Chapter 1: Hit Me With Your Best Shot
“Remember. Run, as fast as you can, don’t look back.”
I know that.
“As soon as you hear the signal, get the fuck away from there. You hear me?”
This is not going to work, is it.
“Wait, multiple targets going your way! Oh no… fucking shit. Abort the mission, abort it now!”
You are an idiot, Marcus.
Well, time to run away. I... might as well introduce myself while I’m at it. Name’s Thomas, Thomas McKenzie. My friends usually call me Tommy, my other “friends” usually call me Big T. Both of my bosses call me McKenzie, you… you just pick whichever one you like most. What am I doing? Well, right now I'm running away from quite possibly my end. You see, I used to be a gang member, a simple thug, well... not so simple actually. Not only was I close to the leader of one of Castelia’s most feared mafias, but I was also what is known in the job, as a rat.
What’s going on right now? Well, right now I’m running away from my former co-workers, why? Well, that’s because my best friend Marcus screwed up and hard. He works with the police, you see, but he’s in charge of all the technological crap, as much as he doesn’t like to admit it, he ain’t a real officer, he’s just an office boy. But I have to give him his credit, he’s really good with all that technological crap, a nerd if you will, been friends with him since middle school.
We separated after high school though. He went to college to finish his career, and I got into the wonderful world of drugs. Funny how we both wanted to be Pokémon Masters at some point. With the craze of the so called “Heroes” who wouldn’t want to be? You could hear names like Red or Ruby everywhere, stories of how they saved entire regions at such young ages, who wouldn’t want to be like them?
We both got our Pokémon at the same time. He got an Oshawott and I went with a Tepig. Turns out we were both terrible trainers. I turned out to be an irresponsible ass, and lost my Pokémon in an all-or-nothing battle with a classmate, winner got the loser’s Pokémon, and as you can guess, I didn’t win. Marcus was a better trainer than me that’s for sure. He didn’t catch the liking to battles, but he did teach his Pokémon the wonders of technology, and made her his little lab assistant.
He ended up working for the police as the one in charge of the informatics and vigilance department or something like that, and I ended up having to work for the mafia to pay for my drugs. Stopped using drugs a while ago, by the way, I know some of you are already judging me.
But alas, destiny wanted us to meet again. Destiny is weird sometimes, you know?. Have you ever met an old friend. in the middle of the mall or in a party, after a long time, and be all happy because you had a great time back in the day? Yeah, same thing happened to me, except... not exactly.
Year later we met each other once again in the worst of situations. Unlike a plaza, a restaurant, or a park… we met at the Police Department. First week on the job, and already a heist went wrong, I got captured, the only idiot to be caught by the police and their Pokémon by the way, and I could already see my future turning gray. I had a Golbat given to me for protection, but the bastard flew away as soon as the cops came in.
I owe so much to Marcus. I was about to be judged and most likely jailed, but Marcus stepped in and proposed his superiors that I could end up as an informant, the rest of the gang never noticed that I got caught, after all, and they did need more info on Mister P. With their help, and using my “amazing”, and with that I mean horrible lying skills, I managed to climb that shady ladder of power into being the boss’ right hand man. And from that point onwards, my life seemed to be changing directions.
I wasn’t technically bad, never did kill anyone, and in the end I was working with the police. But I wasn’t that good either, after all, I was what would be considered a criminal, and I still enjoyed the luxuries that the abundant dirty money gave me. My boss, Mister P, he gave me so much more than a few trinkets, thanks to him I finally had a decent place to live, a car, some money, and thanks to him I even managed to get four amazing Pokémon who I actually take care of.
They are currently waiting for me at the mobile station, although knowing Sol, she’s probably coming here at this precise moment. She was my first Pokémon, after all, given to me when she was just a small, shiny Larvesta, one in a kind. Mister P. gave her to me as a gift of gratitude after I “killed” an agent that was after him for years, it was all fake of course, but he didn’t know. She evolved not that long ago into a powerful Volcarona, and she’s the voice that keeps me away from being stupid, too stupid at least.
Then there’s Sevastian, he’s a Seviper and yes, I know that’s a terrible pun. He’s a lady killer, a skillful natural assassin, and a great, loyal friend, although he’s also boastful as hell and a tad annoying. Also given to me by the boss, for protection purposes during a heist, he stood with me even after the job was done, he said that he liked my goofiness. Even with his preadotry nature, he doesn’t hunt more than the usual Rattata that roams around my apartment, that and the occasional female that falls into his trap.
Then there’s Bisharp, the first and only Pokemon I caught by myself. He’s not much of a talker, although it's not like he doesn’t throw his smartass remarks once in a while. I tried really hard to get him a nickname, but he just kept repeating that nicknames were petty and useless, and what really mattered was who you really were inside, and a name wouldn’t define that. Yeah, he’s that kind of guy.
Finally… there’s Cat. She’s childish, careless, naive, and always hungry. A Shinx I found in one of my jobs. We were supposed to steal all the Pokémon in some rich guy's’ mansion and take them to the vans, but even with all the Pokémon that were in there, I was only able to get one single, little Shinx, who even with the multiple cries of fear and pain surrounding her, looked at me with a face of innocence and curiosity, that and I had some cookie crumbles in my pants which she managed to smell from a distance. I immediately fell in love with the cuteness her face emanated. I couldn’t let such an innocent Pokémon be mistreated and sold in the black market now could I? So I spoke with Mister P. and he let me keep her. Little did I know that she would end up being a troublemaker and overall mess, but can’t blame her, she’s still a child, after all.
Well, that’s just great. I’ve met a dead end. I guess it would be a good time to take out my gun.
...I left it back home didn’t I?
Well... hopefully my deductions were right, Sol should be here any minute now. Any… minute now… yeah, any… minute now! Like… now! Hey there she i- oh wait no that’s just a leaf, the heck how did I mix those up?
“Well McKenzie. Gotta admit that... I didn’t expect something like this from you, my very own right hand man.”
A slim, black suited figure appeared from behind me. His bald head reflecting the streetlights as he carried his signature revolver, a revolver modeled after the head of a Salamence, not my taste to be honest, but if that’s the gun that’s going to kill me at least I can say it’s an expensive one.
“I see, you don’t even dare to speak to me, do you? Of course, of course… you know, I wonder who hired you. Was it the cops? The Skuntank Gang? The Bikers perhaps? Please... answer me, the right answer could extend your life”
I gulped as I spotted the shadows that surrounded the alleyway from a distance, the rest of the gang was there, waiting for their leader to finish me. If Mister P. was known for something it was his cold honesty. “It was… the police department, sir.” I shivered, hoping that I could stay alive for a couple more minutes.
“The police? Huh. They’re stepping up their game it seems. Also, please don’t call me sir, you’re now a free man after all! Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, McKenzie”
He pointed the revolver at my forehead, that’s great, just… great.
“Mister Porter please-”
BANG!
I felt the pain run through me as fast as a racecar. I grabbed my foreleg in pain as I felt the blood dripping out of my veins, gosh the movies don’t make this sort of pain justice.
“Don’t call me by my name you ungrateful idiot! I trusted you with such a valuable asset, and you FUCKING blew it! You don’t deserve to know that!” He shouted with his raspy voice
BANG!
