My Little Pokemon: Dragon's Ascent

Chapters

Chapter Two: Odd for a Changeling
Chapter Three: Myths and Legends
Chapter Four: Gathering
Chapter Five: Arrangement
Chapter Six: Bull-Headed and Stubborn as Hell
Chapter Seven: Dusk Mane
Chapter Eight: Primal Instinct
Chapter Nine: Fitting In
Chapter One: Time and Space

Chapter Two: Odd for a Changeling

-Reverse Realm of Earth-

Deep, ghostly grey and red wings sat mounted atop an insect esque back, armor plating shifting as their owner hovered across the beautiful blue-green skies of his home, an odd sensation coming over the legendary Pokemon. Something wasn't right in the Alternate Realm of Earth. Many of the significant energy signatures that he usually felt even in his Origin Forme, were either fading fast or already missing entirely. Questions and suspicions grew within Giratina, growing even more so when the airspace near his entrance portal to Earth crackled loudly before an explosion rang out, shooting unknown floral and mineral elements into the air before they slowly descended back down to the ground. His usual exit portal of violet and red was now a deep black-red in color, a swirling vortex of an altogether foreign aura to the Ghost-type dragon.

Uttering a silent prayer to Arceus, Giratina cautiously approached the swirling mass, stopping several yards away to test the portal for benign energy. Benign, he could not tell, though the reminiscent scent of Dialga's Roar of Time and Palkia's Spacial Rend told him that the new portal was created with ill intent, whether it was deliberate or not.

Rolling red eyes lacking a pupil, Giratina was about to turn away from the vortex when another aura caught his attention. It was recognizable as his friend and ally, a fellow dragon-type legendary, Rayquaza, though her signature was drastically different than he was accustomed to. This aura drove his curiosities mad, and Giratina swiveled back to the portal. He couldn't trust it, but under the circumstances that many of the legendary Pokemon's signatures were vanishing from his sixth sense, the insect-like ghost approached the swirling vortex, hoping to Silvestri that this wasn't a fatal decision.

His prayers were answered, but far from the way he'd expected...

-The Castle of the Two Sisters, the Everfree Forest-

Yveltal shifted his view from the rarely trodden dirt path to a tall structure before him in the form of an arch, a brazier devoid of flame for years on either side of the brick gate ahead. Looking sullenly up at the gate, the Pokemon-turned-alicorn continued his advance, stopping at the iron bars that formed the gate momentarily.

Let's see if I can still cause a good bit of mayhem, Yveltal thought with a loathsome sneer twisting across his expression before squeezing his eyes shut and straining to form a Shadow Ball before him. A small sphere crackled to life, growing slightly before it popped in the Destruction Pokemon's face, small shards of energy slithering into his snout and eyes. Dark energy never fazed him. In fact, he preferred to do his bathing in darkness. But he was utterly pissed at the fact that he couldn't summon a Shadow Ball large enough to vaporize a daisy.

In his anger, the stallion whirled around, slamming his rear hooves into the silvery colored gates. The doors violently swung open, allowing the furious stallion into the castle grounds of Everfree.

No sooner had Yveltal approached a tremendously sized stone castle, holes in its thick walls as age overtook it, when a calm voice rang in his head. One he knew well, and utterly despised even more. "Yveltal," the voice of Xerneas whispered with a chime-like essence to it.

The stallion growled lowly, slowly swiveling his head to face a blue elk with a regal pair of rainbow-colored antlers. Though she was clearly smaller than her typical nine foot, ten form, the she-elk was clearly still an elk and appeared to be in a more than the prime state.

"Xerneas," he sneered, blue eyes flickering with hatred for the fairy-type giver of life. She was everything that the legendary Pokemon hated in the world, full of love, compassion, and goodwill. Ill intent was just not something that Xerneas was capable of expressing, even towards her greatest enemy.

The elk lifted a cloven hoof, lifting it to her chest in a form of respect.

Yveltal held back the urge to attempt draining her life energy on the spot at the gesture, but his fatigue in his current state and obvious disability to form even a small dark sphere of energy stopped him.

"You are tired... Let me help you," Xerneas insisted, approaching the alicorn stallion with an unbridled look of concern materializing across her muzzle.

As much as Yveltal hated to admit it, the blue deer had a point. He was exhausted. But the last being he wanted help from was her. She clearly means well, but that's exactly what I hate about her... She does raise a good point though. Maybe just this once, the stallion thought to himself, swallowing his pride, not for the last time. With a half tired, half irritated sigh, Yveltal beckoned her over, wanting to punch himself for his choice.

Xerneas obliged with a smile that sickened the alicorn, coming up to the stallion's right side to support his weight. "Sleep, she cooed softly, her antlers humming slightly.

Without argument, Yveltal allowed the blackness of her sleep energy to overtake him, his eyes closing while a blue-pink aura encased his form and hovered the Pokemon-convert aside Xerneas.

Glad you obliged, as stubborn as you are Xerneas thought with a smile.

-The Crystal Empire, Town Square-

A crystal colt trotted towards a tall, elegant fountain with a giddy grin crossing his face, trailed by his mother. Cobalt skidded to a halt at the rim of the Crystal Empire's central fountain, excitedly hopping up and down and waving his mother, Ice Blossom over. "Coin please!" he beamed, holding out a hoof.

His crystalline mother took a moment to catch her breath before fishing a piece of silver from her saddlebag. "May I please have a coin," she corrected stubbornly, plopping the coin into her son's hoof. His cheerful expression couldn't keep her irritated for long as she kissed Cobalt's forehead. "Make a wish," Ice Blossom whispered, nodding at the beautiful fountain.

"Hmm," Cobalt thought, stroking an invisible beard like he often did when thinking. His expression lit up as a wish came to his mind. "I wish Daddy was here," the giddy colt grinned, tossing the coin into the fountain.

Ice Blossom smiled softly, awaiting the day that her husband would arrive back home from Canterlot safe.

Her thoughts were cut short as a swirling vortex of a deep black color materialized in the airspace above the fountain, contact with the tip of the crystalline structure blowing the first couple layers of the fountain into smithereens. Ducking to shield her head and son, Ice Blossom, along with a good many others, froze in fear as a massive, shadowy figure dropped from the vortex in the form of a tremendous, six-legged stallion.

Obviously confused, the stallion looked around him, unaware of the fact that his hulking frame managed to obliterate the rest of the fountain.

Ice Blossom almost mistook him for an odd alicorn, possessing a pair of Dragonoid, yet almost supernatural, grey wings and golden armor fit for a king, complete with the strangest horn she'd ever seen. Unlike the conical spire of a unicorn, this golden plated utensil was a semicircle, two, sharp prongs jutting off at the base of the horn. The gauntlets he wore upon his six hooves had three short, yet dangerously sharp looking, claws. His helm fitted around his horn and wavering red and black mane flawlessly, giving the newcomer an utterly terrifying appearance. Had the six limbs not clued Ice Blossom in, she would've guessed this stallion to be the tyrannical King Sombra or King Chrysalis.

But the abnormality clued her in, and seeing the hardened, menacing appearance, she knew that this was no benign soul. He was only here to feed upon the love that the Crystal Empire's inhabitants possessed.

"P-please... Don't hurt us," she pleaded to the tall changeling, her lip shuddering at the thought of losing her son to this monster.

Said stallion shot his view over to her, faint violet energy slithering in tendrils from blood red, glowing eyes. The stallion's reply was not what she had expected from a changeling who looked like a king. "Where am I?" His voice was deep, with age clearly audible in his tone. It also reminded her of a reptilian growl, instilling into the crystal mare's mind only more unsettling images.

"Please," she whimpered, this word being the only she could utter for the next several moments. She could feel her Cobalt's heart rate increase slightly as he stole a look at the stallion.

"I asked you a question; where am I?" the changeling king repeated, his tone impatient and irritable. Terrified onlookers slunk back into jewelry stores, hardware stores, a library, and their homes, watching the situation from the safety of closed windows.

"The... The Crystal Em-empire," Ice Blossom stammered, not removing her arms from her son in a protective manner.

"Thank you," the being obliged with a nod, leaving the pile of rubble created by his landing. The vortex slowly dissipated with a puff of abnormally colored smoke as the stallion gazed blankly at the remnants of the fountain. He turned back to her. "I am known in my home realm as Giratina," the changeling said, unable to ignore her baffled expression at his kindness and appearance. Rolling his eyes, the stallion spoke again. "If you would kindly refrain from staring, I would greatly appreciate it."

Ice Blossom's ears jerked to attention, her eyelids fluttering as she shook her head. "My apologies," the mare replied, a hoof to her forehead before she hesitantly released her son from her grasp.

"Thank you... I also thank you again for informing me of my location. I am searching for a friend and ally of mine, though I do not know what her form has transitioned to, nor where she is... Can you direct me to a higher power, please?" he asked, accidentally flashing sharp teeth as he smiled warmly. Er... It would've been warmly, had the stallion not been a changeling in kingly armor.

"There is no need," a firm, feminine voice replied.

Swiveling his head, Giratina looked over at a bubblegum pink mare clad in crystalline armor, a horn between her brows and a pair of broad wings against her back. A stance, not at all foreign to the changeling, as he was used to the form, was obviously a battle pose, her horn crackling with light blue magic. Behind her were what Giratina assumed were guards, evident in lances and crystal blue armor.

"Ah, someone of higher power," he acknowledged, bowing slightly despite the mare's battle ready stance. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I would presume," Giratina said, using his Future Sight to find out her name as opposed to asking. This probably wasn't a terribly smart move on his part.

"King Chrysalis," the alicorn barked back. "Stand away from my citizens."

King Chrysalis? Hmm. He must be one of the native's foes, Giratina thought, asymmetrically lifting a slightly confused brow. "Nonsense. I am not this King Chrysalis figure you speak of. My name is Giratina, though I also presume that you don't care, given by your frozen on leer?"

His guess wasn't far off. Princess Cadence had felt hatred for changelings since the Wedding Fiasco with Queen Chrysalis and didn't trust the changeling as far as she could throw him. And given by his heavy build, throwing him looked impossible. Despite this and her brewing anger, Cadence's face softened slightly. Changelings were shifty, superb liars capable of shapeshifting. But this newcomer had so far (other than the crushed fountain upon his arrival) been an overall peaceful and highly respectful individual. This, combined with the fact that his colors were a palette of red, gold and grey, as opposed to deep grey-green, only gave her more reason to believe this 'Giratina's' words. Though the ghostly, flowing wings were a bit more unnerving than King Chrysalis's hole filled, insect-like wings.

Lack of trust pushed away slightly with a sigh, she looked into the changeling's red eyes. "If you are who you say you are than you have my trust. But your species as a whole has caused much unrest in this kingdom. I know a spell that lifts changeling illusions and would like to be sure that this is your true form," the alicorn said, her horn's glow becoming less of a crackle and more of a hum.

"Of course," Giratina acknowledged, ushering a polite smile that covered well his confusion at the word changeling.

"Very well." With that, a beam of energy harmlessly struck Giratina's chest, enveloping him with a light blue aura.

What Princess Cadence saw was not, as she had feared, a six-legged changeling king, but also not an Equestrian. What she saw was an arthropodal creature with ghostly black wings and six, pillar-like legs. Devoid of fur or a mane, the creature calling itself Giratina did, however, still possess the golden armor, though, in her view, it was now a part of the creature as opposed to removable clothing. What she saw terrified her, but at least had been telling the truth.

"What are you and where in the name of Celestia did you originate from?' she asked the monster-turned-changeling, fear crossing her muzzle at the sight of this beast amongst her empire.

Giratina's expression flattened as the magic diminished, her tone and expression telling the changeling that the alicorn hated what she was looking at and would potentially have to fend from her beloved empire. "I am from the Sinnoh Region of my home realm of Earth. As you saw, I am not one of your kind, but be informed; I am not a being with malevolent intentions," Giratina stated in a booming, authoritative voice. "But if you try to fight against me, I will be forced to make a choice that I'd be more inclined not to," he continued, letting his voice drop a bit.

Author's Note

If you guys didn't know, Silvestri, Cris Silvestri, is the author of the Pokemon handbooks.

Chapter Three: Myths and Legends

-The Crystal Empire-

Giratina walked alongside Princess Mi Amore Cadenza as they made an advance towards the Crystal Empire's vast archives, the distance between each of his steps causing the latter to move to a slight trot to keep up with the kingly changeling. A small group of guards trailed the two, Shining Armor at the mare's side. "You say that you could feel the presence of your allies upon your arrival," the alicorn started, breaking the silence. "How are you going to find them?"

"I haven't thought into it much... And not to be condescending, but there is only one presence I felt that I would be happy to call friend," Giratina corrected, shifting his gaze down to her. "The majority of the others underestimate her and I, so they are not necessarily foes, but I wouldn't call them friend."

Cadence rolled her eyes at the correction before noting the use of the word 'she.' "Do you love her?" she asked, seeing if she could get some insight into this 'Giratina's' life back on his 'home realm' of 'Earth.'

One of the changeling's many legs didn't follow his brain's orders at the word love, and the stallion stumbled for a moment before coming to a stop. "Love is something that I, being a demigod who resides in two different realms, do not think of nor give any deep thought to," he replied, his unsettling red eyes piercing through the mare.

Princess Cadence felt a bead of sweat upon her brow before hearing the stallion continue.

"But to some extent, yes... I do love her... but not romantically like I believe that you were implying. I only love her like a sister," Giratina said, reverting his view back to where he was going.

Prince Shining Armor chuckled, flanking around to Giratina's open side with a shake of the head. "You've never once felt love?" the unicorn asked.

"Never have, never intend to."

They walked in silence for a time before Giratina spoke again. "For the sake of curiosity, why do you insist on trying to piece together my life? I feel that it is hardly any of your business what my life was like," he said with a slight shrug and shake of the head.

"Because..." Cadence started. "I like to know a bit of backstory from strangers who materialize from the sky and destroy a fountain in the middle of town that's hundreds of years old."

The hundreds-of-years-old changeling stallion grumbled something trivial under his breath that sounded like a long string of swears, rolling his eyes slightly. He ignored the annoyed glare that both Shining Armor and Amore shot him before speaking. "You really want to hear my backstory? Well then, listen closely, because I'm not telling it more than once," Giratina said, lacking the respect that both Cadence and Shining Armor had grown to like about him.

-Ponyville-

After Dapper Jolt directed Rayquaza and Pikachu to the most powerful being in Ponyville, the alicorn Twilight Sparkle, he bid them a hasty goodbye, giving the kirin mare a light punch on the shoulder. "Maybe I'll see you around," he smiled, turning to walk in the opposite direction.

"Maybe," Rayquaza replied, watching him escape her line of sight.

"Pika-" the small rodent on her shoulder said flatly.

"No. I don't like him," she retorted, shooting Pikachu a half second glare before shifting her gaze to the tall treehouse the stood ahead, shrugging her shoulders. "At least not like THAT," the mare continued.

-Twilight Sparkle's Treehouse-

Twilight Sparkle, a student of magic and leader of the Mane Six, had herself lazily sprawled out on her bed, reading glasses upon her head and nose in a book. Her eyes devoured the text of the book as the current chapter came to a close. Returning a bookmark to the novel, Twilight set the book back down and stretched her legs, ushering out a noisy yawn before she heard a loud knock at the door.

"I'LL GET IT!!" she heard Spike shout from downstairs, hearing his feet racing to the door.

Smiling, the alicorn mare's horn flashed violet before she disappeared from the bed, reappearing a fraction of a second at the door.

"Aw, c'mon!" Spike groaned, seeing his adoptive sister at the door. "Every stinking time!" With that, the baby dragon grumbled to himself and returned to his graphic novel.

Twilight Sparkle ran a hoof through her mane to tidy herself from the state of laziness she'd just been in before swinging the door open to see a palette of red, green, and yellow spread across a kirin and rodent's body. Looking over the pony at the door briefly, Twilight recomposed herself and chirped a joyful greeting. "Hello!"

"How do you do," the newcomer obliged with a nod. "You must be Miiiiissss Sparkle," she said, needing the time to remember the name mentioned to her.

"That's me! C'mon in," the alicorn beckoned, stepping out of the way to allow her inside.

"Thank you," the kirin replied, taking a look around the interior of the building. Gazing up at the ceiling, it didn't take long for Rayquaza to determine that she disliked being indoors.

"You gotta name?" Twilight asked her with a polite smile.

"Rayquaza," the newcomer replied.

It was then that Twilight Sparkle took the time to look the kirin mare's features over. The alicorn noticed at the door how tall Rayquaza was, easily the height of Princess Luna if not on par with Celestia. Like a kirin, she had a dragon tail, but the resemblance stopped there. Four twin crests shot off the back of her skull, with two wing like structures starting from the base of the neck to the base of the tail.

The rodent on her shoulder, was no less baffling, being a bright yellow in color with red cheeks, long ears and an oddly shaped tail.

"So... Rayquaza... What can I do ya for?" Twilight asked with a kind smile, still both perplexed, and in awe with the kirin adornments.

