Chapter 1: The Realm of Legends
Lightning flashed and thunder boomed loudly over the rough seas. The violent storm stirring up the waters into a nearly unassailable quagmire. Were it not for the Mewtwo's psychic barrier she very much doubted that she would have been able to make it this far.
Malice looked down at the Sylveon she held cradled in her arms. Her guilt and fear of losing him had driven her this far, spurred on by some unknown force, a latent instinctive drive which drew her towards what she knew was safety and help.
Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky illuminating the darkness. Magdalene could see the faint outline of what appeared to be land off in the distance. It was strange though, almost as if it were floating in the air above the turbulent seas. The roar of thunder that peeled through the sky louder than any sound she had ever heard.
In her heart, she felt that something did not want her there. Something was trying to keep her from returning to this place, though she was unsure what it might be.
Her mind wandered to her little ward. How could she have let this happen to him? He was the only person to show her any sort of kindness and compassion. And when he came back to her in her darkest hour, she repaid him like she did all others, with anger and destruction.
Why had he come back? She hated humans for what they had done to her, and honestly, she knew that he had not been fond of them when she had been with him. But he had left her for one, one that loved him a great deal in order for him to become as he was now. It was a love she had long since forgotten.
Another flash of lightning split the sky, illuminating the world around her. Through the dense clouds, Malice could just make out the jagged outline of a flying-type Pokemon. She recognized it as that of a Zapdos, though she was unsure how she could even know that. She had never seen anything like it before, and yet it felt so familiar.
In the sea below she could feel another presence as well, that of the sea's protector, another great bird. These strange creatures were so rare that most would consider them to be myths, yet they seemed to be converging here, following her back to this strange place.
Magdalene tried to ignore the others around her. Their presence was unnerving, to say the least, though they did not seem to actively be trying to stop her. Her gaze now was fixed on the shore of the strange land which was shrouded in a strange grey mist.
At this distance, it was clear that the land itself was not an island in a traditional sense. That would have meant there had once been contact between it and the sea floor. This, however, was something entirely else. The lowest of the dangling stalactites was thousands of feet in the air, and the peak of the highest mountain seemed to scrape the clouds.
"I'm home," Magdalene whispered, a single tear streaming down her cheek.
What this place was, or how she knew it was her home was a mystery to her. But deep in her gut, she knew that this was her home.
She honestly had several places she could have called home. The temple which had been built in her honor, the laboratory where she had become what she was now and where Malgam had built his little army, even the cave where she had been imprisoned was a home of sorts. This, however, was her true home.
As she drew closer though her heart began to sink. The land was grey, still, lifeless. Almost as if it were a photograph or still image, a perverse painting done by an artist who understood technique but lacked the will or ability to bring their art to life.
Fear began to grip Magdalene's heart. That most primal and terrible fear which no being, no matter how powerful, is not exempt. It was the fear of the unknown, the fear of danger, that instinctive foreboding which kept sane individuals safe.
Still, something called to her, pulling her onward. She had known fear before, and she knew she would feel it again. What she could not bear was the feelings of guilt and loss that she felt now.
Passing by the dull grey beaches, and diving into the strange lands beyond Magdalene was dismayed to see that it was not better. Plants, trees, the very earth itself was all as grey and lifeless as the shores. The passing of the Mewtwo Y, causing only the slightest of disturbances, causing some of the more delicate flowers to crumble into ash.
More disturbing though were the first signs of other Pokemon, a Butterfree, grey, lifeless, frozen in place. Were the Mewtwo not sure that this was real life, she would have been certain now she was in some sort of photograph.
Looking down at Malgam, Magdalene worried that he too may be affected by this strange land. The Mewtwo Y focusing greater energy into her protective field as she pushed onward toward her yet unknown destination.
Things had been different since her time in the temple. The horrors of the full effects of the humans tampering combined with the strange energies of that dark crystalline structure had driven her to the beyond insanity. Now though, this new body, much more like she had been before, it was intimately connected to all the life around her, and it was this that disturbed her most.
