All the Smallest Things: Original Draft

Chapters

Chapter 14: Sandwiches and Smartphones
Chapter 26: The Conference Ends
Chapter 1: On the Beach at Dawn
Chapter 2: Searching for Sylveon
Chapter 3: Ask Me Anything
Chapter 4: Darkness in Bridlewood
Chapter 5: Finding Nemona
Chapter 6: Oh, Deer!
Chapter 7: Have You Seen This Deerling?
Chapter 8: Sparks
Chapter 9: Dissociation
Chapter 10: Back at the Brighthouse
Chapter 11: Goodbyes and Reunions
Chapter 12: Talking Things Through
Chapter 13: Beyond the Seaside, Inside the Sea
Chapter 15: Pouring Rain
Chapter 16: The Big Brown Dog
Chapter 17: Your Own Kind
Chapter 18: The Emperor of Steel
Chapter 19: Fly High on Pegasus Wings
Chapter 20: A Shocking Day in Zephyr Heights
Chapter 21: Raging Inferno
Chapter 22: Rebirth of the Forest
Chapter 23: The Fairy and the Dragons
Chapter 24: Preparations
Chapter 25: The Conference Begins
Chapter 27: What Really Matters

Chapter 14: Sandwiches and Smartphones

Once everyone had returned to the Brighthouse, they gathered around the coffee table in the living room.

"I think it's about time we told everypony in Maretime Bay what we know about Pokémon," said Hitch. "We could make an announcement in the town square."

"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Sunny. "But we should plan it first. We need to write a script, decide on a time, and spread the word."

Izzy raised her hoof. "Ooh! I'll make the flyers!"

"And I can distribute them," said Zipp. She pulled her tablet out from under her wing and made a note.

"Can I livestream it?" asked Pipp. "Then I could spread the word to Zephyr Heights as well!"

Sunny nodded at all of them. "Then it's settled! Hitch and I will write the script."

"Can I join in?" asked Nemona. "I think it'd be easier to explain Pokémon to them if they could see an actual Pokémon."

"Sure you can," said Sunny. "Penny and Arven, what about you?"

"No thanks," said Arven.

"I'm no good at public speaking," mumbled Penny, "and Pipp's taking me shopping today."

"Shouldn't we have lunch first?" asked Misty.

"You're right! Today's been so busy, I forgot that I'm hungry," said Nemona. "I have an idea..." She looked at the ponies. "Have you got a baguette?"

One trip to the grocery store later, Sunny returned with the longest baguette she could find. Nemona washed her hands, then cut it in half with her claws and asked everyone to choose one ingredient from the fridge each. The sandwich was stacked high with cheese, lettuce, cucumbers, flowers, and whatever else they could find, and then Nemona sliced it into one piece for each of them. It tasted... interesting, to say the least.

After that culinary adventure was over, Pipp and Penny stepped through the together tree into Zephyr Heights. Penny took in a moment to admire the view of the palace garden. It was ringed with white-flowered bushes and statues of winged ponies (whatever they were called) surrounding a white and gold watchtower in the middle. The tree they'd just stepped out of had white bark and bright blue leaves.

While Pipp began to fly towards town, Penny swore she saw something move in a nearby flower patch. She took a step closer and saw a cream-coloured figure of a similar size and shape to herself, with ears and a tail that looked like leaves. She took a sniff, and memories of her dorm room came flooding back: the smell of energy drinks and instant noodles and kibble. Could it be...?

The Leafeon stood up and bolted away from Penny.

"Wait! Come back!" Penny shouted as she gave chase. She wasn't as fast as the Leafeon, but eventually she caught up to Pipp.

"Penny!" she gasped. "What are you doing?"

"I think I know this one!" Penny shouted back.

Pipp flew towards the Leafeon, then dived down and grabbed it between her forelegs as she landed.

"Let me go!" the Leafeon squealed while squirming — not that Pipp could understand her.

Penny stepped up to face the Leafeon and said, "I think I know you."

The Leafeon tilted her head and squinted. "Huh? I thought I'd remember meeting a Sylveon with mismatched eyes."

"You might not believe this," said Penny, "but it's me, Penny! Your trainer!"

Leafeon laughed. Surprised, Pipp let go of her. "Really? First I wake up in a brand new place, then some crazy Sylveon who thinks she's a human wakes me up from my nap. What was in that kibble?"

Penny sighed, lost for words.

"Could you translate?" asked Pipp.

"She doesn't believe me," said Penny.

"And why should I?" Leafeon snarked. "Nothing that's happened today makes a lick of sense."

"You get used to it," muttered Penny. Then, to Pipp: "Anyway, let's go get a phone."

Pipp and Penny both turned around, but the latter heard Leafeon say, "Huh. My trainer was obsessed with her phone. Not sure how a Sylveon could use one, but you remind me of her."

Penny reigned in the urge to face-ribbon. "You can come with us if you want."

"Sure. Not like I have anything better to do."

The first time Penny had been to Zephyr Heights, it had been deserted, but today the streets were bustling. Ponies walked and flew between golden buildings with glass roofs, and giant screens on the walls advertised perfumes and shampoo. A lot of ponies stared at the group, but Penny wasn't sure if they were more interested in her or Pipp. Hopefully the latter.

The first phone shop they went to was sleek, with a wall-sized front window and white furniture inside. As soon as they entered, a shopkeeper approached them.

"It's great to see you, Princess Petals!" he exclaimed. "But we don't allow pets in here, even for royalty."

"They're not my pets! They're my friends!" Pipp protested, but the shopkeeper didn't budge. She faced the Pokémon and said, "Sorry, but you're going to have to wait outside."

Penny sighed and was about to turn around, when she noticed Leafeon staring very intensely at the shopkeeper. Her big brown eyes widened, and the shopkeeper eventually sighed and relaxed.

"Fine, they can come in..."

Unfortunately, Penny wasn't able to find a smartphone she could use, but she'd found something even better: one of her Veevees! Hopefully the others weren't far away. When they returned to the Brighthouse that evening, Leafeon decided to sleep in the community garden. She still didn't believe Penny, but she wanted a quiet place to spend the night.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day...

Chapter 26: The Conference Ends

The other founders of the Pokémon Emergency Taskforce watched the conference live from what had once been a break room. They'd brought popcorn with them, but Misty had eaten it all within half an hour. Currently, the leaders were discussing how to fireproof buildings or something, but only Izzy and Hitch were still paying attention.

"So... you wanna apply for citizenship here?" asked Nemona, who was leaning on a sofa.

"I don't see why not," said Arven, who was sat next to her. "I kinda like it here... though we should probably get our own place soon."

Nemona snorted. "Heh. We're too young to get married, but we're already thinking about buying property."

"We need money for that," said Penny, who was curled up on the floor.

"Good point," said Arven. "It's a good thing we have friends in high places." He pointed to Zipp, who was boredly looking at her folding phone.

"Huh?" said Zipp as she turned her head towards them. "You still need to earn a living somehow. Besides, I— the royal family don't have any power over Maretime Bay."

"Maybe we could get paid for being in the P-E-T?" asked Nemona.

"We'll... figure that out later," said Zipp.

Arven looked back at Nemona and sighed. "You know... We've been through all sorts of crazy stuff, but I still never thought my life would come to this. At least I can still be a cook — do you still wanna be a Pokémon trainer?"

Nemona looked down at her hands, moving her claws one at a time, before she resumed eye contact. "I don't know. Being a trainer when I'm a Pokémon just sounds weird, y'know?"

"Well, I heard you did great during the forest fire," said Arven. "Maybe you could work for the P-E-T in the long-term. As for me? I'm not so sure."

"Speaking of which, how's Pawmot doing?" she asked.

"He's fine," said Arven. "He told me he missed you while you were in Bridlewood, and right now he's helping Sprout and the others around Maretime Bay, just in case any Pokémon problems come up."

"So are my Veevees in Zephyr Heights," said Penny.

"Really? That's good to know," said Nemona. "And... thanks. To both of you."

That evening, the leaders finally reached a consensus. Sunny turned to face the camera and said, "And that's the end of the world leaders' conference! Thank you to anypony — or otherwise — who watched the whole way through, but I'm guessing most of you didn't, so here's a summary. Any Pokémon who wishes to live in Equestrian society should apply for citizenship in their local area. Only then will they be legally considered persons. It'll take a few days for the legislation to be put into place, and the offices you need to apply at will be announced later. Starting this fall, the basics of Pokémon will become a mandatory subject at all Equestrian schools, but we'll need teachers — preferably Pokémon. A series of Pokémon welfare and rights laws will come into effect over the next few months."

Then, she gestured around the table, prompting Pipp to pan the camera across. "I must thank all these guests for offering their different perspectives on these issues. If we learn to live in harmony in Pokémon, who knows how strong our magic will grow?"

And with that, Pipp ended the broadcast.

Once all the guests had left, the others raced into the studio to meet back up with Sunny and Pipp.

"You did great!" exclaimed Izzy.

"My favourite part was when you talked about updating building codes," said Hitch. Everyone stared at him. "What?"

"Can we get a head-start on the citizenships?" Nemona asked.

"Sorry, but laws are laws," said Hitch. "We can't give advantages to ponies— I mean, Pokémon we know."

"I tried..." sighed Nemona.

They all headed outside. Once Misty noticed that the sun was close to setting, she turned to face the others and said, "I just remembered! I had a dream telling me to go to the Wishing Tree in Bridlewood tonight. I think it was trying to tell me something important."

"And...?" asked Arven with his arms folded.

"Misty sometimes has dreams of the future," said Sunny. "It's how she found her father!" Misty nodded.

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" exclaimed Izzy.

When the group arrived in Bridlewood, they had to wait a few minutes for night to fully fall. Once the stars were barely visible through the dense, magenta and blue canopy, breezies started to swirl around the Wishing Tree as if they were panicking, and then they flew away. A golden glow appeared in front of it, which gradually solidified until it took the form of a white and grey figure who was vaguely pony-shaped. Its legs were long and slender, its mane flowed as if it blown by a non-existent wind, and a golden wheel encircled its body. Everyone looked up at it in awe; it was even taller than Dragon Lord Spike.

Do not be afraid, it said. Its voice sounded male and female, both and neither. It was loud and all-encompassing, and seemed to both echo through their minds and vibrate through their bones. I am an avatar of the Original One. You may call me Arceus.

"You're a what of what now?" asked Izzy.

Pipp, meanwhile, hovered up and started recording Arceus on her phone.

"Now's not the time for this!" hissed Sunny.

No, she can record this if she wishes. I wish for my message to reach as many of you as possible.

Sunny stepped back and let Pipp continue.

I am the creator of the world of Pokémon in physical form. I oversee my creation as history unfolds, and almost one of your months ago, I noticed a disturbance. Due to an excess of time travel, ultra wormholes, and other anomalies, my world was swallowed up by space-time distortions.

Penny, Nemona, and Arven gasped in unison.

"S-so our world was destroyed?" Nemona stammered.

Unfortunately, yes. As I used up most of my powers when I created my universe, I was unable to stop it, but I could reduce its severity. I made sure that these distortions led to an inhabitable world, though I could not control which one, as I have limited power outside of my universe. As a side-effect, several timelines collapsed together, hence why many Pokémon have inconsistencies in their memories.

"What is space-time distortion, anyway?" asked Zipp.

I believe you have already encountered them. Space-time distortions manifest first as purple sparks, followed by rifts in the sky and a purple vortex that surrounds the affected area. Their sheer strength would tear apart any human at an atomic level, so I did the best I could to save them: I transformed them into Pokémon. For you see, Pokémon have a powerful life force that collectively forms Infinity Energy. It is what allows them to harness the elemental powers that form their types, but it also protects them from extraordinary harm. Humans lack this.

It has taken me a while to manifest in this world, but I see no reason to intervene. You are more than capable of handling this on my own. However, it is of utmost importance that my subjects understand their current situation. I hope you can work together to build a brighter future...

As Arceus faded away, he sent everyone present a vision. In Maretime Bay, Arven hugged his Mabosstiff, a grown-up Skye rode on the back of a giant birds clad in black armour, and a Chansey taught a class of foals and young Pokémon. Elsewhere in the world, bird Pokémon flew alongside the pegasus royal guards above Zephyr Heights, a pod of Finizen weaved through pale-pink kelp alongside seaponies in the Jade Sea, and several white, Ice-type Pokémon played with auroracorns in the snow of Starlight Ridge. Everyone was left with the same impression: it was beautiful.

Once that was over, Hitch said, "So... what do we do now?"

Arven shook his head. "I need to lie down and process everything..."

Chapter 1: On the Beach at Dawn

Izzy Moonbow woke up with a sudden urge to visit the Boardtrot.

The unicorns of Bridlewood, of course, had a superstition about this. They said that you should follow your urge, because it's guaranteed to lead you to something important. A lot of strange things had been happening around Maretime Bay lately — Posey was complaining about plants in her garden she couldn't get rid of, some of the trams had bitemarks in them, and several beach-goers claimed to have seen sea monsters at night — and Izzy just knew her feeling would lead her to one of them.

So, in the early hours of the morning, Izzy trotted out of the Brighthouse and towards the beach.

"Hello? Anypony here?" she asked once she arrived at the Boardtrot, but got no response. No surprise there. Most ponies were asleep right now. Still, that feeling hadn't gone away, so she looked around. There was nothing under the market stall, nothing on the bumper cars, nothing on the rollercoaster, nothing in the Ferris wheel... Aha! She saw something moving behind the smoothie stand's counter.

Izzy crouched down and took slow steps, trying not to startle whatever it was. Her ears twitched as she heard its footsteps faintly brush against the wood and sand. She took one step closer, and saw it open the minifridge with what she could only describe as a flat tentacle. It picked up an apple and took a small bite out of it. While it was distracted, Izzy seized the opportunity to get closer and leaped into the stand.

Startled, the creature dropped the apple. It was almost as tall as Izzy, and covered in pink and white fur. It had the ears of a rabbit, the face of a cat, the body of a fox, and was all-parts adorable. One of its eyes was pink, and the other was blue. The part that stood out the most were the ribbons attached to its ear and neck, which moved like part of its body. Those must be the tentacles!

"Hi," Izzy said gently, bending down even lower. "It's okay. You don't need to be scared of me!"

The creature mewed out something in response.

"Maybe I should get Hitch..." Izzy thought out loud. Then, she headed back to the Brighthouse.

A few days ago, Penny had woken up on an unfamiliar beach as a Sylveon. She was ecstatic at first — she'd become her favourite Pokémon! It was like a dream come true, but her dream had quickly turned into a nightmare when she realised she couldn't find her Veevees' Poké Balls, or her Rotom phone. She'd spent all day scouring the beach, hoping that her belongings had been buried under the sand, but couldn't find anything besides some seashells and pebbles.

After her fruitless search, she'd headed towards the first sign of civilisation she could find: an amusement park. Even though everything looked shiny and brand-new, it was strangely deserted, but she decided it'd make a good home base. She'd even found a food stall that had a minifridge full of fruit. Now Arven didn't have an excuse to complain about her eating habits anymore... assuming he was still around.

Penny had never been one for adventuring — or adven-touring, as her dad would call it — but her excursion into Area Zero had taught her a few things. Everyday, she'd head out into the surrounding area, hoping to find her friends or anyone who could explain what was going on. She'd set foot into the nearby town, once. Its inhabitants looked like Ponyta, but came in a wide variety of colours, like something out of a cartoon. (Not that she watched cartoons anymore. She was into anime now.) The town had been so noisy and chaotic that she couldn't bear to go further in, so she'd headed straight back to the beach.

Now, she was minding her own business in the stall, when a "Ponyta" jumped at her like a predator ambushing its prey. Startled, she dropped the perfectly good apple she was eating. Its body was purple, with blue hair or whatever it was called — a mane?

"Hi," she — judging from the voice — said. "It's okay. You don't need to be scared of me!"

"Too late..." Penny mumbled. It still felt weird, making Sylveon noises that she understood intuitively.

It didn't seem like the purple thing heard her, though, because she said, "Maybe I should get Hitch..." and then left.

Chapter 2: Searching for Sylveon

Author's Note

When I originally wrote this, I forgot that Hitch didn't live at the Crystal Brighthouse. I've fixed this in the rewrite.

Chapter 2: Searching for Sylveon

Hitch Trailblazer was rudely awoken by Izzy jumping on his bed in the Brighthouse. In a panic, he tried to get out of bed, but fell onto the floor and got tangled in his bedsheets. Fortunately, she levitated them off him.

"What happened? Is there an emergency?" Hitch asked in a single breath.

"Nope!" exclaimed Izzy. "I found a weird creature I didn't recognise in the Boardtrot, and I was hoping you could talk to it." Then, she described what it looked like.

"Is that all?" Hitch asked. From how frantic Izzy was acting, he thought it would be more urgent.

"I have a feeling it's connected to all the weird stuff that's been happening! Please can you come with me?" Izzy pleaded like a puppy begging for treats. "Besides, you're not gonna be busy until later."

Hitch sighed. "Fine..."

Sparky, who had been asleep on Hitch's pillow, woke up. Hitch bent down.

"You stay here, Sparky," he said.

A few minutes later, Izzy and Hitch reached the Boardtrot.

"I last saw it over here..." Izzy pondered as she galloped towards the smoothie stand. Hitch trotted after her.

"Where is it, then?" he asked as he looked behind the counter. All he could see that was out-of-place was an apple core on the floor.

"I don't know." Izzy looked down and tapped her hoof on the sand. "I hope I haven't scared it away..."

"Don't worry, Iz." Hitch stepped closer. "Creatures don't just disappear. There's got to be signs of it somewhere..."

Hitch looked around the Boardtrot for clues. Zipp would love this, he thought. He found a wooden wall with a hole blasted through it, but there were no burn marks. Izzy hopped along with him and picked up a stray, pink hair. Finally, Hitch saw a trail of pawprints in the sand that led to the dunes next to the cliffs, and they both followed them. Once they reached the end, they stayed very still, being careful not to disturb whatever it was.

