> Digital Equestria > by Sword Master > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Introduction > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction The sun was shining on another beautiful day in the state of Indiana, as summer had arrived. With summer comes the freedom of all students from the terror and torture that was school. For many, this was the end of a few months of school, but also the beginning of an adventure for five individuals, an adventure that would change everything. For in the depths of space, a lone beam of light traveled at incredible speeds towards the planet Earth. In no time at all, it quickly cut through the vacuum of space and into Earth's atmosphere, which did not falter the speed it was going at. As the beam of light enters the stratosphere and above the state of Indiana, it splits into five individuals beams. Three from the group move in one direction, while the remaining two went in different directions. These lights were on a collision course with five destined humans. Three human youths walked alongside each other after finishing their last day of the school semester. "Summer, the time for no school, no homework, no bossy teachers, and no worries. Nothing but sun and fun." Alice Johnson, Eighteen-years-old with dirty blond hair, kept in a ponytail and sapphire blue eyes. She stood at 5'11'' Wearing a white and blue tank-top with a pair of jean shorts and white sneakers. Her chest size BB-cup, but she had a perfect hourglass figure and a small bubble butt. She had finished and graduated high school and ready to rest before college. "You've got that right. Time for some downtime." Next, Matthew Summers or Matt for short. He was also eighteen and graduated high school with Alice. Matt stood at 6' with raven black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a plain blue t-shirt, a pair of cargo shorts, and red and black sneakers. Matt has an average body with muscle definition. He also had a pair of pilot's goggles resting on his head, which had a large crack running across the entire right lens. The crack came from a childhood accident. Matt was also smart with an IQ of 150; he was only ten points off of being a genius. Last was Abby Summer, Matt's younger sister by eight years. She was currently ten. She had brown hair, which she kept in twin pigtails and emerald green eyes. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt, a black skirt, and white sneakers. She stood at 5'4''. She had an average body build for a child with a little pudge around her stomach. But overall, she was cute, which meant her brother was overprotective when it came to boys. She was right now getting ready to enter middle school. "So what should we do for summer vacation?" Asked Alice waking ahead of the sibling before turning around, walking backward with her hands behind her back. "Anything sounds good to me," Abby added while she walked alongside her brother while holding his hand. With his free hand, Matt cupped his chin as he thought about his answer. "Well, I was thinking about visiting a few theme parks." This caused his little sister to squeal with joy, bouncing up and down. "I'll see if my parents will let us rent a week out in their condo in Hilton Head Island." Said Alice while pulling out her phone to message her parents "You sure we can afford a week at Hilton Head Island," Matt asked, sounding concerned. "I know my parents could lend me some money to cover some of the cost. Plus, I know you have the money your parents left you." Alice said after sending her text message Matt lowered his at the mention of his parent. "That's true." Two years ago, a terrible car accident took Abby's and Matt's parents' lives. Their parents had the foresight to create a savings account for their children with plenty of money for them, along with making sure both children were in their will. After losing her friend's parents, Alice, a friend of the family, offered to help Matt raise his sister and manage their finances. She was one of Matt's closest friends. He cherished their friendship and knew that he could never repay her for all she had done for him and his sister, those two years without his parents were made slightly bearable thanks to her. Abby also looked up to Alice like a big sister and talk to her about girl things that her brother would never understand no matter how hard he tried. "It would be fun to go to the beach, and I know Matt would love to play golf down there," Abby added, knowing her brother's hobbies. "Plus, I bought a new bikini," Alice said in a teasing tone as she sways her hips while glancing at Matthew. Matt turned his gaze elsewhere as a noticeable blush appeared on his cheeks. "Well, it would be fun." He spoke in a flustered tone earning a giggle from the two girls. The trio continued to talk about their summer plans, unaware that three beams of light were heading straight for them high above them. Elsewhere, an eighteen-year-old African American was waving goodbye to his friends. "Same time next week, James." A teenager called out as he and a group of his friends were leaving. "You know it." James Smith. He stood at 6'2'' with short black hair and emerald green eyes. He was wearing a white shirt, sport's shorts, and a pair of red Jordans. He had finished playing a fun round of basketball with his closest friends but enjoyed football more since he was the wide receiver for his high school. He graduated this year and wanted to start his summer fun early before heading off to training camp to prepare for when he joins the football team at the college he'll be attending. James also had a large scar running down the side of his right cheek. It came from a fight he had with his father when he was thirteen. James sighed as he took a long sip from his water bottle as he walked out to his car. He was happy he could spend time with his football buddies before they all went their separate ways. He stopped at his car and fished around in his pocket for his keys to unlock it. 'Well time to get home and shower.' He thought, unaware of the beam of light heading straight for him Elsewhere a teenage girl exits her school stretching her arms above her head. "At last. I'm finally free." April North, an eighteen-year-old female. She stood at 5'8'' with short chocolate brown hair and seafoam green eyes. She had DD-cup breasts. She liked to wear dresses. Right now, she was wearing a strapless aquamarine dress and light blue sneakers. She also graduated from high school and was enjoying her summer before college. April is a shy girl and kept to herself but loved to express her feelings through art. She especially liked painting. She wanted to one day have her paintings spotlighted at a large art gallery. "Time to go home and start on that new painting I had been planning." The fifth and last beam of light was making its way toward her. Soon the lights began to make their way to their distended host. Abby, Matt, and Alice walked back to Matt's car when the lights made their descent to their targets. James, who was about to enter his car, stopped when he saw a light that suddenly hovered right in front of him. The light meant for April, who had already sat down in the car, zoomed through the open window of the car before stopping in front of her. A light hovered in front of Abby, Alice, and Matt. Each of the lights stopped short of their destined recipient before flashing and dropping a device in front of them. Out of curiosity, the children moved to pick up the small device before and examining them closely. The device looked similar to a plus sign with a screen in the middle and a light ring that lit up when each of the humans took hold of the device. Matt's was red, Alice had blue, Abby had pink. At the same time, James and April had also received the same items. James's was gold, while April's came in green. Each of five humans scrutinized the device, wondering what it could be and where it came from. Before they knew it, the screens of each of them began to glow. A white aura envelopes each of the human's bodies. "What's happening?" Matt asked, feeling restricted in his movement. Soon he felt as though a sensation was pulling his body up. Looking down, he could see that he was indeed being pulled up towards the sky. "Matt!" Alice screamed as she tried to break free from the white aura. "Big brother!" Abby cried out, sounded scared and worried as she looked to her brother for support. Simultaneously, both James and April experienced the same phenomenon as they too started to float upward into the sky. Once the five humans had reached a certain altitude, they were immediately and without warning shot straight up at incredible speeds. The highest of the five was Matt, with Alice and Abby not too far behind. James, who looked terrified, looked all around him as the ground beneath him started to move further away from how high he went. April hid her face in her hands as she had wished that this was nothing more but a bad dream. Five beams of light began to speed through the atmosphere of planet Earth heading towards space. Each occupant was screaming as the light pulled them further away from their plant and their homes and families. Once they had reached a high enough altitude, the beams of light shot across the inky darkness of space as they made their way to their intended destination. Each occupant was screaming as the light pulled them further away from the ground and their homes. Soon each beam shot like a bullet into space towards its final destination. > Chapter 1 - Warm Welcome...Not > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Warm Welcome...Not The five lights soared through the night sky over the Everfree Forest. The lights started to make their descents down towards different parts of the forest, where odd creatures awaited the lights' occupants to arrive. Once the light reached its destination, it stopped above the forest floor and descended downward. As it rested upon the forest floor, the light vanished without a trace leaving the humans lying on the ground, unconscious from the momentum as it traveled across the stars. The odd creatures each made their way towards their respective unconscious humans as they knew that this was who they were waiting to appear to them. *** "Hey, you! Are you ok?" Matt’s body began to stir as he heard a high pitched voice speaking out to him. "You think he's alive?" His brain began to send signals across his body as he heard yet another voice, even though the statement happened to be directed towards the first voice. "I'm not sure, but I hope so." Matt groaned as he felt his body coming back to him. Matt slowly opened his eyes to see nothing more than blobs, and mutated colors fill his vision. He groaned as he closed his eyes and opened them again. His vision was coming slowly, coming back to him. "Oh, he's awake." Matt rubbed his head as he sat up. He looked around to see he was sitting in the middle of a forest. Matt looked up to see a dark sky full of stars, which meant night had fallen. He looked around, and soon his eyes came down to two strange creatures. One looked like a grey seal with no back flippers and orange hair. The other looked like a red blob with legs, a tail, and batwings. He blinked his eyes, but the two strange creatures were still there. He rubbed his eyes, but there they still stood. "Ok, this has to be a dream." He reached over to his right arm and pinched himself. He flinched out from the pain, "Ok, I felt that, which means this isn't a dream, and I'm looking at two strange creatures out of a children's coloring book." "Creatures, no, we are Digimon," said the red blob in a high pitched voice. "Digimon?" Asked Matt "Yeah, Digimon, Digital Monsters." Said the grey seal "Digital Monsters?" Asked Matt "Man, you sure love repeating things. But anyway, I'm Gigimon." "And I'm Bukamon." "Um, well, I'm Matthew Summers, but you can call me Matt." "Nice to meet you." Said Bukamon Matt looked around at the towering trees around him, "So you two have any idea where we are?" "Nope, we arrived only a few minutes before you appeared here from a strange light." Said Gigimon Matt scratched his head and closed his eyes. A light, could he be talking about the light that enveloped me when I touched that strange object. But why did it take me to a forest? And where does this forest happen to be? Matt rubbed his head as he had way too many questions and barely any answers. Matt looked back at Gigimon and Bukamon. "So, I'm guessing you haven't seen any other humans around?" Asked Matt "If you're referring to what you are, nope." Said Bukamon Matt sighed as he got up and that when he felt something in his right hand. He looked to see the strange device from earlier. He spun it around in his hand as he looked at it. I wonder what's up with this thing. Matt decided that worrying about the object in his hand wasn’t necessary at this moment. He attached it to his pants before looking around him. He was happy that the bright moon gave him some form of light to see in the dense forest surrounding him. At least I can see. I guess that’s one good thing. Now I need to find Alice and Abby. Matt wasn’t even sure if Alice and Abby were also in the forest. He sighed but looked down at Gigimon and Bukamon. Maybe they saw another light coming into the forest. Matt looked at both of the Digimon, “Did either of you see any other lights come down to this forest?” “Yeah, we saw four other lights along with yours. I think the nearest one is that way.” Matt turned to see Bukamon was pointing to the way in front of him. “Thanks, Bukamon.” Said Matt Hold on, Abby and Alice, I’m coming to find you guys. But now I’m wondering who the other two lights belong to if Abby, Alice, and I were three of them. I guess I’ll find out sooner or later. Matt began to make his way towards the way Bukamon pointed out to him. "Where are you going, Matt?" Asked Gigimon "I'm going to look for my sister and my best friend. I have to make sure they're both ok." Said Matt "Then, wait for us." Said Bukamon "You want to follow me?" Asked Matt "That's right." Said Bukamon "Ok, I guess I could use the company. Let's get moving." Said Matt Bukamon and Gigimon smiled at each other before Bukamon flew over to Matt, and Gigimon hopped over to him. Matt picked up Gigimon and looked at him. "Thanks." Said Gigimon "No problem." Said Matt Bukamon followed close behind Matt as he carried Gigimon. Abby and Alice stay safe. I'm going to find both of you. *** Matt, Gigimon - now riding his shoulder - and Bukamon - floating close behind - continued to walk in the forest. Matt yelled out to his sister and Alice, but he wasn't sure if they would even hear him. Matt sighed as he tucked his right hand into his pocket. He pulled his phone out again to see if he had acquired a signal, but still nothing. Damn! He put it away and continued to walk. Then he heard the sound of something coming towards him and his Digimon. He turned to his right and prepared to meet whatever animal he awoke from its slumber. I knew I would attract an animal sooner or later with my screaming. Matt steadied himself for the creature to appear. His mind ran rampant with what could be coming towards him, but he never expected another human to come barreling out of the forest. Matt didn’t even have time to react as James struck him. James and Matt hit the dirt hard. Gigimon luckily jumped away before Matt hit the dirt. The two Digimon looked at the two eighteen-year-old males tangled together. Both groaned as they got themselves untangled and sat on the forest floor. “Man has anyone ever told you that you hit like a freight train.” Said Matt "Yeah, my friends have plenty of times pointed that out to me.” Said James “Yeah, no kidding.” Said Matt Matt was the first to get up and stretch out a hand towards the boy, "So, what's your name?" "James Smith and you?" James took Matt’s hand as Matt helped him back to his feet. "Matthew Summers, but Matt for short." "And I'm Bukamon." "And I'm Gigimon." James turned to look at the two Digimon before feeling his eyes twitch. "I finally found you!" The small group moved their heads towards the sound. They were now looking at a blue fuzzy ball that looked like a cat. "I thought I would never catch up to you." Said the cat creature "You see those strange creatures as well?" Asked James as he leaned in close to Matt, pointing to the Digimon. "Yes, I see them as well." Said Matt "What are they?" Asked James "Well, you let never let me introduce myself. I'm Wanyamon, and I am a Digimon, Digital Monster." "This can't be happening," said James as he rubbed his eyes. "Trust me. It's happening." Said Matt "And who are all of you?" Asked Wanyamon "I'm Matthew Summers, Matt, for short." "I'm Bukamon." "I'm Gigimon." "Well, you going to introduce yourself. I think it’s rude not to introduce yourself and to run off as you did.” Said Wanyamon James sighed as he looked at Wanyamon, “James Smith.” "So, I'm guessing your first encounter didn't go over so well." Said Matt "Yeah, when James woke up, he took one look at me, and once I said the word, 'hello.' He was off screaming like a little girl, calling me a freak of nature." Said Wanyamon "Well, he is." Said James “That’s hurtful, James. You can’t say that to a friend.” Said Wanyamon James had a look of shock on his face, “Friends, when did we become friends? I’ve only just met you.” “I know, but I have this feeling in my gut that tells me otherwise.” Said Wanyamon James wasn’t even sure how to comprehend any of this. He rubbed his head as he sighed as he looked at the blue puffball, smiling at him. He then turned to see Matt picking up Gigimon and walking off with Bukamon floating right behind him. “Hey, where are you going?” Asked James “My sister and friend are somewhere in this forest, and I plan on finding them.” Said Matt James watched as Matt continued to walk away from him. He looked at Matt and then around him. James then looked down at Wanyamon, who had a smile on his face. He sighed as he picked up Wanyamon and ran to catch up with Matt. Better to be with someone else than alone in this creepy forest. "Matt, wait up." Matt stopped and looked back at James, running towards him. “You can't leave a brother all alone in a strange forest. Don’t you know that's how the black guy always dies in the horror movies?" Said James "But you’re not alone. You got me." Said Wanyamon "I'm sure all the creatures in this forest would be afraid of a blue puffball." Said James "Besides the point of you thinking that the tropes in horror movies are real. But seeing how we are both in the same boat, it wouldn't hurt to stay together. Now let's get going." Said Matt James nodded his head as the two went off to find Abby and Alice. *** Abby shook as she continued to walk through the dark forest. She looked around her as she tried to figure a way out. Every movement in the forest made her jump and shack. Luckily, she wasn’t alone as she held two Digimon in her hands, Gummymon and Kokomon. Both looked like store-bought Halloween ghosts. Gummymon was a greenish color, while Kokomon was a brown color. Gummymon had a single horn on his head, and Kokomon had three horns on her head. Upon waking up on the forest floor, she found both Gummymon and Kokomon looking at smiling at her. She felt afraid at first, but she felt comfortable around the two Digimon after a minute of talking with them. Abby could not see her brother or Alice around her. She began to get scared. But Gummymon and Kokomon quickly calmed her down. She decided to wait where she was in hopes of either of them finding her. But after a while, she decided she couldn't sit around. She had to find her brother and Alice even though she knew that she had a better chance of being found if she stayed put. But she was stubborn, so off she went with Gummymon and Kokomon in her hands to find her brother and Alice. "Now, I'm not so sure my idea of wandering around this forest was a good idea after all." Said Abby "No worries, Abby, Kokomon, and I will protect you." Said Gummymon "Yeah, we won't let anything happen to you." Said Kokomon "Thanks, you two." Said Abby Abby hugged both Digimon close to her as she continued to walk. But the sound of a twig snapping not far from her made her stop dead in her tracks. She looked around but couldn’t see much in the dense darkness that surrounded her. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she held Gummymon and Kokomon tighter. Please, don’t be a wild animal! She looked around and finally turned to see April walking out of the darkness carrying a Digimon that resembled a plant. The two girls looked at each other. Abby backed away, hugging both Gummymon and Kokomon. She wasn't sure if this new girl, April, was a good person. April could see Abby was scared and decided to play it easily with her. She bent down so that she was on Abby's level. "Who are you?" Asked Abby "I'm April North, and this is Yokomon." "Please to meet you." Said Yokomon "So, what's your name?" Asked April "I'm Abby Summers, and in my right hand is Gummymon, and in my left is Kokomon." Said Abby "It's a pleasure." Said Gummymon "What my brother said." Said Kokomon "I'm guessing you're trying to find your way out of this forest too." Said April "No, I'm trying to find my friend, Alice, and my brother, Matt. Have you seen them?" Said Abby "Well, I know I haven't passed any other people since I woke up and started exploring. I swore I was the only one in this forest until I ran into you." Said April Abby gave a heavy sigh with tears forming in the corners of her eyes. That made April feel bad for her. She walked up to her and placed her right hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't cry, I'm sure you'll find them. How about I help you search for them?" Said April Abby smiled at April, "Yeah, that would be nice." "Great, plus staying together in this creepy place is much better than continuing alone." Said April April showed her right hand for Abby to take. She moved Gummymon to her right side with Kokomon and took April's hand. The two girls went off trying to find Matt, Alice, and a way out. *** "So, I have to ask?" Matt looked at James, "You remember anything before waking up in this forest?" Matt tapped his chin as the two continued to walk the forest, trying to find his sister and Alice. "Well, I remember going towards my car with Alice and Abby when a bright light appeared." Matt pulled his Digivice from his pants and looked at it, "Then this thing appeared from it. I took ahold of it, and the next thing I know, I'm rocketing into space surrounded by a bright light. Then I woke up here with Gigimon and Bukamon." "Same here." James removed his Digivice, "I still wonder what's up with these things. I mean, why we of all people got this thing." "I'm not sure; I'm not even sure where in the hell we are." Said Matt "Yeah, something about this place doesn't seem right." Said James “Yeah, like it’s out of place or something.” Commented Matt "Hey, I think I see an opening." Said Bukamon Bukamon pointed in front of them, which looked like the way to a large opening of space based on the amount of light coming from it. "Finally, an exit!" Exclaimed James The two boys ran until they came out to a vast chasm with a rope bridge hovering over it. In the distance was an old stone castle that had seen better days. The two could see that the forest still surrounded them. “Looks like we only found an opening in the forest and not an exit to it.” Stated Matt James walked forward and kicked a small stone and watched as it fell into the gorge. After a minute, he heard it hit the ground. By the way, it took the rock to hit the ground and echo back a sound. It seemed that the gorge was quite deep. "Well, that sure is a long way down." Said James "Matt!" Matt and James turned to see Alice running up to them. "Alice!" Alice stopped and hugged Matt being careful of Gigimon. "Am I glad to see you?" Said Alice "Same here." Soon Matt spotted a yellow fox creature in Alice's hands, "I'm guessing you got a Digimon as well." Alice looked down at her, Digimon, "That's right, Viximon is her name." "Nice to meet you." Said Viximon "I'm guessing she's your friend." Said James Matt turned to see James coming up to him, "Right, this is Alice. Alice, I want you to meet James." "Nice to meet you." Said James "Same for me. I'm Wanyamon, by the way." "I see you have a Digimon as well, James." Said Alice "Don’t remind me." Stated James "Hey, you didn't introduce us, Matt." Said Bukamon "Right, Alice, meet Bukamon and Gigimon." Said Matt "Nice to meet you both." Both Digimon smiled and nodded their heads, "So have you seen Abby?" "Nope, I was hoping she was with you." Said Matt "Sorry, I didn't see her when I was trying to find my way out." Said Alice "I hope she's safe." Said Matt "Big brother!" Matt turned to see his little sister and another girl coming out of the forest. His eyes went to the size of dinner plates as he dropped Gigimon and ran over to his sister. She put down Gummymon and Kokomon and ran to her brother. The siblings joined in a hug as they were once again united. Matt held his sister tight. He felt a wave of relief pass over him as he held her in his arms. After breaking the embrace, Abby introduced April and Yokomon and her Digimon, Gummymon, and Kokomon. Matt introduced April and Abby to everyone else. "So, now what?" Asked James "I would say finding out where we are, and that means finding a way out of this forest." Said Matt “Well, clearly, we have to be in England.” Said James “Where did you get that idea from?” Asked Alice “Old run-down castle in the middle of a forest seems like something you would see in England.” Said James Alice sighed, "Besides James thinking we somehow are in England, any ideas on figuring out how to get out of this forest.” Everyone scratched their heads, trying to think of something to do. They weren't sure what the next step was or where to even go. The Digimon were also silent, trying to think about what to do next. Bukamon happened to catch a small flash of multicolored light from the corner of his eye and turned to the dilapidated castle. "Hey, look," everyone turned to see the bright multicolored light in one of the castle's towers. "Do you think that means there are other humans around?" "Could be, Bukamon." Said Matt “Yeah, maybe it’s a night tour.” Said James “Still on the England thing.” Stated Alice “I don’t hear anyone else giving ideas on how to explain any of this.” Said James “I think it’s our best bet to head towards the castle. Maybe we will find someone who can help us.” Said Matt The group looked at each other and nodded. They all knew that if somebody was in the castle, they could help them get out of the forest and figure out where they were. The group proceeded over the rope bridge cautiously. It creaked and squealed with every step someone took. Abby held tight to her brother’s hand as he led her across. Once across, the group went towards the castle. They reached the entrance and ran inside to find a way to the tower where the light came from and hopefully find somebody to help them. Soon they found the entrance to the tower and knew this was it. Matt took the lead with the others behind him. He sighed as he got his nerves together. He poked his head through the doorway and gasped. Everyone else piled around him to look inside. None of them could believe their eyes. They were expecting to see a group of humans, but instead, they were looking at eight anthropomorphic neon-colored ponies. Two had horns on their heads, another two had wings on their backs, another two had neither, and the final two had both wings and a horn. They had a wide variety of fur colors and mane colors. They could also tell by their body type that they were all female. "What the?!" Exclaimed James “Watch your voice!” Exclaimed Alice in a whisper. James pushed in a little further to get a better view of the strange creatures. “Will you please stop pushing your weight onto me?” Said April “Tell that to Alice.” Said James “I am doing nothing to you.” Said Alice Matt turned back to everyone, “Will you all be quiet. We need to leave this place before those horse creatures see us. I don’t want to think about what they’ll do to us if they do see us.” Everyone nodded, but as they began to get off each other, James lost his footing on a loose flooring piece and went down on top of April. James instinctually took hold of Alice and pulled her down as well. April felt atop Matt, who fell onto his sister. There was a tremendous crash and screams as the group of humans and Digimon fell into the entrance. The sound pulled the attention of all the ponies in the room to the pile of humans and Digimon. The humans groaned as they saw that they had caught the attention of the horse creatures. There was silence between all of them. They all exchanged looks before the white pony's horn began to glow a gold color. The glow surrounded the group, and before they could say anything or retreat, they felt something come over them. They each began to get sleepy as their bodies started to feel heavy. They all felt a sense of calm take over and their bodies starting to shut down. They all struggled to stay awake, but the efforts were fruitless. They each fell into an unconscious state, but Matt was the last one to fall unconscious. He struggled to stay awake, and it took his entire willpower to resist falling asleep. Matt could hear the sounds of hooves coming near him and saw a pair of white hooves stop in front of him. He didn’t have the strength to look up at the face of the horse now looming over him. He finally felt his body give in as he looked at his sleeping sister. He tried to reach out to her to grasp her one last time since he wasn’t sure what would happen to any of them. Abby! But his body wouldn’t listen to him as he laid his head down and his eyes closed to the world around him. He heard the sounds of more hooves and saw more hooves surround him and the others. That was the last thing he saw before darkness took over. > Chapter 2 - The Adventure Begins > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Adventure Begins The game has begun, and the first move has been made. Where shall the game go from here? *** Matt began to open his eyes to see a stone ceiling above him. Glowing green moss grew in patches across the ceiling, giving light to the area around him. He could feel that he was lying on something soft, even though he could feel a chill coming from the ground. Matt got up into a sitting position to see he was lying on a blanket on the stone floor. That would explain that cold feeling. He turned to see Alice stroking Abby's hair in her pigtails. Gummymon, Kokomon, Viximon sat next to them. April was sitting in a corner holding Yokomon, and James leaned against a set of metal bars with Wanyamon next to him. What happened to us? He quickly recalled everything that happened to him. All I can recall before waking up here was seeing those neon-colored ponies, the feeling of being light-headed, and then everything going dark. He rubbed his head and finally noticed Bukamon and Gigimon next to him. "Matt, you're up." Said Bukamon. Everyone turned to see Matt as he rubbed his head. His sister left Alice and run over to him and hugged him. Matt smiled as he stroked her head, "Yeah, I'm up. Mind filling me one where we are?" "Isn't it clear, a jail cell?" Said James "I see that, but where." Said Matt "None of us are too sure. All we do know is that it's underground. Plus, all anyone of us can remember is looking at those neon ponies before falling asleep and waking up here." Said Alice "Yeah, I remember that as well." Said Matt "But I don't understand is how we fell unconscious." Said James "Well, I do remember the white pony's horn glowing gold before we fell asleep." Said April "Yeah, I recall that as well." Said James "Yeah, but how did that cause us to go to sleep?" Asked Wanyamon "Don't look at me for the answer here. I have no idea what's even going on anymore. The last time I looked, Earth didn't have anthropomorphic neon-colored ponies with horns, wings, or both. All I can say is, maybe I've gone insane and imagining all of this." Said James Everyone looked at him before Matt got up and pinching him on the arm. He screamed out in pain, "I think that clears up the fact that this is all real and not in your mind. Now to the important task at hand, getting out of here." "I can't see how we do that. I don't see the keys for the cell around or a guard we can trick," said James rubbing the sore spot on his arm. Matt ran his hand through his hair before looking down at Gigimon, "How about the Digimon?" "I'm not sure how that would work since none of them have claws to break the bars or unlock the door." Said James "I might be able to help." Said Gigimon "Go right ahead, Gigimon." Said Matt Gigimon hopped up to the gate and began to spit all over the bars. In a matter of seconds, the bars started to sizzle. The spit started to eat away at the metal, causing it to fall apart. Soon the group had a hole to escape from the cell. "What was that?" Asked Alice "One of my moves is Frothy Spite, which allows me to spit acid." Said Gigimon "Handy," he turned to James. "I guess we didn't need any claws." James rolled his eyes before all five humans and their Digimon escaped. They passed a small table holding their Digivices, phones, and everything else they had when they woke in the forest. They each took their device and hooked it to their clothing. They then proceed to find an exit. *** Outside Canterlot Castle, a male figure covered in a long black robe appeared outside the castle. It stood hidden from the guards in the gardens that surrounded the castle. He watched as the guards began their shift change from the Lunar to the Solar guards. He raised his left sleeve, and a dark crystal floated out. It had black smoke emitting off of it as it floated in front of the figure. The male figure pushed the crystal to the side of him, and it exploded into a puff of smoke. The smoke began to form the shape of a Manticore. The Manticore now stood fully formed next to the figure. It had a pitch-black coat, dark purple wings, and a blood-red scorpion tail. Its eyes opened to show they were blood red. It stared at the guards as they finished getting ready for the morning. The figure pointed at the castle and said no words, but the Manticore knew what to do. It leaped out at the guards and roared to bring their attention to the guards. The Solar guards turned to witness the Manticore as it glared at them. The figure disappeared as the guards began to engage the Manticore. *** After escaping the underground prison, the group found themselves in a castle. They had been walking around a while in the castle's halls, seeking a way out. They watched for anybody who might be looking for them since breaking out. But they were sure of one thing. They had no idea how to escape the castle. "Ok, I'm sure of it. We have no idea where we are." Stated James "Thanks for stating the obvious." Said Alice "I'm wondering how anybody would find their way in this place," said Abby as she held her brother's hand. "I agree, but it sure is beautiful. The art here is like nothing I've seen or read. What I wouldn't give to spend more than a few seconds admiring it." Said April "I'm guessing you're a lover of the arts, April," stated Matt as he looked back at her "Yes, I love to paint and draw in my free time." Said April "Wow, April, you think you draw a picture of me?" Asked Yokomon April smiled down at Yokomon, "Once we get out of here, I would love to." The group continued to walk around the hallways looking at all doors. They would stop and open the door to see it was a bedroom with a perfectly made bed. The room also had a balcony, a fireplace, a closet, and a few drawers for storing clothing. There was also a door leading to a bathroom with the largest tub anyone in the group had ever seen. It looked like it could fit all of them and still have room for five more people, if not more. The balconies of the rooms they checked showed they were up a few stories. They all knew they needed to proceed down if they were going to get out of here before something or someone found them. They proceeded to find the ground floor, but no path seemed to lead them to the ground floor. Sure it was peaceful and quiet, but they were always on guard. They weren't sure who owned the castle, where they were, and what happened to those neon-colored ponies from before. "I can't imagine why one place would need so many bedrooms." Stated James "Maybe the person who lives here has a lot of guests." Said Alice "Or a large family." Stated April "I'm sure that doesn't warrant this many rooms. I hate to have to be the person who has to maintain and clean all these rooms." James then looked down at Wanyamon, "So do you Digimon have any way to help us get out of here?" Asked James "We are in the same boat as you, James." Said Wanyamon "Great, you can break us out of prison, but not out of this castle." Said James The group only took a few more steps before a figure wearing black armor smashed into the wall in front of them. The figure spat up a little blood from the force of striking the wall. The group watched as the figure fell to the ground face first. The five humans looked at each other before they ran up to the armor-wearing person. The armor looked primitive and something out of the Middle Ages. They could see a pair of folded batwings lying against the armor. Matt placed Gigimon on the ground before stepping towards the person. "Be careful, Matt." Said Alice Matt flipped the person over to reveal it was another pony with a red coat. The pony also had a pair of large white hangs sticking out of their mouth. In some way, it reminded Matt of the fangs of a vampire. Matt removed the helmet to reveal a long flowing white mane with black streaks doing down in three stripes. Matt placed his fingers on the pony's neck to feel for a pulse. "Anything?" Asked Abby "Yeah, the pony here is still living." Said Matt "So, that's the ninth pony we've seen since we woke up." Said James "He's right, and we haven't seen one human beside us." Said April "I do find that strange that we haven't seen of your kind yet." Said Gummymon Abby shook her head before looking back at her brother. Matt was examining the armor as he admired the craftsmanship of it. Matt traced his right hand across the armor before ending at the center where a crescent moon rested. He looked back at the pony's face to see a large scar crossing over the pony's face. The scar started in the upper right part of her face and traveled down, going over her muzzle and ending in the bottom-left part of her chin. Matt wasn't sure if the pony was male or female, unlike the eight he saw before, which he noticed were female from their body features. He rubbed his chin as he tried to think of what to do next. "So, what do we do now?" Asked James "I'm not sure." Said Matt Soon the pounding of feet caught the attention of the five humans and their Digimon. They looked down the hall to see the black Manticore coming towards them. Its red eyes were staring fear right into their souls. It screamed at them as it seemed to begin to pick up speed, charging much faster towards them. "Shit, what the hell is that!" Screamed James "Who cares?! Let's run!" Said April Matt couldn't leave the unconscious pony to this creature. He scooped her up and found her to be slightly heavy but not as heavy as he swore. Strange, I swore a pony in full battle armor would be heavy. Matt turned to see the Manticore lung for him. He quickly moved out of the way as it slammed into the wall. But it didn't seem to faze the beast as it turned to Matt. I was hoping that would stop it for a moment. Soon Bukamon and Gigimon appeared before Matt. "No worries, Matt. We'll protect you." Said Bukamon "Bukamon, Gigimon." Said Matt But before both Digimon could attack, something hit the Manticore on the back, making it turn towards the attacker. That's my cue. He grabbed Gigimon on the head and ran with Bukamon. He made it only a few inches before a pair of hands pulled him into a room. He watched as James closed the door. Alice hugged Matt, which was a little hard, considering he was still holding the unconscious pony. "What happened to you? I swore you were behind us." Said Alice "Sorry, I couldn't leave the pony to that beast." Said Matt "You risked your life for a creature who we have no idea about, attacked us without any reason, and probably put us in that cell underground. Dude, are you crazy!" Said James "It still isn't right to leave her to that thing, no matter what happened to us." Said Matt "But what was that thing?" Asked Abby "I believe that it was a Manticore. A mythical creature from Persian myth." Said Matt "This whole thing is getting crazier every second we spend here." Said James Matt walked over and placed the pony on the bed after dropping Gigimon onto the bed. He looked over to Bukamon and Gigimon, "Thanks for standing up for me." "Hey, we couldn't let our friend get hurt." Said Bukamon He smiled and patted both on the head. "So, now what?" Asked Abby "We still need to find a way out and now dodge that Manticore at the same time. Luckily something took its attention away from me. But I'm unsure for how long before it's looking for us again." Said Matt "Why do you think it would be looking for us?" Asked April "I'm not sure, but the way it looked at me told me that it was hunting for us." Said Matt "Great, just great." Said James "Complaining isn't going to help, James." Said Alice "Then what do you propose we do?" Asked James Alice was going to rebuttal, but the sound of coughing drew her to the pony. Blood leaked from the pony's mouth as it opened its eyes to reveal they were a grey color. It scanned the room as it looked at the humans and Digimon. Matt was the first to speak. "Take it easy." Said Matt "Who are you?" Asked the pony in a stern female voice "I'm Matt, and these are Gigimon and Bukamon." He pointed to both Digimon before moving to his sister and her Digimon. "That's my younger sister, Abby and her Digimon, Gummymon, and Kokomon." Matt moved to Alice, "That's Alice, my best friend, and her Digimon, Viximon." He then moved to James, "That's James and his Digimon Wanyamon." He then moved to April, "And that's April and her Digimon Yokomon. Who are you?" "I'm Dark Crescent, Private Dark Crescent, of the 13th regiment of the Lunar Guards." "Dark Crescent, that's your name?" Asked James "Yes, but everypony calls me Crescent for short." Said Crescent "Everypony," said James with his right eyebrow raised. Matt ignored what James said as he looked at Crescent, "Mind asking what happened to you?" "I was ending my shift, so I could sleep when an order came out about a Manticore on castle grounds. I got in my armor once more and went to support my fellow Solar guards. I was nearing the last location of the beast when it came barreling down the hallway. It turned towards me, and I stood my ground, ready to fight the beast. But, I guess the beast was too much for me, and it threw me down the hallway. I guess I blacked out after striking the wall." She turned to Matt, "I'm guessing you saved me from being that beast's snack." "Yeah, and don't take this the wrong way, but I found it surprising how light you were considering your armor." Said Matt Crescent laughed, "There's an enchantment in the armor to make it light, which allows for more protection without hindering the