???
POV: ???
Darkness. Shadows everywhere. They surround me, choking me. I can't see anything.
Where am I? Who am I? I guess it doesn't matter. The shadows are everywhere. I can't feel anything. I can barely think...
I'm fading... away...
Orre Region
Cipher Stronghold
POV: Tyler
"You monster!" I yelled as I watched Ruby slump. "What did you do to her?!"
My former friend merely laughed. "Oh nothing much," he replied. "Just our newest experiment: Liquid Shadow Energy."
Amy ran up to me. "How could you, Marduk! We were friends!" She shouted at him. I couldn't believe it. He had fooled all of us. All along, we had thought Cipher had kidnapped him. It's why we had hunted down their base. But when we reached the top, he surprised us by revealing he had orchestrated the whole thing. And now Ruby, my sweet Lucario, was pumped full of Shadow Energy.
"That's it, Marduk. You're so dead! Roxas, use Night Slash!" My twin sister Emily called, leaping into the fray. Roxas, her Gallade, followed close behind, ready to defend his friends.
"Not so fast. Staraptor, Aerial Ace." A Shadow Staraptor swooped in and delivered a tough blow to Roxas, knocking him away. Marduk laughed again. "Now, to see what your precious Ruby can do. Lucario, arise." At his word, I saw Ruby start to rse. With my Aura Sense, I could practically see the darkness radiating from her. But I also saw a small spot of light. She wasn't completely gone! I could still save her!
"Camo, Stormer!" I called out to my Greninja and Noivern, "cover me! I'm going to try and get Ruby back!"
"Bro, are you insane?!" Emily shouted, "You'll get yourself killed!"
"I have to do this. For Ruby." That was my only response before I charged towards my Pokemon.
???
POV: ???
The shadows are whispering to me. Telling me to stop struggling. Maybe they're right. If someone was coming to save me, wouldn't they be here by now...
"...by..."
Was that... A voice? Is someone trying to talk to me?
"Ruby..." Ruby? Was that my name? I can't remember...
"...Ruby. Can... hear me?" I hear the voice again... It seems familiar... But suddenly the shadows swell, and I feel myself releasing energy towards the voice. Did I hurt him?
"Ruby... Can you hear... It's me... Your best..." My best what? The shadows swell, and more energy is released, but when they fall, I struggle against them to hear the voice fully.
"Ruby, please! It's me, Tyler!" Tyler? That name... And suddenly, I remember. Tyler. My trainer. The boy who never saw me as weak or scrawny. The boy who I... Who I care deeply for. I feel it all rushing back to me, and I felt myself able to finally push past the shadows.
"Tyler! I hear you!"
Orre Region
Cipher Stronghold
POV: Tyler
Marduk forced Ruby to slam me with Aura Spheres. But through every attack, I kept getting up and trying to reach her. "Ruby, please! It's me, Tyler!"
This time, she visibly stiffened. I could see her struggling. Then something happened that was music to my ears. "Tyler! I hear you!" She called out.
"What?" Marduk asked incredulously. "How is that possible?"
I ignored him and kept talking to Ruby. "Ruby! You broke through!"
She seemed a bit hopeful at that. "I know, but I'm struggling. The shadows are too strong! I can't fight them for long..." I could tell her grip was slipping. As my teammates covered me, I rushed towards her.
"Ruby, hold on! Fight it!" I tried to encourage her.
"I'm... trying..." She was nearly gone. "It's... too strong..."
I gripped her paw in my hand. "Then use my strength to fight it." I poured some of my own Aura into her body, giving her extra strength. As it happened, I could see her get stronger, and a glow appeared around her body. And then, the darkness just... left. It retreated from her body. We were both relieved.
"Thanks... Tyler..." Ruby whispered to me, before she passed out. A quick check showed she was just tired.
"Willow," I called to Amy's Pidgeot, "take Ruby and get out of here!" Willow nodded and flew over. I loaded Ruby on to her back and she flew off.
"I can't believe this!" Marduk yelled. "How did you Purify her?"
"I guess you didn't count on the strength of our bond overwriting your Shadow Energy!" I replied. I surveyed the battlefield. Stormer and Camo looked pretty worn out after facing so many Shadow Pokemon, both here and on the way up. They probably wouldn't last another fight. "Stormer, Camo, return!" I called, returning them to their balls. Another look showed Amy and Emily's teams were pretty beat up as well. Emily had her full team out, but they all looked tired. Kina the Samurott and Blitz the Typhlosion fought back to back. Her Ditto, NoName, had transformed into a copy of her Metagross Aegis, and they both fought hard. Meanwhile, her Swellow, Sky, gave aerial cover as Roxas charged through the ranks of the Shadow Pokemon. Amy's team wasn't fairing much better. Iroh the Charizard and Hazel the Lopunny were surrounded. Saurus, her Venasaur, was trying to reach them alongside her Espeon Sydney. Her Sawsbuck, Eliwood, fought alongside my Delphox, Fabia, as well as Knight the Aegislash and Serenade the Gardevoir. But they all looked worn out. We couldn't survive much longer.
Marduk knew this. "It matters not. You shall soon fall!" And then the wall exploded.
Orre Region
Cipher Stronghold
About 5 Minutes Ago
POV: Michael
As we smashed through the Cipher ranks, I could only pray we wouldn't arrive too late. It had taken longer than expected to track down the help I now had with me. I ran my hand through my orange hair and turned to my recent comrades. I still had a hard time believing these two were here! "You guys ready?"
"Sure," Wes replied. His silver hair was in its usual spikes, even with all the explosions along the way. "But let's not take the door. They'd expect that."
"Yeah," Rui agreed, her orange pigtails having come a bit undone. "We should probably make an alternate entrance."
I looked over to the wall we had reached. "Hey Rui, have Dawn scan the wall here, see if it leads where we want." Rui called out her Espeon to do just that. Dawn scanned the wall with his Psychic, then nodded to us. "Well," I said, turning to Wes, "care to give us an alternate entrance?"
"No problem," he replied. "Striker," he addressed his Salamence, "Outrage!" And with that, he smashed the wall down.
