Pokémon and Ponies
#45-The Pokemon Festival Part 1
Ponyville, 7 minutes before morning.
"It's finally here..." Fluttershy was awake, earlier than everypony else. She has been waiting for this day. "I've been waiting for this. The Pokemon Festival!" Her screaming woke Angel Bunny up. Outside, all of Ponyville had been decorated for the festival. It wasn't just Ponyville though. This festival spread out across all of Equestria. It was to be a 7-day festival. So it was gonna last a long time. The sun was rising up as that golden dawn shined across the skies and the land, beaming through the clouds.
Ash had felt the sun rays hit his face as he woke up from them. "Ugh... today's the day. The Pokemon Festival."
"P-Pika..." Pikachu woke up, rubbing his eyes.
"Let's not waste any time buddy. I can't wait to see how this all turns out."
The day has arrived. The number of ponies excited for this certain event was astronomical. It wasn't just ponies, humans had come over. They'd be crazy not to go to an event involving Pokemon. They did originate in their world after all. BigTime Ben was the one who came up with this event in the first place and Celestia, Luna and Cadence helped with its creation. Needless to say, it'll be a week to remember.
"The day is here!" Pinkie Pie hopped out of her bed, waking up the entire Cake family in the process. "The Pokemon Festival is here!"
Everypony had woken up, preparing themselves for this day. The first group of humans had arrived in the other world, starting with Kanto since they were the closest to Ponyville. Delia had even passed through the gate along with Goh, Professor Oak, Cerise and their assistants, along with Chloe. None of them wanted to miss this.
Twilight had gathered her friends over to the castle to give them a rundown on the festival and how it's gonna go.
"So. We all know how this festival will turn out right?" She asked them.
"Mhm! 7 days of Pokemon. A full week!" Fluttershy squeed. "I can only imagine what kind of Pokemon could be there. Maybe I'll even see new regional forms or new evolutions!"
"I'm excited to sell my food there. You never know, some of the Pokemon might enjoy our family's apple delights." Applejack said. She and the entire Apple family were joining in. Not just Granny Smith, Big Mac and Apple Bloom.
"You wanna talk food? How about the parties that are gonna be there! It's gonna be a week-long party! The first of its kind!" Pinkie Pie bellowed.
"Seems to me like you've all got your goals on what you're gonna do there. Let's just make sure it doesn't end up like the first time we all went to the Grand Galloping Gala. Now, I've laid out how it's gonna go." Twilight used her magic to grab a teaching stick. "The festival spreads across all of Equestria. From Ponyville to Canterlot and even other locations such as Manehatten. We can head to any of these destinations via train. Or flight if you think you can get there faster. We can stop by any of these locations whenever we want to, but the main attraction is Canterlot. That's where a large majority of all the festival's flare is gonna take place. There, there'll be more activities than the ones in Ponyville and everywhere else."
"It will probably be packed. More than any place in Equestria." said Rarity.
"Since it'll last for 7 days, the festival will even continue at night. So some of us might doze off in the process. But not to worry, I've come up with a solution for that. Princess Celestia has tasked me with making sure everything goes well. So I'll be overseeing everything along with her and Cadence while Luna watches over the night."
"Like we're gonna doze off. It's gonna be full of so much energy, none of us are even gonna think about sleep!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"So. I hope you've all understood this rundown. Let's get this festival started!"
The first thing that the Mane 6 wanted to do was be active in Ponyville first, and then head off to Canterlot.
"I must say. This is a wonderful sight! And my first time here!" Oak said as he was gazing at Ponyville with Tracey carrying his stuff.
"You'll love it here Samuel. Although the saturation is a lot on the eyes." Delia chuckled.
"This place is kinda charming in a way." Chloe looked at Ponyville, holding Yamper in her hands.
"I'm not here for the sights. The Pokemon is what I'm here for!" Goh exclaimed.
"If you're going to do that, best tag along with Ash and his pony friends. I'm off to Canterlot. I didn't get to experience much of it ever since the Royal Wedding. Let's get rolling Mimey!" Delia said, pumped to head to Canterlot.
"Mime!"
"I think this is a perfect opportunity to learn how this world works, wouldn't you agree Tracey?" Oak asked.
"Y-Yeah." Tracey replied while holding huge baggage of equipment, trying to keep it balanced.
Not everyone was here for the festival. One group, in particular, was going undercover. Team Rocket. They disguised themselves as humble tourists just visiting the festival. And as always, their disguises somehow manage to work despite the fact that you can tell it's them.
"A festival for Pokemon equals a goldmine," Jessie uttered.
"A goldmine that's surrounded by ponies that is," James spoke.
"We'd need a miracle to nab all of those Pokemon in one go." Meowth chattered.
"Wobbuffet!"
"Let's just blend in with the crowd. This thing lasts for only 7 days, so we'll have plenty of time to plot. Besides." Jessie hopped out of the bush. "I'm in the mood for visiting that Canterlot place. It sounds like a place for a beauty like me! Hohohohoho!"
"She's going to get stuck in the moment to even remember our Pokenapping plan." Meowth sighed.
"Like always." so did James.
"Wobbuffet."
With Twilight and the others, they were packing their stuff to head on over to Canterlot. That's where the festival is really going to shine. Ash had gone up to Oak and the others, seeing them here as well.
"Mom? Professor Oak? Goh? You're all coming along too?" Ash asked.
"Pika?"
"Of course. It's my first visit as well, my boy." Oak responded.
"And I'm just excited to head back to Canterlot. Aren't you excited as me Ash?" Delia spoke.
"Yeah. I'm pretty pumped too. Let's make these 7 days count!"
"Pikachu!"
"Ash!" Twilight called for him. "Let's go! We're all ready!"
"Alright! Let's get rolling!"
"Pika-Pika!"
"The twerps and twerpettes are on the move. And so are we." Jessie said as Team Rocket were also ready to go. It wasn't just her, but Adagio as well. She was still hung on getting revenge, so she'll do whatever she can to ruin Twilight's life.
"I'll make sure your day is ruined Sparkle. One way or another. I'll make sure."
They all got on the train that was headed straight for Canterlot. More ponies were on the train today than usual due to the festival. Tracey was lucky to put the baggage somewhere else, giving his arms and hands some time to rest. Pikachu sat with Fluttershy as she held him in her hooves.
"So. While we're on this train. Ash my boy, mind telling me how things have been in this world and what you've been up to?" Oak asked, wanting to know the adventures that occurred here. He knows that Ash always gets into all sorts of adventures and this world was no exception.
"Sure! Where should I start...?" Ash put his fingers on his chin, wondering which memory to take.
"I can start us off," Twilight uttered. "How about the time we first met Darkrai? It was the earlier days of when our worlds crossed over."
"You met a Darkrai?" Go on. "Oak leaned in."
"Darkrai ended up putting everypony, Pokemon and human in Ponyville into a numb state. Nopony could move a muscle at all, and if it kept up, they'd end up falling into a deep sleep later on. He was being controlled by Emerald Aura. A pony created by the Rift."
"Mhm. At first, we were all scared of Darkrai." Fluttershy spoke next. "He ended up dragging everypony into a nightmare world where we live out our nightmares in an endless cycle. It was horrible. But then, Ash helped us realise that Darkrai didn't want to do this at all. It was against its own will and control. So we helped Darkrai break free from Emerald Aura's control and gained a new friend."
"A pretty creepy one if you ask me." Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack.
