My little Pony: Friendship is Digital (OUTDATED)

by DarklordAxel20

The Vee is For Victory

It had been two whole days since Rainbow Dash "helped" Fluttershy in her time of need, however in Rainbow Dash's mind, she felt rather useless during the situation. Even though it shouldn't have, the whole thing bothered her; neither her nor Veemon got a chance to do anything worthwhile when it came to aiding her friends. It was eating away at her far more than it was Veemon though.

The sounds of loud, sad, annoyed sighs could be repeatedly heard coming from within Rainbow Dash's cloud house for the past two days. The cyan pegasus tossed and turned in her bed, and the more she dwelled on the thought, the more she would toss about in her bed uncomfortably. She suddenly shot up in her bed, " I still can't believe it! Not only did we do absolutely nothing last night, but we also missed all the action!! I mean it was like we weren't even there!!! "

Her digital partner was standing by her bed, scratching his blue head as he watched her throw her fit. " Cmon Rainbow Dash, just because we were useless the other night doesn't mean it was for nothing, " his attempt at a pep talk did the complete opposite of what he intended.

If anything, it upset her even more, " We were useless!!! I was useless!!! " She fell backwards onto her bed, covered her head with her pillow, and finally letting out a loud groan.

Veemon climbed onto the bed and proceeded to pat the pillow covering her head, " Well, laying in bed isn't gonna make us not useless. We gotta get out there, find something, and tackle it before any of the others get a chance. And hey, if there's nothing to do, at least we could hang out together, " he pumped his fist into the air with excitement.

Rainbow Dash shot up into the air, " Yeah! You're right Veemon! " She energetically pumped her hooves into the air, " Sulking’s not gonna do anything for us! "

" That's the spirit!!! " Veemon cheered. " And if we do find something, we can save the day together! " He beamed with enthusiasm.

" Yeah! " Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof into the air.

Without a single word of warning, Rainbow Dash grabbed Veemon, quickly placing him on her back. Then finally shot off out an open window and towards town, " THIS IS THE COOLEST!!! "

Rainbow Dash wasn't the only pony having a less-than-stellar day. At the moment, Twilight seemed to tie her for that title, the purple unicorn was frantically racing across town with her draconic assistant, and digital insect trailing close behind. " It's been three days since I've written a report to Princess Celestia!! The last one I wrote was eaten by Kuwagamon! I've got to get to it or I'll be in big trouble!!! "

Tentomon, however, wasn't quite sure the urgency of the situation was as urgent as she made it out to be, " Perhaps you could simply write to your teacher about us, like I've suggested for the past two days. "

Twilight stopped in her tracks, and slowly turned back to look her digital partner in his compound eyes. She stared at him for what seemed like the longest time before letting out a loud sigh, " I guess you're right...It's just, I've been trying to put it off, just on the off chance that Princess Celestia...takes you away... "

A frown came to Spike's face in reaction to his surrogate sister's worried remark, " Twilight, I hiiighly doubt that Princess Celestia would do something like that. "

" From the way you described Princess Celestia, she seems to be a benevolent ruler, so I am certain she would not act so rashly, " Tentomon said with a raised claw.

" Yeah, he's right Twilight, " Spike assured.

A sigh escaped Twilight's mouth as she nodded from the assurance of her adoptive brother, and partner. " I guess you two are right. Besides, there's another matter I was actually looking to take care of today. "

" Oh? " Tentomon turned his head curiously, " And what matter might that be, Twilight? "

Using her magic, Twilight reached into her saddlebag and pulled out another rolled up piece of paper. " Last night, on the way home, Rarity told me the reactions she got when going through town with Agumon, which when you think of it, they were reasonable reactions. " Tentomon nodded, following along with what Twilight was saying, " But it dawned on me that the likes of Agumon, and Veemon could pass as baby dragons like Spike, and Lopmon could pass for a large rabbit. However, you, Gabumon, and Gaomon are a bit more complicated. " Twilight's hoof tapped the paper as she showed its contents to Tentomon, " I'm going to Mayor Mare to explain to her the situation with you digimon, that way the citizens of Ponyville will be much more easier to handle and get along with. "

" That's a brilliant idea Twilight! " Tentomon raised one of its claws, " That way we won't have to use Rarity's suggestion and go around dressed up. "

" Pfft, " Spike crossed his arms while trying to imagine Tentomon and the others in disguises, " Who'd be dumb enough to fall for that. "

Before Twilight could give a response, a rainbow blur shot by overhead at a breakneck pace. " YAHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! " Shouted a smaller blue blur resting atop the speedster.

Another, much louder sigh left Twilight's mouth, " ...Or that's going to have to wait until I see what's going on. Something tells me I should follow her... " Twilight said with a shake of her head, before trotting off in the same direction.

Spike and Tentomon were right behind her, staying at the same pace to converse while moving. " Is Twilight always this way when it comes to Rainbow Dash? " Tentomon asked Spike.

The purple dragon gave a shrug whilst he ran, " Not all the time, but something definitely seems up today. "

" The sky? " Tentomon asked with another turn of his head.

Spike brought his claw to his face and groaned, " For being so smart, you really aren't that perceptive! "

Rainbow Dash had brought herself to a stop atop a mass of clouds hanging over the town. Both she and Veemon were busy gazing down from the clouds, their heads going left and right, like birds of prey on the hunt. " See anything yet Veemon? "

The sky blue rookie digimon shook his head, " Nope, not a thing, " He was quick to change the subject upon seeing absolutely nothing they could do to be useful, " so can we hang out now, Rainbow? "

However, his request fell on deaf ears, as something else had caught Rainbow Dash's ears.

" Help! Help!! "

It was a cry for help! A cry originating from a well just below them. Immediately, Rainbow leapt up and rushed to the edge of the cloud, " Veemon, do you hear that?! "

" Yeah!! " He pumped his fist high into the air, " It's our time to shine! Let's fly Rainbow Da- " the rookie digimon was cut off by a rainbow blur flashing past him, leaving him alone on the cloud. " Rainbow Dash...? "

In an instant, Rainbow Dash had shot by her partner, and taken a nosedive into the well, and as swiftly as she had descended, she ascended. However she was now accompanied by a filly covered in dirt and grime. " Don't worry kiddo! Rainbow Dash has got ya! "

In the few short moments Rainbow had been down the well, a crowd of ponies had already built up around the well, one of which was Twilight. " Well, at least I know she's not getting herself into trouble, " She spoke all while keeping her eyes glued to Rainbow's act of heroism.

" Indeed, " Tentomon said while next to her, doing his best to stay hidden in the crowd of distracted ponies. " However, I do notice a lack of Veemon's presence. He had been with her up until this point, I'm assuming. "

Twilight didn't have a chance to respond as Rainbow landed mere feet away from her, only to be swamped by the sudden cheering crowd. " That was incredible! " One pony said, " Outstanding! " said another, followed by many other praises.

Rainbow's cheeks turned a tinge of pink, and she smiled bashfully, " D'aw, thanks everypony, eheh, but it wasn't really a big deal. "

The filly she had saved stepped towards her, " It was a big deal to me Rainbow Dash! You're my hero! " This was followed by many other cheers, making Rainbow's face grow pinker from the constant praise.

Needing to get out of here before the praise overwhelmed her, Rainbow Dash gave a big nod and a smirk before wordlessly taking off into the sky. However, nopony seemed noticed the smaller blue figure running after Rainbow from the ground. " R-Rainbow Dash?! Wait for me!!! " Veemon cried out as he tried catching up to his partner.

Five ponies among the crowd did notice the sprinting rookie. Coincidentally, those four ponies also had digimon. Twilight's brows furrowed as she gazed on at the little dragon digimon with a hint of concern.

" It seems we located Veemon, " Tentomon said, referring to their previously cut off conversation.