"A pegasus by the name of Dapper Jolt sent me to you. He told me that you could help my current problem?" Rayquaza acknowledged.

"Good stallion, that Dapper Jolt... Smart too," she laughed, nudging the kirin's shoulder. "Am I right?"

Rayquaza, unfazed by her nudge, lifted a brow, leaning down slightly to let Pikachu off of her shoulder. "Hope you don't mind. Little bugger can't sit still for five minutes," she said before transitioning to Twilight's question. "About Dapper Jolt... Hard to say, I always found mortals to be quite selfish. But this place is weird. Dapper Jolt seemed amicable enough. Kept eyeing me funny, but interesting to say in the least."

"That sounds like him," Twilight chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "So how'd you two meet?" she proceeded.

"I thought he was attacking Pikachu so I threw him into a tree. It happened... about an hour ago?" Rayquaza said blankly, devoid of any remorse. Noticing the worry upon the alicorn mare's face for her friend, the kirin continued. "He's quite alright, just some minor bruising at the collar."

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief before transitioning to helping Rayquaza out with her current state. "Dapper Jolt aside, what might this problem of your's be?" she asked, a hoof to her chin.

"I am not one of you... I am typically, most always, a 23 foot long serpentine demigoddess who lives in the ozone layer of Earth. Judging by my current form, I am far from there, though," Rayquaza said, giving Twilight Sparkle ample time to entertain the thought and noticing the mixture of confusion etched across her muzzle.

An idea came to the Element of Magic, and a content smile crossed her face. "I have an idea... Princess Celestia should be informed of this, and the best way to do so is to get to her castle and teleport all unknowns to the location. Are you alright with teleportation?"

Rayquaza withheld the urge to Hyper Roar in Twilight's face, which was now only centimeters from her own. "I always preferred the old fashioned way of getting around," she said, pushing the young alicorn away from her slightly with a furrowed brow.

"Oh... okay," Twilight mumbled, her ears flattening slightly as she backed away.

Rayquaza huffed, rolling her eyes. "Lemme guess; you dislike flying?"

"No, I just am not used to flying and at the urgency of the situation, teleporting is the fastest way to get you to the castle," the mare replied.

The kirin looked down at her before ushering a short, sharp whistle. On cue, Pikachu, tailed by a grinning green and purple dragon, hopped toward the mare.

Spike stopped in his tracks, gaze shifting up to a tall, green kirin as the electric mouse leapt onto her shoulder. "Uh... Twi?" the little drake asked his adoptive sister, slight fear seeping into his eyes at the dragonoid appearance.

"Spike, this is Rayquaza... Rayquaza, this is my adoptive brother, Spike," Twilight obliged with a smile, the latter ducking behind her legs.

Rayquaza smirked. "Why are you afraid, little dragon," she asked the bipedal being, ducking her head slightly.

"Uh... You-you. Uh." That was the only thing that came spluttering from Spike's lips.

"Nonetheless. Twilight, seeing as you are uncomfortable flying, and the situation is quite urgent, I will allow you to teleport us to this 'Celestia'." Rayquaza continued, standing back up and lifting her chin slightly. The Pikachu on her shoulder nodded, following in her actions with a smug look upon his face.

The alicorn beamed, her horn glowing in a bright, violet light before this aura enveloped Rayquaza, Spike, and Pikachu. A flash of white, and Twilight's treehouse was devoid of any living being with the exception of a small cluster of roses on a windowsill.

-Canterlot, Conference Hall-

Princess Celestia was the judge of a debate that had many of her noblemen and senators bickering back and forth like a group of wild dogs. Many of them had felt a disturbance in Equestria's natural aura and couldn't decide whether said aura was nothing to worry about, or if it was something that had to be addressed. Nonetheless, the celestial mare didn't like the arguing that had unfolded and was about to shout out a response to halt this when a white flash erupted from the center of the room, startling most who were unaware of what it was.

Celestia, on the other hoof, ushered forth a soft smile, her exasperation diminishing as she saw the violet form of her pupil, Twilight Sparkle.

Her smile, however, vanished at the sight of a green kirin alongside her with four long crests upon her head, a baffled look coming across her muzzle. Twilight's expression also siphoned away the joy she had begun to feel, as it depicted fear and worry.

Celestia's senators fell silent as they gazed at the alicorn and kirin mares, a small dragon, and a yellow mouse.

"Twilight," the milky white mare acknowledged, realizing that she probably hadn't come at a good time.

"Princess Celestia!" the mare replied swiftly before noticing the assortment of suited ponies surrounding her. "Oops," she muttered with a nervous grin, flushing with embarrassment. "I can leave if you need me to," she said, her horn beginning to hum as she readied to teleport herself from the room.

"There is no need. Your expression gives me a good reason to keep you here, whatever the reason may be," Celestia said, her smile returning.

"Right! Okay! Well... as you all are aware, I'm sure, there was a disturbance in the atmosphere that came suddenly and unexpectedly." Twilight paused to catch her breath, unused to giving a speech without note cards at hoof. "Whom I have brought with me, Rayquaza, is one of the pulses that you all felt little over an hour ago... or so I presume."

Princess Celestia lifted a brow, not sure what exactly to think of this newcomer.

"She certainly looks foreign," a pegasus stated, lifting a hoof to his chin with a quizzically raised brow. "But how can you be sure that this being didn't come from Equestria?"

"Look at the facts, Senator. Do anyone of you know of the Hoenn Region of Earth?" she asked, turning a 360 and looking for a raised hoof... "Anypony? Considering how varied you all are, if this Hoenn Region existed on Equestria, at least one of you should know about it, right?"

The senators nodded, some wide-eyed, others not fazed at all by the words.

"And according to Ray, here, apparently there are others who have arrived," the alicorn proceeded, turning to face Celestia. "Princess, if you would allow it, I would like to have any outside forces in Equestria teleported to this location. "I think this is a very important matter that needs to be addressed."

Rayquaza nodded in agreement, though the slight fear of both Groudon and Kyogre having arrived not hidden from her mind.

Celestia contemplated the thought for another moment or two before lifting her head with a slight nod. "Very well, Twilight. We will try to have any outside entities brought to this location. Afterwards, we will try to find a way to return them to where they hailed from," the celestial mare stated.

Twilight Sparkle smiled with a light bow, Rayquaza following in her motions in a show of respect.

-Saddle Lake-

Burnt red and thin lines of black shifted, armored lids lifting to reveal yellow eyes with black sclera. The unicorn stallion, and a large one at that, regained consciousness, a loud, pained groan escaping his throat. The Continent Pokemon dragged himself to a semi-sitting position, placing a forelimb to his head to steady his blurry vision. It was then that Groudon noticed something; the long, sharp, claws that he often used when dueling his rival, Kyogre, were missing, in their place a wide, round, and furry limb clearly visible to the ground type Pokemon.

Groudon cocked a brow, confusion growing in his mind as he slowly shifted himself to his feet-er, hooves. Looking down at feeling the earth beneath all fours instead of two, like he was also used to, the stallion didn't even fight to contain his shock, eyes popping out wide. In his surprise, Groudon failed to notice that he lacked any spikes running down his flank, replaced with smudged, brick red armor that shifted in segments as he moved. The built in helm that used to cap his skull was now replaced with an actual helmet that covered a dirty brown mane and part of a black and red spiraling horn, a pair of short, glinting white spires below his eyes where the chin became aquatinted with the armor. His tail was the same shade, but loose rings of red-brown metal keeping it in a more orderly appearance than his haggard mane.

Inhaling sharply, the stallion took a step forward, approaching the shores of a medium sized lake before him. Beachgoers played in the surf, some looking up at the massive stallion with fright, others in awe. Groudon lifted a brow at the sight of the beings. They were most certainly not humans, as the walked in a quadruped form and possessed hooves; but were also not Pokemon.

A smaller horse, about the age of fourteen, trotted up to the stallion with glittering eyes, a grin across her face. The mare, not to his surprise, only stood eye level with the stallion's muscular shoulder "Hello!" she piped, her mother coming up from behind.

Groudon grimaced as he looked down, not overly fond of mortals, whom he'd always found obnoxious, selfish, and just plain rude. Nonetheless, he found himself grumbling a response. "Greetings."

The young pony's mother, about in her late 30s, early 40s, trotted up behind her, a hoof to her shoulder. "Paint Brush, what have I told you?"

"Not to talk to strangers," the pony replied, dipping her head.

"That's right," she said before lifting her head to the stallion. "My apologies, Sir... She's always been the talkative one of the family, despite how often I threaten to turn her into a pair of slippers or fur coat," Paint Brush's mother chuckled, rolling her eyes.

Before Groudon could contemplate why a mother would possibly want to turn her own child into an article of clothing, a jet of water as powerful as a fire hose rocketed towards him, striking the stallion square in the chest and throwing him back a few meters.

Roaring in pain, the Continent Pokemon struck a large, dead log, throwing splinters of the rotting wood into the surrounding area. Dropping back down to his hooves, Groudon took up a battle stance, watching as a palette of blue, white, and red emerged from the lake. Though the being the colors belonged to didn't match up with his memory, the dual dorsal fins, smooth, metallic armor, and wavy tail clued him in.

A loathsome sneer twisted across the unicorn stallion's face as Kyogre came to the shore, his front hooves and triton tail creating deep indentations in the sand beneath him.

Paint Brush looked back and forth between the two before her mother dragged her from the scene, watching and praying for the two stallions as they batted spiteful glares at each other. She wondered what would possibly lead to such hatred between two beings. She could almost feel the ill will that the unicorn stallion and triton shot at each other.

"I want to pray for them," she heard Paint Brush whisper over the chorus of growls.

"Okay," she said, closing her eyes and locking hooves with her daughter's. She grimaced at the sound of heavy hoofsteps against the sand as she uttered a prayer to her God.

-The Kalos Region of Earth-

Things were going far from good for Zygarde... Deep inside the cave he called home, he could see in his geologically connected mind... chaos... erupting across the various regions of Earth. Pokemon of every type had lost almost all sense of civility when the Elemental Three (Groudon Kyogre, and Rayquaza), the Universal Three (Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina). and a handful of mythical and pseudo-legendary Pokemon disappeared from the planet's surface.

The serpentine dragon wasn't complaining at Yveltal's apparent demise, but felt great distress at the disappearance of Xerneas, the Life Giving Pokemon, and even Arceus, the creator of the home he knew and loved.

Those who didn't go mental turned to him, Ho-oh, and Lugia to maintain the balance. Unfortunately, the loss of the heroic legendaries was an advantage that many of the darker Pokemon were fully aware of and relished well.

A major understatement it would be to say Zygarde, Guardian of the Ecosystem, was anxious at his new leadership...

-Western Outskirts of Ponyville-

Wolf Heart's laugh drew a smile to Dapper Jolt's face as he told the story of his ferocious battle with a centaur-sized kirin. "The battle raged on for seemingly hours," he laughed sarcastically, his shoulders shuddering with each chuckle that he uttered. "It was my beautiful 'stache that finally drove my enemy away." With that, Dapper Jolt looked down at the large bruise on his chest. "In reality though, she just threw me against a tree after a little misunderstanding," he told the winged unicorn, exchanging laughter for a slightly pained wince.

Wolf Heart booped the pegasus stallion's snout with the tip of a wing, a soft smile crossing her face. "You get into a lot of trouble," she exclaimed.

Dapper Jolt feigned shock at her contact before rolling his eyes with a snort. "I dunno what you're talking about," he acknowledged, looking up at the clouds. "Beautiful weather we're having, isn't it?"

"Mm," she muttered with a chuckle before hearing heavy hoofsteps approaching the table that the two sat at.

Seeing the mare turn her head, Dapper Jolt shifted his view over to a large, navy blue unicorn kirin covered in heavy, silvery-grey armor. The pony wore a silver helm not far from a celestial guard's helmet, though instead of the side-burn esque appearance, the tips of the chin piece angled down like spikes. A pair of similarly short spikes upon the helm sat behind the horn, giving the appearance of brow horns. The stallion's hoofwear bore short, sharp claws that uttered quiet clangs against the rocky gravel underhoof. His body armor, being chest and spinal armor, was some of the strangest that either pony had ever seen. Instead of the royal crest and flattened, smooth metal that a celestial guard possessed, it was jagged and appeared to be bladed. The chest armor, unlike most armor, was not attached to the rest of the uniform, and in the center of said metal was a pale violet gemstone compressed into the shield, two long prongs jutting off of each side. The spinal armor jutted out of the stallion's back, five spines interconnected by webs of metal.

The stallion himself was a deep blue in color with blood red eyes and black sclera. He possessed tribal markings upon his body, a lighter shade of blue that pulsed with a faint blue light. His tail was devoid of any fur or armor, though similar markings ran down the length of his tail before enveloping a couple inches of the tip. And unlike most, the stallion lacked a cutie mark.

Dapper Jolt lifted a quizzical brow. Between the arrival of Rayquaza and now this strange stallion, he was utterly befuddled. Wolf Heart, more or less, shared his confusion, but also a bit of awe at the stallion's colors and crystalline markings.

Despite the unicorn's mighty appearance, he approached with a slight limp, several small, bleeding cuts and scratches crossing over his darkly colored form. He ushered a small grimace with each step he took on his right front limb, telling the two ponies that it was either broken, fractured, or sprained.

Regardless of the state of his limb, Dapper Jolt and Wolf Heart came to the stallion's aid, weary of his claw armored hooves and long chest armor.

"Are you okay?" Wolf Heart asked the strange unicorn with worry sketched across her muzzle.

Dapper Jolt nodded in agreement. "You look like you've been in a fight."

"You could say that," the stallion acknowledged in a deep, slightly aged voice. Lifting his chin pridefully, he continued. "I am Dialga, the Creator of Time and one of four univ-ersal beings known in both myth and legend," he stated, though his roughed up appearance and pained wince that caused the stumble in his voice took away from the awe slightly.

"Legend or not, you need help. Walking on that hoof isn't going to let it heal," the alicorn stated, allowing him to place some of his weight on her shoulder.

"Legend, like a god," Dapper Jolt whispered to his friend, supporting Dialga's other side.

Wolf Heart's pace slowed for a moment at the words, slight shock visible on her face.

"Demigod, actually," the unicorn corrected, his pride wanting to resist the help that he received from the two ponies. Dialga sighed, dipping his head slightly to look his form over. Walking on all fours was simple enough; he almost never walked on two legs, but the body he was in was an all but foreign feeling to the stallion. It was a feeling that the Pokemon-turned-unicorn could deal with if need be, but disliked.

"Say... where are you from, anyway?" Dapper Jolt asked the stallion, asymmetrically cocking a brow.

"I come from a place called Earth, residing in the Region of Sinnoh," Dialga acknowledged.

"Doooo you know Rayquaza?"

The unicorn stopped, looking down at the pegasus with a curious expression. "How do you know Rayquaza?" he asked quietly, leaning down to look at the stallion eye to eye.

His eyes, blood red and black as night, stared straight into Dapper Jolt's, and they absolutely terrified him. It was almost as if the entrance to Hell itself resided in the unicorn stallion's biological optics. "She-she's here in Equestria," he stammered nervously, a bead of sweat upon his brow. Concern crossed Wolf Heart's face as she readied herself to defend her friend from the massive unicorn.

"Show me," Dialga ordered him, electing to ignore Wolf Heart's stern expression as he stood back up.

-Twilight's Treehouse-

Dapper Jolt grumbled to himself, face bright red as he awaited Twilight's appearance at the front entrance to her home. "C'mon, open up," he whispered, turning his head to the waiting Dialga and Wolf Heart. Smiling nervously, he banged on the door again, testing the door nob... Locked. "Shit," he said under his breath, whirling around and descending down the small set of stairs that led to the home's porch.

"I dislike having my time wasted... If you didn't see Rayquaza, there is no point in lying," Dialga told the pegasus, slight irritation audible in his tone.

"No! I didn't lie! I sent Rayquaza to this exact location!" Dapper Jolt retorted, holding his hooves up as the legendary Pokemon turned to walk away.

"Then where, if I may, is she?" he said, continuing his about-face.

The pegasus thought about it for a moment before his wings popped up and ears flicked to attention. "Canterlot!" he blurted with a smile before he spread his wings and flew around to Dialga's front side, his face inches from the unicorn's. The stallion reeled back slightly, a frown upon his muzzle and brows furrowed. "Twilight would've taken Rayquaza to Canterlot so that Princess Celestia could do something to help, I bet my bottom bit!" he continued.

Dialga, at the invasion of space, pushed Dapper Jolt back some. Wolf Heart chuckled at the pegasus stallion's enthusiasm before nodding an agreeing nod.

Before Dialga could reply, however, Dapper Jolt spotted his father approaching him, slight concern etched across an oil-covered face. "Dapper!" he exclaimed, trotting to come to his side. The pegasus dropped to his hooves, furrowing a confused brow. "Your mother just called. There was'n incident at Saddle Lake and she and yer sister got caught between a couple a big ol' stallions caught in a battle royale," Bolt Charge told him, his characteristic gruff voice all but audible to those who didn't listen closely.