Shooting the same leg once again...
“Mister-- Gah, Mister P. Please, I didn’t tell anyone! I don’t even know the rest of your name!”
But my pleas were not enough.
BANG!
Another shot, and another groan of pain. This time it was my arm and I began seeing the world spin around me as my eyesight blurred. Yet I was still conscious, unfortunately.
“Thomas, do you hear me? We managed to get better connection, Where are you?
The old man chuckled and took the auricular that was on the floor next to me. “Mister McKenzie won’t be able to answer. In just a minute or so, he won’t be able to do anything at all.”
“Get your hands off my friend! This’ll leave enough proof to send you to jail, P!” I could hear Marcus even from a distance, his voice was loud and annoying enough.
“Your friend? How long have you been working with these bastards, McKenzie?"
"About... two years... Mister P."
"Oh!” He laughed coldly, a laugh that could only come from a man as shady as him, “What a coincidence! I hired you two years ago! Is that how you were so successful in your tasks? That annoying cop that was on my tail, is he really dead? "
"No... Mister P." I sighed. This was not good.
"No! Stop her! It's too dangerous out there!"
"Her..." I thought to myself. See? Told you she was coming!
"WATCH OUT!" And there it was. From behind Mister P., a blast of fire struck the gang members, another blast and the cars around them exploded.
"What's going on!?" The bald man shouted, before a red black and silver blur struck him down.
"Took you... COUGH long enough..." I chuckled in agony as the familiar blur showed his face. "Hey... Bisharp. How are you doing in COUGH this fine evening?"
"Better than you, master Thomas, that's for sure." He deadpanned on his dry, serious tone, a tone I was oh so happy to hear. "We need to get you out of here"
"Where's Sol?" I asked him as he picked me up from the ground, moans of pain automatically leaving my mouth.
"Right here, Thomas." A feminine voice said from above, dropping a grunt on the ground. "What the fuck happened to you!?" Her eyes widened up as she saw all the blood on my clothing, oh and the bullet holes in my leg and arm were not helping either.
"Bad day, Sol. Don't COUGH worry about it." And the bloody coughs didn't make it easier for her.
“We need to get him to safety. René’s mind link will not last for long, so we need to hurry.” Bisharp explained as he began carrying me like an infant. Suddenly, two thugs appeared at the end of the alleyway with sub-machine guns ready to shoot, causing Sol to prepare an attack. Yet that was not necessary, as a swift snake like creature coiled around them both, placing its cold blade-like tail on one of the grunt’s neck.
"Don't move, amigos. Drop your weapons and you may be able to live another day." A soft, masculine, sensual voice threatened.
Even though they could not understand him, the grunts did as said, as the slightest cut could end their lives. Sevastian laughed coldly, and released them before rapidly striking them away with an Iron Tail.
"Go! Take him to safety!" He called, as more grunts started to get up. "A bailar, idiotas!" He swiftly zigzagged towards the gangsters, striking them down with ease as soon as they got up.
We kept running, or rather, my friends did, I was being dragged like a ragdoll because I pretty much had lost my leg at this point. The pain got stronger and stronger and I began feeling cold, my heart slowing down, yet I kept smiling. Something told me l was making it out of this one.
"Please tell me that Cat’s not here." I whispered with my remaining forces, worried that the child could get involved in this danger.
"She's with Marcus, " Sol answered, "You'll see her soon enough”
My smile became wider, things were going rather well.
But of course, I'm not that lucky.
A lime green salamander-like creature descended from the skies, striking Bisharp with a powerful Dragon Claw, thus sending me to the ground once again.
"Menace!" Sol warned, sending a Heat Wave to keep the Dragon type at bay.
The Salamence roared, putting the fire down with strong airwaves that emanated from its flight. I always hated that thing.
"Mence! Sala, salamence!" The boss' Salamence cried out
Sol groaned in annoyance, launching an attack that I was not able to identify "Yeah, yeah. Fuck you too, Menace"
Bisharp stood up and got close to me, grabbing me by the arms and sneakily trying to take me away from the battle and into safety. But just as Marcus' van came into view, door opening to receive me, a Honchkrow hit Bisharp in the back with an Aerial Ace. Following shortly, a bullet was shot, aiming at the van's door and missing Marcus, who was getting out to get me by mere inches.
At this point I could only see shadows, trying to identify who was who with mere assumptions. The Honchkrow (the silhouette gave it away), seemed to be dropping a person on the floor before attacking Bisharp again, and everything considered, I could only assume that the shot was that person's doing.
Bisharp was being held down, unable to move, Sol was too busy with Menace to notice what was going on, and Marcus was most likely too frightened to go outside.
I recognized the hairless head, that was definitely my former boss. I couldn't feel the pain anymore, and I was ready to accept my fate...
Except, not really. To be honest with you all, the only reason I didn't scream like a little girl was because my strength was not enough. I panted and cried as the cold revolver made contact with my forehead. I heard a loud buzz of despair in the distance, Sol was close, but not close enough.
BANG!
I didn’t know what happened afterwards. But what I do know, is that I’m supposed to be dead.
Chapter 2: Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be
“GAH!”
I woke up in shock and stared at the nothingness of the wall in front of me, panting and huffing heavily due to the mixture of emotions that was messing me up. My head began beating hard and I couldn’t help but let out a loud groan. God dammit, I hate it when that happens.
I tried to calm myself down with a deep breath. In a cliched fashion, I kept telling myself that it was all just a bad dream, even though I knew better. Ever since I came here I’ve had the same nightmare, that is in reality nothing but a memory, over and over again, haunting me forever. As surprising as it may sound, I actually did die that night in Castelia, that shot ended me according to what my friends told me. Yet here I am, panting on my bed, trying to fully come back to reality. Thankfully, my worries immediately fled away when I heard small whimpers coming from the side of my bed.. I turned to see Cat’s face full of worry, the same face she had whenever I woke up from my nightmares. I grabbed her and smiled, snuggling her as she kept on whimpering..
“Did you have bad dreams again?” She asked with that squeaky voice of hers, “I knew I should have slept at your side! That way I could hug you while you’re dreaming and all the bad dreams go away!”
The sheer cuteness of Cat’s worry made me chuckle, shaking my head, “Last time we did that, I almost suffocated you. So yeah, thanks but no thanks, it’s better if you sleep in your own bed.”
“Alright…” She sighed, before licking my face, “In any case, good morning Thomas!”
“Good morning Cat. And thanks for cheering me up.” I replied with a grin that brightened up her face. Even if she was a troublemaker, I still loved her with all my heart, she was like my own daughter, and according to her, I was the best ‘worst parental figure’ she could ever ask for.
“Now let’s go eat breakfast!” She bounced happily with the widest, most excited grin.
I chortled as I made my way out of the bed, keeping little Cat on my hands and taking a good look at my room to make sure I was in my own apartment and not at someone else's place, I had plenty of places to stay at after all. Yup, the same old, badly-painted walls, same old posters I placed there just for the sake of covering the holes on the wall, same old spiderwebs I never bothered to get rid of, home sweet home.
I opened the door and narrowed my eye as the blinding sunlight that came from the window almost burned it. I would never get used to how freaking strong the sun was here.
