My Little Pokémon: Grander World

Universe 30. The Dream Nexus. Nightfall.

The Arcane Institute had begun their attack on this universe, searching for Ethan. They arrived with Arcanines and massive Rhyperiors, untouched by Dynamax and naturally appearing like that.

The Arcane Rhyperior then roared as it used Icy Wind, summoning a powerful chill of ice that flowed through the air. This chill was felt by the citizens below, their skin suddenly feeling cold as it sent a chill down their spine.

The Rhyperior's Icy Wind was so powerful, the very ground became frozen and many buildings became coated with frost and snow. The Icy Wind would pass by in a quick gust but its effects lingered. The ponies were shivering, trying to stay warm.

"I know they're hiding him, so to ensure that they reveal him without restraint, we'll freeze everything over." Twilight Moonlight's voice said. From atop another Arcane Rhyperior's hand.

"S-So cold...!" A pony stuttered, shivering from the chill in the air. They all crouched down to stay warm, but it was no use, the air around them had been completely frozen and their fur was no longer keeping them warm.

"We've been found...! The Arcane Institute is here!" One of the leaders said, watching this from within the Dream Vault, looking outside the window. The Dream Harvesters all looked at each other in worry.

Even from inside the Dream Vault, they could feel the chill from the Icy Wind. Medly looked onwards to see Twilight Moonlight in the distance, the unicorn standing on the Rhyperior arm. The other Rhyperiors kept on moving forward, being ordered to freeze more things over. The many Arcanine could easily resist the cold, obviously, as they started tracking down Ethan's scent once more. They knew they'd find him soon, and that the Dream Harvesters wouldn't be able to hide him forever.

All the frozen people screamed as they saw these Massive Rhyperiors nearby. The Arcane Institute made sure to avoid them, only going for Ethan. But if any of them planned to get in their way, that'd be a different story. With the people all shivering from the cold, Twilight Moonlight ordered some Arcanines to search inside any buildings.

Venture walked along with Twilight Moonlight. "Won't you consider their wellbeing? Most of them are just innocent." Venture said. The two of them glanced back at the people, the citizens having frozen over, save for the Rhyperior they rode.

Twilight Moonlight shook her head. "The Professor made this very clear to me. The end result justifies the means. Anyone harboring incarnations of Prisma are threats that need to be eliminated...unless you have any objections, Venture?"

Venture sighed, looking away and following Twilight. He couldn't tell her, not yet. "Nah, no objections at all." He told her as they approached the Dream Vault. Twilight Moonlight nodded as they proceeded forward.

The further she went, she looked around, noticing the dream orbs. Each one contained a person's dreams and memories. They were stored in a specific order, ensuring that the right person would be assigned the right dream for their nightly journey. Twilight took note of this, remembering it for later use.

As the Rhyperiors marched ahead, Twilight Moonlight remained on board her ride. She looked over at the frozen people below, shivering and shaking. She had done this to prevent them from getting involved in her mission to find Ethan.

However, despite freezing many of the buildings, the Dream-Harvesters were still capable of taking action and defending their home. "Well, since they aim to ruin our home, we'll respond in kind." One of the leaders spoke. "Bring out the Dream Mirrors." He commanded. Two Dream Harvesters flew off, heading towards a secret area.

They descended into a deep underground chamber and retrieved several mirrors, bringing them back to the surface. They flew through the sky and arrived at the battlefield where they laid the mirrors out across the ground. The Dream Harvesters activated their magic and caused the mirrors to rise up into the air, creating a dome of reflection around the area.

The Rhyperior stomped about, looking around and seeing its reflection in every mirror it looked in. The many Arcanines moved through the city streets, their movements causing ripples in the reflected landscape. It was like looking into an ocean of mirrors.

The mirrors appeared in great droves as by looking into the mirror, it reflected an image of the viewer but altered with colors and shapes. It was like staring into an abstract painting, with swirls and loops replacing the person's body parts, limbs and facial features. One could almost lose themselves in the mesmerizing patterns that were created.

Then, from within the reflections, a large, imposing figure appeared, its outline distorted and wobbly. The creature had multiple tentacles that wiggled out of the reflections as if they were alive, grasping for purchase in the real world. The Rhyperior turned to face it and saw itself multiplied many times over in the mirror dome, their reflections glaring angrily at it.

