Author's Notes:

Part three of ten. At this point I am no longer carbon-based, but caffeine-based.
There may or may not be spoilers located within any of these chapters for Ausbrony's story A Brave New World.
Should you locate and read a spoiler by accident, please apply neuralizer to your brain.

Seth trotted lightly out of the door, his passengers barely felt the large Luxray moving. “Okay Mrs. Jeanne, where are we headed?”

“Fredrick’s is five blocks west and two north of here,” the Bellossom said, still hanging on and expecting the worst to happen at any moment.

“Alrighty then,” Seth turned and headed down the street with a brisk walk. “So tell me, how do you know Vincent?” the Luxray asked.

“She’s his mommy!” Rika answered, causing Seth to stumble slightly before he responded to that.

“Oh? Ah, okay then. Nice to meet you Mrs. Nurem.”

“Dear, I dropped that name when it became apparent that Rupert was well and truly gone." Which was about when he took Vincent and left, now that I think about it, Jeanne mused to herself. "If you must give me a last name, my maiden name was Delaine. I’d prefer it if you simply called me Jeanne, though.”

“My apologies,” Seth replied. “I’m surprised Vincent chose to keep his name as well, but to each their own I suppose.”

Rika wrapped a ribbon around his waist and another around Jeanne. “How did your visit with the Guard go?”

Seth sighed, “Yeah... we’ll talk about that later. Once we find the others... and where’s Fritter?”

“Off helping someone named James buy some sprinklers for a rooftop garden,” Rika explained. “You should see it, it’s really pretty...” her mouth suddenly fell open, “And I ate a berry from that garden... Vinny’s gonna be mad.”

“Second growth, dear, " Jeanne reassured the Sylveon. "Had you done it a little while ago, yes, he would. But we’ve already had one harvest, so he’ll just be peeved you didn’t ask first. I’d be more worried about James finding out, honestly. He puts so much effort into the garden, he’ll notice right off the bat.” She pictured the Roserade seeing one of his precious Berries suddenly missing and snickered to herself.

“Well, we still have to pay Vincent back as well,” Seth added, “Well... Rika does anyway.”

“But Lulu said I could,” she countered. “Serves Vinny right for ditching us like that! But yes, I do have his money,”

“Oh good,” Jeanne said, perking up a bit, recalling the steadily-depleting funds Vincent had mentioned the other day. “The budget was starting to get a little tight...though now I’m curious as to what you did that ended up with you owing him money…”

“Well, when we were trying to get Vinny to notice Lulu, we were gonna take him to a clothing store and have Lulu model for him... but he ditched us, teleported away and left us girls, oh, and Seth, all alone.”

“So,” Seth continued. “Lucy decided some revenge was in order in the form of a small shopping spree... Rika and Lucy may have gone a little crazy with their spending.”

Jeanne hummed for a moment before nodding. “Not saying I don’t understand, mind you, but if it got to the point where you owed him enough money to make a dent in his finances, perhaps you should tone it down next time?”

“Eheh, yeah... but I worked hard to make that money back... and that mare takes a lot of photos...” Rika shuddered. “But at least I can pay him back and get back into his good books.”

“Dear, as long as you can’t answer a few questions in the positive, I think it’s impossible to get into his bad ones, and I think you also know what they are.” Jeanne’s voice had turned sad again as she thought about them herself.

“I have a general idea,” Seth said as they rounded a corner, revealing a sign in the distance, “Hm, I think we’re almost there.”

“Yep, that’s the place,” Jeanne said, pausing for a moment. “Oh, and by the way...try to not tell Sam unless he asks about Las Pegasus’ newest visitor?”

“Can do, unless Ignis is there and already told him,” Seth shuddered. “That will not end well...”

“Well if they’re here and they talked about it, then by all means, answer his questions. I’m predicting the first one already. ‘What in the hell were you thinking, bringing her here?!’” Jeanne leaned back and even made minor snapping motions with her arms to imitate Sam with a bit more accuracy. The imitation caused Rika to giggle and even Seth chuckled a bit.

“Well, cause your little brother told us to,” Seth replied to ‘Not-Sam’ as they walked inside, only to be greeted by the Scizor in question. Said Scizor looked up from the podium his forehead had been resting on and affixed the Luxray with a glare almost worthy of the move named as such.

“You brought. A mentally unbalanced. Mutated. Gabite. Who has a fixation on my Scyther form. Here. Why?”

Seth blinked and then noticed an Absol and Charizard in the corner, waving nervously. “...Um, cause Vincent told us to?”

“Vincent’s policy regarding the other Subjects is ‘live and let live.’ If they want to come after him, fine. If they want their solitude, fine. I find it highly unlikely that he did more than warn you about her and tell you how to best calm her down or subdue her. Why did you bring that ticking time bomb here?”

Seth seemed to pause for a moment before replying. “Well, once she found out that we knew you, it was either bring her here or have her destroy Canterlot... What was I supposed to do?”

“Drag her in chains to the temple of Legends and have them fix her issues, from the things the Doctor did to her own brain?” Sam questioned with no small hint of sarcasm.

“Because...” Seth applied his paw to his face. “Because even though I was talking to Arceus yesterday, I appear to be the stupidest Pokemon alive.”

“Not debating that,” Sam replied. “Hell, at this point, I’d settle for Mewtwo taking notice of her, if only to hopefully cancel out one of them in the resulting explosion of egos.”

