Author's Note

I did the math. For me to get to 1000 Chapters by the end of the year or the new year, I'd have to release 2 chapters per day for all 102 remaining days. Posting 3 chapters on any day or even 2 like I used to do. But nah, I'm fine with how it is now. By doing it daily, I'll reach the finale of this story by September 30th, 2025. I think.

The Final Touches

Universe 10. The Arcane Institute. Day.

The Arcane Institute.

Located within a small and isolated village. Hidden in the mountains, it is home to the ponies who dedicate themselves to stopping the massive threat that is Prisma. With a goal of ensuring the safety of all worlds, the ponies within the Arcane Institute are determined and driven, going as far as necessary to keep every world safe from the potential of Prisma's destruction.

They specialized in high training, research, advanced magic and Pokemon battles. Within the Arcane Institute are students and teachers alike, each specializing in a specific type of magic or skill. As always, they were undergoing practice to perfect themselves and during these past months, they've also been coming up with plans to further stop Prisma.

However, a few days ago, their Professor, the one who guides the Arcane Institute, received news of something interesting happening. In Universe 1, the first ever universe where the original Prisma came from, his counterparts began travelling to other Universes as of recently. They have all been spotted together, meaning that Prisma is not only slowly regaining his strength the closer they are and memories, but is also aware of the many worlds out there.

"We've had enough time to improve ourselves." The Professor spoke as he addressed Twilight Moonlight and all the other ponies here. "Now that we're starting to see more of his counterparts appear, it will be easier to prevent his return. The time has come to set our plan into motion."

"I understand, Professor." Twilight nodded her head, knowing the stakes. The rest of the students and staff were a bit nervous, but knew what was expected of them.

"It's also important to know that due to recent events, there is a massive Universal Alliance. All thanks to Celestia being allies with many worlds." The Professor continued. "The existence of such an alliance makes things harder, but we were prepared for such possibilities. To be honest....I was banking on Daybreaker to fully cripple those universes, but we will have to traverse them in their current conditions. No doubt, they are in support protecting those 10 Counterparts. We cannot let them continue."

"If all those worlds are on their side, who's to say they haven't found a way to perfectly conceal all 10 of them?" One pony questioned.

"They have the numbers without a doubt. However, the recent invention we've come up with can nullify that over time. To those that will stand in your way, you will use it on them. Now, we will prepare our first mission." The Professor announced. "Twilight, your role will be a lot bigger now. You will be the main focus of these missions, along with some others."

"Got it. Leave it to me." Twilight nodded.

Before they were ready to set out, Twilight Moonlight walked the halls of the Arcane Institute, preparing herself for the next part of her journey. Beforehand, she took the time to visit the lab to see what her teammates had been up to.

As she arrived, she found the Silver Swirl at her desk, staying behind as always for these missions. Despite being a pony capable of amazing magic, Silver Swirl is not one to go out there and fight, often staying behind and working with her machines.

"You're not going?" Twilight asked.

"Nope." Silver Swirl answered. "You know I'm not cut out for it. The best thing I can do is work here in the Institute." She looked over her seat to face Twilight. "It's fine. Really."

"Hmm." Twilight hummed, taking her word. "Fine then."

"But hey. You've all been preparing a lot for this moment, haven't you? These extra months of practise will pay off even if I'm not there. And besides, you'll have other experienced ponies by your side. Maybe they aren't prodigies like you, but they're still great. I'm sure you'll get the job done, Twilight."

"I will. I'm more worried about my own counterparts. The three of them will be difficult, especially since they do not see things our way."

"They have the same goal as we do. Don't think ill of them." Silver Swirl smiled. "Just like me, they want to stop Prisma peacefully, but that's an insanely tall task for them."

"It's a tall task because it's impossible." Twilight Moonlight coldly stated. "It's still very obvious that there is no peaceful way of stopping Prisma, which is why we're taking matters into our own hooves."

"I wish we did have a peaceful way. Maybe they can figure it out but so far...this is the only way." Silver Swirl sighed, obviously preferring a less aggressive approach. "Either way, I'll be praying for your success and giving support from out here as always. Go get'em, Twilight."