wearer." "Enchantment?" Asked Alice The sound of heavy steps stomping near them caused everyone to become quiet. They all knew what it was, and they weren't ready to deal with it. "Shit!" Murmured James Everyone stayed quiet until they heard the Manticore runoff from where they were. James opened the door and peeked his head to see if it was gone. "Anything?" Asked Wanyamon "No, it left. But we can't stay here." Said James "I agree. We need to move before it finds out where we are." Said Matt "But where do we go?" Asked Abby "We can hide out in the armory. It's the most secure place in the palace. That beast shouldn't be able to get us in there." Said Crescent "Well, we have no idea where that is." Stated James "No worries. I'll take you to it." Said Crescent She struggled to get out of bed. She was only able to stand for a few seconds before she fell to the ground. Matt helped her back to her feet by looping her left hand over his shoulder. "You're in no condition to walk." Said Matt "I guess that Manticore did more damage to me than I thought." Said Crescent "What now?" Asked James "We continue to the armory. I'll carry Crescent o my back, and she'll point out the way to us." Said Matt "You're not serious. She'll slow us down!" Exclaimed James "Oh, and you think it's a good idea to leave her wounded here for that thing to find!" Exclaimed Matt "I'm only saying that with her, she'll slow us down because we're going not be able to move as fast as we would without her!" Expressed James "Then so be it, and I'm sure you have no idea how to get to the armory without Crescent's help!" Exclaimed Matt "Enough!" The two boys turned to Alice, "Enough arguing like a couple of second graders. Sure we'll be moving slower, but we have no idea where we need to go, and we can't leave her here. Now, if you two finished bickering like children, let's move." Alice went to the door and peeked outside, "The coast is clear, Matt, you take point with Crescent, and I'll take the rear." Matt helped Cresent climb onto his back. She looped her hands around his neck, and Matt gripped her hooves. Alice opened the door and waved for Matt to go out first. He went out with Gigimon and Bukamon following next to him. Abby and April followed behind him, with James going next, and Alice taking up the rear. Crescent pointed the way towards the armory while they all made sure to keep an ear and eye open for the Manticore. They kept a jogging pace but would have to slow down as Matt adjusted Cresent on his back. "This is too easy." Stated James "I agree." Said Matt Once the two ended their talk, the Manticore appeared and tried to slam its fist into Matt, but Gigimon jumped into action. He spat into the Manticore's face, causing it to roar in pain from the acid spit. Matt ran past the howling Manticore with the others following behind him. Alice scooped up Gigimon as she ran past the Manticore. "Damn, I knew it was too easy!" Screamed James "Take the stairs on your right!" Exclaimed Crescent The group turned and began to run down the stairs, "Now left!" The group turned left and heard something slam behind them. Abby turned to see the Manticore looking at them. "It's back!" Screamed Abby The Manticore started to run at the group. "Right!" Screamed Crescent The group turned right and went down another set of stairs as the Manticore slid past them, trying to stop. It slammed in the wall but didn't stop it as it went back to chasing them. The group reached the bottom of the steps to see they could only go right and continued to run. Alice turned to see the Manticore landing at the bottom of the stares and staring at them. It growled before running at them once more. "Damn, doesn't it ever give up?" Asked Alice "Manticores never give up on a meal. A Manticore would rather die trying to catch its meal than give up." Said Crescent "Nice to know." Said James The group continued down the hallway until Crescent ordered them to make a left, which they made. Alice ducked as the Manticore took a swipe at her. "You ok, Alice?!" Asked Viximon "Yeah, but that was way too close for my comfort." Said Alice The team continued to run and turned to see the Manticore right behind them. "The next right, and we'll be near the armory." Said Crescent The Manticore saw where they were heading. It knew it could not fail on catching the group, so it opened its wings. It leaped into the air and flapped its wings to speed ahead of the group. Everyone watched as the Manticore soared above them. It landed in front of everyone blocking them off from the armory. "Quickly, turn left!" Screamed Crescent The group turned left as fast as they could as the Manticore howled before returning to chasing them. They ran down the hall and another two turns, but the Manticore appeared before them, causing them to take a sharp right to dodge the Manticore's scorpion tail. "Shit!" Screamed James The group saw an opening and went out into the gardens of the castle. The group stopped and looked around at all the trees and flowers. "Where are we?" Asked Matt "The meditation gardens." Said Crescent A growl made the group turn to see the Manticore coming towards them with its tail raised high into the sky. The five humans were now at the mercy of the Manticore as this part of the gardens was a dead end. The group had nowhere to escape the Manticore, and it was too large to run around to enter the castle and avoid it. But by surprise, the Digimon leaped in front of the group and readied themselves. "What are all of you doing?" Asked Alice "Defending our friends. Let's go, Digimon!" Exclaimed Bukamon The Digimon began to run towards the Manticore, ready to give it everything they had. "They are not going to survive against that thing, Wanyamon!" Screamed James "Gummymon, Kokomon!" Screamed Abby "Viximon, no!" Exclaimed Alice "Please, no, Yokomon!" Hollered April "Bukamon, Gigimon, don't do it!" Screamed Matt Suddenly a bright light began to emit from each of the Digivices of Matt, James, Abby, April, and Alice. A light began to consume each of the Digimon as they began to transform before the group's eyes. "What's happening to them?" Asked Matt The Digivice began to emit a set of codes to each Digimon, which started transforming them. "Bukamon Digivolve into...Gomamon." "Gigimon Digivolve into...Guilmon." "Gummymon Digivolve into...Terriermon." "Kokomon Digivolve into...Lopmon." "Wanyamon Digivolve into...Gaomon." "Viximon Digivolve into...Renamon." "Yokomon Digivolve into...Biyomon." The light ended, and now seven Digimon stood, but far different from those the humans knew. Bukamon was now a white seal-like creature with two front paws and two rear paws. A set of sharp claws extending from the front paws. Gigimon was now a red dinosaur. Gummymon and Kokomon where now rabbit like creatures with long ears. Wanyamon was no longer a cat, but a blue dog with boxing gloves covering its hands. Viximon was now bipedal fox. And Yokomon was now a pink bird. Now stood seven Digivolved Digimon ready to protect their friends. "What the hell?!" Exclaimed James "They're different." Stated Alice "But how?" Asked Abby "Let's show this thing why you don't mess with our friends." Said Gomamon. Renamon and Gaomon went right for the Manticore. The Manticore tried to swipe at Renamon, but she jumped away from the attack. She spun in the air and came down, striking the Manticore right in the head with the heel of her left foot. She leaped away as Gaomon followed up after her. "Gao Rush." He began to unleash a barrage of punches to the face of the Manticore. Each strike pushed the beast back from the group. Gaomon delivered a final blow before jumping away. Terriermon and Lopmon ran forward to strike the dazed Manticore. "Terrier Tornado." Said Terriermon "Tiny Twister." Said Lopmon Both Digimon began to spin around, using their ears to consume them each in a tornado. They jumped out of their attacks as they went sailing right at the Manticore. Debris from the area became caught in the vortex of winds, which scratched and scrapped the Manticore. Guilmon moved forward to attack, and Renamon jumped into the air with Biyomon. "Pyro Sphere." Said Guilmon "Diamond Storm." Said Renamon "Spiral Twister." Said Biyomon Guilmon spat out a ball of flames while Renamon launched a set of sharpened leaves at the Manticore. Biyomon created a spiral of green flames. "Marching Fishes." Said Gomamon Gomamon pointed at the Manticore, and fishes began to leap from the nearby pond. The fishes slapped themselves against the Manticore. "Double Backhand." Said Gaomon Gaomon began to spin and launched himself right to the beast, and delivered a powerful strike to the Manticore. The Digimon stopped, and the group saw that the Manticore was lying on the ground. Scratches, bruises, and burns covered its body. But it wasn't over yet as it growled before getting back onto his feet. It looked slightly exhausted from the attacks of the Digimon but still ready to fight. Renamon rushed forward to attack once more. The Manticore tried to strike with its tail, but Renamon was too nimble for the Manticore to hit. "Swift Strike." Said Renamon Renamon struck the head of the Manticore with a mighty hand chop. The Manticore hit the ground, and Renamon hopped back to the group. "You think that's it." Said Gaomon "I'm not sure." Said Renamon "Damn, this is awesome!" Exclaimed James "But how did they become that?" Asked Abby Matt moved his vision down to his Digivice. I wonder if that has to do with it. When we thought our Digimon would get hurt, a light emitted from those devices we each got, and that somehow transformed them into what we see right now. But the victory wasn't here yet as the Manticore got back up and stared daggers at the Digimon. Guilmon decided to attack next. He rushed towards the Manticore as it got back to its feet. "Quake-a-lator." Said Guilmon He ran fast and leaped towards it. Guilmon used his claws to tear right through the Manticore and appeared on the other side. There was no blood and gore from the attack. Instead, smoke was coming out of the wound. "Holy crap!" Exclaimed Alice That's when the group saw the pulsating dark crystal in the middle of the Manticore's chest. But it was now slowing being covered back up as the wounds began to close up. "What's that?" Asked April "I'm not sure, but I have a strong feeling that we need to destroy it." Said Matt "I couldn't agree more." Said Crescent "Destroy that crystal, Guilmon!" Screamed Matt Guilmon spun around and closed his mouth, and aimed at the crystal. "Pyro Sphere." Said Guilmon He shot out a ball of fire that struck the crystal. The Manticore howled out in pain before the fire broke the crystal. The Manticore stopped howling as Guilmon landed on the ground to the left side. The crystal fell to the ground in pieces. Once the pieces hit the ground, the Manticore went silent. It stood as still as a statue, but it soon became a dark black stone statue. Upon completion, cracks began to spread across the Manticore. It wasn't long before the Manticore exploded into a pile of rubble and smoke. All that was left of the mighty beast was a pile of rubble and dissipating smoke. "Did we win?" Asked James "Yes, yes, we did!" Exclaimed April Everyone cheered before the Digimon returned to their partners. Terriermon and Lopmon jumped into Abby's arms and smiled with her. She hugged and snuggled the two Digimon. James examined Gaomon thinking about how a cat could become a dog with boxing gloves. Alice looked over Renamon and seemed pleased with her Digimon. April patted Biyomon's head as she smiled. Matt looked at both Gomamon and Guilmon. "You can put me down. I don't think we'll be in any more issues." Said Crescent "Ok." Said Matt He helped Crescent to the ground and let her use him to keep herself upright. Matt then pulled his Digivice and saw that it had pictures for his Digimon, plus a little information on both Digimon. "So Bukamon Digivolved into Gomamon and Gigimon into Guilmon, and it seems these are your rookie forms." Said Matt The others did the same to see that the same thing. "If this a rookie form and they transformed from there in-training forms, does that mean that they have more forms?" Asked Abby "Is that true? Can you Digivolving again?" Asked April "I'm not sure. I feel like that's something we Digimon should know, but I can't seem to remember." Said Biyomon "Well, this thing isn't helpful since it doesn't seem to tell us anything else except what we saw or are seeing." Said James "I guess we'll find out in time, but my real question is, what caused you to Digivolve?" Asked Matt "I was wondering the same thing since none of us touched these devices." Said Alice "Well, we had to become stronger to protect you. We can't let anything happen to our friends." Said Biyomon "Yes, we had to protect you, and the only way was to Digivolve. But it was also your concern for us that also helped us Digivolve." Said Renamon "Well, what now?" Asked April "I believe we should get Crescent somewhere to treat her wounds. Then we can worry about getting out." Said Matt "Thank you. I'll lead you to the medical center in the castle. And before the doctors take me, I'll tell you how to get to the entrance of the castle." The group nodded and began to go back to the doorway that they passed through. Cresent stopped Matt as she pushed the rubbled around. "Before we continue, I need to collect those crystal pieces. I have a feeling the princess will want to examine it." Said Crescent Guilmon helped search through the rubble and found the crystal pieces. He gave them to Crescent, who thanked him. Guilmon smiled as the group reentered the castle, not noticing the male figure in the black cloak behind them. The figure came out from his hiding spot as he pushed around the rubble. He picked up a piece of the once-great Manticore and crushed it. He looked back where the group entered before disappearing in a puff of smoke. *** "So I know you said it was a Manticore, but I'm sure that living creatures don't have crystals in their chests or turn into statues after you destroy said crystal?" Asked James "True, I do find that interesting. It makes me wonder how the crystal was able to give life to the Manticore." Said Alice "Yeah." Said Abby Crescent looked over at Matt, "How did you know that attacking the crystal would destroy the beast?" "A gut feeling." Said Matt Cresent raised her eyebrow, "In other words, you took a shot in the dark." Matt blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "I guess your gut feeling saved us today." Said James "True, but it was our Digimon friends who are the ones who should get all the praise. Without them, we wouldn't be standing here." Said Matt The Digimon smiled as they looked amongst each other. "But now I'm wondering why that Manticore was hunting us." Said April "Who knows and who knows if we will ever figure it out?" Said Matt "Who cares? We'll deal with anything that comes after you like we did today." Said Gaomon "Yes, we'll protect you no matter what we face." Said Renamon "Thanks, Renamon." Said Alice "It's my honor." Said Renamon "How much further?" Asked Matt "Not much further ahead. We should see the signs for the infirmary here soon." Said Crescent "I'll be happy once we get out of this castle and find out where we are." Said James "Yeah, I can't wait to get home. But I m not sure how to explain to my parents about Biyomon." Said April Crescent looked at the humans. She was about to ask where they came from, but the sounds of hooves thundering down both sides of the halls stopped her. The Digimon got ready to fight when two large groups of guards surrounded the humans and Digimon. They all wore gold armor with the image of the sun in the middle. The pony guards pointed spears and swords at the group. "Oh, great." Said James "Back off!" Ordered Crescent She pushed off of Matt as Guilmon with cat eyes, and Gomamon stood in front of him. "I am Private Dark Crescent of the Lunar Guards and order all of you to stand down this instant." Said Crescent "We can't do that, private." Another pony came out of the crowd. The male pony had blue fur and a white and red mane. He had a horn coming out of his head. On his shoulders were a pair of blue epaulets. On his side was a saber resting in its sheath. "Captain Storm Gazer." Said Crescent "I heard a single Lunar Guard was attempting to bring down the beast; I didn't think it was true. But none the less, move so that we can apprehend the monkeys and their beasts." Said Captain Storm Gazer "Monkeys, did he just call us monkeys?" Asked James "Yes, he did." Said Alice "Hey, we are not monkeys. We are humans!" Exclaimed James "Captain Gazer, these humans saved my life from that Manticore, and those beasts you are referring are Digimon, and they defeated the Manticore. I even the evidence of its destruction." Cresent pulled out the shards, "What hold are the pieces of a crystal that seemed to be the life force of the Manticore. Without the help of the Digimon, we would still be dealing with the Manticore rampaging in the castle." "It does not matter. You cannot say without confidence that these creatures were not the ones that brought that Manticore into our castle and threatened out Princess. They could have destroyed it to look good in front of you, private. We need to bring them in for questioning and put them back in their cell. I won't let a bunch of strange creatures and their handlers running free in the castle of Princess Celestia." Said Captain Gazer He raised his hand, and the guards prepared to attack. The Digimon readied themselves to fight to protect their human friends, but another voice stopped every guard. It was a soft motherly voice, but it also had an air of power in it. "Stand down." All the guards turned to watch as a mare with both a horn and a pair of wings stood behind them. She had a pure white coat and an ethereal mane that blew without the presence of any wind. She wore a silk white gown, and gold jewelry adorned her body. Her breast size was easily FF-cup. The guards began to part ways as the mare walked past them towards the group. Each was bowing their head to her as she walked by them. "If I had to guess, she's important." Said Alice "Wait, that's one of the ponies we first saw. I think she was also the one that had the glowing horn when we started to go unconscious." Said James "James isn't wrong. I remember her, as well." Said Gaomon "I wonder what she wants." Said Terriermon "I hope not to put back in that cell," said Abby as she got behind her brother and held his left hand. The princess stopped next to Captain Gazer as she looked at the group. She cocked her head as she examined the creatures next to the humans. She seemed intrigued by them as the Digimon stood ready to fight the second the strange mare went to attack their friends. "Princess Celestia, may I require your presence here?" Asked Captain Gazer The princess seemed to ignore Captain Gazer's question, "Hm, those creatures were all different when I first brought you here." Said Celestia "So, you admit throwing us into that cell." Said James "Yes, I admit I placed a sleeping spell on you when we first met. But I did it because I was unsure about all of you. I brought you to my castle to talk to you and discover who you are. I guess putting all of you in my dungeon wasn't the best option, so I apologize for that. But I had to do it to ease the fear of my loyal subjects." The princess turned to Crescent, "You say these humans defeated the Manticore with these Digimon." Crescent nodded her head, "Then I see no reason to return them to the dungeon." Captain Gazer was going to speak, but Celestia gave him a stern gaze, which caused him to go quiet, "Now, may I have a look at those crystal pieces you mentioned" Crescent showed the crystal shards to Celestia. She picked one up and examined it. She turned to Captain Gazer, "Take the shards from Private Cresent and deliver them to the science division. I want to know what the crystal is by the end of next month." Captain Gazer saluted and walked away, grumbling under his breath, "The rest of you are to return to your positions." Celestia stopped two guards, "Please take Private Crescent to the medical wing." The guards saluted and let Crescent loop her arms around their shoulders. She looked at Matt and smiled, "Thank you again, Matt. I hope to see you after the doctors let me out of the medical wing." "No problem, Crescent. I hope to see you around as well." Said Matt She nodded as the guards escorted her away to the medical wing. Celestia smiled as she returned to the group. "I should formally introduce myself. I am Princess Celestia, the di-monarch of Equestria and, I welcome you to Canterlot Castle." Soon Abby's stomach began to grumble, and then everyone else followed, even the Digimon's stomachs growled, "I know you have any questions, but I think you all deserve a good meal for defeating the Manticore and keeping one of my guards safe. Please follow me to the mess hall, and I'll treat you all to the feast." She turned and began to walk away. The group looked at each other and decided it wouldn't hurt to see what she had planned for them. They began to move to catch up with Princess Celestia. > Chapter 3 - Question and Answers > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Questions and Answers "Oh man, this is great!" Exclaimed James James and Gaomon scarfed down the food that they had on their plates. "I completely agree." Said Gaomon The two continued to eat the feast that Celestia served for the group of humans and Digimon. She wasn't lying when she meant a feast. Her maids brought out a load of food from the kitchen. It ranged from salads, desserts, and fruits. No meat was present, but that didn't stop the group of eating away. "Don't you have some manners!" Exclaimed Alice Alice sat next to James and Renamon next to her. The two had to watch as James and Gaomon stuffed their faces full of food. "Hey, I need to recover my calories from running from that Manticore, plus I'm starving from yesterday." Said James "Still doesn't mean you have to be a slob." Said Renamon April sat next to Renamon and Biyomon next to her. Terriermon and Lopmon shared the seat next to Biyomon, and Abby sat next to them. Matt sat next to his sister with Guilmon and Gomamon next to him. Celestia sat on the other side of the table, smiling as the group ate. There were still eight empty seats around the table. "The only thing we're missing is meat, but who cares everything here is great." Said James "Meat, interesting." Murmured Celestia "Swallow your food before talking! I swear, were you raised in a barn!" Screamed Alice "I have to agree." Said Renamon "How is everything?" Asked Celestia "Excellent, thank you." Said April "I won't lie, I love your cook's cooking more than my mothers." Said James Celestia giggled, "I'll make sure to pass that on to my head chef. He works hard to prepare the food around here." "Please do give him our regards." Said Alice "So what's with the extra chairs?" Asked Matt "I decided to invite some guests. I know you have plenty of questions, and so do I." Said Celestia "How long until they get here?" Asked Matt "They should be arriving soon." Said Celestia "I hope after James and Gaomon are done stuffing their faces." Said Alice After five minutes of eating, everyone had their fill, and Celestia had the maids clean the table. The maids then brought out a bowl of fruit and placed it on the table. Once they left the main doors opened and in stepped a mare. The group turned, and Matt recognized it as Dark Crescent. She was now wearing a plain blue t-shirt that showed off her DD-cup breasts and a black skirt. "I can see you're impressed." Said Crescent "I'll be, it has only been an hour or so since I last saw you. I would have thought you would be in the medical wing for at least a few days." Said Matt "That's magic for you, plus I didn't have to serve wounds thanks to the armor. But," Crescent yawned. "I'm a little tired since I sleep through the morning, but I decided to make an exception for today." "Welcome, Crescent, do you know if the others are coming?" Asked Celestia "I think I saw them coming when I was on my way over." Said Crescent "Great." Said Celestia Crescent took the seat next to Guilmon and Gomamon. She moved it over, and Guilmon and Gomamon moved over. She set it down next to Matt and sat down. His Digimon didn't seem to mind, nor did Matt. The others paid no attention to it, but Alice did find it a little strange but decided to drop it. "So who else is coming?" Asked April "My student, her friends, and my sister." Said Celestia The door opened, and the group turned, and couldn't believe their eyes and the same went for the ponies. The seven ponies walked over to Princess Celestia and took a seat as the group followed them. Crescent just yawned as tried to fight off her desire to sleep. The group moved their eyes to the first pony, a lavender pony with a horn coming out of her head. She had a blue, purple and rose mane. She was wearing a blue tank top with a blue star in the middle. She also had a purple skirt and BB-cup breasts. The pony next to her had a white coat, a curled violet mane and a horn on her head. She was wearing an elegant aquamarine dress, and her breast size was a perfect DD-cup that accented her hourglass figure. Next was a green and purple lizard creature. He had on a plain green t-shirt and cargo shorts. Next to him was a cyan colored pony with wings on her back and a rainbow mane. James knew he would have a hard time not calling the pony Skittles because of her mane. The pony was wearing a warmup jacket and a pair of running shorts. She also had a CC-cup chest. Then there was the pony next to Celestia. She had a dark blue coat and a light blue mane. She had a horn and a pair of wings like Celestia. She had on black jewelry much like Celestia's. She was wearing a dark blue strapless dress that hugged her EE-cup breasts. She seemed not to want to make eye contact with the humans or the Digimon. Next to Celestia was a butterball pony with a pair of wings and a large pink mane. She was wearing a green sweater and brown pants. Her breasts were easily FF-cup. She seemed to hide her face behind her overly large mane, which the humans and Digimon found cute. The pony did poke her face from her mane and looked at the Digimon. Next to her was an orange pony with neither wings nor a horn. She had a blond mane, which a green tie held together into a ponytail. She was wearing a crosshatched shirt and a pair of jean shorts. On her head was an old brown Stetson. Her breast size was easily E-cup. Next to her was an utterly pink pony with neither a horn or wings. Her mane was all puffy. She was wearing a blue and white striped shirt and a pink skirt. She had DD-cup breasts. A large beaming smile rested on her face. "I believe everypony is here, so let me introduce them all to you." Celestia started with the purple pony, "My student Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Twilight's assistant, Spike, Rainbow Dash, and my sister Luna." She moved to point at the ponies on her other side, "Here we have Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie." "Nice to meet you all. I'm Matthew Summer or Matt for short." "You can call me, Gomamon." "I'm Guilmon." "I'm Matt's little sister, Abby Summer." "I'm Terriermon." "And I'm her sister, Lopmon." "I'm April North." "You can call me Biyomon." "I'm Renamon." "The names Alice Johnson." "I'm James Smith." "Gaomon is my name." "Now that we have the pleasantries over with let's begin with why we all came here, answering our burning questions." Said Celestia "I guess I'll go first. What are you? Ever since I first laid eyes on you back at the Castle of the two sisters, I tried to research you, but I found nothing." Said Twilight "Well, we're humans." Said Matt "Not monkeys like that one guard said." Stated James "Ok, what about the creatures with you?" Asked Twilight "We're Digimon, Digital Monsters." Said Gomamon "Digital monsters, what a strange name." Stated Rarity "Ok, so what are of you?" Asked April "Well, we are ponies. You see four species make up the pony race. First is the unicorn race, the ponies with horns. Unicorns can use magic. Next is the Pegasus race. They have wings on their backs. The Pegasus race controls the weather. The next race is the earth pony. The earth ponies are the farmers and those who care for the land. Finally, my sister and I are alicorns, the rulers of Equestria. We are a combination of all three races." Said Celestia "Wait, you're telling me that Pegasus control weather." Said James "Yes, we control the weather. Isn't that how it's on your planet?" Said Rainbow "No, the weather is natural." Said James "That sounds like the Everfree Forest," said Twilight as everypony felt a shiver run down their spines "Wait," Matt turned to Crescent. "I was wondering what you are? You have wings, but there batwings instead of bird wings." "I'm a Threstral, a bat pony. My species have always been lunar guards or those that take night shifts thanks to our species being awake during the night and sleeping during the day." Said Crescent "So what's this about magic?" Asked April "I agree, magic is a parlor trick to entertain people." Said James Twilight's horn began to emit a lavender color. An apple started to float from the bowl over to Twilight, who opened her mouth and took a bite before the aura around the fruit disappeared the same time her horn stopped. She caught it in her right hand. She gave James a smug look as she swallowed the piece of apple in her mouth. "Parlor trick, huh." Said Twilight The group of humans and Digimon couldn't believe what they saw as they looked between each other. Even though what they seemed impossible to them, they accepted it as reality, since seeing is believing after all. "Ok, so moving on, can you tell us where we are?." Asked Matt "You are in Equestria and right now in the city of Canterlot, the capital of Equestria. But we are only one of the few nations that exist in the world of Eques. Examples of others are, the dragons, which Spike is, the Griffons, the zebras, the foxes, the cats and plenty more." Said Luna "Let's stop right there. You're saying that the planet that we're all currently standing upon is Eques." Said James "That is correct." Said Celestia "Why is there something wrong with that?" Asked Luna "Yes, because we live on Earth!" Exclaimed James "Yes, we thought somehow we were still on Earth, but in some strange Earth." Said Matt "I'm sad to say that this planet had always had the name Eques from when the first Alicorn walked upon its surface." Said Celestia "No way!" Exclaimed James "James, will you calm down." Said Alice "Calm down! You want me to calm down! I just learned that we somehow are now on an alien planet, and none of us have any idea what brought us here or if it's possible to go home and you want me to calm down!" Screamed James "Yelling isn't going to help anything." Matt pulled his Digivice off of his pants and looked at it, "I'm not sure if it's possible, but could you send us back home." "Yes, I can." Everyone turned their attention to the princess, "As an alicorn, my magic far out rivals any unicorn that has ever lived on the planet. I could send you home, but I sadly can't." Said Celestia "Why not?" Asked Abby "For you see, I need to know what part of the multiverse you all reside. I need to know your Earth so that I can safely send you home, but I sense no way to do that on any of you. Whatever brought you here, did not involve magic, which won't allow me to track you back to your home. And since I can't do that, I can't safely return you to your planet or your homes." Said Celestia "In other words, we're stuck here." Said April "Yes, since whatever brought you here meant to keep you here." Stated Celestia The group looked at each other. The ponies could see the weight of everything beginning to come down on them. Celestia wanted to do something, but she couldn't. She had no way to send them home. The Digimon seemed worried about their tamers. "I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but I do welcome you to my country with open arms." Said Celestia "Thank you, princess." Said Matt "Are there any more questions you like to ask?" Asked Celestia She was hoping to get the five humans from thinking about forever being stuck in a world, not theirs. Luckily, Matt spoke up. "So since we have no way back, where are we going to live?" He asked "I'm glad you asked, I plan on having you live in the town of Ponyville. My student and her friends all call that town, home. It's a beautiful and quaint little town that I think you'll enjoy living in, and I believe there is a house on the market big enough for all of you." Said Celestia "Oh, you'll love Ponyville. It's the best place ever. Plus when we get there, I get to throw all of you a 'Welcome to Eques and Ponyville' party." Said Pinkie "You're going to throw us a party even though you only met us." Said April "That's right! I do it for all new ponies or humans, in your case, who move into Ponyville. I did one for Twilight the night we all faced off against Nightmare Moon." Said Pinkie "Nightmare Moon?" Asked James "Another side me that wished to plunge Equestria into the everlasting night. It came from my anger that the subjects of Equestria loved my sister's mornings more than my nights. But thanks to the Elements of Harmony, I'm freed of that evil." Said Luna "I believe that was about the time you all appeared before us." Said Celestia "Yeah, and when you decided to put us to sleep and put us in that dungeon." Said James Celestia bit her lip, "I am sorry for the way I treated you, but you can't be too careful when it comes to protecting your subjects." "It's understandable, Princess Celestia. I think our country would feel the same way." Said Matt "At least she didn't decide to dissect us." Murmured James The session of answering and asking question continued as the ponies and humans continued to exchange questions. After a while, Celestia ended the session seeing that both sides had answered plenty of questions. In the end, Twilight was rolling up scrolls from the talk with the humans and Digimon. She had a pair of guards take the humans and their Digimon to a room so they can relax. She told them that tomorrow morning, they would head out to see Ponyville. *** The evening sun was beginning to set on the day. Matt stood on the balcony watching as the sun dipped into the horizon, and soon, the moon would rise into the sky. He looked back to see Guilmon and Gomamon snoozing on the couch after another large feast for dinner. Matt turned back to see the sun disappearing and the moon rising. He watched as the stars began to appear in the night sky. He continued to admire the night sky until a knock came to the door. "Open." He said The door opened, and he looked to see his sister closing the door behind her. She walked up and stood next to her brother and admired the sky. "You know, I never saw a night sky like that around our house." Said Abby "Yeah, not even the night skies we saw when camping compare to this one." Said Matt "Yeah," Abby looked back at the twinkling stars. "Do you think we'll make it here?" Matt kept silent as he tried to think of the proper answer for his little sister, "I'm not sure, but people do say humans are an adaptive species. We'll learn to survive here. Sure it might be rough at first, but we'll find our way." "Do think mom and dad are still looking down at us?" Asked Abby Matt smiled as he ruffled his sister's hair and pulled her close to him, "I would bet on it. I know they're watching over us no matter where we are." She laughed as she leaned up against her brother, "You're the best big brother ever, Matt." "I know Abby, I know." He said The two siblings held each other tight as they kept looking up at the night sky as the stars twinkled and shined above them. > Chapter 4 - Ponyville and Parties > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ponyville and Parties "Man, those ponies sure have sticks up there asses." Said James The group woke up early and had breakfast with Celestia and Luna before Twilight and her friends took the group to the train station to head down to Ponyville. Celestia told them that Twilight would take them to there new home and show all of them around Ponyville. The large group of humans, Digimon, and ponies began to walk through the town of Canterlot. The ponies of Canterlot, who all happened to be unicorns, kept their heads up high. None of them seemed to want to give the time of day to the group of humans. They seemed disgusted by them and their Digimon. The group could also tell by the high-end stores that lined the streets of Canterlot and the way the unicorns dressed that everypony here was rich or of upper-class status. "I would agree." Said Matt "Please tell me Ponyville isn't like Canterlot. And the ponies there aren't the same stuck up jerks like here." Said James "No, the ponies of Ponyville aren't like the ponies of Canterlot." Said Twilight "I'm glad; I don't think I could handle living in a town where the ponies are snobbish and full of themselves." Said James "No worries, you'll love Ponyville." Said Pinkie "I can't wait to see what the princess got for us." Said Alice "I do hope it can fit us all." Said April "The princess did say it would." Said Biyomon The group continued to stand around and wait for the train. Matt turned to see Crescent walking up to the group. He raised his eyebrow as she saw her carrying a pack with her. "What's up, Crescent? What's with the bag?" Asked Matt "I'm coming with you all." Said Crescent "What?" Exclaimed everypony "Yeah, the princess decided I should head down to Ponyville with you all." Said Crescent "So, Princess Celestia doesn't trust us if she's sending a guard along with us." Said James "No more like she doesn't trust her ponies. I'm more to keep the peace between her ponies and all of you." Said Crescent "I guess that would make sense. I mean, we aren't part of your world, so it would seem reasonable that they might be afraid of us." Said Matt "Or disgusted." Murmured James The whistle of a train alerted the group of the incoming train. It started to come to a stop as it neared the station. The train whistled informing all that the train had come to a complete stop at the station. Ponies began to disembark the train and gather there luggage. Twilight waved the group over to one of the front train cars. The conductor stood in front of the door that led inside. "Tickets." Said the conductor Twilight pulled out 11 tickets and showed them to the conductor. He waved the mane six aboard as well as the humans and their Digimon. Crescent showed her ticket, and the conductor allowed her inside. The seats were all plush and looked comfortable. It looked like a place for royalty. "Welcome to the royal car. Princess Celestia uses this car to travel the rails." Said Twilight "Man, this sure is impressive. The princess sure travels in style." Said James "Make yourself at home. It's going to be a three-hour trip back to Ponyville." Said Twilight The group sat around and made themselves comfortable. The train whistled, and the group left the train lurch forward. The train began to make its way towards Ponyville. "So since we have some time, would you answer another question?" Asked Twilight "Don't you think we answered enough questions for you last night." Stated James "Well, I thought of this question after we broke up the session and looking over my notes." Said Twilight "So what's your question, Twilight?" Asked Matt "I wanted to know all your ages." Said Twilight "Well, I'm 18." Said Matt "Same here." Said Alice "I'm also 18." Said James "It's the same for me." Said April "I'm ten." Said Abby "So what's all your ages, since you asked us?" Asked Alice "Well, we're all eighteen and Spike is 10." Said Twilight "I'm eighteen as well. I made Private thanks to my mother's influence in the guard. She happens to be the general of both the solar and lunar guards." Said Crescent "So, Matt, are you going to put your sister in school?" Asked Rarity "Well, I was going to ask if there was a school in Ponyville." Said Matt "Ponyville has a school. My sister goes tah it." Said Applejack "Same here, Cheerilee runs the school and is on the sweetest ponies you'll ever meet. I can take you to her when you get settled into Ponyville." Said Rarity "Thank you, Rarity." Said Matt "Does Spike attend the school as well?" Asked April "Well, I don't attend the school at Ponyville, but I do get schooling from Twilight from time to time. I mostly help around the library and with her studies as her number one assistant." Said Spike Spike puffed out her chest, trying to show off to the humans and Digimon, which caused Twilight to giggle and roll her eyes at her assistant's antics. The occupants of the train car continued to talk amongst each other as the train proceeded down the tracks towards the town of Ponyville. *** The whistle of the train bellowed out as it came to a stop at Ponyville station. Ponies disembarked the train began to gather their bags or embrace loved ones. The large group of ponies, humans, and Digimon stepped off the train to the quaint little town. The humans took in the sights as they gazed upon the small town. "Wow, this place looks peaceful." Said James "Sure is." Said Applejack "Ponyville has been voted one of the best towns in Equestria to raise a family and for retirement." Said Rarity "Well, it looks like it." Said Matt "So how about we find the house the princess got you all?" Said Crescent "Plus it'll allow us to give you a tour of Ponyville." Said Pinkie The group left the train station and began to make there way throughout Ponyville. The residents of the town stopped and stared at the five humans and the Digimon that followed Twilight and her friends. "Well, I can see that the ponies here aren't like the ones in Canterlot." Stated James "Ponyville happens to be a lot more laid back than Canterlot." Said Rarity "I also see that all three races of Equestria live here." Said April "Yes, Ponyville is a melting pot of Equestrian culture. Earth ponies first discovered Ponyville, but over time, unicorns and pegasi slowly made their way to live here." Said Pinkie The girls would point out buildings as the group marched along. Pinkie pointed Sugar Cube Corner, where she worked and lived. The humans and Digimon stared at the giant gingerbread house. Each them had a strong urge to go up and bite into it. "You live in a house made of gingerbread?" Asked Terriermon "I'm not sure if that's healthy." Stated James "It's not real gingerbread. It's made to look like that. The Cakes own Sugar Cube Corner and are the best bakers in all of Ponyville. Everypony in Ponyville loves the sweets the Cakes make, well next to Bon-Bon's candies. The Cakes allow me to live here since I'm not from Ponyville and in turn taught me all my baking skills. Now I use them to throw the greatest parties Equestria has ever seen." Said Pinkie "Still weird." Said James "And I still want to take a bite out of it." Said Gaomon "That's what everypony says when they see Sugar Cube Corner for the first time." Said Pinkie The group moved on, and the girls kept pointing out buildings. Soon the group was in front of a large oak tree. The sign next to it said, 'Gold Oaks Library.' "The library is an oak tree." Said James "A literal Gingerbread house and now a house in a tree, this place sure is strange." Stated April "It's also where Spike and I live." Said Twilight "You live in a tree." Said Alice "That doesn't seem safe." Said April "Do humans live in trees, April?" Asked Biyomon "Nope, trees are for woodland creatures. Now parents will build there children treehouses, but they don't live in them. Plus trees aren't too safe when it comes to thunderstorms." Said April "Well, I have no worries. I have a magical lightning rod that attracts lightning." Said Twilight "This place sure is odd, huh, brother." Said Abby "You said it, sis." Said Matt The group left Twilight and Spike's home to continue the tour. The next place was Rarity's. It looked like a tent with a carousel round it. Carousel ponies rested around the house. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, my home, and my business. I'm Ponyville's top fashion designer." Said Rarity "Your Ponyville's only fashion designer." Stated Applejack "Well, that's true as well." Said Rarity "Interesting place." Said April "Thanks, and by the way. All of you should come down and let me make you all clothing. I doubt you have any other clothing except the stuff you have on right now." Said Rarity "Thanks, Rarity, but doubtful any of us could pay you." Said Matt "No worries, I'm doing it completely free of charge." Said Rarity "That's very generous of you." Said Alice "Well, I'm not the Element of Generosity for nothing." Said Rarity "The Element of Generosity?" Asked James "What's that?" Asked Gomamon "One of the six Elements of Harmony. They consist of Magic, Generosity, Loyalty, Kindness, Honesty, and Laughter. The elements keep the harmony of Equestria safe. We used them to free Princess Luna from the grip of Nightmare Moon." Said Twilight "Ok, so if Rarity's Generosity, who do the other five go to?" Asked James "Well, I'm Magic." Said Twilight "I'm Loyalty." Said Rainbow "I'm...um...Kindness." Said Fluttershy "I'm Laughter." Said Pinkie "And I'm Honesty." Said Applejack "Interesting, they do seem to fit." Said Matt "Well, do come down when you have some time, and I'll craft you the best clothes you'll ever see. And when ponies see what I can do with making clothing for all of you, I know I'll be one step closer to my dream of being one of the greatest fashion designers of all time." Said Rarity The group of humans looked at each other and shrugged before James spoke up, "I guess we have no other option unless we want to forever live in the clothes we have on right now." "Great, now let's continue the tour." Said Rarity The group continued until they began to reach the outskirts of Ponyville. The humans and Digimon followed the mane six down a dirt road to farm with apple trees. They could see that the apple trees spanned on for miles. It seemed like everywhere they looked, there was an apple tree. And as far as they could see, there were apple trees. "Welcome tah my family farm." Said Applejack "Crap, how many trees do you have?" Asked James "I'm not tah sure. My family is continuously chopping down old trees to plant new ones. I doubt any of my family have ever count all the trees we have." Said Applejack "Man, I couldn't imagine the number of workers it takes to harvest all the apples." Said Matt "In truth, it's only my older brother, me, my granny, and my little sister who watch over the farm." Said Applejack The humans looked at Applejack like she was crazy. She raised her eyebrow as she seemed like she didn't understand their looks of crazy on their faces. "You have to be kidding me! Four ponies deal with this whole farm?!" Exclaimed James "I'm not lying, partner. As the Element of Honesty, I can't tell a lie." Said Applejack "It's the truth." Said Twilight "Those apples sure do look tasty." Said Gomamon Applejack walked up to a nearby tree. Se raised her right hoof before striking it against the tree. The tree shook and down came a bunch of apples. The humans and Digimon couldn't believe their eyes as Applejack picked up an apple and tossed it to Gomamon. He caught it in his mouth. He took the fruit in his claw and bit into it. "Man, this thing is behind sweet and tasty." Said Gomamon "How did you do that?" Asked James "What do ya mean?" Asked Applejack as she tossed apples to the others. "I mean, how can you strike an apple tree without breaking your leg." Said James "My earth pony strength, the magic of Equestria gives us earth ponies far superior strength." Said Applejack "Still hard to believe you could strike a solid tree without breaking your leg." Said James "It is hard to believe, but in truth, everything about this world is hard to believe." Said Matt "I guess so." Said James After enjoying Applejack's apples, the group continued along. They stopped to look at Fluttershy's cottage. "You live out here?" Asked Alice "I live out here to watch over all my animal friends." Said Fluttershy "You seem close to that strange forest." Said Alice "That's true, but the forest near my house keeps me safe from the Everfree Forest," said Fluttershy as a shiver went down the pony's spines. "Well, it sure does look peaceful." Said April "It sure is." Said Fluttershy "Don't you ever feel isolated?" Asked Abby "My animal friends keep me company, and I'm only five minutes from Ponyville." Said Fluttershy The group left Fluttershy's cottage and finally came to Rainbow's house. "You have to be kidding me." James turned to Rainbow, "You live in a house made out of clouds." "Yeah, so what?" Asked Rainbow "So what, clouds are nothing more than water vapor! So how can you walk or even live in a cloud house? Plus how is a rainbow a liquid" Said James "Easy, I'm Pegasus, and rainbows have always been a liquid." Said Rainbow "That doesn't answer the question." Said Matt "Weren't you listening when Princess Celestia told you pegasi control the weather. And thanks to controlling the weather, we make rainbows at the weather factor. Plus, we can't do our jobs unless we can walk on clouds. Hell, my hometown of Cloudsdale is a city on a bunch of buildings resting on clouds. If you look up in the sky, you'll see it." Said Rainbow Everyone turned and spotted the city that Rainbow had pointed out to them. None of the humans could believe that she was right. "Do humans have cities in the sky?" Asked Terriermon "Not unless we all grew wings." Said Abby "And created levitation." Stated Matt "So yeah, I live as I did back in Cloudsdale." Said Rainbow "I'm never going to get used to this place." Stated James "Well, I think it's time we check out your guy's place. And I promise you that it's nothing crazy like Rainbow's home." Said Twilight The humans and Digimon nodded, and Twilight led the way to their new home. After a few minutes of walking the group came to a modest two-story house on the edge of Ponyville, only about a minutes walk to the center of Ponyville. It looked like all the other main buildings that populated Ponyville. "Looks like a neat place." Said James "Let's see inside." Said Matt "I hope we don't need to buy furniture." Said April "No worries, Princess Celestia already furnished the entire home." Said Twilight "Well, I guess we'll have to thank her later." Said Alice "This princess sure is giving." Said Renamon "You said it, Renamon." Said Alice Twilight tossed Matt the keys, and he opened the door. He pushed it open, and the group looked with awe as they all entered the family room. "Man, the princess sure didn't underspend." Said James The family room had an 'L' shaped couch and another smaller sofa next to it. It also had a few other chairs around the couches. A large coffee table rested in the middle. In the corner of the room was a radio. "The only thing missing here is a T.V." Said James "What's a T.V.?" Asked Twilight "T.V. or television is a device we humans made. It captures radio waves and transforms those waves into an image. We use that image to get the news, watch cartoons, and all other sorts of things." Said Matt "Interesting," said Twilight while scratching down what Matt said. Alice and Renamon were standing in the kitchen as Alice admired it, "We sure have a nice kitchen. I can't wait to try it all out." Said Alice "You cook?" Asked Renamon "Sure do." Said Alice Matt and Abby looked at each other with nervous grins as they heard Alice speak about her cooking. "Is Alice not a good cook?" Asked Lopmon "Alice believes she a good cook, but she's not all that good. I swear her food is either burnt or inedible." Said Matt "Is there anything edible she makes?" Asked Guilmon "A few things, but most of the time she can't cook for the life of her." Said Matt "I hope she doesn't teach her bad habits to Renamon." Said Terriermon April and James were upstairs looking at the second floor. It had six rooms, and in each was a queen sized bed. A large chest rested on the wall in front of the wall bed. There was a door that led into a walk-in closet and another on the wall that bed rested upon, which went into the full bath of the bedroom. Overall, it wasn't bad. "Neat that we all have a bathroom, a nice looking walk-in closet, and a large bed." Said James "Plus we have a full spare bath and a half spare bath up here." Said April "It does seem weird to have six rooms, huh, James." Said Gaomon "Yeah, when there are only five of us." Said James James and April came back the stairs to see the others looking at the backyard. "All we're missing is a pool." Said Abby "Or at least some form of a body of water." Said Gomamon The small group of Abby, Matt, and Gomamon came back into the living room through the sliding glass doors attached to the living room. "So we have six nice bedrooms upstairs." Said James "But we're only five people." Said Abby "I guess I should tell the sixth room is mine." Said Crescent "You're staying here, Crescent?" Asked Matt "That's right. The princess thought it best if I stay with all of you, to better ensure your protection and well keep unwanted attention away." Said Crescent "Well, that explains the sixth room." Said James "Well, now what?" Asked Alice "Well, its time for your party!" Exclaimed Pinkie She dug her hands in her mane and pulled out a cannon. The humans and Digimon blinked their eyes as their minds tried to figure out how Pinkie had a cannon in her mane. Applejack could see the humans and Digimon trying to figure out Pinkie Pie. "I wouldn't try tah understand Pinkie Pie if I were ya." Said Applejack "But how did she pull a cannon from her mane?!" Exclaimed James "Darling there's a rule here in Ponyville, never try to understand Pinkie Pie." Said Rarity "You'll learn, quickly that Pinkie is completely random and no pony tries to understand her." Said Fluttershy "I think this place is going to cause me to go crazy." Said James "Let's Party!" Screamed Pinkie She pulled the string to fire the cannon, and out came pink smoke. As the smoke cleared, party supplies covered the entire living room. Party food rested in the kitchen. Pinkie smiled as she picked up her cannon and placed it in her tail. She turned back to the humans and Digimon. "I have no words." Said James "I have two." Everypony turned to Matt, "Let's Party!" Pinkie screamed as the humans and Digimon decided to enjoy the party with the Mane Six to celebrate there welcome to Ponyville and Equestria. > Chapter 5 - The Ticket > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ticket "It seems the ponies here are getting used to us." Said Gomamon Matt, Guilmon, and Gomamon were walking through the town of Ponyville. A few ponies would stare at them or wave before they would return to what they were initially doing. A few still didn't know what to think of the humans or Digimon that were now residents of Ponyville. The humans and Digimon had now spent the past three days in Ponyville. The first two days were introducing the group to the residents of the town. It went pretty well, and the group felt right at home. Matt was heading down to the town center to try and find a job. He heard that ponies post jobs at the town center. He knew that they couldn't live off the kindness of Princess Celestia forever. "So whatcha hoping to find?" Asked Gomamon "Anything that makes a good profit." Said Matt "I thought we had plenty of money." Said Guilmon "Yes, but that's money from the princess. I would like to have our own money, and not mooching off on the princess." Said Matt "Is there something wrong with the money the princess gives us?" Asked Guilmon "No, there's nothing wrong, I thought it's time to move past the princess's charity." Said Matt The group made it to the town center and entered the town hall. The inside was a large circular room with a few doors leading to offices. A stage rested in the front of the doors. Matt looked around and found a large bulletin board on his right side. He walked up to it and began to scan the papers for a job. "If you see something, tell me." Said Matt "Can I help you?" Matt and his Digimon turned to see an older mare looking at them. "Sorry, who are you?" Asked Matt "I'm Mayor Mare, the mayor of Ponyville." Mayor Mare was an older mare, but not elderly. She still seemed to have plenty of youth in her. Mayor Mare had an amber coat with a grey mane and a light grey streak. She had phthalo blue eyes. She was wearing a white button-up shirt and a black skirt. She also had a pair of glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. Mayor Mare also was an earth pony from the fact that she didn't have a horn or a pair of wings. "So you're the mayor of Ponyville, it's nice to meet you. I'm Matthew, but you can call me Matt for short." Said Matt "Same here, I've been a little busy that I haven't been able to meet you or your friends formally." Said Mayor Mare "Hey, no worries, Mayor Mare. By the way, I'm Gomamon, a Digimon or Digital Monster." "And I'm Guilmon." "Nice to meet you both as well." Mayor Mare turned her attention back to Matt, "So, as I said before, can I help you?" "Yes, I was looking for work. I heard through the grapevine that ponies post jobs here." Said Matt "Yes, that is true. What job are you looking for?" Asked Mayor Mare "Something that has good pay that doesn't need formal education and something part-time." Said Matt "Well," Mayor Mare walked up and looked at the board. She made a mental note to come out and clean it up. She pulled down and few flyers and handed them to Matt, "I'm not sure about your interest, but these jobs do cover all your other requirements." "Thank you, Mayor Mare." Said Matt "You're welcome, and if you have any more questions or concerns, my office is right next to the stage." Said Mayor Mare She waved to Matt, Gomamon, and Guilmon as she went back to her office. "She sure was nice." Said Gomamon "So what did she give you?" Asked Guilmon "Let's see," Matt held three job offerings in his hands. He looked over them. "We got a hospital night guard, construction worker, and a repair stallion. I would say I'm not cut out for construction or a repair stallion." Matt put up the two job offers. "What about the night guard, me and Guilmon can help you watch the hospital?" Asked Gomamon "True, but people who work night jobs find to have lower lifespans, and I prefer to spend my days doing stuff and not sleeping." Said Matt "So that's a no." Said Gomamon "Yeah." Matt put it back on the board, "Well, I guess there's nothing out there for me." "I still don't understand why you don't want to be a construction worker or a repair stallion?" Asked Gomamon "Sure I could do them, but they're not something I'm interested in doing. I'm not much of a hands-on person like those jobs require me to be." Said Matt He sighed as he decided to leave, but a voice stopped him. "I might have something for you." He turned to see Mayor Mare. "You do." He said "As you can see, I'm not the best at keeping things tidy. I also have a reputation for getting things mixed up or missing deadlines. I could use an assistant if you're up for it." Said Mayor Mare "How would you know if I'm a good assistant?" Asked Matt "Trust me, Matt, I've been working politics for a long time. I can tell when someone is good for the job. So how about it?" Said Mayor Mare She put out her left hand for Matt to shake. Matt wasted no time in grabbing her hand and accepting the job offer. "Welcome to politics, Matt." Sais Mayor Mare "So when do I start?" He asked "Tomorrow, 7 am sharp. Also if you find the time, I would drop by Rarity's and see if you can get some more formal clothing, but nothing too formal." Said Mayor Mare "Ok, and thank you again, Mayor Mare." Said Matt "No problem, I needed an assistant anyways before everything goes crazy." Mayor Mare was heading back to her office when she turned back to Matt, "Feel free to bring your Digimon friends with you. You might need there help as well." "Ok, and thank you once again, Mayor Mare." Said Matt Matt and his Digimon exited the town center and saw Twilight walking away huffing as she walked with Spike following next to her. "What do you think is up with her?" Asked Gomamon "Not sure, let's go see." Said Matt Matt picked up Gomamon and ran over to Twilight and Spike with Guilmon following close to him. "Twilight!" She stopped and turned to see Matt, Guilmon, and Gomamon, in his arms, running up to her. "Hey, what's up?" "Nothing." Said Twilight "You don't look like nothing is up." Said Gomamon Twilight's stomach grumbled, "Sorry, but I'm a little hunger. I'm on my way to a little cafe if you want to follow and we can talk there." "Sure." Said Matt The group went over to the cafe and got a seat outside. The waiter came over and took Twilight and Spike's order. Matt declined any food. "So what's up?" Asked Matt "Yeah, you look frustrated." Said Gomamon "It's these tickets I got." She pulled out two golden tickets, "You see, these tickets are for the Grand Galloping Gala." "The what?" Asked Guilmon "The Grand Galloping Gala is a famous party held in Canterlot by Princess Celestia. Ponies say that if you attend, your dreams will come true." Twilight paused as she tucked the tickets away, "The princess sent me one and Spike one, but Spike doesn't want to go, so I'm allowed to give it away. All my friends found out about it, and now all of them want it, and I can't decide who I want to give it to!" The crowd looked at Twilight. She realized what she did and sunk to hide as a blush spread across her face. "So why does everyone..." Spike stopped Matt before he could continue. "Everypony." "Right, why does everypony want to go?" Asked Matt "Well, Rarity hopes to meet Prince Blueblood, Princess Celestia's nephew, Fluttershy wants to become friends with the animals of castle gardens, Rainbow wants to hang out with the Wonderbolts, Applejack wants to sell her treats, and Pinkie Pie wants to party." Said Twilight Matt could see Spike didn't like the name Blueblood when Twilight brought it up. He wasn't sure why, but let it go as it wasn't all that important. "Sounds like they all have big dreams for this gala." Said Gomamon "They do, and I don't want to hurt any of those dreams by not giving them the ticket." Said Twilight "Yeah, that does sound hard." Said Matt "Yeah, but let's stop talking about that. What were you doing at the town hall?" Asked Twilight "Oh, I was looking for a job. I found one as an assistant for Mayor Mare." Said Matt "Glad to hear, I hope you enjoy it." Said Twilight The waiter returned with the table's food. "Well, I need to get going. I have to see Rarity about making some clothing for me." Said Matt "Well, good luck to you, Matt." Said Twilight "When did it start raining." Said Guilmon "It's not raining." Stated Twilight "Actually, yes, it is." Matt pointed out that it was raining around them. "But what's odd it isn't raining on us." "Hey, Twilight!" The group looked up at the rainbow mane Pegasus "Rainbow are you doing this?" Asked Twilight "I have no idea what you're talking about, Twilight. I'm only helping out a friend from getting wet." Said Rainbow "I hope you aren't thinking that this is going to help you get the gala ticket." Said Twilight "Of course not, I would do this for anypony." Matt and his Digimon turned to look at a few ponies running trying to get out of the rain. They turned back to look at Rainbow as she chuckled while rubbing the back of her neck. "Right, Rainbow I'm not comfortable with accepting unwanted favors. Now please close up the rain clouds." Said Twilight "Fine," said Rainbow as she closed up the clouds. Matt thought a second before speaking up, "If Rainbow closes up the clouds that were keeping us dry and its raining still around us, wouldn't that mean it should start..." The rain began to downpour on the group, "To rain on us." Twilight growled as the rain began to soak her and destroy her food. Matt looked at her and began to blush as he saw that the rain was soaking her clothes so much that it was starting to show off her light purple bra. Matt moved his eyes away so that Twilight wouldn't get the wrong message. "You all know it's raining, right?" The group turned to see Rarity coming up to them with an umbrella and a raincoat. "Yes, yes, we know." Said Twilight "Well, you all need to get out of the rain before you all catch a cold. Now let's get going, my shop isn't far from here." Said Rarity The group followed Rarity to her boutique. *** Twilight, Spike, Matt, Gomamon, and Guilmon all stood at the front door as they dripped water from their clothes. Guilmon and Gomamon shook themselves of any water dripping from them to dry themselves off. The water covered Twilight, Matt, and Spike. The two Digimon turned and shyly smiled at the trio as they stared daggers at them. "Sorry." Said Guilmon Twilight huffed as her horn came to life and surrounded herself, Matt, and Spike. In a second they were dry and warm. "Now that's much better." Said Twilight "Magic sure is impressive." Commented Matt "Well, I see you're all dry." Said Rarity "Thanks to Twilight, now can I ask you a favor, Rarity?" Asked Matt "Sure, what can I do for you?" She asked "I need some formal clothing made up for tomorrow. I got a job as Mayor Mare's assistant." Said Matt "I'm glad that somepony is willing to help Mayor Mare out. I swear she is one of the most unorganized ponies I have ever seen. I swear that pony would lose her head if it weren't attached to her body." Said Rarity "She's that bad." Said Gomamon "Trust me, she is. But we keep her as mayor because she's the best at dealing with the politics of running this town. Now I should have those down and delivered to your place in a few hours." Said Rarity "Thanks, Rarity." Said Matt Matt turned to Twilight, "Good luck with finding somepony to give that gala ticket to, Twilight." "Yeah, see you around, Matt." Said Twilight Matt exited the shop and started to make his way home. Twilight, on the other hand, got pulled into a mess of a day as her friends tried ever so desperately to get the second ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala. It turned into Twilight getting chased all over town with a crowd of ponies wishing to get the ticket from her. She would later get trapped and quickly teleporting back to the library. She found herself in the library were here friends apologized for the way they acted. Twilight understood what she had to do and sent her first friendship report to Celestia and returned the two tickets. But moments later Spike burped up a message from the princess that contained enough tickets for every one of Twilight's friends, and six more tickets were for the five humans and one bat pony. *** The beauty of Luna's night now covered the town of Ponyville. Stars twinkled in the sky as the beautiful moon illuminated those still wake. Matt was resting on the couch, reading a book. He stopped when he heard a knock come to the door. Matt closed the book and placed it on the coffee table. He went over to the door and opened it to find Twilight. "What can I do for you, Twilight?" Asked Matt "I came by to give you these," she brought out six golden tickets. "Celestia gave me a ticket for you, and others to attend the gala. I do hope you'll all plan to attend." Matt took the five tickets and looked at them, "I guess if Princess Celestia is giving them to us, I guess it would be a good idea to at least head down and see what's it's all about." "Glad to hear. Now I'm heading back to the library. Have a nice day tomorrow at work." Said Twilight "Thanks, Twilight." Said Matt Twilight smiled and waved as Matt closed the door and looked at the five tickets in his hands. I guess we get to see what makes this party so important. He walked up to the other's rooms so he could hand them their ticket. > Chapter 6 - Champion > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Champion Matt put yet another file into the file cabinets that lined the walls of the file room. Since he started a week ago, he was now organizing Mayor Mare. Matt still had plenty to do before she was perfect, but he had plenty of time. He was finishing up putting all the files away about the incidents that occurred from when Applejack wouldn't ask for help when it came to harvesting her apples. But luckily Twilight broke through to her and got her to ask for help. Besides that, everything was going smoothly in Ponyville. He left the file room and went back to his desk as he worked on getting Mayor Mare ready for talks or other important events. He placed the paperwork that needed Mayor Mare's signature inside a file folder. Matt walked into her office and put it on her desk. She thanked Matt, and he returned to his desk. "I think this job is perfect for you, Matt." Said Gomamon "Very true." Said Guilmon Matt blushed a little as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I always had a knack for organization. And even though it was rough at first, I think we managed to pull everything together. I think it should be smooth sailing from here on out." Said Matt "Let's hope." Said Gomamon After a few minutes, Mayor Mare came out of her office and handed Matt the signed papers. He thanked and checked them over. "I want to thank you again, Matt, for taking on this job. I swear I haven't been this organized in a long time." Said Mayor Mare "No problem, I'm glad I can help." Said Matt *** Two strange beings walked through the town of Ponyville. One was the cloak wearing pony, and the other was a unicorn mare. She was wearing a black strapless cocktail dress with a red hourglass on the back of it. She had a red and black mane, which was up in a tight bun with a spider clip holding the bun together. Her coat color was a strawberry red color. She held a fan in front of her face with a picture of a Black Widow. The two walked through the market as the mare drew the attention of every stallion she passed. She would give them a little wave, causing them to blush and wave back. She chuckled a little before turning to her friend. "I guess I still can turn heads." The mare turned back to the cloaked stallion, "You sure, Silent, that the humans are here." Said the mare The pony wearing the cloak, now named Silent, nodded his head up and down. "But where to start?" Asked the mare Silent pointed his sleeve covered hand towards the town hall where Matt and his Digimon were saying goodbye to Mayor Mare. Silent and the mare watched as he walked away. "Let's follow him; maybe he'll lead us to the others." Said the mare Silent nodded his head, and the two began to follow Matt and his Digimon but kept far enough way as not to attract attention to themselves. *** Matt pushed open the door to the library as a small bell went off. Twilight poked her head up from her book to see Matt and his Digimon walk through the door. She smiled as she closed up the book, got up, and straightened out her skirt. "Hi, Matt." Said Twilight "Hey, Twilight, I was wondering if that book came in or not?" Asked Matt "Let me think," Twilight tapped her chin before walking over to one of the shelves of books that line the walls of the library. She scanned the spins for the title. She stopped at the book she desired and pulled it out. "Yes, the pony that checked it out just returned it today." "Great to hear." Said Matt Twilight walked over to a large book resting on a pedestal and began to fill it out along with the rental card in the back before handing it off to Matt. He took the book in his hands. The book was a guide to the government of Equestria. "Thanks, Twilight." Said Matt "No problem, I can see working for Mayor Mare has made you desire to learn more about our government." Said Twilight "Yeah that, plus I want to make sure I understand everything about your government before I do something wrong. I'm not like the ponies of Equestria who know everything about their job thanks to a cutie mark." Said Matt Twilight chuckled as she rubbed the back of her neck, "Yeah, I forget that you humans don't get cutie marks like us ponies." It was a strange day when the humans learned that in Equestria that a mark appears on the rump on a pony. The cutie mark symbolizes a ponies unique talent, which translates to their job. The humans, in turn, told that they don't get cutie marks to determine their destiny. Instead, they go to school and study a specific work field. "Yeah, it sure was strange to find that out. Well, thanks for the book, Twilight." Said Matt "No problem, remember to bring it back a week from today." Said Twilight While Twilight and Matt were talking inside the library, Silent and the mare looked at the library from the shadows of an alleyway. "Boo, I was hoping he would take us to the others, not go running errands." Said the mare Silent turned and pointed over to a marketplace where plenty of ponies were shopping and talking amongst themselves. "So what? You have a desire to go shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables." Said the mare Silent nodded his head back and forth before pulling out a black crystal from his right sleeve. He showed it the mare. She blinked her eyes once before a devilish grin appeared on her face. "Yes, why track down the humans, when we can bring them to us. It'll save us more time and effort than waiting for our male friend to give us the location of the others." Said the mare Silent nodded before tossing the crystal towards the market. The second it touched the ground it burst into smoke, and from that smoke came a dragon. It roared at the top of its lungs as it ran towards the ponies. "I do love your creations, Silent." Said the mare Silent nodded as they disappeared into the alleyway to watch the chaos unfold before them. Matt was saying his goodbye to Twilight and about to leave the library when the dragon's roar caught the attention of Twilight, Matt, and his Digimon. "What was that?" Asked Matt "It sounded like an enormous creature." Said Gomamon "It sounded like the roar of a dragon, but that can't be right. Spike is the only dragon in Ponyville, and he's not even a fully grown dragon yet." Said Twilight Matt tossed the book on the couch and wasted no time in opening the door and rushing out with his Digimon and Twilight close behind him. The group ran down to see a black dragon with red scales on its back. The dragon was walking on two legs with two rows of a red spade-shaped scale following from the tip of its tail to the head. The rest of the dragon was black. It stood at least 12' tall. On each of its arm were a set of five sharp claws. It was bashing away the stalls and buildings that surrounded the Ponyville market. It roared at the sky before closing its mouth, and releasing a torrent of flames from its mouth. Ponies ran for there lives to keep away from the beast. It moved its head and spotted a little filly crying. The group watched as it prepared to attack, but Renamon appeared in time and took the child away as its left claw struck the ground. Renamon landed next to Alice as Renamon dropped the filly off next to its mother and Alice told her to run off. The group ran over to her. "Great timing there, Alice." Said Matt "Yeah, I know. Luckily Renamon and I were at Sugar Cube Corner when we heard the roars." Said Alice "The one thing I have to say is that the dragon looks familiar to that Manticore we faced." Said Gomamon "It does seem to have some similar characteristics." Said Matt The dragon turned and looked at the two humans, the unicorn and the Digimon. It roared as it stared daggers at them all. "Get ready here it comes." Said Matt The dragon ran towards the large group. They all jumped out of the way as it stopped and turned around on Matt, Twilight and his Digimon. "Pyro Sphere." Said Guilmon "Marching Fishes." Said Gomamon Guilmon fired off a sphere of fire, and a bunch of fishes jumped out of a small creek nearby. The dragon swatted off both attacks like it was nothing. "That's not good." Said Matt Renamon appeared behind the dragon and began to charge up her Diamond Storm. "Diamond Storm." Said Renamon She launched the sharpened leaves at the back of the dragon. It only seemed to scrap the back of the dragon, but it didn't seem to faze it. It turned around and grabbed Renamon before tossing her right into a building. Alice screamed as she ran off to help Renamon. The dragon once again turned his attention to Matt, Twilight, and his Digimon. "Gao Rush." Gaomon appeared and began to strike the dragon in the head with a barrage of punches. With a final blow, Gaomon leaped back and landed on the ground. James came running up as the dragon shook its head to get itself back together. "Nice one Gaomon." Said James "James, great timing." Said Matt "Yeah, I came as soon as I heard the roars." Said James "Good because Renamon already bit the dust." Said Matt "I don't want to cut in, but that thing looks pissed off." Said Twilight The dragon growled at Gaomon before releasing a torrent of flames at the group. They each dodged the fire, but the dragon kept releasing the flames on James and Gaomon. "Oh shit!" Exclaimed James James and Gaomon began to run for their lives as the dragon didn't let up trying to burn them. Luckily a tornado appeared and pulled the flames away. James and Gaomon sighed as they saw Terriermon land on the ground next to him with Lopmon coming up with Abby close behind. "Thanks, Terriermon." Said James "Same here." Said Gaomon "It's what I do best. Can't have that beast barbequing you." Said Terriermon The dragon turned and looked at Abby, Lopmon, Terriermon, James, and Gaomon. It growled at them as it looked ready to strike once again. "That thing is huge." Said Lopmon "True, but nothing we can't take down together." Said Terriermon Lopmon nodded her head as Lopmon grabbed Terriermon's ear and began to spin with Terriermon. The two created a massive typhoon of winds. "Double Typhoon." Said Terriermon and Lopmon The two Digimon went spinning right for the beast. The typhoon was dragging debris from the attack to the mighty beast. The dragon brushed away a lot of the debris that came towards it. It tried to burn the two Digimon, but the winds blew the flames back at its face. Terriermon and Lopmon struck the dragon in the chest before returning to Abby and stopped there attack. Abby, James and there Digimon watched as the smoke settled around the dragon. But once the red glowing eyes appeared, the small group knew the fight wasn't over. Alice was finally able to reach Renamon, who was pushing off a beam of wood. "You ok?" Asked Alice "I'll be fine." Said Renamon The two walked out to see Biymon was now in the fight flying around the dragon hitting it with her Spiral Twister. Alice turned to look at April, watching Biymon. She could also see Matt, Twilight and his Digimon rushing on over with James, Abby and their Digimon following close behind. "Glad to see your ok Renamon, and good timing, April." Said Matt "Yeah." Said April The others arrived as Biymon came down to them. "Damn, this thing is tough." Said James "No kidding, I think we've hit it with each of our Digimon, and we've done nothing but piss if it off." Said Matt The mare and Silent stood atop a building looking upon the battle. The mare smiled as Silent's beast did draw out all five of the humans and their Digimon. She gave a little chuckle as she was enjoying the humans and their Digimon partners struggle to find a way to destroy Silent's creation. "It seems the plan worked perfectly. I do love it when everything comes together." Said the mare Silent nodded his head in response. "What's even better is that those little Digimon are no match for your mighty beast. We should see the end of them all in no time." Said the mare Silent nodded his head as the dragon turned and grabbed a part of the building behind it. It raised it above his head and tossed it at the group. They all began to run in all directions to dodge the attack. Matt watched as the dragon took another piece of a building and tossed it at him. Guilmon jumped into action to protect Matt. "Quake-a-lator." Said Guilmon He leaped up and used his claws to rip through the concrete before moving towards the dragon. Guilmon knew if this dragon was like the manticore, then if he found the crystal, it would end the beast once and for all. But the dragon swatted Guilmon away, and he went crashing into yet another building. "Guilmon!" Screamed Matt The dragon looked at Matt and Gomamon before spying Twilight, who was pushing her a small amount of debris from building off of her. She rubbed her head, not noticing the dragon going in for an attack. Matt didn't stop to think, instead, ran right towards Twilight. Twilight turned to see a giant claw coming towards her. She had no time to react to bring a spell to life to save her. But luckily Matt tackled her out of the way. The claw of the dragon came smashing down. Twilight and Matt landed safely away from the dragon. Twilight and Matt looked at each and blushed from how close they were to each other. Matt was right on top of Twilight with their faces inches away from each other. "Um, thanks, Matt." Said Twilight "Um, yeah." Said Matt The two stayed that way until the roar of the dragon, which caused them to look at the dragon as it stared at them. Matt got up and helped Twilight to her hooves as they ran for it. The dragon was going to release a torrent of flames but stopped as a school fishes came colliding into its head. The beast turned towards Gomamon and the other Digimon next to their human companions. "You leave them alone." Said Gomamon The dragon roared before blowing a thick cloud of smoke at them, causing to the group to lose their sense of direction thanks to the thick cloud of smoke. The dragon once again turned its back to Matt and Twilight, who stopped to watch the dragon cover the others in smoke. The dragon smashed both of its clawed hands into the ground before looking at the helpless human and pony. "Twilight, I think you're up." Said Matt But nothing happened, Matt turned to see Twilight shaking like a leaf in fear. The fear of the dragon was causing her to have no concentration to perform any magic. Matt looked back at the beast as it growled at him. Damn, this isn't good! "Terriermon and Lopmon clear this smoke," said Abby as she coughed. "Terrier Tornado." Said Terriermon "Tiny Twister." Said Lopmon Both Digimon were able to clear the smoke from the group. They all saw that the dragon had cornered Matt and Twilight. Guilmon finally was able to dig himself out of the building and saw Matt was in trouble. He got moving to protect Matt. I must protect Matt. But Guilmon wasn't sure how he could hurt the beast when his attacks and the attacks of the others were doing nothing to it. But he could see the dragon was beginning to get closer to kill Matt and Twilight as it opened its mouth. Twilight grabbed onto Matt as she prepared for the end of it all. Matt shook as his life began to flash before his eyes as the dragon's gaping maw moved ever closer to him and Twilight. I can't believe this is how it all comes to an end. The dragon moved to snap the human and pony in its jaw. The others could watch in horror as two of there friends were about to be no more. Matt held Twilight close to him as he closed his eyes and prepared to die. "Matt!" Screamed Guilmon At that second, the Digivice clipped to Matt's pants began to glow. Matt opened his eyes to see his Digivice glowing, and the light seemed to blind the dragon as well. Twilight opened her eyes as well to see what was happening. Guilmon stopped as he looked at himself. He began to shine, as well. The Digivice started to transmit a set of code to Guilmon, which started his transformation to the next level. "Guilmon digivolve to...Growlmon." Matt and Twilight watch the dragon regain its sight and ready to chop down on them. But the dragon got pushed away as Growlmon struck the side of the beast. The beast went tumbling back before falling onto its back. "Stay away from them." Growlmon turned down to look at Matt and Twilight, "Are you two, ok?" "What who are you?" Asked Matt "I'm Growlmon, but you might remember me as Guilmon. I digivolved to protect you." Said Growlmon The dragon roared as it got back on its feet. Matt looked up at Growlmon, and the two nodded. "Alright, let's show this dragon what you can do, Growlmon." Said Matt Growlmon roared as he and the dragon ran towards each other. The other humans and Digimon watched as Growlmon and the dragon did battle. "Where the hell did that red dragon thing come from?" Asked James Abby pulled off her Digivice and pointed it at Growlmon. The screen lit up as it displayed information on Growlmon. "The new creature is called, Growlmon and its the digivolved form of Guilmon. It seems Growlmon is a champion level Digimon." Said Abby "Wait, you're telling me that our Digimon can digivolve once again." Said James "Looks like it, and it seems that Growlmon might be a match for that dragon." Said Alice Growlmon tossed the dragon to the ground. Growlmon closed his mouth as flames began to leak from his corners his mouth. "Pyro Blaster." Said Growlmon With a mighty roar, Growlmon released a large fireball from his mouth. The dragon roared in pain from the attack and fell to the ground with smoke coming from the blast site. "Growlmon find the crystal and destroy it." Said Matt Growlmon nodded his head, "Growl Claw." Growlmon swung his right claw into the dragon and tore out the crystal. Growlmon crushed the crystal, and the dragon roared before it went silent and darkened in color. Much like the Manticore, it burst into smoke. Growlmon roared from his victory over the dragon. The mare and Silent watched as the dragon disappeared into a puff of smoke. "When I thought we wouldn't have to worry about those kids." The mare sighed as she turned to Silent, "Let's return to base. We'll let them have this win." Silent nodded as the two disappeared from the top of the building as the others ran towards Matt, Growlmon, and Twilight. "Matt!" Screamed Gomamon He jumped into Matt's arm. Matt caught him and laughed as he held his second Digimon. "I'm glad you're ok." Said Gomamon "Yeah, thanks to Growlmon." Said Matt "Yeah, I'll say it sure is impressive." Said James Growlmon smiled before a light consumed him and he shrunk back down before the light disappeared and once again showed off Guilmon. Everyone blinked as Guilmon cocked his head to the side. "What?" Asked Guilmon "Why the heck did you go back to being Guilmon?" Asked James "I'm not sure. I think I exhausted all the energy I had to stay in my Growlmon form." Said Guilmon "So it seems that our Digimon can only keep their champion level forms for a while. I wonder how long a Digimon can stay in their champion form before they have to return to their rookie form." Said Alice "Well, that's a bummer. I was hoping that we could keep them in champion form