"Now Darkrai lives in Canterlot as Luna's Pokemon. And I gotta say, he's a pretty helpful Pokemon to be friends with." said Ash. "He helped me keep King Sombra busy while everyone else was trying to restore the Crystal Empire."
"To be honest, I'm still surprised that Spike ended up saving the heart." Applejack looked to Spike.
"Heh. I'm heroic like that." Spike boasted with a proud face.
"Let's talk about the best parts! My Gym Battles!" Rainbow Dash joined in the conversation. "I gotta say, being the first pony to join in our world's league is a pretty great feeling still. I remember my first Gym Battle still."
"Yeah against Gardenia who was filling in. Your Whirlipede sure did balance things out." Ash said.
"Yeah, it did. I didn't even know that much about type advantages and disadvantages. But I pulled through with my awesomeness! And since then I've been on a roll!"
"Except for that moment when you lost." Rarity pointed out, making Rainbow Dash freeze for a bit. "Can't forget your first battle against Sunset Shimmer, darling."
"Don't remind me. I totally wasn't prepared for that Braixen. And that Flame Body from Fletchinder really dragged me and my team down." Rainbow Dash sighed.
"But you still ended up winning when you had your rematch. Don't forget." Pinkie commented.
"Hehe. Yeah, I did. And I got an amazing reward after that. Braviary! Seeing my little Rufflet evolve into something so awesome was the best! And it's called the Hero of the Skies, how can you get better than that?!"
"Ah, but I remember when Twilight got so focused on knowing who Ash was, she went all over Ponyville." said Rarity.
"Can you blame me? How was I supposed to know that he travelled back in time? The book didn't even mention it once. And how are you still so young yet so old at the same time Ash?"
"No idea. I still think it has something to do with Ho-oh do, but I don't care. I'm experiencing a lot with my life." Ash laid back on the train seat.
"Wait, Ash... Are you immortal?" Twilight leaned in as did everyone else.
"Uh, I don't think so. But it's no big deal really."
"You think if we see Ho-oh we might experience the same thing?" Spike asked.
"Maybe?" Twilight replied.
"Well, it sounds to me like you've definitely had a bizarre yet wonderful time here. Ah to be young again and explore the world." Oak commented.
"So, Ash. What are you gonna do when you become a Pokemon Master? After you reach your ultimate goal, what else?" Twilight questioned him.
"Once I finally become a Pokemon Master... I'll just continue my adventure! Even if I reach my goal, I still want to see more of the world. I just can't resist a good journey, ya know."
"That would be your answer." Twilight laughed.
On the other side of the train, Aria and Sonata were on their way as well.
"Isn't this exciting Aria? I can see you filling up with energy!" Sonata grinned.
"Oh yeah... I'm ecstatic." Aria kept the same expressionless face with the same monotone voice. "Can't believe you dragged me into this..."
"We've never been to an event before! Well, the only ones we've ever been to were the ones we crashed and stole everypony's negative energy. So this is a first!"
"This whole festival thing's gonna be a bore. I can feel it."
"Come on. Be excited for once! You never know. It might be the best time of your life! Of our lives even!"
"We'll see."
The train had finally arrived at Canterlot. Everypony hopped off the train as quickly as they could. Fluttershy was the first to get off as she was more excited than anyone in Equestria.
"We're here! The Pokemon Festival!" She squeed. And what a sight it was. Up in the sky, there were balloons with the faces of hundreds of different Pokemon floating in the air. Multi-Colored Flags were spread across the buildings of Canterlot. Every last one of them. There were lanterns spread out a table, preparing for the light show at night. Pokemon of all kinds, of all types, had gathered here to enjoy the festival as well. Fluttershy pranced around, feeling like she was in an eternal paradise right now. "I...I can't breathe." Fluttershy felt like she was about to faint. Rarity calmed her down by catching her luckily.
"Twilight. Everyone. You're here." Cadence had flown over to the group, greeting them. "So glad you could make it."
"Are you kidding? We wouldn't miss this for a second!"
"Well, I'm so happy to have you here. Hope you all enjoy yourself."
"We will! Where should we start?!" Fluttershy went up to Cadence's face as Rarity pulled her back.
"Forgive her, princess. She's been very hyperactive about this day." Rarity said.
"It's alright. I'd be hyper too if I were in your hooves."
"I'm already on started, ya'll." Applejack had already set up her stand with her family going the same all over Canterlot.
"I'm off to see what competitions they've got!" Ash ran off with Pikachu.
"Pika!"
"I'm here to catch all the Pokemon I can! Come on Raboot!" Goh took off as well.
"We can do a lot of catching up Twilight." Cadence said to her fellow alicorn princess.
"Really?!" Twilight gasped. "YES!" Very soon everyone had gone their separate ways, participating in whatever interested them the most.
Up at Cantertlot Castle, Celestia was humming a theme as she could hear noises come from Luna's room. "Luna? Are you okay in there?" She opened up the door to see her sister and her Pokemon moving about. Luna was trying to put on her dress as it seemed like her first time doing so. Her Pokemon were doing their best to help but they were clueless about dresses. "Do you need help with that?"
"Sorry, sister. This is the first time I've ever been to an event such as this. I'm always watching over the night so I don't have the opportunity to do so. Neither have I ever attended the Grand Galloping Gala. So I must look the part."
"Well. You know you don't have to put on a dress for this occasion."
"I don't have to?!" Luna fell off her bed as Celestia walked up to her, looking down at her younger sister.
"No. Just enjoy yourself, Luna. I'm sure your Pokemon want to get out there and experience the festival with other Pokemon without a care in the world, right?"
All of the Pokemon agreed with their cries as Darkrai was lurking in the corner. Luna turned to see her partner Pokemon just standing there in the shadows. "What about you Darkrai? Will you be joining the festival?"
"I'll pass. This festival thing is a bit too rowdy and loud for me."
"Oh do not be such a grump. You never know, you might enjoy it." Luna went up to Darkrai. She gave him a pleading look a child would make. It was super-effective. And Darkrai didn't want to let Luna down.
"Hrmmhgh... FIne. I'll try to enjoy myself at least." Darkrai disappeared in the shadows, heading outside to the festival.
"Now. Let's enjoy ourselves. I hear they have cake there too!" Celestia squeed.
For the Pokemon, they were given a spot for them to hang out. The Pokemon Zone. Where trainers can leave their Pokemon to hang out with their fellow Pocket Monsters.
"Alright, Eve. Do you want to stay here for a bit?" Twilight asked her Eevee.
"Eevee!" Eve hopped off her trainer's back as she wanted to hang out with other Pokemon. Cadence's Sylveon decided to join in as well and would watch over Eve like a Pokesitter.
"So, Twilight. Anything you want to do?" Cadence asked.
"Well, I was hoping that you'd know what we should do."
"To be honest. I'm clueless myself. I was thinking of just having a normal talk but I want to experience something much more thrilling, ya know?"
"I hear you. We can maybe try that!" Twilight pointed her hoof at a ride. Constructed by Psychic-Type and Fighting-Type Pokemon, it was based on the rollercoasters that existed in the Pokemon World. This was the first time this world has ever seen a rollercoaster "What is that thing anyway?"
"That right there is a rollercoaster, Princess Twilight." BigTime Ben said, being here as well.
"A rollercoaster?" Both Twilight and Cadence said.
"Yep. You get on that and it moves about those tracks. Gives you a rush too. But if you're too queasy and afraid of heights I wouldn't recommend it. You could try the other attractions we have here. Like Lopunny's Dance Inferno or Machamp's Strength test and more."