At this, instant dread flashed across the stallion's face. Before the mechanic could say anything more, Dapper Jolt was already gone, rocketing towards the lake.

Looking at the two remaining ponies beside him, the stallion cocked a quizzical brow at Dialga before he noticed the wolf head upon the alicorn mare's hip and smiled. "You must be Wolf Heart... I've heard a lot about you."

Wolf Heart blushed slightly at the earth stallion's words.

Dialga rolled his eyes with a near silent grumble, not even taking a second to realize what was going on between the two. "Typical," he muttered with a snort. "Can we focus on Rayquaza now, please?" he then said aloud.

"Who?" Bolt Charge questioned, looking at the armored unicorn like he had three heads and lobsters crawling out of his ears. Needless to say, foreign names were not the stallion mechanic's forte.

That was before a flash of white enveloped Dialga and he disappeared into thin air, leaving two very confused ponies in its wake.

-Saddle Lake-

Dapper Jolt dove towards Saddle Lake, huffing for breath at the force he exerted to get there at the speed he had. Dropping onto the sandy beach with a slight spray of the tan minerals underhoof, the pegasus frantically swiveled his head in a desperate attempt to locate his mother and sister.

Spotting them, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief before breaking into a full sprint towards the two mares, worry not having dissipated from his expression completely. "Mom!" he shouted, wrapping the two into his arms in a tight hug. "You two almost gave me a heart attack," he whispered, not releasing them.

"Gak! Dapper!" Paint Brush choked with a laugh, attempting to free herself of his grasp.

Releasing them, he gave the two mares a brief look over before speaking again. "Are you guys alright?! What happened?!"

"Paint Brush approached a big red unicorn covered in armor before a blue triton blasted him with a beam of water. Things just went downhill from there... We're fine, but the two fighting disappeared with a flash of white and puff of smoke," his mother obliged, casting her son a reassuring smile.

"Well... I'm glad that you're safe."

Paint Brush smiled at the words before speaking. "They both looked really cool though," she said, nodding at her older brother. "You would've liked them."

"Well... Between having my lunch stolen by a lightning mouse, being thrown into a tree by a dragon pony, and meeting a royally armored being of time, I think I've seen enough action for today," Dapper Jolt chuckled.

Author's Note

A triton is a male siren.

Chapter Four: Gathering

-Canterlot, Conference Hall-

Canterlot's conference hall had become a room of great confusion and worry as Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia poured their energy into transporting all unknowns to their current location. Already, three dazed stallions had arrived; a grit-covered unicorn, unicorn kirin, and Triton.

Rayquaza grimaced at the sight of whom she recognized as Groudon and Kyogre, her ears falling flat as a unicorn and Triton slowly rose to their hooves.

"Ray?" the triton stallion questioned, lifting a confused brow as the kirin mare moved between them before they saw each other, her irises glowing slightly as she readied herself to halt a battle before it started. "You're here too?" Kyogre continued. "Let me look at you." With that, he placed a hoof on Rayquaza's shoulder and turned her to face him, a soft smile crossing his face. Rayquaza's worry for a battle between Groudon and Kyogre flushed itself from her system, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Groudon rolled his eyes with a grumble as the Triton looked her over, a hoof to the kirin's chin. "Would ya stop ogling her like that?!" he barked at his nemesis, pushing Kyogre away from the Sky High Pokemon. "It's bad enough that we have to be stuck in this confounded body in the first place. You don't need to make it worse by pulling goo-goo eyes on the one who has to keep us apart!"

Kyogre shot a glare at the Continent Pokemon before snapping a retort. "Well, y'know what?! This hasn't exactly been a cakewalk for me either! I was simply taking a look at Ray!"

"That seems to be ALL you do, is look at 'er! You don't find that just a TAD weird?!"

Before the Triton could reply, Rayquaza's eyes flashed gold momentarily before she brought an energized hoof to the back of both stallion's heads. "Will you two knock it off for five minutes!! I thought that I ended this fight a thousand years ago?!" the kirin mare snapped through clenched teeth. "Groudon, why do you CARE whether or not Kyogre 'ogles' me?! Is it REALLY any of your damned business?!"

The latter cracked a sly, triumphant grin, unnoticed by Rayquaza, but far from unnoticed by Groudon.

"Why I oughta-!" With that, Groudon leaped toward the blue and red Pokemon, lunging at, and knocking Kyogre off of his hooves with an effortful grunt.

Before the serpentine kirin could leap in to halt the conflict, a booming, demanding voice intervened, instantly breaking the fight apart. "ENOUGH!" Princess Celestia shouted over the chorus of growls and shrieks of metal against metal. All in attendance looked up to see the alicorn's eyes streaming with a golden light.

The unicorn that had been a tad slow to rise, as he didn't have the nicest landing as a result of a broken leg, shifted his gaze up to Celestia with a lifted brow, her show of power using just her voice having impressed him. Dialga hobbled towards the mare, wincing as he applied even a small amount of pressure to his injured limb.

The mare glared over at the unicorn, said glare evaporating at his wounds. She watched as the stallion lifted the splintered hoof, lowered his snout, and closed his eyes in the form of a bow. "Your Majesty," Dialga acknowledged, slow to rise. "You have brought us here for one purpose or another, and I respect your power... But what reason DID you bring us here for?"

Princess Celestia nodded slowly, closing her eyes for a moment before replying. "I have brought you here with the knowledge that you are in a false body, and reside in a different world form our own. I intend to have you returned home safely as soon as all of your kind are brought to this location, and a plan to have you back to your residence has been implemented," the alicorn obliged. The stallion before her, though she did well to hide it, instilled into her a slight sense of fear. She wanted to trust him but found his silver, jagged armor and blood red eyes an altogether unsettling presence.

The mare almost found herself leaping from her skin when a scroll enveloped in a light blue aura materialized in front of her. "Goodness me!" she gasped, pink eyes wide with shock. Rolling her eyes and banishing away her frightened feelings, Princess Celestia took the parchment from the air and unrolled it, swiftly reading Princess Cadence's letter. The alicorn's brows furrowed as she scanned the text, its words instilling a new sense of worry into her mind. Letting the letter flop to her side, she whipped her head to face Twilight. "We are not finished with the teleportation," Celestia told her pupil.

"Oh!" Twilight exclaimed, turning away from the massive stallion that was Groudon. Said stallion sighed in relief.

-The Crystal Empire, the Archives-

"If things go according to plan, you should be in my aunt's kingdom in just a few moments," Princess Cadenza told Giratina as he devoured the text of a historical document.

"Alright," he acknowledged, not taking his eyes away from the text. Noticing a particular name, said name intriguing the changeling stallion, he spoke again; "Who is this... Queen Chrysalis... figure?" he asked her, lifting a clawed hoof to his chin in thought. "Does she share some relation to that King Chrysalis character that you assumed I was?"

Both Cadence and Shining Armor froze at the name, dark memories flooding into their consciousness. Before Cadence could speak, Shining Armor opened his mouth. "Yes... We know her. She's a demon, one that we'd rather have never met... Giratina, you seem nice, especially for one of her kind. The both of us would greatly appreciate it if you stay that way," the unicorn said, planting a kiss on his wife's forehead and wrapping her in his arms.

A tear touched the alicorn's cheek at the memory of that monster attempting to marry her husband just to use him for her own twisted plot.

Realizing that he hit a nerve, the ghostly changeling lifted his gaze from the ancient tome. "My apologies... I was unaware of your history with this 'Chrysalis'," Giratina said, nodding at the couple. He hadn't been in Equestria for long and was already invoking unwanted feelings in his host and hostess.

"No... No, it's fine. You asked a question, and I responded," Shining acknowledged, lifting his hoof and shaking his head slightly.

Giratina nodded, rising to his hooves and closing the pages to his read before a white light began to cover his form. "Well... I'd say my time is out. Perhaps I will work with you in the future," the Changeling told the pair, placing a hoof to his chest with a slight bow before he disappeared with a flash.

"Perhaps," Shining Armor said with a small smile, embracing Cadence in his arms.

-The Everhoof Mountains-

Glowing yellow eyes pierced through the blizzard that had formed over the mountainside, pillars of blue ice pushing their way out of the rocky surface around the being. Kyurem uttered a growl through clenched teeth, sneering at his new form. Once a biped ice dragon capable of immense power, he could feel himself on all fours, an icy helm with two back sweeping horns covering partially a yellow, alicorn horn devoid of a spiral. He wore semi-transparent greaves with sharp claws, a pair of similarly constructed wings jutting out of his shoulders.

Be it Truth or Ideals, the truth was that Kyurem, the primary rival to the Swords of Justice... was now a horse.

Inhaling deeply, Kyurem uttered a deafening roar out into the blizzard, eyes pulsing with fury before he vanished from the mountainside.

-Ponyville-

Bolt Charge chuckled lightly to himself as he placed a metal staple into the wood of the frame, holding a roll of insulation in place while fighting to find a comfortable position in the cramped work area. The loud thud as the stapler made contact with the wood indicated that he was successful in keeping the pink fiberglass up.

Just as the mechanic was about to place another staple into the frame, the crack of thunder rang in his ears. Jumping nearly a foot into the air, the stallion's forehead struck the garage's ceiling with a thud. "Ow, dammit!" he exclaimed, dropping the stapler and rubbing his scalp.

Clambering down the orange-red ladder, the stallion lifted the garage door with a grunt, looking up at the darkened sky in a mixture of confusion and irritation. He hated working in these conditions, rain sucked. It made his 48-year-old joints stiff. Grumbling under his breath, the stallion was about to return to his work when a black form enveloped in thunderclouds caught his eye.

Lifting a quizzical brow, Bolt Charge watched as a being possessing the basic body structure of an Equestrian moved among the nimbus clouds. Probably just the weather pegasi, the earth stallion thought to himself with a shrug.

His theory was standing strong until the 'Pegasus' uttered a thundering roar, bolts of lightning throwing themselves at the ground. He reeled back as a line of electricity struck a nearby piece of scrap metal. "Holy SHIT!" Bolt Charge shouted in shock before forcing the garage door back down, a bead of sweat touching his brow.

-Above Ponyville-

The pitch black alicorn shifted its gaze down at the ground beneath his thunderclouds, golden eyes flickering as his tail began to sparkle with building electricity. Zekrom's Dragonoid wings whipped up the heavy clouds around him, concealing his form in evaporated water.

The sound of crackling electricity informed Zekrom that he was done charging. With that, a jolt of electricity spewed forth from a fanged maw, striking a power line with a flash of light and a loud crack. The Pokemon-turned-alicorn shifted his gaze down at the fleeing Equestrians below him with a slight smirk. Though the Pitch Black Pokemon wasn't a malevolent being, he occasionally took joy in seeing mortals run from his electricity. It was usually his only form of entertainment.

"Whaddya think you're doing?!" Zekrom heard a feminine voice scold. Swiveling his head, the electric dragon looked over at a cyan blue pegasus mare with a rainbow palette clad across her mane. "Ya can't just go around trying to zap everypony! That's cruel!" Rainbow Dash barked at the alicorn, a glare on her face.

Zekrom rolled his eyes, hovering over to the mare with flickering eyes. "And who are you to try and stop me?" he retorted in a deep, menacing voice.

It was then that Rainbow Dash noticed the black and blue tipped horn between his brows, fear coming across her face. "Uh... Well... Heh. Rainbow... Dash?" the pegasus mare replied, forcing her gaze away from his golden irises.

What she received for an answer was not, as she expected, a violent attack... but a deep chuckle. Lifting her head back up, she noticed the alicorn stallion now laughing a deep, rolling laugh that sounded almost like thunder. "You are a brave soul, I'll give you that... Rainbow Dash, can you tell me where I am?"

"Ponyville," the Element of Loyalty acknowledged, her fear seeping away as he placed a hoof with rigid fetlocks on her shoulder.

"Thank you... My name is Zekrom, the Legendary Pokemon of Lightning, and rival to Reshiram," the deep black stallion told Rainbow Dash with a smile.

Rainbow returned the smile on full before a flash of white momentarily blinded her. When she opened her eyes, the alicorn was nowhere to be seen. "Zekrom?" she queried. "Uh... Where'd ya go, Buddy?"

-Canterlot, Conference Hall-

Princess Celesta looked on at the plethora of new faces amongst her little ponies, slight fear evident at the size of some of the ponies that had materialized before her and Twilight Sparkle. Pitch black, icy wings, blood red fur, rainbow antlers, and golden armor, had revealed themselves before her. All of the said beings shared the same look of confusion at the appearance of a new landscape. But only one seemed to be expecting the change of scenery, a massive changeling stallion in kingly armor.

The others were slow to rise, several pained groans escaping a few throats. Her attention, however, was not on the blue elk, but the other ponies in attendance. In specific, the alicorns in attendance. Three of her species were amongst them, excluding herself and Twilight, and confusion was quick to grow in the mare.

The Changeling, evidently possessing six legs, took a step towards the royal mare, stretching flowing, ghostly grey wings with short red claws at the tip of each feathery appendage. He was followed by a pitch black alicorn with a blue tipped horn and dragon-like wings, and grey alicorn with icy armor and a yellow horn lacking a spiral. Noting that changeling was easily a half head taller than she was, she pridefully lifted her chin, doing her downright best to hide any fear that she may have felt.

Rayquaza, who had been watching the newcomers materialize from the room while making a game out of whom she recognized, spotted the grey, red, and gold palette clad across a six-legged changeling and rushed up to meet Giratina before he could say anything to Celestia, a grin on her face. "Gira!" she exclaimed, leaping into his arms and practically knocking the stallion off of his hooves.

It took the changeling a moment to recognize the mare as Rayquaza before a wide smile very uncharacteristic of a changeling spread across his muzzle. "Ray!" he laughed, effortlessly lifting the green kirin off of her hooves and giving her a tight squeeze.

This earned an "aaw" from Twilight Sparkle and Spike, though the latter was primarily feeling fear at the sight of the changeling.

"It is good to see you!" Giratina said before gently setting her back down, a hoof to her shoulder. "Hey, Lemme look at you!" he said, earning an irritated snort from Groudon. Ignoring the unicorn, he circled the mare with a smile. "You look... not half bad for being a horse," he told Rayquaza.

"Neither do you," the Sky High Pokemon chuckled before she was interrupted.

"Giratina," the deep voice of Dialga called out.

Turning his armored head to face the time Pokemon, Giratina uttered a near silent grumble. Both Rayquaza and himself disliked the higher up legendary beings of their respecting regions, who underestimated the two Dragon-types without mercy. Giratina was always finding himself being called 'Garry', despite his protests against the name. He had been told by Rayquaza that Groudon and Kyogre consistently teased her for being a girl. Overall, the two 'more important' legendaries of the regions lacked much-needed respect for the third Pokemon deemed lesser than themselves. Nonetheless, Giratina was a courteous fellow who respected power and therefore, Dialga and Palkia.

"Greetings, Dialga," he said at last with a nod as he shoved aside his thoughts, closing his eyes for a moment. "I can see even the one who created time is finding himself in an unwanted situation?" the changeling said.

"Mm," Dialga grumbled with a slight sneer.

Rayquaza grimaced. Dialga thinks HE'S got it rough, the kirin thought to herself. HE'S been on four legs since he was BORN...

Before she could entertain any other thoughts on the subject, the loud voice of Princess Celestia echoed amongst the walls of the conference room. "Everypony in attendance, may I please have your attention?!"

On cue, a few senators who decided to stay for the meeting and the new ponies (and elk), turned their heads to the celestial alicorn before she cleared her throat to speak again. "As you all know, a few of us in attendance aren't exactly from Equestria," she started. "Those few, who are amongst us now, are from a place called Earth, where they were in a body entirely different from the one that they currently find themselves in." She looked down at the ponies in question, a quiet sigh escaping her throat. Her trust in these beings, though some seemed more amicable than others, was lacking.

Yveltal slowly slipped back into consciousness, his eyelids fluttering as he ushered a groan. The alicorn, apparently having regained his strength on full, was quick to jump to his hooves, wrenching himself from Xerneas's telekinetic aura as the realization dawned on him.

A smile crossed the blue elk's muzzle as Yveltal sneered at her. Rolling her eyes with a giggle, Xerneas turned her head away from the alicorn stallion and back at Celestia.

Princess Luna, who had apparently woken from a much-needed rest at the racket from Groudon and Kyogre's previous duel, entered the room with a yawn, rubbing the exhaustion out of her eyes before noticing the plethora of odd equines in the conference hall. "Uh... Sister?" she questioned as she approached the elevated platform that Celestia stood on, eyes wide at the sight of three alicorn stallions and a tall changeling.

"Luna," the celestial mare acknowledged, beckoning her over.

With a few wing beats, the lunar mare came to her sibling's side, her gaze shifted to Celestia's calm face. "Who are all of these newcomers?" Princess Luna whispered, watching as the said newcomers talked amongst themselves, seemingly without noticing the alicorn that had just flown over their heads.

