yveltal let out cry as the ice cold air around him stung his skin. More ice and snow started to form around his body, and it was easy to tell that he was not having a good time fighting two Pokémon that were strong against him.

He let out another cry of anguish as two beams of ice smashed into him, and then… it happened. He was encased in ice. His eyes were opened in anger and fear, staring out at King Sombra. To my dismay, King Sombra reached out with his magic, a dark aura formed around the frozen Yveltal… I feared what came next… In my mind, we lost. King Sombra just got his hooves on Yveltal…

“Why is this not working?!” King Sombra growled as he tried again and again, only to slam into what felt like a wall. “What is stopping me from taking over this worthless things life? Do I not deserve this?!” I… smiled despite the situation. Something, though I don’t know what, was stopping King Sombra from taking over Yveltal… and seeing him frustrated like this was honestly quite satisfying. “Ah, no matter,” King Sombra, in the body of Snorlax, slowly turned to me. “At least I have the next best thing…”

It was at this moment that I realized that what I did wrong. I didn’t help. I wanted to go and help, but I just stood there, watching. Doing nothing as Yveltal lost. He was sent here to help stop King Sombra, but he needed help, and as much as I wanted everyone to stay safe, and wanted to go out and take care of King Sombra myself, I just stood there and watched…

“Damn it…” I told myself, clenching my fist, before raising them in a fighting stance. “Should have done this earlier…” I scolded myself as the two heavyweights loomed closer to me.

Dashing forward, I didn’t give King Sombra the time to speak or think. Slamming my Mach Punch into the Snorlax’s gut, he let out a grunt as he stumbled back.

“Damn… Didn’t think you would hit that hard to something this big,” King Sombra smiled. “Good. Shows that you’re worth taking over.”

The Mamoswine started to charge me, yet I was too small of a target for his trust to impale me, but it didn’t matter as the rest of him slammed into me, knocking me backwards, slamming into the train cart that Flash and Holly were behind.

My back was stiff as I stood up. I was glad that I wasn’t able to feel things, because I suspected that I had just thrown my back out, or at least, would not be able to walk straight. But, like many things going on, it was not my top priority. Getting out of the way of the charging Snorlax was, and luckily, Tackle was not a hard move to dodge, but an Ice Beam was. As I side stepped King Sombra’s charging attack, his other self shot me with a rather ineffective attack.

Shrugging of the ice, I slammed another Mach Punch into King Sombra’s Snorlax, and before he could even turn around to face me, I followed up with another. This one aimed for the back of his spine. Both hit, and both made him angry, before he backhand me with a Giga Impact. Something that I thought was both impossible, funny, yet very painful.

Even my landing hurt, as I slammed into the ball of ice that Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were in. As I did, the ice shattered, revealing my friends inside. Shining still had his shield up, but at Cadance’s scream, he dropped it and moved to grab me and help me up.

Then… I noticed Flubber was awake. He zipped over to me, mouth in a frown as he saw me laying on the ground, and then something rare happened. I saw Flubber get mad. The normally happy-go-lucky pink blob of doom, was angry, and throughout my life, I had never seen him mad, and I’m glad I did.

Morphing his pink body, he began to grow rapidly to gigantic size, taking the form of an Onix, before charging King Sombra’s Snorlax. King Sombra braced himself, but Flubber’s attack didn’t come in a form of a charge. No, he flicked himself upwards, and carrying his moment, morph into a Snorlax himself, before slamming into King Sombra. Though he braced himself, King Sombra was not expect what Flubber did, and toppled over, Flubber’s massive weight on top of him.

The weight disappeared as Flubber changed into Primeape, and started to slam his fist over and over into King Sombra’s face. I think he was doing Close Combat, but it was hard to tell, as all I could hear was King Sombra screaming get this thing off of me.

The Mamoswine that King Sombra did so by firing a blast of Powder Snow, though I found it funny that he had to order himself around to just do something. Flubber, didn’t have any of it, and continued to punch the Snorlax. It was… something that I didn’t approve of, but it had to be done. If this was a normal Pokémon battle, Flubber would have to be forced back into his Pokéball, for the Snorlax’s face started to swell up larger than normal, before a dark cloud left the the Snorlax’s body, and instead of drifting off to the Mamoswine, went off into the forest...

It wasn’t ‘till I called out for him to stop, that he turned his attention to Mamoswine. Leaping off of Snorlax, he charged the massive Pokémon. Changing into a Serperior, and slithering his way to King Sombra’s other Pokémon. King Sombra did his best to stop Flubber with a volley of Black Crystals that jutted out of the ground every which way, but Flubber was fast and knew his body well enough for all the spikes to miss, before he wrapped his body around the Mamoswine. King Sombra struggled for a moment, before Flubber started to grow and his body shifted to that of a Torterra. King Sombra’s legs gave out under him, as Flubber used Mega Drain on him. The life blasting out of him, King Sombra let out a loud cry of anger. Flubber was too much for him.

Yet King Sombra may be down, he was not out. Shaking violently, he used Thrash to get Flubber off of him. It worked, and Flubber landed hard on his back, before melting down into a small monster truck, and driving away from King Sombra at top speeds, as King Sombra was now chasing him down. His trusts looming behind Flubber, Flubber shifted into a small Joltik, allowing King Sombra to run over him. Without getting harmed.

“You think you’re clever?!” King Sombra screamed. “Tell me how you feel after this!” A ball of energy formed around, a massive one that we could tell was Hyper Beam, but King Sombra wasn’t aiming for Flubber. He was aiming for… Shining Armor, Princess Cadance and myself.

Moving as fast as he could, Flubber jumped with in the beams path. Transforming into a large brick wall. A massive explosion rang forth, and Flubber smacked into my chest. He wasn't moving, yet he stopped the blast. I placed my hand on him, eyes wide. King Sombra had to do a dirty trick just to take Flubber out...

I gritted my teeth as I stared down at Flubber… He was one of my closest Pokémon… Closest friends. He would always be near by, messing around at one point or another, but be would never leave me… Always being there, like Snow, Lex and Eclipse. Always being at my side, literally…. And he had just saved us from that blast…

Holding Flubber close, I stood up. “Please, Cadance. Keep him safe,” I said, handing Flubber to Cadance. She took him in her magic, and nodded to me. Her eyes watery. “Shining, take Cadance and get out of hear. Go hide, or run. Just get away from here.”

“Come on Cadance, let’s get you, Flubber and Volt out of here.” Shining Armor stood up, and helped his wife to his feet before they started to run away.

“That’s right, run. It won't save you…” King Sombra started. “After I’m done here, I’m going to use all of you to take over the Crystal Empire. There is no escape!”

“I said it before, I’ll say it again… You talk too much,” I growled, right before I socked him in the face with another Mach Punch. With his size, he didn’t budge much, but he did feel it, or at least, the Pokémon did… I wanted to put King Sombra in a world of pain, but all I was doing was harming the Pokémon he was in, but was it worth it? Yes.. It will force him out of them.

Opening his mouth, he fired a laser of ice at my face. It felt as if I was hit in the face with a snowball, but again, I punched him in the face. This time he let out a grunt of anger, before charging me down. Unlike before, I didn’t just let him hit me. I leaped up a bit, and stood on one of his tusks. He growled at me, and tried to shake me off, but I held on, and went for another blow. He had to give up at some point, he was in a ice Pokémon after all. Fighting was strong against him!

And… it happened. Another Mach Punch to the face did it... King Sombra let out another grunt, before the Mamoswine fell over… And a dark energy fled from his body, I watched it. It had to be going to the Original King Sombra, right…

But as I trailed the dark mist, my eyes widened as a lump formed in my thought. King Sombra was not finished… He was far from done… Standing strong in a metal body, King Sombra was a Aggron, but…Clenched in his left hand was Flash Sentry, and in his right… was Holly Heart… Both were struggling in his hold, as his massive hands grabbed their heads. By heart stopped when Holly Heart cried out in pain…

“Give up, or they get what’s coming to them,” King Sombra smiled. He’d… he’d won… I fell to my knees. Just staring at them. I knew if i tried something, they would get hurt… I could not let them get hurt… I can’t let them get hurt! “Good… Good…” He’d… won…

King Sombra did a dirty trick... Again… He’d used what I held dear to me, to stop me from taking him down. Flash was a friend, while Holly Heart was more… I had feeling for her, and the thought of seeing her harmed made me angry, yet sad at the same time.

Reaching out with his magic, I felt King Sombra force his way inside of me… It was a painful feeling. As if my mind was being liquefied, forced to the side as something new took hold! What’s worse, is that I could hear him inside of he. He was laughing, and I knew he could hear me. Reading my thoughts as he took control!

“We’ll you’re not what I was expecting you to be, now are you?” I heard King Sombra say inside my mind. “Oh, and what’s this? Love?!” He stated in disgust. “Oh, for this mare? No wonder you gave up so easily… But with how much trouble you’ve put me though, I think it’s time to enact some vengeance for what you did to me.”

I felt it. I felt what King Sombra was going to do. Was going to have me do. I started to scream, as my body stood up. Step by step he made me walk to Holly… I wanted to cry, I wanted to to stop, I wanted to get King Sombra out of my mind, but all I could so I watch as I moved closer, and closer! Him, Sombra… was going to make me hurt Holly… He was going to take… her life, by my hand…

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” I screamed, to both King Sombra’s surprise, and my own. I was NOT going to let him do it… I was not going to let him force my hand! No matter how hard it hurt, not matter what happened, he was not going to harm her, especially not with my body.

“What!? How are you able to resist?!”

It hurt. The pain that I felt burned. All through my body, I could feel King Sombra, trying to control me, to force me to do something I would forever regret! The pain that I felt was worse than the day I saved Lex, but no matter how horrible it felt, I had to endure! King Sombra screamed in rage, as I felt a him push into me again. I screamed, and my body light ablaze. My skin started steam, as the pressure and pain I feel made my nose bleed. It was so distracting that I didn’t notice I was still screaming.

“Stop fighting me, or I’ll crush your loves skull myself!” Threatened King Sombra.

And there it was, the boiling point. Rage, pain, fear… I could not tell which was what at this point. My blood felt as if it was boiling, while my rage matched it. The feeling of King Sombra in my mind left, as my world turned red. I would not have him harm Holly Heart! I would not have him harm Holly Heart, with my body. I would not have KING SOMBRA ALIVE AT ALL!

As soon as I felt King Sombra out of my mind, I dashed forward at speeds that I did not know I could run at, and slammed into him. I didn’t try to attack him with a move, I just wanted to hit him, and hit him I did. He didn’t just stumble back, he was launched back, and slammed into one of the train carts, denting it inward. Holly and Flash Sentry both fell to the ground, and when I turned to see if they were safe, Flash was picking up Holly and placing her on his back.

“Go!” He yelled. “I got Holly, just end this!”

I nodded, and turned away from him. King Sombra was slowly pulling himself out of the train cart. The Aggron’s chest was badly burned, and King Sombra struggled to move. I glanced down at my hand, there had to be a reason why he was burned… And there it was. My arm, nobody was on fire. A light blue flame engulfed my form. I HAD used an attack. It was… Flare Blitz, I believed. I smiled.

Since I faced Shining Armor, I didn’t really try to see if I knew any more attacks. All I knew was how to throw a punch, but what were the chances that I could breath fire? Breath… fire… Taking a deep breath, I imaged a fire blast rocketing out and blowing King Sombra up. And… It happened. To my surprise, a Fire Blast shot out. King Sombra screamed in pain as the fire erupted around him. I could see the train cart he lay upon melt under his weight. He’d felt that one… Good. It’s not the Aggron that was in pain, but him!

I smiled, as I easily closed the distance between us, before jumping onto the train with King Sombra. “This is your end, King Sombra. Now leave that Pokémon, so I can make your death quick!”

He spat at me, before opening his mouth and trying to fire some sort of attack. Key word being trying, as I grabbed his mouth with my hands, clenching it shut. To this, King Sombra started to struggle, throwing the Aggron's arms out and about. They were easy to dodge, but it wasn’t till King Sombra used unleashed a blast of Metal Burst, did I get blown back. But the pain that it brought was nothing like before. Meaningless in comparison to what he was going to make me do.

Stumbling off of the ground, I stood up, to see King Sombra readying himself. He had pulled himself out of the melted train cart, and was giving me the stink eye. I smiled at him, and beckoned him to come to me with a wave of my hand. He just shook his head, before slowly moving himself towards me.

I wasn't having any of it. Still on fire, still in pain, and still angry, I slammed into King Sombra, but this time I used Mach Punch. Again, King Sombra flew back, but as he flew his lower body slammed into the train, making him flip up-and-over the train cart. I moved fast, as to keep on eye on him. Didn’t want him sneaking off now, did I? And I’m glad I did, as I stared down at the Aggron, a dark mist seeped out of him. Before slowly forming into King Sombra. The real King Sombra…

“I’m beginning to hate you more than that damned Princess you hold so fondly...” His horn flashed, as several pillars of black sharp crystals jetted for my body and face.

I moved bobbed between them, and most of the missed. Some cut into me, but the pain was miniscule, compared what I was going to do to him. He readied himself, before I drew near, and as I went in for an attack, he fired a wall of crystals up as a shield. I… shattered his shield, and his eyes went wide as I continued my charge.

As he jumped to the side, I just missed King Sombra but mere inches. His horn flared up again, as another crystal came forth, impaling my arm. I slammed my fist into the crystal, breaking it, before ripping it out of my arm. King Sombra had put some distance between us while I was occupied.

His eyes widened, before ducking, as the crystal he used on me whizzed past his head. Glancing back to me, he found me charging him again. He was about to summon more crystals, but before he could, I felt myself speed up, be it from adrenaline or anger, but either way, I smashed right through the growing wall of crystal, and right into him with the intensity of a freight train… Knocking him into one of the train carts...

“Damn you…” He growled, before his horn glowed softly, before he started to into mist. He was going to run, but I wan not going to let that happen. Dashing forward, I rammed my first into his face, somehow hitting him while he was still solid. He flew back, while a scream of pain escaped his lips. Yet it wasn’t just a scream. It was the first time I, or anyone for that matter, had harmed him… And it made me feel good.

“You...you will NOT defeat me!” Sombra growled, but I was beyond caring for a word that came out his muzzle. Instead, I grabbed him and without thinking, slammed him into the train cart he was next to, before punching him in the face, over and over. I pushed myself harder than ever before. After all the horrors that he had done to ponies, Pokémon, and more importantly, people I cared for without so much as a HINT of remorse... mercy was a foreign concept to me at this point, evident by the last blow that sent him flying a good few feet, before he landed with a sickening crack.

It took King Sombra a moment to stand. Unlike Pokémon, he was not as durable, and as he stood up, he was swaying back and forth, as if he was dizzy, before he broke into a run. As he did, I started to chase. He was much slower then me, and even though he had a head started, I caught up to him. Again, his horn was glowing, but this time, I didn’t punch him. I grabbed his horn with my flaming hand, and he let out a scream as the heat I exert burned his horn.

Giving a hard yank, I stopped him from running, and his screaming grew, as I held him in the air. He tried to use magic, but when his horn started to glow, his screams became louder. Drawing my other hand back, I brought it around and slapped him as hard as I could. A massive burned hand print appeared across his face. Releasing King Sombra, I brought the same hand that slapped him, and before he fell two inches, my first impacted his muzzle. He flew back several feet, and slammed hard into a tree.

With one of his eyes swollen shut, bleeding from the muzzle, he slowly looked up at me as I drew closer to him. “No…” He spoke. “This...this can’t be…! How are you doing this?! You are just...just…!“ I could see the fear in his eye, before his horn flared up. A black crystal shot up just to my right. It cut into my arm some, but with what was going on, I didn’t really feel it. But for King Sombra… he did, as I slammed my first into his head, just at the base of the horn. He let out the loudest scream yet as his horn shattered, while he was sent tumbling back, his magic useless now with the loss of his horn... But it was not over. He was still here, still alive…

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed him by his mane, and hoisted him up, before I unleashed what fire I could down upon him. His screams left him as his body started to turn to ash… And never ever have I imagined that I would do something such as this to a living creature, but after everything that he had put me through… after what he did to Pokémon, it was a fitting death.

And… it was over. He was gone. His crown was glowing red hot in a pile of ash… I let myself relax, before falling backwards, landing hard on the grass and snow, which spontaneously combusted… I felt my body relax, and the world around me became blurry. The cold air felt good on my body as I was no longer on fire… It… was good…

I could hear sounds around me. Hoof steps in the snow, but I held my eyes closed. I was… tired. I needed a nap after everything… I needed a lot of things… I still had the chill from when King Sombra tried to take me over, but the longer I lay there, the harder it was to stay awake…

-:-:-

It wasn’t for a while, until I awoke. The first thing I noticed was the sky, and the bright sun. It felt… pleasant as the rushing of air whizzed past me.

“John? Guys, John’s awake!” I heard Volt say… Looking down at my chest, I found him sitting there… Smiling at me. He then latched himself to my face. “John! I’m so glad you’re awake,” He whimpered. “Everyone was saying that you needed help! That you needed a doctor again, but I knew better. No one can take you down!”

I just breathed, as he hugged me, before looking around. To my right was Holly, she quickly followed in Volt’s example, hanging my chest, crying. If I was not in pain, I would have placed a hand on her side, but the idea of moving was… painful. Just above me was Shining and Cadance… And…

“Are we flying?” I weakley asked.

“Good to see you’re finally awake.” Yveltal’s voice spoke up. “And yes… We are flying… It was the least I could after what you did to King Sombra.”

“How are you feeling, John?” Cadance asked.

I slowly looked at her, her mane was a mess, but other then that she looked fine. “Like a wet noodle…”

Shining laughed, before letting out a sigh. “Sorry…”

“Don’t worry… It was a joke…” I mumbled. There was then something grabbing onto my left shoulder, and as I looked over, Flubber, battered and bruised, smiled at me. And as Volt and Holly, he hugged me. “Hey… Flubber, good work… protected the Princess…” I weakly spoke.

We all became silent after that. No one knew what to say. What do you say after something like that? Some would congratulate me, but this was not the time or the place… Some would have me rushing to a hospital, which was a great idea if I do say so myself… Others would cheer out for the death of King Sombra… But… no. That’s not what needed to be said.

As much as it hurt me, I slowly moved my right arm, and placed my hand on Holly’s head. She stopped crying and looked up at me in surprise. “Are you alright?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No, John. Don’t think about me, just… Just concentrate on healing, ok?”

It was my turn to shake my head. “Holly?”

“Yes?”

I smiled at her. The fight with King Sombra told me two things… The first was how to fight, but that was not what I was thinking about… No, it was what King Sombra had said. How he had felt love inside of me, something that I felt for Holly Heart. “I love you…”

Author's Note

Editors Notes-
Zues- I loved it. The fights were amazing.
Aus- Error, note not written.
TDN- A good end to a good story. It’s been a fun ride

Bubba- Is this end? No. But it is to the King Sombra arch, as well as King Sombra. Oh, and didn't I say I'll be busting my a** to get this out? Well, I did. Three days ago, I had 1500 words written down. Now? and now it's 10,550. (or so.)
I want Comments! If you read this, you have to comment. Even if you have nothing to say, I want to know what you liked about this, and what you think of it all. I helps me come up with more ideas, now what was good.

As always, I hope you enjoyed, and we'll be seeing you again soon.
(Oh, and fallow me. This may be the last chapter for "A New World, Burning and Old way." But's not the last chapter for John and his family. What I am trying to say is, we may have another story on our hands. Still going to be told from the eyes of John, but a different tittle, but I may just keep using this one.)

Chapter 19: Canterlot part One

New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Edited by: Ausbrony

Special Guests and Pre-reader:
TheOneVolcarona, writer of A New World, a New Champion

Chapter 19: Canterlot part One

As we approached Canterlot, Holly helped me up so that I could see the great city. Compared to the pictures I had found in my studies, the city looked rather amazing. From the beautiful white castle, to the massive waterfalls, and unlike the Crystal Empire, it was not snowing, which meant the mountain and surrounding areas were green as could be. It was a good sight to see, after the long, and painful, trip.

King Sombra was dead, and that left only one thing to do. The World Summit, followed by a long rest. Over the flight, Yvetal didn’t really speak, and when he did he was rather short about things. He wasn’t the most friendly of Pokemon, but his company was pleasant. Shining and Cadance, well, they kept going on and on about how I was able to win… I was rather taken back at what they had to say, really, but at some point, I had to block it out. Just staying awake was giving me a headache, and after a while, so where they…

“I see a landing platform,” Yveltal started, before he slowly turned his body, drifting towards Canterlot Castle.

We all became quiet as we looked down on the city as it drew closer. I could see the street building, while ponies, as well as other types of creatures, Pokemon or otherwise, flying about. But my view was blocked by Holly, who smiled at me.

“I’m going to help you down, alright?” I nodded to her, before the world was darkened slightly as we docked, or to be more exact, as Yveltal came to a landing in a hanger.

At first glance, I didn’t really know what to think of it. The airships in the hanger all seemed, in there one way, strange but functional, yet as Holly Heart helped me slowly slide down Yveltal’s wing, there was a flash of gold, before…

Arceus… He was standing before me… I knew he was going to be here, but until now, the magnitude of standing before him was… well, nothing. My mind was on other priorities. Standing aside him was Princess Celestia. I knew this because of both the descriptions I was given, and from the pictures of her. She had a regal look, and was rather taken back, from the looks of it. Did Arceus teleport them here without her knowing?

“Princess, this is Yveltal,” Arceus spoke, jestering towards the dark Pokemon. Celestia stared at Yveltal for a moment, before she turned her attention to Princess Cadance.

“Aunty!” Cadance yelled, before running past all of us, and giving Celestia a hug. Celestia embraced Cadance, before glancing back to Yveltal, then to Cadance, then to shining.

“What happened to all of you?” Arceus asked, his voice stern, before he walked over to Yveltal, leaned in, and used his power to heal the dark type.

“Thank you, father…” Yveltal started, before he relaxed his body. “The train… was attacked. By King Sombra.”

Princess Celestia gasped. “Are you alright?” She asked worryingly. The answer, for myself at least, was no.

Slowly nodding, Cadance smiled. “He surprised us, but John and Yveltal managed to drive him back far enough so that they could…” Cadance’s voice quivered at the end, and… I knew why. She had a great view of King Sombra turning to ask, and even though it was a joyous occasions, seeing something like that was not good.

“That stallion won't be bothering anyone ever again…” Yveltal chuckled darkly.

Arceus let out a sigh of relief. “That is good to hear, now why don’t I send you back to the temple to get some rest? You’ve more than earned it, my son.” With a nod of Yveltal’s head, there was another flash of gold, before he was gone.