"Hm. We'll try the rollercoaster first. It seems fun." Cadence replied. "You're not queasy are you Twilight?"
"Me? Queasy? Pssh no.." Twilight laughed nervously.
"Then let's go!" Cadence exclaimed as the two alicorns went over the rollercoaster ride. They were seated by the person working there as he instructed them to keep themselves seated and buckled up. It will get intense. Spike had also joined in on the rollercoaster, not wanting to pass this one out.
"Alright. You're all good to go. Make sure your Pokeballs don't fly out okay?" The man said. The rollercoaster started to make its first movements, gently moving along the track first.
"This seems pretty slow. I thought he said that it gives us a rush." Twilight commented.
"Now hold on. It's picking up speed." Cadence pointed out as it was indeed picking up speed. The coaster than started to go up, heading towards the higher sections of the tracks. Up, up, up and up. It had reached the highest point as Twilight looked down, gulping. She wasn't the only one. The other ponies and humans seated on the coaster were shaking as well. It was fairly high up. They could see the entire festival from here.
"Wow. This sure is really high up." Twilight was sweating bullets.
"Yeah. But when does the speed ha-" Cadence's words were stopped as the coaster went all the way down. Now they felt that rush that Ben was talking about. They were screaming as they felt the wind blow in the face with their manes rising up. The coaster wasn't slowing down at all. This one, in particular, was modelled after the shape of a Serperior, Seviper and an Onix. All Pokemon that were snake-like. So the twists and turns were all over the place. The coaster reached max speed as it was coming to an end. It even reached the clouds, spooking some pegasi in the process. The ride had finally come to an end as it stopped at where it began.
Twilight and Cadence's manes were all frizzed up and wild now. They couldn't shut their eyes as they felt the wind blowing them back. Spike, in particular, was more queasy than anyone. Ben walked up to them after the ride. "So. How was your first rollercoaster?" He asked. In response, Spike barfed green fire in his face. A normal side effect of riding a rollercoaster.
"T-T-That was..." Twilight stuttered, struggling to keep her composure.
"It was...It was..." Cadence mumbled, feeling wobbly.
"Amazing!" Both of them said as they fainted. "Let's not do it again though..." Twilight sighed.
"Agreed." Cadence replied as they both laughed.
Moving over to Rainbow Dash, the attraction she headed to was Machamp's Strength Test. "Machamp huh? How tough is this thing again?"
"Machamp. The Superpower Pokemon. Machamp is known as the Pokémon that has mastered every kind of martial arts. If it grabs hold of the foe with its four arms, the battle is all but over. The hapless foe is thrown far over the horizon with megaton-level strengths. Its four ruggedly developed arms can launch a flurry of 1,000 punches in just two seconds. It grasps its opponents with its four arms and twists them up in an intricate hold. People call it "the Machamp special."
"Woah. No wonder this is a strength test. I want a go at this!"
"Machamp!" Machamp let out a cry as it was calling for everypony to give its challenge a try. "Champ!" The challenge was to try and compare everyone's strength to see who was more physically fit.
"Ooh! I wanna try!" An earth pony called from the crowd, knowing that its species are experts at strength. Especially in their hoof.
"Then I'll try as well!" Rainbow raised her hoof in the air.
"Machamp!" Machamp used its hands to give off gestures, telling them to come up here. The two ponies went up the stand as Machamp placed down a pile of Gypsum. One of the hardest rocks in the world. "Machamp! Ma!" Machamp pointed over at the rules as they read the following. Put all of your strength into your hoof, tentacle, hand or whatever limb you own in order to either break the object in half or into pieces. One try only. The winner is decided by either time or strength. If you can break it fast you win. But if you can only break it with all of your strength and the bottom part which is where the harder sections are, you win as well.
"Okay... I got this." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. Both her and the earth pony looked down at the Gypsum.
"Champ... Machamp!" Machamp gave the hand gesture of 'Go!' as it began. Both ponies raised their hooves up, putting all their strength into it as they slammed down with all their might. The hooves made contact with the Gypsum. Rainbow Dash managed to break 12 piles of it but she felt the hard texture of the rock as it harmed her hoof.
"Ow ow!" She cried out in pain. As for the earth pony, he managed to break 13. Just one extra.
"Machamp!" Machamp raised two hands up, showing that it has stopped. The earth pony had managed to pull off the victory.
"Yes!" He cheered.
"Aw... guess earth ponies really are the more physically fit pony race huh?" Rainbow Dash sighed.
"Yeah, we are. But don't let it get you down. You at least came close to beating me." He replied. "Good game though." He put his hoof out as Rainbow Dash shook it in response, showing good sportsmanship.
"Machamp!" Machamp gave the gesture of having the next duo try out the strength test but without crushing rocks this time.
For Fluttershy, she went over to a special zone where Pokemon were. This was called the relief zone. And a relief it was. Here, the Grass-Types managed to morph this area into a sort of lush jungle-like forest. So many Pokemon come here to relax. "This is beautiful." Fluttershy gazed. The beauty of the forest was made better by the Morelull. Their spores gave off flickers that send out a hypnotic which would put anyone to sleep. As Fluttershy was fluttering about the forest, she saw something that caught her eye, an unidentified Pokemon. "Hm? Who's that Pokemon?" The Pokemon she saw didn't know that she was watching it. It was clueless. From what Fluttershy could see, it had a V-shaped head and its body color resembled that of flames.
It was Victini. The Victory Pokemon.
"Tini." The Victory Pokemon was chomping away at some macarons it took from the festival. It had used its invisibility to be all sneaky so that no one would notice it grab the food. Though it was odd seeing a floating macaron moving about and being devoured in mid-air to the ponies.
"Hello." Fluttershy greeted the Pokemon, making it jump. Victini responded by turning invisible and hiding. "Oh wait! It's okay! I won't harm you." Fluttershy wanted to make Victini know that she was friendly. She then saw the macarons laying on the ground as she picked them up, raising them in the air. "Look. Don't you want to finish your macarons?"
Victini peered from a tree as it looked at the macaron in Fluttershy's hoof. It gently floated over, grabbing it with its tiny hands. It took it as it started to chomp away at the delicacy, loving it. "Tini!"
"Must taste good. Hello. My name is Fluttershy. What's your name?"
"Victini!"
"Victini huh? Well nice to meet you Victini. I wonder what animal you resemble actually? A rabbit? A cat?"
"Tini. Victini-Tini."
"You don't know either, huh? Well, that's fine." Fluttershy sat down as she and the Victory Pokemon started to chat away.
But within this festival, there was something ominous lurking about. And by something ominous, it was Emerald Aura and Obsidian.
"Do we have to do this?" Emerald sighed.
"Of course. Gotta start something after all." Obsidian replied.
"This is gonna be a bust. I'm passing on this."
"What do you mean you're passing on this?"
"Your plans so far have all failed. The Royal Wedding, Celestia, Tirek and so on. I'm not involving myself into something that's gonna get me in trouble. Especially if Darkrai's around. He hates my guts."
"So you're just gonna chicken out?"
"I'd gladly chicken out. I'm not up for this!"
"Listen. We only exists to start trouble so that Ash and his friends can fix it like they always do. We don't have to win we just have to make something happen."
"Well, I still don't wanna do it. And that's that." Emerald crossed her hooves.
"Thought you might say that someday. But that's fine. This is why I asked the Rift to create a 4 pony."
"A 4th pony?" Emerald titled her head.