“I got enough of that when she met Ignis... that fight didn’t last long though.” Seth sighed, “Well, I’m not Dialga, so unless I suddenly evolve into one, there’s not a whole lot I can do about it.” The Luxray's snark was showing now.

“You could take her back. Please say you’ll take her back. I would love it if you took her with you when you left.” Sam had walked out from behind his podium at this point, probably to ready himself for begging and pleading with the Luxray.

“Okay, look. If Vincent can’t help her, then I’ll find someway to get her help from Arceus or something... though I think I’m tapped out on favours at this point.” Seth backed away from the pleading Scizor.

“Really, any sort of help to make her not a danger to others would be great,” Sam said. “Plus, I hear Mew is far more reasonable than most.”

“Like I said, if Vincent can’t do anything then I’ll try,” Seth replied honestly. He looked around the restaurant and his stomach rumbled. “Well seeing as how we’re here and I haven’t had lunch yet...”

“Sam! Are you chatting instead of seating the customers again?” A shout came from the kitchens at this point, and the Scizor groaned.

“I’m talking with the imbeciles who thought it’d be a good idea to bring Thirty-Four here, Mary!”

“Huh? Is that the Sandslash that you mentioned last time we met?” Seth asked.

At Seth’s question, the Shiny Sandslash walked out of the kitchen while running a cloth over her claws. “Oh, so these are the ones responsible for that fracas, eh? They’re just lucky I didn’t have a quiche in the oven, I’m certain it would have fallen if I did!”

“I tried to take her out as quickly as possible,” the Dark-type spoke up. “Didn’t expect her to use Earthquake, she didn’t use that last time...”

“Not your fault, little one,” Mary said with a wave of her other paw. “The Doctor liked teaching that move to those of us that could learn it. Even I know it, but I don’t fight. I cook instead. His other ‘favored’ moves were Flamethrower and Dragon Pulse.”

“I don’t agree what that doctor did,” the Fire-type said, “But I can’t argue with his choice of moves.”

Seth took a position at their table, along with Jeanne and Rika. “So what’s good on the menu?” Seth asked.

Sam exchanged a look with Mary, and after she nodded once, the Bug rehearsed the usual spiel. “Well for appetizers, Mary does wonderful cheese breadsticks. And I’m sure you’ve already heard about her pizza. We have pony-friendly and non.”

All the Pokemon exchanged a look and nodded. “Pizza!” they said collectively. Sam chuckled and turned to the Sandslash, who smiled herself.

“Pizza is twenty minutes, breadsticks will be ready in five, and in the meanwhile, this overgrown suit of armor is going to get your drink orders...and a pillow for you, mister Luxray.”

“Just call me Seth, Miss Mary,” The Electric-type responded.

“Very well, Seth. But that doesn’t change the time at which your food will be ready,” the Sandslash said with a wink before darting back into her kitchen. Sam had returned from a very brief sonjourn to a closet with a pillow in claw. He placed it near Seth so the Electric-type could position it how he wanted before standing at attention to take their drinks down.

Seth sat his butt on the cushion while everyone had ordered drinks. After all of Seth’s Pokemon had ordered a round of cider and Jeanne had ordered some lemonade, Seth finally got a turn.

“Hmm, actually, I think I’ll just take water,” he said.

“Got it, one water, one lemonade, and three ciders,” Sam said. “Be right back.”

With that, the large red form was gone again, almost too quickly for one of his size or weight.

“So who’s the lady?” the Absol asked. “Don’t tell me Seth got another girlfriend?”

“While that would depend on the two he has being willing to share him,” Jeanne said, “I’m afraid that I’m not interested in him like that, if only because I was probably old enough to be his mother back on Earth. My name’s Jeanne dear, what’s yours?”

“Heh, I was just teasing. My name is Selena and this is my mate, Ignis.”

The Charizard gave a small nod, “Nice to meet you Ma’am.”

“Ah, so you’re the one I was told to talk to regarding reclaiming my ability to use double-entendres!” Jeanne brightened up a notch instantly and walked over to sit next to Selena, though not between her and Ignis.

Selena just blinked looked at Seth. “Must you constantly find the strangest Pokemon to become friends with?” She gave an exasperated sigh, “I get the feeling that there is a long story behind this. Abridged version please?”

“I’m competing with Luke and Sam as to who can make Vincent flustered with words alone during Lucy’s first Heat and losing horribly,” the Bellossom stated bluntly.

“Hmm, teasing Vincent? A noble cause I suppose,” Selena smirked. “Okay little Bell, what do you want to know?”

“I’ve been out of the dating scene for fifteen years,” Jeanne stated dryly. “Anything would be good at this point.”

“Fifteen? That’s almost as old as I am!” Selena gasped. “Well, okay... uhh, where do I start?”

At that particular moment, Sam came out from the kitchen with a load of fresh hot cheesy breadsticks and their drinks. He fumbled for a second, but caught himself before anything spilled. “Darn exoskeleton,” he muttered. “I bring breadsticks and beverages for you all!” he proclaimed while setting them in the middle of the table.

Seth chuckled, “I may have something to help you out with that actually, but we should wait until you finish first.”

“I bet he’s used to finishing first!” Selena chuckled. Jeanne blinked before joining in with the laugh.

“Oh you’re good,” the plant said.

“Very good,” Sam joined in. “The old man woulda loved you, if he could have understood you.”