forever." Said James "But could Guilmon digivolve back to champion?" Asked April Matt pulled out his Digivice and looked to see Growlmon, "I'm not sure, but I'll guess we'll have to wait and see." "Well Matt, I can't wait to see how long it takes you to file this away," said James pointing out all the damage to the market from the battle. Matt rolled his eyes as ponies began to came out of their hiding place and started to work on cleaning up the debris with the Digimon and humans helping out. Mayor Mare came out and listened to ponies with Matt taking notes next to her. It took a few hours to clean up the marketplace, but it would take a little longer to fix the buildings. Matt left the town hall near ten o'clock at night after filing everything away. He turned to see Twilight waiting on a park bench under a street light. "Think you two can make it home on your own?" Asked Matt "Yeah." Said Gomamon The two began to make their way home as Matt walked over to Twilight. He sat down next to her. The two didn't speak and instead listened to the nightlife of crickets and other woodland creatures. "I'm sorry." Said Twilight Matt looked over at her, "Sorry for what?" "For not teleporting us away. I could have got us away from that dragon. But I got so scared of it cornering us; I couldn't concentrate on my magic. I never once in my life felt that scared." Said Twilight "Twilight, you don't think I felt the same. You have no reason to apologize. We all get scared; that's a natural thing. When you genuinely get scared, your mind stops thinking, and you can't function. Trust me. I was the same way." Said Matt "Yeah, and I owe you a thank you as well for saving me." Said Twilight Matt blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, no problem." Twilight giggled from the way Matt was acting. He smiled as he looked up at the stars. Soon enough, a shooting star went across the night sky. Matt pointed it out to Twilight. "Look a shooting star, make a wish." Said Matt Twilight and Matt closed there eyes and made their wish before opening them. "Make your wish?" Asked Matt "Sure did." Said Twilight The two sat together in silence as they watched as more shooting stars passed across the night sky. It was a beautiful sight to end on after one crazy day. > Chapter 7 - Boasting > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boasting "Twenty-five different spells that sure is impressive." Matt, his Digimon, Twilight, and Spike were walking down the dirt path of Ponyville. They had no specific destination in mind. "Yeah, and that easily shows Twilight has to be one of the best unicorns in Equestria." Said Spike "Please, Spike, I'm sure there are plenty of unicorns with the same magical talent as me." Said Twilight "Maybe, but they're probably not like you." Said Spike Twilight blushed as Matt smiled. The group was enjoying the peaceful town, even if at times it wasn't all that peaceful if the pranks that Rainbow and Pinkie pulled on the town didn't show that. Two pulled all sorts of pranks, but the best was when they dyed James' hair and Gaomon's fur pink when the two were napping. Rainbow probably did it more out of revenge because of a prank James and Gaomon played on her, which consisted of a napping Rainbow Dash and a cup of warm water. Then the true chaos came in the form of a Griffon. Gilda was her name, and she happened to be an old friend of Rainbow Dash from flight school. She seemed pretty interesting until they heard rumors about her being a bully, especially to Fluttershy. The truth came out about her when Pinkie threw her a party and Rainbow began to pull pranks on her. In the end, Gilda left town, and everything went back to being the same. But that was the nature of Ponyville. And on a side note, James and Gaomon were still trying to get the pink out of their hair and fur. And today was once again going to be one of those crazy days. "Coming through!" The group turned to see two colts coming running towards them. The first was a colt looked a little overweight. He had an opal coat with an orange mane. He was wearing a plain grey t-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. The other colt looked a little skinny. He had an amber coat and a turquoise mane. He was wearing a plain orange t-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. The group jumped out of the way, except Gomamon, who got caught up by the overweight colt. "Stop!" Screamed Gomamon The two colts stopped as Gomamon went tumbling into the dirt with the others following close behind. "Snips and Snails, where's the fire?" Asked Spike Snips was the overweight colt, and Snails was the skinny colt. "Didn't you hear, a powerful unicorn is in town." Said Snips "That's your reason for running without looking where you're going." Said Gomamon "Yeah, we have to get in the front row before other ponies do." Said Snails "Yeah, I'm sure if we're speaking about magical power that award goes to Twilight." Said Spike "Please Spike, now where is this unicorn?" Asked Twilight "In the town square." Said Snips "You better hurry if you want to get a good spot." Said Snails The two colts once again ran off. "They sure think this unicorn is big stuff." Said Gomamon "I agree," Matt turned to the others. "Should we see how powerful this unicorn is?" The others nodded and made their way towards the town square. *** "Man, this unicorn sure did gather a crowd." Said Matt The group pushed through the ponies to get to the front to see the rest of the mane six awaiting for the show to begin along with James and Gaomon. Both still showed signs of the pink dye in their fur and hair but wasn't as prominent as before. "I'm surprised you're out here, James especially with the pink still in your hair," said Matt chuckling a bit. James huffed, "Whatever, I heard there was a powerful unicorn town, and well, I decided to see if it was true." "You wouldn't be pink if you thought about the consequences of your actions." Said Matt "Whatever, I'm glad the pink is nearly out of my hair." Said James "And out of my fur." Said Gaomon "I do hope that teaches you a lesson about doing stupid pranks." Said Alice Alice, Renamon, Abby, Terriermon, Lopmon, and Cresent came walking up to them. The girls were all wearing sports bras and sports shorts. Cresent had her mane done up in a bun, while Alice and Abby had their hair still in pigtails. Sweat was still dripping from each of them. "I'm guessing you finished your run for the day." Said Matt "Yeah, we finished and heard about the stage performance and decided to see what it was all about." Said Alice "I surprised April isn't here." Said Abby "I think April went out to that valley to paint from what she told me this morning." Said Matt "Welcome everypony to the show of your lifetime." Fireworks started to go to owe and awe the crowd before there was a puff of smoke on the stage, and from that appeared the unicorn mare everypony was waiting to see, "Watch now as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs some of the greatest feats of magic ever." More fireworks went off to get the crowd excited. The unicorn named Trixie had an azure coat with a cornflower mane with cerulean stripes running through it. She was wearing a light blue dress along with a wizard's cape and hat. She would wave her hands around and perform different tricks for the crowd to show off her magical skills. "My, my, she does love to boast." Said Rarity "Please, this isn't half what Twi..." Twilight hit Spike in the gut with her elbow to shut him up. "You know, Trixie reminds me of a guy on my football team that would boast about how great he was." Said James "What happened to him?" Asked Gaomon "First game of the season, the guy lost it for us. Let's say he wasn't all to liked by the team." Said James "Her boasting is as bad as some of the guards at the castle. I swear I hate when ponies boast about how they're the best." Said Cresent "There's nothing wrong with being talented right?" Asked Twilight "Nothing at all, Twi unless you're showin' it off like a school filly with new ribbons." Said Applejack "Yeah, especially when I'm better than the rest of us." Rainbow got everypony to stare at her, "Um, boo." Trixie stopped her show and out at the crowd, "I see we have some neighsayers in the crowd." James snickered at that. "Who is so ignorant as to challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie? I see that they don't know they are in the presence of the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria." Rarity blew a raspberry at that, "Please, who does she think she is?" "Yeah, when we all know that Twi..." Spike got his gut hit again by Twilight's elbow. "Shut it, Spike." Said Twilight "What's wrong, you know you're much more powerful than Trixie." Said Spike "But haven't you seen how our friends are reacting to Trixie. I don't want them to think I'm a show off like her." Said Twilight Rainbow flew right into Trixie's face, "So 'Great and Powerful Trixie,' what makes you so awesome?" Trixie pushed Rainbow out of her face, "I'm glad you ask, for I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, was able to vanquish an Ursa Major." The crowd owed and awed at Trixie's feat. "I thought Ursa Major was a constellation. How do you defeat a constellation?" Asked James "In Equestria, there are beasts called Constellation Beasts that represent many of famous constellations. It's rare to see one in the wild." Said Twilight "Living constellations, well you don't hear that every day." Said Matt "The Great and Powerful Trixie was the last remaining hope for the ponies Hoofington as the Ursa Major attacked their homes. Trixie stepped forth and used her awesome magic to defeat the beast and return it to its cave deep within the Everfree Forest!" Exclaimed Trixie The crowd got memorized by Trixie's light show as she showed how she defeated the Ursa Major. A few fireworks went off after Trixie defeated the Ursa Major. "That settles it." Said Snips "Trixie is truly the most powerful, most talented, and most awesome unicorn in Ponyville." Said Snails "No, in all of Equestria!" Exclaimed Snips "You two can't seriously believe that. How can we trust that everything Trixie says is true?" Said James "Yeah, and besides we all know if it came to defeating an Ursa Major, we would all turn to..." Twilight used her magic to close Spike's mouth shut. "But it is true, my little admirers. Trixie certainly is the best in Ponyville." Said Trixie The crowd went silent as they looked at each other. Trixie's eyes scanned the quiet crowd before smiling out at the group of ponies. "I see none of you believe the Great and Power Trixie." She gave a light chuckle, "Then I, at this moment, challenge any Ponyvillian to prove themselves by doing anything, which I'll do better. So do we have any takers? I guess if no one wants to step up, I guess that makes me the greatest equine who lived!" Said Trixie Fireworks fired off behind Trixie as she smiled. Spike was finally able to get the magic bindings off his face and turned back to Twilight. "Twilight you have to do something, she unbearable! You have to show her who's better!" Exclaimed Spike "Spike I can't use my magic after everything that's been happening." Said Twilight "How about you," Twilight froze as Trixie pointed her finger at her. "Do you think you better the Great and Powerful Trixie?" "Well, um, I," Twilight kept stumbling over her words as she tried to find a way out. "Well, little hayseed," said Trixie gesturing over to Applejack. "That's it! I can't stand for any more of this!" Exclaimed Applejack Applejack made her way up to the stage. "You go get her, Applejack." Said Spike "Let's see if your magic can do this." Said Applejack She pulled the rope attached to her pants and began to do tricks with it, getting the crowd once again back into the show. Applejack did one more trick by using her lasso to grab an apple on a nearby tree and bring it over to her. She took a bit out of it before bringing her rope back together and tipping her hat to Trixie. "Top that." Said Applejack Trixie smiled as she removed her hat, "Watch and be amazed by the magic of Trixie." Trixie's horn to came to life and began to surround the rope with her aura. Applejack and the crowd watched as Trixie moved the rope like a snake, while another end went to the nearby apple tree. Suddenly, the rope began to wrap Applejack up and placing the apple in her mouth. Trixie released her magic and gave a bow to the laughing and cheering crowd. "That hardly seemed fair." Said Terriermon "I would agree." Said Abby Applejack began to hop off the stage. Once she reached the ground, Guilmon snapped the ropes with his claws to free her back up. She spat the apple out of mouth before looking back at Guilmon. "Thanks, Guilmon." Said Applejack He smiled before the two returned to their group of friends as Trixie looked ready to speak once more. "Once again, the Great and Powerful Trixie prevails. Now, who else wishes to challenge Trixie?" Said Trixie Rainbow Dash flew up and got right back into Trixie's face, "There's no need to go strutting around and showing off your stuff." "Is that so." Said Trixie "Yeah, because that's my job." Said Rainbow Her friends sighed as they began to watch her perform one of my many stunts. She landed on Trixie's stage as a rainbow appeared above her. She smiled and held her head high as the crowd cheered for her performance. "They don't call me 'Rainbow' and 'Dash' for nothing." Said Rainbow Trixie gave a sly smile as her horn came to life, "After Trixie is through with you, all they will be calling you is a loser." Trixie's magic began to grab the rainbow above Rainbow's head and wrapped it around her before making Rainbow spin like a top until she came to a stop outside the crowd. Rainbow looking she was about to barf all over the place. "I think I'm going to be sick," said Rainbow as she swallowed a little vomit that came up. "Seems like anypony with a dash of good sense would think twice before tussling with the Great and Powerful Trixie." Said Trixie James and Gaomon walked over and helped her to her feet. She still seemed to look like she was going to puke at any minute. Then Trixie summoned a storm cloud and struck Rainbow in her plot, causing her to scream out in pain and double over against Gaomon, but he saw she was still quite sick. "You take her, James." Said Gaomon James looped Rainbow's right arm over his shoulder and helped her back to her others as she still seemed to be in a daze and looking like she was going to vomit any minute. "I know what we need. We need a unicorn to challenge Trixie. A unicorn with some magical powers." Said Spike "Yeah, a unicorn to show this unicorn who's boss," said rainbow before swallowing done a little more vomit. "A real unicorn to unicorn tussle." Said Applejack Spike, Matt, James, Abby, Alice, Cresent, and the Digimon all move their eyes toward Twilight. She froze as she swallowed the lump in her throat. But luckily for her, another unicorn miss interrupted the message. "Enough, enough all of you. I take your hint, but I am above such nonsense. Rainbow Dash and Applejack may behave like ruffians, but I conduct myself with beauty and grace." Said Rarity "How did she think we were talking about her?" Asked Alice "Who knows." Said Abby Trixie gave a little chuckle, "What's the matter? Afraid you'll get a hair of place in that rat's nest you call a mane." Rarity stood shocked before she glared at Trixie, "Oh, it is on, sister." Rarity began to make her way onto the stage, "You may think you're tough with all your so-called powers, but there's more to magic than your brutish ways. A unicorn needs to be more than muscle. A unicorn needs to have style." Rarity's horn came to life and grabbed a curtain on Trixie's cart and began to wrap around her. She used her magic to make it into a beautiful dress. The crowd went ooh as they looked at Rarity as she bounced her newly transformed mane. "That sure was impressive." Said Matt "Yeah, isn't she beautiful." Said Spike "A unicorn is not a unicorn without grace and beauty." Said Rarity Trixie gave a sly smile as her horn came to life. She wrapped her aura around Rarity's mane and in a flash changed it. The crowd let a large gasp. Rarity began to freak out as she needed to figure out what Trixie did to her hair. "Quick! Somepony get me a mirror! I need a mirror! I must know what she did to my hair!" Exclaimed Rarity "She did nothing." Said Twilight "It's fine." Said Rainbow "It's gorgeous." Said Applejack "It's green." Said Gomamon Matt struck him over the head as Rarity had a panic attack and ran off the stage, screaming and crying about green hair. Everypony watched her leave before turning back to the smug faced Trixie. Spike then turned to Twilight. "Well, Twilight, it's up to you. You have to show Trixie, who's boss." Said Spike "What, but I'm nothing special." Said Twilight "Twilight, you are, and you're far better than Trixie." Said Matt "I'm not better than anyone else." Said Twilight Trixie looked down at Twilight, "You think you're better than the Great and Powerful Trixie. You think you have more magical talent than Trixie. Well, then show Trixie and the crowd that you're better than Trixie." Said Trixie "Who me? I'm only a run-of-the-mill citizen of Ponyville. Nothing special here...um...I think I hear my laundry calling. Sorry, I gotta get going." Said Twilight Twilight turned around and ran through the crowd as Trixie had yet another smug look on her face. "I didn't know laundry can talk." Said Guilmon "Laundry can't call, Guilmon. Now let's go after her." Said Matt Matt and his Digimon ran after the unicorn as Trixie began to chuckle. "That proves that the Great and Powerful Trixie is the most amazing unicorn in all Equestria. But was there any doubt." Said Trixie *** "Twilight will you please listen to me." Said Matt Twilight was right now had her head down in a book. Matt sighed as he walked forward and slammed the book shut in her face. "Twilight tell me what happened back there at Trixie's show." Said Matt Twilight sighed, "Didn't you see how they hated Trixie's bragging, Matt. If I went up there and showed off my magic, then I could risk losing my friends." "Twilight, what we're asking you to do is not what Trixie was doing. You would be using your magic to stand up for your friends." Said Matt "Matt it wouldn't matter, it would still be the same." Said Twilight Matt sighed, "Twilight, you could have used any one of the tricks you've learned, even the teeniest, would have worked to show up Trixie." "Matt it doesn't work like that. If I went up there and did any trick, no matter what it was, I would still look like a bragger, which would make me look just like Trixie." Said Twilight Matt was going to continue to speak when Twilight used her magic to create a door in front of Matt and slam it in his face. The two Digimon looked up at Matt as he growled under his breath. Matt calmed himself long enough to reopen the door and walk back out. "Talk about slamming the door in someone's face." Said Gomamon "Twilight you know, for a fact, you're better than Trixie." Said Matt "Matt, I said NO!" Exclaimed Twilight "She sure is stubborn." Said Guilmon "No, kidding." Said Gomamon Matt sighed, seeing that it was a losing battle to argue with Twilight. He gestured for Guilmon and Gomamon to follow and walked out of the library while Twilight let out a heavy sigh. Matt looked at the door of the library and let out a heavy sigh as well. "You can still try and convince her." Said Gomamon "And she'll find a way to weasel around it." Said Matt "So, now what?" Asked Guilmon "We head home, not like we can do anything else." Said Matt He gave another sigh as he turned and began to head home, only to stop when he saw Spike running towards them. He stopped and started to catch his breath. "Spike, what's wrong?" Asked Matt "Need to talk to Twilight, now! Urgent problem!" Exclaimed Spike The group of four ran back to the library. Matt opened the door and him, Spike and his Digimon rushed inside. "Twilight! You have to come! Quick!" Screamed Spike "Spike, I already told Matt, I'm not showing up Trixie." Said Twilight "No, Twilight this is about something," Spike stopped midway in his sentence as a roar echoed throughout the building. "Is that what I think it is?" Asked Twilight Another roar went across the airwaves of Ponyville as Spike spoke back up, "Majorly." Twilight, Spike, Matt, and the Digimon ran out of the library as more roars began to fill the air. Ponies started to run for their lives as Matt, Spike, Twilight, and the Digimon ran past them. The group stopped when they saw Snips, Snails, and Trixie. "Matt!" The group turned to see the other humans and their Digimon coming towards them. "What is happening?" Asked Abby "I agree, what is happening?" Asked Twilight "We brought an Ursa to town." Said Snips "You what!" Screamed Twilight "Don't worry. The Great and Powerful Trixie will defeat it." Said Snail Everyone looked over at Trixie. "I can't." Said Trixie "What?!" Screamed Snips and Snails "I can't because I never have. No one can defeat an Ursa Major. I made up the whole story of me defeating an Ursa Major." Said Trixie "Made it up!" Exclaimed Snips and Snails "Who could have seen that coming." Said James A mighty roar pulled the group all to turn and see the Ursa Major behind them. The Ursa Major was a large blue bear with stars covering its body. It growled as it looked at all of them. "So any ideas." Said James Spike poked Twilight in the stomach. She looked at him as he pointed at the Ursa. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she stepped forward. Matt held is Digivice ready the second Twilight needed help. He wasn't sure if he could get Guilmon to digivolve back into Growlmon once more. Twilight began to ignite her horn as she started to push magic through it. Her hooves began to dig into the dirt as she pushed her magic to her limit. A purple aura began to cover the Ursa as Twilight lifted it into the air and began to rock it back and forth. As she used her magic to cast a wind over cattails to cause pleasant music to fill the air, further calming the Ursa Major. She then wrapped her magic around the Ponyville water tower and poured out all the water. Twilight then pushed the empty water tower through the barn where the cows reside. The water tower came out full of milk. "That's new." Said Spike "I'm sure that Ponyville might have needed that water." Stated James Twilight continued to push her magic to her limits as her hooves dug deeper into the ground. Sweat rolled down her face as she continued to perform her feats of magic. She placed the top back on the base of the water tower and brought up to the mouth of the Ursa Major, and it began to suck it. The humans weren't sure how that was even possible but went with it. Twilight now began to levitate the Ursa Major back into the Everfree Forest. Once the Ursa Major was back in the Everfree Forest, Twilight released her magic. She began to take deep breaths as she felt incredibly exhausted. She began to fall over, but Matt grabbed her before she fell to the ground. He gave her a warm smile, and she returned it until they heard cheering. The two looked over to see the ponies of Ponyville cheering for Twilight. "Unbelievable." Said Rainbow "That was amazing." Said Spike "That sure was something else." Said James "Heavens to Betsy! We knew ya had magical skills, but not that much!" Said Applejack Twilight lowered her eyes and placed her ears against her head, "I'm sorry. Please don't hate me." "Hate you!" Said Twilight's friends "Whatever do you mean, darling?" Asked Rarity "Well, I know how much you all hated Trixie's showing off with her magic tricks, and I thought..." Twilight stopped as Rainbow spoke up. "Let's stop you there, Twilight. Magic has nothing to do with it. Trixie is nothing more than a loud mouth." Said Rainbow "Preach it." Said Alice "Most unpleasant." Said Rarity "All hat and no cattle." Said Applejack "So, you don't mind my magic tricks?" Asked Twilight "You're magic is a part of ya, sugarcube, and we like who ya are. We're proud to have such a powerful, talented unicorn as our friend." Said Applejack "Yeah especially after whupping that Ursa's hindquarters, we're even prouder." Said Rainbow "You are?" Asked Twilight The humans, the Digimon and ponies, nodded their heads. Twilight smiled as a slight blush came to her face. "See, I told you, you weren't like Trixie." Said Matt "I guess you were right," said Twilight with a slight blush covering her face. "But Twilight, how did you know how to defeat that Ursa Major?" Asked Spike "After Trixie's bragging story, I decided to look into the Ursa Major." Said Twilight "So it is possible to vanquish an Ursa Major all by yourself." Said Spike Twilight gave a slight chuckle, "That wasn't an Ursa Major, that was a baby, an Ursa Minor." Trixie pushed through the crowd with an astonished look on her face, "That was a baby!" "And it wasn't rampaging. It was cranky because somepony woke it up." Her eyes landed on Snips and Snails as did the rest of the crowd. "Well, that was an Ursa Minor, then what does an Ursa Major look like." Said Spike "If had to guess, way bigger." Said James "I hope we don't see an Ursa Major any time soon. So now with that done, how should we deal with miss loudmouth." Said Alice Everypony turned their attention to Trixie. "Whatever, you may have defeated an Ursa Minor, but you will never have the amazing, show-stopping ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" Exclaimed Trixie Trixie waved her hands in the air before tossing down a smoke bomb on the ground. When the cloud disappeared, everypony could see Trixie running away from them. "Why that little..." Twilight stopped Rainbow before she went after Trixie. "Let her go. Maybe someday she'll learn her lesson. Now what to do about you two?" Said Twilight as she moved her eyes over to Snips and Snails. Snips gave off a nervous laugh, "We're sorry for waking up the Ursa Minor." "We just wanted to see some awesome magic." Said Snails "Yeah, the way that you beat that Ursa Minor was awesome." Said Snips "Either way, you risked the safety of everypony here." Said Matt "Yes, we know, so we deserve any punishment you give us." Said Snails "For starters, you can clean up that mess," Snips and Snails looked over to Trixie's destroyed stage. " And," She looked over to Spike and smiled at him, "What do you think, Spike? Should I give them, hm, number twenty-five." "Oh, yes, and I deserve it too." Said Spike Snips and Snails looked at each other confused as Twilight's horn began to glow. The faces of Spike, Snips, and Snails began to glow. Snips and Snails had their eyes closed until they opened their eyes to see they all had mustaches. They all seemed pleased by it. *** "Dear Princess Celestia, I have learned a very valuable lesson about friendship: I was so afraid of being thought of as a show-off that I was hiding a part of who I am. My friends helped me realize that it's okay to be proud of your talents, and there are times when it's appropriate to show them off... Especially when you're standing up for your friends." Said Twilight "I do hope you learned the difference between boasting and true talent." Said Matt Twilight rolled her eyes as she walked over and sat next to Matt, "Yes, I learned my lesson." She stuck out her tongue out at him. The two laughed as the door opened as Spike walked into the room looking a little down. "So how did it go with Rarity?" Asked Twilight "She didn't go for the mustache." Said Spike "Sorry to hear that Spike." Said Matt "You know Spike, that mustache has nothing to do with who you are. Maybe you should try being yourself." Said Twilight "Or, maybe the mustache isn't enough. Maybe if I had a mustache and a beard?" Said Spike "Oh, brother." Said Spike Twilight and Matt laughed as Spike began to tell them about the perfect beards that would go with his mustache. > Chapter 8 - The Fox and the Hound > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Fox and the Hound Matt stood next to Mayor Mare as he handed her paper after paper for her to sign. Matt handed Mayor Mare the final document as she signed it and handed it back to Matt. He placed it inside the folder and gave it to Guilmon and told him where he could file it. "Well, that's the last of that." Said Matt "Yes, it seemed to be. Now, what else do you have to do for the day?" Said Mayor Mare Matt pulled opened the notebook in his hands and scanned over the entries. He was checking what he and Mayor Mare had to do next or what was coming up. Matt kept strict and dutiful records of every upcoming event and what needed Mayor Mare signature. He closed the book before turning to Mayor Mare. "Well, Mayor Mare, it seems we're free to relax for some time." Said Matt Before Mayor Mare could say anything, the doors to her office burst open with James running right up to Matt and grabbing his shoulders. Gaomon trailed behind breathing heavily before falling to the floor. "Matt, we have a big problem!" Screamed James as he shook Matt back and forth. Matt broke loose of Jame's grip and placed his hand on his shoulders as he got his bearings back, "James calm down. What problem do we have?" "A female problem." Said James "Is something wrong with Twilight, Cresent, Abby, Alice or our friends," said Matt with a hint of concern in his voice. "Yeah, they're about to hunt us!" Exclaimed James Matt blinked his eyes before giving a deadpan look, "Come again, I don't think I heard you right." "I said they're about to hunt us down. In truth, every mare all across Equestria are about to begin hunting us," said James as his eyes frantically moved across the entire room. "James, you're making no sense at all. Why would every mare in Equestria be hunting you and me?" Said Matt "It's not just you and me, but all the stallions across Equestria." Said James "James, you've completely lost me." Said Matt "I think I might be able to clarify what James is saying." Said Mayor Mare Matt turned to his employer, "Please do." "You see, James is speaking about the bi-yearly heat cycle. A mare goes into heat twice a year one in the fall and the other in the spring. The heat cycle is a time for breeding because that's when our eggs become fertilizable. And James is not wrong about the fact that we do hunt down stallions to have them calm our heat. For a male's sperm is the only thing that calms the burning sensation between our legs," said Mayor Mare with a blush growing across her face. "See, every mare across Equestria is going to become a sex rampaging monster looking for nothing but to drain us dry." Said James "James, can you please calm down. Fall isn't even here yet, so I think we're safe." Said Matt "No Matt, we aren't, Mr. Cake told me we aren't safe until we figure out where to hide for the three weeks, while the mares are in heat. And we only have two months to do it!" Said James "James, you still have plenty of time to figure things out. Mares don't start noticing we're moving into heat until about three days before the cycle begins." Said Mayor Mare "Yeah James, we still have plenty of time to figure this whole thing out." Said Matt "You may be chill about all of this, but I ain't. Now if you excuse me, I have to plan our action plan before these mares turn into sex-hungry mares." Said James James ran out with Gaomon looking at him, "Do we have to run?" Gaomon sighed before running after James. "So I'm guessing girls on your planet don't have heat cycles." Said Mayor Mare "Yeah, the only thing that goes into heat on my planet are animals. But human girls do have something called periods. It's a monthly cycle; it's usually a time in which a girl bleeds out her unfertilized eggs, which reminds me, it's about that time of the month for Alice and Abby to enter their periods." Said Matt "Well, I do recommend you find someplace safe to stay or go. Mares do become sex crazy, and many can't control the urge to mate. As I said, heat is an intense burning sensation between our legs that only sperm can calm, but most males won't risk it because of the chance of getting said mare pregnant since this is the time a male can fertilize our eggs. And well the pain that might come from a mare's desire to mate to relieve her heat," said Mayor Mare with her blush deepening on her face. "I'll take your word for it." Said Matt *** "To think that soon every mare in this town is going to be hunting you down." Said Gomamon "I won't let them hurt you, Matt." Said Guilmon "Thanks, Guilmon, but the mares aren't attacking me because they want to, they're doing it because it's part of their biology." Said Matt Matt looked around him at the multitude of mares that populated the city of Ponyville. He always thought that it was strange how the mare population outweighed the stallions. Matt always meant to ask Twilight that, but it kept slipping his mind. But he did feel a slight bit of unease from how many mares there were. Don't freak out, Mayor Mare said that mares don't start showing signs until three days before the heat cycle begins. "Hey, Matt." Matt screamed and backed away, but turned to see Twilight with a worried expression on her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Said Twilight "No worries, Twilight," said Matt sighing as he placed his hand over his heart. "I sure got you, was something on your mind?" Asked Twilight "Well, you see I learned today that every mare in Equestria is about to go into heat, and I guess from the fact of how many mares populate Ponyville, I began to freak myself out." Said Matt Twilight blushed a little, "Yeah, I guess that would be pretty creepy to learn that every mare in Equestria is about to go into estres and seek out a male to end their heat. But I wasn't planning on telling you or the others until the month before the cycle begins. So where did you learn about heat from?" "Well, I learned it from Mayor Mare after James came barging into her office like a madman and screaming at me that he and I were about to get hunted down by every mare in Equestria. I thought he was crazy, but Mayor Mare explained what he was trying to say." Said Matt "Well, you shouldn't be scared. Mares don't start acting on heat until the cycle begins, and as long as you keep out of sight and out of smell, your pretty much safe." Said Twilight "Smell?" Asked Matt "Yeah, in heat a mare's sense of smell is ten times stronger. We always can tell where a male is from the musky scent that we pick up, and that scent is what further drives our sexual desires." Said Twilight "You know you're not helping calm me down. You're telling me how much worse for it is going to be when estrus starts," said Matt giving her a deadpan look. "Sorry," said Twilight shyly while rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, besides freaking me out, what did you need, Twilight?" Asked Matt "Oh I was wondering if we were still on for Saturday night," said Twilight with a slight blush creeping over her face. "Yeah, nothing is going to change that." Said Matt "Great, so where you off to?" Asked Twilight "Off to check on Alice and making sure she hasn't ripped off somepony's head yet." Said Matt "Why would she do that?" Asked Twilight "This is about the time of the month when Alice enters her period." Said Matt "Period?" Asked Twilight "Well, I guess it makes sense you wouldn't know what that is since mares go into estrus. But understand I am no expert on it, even with having a little sister. I leave all the girl talk to Alice, and she can tell you more about it. Which reminds me, I believe Abby enters her period around the same time as Alice." Said Matt "So what is a period?" Asked Twilight Matt ushered Twilight to follow him, "From what I understand, it's an event that happens once a month, in which a woman bleeds out of her vagina to secrete out excuses eggs that did not get fertilized." "Hm, that sounds painful." Said Twilight "Yeah, and it can cause mood swings in females. I know when Alice always has her period because she gets irritated at the slightest of things. My sister has minor anger problems when she's in her period." Said Matt "What about April?" Asked Twilight "Unsure, I only meet April and James when we all found each other in the Everfree Forest outside that castle before we met all of you." Said Matt The small group arrived at Sugar Cube Corner and walked inside to see it was calm. Matt wondered if Alice was even working right now because she wasn't screaming on the top of her lungs. He walked up to the counter to see Pinkie Pie working the register with a large smile on her face. "Hi, Matt, Twilight, Gomamon, and Guilmon. What can I do for all of you?" Asked Pinkie "I was wondering if Alice was around, Pinkie." Said Matt "No Mrs. Cake sent her home early. I mean she looked like she wanted to beat the living crap out of every customer that did something. Renamon had to hold her back a few times from striking me after I did something to her. I was only having fun with her, and it's not like her to get so angry at my harmless fun. Matt, does Alice hate Sugar Cube Corner or me because she has done a complete 180 from her usual self?" Said Pinkie with her mane slightly losing its puffy nature. "No Alice is fine Pinkie, but she's going to be that way for a while." Said Matt "Why?" Asked Pinkie as her mane went back to its puffy nature, which made Matt and his Digimon look at the pink mare in even more confusion. Matt explained about Alice and how she was right now entering her period. Pinkie seemed to make an 'O' face as something seemed to pop in her head. "I overheard Mrs. Cake and Alice talking. I so was scared for her when I heard something bleeding from her pussy. But I'm happy to hear that Alice hasn't changed." Said Pinkie "Well, she'll be her irritable self for a while, but once she's out of her period, she'll be back to normal until it happens next month. But now that I think about it, what happens to the unfertilized eggs of a mare in heat when she doesn't catch a stallion?" Said Matt "Well, we pass them but far from the way human women pass their eggs. A mare wakes up a day after heat ends, she passes the eggs peacefully, not even knowing it's happening and that's that. A mare then waits for the next estrus cycle to begin." Said Twilight "I bet Alice would like that. She hates when she enters her period." Said Matt "Well, maybe I can use my magic to alleviate the pain she's having." Said Twilight "I bet she would love that." Matt turned back to Pinkie, "Pinkie, can I get a dozen chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting on top." "Sure, but it'll be a while." Said Pinkie "No problem Pinkie." Said Matt Pinkie took the order and happily bounced back into the kitchen. "What's up with the cupcakes?" Asked Twilight "Something I learned that seems to calm Alice down when she gets into a mood." Said Matt Twilight rolled her eyes as the group of four decided to find a place to sit and wait for Pinkie to come out with the cupcakes. *** Night now loomed over Equestria as Luna now watched over the citizens and made sure they all have a restful sleep. Everything was quiet in the town of Ponyville, but evil was lurking deep within it. In the darkness of the Everfree Forest, something odd was stirring within it. Something sinister. It moved, quickly, as it spotted its prey, a pack of Timberwolves. With a quick flash was job was down and now the Timberwolves went towards the town of Ponyville hunting their prey, five human and their Digimon. The humans slept soundly in their beds. James was snoring with Gaomon on a bed with the covers spread everywhere. Alice sleeping peacefully after an eventful day with Renamon beside her. Abby happily cuddled up with Terriormon and Lopmon. April slept on her back with Biyomon resting next to her. Matt slept with Gomamon on the foot of his bed and Guilmon on the floor. Finally, there was Cresent, sleeping with her upper half on the floor and lower half on the bed. But her cat-like eyes opened in a split second as she heard a howl go out through the night. She knew of the Timberwolves that lived within the Everfree Forest would howl, but this one sounded closer, much closer. She flopped onto the floor before getting to her hooves. She wiped the drool from her face as another howl came across the airwaves. She grabbed her sword. Looks like some Timberwolves decided to hunt in Ponyville tonight. Cresent headed out the door to slay the Timberwolves. At the same time, Guilmon poked his head up, his eye went cat-like, and he began to growl. Matt groaned as he opened his eyes. He happened to be a light sleeper thanks to having to calm his sister some nights after their parents died. He pushed himself up as Gomamon rolled over, trying to ignore Guilmon. "Guilmon, what's wrong?" Asked Matt "Something is here in the town." Said Guilmon Soon Matt's Digivice began to blink. He got out of bed and went over to it. He picked it up to see a message on the screen. It read, 'Corrupted data in the area.' Corrupted data, what does that mean? But it didn't take long before screams of panic filled the night air of Ponyville. Well, I guess I'm going to find out. He attached the device to his pants as he opened the door to see Cresent up and ready along with the others. "What's happening now?" Asked James "Well, let's go see and find out." More screams of terror echoed through the night, "And it sounds like we to move now!" Everyone went down the stairs towards the front door. James groaned as he and Gaomon followed the others outside. "I'm never going to hear the end of this from Rainbow." Said James He ran outside wearing nothing more than a plain white t-shirt and a pair of blue boxer shorts with little cars on them. He wanted to get some pants, but saving Ponyville once more seemed more important than clothes to everyone else. I swear this town is going to kill us one day. The group ran towards the center of Ponyville to see wooden dogs attacking ponies as they ran for their lives. The dogs also seemed to have black gears implanted into their bodies that seem to be spreading a digital code across their wooden bodies. "Wolves made out of wood, well that sure is something I thought I wouldn't see." Said James "Forget that, do you see the digital code covering their bodies." Said Alice Matt grabbed his Digivice as it was blinking once more. He looked to see it was giving off the same message. I wonder if it's talking about the data that seems to be covering the wolves. The wolves turned towards the group and growled as it began to approach them. "I'm guessing they were looking for us." Said James "You think." Said Matt The Digimon stood before their tamers, ready to defend them against the wooden wolves. Cresent pulled her sword and held it tight. The wolves howled and rushed the group as the Digimon went into battle. Matt held his Digivice and hoped it would work. "Guilmon Digivolve!" Exclaimed Matt The Digivice activated once more sending the code of Guilmon's champion form to Guilmon. "Guilmon digivolve to...Growlmon." Growlmon now stood over the wolves. "Pyro Blaster." Said Growlmon Growlmon released a ball of flames at the wolves, destroying a few of them and in a strange turn, turning them into digital code. "Strange normally, a Timberwolf will return to his primary form of sticks or in the ones attacked by Growlmon, burnt to ash." Said Cresent "Timberwolves, I guess that's a fitting name. But enough talk, we need to make sure everypony finds a safe place to hide from