She could feel the life around her, but it was almost as if it was frozen. She could not even feel the thoughts of the creatures around her. Only the pain of Malgam, as he struggled with his injuries.
Still, there was another force somewhere on this forsaken land, and it was calling to her. A voice of sorts that drew her. It was comforting and familiar, pushing away the fear and doubt, giving her strength that she greatly needed at this time.
Magdalene pushed forward, the strange vegetation was starting to get thicker, and trees were becoming more numerous. It was a paradise of sorts, and Magdalene wondered just what it would have been like if it were not frozen in time like it was.
A small pink blur shot through some of the trees ahead. Magdalene pausing a moment unsure of what she had seen at first. It was the first sign of life she had seen of life. Whatever it was, it did not seem hostile, and the Mewtwo was in desperate need of help.
"Hello?" Magdalene shouted, looking around to see if she could catch a glimpse of the strange blur again. "I need help. My friend is very hurt."
The only response was the wind rustling through the strange grey trees. Magdalene took a moment, trying to feel for another mind, for another presence, but she could sense nothing.
"Ghosts," she cursed under her breath, taking a few moments to steady herself before pressing forward. "I thought I was rid of the specters of my past."
The Mewtwo Y shook her head, pressing onward. If there was anyone stupid enough to attack her, she would deal with them. She had dealt with many powerful and terrifying creatures, and she would not let anyone hurt Malgam.
Pressing through the thick trees the Mewtwo was surprised when she came out into a large clearing. A small pond of water surrounded a small round island, trees were clustered around the area like a barricade of nature. And in the center, a strange Pokemon which Magdalene both recognized and marveled at the same time.
It was a strange deer-like creature, grey and frozen like all the other life she had seen. Strange gems adorned the creature's antlers, growing through them in some places. It was these that drew Magdalene's attention as they still showed with vibrant colours.
Setting Malgam down at the shore of the little lake, making sure he was safe and secure. That strange creature was what she was here for. She had no idea how she knew this, or why she felt such kinship with the creature. Unlike the Zapdos earlier, and other Pokemon she could recognize even without ever seeing them, this creature's name did not simply pop into her head.
Magdalene, took a deep breath, feeling apprehensive in the presence of the creature. Still, she felt a great need to be closer to it. The Mewtwo Y floating across the shallow body of water. It was strange, with her shield down it seemed to her that her presence was bringing colour to the world if only a little bit.
"Maybe I can help it," Magdalene whispered, as she approached the deer, hand outstretched reaching out for this strange yet familiar being.
Magdalene's bulbous fingertips drew near that snout, her psychic energy pulsing through them, colour starting to return to the deer. But before she could make contact something impacted her, spinning her around, a thunderous boom sounding a moment later.
"What the?" Magdalene gasps, trying to right herself only to be struck again.
This was a deliberate attack and one that was happening so fast that she could not even see it. The following boom let her know for sure this time that it was happening at supersonic speed. Very few Pokemon could move at this speed, so whatever it was was indeed quite powerful.
Magdalene now had the timing down, there was a split second between each attack, barely enough for her to react to it if she focused, but the problem was that something drew that focus. It was a worry for the strange creature now behind her.
As yet another attack sent her spinning the Mewtwo Y threw up a barrier surrounding the strange deer-like Pokemon. The glowing purplish pink bubble had strength enough to absorb some of the most brutal attacks any Pokemon could use, and with it there she could now focus on her assailants.
Taking a deep breath, Magdalene focused herself. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as all her senses were tuned to their peak. The Mewtwo able to feel, hear, smell, touch, and sense everything around her. Malgam's small crumpled body on the shore, safe, which meant these attacks were directed at her.
Her attackers, now coming into focus as they streaked about, two dragons one blue and the other red. The twins Latios and Latias were known for their speed and coordinated attacks. Both were coming in once more for an attack.
