AN: This chapter's one of my favorites, too. I thought I did a pretty good job on this one. ^^ Hope you enjoy! Please don't forget to send me your thoughts!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Mystic Cave, five hundred years ago

Dialga looked down at Lapras.

Her face was white with pain and she was in a funny position. As Dialga watched and waited, Palkia stayed off to the side, angry and confused. Dialga watched her alone, ignoring everything else.

He saw something move.

He caught his breath, hardly daring to hope, watching intently for any sign that the movement hadn't been his imagination . . .

And he saw it again.

Lapras's sides were barely moving. She was breathing.

Dialga let out a pent-up sigh of relief. The first time, both balls had been too much power. But with one ball alone, she had survived.

Barely.

Palkia, who had been standing off the the side, stepped forward, blinded by rage and not understanding the importance of the blue bundle lying in the water.

"We're not finished yet," he snarled.

"Shut up."

Palkia started, surprised. Dialga's voice was deep and firm, almost commanding. There was no tremble, no catch. Palkia narrowed his eyes, studying his brother.

For the first time since they had started fighting he realized that this wasn't the Dialga he knew. The old Dialga would have trembled at the sight of his twin all out of whack. The old Dialga would be backing away right now. And, even with his new powers, the old Dialga would have been scared out of his whits at the thought of being so alarmingly different, of being able to control time itself.

Not so with this Dialga. This Dialga was standing proud, towering over his brother for the first time. This Dialga had an air of superiority over his brother, and he didn't seem the least bit frightened of his twin, as powerful as he had become. This Dialga was - Palkia searched for the right word, then found it - confident.

This Dialga seemed to be comfortable with his powers, as if he was meant to have them all along.

This was the thought that finally pierced his rage. Palkia's face cleared as he began to realize what had happened. Lapras was lying in the water, possibly dead.

"Is she alive?"

Dialga flinched. He had been expecting Palkia to snap at him, maybe even try to kill him again. He was startled by the sudden tenderness. Dialga hesitated to tell Palkia the truth.

"Tell me!"

"Barely," Dialga said. "Just barely."

Palkia began to panic. "We have to do something!" He started pacing. "Can you travel back in time and fix this?"

Dialga shook his head. "The last time drained me, and I can't go far enough back. It would kill me."

"The last time?"

Dialga shook his head firmly. Palkia understood that now was not the time for a story.

"We have to do something!" he yelled.

"Hold on, Palkia." Dialga looked up for the first time and stared his brother in the eye. "Lapras is important, and we will take care of her. But first we need to heal time and space."

"Heal it?" Palkia had begun to notice the disturbances. "How?"

Dialga was silent. The last time this had happened, they had wasted a lot of time while they had been talking about Lapras and staring at her body before they had realized everything had gone wrong. Now that they hadn't there was a lot of extra time to work with. It wasn't as bad as before and maybe, just maybe, this time they could fix it before it got too bad to heal.

The problem was that Dialga didn't know how.

After a few more second's thought, Dialga said uncertainly, "Just reach out to your powers. Dig deep inside yourself. Once you tap into the depths of your powers, try to figure out what to do from there."

Palkia nodded and closed his eyes in concentration, feeling slightly silly about it. Dialga did the same, letting his powers flow over him the way he had done before. Like last time, there were minute stars begging to be opened and drawing him closer. Ignoring them, Dialga felt around for something that didn't seem right, some kind of tear in time.

But Dialga couldn't find it.

Searching frantically, Dialga felt sweat trickle down his brow, even though he was wrapped in time. Suddenly he stopped, a realization smacking him in the face.

The only time he had ever been here was when the magic of time was messed up. He didn't know what it felt like normally, so he couldn't feel what was wrong with it now.

He would never find the tear.

Palkia was having the same problem.

When he had first tapped into his powers, his feelings had been mixed, dyed different colors, then completely bagged by desperate need like candy. His anger still bordered his consciousness, waiting for another opportunity to pounce. But even if his anger had wanted to leap forward, his mind was too crowded with other emotions for it to fit.