"Well, the green kirin's name is Rayquaza, the dark blue unicorn's name isssss Dialga, the Triton is Kyogre, the red unicorn is Groudon, the changeling is Jeratena... Er, Gira-something-or-other, and I haven't caught the other's names yet," Princess Celestia obliged, looking amongst them as she combed through her memories of their arrivals.

"Okay... Aaaand, what are they doing here?" she asked, not catching even one of the names listed to her.

"They are not Equestrian. But I think that was obvious by the three alicorns that showed up seemingly out of the blue. If you can, Sister, keep an eye on the red and grey alicorns. They seemed particularly aggressive. The changeling has been calm so far, but I don't want to take chances with him either way," the milky white mare said, her voice barely a whisper. "The green Kirin seems to know him well, so I would rather keep them apart unless absolutely necessary. The elk and red alicorn seem to hate each other, so the same applies to them. As does it apply to Groudon and Kyogre," Celestia told Luna, nodding at the ponies in question.

"Why? Do you intend on them being in Equestria for long? If they truly are as hateful towards each other as you say, shouldn't we just get them home, now?" Luna said, lifting a confused brow.

"What if they can't get home now?" Celestia retorted. "If that's the case, we need to be prepared to put these newcomers to good use. Groudon would be good for any excavation projects, for example. He looks quite strong and more than capable of digging."

"You're just saying that because he's covered in dirt and has a messy mane," Luna snorted with a chuckle, playfully nudging her sister.

"Maybe, but what about that changeling? Cadence seemed to like him well enough. We could put him to use for one, reconstructing the fountain he destroyed, and two, to help defend against any threats that show up in the Crystal Empire," Celestia spoke, venting a small amount of stress out through her nose in the form of a sigh.

"A changeling? Are you sure that that is such a smart idea? The last time a changeling was in the Crystal Empire, she held Cadence prisoner and tricked Shining Armor into thinking she was his bride," Luna said.

"Nonetheless, if we have no method of returning them home, we should teach them to get used to their bodies. Because they won't go unnoticed in their true forms," Celestia acknowledged matter-of-factly.

"Very well... Before anything, though, the elements should be informed, and we need to learn these newcomer's names."

"Then it's settled," the celestial alicorn said, turning her view back to the Pokemon-converts. "Attention!"

The ponies looked up.

Just as Celestia opened her mouth to speak, however, a large flash blinded all in attendance, a large white and yellow shape dropping from the air in the center of the room. Green and red eyes popped out wide as gold-tipped feathers spread out in an attempt to stay airborne. The newcomer's landing was all but graceful as she fell into a heap.

Princess Celestia lifted a brow as the Pokemon around her almost instantly fell into a deep bow as the alicorn rose to golden plated hooves.

Arceus leaped to her hooves without an ounce of her typical grace, golden feathers ruffled and long mane tangled. "Well!" she quipped, looking at her new form. "That happened!" With that, the creator of the universe lifted her head, looking around at her new surroundings with obvious confusion materializing across her face.

Brushing aside a lock of black and creamy white mane, she spotted the blue and silver form of the Temporal Pokemon and the gold, black, and red form of the Renegade Pokemon, who were the first to approach their leader. Her expression softened as the changeling and unicorn approached with wide eyes.

"Ar-Arceus?!" Dialga stammered through his shock, eyes wide as he took a step towards the alicorn mare.

"Dialga," she cooed, her graceful nature redeveloping. "It is good to see you again."

The stallion unicorn fell into a bow once again, hiding a pained grimace at his broken leg.

His pain, fortunately, was not unnoticed by Arceus. Her long horn hummed slightly, a golden aura surrounding the dragon-types limb as the shattered bones slowly, and painlessly, reasserted themselves into the proper position before melding back together. "Rise, Dialga," Arceus told him, lifting her chin slightly.

Following her orders, the stallion gingerly placed his hoof on the tiled floor before a grin crossed his face. Giratina and Rayquaza exchanged surprised glances as Dialga began prancing around the room with a deep laugh and wide smile like a giddy colt in a downtown candy shop.

"Dialga," Arceus chided, lifting a hoof to calm him. The unicorn stopped dead in his tracks, looking around the room before flushing in embarrassment at the wide eyes locked onto him.

"Uuh... Heh," Dialga chuckled nervously before returning to a more orderly stance, dipping his armored head slightly. "Thank you," he told Arceus, nodding at his creator. "Your kind gesture is greatly appreciated."

The gold-winged alicorn nodded before turning to whom she presumed was the monarch, given by the metallic gauntlets, necklace, and crown. Princess Celestia stood tall and proud, though the creator of the universe before her was a full head or so taller than she was. "You must be the ruler," Arceus stated with a slight bow and polite smile.

Celestia nodded slowly, trying her best to hold back the uneasy feeling that was developing in her gut. Now, excluding herself, her sister, and Twilight, there were four alicorns in the room... and one of them was apparently the leader of their race. "Who are you?"

"My name is Arceus, the Creator of the Universe and one of four universal beings of the Sinnoh Region of Earth," she replied, sensing the unease in the celestial mare. "You have no need to fear me. I am not one of a harmful mind, and try to avoid conflict if possible."

"Thank you for the reassurance, but I hardly find your arrival, along with those of your acquaintances settling. Your breed is exceedingly rare, and for four of your type to show up out of the blue... I fear for my subjects," Celestia said, almost rolling her eyes at her own words. It's much more than just fear! she thought.

"Understood," Arceus acknowledged, interrupting the mare's thoughts. "Perhaps you have an idea to solve this problem? If we are to be here for much longer than this, perhaps you could have us separated? Would that make you feel any better?"

"That... was already the plan."

Before anything more could be said, a panicked Rainbow Dash burst into the room, throwing open the doors with a slam. "Princess! I saw an alicooooooorn?" The cyan mare kept slurring the last syllable at the sight of seven alicorns in the conference hall. Amongst them, she spotted a pitch black stallion with Dragonoid wings and a horn tipped with blue. "Oh! Nevermind. I guess you found 'im!" she exclaimed, setting herself on her hooves. "How'd ya get here?" she asked the stallion.

"I dunno. Just... showed up," Zekrom obliged with a smile as she approached.

Arceus smiled and Celestia's expression deadpanned at the sight of Rainbow Dash galloping to meet her newfound 'friend'. "I see SOMEpony has settled in well," the celestial alicorn grumbled, the sight throwing the idea that these newcomers were dangerous out the window. She disliked being wrong... but was able to admit when she was.

"Indeed. But as for the others, Yveltal (the red and black one with a horn and wings) is a bit testy. I'll admit, out of all the Pokemon I put on Earth to protect, Yveltal was the most defiant of my orders. Best keep him alone where he can't hurt anybody," Arceus explained to the mare, pointing at the grumpy alicorn.

"Okay, what of the others? Or can you let me do my job?" Celestia quipped. Now SHE was becoming the grumpy one. This 'Arceus' character was not receiving the nicest feelings from the monarch.

The white and gold alicorn shot Celestia a look of hurt. Not a sarcastic look, but an honestly offended glance. "I'm sorry?" she questioned.

"This is MY kingdom, now can you please let ME decide what to do with them?!"

"These are MY children," Arceus barked back, her eyes beginning to leak with a golden aura. "And who are you to order me around?"

At this point, the two were practically sizing each other up for a duel, Dialga, Giratina, and Luna were readying themselves to yank Arceus and Celestia apart. "Can we please not do this?!" Xerneas called over the sound of hooves against the tile floor and Arceus's growling.

"NO! No... Let them go at it. I want to see who'll win," Yveltal quipped with a mischievous grin, eyes glued to the scene unfolding before him. The blue elk could almost imagine a bowl of popcorn huddled at the stallion's hooves as he watched the battle preparation.

Just before either alicorn mares could charge an attack though, Rayquaza bravely leaped between them, a stern glare on her face. "KNOCK IT OFF!!" she shouted in a booming growl. Almost instantly, Arceus and Celestia stopped, gazing down at the kirin mare with synonymous looks of shock on their faces.

Arceus's surprise only lasted a moment before it melted into a mixture of slight amusement and pride. Rayquaza had been a well thought out Pokemon, after all.

The Sky High Pokemon ushered a relieved sigh that she hadn't been on the receiving end of retaliation before she spoke again in a softer, but still stern, voice. "We can't lose our heads, right now... Something that I assume the BOTH of you understand. Our first priority should be trying to get home. If a solution isn't found as of today... THEN we can discuss the housing of the different Pokemon. Myself included. But please, and I can't stress this enough, PLEASE do not fight right now," Rayquaza said.

Pikachu nodded smugly, eyes closed and little arms crossed.

Giratina gazed at the mare in wonder. She was always such a brave soul, in some aspects surpassing himself, and he admired this trait in his friend. Chuckling, the stallion lifted a hoof. "I concur," the changeling acknowledged. "Let us find a way home before we try killing one another, huh?"

"BOOO!" Yveltal retorted, moving away from his nonexistent bowl of popcorn.

Chapter Five: Arrangement

-Canterlot, Conference Hall-

Princess Celestia felt sweat bead upon her brow as Arceus took a seat beside her, apparently not remembering, or not caring, about what had unfolded just moments earlier. Rayquaza sat between Groudon and Kyogre to prevent the two Elementals from getting engaged in another duel, though they seemed to be in an amicable enough mood. Yveltal elected to sit in the back of the small crowd, arms crossed as he grumbled quietly to himself about the insolence of Xerneas, who had seated herself next to Zekrom. The alicorn stallion was paying more attention to Rainbow Dash's questions with a smile than the presentation. The two had already seemed to become good friends, sharing similar interests. They both liked to literally have their heads in the clouds and feel the wind against their fur... er... scales for Zekrom. Kyurem, on the other hoof, while he was able to, hated flying and had himself seated beside the massive changeling that was Giratina.

"As we all know, based upon the anatomy and adornments of these 'Pokemon', they are not exactly from Equestria," Twilight Sparkle started, pacing back and forth slightly and again wishing she had note cards to read off of for this presentation. "According to Arceus, Dialga, and Giratina (am I saying that right?)" She received an approving nod from the latter. "Okay, good. Anyway... according to those three, these Pokemon are from a place called Earth, but a freak accident occurred that had them flung here to Equestria."

Dialga grimaced. He knew full well why they were here. It was because of the battle between himself and Palkia, whom he was quite relieved had not managed to find himself in a similar predicament.

Unfortunately for him, Twilight Sparkle must have heard his grumble, for now, she shifted her gaze to the Temporal Pokemon with an asymmetrically cocked brow. "What seems to be the problem?" she asked with slight concern.

This time, the stallion unicorn grumbled all but inaudibly, rolling his eyes with sagging shoulders. With a sigh, he spoke. "It wasn't some freak accident that brought us here, Miss." The other Pokemon looked over at him with confusion; growing anger from the two lead Elementals, Kyurem, and Yveltal; and a chuckle from Xerneas.

"Than pray tell us what it was," Giratina asked quizzically, not at all fazed by his words. He didn't particularly mind the inhabitants of this world much, therefore not being terribly eager to get home, but perhaps a description of how they arrived would help them return to their home.

It took Dialga a moment to reply as he mulled over his options. He could tell them that the incident was the cause of a fight between himself and Palkia that was supposedly ended hundreds of years ago caused a rip in the sky that just happened to teleport the biggest legendary Pokemon to Equestria... Or he could say that he was simply the victim of a plasma mishap that opened the time rift. Unfortunately, lying was a terrible idea, as tempting as it was. Using Judgement, Arceus could easily tell if he was lying. If that didn't happen, the Pokemon he was amongst had a sharp wit and could sense a lie.

With a sigh, the stallion finally replied, fear of Arceus's wrath not eluding him. "I was fighting Palkia when I used my Roar of Time just as he used his Spacial Rend. They made contact and created that violet crack that sucked us into this place," he said with a grimace.

Arceus merely lifted a brow, much to the kirin stallion's surprise.

"Gee, what a surprise," Yveltal growled under his breath.

Giratina nodded, not at Yveltal's words, which he found unnecessary, but at Dialga's. He knew the cause for this was because of Dialga and Palkia, for he could feel their energy coming off of the portal he entered to get here.

Rayquaza's expression was that of slight anger, but she did a better job of hiding her anger than Kyurem, who promptly leaped to his hooves with a glare and stomped towards the Temporal Pokemon. "You're telling me that we're stuck in this stupid body because you two got into a freaking SISSY FIGHT?!" he shouted in Dialga's face, his yellow eyes twitching in annoyance as small shards of ice began to form at his hooves.

"Kyurem!" Arceus barked, levitating to her hooves.

The icy alicorn of Truths and Ideals blinked a few times, his icicles melting away as he tore his attention from Dialga.

Zekrom had long since moved his attention from Rainbow Dash, flickering golden eyes trained on the reckless form of Kyurem as he mentally prepared to place a mountain in front of the train that Dialga had unknowingly started... only for his preparation to be cut short as the grey and blue stallion returned to his seat with Arceus's words.

He was interrupted in his thoughts by the Element of Loyalty with a firm tap on the shoulder. "Hey, uh, Zek? Who was that guy with the yellow horn you were glaring at?" she asked, pointing a hoof at the sour dispositioned pony.

"That, Rainbow Dash, would be Kyurem, the Boundary Pokemon of the same region that I reside in. He's not the friendliest of sorts, but his heart's in the right place," the black stallion acknowledged, his eyes still locked on Kyurem.

"Why's he such a snot?"

"It's not necessarily that he's a snot... He has been waiting for the right person to fill his body with either Truths... Or Ideals... And he's been waiting a very... very long time."

"Oh... Well, I s'pose that would make ANYpony cranky," the pegasus mare chuckled as Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat.

"Ah-EHM!!" the alicorn mare coughed. In response, all but Yveltal lifted their head. "Well, since the reason for your arrival was because of a battle between Dialga and Palkia, and Palkia is, I guess, not in attendance, a reverse reaction to what happened is not an available option. And it sounds particularly dangerous, to begin with," she said, lifting a hoof to her chin in thought. "I can't think of any way to send you guys home... So..... I got nothin'! Princess?"

On cue, Celestia rose to her hooves, the plan she previously had in mind seemed to be the best plan. And she intended to make it so. "Until they are able to go home, either by a reverse reaction to how they got here or otherwise, the Pokemon will be distributed across Equestria, where they will live and work amongst us as if they WERE one of us. Under no exception are the Elementals, whom I have been informed are foes, or the incarnations of Life and Destruction to raise a HOOF to resume ANY conflict. Is this understood?!" the creamy white mare said with a firm stare.

Scattered nods and some grumbles were her replies. Rainbow Dash, in particular, seemed excited with the plan and raised a hoof. "Princess? Zekrom here seems like a really nice fellow. You don't suppose he could stay in Cloudsdale and work with the weather pegasi, do you? After all, he can control lightning. I've seen it," she informed.

Zekrom cracked a slight smile and an eye roll before nodding in agreement.

Princess Celestia's gaze remained trained on the Pitch Black Pokemon as she contemplated. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and nodded. "Very well. This Zekrom fellow seems nice enough as it is and if he can control lightening than perhaps the weather pegasi would whip themselves back into shape, considering the DROUGHT we currently find ourselves in," she exclaimed with a scoff at the word 'drought'.

Rainbow Dash cracked a wide grin that ushered forth a deep laugh from the Pokemon in question.

"What of the others, though?" Celestia added, shattering the joy. True, many of the foreigners seemed to possess great power, but most of them also seemed easy to agitate, not to mention imposing.

Giratina was one of few who had some inkling as to where he wanted to be. "Your Majesty," he started with a slight bow. "Princess Cadenza and her husband seemed like the ones I would find myself comfortable around. Perhaps I may return to the Crystal Empire?"

Rayquaza, at the words, flicked an ear to attention, lifting a quizzical brow. Kyurem seemed equally interested, as the generation of a form of ice crystals were his forte.

Celestia obviously noticed the two dragonoid's expressions. "Your request is granted, but you are to go alone and with only one other," she obliged.

The Renegade Pokemon's eyes hovered over both Rayquaza and Kyurem momentarily before a response was ushered forth. "I would like to bring Rayquaza," he stated.

Kyurem snorted as Rayquaza smiled. "Bucking figures," he growled under his breath. "Can't compete with a girl."

The last part was not so quiet, and Rayquaza shot him a glare before giving his a firm slap to the shoulder with her tail as she walked pass him. As the mare walked across Kyogre's path, the triton grinned and leaned back, entertaining thoughts that would give Groudon good reason to start another conflict.

The latter maintained a glare through it all, batting his hatred at Kyogre for a home run, only for the hatred to be caught and the play be a strike. All of his glaring, irritated snorts, and eye rolls were being straight up ignored.

It was finally Celestia who interrupted his game of fury-born baseball with his name. "Groudon, I have just received word that, with the drought, extra help will be needed in a nearby settlement. You will go there, with... Kyurem," she said, not looking up from a hovering letter in front of her face.

"Wait, what?!" he barked, reeling back slightly. "I didn't sign up for this crap!" the unicorn ranted, rising to his hooves. "You haven't even read me my rights!"

