Arms of Arceus

“It is good that reinforcements have come from the lands of nature,” Ra said as he and his wife sat around Mistress Cloe’s bonfire. “For there will be no reinforcements coming from beyond the Black Gates, today. The Elder Council has their hands full defending their position from a recent assault. With Dark Arceus back in its domain, all it needs is the Jirachi to wish itself free from its prison.”

“I still can’t believe it was stolen right out from under us…” Celestia said as she shook her head sadly. She was ashamed and disappointed in herself. Luna and Cadance sat next to her, their faces full of regret.

“We have failed,” Luna said as she put a comforting hoof on her sister’s shoulder. “But we will redeem ourselves. When we have taken the city from this place, we will enter the Underworld and retrieve Dark Arceus.”

“Who thought it would be a good idea to let a group of Aegislash near royalty?” Lynn said, her melodic voice chiming with anger as she spoke. “They weren’t with you the times we met, your majesties. Had we been aware, Ann would have questioned them earlier.”

“I felt bad giving Fu Hao over to the Interrogator General,” Cadance said. “She may have helped Dark Arceus by keeping us away from the palace, but she fought so bravely.”

“Their role was simple distraction, princess,” Mistress Cloe said, as she stared into the fire. “They gave us no reason to mistrust them, apart from the reputation of their species. That wasn’t enough to question their individual loyalty, and so we allowed you to bond with them. Alas, the Elder Council saw only one part of the enemy’s plans. Had we seen it all, things would have been different. None of us are infallible, your majesty.”

“There is one good thing that’s come from all of this,” Master Shen said as he walked up to the fire to sit next to Cloe. “The daemonic forces were decimated last night. So many Orks and Tyranids teleported into the city that, between them and us, the daemonic portals were mostly overrun. They’re trying to regain ground, but they’re having a time of it.”

“Even though there are fewer daemons to worry about, the Tyranids and Orks are deeply entrenched in the city. The Tyranid’s Teleporter Worms used the daemonic gateways to reach through the Warp and anchor themselves in this reality, while the Orks seem to be utilizing a technology they have previously reserved for larger battles elsewhere. Now the streets are overrun, though our forces will drive them back, eventually.”

“We don’t have the time for ‘eventually’,” Celestia said as she stood from her place in the circle. “They will be driven back by tomorrow morning. The enemy hasn’t charged us from the outside yet. They’ve waited until their foothold in our lands was strong enough. Now it is, and their forces will descend upon the city’s walls today. It is a move we will make them regret.”

“Despite the lack of reinforcements from Moon Shrine, our numbers are greatly bolstered,” Luna said as she rose to stand next to her sister. “Cadance and I were planning to give the enemies a show of force beyond the gates, and that plan hasn’t changed.”

“I will accompany you,” Mistress Cloe said without taking her eyes from the fire. “I think it is good for you to have a councilor by your side, and I will fill that role far better than your Aegislash.”

“What of Twilight and the others?” Cadance asked. “They’re using Doublade to fight. Are they at risk of being controlled as we were?”

“The Honedge line doesn’t become greedy until it has fully evolved,” Master Shen said, wisely. “What’s more, those Pokémon weren’t born into their bodies as your Aegislash were. They were once noble heroes of our city. I think the Champions of Harmony will be fine, though I’ll join them to make sure of it.”

“All of you have our deepest thanks,” Celestia said as she bowed her head in respect. “My hatred for this place has dulled over these past few days. I have seen what this universe has to offer, and however dreadful these things are, they are not worth hating.”

“What now do you feel for the inhabitants of this place, princess?” Cloe asked as she scrutinized her leader.

“I feel pity,” Celestia replied, her eyes glistening with tears as she spoke. “I pity them for the carnage they live in, and I pity them for the fact that they embrace it so eagerly.”

“I bet this universe would make a pretty cool setting for a tabletop game, though,” Rainbow Dash said as she landed beside the fire. She bowed to the princesses as they welcomed her to their meeting. Two battle-hardened Charizard and a lightly bandaged Flygon landed just behind her, bowing to the group in imitation of their friend.

“It’s good to see you,” Princess Celestia said, smiling. “What do you have to report, Rainbow Dash?”

“Dorris kicked the Alakazam Enclave into gear. She forced them into a psychic circle to see what the enemy was up to, and they made a big discovery. You’re not going to like it though.”

“We have a city full of unspeakable horrors, and there are more coming our way. What did they discover?”