"Right."

After meeting her teammates and having a brief chat, Twilight went on her way, finding her way towards the front entrance where she saw the two other ponies, both of which were experienced, powerful, and ready for the job.

One of the two ponies was the mare named Delight, a prodigy much like her. Her mane was white with a purple gradient at the tips, her eyes being a bright red. Much like everypony else here, she was a unicorn, her outfit a mixture of white, gold and blue. Her cutie mark consisted of 4 light tunnels.

The second pony was a stallion named Venture. He possessed a golden coat, a light brown mane and dark green eyes. His cutie mark is a yellow diamond with an eye in the middle.

"Venture. Delight." Twilight acknowledged the two. "Are you ready?"

"As we'll ever be." Venture smiled, confident and ready for the next mission.

"Same." Delight nodded her head. "I know you are. You've been waiting to make the Professor proud, right?"

"I can't afford to fail again. Not when I'm the best student in the institute." Twilight Moonlight was always one to take things seriously, her mind constantly focused on what must be done. "I don't care how long it will take. Prisma won't fully return. We'll capture all those counterparts and destroy those souls once and for all."

She walked past them both, heading to the room where the gateways would be opened Venture and Delight following behind her. They walked in a straight line, making their way through the halls, passing by various staff and students alike. The time for them to return to Universe 1 was now.

Back at Universe 1, when trying to find out what he's missed during these past 3 Weeks, Ash was currently at a local PokeMart established here at Ponyville. There, he was speaking with Lyra and Carrot Top while shopping for food.

"And then, I tried the most delicious food ever!" Lyra shared. "It was made out of ice cream! Isn't that amazing?!"

"In just eight seconds? No brain freeze either?!" Carrot Top exclaimed.

"Well...I had somepony's Torkoal use Heat Wave on me right as that happened." Lyra scratched the back of her hair. "But for the most part, I powered through it and almost fell over."

"Is that all that happened these past 3 weeks?" Ash asked.

"Well, there's one thing you should really know. That 4th building that came up in the newspaper stayed the same. The other 3 still look great but the 4th one is still bland."

Lyra referred to the buildings made by the Pokemon who gained advanced intellect to speak at a higher level. The buildings of Infernape, Lucario and Abomasnow were still around even after the Antibodies left even though the Lucario Bastion came straight from the Lost Universe. The 4th one was still a mystery even after these past 4 weeks.

"To be honest, I say don't bother." Carrot Top suggested. "If it's not going to do anything, then might as well leave it alone. Aside from that, over at Pegalysium, I heard that they got their first-ever Pokemon Gym up there. Among some other things. And um..."

"Oh! There's a new cafe downtown too. And I'm sure you've already heard about the Moo-Moo Milk shop. But, have you seen any of the changes in the other cities? I had a drink of that milk and it was worth the wait."

"I asked for carrots in mine, but...I regret it. Milk and carrots don't mix." Carrot Top stuck her tongue out. "Bleh."

"I guess you guys have just been doing what you always do. I figured something super big would've happened while we were gone for that long..." Ash scratched his hair. "Hm. I'll keep looking and asking. But first, I gotta see if-" Right as Ash took out his Rotomphone to check if there was someone nearby he could be battle for the Pokemon World Championships, he was shocked to find something out. "W-Wha?!"

"Huh? What's up?" Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"Something wrong, Ash?"

"Pika...?!" Pikachu jumped a bit, confused as well. He soon had the same reaction as Ash. "Pikachu?!"

Due to being gone for 3 weeks, Ash's ranking had been overtaken by other Trainers since he hasn't been battling anyone for that amount of time. There were now trainers past him that were getting closer to the Masters 8, showing that Ash was at a static level right now.

"Oof...Didn't think about that." Lyra grimaced when looking at the ranking.

"Still pretty big though." Carrot Top pointed out. "If I ever entered this World Championships, I'd be at the lowest rankings, for sure."

