Lucy sighed softly as she looked up at the slightly-familiar sign welcoming her back to Las Pegasus. It seemed so long ago, yet was also such a short time, that she’d been a Riolu and was standing here with Sam and Vincent. The start of something new for them all. And now she was wiser, stronger, and-

Move!

She couldn’t quite explain where the feeling came from, but she dodged to one side all the same to barely catch a glimpse of a red dart shooting past. Tracing its trajectory back led to her looking at a pony with a blowgun. The Lucario put two and two together rapidly and put on a burst of Extreme Speed. The colt looked shocked that the Pokemon he had been aiming at that was previously twenty feet away was now in his face. He didn’t have time to think very much longer, as the Pokemon drew her fist back, causing a glowing bone to materialize in it. A second later saw him flying over the city, and he was glad of his wings. It’d make landing not so painful. Assuming he didn’t black out.

Lucy growled to herself. Just what in Arceus’ name is going on here? The tingling intensified a notch, and the Lucario scratched idly, trying to get the sensation to stop. Gah! Get Ace to remove the spell first, then figure out why I was attacked.

It was an...interesting ten minutes walk through the city. She was shot at no less than two more times, but she moved just enough to cause the darts to miss before shooting a glare back at the ponies who shot at her. Either they worked for the casinos she’d been at and were blaming her, or something else was going on.

When she arrived at the Guard station, all was...bedlam. Bedlam was a good word for it.

Guard ponies were scrambling this way and that in a chaotic fashion, though there was a note of order and organization to it all, mostly centered around Captain Ace. The dark haired unicorn was shouting using a voice amplifying spell of some sort so that she could be projected around the entire station lot as guards brought in wounded ponies along significantly less injured Pokemon.

“Ace!” Lucy barked out upon taking the scene in fully. “Get your damned spell off me and tell me what in Arceus’ name is going on!”

Ace spared her a glance at the large bipedal dog and shook her head, her horn shining. “I don’t know what you’re saying but I’m guessing you’re here because you’re done, I don’t know where your friends are out in this mess so you’re out of luck,” the Captain said before shouting some more instructions to other guards. “The spell is gone, please try not to add to my workload here,” she added before she turned her back on Lucy.

Luke, Lucy thought. If there’s anyone who could help, it would be him. Actually...Luke, can you hear me now?

Why yes... yes I can... I’m currently watching over Abby’s sleep and trying to help her have good dreams... what do you need Lucy?

A moment of your time. What in the world is going on? I leave to train with a pair of Lucario, and I come back to the blowgun brigade.

It seems that Bit... stirred up a hornet’s nest... the boss of a shipping company was responsible for the discrepancies he found. I believe that this is her attempt to eliminate him, though it is so widely spread that I’m not sure why she bothered at all, Luke replied within her head.

Gah...this is stirring up baaad memories, Luke. Tell me you know where they are. Please.

I will send you to them if you’d prefer that to running, Luke answered and Lucy couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

At that moment, outside, a large, multi-colored beam of light erupted into the sky. After a moment, it tapered off, leaving silence in its wake. Even Ace was stunned.

Luke, I have good news and bad news for you, Lucy thought, slightly shaken, an undercurrent of fear in her tone. The good news is, you don’t have to send me anymore, I know where they are. The bad news is that apparently, Bit found the Simulator Room in his functions somewhere, and is now using it to its fullest potential. Help?

Of course... Luke appeared before her, a small frown on his face. Shall we?

(Meanwhile, in the warehouse in question…)

Bit glanced from opponent to opponent, sizing each of them up, before he decided on a course of action.

“THUNDER WAVE.”

The attack burst out of the hovering program and struck his foes, inciting paralysis in them, granting him a moment of respite. Likely scenarios all end in this unit being brought down eventually. Changing odds. Bringing local law enforcement to scene.

Bit pointed his head up and charged up another attack while the ponies still struggled with slight muscle paralysis. “SIGNAL BEAM.”

The wave of light erupted from his nose and penetrated the roof easily, the noise of which brought Vincent out of his stupor. He looked from the knocked-out forms of Sam and Mary before sighing and placing his hands back on their heads. Really wish I knew Heal Pulse or Recover right about now, would make this a lot easier!

“TARGETS ARE STILL MOBILE. INITIATING DARK PULSE.”

A wave of what could only be described as pure shadow expanded out from the Porygon-Z and struck the ponies, causing them to cry out and collapse once more. The program nodded once in satisfaction at its work.

“THIS SECTION IS HANDLED. PROCEEDING TO NEXT SECTOR.”

Bit floated off, likely looking for more targets. Vincent sighed and concentrated again. I could really use some help...either with Bit or these two…

Vincent, what did I tell you about projecting? Luke’s voice asked from ‘behind’ him.

Luke? The little fox perked up. Oh Luke, please let that be you. We really need you in here right about now!