Orre Region
Cipher Stronghold
POV: Tyler
As the dust cleared, I saw an amazing sight. The one who had broken the wall was a Salamence, and his trainer was none other than the one who had brought Cipher down originally: Wes. By his side was a Tyranitar, the aforementioned Salamence, and an Umbreon. Alongside him stood the girl who could see Shadow Pokemon: Rui. She had an Espeon, a Roserade, and a Milotic. Finally, the one who had to have brought them here: our friend Michael. By his side were Sylvia, Glacia, Leafia, Jolt, Flare, and Vapor, his aptly named Eeveloutions. It was Michael who spoke up first. "Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"Michael!" I called back. "Thank Arceus you're here! And I see you brought friends!"
"Yeah," he replied, reaching my side. Wes and Rui were close behind. "Thought we'd need help!"
I turned to Wes and Rui. "It's an honor to meet you two." These two were my idols growing up.
"I'd love to meet a fan," Wes commented dryly, "but we've got a fight to win!"
"Right," Michael replied. "Everyone, I've got a new development from HQ." He pulled out a handful of CPU chips. "These will convert your Snag Balls to Purify Balls that purify upon capture." He tossed one to each of us, and put one in his own Snag Machine.
I inserted the chip and felt a power surge though the machine on my left arm. "Alright everyone!" I called, generating a Purify Ball, "Let's even the odds!" What followed was a storm of Purify Balls flying everywhere and snagging the Shadow Pokemon. It's lucky we always stock up before a mission, because I tossed nearly my entire inventory of Poke Balls.
When we had finally snagged all of them, Marduk stood alone. "What?!" He said incredulously. "No matter. I'll just leave-"
"Yeah, no!" I called, before knocking him out with an Aura Sphere. I turned to my comrades. "Shall we?"
Orre Region
Pokemon HQ Lab
POV: Tyler
I woke to the sound of my alarm. As I got up and slowly started getting ready, my mind thought back to what had happened last night after Marduk had gotten hauled off to jail.
"What do you mean, 'She isn't fully Purified?'" I asked, angry at the news.
"I mean that she still has Shadow Energy inside her," my mom replied.
"But didn't he Purify her at the Stronghold?" Emily asked, confused.
"And I can't sense any Shadow in her Aura," I continued.
"This Shadow Energy is unlike any seen before," Michael said as he walked into the Lab Room. "The Energy is there, just... Hiding."
"So, what? Just put her in the Purifying Machine?" Rui asked.
"Too risky," Amy replied, walking in as well. "Ruby isn't fully Purified, but she isn't fully a Shadow Pokemon, either. We don't know how the Machine would affect her. It could possibly critically injure her, or worse."
"What about the Agate Shrine?" I asked, hopeful.
Those hopes were instantly dashed. "Sorry, bro," Emily said quietly. "Marduk was a step ahead. As we went off to fight him, a few Cipher grunts snuck past the Gatekeepers and trashed the shrine. It could be days before it's repaired."
"Seriously? Wes, do you still have the Time Flute?" I was getting desperate.
"Sorry, Tyler," he replied, "It was single-use, and I used it awhile back."
"So... Ruby's stuck like this?" I asked, looking down on the still-asleep Lucario.
"For the time being, unfortunately," my mom said.
I can't believe she's in this state... And t othink, after this mission, I was planning on telling her my feelings... The last few months had been complicated. I unfortunately was attracted to three different girls. Amy, the fiery redhead who I've known since childhood. Ruby, the sweet Lucario who was used to being treated like crap just because she was smaller as a Riolu. And Serenade, my very first Pokemon, who I've known nearly as long as Amy.
My thoughts were interrupted as my door opened and Serenade poked her head in. "Tyler, Ruby's waking up!" she said through her psychic link with me.
"Really? All right! I gotta go see her!" I thanked Serenade and quickly headed down to the Lab.
As I entered, I looked around and saw Ruby hopping off the bed she had occupied the previous night. She turned and finally noticed me. "Tyler!"
"Ruby! I'm so glad you're okay!" I ran over and hugged her. Luckily, she keeps her chest spike dull, or I may have been feeling a bit skewered...
"Tyler, thank you for helping me," she cried, tears in her eyes. "Without you, Marduk would still have me."
"Ruby," I started, a bit worried, "Has anyone told you about-"
"About the Shadow Energy?" She interrupted. "Yeah, Amy told me when I woke up. She said that if I keep calm and upbeat, it shouldn't affect me."
"Alright... I'm just glad you're safe." I thought for a second, but decided to tell her. "Listen, Ruby? Could I talk with you later? It's kinda important."
"Of course, Tyler," she replied. "I'm going to go train."
A couple of hours later, I found Ruby outside, meditating. "Hey Ruby. You feeling okay?" As I approached, I noticed she was shaking. "Ruby?"
I heard her mutter something, but I couldn't decern what. "Ruby, come on, it's me."
"G-get away..." I could finally hear. "Get... away, Tyler."
"What? Ruby, you're starting to scare me."
"Please," she said desperately, "Run, Tyler. I feel the darkness. I can't hold it back much longer. I don't want to hurt you..."
"We can fight it together, like last time!" I told her, trying to get closer.
"No, please!" She cried. "Run! My hold... is slipping!" Right as I reached her, a wave of darkness blasted me back. As I got up, I looked at Ruby, and saw her in a feral stance, looking angry.
"Ruby?" I asked cautiously. She turned to me and growled. "Oh, crap..."
Orre Region
Pokemon HQ Lab
POV: Amy
Emily and I were having some coffee in the mess hall when an explosion came from outside. "The hell was that?" I asked, startled.
"I don't know, but we'd better check it out." Emily grabbed her Poke Balls and headed for the door, with me close behind. The sight that greeted us was Tyler getting hit by a darkened Aura Sphere.
"Tyler, what's happening?" I asked, running towards him.
"Ruby... the Shadow Energy in her is acting up..." He said, pushing himself off the ground. "I've gotta help her."
"It'd be simpler if you knock her out, you know," I reminded him. "But I know you can't bring yourself to harm her, so it looks like it's up to us." I grabbed a Poke Ball from my belt. "Go, Hazel!" I sent out my Lopunny.
"Lo, Lopunny!" Hazel called as she took the field.