" Yeah, we did, " Twilight mumbled, her eyes still following the cyan pegasus and her struggling partner.

She hadn't been flying long before she decided to land in a quiet spot in Ponyville Park. A shudder when down her back as she was still filled with a strange invigoration from her heroic deed and the praise it had received. A large grin graced her face, " That was so awesome! I was like woosh, and that filly was all like, ' Help! Help! ' and I was like, ' I'll save you! ' and those ponies were all like ' Yeah! Awesome! Rainbow Dash! ' "

It wasn't until her self-recollection of what just occurred was over that Rainbow Dash noticed the panting and wheezing of Veemon. " R-R-Rainbow D-Dash... " he was hunched over, his hands on his knees. His exhaustion was fully visible, as he had pushed himself to even come close to keeping pace with his flying partner.

" Oh, there you are Veemon, " she said so nonchalantly, as if she hadn't noticed his struggle to breath.

" I...thought you...said...if we found a problem...we'd save the day...together, " He leaned himself up against a tree and wiped the sweat from his brow, using it to help catch his breath. " Whew, I thought I'd never get my second wind... " he mumbled before looking back at his partner.

A sheepish grin replaced her previous excitement-filled one, " Eheheh, sorry about that Vee, I guess I just acted without thinking, " She pulled the sky-blue digimon into an affectionate headlock, " don't you worry your blue little head buddy, next time, we'll work together to save the day! "

He looked, almost skeptical from her tone of voice, " Promise? "

" Pinkie promise, " She rubbed the top of his head with her hoof and sat him on her back and started trotting.

Content with the answer given, Veemon grinned, as they went along their way. Surely he had nothing to worry about; Rainbow had just promised they'd get some time to hang out. " I'm sure saving that pony was more than enough to make Rainbow feel useful. Yeah, we'll be hanging out in no time. "

The Duo wandered almost aimlessly through the park, eventually making it back to the center of Ponyville. It was much easier to get around, what with the excitement from earlier having died down. " So little buddy, " Rainbow spoke, snagging Veemon's wandering attention, " since you're still kinda learning your way through Ponyville, why don't I decide how we'll hang out. "

Veemon's eyes began to gleam with excitement, " Sure thing Rainbow Dash! We could go get a bite to eat, we could do something awesome together, or we could just- "

" AAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! "

An ear piercing shriek of terror rung through the air, cutting the rookie digimon off mid sentence, and immediately catching Rainbow's attention. " Veemon, did you hear that!? We gotta hurry! " She blasted off through the air, giving Veemon little time to hang on. Rainbow Dash blitzed through the sky, making her way to the source of the horror-filled cry. A terrified mare came into Rainbow's line of sight, and rapidly rolling down a steep hill not so far off, a runaway baby carriage.

" Runaway toddler!!! " Veemon shouted with one of his clawed fingers extended.

" I see 'em! " Making an immediate turn, Rainbow raced after the carriage. In no time flat, she had reached the carriage, and was trying as quickly as she could to snap her mouth around the carriage's handle.

Without thinking twice, Veemon leapt off Rainbow, " Don't worry little guy, I got ya! " He grabbed hold of the handles and planted his feet as hard as he could into the ground. Trying his best to slow the carriage's rapid descent towards the nearing cliff, he pulled as hard as he could while being drug behind it, " Who's bright idea was it to make a path leading directly off a cliff?!?! "

The sky-blue digimon had managed to slow the carriage considerably, but found the momentum fighting against him. Without warning, though, the carriage came to a complete halt, surprising the little blue dragon, " Did I do it? " he asked no-one in particular.

Despite Veemon's great attempt at stopping the runaway infant, in the end, it had been Rainbow Dash who saved the day. Having flown in front of the carriage, she used her body to bring it to a complete halt. " Phew, that was a close, " A loud sigh escaped her lips before poking her head into the carriage to check on the baby.

Something else quickly caught her attention, though. It was the resounding cheers of the ponies who had been watching the heroic act from below. The cheering brought a tinge of pink to Rainbow's cheeks again, who gave a small bow to the adoring ponies. She was completely unaware of her partner, who at the moment, was sitting on the ground, holding his foot. " ...Oh my aching feet. Is this what cheese feels like when you grate it? " His eyes roamed to Rainbow who was now holding the baby in the air, receiving even more applause.

When the cheering died down, Rainbow had flown to the top of the hill. There the baby's mother had watched the whole thing play out, and happily took the infant from its savior. " Oh, thank you so much!!! "

" All in a day's work, " Rainbow said with a confident grin. The flashes of camera's got her to turn her head their way, as well as make her grin grow.

Veemon trudged up the overly-steep hill, trying to catch up with the speedster he called his partner. " R-Rainbow! Wait for me... " he stopped in his tracks once he saw her making pose after pose for the flashing cameras.

Not far away from the two, Twilight, Tentomon, and the rest of their friends had gone to meet and congratulate Rainbow. Though they stopped when they caught sight of two things; Rainbow soaking in the sudden burst of attention, and Veemon watching quietly from behind the crowd that seemed to have formed in an instant.

" Well, she's certainly being modest, " Applejack practically spat with sarcasm.

" I'll say, " Gaomon nodded, concurred with his partner.

Fluttershy stepped forward, her eyes on the silenced digimon who opted to avoid the crowd. " ...Poor Veemon, he helped save the baby, too... "

Twilight, turned her head towards the shy pegasus, " I'm sure Rainbow Dash will tell him how good of a job he did, " she said with some optimism.

" Or she'll just fly off, " Tentomon added.

" Yes...or she'll just- " Twilight froze in the midst of copying him, " she'll just what now?! "

One of Tentomon's insectoid claws was pointed towards a lightning bolt made of smoke, the only thing that remained from Rainbow Dash before she took off into the sky. " She left while you were talking to Fluttershy, " he spoke with his head facing away from Twilight. It helped having compound eyes sometimes.

The group of ponies and digimon watched as a clearly upset Veemon raced after his partner. The poor mon had been running nonstop for most of the day. The only time he had gotten moments of reprieve were when they first set out, and when Rainbow Dash "attempted" to find something for them to do. The least Rainbow could've done before flying away from the adoring audience was pick him up first.

" Rainbow Dash, wait up!!! " He cried out as he ran with haste, " My feet hurt and my legs are short!! " His cries fell on deaf ears though, as she was already out of earshot. A loud exasperated sigh of defeat came from his mouth as he took off as fast as his two legs could carry him.

In reality though, he hadn't had to run long before managing to catch up to Rainbow Dash. He had caught sight of her floating overhead, " Never fear! Your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash is here, " she declared with a heroic tone. A rather ridiculous catchphrase, Veemon noted mentally. It turns out that a balcony holding some elderly ponies on it had broken out from underneath them and was about to collapse. Just what was going on in Ponyville today?!

He watched his cyan partner swiftly catch and gently lower the broken balcony to the ground, saving the ponies in the process. The chanting for this act of heroism was greater than the last two times, as even more ponies had joined in. That's when it finally started getting to her head, she declared that she couldn't hear the ponies, then the chanting got louder. It was finally the sight of Rainbow eating up all the attention, doing tricks, poses, and dances that caused Veemon to have enough. " Ah, that's it! " he turned away with the wave of his hand, " Since Rainbow's so busy playing hero, I'll go do something else...like...like hang out with myself! Yeah, I'm a stand up guy; if I were me, I'd love to hang out with me! " He pointed his thumb to his chest before stomping off.

Again, his and Rainbow's friends had been witnesses to his reaction of Rainbow's "lack of modesty" as Applejack had put it.

An annoyed look graced Twilight's face, " I think if this keeps up, Rainbow's head is going to swell because of the ego she's developed from being a hero. "

" How does one's head swell, Twilight? " Tentomon asked with a turn of his head.

