//------------------------------//
// Mother 
// Story: My Little Pokémon 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Vanhoover. Skyblue Shine's Mansion. 15:10.

A shocking reveal had been made. One that perplexed the Canterlot guards and most importantly, Premium Polish. Her mother had robotic parts sticking out that had been blown off because of Golurk firing a Flash Cannon near her.

Her body was twitching with sparks flying out of the exposed parts. She had an eye that was glowing blue as opposed to the green eye colour she seemingly had before the Flash Cannon explosion. Flash Cannon really left an impact despite not directly hitting her. 

"Mother?" A confused, shocked and befuddled Premium Polish uttered with her jaw dropped and pupils shrunk along with her widened eyes.

"Y-Y-Y-You." Skyblue Shine was stuttering as sparks were coming out of her eye. She turned her attention to the guard and Golurk who had done this to her, clearly aggravated. She then looked back to Premium Polish, seeing how mortified and lost her daughter was.

Even her Pokemon were at a loss for words as they all gazed at Skyblue Shine's seemingly true form. All the guards who had seen it knew that at this point, they could be in trouble. From how Skyblue Shine was looking at them, this was meant to be something nopony was supposed to see. And the ones frozen in an icy prison were unable to close their eyes or look away because of their frozen status.

"You've all seen too much." Skyblue Shine used her 'magic' to take out another Poke Ball, sending out one of her Pokemon that officially belongs to her instead of being stolen. She sent out a Bronzong. 

"Bronzong!"

"Use Hypnosis."

"Zoooong!" The Bronze Bell Pokemon eyes glowed multicoloured as multiple mini-circles were released off its body. The circles all locked onto every single one of the guards and Golurk here, putting them all in a trance. 

The guard who was half-frozen was the only one who was able to resist the Hypnosis by closing his eyes since he wasn't fully frozen like his fellow guards who couldn't do anything but stare. The rest of them had been put to sleep by Hypnosis, unfortunately.

The awake guard tried to stay awake, but it was no use. Hypnosis was already taking its full effect as even he and his Golurk fell asleep.

Now that the guards had fallen asleep, there was one other thing she had to focus on. Her daughter, Premium Polish. And the way she turned to her, she was obviously not pleased that her daughter had seen her in this current state. "Premium Polish."

"Mm!" Premium Polish stepped back as she saw how her mother was gazing at her with her robotic eye. Her Pokemon stood by her side, now intimidated by her mother. 

Skyblue Shine approached her daughter as the little unicorn was now terrified as her mother's blue eyes were staring right at her.  Because of her exposed hooves, her hoofsteps sounded different as they stomped on the snow, leaving heavy sounds of metal in the process. 

"I-I didn't mean to look! I didn't! I swear!"

Skyblue Shine stopped in front of her daughter, staring her down. Her twitching was coming to an end as she was no longer stuttering with her words. Skyblue Shine could see how terrified her daughter was, cowering in fear.

"I-I promise I won't tell anypony else I-"

"It's not your fault." Skyblue Shine suddenly said which prompted Premium and her Pokemon to look with even further confused look on their faces.

"Huh?"

"You were never supposed to see me like this, Premium Polish. But circumstances led to this." Her tone suddenly changed when speaking to her daughter. She knew that her daughter was not at fault here. "Do not blame yourself for something that was not in your control, alright?"

"R-Right. But, mother...Is everything about you that I know not true? Are you really an Umbrage Thief and not who you seem to be?"

"You've already seen me in this state, so there is no point in hiding it. I'll admit it. All that you've heard from the Canterlot Guards is true. Every last bit of it."

"So...you really do steal Pokemon after all?" Premium Polish's tears were kicking up again. "But why?"

"For Empress Twilight Sparkle. Everything I do is for her. She is of great importance to me. And so is her empire."

"But what about me?! What does that make me?!" A distraught Premium Polish sobbed as tears were dropping in the snow. By this point, she didn't know what to think. A rush of emotions was filling her and there's a good chance she won't be able to take anymore. 

"They're important to me. But not as much as you." It was those words that Skyblue Shine said that gave the little unicorn hope once more. 

Her frown was slowly transforming into a smile after hearing what her mother had said. Knowing that she treasures her over everything was enough to fill her distraught heart with something warm and comfortable. 

"R-Really?" Premium mumbled while wiping her face and nose. "You mean it?"

"You're my daughter. It should be obvious, don't you think?"

"Mother...!" The little filly had a teary-eyed grin as she hugged Skyblue Shine by latching onto her neck.

"But...I'm afraid you won't ever remember this moment ever again."

"W-What?"

"Hypnosis."

"Brooon..." Just like what it did to the guards and Golurk, Bronzong had cast Hypnosis on Premium Polish along with her Pokemon as well, putting them all into a trance.