“Well… Ya know how this whole system is at war? A good chunk of that war is coming here. Apparently, the ‘Hive Mind’ that controls the Tyranids wants to eat us. It plans to use our DNA to make its troops more powerful, and it’s sending in the big guns to do just that. A Tyranid the humans refer to as the ‘Swarmlord’ is going to lead four hive ships into a low orbit over the planet, directly above the city. He plans to devour us. Oh, and the Alakazam Enclave is completely insane now.”

“That’s horrible!” Cadance said, shocked.

“Eh, they don’t seem to mind. Sure they only speak gibberish, but Pinkie Pie’s a good translator. She said that they’ve rationalized all the hallucinations, and they’re writing instrumental songs to harmonize with the Tyranid chatter that follows them around.”

“What about Lady Dorris? Is she alright?”

“She’s the only one who touched the Hivemind without going insane. She’s taking out her frustration on the monsters in the streets.”

“Tell Twilight to divide her forces appropriately and retake the city street by street,” Celestia said. “She will meet us at the wall, however. Have her bring the Alpha Fury with her. We will decimate the enemy armies, then we will deal with their ships.”

“Understood!” Rainbow Dash said. She bowed to the princesses once more before flying off to find her friends.

“Reserve your strength as you fight,” Celestia said as she turned back to her fellow alicorns. “Don’t waste it on the titans. When the Tyranid ships arrive, we will make our show of force. In the meantime, the third day’s strategy must be changed. Tell Lady Lorna to help clear the streets, and await the arrival of the Tyranid fleet’s vanguard.”

“Very well, your majesty,” Shen said. He smiled as he stared into the fire with Cloe. “Lorna will be pleased.”

Rarity pranced down the streets of the shopping district, her nose turned up at the horrid battle raging around her. She had grown tired of melee combat the night before, and had chosen to fight her foes from a distance despite the masterful skill of her Doublade, Rosette. Twelve Castform flew above, maintaining the large thundercloud that followed her group as she led them from street to street. She pulled lightning bolts from the cloud to strike weak points in her foe’s armor, sparing the monsters a glance only to find their vulnerable spots. Then she turned up her nose again before searching out her next target. She only attacked those enemies that seemed most dangerous, and while most could withstand a lightning strike, she was able to paralyze them long enough for the Pokémon to tear them apart. Then she would turn her nose up once more until another creature caught her attention. Whether these monsters cared or not, she refused to give them anything less than her utmost disgust.

Her forces primarily consisted of fairy-types, with a small pack of Mightyena and a flock of Altaria to help cover her weaknesses. They had already encountered a group of Zoanthropes that had almost slain a large portion of her beautiful fairies, so she had sent an Altaria to bring a group of dark-types to her side to keep those threats under control. Sasha had sent the Mightyena to her, and they had proven highly effective at their task.

A portion of Rarity’s heart was with the Leavany she had spent time sewing with, and she had feared for their safety as they left to join Suzuki’s swarm. But now, she was too busy playing the role of war hero to worry about them. The Pokémon knew of their king’s dying prediction, and the role she and her friends played in it. That had made it easy for Twilight Sparkle to organize troops from the nature zones for her friends to lead. Unlike Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Rarity had taken up the role with hesitation. She had told the Pokémon many times that she was a dressmaker, not a warrior. Even so, they had wanted nothing more than to follow her into battle. She had seen the fear in their eyes, and their eagerness to fight alongside a champion. Her heart had been touched, and she had told herself that she wouldn’t let them down. She had heard that the casualty rate was low, thanks in large part to the city’s preparedness. Rarity hadn’t lost any of her troops today, and she wasn’t going to lose any if she could help it.

Between her healing spells and shields, and those cast by the Pokémon she led, her small army was a force to be reckoned with. Four Clefable cast Moonblasts in support of their allies, while one provided a Friend Guard ability to increase the durability of her allies. The Pokémon who fought in melee used their small size to their advantage, ducking and bouncing in ways that confused their enemies. This was a relatively successful tactic in close combat, and helped to make up for their soft, fragile bodies. Azumarill and Slurpuff beat battle anthems on their bellies while receiving Heal Pulses from support Pokémon in the center of the formation. They used Play Rough as a horde of Orks approached, turning the battle into a violent game of tag.

Packs of Granbull and Mawhile carried out creative strategies under Rarity’s leadership. Together, they darted through the Misty Terrain in complex patterns, tearing apart entrenched groups with their massive jaws in a battle dance that Rarity had choreographed moments before the fighting began. Though she had been forced to make their dance rather basic, she knew that it had to appear beautiful from up above. She would occasionally look to her flying-types in hopes that they were mesmerized by the display. To her disappointment, they were always preoccupied with their own engagements.

