Arms of Arceus

The sands of Dystopia were normally barren and lifeless. The Maestro sent people here to die, though the pitiless desert quickly hid their bones. Now, the sands were drenched in the water of a storm that had seemingly come out of nowhere. That was what his troops said, but Bruce knew better.

The Maestro led his forces through the torrential rains as they fought the strange, undead shades. They had gained ground and lost it over the first two weeks of battle. Just as Bruce had begun to wonder if he was being outmatched the shades had been engaged by other creatures that were similar in form and species. But these newcomers were clearly alive. The two sides fought with an obvious hatred of one another, but only one side showed fear. Even their leader, a large, green monster with spikes covering his body, showed fear when the ground shook and two large structures erupted out of the sea. Three titanic monsters had come from those structures, each wearing a red collar that seemed to cause them great pain as they pulled themselves ashore. The storm had started, then.

A large, blue bird led a small flock of brilliantly colored creatures and monsters made of ice through a series of portals to engage the beasts that rose out of the sea. The birds had flown to fight the green dragon and its guardian shades above the mountain range. The ice creatures, led by an enormous walrus-thing, had been bogged down fighting the shades. The whale creature had been well protected at the beginning of the battle, and it had rained destruction down upon everything without anything to stop it. When it looked like the sea would swallow the desert whole, a titanic blue sea serpent had come from the depths to attack the glowing monster. Their struggle only pushed the water further onto land, drowning some of the Maestro’s troops before he had time to pull them back.

As the battle continued, the living creatures had been put at a grave disadvantage. It showed in the way their nurse monsters ran from group to group, frantically trying to keep their allies alive. The rock creatures had been pushed into the water, and several of the large birds had been so gravely injured they had to be removed from the battlefield. Realizing the weakness of their position, the creatures had withdrawn for a time, leaving only the sea serpent to keep the whale creature busy and prevent it from drowning Dystopia.

When they had returned four days later, the rock and ice creatures had formed several lines of defense and cordoned off the battling titans in a move Bruce suspected was meant to protect his city. They were better organized, with carts full of berries that seemed to revitalize those who ate from them. Four times as many nurses patrolled their lines, now. Teams of strangely colored unicorns cast healing magic and withdrew the most grievously injured from the battle. Aquatic creatures arrived with them, launching rays of confusing energy and creating strange mists as they pushed the sea back. Their arrival had saved the Maestro’s offensive lines, but it hadn’t stopped the unending flow of undead.

Despite the improved battle conditions, the Maestro had quickly realized that there was more wisdom in defense than there was in offense. He would have withdrawn long ago if not for the arrival of the Thor Corps and the Sentinels. Doom expected him to fight in defense of the kingdom he’d been allowed to rule. If he didn’t fight, it would show God that he was weak and he would be stripped of his power. He still hadn’t found a way to usurp Doom’s throne, so he chose to take pleasure in his work as he smashed the puny creatures beneath his fists. Their leader, the green rock monster, soon took notice of the Maestro’s brutality.

“We’ve come to help you!” he said in a craggy, pleading voice. “We’re on your side!”

“You’re in the way!” the Maestro yelled as he tore into the monster. His first punch echoed across the rain drenched sand dunes, shaking the earth and the air, and scaring away several Thors who had been flying to engage the creature themselves. The monster only grunted, however. Its counter punch was stronger than the Maestro could have expected. He thought his jaw was going to break at first. Then his anger rose, he roared his displeasure, and their brawl began in earnest.

Bartholomew saw Krush’s battle out of the corner of his eye. The Mega Tyranitar fought before the line of water-types working to push the sea back. A small glance was all Bartholomew could give his friend as he struggled to lead his forces through the raging waters. The rain had come as Primal Kyogre dragged the sea onto land, giving power and speed to Bartholomew’s forces, as well as those water-types within the Forces of Destruction.

He smiled as he dodged a Hydro Pump that gouged the sands for miles. He felt deeply honored to be engaging such a powerful Pokémon in battle, even though he hadn’t actually traded blows with the legend yet. That had been left to the titan, Gyara. The two Pokémon had long since destroyed what remained of the shore and the watchtowers of the Thor Corps.

Bartholomew knew that their battle was harming Krush’s rock-types, but there was nothing any of them could do about it. Despite the difficulty of their situation, Krush’s forces were still holding their own against their enemies. With a constant flow of fresh berries and a greatly increased nursing staff, they were surviving. The Mega Tyranitar had his hands full fighting the green behemoth that led the large humans with lasers and gravity guns. In the distance Bartholomew could hear the roar of Mega Rayquaza as it decimated a small host of Thors.