I’m here... as is an old friend, Luke’s voice said as every pony in the room suddenly froze.

Vincent slowly turned around in the cage Sam and Mary were in to see the familiar Gallade he’d come to know over the past few days, as well as a Lucario. A Lucario in a cream sunhat and with smaller spikes than the norm. One he’d called sister.

Lucy!

The Lucario smiled softly while keeping an eye on the ponies. “Hey Vincent. We can catch up later.” Her eyes flicked over to Sam’s knocked out form as well as Mary’s before she reached up to her sunhat. After a moment, she withdrew a Steel Coat from underneath it and tossed it to the Abra in the cage. “To Sam, if you’d please? That should help him at least.”

Perhaps you’d like to disable the ponies? Luke suggested almost conversationally. I cannot keep them completely immobile for long with their numbers, or knock them unconscious for that matter.

Let me just kick this towards Sam, then sure. Lucy, you can take half. I’ll take the others. And once we do, can you help out Mary, Luke? I think she got darted as well. The Steel Coat was rolled towards the unconscious Scyther, and one it made contact, both the item and the bug started to glow. Hardly anyone was looking at the phenomena, though. They were too busy with the ponies.

Lucy smiled again and held out one paw. “Bone Rush,” she stated simply, and a glowing bone materialized in her grasp. “Let’s see how many I can knock out before it vanishes.”

While the Lucario enjoyed her more physical sport, Vincent turned to the ones he’d claimed and smiled as well before Teleporting in front of them. Hello. My name is Vincent Nurem. You attacked my family.

His entire body started to glow an eerie, eldritch blue before he said the next sentence. You shouldn’t have done that.

The ponies screamed their throats raw as images forced their way into their heads. Vincent was showing them of the time his father had developed a passing interest in the Ponyta family. Specifically, seeing how their fiery manes and tails worked.

It wasn’t pretty, to say the least, and the similarity between that family and the ponies had several losing their lunches before passing out.

Reluctantly, Luke released the ponies he’d been holding frozen and then suddenly appeared among them, psychic energy swirling around him in a million blue blades as he knocked one after the other unconscious using very little effort it seemed.

Meanwhile, Bit the Porygon-Z was floating down one row, looking at the crate/cage combinations and blasting open the ones with Pokemon in them. “TARGETS FOUND AND RELEASED. LOCATING MORE PONIES.”

Bit eventually came back to where Vincent was to find that others had joined him. “IDENTIFY YOUR PURPOSE HERE.”

Bit...you don’t need to do this...you can stop now… Luke tried to appeal to the Porygon-Z’s good nature while taking in the difference in his eyes.

“NEGATIVE. PONIES ARE STILL OUT IN FORCE. PONIES MUST BE DEFEATED.”

Vincent gulped once and held out one hand that was alight with blue energy. Bit...don’t make us stop you.

“AS IF YOU COULD.” The Porygon-Z locked eyes on all those present and finally settled on Luke. Bit backed up a touch before talking again. “DO NOT INTERFERE.”

I am afraid you must be stopped, Bit… The Gallade took one step forward and held out a hand. Focus Blast.

The orb of Fighting-Type energy gathered at Luke’s outstretched hand before flying forward and impacting the rogue program. Bit took the hit and spun around a few times before replying.

“CONVERSION 2...UPGRADE COMPLETE. THIS UNIT IS NOW OF THE BUG TYPING.”

Vincent gulped a bit at that, even as Bit turned back to face Luke. In the next moment, he stood stock-still and slowly turned his head to the right, looking at one particular office. One that had a view of what was going on.

That was about when a familiar voice spoke up. “Oh good. Air Slash!”

Vincent turned back to see a Scizor jump up at Bit’s form and draw its claws over the Porygon-Z. Landing and turning back to the others, he gave a cheeky wink and spoke up again. “Hey, thanks for the Steel Coat, whichever one of you gave it to me. What say we knock some sense into Bit here?”

Luke merely responded by readying his arm-blades, and Lucy nodded before dropping into her ‘ready’ stance. The Porygon-Z reoriented and focused on the Scizor.

“CONVERSION 2...UPGRADE COMPLETE. THIS UNIT IS NOW OF THE ELECTRIC TYPING.”

Lucy responded by summoning a bone to her paw and smirking at Bit. “Y’know, I’m pretty sure that a normal family shouldn’t enjoy the task of beating sense into another family member...but then again, normal went out the window a while ago!”

Lucy threw the bone at Bit, causing him no small amount of distress as he fell to the ground. Landing weakly in front of Luke, he managed one final sentence. “CONVERSION 2...ROCK TYPING GAINED…”

Focus Blast, Luke said simply, and as the orb coalesced, he looked down at Bit with a frown. I am sorry it came to this Bit.