"You have no rights, here," the celestial alicorn said flatly.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," he shrugged, noticing a glimmer materializing across her horn. "Well, if I have no rights, can you at least tell me what this place is like?" Groudon proceeded, furrowing a confused brow. "And explain to me how, in a world of magic, rainbow colored horses, there could POSSIBLY be a drought?"

"It's a rural town, lots of open land and apple trees. Considering how dirty-I MEAN strong you look, seems like a good place for you to unwind enough to not want to murder your contemporary," she said.

Groudon's expression deadpanned before he looked down at his grit covered fur. "I don't look THAT bad, do I?"

"Yes," Kyogre grinned.

"Shut up!" the Continent Pokemon snapped, flicking a few grains of dirt at the triton's eyes.

"How about you BOTH shut up, hm?" Rayquaza interjected with a sarcastic smile before making her way back to Giratina.

Kyurem didn't seem to even notice the princess's words, more worried about kinetically carving a small piece of ice into the word "truth".

"KYUREM!" Arceus barked at the stallion, breaking his attention away from the small ice shard.

In his shock, the stallion dropped the delicate crystal, the carving splintering on impact with the tile floor. Glaring down at the now melting ice, the grey alicorn shifted his view up to the creator of the universe with a sigh. "Sorry," he muttered, closing his eyes.

"Don't be, you'll find someone eventually," the mare acknowledged with a nod. "Would you care to listen to what Celestia has to say for just five more minutes?" she then asked.

"Sure, whatever," he shrugged, looking up at the creamy white mare in question.

"You will go with Groudon to help whip the Zap Apple Orchards back into shape," Princess Celestia told the Boundary Pokemon with a grateful nod to Arceus, in spite of previous conflict between the two.

Kyurem grimaced and shifted his view over to the Continent Pokemon, watching in slight disgust as the stallion unicorn scratched his rough beard. He could almost see the dirt fall from Groudon's facial hair. "Uh... Could I possibly not?" he asked.

"This is not negotiable," Celestia replied before turning to those who had yet to be assigned a location. Xerneas, Yveltal, Dialga, Kyogre, and Arceus all returned the glance, giving her a slight feeling of unease. "Xerneas, please step forward," she ordered.

On cue, the blue and grey elk approached with a bow, curling up an elegant hoof. "Your Majesty?"

"You will remain here to aid in the study of your return home. Yveltal is to remain under your watch, as you seem one of few who can keep him under order, by what I've heard," Celestia said with a nod.

"WHAT?!" the stallion in question shouted, leaping to his hooves. "Okay, NO! Count me out! I'd rather be stuck in this form for a MILLENNIA than be stuck in it for a MONTH with that walking pile of venison around!" he retorted, throwing his hooves up in despair.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to learn to get along, now won't you?" Dialga snorted in response, rolling his eyes.

"Perhaps you would care to join them, since you seem so quick to interject?" Celestia said to the unicorn kirin.

Instantly, the Temporal Pokemon kept his tongue where it belonged, face reddening slightly.

"That's better... You will, however, be positioned as a combat trainee in our celestial wing. I understand that you are more than capable of the feats necessary to protect our citizens?" the milky white mare asked.

"I can freeze time and distort space, some simple guard work is as easy to me as it is for you to brush your teeth... If your kind even does that," he acknowledged with a smug nod. He wasn't particularly fond of protecting some alien race from whatever or whoever would possibly want to harm colorful horses, but he certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever their monarch was capable of.

"Good. That being said, Kyogre, please step forth!"

On cue, the red, white, and blue triton stepped forward with a polite smile.

"What are your specialties?"

The Sea Basin Pokemon combed through his memories. He didn't fight as often as he once did, and his abilities had since started to dwindle. That wasn't to say, however, that he was weak. "I am, for all in tense and purposes, the demigod of the sea. I can control water with ease and weaponize it, creating a beam of water capable of punching through thick steel," he said at last, puffing his chest slightly with pride.

Celestia took his words into careful consideration, furrowing her brows as she entertained the thought. "Very well, you would be perfect in helping us take care of this drought. You will go to Ponyville to aid the weather pegasi from the ground. That is, if you can create rain."

"Indeed, I can."

"Then it is settled. You are to go to Ponyville. That leaves one last Pokemon."

Arceus flicked an ear to attention as the celestial mare gazed at her skeptically.

She could feel the energy that leaked out of the white and gold alicorn's body... and she didn't like it one bit. But Equestria was place of peace, not of anger, and Celestia was quick to acknowledge that fact. "You and I will work together in the future, I would like to see what you are capable of," she told the Creation Pokemon, her expression softening ever-so-slightly as she vented off some stress through her nostrils.

All Pokemon had been assigned, though with some, through aggressive means. "Court adjourned!" she exclaimed, her hoof clacking against the floor like a judge's gavel.

All but a couple rose to their hooves to leave for either the train station, or to gather around Celestia for assignment in Canterlot.

Rayquaza looked over at the face of a slightly irritated Groudon with a hint of skepticism as she followed Giratina out the door.

"Relax, Ray. Groudon will be fine," the Renegade Pokemon assured her with a smile, nudging her shoulder before putting an arm around her waist and giving her a light squeeze. "What harm could he cause with Kyogre not around?" he asked the Sky High kirin.

"He doesn't like mortals. That's why he was always so reclusive. And this Celestia just decided to put him amongst their populace. I don't want anybody to be harmed if he flips out," she explained.

"Hey... At least he's stuck as one of them. Kinda reduces his strength some, right?"

"I don't know... And I know for sure that I don't want to be around to find out."

-Canterlot Train Station-

The Pokemon, with a few armed escorts, managed to get to the train station with little to worry about. Though they had managed to turn a few heads, as the vast majority of them were seemingly dressed for war, and one or two of them being the rarest species of equine in Equestria. Giratina, on the other hoof, was a whole different story. Canterlot residents and visitors didn't need to sea royally armored changeling for the second time and start running for cover. With the reluctant help of Kyurem via shields of ice to block residential view, though, he managed to get to the train station with relative ease. Groudon was placed in a train cart with Kyurem, where Zekrom, Rainbow Dash, Giratina, and Rayquaza were placed in a separate one.

All had gone well and the Pokemon were on their way to their assigned locations.

Chapter Six: Bull-Headed and Stubborn as Hell

-Zap Apple Orchards, Ponyville-

Applejack hummed quietly to herself as her rear hooves struck the bark of an apple tree with a thud, the impact shuddering the branches and raining bright red apples into prearranged buckets. She watched with a sigh on her breath, as the apples that reigned were but a few with the bringing of the drought. Fortunately, help would be arriving soon. And by Celestia's word, that help should be approached cautiously. She wondered what could be so dangerous about somepony helping patch things up on the farm, but tried not to look to much into it. So long as they were strong for bucking, things should be alright.

As Applejack approached another tree, a loud snort tore her attention away from her work. Lifting a brow, the Element of Honesty followed the sound of heavy thuds in the earth that swayed the ground beneath her hooves slightly. She walked with caution, as what she assumed was an animal sounded heavily built, more than a match for somepony her size. But hey, she'd stopped a stampede of cows before, and this sounded like one animal.

Just as she rounded the thick trunk of an apple tree, she was greeted by the crack of three whips against her chest, the impact throwing the earth mare to the ground. Gritting her teeth, Applejack uttered a pained grown and looked down at her chest to inspect the damage. Sure enough, three thin, red marks ran across her chest, a sign of her state. Looking up at the aggressor, Applejack beheld the sight.

Before her was a massive, snorting bull with a pair of long, recurved horns jutting out of the side of its skull, with three small, grey circles running up the center of the forehead. Behind the large skull were hunched shoulders enveloped in a collar of thick brown fur that hung down between its charcoal grey hooves. The back legs were shorter, a trait common in Equestria's cattle, but the trio of long, lion-like tails was definitely not.

Applejack lifted a brow in a mixture of confusion and awe as the longhorn thrashed its head about, the three tails slapping its flanks with a loud crack.

"What in tarnation?" the mare exclaimed as the bull bellowed, rearing onto its hind legs momentarily before crashing back down with a shake in the earth beneath. Its right hoof scrapped against the soft dirt, digging a shallow trench before the beast lunged forward.

Applejack's eyes nearly escaped the sockets as the longhorn rushed full sprint across the field of apple trees, snorting as it held its head low and charged forward. Her shock only lasted a split second before it melted into a determined smirk, the closest rope to her quickly being tied into a lasso and held in her teeth.

With a jerk of the neck, the rope was sent twirling over the mare's head as the massive bull surged forward, nostrils flaring to allow hot air out and back into its lungs.

Applejack rolled aside as the animal lunged forward, throwing the rope over her head so that it looped around her foe's muzzle. With a bellow, the animal jerked its head, yanking Applejack down onto the ground. The mare squeezed her eyes shut to prevent the kicked up dust from clouding her vision. All the while, she struggled to rise to her hooves. The longhorn was moving too fast for her to find a foothold against the ever changing terrain.

For nearly ten minutes Applejack was dragged across fields of apple trees until finally, she kicked off of a passing tree and landed behind the buffalo's woolly shoulders.

"YEEEE-HAH!!" she shouted triumphantly, pulling her hat off of her head and waving it in the air, while her other hoof gripped tightly onto the animal's fur.

Hearing this and feeling the weight on its back, the bull stopped running and started bucking, bellowing in a mixture of rage and irritation at the being on its back. A stray kick struck a tree and splintered it with a snap, the sound all but inaudible over the heavy, rasping breath and roars of Applejack's mount.

The mare lasted for approximately seven minutes before one last buck threw her over the beast's shoulders. She struck the dirt with a grunt as the bull threw the rope on its snout aside and reared onto its hind legs. Applejack rolled aside just in time to see a pair of hooves strike the ground beneath where she had just been with nearly a quarter ton of force.

She rolled to her hooves as the bull snorted and heaved, stirring up dust as a result of its low hanging head. Applejack cautiously circled the animal as it stomped the dirt, three tails thrashing in agitation. "Bring it on, little dawgie," she grinned with a determined glare.

Quick to oblige, Applejack wasn't fast enough to avoid being struck a second time by the tufted tails. She could have remained conscious too, if it hadn't been for the apple tree that stopped her from skidding across the ground. With a gasp, her vision blurred, the longhorn's shape becoming a brown and grey blob as it approached. Her eyes rolled back into her skull, and Applejack fainted.

-The Apple Farm-

Groudon walked down the long dirt driveway, Kyurem following in tow. The sight of a large, red barn was one of the last things he wanted to be seeing right now. The number one spot, though, belonged to Kyogre's ugly mug. Squinting in the broad daylight, the unicorn stallion noticed a heavily built pony leaning against the barn, a western hat shielding his eyes from view and a thin strand of wheat sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

Groudon fired a questioning glance at Kyurem, who in turn mouthed the words "I don't know," and shrugged.

Upon turning his head back to where he was going, the Continent Pokemon noticed the bright red stallion approaching with a smile, tilting his head up to reveal a pair of emerald green eyes. "Howdy!" he called out as he advanced, waving to the not-so-dynamic-duo.

The earth stallion, as Groudon would come to know his kind by, stopped a couple feet away from him. "You two must be th' help Celestia sent over," he exclaimed, lifting a hoof. "Name's Big Macintosh, but ya can just call me Big Mac," he grinned.

Groudon, thinking the motion best to just copy, took his hoof. "Groudon," he acknowledged before releasing his hoof.

"Pleasure tah meet ya," he said before turning to the grey alicorn and lifting his hoof again.

Kyurem turned his head away from Big Mac, rolling his eyes with a slight grumble.

The earth pony frowned momentarily, dropping his hoof and shifting the piece of wheat in his mouth. "There ain't nothin' tah be shy about," he exclaimed.

On cue, the alicorn whipped his head around. "Shy?!" he hooted in displeasure. "You think that I, the Boundary Pokemon of Truths and Ideals, is shy?!" he barked, throwing his hooves up in despair.

"Uh..." Big Mac spluttered with wide eyes, withdrawing his head slightly as Kyurem waited for an answer. "I'll take that as a no?" he said finally, motioning to Groudon.

"You'll get used to it," he replied with a flat expression, patting his shoulder as he passed and made his way towards the homestead.

Kyruem followed with a puff of cold, icy air in Big Mac's face.

"Okay, then."

-The Crystal Empire Train Station-

Prince Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza waited patiently at the train station for Giratina to make his grand return, knowledge that another joining him not eluding their minds. "If he's anything like Giratina," Shining said, "then we should enjoy his company.

Cadence smiled with a nod as he wrapped a cloak around her to shield the alicorn from the cold winds that had developed as they waited. Icy air lashed at his face as the distant cry of a train horn became audible over the winds. Both let a sigh overtake them as the snow-covered train became visible over the horizon, layers of snow flying off of its roof as it ground to a halt before them.

The royal pair approached the doors of a train car and waited a moment before they slid open, shards of ice collapsing as the car's inhabitants debarked from the transport. Giratina came out with a smile and a deep bow, one which Cadence and Shining returned.

"Welcome back," Princess Cadence told the changeling.

"Thank you," Giratina responded. "Now then, it is my current knowledge that Celestia told you of our situation, if I am not mistaken?"

"Indeed... But where is the 'we'?"

"Rayquaza will be out momentarily. Needed to get bundled up first," Giratina smiled.

"Speak of the devil," Shining exclaimed, nodding at the kirin exiting the train car. His first thought was that the fact that who they assumed would be a 'he', based upon what they heard about the being's power, was actually a 'she'. If he had to admit it, this 'Rayquaza' looked quite attractive in the grey and white fur coat that shielded her fur from the now frigid temperatures. He must have been staring, for he felt a wing smack the back of his head lightly. Looking over, Shining saw his wife shooting him a glare.

Giratina laughed a deep, rolling laugh. "Catching a few eyes already, huh, Ray," he chuckled, nudging the kirin mare's shoulder.

She didn't respond, and he was quick to acknowledge why. Rayquaza's teeth chattered noisily as the wind slashed at her face and knocked her sideways slightly. The yellow rodent that had huddled inside of her coat poked his head out momentarily before, at the shock of the cold air, pulled back in.

"Pik-" Pikachu's muffled voice chittered.

"Your majesties. I'd like to get Ray inside before she freezes. Normally she's a big snake, so I'm sure you can see why this might be of concern?" Giratina said with worry spreading across his muzzle.

"Yes, of course," Cadence replied, coming to the kirin's side and wrapping her cloak around Rayquaza's neck like a scarf before beginning an advance towards the empire.

Giratina smiled at her selflessness. These beings, he was growing to like. First, for their acceptance of him, and second, at their concern for somebody that they met not even five minutes ago. With a satisfactory sigh, the changeling stallion slipped back to walk alongside the lagging behind Rayquaza, nuzzling her snout like a father bird.

"Th-tha-ank you," the mare stuttered to both Giratina and Cadence, her muscles shuddering at the cold wind.

-The Apple Farm-

"We had been plannin' on you workin' out in th' fields to gather the apples, but AJ got into a bit of a scuffle with a longhorn this mornin', so we need you here at th' moment," Big Mac told the two stallions at his side.

Groudon lifted a quizzical brow at the earth stallion. "Is this normal?" he asked.

"Well," Big Mac said, scratching his head, "not outside of th' stampede she stopped 'bout a month ago," he acknowledged. "Anywho, Granny Smith's been waitin' tah meet you two, so go ahead in." He pointed at the red door next to them before he turned away. "I got a bit a work tah do. I'll see ya guys at probably 'round break time."

"Sure," the unicorn shrugged, turning to Kyurem before nudging the door open slightly.

"Quit yer squirmin'!" he heard a mare order in a thick, country accent with no small amount of age.

"Granny! I'm fine!" Groudon heard a younger mare groan before he finally stepped in.

Both turned their head to face the newcomer with confusion. "Greetings," he said at last with a nod before Kyurem too, became visible. "My name is Groudon, this is Kyurem," the Continent Pokemon explained, motioning towards the grey and blue alicorn at the last part.

"So yer finally here, eh?!" the one Groudon assumed was Granny Smith hooted with a grin. "What took yeh so long, boy?" she cackled, approaching the stallion.

Groudon didn't bother correcting her on his age. He was at least 2,000 years old, and still young for his age, but he disliked being called 'boy'. "I'm new around here, so finding the train station wasn't particularly easy," he replied at last, grimacing as she stuck her snout right up against his own. She had to stand on the tips of her hooves to do so, but he found it unnerving nonetheless. Taking a step back, he took in the smells of the barn in one breath. Apples, anti-aging cream, and hay. It was one other scent that had his attention. It lingered on the younger of the two ponies before him, and was vaguely reminiscent of something he knew back on Earth.

Approaching the light brown earth mare, he leaned down, nostrils flaring slightly as he absorbed the scent into his capillaries. "Tell me," he said, standing back up, "what did this to you?" Groudon asked, nodding at the bandage around her chest and bag of ice on her forehead.

The mare lifted a brow with a hint of skepticism before she sighed. "Some big ol' bull with a nasty temper," she acknowledged. "Why?"