“We didn’t get to say thank you,” I muttered to myself.

“Now, before we move on,” Arceus started, his eyes roaming over to me, before moving to Princess Cadance. “I would like to know exactly how he died. In detail, if you don’t mind.”

“Let’s see…” Shining Armor started, “Would you rather we just tell you the end of it, or should we go over the whole train ride?”

“Since we don’t have much time before the meeting starts, the short version will be suffice.” Arceus answered.

“Alright, Lord Arceus, after… getting King Sombra out of the Pokemon he was controlling, John… burned him to death,” Shining Armor answered, before stepping over to Cadance. “It was… not the best of sights, but it was worth seeing him like that after what he did to Cadance…”

“Well, it’s good to know that it’s all over,” Leaning down, Arceus used Healing Pulse, and what wounds Cadance and Shining had vanished. “At a later date, we shall discuss this more at length. I would like to know the full version of the events that transpired on your way here.”

There was a loud sound as the door at the front of the hanger bursted open, several ponies and Pokemon started to step in. Among the few in the front was a lavender alicorn, rushing forth. “Shining! Cadance!” She called out, before rushing up and hugging the two. “The Princess just told me about King Sombra!” I smiled at I watched. This had to be Twilight Sparkle, the newly crowned Princess. Cadance said she was a bit dramatic, and it shows.

“Not a Dragon?” Glancing over to the next figure was a midnight blue alicorn, and through process of elimination, and the fact that I know what they look like, I knew this to be Princess Luna.

“One of his,” Celestia answered her sister, jestering to Arceus.

My attention was then occupied by Lord Arceus, who stepped closer to me, before leaning in, and as he had done for Yveltal, Cadance and Shining, a soothing glow engulf me as he used Healing pulse.

My body relaxed as all the pain went away. My shoulders slumped down, and I smiled as a relaxing feeling came over me. “Thank you, Lord Arceus,” I spoke softly, as she he was the only one that could hear be, besides Holly Heart, who had been at my side this whole time. Like me, she had a relaxing feeling flowing through her, and it showed.

“Now that that’s taken care of,” Arceus started, “I believe some introductions are in order?” He was specifically looking at me, as he spoke.

I nodded, before stepping forward. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Lord Arceus…” As I spoke there names, I gave a low bow. “My name is John Williams, International Pokemon Police, it is a pleasure to meet you, and this,” I reached out a hand, and placed it softly on Holly’s back. “Is my marefriend Holly Heart,” Holly blushed at his, but gave a bow. I smiled at her, for a moment, before turning my attention back to them. “I’m looking forward to the relaxing life of politics while I am here…”

There was a light snore from my shoulder, before I remember that Volt had fallen asleep while on the flight over here. “Oh, and this little fellow is Volt. Please do not give him sugar…” I didn’t realise it at the time, but I forgot to introduce Flubber, who at the time was transformed into my old trenchcoat.

-:-:-

For more details of the International meeting, please go and read chapter 41 of

A New World, A New Way

For the sake of not being redundant, I will be cutting it out.

-:-:-

The first part of the international meeting was rather… informative. The world leaders were nice, well, most of them, and some, not all, of their advisors were tolerable. It was really just a day of memory as Lord Arceus showed us memories of what he deemed good and bad in humans, and as to why he had to leave. He… Even mentioned me as to why some of us are worth bring to Equus… I didn’t even recognize myself...

Slowly I raised the glass of water to my lips, as I finished eating my meal. Since the first part of the meeting had ended, and we were all given time to go out and refresh our minds, I had taken it upon myself to request a large meal. I was starving after everything that had occurred prior, and as I really only had coffee to start the day off, it was understandable as to why I was so hungry.

But as I ate, my attention was taken to several groups of Pokemon and those who accompany them. I had met a man named Gene, and his, as I learned, so to be wife Belle. I knew who they were before speaking to them, just didn’t know it. I smiled as I watched them leave the dining hall. Back on Earth, their love had been marked as a crime, and before, I would not care what happened to them, as I had more important matters. But now… after meeting Holly, I knew what they felt, or at least, I had the chance to. It was a great thing, and now that they are here in Equus they could live in peace.

Most of the other groups I had decided to stay away from, with Sev and his, I would not call it an army as I do not see it as such, but his… group, were on the top of that list. I heard of a Luxray named Seth that had been quite helpful toward Canterlot, but I did not see him, nor did I ask. But in the end, if you were to ask me how was my first impressions of everyone? Well…

Princess Twilight Sparkle… when she was not with Cadance and Shining, she was mostly staring at me in wonder. Probably wondering how the hell I was able to deal with King Sombra… and I don’t think I knew the answer to it, really.

Princess Celestia? Understanding, and thankful. She welcomed my presence with open arms, er, hooves, as Cadance, Shining and I spoke with her before I went off to eat. Really, my view of her was like Princess Cadance. They ruled the land, but I knew that they were just ponies that were looking for their ponies.

Princess Luna? I had yet to really speak with her, so my opinion was rather… invalid. I didn’t know anything about her, or how she acted, and the same went for the rest of the World Leaders, at least, for now…

Yet for now, I had to return to the meeting. Lunch and come and gone, our minds were cleared, and it was about time that we got back to work...

-:-:-

Golden Horn was unable, or unwilling, to understand that most Pokemon meant no harm. During the course of the rest of the meeting, he did his best to make us see just how bad Pokemon could be… It made me sick. After everything he had said, I wanted to spit at him. But I didn’t… I only stayed calm. It was… easy to stay calm. After all, he wasn’t as bad as King Sombra. However, it wasn’t till I spoke up, that he, as well as anyone who also did not like the idea of Pokemon staying on Equus, that no matter what, Pokemon were not going to leave, and that forcing them to do so again would be a tragedy, did he finally ceased his statements about it.

Yes, a Pokemon could go on a rampage. Yes, Pokemon can be deadly. But as far as I saw it, so could any other form of life. King Sombra, a unicorn stallion, was able to kill. What about a Minotaur? Or a Pegasus? Or even a Deer? We are all able to harm and hurt… So why could he not understand that?

My anger of Golden Horn rose and fell as the meeting went on, as I had to concentrate on other matters. Cadance would silently ask me a question here and there, but overall the meeting was rather straightforward. Nothing real surprising happened after my initial outburst, yet I feel as if the other world Leaders were avoiding something, but at the same time, I wasn’t in the right state of mind...

And… I’m still not. As the meeting came to an end, Arceus came up to me, asking if he and I could speak about what went on during the train ride. Seeing as we said we already said we would speak to him, I requested that both Cadance and Shining be there, recalling what they felt.

“Of course,” Arceus spoke. “I wished to speak to them as well. Come to the meeting room a little later, I’ll be waiting for you there.”

“Alright, I shall see you then, Lord Arceus. If you excuse me, I have…” I trailed off, thinking of the right word. “A mare to see…” I finished, not wanted to label anything.

As I started to walk away, and head towards the dining hall as before, I knew Holly would be waiting for me, for our little double date with Cadance and Shining. They had told me that they needed to do something before they showed up, and I suspected it had something to do with Twilight, as they had walked off with her.

But that didn’t matter as my eyes fell upon her green coat. Holly was facing away from me, and speaking to one of the chefs. She didn’t notice me as I strolled up to her. The sheff motioned to Holly, but stopped when I held a finger to my lips.

“Really?” She started. “You don’t have Oran Berries?” Holly asked, and it made me smile.

“Sorry, Ma’am. I have no idea what that is. Does it have anything to do with Pokemon, by the way?”

“Yeah… I was hoping to get somepony something special.”

“You’re special sompony wouldn’t happen to be a tall fire monkey, right?”

“Um… Yes?” She slowly turned around, and jumped at the sight of me. “Oh, John… um… didn’t know you were here…”

“I know,” I smiled at her. “So, you’re looking to get my Oran Berries?”

“Um…” She blushed in embarrassment.

Reaching out with a hand, I placed it on her head. “Come on,” I started. “Let’s get a table so that when Cadance and Shining get’s here we can order something to eat.”

She nodded, face still red.

-:-:-

It was not the same room as before… As Shining Armor, Cadance, Holly, and myself went off to see Lord Arceus, we found ourself in a whole other place. From the cold stone of Canterlot, to a sizable room made of white marble. It was… nothing as it was before.

“I think we made a wrong turn…” Cadance started, not seeing Arceus sitting at the end of a massive table.

“No, Princess. You made it to the right place,” Arceus chimed up, gaining our attention. ‘Welcome to the Hall of Legends! Home of my children, and to myself. Please, sit.”

“This isn’t the same room as before…” Shining muttered, glancing to the door, then around the room.

“So we wouldn’t have to worry about being interrupted I changed the destination of the door so it lead to the Hall of Legends, rather than the meeting room Canterlot.” He glanced down at them for a moment. “If you’d prefer, we do not have to speak here, though seeing as we are here to begin with, we should start.”

“It’s… fine?” Cadance asked, turning to me.

I nodded. “We’re already here, may as well…” I saw it. It was just for a moment, but the room shrank down. “Get to business…” I looked over to my friends and lover, and none of them seem to had noticed it.

“Well then,” Cadance started, taking a set. “What questions do you wish to ask?”

“I would like a detailed summary of the events that lead up to King Sombra’s death.”

“Seeing as I had a first hand involvement…” I started. “I’ll start…”

As I started to recall my tail, I could see Arceus getting angry. From how King Sombra harmed ponies with his Pokemon, to how King Sombra didn’t care if the Pokemon were hurt… but Arceus didn't speak. Not even when I described that pain I felt when he forced his way into my mind and body. It was not till I was finished... “I wish I had ignored the Princess’ warning,” he said, shaking his head. “That monster would have been dead... no, no he would have WISHED for death after I got hold of him!” The room shook as he yelled, making Holly eep.

“I’m just glad… that I got him out of me… I could feel what he was going to make me do!” I cried out, slamming my fist into the marble table before me, crashing it highly. “Sorry…” I muttered, apologies for breaking the table.

“W-what was he going to make you do?” Cadance stuttered. Though my retailing of events, Cadance and Shining both had grim expressions, Holly even more so, but now.. they just looked worried for me.

I looked over at Holly. He wanted me to kill her. To use my own hands… to slowly wrap around her neck and… I clenched my eyes shut and grabbed my head. “No… Please, don’t make me think about it…”

“John?” Holly started, placing her hand on my shoulder. “It’s alright. We’re here… you don’t have to speak about it…”

“Alright, who’s gone through a recent traumatic experience?” A voice spoke up. We all turned to see Mesprit, staring at us. I had known who she was through Team Rocket files, but this was the first time I had seen her in person.

Arceus sighed. “John, Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, Holly Heart, this is my daughter Mesprit, Guardian of Emotion.”

“And speaking of emotions, I’ve felt a great disturbance coming from this room. So. Who is it?” I… stared at her for a moment. I didn’t really know what to say, but simple raised my hand. “Mmmhhh….” She hummed, as she flew over to me. “Well you certainly look like you went through something. Well come on, tell me what it was so I can help you.”

“What?” Holly started.

“I’m the Guardian of Emotions, here to make him stop feeling so down.”

I glanced over at Arceus, then over to Mesprit. “I’m sorry, but no… I don’t want to talk about it…” I started.

“Well the sooner you talk about it, the better. You don’t want to go and have a moment now do you? You may hurt someone. I’ve seen it before. Trust me on this, I know what I am talking about.”

“For now, John said no. I request that you leave it here for now.” Cadance said in a polite voice, though I could tell she was annoyed. I was… getting there. In most cases, talking about your problem was good, but… I now know how Weavile felt. When she had the scared look in her eye.

“Mesprit, please do not harass John. He’s been through much, and while I am sure you know what you’re talking about, for now, just leave it. John can come and speak to you when he feels like he is ready.”

Mesprit floated there for a moment, before letting out a sigh. “Alright, fine Dad. But you,” She pointed at me. “I’m going to help you…” With that she flew out of the room.

“She’s very forward…” Shining muttered.

“She takes her job seriously,” Arceus said with a sigh.

I let out a groan, as I placed a hand on my head. I… had a headache.

“I think it would be best if we leave,” Princess Cadance started. “Arceus, it was a pleasure speaking with you. I hope you found what John had to say, informative, but for now… I think he should be getting to bed.”

“Truer words have never been spoken…” I declared, before standing up. “I… hope you were not joking about that invite, Arceus. Because…” I trailed off again, thinking about Holly…

“Yes, my door is always open to you, John. I hope you get well.”

Standing up, I gave a bow, before turning to Holly. “Um, Holly?”

“Yes?”

“Can you come make my room fire proof?”

She chucked slightly, before nodding.

-:-:-

Sleep was a graceful thing. After the day I had, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, and unlike the short nap I had while on Yveltal’s back, this was several hours long… Several amazing hours of relaxing sleep… Which came to an end through a wake up call. I understood why I was woken up, could not miss the meeting after all, but couldn’t they at least let me sleep in past seven?

Sadly, the answer was no, but I did my best to ignore it, and only since I was able to eat breakfast with Holly. Since we arrived in Canterlot, though she had not been in the meeting, she had been helping Cadance on the side. Letting her know what was what, and who was who. Like me, she did not want to wake up in the morning, but unlike me, she had the luxury of going back to sleep. At least, for an hour or two, while the meeting was going on.

“You should slow down, John. Don’t want to choke,” Holly gave me a confused smile as she watched me eat from across the table. I had just eaten my third bowl of our meal, and was working on the fourth. “Or, um, get fat?”

Swallowing my food, as to not be impolite, I returned her smile. “Well, I don’t want Volt to take my food again,” I joked, before taking on a sad smile. “But really, I’ve been starving since I woke up. I think it has to do with me being a Pokemon or something. I know Pokemon needed good healthy food to fight, but I’m rather surprised by it. really. Eclipse never had to eat this much…”

“Well… Just slow down, alright. Oh, and you have something hanging,” Using her magic, she lifted a napkin up and wiped the side of my face. “There we go…”

“Thank you, Holly,” I gave her a nod, before returning to my food. I was currently eating cherry oatmeal. Before this one, it was apple, then banana, and then raisins.

We stayed quiet for the most part as we sat there. The meeting didn’t start for a while, and we didn’t have anything to do. I thought about started a simple conversation, perhaps asking her something about Equestria or herself, yet… to my surprise, I found it rather hard to ask. I could tell she was getting nervous, as I kept looking up at her. As if I was waiting for her to do or say something.

The awkwardness ended however as a lavender alicorn made her way to our table. “Excuse me, John?”

“Yes, Princess Twilight Sparkle?” I asked, noticing that Holly gave a polite bow. I quickly did the same.

“Please, just call me Twilight,” she told me. “And there’s no need to bow seeing as I’m here to thank you for saving my brother and sister-in-law.” Princess Twilight Sparkle. From what I knew of her, and it was not much, she had just recently been crowned, and her crown was that of the Element of Magic. Other than that, she seemed… nervous? Or was she just antsy? “I honestly don’t know how to thank you for saving them so… if you need anything, just ask, alright?”

“Thank you, Princess, oh, sorry. I mean, Twilight. Thank you, Twilight. I’ll be sure to let you know if I need anything.”

Twilight nodded, but didn’t leave. Shifting from side to side, she bit her lower lip before frowning. “And... about yesterday, when you yelled at Golden Horn? I’ve gotta say, it was rather impressive. So I asked Cadance about it, and she told me this wasn’t the first time you’ve spoken out like that, and every time you do, everypony is taken back,” She paused for a moment, before her frown turned upside down. Somewhat… “I guess what I’m trying to ask is... if things start going bad could you maybe do it again?”

“Of course,” I reassured Twilight. “I want this meeting to go well, and I won't let it go sour.”

Twilight sighed in relief “Thank you, and,” Twilight glanced over to Holly for a moment, before her eyes widened. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”

“My name is Holly Heart, Princess Twilight.”

“Please, just call me Twilight.”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m… Not as use to speaking openly as I should be…” Holly apologies. “But, um, John… what did you say? You know I like it when you go off on ponies…”

“Oh, that’s right. You two are together, aren’t you?” Twilight asked.

“Uh, yes,” I answered, knowing that this may be a conversation that both Holly and I don’t really want. Then again, Twilight may not be as bad as Cadance…

Twilight shifted on her hooves. “So... can I ask how it’s working out for you two? Since you’re a Pokemon and she’s a pony.”

“It’s working out… fine, though, we don’t really like talking about it, Twilight. If you don’t mind, I would rather not speak about it until Holly wishes to.”

I then noticed that Holly’s face was red. Even now she still gets flushed over it… It was.. cute. “I-It’s fine…”

“Alright,” I turned to Twilight, a smile on my face. “It’s going fine.”

Twilight stared at me for a moment, before looking confused. “That’s it?” I nodded. “No complications?”

“Well, the first time Holly and I had a real conversation, I threw a stallion out a two story window. Other then that, we have yet to have… well, any problems…” I lied. We did have a problem, or at least, I did…

“That’s... interesting,” Twilight said, not sure how to respond. “Well... I’m glad things are working out for you then.”

“Thank you,” Standing up, I stretched, before popping my back. “Really though, if you told me three weeks ago that I would become a Pokemon, live on another world, and fall in love with a pony… Well I would do my best to find the nearest hospital and have you checked in.”

Holly giggled at my joke, but before our conversation could continue, Shining Armor made his way to us. “Hey Twilight, hello John, Holly,” To each of us he gave a nod, before turning to his sister. “Twi, the meeting is going to start soon. Princess Celestia is waiting for you to stand by her side.”

“Thank you for reminding me, BBBFF,” Twilight said, to both Holly’s, as well as my own, confusion. “It was a pleasure speaking with you, John, and it was nice to meet you Holly. I hope we can talk in the future.”

Trotting off, Shining watched Twilight for a moment, before turning to me. “Well John, day one went well, for the most part. Let’s get on to day two. Oh, and Holly,” Shining turned to my mare, before frowning. “Cadance needs a quick reminder on the proper way to greet the Saddle Arabians.”

“Seems it’s time to get to work, Holly.”

-:-:-

To say it bluntly, the meeting did not go well. I HAD to speak up again, and it was so that Princess Celestia did not have to. However, it ended rather quickly, though it did not feel like it. How did it end? Well Volt had the idea to spy in on the conversation, and was eating popcorn, which he threw at the world leaders. It stopped the arguing, but it seemed… wrong. Most of the world leaders in the room liked Pokemon being around, yet all it takes is a spark to start a fire… are there were a lot of sparks. Yet it was over, or at least, the first half of it was over.

As I stepped out of the meeting room, Cadance pulled me to the side. Standing next to her was, as always, Shining, Twilight, and Princess Celestia. I gave a bow to Celestia, before turning to Cadance. “Yes, Cadance? What do you need?”

“John,” Cadance started in a serious toned voice. “We need to speak in private. Please come with us.” I nodded, not knowing what she wanted. It had to be a matter that came up in the room, or my outburst. Either way, something was wrong. Cadance normally spoke in a happy tone of voice, or, at the very least, one that was never this serious…

Shining Armor, Twilight, and Princess Celestia kept quiet as we made our way to the throne room. There was only two guards present, and they stood on guard, next to Princess Luna. This matter had to be a big one, considering all four Princess were here.

Shining Armor motioned me to stand in front of the thrown, and I did so, though my mind started to wonder if I was in some sort of trouble. Celestia took her set upon the throne, while Cadance, Twilight and Luna stood aside her.

“John Williams,” Princess Celestia started. “When Cadance told me about your deeds, I found most of them honorable, some questionable, while others made me thankful,” She turned her ation to her right, giving a smile to Cadance. “When she said you saved her life, I felt grateful that you were there. When she said that you in pain, I felt sorry that we could not help you. But when Cadance told me what happened on the train ride coming here, I felt… sorrowful. No living creature should be forced to go through what you went though, but…” She took on a graceful smile as she looked me over. “It is because you went through those things, that Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and even your love, Holly Heart, are still here. King Sombra, the horrible stallion that once enslaved thousands, was stopped, thanks to your efforts,” One of the guards stepped forward, a small box placed under his wing. “Please, kneel.”

I did so, not knowing what exactly was going on.

“John,” Shining Armor stepped forward. “You’ve helped Cadance more than anyone I know. You’ve helped the Crystal Empire more than anyone will ever know. So, I ask you this. Would you please join the Crystal Guard?”

I… did not answer. My eyes were wide. This was… very sudden. All I wanted was to get the world meeting over… But… “Y-yes.” I stated loudly. I did need something to do after this…

“Then repeat after me, John.” Cadance started. “I, John Williams, swear upon my life to protect the Crystal Empire, to protect Princess Cadance, and to protect those who dwell within it’s shields,”

“I, John Williams, swear upon my life to protect the Crystal Empire, to protect Princess Cadance, and to protect those who dwell within it’s shields,” I repeated, even though all of those actions I had already done.

“With my life, and no matter the cost, no matter the danger, will do so willingly, and without hesitation,” She continued.

“With my life, and no matter the cost, no matter the danger, will do so willingly, and without hesitation,” And again, I had done all this before…

“Then I, Princess Cadance, Princess of Love, and Princess of the Crystal Heart, grant you the rank of Captain,” My eyes widened again. I had the same rank as Shining Armor… “Please stand,” I slowly, and shakily stood up, standing straight, tall and prowd.

The case that the stallion was holding popped open, and Cadance levitated a Medal.

“I present you to, The Crystal Honor Guard Medal. Given to those who swore there life to protect and serve the Princess of the Crystal Empire, and have proven themselves capable of dealing with any problem that she may have,” Cadance finished. “Not everypony is capable of getting this Medal, John. Congratulation, you’re the first Pokemon that has made the Rank of Honor Guard.” She placed it upon my chest, and through magic, I’m guessing, it stayed attached to my chest.

“Consider us equals, John,” Shining smiled. “In rank, and,” He glanced at his sister Twilight. “Friends.”

“Than you,” I started, still taken back at what just happened. It was… supprising.

“Oh, we’re not finished, Captain” Princess Luna started. More Medals? What in the world are they going to give me?!

“John, I, Princess Luna, present you the Purple Heart. For getting wounded in the line of action.” Oh… well that makes sense.

“Though it doesn't quite state what you went through, wear it proudly.” Luna finished. Again, they placed the Medal upon my chest, and through magic it stayed.

“And finally,” Princess Twilight started. “For saving my brother, Shining Armor, and for saving my sister in law, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadance for short, I Princess Twilight Sparkle, along with Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, and Princess Cadance, agree to award you with the Princess’s Blessing Medal.”

