Gotta Dash 'em All-Chapter 12

Gotta Dash 'em All
-Chapter 12: Reunion in Unova

“Oh, my head…” Rainbow Dash sat up and rubbed her head. “What hit me? It looked like… Twilight?!?” She quickly darted her head back and forth, but was disappointed when she didn’t see Twilight anywhere. She sighed, “I must be losing it,” and turned around, only to find herself staring directly into a pair of big blue eyes. “AH!” She jumped.

“Hi Dashie!” Pinkie giggled. “Enjoying your vacation?”

“P-Pinkie?!?” Rainbow rubbed her eyes with her hooves. “Does this mean I made it back to Equestria?”

“Nopesy dopesy” Pinkie giggled. “Me and Twilight were just on our way here to look for you, but as soon as we got here there you were. You crashed into us and sent both of us flying way up into the air. You also popped my balloons. I lost Twilight but I found you.”

“But, how did you survive falling from that height?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“I found this balloon when I was falling, so I grabbed onto it and it stopped me.” She lowered a purple balloon in front of Rainbow Dash’s face.

“Loon?” The balloon looked confused, and Rainbow Dash quickly realized it wasn’t a normal balloon.

“Um, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash started, “I think that might be a Pokemon?”

“A what?” Pinkie asked. She turned the balloon around and saw that it had eyes and a tiny mouth. “EEK!” She hugged it tightly “It’s so cute!”

“Loon?” The Drifloon was very confused about the strange pink creature that was hugging it.

“Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, “I think you should be a bit more careful with that. It might get mad.”

“Aw, but it’s so cute Dashie” Pinkie argues as she hugged the Drifloon. “Can I keep you?”

“Floon,” the Drifloon blinked in confusion for a moment, then smiled and nodded, “Floon Drifloon.”

“And a hearty Drifloon to you too,” Pinkie giggled as she patted the Drifloon on the head. “I’m gonna call you Looney, because you like saying Loon and ponies always call me that anyway.”

“Loon Loon,” Looney nodded happily.

“I can’t wait to introduce you to Gummy,” Pinkie released Looney from the hug. Looney rose into the air, wrapping the end of one of its stringy arms around the end of Pinkie’s tail.

Rainbow Dash blinked and said “Wow, that was a lot easier than the first Pokemon I caught.”

“You got one too?!?” Pinkie beamed and ran up to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow grinned proudly and announced “Actually, I have two. Check it out.” She reached for her belt and took out the Pokeballs.

“Oh,” pinkie stared intently at the Pokeballs, then back at Looney, before she commented “mine’s bigger.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow grinned and tossed the Pokeballs into the air. They both opened and Oshawott and Mandibuzz appeared.

“Cool!” Pinkie smiled and hopped up to Mandibuzz. “What a big birdie.” She lifted Mandibuzz’s wing and started looking at its feathers.

“Buzz?” Mandibuzz looked at Rainbow Dash, perplexed.

“Don’t worry, Mandibuzz,” Rainbow replied, “she’s my friend. She’s not going to hurt you.”

“Osha?” Oshawott looked confused at Pinkie.

When she heard Oshawott speak, Pinkie turned to look at the source of the voice. When she saw Oshawott, she squealed in delight. “Aw! It’s so adorable, Dashie!” She gave Oshawott a big bear hug.

“Oshawott!” Oshawott struggled to breathe, so it shot Pinkie in the side of the head with a Water Gun.

Pinkie let go of Oshawott and giggled “Cool! You’re like a living squirt gun!”

“Oshawott?” Oshawott looked at Pinkie, then Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash giggled a bit and trotted up to Pinkie. “Careful, Pinkie, Oshawott here can be really tough when he wants to be.”

“There you are!” an excited voice exclaimed from above them.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie both looked up and saw Twilight hovering above them. “Twilight!” Rainbow beamed, “I was wondering where you were.”

“Sorry to worry you, Rainbow,” Twilight touched down in front of the two, “but I got a bit held up.”