"Hazel, we need to knock out Ruby so we can help her. But that Shadow Energy has given her a strength boost. We need all the power we can get. You ready?" Hazel nodded to me. "Alright." I turned to the Key Stone in my Snag Machine. "Beyond Evolution, Mega Evolve!" A bright light shined, and as it cleared, Hazel had Mega Evolved. Her new dual-typing would boost her Fighting moves, giving me a needed advantage. "Hazel, use High Jump Kick!"
Hazel ran towards Ruby, and then lept into a flying kick. It hit Ruby dead on, doing a large amount of damage. Ruby replied in turn with a Shadow Aura Sphere. "Hazel, Protect!" A shining barrier appeared, blocking the Aura Sphere. "Let's end this quickly with Mach Punch!" Hazel's fist started glowing as she ran forward again, delivering a critical blow. It was certainly enough, as Ruby fell to the ground, KOd.
"Ruby!" Tyler called, running towards her prone form. He seemed to use his Aura Sight, and then sighed in relief. "She's okay. The Shadow Energy is retreating."
Suddenly, I felt rather tired. The others seemed to be feeling it too. The last thing I heard before I passed out was a voice saying, "Rest now, my children, for when you awake, a whole new world will be your home."
Author's Note
Well, looks like I'm on the bandwagon! Thanks to Zeus for letting me write this. I'm so glad to be here. I look forward to these adventures, and I'm sure you all have been waiting for our heroes from Orre. Wish me luck!
Edit: Went and tacked on some color so that you could tell when Aura is being used to communicate.
Equestria
Trotten
POV: Mind Walker
'Finally,' I thought as I walked out of my last class. It ended later than most, so Wind was gone already. He probably went to the forest outside of town to train his magic. I was just planning on heading home and relaxing-
"Mindy!" Bright ran up to me with tears in her eyes.
"Bright? What's wrong?" Bright wasn't one who cried often; this must be bad.
"Dark Crown and Blitz Fire... they found me after class and cornered me. They stole my pendant!" I gasped. That pendant was her greatest treasure. It was a gift from Wind for her birthday a couple of years ago, and held a picture of us three in it. "They said they were taking it to the deepest part of the forest..."
"Those jerks!" I exclaimed. We all knew that the deeper parts of the forest were dark even in broad daylight. "Bright, I'll help you find it. Let's go-"
"Hey girls, what's up?" Jetstream asked as she walked up, interrupting me. "Whoah, you okay, Bright?"
"Jetstream, Dark Crown and Blitz Fire stole Bright's pendant. We're headed to the forest to find it," I quickly filled her in.
"Seriously?! Those jerks are so gonna get it!" Wow, she certainly got fired up. "I'll help you guys. Come on!" She dashed off for the exit, with us close behind.
???
POV: Tyler Becker
"Oh, my head..." I groaned, opening my eyes. I sat up and looked around. All I could see was forest. 'How did I get here?' I wondered. 'Last I remember, I was at the Lab, and Ruby was-' Oh, crap, Ruby! Is she alright? I whipped my head around and saw her lying next to me. 'She's still out... I hope she's okay.' As I reached over to her, I noticed something strange: my hand wasn't a hand anymore! In fact, it looked like a paw... I glanced down at my body, hoping I was just seeing things. But no, I wasn't: I was a Shiny Lucario! "What the heck is going on?!" I asked, confused and weirded out. I guess that woke Ruby up, because the next thing I know, she's holding me against a tree.
"Who are you?! Where's my Trainer?!" She shouted.
"Ruby, calm down, it's me, Tyler!" I replied, trying to calm her down.
This only seemed to anger her more, as she pressed me further into the tree. "How do you know my name?"
"I'm the one who gave it to you, Aura Girl!" I told her, knowing that that particular nickname would prove my claim.
"A-aura Girl?" She faltered.
"If you don't believe me, check my Aura." That was a gamble. Who knows if my Aura had changed due to this body shift?
Regardless, she closed her eyes and checked my Aura. I guess the gamble payed off, because upon opening them, she grabbed me in a hug. "Tyler!" She cried. But then she let go and pushed away. "I... I'm so sorry! I thought you were... I thought the Shadow Energy might have made me..." She started crying.
"Ruby, it's alright," I told her as I walked over and hugged her. She relaxed in my arms, and her tears started to ebb. "I'm fine, Ruby. It'll take more than that to put me down. Now, what do you say we find the others and figure out where we are?"
"Okay," she replied, her eyes now dry. "Let's go find the others." With that, we headed out.
'I hope the others are okay,' I thought as we walked. 'Are they Pokemon like me? I wonder..."
???
POV: Amy Kunich
"Why am I a Lopunny?!" I screamed. I had awoken in these woods to discover that I was a Pokemon! Naturally, I was freaking out. Hazel was trying to calm me down.
"Chill, Amy! It isn't that bad!" I knew she was doing her best, but waking up to the fact that you're in a completely different body is kinda hard on the nerves.
"Not that bad?! I'm a Pokemon, I don't know where the others are, and we're lost in a forest! How could it be 'not that bad?'
She didn't have a response for that. I kept hopping about like an idiot, hoping that this was all a dream. I was unable to continue, though, when Hazel wrapped me in a hug. " Relax, Amy. We'll find the others, I promise. Now take a deep breath."
I did as I was told, and immediately felt better. "Thanks, Hazel. I needed that."
She smiled. "No problem! Now then, let's get going." I nodded and followed her through the woods.
???
POV: Emily Becker
"Ugh, my head..." I groaned as I sat up. I glanced around and saw I was in a forest. This instantly put me on high alert. I wasn't back at the lab, so where was I? As I looked, I noticed that I felt a bit lighter than usual. Upon looking down at my body, I realized with a shock that I wasn't in my own body. Instead, I was looking at a blue and white dress and red chest spike.
'I'm a... A Shiny Gardevoir?!' I thought with alarm. It was then I felt something to my left. I turned and saw my partner Roxas, ready to strike with his blades to my throat.
"Tell me what happened to my partner and you may still live." His words sent a chill down my spine. Roxas was very protective of me, and I knew he would follow through with that threat.
"Roxas, wait! It's me, Emily!" I cried quickly. His eyes seemed to soften for a second, but he quickly pressed his blade closer to my throat.
"Prove it," he challenged, "Tell me something only she would know." I knew instantly what he was talking about. Something I had only told my parents, my brother, Amy, and our Pokemon. It was my deepest secret.