That day was kind of special. It was the second ‘monthiversary’, as Cat called them, of the day when we first got here. “Can’t believe it’s been two months already, time sure does fly.”
“Yay! Monthiversary!” Cat replied happily. We finally reached the kitchen, and the clock on the wall told us that we had plenty of time until the rest of the gang woke up.
I grinned. This was my favorite part of the day. “Ready?” I asked little Cat.
“Weady!” She said with a spoon in her jaw.
I suck at many things, being a criminal, being a spy, being a functional member of society, being a trainer, being a lover, being a worker… yeah you get the idea. But if there’s one thing I’ve always been good at, that’s making…
“Bacon pancakes, makin bacon pancakes!” She began singing with a happy swing of her hips as I battered the hell out of that mix.
“Bring down the cinnamon!” I ordered. And with a clumsy army salute, Cat threw the cinnamon into the mix with a battlecry.
“More water!” I ordered.
“More water!” Cat repeated after me, pouring the glass of water like a champ into the mass.
“Lieutenant Cat, is the tango hot?” I asked as I imitated one of those military guys.
“Aye Captain! The bacon is ready!” She replied with a similar tone.
Yes, we’re immature as heck, and to be honest, we don’t care. With expert precision, I poured the mix into the pan, and we both sighed as the sweet sound of everything mixing together and heating up to maximum frying capacity filled us with joy.
“Do you think pancakes have a soul?” Cat randomly asked as we waited for the pancakes to be ready.
“What do you mean?”
Cat shrugged, “Well, some demons think that everything has a soul. From trees to gods, I saw this one guy with a funny hat stopping a pegasus from stepping on an ant because he said the ant’s soul would be lost.”
Dammit Tophat, you and your crazy shenanigans.
“Well…” I began thinking on what to say, and truth be told I had no idea. “Uhm… well. In a way they do have a soul.”
“Wait… really?” Cat tilted her head.
“Yeah, because there is no way we could make such awesome pancakes without pouring a bit of our souls into it, don’t you think?” I winked at her.
Her eyes widened up, and they let out this wonderful spark filled with wonder. I loved when she did that. “Does that mean that if I eat a bunch of pancakes, I’ll become immortal?” She asked with the widest of smiles.
I shook my head and held in the laughter, “That’s not how it works, Cat. You sacrifice a bit of your own soul to later eat it again. Except that you’re also eating part of my soul, and I’m eating part of yours. So in the end, you have a bit of me inside you and likewise, I have a bit of you inside me.”
“Woah!” Cat exclaimed. She was about to ask something else, yet she stopped when her nose detected something that caused a grin to form in her face.
I knew exactly what that face meant. I turned off the heat and saw with a grin how the little sparks of boiling oil died down. They were ready. We took all the pancakes and placed them on four different dishes, bathing them in syrup as the smell of the meaty goodness filled the floor.
And then, the sound of an opening door, as both Bisharp and Sevastian walked out of their shared room, most definitely lured out by the smell of breakfast.
“Oh the glorious smell of breakfast!” Sevastian vigorously claimed, “Thomas, mi amigo! I can already tell you outdid yourself today!”
“That’s literally what you always say whenever I prepare our special breakfast.” I chuckled.
“I must say that it does smell magnificent, master Thomas.” Bisharp pointed out. It gave me a proud smile, making them happy was my job as a trainer after all. But then I noticed that something… or rather someone was missing.
“Where’s Sol?”
“I am afraid Sol had to leave home earlier than usual,” Bisharp sighed.
“She said that there are some imps causing trouble in the east part of town.” Sevastian added as he made his way towards the table, “Malditos diablos always doing stuff like that, you know what they say, there’s always something to blast away.”
“Who would ever say such a thing?” Bisharp quirked an eyebrow.
“Well why demolition crews of course!” Sevastian rolled his eyes, before slithering towards the table with a slightly malicious giggle, “It is feeding time, carajo!”
I chuckled as I sent their dishes sliding to their respective place. “Suit yourselves.”
Sevastian prepared to lunge and devour the pancakes in front of him, his fangs inches away from the syrup covered goodness.
He was then smote to crisps by a Shock Wave, an angry Cat with sparks on her eyes and a malicious, frightening grin, standing in front of him and placing her paw on the pancakes..
“We don’t eat, until everyone’s ready to eat.” She said both calmly, and threateningly at the same time.
Sevastian gulped and slowly backed up, his eyes wide open as he stared at the little Shinx in shock.
Cat simply giggled and went back to her seat, sitting down with a small thump as she gave me a grin.
She was horrifyingly cute.
I sat down, and she nodded. “Well, hope you guys enjoy this. I made it to kind of celebrate our two months here and what not.”
And with that everyone dug in, feasting on the pancakes without sharing a word, their mouths full of the fried goodness. Cat was the first one to finish her portion, devouring her pancakes in simply two bites, burping, and looking at me with a begging puppy face; I chuckled and gave her my own pancakes, not like I needed to eat anymore.
Two months… two months since we were all taken to this planet by the Pokemon god himself, Arceus. Two months living in this nice hell called Boot Port, the city that connects the land of Penumbra with Equestria and the rest of Equus itself.
Gulping his first pancake, Bisharp quirked an eyebrow as he cleaned his mouth with a handkerchief, “Master Thomas, forgive me for interrupting your day-dreaming, but isn’t it time for you to be working? And with that, I mean that you should be working right now.” I blinked as I came back to reality, giving the clock a look and realizing…
“I’m late, aren’t I?” I deadpanned.
A collective “Yup”, and a sigh from my part, “Remember to clean up your dishes. And if you two go out to train or something, please, for Arceus' sake take Cat with you, and a couple of snacks, she gets hungry after a while and if you leave her here alone she'll go out and get lost again.”
“That only happened once! Or… twice! Well… that only happened three times! Won't happen again!” She gave me a cute harrumph followed by an angry yet still cute pout.
“See ya guys for lunch.” And with that, I turned around and made my way towards the exit door, before stopping and letting out one hell of a confident smirk. I knew I could do it, I knew I could phase through that door, the gang looked at me expectantly, Sevastian already betting two tamas (the local currency) that I wouldn't make it, and Bisharp saying it was of bad taste to bet against one's ally… and that he also didn't want to lose money. Thanks guys.
But I would prove them wrong! Taking a deep breath and closing my eye, I walked forwards… I could feel it, I could feel my body becoming lighter, I could feel myself leaving the material plane and going to where no man has probably, most likely, ever gone, I could feel my body take an excruciating pain as it crashed into the closed wooden door.
I’m not that good in phasing through stuff. Seriously, what fun is there in being a ghost if you can’t phase through stuff?
With the laughs behind me making it obvious the gang was enjoying this way more than they should, I turned the knob, except my hand phased right through it, and I was suddenly stuck with my hand stuck on the other side of the door.
The laughs intensified.
God dammit Arceus, why did you have to make me a Dusclops? Couldn’t I be a more badass Pokémon like a Gengar or an Aegislash? Or you know, something that is far more solid than a bunch of gas kept in place by bandages.
I pulled and pulled, yet to no avail.