" Oh that's easy! " Pinkie poked her head in between the two, with Lopmon sitting atop it. She grinned and gave Tentomon a nod, assuring him of what she was about to say, " All ya got to do is this! " She began puffing her cheeks out with air, causing her head to inflate in an unrealistic matter. Her head had swollen up like a balloon before popping, sending Lopmon into the air, who then gracefully floated down on his rather large ears.

" Wow Pinkie Pie, I didn't know ponies could do things like that! " The little rabbit said in awe.

Twilight stomped her foot, " That's not important right now! What's important is we follow Rainbow Dash, then check on Veemon. " That seemed to get them to pay attention, and nod in response, including Pinkie, with her newly "regrown" head.

Luckily, they needn't go too far, as Rainbow and her adoring fans had migrated into the nearby Sugarcube Corner.

The sight was more than enough to cause Applejack, and coincidentally, Gaomon, to bring their hoof and paw to their faces. Rainbow was publicly speaking to her fan club, recounting an exaggerated version of the well rescue. " What was that you said about her gettin' a big head Twilight? "

Agumon, who stood next to Rarity, simply scratching his head with his claw with a confused expression. " I still don't get what you guys are talking about. Rainbow Dash's head hasn't grown an inch. "

A small sigh left Rarity as she rubbed the yellow-orange dinosaur on his head, " You need not worry about that, Agumon sweetie, all it means is Rainbow Dash is getting full of herself. " Seeing his confusion grown, she mentally facehoofed. She loved Agumon, but sometimes he wasn't the brightest candle on the cake. " It means, darling, that Rainbow is letting this publicity go to her head, making her misbehave in a way, " she explained carefully.

" I.E., she's being a jerk, " Gaomon said with his arms crossed.

" ...That's one way of putting it, I suppose, " Rarity responded dryly.

" She really didn't need to ignore Veemon... " Fluttershy mumbled from behind Gabumon.

Applejack had her head turned away from the stage. Her friend's arrogance had brought about her sour side, and she had enough of the gloating. " Why I oughta give Rainbow a piece of my mind! " She didn't get a chance to as a cyan leg wrapped around her neck and pulled her to the owners body.

Of course, the limb belonged to Rainbow Dash, who was grinning as arrogantly as possible. " I'll take a rain check on that AJ, how's about instead I immortalize you as my friend! "

Confusion was evident on her face " Immorta-what now? " However, all confusion ceased when a camera flash went off in her face.

That was when Gaomon grabbed Applejack by her hoof and started walking to the exit, " I think we'll be on our way now, don't you all agree? " He looked back at the rest of them, who promptly nodded, and followed.

Before Twilight walked out the door, however, she glanced back at Rainbow, who had busied herself taking pictures with her younger fans. " You coming Twi? " Applejack asked her as she gazed upon what she dubbed Twilight's idea face.

" Actually girls, " Twilight started, " I think we should go pay the mayor a visit. "

" Visit the mayor? " Tentomon echoed, " But I don't have anything good to wear! " He said with faux urgency in his voice.

" I know how you feel darling, truly I do, " Rarity replied with one of her usual exaggerated expressions.

Twilight started off without them, " There's no time for that! Tentomon, Agumon, Gabumon, I need you three more than anypony when we see her. "

" You can count on us! " Agumon saluted.

" I suppose you had a plan then, darling? " Rarity inquired.

Oh, she had a plan alright. Rainbow Dash wasn't the only one who could play hero, but Twilight wouldn't be able to pull this off alone. She'd need some big help for this plan, and lucky for her, she had some very willing volunteers to lend some claws. " You bet I do, " Twilight said with the slyest smile she could.

At some point in the day, Rainbow Dash's meet'n'greet had been led outside. The fan club who had been so eager to be near her had swiftly turned into a rather long line, with each one of them desiring an autograph from the town's hero. As expected, Rainbow was more than glad to sign each autograph handed to her. Every picture she signed only seemed to pander to her growing ego, something she was completely unaware of. " And one for you, " she spoke, despite the pencil placed in her mouth.

" I wanna be just like you when I grow up, Rainbow Dash! " The filly beamed.

This brought a genuine smile to the "hero's" face, " Maybe someday kid. "

That's when the second ear-piercing shriek rung through the air for the day. This time, however, it belonged to a mare who had been flying high above the town in her hot air balloon. Everything seemed fine as she did this routinely, that was until her balloon suddenly popped, causing her to quickly descend towards the earth below, unsure if she'd meet her demise or not.

" HEEEEEEEEELLLLLP!!! " She cried out in fear and panic.

Despite the imminent danger though, Rainbow Dash continued signing the autographs to her fans, as if she were unaware to what was going on. " Um, Rainbow? " A foal named Snips said to get her attention, " A-aren't you gonna do anything to save her?? "

Rainbow merely smirked and waved him off, " Don't worry, I got about ten seconds to spare. " She signed one last picture before shooting off into the sky, flying in a rather nonchalant matter; very unfitting, considering the situation at hoof.

Something Rainbow hadn't been anticipating happened though. A bright flash of light came from behind one of the various buildings below her, followed by a powerful cry. " Kabuterimon!!! "

" What in the? " Rainbow didn't have time to register what was going on before a giant blue blur came buzzing past her, nearly knocking her from the sky. Much to everyponie’s' shock, a giant blue insect came flying towards the falling balloon. Screams of terror ensued from below, as they perceived this monster as an immediate threat. " Oh great! First the balloon, now a giant monster is attacking?! I bet it's a digimon too, and Veemon isn't here!" Rainbow Dash began mentally panicking.

However, the cries of terror quickly warped into a collective gasp at the monsters next actions. He had caught the air balloon and was carrying it down! " Don't worry, I won't let you fall! " He declared in a very friendly tone, shocking everypony.

Further surprising everypony was the appearance of a masked pony, dressed from head to hoof in purple. From her large brimmed hat to her flowing cape. " Who is that?! " many ponies mumbled aloud.

" She'll take you from here, " The gentle giant insect said as he lowered the balloon's basket towards the masked pony, who leapt towards it, grabbed the pilot, and safely sat her on the ground. The insect monster perched itself on a roof, and was immediately joined by the masked pony, " Glad we could help! " It waved with one of its four arms before flying after his masked companion, who had taken off before him.

Cheers erupted from the gathered crowd. However, unlike before, where the cheers were for a certain rainbow-mane mare, this time they were for the mysterious cloaked pony and her very friendly monster. " Holy hayseed! " A pony exclaimed, " They came out of nowhere!! " another added, " Even though that bug looked scary, it was actually a hero! Just like that pony! " a little filly said amongst the crowd.

Rainbow Dash remained airborne the whole time. Her mouth agape as she looked on at the crowd of ponies below. The crowd that should have been cheering her name, after she saved the balloon pony, but that wasn't the case now was it? It was only when Mayor Mare made her presence known did salt get rubbed in Rainbow's metaphorical wound. " Everypony, I am proud to announce that Ponyville has a new hero! She's a mysterious mare, accompanied by her own monsters to do right by our fare town on this day. As such, for their acts of bravery, I will dub the masked hero and her unique helpers, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well and her Monstrous Champions!!! "

A low growl of annoyance reverberated from within Rainbow's throat. The anger was evident on her face as she descended nearby the downed balloon. " Mare-Do-Well, huh..? Well that MARE and her monsters better DO WELL to back off! Ponyville's only got room for one hero, and her name is Rainbow Dash! " She started off in the direction opposite of the still formed crowd, but as she started running, she tripped over a stray piece of rope from the balloon. " ...Stupid rope...stupid balloon! "  With her annoyance at an all time high, she opted to fly instead.