I took a deep breath, then said, "My Truth Sight causes me intense pain when I lie." It was true. Ever since I had gained the power, lying physically hurt. I continued, "So I'm afraid that I'll be captured and interrogated one day, by Cipher, or some other organization, that I'll have no choice but to give up those I care for..." Even though I had come to terms with it, remembering it still brought tears to my eyes.
Roxas's eyes visibly softened at that, and he withdrew his blades and pulled me into a hug. " I'm sorry, milady, but I had to be sure. My intention was not to make you cry." He wiped my tears away and looked me in the eyes. "But the question now becomes, how did you end up in this state? How have you become a Gardevoir?"
"I have no idea..." I replied, already feeling better with him by my side. "All I remember was being at the lab, trying to stop Ruby..." My eyes widened, "Oh, no, Tyler! What happened to him and Ruby? And Amy, too! We've gotta find them!" I quickly got to my much more slender feet and quickly stumbled.
Roxas stopped me from falling and supported me. "Hold, milady. You are not yet used to this body, and we know not where the others are. 'Twould be best to find our way out of this forest first and figure out where we are."
I sighed, but nodded in agreement. "You're right. Let's figure out where we are first, then worry about the others. I'm sure they can handle themselves." I blinked. "Wait, how many times have I asked you to stop calling me that?"
This brought a wry smile to his face. "Sorry, milady, force of habit." This brought a little pout on to my face as we headed out.
???
POV: Wes
"Wes, wake up!" I heard Rui's voice calling in my ear. As I slowly opened my eyes, though, my orange-haired fiancé was not what greeted me. Instead I saw a lime-green Espeon waving its tail slowly back and forth. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" It said.
That shocked me enough to make me try and get to my feet. That attempt quickly stopped when I noticed the fact that my center of gravity was considerably different. A quick self check showed the problem: I had paws! Black paws with blue rings running up the side. There was only one possibility. Against all odds, I was now a Shiny Umbreon!
"What in the name of Arceus is going on here?" I exclaimed, thoroughly confused. The Shiny Espeon, who had to be Rui, walked over to me unsteadily, no doubt unused to being on four legs.
"I have no idea," she replied. "I just woke up about five minutes ago, and had my own little freakout. Dawn and Dusk ended up with us and they went out to see if they could figure out where we are." She then smiled at me. "I'm just glad that you're okay. I was worried."
I cracked a small grin at her. "Come on, it'll take more than being suddenly transformed into an Umbreon to take me down." I heard a rustling from behind us and turned to see Dawn and Dusk emerging from the trees. "Dawn, Dusk, find anything?"
"You seem to be taking this rather well," the Espeon replied. "No, no route signs or anything around. I've got no clue where we are." He turned to his Umbreon partner. "Old Night Eyes here didn't see anyone around, either."
This got a sigh out of Dusk. "Night Eyes? Really?" She said, exasperated. She turned to me and Rui. "He's right though. Couldn't see anyone. Either we're the only ones out here, or the others are really spread out."
"Great..." I groaned. "Well, let's find our way outta this forest before we plan our next move." I shakily got to my feet and tried to balance, before falling flat on my face.
Dawn applied his paw to his face. "This is gonna take awhile..."
???
POV: Michael
'Well, this is embarrassing,' I thought as I glanced around. Upon waking up to discover I was now a Shiny Eevee, I flipped out and started running around in circles. However, I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going, and ended up running face first into a tree. Luckily, there was a knothole where I impacted, so I didn't KO myself. Unluckily, I was now stuck... and Sylvia wasn't helping matters, laughing her ass off at my situation.
"Hah, this is priceless!" The Sylveon howled with laughter.
"You know, you could help me, Sylvia!" I called from inside the tree. I tried again to pull myself out, but I couldn't get enough leverage.
"Yeah, yeah, okay," she replied once she calmed down. "Hold still," she told me as I felt her wrap her ribbons around my body. Soon, I felt my head pop out of the hole. As I finally got a clear look around, I saw we were in some deep forest.
"Any idea where we are or what happened to the others?" I asked her. She slowly shook her head. "Well, guess we should find our way out of this forest. Maybe we can find Wes or Rui." I tried to start walking, but apparently my earlier burst of adrenaline was what was fueling my running because I fell right back down.
"Oopsie!" Sylvia said. "Hold on, Micheal, I'll carry you!" She quickly put me on her back and set out.
Equestria
Trotten Woods
POV: Wind Walker
"Stormy Skies!" I called as I unleashed magic at a nearby dummy. The gale-force winds tore at the fake pony, breaking it apart. A little habit of mine was using invocations with my magic so that I could focus on what I was casting. As I dropped down to inspect my work, I couldn't help but crack a smile. I could see that I was getting stronger by the day. 'I'll finally have the strength I need,' I thought. As I got ready to unleash another spell, I heard rustling to my right. I turned and saw the most bizzare sight. Two... Jackals were the closest thing I could think of, emerged. One bore dark blue fur and creamy fur on its chest, while the other had golden fur and light blue chestfur. They both had spikes on the backs of their paws and intelligent red eyes. They apparently weren't expecting to see me, as they both froze in shock.
'What are these things?' I thought as I hesitantly sized them up. I could sense a strange power from both of them. I decided to take a chance and see if they were sapient or just another weird forest creature. "Hello?" I called out.
"Lucar-car Lucario!" was what greeted me. Apparently, they noticed my puzzled face, as they seemed to discuss something together before turning back to me. I didn't expect what happened next, though. "Hello?" a voice spoke in my head.
"Gah!" I stumbled back in shock. "What was that? What are you?"
"Whoah, calm down!" The same voice spoke again. "The question we have is: what are you?" What, these things had never seen ponies? Weird.
"I'm a pony, specifically a pegasus. What are you, and how are you speaking telepathically?"
"A pony? Never heard of those before... And judging by the fact that you didn't understand me earlier, you aren't a Pokemon... Anyways, my name is Tyler Becker, and my partner here is Ruby." The gold one indicated himself first, followed by the blue one. "We're what's known as Lucario, though I used to be a human. We're currently talking through my Aura, a power that Lucario possess."
"Lucario? Aura? Pokemon? Alright, this is going a bit over my head. Look, I'm Wind Walker, but I go by Wind. What do you say we head back to Trotten and try to figure out what in Tartarus is going on here?"
