"Your sky is strangely beautiful," Princess Twilight said as she watched the battle in the distance. It was her first time meeting with King Logan and Queen Ororo. They had been kind and welcoming, and in great need of reinforcements. Mechanical Sentinels had joined the war in the north, and the forces defending Ashes had retreated to their strongholds once more. Twilight had brought Lady Rose and fifty thousand of her poison-types with her, including the titans, Pestilence and Miasma. The gigantic Garbodor and Muk could be seen from the castle heights as they stood guard just outside of the walls of Fort Maria. Beyond them was a web of traps orchestrated by Trixie, Lady Rose and Lord Gil in defense of the human cities.
"Those aren't stars, princess," Queen Ororo said as she rocked back and forth in her chair, her sleeping children held close. "There is nothing natural in our sky. No celestial body exists, save Battleworld."
"Then what are those lights?"
"Space stations belonging to the Kree and Skrull," King Logan said, simply. "So long as they stand watch against the nothingness, Doom lets them live."
"Are the rumors true?" Ororo asked after a moment of thoughtful silence. "Is Greenland facing a greater assault than we are?"
"Two more monuments appeared off the coast of that kingdom just this morning," Princess Twilight said, sadly. "The Cave of Origin and the Sky Pillar. Now Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza are waging war against Greenland and Dystopia. Lord Krush has taken his rock-types to Dystopia, while Lord Chompy and his dragon-types defend Greenland. Unfortunately, the native forces there aren't exactly welcoming of our presence."
"Those lands are full of some of the most vile, selfish people in the world," Logan growled, bitterly. "I won't deny there's a few good eggs there, but the lands have been ravaged by the greed of those that run them too long for it to matter."
"Regardless, we will save everyone, and everything we can," Twilight Sparkle said. "Though, I'm afraid the worst is yet to come."
"Majesty," Rose said as she entered the room and bowed. The Nidoqueen was large and bulky, but she moved with motherly grace and fearless confidence. "We've received word from our scouts in Doomstadt. God Doom is taking action, but not against the forces of destruction."
"What is he doing?" the princess asked as she turned to face Rose.
"The Eevee siblings claim that he is standing before his castle, looking out across the void. They believe he is preparing to create a force field."
"Is this related to Dorris's vision? Could they have sensed something, too?"
"They have the means," Ororo said as she stopped the gentle rocking of her chair.
"If something is coming out of the void, the Kree and Skrull will be the first to feel it," Logan said, thoughtfully. "I suppose they'll earn their keep, afterall."
A series of loud, crisp cries came from the north as Boss Niccolo's Murkrow argued with several Shinx in the Rainbow Crest Gang. Twilight Sparkle watched as Lady Potpourri flew down to intervene. The growls from the Shinx continued, though they were lessened in the presence of the council member. Twilight could hear the tiny Talonflame berating the young Pokémon, and she didn't like some of the words that she heard.
"Potpourri is the mate of Boss Niccolo," Rose explained as she walked forward to stand beside her princess. "She's not a member of the Shining Murder Gang, but she still takes their side in disputes, more often than not. It's one of the reasons she and Sasha sometimes come to blows."
"There are more important things they could be doing, like finishing their deliveries! There are still parts of the Metroplex in need of provisions."
"You've given us more resources than we could have asked for, already," Ororo said, softly as she rose from her chair to see her sons to bed. "A few differences among your forces can't hurt. I doubt they truly hate each other."
"They act like they do sometimes," Rose said with a hearty laugh. "But just like the rest of us, Potpourri isn't bad, despite her pranks and moodiness. She's always fair in the end, and she's more fond of Sasha than she lets on. They'll sort out whatever is troubling their subordinates."
Ororo smiled and began humming a soft lullaby as she walked into the castle. The princess sighed as the queen left. She was exhausted. She needed sleep, but there was still so much to do.
"I'll have to return to my city soon," Princess Twilight told King Logan as she looked back at the Pokémon in the street below. The squabbling had ended, and they were getting along now. Twilight smiled as she watched them get back to work.
"I would be honored if you rested in my castle for the night," King Logan said as he rose from his chair. "You'll cause more harm than good if you're sleep deprived."