Lastly, a small presence, lurking in the background. It was the Celebi, Evelyn. Magdalene was unsure how she could know that, and yet she felt that the two of them had once shared a tight bond. Watching the forest guardian of time help in this attack felt deeply like a betrayal.
The crimson and azure streaks of the twins once more crossed paths with the feline, causing her to once more spin wildly in the air. The shield flickering momentarily as she lost her coordination.
"They're moving faster than they should be able too, likely their personal time is being sped up by her," the Mewtwo Y growls, starring over at the Celebi who was now moving towards Malgam. "I need to finish this up before they hurt someone."
Once again Latios and Latias circled around for an attack, their blazing speed nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.
Had she not been as focused as she was on Malgam and the strange Deer, Magdalene might have been able to fully dodge the two attacks. But as it was she only managed to mitigate the blow to herself. The two dragons speeding by having only grazed their target.
"She's starting to figure it out. Hurry up!" Evelyn shouted to the twins, both of them pausing only long enough to nod. "Keep her off me long enough that I can get to the Sylveon."
Magdalene's eyes widened in rage, watching as the little pink sprite began to weave its way across the glade towards Malgam. The two dragons redoubling their efforts, attacking with such speed and ferocity that Magdalene could not keep up even with her augmented senses.
Magdalene growled angrily, unable to move due to the relentless assault, unable to defend herself as there were others who could not defend themselves, and unable to risk getting close to Malgam lest either Latios or Latias miss her and injure the crippled Malgam. It was a no-win scenario, and that simply made the Mewtwo Y mad.
Another blow to the body found the injury glowing hot pink, followed by another and another, as psychic energy began to build up inside the Mewtwo. She had not felt this way before. It was not like her rages, this was directed anger, focused, she was still in control. The indignation and resentment that these Pokemon would attack her when there were parties who could not leave, and what was worse they were going after Malgam.
As another blow hit the Mewtwo Y once more Magdalene snapped. Her body being engulfed in bright pink light, drawing in radiant psychic energy from all around. With a primal scream of rage, Magdalene let loose a terrible blast of concentrated and directed energy at the two dragons, both of which were sent flying into the nearby trees.
"Latios! Latias!" Evelyn shouted, watching the two Pokemon are flung into the grey trees. "You'll pay for that you monster!"
Magdalene let out a long low guttural growl, her feline traits starting to show through more. There was no doubt now that these Pokemon viewed her as a threat, and they were going to react in kind.
"Evelyn, stop this madness at once!" Magdalene roared, catching the Celebi off guard with her demand.
Evelyn paused a moment to try and make sense of this. How did this creature know who she was, and why had she brought this injured Sylveon? How had she even come to this place in the first place?
Magdalene held firm, not moving away from the strange deer which she now protected. She would not move from between it and her foes so long as they posed any threat too it. So great was this instinctive need to protect it she almost felt as though it were a mother protecting her young. The strange thing was though, she almost felt as though it may be the other way around.
"I don't know how you know who I am," the Celebi finally replied, her voice wavering in the face of the foe she faced. "But I'm going to make you wish you had never come here."
"I very much doubt that," Magdalene scoffed, her wounds healing before Evelyn's eyes as she used recover. "Your little ambush failed, and your friends won't be helping. Run away now and I'll pretend this never happened."
"You should be the one running," Evelyn mumbled, a small shield forming around her and Malgam.
Magdalene raised an eyebrow at this. The barrier did not seem to be as strong as her own. She might even be able to break it if she was so inclined, though that would put Malgam at risk. Seemingly a stalemate between the two.
The problem was, though, that this was no stalemate, and Evelyn had more reinforcements than the Mewtwo could ever have imagined.
It was subtle at first, but Magdalene quickly began to detect them, one by one, flickering into existence, like little candles. Small portals forming all around as more and more Celebi entered into the glade.
Magdalene began to realize what was going on a moment too late, as the last of the myriad of alternate dimensional Evelyn appeared. Each had come from another timeline, another what if scenario which split into its own infinitely branching tree.
There was no way to shield both herself and the strange creature from all the Evelyn. Still, if she did nothing, there was no way she could defeat them all either.
