Arms of Arceus

Pinkie Pie hopped through the burning forest, smiling happily as a horde of deranged mutants chased her. Her friends ran at her side, fleeing the angry mobs rather than fighting. Fear and exhaustion battled with their wills to survive, but Pinkie Pie wasn’t worried. She had figured something out about this new universe, as if a light had clicked on in her head. These monsters, however horrible, weren’t worth losing your mind over. Her hearing had vanished momentarily, only to return as a loud ringing in her ears. Even so, she had decided not to worry about that, either. Instead, she just wanted to have fun. The trip to the mountain had been filled with awful sights and horrific sounds, and all of the ponies had cried over the senselessness of it at some point during their trek. Though their spirits hadn’t been broken, they had deeply depressed, and it felt like forever since any of them had really laughed. The makeup had helped; as had the cheering, and now that Pinkie Pie was dressed as a clown she wanted to be one during the rest of this encounter.

An idea had hit her when she had seen the sad faces of her friends grieving over her hearing loss. At that moment, she had decided to be a mime and cheer them up! Some ponies didn’t like mimes, but Pinkie Pie knew that their imaginations were always strong. Having been an accomplished clown with a powerful imagination for most of her life, Pinkie Pie knew how to fight these enemies. The only way to overcome such dark, depressing monsters was with joy and cheer, and a few good jokes. Becoming like them would only be counterproductive to the cause of survival. Pinkie Pie had tried telling her friends this, but had inadvertently yelled too loudly and shook the ground. Though she had managed to knock that awful daemon engine down, she knew that she would make her friends deaf too if she tried to use a voice she had poor control over. So, she would show them her plan instead.

Pinkie Pie slowed down, allowing her friends to run slightly ahead of her. As the brutal, raging mutants closed in she stopped in her tracks, turned and slammed an imaginary door to an imaginary building. All five hundred of the mutants crashed face first into the imaginary wall. They stumbled backwards, swinging at each other in their confusion as Pinkie Pie climbed an imaginary staircase to the second floor of her building. She mimed peeling and eating a bunch of bananas in quick succession before throwing the imaginary peels to the ground at the mutantas feet. The creatures tripped and fell on their faces as they attempted to charge the invisible wall. Pinkie Pie laughed at the scene as she turned her back. Then she leapt from the second story of the imaginary house and began hopping after her friends.

“H-how?” Twilight Sparkle asked, surprise and amusement mingling in her voice. She knew the answer, but she couldn’t resist asking anyway.
Pinkie Pie smiled as she heard Twilight’s words faintly echo within the ringing of her ears. She responded by turning back to the cultists, who were now fiercinly attacking the imaginary banana peels. Placing her hooves in front of her along an invisible wall, she slowly moved around as she enclosed her pantomime box.

“We get the idea, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said, smiling as she lifted the party pony from her imaginary box before she could close the top. “I’m sure we’d all love to see your show, but for now we need to continue running for our lives.”

Several large bolter shells fell from the sky, exploding in the trees around the group. Another Lord of Battles had appeared to the north, and it was closing in on them. The mutants behind the group were caught in its fire as the daemon engine destroyed everything it could reach. Behind it rumbled the treads of the first daemon engine, which had righted itself and was now giving chase. As the ponies continued to run, the forest quickly gave way to broken tree stumps and holes dug by munitions shells. A hill lay several yards in the distance, and something was roaring beyond it. Heavy footsteps shook the earth as the monster slowly came into view.

“I bet it’s a massive, horned demon,” Pinkie Pie said, breaking character as she placed her red clown nose back on. “What do you girls wanna bet it’s horribly deformed and disgusting beyond belief? I bet it has a blood red sword and a hateful, malevolent glare that could curdle milk. Oh, and its eyes burn with an inner fire that’s reflected on its skin, as if the whole thing is burning with unimaginable hatred! I also bet it just wants to kill us because that’s what these things do. What do you think Fluttershy?”

“I think you’re too good at describing things in detail, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said, trembling in time with the shaking ground.

“That’s what the Cakes said after I accidently tempted them into eating a whole week’s worth of fresh banana pudding.”

“You can hear?” Fluttershy said, momentarily shocked out of her trembling.

“You’re voices are still kinda fighting with the ringing in my ears, but you guys are slowly winning out.”