these corrupted Timberwolves until our Digimon have made quick work of them." Said Matt The others nodded and went off. Cresent followed Abby since she was the youngest of the group. The humans worked with their Digimon to get ponies out of the open into a building. The mane six also appeared quick and gave a hand. Rainbow stayed near James and Gaomon. Pinkie gave Alice and Renamon a hand. Twilight and Spike gave a helping hand to Matt and his Digimon. Fluttershy helped out April and Biyomon. Rarity and Applejack gave a hand to Abby and her Digimon. Cresent was on her own, dealing with Timberwolves. She was holding her own against the relentless attacks of the Timberwolves. But she didn't have time to react as one jumped onto her back and bit into the flesh of her shoulder. She screamed as she dropped her sword and tried to break free from the Timberwolf. Matt saw that a few other Timberwolves noticed that Cresent was in distress and went towards her. Matt didn't give it a second thought and went right towards her. "Matt!" Screamed Twilight He saw her sword and picked it. I have no idea how to use this, but I can't let Cresent get hurt. Matt approached Cresent as she tried to break the grip of the Timberwolf as it dug its fangs and claws into her body. "Duck Cresent!" Screamed Matt Cresent ducked her head, and Matt swung the sword taking off a portion of the Timberwolf's skull. The Timberwolf exploded into code before Cresent fell to the ground as blood dripped from her shoulder. "Thanks for the save. I guess that's two times you've saved my fur." Said Cresent "I would never leave a friend hanging." Said Matt The growls of Timberwolves approaching made Matt look to see three wolves coming towards him. Cresent tried to stand, but the pain of the wound in her shoulder pushed her back down. Growlmon tried to get to Matt, but the Timberwolves were blocking him. Matt gripped the sword tight as the wolves made their way towards him. But a larger wolf tackled Matt in his side and sent him flying away from Cresent and landing in the dirt. He dropped the sword when he got hit, and the larger wolf walked towards Matt as he laid on the ground, knocked out. Cresent turned back to the wolves approaching her as she reached for her sword and got back to her hooves. Alice ushered a few ponies into a building with Pinkie and Renamon helping her out. Sure she was in her period, but she had to ignore everything of her body to protect the ponies of Ponyville. Alice happened to see the larger wolf approaching Matt. She got worried about her friend. She turned to see Growlmon fighting off multiple wolves with Gomamon, Twilight, and Spike. Cresent was struggling just dealing with the three wolves that were going at her. The others weren't in far better shape to help out Matt either. "Renamon, save Matt!" Ordered Alice Renamon finished another wolf before booking it towards Matt. The massive Timberwolf growled as it drooled as it approached Matt still laying on the ground. The Timberwolf stood over Matt as he began to wake up. He groaned as the Timberwolf readied to deliver the killing blow to its prey. "Matt!" Screamed Alice Suddenly her Digivice began to glow and so did Renamon. Alice watched as Renamon started to Digivolve into her champion form. "Renamon digivolve to...Kyubimon." Kyubimon struck the Timberwolf right in the side, pushing it out of the way. Its claws dug into the dirt as it slid across the ground. The Timberwolf looked at the fox creature that once was Renamon. It howled as more wolves appeared before it. Kyubimon began to charge the ends of her tails with blue fire. "Fox Tail Inferno." Said Kyubimon Kyubimon fired off small balls of blue fire in the shape of miniature foxes. Each went barrelling towards a wolf and destroyed them. The larger wolf still stood firm but wounded from Kyubimon's attack. But before it could attack, Growlmon struck the wolf with his claws, destroying it. "Matt!" Screamed Alice Matt was slowly getting to his feet Kyubimon helped him get to his feet. Matt grabbed his head. "Damn, what hit me?" Asked Matt "An alpha." He turned to see Twilight coming up and began to use her magic check him over. Matt looked over to Kyubimon. "Thanks, Kyubimon and you as well, Alice." Said Matt "Hey, I'm not going to let a Timberwolf eat my best friend." Said Alice Matt saw Cresent struggling over to them and holding her shoulder. Twilight ran on over and grabbed her as she used her magic to heal up the wound. "We need to get you and Matt to Ponyville General Hospital." Said Twilight "Not before we make sure these Timberwolves are no more." Said Cresent James and Rainbow got a family back into their house as Gaomon struck down another Timberwolf. "You sure don't mind showing off those boxers of yours." Said Rainbow She snickered as James rolled his eyes. I knew I wasn't going to hear the end of it from Rainbow Dash. "I don't this is the time to joke about my clothing." Said James "True, but know I'm never going to let you live this moment down." Said Rainbow James rolled his eyes at Rainbow as she continued to snicker at him. Once the family was inside, James turned to see the Timberwolves began to overwhelm Gaomon. "Gaomon, hold them off buddy." Said James A Timberwolf alpha stood above the building growling down at James and Rainbow. It jumped down trying to take a bite out of James, while he kept his attention on Gaomon. Rainbow saw it coming and pushed James out of the way. He hit the dirt and watched as the Timberwolf alpha attacked her. Rainbow felt the alpha's claws slide down her back. She screamed in pain as the alpha pushed her down to the ground and looming over her. Its claws dug into her as it growled at her. Its face was moving ever closer to biting down onto Rainbow's head. "Hey ugly," the alpha looked up at James as he cracked his knuckles and bouncing back and forth on his feet. "If you think I'm going to stand by and let you chomp down on my friend, then your wrong. Now let's see if you can handle me." The alpha growled as it got off Rainbow and faced James. He sighed as the alpha began to run at him with James running right at the alpha. The alpha tried to swipe James, but he sidestepped out of the way and ran towards Rainbow. James stopped as he tried to get her back to her feet, only to feel the force of the alpha slamming into his gut. He hit the dirt hard as the alpha tried to go for his head. James grabbed the gaping mouth and tried to hold back the beast. Gaomon saw what was happening to his tamer as he tried to break free of all the Timberwolves attacking him. I have to help James. I have to save him. James' Digivice began to glow as did Gaomon. The Timberwolves backed away as Gaomon started to digivolve into his champion form. "Gaomon digivolve to...Gaogamon." The Timberwolves looked at the champion form of Gaomon. Gaogamon growled at the Timberwolves, but it didn't seem to cause them to back down. "Spiral Blow." Said Gaogamon Gaogamon closed his mouth before releasing a vortex of wind from his mouth blowing away the Timberwolves and giving himself a clear shot at James, who was still holding back the alpha. "Hold on, James. I'm coming!" Said Gaogamon "I would like that very much!" Exclaimed James "Dash Double Claw." Said Gaogamon Gaogamon ran at an incredible speed towards James and the alpha before launching an 'X' shaped wave right at the Timberwolf by using his large front claws. The wave of air made short work of the alpha, and James watched as it exploded into code. He sighed as he looked at Gaogamon. "Thanks for the save buddy." Said James "Well, I couldn't leave you hanging." Said Gaogamon James rolled his eyes as he got to his feet and went to check on Rainbow. She was slow to get up as blood soaked her shirt. James reached out and helped her to her feet. "So how about we say that since I saved your life, you never bring up the fact of my boxers again." Said James "I guess I can do that." Said Rainbow The Digimon finished off the last of the Timberwolves. The battle was finally over with only a few injuries. Growlmon, Kyubimon, and Gaogaomon all digivolved back to their rookie forms once the battle was over. The hospital staff was right now out, helping those hurt by the Timberwolf attack. Matt happened to spot a piece of the gear from the back of one of the Timberwolves. He picked it up and saw his Digivice going off, once again displaying the message. "So you think that has similarities to the creatures with those crystals in them?" Asked James "I don't think so. Our devices never reacted the way they are now. I have feeling this is the work of somepony else." Said Matt The piece of gear soon disappeared into code as the group watched it disappear, "And I have a feeling this is only the beginning." > Chapter 9 - The Sparkle of my Eye > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Sparkle of my Eye Twilight rushed around her room and the bathroom trying to get ready for tonight. She wanted to look her best for her outing with Matt. She straightened out her hair, made sure her clothing looked nice, which consisted of a purple skirt, with her cutie mark on it, and a light blue shirt. She checked herself over, checked over her list, and smiled as everything was perfect. But she was still nervous and would go over her list a few more time before she heard a knock on her door. She stopped going over her list and went down to the first floor to answer the door. Oh that must be Matt. She took a calming breath and did one final check before opening the door. She smiled when she was Matt standing there wearing a plain tan t-shirt, jean shorts, and his goggles around his neck. He gave a pleasant smile as he looked at her. "You like nice, Twilight." Said Matt A light blush covered her cheeks, "And you look nice as well." Matt smiled, "Thanks. Now you ready to go. I think we have fifteen minutes before the movie starts." Twilight used her magic to bring forth a picnic basket, "Let's go." Twilight turned out the lights and made sure to leave a note for Spike. She closed and locked up the library as the two walked off to their destination. "So where's Spike?" Asked Matt "He happens to be over at Rarity's helping her out." Said Twilight "Man he sure does spend a lot of time with Rarity." Said Matt "Yeah, I think he has a crush on Rarity. I'm not sure if Rarity knows about it." Said Twilight "Yeah, I remember when I had a crush on an older girl back when I was his age. But besides Spike, you never told me what we're seeing?" Said Matt "Oh, I want it to be a surprise. But I know you'll like it." Said Twilight She gave him a nervous smile. Matt raised his eyebrow to her but shrugged it off. It didn't take more than a few minutes to reach the large field that faced the large projection screen. Ponies were already staking out their place. Twilight pointed it an open area, and the two walked over to it. She set down the basket and pulled the picnic blanket out of the basket and placed it over the ground. The two sat down as Twilight began to pull out of plates of covered foods. She set them down between them. "You sure made a lot of food." Said Matt "Yeah, I didn't know what to bring, so I decided to bring a little of everything I thought you might like." Said Twilight "Well, everything looks good, Twilight." Said Matt "Thank you; I had Spike help me cook it all up. I'm not all that good when it comes to cooking." Said Twilight "Same here, but I'm not all that bad. In truth, the only one who can't cook is Alice. Now if you want to see how inedible you can make food, look no further than Alice." Said Matt "She's that bad?" Asked Twilight "Trust me Twilight any day Alice isn't cooking is a good day." Said Matt "Well, you'll have to tell me how good my cooking is, and no worries, I made sure everything here is something you can eat." Said Twilight "You're too kind, Twilight." Said Matt Twilight blushed a little before the two began to dig into the food as they made minor chit chat as they waited for the movie to begin. It wasn't long before the film started to appear on the screen. "So mind telling me what we're about to see." Said Matt "Well, a romantic comedy. I'm not sure if you're into movies like that, but I heard it was a great movie and a must see." Said Twilight "So, what is it about?" Asked Matt "A unicorn mare who falls in love with a male griffon." Said Twilight "Sounds interesting. I guess we'll see if it's worth our time." Said Matt Twilight smiled as she looked up at the screen as the movie began to play. As the night continued, Twilight pulled out a light blanket for her and Matt. She scooted over to Matt and wrapped the blanket around him and scooted closer to him. She blushed a little from how close she was to him. She seemed happy with it but felt her face go even more flushed when Matt pulled her closer. She looked up at him as he looked down at her and smiled before moving his attention back to the movie. She smiled as she snuggled up to him. "So I have to ask, do you miss home?" Asked Twilight "I do now and then. There are times where I miss something back on Earth, but I can live without it. So I guess I don't miss as much as I would have thought I would." Said Matt "Glad to hear." Twilight paused as she decided on her next question, "Matt, can I ask you something personal." "Sure." Said Matt "Are you and Alice dating?" Asked Twilight Matt laughed a little, causing Twilight to raise her eyebrow and cock her head, "You aren't the first to say that. Yeah, Alice and I are close, but we aren't a couple. Alice happens to be a lesbian. Sure she jokes that she would go bi to have sex with me. But she strongly prefers women." Twilight smiled a little hearing that. "So any reason why you asked that question." Twilight turned up to Matt, "Oh, I was just wondering since you two seem close." "Well, she is my closet friend, and she's been there to help me raise Abby. But that doesn't answer my question." He looked down to see Twilight turning away with a slight blush on her cheeks. He grabbed her head and brought it towards him, so their eyes met. "Twilight come on you can tell me. What's on your mind?" She felt his thumb gently run across her cheek. She sighed as she wasn't sure what to do here. She didn't know how to proceed, even though she was happy to hear Matt was single, which was one of her hopes for tonight. She gave another sigh as she gave him her answer. "I think it's better if I show you." Said Twilight She got closer to Matt as the world seemed to stop for the two of them. There was no movie going on in front of them, and no one else around them. It was only them. The two looked loveling into each other's eyes. Both sparkled as the movie shined light upon them. Twilight moved her lips ever so slowly towards Matt's. He didn't push her away but instead brought his closer. They could feel their hot breath on each other. "Matt." Said Twilight She inched her lips forward and pressed them against his. The sensation of their connected lips sent shivers down each of there spines. Neither felt off from kissing the other; to them, it felt completely right. They each knew in there hearts this was right. They broke the kiss and stared lovingly into each other's eyes. "So I guess that's your answer, huh." Said Matt "Yeah, I love you, Matt Summers. I've wanted to tell you for some time, so I decided today would be the day after I got confirmation." Said Twilight "And I love you, Twilight Sparkle." Said Matt The two shared another sweet kiss before turning back to the movie, which now seemed to fit them quite well since he was a human who loved a unicorn. Twilight laid her head on Matt's shoulder and interlocked her right hand with his left hand. Matt pulled her close to him. He pressed his lips against her forehead as they sat snuggled together watching the movie. *** "So did you enjoy the movie?" Asked Twilight The movie had finished ten minutes ago, and the two were making there way back to their homes. Matt decided that he would walk Twilight back to her place before heading back to his. Twilight had the blanket covering her as she carried the basket. Matt walked next to her. "It wasn't half bad, but it was cheesy at a few points." Said Matt "Please, that's what makes it good." Said Twilight "If you say so, Twi." Said Matt She rolled her eyes before giggling. Soon the two of them saw them closing in on her home. The two stopped as Twilight and Matt looked at each other. "So I guess this is the end." Said Matt "Seems like it, but I did enjoy spending time with you as well as our kisses." Said Twilight "Yeah, I quite enjoyed them as well. So how about it, want to go out again maybe sometime next week. We can make that our first official date." Said Matt "Wasn't tonight our first date," said Twilight a giggle. "Well, wouldn't call it a date since we weren't in a relationship." Said Matt Twilight rolled her eyes of how technical Matt was being but giggled anyways. "To answer your question before, yes I would like to go out with you again. I'll see when I'm open, and we can plan something. I'm thinking of dinner together." "Sounds good to me." Said Matt The two looked each other before Matt moved up to her and planted another kiss on lips. Twilight moaned happily at the touch of his skin lips to her fur covered ones. Matt felt shivers run down his spine from the sensation of Twilight's fur on his lips. The two broke off their kiss before they went into a hug, and Twilight used her magic to open the door and step inside. She waved goodbye to Matt as he did the same. Once the door was closed, he walked away. Twilight watched from the front window as Matt walked away before he started to do a little dance seemed extremely happy. She couldn't help but laugh and cheer herself. *** Matt yawned as he stepped into the house. He opened and closed the front door as he stretched out his body, ready to go up and hit the hay after an exciting day. Man, what a day today has been. I got to spend time with Twilight, feel her confess her love for me, and we might be heading out on a new date next week or so. He began to make his way upstairs and went towards his room. "How was it?" He turned to see Alice leaning against the door frame of her room. She was wearing an overly large shirt. Matt could also see Renamon fast asleep on her side of the bed. "It was good." Said Matt "Good, that's all you have to say." Matt nodded his head up and down. "So nothing juicy happened between you and Twilight." Matt nodded his head back and forth. "Please, I know your lying to me. You can't tell me that Twilight wasn't planning anything by taking you out to a romantic movie, and here you say nothing happened. Well, that's a bunch of bull, so tell me, what happened?" "You sure are persistent." Said Matt "Of course, I mean you're practically attached to that mare. I swear if you have a minute, your usually spending it with Twilight or with Cresent when you're not with Twilight. Then when you're not spending time with them, you're usually here. From that, I know that you have some feelings towards the personal student of the princess. So fess up, what happened?" Said Alice "Well, she asked me if you and I were a couple. I laughed as usual and told her that you're a lesbian. I tried to seek why she asked that question, I had a theory why she asked me out to the movie, but I wasn't sure. Well, one thing led to another, and well, we kissed. And to tell the truth, it wasn't half bad. Her lips were soft against mine, and even though fur covered them, it never felt strange or off-putting." Said Matt "So what's next?" Asked Alice "I guess to see where it goes from here. We're planning on going out sometime next week for a dinner date." Said Matt "I'm happy to see she made the first move because I know you wouldn't have if she gave you some excuse why she was asking a question about our status. Now here's a question for you, why Twilight over April. April is human like you, but instead, you went towards the species of Equestria, can I ask why." Said Alice Matt chewed at the inside of his right cheek, a telltale sign he was thinking. "I guess it's that I don't think it's right to pursue April just because she's human. I don't think there's anything wrong with me going out and dating a mare or any female in this world. From what little I've read on Equestria culture, it's quite common to find a couple of different species together, since Equestria is excepting of all creatures." Said Matt "I guess that makes sense, but you might never have a human child with Twilight when the time comes to make a family with her, hell who knows even if you can get her pregnant while she's in heat." Said Alice "True, but I'll worry about that when we cross that bridge. For now, I want to see where this goes before I start thinking about family." Said Matt "I guess that's true. Well, I'm happy to see you got yourself a girlfriend. Well, see you in the morning." Said Alice "Night, Alice." Said Matt He slipped into his room and threw his shirt into his dirty clothes pile. He yawned and stretched as he maneuvered around Guilmon and picked up Gomamon, who groaned in annoyance, before setting him down again and slipping under the covers to sleep. The second his head hit his pillow he began to fall right to sleep. > Chapter 10 - Dragon, Cat, & Wizard > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dragon, Cat, & Wizard It was yet another peaceful day in Ponyville. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Matt and Mayor Mare were hard at work, putting the finishing touches on new legal documents. Alice was running around Sugar Cube Corner trying to make it yet another lunch rush with Pinkie working hard in the back with Renamon trying to keep up with the orders. April was out painting with Biyomon sitting next to her watching April work. Abby was lounging at home with Cresent, Terriermon, and Lopmon. She was trying to relax as much as she could before school started. And finally James at his construction job with Gaomon working on a building. He got hired a week ago, and it seemed to suit him quite well. Not mentioning the pay wasn't all that bad. But all of that was about to go to the wayside, as today, would be another one of those days — a day where the fate of Equestria was once again in jeopardy. Celestia would soon once again call upon her student and her friends to once again save the day and keep Equestria safe. But they weren't the only ones who would also seek out this new threat. *** Gatomon bit into the apple in front of her. She chewed it a bit, taking in the flavor that came from the red fruit. Never before had she tasted anything like it in the digital world. She savored every bit of it before swallowing. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine as the delicious apple hit her stomach. She took around bite before she heard something coming towards her. She primed her right hand and readied her claws to strike. She kept her pose until she saw it was her friend, Wizardmon back with a few more apples. "Oh, Wizardmon, you're back." She said "Yes, and I brought more of this delicious fruit from that nearby orchard." Said Wizardmon "I'll say, I've never tasted anything so sweet and savory in my life." Said Gatomon *** Mean while at Sweet Apple Arcers Applejack scratched her head as she looked at a few bare trees. She couldn't understand how trees that once had apples on them no longer had apples on them. Her mind continued to work as she tried to figure where some of her crops went. I know, for a fact, Big Mac didn't harvest these trees yesturday. She scratched her head, wondering about the whole ordeal. *** Back to Gatomon and Wizardmon "I'm glad we found that orchard, I thought I was going to starve to death before we found any food." Said Gatomon "Yes, but do you think it's right to steal from those trees, Gatomon. How do we know that other Digimon aren't using those trees for food themselves or to feed a village of Digimon." Said Wizardmon "Well, I would say no to the Digimon theory, Wizardmon, seeing as we haven't seen any other Digimon since we woke up a week ago in that strange forest. But I doubt anybody would care if we took a few apples. Did you see how many trees covered that orchard, I doubt they would miss a tree or two of apples." Said Gatomon "I guess so." Said Wizardmon He lowered the front of his shirt to expose this half sowed mouth as he took a bite. Gatomon took a bite of another apple as she looked at the sky to see black smoke starting to fill it. Wizardmon happened to look up and see Gatomon looking up at the sky. "Has something caught your eye, Gatomon." Said Wizardmon "Yeah, look up." Said Gatomon Wizardmon looked up to see the black smoke beginning to fill the air. "What is causing that?" Asked Wizardmon The two Digimon followed the trail of smoke to a mountain. "I wonder what upon that mountain would be causing that much smoke." Said Wizardmon "Who knows, it might be a Meramon." Said Gatomon "You may be right; I believe we should go and investigate it. We might find some more Digimon and get an answer as to how we got here and where we are." Said Wizardmon "Right Wizardmon, let's head out." Said Gatomon The two Digimon ran off towards the mountain in hopes of finding out answers to their burning questions. *** "What in the name of all things cinnamon swirled is a full-grown dragon doing here in Equestria?" Asked Applejack After Twilight had pointed out to everypony the black smoke was coming from a dragon, she gathered all of her friends. "Sleeping." Said Twilight "What?" Asked James "According to Princess Celestia, he's taking a nap. His snoring is what's causing all of this smoke." Said Twilight "He should see a doctor about that. I'm sure that isn't healthy." Said Pinkie Alice turned to Matt, "Reminds me of that Samarui Jack episode where he has to deal with that farting dragon." "Sure seems to be the same." Said Matt "At least he isn't snoring fire." Said Rarity "I hate to see that. But what does the Princess want us to do about it?" Asked James "Easy we go up and there and give him the boot," said Rainbow as she showed off a few fighting moves. Twilight sighed, "No, we need to encourage him to nap elsewhere. Princess Celestia believes we are the most qualified to undergo this mission, and we can't fail her. If we do, smoke will cover Equestria for the next hundred years." Everyone gasped in the room upon hearing that. "Shit." Said James "Talk about your beauty sleep." Said Rarity "So why are we going?" Asked April "In case something that needs us to use our Digimon, and if things go bad, to use them to make the dragon leave." Said Matt "Alright everypony, I need to you gather supplies for our journey. We got a long journey ahead of us. Let's meet back here in an hour to head out." Said Twilight "You heard, Twilight, the fate of Equestria is in our hands. Now, do we have what it takes?" Said Rainbow Everybody nodded before heading out the door. Everyone went towards there homes and gathered everything they needed. It wasn't long before they arrived once again, ready for the journey ahead of them. "Alright, listen up." Twilight began to walk down the line of ponies, humans, and Digimon. "I'm mapping out the fastest route, but we've all got to keep a good pace if we expect to make it up to the mountain by nightfall." Fluttershy turned to the mountain where the black smoke was coming from it. She shivered in fear as Twilight once again continued her speech. "The dragon is sleeping at the top of that mountain in a cave," said Twilight pointing to the top of the mountain. Everyone turned to look at the top of the mountain where the smoke was coming out. "Damn we have to go all the way up there." Said James "Looks pretty cold up there." Said Applejack "Yeah, the higher you go, the colder it gets." Rainbow "Damn, if I had known that I would have packed for the cold." Said James "Good thing I packed my scarf." Said Rarity Rarity put down her bag and proceeded to pull out a scarf from her bag and tie it around her neck. "That looks pretty, Rarity." Said Abby "Yeah." Said Pinkie "Oh, that will keep you quite warm." Said Rainbow Matt was looking at the top of the mountain as he chewed the inside of his cheeks. Alice walked up to him as she could see he was thinking about something. "What's on your mind?" Asked Alice "Thinking about the mission." Said Matt "Worries about what we might find up there." Said, Alice "A little, I'm not sure if three champion level Digimon can handle a full-grown dragon if we have to force him to move." Said Matt "Yeah, but we have to put our faith in that Kyubimon, Growlmon, and Gaogamon. Not mentioning the others might digivolve in there champion forms giving us a hand in battle. But I doubt we'll have to do that when we got Fluttershy on our side." Said, Alice "Are you sure we should bring her?" The two looked as James coming up to them, "I mean, have you seen Fluttershy. She's the most scared pony we have ever met." The three looked over to see Fluttershy jumping into a bush. James gestured to her, "See what I mean." "She's just a little nervous about the mission." The three humans put their attention to Twilight. "Now we have done enough standing around. We need to get moving and get that dragon out of our lands." Everyone nodded and ran towards the mountain dragging Fluttershy with them. They completely ignored her screaming as they carried her off towards the foot of the mountain. *** "Now that's steep." Said James The group was looking at the mountain as they stood at the foot of it. Soon the ground around them shook along with the mountain itself. "Whoa! What was that?" Asked Applejack "I believe that was the dragon snoring." Said Twilight "Damn that sure was powerful." Said James "Well, we sure do have a climb to get to the top." Said, Alice "Yeah, and it's so high up." Said Fluttershy "Well, it is a mountain. Now, I'm going to head up and check things out." Said Rainbow "Now hold on," Applejack took hold of her tail and pulled her back. Rainbow yipped and had a slight blush covering her face. "We should go up together. There is safety in numbers." "She's right, Rainbow." Said Matt "Alright." Said Rainbow The group began to scale the side of the mountain. Terriermon and Lopmon used their ears to help them climb. Gomamon rested on top of Matt's head with Guilmon next to him as Matt walked next to Twilight. Renamon, Gaomon, and Biyomon had no problem walking up the mountain. Cresent and Rainbow flew next to the group. "Ddi you all know that the jewels a dragon build their homes with sparkle more than there scales? Oh, I bet if I play my cards right, maybe I could get a few of them." Said Rarity "Welcome to my cave Rarity, would you like a diamond," said Pinkie imitating a dragon. The others began to laugh at Pinkie's joke. "This isn't a laughing matter." Everyone sighed and began to continue on their adventure up the mountain. "Fluttershy, you're the animal expert, what do you think the dragon will be like?" Fluttershy didn't answer Twilight's question or even speak up to her, "Fluttershy." Everyone turned and saw that Fluttershy was still on the ground. "You have to be kidding me. She's still on the ground." Said James "Hey, what are you waiting for, an invitation?" Asked Rainbow "Oh, I think I might have one." Said Pinkie She disappeared for a few seconds before she returned with an invitation in hand and streamers going off, covering Rainbow and Rarity. Alice giggled a little at Pinkie's antics. "But it's far to steep for me." Said Fluttershy "Of course, it's a cliff. But you don't have to walk, oh because you happen to have a pair of wings," said Rainbow gesturing to her wings. "Yeah flap those wings of yours Fluttershy." Said Pinkie "Yeah, you can do it, Fluttershy." Said Abby "Ok, I'll give it a try." Said Fluttershy She stepped out of her hiding place and began to flap her wings and ascend into the air. "That's it, Fluttershy." Said Matt But that all came to an end when the dragon once again snored, causing Fluttershy's wings to fold back against her back, causing her to fall back to the ground. She crashed into the bush she was once hiding behind. "What?!" Screamed James "We don't have time for this." Said Twilight "Can I have the map, Twilight." Said Applejack "Sure, but why do you need it?" Asked Twilight as she gave Applejack the map/ "Because I need to know where to go if I'm going to take her around a different way." Said Applejack Applejack gave the map back to Twilight and slid her way back down the side of the mountain towards the ground level. "But that'll take them forever." Said Rainbow "I'm going to agree with Rainbow here." Said James Applejack reached the ground as Fluttershy was trying to free wings from her back. Then the dragon snored once more, causing Fluttershy to flip herself onto her back. "Alice follow Applejack and make sure they're safe." Said Matt "Not a bad idea. Let's go Renamon." Said, Alice The two slid down the mountain and met up with Applejack and Fluttershy. "No worries, Twilight, we'll be there lickety-split." Said Applejack "Be safe." Said Matt "No worries, we'll be." Said, Alice The two groups split off heading there sperate ways. *** "How high is this mountain?" Asked Gatomon The two Digimon had made it up a good portion of the mountain. Gatomon looked up to where the top was. Wizardmon huffed as he stood next to Gatomon. The two felt the mountain shake as the dragon snored once more. Gatomon and Wizardmon got themselves together after the shaking stopped. "There must be a powerful Digimon resting upon the top of this mountain." Said Wizardmon "Yeah, by the sounds I would bet either an ultimate or mega level Digimon." Said Gatomon Soon her ears began to pick up a sound, "Hide!" The two Digimon jumped behind a tree and peeked past it towards the path in front of them. "What's up, Gatomon?" Asked Wizardmon "I hear something coming." Said Gatomon The two watched as Alice, Renamon, and Applejack carrying Fluttershy on her back came towards them. "What are those furry creatures?" Asked Wizardmon "I recognize the human and the Digimon as Renamon. But I have no idea what Digimon those furry creatures are." Said Gatomon "How are you doing, Applejack?" Asked Alice "I'm doing fine." Said Applejack "So it's an Applejack Digimon, but I never heard of such a Digimon." Said Wizardmon "Maybe it's a new species." Said Gatomon The two finished their conversation and turned back to the group. "You sure, I can carry Fluttershy a while." Said Renamon "I got it, Renamon. Now let's keep moving. We have to meet up with the others if we're going to reach the top before it gets dark." Said Applejack The small group continued to follow the path. Once they were out of sight, Gatomon and Wizardmon came out of hiding. "It seems they're heading to the same place we are." Said Gatomon "So I'm guessing we're going to follow them." Said Wizardmon "Of course, better than us getting lost out here." Said Gatomon Wizardmon nodded, and the two followed where the small group went off, but keeping to the shadows. *** The others sat around, waiting for Applejack, Fluttershy, Alice, and Renamon. Matt was leaning up against a rock with Twilight. Twilight had her head on his shoulder, enjoying her time with her new boyfriend. Guilmon and Gomamon rested next to him. Pinkie and Rarity were playing tick-tack-toe in the dirt. Rainbow was impatiently tapping her hoof on the ground. James rested on a rock, trying to find something to do. Gaomon leaned against the same rock. April was sketching the scene before her with Biyomon sitting next to her. Abby was stroking Lopmon's head as Terriermon rested leaned up against her. Cresent was leaning against a rock keep her ears open for anything. Finally, the group heard something coming towards them. They all turned to see Alice, Renamon, who was carrying Fluttershy, and Applejack coming up to them. "Finally, you arrive." Said Rainbow "Yeah, took us a little longer than we thought." Said Applejack "Well, I guess Rainbow was right about them taking them forever to get to us." Said James "Ok, now that everyone is here, let's get moving. We've wasted enough time sitting around." Said Twilight Everyone nodded and began to move towards the summit of the mountain. Guilmon stopped and looked towards some shrubbery, and his eyes went cat-like, and his ears stood on end. He began to growl. Matt stopped and looked back at Guilmon. "Guilmon, come on." Said Matt Guilmon didn't stop until a rabbit hopped out and looked up at him. Guilmon stopped and cocked his head to the side and watched the rabbit hop away. Matt chuckled a little at Guilmon's antics. "If you're down staring down that rabbit, let's get moving. We need to catch up with the others." Said Matt Guilmon looked back at the bushes and cocked his head before running to catch up with Matt and the others. Gatomon and Wizardmon poked there heads up and nodded to each other as they ran to catch up with the group. The group continued to move at a constant pace but making sure to check to see if Fluttershy was behind them. Twilight studied the map with Matt and pointed out the way to him. The two nodded before reaching a ravine. James walked up and kicked a rock over the side and watched as it fell towards the bottom. James whistled before they all heard running and saw Rainbow run past them and leap over the ravine. She landed and looked over to the others and waved them over. Matt picked up Gomamon, and Guilmon followed him. The two ran for it and leaped over the ravine. Twilight followed suit along with Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Alice and Renamon went next. Biyomon flew over to the other side as April jumped for it. Matt stood at the edge of the other side, ready to catch his sister. Terriermon and Lopmon hung onto her backpack as she ran and leaped towards the other side. Matt caught her and ruffled her hair. The final one to make the jump was Fluttershy. "Come on, Fluttershy. You're the last one." Said Twilight "But that ravine is so wide." Said Fluttershy "Oh, you have to be kidding me." Said James "Fluttershy everything is ok. We made it just fine, and so can you." Said Matt "Yeah, we don't have much further to go." Said Twilight "Leap over it like the rest of us, Fluttershy." Said Applejack "But I don't think I can." Said Fluttershy "Fluttershy you have to jump, any other way will set us back." Said Twilight "I don't know if I can." Said Fluttershy "Nothing to be afraid of, Fluttershy. It's only a hop, skip and a jump." Said Pinkie "Why do I feel like she's going to start singing." Said James "Because she is." Said, Alice "It's not very far. Just move your little rump. You can make it if you try with a hop, skip, and jump." Sang Pinkie as she jumped back and forth over the ravine. "We don't have time for this." Said Twilight "A hop, skip, and jump. Just move your little rump. A hop, skip, and jump. A hop, skip, and jump. A hop, skip, and jump. A hop, skip, and jump. A hop, skip, and jump!" Sang Pinkie "Okay, here I go. A hop," said Fluttershy making a hop. "That's it." Said Applejack "You've got it." Said Twilight "Almost there, dear." Said Rarity "A skip." Said Fluttershy "Just don't look down." Said Twilight Fluttershy happened to turn her gaze down towards the world below. She suddenly couldn't make the jump over, but luckily the ravine wasn't too long, as she was able to catch the edge of it. "Why did you say that?" Asked Matt "Sorry," said Twilight rubbing the back of her neck. Matt walked forward and grabbed Fluttershy's hand and pulled her over to the other side. "I guess I forgot to jump." Said Fluttershy The group once began to make their way towards the summit, but Guilmon once again stopped and growled at the other side. Matt stopped and looked at his Digimon partner. "Oh, not this again." Said Gomamon Matt walked up to him, "What's up, boy?" "Something's following us." Said Guilmon "What like that bunny from before," said Gomamon with a smug grin. "No, what I felt before we came up here." Said Guilmon Matt looked around and saw two shadows running towards the edge of the other side and making a jump over the ravine. But one of the shadows didn't make it all the way and began to slip over the edge. Matt's instincts to help meant he was running towards the two unknown creatures. Guilmon and Gomamon behind him. "Help me, Gatomon!" Exclaimed Wizardmon Gatomon turned to look at Wizardmon, holding onto the edge of the mountain for dear life. "Hold on, Wizardmon!" Screamed Gatomon Gatomon ran to save her friend, but Wizardmon's grip began to fail, and he started to fall back to the world below. Gatomon reached the edge but missed grabbing her friend. "Wizardmon!" Screamed Gatomon Gatomon could only watch her friend begin to plummet to his death, but Matt appeared in time and grabbed Wizardmon's hand. "I got you." Said Matt Guilmon and Gomamon held onto Matt's backpack as they pulled him up from the ravine. Matt pulled Wizardmon back from the opening and back to solid ground. He fell on his ass as he sighed. "Wizardmon, I thought I lost you forever!" Exclaimed Gatomon She ran up and hugged Wizardmon. He patted her on the back, "Yes, I thought the same until this stranger saved me." The two looked over at Matt as he brushed the dirt off of his clothes, "Thank you, stranger." "No problem, I couldn't leave someone hanging. The names Matt, Matt Summers, and behind me are my Digimon, Guilmon, and Gomamon." "I'm Wizardmon." "And I'm Gatomon." "You both don't happen to be Digimon?" Asked Matt "Yes we are, and we know you're a human." Said Wizardmon "What?! How?" Asked Matt "We Digimon always knew about your species. Many humans, throughout our history, have come to our world." Said Wizardmon "Interesting, well what brings two Digimon up here." Said Matt "That," Gatomon pointed to the smoke. "We were hoping to figure out what Digimon is causing all that smoke. Along with maybe figuring out more about where we are." Said Gatomon "I don't want to burst your bubble, but there's no Digimon up there. At the summit of that mountain is a sleeping dragon that is snoring, which is causing all the black smoke, and I assure you it isn't a Digimon." Said Matt "What!" Screamed both Digimon "Yeah." Said Gomamon "Interesting." Said Wizardmon "But isn't this the digital world." Said Gatomon "No, you're in a country called Equestria." Said Matt "He's right." Said Guilmon "So we aren't the digital world anymore. But then how did we get here?" Asked Wizardmon "I was going to ask the same question. Seeing that only other Digimon I've seen are the ones my friends have as partners." Said Matt "Well, all we remember is things going black and then waking up a week ago not far from an orchard." Said Gatomon "Interesting." Matt tapped his fingers as he mulled over Gatomon's words, "I guess that explains Applejack's missing apples." "Matt, where are you!" Screamed Alice "I'm coming, Alice!" He turned to look back at the two new Digimon, "Look, you're already up here. Why not follow my friends and help us move the dragon away. Then maybe we can figure out your whole situation." Gatomon and Wizardmon looked at each other before looking behind them, "Well, I guess since did save my friend, and we're already up here, I don't see why not." "I agree with Gatomon; it's the least we can do for you." Said Wizardmon Matt nodded and followed them back to the larger group. Once he got back, everyone looked at him. "Where were you, Matt?" Asked Alice "Saving someone." Said Matt He revealed the two Digimon behind him