“You are one of very few that have been given this medal, John. Because it is for those who go above and beyond, and risk their own life against all odds, to save those they love, and those who would not be here today without them…” Celestia started. “It is not a medal to batter your eyes at, John. And neither is what you had to do. Please, wear this medal proudly, for you deserve it.” I didn’t know it when they gave it to me, but the Princess’s Blessing Medal was the highest reward you could receive…

“Thank you…” Those were the only words I could say, because those where they only woulds you should say at a time like this…

“No, John. It is us that should be thanking you.” Celestia stated.

Author's Note

Bubba- I’m sick again, but this time it’s just allergies. I may not be able to breath out of my nose, but that didn’t stop me this time! Hope you’d love the chapter, and tell me what you think. If you have nothing to say, then just leave a good-ol-Pinkie Pie smile in the comments!

As a side, if you ever are sick to the point where you are sneezing out massive nukes of snot, take mucinex. It works great in clearing everything up.
(Ask a Doctor first if you are able to take it. I am not responsible if you take it and something bad happens…) What? Got to cover myself when it comes to things like this.

Editor’s notes-
Zeus- Sweet, someone else made it to the summit, and I get to see another point of view.
TDN - A nice rendition of the summit chapters.
Aus - (He hasn't been commenting or adding theses in the last few chapters... ~ Bubba)

Chapter 20: Canterlot part Two

Warning: This chapter is a bit more dark than the others. I am sorry.

Quie the emotional Rollercoaster.

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Edited by: Ausbrony

Chapter 20: Canterlot part Two

I was given the rank of Captain. I was apart of the Crystal Empire Honor Guard. The only other stallion who held this rank and honor was Shining Armor… I didn’t know what to say, and I still don’t.... I was given medals back on Earth, but none of them were on this scale. I had been honored by leaders, and commended by many, many people… But back on Earth, I did those things because I cared, and I just wanted to finish off Team Rocket…

Looking back on it now, I had missed out a lot because of my drive to do so. Before Equestria, I had never loved. I had a home, but I never felt like a home. A real home, where you would come back to after a long days of work, and just relax with your family… My father, he died long ago, and I never knew my mother. Family, was a thing I didn’t really have. Blood family, I mean. It’s why I hold Eclipse, Flubber, Lex and Snow so close… But my family has grown since then.

Volt, as odd as he is sometimes, is apart of my family now. He’s a child at heart, and has his life ahead of him. Holly Heart, on the other hand, I would not consider family, but more… She is mine. I am hers… I was able to do what I had to do, just because I could not bare the thought of her getting hurt…

And now, I just sat there in the meeting as the world leaders blabbered on, my mind pondering other places… I did pay some attention though, just in case I was asked something. Cadance never did, though. She would glance at me on occasion, but never asked. She probably was looking to see how I felt on the situation we’re all speaking about.

It was, compared to the other parts of this meeting, rather black and white. Nothing to question, nothing to elaborate. Nothing to wonder on, just simple back and forths over how Pokemon could be helpful, as well as hurtful.

In the end, after I got my medals, and after everything I went through, after my outburst in past meetings, all I felt was drained, and as the meeting came to a closed, I felt myself relax.

“John,” Cadance started, pulling me to the side after the meeting. “Are you feeling alright?” Shining Armor was with her, while Princess Twilight stood to the side, waiting patiently for Cadance to finish speaking with me. From what I learned, the two of them had some dinner plans…

“I feel fine Cadance, just… drained. The past few days have been, well, stressful and emotional.”

“I understand, John… Why don’t you go relax, you deserve it!”

“I would, but I want to go and spend what little of today I have with Holly…” Cadance gave me a seductive smile… Oh, I hated it when she did that.

“Oh, Shining, look. John wants some alone time with Holly…”

“Ah, leave him along Cadance,” Shining smiled, giving Cadance a sideward glance. “I’m sure John and Holly are going to have a great time. Let’s not bother them.”

I could tell I was blushing, as there was quite the warmth coming from my checks. “Well, I, um, I wish for all of you to have a wonderful afternoon…” I stammered, before making a beeline away from them. Holly and I just started seeing each other… I could not imagine doing… her… Holding her in my arms… My hands slowly wrapping around her throat. NO! No, no, no, think about something else… Don’t think about what King Sombra made you see…

This was made horribly easy as I had walked right into Celestia’s flank... She jumped slightly, before turning back to me. “I am so sorry, Princess Celestia! I was not watching where I was going!”

“It’s um... it’s quite alright John,” she said sheepishly, a light blush in her face. “Accidents happen.”

“Again, I’m sorry. I was distracted by, um, I don’t really want to think about what I was distracted by, and, ah,” I let out a long sigh. “I’m making a fool of myself… I apologize for walking into you, Princess Celestia. Cadance and Shining Armor have been putting ideas in my head, and I was not watching where I was going…”

Celestia nodded. “Ah, I apologize for my niece, sometimes she gets a little carried away.”

“She means well though, even if she can get a little too… open about things… I would like her to slow down, and let my relationship grow some more before she… assumes things…”

“I could talk to her about it, if you want,” Celestia offered. “I had to back when she was in school, so I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

“No, it’s not too bothersome, I’m just not used to her sometimes… Not used to have a girlfriend, I mean, marefriend. Funny how our worlds have the same language, just with small differences… Again, I am sorry for walking into your backside, Princess Celestia, but I should get going... Holly is waiting for me...”

Celestia smiled and blushed. “I hope you two enjoy yourselves.”

Walking around Princess Celestia, still a bit taken back at walking into her, I sheepishly made my way to where Holly and I were going to meet. She was the first I told about the promotion, and it was the first time that I had ever seen her squee in utter delight, and it’s why I was on my way to see her. We had a date, as I hinted earlier. A celebration, you see. Just the two of us, on an open balcony with a view of the city…

I just had to grab something before I went to see her…

-:-:-

Raising my hand, I knocked on Holly Heart’s room door, before adjusting my tie.

Slowly, Holly’s door opened, and she let out a squee when she saw me. “John, you’re wearing a suit!”

“I’m glad you like it, Holly, but please, no monkey in a suit jokes. The tailor made plenty as he quickly threw this together for me…”

“But you’re so cute though! Oh, and now I feel under dressed… I didn’t think to bring my dress…”

“It’s alright, Holly. I prefer you the way you are, rather you’re prettied up or not doesn't change that.”

Blushing, Holly smiled at me. “Well, shall we?”

Reaching out a hand, I took her hoof, before we started to walk down the hallway. It did not take us long to reach our destination, as I had assed to use a near by dining room. It was like the one we had used for the meeting, only was much smaller, and had a large balcony. Our table was already prepared, and a stallion was waiting for us.

“Let me help you into your seat,” I offered, pulling out Holly’s chair.

“Why, thank you John.” She smiled to me, as I took my seat across from her.

“And what would the lovely couple like to eat, or would you like to start out with some wine?” The stallion, who both Holly and I took as the waiter, smiled at us, before handing us two large menus.

“Nothing too strong this time, I don’t want to get full on drunk like last time we went out…” Holly frowned, as the thoughts of the range rover loomed in her mind.

Turning to the wine section, I started to read over what they had. “Holly, what is your favorite fruit?”

“Bananas,” She answered.

“Well they don’t have any banana wines… What’s your second?”

“That would be... peaches,”

“Then we’ll start off with a toast of Peach wine as the sun begins to set,”

“Oh, sounds romantic~” Holly started, before glancing off to the slowly setting sun. “Seems we’re going to need to start soon though, or we'll miss it.”

“Excuse me, Waiter. We’ll think about what we want to eat for now, can you please run off and get the wine? Oh, and never got your name.”

“Bow Tie, the fifteenth, Sir. And I shall bring your wine right away.”

As Bow Tie, the Earth pony Waiter trotted off, I could not help but stare at Holly. The red rays of the sunset, bouncing off of her green made her look radiant. A lovely glow, that I could not help but relaxed from.

“John,” She blushed, adjusting her Glasses. “You’re staring…”

“You know Holly, in our last date, we didn’t really speak much about ourselves… Once we decided on what to eat, why don’t you tell me more about yourself…?”

“A-alright…” She was still blushing, but pulled the menu up as to hide her face. “I… I think I’ll have the… Um, the, um…”

“You know, they have a Pot-pie… With carrots, green beans, and you can ask for extra gravy… I know it’s your favorite.”

“You… remembered that?” She asked, as she slowly lowered the menu.

“Of course,” I moved my hand forward, and slowly took the meu away from Holly. “I also know that you really like banana splits… Last time we had one you ate most of it.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about...” She stated, with a wave of her hoof. “We’ll just have to order two then!”

“Your wine,” Bow Tie the Waiter commented, startling Holly. “Allow me to pore the two of you drinks.” Screwing in a wine opener, the cork made a pop as it came off.

“Well we figured out what we’re having,” Holly started, as a glass of wine was poured for her. “I’ll have the Pot-pie, with carrots, green beans, and if I can get extra gravy, then it would be great.”

“Of course, Ma’am. And for the Gentlestallion?” he asked, before pouring me a glass.

“I’ll have the same, only with fish, instead of extra gravy. Oh, and please, leave the bottle.”

“Is that all?” He asked, after writing down notes with his mouth. I think this was the first time I had ever seen an Earth pony write something, though it didn’t surprise me.

“After dinner, we’ll have two banana splits,” Holly answered, before handing the menu to Bow Tie. “But that’s for later. Don’t want them to melt now, do we?”

I quickly did as Holly, handing over the menu, before turning my sights over the city. “Then I shall return with your meals. Please, enjoy the wine.”

“You know, Canterlot has quite the view,” I turned back to Holly, and picked up my wine. “But I prefer the sight of you, more.”

Holly Heart, who was taking a sip of her wine, quickly sprayed what she was drinking over me, her face bright red. “Oh, John, I’m so sorry!” Her horn glowed, as she picked up a napkin and started to wipe off my face. It then light on fire, as she tried to wipe off of forehead.

I could not help but start laughing. “Oh, well that’s a memory,” I took the napkin out of Holly’s magical grip, and quickly stomped out the flames.

“I’m sorry, John,” She squeaked again, hiding behind her hooves.

“Don’t get to worried, Holly,” I reached forward and placed my hands on her shoulders. “Now please, why don’t we make a toast?” She nodded by behind her hooves, and slowly lowered then, as to see me smiling at her.

Taking my glass of wine, I held it up, waiting for her to do the same. Her horn glowed white, as her glass lifted up. “To a wonderful evening, to a wonderful life, and to, hopefully, a wonderful world, and most of all,” I lowered my glass, as to look Holly in the eyes. “To the first love of my life, thank you, Holly. For just being you. It doesn't matter if you get me wet with wine, it doesn't matter if our date starts off wrong. As long as we’re happy, we’re enjoying ourselves, then it’s worth every moment.”

As I went to take a drink, Holly’s eyes started to tear up, but she was smiling. “T-thank you, John…” It was all she said, before joing me with the drink.

-:-:-

The date went amazingly. Holly, after the toast, had opened up quite a bit. I had learned so much about her, and I had shared so much with her. As I stood outside her door, while she was off to bed, I could not help but have a heavy heart as I walked back to my room. I was able, through the whole date, not think about anything that was bothering me. It was just… peace. An amazing thing to have, after everything that has happened. Relaxation, after all the stress. Everything was looking up, and as I pulled my makeshift suit off, and stepped into the shower, the cold water numbing my body, I could not help but feel joy.

Equus a better place than Earth. Pokemon were no longer being harmed by those who wanted to abuse them. I had found love. I had found peace. And as I drifted to sleep, after drying off from the shower, by bed soft and warm, I could not help but feel…happy. Genuinely happy, for the world I now live in.

But my dreams… my dreams told a different story…

I was on the train, again. I could see the snow covered hillsides pass me by, but unlike before, it was snowing… I could see no one else on the train, for I was alone. “Hello?” I called out, but my voice echoing off of the train walls, and the only answer I got was what I had asked.

“Hello?” My voice asked me back.

I didn’t know what was happening, so I stood up, and made my way to the end of the train card. As I opened the door, I let out a scream at the sight before me. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor lay dead on the floor, holding each other, as I loomed over them. Burns and cuts across their bodies. It took me a moment to realise that I was closer to them than before, and that their blood was on my hands.

My heart started to race.

I could hear crying… I could hear crying, and as I looked down, I saw Volt, crying over Princess Cadance’s motionless body. “Why did you do it, John?!” He wiped out. “You’re the hero! Hero’s don’t kill! Y-you’re… You’re a monster!”

I slowly walked back, realising what I had done. What he had made me do. My friends… he made me kill my friends… And there it was. I could hear his laughter fill the train cart! King Sombra’s laugh…

“Please, John…” Holly Heart started. I quickly turned around, by body moving by itself as I walked towards the mare. Holly looked beaten and bruised, as she slowly dragged herself away from me. “Please… Don’t… don’t…” I started to reach down, and grab her mane.. “Nnnooo!” She started to scream, as I dragged her off of the floor.

I tried to close my eyes, I didn’t want to see this, but King Sombra was still laughing, and I could feel him inside of me, forcing me to… to… There was a snap, followed by a thud… and a part of me died as… as… Holly was...

Holly Heart lay motionless at my feet, and the laughter became louder. “How does it feel to take the life of the one you love, John?!” King Sombra screamed into my head.

“Nnnooo!” I whimpered out, my voice cracking. Falling to my knees, I stared down at Holly… “No, no, no, no!” I screamed. I could feel heat, as the world around me turning to flame. I wanted King Sombra out of me, I needed him out of me! He had to pay for what he did! He… He made me…

“AAAAAHHHH!” I screamed, before everything turned to ash…

-:-:-

It was over. I lay down in a medical bed, and… it was over. The nightmare was over. I had destroyed the room I slept, in. I had been rushed off to the medical ward, and had been treated by ponies, but they could not help me in a time like this… No. I needed the aid of God.

“So… are you finished yet?” Mesprit asked.

Arceus scoffed. “I’m trying to block out the memories of the incident with Sombra, without giving him significant memory loss... I can do it, but it will take some time.” Mesprit let out an annoyed sigh.

“Alright then…” She grumbled, as she looked down onto me. “Once Dad is finished, we are so going to talk… So no running off, alright?”

“Mesprit, please. I need silence.”

Having your memories altered was less painful, and more confusing. I could feel a slight tingle in the back of my mind, as Areus’ worked, and at points I would forget the strangest of things, only to have them return to me. But I could not relax. Not until his work was finished… Not until my memories of King Sombra were gone. No… not gone, but blocked out. With what little time Arceus had in doing this, he told me that he was not able to fully remove them, before the meeting started, but as long as I could not remember then, it was alright.

“You’re not the only one that wants to talk with him, Mesprit! I have to find out how he was able to force King Sombra out of his body! You don’t just do something like that, you have to really, really concentrate.” Azelf pointed out. From what I had learned, she had somehow caught onto my story with King Sombra. And had been… And there it was, or the lake thereof.

As I was starting to ponder how Azelf had learned about my forcing of King Sombra out of my noggin, her words not mine, the memories that plagued my mind were… gone. I remembered stepping onto the train… then nothing. Everything was blank, until I had woken up on the back of Yveltal. Somewhat… I could tell you a few things, but even then I don’t rightly know.

“Alright,” Arceus said with a sigh. “I’ve done my best to suppress the memories... I leave you in capable hands.” And that was all he said before he disappeared.

“How are you feeling, John?” Holly asked, her hoof placed firmly on my hand.

I gave her hoof a soft squeeze, before smaling. “A lot better than before…”

“This is good, this is good. Let the love flow through you,” Mesprit commented. “It’ll help with the healing process. Though you don’t feel sad anymore… Why do I feel like I’m not needed now?”

“Because his emotions came from the memories Dad just blocked,” Azelf pointed out. “But unlike you, I know for a fact that I am still useful!”

“Hey?!” Mesprit commented, before crossing her arms and looking away from her sister.

“Mesprit,” I started, gaining her attention. “This is… only temporary. The memories are just blocked… And one day, whether it’s in a week or in a few years, these blocked memories won’t stay locked up, and I’ll need your help…” I smiled and turned to Holly. “I’ll need your help too, Holly.”

“Well… Drat…” Mesprit drifted over to me and poked me in the head. “Become emotional so I can do my job…” *poke* “Become emotional so I can do my job…”

“Please stop,” Holly requested, in a somewhat strict tone. “We don’t need John getting hurt again.”

“Besides, I still need to figure out how he popped King Sombra out of himself! And the best way to do that is by rooting around in his noggin myself!” Azelf smiled, as she slowly floated to me.

“Definitely not!” I shot out. “You’re not going to do that.”

“Come on, don’t be like that! It’ll be easy, just try and push me out of your mind, like you did for King Sombra, and we’ll see just how ‘Willful’ you are! It’ll be fun!”

“For all we know, you being inside of John’s mind will make his memories show up, and we just got them removed!”

“Oh, then I can do my job! Alright Azelf, I’ll be your assistant in this matter. You’ll see just how ‘Willful’ John is, and if things goes south, I’ll take it from there!”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to stand for this-” I started, before getting cut off by Azelf.

“You’re sitting.” Azelf smiled at me.

“That’s not the point…” I shook my head, and held up the palm of my hand towards her. “You’re not going to start rooting around in my mind, just to see if I can push you out. I think King Sombra did the same, and that’s why you’re trying to do it, but you’re not going to.”

“Come on, please?” She asked, giving me puppy dog eyes.

“If you think I have a strong enough will to justify going into my mind, just to see if I can will you out, then you should know that, that,” I pointed at her. “Won’t work on me…”

“Oh, you’re no fun! Dad said we’ll take care of you, and we’re going to. Now come on, I’ll get Mewtwo, and we’ll, HEY! Where are you going?”

“John, come back! You’re in no condition to be running!” Holly yelled out after me as I hopped out of bed, and ran out of the room.

How hard is it to understand that I did NOT want them inside of my head? Apparently very hard, as Azelf started to chase me down the hall, and to the World Summit...

-:-:-

To see what John does after he runs away, please read Chapter 44 of

A New World, A New way

-:-:-

“How many of those have you had, John?” Holly asked, in an appalling voice.

“I’ve lost count.” I calmly stated, before taking a bite out of a Qualot Berry.

“Well… slow down, John!” She nearly yelled before taking a bit out of an Occa Berry. “You’re going to eat them all before I do!” If you could not tell, Holly and I were enjoying lunch.

“Don’t worry, Holly, I wont eat them all,” I started, before finishing off my berry, and getting another one from the small pile. “Just most of them. For when it comes to berries, asking me to stop is a fruitless endeavor.”

My crack at a pun made Holly choke on an Oran Berry. “Ah, damn it, John,” She stated, while still laughing, before getting oddly quiet as she watched me.

“What?”

“I’m glad you’re alright,” She blushed at be, before her eyes roamed over to the Tamato Berry in my hand. “Oh, I haven't tried that one yet~” She cooed, before plucking the fruit from my hand, and I could not help but smile as she took a bit out of it. “AAaaahhhhh! Hot, hot, hot!” The berry was tossed to by bed, as Holly started to prance around my room.

I started to chuckle as I watched her. My mood had gotten better after the meeting, mostly on the fact that I could not remember all the bad memories that plagued my mind, and, well, Arceus had gave me a large amount of the Berries that he had showed in the World Summit. Since then Holly and I had been rather enjoying ourselves. You could say it was another date, but as i was currently sitting down in my new bed, while Holly sat on a near by chair, we were more or less just hanging out…

“Here, eat this. It’ll get rid of the burn,” I reached out and handed Holly a Rawst Berry.

Downing the berry after quickly chewing, Holly let out a happy sigh. “Oh, that burned… I wasn't expecting that…”

“Most don’t, however I,” Reaching out, I grabbed the Tamato Berry, before finishing off. “Find the burn refreshing.”

“You’re already on fire, John. Of course you would-” A knock at the door then cut Holly off. “Oh, I’ll get it.”

Hoping to her hooves, Holly made her way to the door. As she opened it, her eyes popped wide, and she let out a squee. “We are looking for John Williams. This is his new room, is it not?” Over the past days I’ve spent here in Canterlot, I knew that it was Princess Luna’s voice speaking.

Pulling myself to my feet, I walked over to the door. Holly Heart looked as if she saw a ghost… “Please excuse Holly, Princess Luna. She is rather shy,”

“Tis fine, John Williams. Though I am not here on a social call. May I come in?” Princess Luna asked.

“But of course,” I stepped to the side to allow Princess Luna to enter my new room, only to notice that Holly had yet to move. “Holly, are you alright?”

Letting out another squee, Holly quickly trotted out of the way. I could see her coat standing on end as she did… It was rather odd for her to be acting this way, but I would have to ask her about it another time.

“Tell me, John. How are you doing?” Luna asked, as she entered the room, flanked by two guards, before taking a seat on my bed.

“Better, though you said this was not a social call. Most people, or ponies in your case, don’t ask that when they are here for something.”

“Tis true, but it does have to do with why I am here. I am the Princess of the night, as you are quite aware, and I am here to speak to you about the dream which lead to the destruction of parts of the Castle.”

“Ah,” Nodding, I leaned against the opposite wall from Luna, as Holly sat next to me. Princess Luna, from what I had read, was Princess of the Moon, and the dream world. “Allow me to take a gander as to why you’re wanting to speak about this…” I let out a sigh, and frowned. “You want to help me so that I don’t destroy another room?”

“I can see as to why Cadance chose you to be her advisor, John. You are quite sharp,” Luna laughed, before taking a serious look. “My apologies… this is no laughing matter after all. And yes, that is why I am here. I wish to aid you, John, by helping you sleep at night.”

“I’m sorry, Princess Luna, but that would be Holly’s job.” I joked, as the green mare to my side turned red, as did the Princess. Did I forget to mention how my mood has been getting better?

“That is not quite what I meant, Mr. Williams,” Luna started, before regaining her posture. “But my point still stands. Though you have, from what I have learned, blocked your memories, they can still rise again in your sleep, and I wish to help you block them further.”

“If it means that I can rest without destroying something then it’s fine by me. What do you wish to do, Princess Luna?” I inquired.

“Tis a simple spell, it shall allow me know when you are awake, or when you are sleeping. From there, I’ll know when to keep an eye on you, so I can prevent any nightmares you would have before they start.”

“Seems simple then. Anything I should know about the spell such as side effects, and what not?”

“There is only one risk, and that is a small chance that when you sleep you’ll not dream.”

“Then there are no real negative side effects then.”

Luna sighed. “That’s one way to look at it I suppose.”

“Do you need to prepare for this spell?” I got my answer as Luna’s horn started to glow, and a soft light shifted around me.

“Tis done.”

“Well that was… simple. Is there anything else you need, Princess?”

“No, Mr. Williams. That was all I wished to speak with you about. I shall leave you and your mare Holly alone. The two of you have a wonderful day.” With that, Luna stood up from the bed, and made her way out the door. The guards with her following quickly.