"Oh yeah. This pony's gonna be a mole in it all. I give you Jade Skies." Obsidian introduced a new rift made pony who shared a similar colour scheme to emerald but with her being jade-coloured. She had a basic look on her face with no emotion whatsoever. "This one's gonna be all buddy-buddy with them. They're gonna try and teach her the value of friendship because well... look at her. And when she finally understands friendship, she can use all that info to give to us and we can find a way around their weird friendship power and boom. We come up with a threat that can overwhelm them easily. Obviously there's more to the plan than that, but it's gonna work."
"So... you're gonna have her just be a fake friend? How are they gonna fall for it?"
"Oh. Jade here won't even know she's being fake friends with them. Her mind is completely blank now. She'll think she's actually true friends with them and so will they. But once she starts bonding, her mind will accelerate and realise what her mission is and she'll sabotage it all! Right now we'll play her off as an orphan. It's gonna be a perfect plan."
"...I have a bad feeling about this."
And so the first day of the Pokemon Festival has begun. What will happen in the span of these 7 days? It can only be discovered as the journey continues.
Day 1 of the Pokemon Festival is still underway. It was still morning so the day was gonna be a long one.
Ash and Pikachu were enjoying themselves by eating some food made by the best chefs in Canterlot.
"This stuff is good! I can't believe we've been missing out on Canterlot food like this!" Ash was chomping away at the food.
"Pikachu!"
"Plus we can get enough energy from this to participate in the battle competition on the 2nd day of the festival. We're gonna win it, right buddy?!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu raised his hands up with his mouth full of food.
Team Rocket had arrived as well, still disguised as tourists. They had their eyes on the prize. All the Pokemon to grab but mostly that famed Pikachu that they've been chasing for years now.
"Eyes on the prize boys. We play our cards right, we'll make a clean getaway without anyone noticing." Jessie commented.
"A getaway so clean there won't be any tracks left!" James exclaimed.
"And no tracks means no lead!" Meowth jumped up.
"Wobbuffet!"
Team Rocket started to blend in with the crowd as they were going along with the festival while watching Ash and Pikachu.
Whilst everyone enjoys themselves, Obsidian had put his Jade Skies plan into motion. "Alright, Jade. Go on. Learn about friendship and we'll be seeing you when you've finally understood the magic behind it." Obsidian shoved the expressionless pegasus forward as her mind started to turn on. The first thing she saw was the festival. And already she was greatly confused. The first thing she heard was the sounds of Pokemon, ponies and humans chattering away along with the sounds of young ones playing about. The first thing she felt was the wind blowing in her face. The sun rays beaming in her eyes and mane. This was the very first time she ever breathed air. And yet, she still had no emotion in her eyes as she started to walk.
Looking around her she could see so many colours for the first time. Her dull grey eyes took them all in. From the fiery textures of a Pansear to the Ethereal mane of Celestia and Luna. The skies were the next thing she had seen. How blue and azure it is as the sun shines brightly over the white clouds. Then the first thing she could smell was the food being made by the apple family. It was an odd and bizarre smell, but then again it was the first thing her scent picked up. She could also feel the grounds of Canterlot on her hooves. How smooth they were despite being rocks.
Then she came to a halt. Sitting down as she kept on sightseeing the entire festival. Looking up she had also seen the faces of Pokemon on balloons. She at least had knowledge of what a Pokemon and a pony were thanks to Obsidian's requests to the Rift. She seemed lonely until Ash and Pinkie Pie had noticed her. Pinkie went over to the emotionless pony, seeing how still she was.
"Come on. What's the matter? Aren't you enjoying the festival?" Pinkie said to the deadpan pegasus.
"Yeah. You okay?" Ash asked.
"Pika?"
Jade had looked up to them, seeing the human, pony and pokemon. "Who are you?" She uttered her first words and they were monotone. More than Maud and Aria combined.
"I'm Ash. And this is my partner Pikachu."
"Pikachu."
"And I'm Pinkie Pie. Nice to meet ya!" Pinkie Pie grabbed her hoof, shaking it. Jade was still impassive. "Something definitely wrong. Where's your smile?"
"Smile?" She titled her head in confusion. "What is a smile?"
Hearing this made Pinkie Pie gasp. A pony who's never heard of a smile before? "You don't know what a smile is?!"
"I don't know much. I don't know where I am." Jade answered.
"Clueless huh? Do you have amnesia or something?" Ash questioned.
"Pika-Pika?"
"I don't... think so.. I don't know."
"Well, don't worry! With us here, we can turn that frown upside down. Why don't you enjoy the festival? We've got yummy stuff." Pinkie had a cupcake in her hoof, putting it near Jade's face.
"What is this?" She asked.
"It's a cupcake. Vanilla flavour. Try it."
Jade looked at the cupcake and then up at Pinkie who was aggressively nodding her head with a wide grin. So the deadpan pony took a bite out of the cupcake. Experiencing her first-ever taste in the few minutes she has existed.
"Well?" Pinkie, Ash and Pikachu leaned it to know her answer on how it tastes.
"It tastes... like something nice."
"You mean sweet?" Pinkie said.
"I guess so."
"Great! You're already getting in the mood! Come on! We'll introduce you to our other friends! I'm sure you'll have more fun around them!" Pinkie Pie grabbed Jade's hoof, bringing her along. The emotionless pegasus was still confused about her surroundings. Obsidian watched as he saw his plan going perfectly so far.
"See? It's working out so far. She's now gonna be apart of their group and we just wait for time to work its thing." Obsidian smirked.
"I can't believe you really came up with an idea like this. Then again, you have the wildest ideas out of all of us." Emerald spoke.
With the others, Rarity had lined up to try Lopunny's Dance Inferno. It seemed like it would be fairly easy. Just follow the rhythm of the song and Lopunny's movements. Rainbow Dash had flown over to get a look at this attraction. "Hey, Rarity. You wanna try this dance inferno thing?"
"Of course. I'm mostly attracted by that Pokemon over there though."
"You mean the Lopunny?" Rainbow Dash pulled out her Pokedex.
"Lopunny. The Rabbit Pokemon. An extremely cautious Pokémon. It cloaks its body with its fluffy ear fur when it senses danger. It's notably wary and has a dislike of fighting, but at the same time, it can deliver powerful kicks with its lithe legs. Lopunny regrows its coat twice a year. Mufflers and hats made from its fur are really warm."
"Isn't it a beauty? Oh I wish to have a Pokemon like that." said Rarity.
"Just looks like an average tall rabbit to me." Rainbow Dash was unimpressed.
"How rude. Can an average rabbit do that?!" Rarity pointed her hoof at Lopunny's dazzling dance moves. Well, dazzling to everypony else but Rainbow Dash.
"Pssh. I can do those move easy. They don't seem that challenging." Rainbow Dash scoffed.
The ponies who had done the dance inferno came down from the stage, exhausted. "Yikes... those moves are aggressive." A mare said, sweating bullets.
"No kidding." So was the stallion who was apart of the dance.
"Lopun?" Lopunny was looking out for any new potential dancers. "Lopunny."
"How about we both try it." Rarity grabbed Rainbow Dash with her magic as she volunteered.
"Huh? Wait! Hold on! I didn't say I wanted to dance! I can't dance anyway!" Rainbow Dash protested.
"Nonsense. After all... you said it would be easy." Rarity went up to the stage.
"Lopun. Lopunny-Lo!" Lopunny pointed at the rules as they were fairly short and simple. They read the following. The maximum dancer size is 4. Watch Lopunny's movements when she does the moves first and then mimic them after. Once it reaches the second half, flow with Lopunny at the exact same time she performs the moves as the speed increases. The winner is the one who can flow with Lopunny the best.