and told them how he meant them and that they were also going the same place. Well, the group once again moved towards the summit. They continued until they entered an area that looked far more dangerous than the other parts of the mountain. "Alright, let's keep it down, everypony. We're entering an avalanche zone, and even the smallest peep could cause a rock slide." Whispered Twilight "What?! Why would you take us through an avalanche zone?" Whispered James "Because it's the fastest way. And if we keep our voices down, we'll be fine." Said Twilight The group stayed quiet, making sure not to make to much noise as not to cause a rock slide. The group looked up at the jutting rocks sitting on the cliff. Each of them always aware of their surroundings. But their peace wouldn't last long as Rainbow flew under a tree causing a leaf to fall onto the head of Fluttershy. She began to freak out and started to scream. AVALAN..." But Applejack stopped her by covering her mouth. The sound of Fluttershy's voice echoed around the area. Everybody looked around trying to see if her scream caused an avalanche, but nothing happened. They all sighed, only for that quickly to disappear as the ground shook and rocks began to fall from the mountain. "Oh, fuck!" Screamed James "AVALANCHE!" Screamed everyone else "Head of the other side!" Screamed Matt The rocks started to come down upon the group. The ponies and human did all they could with dodging them, while Guilmon, Renamon, Gaomon, and Gatomon worked on destroying the falling rocks, trying to mitigate the problem at hand. Gatomon landed on the ground after destroying another rock and saw Fluttershy running for her life and a large rock coming right for her. Gatomon went into overdrive heading towards Fluttershy. She leaped into the air right above Fluttershy as the rock was about to strike her. Fluttershy could only watch as the rock came right down towards her. But she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Gatomon appear before her, with her legs outstretched. "Cat kick." Said Gatomon She landed a powerful kick to the center of the rock, and it shattered into pieces. She landed on the ground and looked back at Fluttershy. "You saved me." Said Fluttershy "Yeah, I could let you get hurt." Said Gatomon "Well, thank you, Gatomon." Said Fluttershy Wizardmon came running up to the two of them, clearly out of breath, "I think...we...should save...the conversations...for later." Gatomon and Fluttershy nodded as they got up and ran for it. It wasn't long until it was all over and everyone was coughing as the smoke cleared over the area from the rock slide. Matt helped Twilight to her feet after saving her from a falling rock. Everybody else was also getting to their feet. "You ok?" He asked "Yeah, no thanks to you, Matt." She kissed him on the cheek before looking at the others. "Alright, how's everypony doing?" "What do you mean, how are we doing?! We nearly got fucking killed!" James then turned to Fluttershy, "And you're the reason why!" "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that happen." Said Fluttershy "Sorry, that's all you have to say after you nearly killed us!" Exclaimed James Fluttershy hid behind her mane, trying to hide the fact she was starting to cry. "Hey ease up on the girl. She didn't mean to cause that avalanche." Said Gatomon "Yeah, James, ease up." Said Gaomon "Is no else seeing that bringing Fluttershy on this mission was a big mistake. I could tolerate her when we started this trip, but not anymore. You are a completely worthless Fluttershy! I'm not sure anypony would want to e your friend!" Said James Everyone gasped and soon heard crying coming from Fluttershy. Gatomon looked at the butter yellow Pegasus now with tears streaming down her face. She couldn't explain why she was starting to feel rage for what the human, named James, had said to Fluttershy. She had only met the Pegasus a few minutes ago, but deep within her, she felt a connection to Fluttershy. "James that was way too far." Said Applejack "Way too far, she nearly killed us all." Said James "True darling, but she never meant for it." Said Rarity "Yeah, James." Said Gaomon "Ok, that's enough. I know we've hit some rough patches along the way, but let's not start getting at each other's throats. All we have to do is climb over our new obstacle, and we'll be at the entrance of the cave where we'll get the dragon to leave." Said Matt "I'm surprised you're not fuming with rage seeing that Fluttershy nearly caused the death of your friend, your sister, and your girlfriend." Said James "Yes, I'm mad, but I know it wasn't Fluttershy's fault. Anyone of us could have caused an avalanche." Said Matt "Whatever you say." Said James "I never meant for that to happen." Said Fluttershy "I bet." Muttered James Pinkie walked up and hugged her crying friend, "Don't listen to that big meanie, Fluttershy. We know you would never hurt us." Pinkie turned and glared at James for a second before working on calming Fluttershy down. "Whatever, let's go. I want to get this over with and forget about this whole day." Said James James began to make his way over the mound of dirt and rocks as Gaomon followed. The others followed behind him leaving Fluttershy in the back with Wizardmon and Gatomon. Gatomon ushered Wizardmon to go ahead of her, and she would follow once she got Fluttershy back together. She looked up at Fluttershy as she wiped away her tears. "Don't listen to that idiot." Said Gatomon Fluttershy got down and sat on the ground, still slightly crying, "But he's right, I nearly caused the death of all my friends." "Matt said that any one of us could have caused that avalanche. Plus, you never meant to do it." Said Gatomon "But what if somepony did get hurt because of me. What if my actions did cause somepony's death. James was right. I am worthless, and I don't deserve such good friends." Said Fluttershy Gatomon saw Fluttershy was beginning to cry once more. Gatomon sighed, trying to figure out a way to calm her down. She finally decided on a way. She wrapped her arms around Fluttershy and brought her into a warm, loving hug. "Fluttershy, you never meant for any of that to happen. Accidents happen to us all, and we never intend for them to happen, but they do. All we can do is learn from those mistakes and move on with our lives. Your friends understand that, and won't think of you any different of you." Said Gatomon "But what about James?" Asked Fluttershy "Forget him." Said Gatomon "But." Said Fluttershy "No, butts Fluttershy. Ignore what that idiot human said. He was only venting his frustration. He'll come to his senses and realize what he said." Said Gatomon "I guess, but what if he never does. What if he hates for me for the rest of his life?" Asked Fluttershy "Fluttershy, he's only one guy. You saw that your friends still care deeply about you, and that is what matters most." Said Gatomon Fluttershy smiled at the cat Digimon as she wiped away her tears. She smiled as she brought Gatomon into a hug. Gatomon was a little surprised by the action but didn't push her away. She wrapped her arms around Fluttershy. Fluttershy set Gatomon down after she finished hugging her. "So Gatomon, why did you stay and decided to cheer me up instead of going with the others?" Asked Fluttershy "I'm entirely sure, but I had this feeling deep inside me that I was meant to be here for you. So here I am." Said Gatomon Before Fluttershy could ask any more questions, a mighty roar filled the air. Fluttershy knew that roar was from none other than the dragon. She started to shake in the fear but realized that her friends might be in trouble. She began to take flight and grabbed Gatomon and flew towards the cave. When she arrived to see a large adult red dragon staring down her friends, she could see Gaomon, Guilmon and Renamon looked exhausted meaning that the dragon already beat them in their champion forms. "It looks like your friends are in trouble." Said Gatomon "Yes, and I think it's time I stop being a scaredy-cat and do what I do best." Said Fluttershy "Which is?" Asked Gatomon "Dealing with misbehaving animals." Said Fluttershy "Then let's go!" Exclaimed Gatomon The dragon growled as it looked at the helpless group. They had no way to push back the dragon, as it showed it could deal with three champion level Digimon. All seemed lost until a female voice pierced the dragon's growls. "You big meanie!" The group looked to see Fluttershy flying down and landing on the face of the dragon and dropping Gatomon next to her. "How dare you hurt my friends. Just because of your size doesn't mean you get to be a bully." Everyone couldn't believe their ears or eyes as they heard the timid Fluttershy speak out against the dragon. "You may have huge teeth, sharp scales, and snore smoke, and breath fire. But you do not - I repeat - do not! Hurt! My! FRIENDS! You got that!" The dragon whimpered under the glare of Fluttershy. "Yeah, you messed with the wrong group of friends, big boy." Said Gatomon "Who is that, and what did she do with Fluttershy?" Asked James "That's our Fluttershy." Said Twilight "Well, what do you have to say for yourself." Said Fluttershy "But that Rainbow one hit me." Said the dragon "Holy shit it can talk!" Exclaimed James Fluttershy peeked back at the rainbow-maned Pegasus as she gave Fluttershy an embarrassed smile, "And I'm very sorry for that. She tends to not think before she acts, like another individual I know." She paused as she and Gatomon looked back at James. He looked away, trying to keep his gaze from the Digimon and butter yellow Pegasus. "But you're bigger than her, and you should know better. You should also know better than to take a nap where your snoring can become a health hazard to other creatures." "But I..." But Fluttershy cut him off. "Don't give me any butts, mister. Now, what do you have to say for yourself?" The dragon was silent before Fluttershy got real close to him, "I'll repeat myself, what do you have to say for yourself?" Suddenly the dragon began to cry. The group down below started to get showered in its tears. "I find this all so wrong and disgusting." Said James Fluttershy patted his head, "There, there. There is no need to cry. You're not a bad dragon. You just made a bad decision. Now pack your stuff and find a new place to sleep." The dragon nodded his head as Fluttershy picked up Gatomon and flew back to the ground. The dragon wasted no time collecting his jewels and gold and flying off. Rarity whined a little that she didn't get a single diamond or gemstone from the dragon. Fluttershy landed on the ground and got embraced by her friends. "You did it, Fluttershy." Said Twilight "We never doubted you could." Said Applejack "I guess we did need you after all." Said Rainbow Fluttershy laughed but saw James looking away from her. She hid her face behind her mane as everyone's attention went to James. He looked at all the faces staring at him. He turned away, trying to ignore there gazing stares. Gaomon pushed him forward and gestured towards Fluttershy. He sighed as he knew it was the right thing and nobody was going to let him get off scot-free after what he said to Fluttershy. "Listen, Fluttershy. I'm sorry for what I said. I had no reason to say those things to you. I guess all my frustration of having to deal with you, finally exploded. I knew you never meant to cause that rock slide back there, but I guess it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I'm sorry for what I said to you and hope that you can forgive me, and we can go back to the way things were." Said James "Listen, James. You said some pretty nasty things back there. I'm not sure if just an apology can make up what you said to me, but I'm happy to hear you say you're sorry. But I think it'll be some time before I can think of you as a friend again." Said Fluttershy "Oh." Said James Fluttershy walked up and placed her hand on his shoulder, "But that doesn't mean we can't try again. Maybe in time, we'll be back where we were before this whole ordeal." Said Fluttershy "I would like that Fluttershy." Said James James brought her into a hug; Fluttershy smiled and returned. "Air please!" Screamed Gatomon Fluttershy pulled back, totally forgetting about Gatomon, "Sorry Gatomon, I forgot I was still holding you." "Yeah, and I told you he would realize what he did and come around." Said Gatomon "Yeah, and thanks again Gatomon for being there for me." Said Fluttershy "You're welcome, Fluttershy." Said Gatomon Fluttershy and Gatomon seemed to connect. That's when a bright light appeared before Fluttershy. Everyone watched as the orb of light slowly drifted towards Fluttershy. She outstretched her hand, and the light landed on it. Once the light touched her fur, it exploded and revealed a pink colored digivice like the ones the humans have. Fluttershy looked at it as it showed a picture of Gatomon before it went dark. "Somebody tell me what just happened?" Asked James "It seems Gatomon is meant to be with Fluttershy, as her Digimon partner." Said Wizardmon Fluttershy examined the device in her hand as she looked at Gatomon who looked up at her. They both smiled at each other. "Well, it looks like you're stuck with me now, Fluttershy." Said Gatomon "It would seem that way." Said Fluttershy "Well that was completely unexpected, but I guess that's what we should all expect when it comes to living here. Now, I think it's time we make our way down the mountain and return home." Said Matt "I believe so, and I have an important letter to send Princess Celestia about what I learned about friendship today." Said Twilight "But what about you, Wizardmon." Wizardmon turned to Abby, "Where will you go since you don't have a tamer?" "If it wouldn't be too much, Fluttershy. I wish to stay with you and Gatomon. And I would also like to give my assistance in any way I can to help you all, even if I don't have a tamer." Said Wizardmon "Oh, you're more than welcome to live with me, Wizardmon. I don't mind it at all." Said Fluttershy Wizardmon smiled as the group began their descent down the mountain, though taking a different path instead of the one they took up. *** Spike ran around the house trying to deal with Angel Bunny, gripping how Fluttershy ever dealt with the little thing. Then he heard the door open and in came Twilight and Matt along with his Digimon. "Spike I need you to take a letter." Said Twilight "Yes, ma'am." Said, Spike He tossed Angel away, and he hopped out the door, and Spike returned with a piece of paper and a quill. Twilight cleared her throat before beginning to speak, "Dear Princess Celestia, I am happy to report that the dragon has departed our fair country and that it was my good friend, Fluttershy, who convinced him to go. This adventure has taught me to never lose faith in your friends. They can be an amazing source of strength and can help you overcome even your greatest fears. Always your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." Spike finished writing the letter and blew his fire over it and sent it off towards Princess Celestia. "Twilight, Matt, Spike you guys have tah come out here and see this." The three of them recognized it as Applejack's voice calling them. They went up towards the balcony and looked out to see Rainbow bouncing a ball on her head. Applejack looked up when she saw them, "She's just five away from a new pony record!" Rainbow continued to count until a roar of a dragon filled the air freaking her out. Everyone laughed at her, causing her to raise her eyebrow and look around frantically for the dragon. "Why are you all laughing?! That awful dragon is back!" Exclaimed Rainbow She turned as Pinkie was doing her dragon voice before joining in on the laughter. "Not funny Pinkie Pie. You scared me!" Rainbow paused as she realized what she said. "I mean... you made me lose my concentration." "It's okay, Rainbow. Not everypony can be as brave as me." Said Fluttershy Rainbow rolled her eyes as she pushed a falling leaf up into the air and had it land right on Fluttershy's head. She freaked out and flipped herself over and landed on her back. Gatomon sighed, "Well, we still have some work to do." Everyone went back to laughing as Gatomon worked on getting Fluttershy back to her usual self. > Chapter 11 - An Old Threat Returns > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- An Old Threat Returns "Widow approach," said an electronic like voice. Widow, the mare that bared witnessed to Guilmon digivolving into Growlmon, bowed before the voice. She was wearing a red and black cocktail dress. There was only one light in the area around her that being the light illuminating her. She stayed silent, waiting to hear the voice of her master to fill her ears once again. "I have a mission for you, Widow." Said the electronic voice "And that would be, master." Said Widow "I want you to retrieve an essential item for our cause. You will find it in possession of the ponies of Equestria. The plan to transport the item by airship back to Canterlot. We must claim this item for ourselves for the plan to come fruition. If you fail this, the item will be in the possession in Princess Celestia and under high security. You can not fail me, Widow." Said the electronic voice "I understand master, me and Silent shall not fail you." Said Widow "No, you shall do this one alone. Silent will be on a different task." Said the electronic voice "I understand, I shall not fail you." Said Widow "We shall see." Said the electronic voice Widow got up and walked out of the light as it disappeared behind her. She turned to look at the darkness behind her before following the source of the light in front of her. She came out of the room of her master and saw Silent leaning up against the wall. Once she stepped out, a large pair of metal doors came slamming shut and the sound of locks going off filled the air. The cloaked pony turned to at the unicorn. "I heard master is sending you on an important mission." Said Widow Silent nodded his head up and down in response to her question. "Well, I guess this will be the first time in a while since we had to go on separate missions." Said Widow Silent once again nodded his head up and down as his response. Silent then brought out a crystal and tossed it to Widow. She caught it and looked it over. "I'm guessing this has the location of my target." Said Widow Silent nodded his head before walking off and disappearing the hallway. I do wonder what mission master gave him. Not like he would tell me anyways. Widow sighed as she used her magic to bring the crystal to life. Hm, it seems my target is in an isolated location off the coast of Equestria. It seems the object I'm after comes from a distant land. Widow smiled as she moved the crystal away from her and used her magic to cause it to open a portal towards her location. She walked through the portal and appeared not far from the battleship that rested on the ground. Solar and Lunar guard watched over the area. Each of them heavily armed to deal with any threat. They were all wearing armor that covered every inch of their body and looked twice and thick as the standard guard armor used by the ponies guarding Canterlot castle. Many had spears, and others had swords and shield. There was also a wide variety of ponies from Threastels, to unicorns, Pegasi, and earth ponies. Widow disabled the portal and grabbed the crystal. She made the crystal disappear before moving closer to the ship. She used the shadows to her advantage as she crept closer to the ship. Interesting, whatever Princess Celestia is transporting must be highly valuable for her to use a battleship for transport. Oh my, this mission certainly piques my curiosity. She watched a group of solar guards pushed a large metal coffin up the ramp that leads into the storage area of the ship. She watched as one the unicorn guards placed an enchantment over the coffin before ordering the guards to load it onto the ship. I believe I found my target. "All right let's move out." Said a solar guard Oh, how good timing of me. Widow moved through the shadows, careful of the Threstals, as they had the advantage when it comes to the night. She made her way to the ramp leading to the cargo hold and got on it as it pulled up. Widow hid behind a large box as she watched the pony operating the ramp controls leave. She felt the ship push off against the ground and lift off towards Canterlot. Widow moved ever so slowly to make her way to the coffin. She stopped when she saw two guards standing next to the coffin. I guess I shouldn't have expected it to be easy. "So how long until we reach, Canterlot?" Asked the guard on the right "Thirty minutes, I heard Captain Bronze Shield is going to push the Celestial Body to its limit." Said the guard on the left So I only have thirty minutes to get the coffin off the ship. But all I need will be a couple of minutes at the most. Widow summoned a green needle and threw it, striking the guard on the right with it. He yipped in pain, causing the guard on the left to look to the guard on the right. "What's wrong?" Asked the guard on the left "I'm not sure, but I felt something strike me in the hoof." Said the guard on the right Soon he began to cough. It was a subtle cough before it became violent. Blood began to come up with each cough. The guard on the left shook as he watched the guard on the right suddenly spiral out of control. Blood began to leak from the guard on the right's eyes. "Sole Saber, help." Said the guard on the right The guard reached out for Sole Saber but fell to the ground as blood began to pool from his mouth around the guard's hooves. He shook in fear and backed up until he bumped into something soft and warm. Sole Saber turned his head up to look at Widow. Before the guard could do anything, a spider leg slammed through his skull from under his chin. Widow smiled as she retracted her leg from the guard's head and walked up to the coffin. "I do love how quick my poisons work." Said Widow She looked at the metal coffin in front of her. It had no markings covering it. I wonder what's inside of it. Grabbing the attention of my master must mean it's important. Oh well, I guess we'll figure that at once I return it to our base of operations. Widow reached out to touch the coffin, but bolts of electricity pushed her back. She backed up and shook her hands to free herself of the pain. Damn, so hat enchantment placed over makes it, so I can't touch it. Oh well, good thing I'm a unicorn. Widow brought her horn to life as it. It gave off a darkish black color. The aura surrounded the coffin, but it couldn't displace the spell. Instead, it sent another bolt of electricity towards Widow. She canceled the spell and brought up a shield to block the bolt of lightning. "Damn that unicorn must have put up a sophisticated protection spell that only allows guards serving him move the coffin. It seems if I'm going to take this coffin for myself, I'm going to have to kill that unicorn. But where to find him." Said Widow "Intruder!" She turned to see a stallion earth pony solar guard looking at her with his sword and shield at the ready. I guess I blew my cover. Oh well, it should be must easier now to drag out that unicorn and kill him. The guard rushed Widow, but she side stepped out of the way before a spider leg came out of her back and went straight through the guard's skull. She retracted her leg and saw three stallion Threstals lunar guards appear ready to fight with their twin sabers. She smiled as she summed all six of her spider legs. "I hope you boys don't have wives at home because they're about to become widows." Said Widow Widow rushed all three guards as they rushed her. She dodged each of there attacks with grace and beauty. A guard got behind her and tried to attack from behind. Her spider legs blocked the attack, before pushing the guard away. The spider legs began to attack the guard, forcing him to block the attacks. Widow pulled out two holding fans and unleashed them. "Come at me, boys." Said Widow The two Threstals flew right at her. She used her fans to block their swords with ease. She closed the fans and slashed one of the guard's arms. It wouldn't be long before the guard toppled over with blood spilling from his mouth and eyes. "Oh, did I forget to warn you that I cover the tips of my fans in a toxic poison." Said Widow "You'll pay for that bitch!" Exclaimed the lunar guard "You know a bitch is a female dog." Said Widow "Shut it!" Screamed the lunar guard "Oh, so stronger for someone all alone." Said Widow "I'm not alone." Said the lunar guard Widow brought one of her legs forward holding the head of the Threstal that tried to attack her from behind. The spine was still fully attached to the skull. The guard couldn't believe the sight as Widow's spider leg dropped the head. She raised her right hoof and crushed the head under her hoof. The guard backed up in fear, causing Widow to laugh. "Oh, how heroic of you to back away, I guess that means you weren't that strong after all." Said Widow The guard tried to run for it, only to feel two spider legs pierce through his chest. He looked down at them as he heard Widow coming up next to him. She placed her muzzle right not to his ear. "You can't run away from death." She said She opened her mouth and bit down on his neck. She began to suck up everything in his body. It wasn't long before the guard was nothing more than his fur and his armor. Widow wiped her mouth clean from her meal. Oh, what a lovely meal. Now that I'm full, it's time to finish the mission. I believe I still have fifteen minutes before this ship reaches Canterlot. She walked to the stairs that led out to the deck of the vessel. She proceeded to climb them and come out to the deck where an entire mass of guards waited for her. "Oh, how lovely of you all to wait for me." Said Widow "That's enough." Widow watched as a guard wearing solar guard armor came toward her. The pony removed their helmet to reveal that they were a stallion unicorn. He had an orange coat and copper mane. "I am Captain Bronze Shield, and you are under arrest for trespassing, and I can assume murder as well." "Oh, yes I did murder your guards. It was all too easy. But I'm happy to see you, Captain Bronze Shield. You see, I need you dead so I can take that coffin you're transporting to my master." Said Widow "We'll see about that witch. You may have been able to deal with a few guards, but how about the entire crew." Said Bronze Shield "Oh, I would love to deal with all of you." Said Widow All six of her spider legs extended out and each of their points pointing at the group of guards. Each point covered the entire area where the guards stood. Widow smiled as her horn came to life, covering each tip of her leg. "Necrotic Needle Storm!" Exclaimed Widow Each end of the spider legs absorbed the magic before firing off thousands of green needles. "Shields now!" Exclaimed Bronze Shield But the needles were to fast for many guards, striking them in their exposed fur. Many guards were able to summon shields with their magic or raise their shields. But it wouldn't stop a few from scratching them. A few guards weren't so lucky as the needles made holes through their heads and necks, killing them instantly. The attack only lasted a minute, but it seemed to be an eternity for the guards trying to survive the attack. Widow brought her legs back to her once the attack was over. The guards lowered their shields to see Widow smiling at them. "What's up with your smile? You failed to kill us all." Said Bronze Shield "Oh, you'll see why I'm smiling ever soon." Said Widow Bronze Shield soon heard a guard next to him struggling and turned to see green veins traveling across his body. Bronze Shield watched as blood dripped from his eyes as he foamed at the mouth. It wasn't long before the soldier dropped dead. Bronze Shield could only watch as more and more guards began to fall the same way. "What did you do to them, witch!" Exclaimed Bronze Shield "Well, captain, Necrotic Needle Storm fires a little creation of mine. You see each needle is a form of a poison that turns the inside of anypony hit with it or even scratched by into a puddle of goo. It's a painful death, but on the bright side, it's a quick death ." Said Widow Bronze Shield looked to see that he had last nearly three-fourths of his entire fleet. He growled at Widow who gave him a devious smile. He pulled both of his swords with the few remaining guards doing the same. Widow smiled as she unfolded her fans and readied her spider legs before rushing towards the guards who started towards her. The guards stood no chance against her. She made quick work of the remaining guards from either killing with her poison-tipped fans or her spider legs. She watched as the last guard fell to her poison. She looked at Bronze Shield with a smug grin on her face. "You'll pay for that, witch." Said Bronze Shield "Well, show me what you got." Said Widow Bronze Shield brought his horn to life and created ten phantom swords as he held both of his swords tight. He growled before running right at Widow. She raised her fans and began to block his main swords, while she used her spider legs to block his phantom swords. "Prepare to die, witch." Said Bronze Shield The two continued to battle it out until Bronze Shield struck Widow in the gut with the handle of his sword. He followed up with an uppercut and kicked her away. He then charged his horn and summoned more phantom swords before sending barreling right into Widow. Each blade tore right through her. Bronze Shield wouldn't stop summoning phantom swords and sending them right at Widow. He wanted to ensure he cut the witch down and to ensure she wouldn't survive the attack. Finally, Bronze Shield finished his spell and huffed and puffed from exhaustion. His horn smoked from the amount of magic he pushed into his horn to use his spell. Well, the attack used up nearly all of my magic, but the witch should be dead. He smiled as he looked at the cut up Widow. Parts of her body rested on the ground, and Widow's body torn to shreds by Bronze Shield's swords. He laughed a little but stopped when he heard Widow laughing. He could only look with shock and horror as Widow's head looked at him. "Oh, that was impressive. Too bad, it was completely useless." Said Widow Bronze Shield watched in horror as Widow began to reform. Tendrils came out of her wounds and began to sow them shut. Others grabbed her body parts, laying on the ground and attach them once more to her body. All that Bronze Shield had done to Widow was utterly gone in under a minute. Widow stretched out her body as she looked at Bronze Shield with a devilish grin upon her face. "Oh, the look on your face is priceless." Widow laughed as Bronze Shield backed up from her, "Oh do I scare you, captain. I thought I was looking at a strong and powerful captain of the solar guards, but I guess not." "What...what are you?!" Asked Bronze Shield "I'm only a little old mare who wants to please her master. Now that reminds me, I still have a job to do." Said Widow Widow began to step towards Bronze Shield, while he stepped away from her. "No, stay back!" Screamed Bronze Shield Widow smiled as she ran right for him before igniting her horn and disappearing. Bronze Shield looked around for the unicorn mare but didn't see her. Keep it together, Bronze Shield. Remember your training. Bronze Shield calmed his nerves down only to scream in pain as he felt something tear right through his hands. He looked down to see he no longer had any hands. He looked to see two of Widow's spider legs hand them. Bronze Shield was going to try to make a run for it, but two more spider legs went bursting through his knees, shattering them. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground. Widow tossed the hands away and made her way over to Bronze Shield as he struggled to get away. "Oh, look at you, trying to get away." Said Widow She laughed as she pressed her right hoof against his back. Bronze Shield looked up at the wicked grin plastered on her face. "Now where do you think you're going? I still one more thing I have to do before you can escape." Said Widow "And what's that, witch?" Asked Bronze Shield Widow only smiled as she raised her right hoof and brought it down, smashing his horn into pieces. He screamed out in pain before Widow stepped off of him. "Now, I think your little protection spell that used on that coffin should be no more." Said Widow Widow returned five of her legs and using the last one to dip into Bronze Shield's blood. She began to draw magical symbols on the deck of the ship. She smiled at her work before making her way to the door that would lead back down to the cargo hold of the ship. She continued to drag her spider leg on the ground, leaving a trail of blood to the door. She opened the door and turned back to Bronze Shield. She smiled at him as she tapped the blood trail twice with her spider leg before returning it to her body. She walked down the stairs as dark red energy began to follow the blood trail to the symbols on the ground. "Goodbye, Captain Bronze Shield. It was fun playing with you and your men." Said Widow She walked down the stairs and towards the coffin. She touched it and smiled as the protection spell was no longer in place. She summoned the crystal once more and tossed it. The crystal created a portal back to the hideout. She brought her horn to life and lifted the coffin into the air and brought it through the portal. It closed behind her as the symbols began to glow on the deck of the ship. Bronze Shield sat there helpless as the symbol began to glow brighter and brighter with a sickly red color. He couldn't do a thing but wait for death to take him. "Faust guide me." He said Once he finished his phrase, the ship went up in a blaze. Explosions rocketed throughout the ship. The once proud airship of the Equestrian Navy was now nothing but a burning mass plummetting towards the earth below. The ship wasn't far from Canterlot and drew the attention of the lunar guards as they went to investigate the fire and explosion. *** Celestia slept soundly under her covers. She didn't have a care in the world. She dreamt beautiful dreams about her future running Equestria once more with her sister. But heavy pounding on her door made it impossible to stay asleep. She yawned as she got up from her bed and rubbed her eyes. She stepped onto the marble floor of her room. She grabbed her robe and tied the belt around her waist as she made her way towards the door. There be a good reason why somepony is waking me up before it's time to raise the sun. She grabbed the door handle and opened it. Standing at the door was a lunar guard. The stallion took off his helmet and bowed before the princess of the sun. "What is the meaning of this, guardsman?" Asked Celestia "I have urgent news for you, your majesty." Said the guardsman "Why come to me, when my sister is more than capable of handling any news that happens during the night?" Asked Celestia with a yawn. "I would, your majesty if the news wasn't about the object you were seeking to bring into Equestria." Said the guardsman Celestia's eyes widened, and her mind became alert when she heard the guard speak. She pulled the guard into her room but poked her head out to make sure no pony saw her. She closed her door, place a soundproofing spell over it, and looked at the guardsman. "Report." Said Celestia "Five minutes ago, the lunar guard heard an explosion near the border of Canterlot. We also noticed a fire raging not far from the capital. A few guards went to investigate and found it was the battleship you sent out to get the item. But it was in ruins as all the guards found was a smoking husk of the once proud battleship." Said the guardsman "What about the cargo?" Asked Celestia in a panic state. "The guards reported no sighting of any metal coffin along with no survivors of the crew." Said the guardsman Celestia felt her heart beginning to beat in her chest at an astonishing rate. She never felt so nervous in her lifetime. She walked over to the doors that led to her balcony and looked out the windows to see the smoke coming from where the ship now rested. "Princess, you seem certain that the explosion didn't destroy the coffin." Said the guardsman "That's because of the coffin being enchanted to withstand any attack thrown at it. I wanted to ensure it got here safely, but it seems somepony got word of our pickup and attacked the ship." Said Celestia "Whoever attacked the Celestial Body sure must be powerful to take out fifty of the best solar and lunar guards and Captain Bronze Shield." Said the guardsman "Yes, and now I fear that what I wished to bring to Equestria, to trap deep within the confines of the dungeons under the castle is now in somepony else's hands." Said Celestia "But I don't understand, princess. What was inside that coffin anyway?" Asked the guardsman Celestia turned to the guardsman as she looked at him with pure fear in her eyes, "It's not a what, but a who. A being that nearly toppled the order of Equestria. A being that saw females as nothing than slaves for males to use. A being that sought to covert all of Eques into a society where males control the entire world." Widow set the coffin down as the portal closed behind her. Silent walked up to her and looked at the coffin. Widow summoned her spider legs and began to cracking open the coffin to see what was inside. "And his name is." Widow popped off the lid, and both her and Silent looked upon the creature inside. "King Dainn of the Caribou," said Widow with a wicked smile appearing on her face. > Chapter 12 - Following your Heart > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Following your Heart "I want to thank you again for coming out here with me." Matt chuckled at Crescent's enthusiasm. Matt and Crescent were standing in a line of ponies to enter a concert in Canterlot. Crescent a day ago asked Matt if he would come with her to a concert. Matt said he would love to go with Crescent, so here they were. They were going to stay the night at the castle, and Celestia was kind enough to allow them each a room in the castle. "Hey no problem, I'm not going to say no to spending time with one of my friends." Said Matt "I'm surprised since you wanted to come since you've been spending most of your time with Twilight." Said Crescent Crescent wasn't wrong. Matt had been spending most of his free time with Twilight. He wanted to ensure he was the best boyfriend for Twilight. Twilight never seemed to mind all the time Matt spent with her. Most of the time, it was the two talking about something intellectual or Twilight clarifying anything Matt didn't understand about pony culture. Other times Twilight would lean her head against his shoulder and enjoy his company as he read a book. "That is true; I guess I'm trying to make sure this relationship works." Said Matt "Well, you shouldn't fear not living up to being a good coltfriend. You and Twilight seem to be a perfect fit. Who knows maybe you'll decide to marry her and have cute foals together." Said Crescent Matt laughed nervously, "Crescent, that's sweet, but I don't think I'm ready to make that commitment yet." Crescent rolled her eyes as she looked back at the two bouncers watching the entrance to the area. Matt happened to see her tail wagging back and forth. He could also tell a slight blush clung to her face. Matt knew these were the tell-tale sign she wasn't starting to feel the effects of heat. Matt swallowed the lump in his throat as his thoughts went to the estrus cycle that wasn't far off from now. The males of Ponyville were already preparing their exit strategies to escape the mares. I hope the one me and James planned with Big Mac is going to work. Crescent turned to see Matt seemed a little flustered. "You ok?" She asked "Oh, I'm fine," he said with a nervous grin. She squinted her eyes at him, "You're lying." He sighed, "I guess I'm still a little nervous about my first estrus cycle here in Equestria. I can see the effects of estrus already starting to affect the mares of Ponyville, not mentioning here as well." Matt looked at the mares around him, "I'm not sure if James or I am ready for it all." Crescent placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a warm smile, "Come on, you'll be fine. I'm sure you already worked everything out." Crescent looked around before leaning next to his ear, "But I bet Twilight wouldn't mind if you stayed in the library." Matt's face went red in a matter of seconds. His mind filling with dirty thoughts of a needy Twilight begging for him to end her heat. He could see Crescent holding back her laughs as he huffed. "Not funny, Crescent." He said "You should have seen how fast your face got red." She couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing. "Laugh it up." Said Matt Crescent got ahold of her herself, "Sorry that was inappropriate of me. But I guess I couldn't help myself." Matt rolled his eyes as he tried to keep his mind clean of any dirty thoughts of his girlfriend. But his mind did have many questions of how Twilight would look without her clothes. He felt his face started to darken again, and he was sure he was starting to pop a boner. Crap, need to get my mind off sexy Twilight. "So Crescent, what's the concert tonight?" Asked Matt "Oh, I forget to tell you. Well, we're about to see none other than one of the best heavy metal bands of all time, the Pony Knots." Said Crescent "Huh, I never pegged you liking heavy metal." Said Matt "Oh, yes, I am! I've been a Pony Knot's fan since I was a little filly. I can't say when I truly found my love for heavy metal. What about you, you a fan?" Said Crescent "Sure am, I may not look like it, but my phone is jammed pack with all the heavy metal bands of Earth." Said Matt "Well, I never would have thought you would be a metalhead as well. But I guess you never know until you see the pony's music collection." Said Crescent We both laughed as we turned to see the bouncers allowing ponies into the concert grounds. "Still looks like we'll be waiting a little longer." Said Matt "Yeah, so I've had a burning question for a while. What's up with wearing those broken goggles you wear?" Said Crescent Matt looked up at the goggles on his head. He pulled them off and looked at them. "I got these when I was ten years old as a present from my grandfather. He was a pilot before he passed away when I was twelve, and when my sister was four. I used to wear them when I rode my bike and pretend I was flying an airplane. I got into an accident on my bike and broke the right lens. I cried over it for a while, but I'm not entirely sure why I never went to get it fixed. Since that day, I wear them to remember my family." Said Matt "Interesting." Said Crescent It wasn't long after Matt finished his story that they reached the bouncers. Crescent pulled out two tickets and showed to the bouncer. They allowed Crescent and Matt into the area, and Crescent seemed like a filly in a candy store. Matt chuckled before getting pulled by Crescent to a table selling merchandise. Crescent browsed all the items and landed on the shirts. She browsed through them all and bought a black one with the picture of the band. Matt looked at it, and the band seemed to remind him of something. For some reason, I get a Slipknot vibe from them. She looked around and pointed to a set of portapotties. Matt raised his eyebrow, but he had no time to think as Crescent dragged him over