“It’s a gift,” Selena replied. “But thanks Sam, you’ve been great! But I’m here now and that means your reign of terror is over.”

“Reign of?...oh. Are you still upset that I stopped helping you directly and started to compete with Luke instead?” the Scizor asked the Bellossom.

“Yes,” Jeanne huffed. “So I’m getting re-educated. It’s only a little embarrassing.”

“You mean in the same vein that realizing your son is probably going to get more sexual experience than you is a little embarrassing?” Sam innocently questioned.

“Oh, someone’s jealous~” Selena cooed. “Careful Sam, red armor looks better than green.”

“Just because Lala hasn’t returned a line of mine without a swipe from her arm-blades doesn’t mean I’m jealous of Vincent. I’m actually happy for the pair of them, means I get to be an uncle. Means the pair of them might finally start acting normal,” the Scizor replied.

“Hmm, well... I got nothing for that one,” Selena shrugged and took a bite of her cheesy bread. Sam shrugged as well and walked off, leaving the party of Pokemon to their food.

Jeanne gently took the smallest breadstick there and nibbled on it, savoring the taste. “Mmm, soft and fluffy on the inside, cheesy core, a small coat of herbs on the crust…” she muttered out loud. “Mary is very good, I’m quite happy we came here.”

“I’ll admit, this is pretty tasty,” Seth agreed. “Too bad Fritter isn’t here.”

“We could probably take some home if we asked,” Jeanne said with a wave. “Assuming they don’t vanish en route.”

“No promises,” Ignis swallowed a whole roll. “These are pretty good, my compliments to the chef.” He called loud enough for Mary to hear.

“Oh you think that’s good? Give the pizza another ten minutes, and we’ll see what you think of me then!” was Mary’s reply.

“Meat~” Ignis drooled. Selena just shook her head and sighed.

“Well I suppose I can’t fault you,” a small smirk crossed her lips as she spoke loud enough for Jeanne to hear. “Even I crave a little meat every now and then~”

The Bellossom smirked and nodded slightly, making a small note to herself. “So while we wait, care to tell me your impressions of my son? I’d like as many second opinions as possible, considering his past...and present.”

Everyone paused as a painful silence filled the room. Selena placed her forelegs on the table and shrugged. “Well? Who wants to take this one?”

Seth sighed and nodded, “I’ll go first.” He stopped for a second to gather his thoughts before continuing. “Vincent has suffered quite a bit in his life, that should go without saying... but he’s making the most of his new life here, just as all of us are... though, I do have one small complaint...”

“I can pass it on to Luke if it’s serious enough, though I’m willing to guess it has something to do with a lack of restraint on Vincent’s part.”

“In a way,” Seth nodded. “I’m not sure he realizes that he’s doing it, but his past is somewhat of an uncomfortable subject, and yet he never fails to bring it up in casual conversation. A lot.”

“Not to mention that he seems to use the Nurem name to get his own way, and I fear that one day he’s going to get in over his head.” Selena sighed. “I’m going to flat out admit that Vincent Nurem is not my favorite person in the world, I can tolerate him and I’ll do nothing to hurt him. Should someone attack him, then I’ll help defend him... But should he threaten my mate or my family...” Selena’s horn begun to glow slightly with deep purple hue, “He will learn why Psychic’s fear the Dark!”

Jeanne pulled herself up onto the table and walked over to stand in front of Selena, pouting and crossing her arms. At that moment, everymon at the table realized that despite her short stature, despite the fact that she wasn’t there for the majority of his life, Jeanne was still a mother. And there was one thing a good mother didn’t tolerate, even in idle: threats to her family.

“Stun spore,” she said, aiming it directly at the Absol.

A soft ringing sound filled the room, filling the inhabitants with a gentle warmth as Rika activated her Heal Bell move. “Jeannie,” she said shortly, “You wanted our opinion and you got it, no-one is threatening your son, and I’m sure Selly is very sorry about being just a little scary.” The Sylveon turned to her sister, hoping the Absol would just back down.

Selena sighed as the Paralysis was cured, “Fine, you know what. I don’t care anymore. All I meant was that you can’t threaten someone when you don’t get your own way.” The Absol stood up and shook herself of the tingling remains of the Stun Spore before heading for the door. “I need to cool down, later...”

“Well there goes that chance,” Jeanne said, frowning, before looking at the other occupants of the table. “And as Rika can testify, I wouldn’t, couldn’t, have hurt her. I just wanted her to sit still and listen while I talked. Paralysis would have kept her here. Now I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t matter if I explained.”

The Bellossom suddenly jumped as Selena put a paw on her shoulder. “Then simply ask next time. Honestly, now I know where your son gets it from.”

After taking a few breaths to calm herself down, Jeanne turned back to the Absol and smirked. “Fine, maybe I will. And at least he takes after me in some respect...now, where to start?” After a short hum, Jeanne shrugged and started at the beginning.

“From what I can tell, from the way he’s focused on doing things his way constantly, and by the stories he’s told me, he’s both enjoying the feeling of being able to do whatever he pleases, and is trying to take back his father’s last name. I prefer to distance myself from it...as much as possible.” Here she winced, recalling the rooftop incident not too long ago, before recomposing herself and continuing. “Add in the fact that he keeps running into highly skilled trainers for his newfound powers, along with how he seems to have been raised by those he associated with in the facility...and quite frankly, I’m not sure how he’s not stark raving mad with power. I’m willing to take what I can get, considering I haven’t seen him in fifteen years, and leave the discipline to Luke, because at least Vincent listens to him.”