“Push that water back!” Bartholomew yelled as he beat down the shade of an Onix with the fourth Power-Up Punch he’d used in the last minute. There were portals opening all over the place, spewing forth the undead from the deepest depths of the Underworld. Meanwhile, his ten thousand water-types were still losing ground to Primal Kyogre’s Primordial Sea.

“It’s ten miles inland,” said one of his Tentacruel “If it goes much further we won’t be able to contain it and the human city will drown.”

“It’s nearly impossible to contain as it is,” said a Floatzel that fought behind Bartholomew. “We can’t push the ocean back fast enough to counter Primal Kyogre’s power!”

“Then we have to stop the Lord of the Sea any way we can,” the Mega Swampert said as he dove into the deepening flood and charged for Kyogre. He was joined by his furies, a group of twenty Gyarados who roared their battle lust as they crashed through the enemy water-types. There was a small break in the fighting ahead as the titans broke apart to catch their breath.

A separate roar rose above Bartholomew’s head. He looked up to see Krush’s opponent fly through the air and crash into Kyogre. The behemoth bounced and flopped down in the water, where he lay for a moment as his hands curled into brutal fists. He pulled himself up, pounding the ground beneath the six feet of ocean he had landed in. He threw his arms to the side, roared his anger at the sky, and was engulfed by the countless beams of light from Kyogre’s Origin Pulse. The attack tore across the battlefield, disintegrating everything it touched. When it ended, the nearly fleshless form of the Hulk stood panting before the Lord of the Sea.

With a furious cry, the hulk turned and smashed his fists into Primal Kyogre’s face. The legend moaned in pain as the monster beat upon it. After the fourth hit, Primal Kyogre opened its mouth and bit down upon the rapidly regenerating hulk. With half of the behemoth still in its mouth, the legend let loose a Hydro Pump attack and launched the Maestro high into the air. Bartholomew couldn’t see where he landed, but hoped it was somewhere near Krush. In the distance, he saw another portal open. This one wasn’t from the underworld, however. With a grin of satisfaction, he watched as pegasus ponies and griffons swarmed the skies. Soon, the seas around them were churning with twisters. Earth ponies, Yaks and Buffalo ran to fill in the gaps in Krush’s defense. The unicorns began casting spells to heal the injured and aid in pushing back the sea. Dorris and Welshi walked through another large portal, thousands of reinforcements marching at their backs to strengthen the quarantine line. His spirits invigorated, Lord Bartholomew laughed in joy as he engaged Primal Kyogre amid the flurry of water and wind.

The Wonderbolts fought Mega Rayquaza in the sky above the mountains that separated Greenland and Dystopia. Lady Lorna flew alongside them, the legendary birds of Kanto at her back. Two thousand unicorns stood atop the mountains on either side of the border, struggling to control the weather and turn it in their favor. But the wind would not die down, and no clouds of lightning would last more than a second within the overwhelming force of the legend’s Delta Stream. Air currents moved, shifted, and changed direction, forming a shield of wind around the Lord of the Sky.

On the ground below, where the forces of Equestria and Battleworld met with the forces of Dark Arceus, the situation was much the same. Despite the thousands of unicorns in battle there, they couldn’t wrest control of the skies from the Weather Trio. Rarity rode atop the back of one of her Altaria, casting spells as she went, but not even her skills could turn the clouds to their favor. The Equestrian army was forced to fight through the strange terrain and harsh conditions given to them. Empowered by the magical strength of their kind they held their own, but even with their Pokémon allies they were outnumbered.

“We have to break those collars!” Spitfire yelled, her voice straining to be heard above the wind. “Unicorns, change your tactics! Hit that collar on Rayqyaza’s neck with all you’ve got!”

The unicorns quickly obeyed, firing wave after wave of destructive magic at the legend that circled overhead. Gilda and Rainbow Dash led an elite flight of griffons through the wind streams that surrounded Rayquaza. They swooped down on the dragon in teams to claw at the collar before rising up, only to swoop down moments later and claw at it again. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t so much as scratch it. Rayquaza roared in annoyance and shook its body, knocking the ponies and Pokémon back. It fired a Hyper Beam at the unicorns below, tearing through to the roots of the mountain and forcing the ponies to run out of its path.