Holly Heart then let out a long sigh. “Alright…” She muttered to herself.

“Are you alright, Holly? You tensed up with Luna first showed up.” She let out another squee, this time in surprise.

“Oh, um, that was, ah, nothing…” Holly lied. How did I know it was a lie? Well...

“You’re bad at lying, you know?” I moved back across the room, and took my seat on my bed. Taking another berry and throwing it in my mouth. “Why don’t you share?”

“Er, well, um… You know how she’s Nightmare Moon, right?”

“Ah, I see. Say no more Holly, I understand.” She must have been one of the many ponies that were still scared of the Night Princess. Such a shame… “Well if you wish to speak about-” Yet another knock came from the door.

Standing back up, I made my way over to the door. “Yes?” I asked as I slowly opened the door, slightly annoyed as my alone time with Holly was interrupted again.

“Hi there!” A bright pink pony stated, that I immediately know was Pinkie Pie. The mare had been quite noticeable over the past few days.

“Yes, Miss Pie, what do you need?” I asked.

“Well,” she began. “I’ve been going around, giving out invitations to Gene and Belle’s wedding. Well, not really ‘giving out’ since they gave me this list,” she pulled a clipboard out of her man to prove her point. “With everyone they wanted come on it, and I already gave one to the Princesses, and to Arceus, and to Seth, and X, and Korrina, so...” She pulled a green envelope from her mane and handed it to John. “This is for you and Holly!”

“Alright…” I slowly opened the envelope, and read it over. “Well thank you for the…” Looking up from the invite, I found that Pinkie was no where to be seen. Glancing left and right, I quickly retreated back into my room.

“So… we’re invited to a wedding?” Holly asked, surprised.

“Seems so…” I looked up and Holly and smiled. “It also seems that we’re going to have to get you a dress.”

-:-:-

It is a very rare thing, in ones life time, to see love in a way that makes you wish you had something like it. To make you look back on your life and wonder, why. Why did you never find love? To ask you, why did you never seek it out, to take hold of it, and make it yours?

Well, watching both Belle and Gene embrace each other on the altar, made me think of such things. And… made me think about Earth’s laws. Here where two love birds. Who had been exiled from the world for their love. Who has been chased down by the world, targeted, and attacked for their love. And I could not help but feel angry for what they had went through. But in the end, I was happy that they could now live in peace. Arceus made the right call, taking Pokemon from Earth, and moving them here.

And if there is one thing that I am starting to understand… It’s love. In the time I had been here in Equus, I had found it, or at least, the beginning of it. It was nothing compared to what Belle and Gene had, but I knew it was something.

As the two parted lips, I moved my hand to place it on Holly’s hoof. She had been crying over the two, ever since Blueblood first showed up. Honestly, I just wanted to punch him from what he was doing. Ruining a wedding? I don’t care who you are, that is unacceptable…

But do you want to know what is also unacceptable? The fact that I could not get more than three slices of Oran Berry cake…

“Sorry, John. Please, save some for the rest of the wedding guest.” Holly stated, for what seemed like the tenth time.

“But there is so much, I mean, just look at how big it is…” My mouth was already watering as I stared.

“Wow, John, you should try this cake~” Volt taunted, before taking yet another tiny bite out of his piece. “It’s amazing! It’s got Oran Berries, frosting, cake, it’s got everything!”

“You’re a monster, you know that?” I muttered, before leaning down on the table and watching the little bug eat. Flubber on the other hand, then turned into a slice of Oran Berry cake, and started to shift around getting my attention.

“I take it back, you’re both monsters...”

“Oh, don’t worry John. I’m sure we’ll have plenty more when you and Holly get married!” Volt stated proudly, and I could not tell if he said it mess with us, or if he was still just too young to understand…

I glanced at Holly, and my eyes widened. Never before have I seen Holly so red. Then… my mind decided to join in on the torment as I imagined Holly in her dress, standing before me at the alter. Then she slowly started to take off the dress… And then the only think I could think of doing was to face plant the table, and trying to think of other things. Then… lighting part of the table on fire, to which Holly then used to magic to put it out…

“I’m going to give the newlyweds their gift…” I stated, before standing up and grabbing the gift I was able to get. It was the only thing that I could think of, and even then I had to request it from Princess Cadance. So in the end it was her gift to them, but with my smile as the gift giver...

Belle and Gene… My opinion of the two was rather different, and unimportant as I didn’t really know them all to well. Gene was a Gallade, while Belle was a Gardevoir, and tho where still the center of attention. Groups of Pokemon and ponies stood in line as to give them an item of some sort, or to wish them the best of luck in their lives.

As for myself? I just wanted to get away from the thoughts of Holly in my bed, calling my name- No, bad brain… I let out a sigh, as the line moved. Love was in my mind, and Holly was my love, so Holly was in my mind…

-:-:-

“Do you think John noticed the spell?” Cadance asked, Cresselia.

“Nope,” Cresselia smiled.

“Perfect…”

Author's Note

Bubba - Welp. This was going to go out on Valentine's day, but things didn’t work out too well. Hope you liked it.
As a side, I've got a headache.
Zeus - Knew most of this was happening when we were crossing over, but I still like seeing it... especially the wedding, I always love seeing the wedding
TDN - An interesting chapter. I see things are still far from over in a way. Also, Volt and Flubber are just mean today.
Aus - Poor John, the date was cute though. Nothing says romance quite like a spittake to the face.

Chapter 21: Canterlot part Three

For the most part, NOT YET EDITED.

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Edited by: Ausbrony

Chapter 21: Canterlot part Three

If I told you, the sky was falling, would you believe me? The answer is no. It’s a silly question, in the end. If you told me that I was going to wake up next to Holly Heart, I would not believe you. It would be a silly thing for you to say. But as I sat there, looking down at Holly, I could not help but feel confused, worried, baffled, but mostly the first two.

I held my breath as I slowly stood up. Holly shifted in bed, and my ears perked up, but she did not wake. Slowly, and carefully, I made my way to the bathroom. Closing the door behind me, I stepped over to the mirror.

“What happened last night?” I wondered aloud, my heartbeat slowly increasing as I stared at myself. “Why… why am I in Holly’s room?” Shaking my head, I pushed away from my reflection, and stepped to the shower.

The cold water that splashed over me felt rather good against my fur. Pushing my flaming head into the stream of water, the room quickly filled with steam as I vaporised the water. Taking a deep breath, I started to think about the night before.

“Alright… after I went off to give Belle and Gene their gift I… went back to Holly?” I asked myself. “No, I went to speak with Celestia about… No, no, no I went of to see Cadance… or was it someone else… Damn it, what happened last night?”

“Something wonderful,” I jumped at Holly’s voice, and quickly moved the shower curtain out of the way, to see Holly brushing her teeth.

“Holly…” I stammered.

“Do you really don’t remember what happened last night?” She asked, in a worried, yet saddened, tone.

“Ah, no…” I frowned, my face slightly red, before closing the shower curtain, and turning my attention back to the shower.

“Then we’re going to have to make next time a bit more memorable,” She cooed from the other side of the shower curtain. “But really, you DON’T remember?”

“Ah… no…” I repeated myself, this time a bit forceful as my mind was rather dumbfounded at the idea of sharing a bed with Holly. We had just started dating two weeks ago, how the hell did I get in bed with her?! I love her, I do, but...

“This maybe a side effect of whatever Lord Arceus did. Perhaps short term memory loss is a side effect?” Holly suggested. “Which is a shame,” The curtain quickly zipped open, and Holly smiled at me. “Seems we’re going to have to make some more memories...”

I went wide eyed at Holly as she stepped into the shower. The shy mare was a bit… forward today. I would also like to note that she is most likely the only living thing that could make me fall short when it comes to things to say…

“Move over, please,”

-:-:-

To say I was a normal individual would be quite the stretch. When I was young, I always hated crime, and became a Police Officer. From there, I did my job, made my way through life, and became an International Police Officer. From there, I did what I could to stop Team Rocket, and even though their organization was nothing compared to what it was years ago, they still persisted. But that ended when we all came to Equestria, and the Empire. I don’t need to get into what I did there, as I am sure you know…

And now, I found myself with something that I had rarely ever dealt with. Well… several things, really. Love, memory loss, and ponies. There are more to add to this list, but I find that making said list would take away the experience from it.

And Holly was one of those experiences. I did not want to sleep with her, not because I did not want to be with her, but because I didn’t want to lose my mind while I was with her, and hurting her. I found her embrace quite welcoming, yet feared what my mind and body would do if I lost control of things. I was a Pokemon after all. If I knew how to use this body, then I could do almost anything. Sadly, the same could be said for ‘what if I didn’t know what I was doing?’ We all do thing that we regret, no matter if you’re in control, or out of your damn mind. Even Gods can fall prey to this...

Speaking of gods… “Good morning, Lord Arceus,” I started, as I made my way into the Hall of Legends.

“Ah, good morning John. How are you feeling?” Arceus asked, a portal near him closing, and though I could not tell what was on the other side, I could have guessed that it had something do with whatever he had left over from Earth.

“I feel better, thanks to you, but I do have a question about the perseguire you used to block my memories,” I asked, looking up at him.

“What seems to be the problem?” He asked. “Please don’t tell me that you’ve remember everything.”

“No it’s not that,” I reassured him. “It’s just that last night I seem to have… Well, how about this, is memory loss to having my memories blocked, a side effect?”

“The whole point of the procedure was losing memories, you’re going to have to rephrase your question,” Arceus smiled.

“I mean after the procedure, Lord Arceus. Last night, around the time I gave Belle and Gene their gift, I sort of blacked out. I was not drinking, so I know alcohol is not the culprit, and considering I woke up in bed with Holly, I’m still not going to rule it out…” I clarified, only to realised that I just told God himself that I just slept with Holly. “I just said that out loud...”

“Not to worry, John Williams, we’re alone here, for the most part,” Arceus commented. “Now regarding your question… Your answer is no, you shouldn't experience memory loss after the procedure, because the side effects are; dizziness, confusion, anger, fear, and death. Thankful the last one doesn't seem to be a problem for you.”

“I see… Thank you for your time Arceus,” I started, before turning around. “Then I guess I’m off to find out what really made me forget…”

“I would recommend speaking to Cresselia, or Princess Cadance. You seem to have a high concentration of ‘love’ magic within you. They may have something to do with it,”

“Oh… Thank you, Lord Arceus… You would not happen to know where they are, dare I ask?”

His eyes flashed gold for a moment, before he nodded “They are both having breakfast in the castle.”

“Thank you, Lord Arceus. Good bye, for now, and I hope whatever you where doing is going well,”

“It is, though I am just going through some things humans had, and finding places for them.”

“You would not happen to have my things, would you?” My question was answered with Arceus’ eyes flashing, and a large duffle bag landing next to me on the ground. I recognised it as my bag from Earth, and smiled.

“The only thing you won’t find in your bag are any Pokeballs or Apricorns you had, and your firearm back from when you were an Officer. Oh, and say hello for Princess Cadance for me, and let her know I fixed the train rails from the incident with King Sombra.”

“What happened to the train rails?!” I quickly asked, before my eyes widened. “No, no, that has something to do with my forgotten memories, doesn't it?”

“I sense emotions again!” Mesprit yelled, from somewhere in the massive castle which is the Hall of Legends.

-:-:-

To make things clear, I don’t remember a thing that happened out when we faced King Sombra. I remember getting on the train, then waking up on Yveltals back. But apparently it has SOMETHING to do with the train derailing… My curiosity was going to kill me over this, but sadly, I had another problem to deal with… And no, it wasn’t a quest to find out what I did, as I am pretty sure it involved me and Holly… But of a quest to put out a request.

“You’re right Cresselia, Oran Berries tastes great with bananas!” As I made my way into a cafeteria, Princess Cadance sweet and happy voice reached my ears. “Shining you have to try this!”

Shining smiled at Cadance, before leaning over and stealing the Oran berry out of Cadence's magical grasp, before picking up a banana with his own magic, and eating it. “You’re right, this is good,”

“Shining, that was my last Oran Berry!

“You can get more another time, Cadance,” I started, as I approached their table, before taking a seat across from her.

“Oh, John! How are you doing this morning? Feel better?” Cadance asked, in a rather odd tone…

“Yes and no, Cadance. Yes and no…” I stated ominously, not yet hinting at why I was really there.

“Well aren't you vage about things, aren't you?” Cresselia noted, a knowing smile on her face.

“We went by your room this morning, and you weren't there. Where were you this morning? Princess Celestia wishes to speak with you,” Shining asked.

“Wait, what?” Cadance asked, looking at Shining. “You do know he and Holly spent the night together…?”

“And that’s why I’m here,” I started, before Shining could answer his wife. “Princess Cadance… Lady Cresselia… I request that the both of you never use your love magic on me again, alright?”

“Oh, umm… John, are you feeling alright? Because we don’t know what you’re talking about.” Cadance started, her eyes staring at me in worry. While most could see this as her not really knowing what I was talking about, I was not most people…

“I don’t appreciate being lied to Cadance. I spoke to Arceus, and he pointed me in the two of yous direction. I know the both of you have something to do with it,”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of someone who didn’t like my wife helping them out…” Shining started, with a smile, not taking what I was saying to heart. “You would be the first, John…” He then chuckled.

“Considering how I can’t remember anything that occurred last night, I would not laugh at this, Shining. Now Cadance... Cresselia… Was the time you casted the spell on me, around the time I went up to speak with the bride and groom?”

“You can’t remember anything that happened?!” Cadance asked in shock.

“We’re sorry, John,” Cresselia frowned, giving me a sad look. “We were only trying to help you. Cadance was telling me about what you went through, and well, we wanted to help you relax some…”

“I probably should clarify exactly why I am here. No, I’m not mad. I’m a bit annoying, but not angry. Yet at the same time, I don’t want you to be casting spells on me, without my consent, and considering how whatever you did do to me, made me lose part of my memory… I would not want to risk something else happening. So, do I make myself clear? Please do not EVER cast a spell on me, without my permission...”

Cadance let out a sad sigh. “We’re sorry, John, and we promise never to do it again... Alright, really, you don’t remember a thing!?”

“No, Cadance. I don’t remember anything about last night…”

“Then I, well, um, probably should not mention that I heard Holly from down the hall…” Cadance smiled at me.

My response to this was something along the lines of, well, face planting the table… And coincidentally light part of the table on fire. Today was going to be one of those days, isn’t it? At least it’s better than dealing with King Sombra, right? Right…? Since I don’t know, I have to kind of have to ask, since I can’t remember...

-:-:-

The Gala.

Through the many days I’ve spent in Canterlot, I have seen what Equus has to offer. Both the good and the bad. But other than some stubor few, the massive party with the World Leaders seemed to be going rather well, other than the occasional party mishap you would find any any social gathering..

Legendary Pokemon, on top of normal Pokemon, roamed through the party, and mingled around, taking parting in social activity. No one treated anyone else, no matter who they were, or what they looked like, as a lesser. They didn’t see Pokemon, pony, Changeling, Minotaur, or what ever. They just saw people. It was a good sight...

It was finished… My worries over this was over. Pokemon, rather everyone agrees on it or not, would be accepted in life…

I let out a long sigh, as I took a sip of my wine. Spending my time at the Gala off to the side, watching with a smile. Holly sat beside me, her head resting on my shoulder while she slept. The day had been somewhat taxing on her, as she had been running back and forth, doing errands for Cadance. The mare was put on quite the ringer once Cadance started to come up with some Laws to get pass once we were back in the Empire… Even at a party, having a great time, she was still a Princess...

Keeping an eye on Cadance, I watched as the Princess smiled next to her sister-in-law, Princess Twilight. Since the Gala started, the two had been almost inseparable. Shining on the other hoof, other clinged to his wife, or strayed off to speak with the Guards. As he was the last ‘Captain of the guard’, I could not but guess that he’s asking around about the security detail.

After all, we are surrounded by world leaders, so I don’t blame him…

But in the end… as I watched… I didn’t feel open. I didn’t want to go out and speak with anyone, and as I held Holly close, I started to feel werry. What happened on the train ride here? I asked myself.

Arceus had to repair the train tracks, but why would a God go out of his way to fix something? The answer, is if it had to be catastrophic for him to intervene. So short of the train derailing, I don’t see how something like that would happen... Holding my hand to my scar on my stomach, and furrowed my brow. I know, it was bad of me thinking of this, but what in the world happened?

“I knew I sensed curiosity.” Mesprit whispered, making me jump. “So, you break down into an emotional mess yet?” She asked.

You’re right about that, I had Dad put a door next to your room that sends you to the Hall of Champions so that I can keep a close eye on you!” As I opened my mouth to ask if she was talking about here in Canterlot, or back in the Empire, she raised a hand to my mouth. “No, no, no! You’re not saying no to this one too, alright?”

“I was not going to say no, after all, I do need help dealing with this…”

“Oh… Then what were you going to say?” She asked.

“Two things,” I raised two fingers up, and smiled. “The first; thank you. Thank you Misprint for taking time out of your day and helping me... And two; do you mean here in Canterlot, or back in the Empire?”

She stared blankly at me, before flying off. “I’ll be right back!”

As she left, I leaned my head back to relax. Then my eyes widened as Azelf floated above me, looking down at me. “Hi!”

“Can I, er, help you, Miss Azelf?”

“Oh, not really, just wondering how you forced an evil entity out of your body, with force of ‘will’ alone…”

“I forced an evil entity from my body?!” I asked, and Azelf’s eyes widened.

“Ah crap…” Azelf looked around, before flying off.

“I feel emotions!” Mesprit yelled.

“I AM EMOTIONS!!!” Volt yelled from somewhere in the massive room, before he whizzed past my head, holding onto a rope for dear life. Looking up, I saw Flubber whizzing around near the rafters, taking the form of a small Jet.

-:-:-

Having dealt with many things in my left, rarely have I held someone I loved close to my heart. Rarely have I so calm. With Holly asleep in my arms, I slowly made my way to her room. The sleeping mare snoring softly, as I made my way into her room. Taking great care not to wake her, as I laid her down on her bed gently. It was getting late, and as I stepped out of Holly’s room, I looked back and smiled at the mare. I don’t think I could have dent with anything Equus threw at me, if she didn’t help…

But was I tired? Yeah… my body told me to sleep, but my mind was doing it’s own thing. As I stared down at my bed, sleep was not something that I wanted. Glancing past my door, I frowned as I stepped out of the room, grabbing a small bit bag as I went. Sleep was a golden thing, but sometimes, you have to clear the mind…

Like the Empire, at night, the castle seems to get rather quiet, at least, for the most part. A surprising amount of ponies where moving out and about through the castle, and many of them paying no mind to me.

Still dressed in my suit, I slowly made my way out of the castle. The moon peared over the horizon, giving the city a lowly glow.

Canterlot. It’s was quite the beautiful city. With everything that is going on, between my own problems, and the World Summit, I have yet to really relax. You could argue that I was relaxing last night, and this morning, but it only added to my problem. I did not feel safe around Holly, at night. Even with Princess Luna watching over my dreams. And with all of this on my shoulders, I smiled as my walk took me into the city.

Unlike the Empire, Canterlot seemed to have more Pokemon, though at this time of night, barely a soul was out, and most stayed cleared of me. Rather it be out of fear, or something else. But the slight cold of the air around me felt nice. It was nothing compared to the wonderful chill of the Empire, but it was still nice...

I smiled, watching fouls play with small and young Pokemon move silently through the night, following a pair of loving ponies. As they followed, they played as if nothing was wrong in the world. Sometimes, being that young helps. You don’t see the evil around you, and live each day with a smile. Wish I could live that way, but I care too much. No matter how I feel, I have things to do… Things to think about… And what I was thinking about consisted with King Sombra...

Still dressed in a nice suit, I continued to walk… Until I found myself walking past a mare.

“Excuse me,” I started, in a propper tone, as to not scare away the mare away, especially at this hour.

“Ah, yes?” She asked, a bit shakily. “How can I help you?”

“At an hour like this, is there still a place open for one to relax, or get something nice to drink? I’ve been rather stressed out, and need to relax.” I asked her, trying to come off as nice as I could.

“Well… There is a bar just down the road,”

“I’m sorry, I just came from a party, I don’t want to drink. Perhaps something more like a coffee shop, or a simple story to get something to drink.”

“Ah, I see. Then you must go to the Daily Grind,” She smiled at me. “It’s late, but she is open for now at least. The drinks there are simply to die for.”

“Thank you, miss. Where might I find this place?”

“Oh, it’s just go down the road, then take a left near the large park, from there you can’t miss it.”

Thanking the mare, I left her to her business. Though I didn’t quite know where I was going, a coffee shop didn’t seem like the right idea. It was getting late, but I needed something to help clear my mind. As I walked through Canterlot, a part of me wished that Holly was with me, but I knew she needed the rest. I actually found it endearing that she takes her work more seriously than most, especially since she was recently promoted to Cadance’s personal assistant. I don’t quite remember what her old job was before, but it doesn't matter anymore. Life was… better. Confusing, but better...

“You’re not going to be a fire hazard, are you?” The mare behind the coffee counter ask, as I made my way into the coffee shop. No outer soul seemed to here, as it was nearing closing time, and how, besides myself, would want coffee at a time like this?

“No, Ma’am,” I lied. “I’m just here to get something and relax some.”

“Alright… Well, in that case, welcome to the Daily Grind, what can I get for you?” The mare asked, giving me a smile.

“You can start with your name, then whatever you’re best selling drink is,”

“Well my name is, Mocha Latte, and our best seller would be a Mocha Latte.” She then fround. “Wait, you got the bits for this, right?”

“Yes, I have bits,” Truth be told, I had a lot of bits… One of the advantages of being apart of the Royal Guard, is that I was paid. A big ol’ three followed by five zeros… Being given the rank of Captain, along with Honor Guard, came with a large paycheck. But I was unaware of this fact before accepting, and to my surprise, I’m now a rather wely human… No, not human, but Pokemon. Even now, after everything, it’s going to take some time to remember that fact.

“Sorry for asking, but some Pokemon don’t. You’re drink will be out soon, please take a seat.”

The Mocha Latte was the best I’ve ever had, but that’s not saying much since I can’t remember the last time I had one. Granted, I didn’t really try out new ways to have my morning coffee… Still, it tasted rather amazing.

As the clocked ticked, and my coffee slowly dissipated, I watched as all the moonlight made the city glow. How the who world so nice… How it made me think about how Pokemon and Equus was getting a long. Over all, with how things seem in Canterlot, you would guess that nothing was wrong. That Equus was much like Earth, and that one day, Pokemon would be seen as full equals.