There was a flash from one Celebi, and then another, and then another. Thousands of psychic missiles raining down like fiery hail. Each tiny dart tearing through the Mewtwo's flesh, burning small holes as they burst through her.
Magdalene shrieked in pain as she felt these tiny darts tearing through her. It was not just her flesh which was being destroyed, but the attacks were destroying her temporal integrity, each strike causing her place in time to become unstable.
Magdalene struggled not to pull the barrier around the strange deer around herself. She had to defend it against the tiny darts pelting her.
Magdalene mind was starting to break, past, present and future starting to blur in her mind as her particles were being scattered throughout all history. Flashes of images, her and Malgam first meeting, Evelyn and a Lucario in armor, her own body burning up in a fight for her life. She could no longer tell what was going on.
Something came to her though, a realization as she felt herself being torn apart. Nothing was hitting the shield, not even a single stray blast. Evelyn was being very specific in her targeting, and it was not the creature behind her that she was aiming at.
Concentrating with all her might, Magdalene ripped the shield from around the creature, forming a massive bubble around herself. The blasts still focused on her now rippling on its surface, straining the Mewtwo's focus, but at least she was able to recoup to a degree.
The blasts that hit the shield were energy, an energy that Magdalene could use, manipulate, heal herself with, and whats more store. With each volley more and more energy was being stored in the Mewtwo Y, more even than she realized she was capable of taking.
Closing her eye, Magdalene took a deep breath. Her wounds healed, she was ready to return the favor that had been bestowed on her. Nothing, or no one, was going to keep her from Malgam.
Evelyn was not blind to what had been happening. She could not only feel, but see, the massive build-up of energy around Magdalene. Her mind following the pathways through time to reach the only conclusion that was possible. Each of the myriad versions of herself reaching the same conclusion almost simultaneously, ceasing their attack on Magdalene.
This pause in attack though would neither dissuade Magdalene from her attack nor would it save them from their impending doom. Only one could be saved, and the one which was chosen was the one which guarded over Malgam.
Combining their strength together, the myriad Evelyn formed a barrier. One that could rival even Magdalene's own. It was only a matter of moments, each of them knew, before the bubble burst.
There was a blinding flash, then all sound vanished as the very air was pushed away, even before the actual blast occurred. Then there was chaos, and power, and death, Evelyn after Evelyn disintegrating into atoms as the Mewtwo's powers exploded outward. It was the pure energy of an exploding star, ripping through the small army, and then stillness.
Magdalene, spent from the violent outburst slowly drifted to the ground. Looking down at hands she could no longer feel. In their place was pure energy, radiating in roughly an approximation of what her hands had once looked like.
It took a great deal from her to perform that blast, and now she was unsure it had been worth the effort. Her mind forcing healing energies to try and repair the damage that she had done to herself.
Anything that had been alive in the clearing was gone, everything except for Evelyn and Malgam. The Celebi trembling in fear as she looked upon the monstrous being.
Something was different though. Through the crackling energy which radiated all around Evelyn could see things as they had been. Vibrant and alive, the strange creature seeming to stir from its eternal rest for a fleeting second before the grey of the world returned.
Battered as she was, Magdalene stepped towards the Celebi, her eyes fixed on her. They did not bear the wrath of old though. There was anger, but disappointment, and even a bit of doubt. Emotions that the Mewtwo Y was not used to feeling, let alone sharing.
"What in the dark realms were you thinking Evelyn!" Magdalene growled, stepping towards the Celebi only to pick up Malgam and cradle him to her chest. "You could have hurt... hurt..."
Magdalene paused, slightly confused as she turned back to the strange creature, still unsure of what it was. It frustrated her greatly as most every Pokemon was something she could easily identify.
"How do I even know your name?" the Mewtwo Y finally says, her anger fading. "Why am I here? What is that creature, and why does it feel so familiar and yet so alien?"