Eventually, they saw a pair of long, pink ears poke out of a gap in the dunes. They twitched and turned from side-to-side.

"That's it!" Izzy shout-whispered.

Hitch took a careful step closer so he could see the creature's face. "Hello," he said softly. "Who — and what — are you?"

The creature let out a few mews that sounded like mumbling.

"What did it say?" asked Izzy, who was still at the edge.

"She says her name's Penny, and she's a Syl-ve-on," Hitch translated.

Penny faintly gasped, and although her pupils were almost the same colour as the rest of her eyes, Hitch swore that they shrunk. Then, she mewed again.

Hitch looked over his shoulder to Izzy. "She's surprised that I can understand her." Then, he turned back to Penny. "Just so you know, I can talk to animals. Although... you're not like any animal I've ever seen."

Penny tilted her head and stared at him blankly.

"Right..." He decided to change tracks. "Where did you come from?"

Penny mewed twice.

"I've never heard of anywhere called Gal-ar or Pal-de-a. We're in Maretime Bay, in Equestria."

Penny tilted her head again.

Hitch shook his head in frustration. "You're really not from around here, are you?"

Just then, Izzy bounded to Hitch's side. "I know! How about we take her to the Brighthouse? Our friends are pretty smart, so maybe they could figure something out!"

"Hmm... that could help." Hitch placed his hoof against his chin. "Sunny is great at dealing with weird things like this." Penny frowned when she heard this. Hitch guessed she didn't like being called a "weird thing". "Sorry," he quickly added while facing her. "What do you think?"

Penny lifted her lower pair of ribbon-tentacles into a shrug, which freaked Hitch out. They'd been limp by her sides up to that point, and they didn't look like they were part of her body. Then, she meowed.

"Don't worry," Hitch said. "The Brighthouse is pretty far from the rest of Maretime Bay, so it's a lot quieter. Unless Pipp is practicing a song."

After a pause, Penny slowly nodded.

"Then it's settled!" exclaimed Izzy. "Follow me!"

Chapter 3: Ask Me Anything

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

Chapter 4: Darkness in Bridlewood

After their breakfast, Izzy, Misty, and the Scatterbug travelled to Bridlewood in the Marestream. The latter turned out to have a huge appetite, and had eaten as many pancakes as the ponies, Penny, and Sparky combined.

When they reached the heart of the village, they saw chaos. A horde of purple... things were running around and eating the giant crystals. They were around the same size as troggles and looked vaguely similar, but they had legs, and their arms ended in sharp claws. Strangest of all, they had polished gemstones in place of eyes. Dapple was trying to scare one off with his bongoes, while Alphabittle stood outside of his tea shop, brandishing a broom at a group of them.

"Dad!" Misty exclaimed, galloping towards him.

"I'm glad you're here, Ty," said Alphabittle, placing the broom down. "We need all the help we can get."

"Weird stuff's been happening in Maretime Bay too," said Izzy, "and we're trying to figure out why. But first, how can we help?"

"Make sure these gremlins don't get into my tea shop." With that, Alphabittle picked his broom back up and held it horizontally like a shield. One 'gremlin' tried to lunge at him, but he positioned it so it would smack into the pole instead.

"I have an idea!" exclaimed Izzy. "Misty, you stay here while I get some stuff!" Misty didn't seem to be listening, however; instead, she was looking over her shoulder. "Hello?"

Misty turned to look at Izzy. "Sorry. I just felt like something was watching me..."

After a trip to her house to get some supplies, Izzy returned with a pair of cymbals connected by a rope that was wrapped around an umbrella's handle.

"Ta-da!" Izzy held it up in front of Misty and Alphabittle. "Introducing my new Rain or Shine Gremlin Scarer! ...I'll work on the name later."

"How is that supposed to work?" asked Misty.

"You'll see..." Izzy levitated the Gremlin Scarer above her head, then let it slowly fall to the ground. During its descent, the cymbals repeatedly clanged into each other. The gremlins stared at it in mild interest. Once it landed, Izzy said, "Oh well."

The Scatterbug jumped off Misty's back and tackled a nearby gremlin... and phased right through it. Misty shut her eyes in concentration, and lifted the same one off the ground slightly. Realising what she was doing, Izzy joined in and helped her throw it into the distance.

"Yeah!" cheered Izzy to herself. A few more gremlins were clawing at the tea shop's doors, though — more than Alphabittle could handle on his own. Izzy tried to pull them all off at once, but her magic was only strong enough to lift one at a time.

"Any help here?" Izzy asked, but it was no use. Misty wasn't strong enough, and Alphabittle was preoccupied.

Suddenly, a dark shape leaped down from a tree branch and punched a gremlin with its glittering fist. It knocked the gremlin off the broom and sent it skidding onto the ground, where it couldn't get back up again. Then, something strange happened: the gremlin shrunk.

The dark shape landed on the ground, and the three unicorns turned to look at their rescuer. It was around the same height as a Sylveon, but that was where the similarities ended. Its fur was bluish-black, it stood on two legs, and had sharp claws. Its eyes were like a cat's, and in place of a left ear, it had a green feather. The icy glow around its fist disappeared as it uncurled it.

The dark thing hissed at the gremlins, as if it was taunting them. It swiped, slashed, and smacked the other gremlins around the tea shop, until they all fell down and shrunk as well. Then, it bent forwards and panted heavily.

"Thanks," Misty mumbled to it. Alphabittle looked at her with his head tilted and brow furrowed, so she explained, "It seems like these sorts of creatures can understand pony speech."

"They're called Pokémon," Izzy added.

"How do you know all of this?" asked Alphabittle.

"It's a long story," she said, "but to put it short, I found an EXTREMELY cute creature on the beach this morning. I brought Hitch with me to talk to it — he understands animals — and he asked her what she was. Her name's Penny!"

The dark thing stared at Izzy in shock.

"Do you recognise that name?" Izzy asked. It nodded, so then she said, "Great! You can come back to Maretime Bay with us... but we've got some gremlins to deal with first."

The dark thing made short work of the gremlins. It got tired quickly, so the unicorns helped it by throwing objects at the gremlins to weaken them first, or throwing them into tree trunks.

Once all the gremlins had either shrunken or been chased out of Bridlewood, Izzy, Misty, the Scatterbug, and their new ally headed towards the old library. There wasn't a librarian — it had been abandoned for generations, and now its only inhabitants were spiders. The dark thing slashed away the thicker cobwebs with its claws.

Izzy led the way to the magic section and looked through the shelves. "Let's see... Farasian Potions After Zecora... History of the Magic Pearl... Ah-ha! Practical Spells for Unicorns."

She levitated the book off the shelf and carefully leafed through the pages. The pages were fringed with brown and barely attached to the spine. Eventually, she found what she was looking for.

"This translation spell will let you understand any creature you cast it on, and let it understand you," she read. She looked over the instructions multiple times, then shouted, "Misty, Scatterbug, stand back!" She pointed at the dark thing. "You, get in front of me!"

Izzy closed her eyes and concentrated all her magic into her horn until it started to ache. Then, she launched the spell at the dark thing. The aura flickered and fizzed for a moment, then dissipated.

"Did it work?" asked Misty.

"Only one way to find out! What's your name?" she asked the dark thing.

"I'm Nemona," she replied. "Thanks for helping me with the Sableye earlier!"

"What's a Sableye?" Izzy asked.

"They're what you called 'gremlins'."

"And you are...?"

Nemona jumped and tried to do backflip in mid-air, but landed face-first. Once she got back up, she said, "A Sneasel!"

"She doesn't look like a weasel," Misty muttered.

"At least, I am now. It's a long story." Nemona sighed, but then smiled. Her sharp teeth freaked the ponies out, but she continued, "But being a Pokémon is awesome!"

"Well, I'm glad to hear that!" exclaimed Izzy. "Do you wanna come home with us to see if you know Penny?"

"Of course!"

Author's Note

I've removed references to Pokémon shrinking in the rewritten version because it confused people.

Chapter 5: Finding Nemona

Izzy, Misty, the Scatterbug, and Nemona arrived back at the Brighthouse at high noon. As soon as they stepped out of the Marestream, Nemona squinted and shielded her eyes with her arm.

"What's the matter?" asked Misty.

"It's too bright!" Nemona gasped. "I thought I was used to the sun."

They entered the Brighthouse, where Sunny, Hitch, and Penny were waiting for them. They all headed towards the living area, where Nemona sat down on a sofa, being careful to not push her claws through the cushions. Penny lay down next to her.

"Where'd Pipp and Zipp go?" asked Izzy.

"Pipp is performing at Mane Melody, as she said earlier, and Queen Haven called Zipp to investigate something in Zephyr Heights," replied Sunny. "I'm sure they'll be back this evening. Anyway, I see you've made a new friend?"

"That's right!" exclaimed Nemona. Startled, Sunny jumped back.

"We found the translation spell we were looking for!" Izzy explained. "I'll show you. Penny?"

Penny took a hesitant step forwards. Izzy zapped her with the translation spell, and Penny tensed as if it was going to hurt, but relaxed when it didn't.

"Try saying something," Izzy said.

"Uh... Hello, I guess?" Penny mumbled.

"It worked!" Izzy and Sunny exclaimed in unison.

"You definitely talk like the Penny I know," exclaimed Nemona. "I'm Nemona, by the way. What school do you go to?"

"It's the, uh... academy in Mesagoza." Penny rubbed her forehead with a ribbon. "What's it called? Uva? Naranja?"

"Come to think of it, I can't remember what it was called either... But it's really you!" Nemona rushed towards Penny for a hug, but Penny jerked away. "Oh, sorry."

"Isn't Mesagoza where they held the Convocation of the Creatures?" Hitch asked Sunny.

"No, that was Mt. Metazoa," Sunny replied.

"Whatever," said Hitch. Then, he turned to face the Pokémon. "Is this Mesagoza in that Paldea place you say you're from?" They nodded in unison. "So where is it?"

"Uh..." was all Penny could think of.

Nemona was much more confident. "The northern hemisphere, close to the Subtropic of Crustle. It borders Kalos to the north."

"Right..." replied Hitch.

"I've never heard of those places," said Sunny. "Do you know how you got here?"

Nemona shrugged. "I woke up in that forest this morning—"

"This morning?" Penny asked. "I've been here for about a week... I think."

"Huh. Anyway, when I realised I was a Sneasel, I thought it was so cool! Then I noticed you guys trying to fight off some Sableye—"

"Excuse me, but what's a Sableye?" asked Sunny?

"Well..." Izzy started.

Once Izzy, Misty, and Nemona had finished describing what had happened in Bridlewood that morning, the others were left with several questions.

"You mentioned those Sableye shrinking. Why is that?" Sunny asked.

Nemona was eager to answer. "Oh, that's easy. Pokémon can shrink! A few can do it at will, but most only shrink when they're injured or captured by a Poké Ball."

"Really? I thought they turned into energy," muttered Penny.

"I learned it in biology class," said Nemona. "Professor Laventon was one of the first people to discover it."

"What's a... Poké Ball?" asked Hitch.

"They're devices people use to capture Pokémon," said Nemona. "Humans have been befriending Pokémon for thousands of years, but it was hard to keep a lot of them with you. The invention of the Poké Ball around 200 years ago changed that."

"What's a human?" asked Misty.

"It's what Penny and I used to be. They look like... uh... Do you have anything I could scratch on?"

The three ponies exchanged glances; they thought that was an odd request. Still, Hitch headed into the basement and returned with a book-sized plank of wood.

"Is this what having a cat is like?" Hitch grumbled as he placed it in Nemona's lap. With a single finger, she carved a pair of stick figures with two legs and two arms onto its surface, then held it up.

"Penny and I used to look something like these." She pointed at the stick figures. "And now we're these." She pointed at herself and Penny. "Before you ask, humans aren't Pokémon — at least, as far as I know."

"If they don't even know what humans are... where are we?" Penny asked quietly.

"You're in Equestria!" exclaimed Sunny.

"I've never heard of it either," Penny muttered to Nemona.

"Maybe they're from beyond Equestria?" Misty suggested. "After all, it was under a force field for a long time. Who knows what could be out there?"

"Do you have a globe?" asked Nemona.

"Unfortunately, no," said Sunny. "Why do you want one?"

"I was hoping I could see what this whole world looks like to see if it matches up with ours," said Nemona.

"Pipp could look it up on her phone, but... she's not here right now," sighed Hitch.

"Do you not have a phone?" asked Penny.

"Nope!" exclaimed Izzy. "They're a pegasus thing."

Penny shook her head. "How do you live?"

"What's a pegasus?" asked Nemona.

"Imagine Hitch and I with wings," said Sunny. "But anyway, do you know why you were turned into Pokémon when you got here?"

Nemona shook her head.

"Maybe we were sent here to save the world?" Penny wondered out loud.

Nemona folded her arms. "You've been playing too many RPGs, haven't you?"

Penny sighed. "Yes..."

"Anyway, I've never heard of anything that could turn multiple humans into Pokémon and teleport them far away," said Nemona.

Hitch shook his head. "Well, we're back to the drawing board."

Sunny trotted to his side and smiled. "Don't be such a pessimist, Hitch. We've already learned a lot today!"

The Scatterbug jumped off Misty's back and scurried towards the door. Suddenly, they heard a knock...

Chapter 6: Oh, Deer!

Everyone followed the Scatterbug to the door. Sunny opened it and saw Posey Bloom on the other side.

"What's the matter?" Sunny asked.

"A deer's eating my flowers!" Posey yelled. "I know you're good at dealing with problems like this."

"What's a deer doing in Maretime Bay?" asked Misty. "I thought they lived in forests."

Sunny's eyes widened, and she gasped. "It must be another Pokémon!"

"A what?" asked Posey, scrunching her face.

"We'll explain on the way," Izzy chimed in. "Let's go!"

"I'll stay behind," said Hitch. "I need to take Sparky back to my place."

Sunny gave Hitch an understanding nod. While he headed upstairs, the Scatterbug climbed onto Misty's back, and the others followed Posey.

Posey's garden was a mess. Most of her flowers were missing their heads, and the soil was covered in two-toed hoofprints. A pink fawn with a flower on its head pranced between the flowerbeds, but bolted behind the pale-yellow cottage when the group got closer.

"It's a Deerling!" exclaimed Nemona.

"She talks?" Posey muttered to Sunny.

While Sunny explained everything, Nemona raised her fist and prepared to punch the Deerling with ice, but Penny gently touched her arm with a ribbon.

"I have a better idea for how to deal with this..." Penny turned towards the ponies. "Izzy?"

Izzy turned away from Sunny. "Huh?"

"Do you think you could cast the translation spell again?" Penny asked softly.

"Sure!" Izzy exclaimed.

"But be quiet. We don't want to scare it."

Misty, who had also turned away from Sunny, bent down to Penny's level. "Could I try? I'm a lot quieter than Izzy." She raised up to Izzy's level. "Uh, no offense."

"None taken." Then, she whispered the instructions for the translation spell into Misty's ear, and went back to help Sunny explain what happened in Bridlewood.

Misty took a cautious step towards the Deerling. Her ears swivelled, listening out for any sounds that might scare it. Once she saw the Deerling, it was facing the other way, so she took her opportunity to quickly zap it.

The Deerling jumped on the spot and started to run away. The Scatterbug jumped off Misty's back and spat out a string of silk from its mouthparts that wrapped around the Deerling's legs and made it trip.

"Ow!" the Deerling gasped, which Misty took as a sign that her translation spell worked. She trotted to the Deerling's side.

"Um, sorry about that," Misty said. She crouched down. "We just want to know, why were you eating the flowers?"

The Deerling gulped. "I... I was hungry," he stammered. "I d-didn't know these flowers b-belonged to anyone."

"It's okay. Everypony makes mistakes... every Pokémon?"

Misty heard Nemona and Penny walk up to her.

"Did you win?" asked Nemona.

"I wouldn't put it that way..." Misty mumbled. "This Deerling just seems scared."

Penny touched the Deerling with a ribbon and asked, "Do you know how you got here?"

"No..." sighed the Deerling. "I lived in a forest by a river in the mountains with my h-herd... but then I woke up h-here this morning and... and I don't know where they are!" Tears beaded in the corners of his eyes.

"Ssssh, it's okay..." Misty soothed. "We'll help you find your family."

"Shouldn't we find a place for him to stay?" Penny suggested.

"Good idea!" exclaimed Penny, loud enough for the Deerling to flinch. "Except... where? I don't know this place well enough." She crossed her arms and tilted her head.

"Me neither." Misty shook her head. "I think it'd be best if he stayed with his own kind. Let's ask for help..."

The Deerling shakily stood up, and the group headed towards the front of Posey's house.

They saw Sunny point at a five-leaved plant. "That's an Oddish," she said to Posey.

Just as Posey's hooves glowed green as she prepared to use flora magic, Izzy gasped. "Don't uproot it! We found one in the community garden earlier, and it screamed when we pulled it out."

"So what should I do?" asked Posey.

"I'm... not sure," said Sunny.

"They usually walk away at night," said Nemona.

Posey tilted her head and squinted in disbelief. "Right... what?"

Sunny and Izzy smiled when they saw the others. "Did you deal with the Deerling?"

"We did!" exclaimed Izzy. "He's scared and lonely. We want to find a place for him to stay, but we don't know where his family is."

Sunny put a hoof under her chin. "Hmm... Pipp should be back from Mane Melody soon. We could ask her to send out a bulletin! For now, he could come with us to the Brighthouse. It's pretty safe there."

"R-really?" asked the Deerling, so quietly it was almost a whisper. Sunny nodded in response.

Misty, meanwhile, was looking at something glowing by her side. "What's happening?"