Unbeknownst to Rainbow, among the crowd was a pair of spying eyes, a pair of purple spying eyes. Twilight had been watching the whole ordeal go down, and a small smile of triumph graced her face as she watched Rainbow take off. Her plan was working like a charm, " I'm sorry Rainbow, but this is for your own good, " she mumbled to herself before meeting up with Tentomon, who was now sitting outside the crowd.

It had been well over an hour since Veemon had departed from Rainbow Dash. A disgruntled look adorned his face as he grumbled, trekking through the vast expanse of apple trees. All he had wanted to do was help Rainbow Dash feel better after what had happened the day prior, then after that, he just wanted to spend some time with his partner. Obviously things hadn't gone as he had planned though.

" It's just not fair!" he cried out to no-one in particular and waved his arms about. A dirt-covered apple core rested at his feet, as he had been kicking it for the majority he had been there. " So what if she's a hero!? I could be a hero, too! " Again, he kicked the core, launching it a few trees away from the tree he was currently under. " Yeah! I could be a hero! And if I were a hero, I certainly wouldn't forget my best friend! "

The thought that Rainbow had simply left him behind upset him thoroughly. Since he had hatched, he had looked up to her as an idol of sort, someone that was just as cool as he was. Being left behind changed that though. He felt betrayed in a sense; all it took was a little praise and she had forgotten that he existed! " Ooooh! I feel like I could explode at any moment!!! " Instead of exploding though, he simply fell backwards, staring up through the trees above.

Not far off from him, three very familiar fillies were going about their daily routine within their tree house. At the moment, however, it seemed they were more busy arguing than anything.

" I'm telling you two! Rainbow Dash is still the greatest hero in all of Ponyville! " Scootaloo shouted in a defensive manner of her idol.

" But what about that new hero pony! She's way cool and she's got one of them digimon things with her! " Applebloom said while waving her hooves around.

Sweetie Belle had meant to step in between the two, act as a mediator for the situation, however, all things fell silent when their young, perceptive ears picked up a cry of anguish not far off. " Did you girls hear that?? " Sweetie Belle asked, sticking her head out the window.

They nodded in response, but out of the two, it was Applebloom who spoke. " We sure did. Somepony doesn't sound too happy... "

That's when an idea popped up out of nowhere within Scootaloo's head. Her eyes bright with sudden inspiration, " What if it's a pony who needs help! We could get our cutie marks by helping that pony!!! "

A similar inspiration-fueled expression spread to her two friends, " You're right Scootaloo! " they shouted in unison. 

The three sprinted out of their tree house one by one, in a single file line, albeit at a full sprint. " Cutie Mark Crusaders problem solvers!!! " they shouted, before rushing to the source of the agonized cry.

Veemon, who hadn't been far off, made his way a little further into the orchard, stopping only to marvel at a massive apple tree he had happened upon. The sheer size and thickness of the tree made it perfect for the sudden idea that spawned within his mind. " If I wanna be a hero too, then I gotta get stronger! And there's only one way to do that! " He took a few steps back before taking a full on sprint towards the tree, " Vee Headbutt!!! " He launched himself with the full power of his legs, rocketing towards the tree and colliding with all his might.

The tree was as sturdy as it was old, as his full forced headbutt left only a little mark, and caused several apples to fall. Not one to get discouraged from such a thing, he launched another headbutt, hitting with just as much force as the last one. He did this several times before finally collapsing onto the ground beneath the tree. " I-I'll get stronger! " he yelled out with his index finger pointed to the sky, "...but first, I think I'll just lay here. "

That was the moment that three crusader fillies happened upon him. Each one froze as their eyes landed on the collapsed rookie digimon. "...Look girls... " Sweetie Belle whispered towards her best friends.

" It looks like a dragon! " Applebloom spoke, her whisper being not as subtle as Sweetie's.

" It kinda looks like that thing your sister had with her, Sweetie, " Scootaloo said, bringing up the event from the other day.

They slowly crept towards him, eyeing him as he merely laid there, watching the clouds from behind the mighty trees branches. " Agumon was so nice though...what if this one's dangerous..? " Sweetie Belle whispered, her voice laced with caution.

Scootaloo simply waved her off as being overcautious, " We'll never know if we don't check; make sure first! " And before her friends could stop her, the flightless pegasus took off full sprint towards the rookie digimon.

" Maybe if I'm lucky, another apple will fall off and hit me in the head... " Veemon mumbled aloud.

" HEY!!! " A high pitched shout rang throughout the apple orchard, causing the poor rookie to leap several feet into the air and cling onto the large tree before him.  His gaze fell downward, landing on a pony, albeit much smaller than the ones he had met prior. Her head was tilted as she looked at him with a confused expression, " Hey! What are you doing up there? "

" Oh, you know, just hanging around, " he replied with mildly bitter sarcasm.

She turned back towards her two friends, who were still planted securely behind their apple tree. " He's not dangerous you two! ...But he's got an attitude... " she mumbled the last bit, just barely loud enough for Veemon to hear.

Despite Scootaloo's assurance that the digital monster was indeed no danger, the two still trotted forward with a sense of caution. " What's he doing up that tree? " Sweetie Belle asked with genuine curiosity.

" Oh, I'm just enjoying the view... " he grumbled before climbing down.

" You don't seem too happy, " Applebloom pointed out, taking notice of his visible irritation.

However, before she could get an answer out of him, Scootaloo took it upon herself to get in the sky blue monster's face, " You're one of those digi-whatevers like the one Rarity has, aren't you?! " Her voice was laced with more than a little excitement. 

This time it was him who tilted his head, " Uhhh, yeah, I'm Veemon, "  he gestured towards himself with his thumb.

The three fillies swapped glances with one another, back and forth, so that each one of them looked at each other. " WE FOUND ONE!!! " they cried out at the top of their lungs in unison.

" Oh, he could be- "

" And could go and- " 

" And then we'd- "

They continued cutting one another off in their frantic fit of excitement. It eventually got too much for poor Veemon's aching head, " HEY!!! What are you three even saying?! "

" We want you to be our monster!!! " they admitted in unison, again with shouting.

" Sorry, no can do, " Was all he said before taking a seat on what he assumed was a moss-covered rock.

Their excitement suddenly shriveled as soon as it had come, " WHY NOT?!?!? " they shouted once more.

He flinched, their combined voices being too much for his rather sensitive ears, " OK... one, ow!!! Two, the reason why is 'cause I already got a partner...at least, I think I do, " his usual tone devolved into mumbles as he reached the end of his explanation.

Disappointment was quickly replaced with curiosity for the three fillies. They immediately wished to know just who this blue bundle of grumpiness belonged to. " Who's your partner?! " the whole speaking-in-unison thing was getting old for Veemon, but he opted to answer, rather than let his irritation get this best of him.

" ...Rainbow Dash, " he said with a disgruntled sigh. He was completely unprepared for the sudden mix of orange and magenta that enveloped his vision.

" You're Rainbow Dash's?!?!?!? " Scootaloo shouted right in his face, eyes wide at his revelation.

At that very same moment, Rainbow dash, who let out a small sneeze for reasons unknown to her, was prowling the skies of the town. Now aware that she had a "rival" in the hero game, although she used the term rival loosely, as she had already performed multiple acts of heroism just today. In Rainbow Dash's currently narrow perspective, Mare-Do-Well's action was a fluke brought along by the fact she was aided by a digimon...at least, Rainbow was certain that's what it was.

" Just you watch... " she mumbled to nopony at all, " I've got my eyes wide open! I'm vigilant, and as soon as trouble reels it's ugly head, BAM!!! " Her mumbles were abruptly halted by her unnecessary sound effect, " I'll be on it like Pinkie at the bakery. " 

As if brought upon by her very words, screams echoed throughout the town. This being the third time today she had heard screams of terror like this, and she knew exactly where it was coming from. The same cliff from before! " Veemon was right. Who's idea was it to put that path there!? " However, the mere mental mentioning of her partner brought upon an unexpected feeling of guilt. That feeling wasn't long for this world though as her eyes now landed upon a large carriage, the second carriage to go down this hill, that was in the process of rolling right towards the cliff's edge.