The group cheered, surprise and excitement overwhelming their fear as they ran to embrace Pinkie Pie. All any of them wanted was to escape the awfulness of the world around them, to free themselves from the horrors that stalked them. But they forgot all of that in the warmth of their friendship. As the Bloodthirster crested the hill, and the two Lords of Battle arrived before their prey, the ponies were only concerned with their friend’s well being. So eager were they to pretend that this universe was just an awful nightmare, so eager were they to ignore the terror bearing down upon them, that none of them saw the massive bolter shells as the Lords of Battle opened fire.

In that moment, the world around the ponies seemed to freeze. The bolter shells stopped in mid-air, detonating directly above the group. As explosions rocked their surroundings, a light shown from where they stood. It pulsated with a warm, radiant rainbow glow, engulfing the explosions and snuffing them out as easily as one might blow out a match. The light turned into a shield, and spread quickly to engulf the daemons. The Bloodthirster covered himself with his long, muscular arms and leapt backward, away from the growing light. While he escaped, the Lords of Battle were not so lucky. The Light of Friendship covered the daemon engines as they attempted to turn away from it. They disintegrated where they stood, their vile souls and corrupted steel bodies unable to stand before the immense purifying magic.

When the light faded, the ponies stood alone atop the hillside, their bodies refreshed, but their Rainbow Power nowhere in sight. The massive footfalls began again, but this time there was an urgent speed to them, as if the daemon sought to end the fight quickly before his enemies could use their power a second time.

“Well, that was convenient,” Rainbow Dash said as she hovered above her friends. “Not complaining, though.”

“Can we do that again?” Applejack said as she watched the massive daemon crest the hill once more. It looked just as Pinkie Pie had described, but there was an insane eagerness in its eyes that seemed to grow with each fall of its cloven hooves.

“I don’t even know how we triggered it in the first place,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Stand your ground, girls. Even without Rainbow Power, we can take him.”

The ponies braced themselves to fight once more. But before either side could strike, a pokéball rolled on the ground nearby. All seven combatants watched as it came to a halt several yards to the south before emitting a bright light and expelling the traveler inside. The Gyarados that had been waiting inside of the ball now stood behind the ponies, its mouth open wide to display its enormous fangs. It was easily fifty meters long, with seven scars etched in its stomach. The crest on its head was covered in ruby encrusted rings, and its eyes had lines of age to them. The Bloodthirster stopped in its tracks, screamed in battle lust, and launched itself forward to strike at the new foe. Almost as an afterthought, the Gyarados lazily swung its tail, hitting the daemon and sending it flying through the air. It crashed to the ground and rolled several feet as its physical body lost cohesion and it returned to the warp. A calm, gentle laugh came through the trees behind the ponies, accompanied by three high-pitched sighs of relief.

“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Rainbow Dash said. “Still not complaining, though.”

The Gyarados smiled down at the ponies as they thanked it. Out of the ruined treeline came a long, elegant Serperior with several small Pokémon riding on her back.

“Greetings friends,” the Serperior said as she slithered up to the ponies. “I am Mistress Mora, retired veteran of the King’s High Council. My friends and I are here to take you home.”

“We had ta look a bit, but we found ya!” said a Tyrogue riding near the Serperior’s head, his face full of pride.

“We saw some pretty awful stuff,” said the Victini sitting behind the Tyrogue. “Poor Kazuo hasn’t said much since we got here. That first battlefield really bothered him.”

“I’m sorry,” said the Jirachi sitting near Mora’s tail, as if he had been trying to find a way to be alone without leaving his friends. “I just want to go home. There’s so much death and destruction here, and all the minds I’ve read so far only seem to accept this as the norm. I’m glad we found our friends, but…”

Tears welled up in the Jirachi’s eyes, as the weight of it all seemed to crash down upon him. Pinkie Pie smiled, her eyes shining with understanding and sympathy as she walked to the newcomers and put a comforting hoof on Kazuo’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I know what you mean. This place will get you down if you let it, but we don’t have to let it. The thing about it is, we’re the absolute opposite of this place. God’s Breath, Equestria… our worlds are built on a philosophy of love and understanding. Sure we have our differences, and sure we have our meanines… but even at their worst, our meanines aren’t this insanely depraved. Evil? Yes. But not like this. That’s what sits us apart, and that’s what makes us better, as individuals and as a group. Afterall, who in their right mind would want to live in a universe filled with so much senseless violence? Probably somepony who doesn’t like joy and rainbows. If that’s their prerogative, fine. But I’m going home with my friends, and so are you. Besides, I’m betting this place is really just a hologram projected by a thin dimensional sheet on the edge of the universe! None of it is real, so who cares?”

“Do you really think that’s true?” Kazuo asked, his spirits lifting at Pinkie Pie’s words.

