Author's Note

Now at the halfway mark

Dayastra Returns

Universe 11. Another Dimension.

Luna and Darkrai still found themselves trapped in this dimension, battling against these Evolved Nightmare Creatures. Both were doing their best to fight them off, but they were relentless. They kept coming at them, trying to attack them from all sides.

Luna grunted, unleashing a powerful blast of magic that enveloped or pierced them all. She was doing her best to keep them at bay, but it was difficult. The creatures were relentless, not giving her a moment to rest. Noticeably, Luna also had her Manectric out in an attempt to defeat them with heavy light, but even Manectric's Electricity wasn't enough.

"Curses! We can't produce enough light to stop them all!" Luna exclaimed.

"Darkrai..." Darkrai agreed, using his own powers to try and fend them off. He was able to create a dark mist that would surround the area, making it hard for the creatures to see. However, they were still able to sense where they were, attacking them from all sides.

"Your light just won't do. Not compared to your Sister anyways." Oculus Gloom taunted, appearing before them. "But I'm sure you're aware of that."

"Silence!" Luna shouted, firing a beam of light at her. Oculus Gloom dodged it by teleporting up, laughing as she did so.

"You'll be in here forever without ever seeing what is happening out there! I think it's for the best that you never leave this dimension. It will save you the pain of seeing your entire Universe fall to Necrozma."

"There has to be a way out of here..." Luna started thinking, trying to dig deep for anything. She started thinking about the mass array of spells she has, hoping one of them might do the trick. As she was thinking, the Nightmare Creatures moulded their black mass once more, forming into a large behemoth.

This behemoth was massive, towering over the three of them. It was like a giant made of pure darkness, ready to crush them all. "Now, let's end this." Oculus Gloom said, having the behemoth raise its fist. A swirl of darkness surrounded this fist as it came down, rippling the dimension's air.

A great darkness would fall upon them as Manectric tried using Wild Charge to stop it, but it was no use. The behemoth's fist was too strong, pushing Manectric back. "Manectric!" Luna cried out, watching her Pokemon get pushed back. She then put up a shield to block the blow, the ground beneath her shattering and revealing another dark abyss below.

The behemoth's fist continued to push against the barrier, cracking it. Luna was struggling to keep it up, her body shaking as she tried to hold on. "I...can't...What is this...?!"

"They are evolved, yes. But they are also the same Nightmare Creatures that fell to you and your pestering friends. Their anger is greater than you can imagine. They want nothing more than to destroy you and everything you stand for." Oculus Gloom explained. "Because of this, they are far more powerful, driven by their rage. And very soon, you should feel the Raging Nightmares they have bottled up."

"!" Luna was starting to feel it. All that anger was being transferred to her through the barrier, causing her to shake even more. Her eyes widened as the Nightmares would shatter her shield. It looked like Luna would be caught by the Nightmares, only for Nightmare Moon to emerge from her body, blocking the attack with her own magic.

"N-Nightmare Moon!" Luna gasped, seeing her other self erupt.

"You're not the only one who can protect yourself." Nightmare Moon said, pushing back the behemoth's fist. Since she was made up of the same magic as these Nightmare Creatures, she could maintain their flow, at least, for a little while. "Listen, Luna...he isn't exaggerating on that part. I feel it without a doubt. All that anger is far more than whatever I once had. This magic, it far surpasses my own Nightmare Magic. It's like a raging inferno that wants to consume everything in its path."

"Then what do we do?!" Luna asked.

"There is nothing you can do! Perish!" Oculus Gloom declared, pouring her own magic into the behemoth. The behemoth's fist started changing into something else, becoming a large drill that was ready to pierce through Nightmare Moon's magic. Nightmare Moon tried her best to maintain its movements, only for the drill to overpower her.

The drill pierced through her magic, breaking it apart. Afterwards, it landed on them all, pushing each of them into the abyss at full force. "Ahhhh!" Luna cried out, falling into the darkness.