Everyone shielded their eyes as the Scatterbug was enveloped by bright white light. Its antennae retracted into its head, and the white ruff around its neck spread out into a cape that covered the rest of its body. Then, the glowing stopped.

"Congratulations!" exclaimed Nemona. "Your Scatterbug evolved into a Spewpa!"

"It what?"

"It grew up," Penny said.

"I can explain more if you want," said Nemona. "But first, let's go back to the Brighthouse!"

Chapter 7: Have You Seen This Deerling?

As soon as the group entered the Brighthouse, the Deerling nervously looked around. His eyes darted between the stained-glass windows, the pastel-coloured walls, the tiled floor, and the furniture on the other side... then he bolted out of the door.

"Why was he scared?" asked Misty.

"I think he's claustrophobic," said Nemona, shrugging. "He's probably never seen a house before."

Misty placed the Spewpa on the floor. "You stay here," she said to it. Then, she faced the others and said, "I'll go look for him." Izzy and Sunny both nodded, so Misty headed out of the door.

"So, could you explain evolution to us?" asked Sunny.

As soon as Nemona finished explaining Pokémon evolution to the ponies — with occasional comments from Penny — Pipp entered the Brighthouse.

"He~llo!" she sang. "Zipp's still busy helping mom. What have I missed?"

"A lot," said Penny bluntly.

"We need your help," said Sunny. She pointed at Nemona and said, "First, her name is Nemona. Izzy met her in Bridlewood, and she asked to see a globe. Could you look it up on Hoofgle Maps?"

"Will do!" exclaimed Pipp. She pulled her phone out from under her wing and hovered as she opened the app. Then, she turned her phone around so Nemona and Penny could see.

"That's... disappointing," said Penny, squinting. Most of the globe was covered in clouds, with only one continent exposed.

"Huh?" Pipp turned her phone around. "Oh, that's because nopony's been outside Equestria for generations. Well, except for us."

"Do you not have satellites?" Penny muttered.

"What's a satellite?" asked Pipp.

Penny shook her head. "Never mind."

"This Equestria doesn't look like anywhere I've seen on a map," said Nemona. "I think we're on another planet."

"So you're aliens? Cool!" exclaimed Izzy.

"Second," Sunny continued, "we found a Pokémon called Deerling in Posey's garden. He's not with us right now, but Misty is looking for him—"

Just then, Misty swung the door open with the Deerling cowering behind her.

"—There they are."

"He didn't go far. I found him in the garden," said Misty as she trotted inside. The Deerling stayed on the porch.

"Anyway, he's been separated from his herd," said Sunny. "We were hoping you could post a message on Ponygram asking if anypony's seen them."

"How is anypony supposed to know what they look like?" asked Pipp.

Nemona facepalmed. "They're the same species as him!"

"Oh, duh." She turned towards the doorway and quickly snapped a picture of the Deerling. She posted it to Ponygram with the caption: Have you seen a deer like this? Let me know. XOX "Done!"

"That's great," said Misty. "I'll go outside to talk to him. I think he could live in the fields around the Brighthouse for now."

"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Sunny.

A few minutes later, Misty came back inside. By now, the sun was starting to set.

"Is it okay if we spend the night here?" asked Penny.

"Be our guest," said Sunny. "You can sleep on the couch. We'll get you some blankets."

Izzy's mouth widened into a grind, and she bounced on the spot. "If we're having a sleepover... how about we play a board game?" Misty, Sunny, and Penny nodded.

Nemona wasn't as eager. "Uh... I guess?"

"I'd rather be on my phone..." Pipp grumbled.

"Why don't you take a break?" Sunny nudged Pipp in the side.

"Fine," Pipp groaned like her mom was telling her off.

Izzy brought a cardboard box out of the basement and placed it on the living room's table. It was filled with small, wooden cuboids, which she carefully arranged into a tower. The goal was to remove a piece without knocking it over.

"We can't use magic," she said to Misty. "That's cheating!"

The ponies were very careful to remove their pieces. Sunny and Pipp gently nudged theirs with their hooves, while Izzy and Misty poked theirs with their horns. When it was Nemona's turn, she delicately grabbed a piece with her fingers and pulled it out smoothly. Finally, Penny tried to pull a piece out with her ribbon, but she couldn't get a grip, so she tried pushing it instead. However, she accidentally smacked the side of the tower, sending it tumbling down.

Penny sighed. "I guess I lost..."

"But for everypony else, it's a tie!" exclaimed Izzy.

Once they'd played a few more rounds and cleared the game away, Nemona said, "You know, Penny and I've told you a lot about ourselves today. I'd love to learn more about you!"

"Where should we begin?" asked Sunny, looking between her friends.

And so the four ponies spent the rest of the night telling the Pokémon about their adventures, starting from when they found the three unity crystals and restored magic. By the time they'd finished recounting how they saved the auroracorns, the stars had come out.

That night, Nemona couldn't get to sleep. Maybe it was because of all the excitement, or maybe it was because she was nocturnal now. Either way, she took the elevator to the top of the Brighthouse; Sunny had told her how to use it.

The still air was chilly, but she didn't mind. She was built to withstand much colder temperatures. A giant rainbow-coloured beam of light that made her eyes ache rose from platform's centre, so she turned around to look at the sea instead. She breathed in a lungful of salty air... and memories of her home in Cabo Poco came flooding back. Choosing her starter Pokémon — or first partner, as all the professors insisted on calling them. Playing with her sister. Meeting the academy's newbie. Memories that felt like a lifetime ago...

She looked up at the stars. Thousands of them twinkled in the clear sky, but she couldn't find any constellations she recognised.

Chapter 8: Sparks

The next morning, Pipp was awoken by the sound of her phone buzzing on the bedside table. Shaking her mane out of her eyes, she picked it up, hoping somepony had found another Deerling. Instead, she saw a text from Zipp: we need help. come to zephyr heights asap.

Pipp bolted upright, then flew to the middle of the room. "Wake up, everypony! It's urgent!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Izzy woke up first. "Ooh! Are we going on an adventure?"

Then, Misty. "Is this good news or bad news?"

Finally, Sunny. "What happened?"

Pipp landed and looked between all three of them. "I don't know! Zipp just told me we need to go to Zephyr Heights soon!"

"Can we at least have breakfast first?" asked Misty.

The ponies took the elevator to the ground floor. Misty's Spewpa was still right where she left it by the front door, and they had to pass the living room to get to the kitchen. Penny was awake, but Nemona was fast asleep.

"We need to go to Zephyr Heights, and I have a feeling they're having a Pokémon-related problem," said Izzy. "Wanna join us?"

"Uh, sure," said Penny.

Sunny only had enough time to make a smoothie for each of them, which they carried into the Marestream. Misty made sure to pick up her Spewpa on the way out.

Izzy landed the Marestream near the palace. Zephyr Heights was usually bustling, but today the streets were deserted. Indigo-coloured sparks crackled all over the ground and arched like lightning. Izzy, being Izzy, reached over and touched one; to her surprise, it didn't give her a shock. Then, Zipp flew towards them.

"Glad you're here," she said while panting. "We need to get inside. I'll explain more there."

The group rushed into the palace, where Queen Haven was waiting for them in the throne room. She stepped off her throne and trotted towards them, her hoofsteps echoing like raindrops in a cave.

"Oh, my dear ponies, I am so glad to see you!" she said. "Yesterday, Zephyrina" (Zipp rolled her eyes) "helped my guards chase away a wild dragon out of the city. We thought that was the end of our problems, but early this morning, a guard alerted me of the electric sparks covering the streets— have you seen them?"

Izzy nodded. "Yep!"

"As I was saying, I asked an advisor to contact the power grid and ask them if the undereground cables were damaged, but he said no. Though I heard the power plant had a spider infestation the other day... Regardless, I declared a state of emergency: all ponies must stay inside until the issue is resolved. Could you help us?"

Sunny stepped forwards. "Of course! We solved a lot of problems around Maretime Bay yesterday. It turns out that they're all caused by these creatures called Pokémon — in fact, we have a couple with us right now!" She gestured for Penny to step forwards.

"Hi," Penny said. Then, she bowed and added, "uh, Your Majesty." Pipp had told her who Queen Haven was in the Marestream.

Startled, both Zipp and Queen Haven jumped back. "She talks?" they asked in unison.

"Well, it's a long story," said Izzy. "Yesterday morning, we went to Bridlewood—"

Misty put her hoof in front of Izzy's face. "We found a translation spell."

Queen Haven pressed her lips together. "Really? That would have been useful for dealing with the dragon yesterday. We could have asked it why it was here. Perhaps I should employ some unicorns..."

"If you don't mind me asking, Your Majesty," said Penny, "what did the dragon look like?"

"Let's see..." Zipp hovered up and rubbed her forehead. "It was slightly smaller than the dragons from the Isle of Scaly, but much broader. It was light blue, with red wings shaped like axes."

"I think it was a Salamence," said Penny. "There's a few where I come from."

Queen Haven's eyes widened. "You know where all these... Pokémon things came from?"

"Yes. Um, sort of, Your Majesty. I think we're from another planet." Queen haven gasped when she heard this. "But I don't know how we got here." Penny shook her head.

Just then, the crackling sound outside grew even louder, as if lightning was about to strike. The group headed towards a window; Pipp hovered and recorded what she saw on her phone. Instead of storm clouds, a glowing, white gash had appeared in the sky, surrounded by a purple vortex. The Spewpa, who was currently on Misty's back, bristled his "cloak" on reflex. The wind started to howl, and the lights in the throne room flickered...

Everyone present shielded their eyes as the sparks grew even brighter. When they opened them again, they saw a brown figure laying on the ground outside.

"Do you know what this is?" asked Queen Haven.

Penny shook her head, accidentally whacking Sunny in the face with a ribbon. "Sorry," she said. "But I'll go take a look." She turned away from the window and towards the door.

"Wait— don't go— it's too dangerous!" exclaimed Sunny, but she was too late.

Outside, the sky was dim. The swirling vortex of darkness surrounded streets and palace like a dome, and sparks continued to arch over the ground. The atmosphere felt oppressive to Penny, as if the air was thick and hard to breathe, yet it also gave her a sense of déja vu. Her fur stood on end, and her heart pounded.

As she approached the brown figure, she saw that he had a thick tail and a skull over his head — a Marowak. She tapped him on the shoulder with a ribbon, and waited for a second for him to wake up.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The Marowak replied, "My name's Arven."

Chapter 9: Dissociation

Author's Note

This chapter's original title was a line from "The Mind Electric" by Miracle Musical, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to use it here due to Fimfiction's rules about song lyrics.

Chapter 9: Dissociation

Arven awoke to someone tapping him on the shoulder.

"Who are you?" she asked. She wasn't speaking any language Arven knew, but he understood her just fine.

"My name's Arven," he said. He heard the girl gasp faintly. "Who're you?"

"I... it's me, Penny," she stammered.

Arven was laying face-down, so he sat up and turned to look at the girl. What he saw made him do a double-take: a Sylveon with heterochromia. He'd heard of Pokémon learning to speak human languages, but he never thought he'd meet one. He stared at her for a solid few seconds, lost for words.

"Um, hello?" The Sylveon — Penny, apparently — poked him in the face with a ribbon.

"What?" was all Arven could say. He stared cross-eyed at the place she'd poked him: the bridge of his nose. His nose, which was now part of a snout covered in white bone that felt smooth to touch. His hands were in his field of vision... his brown, scaly hands. He reached down to his belt to feel for his Poké Balls, but they weren't there.

As he stood up, the world felt like it was spinning around him — and not just because of the purple vortex. He was at eye-level with the Sylveon and felt his tail touching the ground... his tail... whose tail? When did he have a tail? He turned around to look at it, but everything seemed blurry and he couldn't co-ordinate his movements. The next thing he knew, the street was rising upwards, and then Penny wrapped a ribbon around his chest to steady him.

"You went to the academy in Mesagoza, right?" she asked, snapping him back to reality.

"Yes, but... Penny, what's going on?!" he pleaded.

"You're a Marowak."

Meanwhile, the ponies were watching the scene from the safety of the palace, crowded around the window.

Misty's eyes widened when she saw the brown figure almost fall over. "We have to help them!"

"My dear Misty, are you sure that's a good idea? It's far too dangerous," said Queen Haven.

Misty took her front hooves off the window and stepped away. "Are you sure? I've stood up to Opaline, and we've all fought her. I'm sure we can survive this!"

"Misty's right," said Sunny. "We can't just stand here while our friend is in trouble!" As she spoke, she was surrounded by a golden glow, and her spectral horn and wings burst forth. "Let's go!"

Sunny lead the charge out into the street, with Misty, Izzy, Zipp, and Pipp close behind. The Spewpa was still riding on Misty's back. The strong wind rustled their manes, yet it didn't feel cold. Misty approached Penny, who was talking to the brown figure at the heart of the vortex.

"Excuse me," said Misty.

Penny turned to look at her. "This is Arven. He went to the same school as me and Nemona, but... he's not doing great." Then, she turned to Arven and said, "She's Misty. She can't understand you right now, so she'll cast a translation spell. It won't hurt, promise."

Misty took this as her cue to use the translation spell on Arven, who currently looked very interested in his hands. It was hard to focus; there were small flashes of light every few seconds that made her wince. Afterwards, she heard Sunny fly towards her.

"Misty! Is everything okay?" asked Sunny.

"Penny is," replied Misty. "The other one is her friend... I think."

"You think?" Arven sounded offended.

Then, they all heard another set of wingbeats.

"Hey, girls!" exclaimed Pipp, who was carrying a treasure chest's worth of rough gemstones in her forelegs. "Guess what I found~!"

"Those are evolution stones," said Penny quickly.

Izzy bounded up to them, with Zipp flying overhead. "Ooh! Can I have some?"

"Now's not the time for this," said Zipp with a frown. "Let's head back."

But before they could do so, there was another flash of light. It was so bright that it seemed to swallow everything, and seared through everyone's squeezed-shut eyelids. And then, a shadow loomed overhead.

Pipp dropped her evolution stones in surprise. "Zipp, is that the S-Salamence you saw yesterday?"

Zipp tilted her head. "Sorta... But it's much too big."

The Pokémon looming above was a light-blue dragon with red wings, but unlike a Salamence, it had a black fan of feathers around its tail and sharp claws. It let out a deafening roar that paralysed all the ponies with fear.

"Is that Roaring Moon?" Arven wondered.

The Roaring Moon looked around with its piercing yellow eyes like a predator choosing which prey to pursue. Then, it body was engulfed by a blue glow that rippled like fire as it tucked it wings in and dive-bombed towards Arven. He tried to get away, but tripped over his own tail and fell face-down. He struggled to get back up, but couldn't in time...

With only a fraction of a second to spare, Penny shoved him out of the way.

"PENNY!" Misty screamed at the top of her lungs.

As the dust settled, Misty saw that the Roaring Moon had carved out a huge gash where it had crashed into the street, scattering chunks of rubble in every direction. Penny squirmed her way out from underneath it... without even a scratch. Misty stared at her for several seconds, her mouth agape.

"Thanks," said Arven.

"Okay... what just happened?" asked Zipp, who had flown a safe distance away from the flying debris.

"Fairy is immune to Dragon," said Penny, as if that made any sense to the ponies. Seeing their confused reactions, she quickly added, "Long story."

The Roaring Moon was still conscious, though; its eyes darted around, then it stood up again. If anything, it looked even more furious. In the blink of an eye, it lunged towards Penny and gripped her ear between its teeth. She yelped in pain.

Arven seemed to hesitate for a moment. He glanced between the Roaring Moon and a bone in his hand, then quickly threw it at its neck. The impact forced its jaws to let go, and it glared at Arven. Before it had a chance to attack him, though, Sunny swooped in and protected the other two Pokémon with a magical shield. Penny's mouth widened in amazement, and even Arven had a hint of a smile.

"Izzy, quick!" exclaimed Sunny.

Izzy leaped to her side and cast a translation spell on Roaring Moon. "What's the matter?" she asked.

The Roaring Moon said nothing. Its eyes locked onto Izzy, and it tried to swipe her with its claws. Fortunately, it was blocked by the shield, but it flickered for a moment...

"I can't... keep this up... forever," Sunny panted. "We all need to fight!"

"I know what to do," said Penny, "but I need to concentrate." She held up a pair of ribbons in front of her face, and a pinkish-white orb appeared between them. It started out the size of a grape, but grew gradually.

Pipp and Zipp winked at each other, then flew around in circles to distract the Roaring Moon. Izzy found the biggest piece of rubble she could find and threw it at its wing. It shrieked in pain and tried to flap, but couldn't get off the ground.

Misty, meanwhile, was paralysed by indecision. She turned to face the Spewpa on her back and asked, "What can I do?"

The Roaring Moon's claws glowed with a silvery sheen, and it swiped at the barrier over and over again. Sunny closed her eyes as she strained herself to keep it up, but it flickered over and over again until she couldn't. Her magic faltered, her wings and horn faded away, and she fell onto the ground behind Arven.

"I think she's almost ready," he said. By now, the glowing orb was the size of Penny's head. The Roaring Moon clawed at her again...

Misty felt like she was moving in slow motion as she rushed to protect Penny with her body. Just before the claw could make an impact, though, the Spewpa hopped off her back and scattered confetti-like powder from its cloak. It covered the Roaring Moon's face, and its legs became limp. It fell to the ground, numb.

Finally, Penny launched the glowing orb at the Roaring Moon. The force of impact sent it skidding back as it shrunk, much like the Sableye yesterday.

"We did it!" the ponies cheered.

"Spewpa, you're a lifesaver!" exclaimed Misty as she let it hop onto her back.

"I think we're all each others' lifesavers," said Arven.

Finally, the vortex dissipated.

The group headed back into the palace. Misty cast the translation spell on the Spewpa, but to her disappointment, it still didn't say anything.

"Very well done, my dear ponies... and otherwise," said Queen Haven. "Except... you've caused quite a bit of property damage, haven't you? Street repairs don't come cheap, you know."