Not one wanting to be showed up twice, Rainbow immediately blasted towards the tourist-filled carriage. She got right up next to it, beaming with confidence as she readied her catchphrase. " Never fear! Your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Da- "

" Is that really necessary right now?! " one of the tourist ponies cried out, " Skip your catch phrase and save us! Please!!! "

" Ugh, fine... " She said with the roll of her eyes. She quickly flew to the front of the wagon, grabbing hold of the now broken shafts of the wagon. Using all her available might, she stamped her hooves hard into the ground, trying her hardest to stop the carriage. Try as she might though, this carriage was much, much heavier than the previous one. In no time at all, her grip gave way, causing her to go rolling under the carriage, before being tossed behind it with a cry.

The ponies in the carriage began panicking further; their only semblance of rescue had just failed! That's when a familiar flash came shining from above, followed by mighty roar, this one different form the last one however. " Greymon!!! "

A large, orange dinosaur covered in blue stripes with a brown carapace covering his skull came falling from the clouds above. He wasn't alone though, falling with him was the all-too-familiar Mare-Do-Well! The duo seemed to literally be dropping in to save the day. The masked mare lifted her hind legs, readied to stop the carriage, and her dinosaur companion lowered his body, ready to use his mass to bring it to a complete halt once she slowed it. 

" Sorry folks! The road's closed! " The dinosaur said in an almost playful mannerism, and he had a reason to. Their plan worked perfectly! The carriage came in contact with Mare-Do-Well's hooves, causing her to slide a short distance as she neared the cliff, but ultimately, it was Greymon's large body that stopped it, and with no trouble either. " Last stop! Would everypony please exit the vehicle in a calm and orderly fashion! "

Calm and orderly isn't what they received though. Instead, the ponies aboard the carriage hopped off and began celebrating, one even going so far as to kiss the dirt. However, their cries of thanks that they were alive quickly turned into cries of gratitude. " Thank you so much Mare-Do-Well! You and your amazing monster!!! "

" Aw, you're gonna make me blush, it was nothing, " Greymon sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, his arms just being a tad too short to reach his head. That was when the dinosaur digimon noticed his companion had already vacated the area, causing his eyes to go wide, " Ack! She left without me! Wait up!!! " Greymon called out to the pony who was now leaping away on hilltops, leaving him to rush after her.

Just up the hill from the now safe carriage of vacationing ponies, Rainbow stood there in shock. It all happened so fast, she was tossed aside, and the next thing she knew, the day had been saved again. Not by her though. " I...I can't believe this...she beat me again! " a scowl quickly replaced her shocked expression, as frustration began setting in, " This is the last time! " She quickly took to the sky, a mixture of anger and determination fueling her now. 

However, not all was right for much longer. Rainbow's constant flying back and forth across Ponyville had attracted something's attention. A large serpentine shadow passed over Ponyville in the blink of an eye, vanishing into the thick clouds above the town as it trailed its prey.

As for Rainbow, she flew across town, her eyes glued to the ground below her, searching vigilantly for anypony in need of saving. All that mattered now was that she beat Mare-Do-Well to the punch and prove she's the only hero Ponyville needs, " Just you wait Mare-Do-Well, I'll show you up this ti- huh?! " Rainbow had been passing over a construction site at that moment, when suddenly things went awry. The crane had shorted out; it was out of control, swinging the timber it had been lifting in a way that the rope holding it snapped, sending the piece of timber flying!

Rainbow saw this as an opportunity; she had found a crisis and there was no sight of her "rival". She made a heroic pose, feeling more confident, now that she had a chance to be the hero this time. " Never fear! Your friendly ne- WAH! " she never got to finish as the piece of timber sailed right by her and right into the building behind her.

The construction ponies began panicking as the building they had been diligently crafting began falling apart, the various pieces of lumber, metal, and concrete crashing down towards the ground. " Somepony help! " they cried. 

However, the only pony there at the moment was too busy dodging debris, which was coming down far too quickly for her to maneuver. " D-Don't worry!! Woah! I-I I'm on my! Yikes!! I'm on my way!!! "

Suddenly though, for the third time today, a bright flash shone from nearby, and a new cry rang through the air, this one more akin to a howl than the other roars. " Garurumon!!! "

" Look there!!! " A pony pointed out toward two figures leaping over the nearby crane into the construction site. The first was the now Famous-in-Ponyville Mare-Do-Well, and accompanying her this time was a new monster. A large, majestic, blue, striped wolf, who ran in tandem with the purple-clad hero.

" Warning! Ponies at work!!! " The duo sprinted into the crumbling site, their attentions focused solely on the panicking ponies. " You get right I get left! " he declared, before leaping through the oncoming debris with grace. With little effort, he bobbed and weaved through the falling hazards, carefully, but quickly, lifting two ponies onto his back. " Hang onto your hardhats everypony! " 

Rainbow watched helplessly as the duo effortlessly rescued every last worker. The wolf digimon had even saved a worker Rainbow was going to rescue. Her mouth was agape as she witnessed the ponies cheering for masked mare and her wolf companion. " But I...how did....when did.... " Rainbow stammered, unable to comprehend how she had been beaten again, especially since she was the one who found the crisis in the first place.

Garurumon looked back towards the sky as he and Mare-Do-Well sprinted out of sight, " Close your mouth Rainbow Dash! That's how you catch flies!!! " This got a giggle from his supposedly silent companion, however nopony was around the hear it.

Once more, frustration and anger took hold of Rainbow Dash, " That's it! It's time to step up my A-game! " Without another word, she blasted into the sky, unaware of the looming shadow trailing from above.

" There's no way that's true!!! " a loud shrill voice roared through the Sweet Apple Acres orchard, scaring several birds away. Said voice belonging to one Scootaloo, who at the moment, was being held back by her two best friends, to keep her from assaulting their new digital acquaintance. " There's no way Rainbow Dash did that! She's a hero! You're probably just jealous!!! " Scootaloo shouted out in defense of her idol.

" Sc-Scootaloo! Calm down already!! " Sweetie Belle pleaded, her grip giving out on the surprising strong filly.

Veemon merely looked on at the filly who so desperately wanted to give him a piece of her mind. " Hey believe me or don't, all I'm saying is Rainbow left me behind. It's not like I said she steals candy from babies. "

" You may as well have! Rainbow Dash is the most kind and considerate pony ever! " this claim earned disapproving gazes from the two fillies holding her. " What?! It's true! "

A sigh escaped Veemon as he turned away from them on his moss-covered rock. " Whatever, I'll just wait for Rainbow to let her ego deflate and forgive her. There's no real point staying mad at her, even if she is being a big jerk...especially since she's my ticket back into the house... " he said with his back turned to them, as well as mumbling the last bit.

" Well, " Applebloom spoke up, " it's good you can look past every- " 

The red-maned filly was cut off by a sudden outburst from the blue rookie, " It's not like I'm the reason she's out playing hero or anything! I'm the one who suggested we should go out and make ourselves feel better about yesterday! " he began waving his arms around mid-rant, " Sure, she can fly and everything! Sure, nopony seemed to notice me, even though I stand out like a sore thumb!! I helped save that baby! She didn't even say thank you!!! "

The fillies, Scootaloo included, were now silenced as they watched the little blue monster comically rant and rave. However, it wasn't him per se, instead they were more focused on the fact he was slowly moving away, despite being seated. " Uhhh, Veemon? " Sweetie Belle spoke his name, fighting back a fit of oncoming giggles.