"You'd really help us?" A second voice, which I assumed to belong to Ruby, asked.
I nodded. "Look. You don't seem like bad... Whatever pronoun is applicable here-"
"Mons," Ruby supplied.
"-right, you don't seem like bad Mons," I continued. "You two seem to be lost, so as a native, I should help you figure out where you are. So, where's the last place you remember being?" I asked as I began to walk back towards the city.
"The last place I remember before this was the Lab back in Orre," Tyler replied as he and Ruby began to follow me. "But you definitely aren't something I've ever seen before, so we're either in an undiscovered region, or we're not on Earth anymore..."
"Well, I can put that one to rest," I told them, "The planet you're on now is called Equus, not Earth. So I guess you guys are extraterrestrials, huh?"
Tyler laughed at that one. "It would seem we are. Well, it's unlikely we'll be able to get back, so we might as well learn about this place."
"That, I can do. There are three types of ponies, you see..." I trailed off as I saw a section of forest suddenly light up like a Hearth's Warming Tree.
Tyler noticed it too. "That looked like a Sunny Day. There must be another Pokemon over there. Let me check." He closed his eyes, and he began to glow with a faint blue shine. After a few seconds, he opened them in shock. "No way, I can't believe it!"
"What's wrong, Tyler?" Ruby asked in concern.
"It seems I'm not the only one who was transformed. The Mon that used Sunny Day was Hazel. But with her was a Lopunny that had the same Aura as Amy! There was also a pony Aura, female with some sort of horn. She had a bit of fear from what I could sense, and I think Hazel used Sunny Day to help. That means fear of the dark, most likely."
"Wow, you were able to tell all that from reading Aura?" I asked. It was then his description sunk in. "Wait, unicorn, female, fear of the dark? There's only one pony I know with that description; my best friend, Bright Shine. But why is she so deep in the forest?"
"No clue, but we should go find them," Tyler replied.
"Right, let's go," I called. We quickly set out towards the light.
Equestria
Trotten
POV: Bright Shine
"No... This is bad, this is bad," I muttered as I glanced around nervously. I had come with Mindy and Jetstream to find my pendant, but we got separated when a large dragon-looking creature with fire on its tail burst out and scared us. Now I was in a really deep part of the forest and I was freaking out.
"It's getting darker... Oh, this is bad," I repeated. I really hated my fear of the dark, but it seemed tied to my talent somehow. I could cast Light spells, but I could never do it in the dark. I was always too scared to focus. My mind was already thinking up all the horrible things that could get me in the forest...
"Lopun?" I whipped around to see two creatures emerging from the bush. They looked like rabbits, but both stood on two legs, and were much taller. They both had cocoa brown fur and ears that reached down to their legs, with puffy fur on their eartips, lower legs, wrists, and face. The only difference between them was the color of that fur: one had pink, while the other was cream colored. "Lo-lo-punny!" The pink one said.
"Wh-What are you?" I asked fearfully. They didn't look all that threatening, but I couldn't be sure...
"Punny, Lopunny!" The cream one replied. They seemed to be responding to me. Were they intelligent?
"Can you understand me?" I asked. The pink one nodded. "But I can't understand you..." I quickly racked my memory. I know I had learned a translation spell a while back, but I was having difficulties remembering it. It took a few minutes, but I was able to recall it. "Let's try this..." I muttered as I cast the spell. "Go ahead and say something."
"Something," the cream one replied. She was smacked in the head by the pink one.
"Hazel, don't be a smartass." She turned to me. "Can you understand us?" At my nod, she continued. "Good. I don't know what you did, but I'm glad we can talk now. My name is Amy, and this is my partner Hazel. You looked pretty scared when we showed up. Are you okay?"
"I-I'm Bright Shine," I replied, "but you can call me Bright. I used a translation spell to talk to you." My voice got a bit quieter. "And yeah, I'm afraid of the dark. It's stupid, I know, but I can't help it..." I trailed off as Amy enveloped me in a hug.
"Hey, everyone has fears. They're not stupid, they're just a part of life. It's not about being fearless, it's about standing up and facing them." She let go and stood up. "But if you're afraid of the dark, why are you this deep in a forest like this?"
"A pair of bullies stole something important to me," I told them, starting to tear up again, "They hid it deep in the woods. Me and two friends came looking for it, but we got separated when a dragon with a flaming tail scared us and we scattered."
"That would be a Charizard," Hazel explained, before turning to Amy. "You think that was Iroh?"
"Wait, you know that thing?" I asked, shocked.
"I might," Amy replied. "When we got here, wherever here is, I was separated from my friends and the rest of my team. Iroh is a Charizard who happens to be one of my teammates." She then looked around the area. "Speaking of which, where are we?"
"Well," Hazel began, "Bright here didn't understand us initially, so she isn't a Pokemon. Which means..." She paused, before a shocked look came to her face. "We're either in some uncharted corner of the globe, or we aren't on Earth anymore!"
This caused Amy to start panicking. "What?! Not on Earth? How? Where are we then?"
I raised a hoof timidly. "Uh, I can answer that... This planet is called Equus. You're currently in the country of Equestria, near the city of Trotten, where I live..."
"Great, so we're on a completely different world, we have no idea where the others are, and I'm a Lopunny!" Amy shouted.
"Amy, calm down," Hazel chided. "Look, how about we help Bright find her item and head back into town. We can figure out what's going on later." She then turned to me. "What exactly was stolen?"
"A pendant my friend gave to me," I answered. "It has a picture of us together, and it's really important to me."
"Alright, let's see if this helps. Sunny Day!" Hazel generated a ball of light in her paws and shot it upward. Suddenly, the forest became much brighter. As it did, I felt my courage and confidence returning.
I turned to Hazel in wonder. "How did you do that?"
"Just one of my Pokemon attacks." Seeing my confused look, she continued, "I'll explain later. Come on, Amy, we have a pendant to find!"
"Right," she sighed, "Let's go so we can figure out what's going on. Do you know where we're headed?"
I nodded. "Yes. I have a locator spell on my more important objects in case I ever lose them." I fired up the spell and we set off deeper into the forest.