“Master Thomas, I think I should remind you that as a Dusclops, you can use Psychic to open the door with your mind.” Bisharp said between soft chuckles.
I would have facepalmed, yet my right hand was stuck behind the door. Closing my eye, I focused on the knob and with utmost care, it began turning, opening the lock while for some reason, my hand also began phasing through the door once again, returning to me like if nothing had happened.
“One day, you guys just wait! One day I’ll be able to be a cool ghost that can go through walls and stuff!” I exclaimed with all the determination to do so.
“Master Thomas, your work?” Bisharp reminded me, breaking my determination as I was returned to the harsh reality. Why couldn’t I be a famous hero? Why couldn’t I just sit down and enjoy myself? Or go on epic adventures and save the day and only worry about getting praised and getting like the city keys or something?
Nope, I was just a normal ghost living a normal life in a fucked up place. Hard to believe that this was our lives now. As I made my way to work I couldn’t help but think back on that darn first day when we all got here.
So imagine waking up in the middle of nowhere, head foggy and a full-body pain that would make an old man proud. Imagine waking up with images of you getting shot flashing on your mind, trying to stand up and feeling as weightless as a skinny midget, attempt to walk around yet almost-falling every time you take a step, and actually falling every time you manage to take two steps. Imagine looking up to see the mother of all suns shining with all its burning glory and blinding you for like a minute or two, as you scream in pain because fuck that hurts.
Walking aimlessly, feeling your world spin around as you’ve never been more confused, remembering the small fact that you just got shot, that suddenly you woke up feeling all weird in a weird place that feels like hell itself, imagine that, that’s what I was feeling.
Around me were a ton of different Pokemon looking as freaked out as I was, some of which I have never, ever seen before. I mean, I’m no expert in Pokemon and I don’t really care about knowing each and every kind of ‘mon out there, so how would have I known those weren’t actually Pokemon?
With constant groans, mostly because of how excruciatingly painful my head felt, I waddled around, crashing into trees, wondering how the fuck I ended up in a forest. The idea that it had all been a bad dream and that I just had drunk too much last night came to me, that would explain why I felt like if a Snorlax had sit on me, and based on past experiences, why I had woken up in a place that was most definitely not Castelia.
Yet just as I aimlessly made my way towards nowhere, the atmosphere became grim. That's when I met her, the most annoyingly terrifying creature I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. And it all started with that mother freaking ghostly giggle.
“Well, well, well… what do we have here?” Came that grating, husky voice.
A more courageous person would look around and be all: “Show yourself!”
But I was no knight, I was a complete chicken. The only thing I was able to do was shiver and whimper as my body was too shocked to even move.
“Well it looks like someone just saw a ghost.” The voice said with a giggle, and in the blink of an eye, its origin changed directions, “Let me guess, you are confused and scared, are you not?”
My body decided to answer with a nod, even if my brain told me not to.
“Relax, dear.” A strange feeling overtook my shoulders, as if someone was… massaging them? “I have never seen such a scaredy Dusclops.”
A what now? Was… she talking to me?
Finally, my body decided to obey me. Turning my head slowly, my eyes widened up to the side of platters when I saw who was responsible for all of this.
Her face was colored gray, looking at me with those cold, terrifying purplish pink cat-like eyes and those slit pupils. Below them, a creepy smile formed by zipper-lips. Yup, zipper-lips. For those of you who don’t know much about Pokemon like me, the creature who was massaging my shoulder was the incarnation of revenge, a Ghost type so freaky that even the most buffy and valiant of men would feel shivers running down their spines, a creature so dangerous that kings would kneel before them in fear, a creature so horrible that no one ever wants to take selfies with it. Am I exaggerating? Probably, yet that’s what I was feeling with this creature touching me like if we were some sort of lovers. Fucking Banettes freak me out.
And then it hit me. That Banette, a Pokémon, she… was talking to me and for some reason not only could I understand her, but she freaking called me a Dusclops. I panicked, shivering, no, trembling like an Earthquake as memories of the night when I was shot came back to me.
“You are one odd Ghost type... Let me guess, you are a trained one, are you not?” A trained one? My mind went wild in panic and confusion as I tried to make sense of things, yet at the same time, it was too obvious what had happened, “Poor, poor thing. I don’t know if you’ve realized yet, but I checked around and let me be the first one to give you the good news, there are no humans here. ”WHAT!? How could that even be possible? “You are free, dear. You should be happy, far happier now that there are no filthy humans around.”
I didn’t want to, but I needed to. I needed to know. I took a good look at myself, and my world was shattered.
Round gray chubby body, check. Bandage pattern with a few loose bandages here and there, check. Three weird-ass projections that looked like a beard or something, check. Wispy light gray growths coming out from my shoulders, check. And of course, over-sized white hands that look like if they were directly attached to my body, yet at the same time feel so loosely connected… check.
No way around it. She was right, it horrified me but she was right. I had suddenly become a Dusclops, and there was only one logical explanation for this. I was dead. I had actually been shot and now I was a ghost. Fuck my life.
“N-no…” I stuttered as I once again began trembling, “No way! No, this is, this, this is not happening! Nononono I am not dead. No.” I began lying to myself, because that always helps.
The Banette looked at me with a quirked eyebrow, “Are you alright dear? You look a little… gray” She cackled as she levitated around me. “Now I think there is a story there, mind telling?”
“I.. I’m not… I…” Brain.exe had stopped working. I just couldn’t come to terms with the fact that I had actually died, and that I was now a freaking Ghost type Pokemon in the middle of who knew where, probably hell itself or something! “No…” I smacked myself, or tried, my hands wouldn’t reach my cheeks. “Thomas McKenzie get your shit together. You are an adult for crying out loud, act like one.”
“Wait a minute…” Banette’s tone suddenly became dark, as she narrowed her eyes and began hissing. Well fuck, what did I do now? “Thomas… McKenzie? As in, the dumb kid from Castelia?”
Somehow, she had become even more freaky, “Y-you know… you know who I am?”
“Oh boy do I?” She began giggling maliciously, her eyes glowing with a strange purple flame, “I’ve been looking for you for far too long. Finally, I will get my revenge.” I stepped back in fear, my brain shouting at me to get the fuck out, while my body was too frightened to listen to it. Not like it mattered in the end.
She cackled as she dashed towards me, a Shadow Claw attack on her hands and a bloodthirsty look in her eyes. Fucking hell I don’t even have blood!
I whimpered as I saw death once again try to claim my name, crossing my arms in front of me in hopes that maybe that would do something? I mean, the people in the movies do that sort of thing and it always kind of works. Well boy let me tell ya, I have never been so grateful that I used to spend most of my free time slacking in the sofa watching movies, because just as her attack was about to hit, a gray semi-transparent shield-orb-thing surrounded me, Protecting me from the vicious attack.
Banette giggled as she repeatedly struck the shield, “Protect doesn't last forever, little McKenzie. Just surrender and let me KILL YOU!” She said with an incredibly unsettling demonic voice in the end. With a dual slash and a backflip, she broke my shield, and I began panicking, real hard. “End of the line, McKenzie!” She cackled as a large purple orb formed on her right hand, Shadow Ball, just… great. “Time to die again~”
That was the end of me. Woke up as a Dusclops after being shot, on a strange land who knows where, and now I'd die at the hands of a psychopath Banette who apparently has some heavy beef with me. Yup, that's how I was gonna go, I was going to die as I lived,having no idea of what the fuck was happening. My death was imminent, so I simply closed my eye and shook in fear, waiting for the blow that would probably knock me unconscious, who knew what else that devilish bastard would do to me once I blacked out.