But this was not Earth, this was Equus. A world of new, a world of wonder… Pokemon, for the most part, has been treated as Equals. No longer will Pokemon have to deal with Team Rocket. And that made me smile.

Though my own experience here may not be the best, it’s good to look at the brighter things in life, and as I made my way out of the coffee shop, I stared up at the moon.

And felt relief come over me for the first time since I arrived in Equus.

-:-:-

I take it back, what ever relief I found last night faded away as I stared down at Volt. He looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. “I’m sorry, John, I really am.” He whispered. I looked away from him, and up to Princess Celestia, who sat upon her throne, her hoof pressed into her forehead.

Since I had woken up, every where I went, the castle looked as if it was hit with a massive explosion of party supplies. Every so often, I would find myself stepping in cake, pudding, or some other colliery dessert. And who was behind this?

Volt, the mare named Pinkie Pie, Hoopa and Discord. The latter of the four, I have yet to formally meet, but considering how everything was a mess, I didn’t really feel like it be a good idea to meet him, or any of them for that matter. I was angry with Volt as it was, but unlike the others, I love him too much to really punish him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s in trouble, but I’m not going to scream at him, like I would the others.

“If it helps, Princess Celestia,” I started, gaining her attention. “I would like to help clean up the castle, to make up for Volt’s part in this whole situation.” I offered.

“No, John it’s fine...” She let out a long sigh. “Lord Arceus ordered his granddaughter to clean up her mess so... please, don’t worry yourself over this, just… Lord Arceus fixed the train, so you should be able to get home… Please, just go for now. Tell Cadance I said hello...”

“I understand, Princess Celestia…” I frowned, as I knew what she felt like. Stressed out, over worked, and now dealing with something silly that is unneeded. “I will say hello for you, and I hope you don’t have much trouble cleaning everything. I’m truly sorry that you have to deal with this.”

As I made my way out of the room, Volt perched on my shoulder, a guard stepped past me. Before announcing to the white Alicorn, “Princess Celestia, Ma’am. We found where all the sugar went. In the east wing of the Castle, there seems to be a small replica of Canterlot castle made out of sugar, and from the size of it, we have lost about three months of the castle stock.”

Celestia let out a very, very annoyed sigh, as Volt and I left the room.

“John?” As I made my way out of the castle, Volt tapped my check. “I don’t feel so good…” He frowned.

“Well Volt, after you eat an entire cake, several cookies, and Arceus knows what, you tend to-” I was cut off as Volt threw up on my shoulder. “Once we get home, you’re still in trouble, but for now,” I reached up and picked up Volt, his face green. “You need some help… Once we get to the train station, I’ll have Flubber keep an eye on you.”

“I’m sorry, John…” Volt muttered, as he looked up at me. “Aaahhhhhh… Please don’t be-” This time Volt caught himself, and pointed himself away from me, throwing up on the ground. Even with how small as he was, he was still making a mess.

I glanced over to my shoulder, and winced. The smell was not that bad, but it looked horrible. And I still had to walk about ten minutes to get to the train station, where everyone was waiting for me.

We were ready to leave about an hour ago, but as Volt was nowhere to be seen, they had to wait for me as I went off to find him. The search did not take long, as he was pinned to the wall on the throne room, stuck in a mix of cake and icecream.

But as mad as I was at the little bugger, I could not but feel sorry for him. For him, he’s having the equivalent of a sugar hangover. I knew how he felt, so I was sympathetic towards him, but the moment he’s good to go, he’s in trouble.

“I… don’t… like… sugar…” Volt groaned.

-:-:-

As I made my way onto the train, several eyes darted over to me.

“Welcome back, John. Do you have Flubber?” Shining started.

“Yes I do,”

“Um, John?” Holly started, as she stared at my shoulder.

“Volt is a bit sick,” I noted, as I took a set next to her, Volt still in my hands. “Flubber, can you keep an eye on him?” Flubber, who was currently transformed into a guard, nodded, before melting down, transforming into a Joltik, in a nurse outfit. “Does anyone have something to help me get this off of my shoulder?”

“Here John,” Princess Cadance smiled at me, as her magic held up a napkin. “Use this. There is a trash can in the corner of the train cart.”

As I started to clean myself off, Shining stood up, and made his way out of the train cart, saying how he’ll let the conductor know we’re ready to leave. It did not take him long to come back, and the train started to roll off, back to the Empire.

We had already said our goodbyes, and most of Cadance’s friends where other heading home themselves, or tending to their own tasks. We had no guards with us when we arrived in Canterlot, and though I can only guess as to why, it seemed that Cadance requested that several of the Canterlot guards stood around us, as an escort service.

Most of the guards stood silently, while some watched the windows. They reminded me of the Crystal Empire guards, but with slightly less emotion. It may just be how the Empire operates, but I do see a difference in the two.

“So, how does everything think the World Summit went?” I asked, trying to break the silence of the train.

“Quite well, actually,” Cadance smiled. “First time I met most of them, and though it was… emotional at some points, I think everything went quite well.”

“Other than all the yelling, useless banter from Golden Horn, and John blowing up part of the Castle, yeah, it went great!” Shining Armor smiled, and thought you would think he was being sarcastic, but no. I could tell he was genuine about the whole thing, and really, I could not blame him.

“As stressful at it was, I really enjoyed it.” Holly looked up at me, as she sat next to me.

“Aaaahhhhhhh, the pain…” Volt ground from under my set. “I’m never eating sugar again!”

“Is he… going to be alright?” Cadance asked, looking downward.

“I hope so, if not, we can take care of him when we’re back in the Empire,” I stood up, and crouched down, to get a look at Volt. Don’t ask me where they got the equipment, but as I looked down onto Volt, he sat in a medical bed, a small cup of water placed next to him, and Flubber, still a Joltik in a nurse outfit, sitting next to Volt. Humming a song, as Volt lay their drinking through a straw.

“Is he ok, John?” Cadance asked, as I blankly stared at Volt.

“He’s good… Just, thinking about something…” I answered her, still staring at Volt.

“What about?” Holly asked, looking confused.

“About how Volt and Flubber always seem to amaze me with their shenanigans...”

Author's Note

I am so damn sorry for this chapter taking a DAMN MONTH to get out!

Look, life is a pain. Writer's block sucks, I got sick again, and I'm too damn worried about what I'm going to do next, then thinking about where I am in the story.

So I'm telling you this now. The next chapter is going to be the last chapter.
BUT! I'm making another story of this after that. John's life after this whole event. What will the monkey do next? Just... wait and see. I'll try not to take a month...
Sorry..

No editors notes, since I didn't have them write them down. Sorry.

Chapter 22: Final Emotions

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony

Chapter 22: Final Emotions

The Crystal Empire. As the train grew closer, it’s amazing brilliance warmed my heart. Through the train ride, everyone was mostly quiet, but now that we could see our home, Cadance could not stop fidgeting around.

“Oh, I can’t wait to see all my little ponies!” She squealed, as she looked out the window. “They have to be so worried!”

She was right about her ponies being worried. We were… attacked. King Sombra was dead. And though those two details where bluntly obvious, even having my memory altered count not make me forget them. If her ponies were not worried for her, then I would be rather peeved with them.

But as we drew close, ponies could be seen lining up in the train station. At this angle, we could only see a small crowd of them surrounding the station, but as we passed through the shield, and our train came to a full stop, we could see hundreds of ponies. All waiting for us.

Shining Armor was the first to the door. Giving a smile to his wife, he pushed the door open, and stepped out. Cadance hopped out of her chair, before composing herself, and strolling out of the train cart. The crowd of ponies exploded into cheers, as they laid their eyes on their Princess.

Holly and I however where a bit slower getting out of the train. As I now had a carry on bag, getting out of the train took a while. It didn’t help that Volt threw up on my foot as I stood up.

“There are so many ponies…” Holly whispered to herself, as she stared out the window, shaking a bit.

It dawned on me that Holly, as open as she was to me, was still a shy mare. When I first met her, she was trying to hide in a carriage. Stepping behind Holly, I reached out and covered her eyes with my hands.

She let out a eep, as I startled her, before I leaned in and whisper. “Calm down, Holly. If it’s too much of for you, then you can hide behind me.”

Reaching up with her hooves, Holly moved my hands down to her chest. “Thanks…” She whispered to me. She then let another peep out as I kissed her on the cheek.

“Well then… Let’s go…” Pulling myself away from her, I grabbed my bag, and stepped out of the train.

To my shock, ponies started to scream even louder, and I even had to take a step back at how loud it was.

“MY LITTLE PONIES,” Princess Cadance spoke in a booming voice. “THIS IS THE STALLION WHO FINISHED OFF KING SOMBRA!”

To say my ears were ringing would be an understatement. To say Holly Heart was not hiding behind me, covering her ears, would be a lie. And to say I knew what was going? Not a clue…

Not knowing what to say to this, I put on a smile and started to waved at the hundreds of ponies. All being held back by a line of guards...

“Kind of put me on the spot…” I whispered to Cadance.

“Well… John, you may not know it, but you’ve done more for us then you know…” She stepped past me, and over to Shining Armor. “Honey, the medals?”

I glanced over, and to my surprise, the medals that the Princesses had already gave to me sat in a glass case. My eyes widened, as I had assumed that they were destroyed, in the fire back in Canterlot. Were they replacements?

“EVERYPONY,” Princess Cadance yelled out. “BY MY POWER, AND THE POWER GIVEN TO ME BY PRINCESS CELESTIA, PRINCESS LUNA, AND PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE, I PRINCESS CADANCE, BESTOW UPON TO JOHN WILLIAMS,” At this point my ears where ringing, as she pulled out the medals. And as before, in Canterlot she spoke about how honorary I was. How I risked my life, and how I put it on the line to save her. Ponies kept cheering, and again, and I felt honoured. But that honor turned to pain, as Princess Cadance placed the third medal upon my chest.

By that, I mean, I was pushed back as a white freight train tackled me into the ground. Fallowed by a dark blue freight train crashing into me. The crowd gasped, as both Lex and Snow tackled me to the ground.

“WHAT ARE THE TWO OF YOU-” Princess Cadance yelled, before stopping herself. “Sorry… Lex… Snow, we’re kind of in the middle of something…”

“John! You’re never going anywhere without us,” Snow cried, as she pressed her face into my chest. “When we where told you got hurt, and how ponies died, we got so worried!”

“We’re so glad you’re safe John!” Lex added, before slowly looking up at me. “Why do you smell like Holly?”

“Guys, we’re kind of in the middle of something, here. Please, John is fine, you can smother him another time,” Cadance requested.

“Will you two please get off?” I politely asked.

“John,” Snow narrowed her eyes. “We’re not going to ever let you gooooaaaaa!” Snow yelped as Eclipse lifted her, as well as Lex off of me.

“Thanks, Eclipse.” I smiled at my brother, before pulling myself up.

“We’re sorry, Princess Cadance,” Eclipse apologised. “Good to see you’re ok John… After this, we’ll be waiting.”

“Let us go you big ol’ meany!” Snow yelled, as she squirmed under Eclipse’s graphs.

“Release us Eclipse! We demand to be on top of John! We’re not going to lose him again, and what better place to be then as close of physically possible?!”

“They won’t get in the way again, please, keep going.” Eclipse winked at me, before dragging the two off.

I let out a sigh as they went, yet I did it with a smiled. It as good to be back.

“I AM SORRY, EVERYPONY,” Princess Cadance continued. “BUT EVEN HEROES HAVE FAMILIES… NOW, WHERE WAS I...”

-:-:-

The Crystal Empire… It was home… It was great… As I made my way to my room, I threw down my bag on the bed, before looking out the window. The crystal buildings… The light blue shield… The Crystal Ponies… I missed it all.

But before I could relax, there was a knock at my door. As I opened it to see who was there, a mare stood before me, along with two guards. Her coat was a light grey, and she had sharp black eyes, with a matching mane. “Yes?” I asked.

“John Williams?” She started, her voice was rather harsh, and I as I looked at her, I could tell she was crying. “My name is Metal Dust… I… I would really like it if you would come and speak at my… my son’s…” She choked up, and a guard stepped forward.

“Sir, Williams…” He started, and I noticed that he looked a lot like the mare before me. “My mother is trying to ask if you would please come speak at my brother’s funeral. At… all of their funerals…”

I didn’t answer right away. After all, you don’t expect something like this to just pop into your lap…

“Oh… I see…” The stallion guard took my silence as a no, but as he, his mother, and the other guard moved to leave, I spoke up.

“What time is the funeral?” I asked, grabbing their attention.

“We… We had it scheduled for… later today… Along with all the other families who lost their loved ones...” Metal Dust answered, small tears already running down her cheeks. “It’s late, but we wanted to at least try… try to wait for you to be there…”

“I’ll be there… And...” Would Princess Cadance be there? I would expect she would… After all, the stallions did die for her… “Do you know if Princess Cadance would be there?” At the guards nod, I smiled. “Would you two mind waiting for me? I can quickly put something nice to where on, and I’ll accompany you…”

“Thank you, Sir… Thank you…” The guard gave me a salute

-:-:-

When I came back to the Empire, I was hoping to relax, and I mean, really relax. Just a day where I didn’t have to worry or do a thing. But no… I was not allowed to relax, not yet at least. Was I mad? No… For what it was, I could not be mad. In fact, I felt sad... Saddened over the fact that thirteen ponies, thirteen wonderful guards, died. Died in the battle against King Sombra… But their deaths would not be forgotten. And I would never forget them, even if I did not know them. After all… their families wanted me to speak at the funeral...

But did I know what to say? Not really... As I stood before rows and rows of ponies, all dressed in black, I fround. Behind me, there were thirteen caskets… Of the thirteen souls that lost their lives… “My name is John Williams,” I started, looking out to the sky above. “I don’t… know what to say… I don’t really want to remember what happened that day, as it’s not the best of memories…” For me, it was less about wanting to remember, and more about not being able to… “So instead, let’s not think about it. Let’s think about those who we lost… Iron Dice, Sugar Ruby, Storm Wing, Winter Sin,” As I started to name off the stallions and mares that lost their lives, I could only watch as more and more ponies in the crowd started to cry. It was a hard thing, to lose a loved one… A very hard thing…

“Lens Flare, Horn Pop, Peppermint Sapphire, Sky Prancer, Mithal, Morning Breeze, Diamond Dust, Forest Green and Lily Roll… Let us take a moment of silence, to remember them…” I went quiet, as did everypony. Though I could not join them in the memories of their lost loved ones, interrupting such things would be a horrible thing…

After several long moments, I started to speak again. “Though I personally didn’t know them, I will still mourn for their loss. Nopony should have to die to a monster such as King Sombra… Though I did what I have to do, to end his life, I’ll always regret not being able to save everypony… If I could take their place, so that they could live on… I would do it in a heartbeat…” Turning around, I faced the coffins, before giving them a salute. Even in death, they deserved respect…

As I took my seat, the funeral continued. Ponies went up, said their goodbyes, before moving on. I’ve seen a lot of tragic events in my life. This one? May not have been the worst, but was very high up there… Holly, Princess Cadance, and Shining Armor were also present, and they sat beside me. Like me, they had their turn to speak, other than Holly. Shining Spoke about their bravery, while Cadance thanked them for what they had done…

It was… yet another reminder of King Sombra…

-:-:-

“So… you’re done?” Snow asked me, as I returned from the funeral. “No more… things to do today, right? Just relaxing?”

“No, Snow. I don’t have to do anything else-” I was cut off as she tackled me again, knocking me the ground.

I’ll give her this, she was one that could wait. She was very patient… After all, it’s been a few hours since we arrived back in the Empire. She was, to her saddened cries, not allowed to come to the funeral. And as before, a second weight landed onto me, as Lex joined in the dog pile…

“So…” I started, as I layed on the ground, in the middle of the castle. Both Lex and Snow at top of me. “How’s everyone been…?”

“Worried,” Eclipse frowned, as he sat down next to us. “Next time you go out when something like this is going on, you’re taking us with you. No ifs’, ands’ or buts’.”

He was right, and didn't want to argue.

“So John, hoes goes life with Holly, anyways?” Lex asked, as he sniffed at me.

“Nope,” I shook my head as they laid atop of me. “None of your business…”

Holly, who I knew went off to help Princess Cadance get a hold of things in the Empire, would not like it if I started going around talking about us. Not saying I would to start with, I was not that type of man, but still…

“Did you two do it Arcanine style?” Snow asked, looking down on me with a smile, and big bulging eyes.

“I prefer Luxury style, myself.” Lex purred.

“Alright you two, leave John alone…” Eclipse, for the second time, moved to pick them both up, but this time they leaped off of me, evading the Blastoise.

“It’s a legitimate question, Eclipse,” Snow smirked.

“That, and we have to make John pay for leaving us behind. I mean, Volt and Flubber came along. After all, it’s only fair.” Lex moved over to Snow, before the two glared at me with evils smiles.

At this point, I was already on my feet. Dusting myself off, and smiling at my faimly. “You know, you two can be unbearable at times…” I groaned as I started to walk towards them.

“That’s what family’s-” This time I cut of Snow, by hugging her and Lex.

“I missed you two, you know… And I’m going to need your help… That includes you too Eclipse, now get over here...”

“I can’t imagine what happened to you, John,” Eclipse started, as he bear hugged me from behind, lifting Lex, Snow and myself up. “But I can’t remember the last time we had a family hugaaaahh-”

I looked up to see Flubber covering Eclipse’s face. Before melding out, and spreading all over us. Everything went dark, and Snow started to laugh. “Seems Flubber wants to be apart of the family hug too…”

“Ah, what a lovely show of family love!”

As I pulled my way out of Eclipse’s grasp, to my surprise I found Mesprit smiling at us.

“Mesprit? What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Oh, I was just around, and I though, hey, you what what? What don’t I spend a few days here, helping out the other Pokemon who were hurt by King Sombra’, but then Dad went off and erased their memories as well… I was really hoping to help them out… Well other than Aggron...” She whined. “But unlike you, they fully got them removed. No emotional states for them… Noooo, I don’t get to help them recover…”

“Wait, Lord Arceus is here?”

“No, he did it this morning,” She answered, before floating near me. “That means you’re one of my only patients… And we’re going to have to spend a lot of time together until you have an emotional breakdown once you remember what you went through! But until then, I get to help an emotional depressed Aggron!” She sounded almost happy.

“John, what does she mean by that?”

“I had Arceus alter my memories after I blew up part of Canterlot Castle…”

“You blew up part of Canterlot Castle?!” This time, the new voice was that of Flash Sentry.

“Well it was less about blowing up part of the castle, and more like… Destroying his room, while turning stone to ash in an emotional blaze of fire.” Mesprit pointed out, now resting on my shoulder.

“John, you’re going to start training with me. No ifs, ands or buts, do you understand?”

Again, he was right, and I was not going to argue, but a snarky remark was still in order. “Why do you think I told you all that I needed your help?”

“By Celestia, John. Not three hours back, and you’re already surprising me…” Flash trailed off, as he walked up to me. “Oh, and um, most of the Pokemon that were hurt in the attack, wish to speak with you...”

I glanced over at Eclipse, Snow and Lex. My family had been waiting for me to come home. After all, I wanted to relax. Be with them, but…

“Go on, John. Go say hi. We can wait another hour…”

“Oh no, we waited six days for you to come back! That’s almost a week! We’re not waiting another moment!” Snow argued.

“Could we not just come along?” Lex then asked.

“Nope,” Eclipse stepped over before picking up the two.

“Oh, not again! Eclipse!? Stop picking us up like we’re babies!” Snow winded.

“We’ll be over at the Crystal Empire Stadium…”

“Why there?” I asked.

“Oh, he flooded the training room,” Lex smiled, while Eclipse held him. “We had to move, because it needs to be drained out. Oh, and I’m not allowed to train when everything is wet, since I zapped a few guards by mistake.”

“Bet that was fun…” Mesprit noted. “Oh, I wonder if those guards are emotionally traumatised of trains now… John, mind if I tag along?”

“Oh, she gets to go, and we don’t?” Snow asked.

“Alright, we’ll be off John, before Snow get some ideas…”

“Get’s what ideas? Hey! Eclipse, stop taking us away from John!” As Eclipse left the castle, I could not help but laugh. I so missed this… “WE’LL BE WAITING, JOHN!” Snow then yelled from around the corner.

“Right… John, I’ll take you to the Pokemon now…” Flash shook his head, as he started to head off into the castle.

-:-:-

The medical ward of the Crystal Empire Castle. I knew it well, as I had spent a few days here. It was not that large, but as I entered it’s walls, I knew it was bustling with activity. And by that, I meant Weavile was laying on the counter, head resting in one hand, hitting on a Guard… While a few Doctors were busy running around, trying to get Volt off of the ceiling.

“Good to see nothing has changed…” I mumbled to Flash and Mesprit.

“She’s been at it for the past two or three days…” Flash mumbled back to me. “She even tried to ask me out…”

“So Weavile,” I started, calling out to the dark type, as I approached her from behind. “How goes the hunt?”

Looking back at me, Weavile’s eyes popped wide, before she fell of the counter. “John?!” She asked, before bouncing off of the floor, and leaping at me, giving me a hug. “You did it! You helped us with our memories!”

Seeing as hugging was the team of today, I quickly hugged Weavile back, before pushing her away, a bit confused. “What do you mean?”

“She is speaking about my Dad, but he told everyone that it was on your behalf.” Misprint answered.

“I see…”

“So John, how’ve you been? I heard you and King Sombra got into a fight on you ended him! Ahhh, you promised you would defeat him, and you did!” She literally started to jump up and down in glee as she spoke, and it was a good sight… Unlike how she was before, she seems so… Happy. So relaxed. Not stressing over what happened to her… “I mean, I kind of remember what happened to me, I mean… Like, you know what people tell you happened, and you know it’s true, but you just can’t put your claw on it.”

“Well it’s good to see you’re doing better. Though, how is everyone else? Oh, and is Gengar doing well now?”

“I’m feeling quite fine, actually.” To my surprise, and slight shock, Gengar was standing next me. Beside him was Gengar, and beside them was Agatha, smiling at me.

“I must say, John, you do have a way of holding your promises,” Agatha, who I noticed had red eyes, as if she had been crying. “Thank you, John. For getting help for Gengar…”

“AAahhhh,” Weavile squilled. “I hate Holly at the moment, because I so want to mate with you right now!” I instantly took a step away from her, as she spoke. Then another just to be safe.

“Not to interrupt your little moment with John, but I need to help Aggron, and the only way to do that is by having John speaking with him.” Mesprit interjetect, floating forward. “Well step one, at least. He’s obsessed with getting stronger, and is demanding to speak with John. I mean, really, he rejected Dad’s help just so he would not forget the battle he had with you, even if he wasn’t fight himself.”