"Who is she?" Arven whispered to Penny.

"She's the queen of Zephyr Heights," replied Penny. "That's what this city is called."

"Next question: what is she?"

"She's a pony. I'll tell you more later."

Sunny grinned sheepishly. "Sorry... but we can help you fix this up in no time!" she said to Queen Haven.

"Maybe we could make it even prettier!" exclaimed Izzy. "Uh, not that Zephyr Heights isn't already pretty."

The ponies headed outside. Pipp and Zipp flew overheard, pointing out all the damages. Izzy and Zipp levitated pieces of rubble back to where they came from, while the Spewpa used its string to stick structures back together. Sunny was too exhausted to become an alicorn again, so she regrew damaged plants with her flora magic.

Meanwhile, Penny and Arven stayed in the throne room. After Penny explained what she knew about ponies, she asked, "How do you feel now?"

Arven sighed. "Still not great. I miss Mabosstiff, and my other Pokémon, and me. Do you know why we're—"

"No. Um, sorry. Maybe that purple vortex thingy has something to do with it?" Penny tilted her head.

"I guess," said Arven with a shrug. His shoulders were closer to his neck than he was used to, so it felt wrong.

Queen Haven trotted up to them. "I apologise for interrupting your conversation, dear Pokémon, but do you happen to know why that dragon thing was attacking?"

"If I had to guess, I think it was as scared and confused as the rest of us," said Arven. "Especially since it's a Paradox Pokémon." Queen Haven waved her hoof, motioning for him to explain. "Uh, that means it was from the distant past, or maybe what people imagine the past looked like, or an alternate timeline, or something. No-one's sure about the details. My mom was researching them... Was." He looked down sadly. "But come to think about it, I can remember my dad doing something similar... but I don't remember ever seeing them together..." He shook his head. "Agh, this is all so confusing!"

Queen Haven nodded. "I see. Your knowledge could be a valuable asset to my kingdom."

"Eh... no thanks."

The other ponies burst through the door.

"We're finished!" exclaimed Sunny. "Time to go home, everypony!" She noticed Arven and Penny. "And Pokémon, too."

Just then, Arven felt his stomach rumble. "Shouldn't we eat first?"

"I would love to, but my staff cannot prepare a banquet on such short notice," said Queen Haven.

Arven shook his head. "They don't need to. I'll do the cooking!"

"Can you wait until we get home?" asked Sunny. Arven nodded. "Alright. To the Marestream!"

Chapter 10: Back at the Brighthouse

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

Chapter 11: Goodbyes and Reunions

Nemona headed into Maretime Bay. She didn't know where she was going; she just needed to get away from them. The pastel-coloured buildings and wide, paved streets reminded her of Alfornada. Only a few ponies were outside, and they all kept their distance, staring at her in curiosity.

Ahead of her, she noticed Izzy and Misty flanking the Deerling like they were his bodyguards, all heading towards the centre of town. She broke into a sprint to catch up with them. Her strides were so wide and graceful that toe-claws barely scraped the sun-baked bricks, but after only a few seconds, her chest ached and she had to stop.

After catching her breath, she shouted, "Wait for me!"

The others must've heard here, because they stopped in place. Izzy and Misty turned their heads to look at her.

"Hiya Nemona!" exclaimed Izzy once she'd caught up. "What're you doing here?"

"Long story," Nemona said. "Where are you going?"

"We're taking a shortcut back to Bridlewood," said Misty.

"Can I join?" asked Nemona.

"Sure!" exclaimed Izzy.

The group continued walking again. Eventually, they reached a large tree in the town's plaza that was covered in multicoloured flowers.

"This is a together tree," Izzy explained. "There are four of them in Equestria, and they're all connected. If we touch its trunk, we'll be transported to another one!"

Nemona saw the Deerling tremble between the two ponies.

"Don't worry," Misty said to him. "It'll be fine, I promise."

Together, the four of them, along with the Spewpa on Misty's back, stepped into the tree. In an instant, the sunny skies and stone buildings of Maretime Bay had disappeared, replaced with Bridlewood's pinkish trees and cyan crystals. Now that there weren't any Sableye running around, it was a lot more peaceful. Some older unicorns were watering their gardens, while the little ones were taking turns on a swing.

Izzy looked around with squinted eyes. "Pipp didn't say where this other Deerling was, but I'm guessing it would be somewhere outside tow—" Before she could finish her sentence, the Deerling bolted away. "Wait, come back!"

Izzy galloped after him, Misty following close behind. Nemona decided to climb a tree and follow them from above; her claws gripped onto the bark with ease, and leaping between branches was much less tiring than running. After a few minutes, they found the Deerling in a clearing.

"What's the matter?" Misty asked him softly, but he still jumped when he heard her voice.

"I thought I smelled something familiar..." he said. He sniffed the air, then headed towards a bush. The others stayed still, and heard rustling as another Deerling stepped into view. It stepped towards him and sniffed him in turn. Izzy's horn glowed, presumably to cast the translation spell, but Misty shushed her.

The familiar Deerling stepped back. "I... don't know her. Sorry."

"That's a shame," said Misty. "Would you like to come back with us?"

"No... thanks. I like it here. It's quiet." He turned away, but hesitated for a moment.

"Goodbye," said Misty. Nemona jumped down from the branch to join in.

"Goodbye!" exclaimed Izzy, waving her hoof.

With that, the two Deerling pranced away into the forest.

On the way back to Bridlewood's town, Nemona noticed a circle of purple, electric-like sparks dancing across the grass. While Izzy and Misty kept their distance, Nemona leaped forwards to take a closer look.

"Is this like the thing you saw this morning?" she asked.

Misty nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"Shame I wasn't there. I would've beaten that Roaring Moon in no time!" And Penny would've had no reason to stop me.

Penny jumped in surprise when she saw a bright flash of light. Then, two things fell to the ground: a marble, and an unconscious, orange Pokémon with big arms, short legs, and thick fur. The sparks disappeared.

"What're those?" asked Izzy.

"This is a Pawmot!" Nemona squeed. "I had one of these back in Paldea. Isn't it cute?" She pointed to its cheeks, but avoided touching it. She didn't want to wake it up and risk getting attacked. "Let's leave it be for now."

"What about the other thing?" asked Misty.

Nemona picked up the marble. It was mostly yellow, with purple and red streaks inside. "Oh, this? I'm not sure. It looks pretty, though. I'll keep it!" She clutched it in her hand.

Once they were in the town centre, Nemona noticed that most of the ponies had gone inside. She also swore that some of the crystals were missing chunks, and thought she saw movement in the corner of her eye. Whatever it was, it nearly blended into the canopy's shadows.

She took a step closer to the together tree, when... wham! She felt something slap her from behind, causing her to drop the marble. She whipped around to see her assailant, and came face-to-face with a wide, toothy grin under a pair of gemstones. It was a Sableye!

Izzy quickly cast a translation spell on the Sableye, just in time for him to snarl, "YOU!"

"Who are you?" Nemona asked.

"You attacked my brethren yesterday!" He pointed a jagged finger at Nemona's face. "We just wanted to eat some perfectly good crystals, but no, the locals had to chase us out."

Izzy bounced to Nemona's side. "Sorry about that, Mr. Sableye. We were just scared of you because we didn't know what you were!"

"SILENCE!" With that, the Sableye picked up the marble. Nemona stepped back and watched in awe as he was enveloped in a rainbow-coloured glow. His gem-eyes turned red, and the ruby in his chest burst out as it grew to the height of his body.

Nemona's pupils widened in realisation. "Oh, it was a mega stone! But I thought they needed a key—"

The Sableye's giant ruby glowed until a beam of light shot out of it and struck Nemona in the chest. It sent her reeling back, and she skidded across the dirt. As she got back up, she saw the Spewpa bounce off Misty's back and scatter confetti-like powder at the Sableye: a Stun Spore. He shielded himself with his ruby, and the numbing powder bounced back at the Spewpa, covering it.

"Oh no!" Misty gasped as the Spewpa dropped to the ground. "Nemona, what type is this Sableye?"

"Ghost and Dark," Nemona replied as she readied up an Ice Punch, "so it's only weak to Fairy." She leaned to the side so her arm reached behind the Sableye's ruby-shield, and hit him squarely in the chest.

"You mean like Sylveon?" asked Izzy. "I wish Penny were here right now."

Nemona rolled her eyes as she reigned in the urge to say, 'I don't.' The Sableye scratched her in the face with a claw cloaked in a shadowy aura, but it wasn't very effective. She jumped back. The Sableye took a cumbersome step towards her, still clinging onto his ruby like it was a safety blanket.

Nemona leaped to Izzy's side. "I've got an idea," she whispered. "You need to distract him."

"Right on it!" Izzy exclaimed.

The Sableye made his ruby glow again, but this time Nemona rolled to the side. It took him a few precious seconds to turn to face her, by which point she could roll again.

Izzy's horn lit up with a pinkish glow as she levitated a twig in the Sableye's face. "Come here, you big gremlin!" she yelled. The Sableye easily snapped it with a single scratch, but it bought Nemona enough time to punch him in the back. She felt one of the gems on his back crack beneath her fist...

But she didn't expect them to start glowing. A pink beam of light hit her in the face, and then everything went dark.

Izzy and Misty gasped in horror as Nemona was sent flying into a nearby tree trunk. She fell to the ground and shrunk, much like the Sableye they'd fought yesterday.

"Misty, you stay here," said Izzy. "I'll go get help!"

While Izzy galloped away in the direction they came, Misty took a cautious step towards the Sableye. His ruby-shield glowed again, and Misty almost backed away, but she took a gulp and looked him in the eyes.

"Stop!" she shouted. She concentrated all the magic into her horn, hoping to cast a shield like Sunny... but she couldn't.

"Why should I?" the Sableye hissed. "We just wanted a place to live, and you attacked us!"

Misty looked down for a moment as she pondered what to say next. "That's true, but... it's just like Izzy said! We didn't understand you! If a bunch of strangers showed up in your territory and started eating your stuff, wouldn't you attack them?"

"You have a point, little one," the Sableye said as he made the glow dissipate, "but why did your friend attack me on sight today?"

"You attacked Nemona first!"

"I meant the purple one, you imbecile!" He stomped his foot.

"Oh, you mean Izzy? She wasn't attacking you, she was casting a translation spell!"

The Sableye tilted his head. "A what?"

"It lets us understand you! See, we're ponies, not Pokémon, so we can't understand you normally." Misty took another step forwards. "I think she was hoping that if we talked things through, you wouldn't attack us!"

"And what would you... ponies have to offer us? A lifetime's supply of hugs?" He chuckled.

Misty shook her head as she thought of what to say next. "Umm... I don't know. But we'll think of something!"

Just then, Izzy came rushing back with the Pawmot following close behind. His paws glowed, and he bent down to touch her. Nemona was surrounded by a bluish-white glow, then woke up and returned to her normal size.

"Izzy, I need your help!" exclaimed Misty.

Izzy rushed to her side. "What is it?"

"I want to make a deal with this Sableye, but I'm not sure what he'd agree too..."

Izzy looked around at the half-eaten crystals. "A-ha!" She faced the Sableye. "I know! How about you ask Alphabittle nicely if you can eat all the gemstones you want, as long as they don't belong to anypony. He's big, he's grey, and he has a broom." She pointed towards the tea shop's stained-glass doors.

"An interesting proposal..." said the Sableye. "I shall discuss it with my pack first." He turned away and headed towards the darkest parts of the forest.

Misty and Izzy returned to Nemona's side.

"Thanks," Nemona said to the Pawmot.

"It's no big deal," he replied. "Your friend Izzy woke me up with quite a shock! I didn't mind, though. She told me you needed help, so I told her I know Revival Blessing. What did she say your name was again...?"

"Nemona."

The Pawmot placed his hand under his chin. "Huh. That's odd. My trainer was called Nemona. I wonder where she is?"

Chapter 12: Talking Things Through

Nemona was so stunned that she couldn't reply. She just stood there, staring at the Pawmot. Her Pawmot.

Izzy waved her leg in front of Nemona's face. "Uh... Hello? Equestria to Nemona!"

Nemona finally blinked and said, "I know you!"

Pawmot tilted his head. "How so? I've never seen a Sneasel with green feathers before."

She leaned forwards. "I know this sounds crazy, but I'm your trainer! First Champion from the academy in Mesagoza, remember? You were the second Pokémon I caught for my second team!"

"I see... so why are you a Sneasel?"

Nemona shrugged. Then, she noticed they'd had attracted a crowd of blank stares. "Think we could take this conversation somewhere private?" She asked Izzy.

"Sure!" exclaimed Izzy. "Just follow me to my place!"

Misty lifted her Spewpa onto her back, and the group followed Izzy.

Izzy's house was unlike anything Nemona had ever seen. It was built into the trunk of a large tree with lilac bark, with windchimes and a basket chair hanging from its branches. The windows and front door all had stained-glass. Inside, the floor was made of cobblestones, and the walls were covered in framed pictures of plants made of fabric. On one side, there was a staircase that led to a platform which overlooked the lower floor, and the bannister was intertwined with strings of lights.

"Ta-da!" exclaimed Izzy, gesturing to the whole room. "I made most of this stuff myself!"

Nemona and Pawmot sat down on some colourful cushions, while the ponies remained standing.

"You said you were Pawmot's trainer," said Misty. "What does that mean?"

"Oh! Remember yesterday, when I told you what humans and Pokémon were?" Nemona asked. Misty and Izzy nodded. "A Pokémon trainer is a human who catches Pokémon so they can go on a journey to become stronger together!"

"Catching? Ooh, you mentioned something called Poké Balls yesterday. Do trainers use those?" asked Izzy.

Nemona nodded. "Yeah, but most Pokémon won't go into a ball straight away. You have to prove your worth by battling them first!"

Misty gasped at this. "Battling? You mean... Pokémon like doing that?" She shuddered.

"Well, yeah."

"Most Pokémon will only show themselves to humans if they want to be captured," said Pawmot. "Pokémon battles are like sparring matches: both sides understand that no-one should get seriously hurt. Although, battles between wild Pokémon can get pretty violent..."

"You mean like the Sableye?" Izzy asked, and Misty winced.

Nemona nodded. "Also, remember that marble he stole from me? I think it was a mega stone. The aren't any where I'm from, but I've heard they allow certain Pokémon to temporarily achieve stronger forms, called mega evolutions. It sounds awesome! But I always heard that wild Pokémon can't mega evolve. They need a trainer with something called a key stone to activate it."

"Why do you think that is?"

Nemona shrugged.

"Anyway, we'd better get back to Maretime Bay," said Izzy.

Meanwhile, in Maretime Bay, Arven knocked on the door of the sheriff's station. It was two storeys tall, and was painted white and blue. Hitch had left the Brighthouse earlier, and Sunny had told Arven that Hitch lived there.

He heard a gurgling sound in response, then Hitch's muffled voice shouting, "Come here, Sparky!" Then, he said, "Who's here?"

"It's me, Arven," he said. "It's nothing serious, I just... wanna talk."

"Come in!" exclaimed Hitch.

Arven opened the door to a plain and clean room. There was a desk in one corner, a jail cell at the back, and a filing cabinet against a wall. The walls were the same colour as the outside, and the floor was made of green and white chequered tiles that felt cold beneath his dragging tail. The most interesting part was the green, baby dragon flying around in circles. As Arven stepped inside, Hitch was keeping an eye on him.

"What's the matter?" Hitch asked. He jumped to grab the dragon under his foreleg, then placed him in a basket in the corner. "Stay still for now, would you?" Then, he trotted back to Arven. "That's Sparky Sparkeroni, my son." Arven tilted his head. "He's adopted."

"I just had an argument with my friends," said Arven. "We were sparring, but then Nemona went too far and almost seriously hurt me, so Penny stopped her, and then..." He sighed before continuing. "They started talking about how great it is to be a Pokémon, but I just don't get it."

"Howcome?"

"Penny loves her Veevees and Penny loves to battle, but I was perfectly fine with being a human. I just feel awful right now, like my body doesn't belong to me. I woke up feeling dizzy, and even now I keep forgetting I have a tail..." He looked at it sadly. "They were like, 'Oh, you'll get used to it!', but that's not what I wanted to hear right now."

Hitch took a step closer. "I... don't know how to help you with your first problem, sorry. But as for the second one, maybe you just need some time away from your friends? And once you're feeling better, you can talk things over with them."

"Thanks," said Arven. "Can I stay here for now?"

"Be my guest! Next time I get a call that sounds like a Pokémon-related problem,"— he gestured to a block of plastic with a coiling wire that connected it to a bigger block of plastic on the wall — "Would you like to come help me?"

"It'll help me take my mind of things," Arven mumbled.

Suddenly, he heard a loud ringing sound. Sparky flew straight out of bed and flew towards the block of plastic on the wall — oh, it was a phone! Hitch answered it. Arven couldn't hear whoever was on the other side, but Hitch's response told him all he needed to know:

"We'll be on it!"

Chapter 13: Beyond the Seaside, Inside the Sea

Hitch, Sparky, and Arven arrived at the payphone near the beach and saw a pair of zebras. They seemed to be a mother and daughter, and they both had pink manes with purple streaks. Hitch vaguely recognised them.

"You're Izzy's friends, right?" he asked. "Mariama and Skye?"

"That's right!" exclaimed Skye, the younger one.

"What's your emergency?"

"We found a dolphin washed up on the beach," said Mariama, the older one. "I know this isn't what you usually deal with, but we didn't know who else to call."

Hitch put on a confident smile. "Don't worry. I'm good with all sorts of critters."

The group charged down the slope to the beach. The dolphin laying on the sand was bright blue, with wavy, white lines along its sides. Its eyes were shut, and its blowhole expanded and contracted as it struggled to breathe.

"That's a Finizen," said Arven.

Mariama gasped. "He can talk?"

