//------------------------------// // A Snap Decision // Story: Taming Equestria: A Digimon Story // by AutoKnight01 //------------------------------// I only own the plot of this story and nothing more. MLPis owned by Hasbro and Lauren Faust while Digimonis owned by Bandai. Enjoy! Taming Equestria A Digimon Story Chapter 1: Snap Decision It all happened so fast. The sound of a Digi-Gnome was how it all started. The young currently retired tamer was just walking past their old hangout to see if his friend had somehow miraculously returned. He was mostly expecting the same result but he still always had a shred of hope inside him that something different would happen. And this time it did. The familiar chirp of the creature that granted the tamers their Digivices rang into his ear and caused his heart to jump. Rushing up the stairs, he was almost certain that he would see him again. But what he saw instead was the next best thing. The portal was open again. TakatoMatsuki beamed in absolute delight at the familiar sight. He didn’t question it. And right now he didn’t care. The only thing on his mind while he stared at it was seeing his friend again. He was tempted to just jump into it right then and there. He even took a step forward to go. But he didn’t. “If I go now, with nothing or no one with me, who knows what might happen?” He didn’t want to risk waiting too long so the portal could close but the logical part of his brain was strongly advising against it. And for good reason too. Takato’s first trip to the Digital World with all of his friends with him wasn’t enough to keep them out of trouble. If he went in alone, he would probably be toast before one day passed. Not to mention all of the other tamers would kill him if he didn’t give them a heads up about the portal. They had all been coping with the loss of their partners in their own ways. Due to his father being a part of the reason they all had to leave, Henry Wong had been still holding a grudge against him. It had gotten to the point where the two barely even spoke a word to each other now. His little sister, Suzie, couldn’t stay mad at her father even though she was sad for a while. She had tried playing with the fake stuffed animal her mother had made up for her. But it wasn’t the same. She missed Terriermon and Lopmon too much to even try faking it anymore. Rika’s relationship with her mother had gone uphill in the past few months. Not having to go out every night to fight Digimon opened up her schedule to spend time with both her and her grandmother. While she now enjoyed actually being around her family, she still sorely missed Renamon to the point where she would almost tear up whenever the image of her came to her mind. Kazu and Kenta were more obsessed with Digimon than ever now. Every dollar they got was spent immediately on new card packs. The two of them were deadest on growing their skills with the card game so they could demolish the next tournament. Each of them had respectively found and framed copies of Guardomon and MarineAngemon cards, so they could never forget their new favorite monsters. Jeri had finally come to peace with Leomon’s death. She had also vowed to open up more to her stepmother and make their relationship grow. In the past few months, she had succeeded. Every night at dinner time, the puppet lover always told her parents about her day. It didn’t take long, but Jeri had become her chipper old self again who always smiled. Even when she started to think about Calumon, the little Digimon who brought her back to reality, she missed him with a smile on her face. Then there was Ryo. He had been finally released after all this time. He had spent what felt like an eternity in the Digital World along with Cyberdramon. Then when he returned to the real world for the first time, he had to fight the D-Reaper. To be free of the task of fighting was so alien to him he wasn’t sure at first what to do with himself. And after all the time that had passed, he still wasn’t sure. Though he did find a small outlet with the two newest tamers that joined the bunch mere minutes before their partners left them. Ai and Mako only got to be Impmon’s official tamers for a matter of hours. They didn’t have time to get acquainted with everyone else. But Ryo thought they should at least get a crash course on how to be a tamer in the case the Digimon should return. So he gifted the two youngsters with their own starter decks of Digimon cards and thought them the basics of using their Digivice. “I can’t leave here without them.” He didn’t like waiting, especially when it came to a matter like this. But it was the right thing to do to let the others know before jumping in. “Guilmon,” He spoke to the portal. “I don’t know if you can hear me. But if you can, just know that we’re all coming for you. I just hope this portal stays open for long enough.” With that, he rushed out of the small concrete hut and booked it back home. When he arrived, he was out of breath and covered in a layer of sweat. He stumbled through the front door of his family’s bakery barely avoiding the customers making their exit. “Whoa there, Takato.” His father greeted him behind the register. “You look like you just outran a ghost. Is everything okay?” “Y….yeah….fine….” He said in between pants. “Just…gotta…make