“Mesprit is right…” I started, looking at Weavile, Gengar, Gengar’s brother, Gengar and Agatha. “We’ll talk later. It seems that Aggron should not be kept waiting... It’s good to see your up, Gengar, and we’ll speak later.”

“You’re right about that,” Gengar grinned, showing his teeth. “We’ll talk later, oh, but first... I kind of want to apologize to you,” His smile turned upside down, as he stared at my stomach. “I don’t remember anything, but I did ask about what I did do… And I feel bad about hurting you… and the others I hurt… Listen, if you even need help with anything, I owe you, so just ask.”

“Gengar, you know it wasn’t you that did those things, it was that blasted stallion…”

“I know, Agatha… I know… But I still need to help… I have to…”

I could not help but smile at Gengar. What he wanted was a good thing… And I knew how he could help, but as I had said, that was for later. I nodded, before turning away from them, and looking at Mesprit, and Flash Sentry. The latter of the two was now trying to stop Weavile from kissing him…

“So where is Aggron?

“He’s in the- hhee, the room just down, please Weavile, stop trying to kiss me! Aahh! The room just down the hall!”

“If I can’t have the best thing, then I must have the second best thing. Considering how you’re John’s assistant, you must be the second best thing!” Weavile then leaped towards Flash, only to miss her leap, and land on the floor. “Aahh, I wish Eclipse didn’t teach you all how to dodge… Oh, wait, he’s John’s brother right? I think I must just visit him instead.”

“Yes, please, leave me alone, and go try to kiss Eclipse!” At this point, I could not help but to walk away from the two… Best not to keep Aggron waiting. After all… I may not be able to remember just what I did to him, so maybe we can help each other.

-:-:-

“Oh… good, you’re here…” Aggron smiled at me, as I stepped into the room, but then frowned in pain. His body was covered in bandages, but he stood tall, staring out the window.

“Aggron, you don’t you’re not suppose to be out of bed. I know you didn’t accept my Dad’s help, but you still have to heal normally, because of it!”

“Yes… Mesprit…” Aggron grumpled, before slowly making his way to the large bed that occupied his room. Once he sat down, his eyes loomed over to me, and for a moment, he didn’t say a word. “So you’re the one who beat me…”

“Again, he stopped King Sombra, not you.” Mesprit noted.

Aggron just stared at Misprint for a long time, before looking back at me. “It doesn't matter. He used me… And you stopped him… You were able to beat him…”

I remained quiet, as to hear what Aggron was going to say, so that I could get an idea of what was going on with him.

“All my life… I prided myself for how strong I was… I rarely lost… Then he came around, took me by surprise, made me do things to others… But you stopped me… You’re just a human, but where strong enough to stop me…”

“Aggron,” I started, cutting him off. “Before we keep this conversation going, you have to know that the whole experience with King Sombra is not one that I’m able to remember…”

“Considering how you forced him out of you, where I could not, I could only imagine…” He grumbled in his hard scratchy voice. “But that’s not the point I am getting at… No, John Williams…” He pointed at me, with a shaky claw. “When you remember, when you know what you did, when we are both ready, I will fight you. And this time… I’m going to win…”

At this point, I could tell that it was a matter of pride with him. Pride over what he did to others, while taken over by King Sombra. Just like Gengar… Knowing that you had to make up for something that he did. And in this case, it was losing to me… If I said no, it would be an insult, if I said yes, then I would have to keep on fighting… but… “Yes,” I started. “Once you’re healed, once I’ve done what I needed to do in the Empire, and once we’re ready…” I stepped forward, I reached out a hand. “I’ll fight you with a smile.”

Aggron reached forward, and took my hand, before shakily shaking my hand. I could tell that just my grip on his hand was hurting him, but he tried not to show it.

“Why do I smell pride?” Mesprit then asked, looking around the room.

-:-:-

“Holly,” Princess Cadance started. “Run to the central guard desk, and ask for a copy roster update. I need to see how things are going with part of the guard training, part of the guard wounded, and part of the guard out on duty.”

“And while you’re at it,” Shining Armor added. “Have the top ranking guards report here to me, I need to give them a debriefing on that information once we figure out what we’re doing.”

“Yes Princess,” Holly nodded, before turning to run out of the conference hall.

“Oh, and tell staff to bring me something to eat, we got here around nine, and it’s three, I’m starving!” Cadance called out after Holly.

“Yes Princess!” Holly called back, letting her know that she heard her.

As Holly ran through the castle, panting as the non stop work, she found herself quickly at the cafeteria. The closest stop here here work. Quickly making her way to the chef's, she took a deep breath. “Princess Cadance wishes for something to eat…” Taking another deep breath, Holly added. “And she needs it on the double, she’s hungry and has a lot of work to do…”

The chef's nodded, most of which were guards assigned to help the staff, before they exploded into action. “Oh, and Princess Cadance is in her conferance hall, now if you excuse me, I have a lot of work to do.”

Running out of the room again, Holly ran through the castle, making her way to the Central guard desk, in hopes that while she was waiting, she could take a breather. Aahh, I really need a break… Princess Cadance has be running around for the past two hours… I know we left the funeral early, to get to work, but I didn’t think it was THIS much work! Holly wined in her head, as she rushed down a flight of stairs, before tripping on the last few, and face planting the ground.

“Miss Holly Heart!” Several guards standing around who saw her falling, quickly moved to her aid, helping the green mare up.

“Miss Holly Heart, are you alright?” One of them asked, as they pulled her to her hooves.

“Aahh…” Holy ground holding her forehead. “I’ll be fine… But where are my glasses?” Holy asked, looking around.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am, but…” A unicorn guard frowned, before holding the now broken pair of glasses up.

“Shit…” Holly mumbled, before placing a hoof on her mouth. “Thank you, for helping me up, all of you…” Holly took her now broken glasses in her magic, before frowning. “Great… another thing I have to do today…” Letting out a sigh, Holly started to move again. She still had work to do, even if she could not see that well anymore.

I really hope John is having a better day then me... I’m going to need him after all of this… She told herself.

-:-:-

“And that’s why I don’t like eating apples,” Volt told Mesprit, as he sat on my shoulder. “They always seem to explode when I try to eat them!”

Mesprit, who was nothing but smiles, laughed as she looked at Volt. “Really? They explode?”

“Yeah, the red ones always explode the biggest though, and I don’t even like the red ones!”

It was like this for the past few minutes. As I had left Aggron, Gengar, and Weavile to go see how Princess Cadance was doing, Mesprit decided to tag along. Volt too, but seeing as he was not longer dealing with a stomach problem, thanks to throwing up and a small bit of medicine, I was just happy to see he was better.

Aggron was… on odd one. Not too odd, as I understood where he was coming from, what he cared for and all of that, but still odd. Gengar was disappointed that I could not stick around, but was happy none the less. Weavile… Now she was one that I found to have… mix feelings about everything. She was happy to be out. She was a bit over enthusiastic about not being able to be with me, and by that I mean Flash Sentry was no where to be found, and she looked disappointed, before asking me for Eclipse’s number… She was a fast one… Friendly, but fast...

Yet life was… well an emotional rollercoaster, both good and bad. You could not have love, without Hate, nor could you truly have peace without know what war was. And though King Sombra was alone, his threat to the Empire was that of a one stallion army… And with his death on my hands, I was deemed a hero.

“Hey John…” Volt started, poking at my cheek. “Are you alright? You look like you’re going to explode, like the reddest of apples,” His eyes widened for a moment. “Don’t tell me I’m going to make you explode! Oh Arceus, it’s happening!” Leaping off of my shoulder, Volt took off down the halls, screaming. “Look out, John’s going to blow!” For a moment, I lost him, as I didn’t see where he want. Both Mesprit and I remained quiet, as we waited there. Only to have Volt slowly lower himself in front of his, vea Electroweb. “You’re not blowing up… Yes! I’m not the problem!”

I could not help but start laugh, as did Mesprit. Volt was Volt, and by Volt being Volt, my mood was lifting. “Never change, Volt…” I smiled, as I scratched his head.

“But if I can’t change, then I can’t evolve…” Volt pouted.

“John means that he doesn't want you to change, as in personality.” Mesprit smiled.

“Oh, good. Because once I evolve, John, I’m coming for you!” He started to poke me in the cheek again, as he said this.

What is it with everyone saying their are out to get me today? I asked myself, as I rounded the corner and entered the conference hall.

I was immediately met with a rather amazing sight. Ponies by the dozen, all competing to gain Princess Cadance’s attention, and somehow, she was able to get to all of them. Barking orders, going from pony to pony, reading over papers and not looking stressed out… It was rather entertaining to see.

One of the guards, seeing me stand by the door, moved over to Cadance, and leaned in, so that he could whisper into her ear. Looking over, Cadance smiled at me, before standing up. “Everypony,” She started, and immediately everypony in the room went quiet. “Please, take a small five minute break. I am to see to something.”

As she moved through the crowd of ponies, they all parted for her, before she strolled up to me. And as she did, Holly, who I had not seen till now because of the amount of ponies in this room, quickly followed behind her.

“Quite the busy day, right John?” Cadance asked, as she reached me. “Come on, let’s go for a walk, so that we don’t get interrupted.”

“Yeah,” I smiled, at her, then looked over to Holly. She looked stressed, and her glasses were missing, but she was happy to see me none the less. “That’s one way to put it…”

Holly immediately trotted up to me, and kissed me on the cheek. “You have no idea, love…”

-:-:-

“So you two, how goes everything in politics?” I asked, as Cadance, Holly and myself sat down in a side room to chat. “Other than stressful, that is.”

“Well it’s going well,” Cadance sighed, before resting her head on the table.

“We’re going back and changing old laws, so that they fit for Pokemon,” Holly clarified. “We’re almost done, and we only have two-hundred or so more to go.”

“Holly, as my new assistant, please, never tell me the numbers…” Cadance requested, let out a long sight.

“Sorry…” Holly’s ears folded down, as she gave Cadance a sheepish smile.

“Anyways, how are things going for you, John?” Cadance asked. “After we left the funeral early, you said something about going and seeing Snow, Lex and Eclipse?”

“Yeah, they are doing fine. Overly huggy, but it doesn't really bother me. I’m just glad that we’re all together.”

“Oh, yes, Lord Arceus sent me a message, via letter about an hour ago,” Cadance then pipped up. “The Pokemon over in the Medical Wing, are all healed up now. You should go see them,”

“Already ahead of you, Cadance. I was there, before I came here…” I then started to look around, as two Pokemon that were with me moments before, were gone, and a grave expression appeared on my face.

“Um, what’s wrong, John?” Holly then asked, concerned.

“Mesprit and Volt are missing…” I started. “I don’t really want to know what they are doing at the moment, as I am sure I’ll find the mess they make later…”

“Oh, don’t be like that. I’m sure they are just fine,” Cadance gave me a smile.

-:-:-

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Volt asked, looking up at Mesprit.

“Of course, John would love if you did it, and I know Holly would appreciate it as well.” Mesprit smiled, looking down at Volt, as Volt looked down at the cake batter.

“I mean, I don’t think I can really make a cake…” Volt frowned, as he rubbed his chin. “I prefer eating them, over making them…”

“Trust me, they really need a pick me up. They would love it if you made this for them!”

“Yeah, you’re right! How hard can it be!”

-:-:-

“Absolutely fine,” Cadance reiterated. “After all, I don’t think he would do anything crazy, after getting in trouble back in Canterlot.”

“You’re probably right,” I nodded. “Anyways, how are you doing Holly? I noticed your glasses are missing… Did something happen?”

“They broken... in half... after I fell down some stairs…”

My eyes widened, before I looked her down on up. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine, John. You don’t have to worry…”

“I know you two can’t sense it, but my word, you two are adorable with the amount of love in the air!” Cadance squeed, as she stared at us. “I am so glad that I picked Holly to come with me, those two weeks ago. Otherwise, I don’t think you two would have ever been properly introduced…”

Holly just turned red at Cadance’s comment, while I just stared at her. And she was right. She did introduce us, and I don’t think we would have been together if she hadn’t. All the teasing helped too, even if it was not welcomed in some cases…

“Thank you, Cadance…”

“Oh, I know you don’t like it when I tease you two, you don’t have to tell me again, but come one, you’re both so cute together!”

“No, Cadance… I wasn’t going to ask you to stop. I was going to say, thank you. Thank you for introducing me to Holly, and…” I trailed off as I realised what I was going to say.

“And what?” She asked.

“And thank you for helping me find the love of my life…” Holly, who was a slight pink, then turned red, as she stared at me.

“Aaaaahhhh,” The voice of Snow reached my ears, and as I turned to the door, I saw her standing there, giving me a smile. “If it wouldn't ruin the moment, I would so drag you off to the stadium, right now…”

“Way to ruin the moment,” Lex, who then popped his head around the corner commented. “We’re sorry we had to interrupt, John, but it’s been an hour, and we got tired of watching Eclipse training guards…”

Holly then let out a sigh. “John, we’ll talk later. Alone. After everything…” She gave me a smile, before standing up and looking at Cadance. “Princess, I do believe our break is over.”

“How about you take the rest of the day off?” Cadance asked Holly.

“Sorry Princess, but with the amount of work needed, you would be lost without me,” Holly stated, before looking at me. “Besides, John has things to do too, and if I got time off, I would prefer to spend it with him…”

“She’s implying sex,” Lex stated, with a straight face. “I think… I’ve not spent much time with Holly to tell.”

And with that, Holly’s eyes went wide, and her face went red. “No, no, no, no, no, no!” She quickly stated. “I just want to spend time with him,” She started to shift from hoof to hoof, and more and more blood rushed to her cheeks. “Besides, I’m too tired for that, and I just said that outloud!” Both her hooves shot to her mouth.

Like her, I was too red, but luckily, walking away was still an option. “We’ll have dinner, Holly,” I stated, as I left the room. “I, um, I love you…”

-:-:-

The Crystal Empire Stadium... It was massive, it was amazing and it was currently raining. Only in the stadium, mind you, and as the guards were currently ran from end to end, they had the endur the heavy downpour. Not to mention Eclipse, blasting them jets of water.

“Welcome to hell, John,” Snow smiled. “Well… if hell was wet, and not covered in fire, oh and Eclipse is the Devel. Only he won't poke you with a pitchfork, but more of a massive blast of water!”

“She means to say that Eclipse is going to put you through a little test,” Lex clarified. “I’ll let him know you’re here. Snow will let you know what you’re doing.”

As Lex walked away, Snow leaped forward, and pushed me back.

“And what was that for?” I asked, brushing off my shoulder.

“You’re first test,” Snow started, before bolting away from me. “Tag you’re it, now try to catch me!” She yelled.

I started to shake my head, as I watched her run. “It’s it’s not one thing, it’s another…” I mumbled to myself, before I started to run after her.

-:-:-

“I don’t think cake is suppose to be chard black…” Mesprit muttered, as she helped Volt pull this cake from the oven.

“No!” Volt yelled. “I have dishonored this Empire with a cake such as this!” Leaping back onto the counter, Volt started to mix up a second thing of batter. “This cake has to be amazing! It is for John! It is for Holly! I am an Iron Chef!”

“I’ll just throw this one away then…” Mesprit ground. “Really wish Uxie was here, she’s better at things like this…”

“The main ingredient is love, Mesprit,” Volt stated, pointing a wisp that was four times his size at the Legendary. “You said that to me earlier! Don’t give up hope! We’ll get this right! Now hit the montage music!”

“You’re a lot more energetic about this than I thought you would be. You didn’t eat any of the sugar, did you?”

“Heck no, not after yesterday! My stomach still feels grumpy!” Volt yelled, throwing part of the batter he was making on the floor by mistake.

“Happiness, pride, loyalty, kindness…” Mesprit smiled as she looked at Volt. “You’re something, you know that?”

“It is better to be something, than nothing, because if I was nothing, then I would not be able to do anything! Now let’s get to cooking!”

-:-:-

Shining Armor, who was cruelty off in a private room, looking over documents, several feet from his wife, smiled. Ever since Eclipse started messing with the guards, their performance was up by nearly one-hundred percent, and the new laws that were being twerked would help protect Pokemon from ponies, and vise versa.

Having a Pokemon start a battle in the middle of the street may have been a good idea on Earth, but here in the Empire, they would have to make sure Pokemon would have a place to fight, and that when they do, no pony would get harmed. Not to mention all the other laws affiliating with fighting, destruction of property, attacking someone, etc…

It was all a mess, but at least it was not slow moving. Shining smiled, as he looked back at the roster of guards. With everything that was going on, twenty five new stallions, and twelve new mares, signed up for their part. Meaning they would have to go through the ringer with Eclipse, since they were brand new, and would have a harder time than most guards, but like all the guards so far, he could not help but smile. Things were going amazing!

“Flash Sentry,” Shining started.

“Yes, Sir?” Flash stepped forward, waiting for his orders.

“I’ve finished mapping out the schedule, and the roster changes. Each group of guards, will be given a new recruit to break in, and once a weak, a battalion of them is to train with Eclipse, up to six times a week. Now,” Reaching forward with his magic, Shining Armor handed Flash a large envelope. “Take this to the central guard desk, and have them run it through everypony. I want this new change by this time tomorrow.”

Taking the envelope, Flash Sentry gave Shining Armor a salut. “Yes, Sir! I’ll get right on it, Sir!” Before he left the room at a brisk pace.

As Flash Sentry left, Shining Armor followed, only to turn a different direction and make his way back to the conference hall, so that he could stand guard over his wife. After everything, he did feel more protective over her, as he had failed in his duty to save her, with that responsibility falling to John.

Did he regret it? No, his wife was alive, and that’s all he could ask for. Even if his pride was wounded. “So how are things going here, Cadance?” He asked, as he stood by her side.

“Crazy as always,” She answered, before stopping her work, standing up, and kissing his cheek. “Thanks for coming.”

Pride or not, Shining Armor could not be more happy. His love was still with him, thanks to John. He was just hoping that he could someday make it up to him. After all, a simple promotion in rank was nothing compared to his love for Cadance.

We all owe you a lot, John… More than you know... He smiled. I wonder if John would like a statue of himself…

-:-:-

Pressing my head into the wall of my shower, I let out a sigh. Snow had me running around for an hour, and it was now nearly six. The rain had started to sting around the forty minute mark, and from what they told me, that was not normal, as I should have felt it from the very start. But at least the stinging sensation felt somewhat good, even now, as I stood in my shower, I could not help but smile at it.

What better way to get out of the rain, then getting in the shower? The warm water felt good, after a day like this. Stress full, and a pain, so yeah, relaxing in the water felt good. Just need to clean myself off, I do smell rather bad… Can’t smell bad if I was to spend time with Holly! That would mean I was not a gentleman, or gentlemon… gentlestallion? I didn’t really know witch one it was anymore, but it was not really a problem…

Stepping out of the shower, I quickly dried off, this time, not lighting my towel on fire, before brushing my teeth. Since I was not expecting to go out on the town, since Holly was tired after a day like this, I knew something simple would be best.

“Excuse me,” I started, as I made my way into cafeteria, speaking to the chefs behind the counter. “Would you happen to have any grilled fish, or potpies?”

The cheff just smiled at me, before nodding. “For you, and your mare Holly? Yes, I do have such things. Please, go sit down and I’ll have them out in just a moment! The least I could do, after all, for what you did!”

“Thank you,” I started, as I knew I was going to have to get use to things such as this.

“Oh, and I know how Holly eats her potpies, don’t worry, she’ll love it. Now please, please, go sit down.”

“Would you mind if I returned, I have to go get Holly, after all.”

“No, no, I don’t mind at all, please, the food will be ready when you get back.”

“Thank you,” Turning around, I started to make my way out, and started to head to the conference hall. It was the last place Holly was after all, so it would stand to reason that she was still there, after all.

And I was right. She was there, still moving around, helping Cadance with work. I did notice that her glasses were now being held together with tape, as she worked, her eyes darting back and forth over documents, reading and sifting through papers.

Taking my time, I decided to stand back, and just watch as ponies voted, debated, and yelled back and forth through the room. It took almost five minutes, before somepony to notice me, and another ten before Holly did, and another five before they finished up with everything for today.

Ponies all flooded out of the room, and most of which wished me a nice day as they passed. Some even shaking my hand. It was… well something. I had similar events back on Earth, but something about this just felt different…

There was then a thud, as Princess Cadance face planted the desk in front of her. “I am so glad… this… is finally… OVER!”

Holly, who didn’t slam her head into the table, but still joined in with Cadance, just let out a sigh. “You can say that again…”

“So how many laws did you change, anyways?” I asked stepping over.

“Almost seven hundred, most of which were racial laws, laws of employment, and services, and a few other things…” Holly looked up to be, before smiling. “We wanted to make sure that Pokemon felt welcome when they came here, without having ponies discriminate.”

“A few things had to be taken in account though…” Cadance stood up, before stretching. “Battles being the most part… Can’t do them in public spaces without several guards on scene.”

“Well I take it that you just want to put your mind off of this, right? Relax a bit?”

“You have no idea…”

“Well Cadance, I may not be able to help you there, but I can help Holly. How does a simple dinner sound to you, Holly?”

“That sounds amazing…” She said in a tired tone.

“Well you two enjoy yourselves, I’m heading to my room to tuck it in early… I have a headache, and have to wake up early.”

“Don’t tell me we have to do this again, tomorrow?” Holly asked.

“No, but I do have to make a public announcement… You two enjoyaaaahhhh…” Cadance was almost cut of by a yawn as she spoke. You could see it in her eyes, that she was tired, so I decided not to hold her up anymore.

“Sleep well, Cadance,” I stepped over to Holly, and held out my hand. “Dinner for two?”

“Sounds lovely…”

-:-:-

Holly and I, sat next to each other upon a balcony, as he had done back in Canterlot. Only this time, the sun was still shining, we didn’t have wine, nor a waiter, we were eating the same thing though… Need to explore more culinary options, in my life. I did enjoy myself fish, but it was not the only thing I enjoyed.

As for Holly, she ait with a simple smile. There we bags under her eyes, and she was tired, but food did come first in the end.

“We’re not going to get a break anytime soon it seems…” Holly frowned, before yawning.

“It’s better than it was… You have to give it that, at least,”

“Yeah, stress is a lot better to deal with than King Sombra… Anyways, how was your day? How is everyone doing?”

“Snow and Lex are happy I’m back, and are going to mess with me for leaving them,” I started. “Eclipse is being… Himself. Concentrating on what needs to be done, and being there for me when I need him,” I raised my hand and held up two fingers. “Gengar, Weavile, and the other Pokemon are doing fine… That being said, I only saw Aggron, so I know nothing about how Snorlax, Glaceon, and the others affected by King Sombra are doing,” I leaned forward, and shook my head. “Aparently Aggron declared me his rival, since I bested him… Even if I can’t remember why…” Holly tensed up at the mention of Aggron, but I knew better not to ask about it. For my sake, and of those around me. “Mesprit ran off with Volt, so I don’t know where they are… Flubber two, I only saw him this morning, before be buggered off…”

“And how are you doing?” She asked.