“I dunno, but I’m gonna pretend it is,” Pinkie Pie replied.

“Where did you come up with that theory, Pinkie?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“I was looking for a joke book in your library a while back and I bumped into a shelf. The next thing I knew, a book on theoretical metaphysics had fallen on my face at the exact page where they discussed how information can be trapped on the event horizon of a black hole.”

“Did you find your joke book?”

“Nope, but it made Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake giggle. When the rest of the books fell on top of me they laughed themselves to tears.”

“Well, then,” Mistress Mora said, smiling at the group. “I think it’s time for us to go. There’s a party waiting for us at home. The other princesses are throwing a bash they call The Crystal Fair.”

“Oh, that sounds divine!” Rarity said. “Of course I will need to make a new dress for the occasion. That will be quite theraputic.”

“We put on the Crystal Fair once,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t think I’m going to do anymore jousting, though.”

“That’s alright,” Rainbow Dash said. “I bet one of those Gallade will joust with me! Or, what about you, Applejack? You never got to get in on that action back in the Crystal Empire.”

“I ain’t never done a joust before, but I bet I could beat you!” Applejack said, excitedly. “Hey, Twilight. Why don’t you be our judge?”

“I’d love to! So long as we get out of here, I’m happy to judge as many jousting matches as you two want to have.”

“Woo hoo!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “I’m gonna play the flugalhorn! I’ll probably have to make one first, but still… A Crystal Fair with all our new Pokémon friends sounds amazing! I wish Maud were here. Then she could make us some rock candy! She’s always been better at it than I am.”

“Hmm,” Kazuo said. “So long as it’s just one person, I think I can get them here. I got us here, afterall.”

“Was it that hard getting from one planet to another?” Twilight asked. “I’d think crossing deminsions would be more difficult.”

“It’s not so much moving from planet to planet here. There was a deminsional barrier standing in our way when we came to save you. I don’t really understand it, but the place where God’s Breath is located is trapped behind a space-time distortion, while the deminsions here feel normal in comparison. I can only pull very small groups through it.”

“Isn’t granting a wish requested after waking against the rules, Kazuo?” the bright-eyed Victini asked.

“Yeah, it is a bit. But I’m so happy, Vincent, I don’t really care! These ponies are even better than you guys said they’d be, so I’ll grant any wish they want.”

Kazuo smiled brightly as tears of joy and relief ran down his face. Pinkie Pie was happy that her words had made him feel so much better, even if she wasn’t sure on the last part.

“Can you really bring someone here from Ponyville?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I dunno, but I can try!”

“You can’t bring all of my sisters, can you?”

“To be honest, if I can manage to get one of them and whatever she might be holding, it’ll be a miracle. Which sister do you want?”

“Oh, they’d all love to see a Crystal Fair,” Pinkie Pie said as she fret over the choice. “But Maud has always been the toughest out of any of us. I think she’d handle this situation a lot better. You girls don’t mind me taking this wish, do you?”

“Big Mac’s needed on the farm,” Applejack said. “Neither Granny or Applebloom need to see this mess, so it’s all yours as far as I’m concerned.”

“I’m sure Shining Armor has his hooves full leading Equestria in our absence,” Twilight Sparkle said. “He’s needed there.”

“I’m with Applejack,” Rarity said. “I don’t want Sweetie Belle anywhere near this place.”

“Same goes for Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash said.

“And as much as I miss Angel Bunny, he belongs back at my cottage. Not here.”

“Then please bring my sister, Maude Pie, to us, Kazuo!”

“You got it!”

The Jirachi closed his eyes and raised his arms. He began shining with psychic power as he willed Pinkie Pie’s wish into being. A bright light appeared in the center of the group, carefully shaping into the form of a pony with something on its back. The light solidified so slowly that the group began to worry, but eventually it lessened and disappeared as two forms took shape. In the center of the group stood Maud, her golden Royal Guard armor covered in slashes and dents. On her back lay Trixie dressed in armor that had seen similar abuse. Kazuo lowered his arms, his eyes still closed. Then he grunted harshly and fell to the ground, unconscious.

“Maud!” the group yelled, their voices filled with a strange mixture of happiness and concern.

“Kazuo!” Vincent yelled as he flew down to stand beside the injured Jirachi.

“What happened?” Maud said as she relaxed her defensive stance at the sight of her friends. “What happened to the Everfree Forest?”

“Oh, Trixie’s unconscious and Maud’s all beat up too!” Pinkie Pie said, frowning. “And our little friend just passed out from the stress of wishing you here.”

