All the Smallest Things: Original Draft

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!"