"Long story short, unicorn magic," Hitch said quickly. He rushed to the Finizen's side and tried to push it towards the shoreline, but it wouldn't budge. Arven joined in, but it was too heavy for both of them. The gentle tide splashed Arven with water; he reflexively jumped backwards, then fell flat onto his face. Again. "Any help here?"

Arven got back up, and he, Mariama, and Skye joined in. Together, they were about to push the Finizen onto its side, when it wordlessly squeaked in pain.

"I'm no expert, but I don't think we should roll it over," said Arven.

"If this Finizen is anything like a normal dolphin, it's already being crushed under the weight of its own organs," Mariama agreed. "Laying it on its back would only kill it faster."

"I have an idea!" exclaimed Skye. She rubbed her hooves against the sand.

"What are you doing?" Hitch asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Digging for water. I think we need to keep it wet so it doesn't get sunburn."

Sparky flew to Skye's side and joined in. He giggled when she accidentally kicked sand into his face, and after a few seconds, they had dug up a small well of seawater. Skye used her front hooves to splash the Finizen with it.

"We should cover it with a tarp to shade it," said Mariama. "I'll go get help."

Meanwhile, in the Brighthouse's living room, Pipp was combing her hair. She'd left her phone unlocked on the coffee table, so while she was distracted, Penny gently reached out with a ribbon and touched the screen. She tried to swipe left to see the rest of the homepage, but nothing happened. Then, she tapped the icon for what looked like a camera app. Nothing happened.

Once Pipp had finished combing her hair, she turned around and screamed, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Um, sorry," Penny mumbled, pulling her ribbon away. "Your phone's not working."

Pipp gasped in horror and picked up her phone. She swiped through her homepage with her hoof and sighed in relief. "Yes it does!"

"Well it didn't for me..."

Pipp looked between her phone, her hooves, and Penny for a moment. "Oh, I think I know what the problem is! These touch screens are designed for hooves, so they're not sensitive enough to detect your tentacle thingies!"

"So... the same reason you can't use a DS stylus on a Switch?"

"A what?"

Penny shook her head. "Never mind. Anyway, sorry for touching your phone. I lost mine when I got here, and I miss it... and my Switch."

Pipps eye's widened, and she started to hover. "You know what that means... let's go on a shopping trip~! Zephyr Heights has loads of phone stores. I'm sure we'll find at least one that you can use!"

"But I don't have any mon—"

"No problem! I do!"

Penny followed Pipp out of the door. She looked at the Marestream parked nearby.

"We're not gonna use that," said Pipp. "I have no idea how to fly that thing — and I wouldn't trust Zipp to. I know a shortcut!" She explained together trees to Penny, and they headed towards the town square.

Once they got there, Pipp was about to step into the together tree, when Izzy emerged from it. They bumped into each-other face-first.

"Oops!" exclaimed Izzy. She was followed by Misty, her Spewpa, a Pawmot, and... Nemona. She glared at Penny, who tried to hide behind Pipp.

"Where're you going?" Izzy asked Pipp.

"We were gonna go on a shopping trip in Zephyr Heights," Pipp replied, gesturing towards Penny. "I didn't realise you'd be back so soon! Did you find the Deerling's herd?"

"Well... sorta," Misty mumbled.

"We'll tell you more later," said Izzy.

Just then, Mariama came running up to them. "Izzy! Am I glad to see you!" she panted. "I found a beached dolphin — apparently it's called a Finizen — and I was hoping you could make a tarp to cover it with."

"Right on it!" exclaimed Izzy.

Penny and Nemona both stared at Mariama.

"Is this another Poké-problem?" Izzy asked. They both looked at her and nodded, but Penny was careful not to make eye contact with her.

"Can I go to the beach?" asked Penny.

"No, I'll go!" Nemona shouted.

"How about both of you come with me?" Mariama suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," said the Pawmot.

Penny and Nemona sighed in unison. They and Pawmot followed Mariama back to the beach, while Pipp, Misty, the Spewpa, and Izzy headed back to the Brighthouse.

"...And that's how the girls fought the Roaring Moon," Hitch said to Skye. Then, he noticed that Mariama had returned with an entourage of Pokémon, including one he'd never seen before. He looked towards them and said, "What's up?"

"Izzy's making a tarp," said Mariama. "She'll be back soon, but some of your... unusual friends wanted to join me."

"Unusual?" asked the orange Pokémon.

Sparky breathed green fire onto a nearby pebble, which turned into a tiny bucket. He used it to scoop up some water, then flew over the Finizen and tipped water onto it.

Then, Hitch noticed Nemona glare at Arven, who was digging another hole. "Oh, great. He's here, too," she groaned.

"Now's not the time to argue!" Hitch said. He introduced everyone to Mariama and Skye, and in turn Nemona introduced him to Pawmot.

Hitch tilted his head. "His name is his species?" Pawmot nodded in response.

"Most trainers don't name their Pokémon," said Nemona. "Some do. Either way, they don't mind." She shrugged.

Hitch tilted his head. "I dunno, that seems kinda weird. It'd be like if my parents just called me 'Earth Pony' instead of giving me a name."

Hitch felt something tap his back leg. He turned around to see Penny standing behind him.

"What can we do?" she asked.

"For now? Try to stop the Finizen from drying out."

Penny ran towards the shoreline and tried to scoop up some water with her ribbons, but it was no use. They couldn't form a cup-shape, so the water fell straight out.

Meanwhile, Pawmot's paws glowed as he stepped towards the Finizen, but Nemona jumped in front of him. "Revival Blessing won't help it get back in the water," she said firmly.

Nemona ran towards the Finizen's tail fluke and grabbed it with her claws, trying to pull it towards the shoreline.

"Don't do that!" she heard Arven shout. "You'll only hurt it more!"

"Oh, of course you think I'm going to hurt it! I'm only trying to help!" she shouted back. She let go of the fluke and leaped towards Arven, preparing to swipe at him.

"STOP!" Penny shouted. She stepped in-between them, with a pink glow emanating from her ribbons. Nemona and Arven seemed to relax.

Hitch, who had been watching the scene play out from a distance, stepped towards them. "What just happened?" he asked.

"I know Sylveon can calm others down, but I don't know how I just did that," said Penny. "It just... happened, like a reflex."

"Really? That's a pretty cool power."

"You sound like my dad trying to be down with the kids," Penny muttered.

Nemona took a step towards Arven. "Look, I'm sorry for nearly getting your hurt earlier. I was just enjoying the battle so much, I got carried away!"

"I get you," Arven replied. "You've had more practice with this whole 'being a Pokémon' thing than me. It's just... I feel like a stranger in this body." He gestured to his chest.

Penny stepped closer to him. "Sorry if I came off as insensitive earlier. I, um, just didn't understand how you felt. That's all."

The trio hugged each other; Nemona and Arven with their arms, and Penny with her lower pair of ribbons. Hitch didn't want to interrupt; he just smiled.

"Anyway, we've got a Finizen to rescue!" exclaimed Nemona as she stepped back.

Everyone worked together to dig a pair of trenches underneath the Finizen's flippers that led to the shoreline. Eventually, Izzy returned, levitating a patchwork quilt that seemed to be made of bits of fabric she'd found in the Brighthouse's basement.

"Ta-da!" she exclaimed as she unfolded it. With Nemona, Sparky, and Arven's help, they draped it over the Finizen.

"Shouldn't it be wet?" asked Mariama.

"You could've told me that!" exclaimed Izzy. Sparky flew over to the sea to refill his bucket, then tipped it onto the quilt, but it only covered a small patch.

"I have an idea," said Nemona. "How about I ready up an Ice Punch, then Arven shatters the ice with his bone club? In this weather, it'll melt and turn into water pretty much instantly."

"I'm not sure that's gonna work..." said Hitch.

"Only one way to find out!" exclaimed Nemona.

To Hitch's surprise, her plan worked. She had to repeat the process several times, and complained about how sore her hands were earlier, but soon the tarp was soaked through and through. In a few hours, the tide would rise and fill up the trenches, sweeping the Finizen back into the sea.

"Well done, team!" exclaimed Hitch, and everyone else cheered. Then, he muttered to himself: "We should really get around to telling the whole town about Pokémon..."

Author's Note

Illustration by me.

Chapter 15: Pouring Rain

The next morning, Maretime Bay was struck by a storm. The rain hit the ground like beats on a drum, and the waves crashed against the cliffs so loudly that everyone could hear them from the Brighthouse.

"Should we reschedule?" Nemona asked over breakfast.

Sunny planted her front hooves on the table. "No! Rain or shine, this announcement is urgent! Besides, we can't reschedule on such short notice."

Later that morning, Sunny, Pipp, and Nemona met up with Hitch under the gazebo in the town square. Pipp got her phone ready and hovered in front of them.

"You remember your lines, right?" Sunny asked Hitch.

Hitch suddenly became very interested in the ceiling. "Uh..."

"Don't worry," said Sunny. She pulled a piece of paper out of her saddlebag and handed it to him; Nemona stared at the way it stuck to their hooves in fascination.

They waited a few minutes for a crowd to gather. Comet arrived first, enthusiastic as ever. The Pippsqueaks followed shortly afterwards, huddled under the same umbrella. Finally, McSnipsalot, Kenneth, and Steven walked straight up to Hitch, oblivious to the downpour.

Realising their live audience probably wasn't going to grow, Sunny pulled a megaphone out of her saddlebag.

"3... 2... 1... Start!" said Pipp as she began the stream.

"Attention, citizens of Maretime Bay!" Sunny boomed.

"And Zephyr Heights," Hitch quickly added.

Sunny continued. "Over this past week, you may have noticed strange things happening all over Equestria. Well, two days ago, my friends and I discovered the cause!" She motioned for Nemona to step in front of her. Nemona waved at the camera. "Creatures from another world called Pokémon have been appearing in flashes of light. This is one of them. Would you like to introduce yourself?" Sunny offered Nemona the megaphone, but she shook her head.

"The name's Nemona, and I'm a Sneasel!" she exclaimed. She did a dramatic leap on the spot, then landed as gracefully as a cat and showed off her claws. The Pippsqueaks gasped in unison.

Then, Sunny looked over to Hitch, who was reading over the script, and coughed to get his attention. He looked up... and the script flew off his hoof. Nemona jumped to grab it, but all she succeeded in was tearing it before it fluttered away into the sea, never to be seen again.

"Do you still remember your lines?" Sunny asked him.

"Sure I do," replied Hitch with a smirk. Sunny handed him the megaphone.

"You may be wondering why she can talk," said Hitch. "That's because our friends, Izzy and Misty, went to Bridlewood to, uh, find a translation spell. Most Pokémon have pony-like intelligence, so it's best to try reasoning with them, but..." He lowered the megaphone and turned to Sunny. "I forgot what I'm supposed to say next!"

"Then improvise!" Sunny shout-whispered back.

Hitch swallowed and spoke into the megaphone again. "Some Pokémon are super dangerous, and scary, and territorial, so... be prepared! Drink plenty of water! Eat your greens!"

Nemona facepalmed and snatched the megaphone from him. "What he means is that a lot of Pokémon are confused or scared, so they might attack. If you see purple sparks on the ground, be sure to keep your distance. You never know what might appear!" She handed the megaphone back to Sunny.

"If you have any Pokémon-related problems that you can't solve on your own, don't be afraid to contact us. However, we need all the help we can get. If you'd like to apply for the Pokémon Emergency Taskforce — PET for short — please write to the Crystal Brighthouse."

"And... cut!" said Pipp as she ended the stream.

After the small crowd dispersed, Hitch sighed, his ears drooping. "Sorry for messing this up, Sunny."

Sunny placed her hoof on his shoulder in reassurance. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Hitch. You tried your best!"

Pipp landed on the ground and trotted towards them. "You three did a~mazing~!" she sang. "I haven't gotten this many views in months, and that's not even counting the ponies who watched this on the jumbotrons!"

Hitch raised an eyebrow. "You can access all the screens in Zephyr Heights?"

"Of course!"

"Anypony want cocoa?" asked Sunny, once they'd returned to the Brighthouse. The other ponies all agreed. "And what about the Pokémon?"

"Yes please," said Penny.

"Nemona? Arven?"

"No thanks. I don't know if it might kill me," said Arven.

"Same," said Nemona.

"You didn't ask me, but no thanks," said Leafeon. Izzy had cast a translation spell on her earlier.

"Me neither," said Pawmot.

"We watched your speech on Zipp's tablet," said Arven, while the others drank their cocoa. "What do we do now?"

Sunny swallowed her latest sip and said, "Wait. The mail won't come until tomorrow morning."

"You also mentioned this Pokémon Emergency Taskforce thing," said Arven. "But who's in it?"

"Well, us ponies, of course, but I was hoping you three could join as well,."

"Five," Leafeon corrected.

"You five." Sunny paused as she gulped down the rest of her cocoa. "After all, who knows how to deal with Pokémon better than actual Pokémon?"

"I'll pass," said Penny.

"Are you sure?" Nemona nudged Penny in the side. "From what I've heard, you handled that Roaring Moon amazingly! Also, do we get uniforms?"

Sunny shook her head. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves..."

"Ooh! I can make the badges!" exclaimed Izzy.

"And I'd appreciate some clothes," muttered Arven.

Chapter 16: The Big Brown Dog

While Izzy went into the basement to make some badges, everyone else spread out throughout the Brighthouse. Pipp, Zipp, and Arven stayed in the living room.

"I'm already getting tagged in Ponygram posts about Pokémon sightings!" Pipp exclaimed as she checked her phone on the couch. She sounded equal parts annoyed and excited. "Though I think this one is a blurry bunnysus..."

"Should we go investigate?" asked Zipp, who was half-watching a documentary about the Wonderbolts on the television.

"None of them seem urgent. And more importantly, I don't want to ruin my mane in this weather!" Then, Pipp's phone pinged again. "Ooh, another one!" She tapped a notification and gasped.

Zipp stood up in an instant. "What is it, sis?"

"Somepony says there's a big, brown dog on the outskirts of town! It's growling at anypony who tries to get past."

Arven sat up and looked at Pipp. "Can I have a look?"

She turned her phone around so he could see. His pupils widened in shock.

"I'll go," he said.

"And I'll show you the way!" exclaimed Zipp.

Arven's lunged ached as he followed Zipp through the streets. Despite feeling repulsed by the freezing rain on an instinctual level, despite the fact he kept overestimating his strides and falling face-first into puddles, he refused to stop and catch his breath.

Once they reached the street, he saw that the few ponies around were all carrying umbrellas. They stood in a semicircle around the "big brown dog", who was guarding an apartment building.

"We can't get into our homes!" one pony complained to Zipp. "Can you help us?"

"I'm not sure," she replied. "But he can!" She pointed at Arven.

"That's a Mabosstiff," he said. "They're very protective of their families, but they're big softies, really." He was expecting the ponies to gasp in shock, but they didn't. They must've seen the announcement.

He took a cautious step closer to the Mabosstiff. He flinched when it growled and let out two loud barks. He almost considered turning back... but he couldn't. As he approached it, he lowered his arms to show he wasn't a threat.

"My name's Arven," he said softly. "Remember?"

"Who are you?" the Mabosstiff snarled. She sounded female...

Oh. It wasn't his Mabosstiff. He'd come all this way for nothing.

No, I shouldn't think like that. I'm still doing these ponies a favour.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"My... puppies..." She turned around to face a litter of Maschiff who were huddled together underneath a balcony. Two were brown, and one had grey fur that seemed to sparkle. All three were asleep.

"I get that you love your puppies," he said, "But these ponies aren't gonna hurt them. They live here too, you know." He placed his hand close to the Mabosstiff's dewlap. Once she realised what he meant, he petted her under her chin. She leaned into it and tapped her back foot on the ground. "You remind me of an old friend..."

Zipp landed next to him. "So... what's the result?"

"She was just being protective of her puppies," he said.

Zipp looked around for a moment. "No offense, but I'm not sure this is the best place for her. There are always ponies going up and down this street."

"So where do you think she should go?"

"Hmm... there's a forest on the outskirts of town. Maybe we could show her the way?"

"Sound like a good idea," said Arven. Then, to the Mabosstiff: "I think there's a better place for you to live. Do you want to follow us?"

Arven helped the Mabosstiff carry her puppies, while Zipp flew ahead to guide them to the forest.

When Arven and Zipp returned to the Brighthouse, they were surprised to see everyone gathered in the entry hall.

"Uh... what did we miss?" asked Zipp.

"Loads!" exclaimed Izzy. "I finished making all our badges, and I was gonna hand them out, but Sunny said we should wait until you two come back!" Then, she levitated a collection of sashes in front of them. They were all different colours, but each one had a hoof-sized badge embroided with the letters "PET". There was one for each pony and Pokémon present.

Arven received a yellow one, and as soon as he put it on, it just felt right. It reminded him of a jacket he had back when he was human... back in his old life. At the very least, he wasn't naked anymore.

"Do you like it?" asked Izzy.

"Nah... I love it!"

Everyone spent the rest of the day planning how the Pokémon Emergency Taskforce would work. They decided to split the team into groups, each covering a different area. Sunny, Arven, Pawmot, and Hitch would cover Maretime Bay; Pipp, Zipp, Penny, and Leafeon would cover Zephyr Heights; and Izzy, Misty, and Nemona would cover Bridlewood. Tomorrow morning, after they'd read all the mail, the groups would split up and go to their respective locations.

Chapter 17: Your Own Kind

The next morning, Misty woke up from a dream where a golden, glowing figure had called out to her. It had sounded so loud, like it came from every direction at once, but she couldn't remember anything it had said. Had it been a vision? Whatever it was, it was too vague to make sense of.

Later, Arven helped Sunny make pancakes for breakfast.

"So... what'd you do yesterday?" Nemona asked him while they were eating.