to them. She opened one and stepped inside. Matt was still quite confused why Crescent dragged him over to the bathrooms when she didn't need him. He didn't have to wait long as she stepped out wearing her new shirt. She gave him a warm smile. "What do you think?" Asked Crescent "Looks good on you." Said Matt She smiled as she tied her other shirt around her waist as the two decided to find a place to stand to watch the concert. Along the way, Crescent happen to bump into a stallion. "Watch where you're going!" Said the stallion "Oh, sorry." Said Crescent "Oh, you should be you, freak." Said the stallion Matt growled under his breath as the stallion left. Assholes like that always grind my gears. He turned to see Crescent looked a little down. He pulled her into a hug, knowing that would get her mind off that rude stallion. "Ignore that guy, Crescent." Said Matt "No worries, I've heard it all before, and it doesn't bother me." Said Crescent "What do you mean?" Asked Matt Crescent sighed as she pushed herself off of his chest and grabbed his hand and continued to find a good place to stand. Along the way, Crescent spoke to him. "You see, Thretrals aren't all that liked, and it all started when Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. Threstals served as Luna's guards, but when she turned, many of the bat ponies that served her did as well. But ponies always forget that not all bat ponies turned to evil, many followed Celestia and her solar guards into battle to defeat Nightmare Moon. But no one ever remembers those Threstals and what they sacrificed to keep Equestria safe. People only remember that Threstals stood next to Nightmare Moon and against Princess Celestia. It's all too common to see ponies showing disgust for us." Said Crescent "Wow, and I thought my world had some bad blood between people." Said Matt "But enough depressing topics, let's have fun. The concert should be starting real soon." Said Crescent Matt nodded his head as the two found a pleasant place to stand. It wasn't far from the center of the stage. It wasn't long before a stallion came out and stepped up to the microphone. "Hello, everypony!" The crowd cheered, "Now if you're ready to bang your head, let me hear you scream!" The crowd went crazy for the stallion at the mic, but Matt didn't seem to care as his mind was on something else or in this case somepony else. He looked at the screaming and smiling Crescent. For some odd reason, Matt felt a deep seeded desire for her. He loved seeing her smile and how even though history paints her race as traitors, she never let it get to her. Matt loved spending time with her as much as he did with Twilight, but for some reason, something inside him ached for her. Something in his body told him how much he desired her as it does with Twilight. What's wrong with me. Why do I feel so strange around her? I'm in a relationship with Twilight, and Crescent's only a friend. But why doesn't that answer settle things for me? He got pulled from his thoughts by Crescent screeching, and he turned to see the band, the Pony Knots walk onto the stage. That clarifies it, Pony Knot is a ripe off of Slipknot on Earth. The lead singer, a stallion, stepped up to the mic and spoke out to the crowd. "Ponies of Equestria! Let me hear you scream!" The crowd screamed out with complete joy. Matt was sure his hearing was going to take a hit from Crescent's screeching. "That's what I like to hear!" The singer turned back and motioned for the others to begin playing. Feel free to play your favorite Slipknot songs here It only took a few seconds before the music started to blast out of the speakers. This concert happened to be Matt's first. He always wanted to go out and see a concert, but he never got around to going out to one. He looked over to Crescent having the time of her life as she screamed at the top of her lungs. She was also jumping up and down and getting into the music. Matt couldn't lie. The music was something else. It reminded him of the heavy metal music bands he used to listen back on Earth. He felt a bump on the shoulder and looked to see it was Crescent. She had a big smile on her face. "Come on! Let the music move you!" Exclaimed Crescent Matt smiled and jumped like Crescent, making her giggle as she joined along with him. "What's so funny?" Asked Matt "As you said before, I would have never pegged you as a metalhead." Said Crescent "Well, you learn something new every day." Said Matt Crescent smiled as she and Matt let the music take over them. They danced around, allowing the music to move them. Matt and Crescent were having the time of their lives. Soon the band decided to take a quick break, and Crescent flew off to use the bathroom as Matt relaxed his mind and rubbed his head. I shouldn't have headbanged so hard on that last song. He knew he was going to have a headache in the morning. I hope the princess has some headache medicine. He rubbed his head and kept waiting for Crescent to return. After five minutes, Matt got a little concerned that Crescent hadn't returned yet. Man there sure must be a back up at the bathrooms. But Matt felt something was off in his gut. He decided to go off and check on Crescent. Matt made his way through the ponies talking and hanging out. He reached the bathroom and found it there wasn't much of a line. He scratched his head but decided to stand a minute or two thinking that Crescent was in one of the bathrooms. But after a few minutes. Crescent still didn't show up. Matt could feel his gut tightening in knots as he felt a sense of fear coming over him. He looked up at the sky trying to see if Crescent was flying overhead. He knew she could spot him thanks to her being a Threstral. But there was no pony in the sky above him or soaring around in the inky blackness of the night sky. Ok, something doesn't seem right. Matt looked around and decided to walk around. He saw a few stallions dragging something off into dimly lit area. Matt could feel something wasn't right. He decided to head over there and see what was happening. Matt snuck up to the stallions and heard somepony coughing. Matt's eyes widened when he saw a group of four earth pony stallions around Crescent. One of them was holding her arms behind her back. He had an amber coat with a light blue mane. Blood dripped from her mouth, and she was breathing heavily. "Why are you doing this?" Asked Crescent The stallion's laughed before the middle of the three other stallions slammed his fist into her gut, he had a crimson coat and black and red mane. The one on the left had a blue coat and a dark blue and light blue streaked mane. The one on the right had a gray coat and a black mane. She coughed up more blood before the stallion grabbed her hair and pulled up her head, so her eyes were in line with his. "Because," he gave her a wicked smile. "You Thretrals need to be taught your place in the world. You and your worthless princess of the night." The other stallions laughed as the stallion holding Crescent's hair let her go. Matt felt rage building through his body as he clenched his fists, causing them to go white. He growled as he looked at them. How dare they harm Crescent over something that happened thousands of year ago! He watched as the middle stallion pulled out a knife and pulled Crescent's head up again and made her look at the knife. "I'm going to make sure you know your place, freak." Said the stallion Matt couldn't take sitting back any longer; he had to step in now before they did something to Crescent. He stepped out from his hiding place. "Hey," the stallions looked over to him. "Leave her alone." The middle stallion let go of Crescent's head and looked back over to Matt. He walked up to him, still holding his knife. "What are you?" Asked the stallion "The names Matt and I'm a human. Now release my friend or else." Said Matt The stallions looked at each other and began to laugh. Crescent moved her head up and looked at Matt. "Matt." She murmured The middle stallion walked up to Matt and gave a smile to Matt. He pointed the knife at him. "You got balls monkey boy. I guess if you're friends with that freak, then I guess you're a supporter of the Threstals." Said the stallion "Yeah, I support the bat ponies." Said Matt Before the stallion could even say a thing to Matt, he coughed as Matt slammed his fist into the stallion's gut. He buckled over as blood spilled from his mouth. Matt cupped his hands together and slammed it upon the stallions head. The stallion ate the dirt and was out cold. Matt turned his attention to the other stallions. They shook a little as Matt cracked his knuckles. "Now let go of my friend, or you'll end up like your friend." Said Matt The two stallions looked at each other before they decided to run right after Matt. He got into his stance and blocked as the stallions tried to attack him. He moved out of their way as they attempted to strike him with their fists. He dodged the stallion with the blue coat and slammed his fist into his face before slamming his knee into his gut. He then swung his fist up, uppercutting the stallion and out he went. Matt side dodged the other stallion with the grey coat and spun around round, kicking the stallion on the side of the head, knocking him out. Matt glared at the stallion holding Crescent, and it wasn't long before he let go of her and ran for his life. Matt sighed as he walked over to Crescent and helped her back to her hooves. She smiled at him as she wiped the blood from her face. "Thanks, Matt, but where did you learn to fight like that?" Asked Crescent "After my parents died, I took up boxing while I was in high school. I used it to protect my sister from anyone who might harm her." Said Matt "Well, I'm glad for that." Said Crescent Crescent tried to move, but Matt stopped her and picked up her bridal style. She looked at him with a surprised look and a slight blush running across her muzzle. He gave her a warm smile to her. She smiled back and curled up into his chest and allowed him to carry her. Matt smiled and made his way back to the castle to have somepony check over her. *** It took fifteen minutes to return to the bridge that separated the castle from Canterlot. Two female lunar guards saw Matt coming towards them. They each looked at each other as they saw him carrying Crescent in his arms. He told them about the stallions and where to find three of them and gave a description of the last one. The lunar guards nodded, and one left to get back up. It wasn't long for five lunar guards went flying off into the night. Matt made his way to the infirmary and laid Crescent down for the doctors. They wheeled her off to a room. Matt watched she disappeared before sighing and walking back to his room. After fumbling around trying to find his way, he found his room, but when he grabbed the doorknob, he only held it. His mind was too busy for him to even think about sleep. I need to clear my head. He left his room as he began to walk down the hallways of the castle. The only activity was a few lunar guards patrolling the castle. They gave no mind to Matt. Matt finally stopped when he saw a picture of Celestia and Luna circling each other with the sun and the moon next to them. Matt could best describe it as a Ying-Yang symbol. "Lovely, isn't it." Matt turned to see Princess Celestia coming towards him in a white robe with gold lines running down the sleeves and around the bottom and the ends of the sleeves. She had none of her royal jewelry on. She stopped next to him and admired the painting with him. "This happens to be the design of the flag that the three races posted when they founded Equestria." Said Celestia "Strange seeing as you weren't born yet." Said Matt "Yes, but this flag was painted after Luna, and I got our cutie marks. The original flag design disappeared centuries ago. Many historians believe the first flag had the same design but consisted of my mother and father, the first rulers of Equestria." Said Celestia "Were they alicorns like you and Luna?" Asked Matt "Yes, powerful alicorns. My father had powers over the natural world. Some said he could destroy the natural order of things with only the snap of his fingers. My mother had the power over the celestial bodies my sister, and I watch over now. My mother was fun-loving, and my father was stern. But we were a happy family none the less." Said Celestia "What happened to them, if I can ask." Said Matt "If I'm honest, I have no idea. One day they left Luna and me, and well never came back. I sent the guards to find them, but after a month of looking, no pony could find them. No pony even had a clue where they were. I reached out to a few allies, but they said they didn't seem them either. Today, it's still a mystery to me. I wonder some days if they'll come strolling back through the castle doors. Even when I banished Luna to the moon, I half expected them to come waltzing through the castle seeking to bring judgment down upon me for what I did to my dear sister, but that didn't happen either. I guess in the end, Luna and I accepted that they're dead." Said Celestia "Sorry to hear that princess." Said Matt "Please, Matt, I've lived for thousands of years. I've come to accept the fact that my parents may no longer reside in this world. I only hope that Faust guided them to the golden gates that would lead them into the golden pastures." Said Celestia "What?" Asked Matt Celestia giggled, "Oops, I guess I should explain that. You see, Faust is our goddess, we believe she created all pony kind and our nation of Equestria. Many say that our world of Eques came to be from all the gods and goddess of all creatures that cover Eques came together to make our world. Now when a pony dies, Faust shall guide their soul to a golden gate where two gatekeepers will judge the pony's soul. If the gatekeepers believe the soul is pure, they shall let it into the golden pastures, a beautiful place where all will bear witness to Faust herself. But if the gatekeepers see that taint and evil fills your soul, then to the depths of Tartarus you shall find yourself." Said Celestia "Doesn't sound far off from how Christianity believes life after death is." Said Matt "Interesting, but can I ask why you're up, Matt?" Asked Celestia "I got a lot on my mind." Said Matt "This wouldn't have to do with Crescent?" Asked Celestia Matt looked up at the princess of the sun, "How did you know that?" "I make it my business to know what happens in my country. I must ensure there is peace and that ponies will never have to live in fear. So when a pony or ponies, in this case, decided to harm one of my guards, I make it my business. Seeing as we're both up, how about some tea. I know a wonderful blend that'll help ease your mind." Said Celestia "Sure." Said Matt The two walked off down towards the kitchen. Celestia opened the door to the kitchen and used her horn to turn on the lights. She made her over to the stove and got to work making the tea. Matt sat down as Celestia's horn came to life, and out flew two teacups and ingredients. Celestia hummed a little tune to herself as she worked and it wasn't long before the kettle began to whistle. Celestia used her magic to pick it up and pour the hot into the two teacups and placed the pot back on the stove. She walked over with both cups and a placed one in front of Matt and one in front of her. She took her seat and grabbed the teacup and took a sip. "My mother used to make this herbal blend of tea for Luna and me. Whenever we would have nightmares, she would make this and sing the song I was humming. It would always put my sister and me at ease. After she disappeared, I continued to make the tea for Luna and me. I even sing her song to Luna from time to time." Said Celestia "I bet it was hard to live for a century without your sister." Said Matt "Yes, I would look up at the moon every night and wonder if I did the right thing banishing her to the moon. I would spend days alone in my room crying and trying to rationalize what I did and how it was my fault that I caused my sister to turn into Nightmare Moon." Celestia took a sip of her tea, "When I first saw Twilight perform her magic, I knew in my heart that she was special and I guess I was right. Thanks to her and her friends, I have my sister back, even if ponies only see her for Nightmare Moon." "So I've heard." Said Matt "I always believed my little ponies could see past what happened in the past and see the good in all. But it seems that there will always be those who cling to the past." Said Celestia "You can't change everypony, princess. Trust me. It's no different than Earth. Long ago, my country of America used to have slave labor, and then one day, we got into a big civil war. The war ended slavery, but it didn't end the treatment of African Americans. To this day, people are still stuck to the past and can't seem to move towards the future." Said Matt "I see, but don't you ever miss it, Matt?" Asked Celestia "Twilight asked the same question the night we kissed. I told her I missed a few things, but nowadays not so much. Maybe it's from the fact I'm dating Twilight or I didn't have much back on Earth. But I don't miss it, one bit. I truly think Equestria is my home now." Said Matt "That's glad to hear, but now let's move trains. Back when we were standing looking at the flag of Equestria, I mentioned Crescent. Tell me, how do you feel about her?" Said Celestia Matt took a sip of the tea. The flavor was incredible as the liquid touched his tongue. He could barely describe the taste. He could feel his mind settling down as he placed the cup back on the table. Celestia watched him with her soft motherly eyes. Matt sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "She's a great friend and somebody that I enjoy hanging out with as much as I do Twilight. And there lies the problem that I seem to be having." Celestia didn't say a thing as she let Matt mull it over, "I love Twilight with all my heart. And I would certainly consider her the perfect mate. I would love to wake up next to her. To see her beautiful smile every time I wake up." Celestia still didn't say a thing as Matt sighed, "But tonight something felt odd. When I was carrying Crescent back after I saved her, I looked down at her. I watched as she snuggled into my chest, I listened to her gentle breathing, and I realized how much I love Crescent. I didn't imagine Twilight in arms, no I thought about carrying Crescent that way. To see her snuggling into my chest and see her smile upon her face. I began to think, and suddenly, I couldn't get the thoughts out of my head, of how much I desired to love her like Twilight." Celestia watched as Matt slammed his fist on the table. She never did anything to stop him as she took in every word he said, "Why does my heart want to do this to me? Why does it want me to choose between Twilight or Crescent? I love both, but I feel like I'm cheating on Twilight if I have loving thoughts for Crescent, but I don't want to bury my feelings for Crescent." Matt huffed as he leaned back in his chair, "So now I'm struggling to figure out what to do. If I should bury my feelings for Crescent inside my subconscious or feel like I'm cheating on Twilight every time I look at Crescent." Celestia picked up her teacup and took a sip of it before putting it down, "Are you sure you love them both?" Matt looked at the princess with a quizzical look, "Or do you desire them as nothing but your play toys." "How could you say that about your student and one of your guards?" Asked Matt "So is it true, do you desire them as mates or for your pleasure?" Asked Celestia "Why would you ask such a question to me? Do I look like a guy who goes around trying to bed every mare in Equestria? I would rather stab myself with a rusty knife in the dick if I started to think that way. I want to spend my life with both of them. I want to wake up with them near me, I want to feel their fur against my skin, to listen to the gentle beat of their hearts and I would do anything to make them happy, even if I had to go to the ends of the earth to do it." Said Matt Celestia sipped her tea and lowered with a smile on her face, "Then why not have both as your mate." "Huh," said Matt with a confused expression on his face. "Why not love them together?" Asked Celestia "Princess, I'm not sure what you put in your tea, but you sound crazy right now. If I were to date both Crescent and Twilight, I would be cheating on them both, and I would never do that. I would rather be alone for the rest of my than cheat on them." Said Matt Celestia giggled at his little speech, causing Matt to only stare at the princess of the sun with a confused look, "You are indeed are an extraordinary human, Matt. But I see you haven't spent a lot of time reading on pony culture." Matt scratched his right cheek with his index finger, "Well, that is true. But what does this have to do with Twilight and Crescent." "A herd." "A herd?" Asked Matt "Yes, as you probably have seen by now from your time in Ponyville, the stallion population is far less than the mare population. The stallion population only makes up 1/3 of the entire population of the Equestria." Matt blinked his eyes in surprise by that, "So to combat the ever-growing stallion shortage. I put in a law to allow stallions to create a herd of twenty females. At first, it was only ponies, but after a year, I opened it up to the females of other creatures." "Wait, you practice polygamy here." Said Matt "Yes, we've been practicing it for about ten years now, and I can say, without a doubt, it seems to be working, though a little slow. I know it's probably not something you would have thought to hear coming from me if your reaction is anything to go by." Said Celestia "Yeah, humanity is monogamy. Polygamy happens to be illegal in many countries on Earth." Said Matt "Well, here polygamy is an option for any stallion to take. It's open for you as well." Celestia finished her tea as she sipped the last of it before putting down the cup. She got up and walked over to Matt. Celestia placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her as she gave him a warm smile, "Listen to your heart, Matt. If you wish to love both Twilight and Crescent, then the only thing holding you back is yourself. Take tonight to think it over." She walked away from him as she headed for the kitchen doors, but stopped when she heard Matt's voice call out to her, "Princess." She stopped and turned back to the human, "Thank you for letting me talk to you." "You're welcome, Matt, and please call me Tia. I don't think you need to be so formal with me. We are friends, after all." Said Celestia "Tia?" Asked Matt "My birth name, Celestia, is the name I took when I took over the rule of Equestria." Said Celestia "Well, thank you, Tia." Said Matt "You're welcome, Matt, and please leave the cups on the table, the maids will deal with it in the morning. And have a restful sleep." Said Celestia Matt watched her leave through the door. He looked at his cup of tea, his mind swirling with what Celestia told him. Could it work, could I try a herd? I mean, I would be able to have both Twilight and Crescent as my mates. I would be able to wake up next to each one of them. But is it still cheating? Matt huffed as he leaned back in his chair and sipped his tea. Tia's right, I should sleep over it. Matt finished his tea and placed the cup back on the plate and turned out the kitchen lights and made his way back to his room. Along the way, his mind and body felt heavy as he let out a large yawn and stretched his body. Man Tia was right, that tea sure does help. *** Matt tapped his fingers as he sat alone at one of the dining room tables. He was nervous as he waited for two mares to come walking through the door. Well, I hope this works. But if it doesn't at least, I got it off my chest. He looked up at the clock. It was noon. He looked over to the doors when he saw Crescent, looking better than last night, and Twilight come walking in through the doors of the dining room. Well, here we go. Twilight walked up and planted a kiss on Matt's cheek as he hugged her and hugged Crescent. The trio sat down at the table. "Well, what is it, Matt?" Asked Twilight "Yeah, why did you bring Twilight up here to Canterlot when we're heading back today?" Asked Crescent Matt was silent as he tapped his fingers on the table. He still didn't know how to even proceed with telling them that he loved them both and his insane idea. His mind raced with all the possible outcomes that might happen, which didn't help ease his mind. Twilight and Crescent looked at each with a concerned look. They turned back to Matt as they reached and rested a hand on his and stopped him from tapping. He looked up at both; they each had a concerned look on their face. "Matt, what's wrong?" Asked Twilight "Yeah, you're acting odd." Said Crescent Matt sighed as he brought up his left hand a grasped both girls hands. "I want you both to listen closely to what I'm about to say." He looked up at both girls as they nodded their heads up and down, "Last night I talked with Princess Celestia or Tia as she wants me to call her, about something important. Something that was bothering me last night, after I rescued you and brought you back to castle after those stallions jumped you, Crescent." Twilight let out a shocked gasp but didn't say a word to interrupt Matt, "I realized that I didn't have feelings for one girl, but two." He looked up at Crescent, and she began to blush, "I love you, Dark Crescent," he then turned to Twilight. "And I love you, Twilight. But that's where I started to hit a roadblock. How could I love you both without hurting one of you, and I didn't want to bury my feelings for either one of you? But Tia told me of a way to love you both, and I'm hoping you both will join me." Matt paused and took in a big breath, "I want you girls to start a herd with me." The girls looked at each other and then back to Matt. They could hardly believe that Matt wanted to start a herd with them. Matt started to grow, worried that their silence was their answer to his question about forming a herd. But before he could pull any deeper into sadness, he heard them both speak. "We would love to." Said both Twilight and Crescent "Yeah, I knew you might have some affection towards Crescent, so I was waiting for the day you asked to start a herd. I'm a little surprised it took you this long, you should have read it by now in the Equestrian culture book I lent you." Said Twilight "To be honest, I didn't get all that far in the book." Said Matt Twilight rolled her eyes as Crescent spoke, "I was going to tell you how I felt, but seeing how happy you were with Twilight and not sure if you knew about herds yet, I wasn't going to harm your relationship with her. But I'm glad that you're starting a herd because I love you, Matthew Summers." "As do I." Said Twilight Matt smiled as he got up and walked over to his new herd mate and hugged them, "I promise you both I'll be the best boyfriend I can be." "Herd stallion." Said Twilight Matt pulled away and looked at Twilight, "What?" "A herd stallion that's your new title." Said Twilight "Yeah, which reminds me, don't we have to file all that paperwork with Celestia to make it official?" Asked Crescent "Right, I'll go see Celestia right now and get that. Might as well fill it out while we're all here." Said Twilight She kissed Matt on the cheek and went walking out of the room. Matt turned back to Crescent, "What paperwork?" "Celestia made it mandatory that every stallion that wishes to form a herd file with her, so she knows which out there have herds and how many females exist in each herd. She monitors herds to ensure the stallion isn't busing their power to form relationships with twenty females." Said Crescent "I guess that makes sense." Said Matt "Yeah, now how about you help me seal our love for each other." Said Crescent Matt smiled as he pulled Crescent in close and place his lips against her in a loving kiss. Crescent moaned a little in the kiss. Matt's heart sored high in the sky as he felt Crescent returning his love. The two broke lose of their passionate embrace and smiled at each other. "So should we go catch up with Twilight and get working on that paperwork." Said Matt "Might as well, seeing as it is important to if we're going to get this herd going." Said Crescent The two walked out of the room with intertwined hands as they sought to catch up with Twilight. *** Celestia was making her way back to her room after a long day of morning court. She was happy it was over but also delighted to hear that Matt decided to form a herd. I see you took my advice, Matt. She already filed away their paperwork for them, making Matt an official herd stallion of Twilight and Crescent. "Matt, watch it!" Celestia stopped as she looked at the room to her right. That sounded like Twilight. "Matt, that's my tail!" Exclaimed Crescent "Sorry, um, how about this?" Asked Matt "Ouch, watch where your foot is." Said Twilight "Sorry, Twilight." Said Matt "Watch the wings, there sensitive." Said Crescent "Watch the fangs, Crescent." Said Matt "What if I move you here?" Asked Twilight "Woah, warn a girl before you grab those." Said Crescent "Huh, sorry Crescent." Said Matt Celestia couldn't help but giggle as she decided to leave the new herd to their problems. Well, Matt, you are now feeling the first real pains of having a herd, snuggle time. Celestia couldn't hold back laughing as she could only imagine Matt struggling to snuggle with both Crescent and Twilight. > Chapter 13 - A New Mon > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A New Mon "Pyro Blaster." Explosions echoed outside Ponyville as the DigiDestined fought to protect the town of Ponyville once more. Manticores with black gears in trapped in their backs were the ones this time threatening the peace of Ponyville. The valley was already becoming scorched from battle. "Fox Tail Inferno." Another Manticore screamed out as Kyubimon's attack landed its mark. The Manticore soon disappeared into digital code. But the victory was short-lived as more Manticores run up trying to bring down Kyubimon. Kyubimon leaped into the air and began to spin. "Dragon Wheel." Kyubimon ignited herself on fire, and from the fire came a dragon. The dragon went right for the Manticores destroying them and turning them into digital code. Kyubimon landed on the ground and saw a Manticore trying to attack her from behind, but it disappeared. Gaogamon appeared next to her. "Thank you, Gaogamon." "No problem, Kyubimon." Matt bit the inside of his cheek as Growlmon brought down another Manticore using his Dragon Slash attack. But they were still outnumbered. Gomamon was next to Matt, ordering his fishes to attack certain Manticores, distracting them, and allowing Growlmon to take them down. He then decided to look at his friends. Terriermon and Lopmon put their ears together and began to spin towards the Manticores. He saw Byiomon firing down on the Manticores from the sky with her Spiral Twister. Gatomon leaped from Manticore, striking the gears in their back with her claws as Wizardmon gave her support. He then turned to see Crescent pulling her sword free from the skull of a Manticore. He tried to get her to stay behind with the others when they first heard of the Manticore attack. But being a guard and stubborn, she came along. It had only been two days since he announced his herd to his friends. Sure, James, Alice, Abby, and April couldn't believe what Matt told them but seemed to accept them. Everypony else congratulated Matt, Twilight, and Crescent for creating a herd together. And now here Crescent was fighting dangerous Manticores to protect Ponyville, while his other mate was safe in Ponyville. He sighed as he kept his eyes on Crescent as she dodged attacks and struck down another Manticore. The team would only fight another minute before the remaining Manticores began to return to the Everfree Forest. The Digimon decided not to pursue the retreating Manticores. They all sighed as a few of the Digimon began to return to their rookie forms. All the Digimon looked exhausted from the fight. "Yeah, you better run!" Exclaimed James Crescent tried to pursue them, but Matt stopped her, "Crescent leave them!" Crescent turned back to look at her mate, "Leave them! We need to go after them! If we don't, they'll come back with reinforcements, and we'll be back where we started ten minutes ago!" "I sad no, Crescent. Look around you," Crescent looked around at the exhausted Digimon. "Our Digimon are exhausted from the fight. We need to rest and think of a new plan because attacking them straight on will only end up with use getting overwhelmed." '"Yeah, but I can scout ahead and find where they are. We can use that to our advantage to strike," said Crescent as she landed on the ground. "No, it's far too dangerous, those aren't average Manticores," said Matt as he made his way over to her. "It seems you forgot you're talking to a trained lunar guard. I'm more than capable of handling myself." Said Crescent The two continued to argue as the others watched the two bicker back and forth. "You two should get a room. I bet it would help!" Exclaimed James as he started to snicker. Matt and Crescent turned towards James, "Stay out of this!" The two went back to bickering like an old married couple. Alice sighed as she stood next to James. "You had to say that." Said Alice "It's not my fault they can't take a joke. I mean Matt only started his herd two days ago, and they're already at each other's throat." Said James "Yeah still strange to think that Equestria openly practices polygamy." Said April "Yeah, it sure is strange." Said Alice "Well, should we break them up or leave them to bicker. I'm afraid one of them is going to say something they shouldn't." Said James "When did you start caring about Matt's relationship?" Asked Alice "Hey, I'm only stating the obvious." Said James The group watched as they continued to bicker back and forth, and it didn't seem to end. No one from the group wanted to go and try to break up the bickering couple. It seemed like a bad idea to step between Matt and Crescent. "I'm surprised they haven't run out of things to scream at each other." Said Wizardmon "Yeah, and they probably have better control over their minds, unlike James." Said Gatomon She looked up at the African American. He huffed and looked away. James was still working on repairing his friendship with Fluttershy after the whole incident with the dragon. Fluttershy looked at James before looking away, she still didn't consider James, a friend, but she was happy to see him working on becoming her friend once more. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you, Gatomon?" Asked James "Not until your on good terms with my tamer." Said Gatomon James rolled his eyes as he looked back at the bickering couple. "You know I can do this, so why don't you let me?" Demanded Crescent "Because..." Matt said before getting stopped by Crescent "Because of what, Matt? It is because you want to be the hero. Is that it, you want to show how strong you are? Are you trying to prove something?" "No..." Crescent once again stopped Matt. "Then what is it?!" Demanded Crescent Matt grabbed Crescent on the side of her arms, "I don't want to lose you." Everyone was silent, "I can't lose you, Crescent, I only started my relationship with you. I can't go on in life if something happened to or Twilight. I'm your herd stallion, which means I'm responsible for you, and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you." Matt paused as he let go of Crescent, "I know you're a guard, Crescent, and it scares me. I know you're strong and trained to handle anything, but I'm not sure if you can handle those Manticores alone or the strange blue creatures we have been facing. I almost lost you to those Timberwolves, and that was before we were even a couple. I...I...I wouldn't know what to do if you got hurt by one of those things or if something worse happened to you." Crescent blinked her eyes as a lone tear fell from her herd stallion's eyes. She rubbed his cheek as she wiped away the tear, "Matt, I know you're scared. But as a herd, we mares stand next to you as you stand next to us. Twilight and I would do anything to make sure you were safe. And I know the danger of these new enemies, but it's my duty as a guard to defend the ponies of Equestria from danger." "I...I wish you didn't have to get right up in combat. In a way, I wish you were a tamer." Said Matt Before Crescent could respond, something warped around her waist. It was the tail of a Manticore, and before anybody could even react, the tail pulled Crescent back into the forest. "Crescent!!" Screamed Matt He tried to run after her, but a Manticore leaped out, blocking Matt and stopping him in his tracks. He saw its tail raise into the sky and come down at him. He rolled out of the way. He looked to see it turn its gaze on him, but the slap of fishes brought its gaze to Gomamon. But the Manticore didn't have time to react as three different attacks came at it. "Diamond Storm." "Bunny Blast." "Pyro Sphere." Guilmon's, Terriermon's, and Renamon's attack all struck the gear in the Manticores back, destroying it and, in turn, turning the Manticore into data. Once it was gone, Matt decided to head into the forest. But Renamon held him back. "Let me go, Renamon!" "Are you crazy, Matt?! You go in there; you'll end up dead." Said Alice Matt growled in spite, but he had to save Crescent even if it cost him his life. He wasn't going to lose Crescent, not when he only started his relationship with the bat pony. I'm sorry for this Renamon. Matt threw his head back hard and bashed it right onto Renamon's muzzle. She cried out in pain, and everyone gasped at what Matt did. Renamon's grip loosened, and he roundhouse kicked her to get her away from him. Once free of Renamon, he booked it into the Everfree Forest. "Matt, wait!" Exclaimed Guilmon Gomamon and Guilmon ran in after him. Alice ran up to help Renamon as blood leaked from her nose. Everyone looked at the forest entrance. Alice helped Renamon to her feet as she covered her bleeding nose. "Wow, he kicked your ass, Renamon." Said James Renamon glared at James and made a mental note to give Matt a piece of her mind. Renamon thanked Alice for the help as she pinched her nose and bent her head back to stop the bleeding. Abby was heading to the forest, but Alice stopped her from going into the forest. "We have to go in after him!" Exclaimed Abby "No chance Abby, we can't go in underprepared. We need to regroup with the others and think of a plan of attack. Going in now will only lead to casualties." Said Alice "What about Matt!" Cried Abby Tears were running down Abby's face. Terriermon and Lopmon tried to calm her down, but it didn't seem to be working. Alice bent down and hugged Abby, "Matt's going to be ok. You know we can take care of himself ever well, and he has Guilmon and Gomamon." Abby hugged Alice as she looked at the entrance to the Everfree Forest. Matt, stay safe. Alice picked up Abby, and she looked at the others. They all nodded and booked it back to town, knowing that they all needed a plan of attack and could only hope that Matt wouldn't get into to much trouble by myself. *** Crescent struggled to break loose from the Manticore's tail. Damn, I'm stuck. Crescent looked down at her sword and smiled as she tried to reach for it. If I can reach my sword, I get into the sky and escape this Manticore. The Manticore noticed Crescent going for her sword and stopped immediately and threw Crescent against a tree. She struck it hard, feeling the armor creaking as she coughed up blood and fell to the ground. Crescent's body was beginning to shut down as she watched the Manticore come near her. Fuck. She laid there waiting for death to grip her and take her away. Matt. She closed her eyes and fell into an unconscious state. *** "Well done, my pets." Crescent began to open her eyes. "Now, we can use her to bring down the DigiDestined." Crescent groaned as her body started to come back to her. She looked to see she was tied up on a tree. Damn. She looked to see the Manticores surrounding a dark area bowing before it. What are they bowing to? She couldn't see anything, but she swore she heard somepony talking a minute ago. She looked around and saw the Manticores stripped her of her sword and armor. All she was wearing was her midnight blue shirt and her sport shorts. She struggled to break loose from the bindings, but they were far to tight. Great, looks like I'm stuck. Crescent saw the Manticores walking away from the area as if they were no longer needed. She raised her eyebrow since she still didn't see anypony around to even give commands to the Manticores. She noticed that none of them were looking at her. Hm, whoever tied me up here must think I'm not going to escape or able to escape. She tried once more trying to move in the ropes, but it was pointless, they were far to tight around her. Damn! She huffed and sat there, thinking about what Matt said to her. I beat he's freaking out right now, trying to come in here and save me. Crescent lend her head back against the tree and looked up at the crystal clear blue sky. Matt, don't do anything crazy. She sighed as she accepted she couldn't do anything in her situation. Soon a Manticore ran into the area and began to converse with the other Manticores. In a second, the Manticores went running off, leaving Crescent alone. "Well, that was strange." Said Crescent "Are they gone?" Crescent turned to see a white blob-like creature with streamers coming from its head. It seemed to be scared of something as it peaked from behind a nearby tree. "Who?" Asked Crescent "The big creatures with the gears in their backs." "Oh, you mean the Manticores. Yeah, they're gone." Said Crescent "Oh, I thought they would never leave." The creature started to walk over to Crescent and looked up at the tied up bat pony. "So, what's your name, little fellow?" Asked Crescent "I'm Tokomon, what's yours? "I'm Crescent, and why were you hiding from the Manticores?" Asked Crescent "I didn't want them to notice me. I was sure they were going to find me and give me over to their master." Said Tokomon "Master?" Asked Crescent "Yeah, and if those Manticores found me. Their master would have probably implanted a gear into me as well." Said Tokomon "Harsh," Crescent looked down at the small white blob, and an idea came to her mind. "Tokomon, think you can help me escape. If you do that, I can get you out of this forest. Plus, get you as far away from the master of the Manticores." "Really." Said Tokomon "Yeah." Said Crescent "Ok." Said Tokomon Tokomon walked up to Crescent and opened his mouth to reveal rows of sharp teeth. Tokomon began to chew through the ropes one by one. Yes, I'll be free in no time and back with Matt and the others. Crescent's ears began to pick up the sounds of howls from the Manticores. Damn it! "Hurry up, Tokomon, I think the Manticores are coming back." Said Crescent Tokomon worked harder, chewing through the ropes and working on freeing Crescent. It would only take Tokomon another two minutes to tear through the last rope and let Crescent free from her bindings. She got up and stretched her body. Now time to get out of here. She tried to flap her wings, but pain shot throughout her body. Damn it! "What's wrong?" Asked Tokomon "It seems when that Manticore tossed me against the tree, it