I stayed quiet for a moment, before giving her a big smile. “Never better. I’ve not felt this relaxed in a long time. With everything over, and mostly everyone happy, I could not be happier.”

“We’ll take that as a challenge!” Mesprit, who kicked the door to the balcony open.

“Ah, Mesprit… What are you doing?” I asked, looking at the Legendary as she did interrupt Holly and myself. “And what do you mean by we?”

“Volt! If you will! Come and make them happy!”

At her beckon call, a cart slowly pushed its way out into the balcony. On top of cart was a large serving dish, hiding something beneath it. “There!” Volt called out, before scurrying up the side of the cart. “John! Holly! I present to you a gift!” He stated, in a fancy tone, before Mesprit pulled the cover off, revealing a cake.

“Um, I don’t think taking a cake and offering it to us is a good idea, Volt.”

“Well yeah, that’s why I made it,” Volt said, back in his normal voice, before screaming. “I PRESENT TO YOU, MY MASTERPIECE! CHOCOLATE ORAN BERRY-APPLE CAKE! WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING! I would taste it, but I’m in trouble, and don’t want to get in more trouble taking the cake I was going to give to the two of you away.”

“This was your idea, wasn’t it?” I asked Misprit.

“What? He felt down, and this was how I helped im. Besides, it’s a good cake, trust me. You two will love it. Now… Eat a slice so that Volt feels happy.”

I let out a sight before looking at Holly. She simply smiled at me, before shaking her head, looking over, and levitating the Cake over to our table. “We’ll try one peace, then the two of you have to leave… Alright?”

“I will accept these terms of use,” Volt smiled, making Mesprit chuckle.

“Normally its best to eat cake after dinner,” I started, before taking my knife and cutting said cake. “But for you, we’ll make an exception…”

And… it tasted amazing… I didn’t say a word however as I ate the slice of cake. Volt stared intently at me, as I did so, never blinking once. His determination showing. Holly on the other hand took it very slow… I couldn't really tell if she liked the cake though, as like me, she was putting on a poker face.

“Well…” I started, placing my fork down. “I really liked it.”

“YES!” Volt yelled, before jumping off of the balcony, and using Electroweb to lower himself onto the ground, before turning right around, and taking off into the castle.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so happy before…” Mesprit noted. “I’m going to go before I try to make him happier… I’ll see you around John…”

“Until next time, Mesprit,” I nodded to her. “Now where were we?” I asked Holly, before noticing she was happily eating a second piece of cake.

“What?” She asked, with a smile. “It’s good cake…”

I let out a sigh, before standing up, and looking upon the Empire. Good food… Good friends… Good family… And a good life soon to come… Life was better in the Empire. Those who died, won’t be forgotten, those who lived will keep fighting, those who suffered have been helped and those who fell in love...

I looked at Holly, and my heart skipped a beat.

And those who fell in love, rather it be myself or someone else, will forever be happy, with the one they love. For this was the Crystal Empire. The Empire of Love.

“Hey Holly,” I started, still looking out at the Empire.

“Yeah?”

“You know I love you, right?” I asked, turning around, and looked at her.

“What kind of question is that?” She asked, confused. “Of course I know you love me, I love you two.”

“Alright… good…” I leaned in, and then bit off the peace of cake that she was about to put in her mouth.

“Oh, did you really just do that?” She asked me, with a smile.

“Well if you want it back, you’re going to have to come over here and kiss me for it.”

“You know, that’s more gross than romantic, John…” She laughed.

“I didn’t hear a no,” Leaning in, I then kissed Holly.

Yeah… The Empire was a much better place now.

“I love you, Holly.”

“I love you, John.”

The End…?

Author's Note

Bubba-
And thus, ends the story of John Williams, and opens a new chapter as to what I am writing. As I said in my blog before, I am going to make a 2nd story of this. Soon to come, as I am working out it's plot in my head.
I do have to give thanks to Zeus, for letting me write this, and being apart of his story. TDN, for editing my story. (Even if I uploaded this without letting him take a look at it.) And Aus, who may not have been there 100% of the time, but helped me worked things out.

How long till the next story? Say a week to a month. I'll make a mini chapter on this, so that you can all find it.

Give me a review of my story in the comments, I want to know your closing thoughts on John, Holly, and everyone in my story. Please and thank you.

Editors notes:
TND- A good ending to the story!
Zeus- Note not found.

Chapter 1: Strange New World

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen

Chapter 1 - Strange New World

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, ruler of the Crystal Empire, sat in the conference hall of her Crystal Castle, though she didn’t really have to be there. Today was a simple day. All of the ponies under her watch were debating on how they should celebrate the upcoming Anniversary of their Independence. This year they had hosted the Equestria Games! It was a great time for all involved mostly, but on the whole, everypony had a fun time. Now the question was, how were they going to top it?

Many ideas had been tossed around, but nothing was set in stone just yet. “Princess Cadence,” One of the stallions spoke up. “What do you think about this years celebration?”

Princess Cadence couldn’t help but smile. “We do have a whole year ahead of us to come up with ideas, but if I know Celestia, as long as there’s cake, she will come!”

This got a chuckle out of most of the ponies, while others just smiled. The Princess was right. They did have the whole year ahead of them. They didn’t have to come up with anything at the moment, and Cadence knew this. “You know what…” She started again. “Since today is so nice, how about we finish up, and take the rest of the day off?”

Some of the ponies in the room didn’t want to leave, but the Princess was right. Today was a beautiful day. The sun was shining bright and the shield that protected the city radiated a wonderful color! And all was well. At least it WAS well…until the explosion.

-:-:-

Meanwhile, and about two minutes before the explosion, a Unicorn Stallion stood heroically. Standing before him was a large group of stallions and mares from all across Equestria who had all come to see the lovely Crystal Empire for themselves. In other words, a tourist group. And the stallion standing heroically loved Tourist.

“Hello everypony,” The stallion started. “My name is Shining Armor, head of the Crystal Empire Royal Guard, and husband to Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. And this,” He gestured to the large Crystal Castle above. “Is the Crystal Castle. Home to the Crystal Heart, as well as the Princess herself.” A hoof belonging to a small filly shot up. Shining looked at her and smiled. “Yes little one, do you have a question?”

The filly looked at up Shining, and asked with the cutest of voices. “Can we see the Crystal Heart, sir?”

Shining just nodded. “Once you ponies are finished with your tour, the tour guide will show you to the Crystal Heart. Now, does anypony have any questions about the Crystal Castle?”

Most of the ponies raised there hooves. However, before Shining could answer any of the questions an explosion blasted through the air. Making all the ponies scream and run in the opposite direction of the source of the sound. Shining Armor, however, started to run towards the source of the explosion.

-:-:-

I opened my eyes, everything I saw was blurry. The sun was shining bright and made it hard to see. I rubbed my eyes, wiping the sleep from them. Then rubbed my hand through my hair.

Wait... what?

I placed both hands on my head. My hair… It was short. Did I get my hair cut? My hair was also... warm? Why was my hair warm?

I brought my hands down to look at them. Then I looked at my arms. Then down at my body…. “What?” Was all I could say. “What is… What is going on?” My body was covered in white fur. My arms and legs had a thin coat of brown fur, and my hands were blue. My mind started to race. “Why am I an Infernape!?”

I stood up and started to pace around. “This has to be a dream! I have to be sleeping! Or on drugs! Or this is real, no, no, this can’t be real!”

As I started to mentally break down I did not notice a pair of strange Pokémon watching me. The larger of the two looked like a black and gold lion, but with large mouse ears and a star on the tip of his tail. The white of his eyes were not white, but a bright yellow. And for the color part of his eyes were black. His face, and the bottom of his legs, where all a golden yellow. This Pokémon’s name was Luxray.

Sitting next to him was a fluffy white Pokémon. Her face, as well as her claws and tail, where a stunning blue. Extending off to the side of her face stood a blade that she used to cut things with. This beautiful creature was a Absol.

They both just watched the Infernape with a smile on their faces. Seeing him walk around like an idiot was rather amusing to them; at least until he started to hit his head against a tree, then they started to get worried.

The Luxray was first to speak. “John?” He said in a deep voice. “John?” The Infernape named John just kept hitting his head, unaware of the Luxray that was trying to get his attention. “John?”

The Absol, unlike the Luxray, didn’t try to go for the ‘soft’ approach. The Infernape in front of them needed to calm down! And what better way than to literally knock some sense into him! There isn’t a better way, by the way.

“Shadow Ball,” she said, right before a black ball slammed into John.

John now laid on his back, staring up at the sky. His disposition was completely changed. He took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

-John’s POV-

“Thank you, Snow.” Pulling myself up I looked at her. “So… have any ideas why I am an Infernape?”

“Nope.” She smirked.

“...Alright so… Other than becoming a Pokémon. I now understand Pokémon.” I stated. Doing my best to stay calm.

“Well all Pokémon can understand each other.” I glanced over at the voice to see a Luxray. From his shiny pelt to his golden paws and face, I knew that this was my Luxray.

“Lex! You’re here too? Let me guess, everyone else is just going to jump out and scare me right?”

“We’re sorry John, but we are the only two here.” Snow explained.

My eyes opened wide. “Wait. You mean we’re the only ones here?” They nodded. My mind was about to go to a dark place. Think what could have happened to them. Did they get captured by Team Rocket? Were they lost? But before my mind could even start wondering an explosion caught my attention.

-:-:-

“What the hell is this thing?!” A generic Crystal Empire Guard screamed before getting smacked by a blue alligator-like tail and launched into a store window.

“Just keep it occupied,” Shining Armor called out. “Once the cannons get here we’ll be able to take it out!”

The large blue alligator creature let out a mighty roar before it unleashed a massive blast of water out of it’s mouth, punching holes in building and tearing up the street. It had already hit a gas line, causing a massive explosion. Said explosion took out half a block, some ponies were injured, but luckily nopony was killed.

Shining took a step forward. His pony forces either were knocked out, or were too scared to face this monster. He had to step up. To fight it himself. “Soldier,” He spoke. Scaring the mare next to him. “Give me your spear.”

The soldier didn’t argue and hoofed over his spear willingly. Shining took it in his magical grasp. It was show time. Placing the spear to his side, he charged the alligator. It let out another blast of water; he leaped left and it missed him. The distance between the two was now in Shinings attack ranged. He lifted his spear and thrusted. The alligator saw this and jumped back.

Shining bit his teeth. Even with its size the alligator was fast. Almost too fast for Shining Armor, its claws started to glow and it dashed forward. Shining brought up a shield just in time. The Alligator’s claws raked across the shield, tearing massive gaps in it. Leaping back, Shining had to rethink how to approach this situation. The cannons had yet to arrive, but he didn’t want this thing to go free. He had to stall it till then.

The Alligator attacked again. This time it rammed into Shining.Slamming his head into his lower chest, knocking the air out of him. If it weren't for his armor he would have some broken bones from that hit.

“Sir! The cannons will be here in under two minutes!” Another soldier yelled. Shining smiled. Good. He would not have to hold the creature off for too long.

Then the large alligator was hit by a blast of thunder. It screamed, or made a sound similar to screaming and Shining Armor’s eyes went wide as three strange creatures appeared out of no where. Two were strange looking dog-like creatures and one was a monkey; and it’s head was on fire.

“By Celestia, what in the world?” Was his only response to this situation.

The monkey let out a screech, pointing one of his fingers at the alligator. Then the larger blue dog’s body lit up and thunder blasted out again. The monkey let out another sound, and this time the smaller white dog slammed into the alligator. With the size difference he didn’t expect much force in the hit.

Boy was he surprised when the alligator flew back a good ten feet, slammed into a building, fell forward on it’s face, and didn’t get up. You know what. ‘Surprised’ isn’t the right word here. Flabbergasted would more accurately explain the look on his face.

-:-:-

I stood in between my Pokemon. The fallen Feraligatr laid unconscious. I turned around to the… ponies? They looked like Ponyta. Only different… A lot different. The closest one was male and full white with multi colored blue hair and purple armor. His eyes were wide. Then… three cannons rolled up beside him, and where were aimed right at us… Shit.

“Take cover!” I yelled.

And I jumped through the nearest window. Then… nothing happened.

I peaked out the window to see that the stallion was holding his hoof up. He looked curious. I jumped out of the window and started to walk towards him. He seemed hesitant, but his eyes dashed between myself and my pokemon.

“Can you two stay back?” I turned to Snow and Lex. “I think after that,” I pointed at Feraligatr. “They’re a bit on edge.”

Turning back to the stallion I walked slowly towards him. My hands up. “That’s close enough.” He said to me.

“Alright. I’ll stand right here.”

“...What?” He asked.

“I said, I will stand right here.”

“I can’t understand you,” He replied.

I slumped my arms and hung my head. Great! I have no idea what is going, I became a pokemon, and now I have to communicate with some creature that doesn't understand me. I facepalmed, then looked up into the sky. Then at a sign hanging off of one of the buildings. It read, “Coffee shop! For all your coffee desires!” The master mind that lived in my mind had an idea. I looked down at the ground and started to write in the dirt.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

I looked up at him, smiled, and beckoned him to me. He slowly walked up.

“Careful sir!” One of the ponies behind the cannons called out.

“I will. Just keep the cannons on him, and wait for my orders!” The stallion called out.

In the dirt I wrote the falling. “Hello. My name is John. Where are we? Who are you? Did the Feraligatr hurt anyone?”

He read what I wrote, and looked up at me questionably. “John?” I nodded. “My name is Shining Armor. And that,” He looked back down at what I wrote. “Feraligatr?” He asked curiously. “Right…. Yes. The Feraligatr... did injure many ponies when it destroyed a gas line.” This made my eyes widen. Then… his eyes widened? Why?

He took a step back. “ You know your head is on fire right?” I nodded.

“HE MEANS MORE SO THAN USUAL!” Snow yelled.

I looked back at her, then to my head. Yep. I was on fire. Nothing new there. Only the fire was three feet tall and just light the coffee shop on fire… I let out a long sigh. It was just going to be one of those days…

-:-:-

I sat at a table across from Shining. My head was no longer a massive ball of fire. No, now it was just a small ball of fire. Which was good. Ponies scrambled to put out the fire that I had caused. Since the incident, Shining and I had a long conversation. Mostly including who I was and who were the two with me. Oh, and about the Feraligatr. A lot of questions were about him.

“Alright so let me get this straight. Your name is John. You use to be human, but something changed you to a pokemon. A pokemon is an animal that is very powerful. They come in many shapes and sizes, and not all,” He looked at the Feraligatr sitting in a large cage. “Are… insane and going on a rampage?”

“Yes.” I scribed using a pencil on the notepad that I was given.

Shining let out a sigh. “This is almost as confusing as the Changeling attack.” He then started to rub his temple.

“Do you mind if I ask some questions?” He looked at the note pad and nodded.

“You never answered where we were.”

“Oh, Well we are in the Crystal Empire. Over there,” He pointed his hoof at a large tower. “Is the center of the city, as well as the Crystal Castle.”

“And where is that?”

“The Crystal Empire is in the northern half of Equestria.”

“And what is Equestria?”

“What do you mean? Everyone on Equus knows what Equestria is.” I just stared at him. Then my face and the table became best of friends as I slammed my face into said table.

“Are you alright?” He sounded worried. Somewhat.

I looked up at him. Grabbed my pencil, saw that I had light the corner of the notepad i was using on fire, and let out a long sigh. Extinguishing the flame by slapping the notepad on the table a few times. I then wrote the falling. “The Short answer is that ‘Equus’ is not the name of the planet I am from. I am a Alien apparently. And I am also doing my best not to scream.” I then tore that paper out and handed it to him.

Then while he read I wrote a longer explanation. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN I AM NOT ON PLANET EARTH?! What in the world happened? Why am I a pokemon?! And who the hell did this?! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” His reaction to the second note was a annoying smile.

“You know there's something odd about you. I just can’t place my hoof on it.”

Instead of writing anything down I just spoke out loud. “You have no idea, Shining Armor…”

“I wonder if anyone knows a translation spell…” Shining thought aloud.

I ignored him mostly. My thoughts started to wander around. I looked over at Lex and Snow. They were sitting in front of the Feraligatr cage. Watching him. He had woken up some time ago, and after learning he was in a cage tried to go all nuts again. Lex had a different plan. The kind that includes pain, mostly on the Feraligatr's part. That is if he tries to run, or break the cage. Really the only thing he can do is sit there and look pretty.

“You seem stressed.” Shining pointed out. Thank you captain obvious. I didn’t know I was stressed.

“I had a lot of work that needed to be finished, and now I don't think I can do most of it.”

“What type of work?”

“Tracking down a criminal organization hell bent on taking over the world.”

“R-realy? So are you like a detective?”

Before I could answer Shining stood up. A look of both love and respect lay on his face. He was looking down the road, and from the sounds of it a chariot was on its way. I looked over, and saw two large normal stallions pulling a fancy carriage. I say normally because unlike Shining, they did not have a horn, and unlike some of the other stallions around here, they did not have wings. So really I was surrounded by Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns. Ya…

The fancy carriage then stopped in front of us. Shining stepped forward and leaned closed to the door. He said something… I could not hear what it was. But he did smile afterwards. “Introducing,” His horn glowed as the door opened. “Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire.”

Author's Note

New chapters will be posted every 7 days to 10 days or so. Depending on how I feel.

Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen

If you liked the story, please like it. It helps me in the long run.

Chapter 12: The Truth of the Matter

I would Like to apologies for the last chapter.

The new rule is, I am not allowed to write if I am other pissed off or am annoyed.

I hope this chapter makes up for the last one.

A New World, Burning an Old Way

Written by: xBUBBA1995x
Edited by: zeusdemigod131
Edited by: tdnpony
Pre-Reader: Dragaen (Not Yet Pre-read)

Chapter 12: The Truth of the Matter

The day started… well rather good. I had breakfast with Holly Heart. Though my feelings towards her have… strengthen some, I still find it odd that I am falling in love with her. From there the day got even better with Flubber showing up! Just having him around makes me smile. He was always able to make me smile… kind of like how Holly Heart and Volt make me smile. Then the day got even better, as Flubber healed me! I was now able to walk around, and not have to be trapped in that hospital bed recovering.

But… then the day was turned around. A monster was sighted outside the city. But monster would not be the right word. From what little I have seen of Yveltal… he doesn’t appear to be a monster. Yes, he is the embodiment of Death. A Legendary Pokemon to be feared! And… just from him showing up, what joy I had for today, turn into unneeded stress. And when I am stressed… I get angry.

And that is why I looked down into a cup of alcohol.

No, am I not drinking to wash the world around me away. I was not drinking just to forget about the world around me... I was drinking because I was angry. I was drinking because when I am intoxicated I slow down. My brain stops thinking, and my body relaxes. It let’s me think. Think about how I am going to deal with the world around me.

“You know, most ponies don’t start drinking until after Five-PM…” Holly started. I turned to her and she was giving me a cute smile. “But hey, it’s five-o'clock somewhere in the world, right?” She joked, as she brought a small mug to her lips.

“Well… with what just happened, I needed this to clear my head,” I told her and I looked out to the Crystal Empire from the balcony Holly and I stood appone. “And I really need to clear my head…” I then took a sip from the alcohol. It tasted like apples, but had a hard kick to it. It was apparently was from a place called ‘Sweet Apple Acres!’ home of the Zap-apple!

“...Well… that is kind of why I like you John,” Holly Heart started. “No matter what the world throws at you, you just stand back up…” Her face reddened as she continued. “You’re kind… You’re nice… You know how to be awesome…” Note to self: Holly Heart can not handle her Alcohol. She’s not even finished with part of her drink and yet she is showing signs of intoxication. “Wow… this Sweet Apple Acres know how to make their Alcohol…”

I chuckled then glanced out to the world presented to us. As the rays from the sun pierced through the shield around us, it made the sky above us seem… radant. It even looked as if there was a faint Norther Light glowing in the shy. “Now that is something you would not see back in Kanto…” I let out a happy sigh. “How is it that I’ve been here a week, and I have yet to see this?”

“Yeah… the sun always look great through the protection of the Crystal Heart’s shield… But John, you know you should not beat yourself up. Your mind was on other things for most of that time…” Holly placed her hoof on my shoulder, and well she was right. From becoming a Pokemon, to King Sombra, to being placed in the hospital… To Yveltal… Yeah I have lot on my plate...

“...Hey, Holly Heart, mind if I ask you something?” I asked.

She giggled. “Well technically you just did,” She gave me a cute grin, before continuing. “And no. I don’t mind. Ask away!”

“What do you see in me?”

Holly’s face blushed. “...d-didn’t I… already say that? How you are kind and… what not?”

“Ya… you kind of did…” On that I took a large swig of the apple alcohol. “Anyways, I am going to go… deal with all of this. I shall see you later, Holly Heart. We’ll have dinner or something.”

“It’s a date then!” She declared.

One of the down sides about drinking for me, is that I don’t think when I speak. So now… I guess that Holly and I now have a nice date…

-:-:-

First things first. I had to apologize to Snow. I should not have hit her… No matter what she says or does… she is family.

“Snow, Lex?” I asked, as I knocked on her door. “Are you in there?” There was then a thud from behind the door. As if something or someone fell… Off the bed… “I would like to apologies for hitting you earlier…” I continued.

“Uuummmm…” Snow started. “I accept your apology… but can’t open the door right now…”

“Yeah John, we can’t really open the door right now…” Lex added, only for a smacking sound to come through the door…

“Wait, are you two…” I started, before I facepalmed. “It’s the middle of the day you two, come on!”

“Don’t start, John. I know you’ve been drinking.” Lex called out.

“Wait, what? He’s been drinking?!” Snow yelled. “Without us!”

“He has, and I can smell it on his breath!” Lex stated.

“Alright, alright, I’ll come back latter!” I commented, as I turned away from their door…

Step one of the plan to deal with today: Failed...

-:-:-

As I walked through the halls of the crystal castle, I started to wonder what else I had to do today… Yveltal was on the top of that list, but there are others… Eclipse for example. Since I arrived in this world, I would say that I’ve spent no time with him. He’s my oldest friend… you would think I would spend all day with him, but with the way things have been going…

“Excuse me,” I started, turning to the nearest guard to me. “Do you know where I might find Eclipse? He’s the large blue turtle.”

“I know who he is, sir. You may find Eclipse in the training ground,” He tilted his head to the side. “I would assume you knew this, since he has been training the crystal guard.”