Oculus Gloom cackled at them as they fell into this abyss, watching them disappear. "Down there, you will feel an even greater rage that exists, waiting to exact revenge upon you! You will never escape this dimension!"

Universe 1. Near Alola's Outskirts. Nightfall.

Back in Universe 1, Sunrise Sparkle was still chasing after Zero, trying to destroy him. She was relentless, pursuing him even after being pushed away by that tidal wave. He was swerving left and right, trying to keep himself steady.

By now, he was near the outskirts of Alola and the Tapus were still in their Rift Forms which were temporary, but have yet to run out. However, once they leave Alola, they should have their strength back.

"Alright. It should be just up ahead." Zero said, his eyes fixated on the vast ocean. He was driving towards the edge of the island, where the water was. Once he got close enough, he would drive straight into the water, going underwater. The vehicle changed upon entering the water, turning into a submarine.

Sunrise Sparkle was not far behind, following him into the water. She was able to keep up with him, firing beams of light at him. The beams would hit the back of the submarine, causing it to shake. Tapu Fini would manipulate the waters, making sure the submarine stayed stable.

Sunrise emerged from the sea, shaking her head and removing all water around her while growling at the submarine. She found this chase to be frustrating but she also saw that it was leading straight to the outskirts, so in a way, it had some purpose.

"At this rate, we'll never catch up to him." Captain Spitfire stated. "He has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and we can't beat him here."

"We don't need to beat him. We just need to make sure he stays in one place, right?" Another Solar Empire Pony said.

"If I had to guess, some of our forces should be approaching Alola soon" Sunrise added, knowing that more of the Solar Empire was approaching here for the sake of capturing Solgleo. But they weren't yet aware that Solgaleo wasn't here. "Here's what we're going to do. I'll evaporate a majority of Alola's ocean first, then attack Zero. We'll have him on the ropes, cornered between us and the land itself."

"That will give the rest of our forces a chance to get here," Captain Spitfire concluded.

"Exactly." Sunrise said, getting ready to unleash her power. She started to glow brightly, her eyes glowing white as she began to unleash an immense amount of energy. "Be gone with it. I'll make sure there is no escape for him! No escape for anyone! We will not allow anything to stop us now! Not even these 'Legendary Pokemon'!"

The entire ocean started to get hotter and hotter. A majority of the water was evaporating under Sunrise's intense light, leaving behind nothing but an endless field of sand. The ground was already shaking because of this as everything around Alola was affected by it. The water being evaporated, it didn't stop there, instead, the heat was affecting the area beyond Alola.

The vast seas were beginning to boil, water being turned to steam. It would reach out towards Ula'Ula Island, creating a desert landscape all over it. Everything in that direction was now turning into a dry and barren wasteland as Sunrise Sparkle unleashed her great heat. The other islands were also getting caught up in this mess, which was only the start of things for Alola.

Quickly, Tapu Fini replied by adding more water to the region, trying to preserve its ecosystem as much as possible. The amount of water being added to the region was far greater than the amount evaporated, returning the region to normal. But as Tapu Fini focused on doing that, up ahead, more ships from the Solar Empire were spotted.

"What?!" Zero gasped, seeing them come in fast. This was to be expected since Alola would naturally be a critical place to go. Sunrise had an incredibly cocky smirk form on her face upon seeing this, having been waiting for this moment to happen. "Just great! Now I have to stall for more time. Kidd, you'd better hurry with my stuff!"

Now, Zero had to improvise even more just to stall for some time, using whatever he could do to try and prevent the Solar Empire from getting him. He saw that the Tapus were still able to continue, running on this limited Rift Energy. Having such powerful Pokemon on his side as too great and he just couldn't let that slip away.

Opening his glove compartment once more, he would pull out two more balls of Rift that he saved. He didn't want to waste so much but at this rate, it's either use it or be captured by the Solar Empire and their massive forces. They were flying in fast, ready to take him in no matter what. "Here! I'll extend your forms!" He chose to extend their transformations, throwing the energy balls at the Tapus.

Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, and Tapu Bulu all had their forms extended as they would unleash a burst of power, causing Sunrise to shield her eyes from that bright light. From the light, Tapu Koko summoned a Shadow Avatar of himself that was far larger than Zero Vehicle and even as large as an entire island.

This Shadow Avatar was like an entire army on its own, making sure the ships of the Solar Empire couldn't come through. It began fighting the ships, preventing them from coming close. The ships in the distance saw this large Shadow Avatar of Tapu Koko, unsure as to what they were looking at.

But he wasn't the only one conjuring a large avatar of his new self. The other three did the same just to support Zero with as much time as possible. They created avatars of themselves, each one of a different size but also a different look to them.

For Tapu Lele, it was a large, slender female humanoid with a pink dress and wings. A mask was over her eyes, with her hair flowing out of it. The avatar was standing on top of the water itself.

Tapu Fini's was like an aquatic mermaid made entirely of sand and water, using her own element as her body. She was floating high above the ground, manipulating the seas.

As for Tapu Bulu, he made his avatar rather small but no less powerful. It looked like a bull with horns and large antlers. He stood tall and proud on top of Ula'Ula Island.

These 4 Avatars were brimming with Cosmic Energy, standing tall against the Empire's Forces. They wouldn't allow anyone to pass through unless they had to get through them first. And to ensure no one did, these four began merging their newfound Cosmic Abilities as one.

Each of them could use their powers for an endless amount of time with this form of them being temporary. But what if they all used their new abilities together? What if they could pool their energy? Their Cosmic Power was now limitless as they could combine their abilities to do whatever they wanted.

And they wanted to protect their homeland from being taken by the likes of the Solar Empire. With everything being merged together, they created a cosmic flash right in the middle. All that power was actually burning through the Rift Energy faster than normal, but they believed it was worth it. This flash would then expand, appearing as a massive array of stardust that would spread far and wide across the area.

A bright light would be seen as the stardust covered Alola, causing a bright light to be seen in the distance. Anyone that was watching the event would be blinded by that intense light. That is unless they have sunglasses. Even with those on, this light was still bright, forcing everyone to keep their eyes shut.

"What?! What in the world?! Now what?!" Sunrise gasped, having not expected this as she was forced to close her eyes, covering them with her hooves.

She wasn't the only one affected, so were the other forces of the Solar Empire. All ships and aircraft were forced to land down or stop completely, unable to see where they were going. But that wasn't the crucial part. The crucial part was what the stardust did to them all.

When the dust settled and their eyes opened, the first thing they saw was Alola being enveloped by a strange bubble. It was a cosmic barrier of sorts that had the appearance of many stars and space objects within it, showing an ethereal sight.

They found it hard to look at it due to its blinding beauty. The stardust was doing something else to Alola and its islands, affecting it all with a cosmic presence. For starters, Alola was being restored since the Tapus poured their natural power into it, restoring it all to its former glory.

Next up, the air around the region was getting clean again, turning it back to normal. The sky returned to its previous blue hue, even though it was nighttime. This meant that the sky could become clear once more, without anything else corrupting it. Lastly, Alola's wildlife was also being restored, all the Pokemon coming regaining some of their strength and energy.

"Ko..." Naturally, this took a lot out of them all as their avatars would fizzle out and disappear. But there was one other thing happening because of this. The water in Alola was becoming purer and more refreshing to touch. Because of this, Alola's ocean was starting to sparkle, giving it an appearance of crystal blue waters that looked like gemstones.

Sunrise Sparkle was still reeling from that powerful flash of light, having been forced to look away. She tried opening her eyes to see what was happening, noticing that she couldn't move. Her body felt incredibly stiff all of a sudden, making it hard for her to fly. "Gah...! W-What is this...?!"