“By what?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“By this,” Twilight turned, revealing a small gray Pokemon with large ears curled up on her back.

The Pokemon looked up and smiled, “Minccino.”

“Cool, Twilight,” Rainbow grinned, “when did you find that?”

“Well,” Twilight began.

***

Twilight groggily awoke after her crash, rubbing her head in pain. “Did somepony get the number of that bus?” Suddenly, she started feeling a tickling on her wing. She looked down at her wing and found it covered in dirt from her crash. There was a small gray rodent using its tail to brush the dust off of her. “Eek!” She jumped up, not recognizing the strange creature.

“Cinno!” The rodent crouched down and wrapped its tail in front of itself, shivering in fear at this sudden outburst.

When Twilight saw the fear on the rodent’s face, she slowly walked up to it and frowned “There there, I’m sorry. You just startled me.”

“Minccino,” the rodent closed its eyes, not wanting to see the strange purple creature it was sure was about to attack. However, instead of an attack, it began to feel a wing gently petting it.

“It’s okay,” Twilight petted the rodent, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Cinno?” Minccino looked up at Twilight, smiling a bit.

Twilight smiled back, “Aw, you were just trying to clean my wing, weren’t you?”

“Cinno, Minccino,” Minccino nodded happily.

“Thanks, little guy,” Twilight smiled. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were trying to help.”

“Minccino,” Minccino stood up and brushed Twilight’s wing with its tail again.

Twilight giggled and said “That tickles.” She smiled warmly, “You really like to clean, don’t you?”

“Cinno, Cinno,” Minccino nodded.

“Well then, maybe you can come back to my library with me. I’m sure my assistant, Spike, would love having a friend to help him with the cleaning.”

“Minccino!” Minccino beamed and hugged Twilight.

Twilight smiled, “I’ll take that as a yes.” She picked up Minccino with her magic. “Hang on, we need to go find my friends.” She spread her wings and took off above the trees.

***

“Aw!” Pinkie grabbed the Minccino and hugged it tightly, declaring “It’s so soft and cuddly!”

“Cinno!” Minccino gasped.

“Careful, Pinkie,” Twilight insisted as she grabbed Minccino in her magical aura, “you’ll hurt it if you hug it too hard.”

“I doubt it,” Rainbow told her, “Pokemon are really tough, even the small ones.”

“Pokemon?” Twilight asked, “Is that what this is called?”

“Not exactly,” Rainbow shook her head. “You see, all of these are Pokemon,” she gave a quick sweep of her hoof, panning over the clearing. When Twilight followed Rainbow’s hoof, she finally noticed Mandibuzz, Oshawott, and Looney.

“Wow,” Twilight flew up to Mandibuzz and mentioned “I’ve never seen a bird this large before.”

“That’s Mandibuzz,” Rainbow nodded. “She’s really tough.”

“She?” Twilight asked, “How do you know it’s a she?”

“Oh that’s easy,” Rainbow shrugged, “Nurse Joy told me all Mandibuzz are female.”

“Wait, who’s Nurse Joy?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion.

“Oh yeah,” Rainbow Dash answered, “I think it would be easier if I just tell you what’s happened since I got here.”

“Okay, Rainbow,” Twilight took a seat, Minccino sitting in her lap.

“Yay, story time!” Pinkie pulled a bucket of popcorn out of her mane and sat down. Looney floated next to her and used its stringy arms to grab a few pieces of popcorn.

Rainbow Dash sat down and cleared her throat, but just as she opened her mouth to speak she was interrupted by Twilight, who jumped up and pointed to the sky, yelling “Dragon!”

Rainbow Dash looked up and smiled as she saw Charizard flying straight toward them. “Hey Charizard,” she waved, “did Ash send you to find me?” Charizard nodded.

Twilight’s jaw dropped and she stammered “You-you know this dragon?”

“He’s not a dragon, Twilight,” Rainbow laughed as she gave Charizard a pat on the back, “he’s another Pokemon. We had a great sparring match the other day and became great buddies. He even saved me when these guys called Team Rocket tried to capture me.”