a few calls…” Before he made his way up to his room, he grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and chugged the thing in one shot. The recycling bin was where the empty bottle was discarded before her removed his shoes and went upstairs. Once he got to his room, his backpack was slung into a corner and her started to dial Henry’s house. “Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.” He muttered impatiently. After a few more rings, the phone was answered by the machine. “Hello. You’ve reached the Wong residence. If this is an important matter please leave your name and number and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.” As Janyu’s pre-recorded voice cut out, a small beep rang out into the phone. “Hey Henry, it’s Takato. I don’t know where you are right now but get this. The portal to the Digital World is open again. We can get our partners back, Henry! And you can bet I’m planning to head through it. But I don’t want to go through without you guys so please call me back as soon as you get this.” With that, he hung up and dialed the next number he knew. Rika’s cell number. “Rika always keeps her phone on her.” He thought out loud. But instead of hearing rings through the phone, Rika’s voice immediately came through. “This is Rika. If you’re lucky I’ll call you back.” Takato grabbed his hair in frustration. Zero for two now. “Great. The one time she probably forgot to charge her phone is now.” Then the beep came once again. “Rika it’s Takato. I just left another message for Henry. The portal is open. I repeat, the portal to the digital world has reappeared at Guilmon’s hut. Please call me back as soon as you can.” Hanging up. He called Kazu next. Then Kenta, then Ryo, and even Ai and Mako’s house got a call. But not one of them answered. The entire process of leaving messages for each one of them took about fifteen minutes. He couldn’t believe not a single person answered him back. “Either all of them just decided out of nowhere to shut me out, or I somehow managed to pick a time where none of them are home.” There was only one more person left to call. Jeri. Dialing in her house number, he held the phone up to his ear waiting for the machine to answer him once more. Instead however- “Hello?” The girl’s voice rang through the phone, giving Takato a wave of relief. “Oh Jeri thank goodness. Finally someone answers.” “Takato? Is that you?” “Yeah it’s me and I have some great news! The portal to the Digital World is open again!” On the other side of the phone, Jeri’s mouth began to curl into a wide smile. “Takato, are you serious?! That’s amazing!” “I know! I’ve been trying to call everyone else to tell them but I only got their machines. You can bet I have every intention to go back there and get Guilmon again but I can’t go back alone.” “Well of course. It’d be really stupid if you tried to go alone. Hehe. No offense.” “Oh none taken. I just wish I got through to everyone else. I wonder where they are.” “Well don’t worry, Takato. I’m sure they’re all just off doing whatever.” “Yeah I guess. Anyway, I’ll keep you posted with what the plans are. Promise.” “Alright. I just can’t believe it. We can get our friends back. Well….I know I can’t get Leomon back. But I’d love to see Calumon again.” “I understand, Jeri. Anyways, I gotta go. Dinner time already.” “Bye, Takato. Don’t do anything stupid!” With that, the two kids hung up and Takato headed downstairs, heeding his parents call for dinner. Soon enough, night time came and it was time for Takato to sleep. As he laid down in bed, he held up his Digivice. The golden D-Arc that was presented to him the first time he and Guilmon bio-merged. As his fingertips ran across the surface of the device, he flashed back to every adventure he and his partner ever had together. The first time Guilmon appeared in the real world was literally a dream come true. He had always envisioned his own idea of what his own Digimon partner would be like. And he was the only tamer who could say that he got to live his dream by making a fan-made Digimon real. He didn’t care if he was just a big packet of data. The first time he touched Guilmon’s skin, it’s texture felt like that of a real reptilian creature. That was all he needed. His creation was there, and he had no idea what he was in for. As their fights grew more intense and Digivolving became a more common thing, the bond between them only grew. It grew to the point where when Growlmon was hurt in battle, Takato felt every blow as well. The ultimate link between partner and tamer. They fight together, and they share the pain together. “At least I thought that was the ultimate link. But then came Gallantmon.” It was like everything they had been through before that was just leading up to that one crucial point. The point where he and Guilmon became one Mega level entity. He could hear Guilmon’s thoughts, and he could hear Takato’s. The two of them were in perfect sync with one another. As he reminisced, Takato only felt himself getting more and more impatient to see his friend. And that’s when he came to the decision that would probably get him in hot water with not only his parents but his friends as well. “I’m sorry you guys. But I can’t wait. The longer I stay put the more time it gives the portal to close. And