"What are your names?" the stallion asked, apparently not hearing her.

"Mah name's Applejack. This here's Granny Smith."

"Well then, Applejack... I know fully well what did this to you. And where I come from... That 'bull' would be a Tauros," the Pokemon turned unicorn told her. "It was very unwise on your part to try to reign in a beast like that. They are known to be very aggressive, and will not hesitate to charge," Groudon went on.

"How did you know what it was?"

"I have a very acute sense of smell," he said before leaning closer to Applejack, "acute enough to smell your grandmother's wrinkle cream," he whispered.

Applejack held back a laugh, putting a hoof to her snout before looking up at the disgruntled form of Kyurem. It was almost instantaneously that she noticed the icy wings at his shoulders and yellow horn between his brows. "Yer an... alicorn?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Aaaaa... what now?" the stallion queried, pulling his head back slightly and letting his wings drop in confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about. What did that Tauros DO to you?!" the Boundary Pokemon snorted.

"Well... First, it whipped me with its tails, and then it charged at me, THEN it dragged me for about ten minutes, THEN, it almost flattened me, and FINALLY it whipped me again," the Element of Honesty obliged.

"Jeez," Kyurem said with slight shock audible in his voice. He was even, to some extent impressed that she was still alive. "And how did you not DIE?!"

-Cloudsdale-

Rainbow Dash sped across the city of clouds, tailed by a large, pitch black alicorn whose tail sparkled with blue and yellow as he pursued. The stallion uttered a thunderous bellow as he chased, red and gold eyes flickering as a cone of air formed in front of him.

Her heart on the verge of exploding, the Element of Loyalty gasped for breath, her wing beats slowly growing irregular and frantic. Daring to look back, her pursuer seemed to not be tiring in the slightest, the mach cone only seeming to grow larger as he gained on the cyan pegasus.

Unable to stay airborne any longer, Rainbow Dash let herself fall, her body softly striking a fluffy cloud. As she landed, a sprinkle of water fell to the ground below.

The one she'd been flying from, Zekrom, landed beside her, a look of shock forming on his face at the solidity of the cloud he stood on. Sitting on his haunches, the stallion looked down at the tired form of Rainbow Dash beside him, a soft chuckle leaking from his throat. "You alright?" he laughed in his characteristically deep voice, nudging her shoulder.

She nodded weakly before forcing herself up. "Are you SURE we're not related?" she choked, looking into his golden eyes.

"Unless you want to tell me that you're from Earth and live with a bunch of bipedal talking monkeys, then... no... we're not related," he smiled. Already, he was growing to like this place, and felt that he would fit in well. His thoughts were pushed aside by an irritated groan from his new friend.

Looking over, he spotted a trio of strongly built pegasi flying over to greet her, mischievous grins crossing their muzzles. "Hey! Rainbow Crash, how ya doin', huh?" the center pegasus chuckled. "See ya got yourself a new stallion-friend ey?" he grinned, landing by her side.

"Oh my GOD!!" Rainbow Dash shouted, leaping to her hooves. "Dumb-Bell, how about you and your friends just buck off, huh? I don't need to hear you lips flapping like your wings!"

"Oh, c'mon, we were just teasing," the deep brown stallion smiled.

"Were you now?" Zekrom's deep voice interjected. Rising to his hooves, the alicorn approached the trio with a stern glare crossing his face. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened at how much taller the Pitch Black Pokemon was than the three stallions. "Clearly, she doesn't LIKE to be teased, a sentiment that I'm sure you share with her, if you mortals have taught me anything," he growled at them, poking Dumb-Bell in the chest. "Now, scram... Before you have to worry about what others will think of your mangled body when I'm through with it," he snarled, peeling back his lips to reveal ranks of curved fangs.

On cue, Dumb-Bell took a step back, followed by Hoops and Score. "Uh... y-yeah. S-sure," he spluttered, turning to fly off.

Before he could, Zekrom stepped on his tail. "And don't let me catch you teasing, harassing, or otherwise bullying... ANYbody," he barked.

"Okay," the pegasus said weakly.

"Good." With that, the alicorn released his tail so that he may join his friends. Looking over, Zekrom spotted Rainbow Dash gawking at him. "What?"

"How did you-?"

"I'm a being spoken of in legends. A couple of bullies are nothing more than an interruption," he smiled, taking a seat beside her.

-Canterlot, Celestial Wing-

Dialga adjusted his celestial helm with an all but inaudible grumble. He was used to the nice, heavily built silver that he wore previously, not some silly looking pile of scrap that sat on his head and clicked against the floor with each step. When he asked why he had to wear it, Celestia had replied that it was to prevent visitors or residents suspecting that he was some viscous war-lord and not a respected member of her guard.

But he wasn't a respected member of her guard.

At least not for much longer... I hope, he thought as he approached the training hall of the Celestial Wing of the castle. With a sigh, he pushed the door marked "Training" open and beheld the sight.

Ponies of various species and size were partnered up, some at heavy sacs hung by chains from the ceiling, others on treadmills, and some in a wrestling ring. Only one thing had him flustered... All were in training gear. He was straight up dressed for war.

Before he could slink back out, a light blue mare with a dark blue and streaking white mane approached with a welcoming smile that seemed to drag him back.

"Ya gonna keep tryinna escape this insane asylum, er come say hello?" she asked with a chuckle, waving him back in.

Dialga sighed in defeat, and with an eye roll, reproached her.

"Glad tah have ya... Buuut I never did catch yer name?"

"Dialga."

"Well, Dialga, you can call me Cap'n Frost. As said before, glad you 'cided to show up. But where's yer training gear?" Captain Blueberry Frost asked, looking over his shoulder for a saddle bag that might hold his belongings. Instead, she saw a spiny, silver fin that jutted out of his hips.

"I was never given any," he muttered in slight embarrassment.

"No matter. Long as yer tough enough for partner work, ya shouldn't be needin' any at th' moment," the earth mare smiled in reponse, beckoning him to follow her.

Jeez, this place is weird, the Temporal Pokemon thought with an eyeroll and a frown as he followed Captain Frost to the nearest bucking bag.

Chapter Seven: Dusk Mane

-Canterlot, Celestial Wing-

Celestia walked slowly, a noisy yawn escaping her throat as she made her way to her chambers. All of the fuss in sorting out strange new ponies from a distant realm from her own had not gone without tiring the celestial alicorn, and she was eager to reacquaint her head to a pillow and wings to a blanket.

Ushering another yawn, the mare spotted the door to her bedroom down the torch-lit hallway and quickened her pace slightly. As she lifted a hoof to the doorknob, she heard a faint whisper in her ears and felt a chill breeze against her fur and feathers.

Swiveling around, Princess Celestia spotted, for a brief, glancing moment, a black, crystalline shape roll into the shadows, a soft hiss seeping out of its form.

"Who goes there?!" she called out, letting a faint golden light envelop her horn. "Show yourself!" Celestia ordered, clapping her golden clad hoof against the floor.

Before she could do anything more, a dark shadow cloaked a torch and snuffed the light that it emitted, darkening a small portion of the hall. The shape, as it moved, Celestia could tell was vaguely equestrian, but made out of some kind of crystalline material. She watched in a mixture of curiosity and growing fear as the shape approached, dousing the light from each torch in shadow as it moved.

The equine, whatever it was, stopped feet from her, a jagged black horn crackling and similarly constructed wings fanning themselves. The alicorn uttered another gentle, almost soothing hiss as Celestia looked over its form. It was indeed an alicorn, but looked like its body looked like it was constructed of aerenth crystals, the same deep black that the mare recognized from King Sombra's reign in the Crystal Empire. Blue pupils surrounded by crimson red glared at her as elbow mounted gems of black and white pulsed with a faint light.

Celestia found herself captivated by the odd pony and unable to move despite the fear that rapidly grew withing her. Straining to move, she was unable to stop the equine as it dissolved into shadow and enveloped her form.

She couldn't even scream for help.

-Crystal Empire-

Rayquaza let the sweet smell of hot chocolate seep into her nose as she sat huddled next to Giratina, Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence across from them. "Oh, this is so much better," the Sky High Pokemon murmured with a slight smile. "Thank you for this," she said to the Crystal Rulers, nodding at them before taking a sip of her cocoa with a satisfied sigh.

Pikachu had, since they made it to a warmer location, had himself perched where he usually did between her broad head crests, snoring lightly.

"Think nothing of it," Cadence chuckled. "You looked frozen to the bone out there, and your friend helped to put you on our good side," the bubblegum pink alicorn continued. "Anyway, I take it that you're Rayquaza, Demigoddess of the Skies?"

The mare shot a look over to Giratina with a cocked brow. "How much about me DID you tell them?" she asked the Renegade Pokemon, flushing in the cheek slightly at both the cocoa and Cadence's words.

"Enough for them to get a sense of who you are," Giratina smirked with a nod.

"Like how you fought off two of the most powerful beings of your home," Shining Armor interjected. "How'd you do it, anyway? You seem like you would know more magic than the brute strength Giratina explained."

"I have my ways," Rayquaza replied, firing a half-second glare at her friend.

-Canterlot, Yveltal's Chambers-

Yveltal growled under his breath as he sat on his haunches across from Xerneas, lips curled back into a snarl as he glared at her with so small amount of hatred, and no small amount of annoyance. The castle's monarch was forcing him to try and get along with his greatest foe. Like that'll go well for anybody, the twin crested pegasus thought to himself with a sneer as Xerneas inhaled deeply, eyes shut.

"Yveltal," she chided, "I don't here you breathing," Xerneas continued, taking a peek at the pegasus stallion.

"This is stupid," the Destruction Pokemon grumbled, rolling his eyes before inhaling sharply and quickly.

"Anger leads to the dark side," the Life Giving Pokemon joked in a strange voice, remembering a human movie for a moment with a smile and giggle.

"I OWN the dark side!" Yveltal barked, leaping to his hooves with a snort.

Before Xerneas could reply, a cold breeze swirled under the crack of the closed door and ruffled Yveltal's mane. Even to a Pokemon such as himself, the breeze felt as though it had a touch of evil.

"Did you feel that?" he asked, his typically angry demeanor seeping away.

"No?" the she-elk acknowledged, lifting her eyelids and rising to her hooves. "What did you feel?" she questioned, looking over at him.

Yveltal entertained dark thoughts for a moment, a mischievous smirk crossing his muzzle. "Something with a lot of hatred in it," he said, leaving his room.

Xerneas let her eyes widen for a moment before she followed the avatar of death itself out.

-Moments Later-

Yveltal was flying down the hall, eyes never straying away from the milky white and crystalline black shape that darted amongst the hallways. A loathsome sneer twisted across the stallion's face as he summoned a sphere of dark energy before him and launched it forward. The Shadow Ball raced towards its target with grim accuracy. Before it could strike his foe, the shadowy figure dodged to the side, sending the sphere of dark energy through the walls of somepony's room.

But Yveltal didn't notice. He had hardly noticed that his attack had even missed its target. The Destruction Pokemon's only motive was that this newcomer would provide a good amount of life energy.

Careening around a corner, the stallion, lunged toward the equine, jaws bared as he landed on top of it. The alicorn he struggled against was thrown down and forced against the floor, where Yveltal spread his broad wings, which had now taken up a strong glow as he prepared to absorb its life energy.

Before he could do anything of the sort though, Xerneas planted her hooves against his rib cage, slamming him against a wall.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Yveltal shouted with fury brewing in his eyes as he recovered, the crystalline figure making its escape. "I had 'im in my grasp!!"

"You can't be so quick to attack!" Xerneas barked back.

"What are you thinking?! That thing was NOT worth protecting. Didn't you feel that?!"

"Yveltal," a voice like a chime interjected. The stallion's ears feel flat as he winced. He knew the voice as well as any legendary Pokemon. "You were right to try and stop it. You were NOT right in trying to absorb its life force, though," Arceus scolded as she approached him from behind. "Necrozma has been troublesome since his creation. But I never expected he'd go so far as to harm beings from this world," the alicorn exclaimed. "Also, regardless of Necrozma's arrival, I don't particularly appreciate the hole in my wall."

The pegasus grimaced, dipping his head slightly. "Sooooo... What are you going to do about what's-his-face?"

"I'm going to have Dialga scout things out. Knowing Necrozma, he's gone after the celestial's of this world. Those being the princesses. You two, on the other hand, are going back to your separate chambers until I give the okay, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Master," Yveltal grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Do I make myself clear?!" Arceus said again.

"Yeah, sure... Whatever," he shrugged again, turning his back on the alicorn to return to his chambers.

"Keep an eye on him for me," Arceus told Xerneas as she turned to walk off. "Goodness knows what he'll do when nobody's paying attention."

"You can count on me," Xerneas smiled, turning with a bow.

"I know I can," the Creation Pokemon said in a soft voice. When Xerneas was out of sight, the mare's typically calm demeanor was broken, replaced with that of worry. Necrozma was too dangerous to be left alone for too long, and part of Arceus was thinking that maybe Yveltal should have been allowed to absorb his energy, however dangerous it could have made the pegasus as a result. Yveltal was reckless and unstable, which was how one would be able to bring him down. Necrozma, on the other hand, was crafty, always thinking about his next target, which was what made him so much more deadly. And the fear of the Prism Pokemon already having taken control of one of the royal sister's bodies was not absent from Arceus's mind as she trotted down the hall.

The mare had been traveling for a few minutes when she nearly collided with the Temporal Pokemon himself as he exited the celestial wing's training room with a heavily packed saddlebag over his shoulders.

Arceus skidded to a halt before the unicorn stallion, a wave of relief washing over her at the notion of his aid. "Oh, thank the stars," she breathed, placing a hoof on his shoulders.

"What?" Dialga queried, lifting a confused brow at her panic.

"Dialga," she started, "do you remember Necrozma?"

"Curse his name, yes," the stallion acknowledged with a growl to his words.

"He's here. And I fear he's after the princesses," Arceus explained, looking about as she spoke as if he might be amongst the two now.

"He is?! How can you be sure?" Dialga asked, joining her in her motions and looking about him for a crystalline shadow.

"I saw him just after he had escaped Yveltal... You must help me find him before he does any harm!" the alicorn mare ordered.

"Right, okay," he said.

"Also, what are you wearing? Where's your armor?"

The stallion grimaced. "That Celestia character made me wear something less 'frightening'," he grumbled, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "So now I look ridiculous."

"Join me after you put your own armor on," Arceus said.

-Minutes Later-

Dialga came to his creator's side, adjusting his silver helmet slightly as Arceus shifted her view down to him. "Much better," she said. "Now let's go. You take the Lunar Wing. I'll take the Celestial side," the alicorn ordered, nodding in the said directions.

"Okay... Just one problem with that," the Temporal Pokemon obliged.

Arceus shot him a skeptical glance.

"I don't know my way around this place."

The mare sighed. "Then just look wherever you can."

"Right," Dialga said before turning to walk off.

Minutes Arceus had vanished from his view, a crystalline figure dropped down into his path. Well... Mostly crystalline, except for the milky white that was visible across most of the wings, parts of the legs, and some of the back. The unicorn stopped dead in his tracks with a slight growth of horror in his mind at what he was seeing. He recognized the being as both Necrozma... and Princess Celestia.

The stallion pushed aside fear to make way for determination, a glare crossing his face as he took up a battle stance. "I've faced harder challenges than you," he growled at the now black alicorn, his eyes glowing faintly as a blue-grey aura slithered from his eyes in tendrils.

"I seriously doubt that," a voice that seemed to echo all around him hissed as the equine before him leaped into the air, horn crackling with a mixture of gold and deep violet light.

"Let's have a go at it, then," he smirked before extending his jaws to make way for an aura beam.

The crackle of Necrozma's horn reached its zenith as a blaze of electric blue light tore forth from his foe's jaws, clipping the alicorn's wing. In response, Necrozma dropped down to all fours and launched a blast of shimmering gold and crackling violet from his horn, the attack striking Dialga square in the chest.

The stallion was blasted back a few feet, where he rolled to his hooves gasping for breath. Dialga looked down at his chest with a wince to inspect the damage. Luckily, the violet crystal embedded in his armor still pulsed softly against the silver. If that was to break, the result would be favorably compared to the end of time himself.

Necrozma fanned his crystal coated wings as he glared up at the Temporal Pokemon, charging another blast in preparation to put an early end to the duel.

Before Dialga could react, a small, green blur shot by him before resting itself on Necrozma's shoulder. "You're not being very nice, Mister," the changeling scolded Necrozma, tapping a hold filled hoof against his snout with a grin.

The crystalline alicorn snarled, slapping a wing against her back to shove her off.

The response was a minute flash before the changeling disappeared and reappeared on his other shoulder before looking up at Dialga. "Hiya, Steel!" she chirped with a slightly Asian accent as Necrozma growled and tried to shake her off.

Dialga looked on with a chuckle as Celebi buzzed about, tapping the stallion on the shoulder.

Each time, Necrozma would whip around to face her, only for the mare to appear a nanosecond later at his hooves. "Hey, what's that?" the changeling asked him, pointing a hoof at his crystalline chest. Looking down, Necrozma received a hoof to the chin for his actions. "Made ya look!" Celebi laughed.