An explosion from a nearby building sent a group of Granbull flying backwards. A large Ork stepped out as he brandished a rocket launcher equipped to his mechanical left arm. He roared as he swung his chainaxe at the only Granbull to have landed on its feet. Rarity sent bolts of lightning to strike at the Ork nob, but instead she hit his boyz as they charged out from behind him. The nob turned toward the unicorn and fired one of his large, scrap metal rockets. Rarity raised a shield around the center formation as the rocket struck home. It shook the ground, destroying a large portion of pavement and sending shrapnel flying through the air. Safe behind their magical barrier, the Pokémon in the center formation were already recasting Reflect and Light Screen on their allies and healing those that were hurt.

The Granbull leader charged forward, dodging the nob’s axe swings to bite into his mechanical arm. Growling loudly, she tore away a large chunk of the arm with her electrified fangs. Then she dodged low and leapt backwards to avoid the retaliation swipe. Rarity took the opportunity to strike the exposed wires with lightning. The arm exploded and sent the nob flying to his left, but he refused to stay down. He screamed as he charged the Granbull, his axe slamming hard into the Pokémon’s chest despite her Reflect shield. She screamed in pain as another strike landed. The nob raised his axe for a finishing blow, but quickly found himself encased in ice. An Ice Beam fired by an Altaria had hit the Ork in the neck as he attempted to land another strike. His boyz screamed as they swarmed around the injured Granbull only to be repulsed by her allies.

“Why has our column stopped moving?” Rarity yelled over the din, as a fresh group of Orks poured out from a building behind them.

“We’re pinned down!” an Altaria yelled as he fired a Dragon Pulse into the oncoming horde. The resulting explosion sent the Orks flying in all directions, but they quickly rose to their feet and continued the charge. Fourteen Wigglytuff stepped out of the formation to engage them, each of them casting a Wish as the Orks closed in. They used Play Rough simultaneously, and managed to hold off the Orks as their leader assessed the situation.

“We need to move forward!” Rarity yelled as she ran to the side of the street to see through the battle. She could see the problem in front of them now. A line of Orks had formed a wall as they beat back the fairy-types at the front.

“T-there are too many,” said a Gardevoir named Tom. Like the rest of her group, he had come from the nature zone known as the Enchanted Woods, and he was currently Rarity’s only psychic-type. While he was good at throwing rocks with telekinesis, his timid nature made it hard for him to overcome the sights and sounds of battle. Rarity could sympathize, but she needed more foresight. He hadn’t been a very reliable clairvoyant thus far, and it had forced her to move more slowly than she would have liked.

“It’ll be alright,” she told him. “Remember what Pinkie Pie told you? These enemies are only holograms; evil, deadly, bloodthirsty holograms. Just focus on what comes next, and I’ll handle the rest.”
He looked down to thank her for her understanding, but she was already giving orders to the Klefki she had adopted as accessories to her armor.

“Cast Fairy Lock on this whole street,” she told them. “Then I want you to make sure everyone is under a Protect shield. I would like to solve this problem more creatively, but we’re behind schedule. For the moment, brute force is the quickest solution.”

The Klefki nodded and began locking down the battlefield, trapping every Ork on the street.

“Castform! Get those clouds roiling now! I’m going to do something a bit rash.”

The Castform began chattering as they flew through the storm clouds. They expelled small thunderbolts to charge them, while Rarity used her magic to build up the atmosphere and spread the storm throughout the locked-down street. With urgent calls, all of her Pokémon gathered together to stand around her. The Altaria landed, and the pack of Mightyena formed a perimeter around the group. Convinced of their cowardice, the Orks took the initiative and charged. Ten separate Protect shields fused together to cover the Pokémon moments before the barbarians closed in. Once Rarity was certain her forces were safe, she let loose. Simultaneous lightning bolts crashed to earth in a terrifyingly beautiful display. Holes were torn through the Orks, cauterizing the wounds as they were made. Rarity enhanced the lighting with her magic, allowing her barrage to ignore the Ork’s armor. Once the cloud had expended all of its energy, Rarity fell to the ground in exhaustion. Her foes fell as well, their badly charred bodies twitching silently. The Klefki lowered their Fairy Lock and the Pokémon relaxed their tight formation.