He froze in the midst of his rant, his head turned back with his eye drifting towards them, " Huh? What is it? "

Now Applebloom was fighting back from giggling, " Ya...ya know that the rock yer sittin' on is a turtle, right? "

" A what? " his gazed drifted down towards the green reptile that was slowly, but surely, carrying him off. " Agh!! The rock is alive!!! " Without hesitation, he leapt from the animal's shell, clinging onto the nearest tree. His red eyes were glued on the creature that had attempted to abduct him, " Hey, buddy! Don't you know mon-napping is illegal?! " His attention was averted from the "evil" reptile, when the three fillies watching him erupted in fits of uncontrollable laughter, " ...Ugh. "

Right then, and without any warning, something, or somepony to be exact, came soaring overhead. It was Rainbow Dash!...and she was livid, her irate expression clearly showing this off. " Rainbow dash!!! " Scootaloo called out to her idol. Sadly, her attempt at gaining the speedster's attention was in vain, as she was already out of sight by the time her name left the filly's mouth.

" Did, uh...did Rainbow look angry to any of ya'll? " Applebloom asked in a worrisome tone.

Veemon went to give his two cents, when something else caught his eye, something moving about in the clouds above, trailing after Rainbow in a predatory fashion. " That's scary... " Leaving the safety of his tree, Veemon started off in the same direction as Rainbow.

" Hey, Veemon, where are you going? " Sweetie Belle questioned.

" Huh, Veemon's goin' somewhere? " Applebloom lowered her gaze from the sky and towards the leaving rookie.

Simply walking soon turned into a full on sprint for Veemon as the shadow his eyes were locked on slowly gained shape. " Oh, that is definitely not good!! "

" Wait for us! " The three fillies called out as they trailed after him.

Rainbow Dash had done it! She had Mare-Do-Well pinned and was readying to remove her mask. " Finally after being driven crazy all day! I'll finally show the world who you are! " She grasped the edge of the mask and proceeded to pull, " And who you are is! -P-Pinkie Pie?! "

The unmasked pony beneath her gave a rather sheepish grin as she looked up at her cyan friend, " Eheheh...present. "

" But if you're...then...then how- " She didn't get to sputter long as a new figure entered her field of vision. It was another Mare-Do-Well! " What the heck is going on?! Who is that?! "

The second masked mare quickly answered her question by simply removing her mask. Revealing it to be none other than Twilight Sparkle, again, leaving Rainbow utterly befuddled. " Hey there Rainbow Dash. "

After one confusion revelation after another, Rainbow had enough. " Alright! Alright, enough! I get it, you girls were trying to teach me a lesson...but...that doesn't explain the digimon that were with you! " 

That was when the same large insect digimon from before landed before them. However, the moment it touched down on the round, it began glowing, and receding in size. The light then faded, revealing Tentomon where Kabuterimon was, " Guilty as charged. "

" If you were that one...then who was... " She turned her gaze to Agumon and Gabumon who had their arms raised.

" Sorry for tricking you Rainbow, " Gabumon apologized in a rather Fluttershy-like manner.

" You really should've figured that out sooner, " Agumon pointed out.

" She really should have, " Pinkie bluntly agreed.

" So...this whole time, all that, every rescue, was all of you just...teaching me a lesson? " Rainbow Dash mumbled aloud, her eyes drifting towards the ground as it finally sunk in.

" She finally gets it, " Gaomon said with crossed arms as he took his place next to Applejack.

" She sure does, " Applejack nodded.

Twilight stepped forward and patted Rainbow Dash on the shoulder, " We're sorry for deceiving you Rainbow Dash, but it was the only way to shake some sense into you. Each one of us played a role in it all. I myself was the one who saved the balloon with Tentomon. "

" And what a daring rescue it was, " Tentomon added.

Applejack finished removing her costume and placed her trademark hat atop her head, " Me and Agumon were the ones who saved them ponies in that carriage. That champion form of his is all muscle, so that made it a breeze. "

Agumon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly from Applejack's compliment, " Aw shucks, it was nothing. Applejack could've stopped it on her own. "

" Ooo! Ooo! Me next! Me next! " Pinkie hyper-actively hopped back and forth, happily ready to explain her part. " Me and Gabumon saved aaaallllllllll the construction site ponies! Then we stopped for a nice tasty cupcake! "

" I was just glad to be able to help out... " Gabumon whispered modestly.

" You see, Rainbow, everypony, and everymon, played some part, " Twilight concluded.

That's when Rainbow locked her eyes with Twilight, still wondering why, " But didn't you want me to be a hero...? "

She nodded in response and gave a kind, but somehow sly, smile, " Of course we did, Rainbow, but... "

" A hero shouldn't have to brag about bein' a hero, " Applejack finished, as Gaomon nodded at her statement.

That's when Rainbow got her own sheepish smile, her eyes now moved back to the ground beneath her, " Yeah...I guess I did brag a bit... " A resounding " AHEM " from everypony present caused her to change her wording, " OK, ok, I bragged a lot. "

" ...Not to mention you hurt poor Veemon's feelings, " Fluttershy whispered, just loud enough for them to here.

That got the whole of Rainbow's attention, " Oh no, Veemon!!! " She shot straight up into the air, her head grasped in panic between her hooves. " Oh no no no, I was so busy being a hero I forgot all about him! " She began frantically looking back and forth in the air, hoping to spot him, " Where is he?! "

Gabumon stepped forward to answer, " He walked off after you saved that balcony full of old ponies. I'd say from the look on his face, he thought you didn't need him... " 

Rainbow's heart sunk. Veemon was the whole reason she was even out of her house today, and she just abandoned him. " Don't worry best buddy, I'm coming for you!!! " She spread her wings and went to take off.

" Rainbow! Wait!! " Twilight shouted, causing Rainbow to halt in the air.

" I have to find Veemon and apologize!!! " she yelled back at her lavender friend.

Twilight gave an understanding nod, " We know, Rainbow, so let us help you. You've been out and about all day long helping, or trying to help ponies. Let somepony else help you. "

Stopping momentarily, Twilight's offer wasn't really one she could refuse, Rainbow was drained in both a physical and mental sense, " Alright Twilight...Thank y- "

" RAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!! " A savage roar echoed down from the clouds above, causing everypony, and the digimon accompanying them, to freeze in fright.

" Wh-what the hay was that?! " Rainbow swiveled her head back and forth, trying to find the source of the terror-inducing roar. Her question wouldn't go unanswered as the creature responsible for the roar came speeding by her, sending the cyan speedster as it flew by.

" Ooohh! What if it's a sky whale!!! And it came to race Dashy! " Pinkie said without a care in the world or a thought in her head.

Despite the urgency, Twilight found time to bring her hoof to her face, unable to believe some of the things that came from her pink friend's mouth, " There are so many errors in what you just said, Pinkie pie...Whales don't live in the sky, and if they did, why would they want to race Rainbow Dash!? Secondly, whales do not roar! "

Before another word could be said about the offhanded subject, the massive blur came by again, this time stopping just in the air above the ponies. Tentomon, along with every other digimon present, began to tremble as they finally got a good look at what was above them. " Oh dear...Oh my... "

" T-Tentomon? Wh-...what is that thing?! " Twilight pointed her hoof to the monster in the sky.

" IT'S AIRDRAMON!!! " the rookies shouted in a horrified unison.

" A-Airdramon...?! " Twilight repeated in a shaky voice. The monster above them was long and serpentine in shape, its bone-white head adorned with antler-like horns and razor sharp teeth, its giant red wings filled with holes that didn't seem to hinder its flight in any way. Lastly, the most notable thing about the digimon, it had the same crazed look in its eyes as all the previous digimon before it, " J-just what's going on... "

" At this point...I don't even wanna know... " Applejack muttered aloud.