The attack impacted the program, knocking it out of the fight this time. Lucy sighed and looked around. “Okay, we get the Pokemon out of here, we deal with the ponies we find, and we call it a day?”

Sam nodded and proceeded to the cage he had been in, which now sported a large hole that he’d torn through the bars. Luke looked around and then asked a very pertinent question.

Where...did Vincent go?

Business Mind threw together her suitcase, making sure all her pertinent paperwork was packed. This was supposed to be a nice and tidy operation! They were supposed to slowly bring in the Pokemon so that she could ship them out of the city without anyone noticing! She was supposed to retain control over this whole event!

Those damn gangs had gotten too greedy and stupid for their own good! So eager for their 'easy' bits! And when the one target she really wanted shows up, what does it do? Blast them all, bring friends in after it, and now the entire warehouse was a write-off. She still had a chance to get out, though...

Hello there, Business Mind.

The unicorn mare stiffened before slowly turning around and seeing the small yellow fox sitting at her desk. The little psychic carefully observed the brown unicorn mare with a black mane in front of him. His eyes flicked over to her mark, that of a ledger, before he looked back into her blue eyes.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear, miss Mind. You started this little campaign in an effort to get at my family. And in the process, you've hurt so many others. That, in my book, makes you quite the terrible pony.

She swallowed and attempted to rebuke the little psychic while thinking of a combat spell. "I wasn't in control at all, I swear. Which, ironically, is what this little campaign was about. Finding your friend, getting rid of the Pokemon...I wanted control over the city again. I wanted to be back where I was a week ago. All I did was send out the word. Those ponies," and here she jabbed a hoof towards the window, "those stupid gang ponies were greedy and went after their fifty bits a head before I could figure out a means, a method, to relocate Pokemon with minimal fuss. Even I could see that our darts were only rated for ponies and pony-shaped life-forms."

That does not absolve you of any blame. In fact, in your attempts to run from it, you have only damned yourself further.

Vincent's arms were coated in a blue aura before Business Mind was flung into a wall and pinned there. The little psychic slowly got up and stalked towards the mare. When his face was six inches from hers, he continued his rant.

By all rights, by every right, I should tear your mind apart, piece by piece. I should make you pay, make you suffer for what you did and in what name you did it for.

"You don't know what it's like!" Business cried out, trying to buy her freedom with both words and a spell on her horn. "To be raised to inherit a crime family, to be told this is what you are going to do when you grow up, to enjoy the feeling of control, and then have it ripped away from you! You don't know that at all!"

DON'T I?! I have the exact opposite problem, you know. I HAD NO CONTROL OVER MY LIFE! You have enjoyed and squandered something I would have given an arm and a leg to have even a MOTE of!

The Abra paced back and forth in front of the trapped mare, muttering as he did. Not even he would complain if I rendered your mind into scraps of itself. If I tore you to bits and left you to rot. Or if I shared my memories with you of all the horrible things that I've experienced, been forced to see.

Vincent drew close to Business Mind and raised one glowing hand close to her face. But no, that would be cruel and unusual punishment. Instead, retribution and justice will be done upon you as I ferret through your mind for all your little dirty secrets.

The mare tried to put up walls, mental defenses, but under the onslaught of an angry Psychic, they crumbled like dust. Those beneath us even now, those that you paid to have brought to you so you could ship them away. Those families and friends you have harmed by taking their loved ones. You will feel their pain.

And Business Mind screamed as it all slammed into her, and kept coming, and kept coming, drowning her in a flood of pain, hurt, anger, sadness.

She didn't even notice the psychic rooting around in her mind for information. Didn't even notice when he left the office. Barely felt it when the flood stopped, because she still felt those phantom pains. She only really responded when some guard ponies walked in and poked her. Her first statement was a simple one.

"I surrender...just keep that fox away from me."

Vincent smiled as he watched the line of slightly-woozy Pokemon being helped out of the warehouse by the guard ponies. Y'know, I think we did good here today. It was a little rocky at some parts, but we did well.

"Yeah," Sam said, flexing his new claws. "We certainly did. Pokemon rescued, gang beaten. Heck, we even got Lucy back."

The Lucario smirked before rubbing Vincent's head with one of her paws. "Shame about Bit, though."

He'll be fine...probably. Vincent waved off the worries of his sister. We'll just let him recuperate and keep him out of any serious combat situations.

I think...we can permit that, Luke added with a slight nod. He didn't seem...very much like himself. I think a case can be made...for temporary insanity. So long as he's in your care...it shouldn't be a real issue.

Ah well, that's good then. So guys, I've been thinking about a va- why are you all looking at me?

Vincent turned from Luke to Lucy to Sam to notice that they were looking at him, and that somehow, they were brighter.

It took him a second to realize that no, he was brighter. Glowing, in fact.

And then the sensations fully hit him, and he realized what was happening to him.

Oh...dear...