It was then that she saw what was happening in the area. The Cosmic Barrier surrounding Alola was trapping her and all forces in the area, preventing them from leaving. This was shown by the stardust covering all of their bodies, keeping them frozen in place.

"You're kidding me..." She didn't think that the Tapus would have the power to pull off such a trick, even if their transformation was extended. Sunrise was struggling to move, finding herself unable to do so. "Cursed Island Guardians...When I getm y hooves on you!"

"Koko..." That was all they could do. They wasted every bit of their Rift Energy on that one attack, breathing heavily. But it was just enough time as a gateway was opening up.

Kidd and the other Pokemon Rangers would finally arrive here, having made it back in the nick of time with some of Zero's Machines. With the Solar Empire stunned, this left them vulnerable to an attack.

"Finally!" Zero said with great relief as the machines were being dragged through the gateway by these Pokemon Rangers. Kidd smiled upon seeing how things turned out, being impressed by what happened.

"Woooh! What happened here?" She whistled at this cosmic sight.

"We did what we could to distract them. Get the Tapus out of here and use my machines while they're this vulnerable!" Zero commanded, trying his best not to lose his breath. He was feeling exhausted after using all that energy to keep his vehicle running.

Kidd nodded as some of the Rangers would head over to the Tapus, picking their exhausted bodies up. A majority of them would be able to carry each Tapu, which was more than enough to drag them through the gateway. The used-up machines would follow them too, being taken to the same Universe that the Rangers came from.

Now this meant that the new machines could get some action, heading out towards the ships that were trapped inside the Cosmic Barrier. "We'll take care of them. We have faith in your machines."

"Good. Whatever they did to Alola, it completely shut down all the Infinity Energy. So, give them a taste of their own medicine and bring down their ma. Use that machine over there to leave them magicless."

"On it" The Rangers all agreed, getting into their machines that were built like robotic horses. They would charge straight at the frozen ships, using their weaponry to bring them down. The ships weren't able to see them coming, allowing them to do whatever they wanted. These horses were built exactly like an Equestrian.

Zero has been dabbling in Equestrian Magic after all, not just Rift Energy. It was Zero's response to the threats from alternate Equestrias in other universes. Kidd got them working, taking the lead with her own horse. "Come on, boys! Let's show these ponies what we can do!"

The Pony Machines moved together, generating an Aura from their horns and mane. That aura spread through the entire group, attempting to remove all magic from the Solar Empire forces. If Sunrise Sparkle does not manage to free herself, now she would be on the backfoot.

"I refuse to lose to people like you...!" Sunrise forbid it. She could not allow it to happen. Not even for a moment. Zero has already gotten on her nerves and the Tapus had slowed her down greatly. As the second-in-command of the Solar Empire, Sunrise couldn't show an ounce of weakness. Thus, she relied on one last thing. "Very well then...You leave me no choice. There aren't that many unicorns around but it will have to do. I will become Dayastra!"

Sunrise decided on it. If she was going to make sure she kept the upper hand against this mysterious group of Pokemon Trainers, she had to merge with many unicorns. In her case, she chose the few unicorns here which was not as much as she wanted. The last time she emerged as Dayastra, there were dozens upon dozens of unicorns, making her magic tremendous.

However, it was very limited right now, but Sunrise would go with it anyways.

Her horn managed to flash even with the stardust holding her back, creating multiple magical strings that flew towards each unicorn present. These strings wrapped themselves around these ponies, bringing them together. The unicorns closed their eyes, letting this happen. They didn't know what was going on but they went with it.

The strings brought the unicorns closer together, combining them into one pony. All that stardust around them would be incinerated by a grandiose heatwave, freeing the single being from any restrained motion. Zero and everyone watched in amazement at the being forming before them. One single pony of amazing power and strength. The Cosmic Barrier protecting the islands was beginning to fall just from her presence alone.

And as soon as the light faded, bringing Dayastra's appearance into view, some of the Rangers got on their knees,feeling a terrifying pressure coming from her. Not only that, but some of the stardust around Spitfire and the others would be pulled into Dayastra's vicinity, almost like a black hole.