Seth nodded, “It seems I have quite a few things to talk to this Luke Trombley about.” He took a sip of his water and hummed happily. “That said, Vincent is also quite kind and caring when he wants to be and will go to outstanding lengths to protect those close to him. While I fear some repercussions for bringing Christine here, I think Vincent is happy to help another Pokemon that shares his experiences.”

“Plus Vincent and Lucy together is just the most adorable thing ever!” Rika cooed happily as Selena took her seat again.

“Dear, you don’t need to tell me any of that, I know it quite well,” the Bellossom dismissed with a wave. “Kudos to those of you that got them together...even if I did almost say the P-word in front of them…” she muttered the last part, then spoke up. “There is nobody that Vincent would not think of harming if someone dear to him was harmed as well...especially Lucy or Luke.”

Ignis looked back at the kitchen, his round stomach rumbling loudly. “I wonder where our pizza could be?” he sang.

“Nearly done, you arrogant Snorlax!” was the reply. “Just a few finishing touches left now that it’s out of the oven!” Mary sang back to the Charizard. Indeed, just a moment later, Sam’s form came out from the kitchen, carrying a tray with the creation on it. Jeanne quickly hopped back into her place off the table, and once it was laid out before them...

“Oohhh~” Ignis wasted no time in helping himself to a large slice and wolfing it down. Seth just facepawed at the cheesy-faced Charizard as Rika dished out portions to everyone else.

“So, any idea how long Vinny’s gonna be... occupied?” Rika asked. “We can’t stay in town for more than a few days.”

“If you had any hope of seeing him not stained or smelling like various things, forget it,” Jeanne said before taking another bite. After swallowing, she continued. “This is only the second day of Lucy’s first Heat, and while she has ways to be entertained besides him, she still prefers it au natural. Like as not, it’ll go for near a full week.”

“Mother of Mew,” Seth sighed. “Well, my main reasons for coming have already been accomplished for the most part. I’ll be meeting with Captain Ace again tomorrow and Christine is taken care of. Honestly, we could leave right now but I prefer to get things done in person.”

“What did you talk about with the Captain?” Ignis asked.

“Well, mostly it was about various laws in Equus and about the current state of things here in Las Pegasus. Our little team that’s going to be set up in Canterlot is just the first. My mission here was to determine how badly the city needs their own division, and from the sounds of it... they need it a lot.”

“It’s hardly Vincent’s fault that all the interesting things seem to happen around him,” Jeanne said. “It just seems that way because he’s one of the few ‘trouble magnets,’” and here the Bellossom gave a wink to Rika, letting her know who’d she’d stolen the phrase from, thanks to Vincent’s stories, “that stuck around here.”

Seth nodded, “The hard part will be find willing and capable recruits. Captain Ace will have the final say on who gets in, but I can offer suggestions...” He gave Jeanne a look that screamed ‘Any ideas?’

“Well,” the plant hummed while making sure her face was clean of any errant sauce, “Lucy was an instructor, however briefly, at a dojo where ponies were learning self-defense before her Heat hit. Three guesses why the ponies were there. I’d suggest starting there, either with the ponies, or their tutors.”

“That could work, I’ll let Ace know.” Seth scratched at his chin and hummed thoughtfully. “I was actually thinking of suggesting Lucy.”

“Well,” Jeanne snickered, “Not in her current state, I’d hope! Nor at any time in the near future either, considering what’s to come!” She hugged herself and cooed slightly. “Oooh, I almost can’t wait!”

“I’m kind of curious actually,” Selena said, feeling in a much better mood now she had some food. “Do you think they’ll have Abra’s that can read the Aura? Or Riolu’s that can use Psychic abilities?”

Jeanne blinked and hummed at that. “Not sure, myself. It’s not like this is something anyone’s tried before or is well known, thanks to the fact that they barely share an Egg Group and no Egg Moves...All I really know is that I’m certain I’ll be thankful for Bit looking into steel plating soon enough.”

“And after this... we head for the Crystal Empire,” Seth mused. He pulled out a familiar device from...somewhere, and booted up a holographic map. Jeanne made the connection once she saw the name Las Pegasus on it: it was a map of Equus, and that was plainly a Holocaster. So he'd gotten his things back? “It’s pretty far too, couple of days at least,” the Luxray commented, snapping her back to reality.

At that point, Sam came back and looked at the demolished pizza before chuckling. “Well, guess it was silly thinking there would be any left. Did you enjoy it at least?”

“Immensely,” Ignis replied happily.

“And now for dessert~” Rika giggled. “I’ll have everything with sugar in it!”

Sam did his best impression of quirking an eyebrow that he didn’t have as he looked over to Seth, clearly asking if her selection was right, sane, or possible. Or any combination of the three.

“Sounds about normal,” Seth chuckled. He glanced at the menu and decided, “We’ll have apple pie with ice cream. Let’s see how it stacks up to Fritter’s.”

“Oh that’s not fair,” Selena said. “Yeah the pizza was nice, but that Sandslash stands no chance with an apple dish.”

“Good thing she’s mostly on appetizers and main courses, then,” Sam retorted. “It’s Fredrick who’s better at the desserts, and it’s a division they agree on. So am I getting one of everything, or just a round of apple pie?”