Uttering a roar of irritation, Necrozma lurched forward and snatched the changeling's hoof in his jaws before twirling around and throwing her. She emerged unscathed, as a simple teleportation had her on all fours with little effort.

Dialga, nonetheless was quick to respond, and with a growl, he lunged on top of the alicorn, slamming his jaws down on the back of Necrozma's neck.

The stallion howled in pain, rearing onto his hind legs in response.

The Temporal Pokemon used this to his advantage, converging all of his strength into pulling Necrozma down. No matter how hard Necrozma tried to escape the throw down, it was no sell. Dialga was acting like a dead weight on his back. Just as the dark stallion was dragged down, the unicorn moved away, quick to place an unmoving hoof against his foe's chest.

"You, my friend, have made a dire mistake" the Temporal Pokemon growled in his face before throwing a hoof at Necrozma's jaw. As the tempered steel made impact, a crystalline shadow lunged from the alicorn, dark material melting away to reveal Princess Celestia.

The mare held a hoof to her cheek in pain before psychically shoving the stallion off of her. "Ow!" she groaned, stumbling to her hooves.

Dialga didn't seem to notice her words, as he had a medium-sized changeling wrapped in his arms. "Celly!" he laughed in a deep voice.

"Don't call me that," Princess Celestia ordered, grimacing as she rubbed her bruised bottom jaw.

The unicorn turned to her with confusion. "I... wasn't... talking to you," he retorted, gently placing Celebi back onto her hooves.

"Oh," the alicorn replied, rolling her eyes with a slight sense of embarrassment.

Before anypony could do anything more, Arceus skidded around the corner before grinding to a halt at Celestia's hooves. "Princess," she gasped, "are you alright? What happened?" she spluttered before seeing the Time-Travel Pokemon standing beside her mentor. "Celebi," she quipped with a nod.

A slight wave of fear washed over the changeling at seeing her creator's distress. Nonetheless, though, she bowed.

"I'm quite alright, thank you for asking," Celestia said, pulling the mare back to her senses. "Apart from the bruised jaw, that is." She scowled at Dialga briefly.

"I know who your captor was. His name is Necrozma, the Prism Pokemon; a reckless, and hate filled soul who bypasses Yveltal on some aspects," Arceus explained. "And we need to catch him before he targets your sister as well."

Princess Celestia's face morphed from pain into dread at the thought of the being that controlled her taking Princess Luna as well. "What?" she choked, looking up at the alicorn with no attempts at hiding her fear.\

-Lunar Wing-

Necrozma hissed angrily as he glided down the hall of deep blues and blacks. This theme, he realized was different from the place that he was last. The other halls were shades of orange and red amidst a backdrop of white clouds. The walls here were speckled with painted stars that actually seemed to glow, and the different forms of the moon.

The stallion could feel a growing pulse as he moved, that of one of the celestials. A twisted sneer crossed his muzzle, anger making way for a demonic joy as the aura grew into a pulse that he could feel seep into his body.

Necrozma nudged open a door and beheld the sight.

Laying across a regally designed bed was a very dark blue mare with a shimmering mane ad tail. She was asleep, judging by the soft snores that echoed through the room, and possessed a power that Necrozma could feel running through her veins. The crystalline stallion inhaled deeply to test her scent...

Definitely celestial.

With a lowly chuckle, the Prism Pokemon approached.

Chapter Eight: Primal Instinct

-Canterlot, Lunar Wing-

"Luna's chambers are this way," Princess Celestia explained as she was trailed by Dialga, Arceus, and Celebi, a worrisome expression clear upon her face as she trotted down the long halls. "She's normally asleep at this hour, so if you can refrain from just barging into her room, please."

The trio of legendary Pokemon nodded in understanding as they came upon an elegantly carved blue door with the lunar emblem carved into the center.

To Celestia's horror... the door was open.

The alicorn mare gasped in silent fear as her pace quickened. Stopping at the door, she gently nudged it open slightly to have a better look inside. Luna's bed covers were on the floor, the posts of the bed frame splintered and sheets torn away from the mattress.

Entering the room, the mare looked over the sight with a wave of sadness washing over her.

"Your sister will be fine, Princess," Arceus cooed, placing a hoof onto her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Necrozma won't kill her. She's too valuable to be killed."

Dialga nodded in agreement. "Besides, we've dealt with worse before. Chances are good that you'll get your sister back... without some crystal alien inhabiting her body," the Temporal Pokemon told her.

"You sound so sure of yourself," an almost feminine voice hissed.

Twirling around the four ponies came face-to-face with a twisted, crystalline version of Princess Luna. Necrozma grinned demonically, horn crackling with dark energy that also raced across his wavering mane and tail.

"Necrozma, release her, NOW," Arceus ordered sternly, a fierce glare crossing her face.

Said stallion looked over his new body for a moment before acknowledging what she said. "Nah," he snickered, turning her back to her in a defiant manner.

Arceus, despite his demeanor, maintained a calm and collected attitude.

Dialga and Celestia, on the other hoof, were not having any of that.

With a roar, the unicorn Kirin lunged forward, eyes glowing bright red as he snapped his jaws down on Dawn Wing Necrozma's tail before whirling around and slamming the alicorn parasite into the wall at his side. Not even taking the time to plan matters over, he swung back around and jerked his head down, throwing Necrozma into the tile floor.

The tiles shattered under the strain as Necrozma cried out in pain, forcing his way through the agony as Celestia charged forward with golden streaming eyes.

Celebi looked up at Arceus with a questioning gaze.

Arceus didn't respond, but only leapt forward, biting down on Dialga's tail and yanking.

The Temporal Pokemon yelped in pain before the pain ceased and the Universal Pokemon pulled Celestia away from the Prism Pokemon. Looking at the scene, the stallion watched as the white and gold alicorn placed an unmoving hoof onto Necrozma's chest. "Release... her... NOW," Arceus growled in his face.

The stallion returned her glare with no large amount of respect, spitting in her face. "G-go to Hell," Necrozma coughed, gasping at the weight on his chest.

In that moment, Arceus lost her temper, a metal clad hoof rising before being slammed back down onto his breast.

The alicorn stallion growled in pain as the snap of ribs became audible. But as Arceus lifted her hoof again, Necrozma retaliated, firing several blasts of blue-violet spheres of energy at her face before kicking off of her legs and rolling to his hooves. "Now... I leave you... To your doom!" the alicorn shouted before turning to run...

And promptly receiving a hoof to the face for his actions...

Yveltal looked on as Necrozma staggered back at the strike, clutching his snout in pain. A sly grin crossed the pegasus's face as the stallion pulled his hoof away from his snout... only for shock to cross his muzzle at seeing the appendage stained with his host's blood.

"Y-you son of a-"

"Language," Yveltal smirked, wagging a hoof in his face.

"SCREW YOU!" Necrozma snarled before a sudden wave of exhaustion overtook his senses. his eyes spontaneously rolling back into his skull before he fell into a heap on the floor, snoring softly.

Xerneas came to Yveltal's side, her antlers humming as she levitated Necrozma into the air.

Arceus cast a warm smile at the equine and cervid with a nod. "I'm very proud of you two," the alicorn said as Yveltal took a step away from his momentary ally.

"Thanks... I guess," the pegasus acknowledged with a shrug, unused to receiving gratitude from anybody, let alone his creator.

"Thank you," Celestia interjected. "You have stopped whatever had my sister under his control and saved me from a large deal of grief that I could do without, right now," she said. "You have my gratitude, and the gratitude of all who you have saved." With that, the alicorn bowed.

Xerneas reached over and gave Yveltal a light squeeze, the thought of breaking her neck not escaping the stallion's mind. "You did good," she whispered with a pleasant smile.

The Destruction Pokemon rolled his eyes with a sigh before hesitantly drawing closer to the she-elk. It was in this moment that the stallion found himself not minding gratitude.

-Ponyville-

The stallion was falling. That was the only thing he knew for sure was happening as he tumbled through the air like a rag-doll. He looked down in fear as the ground rushed up to meet, clouds flying by him too quickly to pay any attention to. Gasping in shock, the unicorn tried to retain a calm attitude at the remembrance of a certain trait.

Positioning his hooves towards the ground, the stallion focused his power into forcing torrents of water from the bottom of his blue hooves. On cue, four jets of water sprayed towards the ground, slowing his decent only slightly.

It's not working! Why is it not working?! he thought in panic, straining to put more power into slowing his fall. Too late, he grimaced, striking the ground and nearly taking out another being with a plume of dust.

Kyogre stopped dead in his tracks as a tan, blue, and red shape collided with the ground before him, creating a comical deep hole in the shape of its body. The triton lifted a quizzical brow with a cough, waving dust out of his face. When the cloud of dust had cleared, he peered into the hole just in time to see a red maned, tan unicorn stallion with blue hooves climb out of the crater with a groan, dragging himself onto his back.

Through the dirt that coated the unicorn's hide, Kyogre could see that the stallion's chest and neck were covered by blue feathers, his tail and hooves a synonymous shade A small string of multicolored feathers were visible in the red mane and the horn was without a spiral.

"Keldeo?" he queried, crouching slightly to peer at the unicorn's bruised face.

The stallion groaned with a weak nod, shifting his view up at the triton. Seeing the smooth metallic blue helmet and dual dorsal fins, he suddenly leapt up as if nothing had happened. "Kyogre?!" he blurted, making no attempt to hide his surprise. A wide grin crossed his face before he stood onto his hind legs and wrapped his arms around the triton, patting his back with a laugh.

Kyogre returned the joyous chuckle, pulling away to look over the Colt Pokemon with a smile. "Keldeo, you mischievous devil!" he laughed before a mare approached the duo with a wide grin.

"WELCOOOOME!!" she giggled with an actual spring in her step. Bouncing towards the two stallions, she carried a pair of balloons tied around her tail and a pair of plates balanced upon her snout and hip. Both looked over at her like she had three heads.

Kyogre wondered what kind of logic would allow one to be bouncing down the road without hands to hold anything and a pair of perfectly balanced slices of cake.

Before his thoughts could actually get out of his mind in the form of a question, the pink pony tied a balloon to his hoof and a balloon to Keldeo's without taking the springs off of her hooves or cake off her snout and back. "You must be the help that Celestia sent... Name's Pinkie Pie! But my friends just call me Pinkie," the mare laughed, resuming her bouncing before handing a slice of cake to each stallion.

"Kyogre."

"Keldeo," the unicorn said with a slight wave, taking a bite of his dessert. "Mm, this is good," he exclaimed with a swallow.

"Thank you!" Pinkie Pie acknowledged.

Kyogre looked down at his slice and lifted a brow before hesitantly tasting the cake. It was noticeably too sweet for his tastes. He preferred to do his snacking on small fish Pokemon, not sugar. As a result of this, he dropped his remaining slice onto Keldeo's plate before handing the tableware back to Pinkie. "Never really liked sweet food," he explained.

-Canterlot-

Necrozma woke slowly, his head throbbing and chest aching. In an attempt to lift a hoof to his forehead to steady his blurred vision, he heard heavy chains rattle with his movements. Looking down as his vision refocused, the Prism Pokemon noticed heavy shackles around his wrists. Grimacing, he rose to his hooves and looked up.

He was behind bars.

Arceus, Luna, and Celestia stood at the other end, though he only sensed hostility from Luna.

"Necrozma," Arceus started, "you know the rules... Under NO circumstances are you to EVER take control of one who is not of your home... And you know that."

Said Pokemon growled under his breath, glaring up at the mare with a complete lack of respect or guilt, only anger. "You can't keep me contained," Necrozma sneered at Arceus. "I will escape... every time." His expression spoke volumes more then his words.

He didn't just intend on escaping, Arceus could tell that much. "That is what you think," the alicorn said.

"That is what I know," Necrozma replied, his voice becoming an echo.

By the time Arceus had rushed to prevent what she knew was coming, the Prism Pokemon had already disappeared, the heavy shackles dropping to the floor with a rattle that rang in her ears. "No..." she gasped before whipping around to face the princesses. "He's gone... We need to find him before he does anything else. We can NOT let him escape," she said with a sense of panic edging its way into her voice.

"Oh... Don't worry. I darn well intend on finding that thing," Luna said with a determined glare.

-Canterlot's Main Entrance-

Necrozma charged forward, pushing his way past a unicorn couple that entered the building. "Hey!" the stallion said, turning around as the Prism Pokemon rushed by.

He didn't hear, Necrozma only ran, intending on getting away from this damned place before Arceus found him.

Spreading dark, crystalline wings at the entrance, Necrozma flapped once and was airborne. With a triumphant shout, he rapidly melted into a shadow and moved on, hoping to find a suitable place to lie low.

-Zap Apple Orchards-

"Okay, this here's an apple tree," AppleJack started, leaning against the thick trunk of an old tree.

Groudon rolled his eyes, he'd seen apple trees before and didn't need a lecture as to what made an apple tree special. "I am aware," the stallion said.

"Good... Yer job is to get the apples from each tree into the buckets," the earth mare replied. Kyurem looked on with a frown, boredom having gotten the better of him. "To fill the buckets, ya just give the tree a good ol' buck," AppleJack continued, whirling around and planting her rear hooves against the bark of the tree. On cue, several apples rained into the wooden buckets. "Now you try."

Groudon lifted a brow and shrugged, but approached a tree nonetheless. Turning his back to the trunk and lifting a hind leg in preparation, he looked over at the mare skeptically. "Are you sure about this?" he asked AppleJack

"Go ahead," she said, motioning a 'get going' wave at him.

"Alright," he muttered, leaning forward and throwing his rear hooves at the trunk. The impact resulted in a loud creeeeak, but the tree held. Apples fell from the branches and fell into the buckets that had been prearranged around him. An unlucky fall clonked the Continent Pokemon's forehead before it too fell into a bucket.

Kyurem smiled as Groudon rubbed his forehead and scowled at the tree. "What's so funny?" he barked, catching the smile out of the corner of his eye.

The grey alicorn rolled his eyes as a response.

"Kyurem, why don't ya give it a shot?" AppleJack suggested, interrupting his thought process. Looking over, he saw her nod at a sturdy looking apple tree.

"Sure," the Boundary Pokemon obliged with a shrug, walking up to the thick trunk. Without hesitation, the stallion whirled around and threw his rear hooves at the bark. On cue, several apples fell into the buckets surrounding the tree. Kyurem looked to the two for approval.

AppleJack smiled with and Groudon nodded respectfully. Kyurem ushered a rarely seen smile for the second time in five minutes, a satisfied sigh leaking cold air through his nostrils with it.

"Well then. Now that ya know what ta do, get to it," the Element of Honesty laughed. "Well, Groudon, anyway. Kyurem, walk with me," she continued, beckoning the alicorn over.

Kyurem looked to the Continent Pokemon for a sign.

Groudon simply waved him away before moving to a tree whose buckets had yet to be filled.

"Kyurem, what are ya, really?" AppleJack asked as they walked down the beaten up dirt path. "And before we start, you should know that it's impossible to lie ta me."

"Okay," Kyurem shrugged. "Normally, though, I am a large dragon that walks on two legs and controls ice at will," he acknowledged. "Why do you ask, and why couldn't you do it with Groudon around, though?"

AppleJack pondered for a moment before answering his question. "Yer not like the others. They have a role to protect, or so I've heard. You, on th' other hoof... Yer different. Yer looking' fer somethin'. And I feel like I could help ya," the Element of Honesty explained to him.

Kyurem felt a bead of sweat form upon his brow for a reason that he was unable to comprehend. He should be interested in her help, but instead, he was nervous. "How could you help me?" he said, forcefully replacing his nervous demeanor with a stern expression.

"Yer lookin' for somepony ta be honest with ya, but there's more that I don't know about," she said. "I'm one of Equestria's protectors. There're six Elements of Harmony. Of those, I'm th' Element of Honesty."

Kyurem looked at her with a brief moment of contemplation, a brow raised. "Perhaps you could help me then," the icy alicorn said. "Of the Legendary Pokemon on Terra, I am known in stories as the Pokemon who waits for a hero to fill his body with Truths or Ideals. If you are the Element of Honesty, then perhaps you are the one destined to take part in making that story come true," he finished, looking down at the mare with a slightly upturned lip.

"Maybe," AppleJack said before she was interrupted by the sight of a figure cloaked in shadow appearing and then disappearing a fraction of a second later. "What the hay was that?" she queried, squinting to try and locate the figure again. Unable to find it, she looked to Kyurem for his opinion.

The blood in his face had drained to a ghostly pale, fear visible in his expression. "Where's Groudon?" he said. "We need him... NOW!!" he shouted, turning and running down the path in the direction that they had come.

-Minutes Later-

Kyurem came to a gasping halt in front of the Continent Pokemon, stooping to catch his breath.

Groudon looked down at the stallion with a look of befuddlement, brow raised. "What's your problem?" he asked in a gruff, foreboding tone.