"Helped a Mabosstiff," he mumbled back. "I thought it would be mine, but..." He sighed. "You and Penny have already found one of your Pokémon. When will it be my turn?"

Nemona patted him on the back. "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll turn up eventually!"

"I guess..."

He heard a loud knock on the door. Sunny rushed over to answer it, and Arven's gaze followed her. She opened the door to reveal a blueish-grey, winged pony with messy, yellow hair who placed a cardboard box on the doorstep.

"All your letters are inside," she said, rubbing her neck with her hoof. "We got so many letters addressed to you that I couldn't fit them in my bag... haha..."

"Thank you, Fifi," said Sunny. She pushed the box into the entrance hall and closed the door.

"Attention, everypony!" she shouted. "We've got some applications to look through!"

Everyone quickly finished their breakfast and spent the next hour sifting through all the letters.

"This one's a scam... They're too young... I can't read this hoofwriting..." Hitch mumbled to himself as he threw applications into the discard pile.

"Howcome nopony from Bridlewood wants to join?" asked Izzy.

"Because they don't have internet there!" Pipp shouted, prompting Zipp to shush her. Penny shuddered.

"I know! We could start a recruitment drive once we get there!" Izzy looked between Nemona and Misty, who nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of, why isn't Pawmot going with you?" Arven asked Nemona.

Pawmot answered for her. "I simply like it here."

"Fair enough."

Zipp picked up a letter and examined it closely. "Hmm... do you know anypony named Steven Stone?"

Nemona gasped. "I've heard of him! Former champion of the Hoenn league, right?"

"Former what of the what league?" asked Zipp.

"He's famous," said Penny.

"So he's one of you... humans?" asked Zipp.

"Yeah," said Nemona. "Though he's probably not human anymore..." Arven felt uneasy for a moment. "Point is, I definitely think he's qualified to deal with Pokémon-related problems."

"He listed his address as 'the beach'... I think." She showed the others the letter. The writing was crude, like its writer had to awkwardly clamp their claws around a pencil, and kept accidentally poking holes in the paper. "Once we've finished, do you wanna go looking for him, Bay Squad?"

"Sounds good to me!" exclaimed Sunny.

Later, Izzy flew the Marestream to Bridlewood. Misty, Nemona, and the Spewpa sat on the red couches in the back.

"Hmm... I think it's about time I gave you a name," Misty said to the Spewpa. "How about Confetti?"

The newly-dubbed Confetti closed its eyes and bounced on the spot.

"So you like it? Confetti it is!"

A few minutes later, Izzy landed the Marestream outside her house, and the four of them ventured into the town square. For once, it was peaceful — the partially-eaten crystals had started to heal. Misty saw a unicorn foal chasing a yellow-and-white insect she didn't recognise.

They entered the Crystal Tea Room, and what Misty saw inside made her do a double-take. A few Sableye sat around the tables alongside ponies, but instead of drinking tea, they were eating roughly-cut gemstones. Alphabittle trotted towards them as he heard the doorbell ring.

"Misty!" he exclaimed. "And Izzy, too." He looked at the two Pokémon and raised an eyebrow. "And you are...?"

"I'm Nemona," she pointed at the Spewpa, "and this is Confetti. I helped fight the Sableye, remember?"

Alphabittle laughed. "Oh, yes! I remember now! Thanks for dealing with them, all of you. Turns out they're quite friendly when they're not hungry. Though I'm not sure why only one of them can talk..."

Izzy facehoofed. "Oh, I forgot to tell you! I cast a translation spell on him! Misty knows it as well, and we could teach it to you if you want."

"That sounds excellent!" exclaimed Alphabittle. "Please, teach me."

After teaching him the translation spell, Izzy said, "My friends and I have started the Pokémon Emergency Taskforce," she gestured to her sash, "and we need all the help we can get. We've already gotten a ton of applications — literally! — from Maretime Bay and Zephyr Heights, but the announcement didn't reach Bridlewood."

"Well, I'd be happy to help!"

"Thanks," said Misty, "but I think we need even more members. Would it be okay if we make an announcement in the town square?"

"Of course, my dear Ty."

Izzy and Misty's speech covered the same ground as Sunny and Hitch's yesterday, though Misty had to stop Izzy from going on a tangent about rescuing the Finizen. They ended it by directly asking the crowd if they wanted to join PET, but unfortunately, most of they all walked away as soon as it was over.

Misty sighed. "I guess nopony was interested..."

"Don't feel so bad," said Izzy, "at least they know what's going on now! Besides, your dad's on board."

"I guess..." Misty looked around. "Hey, where's Nemona?"

Halfway through Izzy and Misty's speech, Nemona had noticed a pair of Sneasel's eyes peeking at her through the undergrowth, and decided to investigate. She would've told the ponies where she was going, but she didn't want to interrupt them. That would be rude!

"Hey!" said the wild Sneasel. "You lost?"

"Of course not!" replied Nemona. "But in a way, yes."

"Well, come with me!"

Nemona followed the other Sneasel through the treetops. Leaping between the branches felt even more effortless this time; being with another of her own kind just felt... right. Wait, "my own kind"?

Eventually, they stopped when they saw a pack of Sneasel surrounding a Weavile. Unlike Nemona, they all had red feathers. She noticed scratchmarks in the nearby tree trunks.

The Weavile jumped towards her. Nemona leaned back, feeling intimidated; he was a head taller than her, and covered in healed-over scars. He spent a few long seconds looking at her.

"Welcome to our pack," he said. Nemona sighed in relief, and her shoulders relaxed. "A lot of Sneasel have ended up in this forest—"

"Bridlewood," said Nemona. "It's called Bridlewood."

The Weavile glared at her for a moment, and Nemona tensed up. "As I was saying, a lot of Sneasel have ended up in Bridlewood as of late. Since they've been separated from their own packs, I've decided to take them in until they can be reunited."

"Thanks for the offer," said Nemona, "but I already have a place to stay." She paused to think. "Although, learning how to be a Sneasel sounds cool!"

"Learn to be?" asked the Sneasel who led her her. "Were you raised by humans or something?"

"You could say that."

"Each of these symbols has its own meaning," the Weavile said to Nemona as they stood on the forest floor. He pointed to three diagonal lines. "This is the most simple one. It means there is already a pack of Weavile in this territory."

"What about this one?" Nemona asked as she pointed to a series of curved lines. It seemed to be a drawing, but she couldn't figure out what it depicted.

"That is a reminder of what prey is in the area."

Nemona nodded. "I see!"

"Heee-yah!" Nemona screeched as she leaped at a Sneasel and slashed him in the side with her claws. He fell onto his back.

"Very good! Very good!" the Weavile chanted. He was teaching them all how to spar.

Nemona's opponent sprung back onto his feet and punched her in the face.

"Ow!" she yelped.

"Don't let your guard down!"

"Now, it is time for you to practice hunting," said the Weavile. "You should start with an easy target." He pointed to a series of small, shallow footprints in the dirt. "Where do they lead? Are there any other signs that your prey is around?"

Nemona crouched down and gently followed the footsteps. She tread carefully, making sure to not even step on a twig. She didn't want to scare whatever it was. They lead to a bush; some of its lower leaves were messy, as if they'd been pushed out of the way. She noticed a small hole between the bush's roots, and quickly dived into it.

Her claws touched something warm. She looked down to see an adorable ball of fluff with a horn, much like a unicorn's — that's what the horned ponies were called, right? She could hear it breathing, feel its chest rising and falling...

"Now!" the Weavile shouted. "Deal the finishing blow!"

She felt the fuzzball freeze in fear. She looked down at it, at her claws, at how easily she could pierce its skin... but she couldn't. She knew she was a carnivore now, that it was only natural, yet she didn't have the heart to kill it.

Maybe she was terrible at being a Sneasel.

"Nemona! There you are!" a familiar voice exclaimed. Nemona looked up to see Izzy galloping towards her.

Nemona turned to the Weavile. "Sorry... I've gotta go."

Chapter 18: The Emperor of Steel

Once the other teams had left the Brighthouse, Team Bay decided to split up.

"Arven and I will go and contact the recruits we've chosen in Maretime Bay," said Sunny. "Hitch, Pawmot, you go looking for Steven Stone. Sound good?"

Everyone else nodded.

When Hitch and Pawmot arrived at the beach, they noticed a trail of three-toed footprints in the sand. They looked fresh, and led towards the cave — the same one Hitch had relocated the Aron to the other day.

Before they could follow the trail, though, a familiar zebra filly leaped towards Hitch.

"Sheriff Trailblazer!" exclaimed Skye, her wide eyes sparkling in the late-morning sun. "Did you accept my letter?"

"Sadly, no," said Hitch. "You're much too young. We're here to look for another applicant." He glanced towards the cave.

Skye sighed. "Okay..." Her ears drooped as she looked down at the sand. "Mom told me not to go in that cave. She says it's dangerous!"

"Relax, I'll be fine!" Hitch said with a grin.

The two walked away from Skye and entered the cave. Its walls were bluish-grey and covered in wavy patterns. Some of the lower rocks were covered with seaweed and seashells. Glowing, blue goo dripped down from the ceiling, which made the purple and blue crystals on the ground sparkle. It would've been beautiful, were it not for the tally chart scratched into the wall, as if whoever lived here was going insane from isolation.

Suddenly, Hitch jumped when he saw something move. A colossal penguin, almost as tall as an adult dragon, turned around to face him. Its dark blue feathers seemed to have a metallic sheen, and its flippers were sharp.

"H-hi," said Hitch with his ears pinned back. Pawmot stood in front of him. "We're l-looking for St-steven Stone. Have you seen him?"

"Seen him?" said the penguin. "Well, I am him."

Hitch sighed in relief. "My name's Hitch Trailblazer, and this is Pawmot. You applied for the Pokémon Emergency Taskforce, right?"

"Indeed I did." Steven sat down, as if he was making himself look less intimidating. "I awoke on this beach a few days ago. At first, I only focused on living to see another day... but after hearing your announcement, I realised I could use my skills to help other stranded Pokémon. I wandered into your town and wrote a letter on the first piece of paper I could find... though as you may have seen, it was a struggle." He raised a flipper to reveal three short, yellow claws underneath.

"Don't worry about it," said Hitch. "One of my friends recognised your name. You're a former human too, right?"

"That is correct. Are there other former humans around here?"

"We know of at least three," said Pawmot. "One of them was my trainer. Though I'm not sure what she considers our relationship now... Anyway, I have a question for you. Do you know about Mega Evolution?"

"I am one of the Hoenn region's leading experts on Mega Evolution," said Steven. "Or at least... I was."

"That's good to hear," says Pawmot. "The first time I saw Mega Evolution for myself was just two days ago, when I arrived in a forest to the north. A wild Sableye was able to Mega Evolve on his own, but my former trainer always thought it required a key stone. Do you know why this is?"

"Hmm... that is unusual..." Steven paused to think. "From my understanding, Mega Evolution is extremely taxxing. Without a trainer and a keystone to stabilise them, Pokémon can Mega Evolve on their own, but they quickly lose control of themselves."

"That would certainly explain why he was so vicious" said Pawmot. "Thank you."

"Anyway, Mr. Stone, are you sure you want to join our Pokémon Emergency Taskforce?" asked Hitch. "We'll be very busy, if the past few days are anything to go off."

"Of course," said Steven. "Having more members would ease your workload, and my skills may be of use to you."

"What skills do you have?"

"Follow me."

Hitch and Pawmot followed Steven outside. Steven clumsily ran towards the shoreline... but as soon as he fell onto his belly, he slid into the sea as gracefully as an ice skater. For the next few seconds, all Hitch and Pawmot could see of him was a trail of ripples, until he breached out of the water while spinning like a corkscrew, and landed feet-first on the sand. Pawmot clapped, and Hitch stomped his hooves.

"That's amazing!" exclaimed Hitch. "You know, we rescued a dolphin—"

"Finizen," Pawmot corrected.

"—The other day, and it took us ages. Maybe you could help us with water-related emergencies?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea," said Steven. "I was never great with Water Pokémon, though my successor, Wallace, was. I suppose now is my chance to learn..."

"Speaking of Pokémon, what are you?" asked Hitch.

"An Empoleon," Steven replied.

Then, Skye galloped up to them. "Did you find the new recruit?"

"Yep. Here he is!" Hitch gestured at Steven.

"My name is Steven Stone," he said. "And you are...?"

Skye tilted her head and looked at Hitch. "Huh? I don't speak penguin."

Hitch facehoofed. "Oh, I forgot! You can't understand Pokémon! His name's Steven Stone, and gosh, I wish I could cast a translation spell..."

"How about a translation potion instead?" Skye suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"The art of potion-making has been in my family for generations, ever since Twilight Sparkle's time. I don't actually know how to make a translation potion," — she pawed at the sand — "but once we figure it out, anypony could use the recipe!"

"That sounds like a great idea!" exclaimed Hitch.

"I'll go ask mom!" exclaimed Skye, before galloping away.

"Well, we'd better go find Sunny now." Hitch headed up the slope and gestured for the two Pokémon to follow him.

Chapter 19: Fly High on Pegasus Wings

It took Team Zephyr a while to reach Zephyr Heights. Since Izzy had taken the Marestream to Bridlewood, Zipp and Pipp had to fly there while carrying Leafeon and Penny, respectively. Their journey had been uneventful, mostly consisting of clear skies over plain plains, but they were all exhausted by the time they reached the mountain, so they landed at the foot and requested a royal escort to the palace.

"Why hello, my dear girls!" exclaimed Queen Haven as soon as they entered the throne room. She was about to hug them when she noticed Leafeon. "And I see you've brought a new friend!"

"That's right~!" sang Pipp. "She's a Leafeon. I met her the other day, and it turns out she knows Penny! Don't worry, Izzy cast the translation spell on her."

"Oh. What's your name?" Queen Haven asked.

"Leafeon," replied Leafeon.

"Anyway... We're here to discuss something important," said Zipp. "Did you see Sunny's announcement yesterday?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Haven. "Everypony in Zephyr Heights did."

"Good to hear. This morning, we received a lot of applications for the Pokémon Emergency Taskforce in the mail," Zipp continued. "A lot of them were from the royal guard, so I was thinking... could we set up a Pokémon division?"

"That's an excellent idea, Zephyrina!" Zipp winced when her mom used her first name. "Perhaps you could train them? It's been a long time since we've needed to defend the city, and it'll be a good opportunity to learn responsibility."

"That's what I was thinking," said Zipp.

"And I'll help!" exclaimed Pipp.

Penny and Leafeon followed Pipp upstairs. The corridors all looked the same, with marble walls, polished floors, and big windows. Pipp clearly knew her way around, though, because eventually she pushed a door open to reveal the pinkest room Penny had ever seen. As soon as she stepped in, she felt the plush carpet beneath her paws. Long, silk curtains were draped over the windows. A pony-sized bed leaned against a wall, opposite a makeup table with a huge mirror.

"I love it!" Penny gasped.

"Thank you~!" Pipp sang as she carefully placed a pile of cushions in the corner. "I thought since I'd be staying here for a while, I'd share my old bedroom with you two."

Suddenly, Penny was tackled in the side by a white ball of fluff with tiny wings and a big black nose. She yelped in surprise.

"That's Cloudpuff, our pet flying Pomeranian," Pipp explained. "He's friendly, don't worry." Cloudpuff licked Penny, who jerked away in disgust. Pipp laughed, and after a few seconds, Leafeon joined in.

Later, Team Zephyr gathered a dozen-or-so royal guards into the palace's ballroom. Queen Haven didn't have any events planned, so it was undecorated.

"If you want to join the Pokémon Emergency Taskforce," said Zipp with her head held high, "you first need to know how to deal with Pokémon."

Zoom Zephyrwing raised her hoof, and Zipp motioned for her to speak. "Your highness, we were capable of chasing away the dragon a few days ago. What else do you believe we need to know?"

"Excellent question," said Zipp. "While some Pokémon, like that Salamence, are highly territorial, not all of them pose an immediate threat to ponies."

On cue, Penny waved at the guards with a ribbon. Thunder Clap squeed.

"Some Pokémon can be reasoned with," Zipp continued. "When dealing with a Pokémon, make sure to check the area. Are they protecting their offspring? Are they scared of something?" Then, she noticed another raised hoof. "Yes, Thunder Clap?"

"Hitch said that you can cast translation spells on Pokémon to understand them, um, Your Highness," he said. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"Oh, you don't need to understand exactly what they're saying," said Pipp.

"I think Pokémon can understand others in a way that goes beyond words," said Penny. "Just show them you're not a threat and you'll be okay."

Zipp cleared her throat. "However, if you do need to fight a wild Pokémon, here are some tips. First, safety in numbers. If you work together, the Pokémon won't know who to target. Second, play defensive. If you attack them straight away, they're likely to retaliate and I imagine it wouldn't be pretty." She shook her head to clear out some gruesome mental images. "Thirdly, try to befriend other Pokémon. They'll know how to fight back."

Pipp hovered in front of Zipp. "Speaking of which... Who wants to move on to the practical part of this lesson?"

The group moved to the fields at the base of the mountain for the battle demonstration.

"Our friends, Penny the Sylveon and Leafeon the... Leafeon, are about to show you how Pokémon fight," said Zipp. "Do note, however, that this is a sparring match. They won't seriously hurt each other, but wild Pokémon might not hold back."

Pipp, who was hovering next to Zipp, pulled out her phone. "3... 2... 1... Go!"

"Pipp, why are you streaming this?" Zipp shout-whispered.

"It's educational!" Pipp exclaimed back, as if their mom was telling her off. "Besides, I'm not streaming to the jumbotrons this time."

Penny and Leafeon stood a few metres apart, facing each other. Penny was the first to move closer; she rushed towards Leafeon, so quick that she was almost a blur. Just before her attack could connect, however, Leafeon widened her eyes like a baby doll's. Penny stopped right in front of Leafeon's nose. Leafeon smirked. Her leaf-shaped tail glowed green, and she swished it around to slash Penny in the side. She also cut a few blades of grass in the process, releasing their smell and leaving green smudges on Penny's fur. The audience of guards gasped.