Equestria
Trotten
POV: Mind Walker
"Great, just great," I grumbled as I trudged through the forest. "I lost Bright and Jetstream, I have no idea where I'm going, and the forest apparently now has giant flaming lizards!" After getting separated from my friends, I tried to find my way, but with the trees blocking the sun, it was rather hard. I shook my head to clear it. "I need to find Bright at the very least. She must be freaking out." Bright was a sweet filly, but her fear of the dark really held her back at times...
RUSTLE
I started and looked around, looking for the source of the noise. What greeted me was something I'd never seen. Two bipeds stood next to each other, having a similar and yet very different look. One appeared to be female, wearing a long white dress with a red spike on its chest. It had a blue, short-cut mane and piercing red eyes. The other one had a white waist and legs, with a green upper body. Its face was white, and the top of its head was green and shaped like a helmet. The head also had a turquoise blade sticking out of the top. Its green arms were long and slender, but what made me nervous was the fact that its elbows ended in sharp blades. It looked male, and its red eyes gleamed with cunning.
"Whatever you are, stay back!" I called. "I may be an Earth Pony, but I can still fight!" I called upon my psychokinesis, allowing it to swell up around me.
"Gar, Gardevoir!" The blue one called. I tilted my head, not understanding. Apparently noticing this, it closed its eyes. "Wait!" I heard a voice call in my head.
"What?!" I sent back, "You have telepathy?" This shocked me. These creatures had psychic powers?
"Yes," The same voice replied. "Since it seems you can't understand us normally, I chose to use this instead. Now could you please calm down and give us a chance to explain ourselves?"
Hesitantly, I withdrew my power. "Start explaining. What are you, and what do you want?"
"My name is Emily," The blue one replied, indicating herself, "And I'm currently a Gardevoir. My partner is Roxas, a Gallade." She indicated the other creature. "We mean no harm. We only wish to find our friends."
I snorted. "That makes two of us. You seem to be telling the truth, so I'll trust you for now. The name is Mind Walker, though you can call me Mindy."
Roxas bowed. "Well met, Lady Mind Walker."
I turned to Emily. "What's with him?"
She giggled. "He sees himself as my 'valiant knight' and likes talking like someone from the Middle Ages. You get used to it." She looked at our surroundings. "Do you know where we are? I don't recognize this place."
I nodded. "You're in Trotten Forest, near the city of Trotten, Equestria."
"Equestria?" She seemed confused. "Where on Earth is that again?"
"Earth? Sorry, I think you're confused. This planet is called Equus."
"What," she replied flatly. "We're on another world!? Oh this is just great, just great! I have no idea where the others are, I've been turned into a Gardevoir, and we're on a completely separate world! Today's just shaping up to be absolutely amazing!" She ranted. I was about to reply when suddenly a section of the forest behind me began glowing.
"What is that?!" I asked.
"Sunny Day," Roxas told me. "A Fire type move used to intensify the sun's rays. It can also light dark areas if one is able to control it enough." He looked at Emily. "It might be one of the others sending up a signal. We should investigate, milady."
This seemed to calm her down somewhat. "You're right. You might want to come with us, Mindy. We may find one of your friends along the way."
I couldn't really refute that logic. "Alright, let's go, then."
Equestria
Trotten
POV: Stella Song
"We're close," I told Rogue as we approached the location of the sonar glyph I had made. I had had the idea of a sonic ring around the city to alert us when creatures other than ponies approached soon after joining the local Guard. Rogue, my partner, had wholeheartedly supported it. I was just glad I was able to put my talent to some use in my career.
"Good," he replied. "Be on your guard, Stel. We have no idea what these things are, or how many there are." He ruffled his wings and started looking around.
"I'm not dumb, Rogue," I shot back. "I know that this forest isn't all smiles and rainbows on a normal day. I just want to know what set all those glyphs off at once..."
"Yeah," he agreed as he looked through some nearby bushes, "That's certainly unusu-" He cut himself off, causing me to whip around and check to see if he was okay. The strangest sight greeted us. There were four fox-like creatures. Two were built very slim and gracefully, with a red gem on their foreheads. They also had a tail that split into two near the end. One was pink, the other lime-green. The other two were mainly black with pulsing rings all over their bodies. Their tails were more bushy looking, and their ears had a similar appearance. The main differences were the colors of the rings and the color of their eyes, yellow and red or blue and yellow respectively. "Uh, Rogue?" I asked cautiously, "What are those?"
"No clue," he offered back, "Never seen them before." I was about to reply when the green fox did so for me.
"Esp, Espeon Esp!" It cried. I looked at it. Did it understand us? I asked as much, and got a nod from the blue-ringed fox.
"So they can understand us, but we can't understand them," Rogue stated, then sighed. "Great."
"Hang on, I've got this," I told him, then cast a simple translation spell. "Alright, try talking now."
"Do you understand us?" The green one asked in a female voice. At Rogue's shocked nod, she smiled. "Great! That'll make everything a whole lot easier. My name's Rui, and these are Dusk, Dawn, and Wes." She indicated the yellow-ringed fox, then the pink, and finally the blue-ringed one.
"Uh, nice to meet you," I replied, still a bit unsure. "I'm Stella Song, and this is Rogue Streak."
"I don't suppose you know where we are," Wes asked.
"You're on the outskirts of Trotten, Equestria." I replied. This didn't seem to help, as they still looked confused.
"Trotten, Equestria? Uh... What part of Earth is that on?" Dusk asked. It was my turn to be confused.
"Uh, Earth? Sorry to say, but you must be confused. Equestria is on Eqqus, not Earth."
"...Fuck." Wes applied his paw to his forehead. "So not only are we Pokemon, we're on a completely different world, too. And here I thought life couldn't get any more weird..."
"Wait, you mean you're extraterrestrials!?" Rogue asked in shock.
"It does make sense," I said quietly. After all, I had never seen anything like these creatures- Pokemon, Wes had called them- anywhere in a book on flauna native to Equestria.
"So, we're technically aliens now?" Rui asked. I was about to reply when the forest behind me lit up like Celestia herself had just appeared there.
Wes looked to his friends. "Dawn, was that-?"
"Yes, a Sunny Day. It may be someone else trying to signal us," the green fox replied.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Dusk asked. "Let's go check it out!" All four of them rushed off.
I looked to Rogue. "Should we follow them?"