"You're right," Twilight said with another heavy sigh. "A warm bed sounds wonderful, right now."
The king smiled as he called on a maid to take Twilight to a room. Then he wished her good night and left in the direction his wife had gone.
"This is the craziest thing we've ever done!" Mikoto said as she and her siblings watched from the shadows of Doom's stronghold. The morning sun had just crested the horizon, illuminating a day that should have been peaceful. "If they see us, we're dead! The Thors have been searching for us since we made our report. I just know they're going to find us…"
"They're too busy watching for the coming of Chaos, Mikoto," Yuko said, her eyes shining with psychic power as she peered into the now visible, though slightly distorted future. "Doom is reaching his consciousness into a higher plane of existence as we speak... I think."
"What higher plane?" Remulos said as he waved his leafy tail back and forth. It was the best he could do to channel the urge to fight into an action that wouldn't give them away. "There's no higher plane here. There's nothing but this corrupt, rotting planet."
"Not all of it is corrupt and rotting, Remulos," Titania said as her ribbon-like feelers wrapped around her brother's shoulders to help calm him. "There's good and evil here, just like every other place we've come to."
"There was good on Octaria?" Dezi said as he struggled to keep his flaming fur dim. "All I saw were deamons and monsters. None of them were good."
"Some of them would have made nice ice statues," Yuki said, her coat frozen into needles that mimicked Mikoto's electrified fur. "The Pokkén Times had an article written by Mistress Sakura a few weeks ago where she was talking about the decoration opportunities we missed on Octaria."
"The horrors of Octaria are following us here," Lucy whispered. "You'll get a second chance at making furniture, Yuki. None of that matters now, though. Look!"
She pointed with her tail fins at the tiny, blue and black form of a Gourgeist floating through the air before Doom. The ghost-type looked back behind the god to stare directly at the Eevee siblings. The young boy standing behind Doom looked a bit confused, assuming the strange creature was looking at him. Doom held up a hand to calm him, never looking back, and Korish shifted her gaze to meet the god's.
"You have a protection about you," Doom said, addressing Korish. "One that I think not even my son could break. That isn't to say he could not harm you, only that he could not harm you easily. However, his power is as nothing compared to mine."
"I understand that," Korish said, unconcerned by Doom's threat. "I'm not here to fight you, though. I am the Mouthpiece of Dark Arceus, a god from another multiverse who would like to meet you."
The ground began to shake as quakes on the seafloor rumbled through the landmasses of Battleworld. Galactus, the personal guardian of Doom's castle, walked to the edge of the cliff to stand before his master's family as a shield. Doom turned toward the Eevee siblings then, his arms crossed and his eyes meeting Lucy's. The Vaporeon froze in place as Mikoto gasped next to her, her fur giving off electric pulses in surprise. It wasn't Doom that shocked them, however.
Beyond the cliff on which Galactus stood rose the Spear Pillar, stabbing through the ocean and air in a manner befitting its namesake. It loomed above Doomstadt ominously, two large buildings jutting out of its sides on platforms that rose above the pinnacle of the pillar. The Sinjoh Ruins stood atop one platform. The Hall of Origin stood atop the other. Two guardians, one in front of each building, looked out over the assembled forces of Doomstadt. Slowly, the eyes of the guardians turned to meet Galactus. The Devourer of Worlds stared down the Lord of Time and the Lord of Space as the air around them trembled. The void above Battleworld lit up in violence as Doom turned his attention back toward the Spear Pillar, and Lucy called for immediate evacuation.
"We will not help you, Charles," boomed the voice of Dialga as he shifted his gaze a moment before the avatar appeared atop the Spear Pillar.
"Nor will we hinder you," Palkia said, as he, too stared at Charles.
"You are now but a small part of our creator," Giratina said as he shifted through the shadows beneath the Spear Pillar. "You represent a single aspect of creation, not the whole."
"Look around you," Charles said as the Unown shapes on his body pulsated with evil. "This world is possessed by a mad god bent on ruling with an iron fist. Above us, his forces, which serve him out of fear, fight the incarnations of carnality and death from another universe. There is nothing but greed here. It permeates all things, driving the good as well as the evil."