A voice came from the trees, announcing “I found her!” All eyes turned to the trees as Iris bushed a few branches aside. She beamed when she saw Rainbow Dash. “There you are Rainbow Dash,” she waved, “we were worried about you after we saw you crash.”

“Um, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, “Who is this?”

“This is my new friend Iris,” Rainbow replied as she flew down and landed next to Iris, “she’s one of my new friends I’ve made in this universe.” She turned to Iris and continued “Iris, these are my friends Twilight Sparkle and-”

Rainbow Dash was cut off as Pinkie jumped up, grabbed Iris’ hand, and started shaking it rapidly. “Hi I’m Pinkie Pie, the bestest party pony in Ponyville. I love making new friends and Rainbow Dash is one of my best friends and you’re her friend so that means we should be friends too!”

Iris giggled at Pinkie’s enthusiasm, “It’s nice to meet you Pinkie Pie. Sure, I’ll be your friend if you want. If you’re as nice as Rainbow Dash says then I think we’ll be great friends.”

“Alright!” Pinkie cheered as she gave Iris a big hug.

The trees began moving behind them as Ash, Cilan, Professor Juniper, Cynthia, and Fennel stepped into the clearing. Rainbow Dash waved at them and said “Hey guys.”She flew down to the group. “Ash, Cilan, everyone, I’d like you to meet my good friends Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle.”

“Hi,” Ash smiled and waved to Twilight and Pinkie, “I‘m Ash.”

“And I’m Cilan,” Cilan continued.

“Pikachu!” Pikachu smiled.

“Yay!” Pinkie smiled, quickly running from one person to the next, giving them handshakes and, in the case of Pikachu and Axew, hugs. “This is so exciting, so many new friends in one day!”

“Yeah,” Twilight smiled, “I was worried since this was another dimension the inhabitants might not be very friendly, so it’s good to see I was wrong.”

“I understand,” Ash nodded, “your friend was gone in a land where she didn’t know anyone. If that happened to one of my friends I’d be really worried about who she runs into too.”

Cilan looked up at Rainbow Dash and said “I’m glad to see you weren’t hurt in that crash.”
“Aw, you know a crash like that isn’t gonna hurt me,” Rainbow smirked.

“Yeah, that is something I was wondering about,” Twilight interjected, “how did you and me go through a crash like that and not get a single broken bone? Back in Equestria a crash like that would have been disastrous.”

“I believe I can answer that,” Professor Juniper responded. She stepped up to Twilight and offered a handshake, “First, allow me to introduce myself, I am Professor Juniper, the leading scientist here in the Unova region.”

Twilight beamed in excitement when she heard this, and she eagerly accepted the handshake. “It’s great to meet you,” she smiled, “I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Professor Juniper smiled, “It’s great to meet you too; Rainbow Dash told me so much about you. I must say it’s not every day you meet a princess, so it’s quite an honor to meet you.”

“It’s an honor to meet you too,” Twilight smiled, “it’s not every day you meet a famous professor.”

“That’s right,” Professor Juniper laughed, “Rainbow Dash told me you loved to study. I believe the word she used was…” she thought for a moment before she remembered “egghead.” Rainbow Dash covered her mouth and giggled, while Twilight shot her a good-natured smirk.

“Anyway,” Twilight continued, “you said you knew why we weren’t hurt in that crash?”

“Why yes,” Professor Juniper nodded, “it seems to me that the laws of physics in our two universes are slightly different. What would cause a serious injury in your universe would only cause a minor one here, and while you’re here you are subject to our universe’s laws of physics. Thus, while you’re here, your bodies are much more resilient than they are back in your own universe.”

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash grinned, “That means while we’re here, we’re like superheroes!”

“Unfortunately,” Professor Juniper added, “it might also mean that when you return home you will no longer be fireproof. You may in fact retain some of your newfound resilience, but will likely lose some of it, so for a while you will need to be careful until you learn what you can do.”