"...Necro-Necrozma... He's here," the Boundary Pokemon panted, standing back up straight to look Groudon in the eye. "I saw him a couple minutes ago."

Groudon suddenly stood straight up, the hair along his spine sticking up on end at the words. "Where is he?! I'll Kick his ass into next week!" he growled, quick to jump into a battle stance.

Kyurem placed his hooves on the stallion's shoulders to calm him. "We don't know exactly where he is right now."

"Are you sure?" the Continent Pokemon turned unicorn asked, training his eyes behind the alicorn.

Kyurem turned to face what Groudon was looking at. Necrozma's red and blue eyes glared straight into Kyurem's soul, hatred broiling in his system. The Boundary Pokemon froze...

Groudon leapt forward, jaws wide as he threw his full weight into the Prism Pokemon before the stallion could react. Groudon was the heaviest Pokemon known by both human and his contemporaries. And he was a great deal heavier then Necrozma.

Necrozma hissed in fury as the stallion on top of him planted a firm, unmoving hoof to his chest and threw the other one at his jaw. The former Pokemon jerked his head aside, Groudon's hoof striking the dirt beneath and creating a shallow crater where his head had been. With a growl, Necrozma heaved his back hooves, slamming them into the unicorn's gut with full force.

Groudon roared in pain, clutching at his stomach as his adversary shoved him away. Necrozma cracked a sly grin as Groudon glared up at him, moving a hoof away from his belly and placing it against the ground to steady himself as he gasped for breath.

Necrozma's smile disappeared as his horn began to crackle with a deep black, a large ball of energy forming at its tip. Before Groudon could recover fully, the charge of magic reached its zenith and launched itself at the downed stallion, throwing clouds of dust and dirt into the air as it made contact with his foe and the ground under hoof.

Kyurem gazed at the scene in horror before the fear made way for anger. "Bad idea," he growled at the crystalline alicorn, eyes glowing a bright yellow before his outline became enveloped in a black light. What surged forth from the light was a completely different stallion, but at the same time not.

Black Kyurem stepped forward, sharp teeth clenched as sparks of electricity raced across now black fur. He wore only one gauntlet which completely covered his left arm and shoulder, making the appendage look as though it was made of ice. The left wing, like the arm, appeared made of ice, and the blue electricity on his back jumped from small patches near the tail and shoulders.

Necrozma's face twisted into shock before a glare crossed his muzzle, his horn charging another attack. Kyurem reacted swiftly, leaping to the side as the energy impacted the earth beside him.

With a roar, the Boundary Pokemon jumped towards the Prism Pokemon, lifting his right hoof.

A brief wave of fear washed over Necrozma as a blue aura surrounded Kyurem's hoof before striking his shoulder with a pulse of electricity that jolted through the stallion's body before throwing him into the ground. Necrozma struggled to his feet before the still lingering cloud of dust from his attack on Groudon, a hoof to his numb shoulder.

Looking up, it was then that he noticed a faint fiery glow pour out of the dust cloud, a pair of luminescent eyes glaring at the alicorn through the settling dust. When the cloud had cleared completely, it revealed the form of a stallion whose hide raced with energy that spread across tribal markings.

Primal Groudon growled, baring his sharp teeth as rage built in his system.

Necrozma felt panic as Black Kyurem and Primal Groudon approached him, feeling additionally the surrounding area heat up with surprising speed.

"I do believe that you just dug your own grave," Groudon growled before he reared onto his hooves and slammed back down. Upon impact, the ground beneath their hooves trembles before splitting apart with thundering cracks to reveal rivers of lava miles below.

Black Kyurem leapt into the air, wings beating as plates of stone collapsed around him.

Necrozma crawled away from the splitting earth before him, his breath coming in gasps of fear as Groudon leapt across a subterranean river of lava and landed by his side, putting an arm around the alicorn's neck with bulging muscles. The ground beneath began to crumble as the two legendary Pokemon fought, kicking and biting each other. Groudon had the upper hand, though. He was larger, more muscular, and Necrozma was unable to charge any attacks amidst the barrage of punches he received to the torso and head.

Primal Groudon stopped as the ground began to reassert itself at the surface, his lips curled back in a snarl. Necrozma's head flopped aside, nose bloodied and broken, chest bruised and beaten. The sounds of climbing rock died down and one last sprout of steam slithered from a closing crack in the crust.

With one last growl, he stood away from the Prism Pokemon, glaring down at the alicorn before a brief white light enveloped his form, replacing Primal Groudon with plain old Groudon.

Black Kyurem reacquainted his hooves with the ground before he too, reverted to his previous form.

AppleJack came to a stop nearby just in time to see the reversion and the heavily wounded form of a black, crystalline alicorn heaving for breath nearby. "Oh mah gosh!" she exclaimed, running to Necrozma's side to support his head.

"Don't do that," Groudon ordered abruptly, shaking his head.

"What? Why?" the Element of Honesty asked, moving away from the Prism Pokemon only slightly.

"If you want to become the host of Necrozma, by all means, go ahead. If not, step the fuck away," Groudon growled at her, taking a step towards the earth mare.

"Host?!"

"I'll explain later," the unicorn said, leaning down and grabbing Necrozma by the collar. The alicorn was almost nonchalantly hoisted over Groudon's shoulder before slipping from consciousness.

"Best not to question his methods," Kyurem whispered to the mare as they walked in the direction of the barn. "He's been doing this sort of thing for thousands of years... Trust me, he knows what he's doing."

"Uh-huh," AppleJack said with an unbridled look of fear crossing her face as they walked. Groudon was treating the rarest species of equine in Equestria like a filly might a doll.

Chapter Nine: Fitting In

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter One: Time and Space

-Unknown Location in the Sinnoh Region, Earth-

The field of battle, a plain of crystalline surrounded on all sides by towering mountains and thundering skies. Within the battle zone were but two beings...

Who's raw power would put an entire army to shame...

Dialga glared daggers at his opponent, jaws broiling with building plasma in the form of an Aura Sphere, as it was called by the Pokemon-obsessed humans. As the name implied, it was a massive ball of energy, a mix between plasmatic power and devastating electricity.

His foe, the Spatial Pokemon Palkia, returned the glare with no small amount of menace short of a Tyrantrum. Readying himself to parry the devastating attack and lifting his arms to summon a humming blue shield before him, Palkia uttered a thundering boom of a roar that sounded reminiscent of a tidal wave inside of a hollowed out mountain.

To say that the resulting shockwave that ripped out when the energized shield made contact with a ball of brilliantly glowing energy was powerful was a major understatement. As soon as the Aura Sphere ripped from Dialga's jaws, hurling itself towards Palkia, said Pokemon swung a heavy arm, an explosion ringing out as the two forms of energy made contact.

Both legendary Pokemon stood in a smoldering crater of deep blue crystal, neither fazed by the explosion that crumbled the surrounding mountains.

As the debris began to settle, Dialga, the being who gave birth to time with its own, inhaled deeply, the crystalline orb in the center of his chest glowing to life and a blue-violet light collecting in his jaws.

Palkia, in response, stomped a clawed foot into the ground beneath, momentarily becoming enveloped in a deep purple energy that seemed to shimmer as energy built up inside the dragon-type Pokemon. Just as the energy seemed to diminish, it exploded from Palkia's body, making contact with an explosive beam of blue from Dialga that enveloped the entirety of a full three miles.

The sky seemed to split with a crackling violet cut resembling a horizontal bolt of lightning. Said split traveled as far as the eye could see, vacuuming clouds into the violent crack across the sky.

Both legendary Pokemon halted their actions, looking to the sky above before the realization hit them like an oncoming freight train...

-The Hoenn Region, Earth-

Rayquaza slithered across the sky, Pikachu atop her snout with a satisfied smile at the cool breeze that ruffled through his fur. The legendary serpent, having lived in the ozone layer her whole life, could sense a disruption in the air space that threatened to collide with her.

Jerking aside to avoid a jolt of violet electricity that barreled towards her, Rayquaza was quick to notice a now plummeting Pikachu.

Roaring out in worry, the serpent fell into a dive, holding her arms close to her body to become a blur of green that rocketed towards the now clearly visible earth below that rushed to meet her. A confident glare crossed the dragon-types face as she scooped the lightning mouse up in her jaws, craning back up just feet from a dirt path rarely trodden.

Letting a sigh take overtake her, Rayquaza lifted her jaws open to allow a thankfully unharmed Pikachu to climb up onto her snout and back to his position between the long twin crests that jutted out from the back of her skull.

"PIKA-!!" the Pokemon atop her head panicked, feeling himself being pulled into the air by an invisible force.

Rayquaza whipped around to see Pikachu being pulled into the violet crack in the sky, following clouds obscuring her view of his small form...

That was all that Rayquaza could remember before feeling herself being wrenched toward the same point in the sky.

-Ponyville-

Dapper Jolt sat at the picnic door that sat a few yards from the entrance to a small cafe, awaiting a toasted hay sandwich and glass of pink lemonade after hard day of working helping his father reinforce his at-home garage. The garage itself was in a good state of repair, having been built by the well known mechanic, Bolt Charge, his father. It was, however, in need of insulation for the closer than wanted Winter season.

Another moment passed when Dapper Jolt noticed the waitress approach his table with a tray of food at hoof. The mare cast him a kind smile before taking a small plate and iced glass off of said tray and placing them upon hardwood surface. "Here you are," she smiled with a nod. "Enjoy."

"Thank you," the pegasus stallion acknowledged, returning the smile and nod.

"You are very welcome," the mare obliged before turning back to her work.

Dapper Jolt stole a glance at her attractive form before lifting his sandwich from the small plate before him. The stallion was about to take a well deserved bite when a voice stopped him.

"Pika."

Shifting his view down to a new weight on his lap, Dapper Jolt stared into big black eyes belonging to what appeared to be a long-eared, yellow mouse of some kind. "Uuh... Hi?" he queried, intrigued by the brightly colored rodent.

"Pika-chu!" said rodent chirped, averting its gaze to the sandwich in his hoof.

"You hungry, little guy?" Dapper Jolt asked the odd little critter, gently tearing a piece of toast of of his sandwich and holding it in front of the rodent.

Its nose twitched as it stole a sniff of the food item, quizzically pawing at it for a moment. It was another moment before the mouse gently took the bread from his hoof, nibbling at the morsel with a growing smile.

"You're a cute little guy, arent'cha?" Dapper Jolt grinned, softly stroking its long ear as it finished off the snack.

Rubbing crumbs off of its snout, the mouse's nose twitched a moment longer before it leapt onto the table, promptly snatching the remainder of the sandwich from his hoof, quick to scramble into a hop to escape the one it had robbed.

"OYE!!" Dapper Jolt shouted, jerking up and breaking into a sprint after the animal. He didn't notice the glass of lemonade he knocked over when his knee struck the table. "That is MY sandwich!! Ya bugger, ya!" he yelled angrily, catching up to the rodent in only a couple strides.

It didn't take much to do so, as said mouse was struggling to keep the sandwich together and get away from the victim. But when the stallion lifted the mouse by the tail to reclaim his meal, Dapper was shocked to see sparks shooting off of its red spotted cheeks.

"Pikaa-CHUUUUUU!!!" the rodent erupted with a glare that defied its cute appearance as the pegasus was aquatinted with a powerful jolt of electricity that coursed through his body. Dropping the now electrically charge mouse, the stallion was frozen in place, other than the random spasms that jerked his muscles. Dapper Jolt's mane and tail comically stuck up on end, giving him a faint resemblance to Albert Einstein.

As the electric current dissipated, the stallion shot a spiteful glare at the mouse, watching angrily as it nibbled a now charred black hay sandwich. "You rotten little THIEF!!" he snorted, licking his hoof and running it through his frizzled mane and tail in an attempt to return them to a neutral, less wild look. He proceeded to advance upon the rodent, an angry underbite visible in his expression.

The mouse looked up at the pegasus stallion, eyes popping out at his expression and stomping gait.

Dapper Jolt, before the animal could get away, nabbed it by the tail.

"Pika-" the electric mouse frowned, ears flat against its head despite its current upside-down state.

Before the stallion could say anything more, a large blur of green slammed armored hooves into Dapper Jolt's chest, throwing the stallion against an oak tree with an odd sounding whinny. The sound was almost more reptilian than it was Equestrian, a growl trickling into the battle cry.

Regardless of the masses war cry, the force that struck him hurt like hell as the breath was knocked free of his lungs. An acorn bounced from a branch and off of his head. The stallion didn't notice though; he was too busy gasping to catch his breath and forcing back pained tears. Grimacing, Dapper Jolt collapsed, clutching his belly in pain before fresh air was finally allowed back into his body.

With a groan, the pegasus rose to his hooves, noticing a large bruise developing underneath fields of plush white fur. "Ow," he winced before anger began to reassert itself into his mind. Not only had his lunch been stolen by a damn lightning rat, he was also assaulted by an armor clad pony, whom he'd just now began to get a look at.

It was the oddest pony he'd ever seen short of a gryphon, which doesn't even classify. It was a kirin mare with a short red mane and dragonoid tail common in a kirin, but that wasn't terribly startling to the stallion. It was the four crest that swept off the back of her skull, combined with wing-like dorsal ridges, seemingly segmented tail, complete with bits of armor, and tribal, yellow markings that ran down the length of her body that caught him off guard. She was relatively tall for a kirin, easily on eye level with Princess Luna, if not Celestia. But she was a light build. Which surprised him considering the strength she exerted throwing him against a tree. Her cutie mark was no less baffling. It reminded him vaguely of what a dragon's arrow-headed tail would look like if seen from the side, but curved around and to a point. The arrow bit also possessed what he recognized as what he thought was supposed to be an eye. It was almost like a vectorized profile image of a Gyoas from Toho's Gamera movies.

Shaking aside his curiosity to make way for anger, the stallion spoke. "What the hell was that for?!" he shouted at the kirin mare, confusion quick to drown his anger out. He was oblivious as to why this pony had just attacked him, and wanted an answer.

"You attacked my friend," she snorted, laking any amount of sympathy or respect for the pegasus stallion.

"That.... RAT? Is your friend?!" Dapper Jolt barked, only growing more and more befuddled by the minute. "It stole my LUNCH!!"

"Yes... He is my friend. His name is Pikachu," the kirin acknowledged with a slightly irritated sigh, but allowing a hint sympathy to trickle into her tone as she swiveled her crested skull to face 'Pikachu'. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't take from another?" she scolded the lightning mouse, tapping her shoulder.

"Pikachu," the critter acknowledged with a hint of guilt, hopping up onto her shoulder with the sandwich at paw. The mare turned to face Pikachu with the stallion. Pikachu guiltily held out the sandwich to the stallion, dipping his head.

"Uh, you know what... Keep it," Dapper Jolt grimaced, not particularly finding a dirt covered, excessively burnt, hay sandwich appetizing. "I have enough bits to buy another one." With that, the stallion lifted a hoof out to the mare, his anger now completely fizzled out and confusion satisfied for the most part. "Name's Dapper Jolt," he said.

The kirin merely looked down at his hoof, lifting a brow. "Well I'm not going to smell it, if that's what you want," she said flatly.

The stallion held back a jaw drop, now more confused than ever. "You're not supposed to smell it... You're supposed to shake it and introduce yourself," he said with an exasperated sigh, his hoof dropping slightly.

The mare obliged, taking his hoof with a polite smile. "Rayquaza."

The stallion, returning her smile, continued. "Hope you don't mind me asking, but are you new around here? I've never seen anypony, even a kirin that looked quite like you do," he said, transitioning his hoof to his chin in thought.

The realization dawned on Rayquaza a split second after the words came out, and she looked down at her form. Noticing four legs instead of two, none of which possessed the short, sharp claws that she was accustomed to, but instead, fur covered arms and hoof-like appendages covered by short fetlocks. Lifting said hoof to her mouth, Rayquaza felt soft lips instead of her usual, horny beak-like jaws.

Slight panic was visible forming across her face, eyes wide with shock. "Well," the kirin mare finally said, straining to avoid showing the panic in her voice. "If the current form I am in is any indicator, I am very far from home," Rayquaza said, looking herself over again.

-The Everfree Forest-

Yveltal was not having a good day... Outside of being pulled into a time rift and flung back down to the ground in a form completely foreign to him, noting in a river reflection that he now bore a messy mane, six limbs (four legs and a pair of feathered wings), and a short horn, his day had already been taking a U-turn south. This happening when he was halted by his nemesis, Xerneas, after attempting to become stronger off of another's life energy.

Noting a now quadruped form, the stallion took a shaky step forward, hissing in displeasure at his normally mighty form being shrunk down to a horse. Attempting to spread his broad wings, he was pissed to find that they were too weak to move, though obviously still attached. His weakened state was not only evident in his wings, but the plume of grey feathers around his neck. Normally flowing behind him in a regal state, they were currently sagging at his shoulders, almost as if wet.

Inhaling deeply in an attempt to swallow his pride, Yveltal marched on, occasionally stumbling over his own hooves as he tried to determine his location.

Author's Note

Artwork illustrated by yours truly, meh.
Yveltal conceptual to appear in this chapter soon.