"No faith in yourself?" Lyra questioned as Ash closed his eyes, scrunching his mouth while the two of them talked. "You don't think you'd make it a bit higher?"

"I'm not an avid battler. I've got better things to do than worry about how fast my Pokemon can move or dodge. Then again, that speed part does help with work so, eh."

"Well, neither am I but at least I'd give it a try. I bet I'd rank in the 200's!" Lyra proudly placed a hoof over her chest. "My Mime Jr. and I would absolutely make it that far, no doubt in my mind!"

"Mmmrgh...!" Ash grumbled while lowering his head as he looked like he was about to blow.

Hey, Ash. Are you okay?" Lyra asked.

"I gotta catch up!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs, dashing forward as he went straight out of the PokeMart. It was time to rank up due to this lost time and he needed to start now. Just like that, he was gone, leaving behind a smoke trail while the bags of items he hadn't even put on the checkout were left behind.

"...He didn't even pay for his stuff." said Carrot Top.

Twilight arrived at the source of this ruckus in her school, coming face to face with the student who has proclaimed herself as Queen of the Pokemon School. As she moved past all the bickering students who were fake armour made out of plastic, cardboard and paint. It was none other than Smolder.

And when looking at Smolder and the crown she gave herself, Twilight saw that she was affected by Rift Magic. Due to using the potion, she accidentally got some of it on her, making her think she was the Queen and the other students, her loyal servants.

"Heheh..." Smolder laughed in a silly manner, her eyes spinning as she was obviously influenced by the Rift Energy. "AHAHHAHA!"

"Mind control again?" Twilight sighed, not surprised that the mind was being influenced yet again. How many times has she had to deal with this issue? Twilight couldn't even be bothered to know or even be bothered to draw this out. She already knows how mind control works and has an array of spells to handle it.

She would narrow eyes her eyes, focusing her magic while locking onto Smolder's mind. The spell would go off, releasing her from her mind-controlled state and snapping her out of it. She would blink a few times, her eyes returning to normal.

"Uh...Wait, what? Am I in the middle of a performance right now?"

"Just mind control. Nothing special." Twilight explained, looking down at her. Once she appeared, the other students gasped upon realizing their principal had finally returned.

"You're back, Ms. Sparkle?!" A student cried.

"Finally..." Gallus, who had a bucket of paint over his head said with relief. "I've been waiting 3 weeks for this moment. Now that you're back, please, make it stop."

"Wait a minute. What am I wearing?! It...itches!" Smolder was so confused right now, the carboard itching her head and arms.

"I'll fix all this in a bit." Twilight promised. "And don't worry. None of you are in trouble. I just came back after 3 weeks and I'll chalk it up to Rift Magic being the cause."

"YES!" The entire school shouted with excitement.

"However..." Twilight spoke up. "This doesn't mean that you won't be punished for what you did." She would narrow her eyes at all of them, causing a sense of fear within them. "You still strung up Potion Nova and all the other teachers, so that won't be ignored. And if anyone has a problem, you can Pokemon Battle with me to solve it."

"Okay..." They all said with lowered voices.

"And besides...You were all amateurs at this." Twilight suddenly smirked. "When I was a kid, I caused a bigger mess than this and made more elaborate armour out of books. If I were here during this, you wouldn't last a minute."

"Nuh-uh! We totally would!" Smolder retorted along with everyone else.

"Hm." Twilight smiled, hearing the students object. Despite being the principal, she was not afraid to have some fun with her students. They were all good students after all, so a little harmless teasing and competition never hurt anyone. "By the way...do your parents and guardians know about you being here for this long?"

"Oh, uh...We told them that we were all having a sleepover." A pony exclaimed as they nervously looked to the side. They all collectively lied just to stay in here and pull off goof off.

"Yeah. And they believe that?"

"Yes." They answered. Twilight was once again, not surprised. But this did tell her one thing. As wild as these kids can be, they truly loved this school and Twilight was proud to be its principal.

The Dream Castle.

Elsewhere, the Dream Castle was once again travelling through dimensions, still on the run from the Arcane Institute. In it was Twilight Wish, resting peacefully. Thankfully, she's managed to stay out of trouble for a long time now, so she's taken the time to relax.