"I took a gamble on that part." Dayastra spoke, the alicorn's eyes suddenly glowing with Rift Energy. "Merging with those few unicorns would've taken me far, but not by much. However, as Dayastra, gathering energy for my own is not an issue. I thank you humans for the Rfit Energy." Dayastra had taken some Rift Energy in the atmosphere upon her arrival, which she could use. The rest she absorbed from the nearby unicorns. "I hope you're all ready for what's coming next."

In Universe 5, a game plan had been strategised by Princess Fluttershy. She had everyone from Alola safe and sound here and wished to get them home without any issues. Obviously, they had to get the Solar Empire out of the way, which is where this plan came into play.

"Here's what I can do for you all." Princess Fluttershy spoke. "I won't be sending you back yet. Instead, what we can do, is stop the Solar Empire while still being in this Universe."

"How are we going to do that exactly?" Twilight Sparkle asked her. "For that, we'd have to find a way to attack through the gateway or something similar to that. Unless...your Universe has a unique spell for things like that?"

"Sort of." Princess Fluttershy giggled before facing some of the residents of Alola who were in her throne room. "All of you. I am going to imbue magic within your bodies. It's temporary but will help with the spell that I want to use."

"Wait! We'll be getting magic?!" Mallow was stunned by what she had just heard.

"Yes." Princess Fluttershy nodded. "This might sound scary but it isn't anything harmful, trust me."

"Scary?! It's amazing!" Olivia and everyone else thought otherwise. To have magic a part of us? What a dream come true..."

"If only Lillie was here. She'd love this." Lana commented.

"Either way, if all of us are getting magic..." Burnet thought for a moment while holding Rei. "Does this spell involve some type of unionization?"

"Sounds to me like that's what it is." Faba added. "I mean, we can't do anything about the current situation with the way we are right now."

"What a splendid idea! I'm all for it!" Kiawe declared, getting pumped up. "Joining together has always been an excellent plan, no matter the way it. Whatever we have to do, I'm more than willing to go through with it."

The residents of Alola started speaking, all in agreement of this plan. They would go with whatever Princess Fluttershy wanted them to do, even if it meant becoming magical. They saw this as a unique experience and wanted to try it out.

"Oh my. You're all so eager?" Princess Fluttershy blinked with wonder while also looking at her Universe 1 Counterpart who giggled nervously. "I guess I shouldn't expect less from your residents. What a strange but lovely Universe."

"You can say that again. All these kids are quite excited by any opportunity that presents itself." Acerola agreed, crossing her arms.

"Hey! Aren't you an actual kid?!" Sophocles replied with a snarky remark. Acerola merely laughed at that.

"Yeah. But I think I have a good grasp on what she really wants us to do. You want us to join hands, right?" Mallow asked.

"Precisely." Princess Fluttershy nodded, walking around them and observing them all. "The spell is called 'Link Union'. If all of you, who are brimming with magic, join hands, all your emotions will become the ultimate form of defence?"

"Wait, defence? I thought we were gonna be attacking them." A confused Rainbow Dash spoke. "All we've been doing is defending ourselves?"

"Mm." Fluttershy shook her head. "While that would be true for the most part, in my universe, I've found a way to turn defence into power that can win. And the Link Union is the best way I know. It is the Ultimate Defense Spell that can dispel and even act as a sort of stasis chamber. Time itself can stop if the target is caught within this magic. They will not age, but they cannot move either unless the magic comes to an end. It can even defend against Time"

"Such a spell exists?!" Twilight couldn't believe her ears. It did sound incredibly powerful.

"And the way it's done is if you all put your faith and love into it. And that is something I know all of you can pull off. But it will take some time to build up, I will admit."