Evelyn paused, all questions she had wanted to ask, yet the fear and the anger she felt towards this strange creature had prevented her from doing so. The Celebi still felt the loss of each of her other selves. Not just the loss, but the actual pain they felt in the brief moments before their death.
"You... you killed them," Evelyn finally managed, looking up at the Mewtwo in disgust. "All of them, they're gone."
There was a pang of guilt in the Mewtwo's gut. She knew that she had in fact murdered all of the temporal clones, but in her mind, they were not real. It never occurred to her that they were, in fact, people, so real that they could be considered family.
Neither of the Pokemon spoke for a moment. Both of them angry and hurt. Magdalene floating over to check on the two dragon's that she had batted away earlier.
Evelyn, floated over Malgam, protecting him from the Mewtwo Y. It was a strange thing that both would be worried over the others charge.
"Yes," Magdalene finally replies, turning away from the Lati twins. "I didn't realize they were real. I can easily make illusions and fakes, so real that they can even do damage. I am sorry."
"Sorry doesn't bring them back!" Evelyn shouts, tears welling up in her eyes. "They had lives, and you snuffed them out without a second thought! Was that what happened with this poor soul?"
Magdalene stopped, honestly considering the question she had just been asked. She was, in fact, the reason for Malgam's condition, one she could not even fix.
"Can you help him?" the Mewtwo asks, not sure the Celebi would. It was worth asking about none the less. "
"That doesn't answer the question," Evelyn says, though her own good heart said that she had to help the Sylveon. "But I can only slow down what is happening, only Xerneas can heal him."
"Who is Xerneas?" the Mewtwo asks, turning towards Evelyn. She was still dancing around the question of what had happened to Malgam.
"Answer me first," Evelyn says sternly, the time Pokemon rubbing Malgam's face softly. "Did you do this?"
"I didn't mean too," Magdalene replied, floating over to the strange creature. She seemed to be looking for strength or inspiration from the stone looking creature. "He came to help me, and I lashed out at him and all my other friends. I nearly killed the only person who ever truly loved me."
"You're good at that aren't you?" Evelyn said scornfully, she at least knew now what it was she was dealing with. "You just kill without thinking, don't you? Just like any agent of destruction."
"Agent of destruction?" Magdalene asks, turning to Evelyn. "What are they? And who is Xerneas? If I can find them, maybe they can help him."
"That is Xerneas," the Celebi stated, pointing to the strange deer-like Pokemon. "God of life, Mother of Magdalene, The Beginning, The Alpha."
"Magdalene?" the Mewtwo asked, looking at the Celebi, the Mewtwo Y starting to understand better who she was.
"She's a mew, mother of all Pokemon," Evelyn said, her expression starting to soften as she began to realize that Magdalene only wanted to save the Sylveon. "Nobody knows where she is. She left for the mortal realms eons ago."
Magdalene paused. She knew these Pokemon because she was their mother, mother to all of them. Evelyn too must have been a daughter of hers, though their relationship had to have been closer than others.
Malice turned to Xerneas. The Mewtwo was still exhausted from the fight, but she had to try to heal it. Her hands pressed against its chest as she tried to use recover on the strange deer.
Her energy, coursing from her very core, flowing into Xerneas. The Mewtwo could feel deep in the creature the spark of life. For a moment, the colour seemed to be returning.
But it was only a moment, the Mewtwo Y, even trying to push beyond her limits, could not revive the creature. Her tired frame falling to the ground, gasping for air.
"It, it's too much," Malice gasped, trying to pick herself up. "It resists me. That blight, that death, it resists me. It's the same thing affecting Malgam, but thousands of times stronger."
Evelyn took a moment to take all this in. Whoever this creature was, she was not the typical servant of destruction. Evelyn now was not even sure she was a servant of destruction any longer. No one whose energy was entirely destructive could have even managed what Malice had just done.
"You need to go west." Evelyn finally says, her voice slow and heavy. "I will keep an eye on Malgam while you are gone."
"What's in the west?" Malice asked, turning towards the direction of the setting sun.
