Ra floated above the first line of warriors, watching the horrific battle unfold before him. Brutal green creatures clashed with hideous insect-like monstrosities in a seemingly endless battle. They fought through a field of illusions; through imaginary rocks and trees, in imaginary buildings and cave structures, and even against imaginary enemies in some cases. Under the direction of Princess Luna, the Zoroark had experimented with many different illusions. They had reported that both sides had begun to grow suspicious of these spells, though neither side knew where they were coming from. Greninja had been sent out in teams to scour the landscape, returning with news of constant warfare across the entire, massive continent.

Dorris had organized twenty circles of psychic-types to gain an understanding of the enemy. During their séances, they had encountered what they could only describe as an infinite, immortal hunger that threatened to tear their minds apart. After several near casualties Dorris had ordered her teams to divine the future and scour the minds of the creatures on the planet for information. Determined to discover as much as she could, she had chosen to confront the massive psychic force herself. When she and her circles were done, she reported dire findings to her friends. The green brutes, which she had named Orks, were only concerned with killing anything that stood in their way. She described this urge as a species held belief that they were the best at fighting, combined with a strange need to prove it. The insect-like creatures, which she had named Tyranids based on the thoughts of the few humans her circles had found on the planet, were controlled by a monstrous shadow that operated on some chaotic psychic plane. Its only purpose was to devour all life and absorb it into itself. This shadow was the gestalt consciousness of the Tyranids, and its will led them to devour worlds and reproduce at horrific rates. It only affected the Pokémon when they tried to interact with the psychic plane, which Dorris had forbid any of her followers to do. After a brief consultation with the council, the princesses had come to the unanimous decision that these creatures were beyond remorse and reason. The defenders of God’s Breath would observe for as long as they could, capturing specimens for study and engaging in battle only when there was no other choice.

The time of that battle seemed to be rapidly approaching. Ra watched as a massive green warrior was thrown by an explosion and sent crashing against the city’s shield. He turned for a moment to question what he had hit before being pulled back into the fray by his enemy. The Tyranids had already shown signs of curiosity in the city’s shields. Several of them had begun beating against it in an effort to break through, but the psychic circles warned that letting them see the city and its residents would immediately reveal their nature to the endless hunger that drove them.

Princess Luna came to rest on the shoulder of a Golurk that stood on the front line of battle. A Tyrogue shadowboxed the air while riding on her back, his eyes darting to the defenders as he searched for approval from those he admired. Loud banging sounds rang through the battle lines as a massive Tyranid crashed repeatedly against the city’s shield. Luna’s horn lit with power and the monster froze, its massive claws raised mid-strike. Its eyes had gone dark and it emitted a pitiful gurgling noise as it stood helpless before them.

“The creature is temporarily paralyzed, and its mind is trapped in an illusion of my own making,” Luna said. “Open that section of the shield and pull it through, Lord Son.”

“Understood,” the massive Darmanitan said.

He signaled up at the Pikachu near the shield battery who pushed a button and pulled a lever on the machine console they controlled. The shield opened just wide enough for Son to pull the creature through. He laid it on the ground and crushed its chest with a single, brutal punch. Luna nodded to a nearby Machoke, who hefted the dead creature with one arm and carried it off into the city.

“I despise the necessity of this,” Luna said as the Tyrogue wiped his brow and sat down behind her wings. He looked out to the battle and gulped, then shifted his eyes around as if worried that someone had seen the fear in them before puffing his chest out to make himself look tough.

“But it is a necessity, your majesty,” Ra said, ignoring the little one’s concerns. “Harmony will uncover their secrets through dissection. She has already determined that the Orks are half animal and half plant. These other creatures appear to be created for specific purposes. This larger specimen is a leader among its kind, a ‘hive tyrant’, and it will give us a greater insight into the purpose of its species.”

“Their purpose is only violence and death. I woke from the Dream not long ago, and through it I was able to divine a great deal. We can survive a battle or two with these monsters, but there are far too many for us to survive a prolonged war.”