“Everythinggggg~” Rika moaned like a zombie before being squished under one of Seth’s massive paws.

“Just the pie will suffice please Sam, or would you like to unleash a sugar-crazed Rika upon the city?”

Arceus bless, but the Scizor actually seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking his head. “Another day, perhaps. I’ll tell Fredrick apple pie with ice cream for five, then.”

With that, he was off to the kitchen again, where the sounds of work were immediately resumed.

“Aww, you never let me have any fun,” Rika pouted from under his paw. The Bellossom decided to give the Sylveon something fun to do.

“I wonder how ticklish those pawpads of his are,” Jeanne mused not-so-innocently from her seat.

Seth’s eyes went wide and he moved his paw... Rika was faster. Her ribbons shot forward and tickled the sensitive paws mercilessly, the normally stoic Luxray bursting into fits of laughter.

“I’ll... get you... for this!” he said in between laughs.

“Rika...” Selena warned.

“Hahah! Take this!” the Sylveon didn’t let up.

“You really shouldn’t do that,” Selena continued.

There was a final burst of laughter from Seth and then a bright flash of light and a loud ‘crack!’ as he accidentally unleashed a Discharge attack, shocking the poor Sylveon until she was left standing with charred patches or fur and her ribbons twitched with residual lightning.

“Shocking...” she rasped before falling over.

“Told you so,” Selena said calmly.

“Oh dear,” Jeanne said with a small smile. “Well, at least you know one weak spot, mister Seth, and I’m sure Rika’s learned a valuable lesson. Now all you have to do is keep her from telling anyone else.”

Selena just groaned at the antics and turned to her mate, only to see the Charizard on the floor as well, it would seem that sitting next to Seth had not been a good idea for the half Flying type.

“And this is why we can never go anywhere nice,” Selena sighed. “Well these three will be out for a minute or two. Anything else you’d like to learn Lady Jeanne?”

“Actually, there’s something I think you need to know,” the Bellossom said, her voice ice-cold. She hadn’t quite forgotten Selena’s little stunt earlier. “Vincent went back to Canterlot a few days ago. Remember when I said he would stop at nothing should someone harm someone he cares about?”

“What did he do?” Selena asked.

“Mewtwo mistook Vincent’s newest father-figure, Luke, for someone he needed to investigate. Luke’s a Gallade, by the way, with the mental defences of a Metagross, or so Vincent says. Mewtwo tore his walls to shreds.” The Bellossom took a sip of her drink, so that the Absol could process what had just been stated.

“And if I know Vincent, I’ll bet he tried to tear Mewtwo a new one,” Selena said dryly. “And that would also explain Abby’s disliking of the mention of Mewtwo.”

“Mm, not tried, dear. Did. Though I get the feeling one of them was holding back, Vincent used something he calls Total Recall on that curious cat.” Jeanne locked eyes with the Dark-type then. “While Luke is properly teaching him and reprimanding him for going so out of line, I want you to think very carefully. He does care. He would never fire the first shot. But start something with him or his family, and I get the feeling I know who’ll fire the last.”

“I fear you still misunderstand,” Selena sighed, more irritably this time. “I do not want to start anything with Vincent, I merely pointed out that he seemed to enjoy bringing up his past with a ‘poor me’ speech every time we spoke. Seth considers Vincent a friend and I will extend the same courtesy, That is all.”

The plant’s expression got even angrier then. “Put yourself in Vincent’s shoes...or Lucy’s, or Sam’s, or Bit’s, or even Luke’s! Their past is such a large part of them! They can’t just get over it! It’s not like moving a box, where you carry it for so long and then just put it down when you’re done! They will be haunted for the rest of their days! I expect all of them to develop an aversion to needles, medical equipment, even hospitals and doctors in general! The least you could do is understand that!”

She mellowed for a moment before continuing. “While they’re broken, they’re not irreparably broken. We’re working on it, slowly. Healing takes time for wounds of the mind and heart. Thank the powers that be that they have each other...otherwise they might well have gone truly mad.”

Selena took a sharp breath, seeming to tremble for a moment. Jeanne had seen that look too many times before...both in those that she'd tried to help back on Earth...and recently, in her own son. The Absol was so lost in thought she didn’t even notice the streams of tears running down her face, but the Bellossom did, and walked over to encompass as much as she could of Selena's front in a comforting hug. She had been wrong: this girl wasn't one she would have to worry about. She was one others should be worried for.

“Poor dear...I didn’t know. You’ve had your own past of darkness, darker than your own typing, haven’t you? I’m sorry...and don’t worry, I at least am educated on what an Absol actually is. I don’t hate you for what you are. Now what you’ve said, that might need a bit of polishing…”

Selena hiccuped before replying. “I bet... Vincent’s enjoying a good polishing now...”

“Mmm...while I appreciate the joke, it’s unlikely. He’s working to fix the one you brought in. Now dear, make me a promise?”

“I promise to at least try,” Selena said in a drained, tired voice.

“Whatever brought this,” and here Jeanne pulled back a notch and reached up to wipe away the Absol’s tears, “on? Tell someone. Not necessarily me, not necessarily now. But keeping it all bottled up like this is very, very unhealthy. Trust someone with your sadness. It’ll be a lot lighter that way.”

“Mhmm,” Selena nodded ever-so-slightly. Jeanne, however, wasn't buying it until she heard the promise repeated. Came with dealing with Vincent...and Bit. Mostly Bit.