Little did I know that destiny had better plans for me, as just before the sphere hit me, an arrow came from the woods and intercepted the Shadow Ball, making it blow up just before it hit me, the resulting small explosion barely reaching my face.
“Don’t think so, mate, there ain’t gonna be any cold murdering on my watch”
Slowly I opened my eye, which fully widened up as I got a good look at my saviour. Bigger than the Banette yet way smaller than me, a four legged creature who could only be compared to a Ponyta, yet without the burning head or the pure white coloring. Its coat and mane were colored different shades of brown, with a bit of grayish red details on the mane that hid a strange glowing horn, a defiant look on those brownish red eyes, and the flickering long Pyroar-like tail. Yet what struck me the most wasn’t the fact that such a Pokemon, or whatever it was, existed and was in front of me, but the levitating bow and the light brown neon arrow that was seemingly made of pure energy.
“Going to tell you once, get outta here or I’ll shoot your brains out.” She warned, raising her charged bow and aiming at the Banette. Her voice was dry, a bit raspy
But the Banette simply giggled, “Well, well, well. I haven’t seen anything like you before. You must be one of those strange Pokémon roaming around. Not like it matters, if you’re going to get in the way, I might as well take you down too!”
“You do realize that I don’t understand nothing ya bloody say, right?.” The stranger quirked her eyebrow, “So if you could stop sayin’ that, that’d be handy.”
Needless to say, this really pissed the Banette off, even if she tried not to show it, “Deary, stop playing fool or believe me, I’ll start considering the option of killing you as we-”
The strange creature rolled her eyes, “You new daemons sure you are alright in the head? ‘Cus it sure seems like you have some sorta impediment or something, repeating the same thing over and over again. It’s getting annoyin’.”
The Banette narrowed her eyes, and her grin turned grim, this was definitely not amusing her. With a malicious cackle she charged up another Shadow Ball. Yet the sphere immediately blew up right in the Ghost type’s face as the arrow shot right through it, even managing to pierce the Banette’s chest, pinning her to a nearby tree.
The ghost let out an unholy shriek that struck both my savior’s ears and my own, causing both of us to be knocked prone as the marksman (or rather, maksmare) let out a pained groan. “That… is somehow even more bloody annoying!” She huffed, trying her best to ignore the pain as she shakingly aimed the bow, before firing.another arrow.
And so, the Ghost type was silenced. Her Screech attack had come to an end as the arrow seemingly hit her in the freaking mouth. Slowly, both of us regained our composure and managed to stare at the tree where she had been pinned down to, seeing the lifeless expression on the Banette, grinning at me with those cold eyes and that eternal grin.
The thought crossed my mind, could you really kill a Ghost type? Was the Banette really dead after just two shots?
And that’s when the universe decided to slap me in the face and laugh at me. The Banette disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving nothing but dust as I heard an extremely unsettling laugh in my head. And then, pain. Horrified, I looked at my stomach, three ethereal, long pointy fingers had pierced my body.
“Foolish Thomas, do you really think it’ll be that-urk!.”
Another arrow silenced the little gray bastard who had stabbed me in the back, literally, with a Shadow Claw to be precise. I would have seen what happened next, yet my head began spinning and my eyes started getting foggy as I felt extremely tired. Next thing I knew, I was lying unconscious on the ground, not before letting out one final call for help.
“Sol….”
“So, what you sayin’ is that you’re not from ‘round here, ‘rite?”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
Pain, that’s the only word I could have used at that moment to describe my situation.
“I came from a forest so this place is like home to me!”
Make that pain and confusion. Those three voices…. two of them seemed oddly familiar, specially the second one… but I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
“Well, I guess that makes sense. There was a huge explosion that shook the town. Went out to find out what had happened. Suddenly, the forest was filled with ya weird creatures roamin’ around confused and whatnot.”
“An explosion? Last thing I remember was being in a city fighting off a Salamence, then… in the end I simply fell asleep and woke up in the middle of that forest.”
“I was picking up berries! But then I also fell asleep against my will, I wasn’t even tired!””
“The bloody heck is a Salamence?”
Wait… Salamence, in a city? My brain began putting two plus two together, but I was never good with basic math, and in the state I was, a simple two plus two became a complex quantum physics equation for me. I tried to snap back into reality, my body twitching slightly as I tried to get it to do something.
“It’s… another Pokemon. I still can’t believe you don’t even know what a Pokemon is.”
“We’re everywhere!”
“Well I ain’t able to believe you don’t know what a daemon is either.”
Demon? Who were these voices? And what were they even talking about, how can you not know what a Pokemon is? Finally, I managed to let out a loud groan, calling everyone’s attention. Opening my eye, I was finally able to see who was talking, and boy did it only make things far weirder than what they already were.
Sol, the creature that saved me, and for some reason a Mr. Mime, were simply staring at me.
“Uh…. what?” I managed to say.
“Arvo, mate,” The creature grinned, tilting her slouch hat, “Glad to see ya up and healthy.”
I blinked, “What… happened?”
“You fainted. That Banette critted you with a Shadow Claw, don’t be so surprised, any Ghost type as weak as you would have fallen unconscious. Be thankful that I was around to save your ass.” Sol explained coldly. Thanks for calling me weak, Sol, real nice.
“Wow… well, thanks I guess?”
She shrugged, “No biggie. Besides, Mixer here was the one that did most of the work, you should be thanking her.”
The creature, who I assumed was Mixer, chuckled, “Nah, that creature was being ah pain in the arse, Darn daemons goin off like a frog in a sock.You really rocked it back there, luv. Have ya considered working as deputy?”
“Ehm…” Sol chuckled, “No thanks. I’ve gotten enough action with the police already.”
“Tell me about it.” I groaned, “Damn cops sure screwed us over, huh Sol?”
She looked at me in shock, eyes wide open, blinking several times, “Excuse me?”
“You know, the whole problem with Mister P.” I said with a quirked eyebrow, not knowing why she was acting that way.
She stared at me confused, shocked, astonished, before tackling me and pinning me on the ground, fire emanating from her wings as she growled, “WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING DUSCLOPS?”
“Oh come on! I just cleaned the carpet!” Mixer complained from behind her.
I on the other hand, couldn’t help but gulp, “Uhm… Sol, you’re scaring me.”
“HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME!?” She screeched, the heat around us intensifying.
I then realized it. Of course she wouldn’t recognize me right away, I was a freaking Dusclops now. “S-sol, this may be hard to believe but… it’s me, Thomas.”
She stared at me, not amused at all. The heat intensified even more as she looked at me with a deathstare, “Do NOT play with me Dusclops! I can easily knock you out again and leave you out there in the forest!”