“Wait,” Twilight interrupted, “Rainbow Dash is fireproof here?”

“Kinda,” Rainbow responded, “fire still hurts me if it hits me directly, but if I fly with it it doesn’t affect me. I can even combine it with my Sonic Rainboom to make an Inferno Rainboom.”

“Exactly,” Professor Juniper nodded, “in your own universe you would not be able to do that, the flames would cause severe damage. When you return, you might not be able to do that anymore.”

“Eh, I can live with that,” Rainbow shrugged, “as long as I can still use my Cosmic Rainboom with Mandibuzz. It’s not fire, so it shouldn’t hurt me anyway.”

“That might actually work,” Professor Juniper smiled, “I hope you can tell me how it turns out when you try it.”

“Don’t worry, I will,” Rainbow smiled. “I told you I’d find a way to send you a postcard from Equestria, and I intend to keep that promise.”

Twilight interrupted her, “But Rainbow Dash, when we get home how would you intend to send a message like that?”

“With this,” Cynthia spoke up, holding up the Lustrous Orb. “Twilight Sparkle, you were able to open a rift between dimensions using your magic, correct?”

“Yes,” Twilight raised an eyebrow, “why?”

“Because,” Cynthia replied, “if you have such a power, perhaps you will be able to replicate the power of the Lustrous Orb. This orb amplifies the power of the legendary Pokemon Palkia, which has the power to warp space. When you arrived we were using it to attempt to send Rainbow Dash home. It was working, but due to a bit of unfortunate timing you showed up just before it could finish. Because it was working on its own, and your power can open dimensional rifts, I believe that if you can connect your magic to the power of the Lustrous Orb, it will give you the ability to willingly travel between our dimensions.”

“Really?” Twilight’s eyes widened. “Well, it’s worth a try,” she added as her horn began to glow. The Lustrous Orb began to glow as well, although the color of its glow was a bright pink instead of the magenta of Twilight’s horn. “I feel something,” Twilight said, “something odd…” There was a flash of light and Twilight was blasted across the clearing into a tree. The Lustrous Orb stopped glowing and fell to the ground.

“Twilight!” Everyone yelled in unison as they ran to Twilight’s aid.

“Are you okay, Twilight?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight rubbed her horn and responded “I’m not sure. I feel strange, like my magic changed.” She stood up, shaking as she felt energy pulsating in her horn. “AH!” Her horn lit up and shot a burst of pink energy into the air. Everyone looked up and gasped at what they saw. Floating in the air above them was a portal exactly like the one which had sent them to Unova in the first place. Twilight’s horn stopped glowing, and the portal disappeared. She rubbed her horn, relieved that the pain had stopped. She then turned to Cynthia and asked “What was that?”

Cynthia stood in shock and replied “Spacial Rend. It’s an attack that normally only Palkia can use. When the Lustrous Orb reacted with your magic, it must have given you the ability to use that move.”

“You mean it worked?” Rainbow asked excitedly. “Aw yeah!” She hugged Twilight. “Now we can come back here and visit whenever we want.”

“That may be, Rainbow,” Twilight calmly pushed Rainbow off of her, “but we’ll need a lot of study to make sure this is safe.”

“Okay,” Rainbow sighed, “I guess we can’t be too careful with this, since if it goes wrong you could get hurt. Still,” she perked up, “let’s stay here a day and go home at night, okay? Since you can do that Spacial Rending thing, you can send us back whenever you want.”

“Yeah, Twilight,” Pinkie smiled, “and this time you don’t need to look for the spot in the air to go home through, since you can aim the portal right home.”

“Fine,” Twilight giggled, “I guess one day here wouldn’t hurt. It’ll give me some time to study this dimension and learn about these Pokemon things.”

“Minccino,” Minccino ran up and hugged Twilight’s leg happily.

Professor Juniper saw Minccino and smiled, “I see you’ve already found a Pokemon to be your partner. It’s a Minccino.”

“Oh, oh!” Pinkie hopped over to Professor Juniper and held up Looney. “Look, I found a Pokemon too. I call him Looney.”