And just like that, Premium Polish had fallen to the ground, put to sleep by Bronzong's Hypnosis. But Premium was the last to fall asleep as she looked into her mother's eyes once more.

"Mother..." And that was that.

Skyblue Shine sighed as she did not expect this day to turn out in this way. But, she wasn't too bothered by it. Then again, she's rarely bothered by anything. The unicorn looked down at her daughter, knowing that all of this knowledge she had gained was an issue for Skyblue Shine.

"Sorry, dear." Skyblue Shine put her hoof on her daughter's head. "But those new memories you've made, need to be erased at once."

Skyblue Shine was clearly planning on wiping the memories of today away from Premium's mind. But she didn't use a spell to do so. Instead, she did something different from just ordinary spells.

As Skyblue Shine used her magic on her daughter, There was a tiny little rectangular hole in the side of the young unicorn's head that had opened up. Just next to her right eye.

Skyblue Shine used her magic to take out what seemed to be a small little chip from Premium Polish's head. Skyblue Shine looked at the chip as she used her magic to toss it away.

She then went into her saddlebag, getting out a second chip all of a sudden. That second chip was the same size as the previous one as Skyblue then placed it back inside of the hole of the little unicorn as it had closed up. There was a faint sound of electronic beeping that passed through her ears.

"There. This memory chip should at least rewind your memories to five hours ago." She said as she wiped some snow off her daughter's horn. "Sorry, little one. But it's for the best."

"Finally." Skyblue Shine was close to wrapping things up here. "Now to deal with them." She turned her attention to the guards and Golurk who were still frozen. "I'm certainly not keeping them here. Instead, I believe that Empress Twilight would enjoy some extra additions to her empire."

They would be sent to the alternate universe and forced to work under Empress Twilight. In a sense, betraying Celestia and Luna. Which is something none of them wanted considering how loyal they are. But unfortunately, they couldn't do anything about it because of their current state.

"Excellent work, Bronzong. Now quickly. Get them inside and through the gateway before the Empress finally decides where else she wants to place it."

"Zong."

Every issue had been cleared for now. Everyone was asleep and only Skyblue Shine and Bronzong remained. She looked at the window, seeing her exposed metal parts caused by Flash Cannon.

The only individuals to see and hear all of this go down were the Pokemon of Premium Polish. They had witnessed everything and their views had changed drastically. They now understood the situation and who Skyblue Shine truly was.

And to an extent, their own trainer.

As they witnessed Skyblue Shine and Bronzong bring Premium Polish and the guards and Golurk inside of the mansion, the Pokemon then turned their attention to something greater.

The chip that Skyblue Shine had thrown away. It was still on the ground outside. From what they heard, they instantly knew that the chip was important. Highly important. 

All of them heard how Skyblue Shine referred to it as a memory chip. Because of that, they could tell that the chip on the ground contained the memories Premium Polish had obtained today. And the chip inside of her now would give her new memories when she eventually wakes up.

But they weren't the only ones. Even though all the guards and Golurk had been frozen, there was one who was buried in the snow as opposed to the others who were above or in-between the snow. One guard had been missed by Bronzong's Hypnosis. He was the only one that stayed awake and went under the radar.

He had heard everything and seen everything from the small little hole in the snow that was there. But other than that, he couldn't do anything. He was still in an icy prison-like the others. The only difference was that he was deep inside of the snow. But he and the Pokemon had something to remember. But unlike the Pokemon, he was aiming at sharing this newfound information.

If he could get out, that is. Obviously, he'll eventually thaw out, but not for a while. Possibly hours considering Vanhoover's temperature. The other guards will thaw out but they will remain asleep because of Hypnosis. It looked to be a dreadful situation already.



Canterlot. 18:30.

The one guard who was sent to Canterlot to inform Princess Celestia about Premium Polish's family status had finally arrived there. But unbeknownst to him, all of his fellow guards have been captured by Skyblue Shine at this point. He wasn't even aware of her true identity.

The guard had given Celestia all the information he knew. About how Premium Polish did not have a father or any other relatives aside from her mother. It seemed as if they were the only members of their family. Plus, the bodyguards weren't reliable at all since they only show up for Pokemon Contests.

"No other relatives..." Celestia was obviously star-struck by that.

"None whatsoever. We're not sure what to do with her if there's nopony capable of taking care of her." The guard said. 

"Well, that certainly complicates things." Celestia bit her hoof before concluding on what to do with the little unicorn. "Alright. If she has no other relatives, then the best we can do is take care of her for the time being."

"Take care of her?" Sunlight and Eventide turned to their daughter.