There was only one way to solve this. I took a deep breath, and gave her my best honest-face, ”Mister P. gave you to me six years ago as a reward for getting rid of an agent that was after him. You were taken away from your family against your will and sold to him in the black market. We live together with Cat, Bisharp and Sevastian. You love mint flavored ice cream, you idolize Alder’s Volcarona, and you’re into fem-”
“That’s-! That’s… enough.” Sol said, her eyes wide open as she kept on staring at me, at least her wings stopped burning, that’s a good sign right? “I… can’t believe it. I’ve heard stories of humans turning into Pokemon, of humans turning into Ghost types after they... well.” Her words were cut short, and for the first time ever I saw something that should not be possible, there were tears falling from her eyes, vanishing into steam as they reached her fiery cheeks, shame in her voice. Immediately afterwards, she tackled me into a hug, crying silently on my shoulder, “I… I’m so sorry! I should have been faster, I should have payed more attention!”
I closed my eyes as I finally came to terms with what most likely happened, “Sol, after… well, after I got shot, what happened?” I just needed to be sure.
Sol remained silent for a few minutes, before taking a deep breath, “When… I heard the shot, and I saw P. shoot you I- I tried to go after you, but Menace wouldn’t let me. When the reinforcements came and arrested P. I went to check on you but… according to Marcus you were already…” Her words got stuck in her throat as she kept on crying, closing her eyes to try and take away the horrifying memory.
I on the other hand, still couldn’t believe it. I had died, yet… for some reason I had been turned into a Pokemon. I wanted to panic, to scream, to cry… but with Sol in such vulnerable position, I just couldn’t.
“Sol…” I sighed. I wanted to hug her, to extend my arms and surround her in them. But I couldn’t. My hands were attached to my body, I could barely move them… or so I thought. Frustrated with my new body, I failed to realize that my hands began floating in the air, detached from my chest and just floating as if they were connected by nothing but an invisible string. It was as if they had read my mind, as they floated over to Sol’s back, and pressed her closer to me, keeping us both in a warm embrace.
She seemed to be slowly calming down thanks to my hug, thing that was also calming me down. I needed to put this topic away for now, I’d find more about my… death later.
“So, where exactly are we?” I said in an attempt to change the topic.
Mixer looked at me for a little while, before shaking her head, “Pardon, got… a bit… anyways. Well, as I told your friends here, you all are in the land of Penumbra.”
“Penumbra? Never heard of that region.” I blinked in surprise.
“Oh that is because it is not a region!” The Mr. Mime shook his head.
I stared at him, creeped out by his face, the fact that he was here, the fact that he was looking at me, and the fact that he just looked so calm it was terrifying, “Who are you again?”
The Psychic type just waved at me, “No one important. They picked me up on the way, and I helped them translate! Whatever I hear you two say, my brain tells to the nice pony lady by using my Psychic powers!”
“He’s been rather handy, helped me out with some of them other creatures runnin’ around. “ Mixer chuckled.
“And to answer your doubts. It seems like we’ve been sent to an entirely different planet altogether!” He grinned as if it was the most natural thing ever.
“Wat.”
“Yes! It all fits. New lands, these creatures, the ‘Demons’, they have never heard of an Earth or a Pokemon, and likewise, we have never heard of this world which they call Equus, or Penumbra this country, or Equestria, or Griffinheim, or Zebrica, or the Dragon Lands, or the Crystal Empire or the-”
“What our cobber here is tryin’ to say is,” Mixer interrupted him, thank Arceus she did that, “Is that you ain’t from ‘round here, mate. That huge explosion that I saw before seems to have somethin’ to do with that. Geez, demons from another planet, and I thought Tophat was crazy when he said he had seen them UFOs.”
“Oh well, we are not demons first of all, we’re ‘Pokemon’, I believe that calling us Demons might get a bit offensive, I’m pretty sure we’re an entirely different species. And secondly… I doubt those UFOs were from our planet.” Mr. Mime corrected.
Mixer simply glared at him with a deadpan expression, “I’ll call you whatever the heck I wanna call you.”
“That means…” Sol said softly, trying her best to regain her usual firm composure, “That our friends are out there, probably looking for us… or rather me.”
“Sol, drop it.” I told her, annoyed yet at the same time saddened by the fact that she was still thinking about it. Of course, she said nothing in response, not even looking at me. I sighed, and nodded, “But you’re right. We need to look for them, Bisharp and Sevastian can probably survive on their own, Cat’s the one I’m worried about.”
Mixer let out a groan as she stretched her back, cracking her neck and ending it all with a shake of her body, “Well then, let’s get goin’. If someone out there needs help, I can’t just stay here and do nothin’. Oh right, I didn’t really introduce myself to you, did I? Call me Mixer, part pony, part demon, and sheriff of this town.”
“Town? I thought we were in a forest.” I asked in confusion, remembering seeing nothing but trees.
Mixer chuckled as she walked backwards towards the door, before bucking it open, signaling me to take a look outside.
I hesitantly walked towards the open door and as soon as I saw the outside, and my jaw was dropped open. There was a town out there alright, and it looked like an odd combination between those pirate towns and those old-west towns I’ve seen in the movies. Modest, half-timbered houses, some of them tumble-down due to age and probably not having long until falling down, all of them of different sizes and colors, slightly mossy and dusty, and with rickety wooden boardwalks on the front with extended roofs to cover them of the sun. And most definitely the most eye-catching feature of the town, were its inhabitants. Strange creatures of all types and sizes, wearing all kinds of outfits, from tall buff Minotaurs and more Ponyta-like creatures, to some bug-like ones that were freaking me out, between so many others.
“What… is this place?” I was awestruck, they were most definitely right, we were no longer in my dear Planet Earth, this place was way different.
“Welcome to Port Boot, mate.” Mixer chuckled as she saw my expression, “Where demons, ponies, griffins, zebras, and every single creature on the face of Equus can have a drink, cause som’ small trouble, and have a darn good time.”
This would all take some getting used to.
Mixer chuckled as she saw my reaction, patting me on the back with a smug grin, “Don’t ya worry mate, it’s not as bad as it looks… most of the times at least. So, what’s your name again?”
“Uh… Th-thomas, Thomas McKenzie.” I replied, stuttering like an idiot as I watched the outside world in awe, my mind not being able to focus in just one thing, nor in anything for that matter.
“Yeah… that name ain’t going to work ‘round these parts.” She hummed in thought, “What ‘bout Cyclops? You know ‘cus of the eye and all that, it’s either that or Mummy and I have to say, Cyclops sounds way better.”
“Cyclops…” I nodded slowly, “I guess that doesn’t sound too bad.” My brain started repeating my new nickname over and over again as I watched the passing by demons. It was surreal, strange, magical. And little did I know that this little hell located in the middle of nowhere, was going to be my new home.
Prologue: Penumbra, the Forgotten Land
The planet of Equus. Magical, mysterious, wondrous. Filled with kingdoms and empires, princesses and warriors, mages and soldiers, planet of goddesses and demons. Truly a strange, marvelous place.
And of all kingdoms on Equus there is none greater than the kingdom of the ponies, Equestria. A land of peace, power, love, friendship, and happiness. Prosperous, majestic, powerful and respected. This is the land that many kingdoms secretly hope to become, the envy of all the other lands.