Besides being angry, he was also confused, worried, paranoid, anxious, frustrated and upset. Palkia did his best to ignore his feelings and block them out, knowing the fate of the world was in his claws.

It wasn't working.

In a twist of fate, it was his emotions that saved everyone. Palkia had been struggling with himself on the inside, lost in his emotions, but now he looked up for the first time.

His world was a huge room where the ceiling was lost in shadow and the walls were coated with red velvet curtains. He was alone, and when he turned around, there was no door. The only way in was through his mind.

Turning back towards the curtains, Palkia saw a faint purple glow behind each of them. It was dulled through the red velvet but strong nonetheless. Power radiated from each one and drew him closer. Palkia walked to the closest one and pulled it aside.

Behind the curtain was a small chamber just big enough for Palkia to squeeze into. The walls were white marble and the back wall was close, so that if Palkia went inside he would be able to reach it with his claw without moving. In the back, right in front of the wall, was a swirling purple portal with the image of a forest inside.

Palkia stepped out again and went to another curtain. Inside was the same thing the other chamber had held, except this portal held the image of a railroad. Palkia went around the room, opening each curtain, finding portals behind every one . . . Treasure Town, Crystal Cave, the Northern Desert. Palkia found hundreds of portals leading to places that he'd seen on maps.

Wondering what would happen if he touched one, Palkia reached out to a portal reflecting Mystifying Forest and dipped his claw in. His claw tingled, then blazed with pain. Letting out a yelp, Palkia withdrew his claw, trying to shake off the numbness. Palkia eyed the portal reproachfully. What had he done wrong? Why wouldn't it let him through?

Palkia went around the room, trying out portals, but he got the same response from all of them . . . except for one. The portal to Mystic Cave allowed his claw in all the way through.

Palkia stared at it, wondering why this one wasn't stinging him like the others . . . then he had it. The portal to Mystic Cave was letting him through because it was close. Without practice, the farther you tried to go, the worse the pain was.

Palkia grinned, but it soon faded. What was he supposed to do in here? What was the point of being here if he couldn't use any of the portals? Then he realized the same thing Dialga had realized; that he couldn't fix it without knowing the problem.

Palkia's frustration and anger sprang into his mind, shoving out the other emotions. He raked his claws at nothing, growling deep in his throat. What was the point? Why was he doing this? Why did he have these powers if they were so useless?

The gemstone shouldn't have chosen him. It should have given all his powers to someone more capable. He didn't know what he was doing. He had almost killed his best friend and and his brother, all for these useless, wild, uncontrollable powers.

Palkia's mind snapped. In complete rage, he swiped out at the air, not caring what it did. Growling and spinning, Palkia lashed out at anything that moved.

When the curtains were torn to shreds and the floor was scorched with burn marks, Palkia calmed down enough to realize that what he had done would make everything worse. He slumped in defeat, waiting for death to find him.

Instead, he found the answer.

Dialga's concentration was broken by someone yelling.

His eyes flew open and he searched for whoever had called to him. For a moment, his heart lifted. "Lapras?" he called hopefully.

"You need to-"

The rest of the sentence was lost to the roar of the waves. Dialga's face fell. It was Palkia, not Lapras. Straining to hear, Dialga wondered why it was so hard to pay attention all of the sudden.

"Dialga! Just-" - roaring, thumping - "me!"

Dialga shook his head. What was with all this noise? Where was it even coming from? He stomped on the water, annoyed, knowing that it wouldn't calm the horrible waves.

Waves? Since when did these waves appear?

Dialga looked up sharply. It wasn't just the waves; the whole cave was falling apart. Huge chunks of rock were tumbling off the sides of the caves and landing the water with a splash. Pebbles rained down from the ceiling. A large rock crashed into the pillar the gemstone had been on, splintering it into dust.

Lapras! Where was Lapras?

Dialga pushed himself through the water to get to his friend. She hadn't waken up, but she hadn't gotten crushed, either. Dialga breathed a sigh of relief and created a bubble of protection around his friend, a lot like the one he had seen the first time. The waves inside it calmed instantly.