Professor Juniper smiled and petted Looney. “What a cute nickname for a Drifloon.” She reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out a pair of Pokeballs, handing one to Pinkie and one to Twilight. “Here you go, now you can actually catch Minccino and Drifloon and officially become their trainers.”

Twilight looked at the Pokeball, perplexed, before speaking up. “How am I supposed to catch this Pokemon in something so small?”

“Like this, Twilight,” Pinkie replied as she pressed the button on the Pokeball against Looney’s forehead. The ball opened and Looney began to glow red, before getting pulled into the Pokeball. The button on the front of the Pokeball blinked red a few times before it stopped.

“How did you know what to do with it?” Twilight asked as she did the same thing to Minccino and caught it.

“Easy,” Pinkie smiled, “I saw Rainbow Dash send her Pokemon out of balls just like these, and I saw the button on the front and thought it must be what turns them on.”

“That’s right,” Rainbow nodded, “they’re called Pokeballs. I have to admit it was a lot easier for you to catch your first Pokemon than it was for me to catch mine, unless you count Oshawott.”

“Wait a minute,” Twilight stood up, “how many of these Pokemon do you have?”

“Two,” Rainbow pointed to Mandibuzz and Oshawott.

“Oh, so that’s why those two were standing next to you this whole time,” Twilight responded as she sent out Minccino.

Pinkie threw her Pokeball in the air and sent out Looney. “It must be so cramped in there, so you can stay out here Looney.” She hugged Looney.

“I don‘t think so,” Twilight pointed out, “it looked like their bodies were converted to energy while they were inside the Pokeballs, so size probably doesn’t matter to them.”

“That’s correct, Twilight,” Professor Juniper smiled, “I’m impressed that you figured that out so quickly.”

“Thanks, Professor,” Twilight replied. She then turned to Rainbow Dash and asked “By the way, Rainbow Dash, what did you mean it was harder for you to catch your first Pokemon?”

“Well, the first Pokemon I got period was Oshawott here,” Rainbow pointed to Oshawott. “Professor Juniper there gave him to me for free as a starter to help me catch other Pokemon. I actually caught Mandibuzz on accident when I was trying to catch a different Pokemon.”

“Okay,” Twilight nodded, “but I still don’t understand what’s so hard about that.”

Rainbow smirked and continued “It’s hard because, most of the time, when you catch a Pokemon you need to battle it.”

Twilight gasped “Battle it?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow grinned, “remember how Professor Juniper said creatures in this world are stronger than creatures in Equestria? Well, that’s a big part of it. The wild Pokemon don’t always want to be caught, and if you want to catch one that doesn’t you need to battle it so it won’t be able to fight its way out of the Pokeball. You and Pinkie got lucky because you found wild Pokemon that wanted you to catch them, so they didn’t even try to fight it, but when I caught Mandibuzz it was caught because it had been badly beaten by another wild Pokemon, the same one that I had been trying to catch.”

“You mean you caught that Pokemon against its will?” Twilight’s eyes widened. “What would Fluttershy say if she found out about that?”

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Rainbow insisted, “me and Mandibuzz are pals now.” She proved her point by hugging Mandibuzz, who smiled happily and hugged her back. “See, it’s just like getting a new pet. They might not like it at first, but you bond with them and they become your friends.”

“It’s true,” Ash spoke up, “I’ve caught lots of Pokemon that didn’t want to be caught at first, but every one of them is now a good friend. You just have to treat the Pokemon well and show them that you want to be a team, and they’ll be your friends in time.”

“Interesting,” Twilight looked at Minccino. She looked up and turned to face professor Juniper. “Professor Juniper,” she started, “before I leave I want to catch one more Pokemon, but this time I want to actually battle it.”

“Me too! Me too!” Pinkie cheered, “I want to get lots and lots of Pokemon friends for Looney.”

Professor Juniper smiled and replied “Very well, before you leave I’ll make sure each one of you catches at least one more Pokemon.”