All the Smallest Things: Original Draft

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.