“I’m sure Princess Celestia will find a way out of this wretched land,” Ra said, noting the worry in Luna’s voice and quickly changing the subject. “In better news, the Alakazam Enclave has found the Champions of Harmony. We are in the process of awakening one of our Jirachi to help retrieve them. With luck, it can wish us out of this universe, as well.”

“Fantastic,” Luna said, smiling slightly. “The sooner we leave, the better. I would hate to see the aftermath of a battle between this peaceful city and the evil outside.”

“Battle or no, we shall endure, majesty,” Son said as he walked up to the Golurk she was perched upon. “All of our scouts have returned safely, and undiscovered. The enemies are far too invested in each other to hunt for our ninja corps. Our frontlines are impenetrable, and our artillery fighters are powerful and highly trained. These beasts will not get the best of us.”

“Thank you, Lord Son. Your words ring true. I have no doubt in the strength of our forces. But there is one thing that I must make clear. My divinations in the Dream have shown me that the Tyranids will absorb the abilities of anything they devour. There is no question that we will sustain casualties once battle comes, but the bodies of the slain must be returned to the city. The Tyranids cannot be allowed to absorb our noble fallen.”

“I will have our Duskull, Duskclops, and Dusknoir recover bodies from the field, your majesty,” Ra said.

“Good. Not a single body can be lost, Ra. If they should gain our powers, this universe will suffer far more than it already does.”

With a depressed sigh, the princess spread her elegant wings and flew off toward the city. Ra watched her leave as the baby Pokémon on her back waved goodbye to the troops, many of whom returned the gesture. Due to their shared ideals, the princesses of Equestria had easily fit in with the Pokémon of God’s Breath. But they had never encountered evil on the scale of Dark Arceus, nor had they seen monsters as bloodthirsty as those that currently fought outside of the city. He prayed that their situation would not weigh down the gentle, loving hearts of his new leaders.

Ra, on the other hand, knew death quite well. He had been there when AZ had sacrificed thousands of lives to bring his beloved Floette back from the grave. He had watched as meteors had crashed into ancient Hoenn, ravaging the earth and tearing civilizations apart. Ra had died during one of those meteor showers, though the details were hazy after so many years. Occasionally he would relive the event in his dreams from the perspective of a human, other times he would be a Pokémon, though he could no longer remember which he had truly been. Those dreams were filled with fire and terror as the meteors crashed to earth, destroying the land and everything that was caught in their blasts. Though many powerful Pokémon had attempted to stop the meteors, they had all perished in those celestial fires. Fleeing had been the only sound response to such a catastrophe for those wise enough to follow their instincts.

He closed his eyes as he remembered the scenes. The lives lost in those events had been precious and filled with hope, completely unlike the lives of the creatures fighting outside the shield of the city. The bloodshed before him now was nothing more than two mindless, blood crazed races slaughtering each other for fun. They were beyond redemption; their lives were meaningless in the grand scale of their uncaring universe. The only true value these creatures had to their species was how much havok they could carnage they could create, how many corpses they could make, and how long they could fight before they were killed. According to Dorris, even the few humans she had found on the planet had shared the same hopeless purpose. They were only here to observe the war so that their fleets could prepare to enter the slaughter when a victor emerged. Dorris also claimed that these humans were different than the ones they knew. They were more like the monsters that served the dark god; empowered by their hatred and devoid of any purpose other than causing death. They had no similarities to the Pokémon at all.

Another loud banging sound echoed through the lines, followed by several more. Ra opened his eyes to see a group of small Tyranid creatures hammering away at the shield. Dorris’s psychic circles said that the humans classified these monsters as ‘hormogaunts’. Twelve of them were banging hard on the force field, as if they knew something was behind it. Son turned to the Pikachu and signaled for them to lower the shield.

“Allow me to take these ones,” Ra said as he floated down to the ground.

“Sure thing,” Son said as he stepped back.