“Are you alright?” Tom said as he lifted Rarity from the ground and placed her on the head of a nearby Wigglytuff.

“I’ll be fine,” Rarity panted with more strength than she felt. “I just… overdid it a bit. But I’ll be fine… once I’ve caught my breath.”

“I have a really bad feeling. I don’t know why, but I feel like something awful is coming.”

“It’s the final push of the daemonic forces,” said Joan from the rooftop of a partially decimated building. She floated down with her Clefable entourage to land before Rarity. The Mega Gardevoir looked around at the charred bodies on the street, smiling in appreciation of an impressive victory.

“I have more fighters to the south,” she said. “We’re preparing for the final incursion. Together with Ra, Sakura, Suzuki and Sasha we’ll crush these daemons.”

“We’ll help,” Rarity said as she tried to climb off of the Wigglytuff, only to lose her footing and slump forward.

“They’ll be here soon. I will lead you to meet with your friends at the incursion site. Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Twilight Sparkle have left to oversee the battle on the wall. Lorna will lead her legends and ice-types as they clear the streets and skies. The Tyranid’s final assault is on its way, as well.”

“I’ve noticed quite a few heavy weapons teleporting in,” Rarity said. “They’ll need to be careful.”

“They will be. For now, we must complete our ambush. While their leader seems preoccupied on the other side of the portal, the deamons are sending a powerful champion fight us. According to my visions, they don’t know they’re walking into a trap.”

“I doubt they care if they are,” Rarity said as she took a deep breath and forced her tired body to climb off of the Wigglytuff and stand. “They are single-minded, and they don’t seem to view caution as a virtue. Quite the opposite, actually.”

“Good,” Joan said as she led Rarity’s forces to the city’s center. “That will make our surprise all the sweeter.”

“Shouldn’t we be fighting those giant, mechanical monsters?” Rom asked as he flew through the streets of the city, electrocuting every Ork and Tyranid that crossed his path.

“Lorna said we have to clean up the small fries first,” Rem said as she flew next to Rom. The Reshiram let loose another Flamethrower, roasting a street full of Tyranids as they ran toward her.

“So we really are gonna get to fight the titans? I hope they’re a better match than these things.”

“Lorna said we’d get to fight something big. She didn’t say anything about the enemy titans. For now, we do as we’re told.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rom said as he charged his tail. He flew into the sky and began blasting every aircraft and airborne monster he saw. From this vantage point, he could see the ice-types freezing street after street as they fought to clear out their entrenched foes. The ponies led their troops to the center of the shopping district, where he could see the form of an enormous deamonic portal flickering slowly into life. The third day of battle had brought hardier troops than they’d seen thus far, though the city had rose to the challenge. Rom looked around for his leader, surprised that she wasn’t visible on the battlefield.

“Where’s Lorna?” Rom asked as he searched for the Articuno.

“She and Dorian got a tip from Dorris’s psychics about a threat from high altitude. They left about an hour ago… Oh no.”
Rem had turned her gaze to the sky to see a dozen large meteorites falling to the ground amid the acid-eaten remains of an Ork battleship. Dorian and Lorna weaved in and out of Ork gunfire coming from the roks as they focused on one that was easily a fourth the size of the city. They attacked it with everything they had, but it was protected by a powerful force field. Rom’s eyes grew wide as he thought of the destruction such a thing would cause on impact. The Zekrom roared as he charged his tail. Rem joined him, and together they flew as fast as they could to help their leader. Drawing upon all of her strength, Lorna let loose a blast of highly concentrated cold air that finally pierced the force field and froze the surface of the rok. Combining Rom’s Bolt Strike with the power of Rem’s Blue Flare, the two legends assaulted the Ork spacecraft.

The fire attack slammed into the frozen vessel, melting most of the ice in an instant. Unwilling to go down alone, the Orks inside the rok gave their final surprise to Rom as he collided with their half frozen, half burning vessel. A series of explosions went off, as the nuclear reactors that had been powering the force field were manually overloaded. Caught in its center, Rom could do nothing but endure the blast. Rem caught him as he fell. He was heavily injured but still alive. She took him to the ground to rest as the remaining roks crashed into the streets of the city and hordes of Orks and Squigs poured out from their depths. Though the Orks had landed, and the city-destroying meteor had been blown to dust, thousands of shadows still danced across the ground.

“There’s our challenge,” Rom said, breathing heavily as he and his friend stared at the shapes dipping through the clouds of the evening sky. The third night of battle had come, and with it came the vanguard of the Swarmlord’s bio-ships.