"Well, we cannot just leave her alone. Especially if there's a gateway connecting to Empress Twilight's world. She'll need somepony to take care of her. But not in Vanhoover."

"You're suggesting here in Canterlot?" Sunlight went up to Celestia. "Are you perhaps thinking of being her surrogate mother in a way?"

"M-Me?!" Celestia jerked back.

"Because if so, then that would be perfect. You can even have that dashing and fairly virile Cobalion as a surrogate father."

"M-Mother!" Celestia blushed as she turned her head. "Well, I've certainly decided to give her a surrogate mother and father. But I never said it would be me. Although, I could try."

"You don't need to try. You're already perfect for the role!." Eventide chuckled. "You already have the capabilities of a mother. Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle and Passion are already good enough to take care of young individuals."

"Your father is right." Sunlight nodded. "Can't think of anypony better for the job. Besides. We can't exactly bring a child to the Ambrosial Plane."

"Hm. That's impossible to argue against. I suppose I'll take care of her for the time being. And when the invasion is over, she can return to Vanhoover." But just then, Celestia was having second thoughts. "Oh! But she'll be distraught if she's taken away from her home!"

"Oh no..." Eventide and Sunlight both knew that Celestia's fears were once again kicking in.

"No...it's for the best. To keep her safe. Oh, but she'll probably resent and hate me for arresting her mother!" Celestia gulped as she was going back and forth with fears and resolutions.

"So...do I head back and inform the others?" The guard shifted his eyes around.

"Oh!" Celestia shot up. "Yes. Do that. See if they've arrested her already. If not then report back to me immediately and I'll see what else I can do."

"Understood." And just like that, the guard left to return to Vanhoover to see if the job had been done. He was hoping that Skyblue Shine had already been arrested at this point.

While he left the castle, Celestia kept thinking about Premium Polish and how she didn't have a father at all. Not even a father figure in her life.

"To not have a father at all or even other relatives..." Celestia said to herself.

She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have no father figure in anyone's life. Especially if the mother is rarely there for the child and indulges in shady practices. Little does Celestia know, Premium Polish has both known and forgotten about her mother's true identity in just one day.



Vanhoover. Skyblue Shine's Mansion. 20:00.

The moon had come up. Meaning that the night was here. And this is around the time Skyblue Shine takes action.

The guard returned to Vanhoover to see if the arrest of Skyblue Shine had finally been made. If so, then his fellow guards would be back at Canterlot by now.

But they weren't. 

"I've given all the information so far to Princess Celestia! Have you all-" He said, expecting to speak with his friends. But they weren't there when he got back. "Oh. Nopony's here. Must've already returned."

He assumed that they had left the mansion and were on another train back to Canterlot. Sadly, that was not the case. It was something far worse. But the guard didn't know that.

Assuming that the arrest had already been made, he was ready to leave. But before that could even happen, his hoof had suddenly been grabbed by another hoof that came from the ground as it had been wrapped around him.

"Aaaah!" The guard screeched at the top of his lungs as his mane shot up along with his helmet flying off his head. He almost shattered the windows because of his scream.

Thankfully, it wasn't an enemy. But instead, the guard who had managed to avoid Skyblue Shine and Bronzong's Hypnosis. He had finally thawed out as he burst out of the snow, gasping for air.

"Ugh!" He gasped as he was breathing in and out rapidly.

"A-Are you okay?! What happened?!" The guard asked.

"R-R-R-Robot! E-Empress! Head thing! Help...!" He started yelling words uncontrollably as he held onto his fellow guard while freezing. He desperately needed something to keep himself warm.

"You can't talk in that condition! There has to be something to warm you up..." The guard looked around for anything that would help his friend. 

"N-N-Nevermind that...e-e-everypony else...n-n-n-needs rescuing."

"Why?! What happened?!"

"I-I-I-" It was impossible to talk in this condition. It would take forever for him to explain everything at this point.

"Oh, this isn't working. We're getting you somewhere warm." He held his fellow guard up as he approached the mansion door, attempting to open it. But he quickly found out that the doors were locked, unfortunately. "Locked. Alright. We'll ask the citizens instead."

To gift the guard warmth once more so that he could speak properly, one of the homes of the citizens here would do. And since they're here by Canterlot decree, they are most likely to have their requests accepted in a heartbeat.

One resident was kind enough to let the guards in so that he could have his friend warm up near the fireplace. Vanhoover is full of fireplaces because of where it is located and how it's constantly cold. 

The fireplace was a gift for the guard as all the chilling ice that was still around him was melting away as he had a blanket cover him. He was experiencing bliss at the moment as the pony living here brought him a warm drink.

After that, he and the other guard came out of the house, thanking the pony for helping them. As a bonus, they might get something special from Canterlot once they head back, which the pony living there would greatly enjoy.