"What of the world above?" Palkia asked. "The country known as Equestria is ruled by light and love, friendship and peace."
"Yet evil exists there, as well."
"But it is not the primary driving force," Giratina said. "Nor is evil the driving force behind the heroes of this world who lay down their lives in defense of their people."
"I don't know any of you," Doom interrupted, his voice cold and calculating. "And your conversation has nothing to do with my world. Your presence, however, is an affront to Doom and that which I have created!"
"My presence…" Charles said, thoughtfully as he turned his attention to Doom. "Perhaps I should introduce myself, then."
He teleported before Doom and landed a vicious punch to the armored dictator's stomach. Doom coughed in pain before backhanding the Pokémon, rocketing him into the base of the Spear Pillar. Charles absorbed the blow, his Mega X form shining with the hateful light of Dark Arceus.
"I am the avatar of the Arms of Darkness," he said, as he calmly regained his balance. "I am here to make a point, and so far, as I look out upon your 'creation' I see that the minds of your people are not that different from the minds of the humans of my world. Some are good, most are greedy."
"I don't care about the humans of your world!" Doom yelled as he flew toward Charles. "I just want you off of mine!"
Their conflict shook the air as Battleworld burned.
Rainbow Dash zoomed across the training ground, trying to flank Applejack and her three Aggron. A Flygon and two Charizard flew behind her, fire already pouring over their closed mouths as they prepared Flamethrower attacks. They zoomed downward, clashing in the middle of the ring. Loud, metallic clangs rang as the pony's Doublade blocked, jabbed, and parried each other continuously. Led by their spirit links, the Doublade matched the conscious and subconscious wills of their masters perfectly amid the furious battle surrounding them.
"With the exceptions of Dystopia and Greenland, we've pulled out of all but the weakest kingdoms," Rarity said as she lay next to her two Altaria guards behind the crowd of Pokémon watching the battle. "Was this really wise?"
"Twilight wasn't sure either," Fluttershy said as her Blissey tended to a group of playful baby Pokémon nearby. "Dorris insisted that we pull most of our forces back, though. She seemed to think that whatever is going to happen will be serious, and we need to be as united as possible."
"That's 'cuz it's getting really bad out there," Pinkie Pie said as she and her Lopunny walked up to the training grounds.
"Pinkie Pie," Rarity said, critically. "Why on earth are you wearing that outfit from the Appleoosa incident?"
"I'm gonna sing about caring and sharing to the bad guys outside! And boy, let me tell you, there's a lot of 'em now."
"That song didn't exactly stop the ponies and buffalo from fighting each other. Besides, your Lopunny don't seem to like their costumes."
"They are kind of clunky for a battle…" said Shirly, the smallest and most timid of the Lopunny following Pinkie Pie. She held up the edges of her dress with one pink paw as she examined the lace. "It is rather pretty, though."
"They're onyx colored versions of mine," Pinkie Pie said, cheerfully. "The red scarves are a nice addition, don't you think?"
"Hmm," Rarity said as she rose from the ground and walked around the Lopunny to appraise their outfits better. "They are lovely, though they could use a few gems. Some diamonds, perhaps? And if you're wanting to calm ponies, you should use blue."
"So what's going on outside Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well… Mewtwo's back, though Joan wants us to call him Charles now. He's fighting God Doom after somehow fusing with Dark Arceus. Oh, and he's dragged Chaos, and the Orks, and the Tyranids here from Octaria. Or maybe they dragged themselves? Anyway, they're caught up in a space battle at the moment, but Dorris says they'll make landfall after they're done with the ships in the void."
"That sounds like quite the predicament," Applejack said as she, Rainbow Dash, and their warriors walked up to the group. Fluttershy's Blissey rose from their seats, max potions in hand, to begin treating the fighter's wounds.
"Sorry, girls," Rarity said. "We lost track of the battle. Who won?"
"It was a tie," Rainbow Dash said. "Though I would have won if we'd continued."
"We quite 'cuz this is just trainin'" Applejack said, ignoring Rainbow's braggadocio. "Is that all that's new Pinkie? 'Cuz we already beat those guys from Octaria. I'm not lookin' forward to fightin' them again."