"The five of us already have magic, so we'll be fine." Twilight spoke. Her, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity don't have to worry about gaining magic at all, being Equestrians and everything. "But...Alola has a lot of people. Like...a lot of people. Do we count the Pokemon too? Will we have enough magic to give out?"

"I count the Pokemon as well. Their power will work as well. As long as you all come together with pure hearts and strong emotions. I believe it will work out in the end." Princess Fluttershy replied with confidence.

"What do you think, everyone?" Twilight looked at Alola's residents and even the rest of the Pokemon that came along, including Solgleo. She got their attention, knowing that a decision must be made soon. But that would never happen since they were already up for it. And now that they knew the details of the spell, they were more confident than ever. Everyone in Alola have powerful bonds of their own, and they can definitely put their emotions into that.

"Princess! Princess!" Suddenly, bursting through the doors was one of the castle guards as he almost fell over, only for Fluttershy to catch him with some magic. "Bad news!"

"What is it? What's wrong?" Fluttershy questioned.

"We saw it...A ripple in space-time. Universe 11 has found our Universe!"

"They have?!" Fluttershy couldn't believe it. Her universe should've been safe for much longer. However, of all times it has been discovered, the worst possible time had come. Everyone could hear it. A crack in space-time had opened up, threatening to open up.

Princess Fluttershy and a few others went outside to see the sight for themselves, witnessing this crack. It didn't seem like how a gateway usually forms, but it was certainly a gateway nonetheless. This was because the gateway was trying to force its way through Universe 5's defences. "Oh dear..."

The reason for this was simple. Dayastra had overpowered her foes, bringing them back to her Universe. They came through a gateway that had been opened up once they could finally get in contact with Universe 11. But as soon as she returned, she had one clear order.

"Ugh..." Zero groaned while on the ground. His vehicle had been trashed, seen lying on the side. Kidd was on one knee, holding onto another Pokemon Ranger for support. They weren't completely done for since this universe had Canterlot Guards running around, doing their best to bring down the Solar Empire, but it was still a bad situation regardless.

"Wea...!" Kidd's Weaviles slid back, their bodies having smoke coming out of them. The two of them were currently battling with Dayastra, the heat getting to them.

"I know Solgaleo is hiding in either one of those Universes. So, I'll do a thorough check through all Universes we have yet to drain. Those who try and protect themselves will find that they won't be safe for long. Not with all the power we've gathered." Dayastra spoke to Kidd and the others, revealing that she ordered a mass invasion of these universes.

Kidd wasn't sure what to do right now, looking at her weakened Weaviles. They were struggling to get up, finding it difficult to even move. Sunrise's flames were hot and overwhelming, making it hard for anything to resist them.

Zero couldn't move either. He was completely knocked out, his body trembling. Some Canterlot Guards spotted them, rushing over to Kidd's group to help them out of this situation. "

"Commander. We've found the Universe that Solgaleo is hiding in." A message came through to her now that she could finally access the technological essentials. "It's in Universe 5."

"Excellent." Sunrise smirked, pleased by this discovery. "I'll head there as soon as possible. Deal with these nuisances for me, all of you. And when you reach Solgaleo, just know that it'll try and escape once more. If it shows up in Alola again, you know what to do. And if it flees to another universe, chase it down there as well. Do not slow down your hunt for it."

Now that Solgaleo's location had been found, no matter where it runs to, Sunrise would never stop her pursuit. Her obsession with the Sunne has become stronger than ever before, all for ensuring Necrozma reaches full power. Many ships, minus the Solar Sword, were moving out, advancing their mission to other universes.

Outer Space.

All the while, during all of this chaos and conflict, the Sun was untouched by all of this. Both Suns to be exact. However, something occurred.

The Sun was pulsating, letting out tiny ripples. It also sounded like the Sun was singing, but the sounds that came from it did not match that of a Sun. No violent roars of the sort. In fact, it sounded like the cry of a Pokemon. This was not Solgaleo's doing. Not at all.

This was the doing of another Pokemon.

As the journey continues.

Chapter 571 End.