Suddenly, all of the Rhyperior clones rushed forward to attack. They slammed their massive bodies against the creature with their Rock Wreckers, sending tremors throughout the entire battlefield and cracking some of the mirrors. However, the creature was undeterred by the assault and quickly responded by swinging its tentacles in retaliation. It smacked at the Rhyperior clones, knocking some of them back with surprising force.

In a fit of rage, the Arcane Rhyperiors all charged up at the creature and unleashed their attacks. They struck at the creature's tentacles with their Drill Runs, and it howled in pain as the blows connected. However, the creature quickly recovered and retaliated, whipping its tentacles around and grabbing hold of two of the Rhyperiors. It dragged them down to the ground, smashing them into the reflective floor. The mirrors shattered around them as they fell, leaving shards of glass everywhere.

"Hmph." Twilight Moonlight narrowed her eyes at this situation. Her Rhyperior would stomp down, stepping in front of the Dream Creature that formed. "A creature born from dreams..." The Rhyperior would grab the Dream Creature and throw it away with one mighty push. As it flew in the air, it didn't disappear and landed on the ground.

But as it landed on the ground, something happened. All the shards of glass that were on the ground floated upward. These shards attached to the creature's body, covering it in a glittery shell. The creature now looked like a giant insect with a shiny silver shell covering its body, giving it a regal appearance.

"Seems like they're more organized than expected." Twilight Moonlight commented, jumping off the Rhyperior and landing on the ground. Her horn glowed as she cast a spell on the Mirror Creature. The Mirror Creature howled as it was hit by the spell, and was frozen in place, unable to move. "Now, deal with it." She told her team, allowing the rest to deal with the creature.

"Arca!." An Arcanine nodded as he got his troops ready. All of them gathered around and ran at the Frozen Creature, dealing with it easily. The others would go around to stop the rest of the Dream Harvesters from stopping them, and going against the other Rhyperiors. Many of the Arcanines were spread about, some going into homes or buildings.

While all of this occurred, Twilight Moonlight turned to the doors of the Dream Vault. "Here I am, just in time to finish my task." She muttered to herself, remembering her orders. "I know you're in there, Ethan."

Seeing that the Dream Mirrors weren't working, the Dream Harvesters switched to another one of their defence methods; the Dream Seekers, small magical spheres that could be launched at will and create powerful and great effects when combined with other sources of power or magic. The Dream Harvesters began using their magic to launch these projectiles, hoping to put a dent in the Arcanines' forces and deter them from advancing on the city.

Unfortunately, the Arcanines proved to be more resilient and powerful than initially thought, and the Dream Seekers were no match for their combined might. Even when combined with other forms of magic, they were not strong enough to take on the combined power of the Arcanines.

Realizing that brute force alone would not be enough, the Dream Harvesters resorted to cleverness and misdirection, distracting and redirecting the Arcanines and their forces with various ploys. Despite this, however, the Arcanines pressed on and fought with incredible strength.

However, while it looked like the Arcane Institute were gaining the upper hand, this universe's efforts would persist and prove to only ramp up from here. The Dream Seekers would suddenly rejuvenate, sneaking up upon the Arcanines when they least expected it.

After catching them off guard, the Dream Seekers would enter the Arcanines' bodies and render them immobile. Some of the Arcanines started glowing brightly as their pupils would shrink. "Ca?! Arcanine!"

"With this, their favourite dreams will be manifested into nightmares. All of those Arcanines will live out their worst nightmares in a loop." One of the Leaders said to another.

"It will be even far more effective if their already-existing nightmares aren't as potent as the new nightmares they'll be given." Another leader replied, revealing the terrifying power of the Dream Seekers. "These newly-formed nightmares will surely bring them to madness..."

And these words would ring true as many of the Arcanines were forced to endure their new and original nightmares brought forth by the Dream Seekers, leaving them trembling and gasping for breath. So many horrible nightmares that they have never experienced before flooded their minds as well as amplifications of the nightmares they've already had before.

The Rhyperiors went safe from this either. Even they were hit by the Dream Seekers, forced to see horrid nightmares such as the Arcanines did. None of them went free, as the Dream Harvesters worked tirelessly to use this power to drive away their invaders.

"What is this?!" Twilight Moonlight exclaimed when seeing so many of the Pokemon experience nightmares. The Dream Seekers continued to fly around, targeting the opposing ponies from the Institute.

Such as herself. She turned her head, immediately getting struck by the Dream Seeker to the point where she fell off Rhyperior's hands, crashing to the ground. The Rhyperior was busy having his nightmares, as was Twilight Moonlight. She would sit on the ground, her body shaking, as a horrid nightmare took place within her mind.