"If the Skrull and Kree can hold out, we won't have to," Pinkie Pie said. "There's one other thing, but we're not quite sure what it is. Twilight says it looks like a planet covered in some kind of bubble. All of the bad stuff seems to be bouncing off of it."
"Ah, yes," Discord said as he materialized alongside Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor and Tree Hugger. "That took a bit of doing."
"You're back!" the ponies cried happily as they ran to greet their rulers. The nearby Pokémon bowed respectfully as the ponies embraced each other.
"Where is Twilight?" Celestia asked as she lifted her head above the group hug.
"She's at the palace trying to figure out what that planet is," Pinkie Pie said, excitedly. "Hold on, I'll get her!"
She ran off without another word, a pink blur marking her path.
"We're quite a ways inside the Rock Zone," Rainbow Dash said nervously, as she watched her friend become a speck in the distance. "I'm pretty sure she's using the teleporter to get back, right?"
"YUP!" Pinkie Pie yelled from over the horizon.
The group stood around the battle ring, discussing current events. Two minutes after she had left, Pinkie Pie reappeared next to Twilight Sparkle.
"Where are they, Pinkie?" Twilight said, her back to the gathering. "Teleporting into the Four Zones without exact coordinates is tricky enough due to the timespace warping effect over the city."
"That's why we appeared here, instead of in the palace," Cadance said as she and her husband walked up to Twilight. The youngest princess turned and smiled, tears of joy welling up in her eyes as she ran to embrace her family and friends.
"I'm so glad all of you are safe!" she cried. "Things are getting really bad, here. Where did you go?"
"We fought Mewtwo in Destroyer's Grace until we ended up in the Dream World," Luna said, a long, curved blade on her back. Its sheath was covered in stars, with the image of her cutie mark visible on the hilt. "Charles is now possessed by Dark Arceus. We cannot match his power, but his scheme has brought him into conflict with those who can."
"I'm sure you've seen our home planet in the sky?" Celestia asked. "It's been dragged here to be crushed between Chaos and Battleworld. Combining our magic, as well as the love and light of all of Equestria, and focusing that through the Crystal Heart, we were able to form a protective barrier around our home."
"The Forces of Destruction are crawlin' across Battleworld like a horde a' angry termites protestin' a school for exterminators," Applejack said. "We're fightin' em, but it ain't easy. We need reinforcements from home."
"Our plan is to take God's Breath to Equestria," Celestia said, calmly as she began walking toward the teleporters that led to the city proper. The entire gathering followed her without question or hesitation. "We need to solidify our power in one place and strengthen the defenses protecting our world. From there, we will devise our plans to aid Battleworld and send Chaos back to its own realm. Only then will we confront Charles, and the dark god he now embodies."
Focusing their power through the Diamond Pillars, the ponies lifted God's Breath from the floor of Battleworld's ocean. The zombies of the Deadlands, seemingly forgotten by Dark Arceus, watched the city's departure stupidly. Once above the ozone layer, the princesses and Discord carried the city to Equestria. Their planet had arrived just outside of the defensive line of Skrull and Kree ships, where it was sandwiched between the aliens and the arrival of Chaos. Despite the odds, they had managed to protect themselves with a shield of reflective magic. The ponies now carried the Pokémon city toward this shield as fast as they could.
The moment they entered the void of space, they came under attack. Flying Tyranid organisms, screeching Chaos deamons, and ramshackle Ork fighters clashed in the void with the ships of the Kree and Skrull. Hundreds of Gardevoir, led by Lady Joan, floated near the edges of the city's shield, focusing their power into maintaining a defensive line of black holes. Reinforced by Shining Armor's most powerful shield spell, the city was protected from the unimaginable gravity that tore its foes apart. For what seemed like an eternity, God's Breath floated through the void and the cruel firefight that lit it. The black holes drew in everything that got close and devoured them hungrily. Eventually, they arrived at the reflective barrier and phased through it to the safety of Equestria. Joan led her Gardevoir in placing the black holes around the planet, perfecting Equestria's defense as the city came to rest in the sky next to Canterlot.