He thought for a second, then nodded. "Yes. They might be able to tell us more about what's going on here." And with that, we set off after them.
Equestria
Trotten
POV: Jetstream Swiftwing
"Mindy? Bright?" I called out for what felt like the hundredth time. I sighed deeply when I got no answer. 'Great,' I thought. 'I said I'd help them, but I just got lost.' To be fair, it wasn't all my fault. Stumbling on to a roaring Dragon with a flaming tail tends to scare people. Though where it came from is beyond me. Last I checked, the only forest in Equestria chock full of monsters was the Everfree.
"Well, might as well head deeper and see if I can find Bright's pendant." As I walked, I called out for the others again. With any luck, they had the same idea as me. As I was walking, I came face to face with the weirdest thing I'd ever seen. There was a pink, fox-like creature with what appeared to be ribbons growing out on its body. It had big, blue eyes, looking like something out of a Neighponese cartoon. On its back was a smaller, much fluffier gray fox with white fur surrounding its neck like a mane. It had black, expressive eyes and large ears. All in all, I had to admit, it was pretty adorable. The gray one seemed to notice me.
"Eev, Eev Eevee!" It cried out to its companion. The large one seemed to notice me for the first time, and waved at me with one of its ribbons.
"Uh... Hi?" I replied cautiously. What was this thing? Did it understand me? "Can you understand what I'm saying?" I received a nod and some gibberish in return. "Okay, but I can't understand you."
The fox seemed to ponder that, then brightened as if it had an idea. It stated drawing in the dirt with its ribbons. When it was done, there was a crude drawing of a pencil and paper. "Syl, Sylveon!" It said, pointing at the drawing.
"Can you write?" I asked. When I got a nod, I turned to my pack and pulled out the requested items. The fox grabbed it and bgan to write using its ribbons, occasionally conversing with the smaller one. When it was done, it handed the paper back to me.
Hi!
My name is Sylvia, and I'm a Sylveon. The Eevee on my back is Micheal. He's my trainer, or was, before he got turned into an Eevee. We're lost and are looking for our friends. Could you help us?
I was impressed. I'd never seen a forest creature actually write, much less so neatly and eloquently. I turned to look at these two. They did honestly seem lost. "Uh, hi, Sylvia, Michael. My name is Jetstream. Unfortunately, I don't think I've seen anyone who looks similar to you two. Sorry. I'm actually looking for my friends as well. We got separated looking for something important. Tell you what, let's search together. Whoever we find can help us search for the others, right?" When I got a nod from both, I continued. "Great. So where should we-" I cut myself off as I noticed a section of forest start shining like a city at night. "Uh, what the heck is that?"
Sylvia took the paper back and wrote a bit more. When I looked at it, it read,
That looked like a Sunny Day! It might be a signal! We should go check it out!
"Alright... I guess we start there, then." I turned towards the glow and started walking, the two newcomers following close behind. 'And here I thought today couldn't get weirder...'
Equestria
Trotten
POV: Tyler
As we ran through the woods, Wind, Ruby and I took the opportunity to swap information. We were fairly up to speed on ponies, and he knew a bit more about Pokemon.
"So, there are 18 types, right? What type is this Lopunny you mentioned?" He asked as we neared the sight of the Sunny Day.
"Lopunny is a Normal type, but gains Fighting type after Mega Evolution," I told him. I was about to continue when Ruby held her paw out.
"We're close," she said, glancing around. "But I don't see... Wait! Over there!" She pointed to a pair of Lopunny and what I knew to be a unicorn mare.
"Hey, it is her. Bright!" Wind called to the mare. She turned, recognizing his voice most likely, and ran over to him.
"Wind!" She embraced him tightly. "W-what are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you that, Bright. Why are you in the forest?"
At this, she seemed to tear up. "I-I'm so sorry, Wind. Dark Crown and Blitz Fire took the pendant you gave me. They said they hid it in the middle of the forest, and I... I'm sorry!" She broke down in tears.
I could instantly see Wind's Aura darken. "Those bastards... I'll make them pay..." He muttered. His expression seemed to soften when he addressed Bright. "Hey, no need to cry, Bright. But why are you alone out here? Didn't anyone come with you?"
Before I could point out she wasn't alone, that Amy and Hazel were with her, she explained. "Mindy and Jetstream came with me, but a big red dragon separated us. Amy said it was a Charizard." A Charizard? Iroh?
"Yeah," Amy spoke up, "Judging by her description, it was a Charizard, possibly a teammate of mine." She walked over to us. "I recognize Ruby, but who might you be?" She asked me.
"Wow, Amy. I'm hurt. Can't you recognize your best friend?" I replied, feigning hurt. Understanding quickly dawned in her eyes.
"Wait... Tyler?!" She exclaimed, "You're a Pokemon too?" At my nod, she grabbed me in a big hug. "You know what, we'll figure it out later. I'm just glad you're safe."
We were interrupted by Wind. "Uh, not to crash your happy moment, but how can I understand the bunny?"
Bright giggled, having finally dried her tears. "Oh, I used a translation spell I learned a while back. Never thought I'd have a chance to use it, though. But I guess it pays to be prepared!"
"A translation spell? Huh. Figures you'd be prepared like that, Bright. You're always a step ahead of us," Wind complimented her.
"If you have a translator, could you use it on us?" Ruby asked. "Talking through Aura gets a bit tiring after a while, especially with those who aren't Aura-sensitive."
"Oh, no problem! Just give me a minute," Bright replied. She closed her eyes, and her horn began to glow as a wave of what I could only assume was magic shot out towards us. When it was done, she opened her eyes. "Okay, try talking now."
"Uh, hello?" I asked. Judging by Bright's beaming expression, it worked. "Good. Now that we can all understand each other, what now?"
"Well, how'd you find us?" Bright asked.
"From what Tyler here told me, one of your bunny friends," Wind indicated Amy and Hazel, "Used a move called Sunny Day. He traced it with Aura, and found you three."
Hazel facepawed. "Crap... That was probably visible for miles, wasn't it? I'm so sorry, Amy, I probably attracted every creature within a 5-mile radius..."
"Well, you certainly attracted us," came a familiar voice through my head. I looked to my left to see Roxas, an Earth Pony mare, and a Shiny Gardevoir I assumed was Emily emerge from the trees. "So, looks like we all got sucked into this mess, huh?"