Dorian, mate of Lorna, flew in close. The mighty Yveltal forced his way through the Delta Stream to engage Mega Rayquaza in close quarters as the others regained their formations. The two legends clawed at each other furiously, lighting up the sky with close range Flamethrowers and Dark Pulses. Dorian was buying his friends time to regroup, though that was easier said than done. As the ponies and Pokémon flew out of the way of the clashing titans, portals opened in the sky around them. Large flocks of red-eyed Fearow and Braviary crashed into the flyers. Groups of Skarmory threw themselves forward, forming a line of steel feathers as they engaged these new threats first. Allied Braviary followed suit, launching reckless Brave Bird attacks as more flying-type shades entered the aerial battle.

“We have to get back in there!” Rainbow Dash yelled as her Doublade cut a Pidgeot shade in two. It turned to ash, only to be lifted by the winds and reform. “Dorian needs our help!”

“Deal with these shades!” Lorna yelled. “I’m going to break through the Delta Stream and help Dorian!”

The Articuno flew toward Raquaza, firing an Ice Beam as she went. The moisture within the air currents froze, and for a moment Rayquaza fought Dorian in a massive cage of ice. Lorna darted between the cage bars before they shattered under the power of the Delta Stream. There, she and her mate fought the enslaved legend with all they had. In the distance, Primal Groudon roared as it scoured Greenland with Precipice Blades. A strange burning sound resonated from up above, and several ponies took a break from the action to listen.

“What’s that noise?” Spitfire asked as she looked to the sky.

“I hear an insectoid chattering, and a triumphant scream from daemonic throats,” said a Xatu who had been fighting from behind the lines. “It is as I have forseen, I’m afraid. I’m connecting with Lady Dorris and the other psychic-types. We’re preparing our assault.”

“What does he mean, Rainbow Dash?”

“I think…” Rainbow Dash said as she looked to the darkening sky, then to the battle around her. The shades were reforming as soon as they were cut down, and more were being disgorged through newly formed portals all around them. Her Charizard guards were holding her injured Flygon aloft while a Togetic helped her drink a Hyper Potion. Rainbow Dash gulped back her fear as she looked to her captain. “I think the battle in the void is about to come here.”

Applejack cut through another shade, only to have it turn to ash and reform behind her. She almost failed to block the Heracross’s next swipe. This battle was harder than any other she had faced. She had to will herself forward with every movement, but she wasn’t alone in this struggle. The harsh sunlight caused by Primal Groudon’s Desolate Land beat down on the battlefield, sapping the combatants of strength.

Several feet to her right, Big Mac was struggling against two red hulks. Like the other earth ponies, he wore a bulky suit of plate armor that covered most of his body. He stomped a hulk into the ground hard enough to make a crater while dodging underneath the second hulk’s fist. The hulks were larger and more violent than Big Mac. It was only the earth pony’s brute strength and thick armor that kept him in the fight.
Applejack wanted to help her brother, but her hooves were full, too. The combined forces of Equestria and God’s Breath had quarantined the legends to the best of their abilities. Large circles had been formed around Groudon and Kyogre to allow the most powerful warriors a chance to free them from their red collars. They had left the greater part of the battle to the natives in hopes to limit their own losses, but the fighting had quickly come to them. Lord Chompy led the Greenland assault, his dragon-types decimating large clusters of enemies that threatened the quarantine circle. Suzuki and her mate held the defensive line, while Torri led her ground-types in building and replacing protective traps. The current battle was fierce, but Dorris had predicted it would get much worse before it got better.

Applejack and her Aggron were surrounded by red-eyed fighting-types and bug-types. They fought through the flurry of attacks, beating down enemies as fast as they approached. As the pony turned to face another foe, she was suddenly knocked to the ground by a swinging concrete pillar. Four large, intimidating Conkeldurr shades stared down at her as they raised their weapons for the killing stroke. Applejack struggled to her feet, her Aggron closing around her protectively. As the Conkeldurr brought their pillars down, a hulk crashed into them and sent them toppling over. Applejack turned to see her brother, battered and bruised through broken armor, charging the shades that surrounded her. With a series of kicks and head butts, he forced the undead back until he disappeared in the violence of the battlefield. Applejack walked a few steps forward, hoof outstretched to try and call her brother back, only to be stopped by one of her guards. The mighty Aggron looked down at her, then he pointed toward the battle. She frowned as she realized her friend’s intetions. He was worried about the battle, and he was right to be. It wasn’t a pretty sight. They were barely holding their lines, and when the next phase came she wasn’t sure if their plan would survive it.