Gaomon gritted his teeth as he took a protective stance in front of Applejack, " ...He doesn't look too happy to see us. "

Agumon did the same for Rarity, " ...Airdramon is a strong flying digimon. It's really intelligent and its aerial attacks are nothing to laugh at, especially its Spinning Needle attack; it'll make a tornado that would make you wish it were a thousand needles poking you... "

" It must've been following Rainbow all day, " Gaomon added, " she was flying so much it might've mistaken her for a snack... "

Rainbow Dash wasted no time in flying to the safety of her friends, still worried for Veemon and now everypony else, " If that thing's so intelligent, why does it look like it wants to pick a fight? "

" If I were to make an assumption, it would have to be related to the other digimon we've encountered, " Tentomon explained out loud.

Tentomon was right, and Twilight knew this. It was just like Tyrannomon, Flarizemon, and Ikkakumon. Something was driving these digimon to be hostile, and it seemed that not even the friendship could undo what was causing it. "If that's the case... " she looked back at Rarity and Fluttershy, who both gave a nod, completely understanding what Twilight was getting at, even if Fluttershy didn't really want to.

It was good the two understand, as they wouldn't be able to get another word in. Airdramon was on the attack! " RAAAAH! Spinning Needle!!! " the serpentine terror dived down towards the group of pony, before giving a mighty flap of its wings, shooting out a vacuum of air in a spiral shape.

" Everypony, get out of the way!!! " Twilight shouted, which was followed by everypony, save for Pinkie, doing as they were told.

" Ooooooo! Spirally! " she eyed the oncoming object, which threatened her well being.

" Pinkie Pie, move!!! " Twilight exclaimed, picking the pony up with her magic and lifting her to safety. She had moved the curly-maned pony just in time; the powerful spiral came flying back at high speeds, tearing the ground apart, as well as nearby buildings, as it impacted. The damage was enough to tick Twilight off; she glared at the serpent digimon, her cutie mark glowing, as her ambition to stop the monster flared, " Alright, that's it! Come on Tentomon! "

" I'm right behind you Twilight! " Tentomon raised its claw in the air, ready to rumble.

" Let's not miss the fun Agumon, dear, " Rarity smiled at her partner as her mark began to glow.

" Let's kick some digi-tail! " Agumon exclaimed.

Fluttershy looked at Gabumon, who gave her a reassuring nod, causing her own mark to light up, " ...Gabumon and I will help too. "

" We certainly will, " Gabumon nodded.

Without missing a beat, the three rookies began glowing brightly as their partners filled them with power.

" Tentomon digivolve too!!! "

" Agumon digivolve too!!! "

" Gabumon digivolve too!!! "

The light faded, and in the place of the rookies were the three same monsters that had helped save Ponyvillve all day long.

" Kabuterimon!!! "

" Greymon!!! "

"Garurumon!!! "

Rainbow Dash looked in awe, having witnessed them digivolve to their champion forms for the first time, " That...is so cool!!! And a bit unfair... "

The sight of the three new champions didn't seem to deter the raging Airdramon in the slightest, in fact it only seemed to make it angrier. " Spinning Needle!!! " it roared, as it gave another flap of its mighty wings, launching forward another high-speed spiral. 

The trio of champions each jumped out of the way, once again letting the incredibly dangerous attack wiz by, damaging more buildings and land behind them. " Oops, gonna have to fix that... " Greymon said with his head turned towards the destruction. A growl then resounded from the striped dinosaur's throat, " But not before I fix this giant sky worm! " He sucked in air and flung his head back, " Nova Bla-agh! " Instead of a mighty ball of fire, a small plume of fire emerged from the champion with a loud cough. " ...Oh my stomach, " the horned monster doubled over, looking winded already.

" Greymon darling, what's wrong?! " Rarity questioned in a panic, unsure as to why he couldn't attack.

Garurumon growled as he glanced at his exhausted comrade, " Don't worry Greymon, he's all mine. " The graceful blue wolf went prone as it prepared to leap forward, " Howling Blast-ergh! " But a leap isn't what happened, instead Garurmon crashed to the ground as a small puff of blue fire escaped its maw, " ...I'm pooped... "

" Garurumon!! " Fluttrershy cried out, desperately wanting to run toward her friend.

A grumble came from Kabuterimon. Both his allies were already exhausted, and he was pretty sure he knew why. Despite this though, he had to fight back. He had wings, meaning they were theoretically on an even playing field. " Wings, don't fail me now! " he went up and crossed his arms over his body, " Electro Sho-aaagh! " But his wings gave out mid flight, causing him to fall on top of the others, " That fall hurt less than I thought it would... "

Twilight was dumbfounded. Why couldn't the digimon fight?! They had been given the power necessary to digivolve, they should've had more than enough strength to fight, " Kabuterimon, what's going on?! "

The giant insect lifted its eyeless head up, and "glanced" at Twilight. " ...I was afraid of this. We're out of energy... "

" O-out of energy?! " this was not something she had foreseen. 

" ...We've been going around in our champion forms all day long... " Greymon groaned. 

" ...We haven't had a chance to eat anything to refill our strength... " Garurumon added.

That's when a realization hit Twilight that hadn't hit her before, " So that's why they eat so much...they use the energy from the food as fighting strength...and the stronger the form, the more energy. Girls! We've had them going around all day without a chance to recharge! "

" Then...what can we do...? " Fluttershy whimpered.

No answer was given, and Airdramon wasn't stopping, " Spinning Needle!!! "  This time, there was nowhere to go. The attack impacted, sending all three exhausted champions flying back. They landed in one big pile among the debris, before glowing and shrinking, as they reverted to their previous forms. 

" I think I sprained an antenna... " Tentomon groaned.

" Ooh...My fur is going to be covered in dirt for a week... " Gabumon was aching.

Poor Agumon had spirals in his eyes as he was laid out on his back, " No Rarity, I don't wanna get back on the ferris wheel... "

Seeing her friends in pain irked Rainbow. If this thing was after her, then it was going to get her, " Alright you jagged-toothed creep! You wanted Rainbow Dash, well you're about to get what you wanted! " She sped towards the serpentine champion, flying through its coiled body to draw its attention, and fortunately, it was working. However, unfortunately for Rainbow...it was working...

" RAAAAAGH!!! " The rampaging monster came speeding after her, showing that even in a blind rage, it was masterful in the air.

" Not good! Not good!! Not good!!! " she looked back in a panic, seeing the beast right on her tail, while at the same time, managing to not see the building in her way, which she promptly crashed into. " Did anyone get the numbed of that building that cut me off... " she spoke in a daze, one that she quickly shook off. A low growl caused the now-terrified pony to slowly turn, meeting face-to-mouth with the digimon that had been hunting her. " ...Veemon...I'm sorry I was such a jerk...I really am...Hopefully you'll find somepony just as awesome as me once I'm gone....Oh who am I kidding, there's no way that'll happen. "

" RAAAAAAAAAARGH!!! " Airdramon let out another feral roar. It raised its head up, its mouth open, its teeth ready to strike. Rainbow shut her eyes tight as she waited for what was going to come next.