this could be the one chance to get them back.” He did the reasoning in his head. It was probably suicide to venture into the Digital World alone. But as long as only one of them went, and the others knew where he was, then he could call for help. And he had just the thing to do it with. He went over to his dresser and reached into one of the top drawers. A familiar device that he had brought with him to the Digital World was in his hand. Yamaki’s communicator. It wasn’t the same one he had when the first went to the Digital World but rather another one the head of Hypnos felt that Takato should keep it as a keepsake. And just his luck, now he needed it again. As quietly as he could so he didn’t wake his parents, Takato emptied out his backpack and started to fill it with a few essientials he would need. A few changes of clothes so he wasn’t stuck wearing the same thing like last time. He learned. Before he left his room, he went underneath his bed and pulled out a couple more things he would need. One being his deck of cards when he would need them. And the second thing was his pair of goggles. He had waited for the day he could wear them again. Now that time has come. Clipping his Digivice to the belt loop on his pants, he snuck downstairs and spotted the leftover bread that wasn’t sold that day. He knew for a fact that Guilmon would ask if he had brought any with him once they found each other again. And who was he to not come prepared? With all the packing done, and a note left on the refridgerator, he opened the front door to his house as gently as he could, and shut it with the same care. “I am so gonna get grounded for life for this. But I can’t waste a second. Goodbye Mom and Dad. I love you.” Not too long later, he found himself back in Shinjuku Park, at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the concrete hut. After the small climb, he smiled to see that the portal was still there, almost as if it were waiting for him. “Hold on, Guilmon. I’m coming for you and the others too. You’re all coming home.” MEANWHILE IN ANOTHER WORLD It was just past midnight. The moon of this world was full tonight and decorated with a beautiful array of stars. And right beneath it in a peaceful village, was a castle formed out of a crystalline looking tree. The Castle of Friendship was quiet both inside and out, saving for a certain baby dragon’s loud snoring. But luckily that wasn’t enough to wake the princess herself, who was asleep in her own room not too far away. A different loud noise however, was what did the trick. The young alicorn’s ears twitched at an unidentifiable sound and stirred her from her slumber. Leaning up, she at first thought it might be Spike trying to sneak another midnight snack. However that thought was diminished when she realized what direction the noise was coming from. With a flash of magenta, Twilight Sparkle teleported out of bed and in front of the mirror portal that led to the world Sunset Shimmer now resides in. It was activated only it looked different. Rather than a rippling white light that resembled a glowing pool, the inside of the mirror was darker, and had glowing punctuation symbols floating out of it a short ways before dispersing. “What in Equestria is happening here?” she asked to herself. Then she heard it. She wasn’t sure it first but she definitely heard a voice growing louder inside the mirror. “Sunset Shimmer?” She squinted her eyes trying to get a better view into the portal, and began to make out a silhouette of a person coming through. It didn’t look like this person was walking though. “…..aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!” Whoever this person was, it was screaming. And with the way its body was tumbling, it appeared as though he was falling too. But how could something fall sideways? What was going on here? Before she could get any sort of answer, the person breached the mirror and gravity grabbed hold, causing it to fly over the alicorn and roll right into the wall not too far away from her. Twilight was staring at this person with wide eyes and with no sense of understanding. This creature was definitely a human being like Sunset. And from the looks of it, it was clearly a male. He wore a blue short sleeved shirt on its torso that was covering another white shirt underneath it. His legs were adorned by a grey pair of short pants and green shoes. To top it off, quite literally, the boy was wearing yellow framed goggles on his forehead. Judging by her short experience in the mirror world, this boy had to be no older than the crusader’s ages. At least that was Twilight’s estimation. As she turned back to the mirror, she saw that the odd portal that had formed within it had vanished, giving the mirror back its regular appearance once more. “Uggghhh…I gotta find a better way of doing that.” Her attention was diverted back to the boy who was busy rubbing his aching head. He readjusted himself and was now on his knees just beginning to open his eyes. When they were open, he looked around his surroundings, not finding one thing about the place was in familiar. “Wait….where am I?” Then his head turned one more time to notice he was not alone. Twilight and this boy had their eyes locked on each other, not sure of what to say. “Um….hehe….hi there.” Takato muttered.