Thousands of hulks were fighting thousands of shades while Primal Groudon ravaged the land. Hundreds of thousands of shades were charging through portals all across the battlefield. The three titanic Steelix that had served the ponies on Octaria now fought Primal Groudon. Though at a serious type disadvantage, they refused to give ground. Sesha and Serea were wrapped tightly around their foe while their eldest son, Kalith, traded blows with the legend amid a sea of lava and Precipice Blades. Twilight Sparkle stood atop Kalith’s head, firing destructive magic at the legend’s collar. The sky was darkening, and Applejack knew that, with the power of the Weather Trio active, the only things that could be coming from the sky were more enemies.

“We’re regrouping, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie yelled from Applejack’s left. She was shaking uncontrollably, her Lopunny fighting furiously to protect her. The poor Pokémon looked like they’d rather run and hide, but their bonds of friendship kept them at her side. “This isn’t good. The monsters from the void will be here any…”

A loud crash echoed over the din of battle. The ponies turned to see a massive Tyranid creature rise from the ground where it had landed. The Carnifex roared to the heavens, psychic intimidation pouring off of it in waves. It turned to face its first enemy, an unlucky green hulk with a wooden spear. Without warning, the Carnifex cut the terrified hulk in two pieces, then four, then eight. The hulk’s friends charged the creature, only to be thrown from their feet as another wave of Tyranids crashed to earth. They were torn apart and devoured before they could rise from the ground. The Tyranids gave another brutal roar, which was echoed as more creatures fell like meteors from the sky. Gunfire ripped into the ground forces below, uncaring of what was hit as the battle crazed cries of Orks added to the violent noise.

The Carnifex turned to face the ponies and their Pokémon friends. With twenty warriors at its side, the massive beast charged. It had only taken two lumbering steps when Lord Chompy grabbed its throat. The large Tyrantrum dragged his prey to the ground as the other Tyranids turned to attack him. Their claws passed through the Barrier protecting Chompy and lost power, scratching uselessly against his hide. The Pokémon ripped the Carnifex’s throat out before crushing its body beneath his powerful foot. Twelve Dragonite crashed into the warriors with devastating Dragon Rush’s. Several Tyranid survived, only to be torn to shreds between Chompy’s jaws.

“I wish I knew how to activate our Rainbow Power,” Applejack said as deamons rode through the clouds on flaming disks and bloody chariots to join the escalating battle. Her Aggron looked like they wished to join the Dragonite as Lord Chompy led them to the next great threat, but they remained by their friend’s side.

“We’ll figure it out later!” Pinkie Pie said as she pulled Applejack out of the way of a massive, diseased sword. The blade was caught by one of her Aggron. The Pokémon blocked it with his forearms and held the blade in place as the bloated deamon tried to force him to his knees.

“Get offa him!” Applejack yelled as she and her two other Aggron charged the Great Unclean One. They were thrown back by another explosion before they could make contact. The ponies and their guards skidded across the ground away from the putrid abomination. An Ork Rok had collided with the daemon, killing both daemon and ork. The group looked to the sky to see a vast wave of monsters falling to earth. The sky was momentarily darkened by the abominations that fought each other, even as they hurtled toward the ground. Just as the wave of violence approached level with the battle with Raquaza, the sky erupted in thousands of explosions. Future Sight attacks, cast by Dorris and her psychic-types, annihilated the monsters. A voice spoke to them, then. It reached out to all of the forces on the battlefield at once.

“Listen up, Warriors of Harmony!” Dorris said as she spoke to her comrades telepathically. “These fools are coming from the sky. We don’t have power over the weather, yet, but we can bring our foes to their landing points just a little bit faster! Here that, unicorns? Help my psychic-types drag our foes out of the sky and bring them to earth at terminal velocity! Crash them into each other! Crash them into the Precipice Blades! Send them into the sea! Make them regret ever entering this battle!”

The next wave came quickly. Applejack heard Fancypants give a loud order to his unicorns at the battle’s edge where their army had regrouped. Ork ships and roks, Tyranid organisms of all types, and Chaotic transports were being dragged out of the sky to crash in ruined heaps on the ground. Just as Dorris had commanded, some were thrown into each other. Some were dashed against the razor sharp edges of Primal Groudon’s Precipice Blades, and some were sent into the sea to be shredded by Kyogre’s guards. The strongest of these foes regained their footing and charged into battle, but that wouldn’t last long. The shades of Dark Arceus, always eager to destroy, began tearing into their new foes with reckless glee. War drums sounded in the distance, announcing the arrival of the formal armies of Greenland. The assault from the sky was not halted. It was met by multiple armies and many thousands of warriors as the war for Battleworld raged on.