Somewhat assured, Dialga tromped over to Palkia. "What were you trying to say before?"

Palkia only heard half of the sentence. Understanding the meaning, Palkia yelled, "You need to . . . go!"

"I can't leave!" Dialga yelled.

"No, I said you . . . go!"

"What?"

"Let yourself go!"

Now that Dialga had finally heard the whole sentence, he was disappointed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just do it!" Palkia yelled.

"Okay, okay!" Dialga hurried to get to Time's Falling, as he had started to call the place with the minute stars. He didn't know why he had started to call it that. It had just popped into his head as he worked. Dialga stood in the center of Time's Falling and tried to clear his mind.

But he could hardly concentrate hard enough to even get to Time's Falling, much less stand in the middle of it while clearing his mind of all thoughts and feelings. Palkia was still yelling, waves were roaring, rocks were falling, and Dialga finally yelled in frustration, "Shut up!"

The minute he let his feelings go, golden letters appeared in flowing script across the stars.

"Oh," Dialga said.

The roaring stopped.

Palkia stood up from where he had been crouching next to Lapras. He could see clearly across the cavern. The mist was gone.

Palkia felt for tremors in time. Everything felt normal. The cavern was completely silent. The waves had suddenly stopped. Dialga had done it.

Dialga's eyes faded back to normal. He ran to Lapras, melting the bubble as he went. Crouching next to her, he checked to see if she was still alive.

She was breathing. Dialga grinned and looked up. "Palkia, Lapras is okay."

"You did it," Palkia said.

"We did it." Dialga grinned. "The only thing is, I can't remember how. I remember that you were yelling at me to do something, but I don't remember what it was, or how I did it . . . but whatever. The point is, Lapras is safe, and you're back to normal. Right?"

Palkia didn't answer. Dialga nudged him. "Right?"

Palkia's eyes looked almost regretful. "Listen, Dialga. I can't-"

He was cut off by a deep sigh from Lapras. Dialga peered at his friend.

"Lapras? Are you awake?"

He waited eagerly for an answer, but none came. Sighing, Dialga turned back to Palkia.

But Palkia was gone.

A few hours later, at Temporal Tower

Dialga was standing on the balcony, gazing out over the Hidden Land, looking but not really seeing.

After Palkia left, Dialga didn't have anywhere to go. Finally deciding what to do, Dialga had created a small gap in time - but not big enough to cause any trouble - and built Temporal Tower and the Hidden Land. He had taken Lapras and gingerly laid her on a bed. Then he had left to get help.

Now the nurses tended to her while Dialga's eyes took in the beautiful sight of the forests and fields. But even though he was looking, he wasn't seeing. His mind was replaying the hours in Mystic Cave, blocking out the view completely. Regretfully, he remembered the warning he had heard from the voices in the cave: that there was something powerful ahead, waiting to tear him and Palkia apart. He hadn't understood then, but now he knew that the warning hadn't been about some monster like he had first thought. It had been about the Gem of Power itself.

But Dialga had been too late to realize the truth.

"It's not your fault."

Dialga turned around, his eyes adjusting to the dim light inside the tower. "What?"

Lapras lifted her head weakly. "What happened to Palkia wasn't your fault. He chose his own path."

"How did you know I was thinking about him?" Dialga asked.

"Your gaze has been fixed on that one tree for the last ten minutes," Lapras said lightly. "Also, you keep sighing."

Dialga grinned weakly. He went to sit next to Lapras on the huge bed, taking care not to cause Lapras discomfort. She was still healing. "I just can't stop thinking about it. The crazy look in his eyes, the way he almost seemed possessed, that blinding rage in the pit of his pupils as he lashed out at me. I've never felt afraid of my brother before, but at that moment, it was terrifying."

Lapras nodded. "It was his choice," she said gently. "Not yours."

Dialga's face was the picture of pain. "But if I had just listened to you, or if I had taken the water's warning more seriously, you wouldn't have come so close to death and Palkia would still be here! You must hate me." He said the last words so bitterly that Lapras felt chills crawl up and down her spine.