Yet long ago there was a kingdom, no, an empire greater than any before it, greater than Equestria itself. An empire lead by a fearsome leader, a beast with powers never seen before whose limit was unknown. An empire with an army that could win any battle, soldiers worth a hundred ponies each, if not more. An empire, that fell as fast as it rose. The Dark Empire of Penumbra, lead by none other than the legendary Centaur, Lord Tirek.
But this was not always the case. Long ago there was no empire, there was no kingdom, Penumbra was divided. Five demon tribes fighting since the beginning of time, each governed by who were known as the “Divine Demons”, self-proclaimed descendants of the gods of the underworld, beings able to harness the secrets of the arcane, demons far more powerful than those they governed.
The northern demons, the Ilania tribe of the reptilians, masters of stealth and assassination. The eastern demons, the Vikonia tribe of the insectoids, masters of nature and the ancient. The southern demons, the Feralicar tribe of the beasts, masters of war and survival. The Cielo tribe of the west, the descendants of the mighty Dragons, masters of the sky and knowledge. And finally, in the middle of all, the desert tribe of Abyss, masters of the arcane and the occult. Centuries after centuries, these tribes have fought over the complete dominance of Penumbra, a war that many thought would never reach an end.
Yet fate was kind with Penumbra. It was King Vorak of the Abyss who one day refused to keep on fighting. Tired of the never-ending war, he dropped his weapons and offered peace to the land, a truce between the tribes, a chance for everyone to find progress. Inspired by Equestria, he saw how great and magnificent a kingdom could be and how if everyone worked together they could reach greatness. His kind words and determination reached the hearts of the other Divine Demons. And so, the kingdom of Penumbra was born, and due to his ideology and spirit, Vorak was chosen as their leader, the four other tribes swearing complete allegiance to him.
Peace governed throughout the land of Penumbra, the demons joined together, worked together, played together, befriended each other. And Vorak patiently hoped that one day Penumbra would be as great as that wonderful land of Equestria.
Little did he know that the one who would fulfill his desire would also bring doom to their land.
The chosen one, they called him, a centaur as powerful as the ancient gods the demons believed in and idolized. Young prince Tirek had always been a prodigy of the arcane, mastering all sorts of advanced spells since he was young, having powers never seen before in Penumbra. Yet it was that same power what corrupted him. He wanted more, he needed more. And to get more power he needed to dwell in the ancient taboo of “soul-eating”.
A demon’s magic and power, as miniscule as it may be, is born from their souls, from their essence, and some argue that this is the same with every other creature on Equus. Yet only demons are able to consume the souls of others albeit with a price, as to do so, they must kill the owner of the soul they’re looking for to safely absorb their power... or so was thought.
Not far from the castle grounds, on a deserted mountain range called the Nether Lands, lived an elder, a master of the occult and Tirek’s mentor. Together, they found the way, a way to absorb the soul of anyone weaker than them without the need to kill them. Yet the elder knew Tirek was still too young to master this power and so he prohibited Tirek to try this until the elder himself had mastered the technique. This angered Tirek who believed the elder wanted to keep this power to himself, he wanted the key to such power, he needed it.
Lead by his anger and desire Tirek infiltrated the elder’s cave to betray him. The mage had a lone unicorn trapped in this cave, one he would normally use to practice this new technique. Tirek knew that if he wanted to master it first, he had to get that unicorn one way or another. So while the elder was asleep, he sneaked into the Nether Lands with plans to steal the cage where the unicorn was held, yet when he saw the sleeping pony and the power it had, he succumbed to his temptations and attempted to obtain its soul and magic through the technique on the spot. Yet just as the elder predicted, he was still too young and did not hold enough power nor experience to perform this.
His attempt failed, resulting in an explosion that consumed the entire cave. Tirek fled before the armies of his father could reach the Nether Lands, disappointed in himself for being too weak, and knowing the elder was not going to be happy.
The old mage was imprisoned and sent to a magical jailcell for the rest of his life due to his crimes against Penumbra, and the unicorn he kidnaped was returned to his homeland. Betrayed, injured, seen as a fool, and now rotting behind bars, he swore revenge against Tirek and the kingdom. And with the last bit of power that he held, he began the rituals to cast an ancient spell that he recited for decades, a spell he would only manage to finish minutes before his death.
During those long years, Tirek never gave up. Kidnapping young demons, not feeding them nor giving them rest in order to make them weaker, torturing them, and attempting to devour their souls while they were still alive. Yet to no avail, his victims always perished before he managed to extract their soul, he was always so close, and yet so far. He could always feel the power, yet never make it his own.
His younger brother, Scorpan, was terrified by the actions of Tirek. He threatened his brother to tell their father of his actions if he did not stop. Yet Tirek was no fool. He lured his brother with the promise of power, telling him just how much he needed Scorpan, how they could both rule together on a new world as god-like beings. To convince him, Tirek killed one of his test subjects and offered its soul to Scorpan. Hesitatingly, Scorpan absorbed it, and soon he wanted more. The two became addicted to power, growing stronger each day, working together to fulfil Tirek’s destiny as the new god of Equus.
And one night, they succeeded. One of the castle’s guards, a young gargoyle, had found what Tirek and Scorpan had been doing. Yet luckily for Tirek, Scorpan managed to stop this guard before he could tell anyone, yet he knew he could not hold the guard there forever. Afraid, injured by Scorpan, and unable to do anything to free himself, he was the perfect prey. Soon the gargoyle became nothing but a ragdoll, soulless, without the energy to even breath properly. Tirek on the other hand felt better than ever.
The alarms were heard, and worried that someone had found out about the disappearance of this guard, they hid the unconscious body before rushing to meet their father. As soon as they found out what was going on, they were angered.
Similar alarms were heard all over Penumbra, screams of horror and despair, of confusion and shock. The elder’s curse had finally taken place. A cloud of pure darkness had settled itself above Penumbra, covering the entirety of the land in darkness, depriving them from the life-giving light of the sun, and the calm embrace of the moon.
The divine demons joined together in council to solve this problem. The elder had perished and none were able to identify the curse he had set upon Penumbra. Vorak suggested to ask for help to the neighboring lands, yet the prideful council did not want to be seemed as weak and needy by other kingdoms, especially on such an infant state in which their nation was.
Yet Tirek saw opportunity where others saw doom. He interrupted the council and blamed his own father for not keeping proper watch over the elder who had caused this. And while the council saw this as madness, demanding Tirek to be escorted out, as time passed by crops began to perish, animals famished, and the land became cold and unusable. The demons were hungry, irritated, and wanted to take action. More and more demons joined TIrek in this claim, claiming allegiance to the one who promised them solutions, the one that aimed to end his foolish father's reign.
With an army ready to follow him, and having mastered the method to devour the souls of others, Tirek knew it was finally time to take matters on his own hooves. With the aid of his brother, Tirek easily took out every guard that got on his way.
Soon, King Vorak and Queen Haydon saw themselves betrayed and defeated by their own children. Tirek saw his parents with despise, hatred, and pity, the only thing they were good for, he said, was giving him even more power. The royal couple fell to the floor as their escence was taken away from them, lifeless, afraid, regretting not having taken action against their oldest son before.