"Simple enough. I've dabbled in dancing myself if you must know." Rarity said.
"I haven't." Rainbow sighed.
"Lopunny!" The music started as it was simple and slow pop beat. All they had to do was follow Lopunny's movements. Can't be too hard. Lopunny's first movements were shaking her arms up and down while moving her body left and right, ever so slowly to the beat. Rainbow Dash and Rarity stood up in a bipedal position as they moved their hoofs up and down whilst moving left and right as well. The next move was Lopunny placing her right hand on her hips while waving her left one as she looked to the right. Then she turned the left with left arm down and swinging while still keeping her right hand on her hip.
"This is pretty easy actually." Rainbow Dash said as she and Rarity mimicked Lopunny's movements fairly easily. Although they had no idea what was coming next. Lopunny then stood in one place with her hand on her hip still while waving the left arm about. The two followed suit, perfectly flowing with her. The next movements were Lopunny swinging her arms up and down like she was sending water upwards at someone. The two did the same with their hooves. Rainbow Dash was getting into this even. Then Lopunny gave of a singular pose where one arm was facing up diagonally and the other facing down diagonally. Rarity and Dash followed those arm movements, diagonally posing with their hooves.
And then the hard part kicked in. The music suddenly increased in speed. Which meant that Lopunny's movements increased as well. This is no problem for a flexible and agile Pokemon like her but for everyone else, this is where the challenge really begins. This time instead of watching Lopunny's movements first, you had to copy her movements at the exact same time she starts, which means on the spot. She did the exact same moves she did last time but with a much faster pace. Rarity was feeling the pressure now.
"Oh, dear! So this is why it's called Dance Inferno! Slow down a bit!" Rarity was trying to keep up with Lopunny, seeing the Rabbit Pokemon perform these speedy moves so perfectly. Lopunny also kicked her feet up to the beat while repeating the same moves from before. Rarity and Rainbow Dash attempted to kick up one of their hooves but unfortunately, they don't have the same balance that Lopunny has. At least Rainbow Dash was keeping up with Lopunny's speed being fast herself. Lopunny switched things up next. Instead of posing with those diagonal arms, she now did a pose where she thrust her left arm forward and then sent it back to her chest while pointing her left arm to the side and finally finishing off with the diagonal pose.
But the dance kept ongoing. She then switched to the first move that she did but this time she performed the same arm thrust and then switched into the arm wave. Then back to the arm to the chest while pointing it to the other side. Followed by the arm wave, the swinging on the lower section, wave once more, arm to the chest, wave one final time and then follow up with an arm thrust, arm to the chest and the finishing move, the diagonal pose. And thus the music stopped.
"Lopunny."
Rarity was already tired as she had trouble keeping up with her moves. The pace she was moving was tricky to keep up with especially since she had to also flow with Lopunny at the same time in the second half. The unicorn had fallen the ground, sweating and tired. Rainbow Dash was the only one who managed to keep up a bit.
"Lopun. Lo-Lopunny." Lopunny grabbed Rainbow Dash's hoof, crowning her the winner. She managed to flow with Lopunny much better.
"I can't believe I won that. Barely. You okay Rarity?"
"I'm fine... just need a rest." Rarity replied as Rainbow Dash picked her up, carrying her away from the stage. But before that Lopunny stopped them by giving Rainbow Dash a crown that said 'Dance Queen'.
"Uh. Thanks."
"Lopunny." She replied, waving them goodbye.
As for the Apple family, things were going swell. The same human who had bought something from Applejack's stand back when the humans came over to visit had spread word of their delicious food. So now the entire family was racking up bits easily. Cold Colt was brought along, but he only came because Apple Bloom was there. But it's not like he couldn't do anything else. There are still attractions to try. Pinkie and Ash had introduced the still Jade to the first of their friends, Rainbow Dash and Rarity.
"Rarity! Rainbow Dash! We'd like you to meet...uhh... what is your name?" Pinkie asked.
"Jade Skies."
"Jade Skies! She doesn't emote much. Probably because she doesn't know much at all or even why and how she's here. But I know that we can show her a good time by befriending her!"
"Really now? Well nice to meet you Jade Skies." Rarity drank some refreshing water as she went to shake hooves with her. Jade looked at Rarity's hoof, unaware of what to do next.
"What are you doing?" The deadpan pony asked.
"It's a hoofshake darling. One pony holds a hoof out and other follows suit by connecting both hooves together. Try it."
Jade gently lifted her hoof up as she connected with Rarity's. "Like this?"
"Yes. Good, Jade. Now all you do is shake." Rarity moved her hoof up and down as Jade did the same. Pinkie did it to her earlier, but she had no control in that one. "Jade, darling. You seem out of it. Are you alright?"
"Sorry, Rarity," Ash commented. "But Jade here is kinda confused right now. See she doesn't know how she got here or even what a smile is. So please don't overwhelm her a lot."
"Pika-Pikachu."
"Oh my. You poor thing." Rarity pat Jade's mane. But Jade had no reaction whatsoever.
"I'm Rainbow Dash by the way. I'm a pretty awesome pony if you didn't know." Rainbow Dash flexed her hoof muscles, showing off. "If you're feeling lost, don't worry. If you're around us, there won't be a dull moment at all!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! Just hang around us and you'll be full of energy in no time!"
"Okay."
So in order to make Jade feel ecstatic, the group had let her try the attractions. They first let her have a go at Lopunny's Dance Inferno. Like everyone else, she struggled to keep up at the second half but she didn't seem to bothered by it. Then they let her ride the rollercoaster and yet she was still unaffected, even by the intense speed. Next, they let her try on a dress that Rarity quickly put together. She looked at the fancy dress as she was not phased by it.
"You look fetching in that darling. I bet any stallion would come galloping to you in mere seconds."
"You think so?" She monotonously replied to Rarity.
"Of course. Why if I were a stallion, I'd fall for you in no time."
"Yeah, yeah. Enough with the fancy girly stuff. Let's go on more Pokemon attractions!" Dash exclaimed.
"Speaking of Pokemon. We can't leave our Pokemon out of this." Ash took out this Pokeballs, sending out Dragonite, Gengar, Riolu and Farfetch'd. "You guys get to enjoy the festival too. Have a blast!"
"Rio!"
"Gengar!"
"Far...
"Drago!"
"You too, guys." Rainbow Dash sent out her Pokemon as well. Whirlipede, Braviary, Altaria and her newly added team member Luxio.
"Whirl."
"Braviary!"
"Taria!"
"Lux!"
"Oh, yeah. Meet Jade by the way. Say hi to her you guys." Ash introduced them to Jade. They said their greetings, but Dragonite did what it does best. Giving out hugs. It went over to Jade, giving her one of its nice warm hugs. This was Jade's first hug and her first time feeling it. It was warm indeed. Like all her worries were fading away. Then again, she didn't have any worries this early on.
"This feels...nice." Jade said, describing the hug. Despite this, she still didn't crack a smile.
"Ooh! You've felt your first great feeling!" Pinkie bellowed. "Still no smile though. But we'll work on it!"
"All of you are being this... nice to me. Why?"
"Why? Silly filly. It's because we look out for somepony who needs help." Pinkie Pie booped Jade's nose.
"If someone's lost, confused in trouble or anything else, we can't resist helping them." Ash leaned in. "It's practically apart of our nature, ya know."
"Pika."