"You shouldn't have let your guard down," said Leafeon.

"I need a shower," Penny mumbled.

"Thanks for the demonstration, girls," said Zipp. She looked to the crowd. "Now, any questions?"

Thunder Clap raised his hoof. "What's with the glowing? Uh, your highnesses and company."

"That was type energy," said Penny. "Pokémon and their moves both have a sort of elemental powers called types. Leafeon is a Grass-type, and so is Leaf Blade — that's what she attacked me with — and she channeled Grass-type energy to use it."

"Why is it called Grass-type energy if it's a leaf?" asked another guard.

"Um, I don't know," Penny mumbled.

The training session continued until the evening. They taught the guards about Pokémon type interactions, let some of them spar against Penny and Leafeon, and came up with a drill for dealing with purple sparks.

That night, Pipp, Zipp, Penny, and Leafeon returned to the palace. Penny tried to get to sleep, but she was distracted by a yellow glow on the balcony outside Pipp's bedroom. She stepped towards the curtain and gently pushed it aside with her ribbons, and noticed a figure that blended into the shadows on the other side. All she could make out were his red eyes and yellow rings. She fumbled with her ribbons and front paws to open the glass door on entered the balcony. The cold night air made her shiver.

The Umbreon sniffed her. "You smell familiar..."

Penny sniffed back. "So do you... you're my Umbreon!"

Chapter 20: A Shocking Day in Zephyr Heights

Penny spent most of the night explaining everything to Umbreon. By the time the sun rose, she was fast asleep, until the sound of Sunny talking to Pipp over the phone woke her up.

"...We even got Sprout on board!" Sunny said. "Hitch is keeping an eye on him. Don't worry about Sparky — Figgy's babysitting him. What have you been up to?"

"Yesterday we trained a bunch of royal guards," said Pipp. "We even gave them a practical demonstration~! You've seen it, right?"

"You str—" and then Sunny's voice cut out.

Pipp gasped and dropped her phone like it was hot potato. "What's happening?" She flew over to the curtains and pulled them open. Outside, she saw all the streetlamps and jumbotrons flicker out. Penny's ears twitched; it was quieter than usual... she'd gotten used to the faint hum of electric lights.

A few minutes later, a guard knocked on the door and called them to an emergency meeting in the throne room.

"Good to see you!" exclaimed Queen Haven.

By the time Pipp and the Pokémon entered the throne room, Zipp was already there. Queen Haven raised an eyebrow when she saw Umbreon.

"I have received reports that lead me to believe this blackout was caused by a Pokémon," she continued. "I would like you and the royal guard's Pokémon division to investigate." Then, she waved her hoof at Umbreon. "Also, who is this?"

"That's Umbreon," said Penny. "He's one of my, um, friends. He just arrived last night, so no-one's cast a translation spell on him. Can he join us?"

Queen Haven nodded and hummed. "Very well."

Penny had no idea what the inside of a power plant would look like, but she certainly wasn't expecting this.

The first room of Zephyr Heights' power plant was mostly empty, with hard floors and a high ceiling that made hoofsteps echo. The walls were lined with pipes that curved every which way, with all sorts of dials and valves attached. Some of the pipes were covered in yellowish webs that must've been made by Joltik. She could hear machines in the other rooms whirr so loudly that she couldn't hear herself think.

"We're glad you're here!" said a pegasus wearing a hard hat, who seemed to be in charge of the place. "Earlier, a janitor spotted an unknown creature — a Pokémon, did you say they were called?" Zipp nodded and let her continue. "Anyway, it looked a bit like those—" she gestured at Penny and her Veevees "—but it had no tail and spiky, yellow fur. It's too dangerous for us to extract it, so we need your help!"

Penny stepped forwards and gulped. "Sounds like a Jolteon," she said. "I have experience with one, so I'll go."

"Don't forget me," said Leafeon, stepping to Penny's side.

"I can help, too," said Umbreon.

Zipp flew up and turned to face the guards. "Alright, everypony! We can't all fit in the generator room, so I suggest you stay here and watch out for any danger. That includes you, Pipp." Then, she faced the manager. "Show us the way!"

The generator room was even louder. The ponies wore protective earmuffs, but they didn't have any that would fit the Veevees, so Penny feared she'd go deaf. The manager guided them along the raised metal paths.

Eventually, the manager stopped and shouted, "It was somewhere around here." She trotted towards the railing and looked down at a sea of large, metal cylinders connected to each other by pipes.

"Mind if I take a closer look?" asked Zipp.

The manager nodded. "But be careful!"

Zipp flew up and scouted the room, being careful to stick close to the ceiling. Eventually, she landed back on the path and said, "I spotted something unusual over there. Think we should take a look?"

"Would your Pokémon be able to handle getting shocked?" asked the manager.

"Of course!" exclaimed Leafeon. "Grass resists Electric, duh!"

"What?" asked the manager.

"She means she'll be fine," said Penny.

"It looks dark down there," Umbreon said to Penny. "I can light the way."

"And I'll lead them," said Penny.

"Good luck," Zipp said to the Veevees.

Zipp showed them a path that led them closer to the Jolteon, and then they jumped down onto the floor, being careful to not even brush against the generators. Penny went first, followed by Umbreon, who made his rings glow. Leafeon was last. Eventually, Penny's ears pricked up when she heard crackling, and her fur stood on end when she felt a sharp sting of static electricity. Her eyes were drawn to a yellow glow wedged between a generator and a pipe.

"Help me..." the Jolteon said faintly. He'd absorbed so much electricity that his fur had become as spiky as a Togedemaru's.

"We need to get him out," Penny said to the other two. "But how?"

"Let me go first," said Leafeon.

"Are you sure?" asked Umbreon. "It's too dangerous!"

"I'll be fine!" Leafeon snapped. Before anyone could argue, she leaped over Penny and Umbreon and slammed into the Jolteon in the blink of an eye. The impact knocked him out of the wedge, but as Leafeon landed, her tail slammed against the pipe. She screamed so loudly that it echoed throughout the room.

Penny gasped in horror and rushed to Leafeon's side. "You'll be fine... you'll be fine..." she hushed as she inspected Leafeon. The tip of her tail was singed black, and looked like it was about to crumble like charcoal.

"Thanks for gettin' me out of there," said Jolteon as his fur flattened. "I just woke up here, and then I got stuck, and couldn't stop absorbin' electricity." He looked between Leafeon and Umbreon while sniffing. "Hey, I know you guys!"

Penny gasped again, but this time in delight. "It's you! I'll explain later, but for now..."

She heard the sound of wings flapping, and they all looked up to see Zipp land nearby.

"Are you okay?" exclaimed Zipp.

"We are, but she isn't..." Penny looked over at Leafeon.

"Don't worry," Zipp said quickly. She picked up Leafeon between her legs and flew back to the manager, while the others followed her on foot.

"Did you fix it?" asked the manager.

"Yep," said Zipp. "But do you have a first aid kit?"

The manager led them back to the entrance room, where the guards and Pipp were waiting. Zipp placed Leafeon on the floor, while the manager opened a first-aid kit on the wall and gave Zipp a roll of bandages. Zipp quickly wrapped up Leafeon's tail, while Penny told the others what had happened.

When Team Zephyr returned to the palace later that morning, they reported back to Queen Haven in the throne room.

"Congratulations on fixing the blackout!" exclaimed Queen Haven. "Did you find out what caused it?"

"Yep," said Zipp. She explained what had happened.

"Zephyrina!" Queen Haven snapped, taking a step forwards. "That was dangerous! And... I'm glad you're okay." She reached over to hug Zipp, who reluctantly accepted it.

Afterwards, Haven glanced at the Veevees. "Jolteon is welcome to stay here... but we should keep an eye on these Pokémon."

Meanwhile, a Larvesta awoke in Bridlewood. It looked around at its unfamiliar surroundings, overwhelmed by all the new sights and smells. Something startled it — perhaps a bunnycorn diving into its burrow, or a Sneasel leaping overhead, or even a leaf dancing in the wind. Regardless of the cause, its five horns heated up on instinct...

Chapter 21: Raging Inferno

Team Bridlewood were in the town square, asking the locals about Pokémon-related problems, when a pair of Deerling bolted past them.

"What was that?" exclaimed Izzy as she watched them go. She raised her head and sniffed. "Do I smell... smoke?"

Everyone looked up. Sure enough, a cloud of smoke was blowing downwind towards the heart of Bridlewood.... followed closely by the sound of roaring fire. Trees crumbled as easily as twigs as it consumed everything in its path, and it was heading towards town. Several unicorns panicked and bolted indoors.

Quickly, Izzy, Misty, Nemona, and Alphabittle pulled into a circle.

"What can we do?" Izzy shout-whispered. "There's only four of us."

"Five of us," said Misty. Confetti hopped in place on her back.

"I say we get the whole town to help us," said Nemona.

"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Izzy. She broke out of the circle and turned to face the few ponies who were still outside. "Alright, unicorns of Bridlewood! We don't know if emergency is Pokémon-related or not, but we need YOUR help to stop this fire from spreading! Who's with us?"

Her only response was silence.

"I said, WHO'S WITH US?" shouted Alphabittle.

"We are," the other unicorns said flatly, which was probably the best response they were going to get.

Alphabittle burst into the Crystal Tea Room. He levitated a cushion under the door to wedge it open.

"You need to evacuate. There's a forest fire!" he shouted. Most of his customers, pony and Sableye alike, stopped what they were doing, stared at him, and then stood up.

"Single file! Single file!" Alphabittle yelled as the customers rushed out of the door. However, two were still inside...

"Forest fires are a real danger, but don't make yourself a stranger," Onyx rhymed in tune with Dapple's drumbeats. Before she could start another verse, though, a burning tree branch smashed through the stained-glass window behind her. Both of them lunged out of the way without even a gasp, and soon the flames started to lick Dapple's bongos. In a matter of seconds, they caught on fire, and then it spread across the floorboards. The two trotted away, but they weren't fast enough...

Alphabittle was about to leap in and rescue them, when he saw the leader of the Sableye, who was almost at the doorway, turn around. He ran towards the flames, then used his marble-thing to change form. He used his giant ruby as a shield to hold back the flames, buying Onyx and Dapple enough time to escape.

The Sableye returned to normal and rushed towards the door.

"Thanks," said Alphabittle with a wink.

Meanwhile, the girls knocked on ponies' doors and warned them to get outside. They started with the homes closest to the Wishing Tree, as many of the townsponies jumped into action. Misty saw one elderly mare spray the fire with her garden hose. Unfortunately, by the time they reached the tree-houses closest to the blaze, most of them had already caught fire. Ponies were fleeing from their homes without being asked.

"I'll lead everypony to safety," said Izzy as she ushered a galloping family towards the Wishing Tree. "You two, rescue ponies who're trapped!"

Misty gulped as she and Nemona exchanged glances.

"Dammit, we could really use a Water-type right now..." muttered Nemona. Ice formed around her first, and the heat of the fire caused it to melt instantly... and the resulting water only extinguished a small patch of smouldering grass. Nemona looked back at Misty and said: "I'll go find the Sneasel pack. You stay here!"

As Nemona left, Misty stared at the wall of flames, paralysed in fear. The heat licked her coat, threatening to burn each and every hair, coming closer and closer each second...

"HELP!" a foal screamed, snapping Misty out of her trance. She swivelled her ears until she found the source of the sound: he was trapped on the ground floor of a nearby tree-house. His fur was a deep shade of green... almost like Sparky's.

Misty's legs trembled. She was too scared to risk her life... but she couldn't bring herself to let him die.

Without another thought, Misty dashed towards a window and used her horn to smash it open. Confetti hopped onto the ground next to her. She got a few cuts on her legs as she jumped through, but there were bigger things to worry about. Inside, she saw a sobbing foal curled up on the floor, surrounded by burning furniture.

"You'll be okay... just follow me..." Misty said as she stepped towards him. He stopped crying and looked at her, but he didn't stand up. Was he injured? Or was he paralysed by fear?

Regardless, Misty felt a surge of adrenaline. She concentrated all the magic in her body to levitate the foal and carry him out of the window. He was the heaviest thing she'd ever listed, and she was exhausted, panting... but she'd saved him. She faintly hear him gallop away.

Before Misty could catch her breath, the ceiling started to collapse, and long planks of wood fell around her. Some blocked off the door, and one landed on top of her, knocking her down. She yelped. The floor around her started to catch fire; by the time she stood up, there'd be no time to escape, this was the end, she was gonna die...

She felt a sticky rope wrap around one of her back legs and pull her out of the window frame. When she landed on the ground outside, her ribs were sore, but she saw who was responsible: Confetti! Quickly, she stood back up and levitated him onto her back. Once they were a safe distance away, she hugged him and choked out, "Thank you for saving me."

As she blinked tears out of her eyes, she noticed that Confetti was... glowing? He must be evolving again! She didn't know Pokémon could do that more than once! She placed him on the ground and watched him change. A pair of antennae grew out of his head, and his white ruff shrank away to reveal a skinny, grey thorax. Two pairs of wings unfolded out from his sides, and he hovered in front of her as the glow started to fade. He'd turned into a beautiful, pony-sized butterfly! His lower wings were various shades of blue, like waves on the sea. His upper wings were mostly sandy-yellow, with strips of green at the top. He looked like the cliffs in Maretime Bay.

"Misty!" Confetti exclaimed. That was his first word! He did a loop-de-loop in mid-air, as if he was overjoyed by the gift of flight. Then, he looked away from her. "Hey, are those your friends?"

Misty noticed Nemona heading towards her, along with another Sneasel with red feathers, and what looked like a bigger Sneasel with more feathers.

Nemona stopped when she reached Misty's side and panted for a moment. "Congratulations!" she exclaimed when she saw Confetti. "Anyway, I got some help. My plan is for us to freeze the nearby trees, which will at least slow down the fire long enough to get everyone to safety. You ready?"

"I hope it works..." said Misty. She stepped back and watched the trio do their work. Nemona's fist glowed with ice again, the big one span around rapidly and surrounded himself with a tornado of ice, and the other one prepared to breathe a beam of ice out of his mouth. They combined their attacks to freeze the trunks of several nearby trees. Once the fire got to them, the ice melted, which made the trunks damp and difficult to burn. It still spread across their leaves, but it was much slower.

Once they got back to the Wishing Tree, Izzy and Alphabittle were consoling some of the townsponies, including the foal Misty had rescued earlier. Izzy bounded towards them.

"Did you stop it?" she asked.

"Yep!" exclaimed Nemona.

"Were there any casualties?" asked Misty.

"Nope!" Izzy gestured at the crowd of unicorns. "And thank hoofness!"

Nemona folded her arms, looked at the big and other Sneasel, and sighed. "At least, no pony casualties..."

Once the remainder of the Sneasel pack had left, the five PET members gathered in a circle again. After Misty and Nemona explained everything, Izzy asked: "What are we going to do now?"

Author's Note

Illustration by me.

Chapter 22: Rebirth of the Forest

Author's Note

It was around this point when writing this that I remembered the Together Trees existed.

Chapter 22: Rebirth of the Forest

Things had been going swimmingly for the Bay Squad. Sunny had convinced Sprout and Phyllis to repurpose their old CanterLogic tech into traps for dangerous Pokémon, but they hadn't needed to use them yet. There had been no serious incidents in Maretime Bay today, just a few hungry Pokémon who Hitch easily relocated. Unfortunately, nopony in town knew how to cast the translation spell yet, so they had to rely on Hitch and Arven for now.

Which was why Sunny had ventured into the forest on the outskirts of town. She knocked on the door to Mariama and Skye's bungalow.

"Come in!" she heard Mariama shout. Sunny opened the door and stepped into an open-plan living room with pale pink walls and a round table in the middle. Her nostrils squeezed shut in response to a strange, burning smell coming from the kitchen.

Mariama, noticing her reaction, said, "Don't worry about the smell. Skye's practicing potions."

"Oh! That's what I came here to ask you about," said Sunny. "Have you finished the translation potion yet?"

"Well, not quite." Mariama gestured to her cabinet full of glass bottles. Some of them were half-full of greenish potions, labelled 'TRANSLATION'. "We haven't quite perfected the recipe."

"Finished, mama!" exclaimed Skye from the kitchen. Mariama trotted towards her, Sunny following close behind. On the stove was a large, silver saucepan full of a greenish liquid that smelled like eggs and spinach.

"Chirper!" exclaimed Skye. A small, round bird with a blue back, yellow belly, and black face flew across the kitchen and landed on her head.

"Wow! Is that a Pokémon?" asked Sunny.

"We think so," said Mariama. "Skye found her injured outside a few days ago and took her in. She's better now, but she doesn't want to leave. We've been testing the translation potions on her, but unfortunately..."

"Rookidee! Rookidee!" Chirper screeched.

"...Our latest attempt made her repeat the same word over and over," said Mariama.

"Don't worry," said Sunny with a smile. "I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."

"Can we try this one, mama?" asked Skye. "Please?"

"Be patient," said Mariama. She went back to the living room to get a bottle.

By the time she got back, however, Chirper was already perched on the edge of the saucepan. She leaned downwards to take a tiny sip... but lost her balance and fell into the potion instead. With a gasp, Skye quickly fished her out with her front hooves. Chirper shook the potion off her feathers and frantically flew around the room.

Mariama sighed.

Later, Sunny met up with Hitch, Arven, and Pawmot in front of the Together Tree.

"What've you been up to?" asked Hitch.

"I visited Mariama and Skye to ask if they've made a translation potion, but they haven't perfected it yet." Sunny's ears drooped. "How about you?"

"Nothing serious. Arven and I found a floating keychain who was stealing keys, so we returned them to their owners," Hitch said with a grin.