“Say it,” the Bellossom said. “Say your promise out loud.”

Selena tensed up, emotions flashing across her face for a few seconds before she reacted...though probably not to the current situation. “I promise Momma,” Selena whispered as she held the Bellossom tightly. “I promise...”

“That’s very flattering, Selena, but I think you’ve got the wrong mother,” Jeanne said, wondering how long she could hold her breath.

Selena’s eyes shot open as she suddenly dropped the Grass-type unceremoniously on the floor in shock. “Wha? Ah... I ah,” she suddenly turned a nice shade of red before bolting from the restaurant.

Seth groaned as he finally got back up, “Urgh... where’d Selly go?”

“She seems to have come down with a serious case of red-face,” Jeanne said before looking over at the Luxray. “Who wants to go get her before the pie comes out and Rika steals Selena’s slice?”

“I’ll keep it safe,” Seth said, looking at the still-stunned Sylveon. Ignis was also getting to his feet, and at that time, Jeanne noticed how quiet the restaurant had become.

“Well I’m not running any marathons when I’m a foot tall,” the Bellossom retorted, looking both at Seth and Ignis. “So if it’s not you going after her, then…”

“Ahh, I’ll goooo~ Rika picked herself up off of the floor. “What’d she run off for anyhow?”

“It’s her story to tell,” Jeanne said softly, hoping the tone would convey the meaning behind the words.

“Alright,” Rika nodded. “I’m her big sister, so I’ll handle it. Save me some pie though?”

“Yeah, it’s not like our marefriend can’t whip one up at anytime or anything,” Seth deadpanned.

“Both our families seem to be such wonderfully dysfunctional things, don’t they, Mister Seth?” Jeanne said with a sad chuckle as she reclaimed her seat. “One crossed wire, one wayward word...and this happens.”

“And it just so happens that we push each other’s buttons more easily than most,” Seth replied dryly. “Well, at least life isn’t boring and I’d much rather deal with your family over Titania’s any day of the week.”

“Oh man...” Ignis laughed. “I seriously thought Edge was going to be killed when she said, to my mate, that she marked me as hers.”

“Yeah...” Seth agreed.

“How does that trio of old curses go?” Jeanne muttered, thinking back on an old adage her grandmother had once told her. “‘May you live in interesting times,’ that’s one. Check! ‘May people in high places take notice of you,’ that’s two, and check again! What was the last one, I seem to have forgotten...”

“I do not know I’m afraid,” Seth replied. “Sounds like a saying that’s a bit before my time.”

Jeanne suddenly recalled that it had something to do with Jirachi, the Legendary associated with wishes. “...ah yes! Had to do with wishing! ‘May you get exactly what you wished for!’ And I think that’s a check for that one as well,” The grass-type finished. “Interesting times abound, and Arceus himself heard Vincent at the temple. Getting exactly what I wished for by finding him, so I think our family qualifies for all three of those curses.”

“Hmm, I’m now a Pokemon and in a polygamous relationship.” Seth counted, “got to meet Cynthia, Alicorn Princesses and Arceus. And... well, I wished that those that loved their Pokemon would find happiness... does that count?”

“Have you gotten it yet?” she countered his counter, smirking mischievously.

“If what I smelled on Vincent is anything to go by,” Seth grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Then I’d say that wish came true and then some.”

“Ah, but not for you, not yet, you’ve not gotten exactly what you wished for if we’re going by that standard,” said the plant, doing a remarkable impression of a Sharpedo with her grin.

“To be honest, I’ve never been attracted to Pokemon, I could appreciate what others would see in them, but never felt a desire to be with one myself... well, until now anyway.” Seth seemed to think on something pleasant for a moment before he continued. “Rika is... well, she’s special. I didn’t fall in love with her right away... and well...”

Ignis suddenly went very pale. “Oh please tell me you’ve at least told her you loved her!?”

“I did when we confronted Applejack about our relationship, but I guess I really haven’t said it directly to them,” Seth replied.

Jeanne blinked before facepalming as well as she could. “Dear, if I knew how,” she muttered before removing her hands and continuing, “Then I’d find a way to tie you to a chair and tickle-torture you until you said those words to her. Be glad I don’t know Vine Whip.”

“I was getting to that!” Seth replied. “The right time just... hasn’t come up yet.”

Ignis sighed, facepalmed and then sighed again for good measure. “You think Vincent was dense to romance... He is nothing compared to this idiot. Look, I’m going to ask you this straight Seth. Do you love those girls?”

“Of course I do!” Seth almost shouted. “I’d do anything for them!”

“Ah good, so you pass the ‘Rupert’ level of clueless at least,” Jeanne said. “I had to corner him and extract his confession forcibly. Now, define ‘anything,’ mister.”

“Well, ahh... I haven’t done anything... ‘intimate’ with them yet, aside from hugs and more than a few kisses.” Seth seemed to flush a little at the Bellossom's words.

“I meant more along the lines of if they said ‘jump,’ would you say ‘how high,’ or would you simply jump on principle?” The Bellossom elaborated, drawing a confused expression from the Luxray.

“I’d probably wonder why in the world they’d ask me to jump, then I’d jump as high as I could.”

Jeanne nodded and backed up a step, letting Ignis take center stage again. “And if they got into any sort of trouble?” Ignis asked. Though he already knew the answer to this one.