Her horn would glow, which caught the attention of Venture who ran towards her. She had been trying to fight off the Nightmare with all her might. But the Nightmare was strong, too strong. She could feel the terror building up inside of her as the images of the Nightmare flashed before her eyes. For her, the greatest Nightmare was the same as it has always been. Prisma's return.

"Hm. Seems that did the trick." Medly spoke while watching from afar. "Are they vulnerable enough to restrain?"

"I do believe so. Bring in the Nyx Chains. We have to hold them in place, as long as they're in their nightmares." One Leader spoke to the Dream Harvesters, who then all nodded.

From the skies themselves, the clouds would change colours gaining a nice midnight appearance. This is the true power of the Nightmare. Soon after, the Dream Harvesters flew high into the air and started to chant. Their chanting created a magical aura that began to swirl and surround them, causing a vortex of magic to be formed around the area, and soon the vortex started to glow.

Suddenly, from within the vortex, magical chains began to appear and wrap themselves around the invading forces of the Arcane Institute. These Nyx Chains were strong and secure, binding the Arcane Pokemon and ponies to the ground. They could not escape the grip of these powerful chains.

The Nyx Chains, made of pure dark energy, wrapped tightly around the Arcane Pokemon and ponies and held them in place, preventing them from escaping. As they tried to break free from their bonds, their struggles were futile.

They were trapped, held firmly by the power of the Nyx Chains. As the Nyx Chains kept them bound, they were helpless, unable to fight back against their captors.

"Ngh..." Twilight Moonlight groaned, her body twitching while experiencing this nightmare.

All the ice in the city would be promptly melted away by the combined magic of the higher-ups, the leaders and rulers of the Dream Harvesters. The citizens were finally freed, and were allowed to live out the rest of their day, despite it being the dead of Nightfall.

Many people rushed to the injured Dream Harvesters. One pony, in particular, had a broken wing, shivering aggressively, but they all did what they could to patch him up.

Medly and all the leaders fro the Dream Vault approached Twilight Moonlight and her forces, seeing that all of them had been trapped by the chains. "Well, you looked to be troublesome from that start, but alas, we've succeeded." One of the elders said.

"Urgh...!" Twilight Moonlight raised her head while still twitching and trembling from her nightmare.

"One of you, report this to Princess Celestia at once. Inform her that the situation is over. The Princess will know what to do with them." One elder spoke. A younger Dream Harvester bowed and ran off, flying towards Celestia to inform her about these intruders.

"Now then, what shall be done with you?" One elder said. "I say, we place them in a Nightmare Cube, for eternity."

"What?! E-Eternity? That's not a very good punishment." A Dream Harvester spoke.

"Maybe not. But, it's one that I'm considering. After all, these are forces that aim to harm the innocent and harm this world." One Elder replied.

"Y-Yes...But-!" Another Dream Harvester tried to protest, before another leader shut them up.

"I agree with that statement." He spoke. The other leaders turned to each other and nodded. "The Dream Seekers are already bringing out their worst Nightmares, so y placing them in those cubes, their nightmares will be further elevated and brought to their absolute peak, making it impossible to break out." He explained, a plan they had for anyone who dared to harm them or the world they lived in. A very extreme method that they didn't take too lightly. It'd only be for those who they deemed the most dangerous and threatening.

"That...That won't work..." Suddenly, Twilight Moonlight spoke, gritting her teeth while lowering her head. This surprised the Dream Harvesters. The fact that she could still focus.

"Hm? This one isn't fully subdued." A Dream Harvester would notice. "We should throw her in first." He spoke.

"How is she even resisting it in the first place?" Medly wondered. No one else was resisting them, so what made Twilight so resistant?

"No. This won't work...because..." Twilight took a deep breath as the air suddenly grew tense. The air would swirl and shake, the Moon would suddenly pulsate.

"...The air..." A higher-up commented, feeling the shift in the air's natural flow. The Dream Harvesters would feel a sudden change, one that was hard to pinpoint but was very noticeable. They looked up to see that the moon itself was glowing.

"What's happening to the Moon...?! It's pulsating!" Medly shouted. As they looked on, they saw Twilight Moonlight's horn begin to shine. Her eyes would open as the chains that held her odnw was slowly breaking apart.

"H-How...?! The chains are supposed to hold anyone, regardless of their strength or magic! There's no way that she'd have the ability to resist it and even break out of the chains!" Another higher-up shouted, seeing this unfold.