might have damaged my wings or paralyzed them. I was hoping to fly out of here, but looks it's going to be on foot." Said Crescent Soon three Manticores appeared before both Tokomon and Crescent. Each them growled as they looked at the small Digimon, who hid behind Crescent's hoof. She looked at them as her mind raced with ideas, and only one came to mind. She picked up Tokomon and booked it. "Where are we going?" Asked Tokomon "Anywhere where those Manticores aren't." Said Crescent Crescent could hear them coming towards her. She looked behind her to see the Manticores trying to catch up to her. Nothing seemed to be putting a stop to them. Nothing was going to be holding them back as they charged after Crescent and Tokomon. She pushed her legs to their max as she tried to dodge any roots or low lying branches. She needed to try to find a way to ditch the Manticores behind her. "Crescent, they're gaining." Said Tokomon Crescent peeked behind her to see the Manticores were gaining on her. Damn it! Crescent pushed her body even further. She could feel her heart pounding like no tomorrow in her chest, and her lungs were burning as she tried to fill them with oxygen. She left her legs growing weak as she pushed them to the limit. Finally, she saw a clearing and pushed her body to use whatever it had left. But once she left the trees, she came to a screeching halt. She was barely able to stop in time before she went right over a cliff into a raging river down below. A few pebbles feel from the cliff down to the river as she and Tokomon looked down at the raging water below. She quickly backed away from the end of the cliff. "That was close." Said Tokomon "I'll say." Said Crescent Crescent turned to see the Manticores still rushing towards her. They leaped out of the forest and began to push her towards the end of the cliff. She looked at the raging waters and began to think of her options. I clearly can't run around them, or else those Manticores will get me. And it looks like the Manticores corned me. The other option is to jump and see where the river takes me. She watched as the Manticores grow closer to her. I guess no other option. Crescent took a few steps back and held onto Tokomon tightly. "Get ready to take a swim, little buddy." Said Crescent The Manticores rushed her as she turned around, ran for the edge, and leaped off. One of the Manticores was able to reach her and get a swipe off on her back. Crescent hissed as she felt the Manticore's sharp claws breakthrough her shirt and claw into the flesh of her back. She ignored the pain as she concentrated on the task before her, surviving the rapids below. The Manticores watched Crescent plummetted towards the water below. Crescent braced herself for the strike against the water and splashed down into it. The rapids immediately pulled her away as she stayed underwater to keep out of sight of the Manticores. The Manticores looked around for her, but couldn't find her among the raging water. They growled but didn't dare to jump into the water themselves. The Manticores decided to find a way down to the river below and search for Crescent and Tokomon. They knew if they didn't find the bat pony that their master wasn't going to be pleased. *** Crescent pulled herself up onto the shore as she huffed and puffed from the exhaustion of fighting the current. After a few minutes of fighting the current, it settled down long enough for her to reach the shore. She laid there as she caught her breath and let her body relax for a few seconds. She looked to Tokomon, shacking himself off before turning to her. "You ok?" He asked "Yeah, I'll be fine. I only need to rest for a minute or two." Said Crescent Tokomon nodded his head and sat watching Crescent catching her breath. "Can I ask you something." Said Tokomon "Sure." Said Crescent "Where are we?" Asked Tokomon "We're right now in the Everfree Forest. A place that doesn't follow the laws of Equestria and a place that no pony should ever enter." Said Crescent "So, why are you here?" Asked Tokomon "One of those Manticores drug me in here." Said Crescent Crescent finally felt her body coming back to her and slowly got to her feet. She was still exhausted, but exhaustion never stopped her for long. She stripped her shirt, deciding to get the wet cloth off her body. Under her shirt was a light purple sport's bra. She reached back and found the scratch marks from the Manticore. She hissed as she found the wounds and pulled her hand back to see blood. She sighed as she tore her shirt, hearing Rarity screaming in her mind, and tied the strips around her injuries. "Tokomon, did I get all the wounds?" Asked Crescent She turned around to let Tokomon, "Yeah." She smiled as she picked up Tokomon, "Now, let's find a way out of here. I believe if we follow the river, we should find our way out of this forest." Said Crescent Crescent began to follow the river hoping it would lead her out of the Everfree Forest and back into the arms of her stallion. After a while, she felt tired of carrying Tokomon. "I'm sorry to say Tokomon, but you're a little heavy, and I'm still exhausted." Said Crescent "Oh, then let me do something." Said Tokomon Tokomon wiggled out of Crescent's grip and climbed up to the top of her head. "How's that?" Asked Tokomon Crescent smiled up at him, "Much better." Crescent continued her walk through the forest, following the river. She made sure to watch out for things that might hurt Tokomon. "So what type of Digimon are you, Crescent?" Asked Tokomon Crescent chuckled, "I'm not a Digimon. I'm what's called a Threstral or bat pony." "Bat pony, that's a strange name to call yourself." Said Tokomon "Well, maybe to you, Tokomon. But here in Equestria, you'll find that ponies are the common species." Said Crescent "Oh, but what about Digimon, are they common?" Asked Tokomon "Not so much, only recently have Digimon been appearing. But my friends have a few Digimon and are even tamers." Said Crescent "Tamers?" Asked Tokomon "It's the name for my friends who have partner Digimon and use them to protect Equestria." Said Crescent "Wow, are you a tamer?" Asked Tokomon "No, I don't have a partner Digimon. But I still fight next to my friends. I have to protect the ponies of Equestria as a royal guard; it is my duty." Said Crescent "Aren't you scared of getting hurt?" Asked Tokomon "Sure, who isn't scared, Tokomon. Going into battle is never easy, but somepony has to do it. Otherwise, we would live in a world where ponies are afraid to live or even go outside. We guards keep the gates of chaos closed to ensure peace is always present in Equestria." Said Crescent "Ok." Said Tokomon Crescent followed the river but stopped when her ears picked something up. Her ears twitched back and forth, trying to pinpoint the sound. She grabbed Tokomon and jumped behind a tree. She poked her head out to see two Manticores sniffing the area, trying to pick up her scent. Luckily, the water washed most of my scent away. The Manticores probably found my torn shirt. She stayed silent, keeping Tokomon from talking as the Manticores searched the area. Crescent knew she had no way to fight back and wasn't fully back to her usual self. If one of the Manticores found her, she would be dead in the water. She held her breath as one of the Manticores began to move closer to her. She began to shake in fear, and sweat began to form on her brow as the Manticore drew ever closer. Its nostrils were flaring, trying to find Crescent's scent. Please don't find me! Faust must have heard Crescent's plea, for an explosion pulled the attention of the Manticore away from her. It wasn't long before a howl filled the air pulling the Manticores off towards the explosion. Crescent poked her head from her hiding spot, making sure the area was clear. Once she made sure that the Manticores were no longer around, she left her spot. She let out a heavy sigh of relief, "Thank you, Faust." "Man, I thought that thing was going to find us." Said Tokomon "Yeah," but Crescent might have spoken too soon when she felt something breathing down her neck. Her fur stood on end as she turned her head to see a Manticore staring at her with rage-filled eyes. "Shit!" Crescent began to back up from it as the Manticore growled at her. She didn't know what to do, but Tokomon knew what he had to do. He wiggled out of Crescent's grasp and stood right in front of the Manticore. "Tokomon!" Screamed Crescent "Frothy Spit!" Tokomon spat up a bubbling spit that hit the Manticore right in the eyes. It howled in pain as Tokomon smiled. Crescent could see the Manticore was trying to get the spit out of its eyes. Time to make a break for it. Crescent picked up Tokomon and booked it away. She ran through the forest, thinking that the Manticore might think she followed the river. "What was that?" Asked Crescent "Frothy Spit, an acid spit." Said Tokomon "Wow, that's impressive, and thank you, Tokomon." Said Crescent "I couldn't let that beast harm you, Crescent." Said Tokomon Crescent smiled at Tokomon as she pushed her exhausted and wounded body to the limit it could reach. But she only lasted a few minutes before she had to stop and rest. She placed a hand against a tree trunk and started to huff and puff. Crescent looked around her but didn't see any Manticores, and her ears weren't picking up anything. She then heard another explosion, and it wasn't far from her. I wonder if that's Matt and the others. She walked towards the sound and came out to a small clearing and watched as a fireball blasted away a Manticore, turning it into digital code. That had to be Pyro Blaster, which means Matt's nearby. She stepped out and saw her herd stallion ordering Growlmon to fire on another two Manticores. Gomamon was resting on top of his head. Both Manticores didn't stand a chance against Growlmon. "Matt!" Matt turned, and his eyes widened when he saw Crescent running up to him. He smiled as Gomamon jumped off his head as he ran for his mate. Crescent could feel tears of joy running down her face as she was finally safe. But fate was not on the lover's side as the Manticore that Tokomon wounded, appeared with scars running over its face from the acid, and its right eye was milky. Everything went into slow motion as it rammed right into Crescent, sending her right into the tree across from the Manticore. Crescent slammed into the tree, and the force broke both of her wings. She heard and felt the sickening snap of her wings as she screamed out in pain. She fell to the ground as she laid there in agonizing pain as she coughed up blood. "Crescent!!!" Exclaimed Matt More Manticores came out of the forest and surrounded Matt and his Digimon as the wounded one walked towards Crescent and Tokomon. Matt cursed under his breath as the Manticores surrounded him and Gomamon. Growlmon tried to get to the two of them, but the Manticores around him kept him at bay. "Damn it!" Exclaimed Matt The Manticores now surrounded both Matt and Gomamon. Gomamon stood in front of the Manticores, ready to defend his tamer. "Gomamon, you can't handle them." Said Matt "Who cares, I can't let them hurt you. It's my job to protect you." Said Gomamon The Manticores leaped at Gomamon, who was ready for them, "Gomamon!" Suddenly Matt saw his Digivice glowing white and Gomamon following suit. Is Gomamon digivoling? "Gomamon digivolve to... Ikkakumon." The Manticores now looked at a large walrus and polar bear hybrid creature with a horn coming out of its head. Ikkakumon swatted away the Manticores with ease. Ikkakumon looked back at Matt, "Now I'm more than capable of handling these Manticores." "Looks like it, buddy." Said Matt Matt pulled his Digivice and looked to see Ikkakumon was Gomamon's champion form. "Now, let's do this, you oversized kitty cats." The Manticores growled and rushed toward Ikkakumon, "Harpoon Torpedo." Ikkakumon launched the horn on top of his head. It went a little way before opening to reveal a torpedo, which struck the black gear on the back of the Manticores destroying and turning the Manticore into digital code. Ikkakumon did the same for the other charging Manticores. Soon it was over, and there were no more Manticores. "Alright, Ikkakumon." Said Matt "Wow, that was amazing Ikkakumon," The two turned to see Growlmon walked over to them. "Thank you, Growlmon," but more growls pulled the group to see more Manticores approaching them. "Looks like we have more friends to deal with." "It would seem that way, Ikkakumon." Said Growlmon Matt gritted his teeth as he didn't have time to deal with all of these Manticores. He looked to see a small creature standing in front of Crescent as the Manticore that attacked her approached, but the arrival of a few Manticores blocked his site on his mate. Please strange creature, protect Crescent. Matt turned back to the Manticores facing him and his partner Digimon. "Let's show them what we got, boys." Said Matt "Harpoon Torpedo." "Pyro Blaster." Tokomon stood in front of Crescent as the Manticore approached them both. It growled as it looked at the creature that blinded one of its eyes. Crescent coughed as she struggled to get to her hooves, but the searing pain traveling through her body made it impossible. "You keep away from her." Said Tokomon "Tokomon." Said Crescent The Manticore growled at the in-training Digimon. Tokomon was scared out of his mind, but he stood his ground. I won't let that thing hurt you Crescent. Tokomon felt Crescent grab hold of his back. "Tokomon, run for it. You can't stop that thing." Said Crescent "No, I won't leave you." Said Tokomon Tokomon felt something wet drip onto his back. He looked up, and the Manticore was hovering over him right now. Tokomon swallowed the lump in his throat but stood his ground. The Manticore looked down at the small Digimon and smacked him away. He landed against the ground, not far from Crescent. Tokomon sat on the grass as his mind spun as he tried to get his body together. Crescent could feel the hot breath of the Manticore on her. She knew this was it. She spied Matt and his Digimon, fighting off a horde of Manticores. He would never make it to her in time. She accepted that this was the end of it all. She recognized that she had no luck to spare, and Crescent would find out if she were worthy to enter the Gold Pasters and meet Faust. She closed her eyes as a few tears leaked from them as she accepted death's grip. Tokomon shook off his daze and looked at the Manticore hovering over her. He ran right for Crescent. I have to protect her. Soon a light began to envelop Tokomon. "Crescent!" Exclaimed Tokomon The Manticore and Crescent looked at Tokomon as he leaped into the air as light entirely took him. "Tokomon digivolve into... Patamon." Crescent couldn't believe that Tokomon digivolved. But why did he digivolve into his next form. Was it because of me? The Manticore turned to Patamon, seeing it as a nuisance. It growled at Patamon, and he did the same. "Let's see if you can handle me now." Said Patamon The Manticore tried to strike Patamon with its tail, but Patamon dodged it. Patamon flew behind the Manticore and began to inflate his stomach. "Boom Bubble." Patamon released the built-up air into a solid mass of air that struck the Manticore's gear. It howled in pain before turning to look at Patamon. The Manticore used its wings on its back to take flight, even if it was a limited flight. "Wow, those wings do give you flight." Said Patamon The Manticore howled before flying towards Patamon. Patamon was able to dodge since the Manticore moved slower than Patamon. But it wasn't going to let the Digimon attack from its back once more. The tail went shooting at Patamon as he tried to get behind the Manticore. He quickly ducked under the attack and got far enough away from the tail. Shoot, how do I deal with this. "Harpoon Torpedo." Three torpedos smashed into the Manticore. "Pyro Blaster." Growlmon followed that up with a fireball to the Manticore. "Now, Patamon, finish it off." Patamon looked down at Matt and his two champion level Digimon. He nodded his head as he inflated his stomach once more. "Boom Bubble." Patamon spat out another ball of air that struck the gear, which exploded. The Manticore howled for a minute before it was over. The Manticore turned into digital data, and the battle was officially over. Not a single Manticore remained around the group. Matt sighed as he ran over to Crescent as Ikkakumon and Growlmon went back to Guilmon and Gomamon, who was exhausted from his first time digivolving into Ikkakumon. Patamon landed on the ground as he watched Matt gently pick up Crescent. Patamon watched the strange creature pick up her friend, but he didn't seem dangerous to her. She smiled up at him. He smiled back with a few tears running from his face as tears ran down hers. He held her tight as if he let go. She would disappear once again. Crescent lifted her hand and wiped away his tears before bringing him into a sweet little kiss, even if it strained her body. The two released the kiss, and she snuggled up into Matt's chest. Patamon smiled as he knew this stranger was not going to hurt Cresent but seemed to care deeply about her. He smiled that she was in his arms as he wiped away her tears. "Alright, let's head back." Said Matt His Digimon nodded, and off they went leaving Patamon standing there looking at the group. Crescent looked back at Patamon. "Come on, Patamon. Let's get out of here." Said Crescent Patamon nodded and took flight and flapped next to Matt. He looked up at the new Digimon. "Thank you, Patamon, for protecting Crescent." Said Matt "I couldn't let that thing hurt my friend." Said Patamon Matt nodded his head and walked out the way he came in. But the group didn't notice that in the darkness behind them, a figure watched. Guilmon turned his head but didn't see anything, but he thought he felt something watching them. He shrugged it off and ran to catch up with Matt. *** Crescent laid in her hospital bed, looking up at the ceiling. There was nothing much to look at in the white hospital room. The sound of her heart monitor beeping echoed around the room, keeping the silence at bay. Her mind flared with everything that happened to her yesterday. To think that I nearly lost my life yesterday. If Matt hadn't come when he did, and Tokomon hadn't digivolved when he did, who knows what would have happened. She sighed as she kept her eyes on the ceiling until she heard the door open. She looked up to see Matt, Twilight, and Patamon. She smiled as Patamon flew over to her and rubbed his head against her cheek. She noticed that Matt had a piece of cloth stuffed up his left nostril. She raised her eyebrow as to why he would have that stuffed up his nose. "What's with the cloth?" Asked Crescent "Renamon got her revenge when I gave her a bloody nose. She sure does have a strong right hook." Said Matt "You're lucky, that's all she did to you." Twilight sighed, "But he also received a good left hook to his face from Alice and a hard slap from me. Maybe that will teach you not to be stupid." Matt rubbed the back of his neck as he chuckled. Twilight rolled her eyes. Crescent giggled as she held Patamon. "I'm glad to see you're ok, Crescent." Said Patamon "Yeah, glad to see your feeling better." Said Twilight "Yeah, but doctors said I wouldn't be able to fly for at least three weeks. It looks like I'm stuck walking for a good while." Said Crescent "Ouch, but I'm glad to see you're fine." Said Twilight "Same here, when I saw you the strips of your shirt by the river, I thought the worst happened." Said Matt Crescent was silent for a minute as she thought what to say, "Matt, I want to apologize the way I acted yesterday. I knew you were only trying to look at for me." Matt walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Crescent, I said those things back there because I care deeply for you. I already lost my parents, and I can't take losing someone I care about again. But I understand you have a job to do, and you are a defender of Equestria." He grabbed her hand with his right hand and cupped her chin with his left, "But promise me you'll be careful from now on and listen to me when I say to disengage." "I can agree to that after today." Said Crescent "And you sir have to promise not to go charging recklessly into situations ever again." Said Twilight Matt nervously chuckled as he rubbed his neck and adverted his gaze from the stern look Twilight was giving him. He sighed, knowing it was the right thing to do. I guess she is right, I did go in recklessly, even if I had Guilmon and Gomamon by my side. He looked back at Twilight, "I promise." She smiled as her stern deminer disappeared. Matt smiled at back at Twilight as he placed a kiss on Crescent's lips. Twilight smiled as Crescent and Matt shared a loving embrace. They didn't stay connected long as Matt pulled away from her. She smiled at him before looking back at Patamon. "And I have to thank you to Patamon. You saved me back there." Said Crescent "Don't mention it. I was only protecting a friend. I am your friend, right?" Asked Patamon Crescent rubbed the top of his head, "Of course we are. We're the best of friends." Patamon smiled and laughed, but stopped when a sphere of light appeared before him and Crescent. Everyone in the room knew what that sphere meant as the light exploded to reveal a black and silver digivice. Crescent reached out and grabbed it. The screen lit up and showed a picture of Patamon. "What's that?" Asked Patamon "A digivice, and it has a picture of you on it." Said Crescent "What does that mean?" Asked Patamon "It means you and I are partners, and I'm a tamer now!" Exclaimed Crescent "Really!" Exclaimed Patamon "Yes!" Exclaimed Crescent Crescent held Patamon's front paws as he jumped up and down with a smile on both of their faces. Matt walked over to stand next to the Twilight to watch at the cute display. She intertwined the fingers of her right hand with his left as she leaned her head on his shoulder. She looked up at him as he watched Crescent. "You think I'll get a Digimon to?" Asked Twilight He looked down at her and placed a kiss on her forehead, "Who knows, but anything is possible." > Chapter 14 - Sleepover > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sleepover Rain poured down from the sky. It soaked the ground, causing puddles to form across the land. Lightning flashed across the sky as the wind wiped around the town Ponyville. Everypony was snuggled safely in their homes as the storm poured down much-needed rain after the pegasi forgot a sprinkle the week prior. No pony would be caught dead outside in the rain, but two such ponies were. Rarity and Applejack ran through the rain after hearing Twilight calling out to them. They had no other option but to take shelter in her house as it was the closet place for them. "Come inside, girls." Said Twilight Rarity quickly went outside as not to let the rain further soak her clothing, which was an aquamarine shirt and a black skirt. She used her magic to dry off her clothes and mane so she could get it right back the way it should be. Applejack, on the other hand, still stood outside, looking at Twilight's home and the lightning that was flying across the sky. "Is the inside a tree the best place to be in a lightning storm." Said Applejack "It isn't unless you have a magical lightning rod protecting it. Now come inside before you catch a cold." Said Twilight "Thank you for the invitation, Twilight." Said Rarity "Yeah, thanks for the hospitality." Said Applejack Rarity looked down to see mud-covered Applejack's hooves. She stopped Applejack from passing the doormat and pointed down to her hooves. "Do be a polite guest and clean yourself up." Applejack growled and muttered under her voice as she went back outside to clean off her hooves. Rarity smiled as she closed the door. "Some storm, huh. The pegasi sure outdid themselves this time. I hope you and Applejack will be able to make it home." Said Twilight Rarity looked outside at the raging storm, "Yes, that might be a problem." "Well, you are more than welcome to stay here. Spike's off in Canterlot on royal business. It's only Matt and his Digimon here." Rarity looked around and raised her eyebrow, "Oh, he's upstairs sleeping in my bed. He came back today after a three-day business trip with Mayor Mare. He came to see me and well conked out on my couch only after a minute or two of sitting on it. Guilmon and Gomamon are in the kitchen." As if on command, the two Digimon came out of the kitchen with Guilmon stuffing his face full of bread, "So I'm quite lonely tonight since I don't want to wake up, Matt." Twilight suddenly seemed to have an idea pop into her head, "You and Applejack should have a sleepover. We'll have a slumber party! I've always wanted to have one!" Rarity chuckled as Twilight ran over to the many shelves of the library, seemingly looking for a book, "Oh, well, that's nice darling, but I remembered have something important I have to do. How could I forget that?" She looked back at Applejack, working on cleaning her hooves, "I possibly can't stay here all night with Applejack." When she turned back, Twilight had a book right in her face, "Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask." "I always wanted to use it, but never got a chance. Now I can, oh this is going to be great." Said Twilight "Oh, can we join too?" Asked Guilmon with Gomamon nodding his head. "Why not, the more we have, the more fun we can have." Said Twilight "Slumber party!" Shouted Guilmon "Great," said Rarity with a nervous chuckle. Twilight placed the book on a pedestal and flipped to the first chapter. "What's first?" Asked Guilmon "Well, it says the first thing we do is makeovers." Said Twilight "What's that?" Asked Guilmon "Better to show than explain." Said Rarity "Well, you have fun. I am not putting makeup on or anything else you girls do for makeovers." Said Gomamon Rarity ignited her horn and grabbed Gomamon and pulled him into the air, "Not so fast, Gomamon. You wanted to be part of this sleepover, which means you have to do what the book says. I would hate for you to hurt Twilight's feelings about not wanting to enjoy the fun of her first slumber party." Gomamon looked over to Twilight, and she had a puppy dog look on her face. Guilmon was also trying to pull it off, but it wasn't working. Gomamon grumbled, "Fine." "Great, now let's get to work." Said Rarity *** Applejack closed the door as she looked at her cleaned hooves. I hope that satisfies little miss fussy. She then looked up and raised her eyebrows as Rarity began to place a green liquid that looked like mud on Twilight's face and move it around. Rarity also had it on her face along with Guilmon and Gomamon. Gomamon also had cucumbers around his eyes. "What in tarnation is going on here?" Everyone turned to look at Applejack, "You call me out for mud of my hooves and make me clean it off, but it's ok to put mud on your faces." "Silly, it's called a mud mask. It's to refresh and rejuvenate your complexion." Said Rarity "I do feel my face getting refreshed and rejuvenated," said Gomamon, with Guilmon nodding his head to agree with Gomamon. "We're giving each other makeovers! We have to do it since it is right here in the book." Said Twilight She used her magic to float the slumber party book over to Applejack's face, "Slumber 101: Everything You." Applejack instantly stopped reading, "Oh, look at the time! I gotta skidaddle on home, quick! I'm late for, um something." Applejack began to make her way towards the door, but a flash of lightning followed by a tremendous clap of thunder stopped her in her tracks, "Or maybe I'll stay here for a spell." "Hurray slumber party!" Exclaimed Twilight Applejack nervously chuckled but stopped when Rarity smiled at her as she began to put the mud mask across her face. She then placed two cucumbers over her eyes. "What's up with the cucumbers?" Asked Applejack Rarity sighed, "They are to reduce the puffiness around one's eyes." "I would agree with that." Said Gomamon "Whatever, but these are good eatin'." She threw both cucumber slices into her mouth and chewed them. "Oh, this is so exciting! We'll do everything by the book, and that will make my slumber party officially fun." Said Twilight Gomamon looked behind him as he heard Applejack and Rarity going at it. Guilmon stood next to him as the two Digimon watching the ponies go at it. "You wouldn't know that those two are friends from looking at it." Said Gomamon "Yeah." Said Guilmon Twilight appeared and hugged her friends before using her magic to bring in Gomamon and Guilmon into the hug, "This is going to be the best slumber party ever." Everybody nodded as Twilight brought the book over to them, "Let's see here to finish makeovers, we have to braid our mane and tails." Twilight let go over everybody and ran up the stairs to her room. "I've been meaning to ask what you and Guilmon are doing here, Gomamon?" Asked Applejack "Matt is out cold upstairs in Twilight's bed. He collapsed only after two minutes after coming here from his trip with Mayor Mare." Said Gomamon "How was that?" Asked Applejack "Boring." Said Gomamon "I have to agree, everypony there was so boring and dull. I had to fight every chance not to fall asleep." Said Guilmon "Oh, I let it put me to sleep." Said Gomamon Twilight came down with hair curlers. She set it down and smiled, "Now, let's get to work." After fifteen minutes of working on the braids, each of the mares had their manes and tails curling. Applejack didn't want the curlers in her mane, but she didn't want to upset Twilight as it was her first sleepover. Gomamon and Guilmon helped curl the girl's manes and tails since they couldn't participate. It wasn't long before the mares removed the curlers to reveal their manes were all the same. Gomamon and Guilmon cocked there heads to the side as Twilight went to work on her book. The two Digimon looked at each other before shrugging it away. "Makeovers check, now its time for us to tell ghost stories. Who wants to go first?" Said Twilight "I think I'll go first. Let me tell ya the story of the prissy ghost who drove all mad with her unnecessary neatness." Applejack looked over to Rarity, "I'm sure y'all familiar with that one." Rarity rolled her eyes, "No, I don't think I heard that one. But let me tell you one. I'm sure you well aware of Applejack. It's the horrifying story of the messy, inconsiderate ghost who irritated everypony within a hundred miles." "Oh, please, you made that up." Said Applejack "There ghost stories, they're all made up." Said Rarity "Not all ghosts are," both mares looked at Gomamon. "Let me tell you the story of the Bakemon. Ghost Digimon that every year gathers in mass." Gomamon began to stalk slowly towards both girls, "Then they head out to hunt helpless Digimon to feast upon them. If you ever hear the sound of cloth waving across the night sky, then know that you will never return." Both mares raised their eyebrows at Gomamon as he stood on his back legs with his claws in the air. He cocked his head to the side, "What?" "Darling, no offense, but that was a horrible story." Said Rarity "I have to agree. A ghost Digimon that eats other Digimon." Said Applejack "Oh, they're real, alright." Said Gomamon "Sure, darling." Said Rarity "Well, I have one. It's the story about the Legend of the Headless Horse." Twilight dimmed the lights and pulled out a lantern. She sat on the floor and patted the area around her. The group sat down around her as she placed the lantern in the middle of the group. "It was a dark and stormy night, just like tonight. And three ponies were having a slumber party just like this one." Twilight spent a good while recounting the story of the Headless Horse. The group was starting to get creeped out as Twilight continued her tale. "And just when the last pony thought she was safe, there, standing right behind her, just inches away was..." Twilight paused to raise the tension in the room and the perfect opportunity, "The Headless Horse!" A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, and Twilight took the opportunity as she quickly threw a blanket over her head and acted like the Headless Horse, causing Rarity, Applejack, Gomamon, and Guilmon to scream in horror. The group held each other in a large ball of fear. Twilight laughed as she threw the sheet off her head and went over to her book. She also brought the lights back on. "Ghost stories check." Everybody let each other go and tried to calm down their nerves. "Now it says here that it's time to make s'mores." Said Twilight "What's a s'more?" Asked Guilmon "It's a roosted Marshmellow between two pieces of chocolate and graham cracker." Said Applejack "Oh, that sounds tasty." Said Guilmon "It sure is." Said Applejack "Do we even have the necessary materials to make s'mores?" Asked Rarity Twilight zipped off into her kitchen and brought everything out they would need. "Well, I guess let's get started. First, we're going to need a fire to roast the Marshmallows and then a table to work on assembling the s'mores." Said Rarity "I think I have a spare table in the basement and wood in the basement." Said Twilight "I'll give you a hand, Twilight." Said Applejack Applejack followed Twilight down to the basement. After a while, the two came up with a table and wood. Applejack tossed a few logs into the chimney and asked Guilmon to light the fire. Guilmon fired off a Pyro Sphere to ignite the fire after which, Applejack gave him a thumbs up and began to work on the Marshmallows. Guilmon decided to help out, with direction from Applejack. Rarity worked at the table, sorting everything out with Twilight and Gomamon. "Now you place a Marshmellow on top of the chocolate and be sure it's centered - that's critical - and then carefully put another perfectly square graham cracker on top." She showed off the perfectly made s'more to Twilight Gomamon. "And that's how you do it." "Wow." Said Twilight "That all seemed way too complicated for a snack." Said Gomamon "That's because it is, Gomamon." Applejack picked up Rarity's perfectly made S'more, "Nah, ya just eat 'em." Applejack tossed the treat into her mouth and chewed. The Digimon followed Applejack's example, as did Twilight. Twilight ate her treat as she went over to her book. "S'mores check, now it seems we play a game called truth or dare." Said Twilight "Well, I dare Applejack to do something carefully and neatly for a change." Said Rarity "Oh yeah? Well, I dare Rarity ta lighten up and stop obsessin' over every last little detail, for a change." Said Applejack "I don't think this game is going to well." Said Gomamon Twilight scratched her head as her friends continued to argue. I don't think that's how we play the game. Let's see if they have a guide here. Twilight flipped through a few pages before she found what she needed. "It says here you have to give an honest answer to any question or do whatever anypony dares you to do." Said Twilight Applejack looked at Rarity with a devilish grin, "Then, I dare Rarity to step outside and ruin her precious mane." Rarity gasped at what Applejack dared her to do. "You have to. It's the rules." Said Twilight Rarity growled before marching over to Twilight's front and stepping outside. She did pause once she had the door open, but accepted her fate and went out into the rain. She only stayed outside for a few seconds before returning to the inside of the library. She stood at the front door, shivering and dripping water as the rain had soaked her from head to toe. Her clothes hung tight to her body, and her mane was now straight as it dripped water. Applejack placed her hand over her mouth as she snickered at Rarity, making the fashion mare growl before making her way towards Applejack, leaving a trail of water. She got right in front of Applejack's face. "Now, I dare to wear a frou-frou, glittery, lacy dress." Said Rarity Applejack huffed as she stomped off to Twilight's basement. She was down there for an entire three minutes before coming back up wearing a frou-frou princess dress. Rarity snicked a little as Applejack made her ways back to stare daggers at Rarity. The two began to give each other dares. Gomamon turned to look at Twilight. "Is that yours?" He asked Twilight blushed and turned away from Gomamon, "I think that's enough of that. Let's see our next fun thing to do is...pillow fight." Rarity huffed as she finally got herself dry, "Oh, please. I will not participate in something so crude." Once she finished her sentence as a pillow hit her in the head. She looked at Applejack, who was holding another pillow. Applejack also was out of the dress that Rarity made her wear. "Oh! It! Is! On!" Guilmon and Gomamon looked at each other before booking it as pillows began to go flying across the library. Both Digimon took cover behind the couch as they watched Rarity and Applejack go at it. Twilight didn't seem to pay much attention as she was trying to figure out what the new game was. Finally, she figured it out after turned around. "Oh, I get it. A fight with pillows." She watched as Rarity and Applejack were picking up the fight, "Don't you girls think you should take it down a notch." "I will if Applejack does." Said Rarity "She started it." Said Applejack Both mares dodged pillows they launched at each other. Twilight was going to try to stop them when pillows began to slam into her. Rarity and Applejack stopped when they completely covered Twilight. Twilight poked her head out from the pile of pillows. "Maybe it's time to get some sleep." Said Twilight Everyone else seemed to agree as Twilight got to her hooves and pulled a few feathers from her mane and out of her mouth. She took a few pillows upstairs with her. She opened her bedroom door to see Matt was still sleeping in his bed, but quite sprawled out. Twilight offered Rarity and Applejack some of her PJs for them to wear to bed as she prepared the extra bed in the room. Applejack and Rarity took turns getting changed as the Digimon made themselves some makeshift beds on the floor. Twilight moved Matt around, without waking him, and curled up next to him. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his gentle breathing as she fell asleep. But Twilight wouldn't stay asleep for long as she could hear Applejack and Rarity arguing once more. She had tolerated it for most of the sleepover, but she finally had enough of her friends bickering at each other. She tried to ignore them and concentrate on her lover's breathing or the rhythm of his heartbeat. But neither of those was working. She growled as she got up and glared at her friends, who looked at her. "I hope you're happy, both of you. You've ruined my first slumber party." Gomamon and Guilmon were both waking up right at the moment, "The makeover, the s'mores, Truth or Dare, the pillow fight... I mean, is there anything else that could go wrong?" Soon everyone turned to watch as a bolt of lightning struck a tree next to Twilight's house. "Sorry, I asked." Everyone ran to the window and looked at the tree as it swayed in the rain and wind. It looked close to falling onto the house next door to them. "Ya, see? That's why we needed to take down all those branches around town, not spiffy 'em up." Said Applejack Rarity wanted to say something, but Applejack pushed her out of the way and went to her clothes, where she got a rope. She tied a knot and made a lasso out of it. She walked over to the window and pushed Rarity out of the way as she opened it. "Are you sure that's such a great idea." Said Gomamon "Applejack, wait!" Exclaimed Rarity "No time for waitin'!" Applejack tossed her rope out and caught the broken tree and smiled over at Rarity, "That's how we get it done." Applejack pulled on the rope, and in came the tree. Everyone screamed as the top of the broke tree came right into Twilight's room. The screaming, of course, woke up Matt, who wasn't able to get a word out before the tree began to fill Twilight's room. Everyone poked there heads out from the foliage of the tree. Rarity saw the mess that the tree caused and gasped as she went right to work on trying to clean it as the rain started to come into the room. "I tried to tell you it would come crashing into here." Said Rarity Applejack growled, "Well, ya should have tried harder." Applejack turned back to look at Twilight, "I'm mighty sorry, Twilight." "Its..." Twilight paused as she thought about it, "Well, it's not okay. There's a giant tree branch in the middle of my room, and the book doesn't say anything about having a giant tree branch at your slumber party. Or least I haven't found that entry yet." Twilight flipped through the book but struggled against the storm. Matt poked his head up from the tree and looked around as Gomamon and Guilmon were next to him. He looked at both of them and then the tree that was inside Twilight's room. "What's going on here?" Asked Matt "We're having a slumber party." Said Guilmon "A slumber party." Said Matt "Yeah." Said Gomamon Matt kept trying to understand what was happening as Applejack argued with Rarity, and Twilight attempted to figure things out. Soon Rarity's horn came to life, and the tree became covered in the light from her horn. Then in a flash of white light, the tree was now potted topiaries. Applejack was going to kick out the rest of the tree out of the window, but Rarity glared at her. Applejack stopped and pick up the trunk of the tree and drop it outside. Rarity smiled at her until she looked at herself. "Oh, I look awful." Said Rarity Applejack also saw she didn't look too good either. She rubbed her chin, and a light bulb went off in her head, and she ran off and got to pieces of cucumber and put them over Rarity's eyes. "Better." Said Applejack "Yes, thanks." Said Rarity Rarity tried to find Applejack to hug her as she waved her hands around to find Applejack. Applejack smiled as she moved forward and returned Rarity's action. Matt stood with his Digimon partners and scratched his head. "I'm still completely lost." Said Matt Applejack released Rarity and walked over to Matt, "No worries, partner, I'll fill you in." "While you do that, I'm jumping into the shower. I need to get cleaned up." Said Rarity She removed the cucumbers to make her way to Twilight's bathroom as Applejack filled Matt in on everything much better than Guilmon and Gomamon could do while Twilight tried to figure out what part of the slumber party consisted of topiaries. *** "Dear Princess Celestia, It's hard to believe that two ponies who seem to have so little in common could ever get along. But I found out that if you embrace each other's differences, you just might be surprised to discover a way to be friends after all." Twilight rolled up the scroll as Rarity, Applejack, Gomamon, and Guilmon played a little game in the background. Twilight would make sure that when Spike got home, she would have him send that off. Matt came up and hugged her from behind as she placed a kiss on her cheek. "So, how was your first slumber party?" He asked Twilight looked back at him as he rested his head on her shoulder, "Sure, it was rough at first, but I think it ended up being perfect. So as for my first slumber party, it's a complete success." She then turned to the ponies and Digimon, "Now shall we have another tomorrow." The ponies and Digimon looked at her and began to laugh, "How about a week from Thursday? Oh, how about two weeks from Saturday? A month from now?" The laughter continued as the clouds disappeared, and the sun came out once more.