"Oh...I needed that." The relieved guard sighed.

"Good. Now. Can you tell me what you really wanted to say?"

"Oh, right! You need to hear this." He pulled his fellow guard in, ready to spill everything that he had seen and witnessed. From Skyblue Shine's true appearance, Premium Polish's memory chip and the potential outcome for the other guards becoming apart of Empress Twilight's Empire.

He broke down everything from what he saw and heard. He didn't skip anything or try and exaggerate things. He only gave out what he truly experienced when frozen and looking straight through that hole in the snow.

And at this point, it was practically confirmed that the arrest did not happen. Meaning that this whole thing was one large failure at the end of the day.

"Huh." The first guard sat down, taking all of it in. "That is certainly something...I was hoping to return to Canterlot to give out good news but this is..."

"What do you suppose we do? If you ask me, I think we should head in there and get them all back."

"Ah!" The guard put his hoof out, stopping him. "You've already told me about the others and how they'll be sent into the gateway for Empress Twilight. It's been hours and they're probably already through it. It's too dangerous to go after them."

"R-Right." The second guard sighed.

"For now, let's head back and report to Princess Celestia. We'll save them all." The decision had been made. It was time to leave and return to Canterlot.

But before they return to Canterlot, there was one thing the second guard had to bring along. The memory chip from before that was located back at the mansion.

"We'll need this." He used his hoof to clear out the snow, trying to find the memory chip. But once he cleared it out, it was gone. No longer in the same spot as it was before. "Eh?! It's gone! But it was right here!"

"Let's forget about it for now. We should get back. We can probably try and find it later."

"R-Right..." 

It was off to Canterlot to inform Celestia about everything. And she needed to know everything. Information such as this changes everything. While it doesn't heavily affect this world, it is still something that must be given attention. And thankfully, there was a witness to give out that information. More witnesses as the Pokemon at the mansion had experienced it themselves.



Skyblue Shine's mansion. 21:00.

"Mmm..." Premium Polish, who had been placed in her bedroom, was finally waking up. Her eyes blinked as the first thing she saw were her Pokemon who were all surrounding her.

"Swan! Swanna!" Swanna and the others cried, witnessing their trainer waking up.

"Oh. Everyone." The little unicorn grumbled, rubbing her eye

"Masq! Masquerain!" Her Pokemon suddenly closed in on her, giving Premium an unexpected group hug. One that was certainly needed, even if Premium Polish herself was unaware of why it came out of nowhere. But hugs are always nice.

The Pokemon were all letting out their own cries as they were hugging Premium more than they usually do. In fact, harder than they usually do too.

"What's gotten you all so emotional all of a sudden?" Premium chuckled as her Pokemon would not separate themselves from her after a while. 

After 12 seconds of hugging, the Pokemon finally let Premium Polish breathe as they moved away from her. She looked outside to see that it was currently night. She was asleep for a while yet it felt like time was a bit different for her.

"Oh, right. Mother's out right now doing her job." Premium sat up from her bed. "I wish I knew what she does at night...Oh well. Mother never sees my contests so I guess it's all fair game."

"Swan. Swanna." Before Premium Polish could go off and do whatever she wants, Swanna wanted to show her something important. 

"Hm? What is it, Swanna?"

"Swanna." The White Bird Pokemon held her wing out, revealing the memory chip from before. She had picked it up and kept it. After all, this chip had the previous memories of today. All stored inside.

"...What is this?" Premium Polish tilted her head as she raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure what she was looking at. Unfortunately, Premium wasn't aware of what was inside of her and how this one chip once resided in her head for essentially a long time.

"S-Swanna?" Swanna was hoping that Premium could somehow notice it. But she couldn't, which made the White Bird Pokemon and the rest of the Pokemon nervous.

"Hm...I don't know what this is but...if you're giving it to me then it has to be important." Premium took the chip either way. She used her magic to bring her saddlebag over, placing the memory chip inside. "I'll keep it safe, okay?"

"Swanna..." 

"Anyway. Let's get ready for tomorrow. I want to try new attractions somewhere else. Maybe Ponyville has something interesting?" She began to chatter about tomorrow. 

She was back to her old self once more. Even if she had her memories reset. For now, her Pokemon knew secrets that they weren't supposed to discover, but eventually did. And those secrets only go deeper.

Both Skyblue Shine and Premium Polish are not who they seem. One knows what they truly are while the other is unaware and clueless. And two opposing sides, the guards and the Pokemon, are the only ones who experienced it for themselves. What happens next during these remaining days of the Pokemon Festival continues to be unexpected in every way. And it will stay like that even when the Pokemon Festival ends as the journey continues.


Chapter 356 End.