Tirek called for his followers, claiming war against the tribes and the other Divine Demons who were still loyal to Vorak.
Not even in the days before the alliance had Penumbra seen such a bloody, violent war. The four tribes fought valiantly, yet Tirek and Scorpan alone were already too powerful and with every soul their armies took, they became even stronger. Hundreds of demons were slain under Scorpan’s mighty attacks alone, and hundreds more were left soulless to die on the battlefield by Tirek’s magic. While thousands other lives were taken by their armies. Soon, all the Divine Demons were defeated, their souls sucked out of them by Tirek and Scorpan, leaving them to die, if not already dead.
And so, Tirek and Scorpan had become the leaders of a new kingdom. Using the vast resources that the land gave them, and filled to the brim with magic, what was once a humble kingdom, now stood as a terrifying empire that none could stop. This was the new Penumbra, no, this land was better than Penumbra in every way, Tirek thought, he knew this was a new era and needed to make it evident for the world to see in awe and jealousy. Thus, he changed the name, and the Dark Empire was born.
Yet the demons were still unsatisfied. Even with less mouths to feed, food was scarce, and the lack of sun made it almost impossible to acquire enough to feed everyone. They wanted change, they wanted to feel the sun against their skins, they wanted to see their crops grow, their cattle feed, and their lives become as good, if not better than what they were before. Tirek was happy to comply. The demons needed lands where they would be freed of the course, and he needed more power. The only solution to both problems was to take over a new land to live in, and there was no better way to show the world the true power of the new Dark Empire than by taking over the most powerful land of Equus. He could already see it, Princess Celestia under his hooves, immobile, powerless as he bathed in god-like power.
The letter of Tirek’s diplomatic visit to Equestria was sent, the two royal sisters fooled by Tirek’s words who claimed he was simply looking for aid to break the evil curse lay upon them. They looked forwards to the arrival of the new leader of this mysterious land, opening their doors to the evil tyrant.
Yet little did they know that Tirek was not crossing the seas alone. He, his brother, and his army, sailed across the vast ocean towards the south of Equestria, reaching the abandoned desert that are the Bad Lands. They set camp there, and waited for the right moment to strike, while Tirek and Scorpan went on ahead to meet the princesses and earn their trust.
The plan was simple. Tirek would speak face to face with the princesses and when the moment was right, Scorpan would immobilize the two alicorns, letting Tirek absorb their power and thus, becoming truly unstoppable. And once the princesses were taken care of, his armies would start invading, easily taking over the entirety of Equestria. It was the perfect plan, it could not fail.
But things did not go as Tirek planned.
Scorpan, impatient, anxious, wanting, needing more power, could not wait any further to attack Equestria. So behind his brother’s back, he went on with the intent of starting a rampage across the land of ponies, of destroying and absorbing the souls of anyone who dared to get in his way.
Yet as he began attacking towns, as the ponies screamed in fear, he suddenly was overtaken by a strange invisible force. Immobile, powerless, and for the first time in a long time, afraid, Scorpan shivered as he saw his reign end. A flash of light blinded him and seemingly out of thin air he appeared. In front of him levitated a bearded unicorn with powers comparable to his own if not greater, yet far smaller in size, and far wiser. He was witness of the true power that an Equestrian unicorn could reach, he had underestimated them. He was afraid.
Scorpan trembled in fear, begging for mercy. knowing he would perish for his sins.
Yet the unicorn had different plans for Scorpan. He smiled upon the beast and gave him forgiveness, kindness, and reminded him of the correct path. Other ponies joined this strange bearded unicorn, showing Tirek the most powerful magic that Equestria held, the magic of friendship.
Scorpan’s heart shattered as he realized what he had become, a monster, a being who wanted nothing but the blood and soul of everyone, a tyrant. Struck by the kindness of the ponies and seeing that it would not be right to take over such a magnificent, magical land, Scorpan rushed to his brother to try and convince him to think things through, to reconsider their options. Yet Tirek did not listen, and ordered him to remember his place. This is when Scorpan finally realized that while he had an undying loyalty to Tirek, while he would follow him to Tartarus and back, Tirek could only see him as a weapon, a soldier like the rest.
There was only one way to stop this. Scorpan rushed to Canterlot to warn the royal sisters of Tirek’s true intentions. The two alicorns held the magic of the Elements of Harmony, yet with the sheer power TIrek had acquired, Scorpan feared they might had not be enough to stop the tyrant.
Filling himself with valor, he did what he should have done all those years ago, confront Tirek and stop him once and for all.
The battle held between Scorpan and TIrek was legendary. Only Scorpan’s mythical strength and speed were match to Tirek’s unlimited arcane power, thus Tirek could not absorb Scorpan’s soul, nor could Scorpan defeat Tirek. Yet he didn’t need to defeat him, he only needed to weaken the centaur. As Scorpan finally saw defeat at the hooves of Tirek, and the oldest sibling began devouring the youngest one’s soul, Celestia and Luna appeared, wielding the Elements of Harmony, using their power to seal Tirek in a place where he could never be able to harm anyone ever again, the gates of Tartarus.
And so, Lord Tirek was vanished. The Dark Empire had fallen as fast as it had risen, and seeing how their leader had been defeated, the armies of demons surrendered. Some claimed allegiance to Scorpan, others fled and spread around the Bad Lands and the neighboring regions. It was finally over. Scorpan prepared to return to his land with those that wished to accompany him, knowing that without leaders, Penumbra would fall, yet blaming himself for all the caused harm and refusing to be the new king. Not like it mattered, after all, the curse of the elder would claim its toll, and all demons would perish.
Celestia could not allow this though, and because of his valiant actions, she gifted Tirek an ancient relic, the Astral Diamond. At first, Scorpan did not understand what this sacred gem did, yet Celestia simply told him he would find out with time.
Scorpan returned to see in surprise how the townsfolk greeted him in cheers and applauses, glad to be freed from Tirek’s tyranny, those who followed and even worshiped the centaur having stayed in the Bad Lands. Yet Scorpan was still ashamed of his actions, and seeing the demons in such a deplorable state after everything that had happened, it was devastating to him.
He flew to the top of the now abandoned castle where he had spent most of his life, the demons of the Abyss waiting for him to take the crown and become the new King. Yet his sins crawled on his back, he knew he couldn’t be king after the atrocities he had committed, he was no Celestia, no Luna, no Starswirl the Bearded, and most definitely no Vorak. Yet just as he was about to take his own life away, the strange gem that had been gifted to him began glowing. Taking it out of his pouch, the stone seemingly came to life, levitating towards the tallest point of the castle, rotating rapidly as it began emanating a strong light.
Penumbra saw in awe how a white aura took over the skies, how the dark clouds of the curse retreated towards its core. They cheered and howled as they finally felt the sunlight on their skins, they had been saved, Penumbra had been saved.
Scorpan smiled as he saw what was happening. A field of magic surrounded the old castle, keeping the clouds sealed inside this magical dome the gem had created. He thanked Celestia once again as he flew out, seeing her sun once more, hearing the demon’s cheers and howls, it gave him hope that one day someone would step up, take the crown, and finish what his father had started. That one day, someone would make Penumbra great again, with love, compassion, and the magic of friendship.