"Mmmhmm..." She hummed in her sleep.

As she laid down, the castle would slowly begin to glow, alerting Twilight Wish to get up. It would continue to glow as she stood up, wondering what was going on. The Dream Castle has never glowed this bright.

"Ah...Wha?" Twilight Wish grumbled while getting up, rubbing her eye. "This sound...? Are you about to make a pitstop now? But there's not even any worlds close by, I..." Right then, a flash of light would appear. The Dream Castle would be surrounded in a rainbow light. This was not a pitstop.

"What's happening? Did we teleport by accident?!"

The Dream Castle was pulled into another world. Twilight Wish felt the ground shift as she lost her balance, falling onto her flank. She'd rub her head, getting up and dusting herself off. She would then turn to the door and make her way towards it.

"Owww...It feels like we just went through a dimensional rift or something. Wait a minute." Twilight Wish realized the gravity of the situation. She immediately turned around, heading back into the room and grabbing her bag. "For that to happen, that means the Arcane Institute is on the move again! What made them start moving all of a sudden?!"

Twilight couldn't afford to get those answers. The Dream Castle sensed the Arcane Institute moving through dimensions once more and wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. She had enough time to be away from them, but now, it was back to business as usual. The Dream Castle was ready to leave once more.

"Ah!" Twilight yelped, grabbing onto the table. She would try and run towards the door, but the Dream Castle began to float, shaking as it prepared itself to leave the current universe. But this time, Twilight Wish would have a set destination. Now that the Arcane Instiute was active once more, there was one place she knew she could go to and get al the help she needed. The only world that will ally themselves with her, as far as she knows right now.

Universe 1.

In a dazzling glow, the castle would ascend, vanishing out of sight.

Universe 1. Equestria. Las Pegasus.

Over at Las Pegasus, the Grand Festival's final touches were being added. The stadium was filled with a myriad of booths, shops, and attractions. With the festival taking place not too far from now, everyone was hard at work setting up and preparing everything.

Fantina oversaw the development of the festival and its main stage. "Hmm." She hummed while inspecting the layout. She gave an 'OK' sign, confirming that it was good to go. "Perfect! It looks like everything is in order! We are all set to go for the upcoming show! Excellent!"

"Yes!" The stage manager nodded his head.

"And how are the other locations?"

"All of them have been inspected and are ready for the public, Ms, Fantina!" A female pegasus confirmed.

"Wonderful." Fantina giggled. "This is a grand event, is it not?"

"Well, if I had to guess, based on all the Contests we've seen in Equestria, this Grand Festival is basically going to be all the talent of those previous contests coming together to do something amazing. So...it's going to be grand on a level we haven't seen yet. Not in Las Pegasus at least."

"Exactly." Fantina winked. "Everypony, no...every species in Equestria will see just how wonderful Contests can be at their best! This is something we've never seen before and it will be spectacular! Now, we shall wait until the show begins! I have confidence that everypony will have a marvelous time! Oui!"

"Yes ma'am."

The final touch was a massive banner outside of the building. It was held up by some workers, showing off the image of a massive ribbon that was surrounded by 8 circles that were all connected to each other.

It read "THE GRAND FESTIVAL".

The sun beamed down on it beautifully, the image shining with a sense of brilliance and majesty. The image was beautiful and it would be displayed to everyone, bringing excitement to all those who will enter the Grand Festival.

There, Fantina's eyes lit up upon seeing the image. She felt like a kid again when she first saw the Grand Festival at a young age, the nostalgic memories bombarding her mind.

"Beautiful...!" She whispered. "So lovely and gorgeous. Just like a Contest Spectacular. Ohohoho~"

The Grand Festival was coming up soon and all were ready for the festival. All those who have acquired enough ribbons would arrive when that day comes but only one of them would be crowned Equestria's First Ever Top Coordinator, a title that will make the winner stand out amongst the masses. It was the sister event to the long-awaited Equestria League and it shows as the journey continues.

Chapter 627 End.