"I don't hate you!"

Lapras said it so forcefully that Dialga visibly cringed. Lowering her voice, Lapras repeated herself. "I don't hate you."

"Why not? You have every reason to. I knew that there was danger ahead and I pushed on anyway. I was blind to your shouting until it was too late to go back. I couldn't help Palkia-" Dialga's voice broke and he lowered his head.

"We all knew it would be dangerous," Lapras said gently. "We all accepted the risks. Palkia didn't hear my warning either. And even though I wanted to, I couldn't help Palkia any more than you could. You couldn't do anything for him. It wasn't your fault. It was an accident caused by no one."

Lapras was gentle and yet firm at the same time. Dialga knew that she meant what she said. But no matter what he did, he couldn't shake the feeling that he should have done something.

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better, Lapras," he said softly. "But I don't believe you."

Lapras watched as Dialga stood up again and went back out onto the balcony. She sighed. "He just needs more time," she whispered to herself.

Dialga was lost in thought. He thought about Palkia, grinning as he sent an excited glance towards Dialga as they traveled through Mystic Cave. He imagined Palkia later, gazing at the gemstone and reaching out to touch it. He saw Palkia's crazed eyes as he slashed at Dialga's throat. He pictured Lapras's body, broken and twisted; a raging, starry mist, filling the room; the minute stars glowing brightly inside Time's Falling; Palkia's face, lit with shadows, as he released his glowing purple ball.

Dialga wondered ruefully where Palkia was now. He hoped he was safe and well. Dialga realized that this was going to be his first night without his brother by his side, and the though made his vision blur.

Suddenly, Dialga remembered the vision he had seen about the small Pokemon and the Gem of Power. Thinking back, Dialga remembered that the Pokemon had placed a trigger on the ruby gemstone. His heart skipped a beat when he remembered that the trigger killed anyone . . . if they used the gem's powers for evil.

He and Palkia had used the power for evil. Shouldn't they be dead?

Unable to bear it any longer, Lapras burst out, "Dialga, what are you thinking?"

Dialga hadn't moved from the spot by his desk for the last six hours. very now and then, he would say, "Hmm." or "Aha!" Not knowing what he was thinking was beginning to drive Lapras crazy with curiosity.

Now, Dialga raised his head and looked at Lapras.

"I was thinking," Dialga said slowly, "that I need a fail-safe system."

"A fail-safe system?" Lapras's curiosity heightened. "For what?"

"For time."

Lapras's mouth dropped open. "Can you even do that?"

As an answer, Dialga handed her something small and round. Lapras stared at it. It was a glowing, sea-green gear.

"I'll put them all over the world," Dialga said. "They'll keep time running properly if I ever leave. If anything should happen to me, all one would have to do is bring them all here and time would be restored everywhere." He paused. "I'm thinking about calling them Time Gears."

"Wouldn't people try to steal them, or destroy Temporal Tower or something?" Lapras said, an awed look in her eyes as she handed it back. Dialga put it on his desk. "I mean, the power to control time is pretty tempting."

Dialga nodded solemnly. "That's why I need you."

"Me?"

"Yes. I need you to be the guardian of the Hidden Land. I have developed a system where only the chosen can come here. I need you to be waiting and watching for that moment to arrive. Will you do that for me?"

"Yes," Lapras said without hesitating. "I will."

"Thank you." Dialga smiled briefly, the first one Lapras has seen in hours. "If this is going to work, I'm going to need to do something first. I'm going to stop time on your body, and mine."

"You're going to freeze me?" Lapras said, alarmed.

"No, of course not. I'm going to make it so that you don't age. We'll live for hundreds of thousands of years if we need to, as long as it takes."

"As long as it takes to do what?"

Dialga's mouth was set in a firm line. He paused for a minute, his eyes focusing on something from the past.

"To get my brother back," he said.

Mmm, I love how I tied it all together here ^^ I'm proud of my 12-year-old-self. XD Please review if you liked!