“Really?” Seth deadpanned so hard it caused pan genocide. “Did you seriously just question if I’d protect the ones I loved?”

“Excellent,” Jeanne pitched in, “You’re nearing ‘Vincent’ levels of ‘I’m a clueless numbskull who can’t say three words.’ Now all we need to do is get it in your head that perfect moments for love confessions are made by the love confession, and we’re golden.”

“You really missed out on Vincent’s and Lucy’s confession huh?” Seth chuckled.

“I heard about it secondhand,” she commented. “Now answer me this: had you not interfered and they said nothing, would it be anything more than just another sunset near the Sundial? If they had said three words then, it would have been perfect then, and if not, whenever they chose to confess, location and preparations be damned, it would also have been perfect. Love isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you seize.”

Princess Cadence suddenly felt very proud for some reason...

“Damn...” Ignis whistled.

“I... have no idea how I’m supposed to respond to that,” Seth admitted.

“Simple, you prove me right, or wrong, whichever, when Rika comes back by walking up to her, saying those three words, and giving her a kiss,” Jeanne commented. “If I’m right, then nothing can go wrong. If I’m wrong, which I find unlikely, then you can always try again. You won’t know unless you take that first step.”

“You know... I’ll do that,” Seth nodded. “But I’ll wait until I see Fritter again, the three of us are in this together. I won’t tell Fritter that I love her, nor will I tell Rika.” Seth smiled warmly, “I’ll tell them that I love the both of them!”

And that was when Equestrian Comedic Timing struck again, as Sam appeared at last with a tray containing the pie the party of Pokemon had ordered. “Really hope you’re talking about something other than me and the pie here,” he commented.

“Sam... I’m going to forget that comment because Thunder’ing you would damage the pie. But no, I’m talking about Rika and Fritter.”

“Ah, good, was wondering when you’d get a clue,” the bug said before gently placing the tray down and lifting the cover, revealing the five plated slices of pie. He then did a slight double-take as he realized he had more pie that ‘mon. “Uh...do I want to know? Wait, better question, are they coming back?”

“Uh, I really don’t know,” Seth replied. “Could we have two of those to go, along with another couple of cheesy breadsticks?”

“Can do,” Sam said. “I’ll take two of these back and start wrapping up your order so Fredrick can give you the bill and your leftovers.”

“Thanks... oh, uhh, sorry about scaring off all of your customers as well.” Seth looked around the empty establishment.

Sam looked about as well before leaning in and whispering not-so-conspiratorially. “They’d already paid and were on their dessert courses, actually. They just stuck around because they were curious about you and your earlier display. Thanks for clearing them out.”

“Earlier display? Ohh, the Christine thing.” Seth nodded, “I guess you’ll get an early mark then, just be warned, Chrissy is at the apartment right now.”

“Guessed as such, and it was more ‘this Pokemon can speak for the Princess’ that they were curious about, if the few whispers I caught were any indication,” the Scizor clarified. “But I should be in back. I’ll send Fredrick forward in a bit!”

The steel/bug turned and left three pieces of pie on the table, taking the other two back to the kitchen. Seth seemed to think this information over before smiling widely and chuckling slightly.

“Uh, bro?” Ignis said warily. “Only insane people smile like that.”

Jeanne sighed and took a bite of the pie in front of her, humming happily as she did. “Mm, better than I expected and better than what I could make, that’s for sure.”

“You should ask Fritter to give you some recipes,” Seth suggested. “Your family would love you forever~”

“They already do, seeing as how I’m one of the few there that know how to cook,” the plant retorted with a smirk. “Still, this is quite interesting. Maybe I should ask the bird how he does it.”

“It isn’t bad,” Ignis said. “Quite good actually... but Fritter’s? Well I guess we’re a little spoiled in regards to dessert.”

“Well if you really want to know,” A voice said from nearby, causing the others to take notice of the stealthy griffon. “There was this one time I took a vacation to this charming little desert town called Appleloosa.”

“Appleloosa?” Seth repeated, “That’s where Apple Fritter was born. She wants to take us there sometime, eventually... and hope the town hasn’t been eaten by a Steelix or something.”

The griffon shrugged his wings. “Wouldn’t know myself, this was about two, three years ago. Paid a visit during a slow period for a week or so, and ran into a few members of the Apple family. More than a few attractive mares…” The half-lion, half-eagle sighed at the memory before continuing. “Got a few cooking tips from them and learned more than my fair share about how to properly work with the fruit of their family in exchange for services rendered.”

Seth took note of the birds tone, “Do I really want to know what you mean by ‘services’?”

“Let’s just say the last I knew they were looking into getting Pegasus coltfriends,” the bird said with a wink before placing a box on the table. “Your pie, and,” here he placed a basket of breadsticks on top, “Your breadsticks. For the pizza, pie, and extra appetizer, it’d normally be about thirty-five bits...but I think I can cut it down to twenty-seven, as long as you promise to make sure everything gets where it needs to be and have one of the family return the basket.”

Seth placed thirty five Bits on the table and nodded. “A tip as well, for the excellent meal.” He looked at the two remaining Pokemon at the table. “So where should we go now?”

“Wherever you like, dear. I’m not needed back at the apartment until dinner, I’d guess.” The diminutive plant smoothed out her skirt before looking back at Seth.