Just then, Izzy stepped through the Together Tree, followed by Nemona, Misty, and... a giant butterfly?

"There's an emergency in Bridlewood!" Izzy gasped. "There was a forest fire! Nemona helped slow it down and we rescued everypony, but now many of them are homeless. There hasn't been a wildfire in Bridlewood for generations, so something tells me a Pokémon caused it..."

"That sounds awful!" exclaimed Sunny. "What can we do to help?"

"Anything!" exclaimed Izzy. "We need to replant trees, repair homes, give everypony therapy..."

"Well, we've already repaired a street in Zephyr Heights," said Sunny. "We could get all the Earth ponies in PET to regrow the trees, and work together to rebuild the homes! I'm not sure about the therapy part, though."

"Wait, I just remembered!" Hitch blurted out. "Steven — he's a new member — said that Aron are good at stabilising soil. I'll go down to the beach and get them!" And with that, he rushed away.

Sunny looked at Team Bridlewood. "So... who's the butterfly?"

"He's Confetti — that's what I named my Spewpa," said Misty. "He evolved again after saving me!"

"He's a Vivillon now," added Nemona. "Its wings have different patterns depending on where it lives, but I've never heard of one like that before."

"So we've discovered a new variant?" asked Izzy. "Cool!"

Sunny went to find the other Earth ponies in PET. A few minutes later, she returned with them, so did Hitch with an entourage of Aron. They all stepped through the Together Tree.

Repairing Bridlewood took several hours. Some Earth ponies used their flora magic to grow vines and stabilise damage trees, while others grew new trees to replace ones that had been burned to ash. The Aron spread these ashes across the ground and dug up the soil to mix them in. One tried to nibble on a crystal, but a Sableye scared it away. It would take a while for Bridlewood to completely heal, and some of the trees needed to be hollowed out into new homes, but for now, everyone was pleased with the work they'd put in.

Once it was over, all the PET members gathered in the Crystal Tea Room. The founders all sat around the same table.

"So... do you think we should do something about all these Pokémon in the long-term?" asked Hitch.

"What do you mean?" asked Sunny.

"I mean, our taskforce is doing great and all, but it's only a short-term solution," said Hitch, placing his hooves on the table. "If we want to deal with Pokémon in the long-term, we're gonna have to integrate them into society. Write laws for how to treat them, and how ones who wanna live in society should behave. We should hold a conference."

"Ooh! I like that idea!" exclaimed Izzy.

"Me too," said Misty.

"We need to contact all the authority figures we can," said Sunny after taking a sip of tea. "I know Alphabittle and Queen Haven, but who should represent Maretime Bay? Phyllis doesn't have nearly as much influence nowadays..."

"How about you?" asked Hitch.

"Aww, thanks," said Sunny.

"Wait, this world isn't just Equestria, right?" asked Nemona. She'd tried one sip of her tea, but didn't like it, so she'd given it to Pawmot. "You told me you've been to other places. What about their leaders?"

"Hmm... We don't have the means to contact the auroracorns or seaponies right now, but we do know the way to the Isle of Scaly," said Sunny. "I'm sure Dragon Lord Spike would be willing to join us."

"I'll go," said Hitch. "I have a connection, after all."

"Don't forget me!" exclaimed Izzy. "I know how to fly the Marestream! I parked it outside my house, and I don't think the fire reached it..."

"Did you say dragons?" asked Nemona. "You might need a big, strong, Ice-type to protect you."

"I thought these dragons breathed fire," said Arven.

"Dragon fire isn't the same as normal fire," said Hitch. "It's magical."

"Alright, it's decided!" exclaimed Sunny. "Let's all go back to the Brighthouse. I'll contact Team Zephyr, and tomorrow, you three will go to the Isle of Scaly. Sound good?"

"Sounds good," the others agreed.

Chapter 23: The Fairy and the Dragons

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

Chapter 24: Preparations

The Pokémon Emergency Taskforce spent the next week preparing for the leaders' conference. The three teams split up again; Team Zephyr continued to train the royal guards and told Queen Haven about their plan, while Team Bridlewood helped to build new homes for the ponies who'd lost theirs. The Bay Squad had already booked CanterLove Studios, but they had a lot more to do...

One morning, just as Sunny, Pawmot, and Arven had finished breakfast, they heard a knock on the Brighthouse's front door. Sunny opened it to see Mariama, Skye, and Chirper.

"I have some great news!" exclaimed Skye. "We finally made a translation potion that worked!"

"Yes it did! Yes it did!" squawked Chirper, who was perched on Skye's mane.

"That's great!" said Sunny. "Do you have it with you?"

"Of course," said Mariama. She pulled a bottle filled with a dark-green potion out of her saddlebag. "You can have this, if you want."

"That's great! Thanks!" Sunny took the bottle and placed it in her saddlebag. "How much have you made?"

"We've only made enough to fill five bottles so far," said Mariama, "but it'll work after a single sip. We're planning to make the recipe available for free, and we'll set up a market stand to sell the extra doses."

"We need to make money somehow," Skye added.

"Alright. See you later!" Sunny waved as they left.

Later, Sunny went to the sheriff's station to talk to Hitch.

"We finally have a translation potion!" she exclaimed with a grin as she showed it to him. "I was thinking of giving this to Steven first. Do you know where to find him?"

Hitch led Sunny to the beach, which was a lot busier than usual. Foals were playing with Pokémon she didn't recognise, while their parents watched on in peace. The edge with the cave, however, was as quiet as usual.

Hitch pointed to a giant, bluish-black penguin who had just slid onto the shore and stood up. "That's him."

Sunny gulped and stepped towards Steven. "Hello. You're Steven Stone, right? My friend Hitch told me about you." He looked down upon Sunny with his small, sharp eyes. "I've got a translation potion for you. Please could you drink it?" She pulled it out of her saddlebag and presented it to Steven, who snatched it up with the metallic claws under his flipper. "You only need to take a single sip."

Steven did as instructed. "That taste was most unpleasant... did it work?" His voiced sounded formal and gentle, and he bent down to give the potion back to her.

Sunny breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Yes," she said.

"Anyway, we've come here to talk about something important," said Hitch. "We're planning to hold a world leader's conference next week, and we were hoping you could represent Pokémon there."

"Represent? You do realise that contrary to popular belief, the champion doesn't—" Steven started.

"—Have any political power. We know," Hitch interrupted. He gestured at Sunny.

"Our friend Nemona has heard of you, and she said you're an expert on handling Pokémon," she said. "We need to come up with a plan for how to deal with Pokémon in the long term, and you're the best representative we can find... especially on such short notice."

"Really? Well, I'm flattered," said Steven.

Sunny and Hitch spent the next few minutes giving him more details. Afterwards, Sunny asked, "Do you want a tour of Maretime Bay?"

"Gladly," he said.

Sunny and Hitch received some odd looks as they guided Steven around Maretime Bay. Some ponies looked scared, while others stared in curiosity or took photographs with their phones. First they showed him the town square, then Mane Street, then CanterLove Studios. Finally, they brought him to the Brighthouse.

"Would you like to stay with us?" Sunny asked.

"No thank you," said Steven. "I'm happy living on the beach... and besides, I don't think I could fit inside." He looked at the doorway, which was barely taller than him.

"That's okay," said Sunny. "See you at the conference!"

Chapter 25: The Conference Begins

Misty's recurring dream was clearer this time. The golden glow solidified into a white figure. This time, it said: Come to the Wishing Tree tonight.

When she woke up, she considered telling her friends, but they had bigger things to worry about today.

The founders of the Pokémon Emergency Taskforce arrived at CanterLove Studios early so they could set everything up. By the time they finished, it was nearly lunchtime and the leaders were due to arrive, so Sunny headed outside to greet them. Hitch strolled around the perimeter to make sure there weren't any paparazzi.

Alphabittle was the first to arrive.

"Great to see you!" exclaimed Sunny, shaking his hoof. "How's Bridlewood doing?"

"The rebuilding project is almost finished," he said. "We just need to make some minor repairs to homes that weren't badly damaged. The Crystal Tea Room still needs a new back window..."

Next came Queen Haven, who was flanked by Zoom Zephyrwing and Thunder Flap. "Am I fashionable late?"

"The conference hasn't started yet," said Sunny, "and we're still waiting for too more."

"Understood." Queen Haven looked around. "Also, where is Zephyrina? This is the perfect opportunity for her to learn how to be a queen."

"She's inside," said Sunny, "and she's helping Pipp set up the broadcast. They've already contacted Skye Silver and Dazzle Feather."

Queen Haven frowned for a moment. "Very well, then."

Next was Steven Stone. "I apologise for being late, Sunny. I had difficulty walking up the slopes." Queen Haven and Alphabittle exchanged glances.

"Don't worry," said Sunny. "We've still got plenty of time, and you're not even the last to arrive."

Eventually, a shadow loomed overhead. Everyone looked up to see Spike flying towards them. They all stood back to give him enough space to land. A small, slender, green and white figure stepped off his back — he must've been Bede.

"I didn't know you invited dragons!" exclaimed Queen Haven, but everyone else ignored her.

"Great to see you again, Princess Sunny Starscout," said Spike with a bow.

"Please, just Sunny is fine," she said.

Spike chuckled. "Anyway, have you friends told you about my assistant?" He flicked a wing in Bede's general direction.

"Yes they have," said Sunny. Then, she stepped in front of the group. "But you can introduce yourselves later. For now, follow me to the banquet hall!"

The "banquet hall" in question had once been a cafeteria. Sunny had tasked Izzy with sprucing it up, and she'd done a pretty good job. She'd pushed all the bench-tables into the middle of the room, presumably with help, and covered them with a purple, patchwork tablecloth. Sunny and Arven had prepared most of the food beforehand, including an apple pie, fresh crystals from Bridlewood, and heart-shaped peaches. As each guest sat by the table, Izzy levitated a plate in front of each of them.

"Help yourselves!" Izzy exclaimed, then bounded off into another room.

The guests introduced themselves to each-other before they ate, except Queen Haven and Alphabittle, who were sat next to each other.

"Zephyrina told me you're the champion of the Hoenn region," said Queen Haven after she'd finished a slice of apple pie. "What does that mean?"

"It means I was the strongest Pokémon trainer in my homeland. Or at least, I was," replied Steven. "Do you know what trainers are?" She nodded, so he continued. "Anyway, eventually a child defeated me in battle and took my place... though I couldn't tell you their name." He shook his head. "I also remember not being the champion at any point. How strange."

"Bede said he has memory problems too," said Spike.

"Spike!" hissed Bede.

"So do our friends, Penny, Nemona, and Arven," said Sunny. "Any guesses as to why?"

Everyone stared at each other in silence for a long, awkward moment.

"I've got nothing," Alphabittle said.

Once everyone had finished lunch, Sunny led them into the main studio, where Pipp was waiting. The room was mostly empty, save for the studio lightning and a table on the soundstage.

Sunny turned to face the others. "Right. This conference will be broadcast live on both Maretime Bay and Zephyr Heights' local news channels, so please don't say anything incriminating. Pipp here is in charge of the cameras." Right on cue, Pipp waved. "My other friends — the founders of PET — will be watching this from upstairs. Understood?"

The others said "understood" back with varying levels of enthusiasm.

With that, Sunny sat down by a short end of the table, and the others took their positions. Then, she looked at Pipp, who titled the camera towards them. "We'll be live in 3... 2... 1..." Pipp winked to let Sunny know they were live. "Attention, everypony or otherwise! This broadcast is the first of its kind: a meeting between several world leaders. My name is Sunny Starscout, and I'm here to represent Maretime Bay." She introduced the others, then said, "Today, we'll come up with a plan for how to deal with Pokémon in the long-term. Shall we begin?"

Sunny looked away from the camera and at the others. "So, we need to think carefully about how to deal with this dilemma. On one hand, Pokémon can cause all sorts of destruction by accident— yes, Alphabittle?"

Alphabittle, who had raised his hoof, said, "For example, there was a huge wildfire in Bridlewood last week. Eventually, Misty and her butterfly friend found the culprit: a white, hairy caterpillar the size of a pony." Queen Haven gasped and reeled back.

Sunny nodded. "That's true. However, we can't simply get rid of all the Pokémon, either. Many of them are just as intelligent and emotional as ponies — or dragons —" (she gave Spike a quick glance) "so treating them like pests would be cruel. Not to mention, we don't know when and where new Pokémon are going to appear, so I believe that Pokémon are our best defence against them. Queen Haven, you remember when my friends fought the Roaring Moon in Zephyr Heights, right?"

Queen Haven nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"For now, my friends and I have set up a taskforce to deal with Pokémon-related problems in Equestria, but it's only a short-term solution," said Sunny. "We only have a few dozen members, which isn't nearly enough. If we're going to live alongside Pokémon, we need to come up with laws." She looked around at the others. "So, what do you think?"

"I have to admit, I'm no expert on lawmaking," said Alphabittle. "We mainly just follow tradition in Bridlewood."

"Neither am I," added Steven.

Sunny looked at Spike. "What about you?"

"The Isle of Scaly doesn't have much of a population, BUT, dragons will listen to anything the Dragon Lord says," said Spike. "If I tell them how to treat Pokémon, they're unlikely to disobey."

"Those are all good points!" exclaimed Sunny. "However, it's not just about how we should treat Pokémon. It's also about how they should treat us. If Pokémon want to live in our societies, they should follow our laws, but what about laws that don't apply to them?"

Queen Haven coughed. "If I remember Zephyr Heights' constitution correctly," she said, "One needed to be a pegasus to get a job or own property. As of late, we've loosened the laws to include all ponies, but that would still make Pokémon second-class citizens." Bede frowned when he heard this.

"Not to mention, according to my friend Hitch, Maretime Bay's latest anti-discrimination laws only cover ponies," said Sunny. "Fortunately, most of the incidents we've dealt with have been accidents or misunderstandings, but..." She shuddered at a mental image of business-owning ponies on Mane Street slamming their doors on Pokémon.

Bede raised one of his skinny arms, and Sunny motioned for him to talk. "I wish it were that easy, but you're acting like all Pokémon are the same. A lot of them just want to live in the wild. What's a Slowpoke gonna contribute to society?" Spike gave him a glare worthy of an eagle.

Sunny reigned in the urge to sigh. "Bede could've been more polite, but he raises a good point. We can't force wild Pokémon to live in society if they don't want to. How do we distinguish them from the ones who want to?"

"Perhaps Pokémon who want to live in civilisation could apply for citizenships?" Queen Haven suggested.

Sunny slammed her hooves on the table and raised herself up. "That's an excellent idea! We'd need to set up a lot of infrastructure first, not to mention..."

The group continued talking for several more hours. They had a lot to discuss: how to reunite Pokémon who were separated from their loved ones, warn the public about the purple sparks, and reduce Pokémon-caused damage to property.

Chapter 27: What Really Matters

One week later, Penny, Nemona, and Arven met up at the Boardtrot. Instead of their PET sashes, they were each wearing lanyards containing their new ID cards. It was a bright and sunny afternoon, a sign that summer was due. The Boardtrot was bustling with ponies from all over Equestria, and a few Pokémon, too. Sunny was making smoothies at her stand, while Izzy was selling charm bracelets.

"Wanna try hitting the targets?" asked Nemona, excitedly pointing at a nearby stall.

"No thanks," said Penny. "Those are rigged."

"How 'bout we go on the Ferris wheel first?" suggested Arven. "It'll give us a quiet place to talk."

"Yes please," said Penny.

The Ferris wheel was purple, and both it and the carriages were shaped like hearts. When the trio reached the front of the queue, the operator said, "Only two ponies per carriage."

"I think the three of us together weigh less than one pony," said Arven.

The operator sighed. "Get on."

The three got into their carriage and sat down together. As soon as it started to move, they started talking.

"So what have you two been up to?" asked Arven.

"I've been giving unicorns Pokémon 101 lessons," said Nemona, "but it's only temporary. Bridlewood's nice and all, but I like Maretime Bay more, so I got my citizenship here."

"Same for me," said Penny. "Leafeon won't admit it, but she's been nervous in Zephyr Heights ever since the power plant. The royal guard's Pokémon division has more than enough members, so they don't need our help anymore. Plus, it's quieter here."

"Well, I'm staying in the P-E-T," said Nemona. "How about you, Arven?"

"I think I'll still focus on cooking," said Arven. "I wanna show ponies that Pokémon aren't just about violence, y'know? Maybe one day, I'll be able to open a restaurant."

"Oh! I just remembered," said Nemona. "We need a place to stay. I've heard some apartments are going cheap..."

Arven suddenly became very interested in the window. "Y-you mean you want us to live together? But we're not—"

"In love?" Nemona finished. "Yeah, I don't mean like that. Sunny's friends live together, but they're not involved... I think."

"Are you sure an apartment is big enough?" asked Penny. "I've got my Veevees, but I still need to find Vaporeon, Flareon, and Sylveon."

"And I'm still hoping to find to find my Mabostiff," Arven sighed.

"Don't forget Pawmot!" exclaimed Nemona. "Plus, we can always crash at the Brighthouse until we make our minds up."

They continued talking until they got off the Ferris wheel. Then, Nemona went off to buy snacks and returned with three sticks of cotton candyfloss. As they ate theirs, the whole Boardtrot suddenly fell silent.

"Attention, everypony! Or Pokémon, or Sparky," Pipp's voice boomed through several speakers. They looked up to see her flying overhead, carrying a microphone. "To celebrate Pokémon gaining citizenship, I thought I'd put on a surprise performance! This song isn't mine — a friend told me the lyrics." She winked at Penny. "I hope you all enjoy!"

Pipp weaved through the air as she sang a song about love bringing someone out of a dark place. Most of the crowd stood still, and some of them, including the trio, swayed in time with the music. Penny, Nemona, and Arven smiled in unison when she reached the bridge.

Author's Note

The song Pipp sings is "Celestial" by Ed Sheeran.