"Indeed. That includes everypony. Even if they aren't friends." said Rarity.
"Friends? What are... friends?" Those words made Pinkie Pie gasp louder than last time. Not only does she not know of a smile but she's clueless about friendship? Ash and the others were surprised as well.
"Jade, darling. You don't know what friendship is?!" exclaimed Rarity.
"No."
"This is horrible! How can she not know?! Everypony at least knows about friendship or what a friend is!" Rainbow Dash ruffled her mane.
"Now calm down, Rainbow Dash. We've dealt with a situation like this before. Remember Maud? Pinkie Pie's sister?" Rarity commented.
"Yeah. But the difference between Jade and Maud is that Maud knows what friendship is and is friends with us even. Jade didn't even know it existed until you brought it up."
"You have a point." Rarity placed her hoof on her chin.
"Well. Then we'll be your friends. Your first ones." Ash went up to Jade.
"You will?" She looked up the trainer and his Pokemon.
"Oh yeah. And we'll let you meet Twilight and the others as well. She is the Princess of Friendship after all."
"Pikachu!"
"What do you say? Friends?" Ash outstretched his arm forward as Pinkie Pie and the others smiled at Jade. Jade responded by putting her hoof on Ash's hands, sealing the deal.
"Sure. Friends."
Meanwhile, at the relief zone, Fluttershy and Victini had spent a lot of time bonding. Victini had grown fond of the pegasus, even befriending her. Her kindness reminded Victini of a certain human and his Electric Mouse who helped him a few years ago. A Tailow rested on Fluttershy's mane as all the Pokemon here were drawn to Fluttershy's positive aura. Fluttershy fed him some macarons, however, they seemed to be running out of them.
"Oh. We're low on macarons. Don't worry. I'll go get some more." Fluttershy said as she fluttered away. As she was headed over to the stand where they were selling macarons, she noticed some familiar faces. To her, it looked like it was Team Rocket. She swore she could recognize Jessie's unnaturally long hair and that signature talking Meowth. But like everyone else, even Fluttershy couldn't see through the somehow genius yet basic disguise of Team Rocket. So she kept moving along until she met up with her friends who were talking to Jade. Pinkie noticed her pegasus friend as she raced towards her while grabbing Jade who was unaffected by it all.
"Fluttershy! You HAVE to meet our new friend! Jade Skies!"
"Oh. Well, hello Jade. My name is Fluttershy."
"Fluttershy. Hello." She replied with an impassive voice.
"You'll have to get used to that. You see she-" Pinkie Pie went on to explain everything about Jade so far. How she hadn't known about friendship before.
"I see. Well, I'll do my part to help you learn about friendship. But first I need to get some more macarons for Victini."
"Victini? You saw a Victini?!" Ash spoke up.
"Pika?!"
"Yes. It's right at the relief zone." Fluttershy pointed her hoof at the area.
"Man. I haven't seen a Victini in a long time...I gotta see one again!" Ash reminisced of the Victini back at the Kingdom of Vale.
"What's a Victini?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Victini's a special kind of Pokemon. It can bring victory to anyone and give then unlimited energy that it creates. I actually got to feel Victini's infinite energy once, ya know."
"A Pokemon that grants victory no matter what?! That exists?!" Rainbow Dash was a bit perplexed by that.
"Pokemon can do all sorts of things. In fact, they can do anything!"
"Pikachu!"
"Victory huh? How does it feel?" Fluttershy asked as she bought some macarons.
"It's an amazing sensation. If a Pokemon gets affected by it, they can ignore the type-disadvantage they have. If a human gets affected by it, they become like Superhuman. Well, I'm saying that cause that's what happened to me. I jumped from a far distance by instinct." Ash replied as he and the others were walking with Fluttershy to the relief zone.
"To have a Pokemon that grants victory always sounds like all the luck in the world." Rarity said. "Perhaps you should catch Victini, Rainbow Dash."
"No way. I wanna win based on my skills alone. I don't wanna cheat to victory."
"That's the spirit Dash." Ash responded to Rainbow Dash's words. They had arrived to the relief zone as Victini spotted more ponies coming along as it hid by turning invisible. However, it quickly became visible when it noticed a familiar face. It was Ash and Pikachu. Victini still remembered them. The Victory Pokemon's eyes lit up with joy as it flew over to the two.
"Tini!" It flew around Ash, glad to be back with him.
"Victini... You're THAT same Victini! It's so good to see you again!" Ash smiled as he gave Victini a hug.
"You've already met? Wonderful!" Fluttershy commented.
"Glad to see you're free to go wherever you want now Victini."
"Victini! Tini!"
"Dragonite?" Dragonite went to Victini. The Victory Pokemon looked up at the Dragon Pokemon, terrified at the stature of it. But that fear was diminished as Dragonite gave it a hug. At first, Victini was about to turn invisible and release its psychic energy. But again, Dragonite's hugs are just that comforting. "Dra."
"Tini..." Victini melted in the Dragon Pokemon's loving hugs.
Jade was just watching all of this happen. Seeing them all talk and be happy while they feed Victini macarons and eat some of their own was still something she didn't understand. Is this what friends do? Sit around and chat all day. Pikachu went up to Jade, holding a macaron in his hand.
"Pikachu-Pi?" Pikachu raised the macaron up, wanting to give it to Jade. Jade couldn't really understand Pikachu at all as she just looked at him with dull eyes.
"I think Pikachu wants to give a macaron," Fluttershy said to Jade.
"Give me?"
"Mhm. That's what friends do, Jade. They share."
"Pikachu!"
So, Jade took the macaron and bit into it. The second best thing she's eaten today. "This also tastes good."
"Pika-Pikapi!"
"When we get to Twilight, I'm sure you'll understand friendship in no time." Fluttershy smiled as she sat next to her fellow pegasi.
The first day of the festival was coming to an end. Twilight and Cadence had tired themselves out in the library as they fell asleep. Twilight dozed off on Cadence's stomach as they were slumped on the pile of books. But even with nighttime closing in, the festival will still continue. But some are here for other reasons. Adagio was lurking in the shadows, bent on ruining it all for Twilight. Her plans to ruin Twilight all failed so far, but she felt lucky about this one. Because she had sought out of the many enemies of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Her solution?
Team up with Chrysalis.
Night at the Pokemon Festival. It still carried on as there were lights shining across Canterlot. At night, the attractions that were available were Volbeat and Illumise's light show, Flight of Fancy which is available for Pegasi and Flying-Types, Tangrowth's Swing-Along and more of Lopunny's Dance Inferno.
Jade was still hanging out with Ash and the others, trying to understand the meaning of friendship and what it was. But right now, Adagio and Chrysalis who were now teaming up had their ideas already set.
"This better work. So you're going to disguise yourself as one of Sparkle's friends right?" Adagio turned to Chrysalis.
"Precisely. If we are to make this plan successful, I need to make sure that none of her other friends suspects anything unusual." Chrysalis transformed into Rarity. "First we have to make sure that the real Rarity is out of the picture."
"Can you even pull off that irritating posh accent?"
"Obviously, I can. I can mimic anypony's voice without any struggle whatsoever. And ever since I was Cadence, I've learned not to blow my cover. I'll have to act as kind as I can be. Even if it may be torture. Now, let us get moving, my little pony."