"Em, that you?" I asked. I looked at the pony beside her. "And judging by description, you must be Wind's sister, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I'm Mind Walker, but just call me Mindy. I met up with these two when I got separated from Bright. Speaking of..." She ran over to Bright and grabbed her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're safe!"
"Yeah, so am I..." Bright choked out, "But if you keep hugging me this hard, I won't be!" Mindy let go, looking sheepish. Bright walked over to Emily and Roxas. "You guys want the translation spell too?"
Roxas nodded. "It would be much appreciated. While I have more expertise in Psychic Communication, milady does not, and it has been rather taxing on her."
Bright's face was priceless. "Uh... A simple yes or no would've worked..." She said, bewildered.
I chuckled. "That's Roxas for ya. Don't worry, you'll get used to it." She nodded, then focused on casting the spell again. A quick test revealed that it had worked again.
"Well, looks like we're all together again," I said, looking around. "The question becomes, then, where the hell our teammates went."
"And we're still missing Jetstream..." Mindy spoke up. "We can't just leave her lost in here."
"Agreed," Wind chipped in. "Alright, I can run some aerial recon for Jetstream. You guys focus on Bright's pendant. You know where you're headed, Bright?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I put tracer spells on things that are important to me. Since Hazel lit up the forest, I should be fine."
"Meanwhile, we can be on the lookout for our Pokemon," Amy finished. "Sounds like a plan!"
"Geez, what are we, chopped Trubbish to you guys?" A familiar voice interjected. I turned to see a pair of Umbreon and a pair of Espeon emerge from the bushes. The Shiny Umbreon spoke. "I mean, I know we weren't together long, but we did save your asses."
"Wes?!" I cried in shock. "What the heck? I wasn't expecting you to be stuck in this mess too!" I took note of the Shiny Espeon behind him. "And is that you, Rui?"
"Yeah, it's us. Glad to see you're all okay." She walked over to Ruby. "At least, for now..." I could hear the sadness in her voice. I was just as worried. That Shadow Energy could be a problem, especially with no Purification method around.
"Hey, wait up!" A unicorn mare and a pegasus stallion emerged from the same foliage. The pegasus, notably with wings like a Zubat, spoke once more, "Finally caught up with you."
The unicorn mare took notice of us. "Some of your friends?" She asked.
"The Pokemon, yes," Wes replied. "Everyone else, no. Guys, these are Stella Song and Rogue Streak. They're apparently 'Guard Members' here."
"Wait, what are you kids doing out here?" Rogue asked our companions. "The forest is dangerous right now!"
"You don't say," Wind shot back. "To answer your question, I was training out here, and Bright had something stolen from her, so she and Mindy came to get it back."
'His tone...' I thought to myself, 'Something tells me he doesn't trust authorities...' They began bickering over it being too dangerous.
"If you're done with the little pissing contest you're having," came yet another voice. Sheesh, is this place like some sort of Poke Spot? This voice belonged to a female who looked like someone spliced a Braviary with a Pyroar. She was accompanied by a Sylveon and a Shiny Eevee. "Can we possibly move on to things that matter?"
"Jetstream! You're okay!" Mindy ran over to her friend. "We were worried about you!"
"Aw, that's sweet of you," she replied. She then looked at us. "Friends of yours?" She asked the Sylveon. Wait, that Sylveon looked familiar...
"Yup!" Sylvia agreed. "We found them, Micheal!"
"Well, that's a good thing," Micheal told her as he hopped off her back. "Hey guys."
"Uh, could you cast a translation spell?" Jetstream asked. "I'd prefer not to be left out of this conversation."
"I got this," Stella said. "My talent's in sound spells, so translation is a piece of cake." She closed her eyes, and her horn glowed a light blue, compared to Bright's gold. Interesting...
"So, can you understand us now, Jetstream?" Micheal asked her.
Jetstream nodded, seeming shocked. "Wow, your voice is actually pretty deep... How's you end up as this little thing?"
He shrugged. "No clue, though if I were to hazard a guess, it seems we took the form of the Pokemon we're closest to on our team. Since I 'm pretty much equally close with my whole team, I ended up as their pre-evolution, Eevee."
"Huh." I looked around. "Now that you mention it, Micheal, you're right."
"Hate to interrupt your sleuthing," Wind broke in, "but perhaps we should get Bright's pendant and get out of here?"
I chuckled. "Yes, I suppose we did get off track. Alright then-"
"Wait," Amy cut in, "It won't take all of us to find her pendant, and I wanna check to see if that Charizard you guys ran into was Iroh. Let's split up. Emily, Micheal and I, along with Roxas, Sylvia, Hazel, Jetstream, Wind, and Mindy can go check for Iroh, while you guys retrieve Bright's pendant. Sound good?"
I mulled it over in my head. "I have no objections. Anyone?" A quick survey revealed that no one did. "Alright, but be careful Amy."
"Of course." She turned and headed out, her group following her.
"Right, then. Bright, lead the way."
"Oh, right!" She seemed startled out of her thoughts. "Alright, the pendant is this way."
Equestria
Trotten
POV: Ruby
Not long after, we came to a stop. "It should be right around here," Bright called back. I quickly expanded my Aura to see if I could detect it.
It would seem my trainer was one step ahead, however. "Bingo," I heard him call. We rushed over to his position. He held a small pendant in his paw. "Would this be what we're looking for?"
"Oh, yes!" Bright cried. "I'm so glad we found it!" She quickly slipped it on. "Oh, I don't know what I'd do without this..."
"That Aura of yours is pretty handy," Rogue said, impressed.
"Yeah, it's come in handy quite a few times," he agreed. "Now, let's head back and see if Amy found..." He slowly trailed off.
"Something wrong?" Stella asked.
"Uh, not to worry you guys, but is there normally a huge plume of smok emanating from that direction?" He pointed towards said smoke plume.
"Oh no, that's coming from Trotten!" Bright called. "We need to get back there and find out what happened!"
"Today just gets better and better," I heard Rogue mutter.
Author's Note
Wow. I suck at forcing myself to sit down and write. Sorry guys... I'll do my best to get myself back into writing. Thank you to all who waited for this chapter, and I apologize.
-GC4