"You could never subdue me with these Nightmares. There is no greater Nightmare that exists...than Prisma's return." Twilight Moonlight said, breaking free of the Nyx Chains as her horn and eyes flashed. A moonlight flash eclipsed the surrounding area, causing the Dream Harvesters to squint their eyes to protect themselves.

As the flash cleared, Twilight stood up. "To me, Prisma's return is the ultimate nightmare. And I've prepared myself for that, knowing the horrors that will come from it." She spoke as the dust would flow due to her magical pressure, making her stand out as the remains of the chains would fizzle out. "I should also add that under the Full Moon, I am much stronger."

The Dream Harvesters were stunned by what they had witnessed and heard, as well as the power that was flowing from her. She was able to resist their power, even while under their Nightmare Spell. The magic she let out was extraordinary to the point where they recognized what it felt like. It felt like Alicorn Magic.

The magic deep within her that could match that of alicorns was emanating strongly, giving her a greater presence among everyone else. It was so great that even the Dream Orbs felt it all.

"You want to see that nightmare for yourself? I'll show you. I'll show you what defending a part of Prisma will lead you to." Twilight Moonlight would raise her horn and aim it at the Dream Harvesters. They braced themselves, feeling a sense of dread and despair, unsure of what was coming.

Then, a large beam of light fired from Twilight Moonlight's horn and enveloped all of the Dream Harvesters. They were all blinded by the light, but as soon as they were able to see again, they found themselves in a completely new world. The landscape had changed dramatically, and the atmosphere had become much colder.

There was nothing but absolute destruction everywhere they looked, as if a great catastrophe had happened. The sky was dark and filled with clouds that rumbled with thunder. They had been taken into a dream, a dream that Twilight Moonlight wanted them to experience.

"Prisma's Return..." Twilight Moonlight muttered. The Dream Harvesters would see it in their very dreams. A tall man with a powerful aura that caused them to shake, and a dark sky. The very ground itself had broken apart, and the sky had a black hole sucking in the life and souls of the people. The man would turn his head, revealing Prisma's face.

"You all believe you can stop Prisma's return by protecting Ethan and the other counterparts." Twilight Moonlight's face spoke as the force of the nightmares was pressuring them all, making their grunt in pain. "But all you're doing is furthering his return. He's coming, and his return will only be inevitable. And with each day that goes by, the more souls will be taken and the stronger he becomes..."

"Are you all prepared to perish for the sake of this universe? To protect those that could very well spell the doom of this universe and all other universes?" Twilight Moonlight's voice echoed in the Dream Harvesters' heads. They looked on, feeling a great amount of dread and fear, but they all had the same thoughts in their minds. They couldn't allow this man to come back. Not when the world was still so vulnerable.

And yet, as they kept seeing these horrible visages, Twilight Moonlight already saw the answer to this. The fact that they were unable to handle it spoke volumes. "I see. You aren't truly committed, are you? You've been tasked with protecting Ethan and the rest of them, but even you can't handle this future, that is bound to occur."

Twilight Moonlight saw right through them. All that talk Medly did about protecting Ethan seemed to have a limit. And Twilight could see this limit clearly. "It seems that you aren't able to handle the future that lies ahead of you." She told the Dream Harvesters.

"W-We can...!" And yet, Medly still believed that she could do it, despite feeling all this pain and pressure.

"...Hm." That was all Twilight Moonlight said before flashing her eyes, eclipsing this dream with a great light.

Afterwards, they were all left in vegetative states, frozen and trembling. The others who came to the scene saw how their eyes twitched and watered, as if they saw something horrible, something they could never describe. Twilight Moonlight looked down on them before looking at the citizens.

"Now then, I have business with the person in there. Get out of my way." Twilight Moonlight ordered. They all moved back in fear, terrified that she managed to defeat such important figures by herself. They couldn't stand up to that, as they were left trembling and crying, unsure of what to do now that the Dream Harvesters were down for the count.

However, despite them being in a vegetative state, experiencing that nightmare, Medly was starting to slowly get up, still shaking, but able to fight. "Ghh..." She tried to stop Twilight Moonlight. Due to her never sleeping all that much, she managed to resist the Nightmare.

However, despite resisting it, her body was now weak and sluggish. All the while, Twilight Moonlight was approaching the Dream Vault, where Ethan was being kept. If Medly does not hurry, Twilight Moonlight could succeed in capturing Ethan at his most vulnerable. And with her elevated magical capabilities, she could very much do so as the journey continues.

Chapter 643 End.