"Don't give me orders." Adagio walked off, wearing a cloak as Chrysalis set out to play her part. Rarity was inside Canterlot, working with her Swadloons. She had been requested by a pony to make a dress for their Dartrix. Little did Rarity know that Adagio was closing in on her. The festival at night was significantly quieter than in the day, but there was still some noise outside. Indoors, it was total silence. Celestia had given everypony a room to stay in for the night while the festival continues. Rarity was humming a theme, unbeknownst of what is lurking behind her. Adagio observed her surroundings and noticed the Swadloons. If they're here then capturing Rarity would be harder than it looks. But not for Chrysalis. The Changeling Queen had crept up on the group of Leaf-Wrapped Pokemon, knocking them out with a small concussive magic ray. All Rarity could hear was the sound of something hitting the floor.
"Hm?" She turned around to see her Swadloon's down on the floor. "Darlings! Are you alright?!" She gasped, galloping over to them as they were out of it right now. Then, Adagio came from behind and whacked Rarity in the head with a dress rack, knocking her out as well.
"See? Easy. Now, what do we do with her?" Adagio asked.
"We'll put her somewhere unknown. Last time I trapped Cadence in those mines... but they found a way out. We'll need a place where nopony can ever find her. As they were discussing what to do with Rarity, one Swadloon managed to stay conscious for a bit, overhearing and seeing everything. "I'll try the mines again, but this time I'll make sure the entrance is sealed." Hearing this, Swadloon used String Shot as a string emerged from its mouth, grabbing onto Chrysalis's eyes. "AGH!"
"Swad!" Swadloon kept the string on her eyes without letting go as Adagio tried to break it. But Swadloon's string was too thick to be broken normally. Chrysalis grunted as she used her magic to repel Swadloon, eventually knocking it out as well. Chrysalis removed the string from her eyes, shaking her head.
"How annoying these Pokemon are. Let's go, pony."
Pikachu was eating some macarons with Victini as the two of them were starting to tire out, ready to doze off for the night.
"These two are on the tired side. I think we'd better get them to bed," said Fluttershy, picking Victini up.
"I'd better get some sleep too or else I'll space out tomorrow." Ash picked up Pikachu. "Come on buddy, let's get some shuteye."
"Pika..."
"Ya'll get some rest now. We'll be out here." Applejack said.
"Even party ponies need some sleep." Pinkie Pie grumbled as her body felt wobbly and tired. "Carry me Rainbow."
"Alright. Let's go." Rainbow Dash picked Pinkie Pie up, heading towards the indoors of Canterlot. "Braviary. You all stay here."
The multi-coloured pegasus led her pink pony friend inside as she had instantly dozed off, letting out loud snores. Heading towards the rooms, she spotted who she thought was just Rarity, but really it was Chrysalis. "Hey, Rarity. Are you headed for some shuteye too?"
"Hm?" Chrysalis perked up. "Oh, uh yes darling... The night does drain you. But before that, I need to speak with Ash quickly. Any idea where he might be?"
"Ash is about to put Pikachu to bed. Who knows what he'll be doing next. I know what I'm gonna be doing for the night. Owning those attractions. What do you wanna talk to him about anyway?"
"Oh. It's a private talk. If you don't mind." Chrysalis walked off.
"Private talk?" Rainbow Dash started imagining the wildest outcomes. She shook her head, clearing her mind. "No way. I'm thinking too much."
Ash had entered a small room in Canterlot, placing his buddy down on the bed and tucking him in.
"Pika..chu.." Pikachu looked up at Ash, getting comfortable.
"Feeling cosy, Pikachu?" Ash sat down next to him.
"Pika..." Pikachu raised his hands up, wanting something before Ash left.
"You want... a song?"
"Pika-Pika-pi."
"Ah, I got you. You want me to sing the song that mom and I know. Alright." Ash put his hands over his buddy's head, petting his soft head.
The Poké Ball is your bed
Curl up and close your eyes
In the morning your wounds will heal
If, if you come into my dreams
To play with me...
It's just something I thought about
Good night, good night, good night
A bright star is shining
I have sleepless nights too
Come here into my arms
We'll talk, just the two of us
If, if we don't have a meeting
I want to listen to you, but...
Pikachu? Asleep already?
Good night, good night, good night
The star has drifted away now
Good night, good night, good night
Soon, I'll sleep too
"Pika..." Pikachu had dozed off once hearing that song, falling asleep for sure. Adagio who was near had heard the song. Hearing it made her miss her own singing talent greatly. It made her jealous that everyone else, including Ash, can sing and she no longer can. She placed her hoof near her neck, trying to sing, but there was no melody coming out. The harsh truth was that she really did lose her ability to sing. And this Cutie Mark she was granted when she was turned into a pony didn't mean anything. So, Adagio just walked away.
Ash exited the room, leaving Pikachu to sleep through the night until Chrysalis disguised as Rarity came along. "Ash, darling. There you are."
"Oh, hey Rarity."
"I need to talk to you about something for a bit."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well. I was wondering. How much do you love Pikachu?" Chrysalis asked. She figured that the best place to get tons of love is with Ash and Pikachu. From how they managed to overpower her back at the Royal Wedding showed that their love is a force to be reckoned.
"How much? We're kinda like a family. I can even consider him both a brother and a best friend. Pikachu's been there with me since the day I began my journey." Ash started to reminisce. "I remember that day still. He was pretty stubborn at first, but once those Spearow's attacked, he put himself forward to protect both of us. We've been through a lot over the years. We've gone through a ton of battles, met so many people and been to so many towns and even made a bunch of friends. He's my pride and joy. And I'm glad to have him as my best buddy. So yeah, we both love each other a lot."
Hearing this and feeling Ash's love for Pikachu was fueling Chrysalis. What Ash was saying was true. A love that was so potent and so long-lasting and so powerful that they're considered family. So strong that it even proved to be Chrysalis could feel it coursing through her. All that love managed to make her eyes flash green for a second.
"Amazing. You truly do love your Pikachu." Chrysalis laughed as her horn started to glow green along with her eyes flashing. Ash noticed this and recognized that same magic and green glow.
"Wait a sec... you're Chrysalis!"
"Right you are, boy. So long!" Chrysalis was about to trap Ash with Rarity inside the caves by surrounding him with green fire. Ash reacted to this as he jumped away from the flames. "All that love you gave to me was amazing. I can even look the part now." Chrysalis suddenly started to transform as she changed into Ash. Height, hair, clothing and everything.
"You're still bent on taking over, huh?"
"Of course. I still haven't forgotten how much you humiliated me back at the Royal Wedding!" Chrysalis conjured up green magic in her now human hands, starting to get used to the human body. "If it wasn't for you... I could've won!" Chrysalis fired a beam of magic at Ash, but the immortal trainer moved out of the way. "With you out of the way, victory is within my sights now!" Chrysalis ran towards Ash, ready to strike him with magic surrounding her hand. She sent it down, however, Ash caught her hand.
"Yeah right! Even without me, you still won't be a match for Twilight and the others! They've got love strong enough to beat you now. And you're still forgetting about Cadence and Shining Armor." Ash smirked.
"Nonsense!" Chrysalis blasted Ash away by firing magic from her eyes, leaving a burn mark on Ash's shirt. "Their love might be growing, but so will my power. As long as I feed on all the love they hold, I will have no limit to how strong I can get!"
"We'll see." Ash got up from the ground, staring Chrysalis down.
"On second thought. I think it would be best if I destroyed you!" Chrysalis sent a destructive ball of magic towards the trainer. It looked like it was about to obliterate Ash, but his aura had kicked in. His bond with Riolu had made his hidden aura more prominent nowadays. The aura around Ash protected him from the ball as it stopped it in place unconsciously.