“That stressed him out pretty good, but it’s not what hit him,” Mistress Mora said. “Isn’t that right, Vincent?”

“Sharp as always, Mistress,” the Victini said as he urgently looked over the body of his friend. “We’re close to a hole in space that leads to a realm made of pure psychic energy, and there are some really bad things through there. They’ve been trying to get to us, which is why we haven’t used our psychic power for much since we got here. But Kazuo just opened himself up to them for a moment, and they struck his mind hard.”

“Oh, the poor little thing,” Fluttershy said as she gathered Kazuo in her hooves and cradled him. “He needs a hospital. It looks like Trixie does, too.”

“She got hit on the head,” Maud said, her face a shade above deadpan as her eyes expressed a hint of confusion and joy. “She’s out cold, but I checked her over just a minute ago. She’ll be fine.”

“It looks like you’ve been fighting something, too,” Twilight Sparkle said. “What’s going on back home?”

“Those apparitions haven’t disappeared. Prince Shining Armor has managed to contain them in the Everfree Forest after evacuating all of the animals. They constantly press our lines, and no matter how hard we put one down it’s never gone for long. Trixie and I were scouting when we got ambushed. I was carrying her back to safety when I suddenly ended up here.”

“I hope you didn’t have anything vital to tell my brother. Is he Ok?”

“He’s fine, Princess Twilight. He’s a natural military leader, and I don’t trust any of the information we found on that mission. Like I said, it was a trap.”

“Let’s hurry back to the city, then,” Rainbow Dash said. “Kazuo needs help, and it wouldn’t hurt to get the Chansey to look after Trixie, too.”

“Kazuo was our way home, I’m afraid,” Mistress Mora said as she thoughtfully stroked her chin with her tail.

“Then we’re stuck…” Applejack said, frustrated. “Gosh darn this place! Just when we were almost home free.”

“I’m sure the princesses can come up with another plan,” Twilight Sparkle said, as she tried to reassure her friends. Before she could finish her speech, a daemonic Baneblade crested another hill one hundred yards to their left and fired at the group. The titanic Gyarados blocked the shell with its tail and roared. It opened its maw and fired a Hydro Pump at the tank, piercing through its hull and sending it flying from the hill. More mutants charged the group from the hill where the tank had sat, ignoring the fate of their leader as lesser daemons whipped them into a frenzy from behind. In the distance they could see an army approaching, with a massive figure at its center that radiated bloodlust and hatred.

“What are those?” Maud asked, the smallest hint of shock in her voice.

“They’re just holograms,” Pinkie Pie said as she wrapped her left front leg around her sister’s neck. “Now, what about that plan to get back to God’s Breath?”

“I was just saying that the other princesses must have a means of retrieving us,” Twilight Sparkle said as she watched the Gyarados destroy the charging mutants with another Hydro Pump attack. “Surely they’ve got an idea. Perhaps some other Jirachi can help?”

“My peers among the Elder Council have taken the remaining Jirachi to safety,” Mora said. “There is a plot that we’ve become aware of, and this universe is only a part of it.”

“What about all of the ugly holograms trying to kill us?” Maud asked.

“Holo-what?” Trixie said groggily as she rubbed her bruised head. “Oh, you’re right. They are quite ugly, and there are so many of them. I hate nightmares. Where is Princess Luna when you need her…”

Trixie fainted again as the Gyarados slithered off to engage the enemy. More tanks and daemon engines crested the hill, but none of them could last more than a few seconds before the Atrocious Pokémon. Rockets and plasma blasts failed to damage his scales, and none of their armor could match the destructive force of his Aqua Tail and Hydro Pump.

“Well, I’m glad Lord Gyara is having fun with the enemy,” Mora said. “Now, about returning home. I know that the Alakazam Enclave recently discovered your location, but I think Lady Dorris will have a time getting them to cooperate. They were going to teleport you here, but I don’t think that will happen now. They worked quite hard to find you, and I’m sure they need their rest.”

“Then how will they get us…?” Pinkie Pie began, her question cut short as powerful magic suddenly wrapped itself around the group. Impossible, nonsensical images rushed past them. A dream-like state overcame them as they saw events that had unfolded in the past, from perspectives that were not their own. A moment later, they stood outside a tall, brown building surrounded by one hundred Slowking.

“Welcome back, friends,” Princess Celestia said, the tears of joy in her eyes mirrored in the eyes of the princesses at her sides. “Welcome to the front gardens of the Slowking College.”