The Zoroark cast their illusions the moment before the shield was opened. The creatures swarmed inside, clearly disoriented by their surroundings, the illusion hiding the presence of the city. The shield closed again as the Tyranids searched in vain for a target. With a baleful glare, Ra opened his sarcophagus and tore them to shreds. Their bodies were stronger than the last ones he had killed, though the effort he exerted was still minimal. They slashed at him in vain, their attacks passing through his spectral arms, though he took no pleasure in his task. Moments after his attack had begun, the creatures lay in pieces on the ground.

“Suzuki claims that these monsters are an abomination of the bug-type form,” Son said as he watched several Golurk gather up the bodies and carry them off into the city.

“They are an abomination of life,” Ra replied. “They are hideous and disgusting in the extreme, and if we had the forces I would see them made extinct.”

“I can’t argue with you there,” Son said. “As one who is still living, I find it horrifying that something so evil can draw breath in the same fashion that I do. Though, we shouldn’t dwell on the darkness of this place, but rather the good we can do for one another while here.”

“You… are correct. Forgive me, but these beats are vile. I desire to leave this wretched universe as soon as possible.”

“We all do, friend. We all do.”

Another loud banging came from their left. Two enormous Orks were beating at the shield now with their clunky robotic arms. Ra and Son watched as the shield opened and the confused creatures stepped inside, trapped in the same type of illusion that the hormogaunts had been. Potpourri soared down from the top of the wall and crashed into them, decapitating them with a blindingly fast Steel Wing attack. The ork’s bodies fell to the ground in opposite directions, their wounds cauterized by the flames on her wings.

“We shall leave as soon as we are able,” Son said as he watched another Golurk gather up the bodies and carry them into the city. “For now, we must focus our attention on the question, why are these monsters attacking our shields more frequently despite our illusions?”

Potpourri gave her friends a concerned look before flying back to her perch. The Pokémon on the front lines watched their enemies carefully, trying to memorize everything they could about their movements before the inevitable battle. Ra watched his soldiers in turn, and silently wondered how many of them would join him in death when that time came.

Luna flew into the city, her young friend sitting on her back, watching the skyline with a determined glare.

“Do you tink dey thought I was tough, pwincess?” the Tyrouge asked.

“I do not know, my dear Juelz. I do know that they are brave and honorable. We are in a dire circumstance, but those warriors do not flinch from their duties.”

“Ahm gonna be on da fwontwines one day, too!”

“You have many years yet, my dear. If I hadn’t found you already watching the battle from that hiding spot on the wall, I wouldn’t have taken you with me.”

“I gots ta be tough, and dat means watchin’ da fightin’. I can’t lorn if I don’t watch da fightin’.”

“It is pronounced ‘learn’, my dear. And there are many warriors in the city for you to learn from. Their teaching is a more appropriate method of learning for one of your age. The other tyrogue are being trained by the machop and meditite. Why don’t you join them?”

“’Cuz you needs mah compny,” Juelz said. “I knows yoos is worried too, pwincess. But I wills protects you.”

“Thank you,” Luna said with a small laugh.

“At least, dat’s what I’d likes ta say, but I know I ain’t stwong enough yet.”

“You will be someday, my dear. Until then, I shall protect you and all of your friends, until we have returned to our rightful worlds.”

Luna landed in front of a daycare as a wigglytuff and a chansey walked out to greet her, followed closely by a small group of baby Pokémon. Juelz jumped off of her back to greet his friends, but before Luna could fly away she was distracted by many cries and happy greetings. At Juelz’s direction the little ones had begun climbing on her back and begging for her to play with them, but the more she refused, the more she realized that she truly wanted to stay. After asking the caretakers if she could help them look after the children, she followed them inside and spent the rest of the day escaping the dire problems that raged outside the city.

Author's Note

There will be a few additions to this arc, as well as the final. Chapters will be lengthened, but none will be added to make it easier to update elsewhere. I'm not sure how many, yet, but I plan to add them in order to have a bit better character development and explore the situation better than the first iteration of this story. I'm also going to fix a certain plot element at the end of this arc by explaining it better.