Good to see that Eclipse took over my Job for Shining Armor. “Thank you, guard. Have a nice day.”

“Thank you, John, for helping Princess Cadance and Shining Armor.” I blinked. I knew most of the guards knew me, but… his words surprised me…

-:-:-

As I stepped towards one of the many doors that lead to the training ground, I heard Eclipse yell. “I Said Move Those hooves! If You’re Not Fast On Your Hooves You’re Going To Get Hit!” Followed by a large splash of water, and some screaming.

As I stepped into the training grounds, I smiled at what I saw. Eclipse was currently standing in the middle of the room. Around him where guards, who were all soaking wet and panting for breath.

“When I say move faster, you move faster. If that was a real attack you all would me more than a little wet! Now, AGAIN!” Eclipse ordered. The stallions all stood up and took a battle position. Surrounding Eclipse. Weapons at the ready.

They then waited for Eclipse to make the first move, but it didn’t matter. In one quick motion, Eclipse spun in a circle and blasted water balls at them. The force of the impact topled them to their backs.

“This is a lot harder to do then what you make it out to be, sir!” One of the stallions stated.

“That’s the point,” Eclipse folded his arms. “Like I said, Pokemon are tough, and you ponies need to learn to get out of the way when they attack! Never take an attack full force if you can’t take it!”

“So let me get this straight,” I spoke up. Eclipse, as well as all the guards present in the room, turned to me. “You are teaching the guards of the Crystal Empire by having them play… water tag?”

“John! I heard you got out of bed and have been walking around, but I didn’t believe it,” Abandoning the guards around him, Eclipse strolled over to me and gave me a ursa-hug. “Good you see you! How’ve you been?!”

I let out a long sigh as he let me go. “I have been… better. Today is kind of… good and bad.”

“Oh, and what is all this commotion that I’ve been hearing? Something about a monster?” Eclipse asked.

“Lord Arceus sent us Yveltal to help deal with Sombra…” His eyes widened as I mentioned this. “And Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are dealing with him at the moment.”

“...John,” He reached out and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I know you. Now… have you been drinking?”

“If you’re asking me that I am hallucinating, then the answer is no,” He gave me a suspicious look. “And yes, I have had something to drink.”

“John, I am very disappointed in you for not inviting me,” This made most of the guards chuckle. “But don’t worry about it. If Yveltal goes bad then these ponies will take him out! By the time I am finished with them, they’ll be able to take down most legendaries!”

“...by playing water tag?” I asked.

“Well once they learn to get out of the way, then we’ll move onto the real training,” He stated proudly. “Speaking of which,” He quickly turned to the many stallions and mares watching us and fired out a blast of water. It impacted on the ground and knocked all of them away from the impact point. “I SAID Never Let Your Guard Down!”

“But sir,” A mare spoke up. “We’ve been at this for the last seven hours! Can we please have a break? We’re too tired to keep doing this!”

“Is That Back Talk I Hear?!”

“No, Sir! Sorry, Sir!”

“Go ahead and let them rest Eclipse,” He then gave me a strange look. As if I told them that the sky was red, or the sea was yellow. “I’ll show them how it’s done!”

“John you seem to forget that you are a fire type Pokemon,” He turned to his guards. “And what happens when a fire type fights a water type?”

“Fire is weak to water, and has a disadvantage in battle!” One of them yelled.

“Exactly,” Eclipse smiled to me. “Now just watch for now, John. Don’t want to put you into the hospital again,” Taking on a mean look, he turned to the guards standing at attention. “Breaks over, time for another round!”

“I’ll be seeing you then, Eclipse…” I spoke up.

“John! Don’t get yourself down,” He pointed at me. “You still have work to do too. No time to get drunk and get down! I’ll deal with the training, you deal with keeping Ponies and Pokemon in line.”

“Right…” I then turned to the door. Leaving him to train the guards, and going off and doing… something.

“Oh, and you’re next on the training list, John! You’re a Pokemon now! You gotta be strong,” He called out after me. “Hey! I said dodge the attack! Not get hit by them! Do It Again!”

Step two of the plan to deal with today: Failed…

-:-:-

Meanwhile…

Shining Armor sat at a large table just outside of the castle. Across from him was Yveltal, and for the past hour he has been answering Yvelal’s questions about Sombra… All two of them.

What are his powers?Where can I find him?

Though Shining was able to answer the first question with ease, the second one was… a bit harder...

“Look, Yveltal, if we knew where King Sombra was, we would go in and attack him. As it is, we have no idea where he is, or when he will attack.”

“Lord Arceus help you, how am I suppose to fight a foe that we do not know where he is? If he where to attack the city, I would not be able to fight him! I promised Lord Arceus that no harm shall come to anyone here, and if he attacks I can NOT fight him!”

Shining just let out a long sigh as he looked down at the table, wondering what to say or do… “Flash Sentry,” He started. “Please go inform John that if King Sombra is to attack then it shall be up to him to defend the city, and after we drive him out of the city Yveltal can finish him off!”

“Sir, yes sir!” Flash Sentry stated, giving Shining a salute, before trotting off, Glad that he no longer had to be near Yveltal.

-:-:-

“Come in Command! This is Victor-Oscar-Lima-Tango, we have yet to spot the target, over!” Volt stated, as he sat in a mini jet that Flubber transformed into.

Flubber let out some beeps from the mini control console in the cockpit of the plane he was transformed into.

“Roger that, Command,” Volt then adjusted his mini goggles. “I am going to jump on three... One… Two… THREE!”

She never saw him coming. As Holly Heart started to stroll back through the halls of the Crystal Empire, she never would expect to be attacked… Not by the yellow death. As the AC130 that Flubber had transformed into flew over head, Volt jumped out. Heading straight for Holly Heart.

“Target has been hit! I repeat, target has been hit!” Volt stated as he landed on Holly’s back.

She… did not notice.

“Cancel that, Command. Target has not noticed our presence,” Volt made some leg signs to Flubber, and the pink mastermind turned around and headed back to Volt. “Commencing backup operation,” As Flubber closed him, his form changed into another Joltik, and he landed next to Volt. “And now… we wait!”

-:-:-

“With Eclipse happy, and Lex and Snow… happy, I guess it would be best that I stop messing around and help Shining Armor…” I told myself. “Now… I just need to know where they are…”

“Excuse me, John,” I came to a dead stop, and found myself face to face with Flash Sentry. “I am here to give you a message from Shining Armor.”

“Ah, Flash Sentry, good to see you. How’s life?” I started, giving him a smile.

“It’s alright… but listen. Shining Armor and Yveltal have been speaking, and though their meeting is not over, they have come to an understanding. If King Sombra is to attack, then Yveltal is unable to fight him because he would destroy everything in his path. That is where you and your Pokemon, as well as we Crystal Guard, come in. We would have to drive him out of the city, so that Yveltal can finish him off.”

“That… sounds like a solid plan, but the question is when and where is King Sombra going to attack,” I added in. “Oh, and thank you Flash Sentry for telling me this. Now I have something to ask of you.”

“And that is, sir?”

“May you take me to Shining Armor and Yvetal. I wish to John in on their meeting, even though I should have been there from the start, and I kind of feel bad for making Shining Armor… well… talk with death alone…” I admitted. Really… I should have helped. I promised to help, but I went off with Princess Cadance… then started to drink… and well you know the rest.

“I’m… sorry for saying this, John, but I don’t think you would be much help… The meeting came down to two simple things,” He started. “And Sir Shining Armor can answer both,” He then grimaced. “But… there is something bugging me about all this. King Sombra he's been… quiet since his last attack. He hasn’t even been spotted, and I fear that something’s going to happen.”

I knew what he meant. Most days back on Earth, before Team Rocket would pull off a highs or an illegal activity, I would know something was wrong. I could feel it in my gut. “Really? Nothing? Damn…”

“Are you alright, John? You seem… off.”

“It’s nothing much, Flash Sentry. Just feel… useless. My Pokemon, no… I really should stop calling them that. They are no longer mine, since I am now their equal… Anyways, my friends are all happy. Eclipse is busting in the Crystal Guard, Lex and Snow are… having fun. Shining Armor is helping the Crystal Empire by dealing with Yveltal, and Princess Cadance is… well I don’t know what she is doing right now,” I drifted to the side and started to lean against a wall. “So ya… other than waiting for an attack from King Sombra, I can’t really do anything.”

“John,” Flash Started as he gave me a confused look. “I’ve known you for a weak. In that time, I’ve seen you do some… well surprising things. Most of those things involved telling a pony off and everypony loving you for it. You faced King Sombra, and though you were mortally wounded, you stood back up and fought. Then, while you were still recovering from a near death experience, you stood up, hypothetically I mean, and made everypony on the council sympathetic to Pokemon. How in the world, can you say that you are useless?” He asked, only to place a hoof on my shoulder. “Seriously, how?”

“Simple,” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m drunk.”

-:-:-

“I understand, Yveltal. That you wish to get this over with quickly, and I agree with you. King Sombra needs to die,” Shining began. “But starting a search party is off the table. What would happen if King Sombra took control of the minds of the ponies that we send out, only for them to come back and do harm on to us? He would be able to just walk in, and attack. Without us knowing.”

“Aaaahhhh, this is getting tiresome! Why is it that you shoot down every idea I come up with? Do you not want to see King Sombra’s head on a pike?”

Shining Armor didn’t want to answer that question, but understood Yveltal’s frustration.

“Please come down, Yveltal. I am sure we can come to an idea as long as we stay calm.”

“This would be so much easier if Lord Arceus had simply tasked me with killing that damned pony, no strings or details attached…”

Thank you Lord Arceus! Shining Armor thought.

-:-:-

Princess Cadance paced back and forth in her throne room. Her mind was racing back and forth, as she thought of a way to make it up to Shining Armor. I slapped him! She yelled at herself. Why on Equus did I slap him?! Her eyes were watery, and most of the guards around her just felt saddened by her look. They did not like seeing their Princess cry.

“If only I knew that it was John’s idea,” She said to herself. “Oh, I have to say sorry, I have to make it up to him,” She paused in place. “Oh, what should I say? I’m sorry for slapping you. I didn’t know that it was John’s idea to bring in Death?” She spoke out loud. “But then I would have to slap John, just to show him that I would have to begin with,” She then placed a hoof over her mouth. “Oh, he’s going to hate me!”

“Well… isn’t this a sight to see,” Princess Cadance frozen. She… she knew that voice. Her head slowly turned to her throne. Sitting there was a Pokemon. Though she didn’t know what the Pokemon was, she did recognize Sombra’s green glowing eyes. “Hello Princess Cadance… Tell me, how has my Empire fared since last we faced each other?”

“Guards!” She immediately yelled. The crystal guards then sprang into action as they charged the Weavile Sombra. Their spears aiming to skewer him where he sat.

But it didn’t work.

Sombra’s new body was fast. As soon as the guards were with in feet of him, he vanished. Only to appear in front Princess Cadance. His right hand raised up, and slapped her across the face. She screamed in pain, as the slap knocked her back several yards.

“Oh, I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time now.” King Sombra cooed, before turning his attention to the charging guards. They were aiming for him again, but like before, he was too fast. Ducking and weaving between all the attacks, King Sombra then let out a black ring of energy out of his body. The many guards around him then where blasted back, screaming as they hit the walls of the throne room.

“Oh this body is much more to my liking than that other one…” Sombra then strolled over to Cadance. She was trying to pull herself up from off of the floor, but was having a hard time due to a sprained hoof from the landing. “Tell me Princess, would you rather die, or live by my side as my queen?” Sombra reached forward with his hand, and gently placed it on Cadance’s cheek. “You do have such a pretty face,” Cadance then spit at King Sombra. “Well then… it’s a shame I have to ruin it then.” He lifted his hand again, and brought it down to hit her again. Only… something stopped him.

King Sombra’s eyes widened as he looked up to see me...

The only attack I knew was Mach Punch, and as long as it’s not a ghost it will at least do something. As my clenched fist came into contact with King Sombra’s face, his body jerked away from me, but I held on and dragged him back to me, and delivered another blow. Only to lift him into the air and deliver a third Mach Punch to his gut, making him fly back ten feet.

“Flash Sentry! Get Princess Cadance out of here,” I yelled. The orange pegasus moved fast, and scooped up the Princess in his wings. “And raise the alarm that King Sombra has attacked!”

Moments ago, Flash Sentry told me how Princess Cadance acted towards Shining Armor. He then pointed out that it was really my idea, and that Princess Cadance was freaking out because of what she had done. So I wanted to go see her and apologies. To say sorry for the misunderstanding… And it’s a good thing I got here when I did…

Standing, King Sombra lifted his hand. A black ball of energy appeared. He was using Shadow Ball again… When it fired at me, I moved quickly to get out of it’s way, only for the blast to blow up part of the massive door behind me, and yet again, my first connected with his face. He other was not that fast to react, or I was getting faster.

Standing up, King Sombra glared at me. A entertained smile on his face. “You know, that would have hurt… if I was the one that you hit,” His smile grew to one that oozed evil. “John was it? Tell me, how do you feel attacking an innocent life?”

“W-What?” I asked, not knowing what exactly he meant.

“Oh how should I put this…” The green glow around his eyes faded, and blue eyes stared back at me.

The Weavile fell to her knees. The look of horror and pain strong a cross her face, as she gained control of her body. She opened her mouth to speak, only for a grown to escape. “Kill… me…” She mouthed, before the green smoke started to flow from her eyes again.

“Well, John?” He asked again. “Most ponies call me a monster, but are you willing to become one to fight me?”

...No. I wasn’t. When I faced Team Rocket, no matter how bad it got, I would never kill any of them. No matter how many Pokemon they hurt or kill. No matter if they blow up a building or two, or if they take and steal… No matter how bad it got, I would never become a monster just to stop them… But… I could not imagine what the Weavile is going through.

She could feel everything, and Kind Sombra could feel nothing. If I attacked, then she would be harmed. Yet she was in pain. Constant pain. I only hit her three times, and that would be enough to do that to her. Sombra’s spell must have been what was hurting her. His body and mind taking over… Causing pain… Would it be the wrong thing to not attack? To let him stay inside her. Would it be kinder to attack and drive him out? So that she could live on, or at least not suffer?

The answer was sick and wrong… The answer… was yes.

“Well it seems I won this…” King Sombra stated when he saw my defeated look. “Now if you would just stand there, I’ll aim to finish you off this time!” He fired yet another Shadow Ball, and this one aimed for my face.

I took a step to the side to dodge it, and started to slowly walk towards King Sombra. The Shadow Ball exploded behind me. He raised an eyebrow at this, and fired another. Again I moved out of the way, and the Shadow Ball Exploded. I could hear the massive door fall off it’s hendges. Small bits and pieces of the destroyed scattered across the floor.

“Weavile,” I started, speaking to the Pokemon, and not the King. “I want you to know, that I am going to help you. I am going to get him out of you, and that you will live on,” King Sombra’s eyes widened as I charged. “Just hold on,” He tried to fire another Shadow Ball, but I brought a right hook in before he could. “Just pull through the pain,” He staggered back with a surprised look on his face. “I know what I am asking is hard, but please. I don’t want an innocent to die,” Leaping forward, I let out a heavy left punch. “I just want you to live!”

King Sombra had enough. When I went in for another attack, he let out a black pulse of energy, and knocked me away. “So it seems that you are different then most, John… No matter. I came here to-” He never finished his sentence as a blast of magic knocked him back.

I turned my attention to the door to see a very angry Shining Armor. His face was literally red with anger, and his horn smoked from the blast of magic. Glazing back to King Sombra, I saw him frayed out against the wall, giving Shining Armor a evil stair.

“So the Prince finally arrives to take revenge for his wounded Princess…” King Sombra said annoyed.

“I am going to kill you for what you did to her!” He yelled, as his horn started to glow again. Moving fast, I stood in front of Shining. Blocking his shot. “What?! John! What in Celestia’s name are you doing?!”

“Stopping you from fighting.”

“John, move out of the way! He has to pay for attacking Cadance!”

“And then what? Are you going to kill the Pokemon that he is inside of to do that?!” I snapped at him. “Now stay back and let me handle this!”

“Ah, Celestia Damn it, John…!” Shining clenched his teeth in anger. His horn stopped glowing.

I was then hit by one of King Sombra’s Shadow balls. It hit me dead in the chest and exploded. Flying back, I slammed into Shining Armor. After everything was said and done, I lay next to Shining Armor. Fearing the worst, I brought my hand up and felt my chest. Soft fur welcomed my hand. Glancing down, I saw no wound. No trance that I’ve been attacked… All I felt was that dizzy sensation that you get after falling. No pain. No wound.

Before, King Sombra was controlling a powerful Gengar. One that belonged to a Elite Four member. And now… he controlled a weak Weavile… One from the wild. One with no training… But yet… it destroyed the massive throne room door… So other it really did pack a punch and I’m a lot stronger then I look, or I just got lucky. And I’m never lucky...

As I started to stand, King Sombra grew angry. “How is it that you stand? That attack should have ripped a hole in your chest!”

I decided not to tell him why, and instead decided to taunt him. “I am amazed King Sombra. I thought you were stronger than that! I assumed you’ve been growing stronger since last I saw you, but it looks like you gotten weaker…”

“No! That can’t be it.” He yelled, as I started to charge him.

He let out another attack, but it missed. Only to exploud on a near by wall, causing a chandelier to fall and shatter. When I started to get close, he would let out a dark pulse. And this would repeat. I would try to go in, only to stop. All his attacks would miss, and yet I was not able to get close. This went on for almost three minutes...

“Stop playing around, John!” Shining yelled at me.

He was right. This was taking to long. The longer I fought, the more pain the Weavile was in. The more I attacked, the harder he fought. The harder he fought the more strain he would place on her body… the more the strain the more the pain. If only I knew an attack like Flame Thrower!

“John,” I glanced to the door to see Lex and Snow standing at the doorway, along with some crystal guards. “What’s going on? Lex and I got here as fast we we could!”

“Just stay back,” I yelled. “Don’t fight King Sombra, let me handle this! Just block off the exits. We can’t let King Somra to run off this time.”

“But John! What about Yveltal?”

“If he gets away and leaves the city then Yveltal can have him,” I started to charge King Sombra again. “But this time he’s not going anywhere!”

“Oh really? You think you can hold me?” King Sombra asked, smiling. “How cute,” He thrusted his hands out at me and black crystals started to grow out of the ground around him. Stopping me from advancing. “This body may be weak, but let’s see how you deal with my magic.”

A black spike shot out of the ground. The crystal almost impaled me with how close it came. I jumped to the side, and started to circle around him. Trying to find an opening. All around me, more and more spikes kept shooting out. If I wasn't so agile then I would have been killed. My old human body would have never been able to move as I was now.

But then… I miss stepped. I made one bad move. A black crystal shot up and nicked my tail. Cutting a gash along it. I clenched my teeth, and kept moving forward. But it was getting hard. Every time I would get close to Sombra, a wall of Crystal would shoot up. It didn’t help that he could move freely, since he was the one making the crystals appear, so he could also remove them when he needed to. In short, it was another vicious cycle.

I had to think of a way to get him close. To make him leave that body. I had to be smart about this… If I can’t get close to him… Yes! I got it! Then he would have to get close to me… I started to fake breath heavy, as I moved around the room. To make him think I was getting tired. But that wasn’t enough… He had to think I was weak… I had to let myself get hurt…

Glancing down at the floor, I watched as a Spike shot up. I moved myself into it. Letting it cut my chest. Not enough to be a serious wound, but something that I could use to get his attention…

“Aaahhh,” I let out a yelp as the crystal cut me. I then leaned against it, letting my body go limp. “N-no…”

“JOHN!” Lex yelled.

“No,” I lifted my hand. “Stay back… Please… Don’t let Sombra… attack you…”

“About time you stopped moving around. Now,” The crystals around Sombra started to disappear. He lifted his hand again and started to charge a Shadow Ball. I could hear the crystals behind me starting to form. “Die…” The ball fired at me, and I had little time to act.

Pulling my arm back, I smacked the Shadow ball as hard as I could. Knocking it back at Sombra. His eyes widened as the black ball exploded in his face. Knocking him back into the wall behind him, only to side onto the floor. I charged forward, and grabbed him. Pulling him up off of the floor by his through.

“There is no running, King Sombra! I have you!”

He gave me an amused smile. “Oh really? You think you have me? How about I tell you a little secret of mine,” He leaned forward as much as he could, and whispered into my ear. “I’m not really here.” I watched as the green glow coming from the Weavile’s eyes started to fade, and as a black smoke like substance started to flow out of her body.

“...Fuck...” He got away. No… he was never her to start... We knew one of his powers was mind control, but it doesn't seem he needs to be inside them anymore. I released my hand, and gently placed the Weavile on the ground.

Her eyes seemed lifeless, but I could see the faintest smile on her face. Glancing around me, the crystals that King SombraSombra had created started to crack, before shattering into smoke, revealing the damaged room around us. The walls and floors all looked as if an Onix threw a temper tantrum. Some of the windows were shattered, and others where just crashed.

“John!” I turned my attention to the charging Absol coming at me at full force, before tackling me. Snow stood on top of me, staying down at me with tear in her eyes. “If you ever do something like that again, I’ll... I’l…”

“Snow, please get off of me,” I cut her off. “Your paw is on my cut.” She looked down, and her eyes widened.

“Oh Arceus, I am so sorry John!” Snow apologised, before taking a step to the side to get off of me.

Standing up I patted her on the head, before turning to Lex. He had followed Snow in, and was too looking worried for me. “Listen you two,” I started. “We need to start getting serious, about dealing with Sombra, but first we need to take care of this situation,” Stepping past them, I folded my arms behind my back. “Shining Armor,” I called out. The stallion was still sitting at the door of the room. “Go to Cadance’s side. She’ll need you. And send a medical team to fetch this Weavile. From what King Sombra told me, she is in immense pain-” Something grabbed my leg.

Looking down, I saw the Weavile smiling at me. Her claws wrapped around my angle. “Th-thank… y-you…” She started. “C-c-cutie…” Her eyes then closed, and I could hear a faint snore coming from her.

Author's Note

I had a LOT of writers block when I started this, but thanks to the three or four of you that gave me ideas, I was able to make this chapter what it is.
Also, fallow me. I on occasion ask questions about my story. Like If I need help. Or how was the last chapter. Or if you have an idea that I can use.

TDN- Great chapter. Now I’m looking forward to seeing Sombra when Karma bites his ass.

ZEus- John’s awesome, and likewise I can’t wait to see Sombra get what’s coming to him. Cute ending by the way, can’t wait to see Holly next chapter.

Like always, favorite and like if you enjoyed.