“I’d like to find Fritter and Rika as soon as possible, but i haven’t a clue where they are and the one Pokemon that could find them with a mere thought is rather busy at the moment...” Seth just shrugged, “I guess we could just go back to the apartment, they’re bound to turn up there soon anyway.”

“Likely, anyways. We’ll have to put you somewhere where you can’t smell the things going on in our apartment, I fear. How about we follow your nose?” The Bellossom had walked in front of the Luxray and was eyeing his back, ready for another ride back to the apartment.

“I really don’t think I’ll do anything,” Seth replied. “Just because I can smell her, doesn’t mean I’ll jump her. Like I said before, I’m not attracted to pokemon, Rika is the exception.” Seth laid down so the Bellossom could climb up onto his back, but instead, she was picked up by the Charizard.

“Oh my!” She looked up into Ignis’ face and smiled. “Well, how forward of you. Do be careful, won’t you?”

“With a delicate flower such as yourself?” Ignis smiled. “Always. I just thought you might like to experience flight.”

“I got over my fear of heights ages ago. My fear of falling, however…” She trailed off before smirking again and looking at Seth as well as she could. “Meet you there?”

Seth grinned and Ignis grinned wider as the two Pokemon begun to stretch. “Well?” Seth said, “Should we burn off this meal?”

Ignis nodded, holding onto Jeanne. “Sometimes I really wish I knew Vine Whip,” the Bellossom muttered. “It’d be so useful…”

“Race you!” both boys cried as they bolted from the restaurant. Ignis took to the sky with a powerful flap of his wings and soon the entire city of Las Pegasus could be seen below them.

“Heh, quite the sight from up here huh?”

“Y-Yes,” Jeanne managed to say after making sure her heart was back in its proper place. “And I will admit, it’s quite...liberating, being up here. Um...one question, dear. Do you even know where we’re going?”

“Not a clue,” Ignis laughed without a moments hesitation. “Seth gets a little handicap in that regard. Makes him think he’ll actually win.”

“Ah. Would you like me to show you, or would you prefer to guess? I’m good either way, this is quite the experience.”

“Hmm, well given what I heard from an earlier conversation.... I’d say your place is that one down there with the roof garden?” He pointed at an apartment with the claw that wasn't holding her.

“Close dear, you forgot about the water tank as well as the filtered glass over it. We’re more...there. Oh, is that Apple Fritter and James, installing a sprinkler system?”

“Huh? Oh, you seem to be right. Okay, now let out a loud roar!”

Were Jeanne able to actually turn and look, she was certain that her gaze would have chilled Ignis by a few degrees. “You’re joking. You’re joking, right? I’m a plant, I don’t do loud, fearsome roars.”

“I never joke... except when I’m joking,” Ignis replied seriously. “It’s fun, just do it.”

Sighing, Jeanne took a deep breath and looked to the roof in question. “JAAAAAAAAAAAAMES!” she screamed for everyone to hear, especially the Roserade in question.

The Roserade dropped the hose he’d been carrying, yiped, and hid in the stairwell leading to the roof within three seconds, leaving a confused Apple Fritter behind. The mare looked up to see Ignis let out a massive roar and suddenly dive towards the roof, carrying a shrieking Jeanne along for the ride. She calmly stepped to the side as Ignis landed with a loud thump and looked around.

The grass-type jumped to the roof and shot a glare behind her before looking up at Apple Fritter. “Next time he tries to talk me into doing something, slap one of us,” she stated.

“Oh you had fun,” Ignis laughed. “And we beat Seth back too, so bonus points.”

“Do ah even want to know?” Fritter sighed, tightening a loose pipe with a wrench.

“Probably not, no,” Jeanne said. “Now if you’ll pardon me, I have a fellow plant to wrangle and apologize to.”

With that, the elderly Bellossom walked over to the stairwell to retrieve the gardener she’d accidentally scared off. She found him not far from the rooftop doorway, clutching at his heart and breathing deeply.

"I'm sorry, dear," Jeanne said, touching him gently on the leg. "Ignis prodded me to, but I shouldn't have listened."

"For..." The Roserade gulped and turned towards her, smiling. "Forgiven. It's just, for a moment there, you sounded so very much like an older, angry Jessie. I've heard her scream my name so many times in such a tone, my first reaction was to panic. Then I remembered that she's helping Bit by this point in the day, and I calmed down."

"Ah," Jeanne said, smiling and nodding. "Well at least you still have some survival instincts."

James laughed slightly. "True, otherwise how would I have survived as long as I did?" With that, he straightened himself out a bit more and stretched, before jerking his head at the stairs and leaning closer to Jeanne's form. "I'll carry you back down to your family, ma'am. It's the least I can offer you."

The Bellossom bowed before the Roserade picked her up and began the trek down quite a few flights of stairs.

It is done, Luke proclaimed. We have done what we can to stabilize her, son.

"Yeah, she seems a lot less mad from out here," Mage's voice chipped in from the real world.

Vincent looked around the Gabite's new mental landscaping, and was pleased to see it becoming less and less hostile, more and more calm and peaceful. "I'm surprised this was in here," Vincent mused idly. "She usually was too angry to show many more sides of herself."

All of us have hidden depths that we show only to those we trust, Luke's voice returned. Come out and we shall begin bringing her around...something else I think you need to know how to do effectively.

Vincent nodded and propelled himself out of the dragon's mind, ready to help awaken his wayward 'sister'...