Seeing this made him remember what happened with Sir Aaron. "Isn't this what Sir Aaron did to stop the war...?" Ash couldn't think about it for too long. He put his arm forward, depleting the magic ball into aura dust.
"How did you...?" Chrysalis looked confused. Ash's aura had unfortunately faded away. He still didn't have a good grasp on it yet. "No matter!" Chrysalis was about to attack Ash again. This time the trainer decided to make a run for it, avoiding the attacks headed for him.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried out for his Pokemon's name. Pikachu heard Ash's cry as he jumped out of bed as fast as he could.
"Pikapi?!" Pikachu ran out of the room, seeing double. There were two Ash's. One who was avoiding magic beams from the other. "P-Pikapi?"
"Quick Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Ash exclaimed. Chrysalis turned around to see Pikachu, ready to blast him.
"Pika...CHUU!" Pikachu stopped her attack by shocking her with 10,000 volts of lightning. Chrysalis felt the shocks, realising her body couldn't handle that much power yet. She fell on her knees, paralyzed.
"You rat! Get lost! Both of you!" Chrysalis unleashed a magic field that trapped Ash. "So long Ash Ketchum! Join your friend Rarity in those damp caves!" Chrysalis was sending Ash down through the ground as green flames surrounded him.
"Pikapi!"
"P-Pikachu! Don't worry about me! Get some help!" Ash was gone, down to the caves with Rarity. Chrysalis then turned her focus to Pikachu, ready to deal with him next.
"Now for you. I won't be humiliated by a mouse a second time!" Chrysalis went to grab Pikachu, but the Electric Mouse Pokemon jumped up, using Iron Tail on her head. Chrysalis felt the hard iron hit her as it was enough to halt her movements. Not only that but it made her revert back to her normal form. She really did feel that impact. "T-This can't be... I can't lose like this so easily." Chrysalis grunted. Pikachu proved to be too much for her. "I have the love of your trainer... how are you so strong?"
"Pika-Pika." Pikachu crossed his arms. To make matters worse for Chrysalis, Shining Armor and the guards heard all of the commotions in this one area as they had arrived to check it out. Shining immediately saw Chrysalis down on the ground with Pikachu standing there, victorious.
"Chrysalis?! Good job Pikachu!" Shining Armor congratulated him.
"Pika." Pikachu felt proud of himself. The guards all surrounded Chrysalis, ready to lock her up and restrain her so she doesn't try and do anything. But at the moment she couldn't thanks to Pikachu paralyzing her and dealing massive damage to her head.
"This can't be how it ends..." Chrysalis groaned. "I'm not alone in this. Just you wait. Victory will be mine somehow!"
"Yeah, yeah. You lost a second time. Now come on. Let's go." said Shining Armor as he and the guards were walking her to the dungeon.
Pikachu took a deep breath. But it wasn't over yet. He still had to get Ash back. Luckily, since he was once trapped in the caves with Twilight back at the wedding day, he knows where his best buddy is. But he needed some help. He chased Shining Armor down to tell him about Ash's whereabouts.
Down at the caves. Ash had fallen his back, feeling the hard rocks hit him. "Ow..." He groaned as he got back up, rubbing his back. "Where am I?" His voice echoed. Then he heard another voice echo in the caves. A familiar voice. He walked towards the direction of the cry as he could hear the sounds of hooves smashing against the hard crystal walls.
"Let me out! Somepony! Anypony!" Rarity was shouting at the top of her lungs. She had been trying to get herself out here by continuously smashing the walls. Her hooves were hurting though.
"Rarity?!" Ash exclaimed. The unicorn turned around to see a familiar and friendly face.
"Ash? Ash, darling!" Rarity galloped over, hugging Ash as she was crying her eyes out. "I'm so glad you're here! I've been stuck down this horrible cave for hours now!" It's actually been 23 minutes. "I'm losing my mind down here! And I can't even gather these crystals!"
"Don't worry, Rarity. We'll get out of here. I've asked Pikachu to get help. And I know he will. Chrysalis kinda came back here and tried to take me out with all the love she stole from me."
"Queen Chrysalis? She's back?! This is horrible! What if she's already changed into somepony we know! Like me! Or Fluttershy! Or Twilight! This is a disaster!" Rarity began to pull her mane, panicking.
"Well, she did turn into me."
"She did?! The nerve of her! If she's going to turn into you, she better not have your clothing! Somepony like her isn't worthy to wear all the hard work I put into making it."
"Now, how did Twilight, Pikachu and Cadence get out of here the last time?" Ash started looking around to see if there was a way to leave. He couldn't just wait for help. He also had to try. "Maybe through here?" Ash had tossed some rocks aside, hoping to find a pathway, but it was just nothing. "Help me out here, Rarity."
"But my hooves are still sore." Rarity sighed. But she helped anyways.
On the outside, Pikachu had informed Shining Armor of Ash being trapped in the caves underneath Canterlot.
"I see. Where my Cadence was trapped before. Don't worry, I'll get him and Rarity back. You all keep Chrysalis contained while I go and rescue Ash." Shining Armor said to the guards. "Lead the way Pikachu."
Pikachu led Shining Armor, digging into his memory. He remembered him, Twilight and Cadence exiting out of the caves right near the garden. The Canterlot Gardens had a secret hole that hadn't been known by anypony for years now. Only Chrysalis knew of it. Which is how she managed to find the caves in the first place. "Pikachu. Pika-Pi-chu." Pikachu pointed at the hole that was cleverly hidden by a patch of grass. He used his tail to clear away the grass, revealing the entrance. Pikachu hopped inside as Shining Armor followed suit.
Ash and Rarity were still putting in work on getting out of here until could hear something. It sounded like rocks falling at first. Then the sounds shifted to the sounds of hoofs touching the ground." Is somepony else hear?" Rarity questioned.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu's voice echoed through the caves, grabbing both of their attention.
"It's Pikachu! Pikachu! Hey!" Ash responded to the echo as he was running towards the direction it came from. Pikachu and Shining Armor both picked up Ash's voice as well, racing to the location of where the sound travelled. The four of them eventually crossed paths, seeing each other once more. "Buddy!" Ash ran over to see his best pal as they both gave each other a huge hug.
"Pikapi!"
"You two okay?" Shining Armor asked.
"Oh, yes. We are! Finally some freedom! Once I get out of here, I'll give that Chrysalis the mother of all hoof beatings!"
"No need. We've kept her contained in the dungeon by now. Pikachu's attacks seemed to really stop her movements. She won't be going anywhere for a long time. Plus we've finally officially caught her."
"Pika-Pikachu."
"Good job, buddy. Guess you're living up to your title of noble huh?" Ash laughed.
"Pika-Pika-Pika-Pi." Pikachu laughed back.
"You all go and get some rest or enjoy the festival. We'll continue to keep watch."
"Alright. Thanks, Shining." Ash and the others left the caves as Shining Armor returned to keep an eye on everything. He still remembers what Chrysalis said about her not being alone. It could be that more changelings are around somewhere. But in actuality, it was Adagio.
The Swadloons went up to Rarity, happy to see their trainer was free and alright. She gave each of the Bug-Grass-Types a hug. "No need to worry, darlings. I'm back. And thank you so much, Ash. I might have to make you something as a thanks."
"Heh. You're welcome Rarity. Stay safe, alright?" Ash and Pikachu waved her goodbye as they went off to have a rest. The two of them laid on the bed, ready to let the night pass.
The first day of the festival has ended. Now the second day can begin.