" VEE HEADBUTT!!! " a sky-blue blur rocketed forward, impacting with Airdramon's head, causing it to reel back in pain. The rainbow-maned pony looked up, and she could've sworn tears were dripping from her eyes. It was Veemon!!! He had landed right in front of her, now sitting on the ground, rubbing his head, " Owie...owie...owie...never gonna do that again... " 

" Veemon!!! " Rainbow cried out in joy and relief, " Veemon, you came back!! "

Even with pain surging through his head, Veemon still turned back and gave her a big thumbs up, " H-hey, how could I be the most awesome digi-partner around if I couldn't even show up? " After dusting himself off, Veemon turned back towards the now-recuperated Airdramon. Despite the obvious odds stacked against him, Veemon's confidence was blazing, " C'mon then ya big palooka! Let me show you how a real mon fights!! Vee Headbutt!!! "

The cyan rookie rocketed headfirst towards the much larger monster, his head lowered as he braced for impact. Airdramon wasn't having any of that though, as the sky serpent effortlessly curved its body, letting Veemon harmlessly fly past, before smacking him to the ground with a whip of its tail. " Aagh!! " Veemon yelled out in pain as his body crashed to the ground.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widen in horror as she watched Airdramon ready its wings to attack her downed partner. " Veemon!!! " Without thinking, she flew as fast as she could and latched onto the attacking digimon's wing. This obviously took Airdramon by surprise as it began to thrash its wings about viciously, trying to get the pestering pony off. Rainbow wasn't letting go though; if it meant keeping Veemon from getting hurt, she'd take whatever this crazed beast could dish out.

" R-Rainbow! Don't! " Veemon protested.

The other ponies and digimon could only watch helplessly as their friend risked herself. The only digimon capable of fighting Airdramon were out of commission. " Rainbow Dash...if only we could do something... " Twilight's voice was filled with desperation.

Meanwhile, Airdramon's temper was peaking. This bite-sized snack shouldn't be this annoying, and yet, she wouldn't let go. " RAAAAAAAAARGH!!! " it began to furiously flap its ragged wings, kicking up powerful winds in its rage.

Rainbow's grip was waning as the harder the wing she held onto flapped, the harder it became to hold on. She tried her best, but eventually, it became too much, " ...Veemon, I'm sorry I was a jerk! " With a single flap of Airdramon's mighty wings, Rainbow Dash was sent hurtling towards the ground.

Veemon watched in terror as the winged-serpent came closer and closer to his friend. " S-stay away from her!!! Fight like a real mon! "

Magenta eyes cracked open, and gazed onward. First at the monster flying towards her, and then towards the smaller, injured monster laid out behind it. " ...Veemon... " she clenched her eyes shut, readying once again for the monster to attack, completely unaware of her cutie mark, which was now glowing.

Veemon tried harder to stand, his own rage building, as his need to aid Rainbow Dash grew. " RAINBOW DAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!! " he roared out. Then, it happened...his eyes widened and his screams stopped, as his body began furiously glowing.

This got everypony and everymon's attention, even the out of control Airdramon.  " Could he be...? " Twilight began to speak, but didn't get a chance to finish as the light brightened.

" Veemon digivolve too!!! "

" VEEDRAMON!!! "

The light faded, revealing not Veemon, but instead a new, bigger, stronger champion level digimon. It closely resembled a larger Veemon, standing roughly half of Greymon and Kabuterimon's height. It's body was a much darker blue, with a large blue V on the center of its chest. It adorned three impressive horns atop its head, two on the back and one on the tip of his nose. His body, previously small and thin, was now more muscular and defined, and topping it all off was the scar he adorned over his eye, making him a fearsome sight.

" So...cool... " Rainbow Dash whispered, her eyes as wide as saucers.

" Who...who is that? " Twilight asked aloud.

To her surprise, it was Tentomon who responded, " That would be Veedramon...He's Veemon's champion form, and an incredibly rare one at that, " the red insect hobbled over to his partner as he spoke, " Veedramon isn't just rare, he's also strong, even for a champion level...His signature attacks are the V-Arrow Breath and his Magnum Punch, get hit by either of those and your day is going to get a lot worse. "

" Veedramon... " Rainbow Dash mumbled.

The two digimon silently eyed one another, neither making a move at first. All was still. It was only when Veedramon made a single gesture that Airdramon engaged, that gesture being an incredibly cocky grin, reminiscent of Rainbow Dash, " Come on ya worm with wings! "

" RAAAAAAAAAAAAGHR!!! "

" HRAAAAH!!! "

 Airdramon flew headfirst at its powered-up adversary, and Veedramon rushed the winged terror, filled with a newfound vigor; he felt like he could do anything! The two champions met halfway, Aidramon's jaws wide open in an attempt to bite Veedramon. " Magnum Punch! " Veedramon suddenly roared, rearing his fist back and launching a mighty punch at his foe, slamming right into its face. The force of the punch sent the winged-dragon flying into the side of a house, then falling straight to the ground. " Oh yeah! How'd that taste! " Veedramon said with a pump of his fist.

The now furious Airdramon wasn't going down that easily though. " RAAARAAAAGH!!! " it let out a furious roar as it rose into the air, pulling back its wings before letting loose an attack. " SPINNING NEEDLE!!! "

This cyclone was by far the largest, and it was hurdling right towards Veedramon. " Geez! What a blowhard!! " he growled out, shielding not only himself, but the ponies and digimon behind him from the painful winds. As he held his arms in front of his face, a blue light began emitting from his partially opened mouth, " I'll show you something real fancy... V-Arrow Breath!!! " A shining blue beam shot from his mouth, blasting forward, hitting Airdramon's wing, making it crash hard into the ground.

At this point, Rainbow had managed to pick herself up off the ground. However, her eyes never left her powered-up partner. Not even the pain flooding her poor aching body pulled her attention away from Veedramon. The pride she was feeling wouldn't allow it. " Thrash him for me, would ya? "

" Way ahead of ya! " he gave a big toothy grin as he grabbed hold of Aidramon's horn, " Sorry buddy! This chapter's gone on long enough! "

" HEY!!! " Pinkie Pie shouted from where she was, " ONLY I'M ALLOWED TO SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!!! "

Pinkie's nonsensical shouting didn't seem to bother Veedramon; he was ready to finish this fight. " Here comes the wind up, " he pulled his fist back as far as he could while keeping Airdramon's horn in his grip. 

" Sock it to him!!! " Rainbow Dash cheered on.

" Magnum!! PUNCH!!! " He delivered a devastating uppercut, knocking the serpentine champion backwards and across the ground. Airdramon was in a daze, the power-packed punch had easily disoriented it. That's when Veedramon grabbed its tail, breaking it from its dazed state with eyes wide. The grin remained on Veedramon's face, " He steps up to the plate! And he's gonna swing for the fences!! " With a great heave from his mighty arms, Veedramon lifted Airdramon from the ground, and begun spinning him in circles by his tail.

Off with the rest of the main six and their digimon. A table had seemingly appeared from nowhere. Sitting at said table was Pinkie Pie and Lopmon, both wearing headsets, which again, seemingly came from nowhere. " Ladies and gentlecolts we are watching history in the making here. Veedramon's had an amazing season so far, and doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon!! "

" I'd say he's batting a thousand! " Lopmon gleefully added on.

Meanwhile, Veedramon kept spinning Airdramon, getting faster and faster, " I've had fun, but it's time to play ball!!! " With one last powerful spin around, Veedramon swung Airdramon upwards, releasing its tail, and letting it fly, fly, fly away.

" It's going! It's going! " Pinkie and Lopmon chanted.

" Just to be safe! " Veedramon sucked in air, and the same blue glow from before poured from out of his teeth, " V-ARROW BREATH MAX!!! " He opened his maw wide, firing a much larger blue beam from his mouth. It traced across the sky, punching holes through clouds as it closed in on its target.

" RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!! " Airdramon roared as it helplessly rocketed through the air. Its roar was drowned out as the bright blue light overtook it, exploding shortly afterwards.

" Outta the ball park!!! " Veedramon pumped his fist high in the air.

" It's a home run!!! " Pinkie and Lopmon cheered. Their cheering was added onto with the cheering of everypony else, celebrating the grand slam victory.

 A smile graced Rainbow Dash's face as she watched her partner cheer for his victory. She had wanted to trot up to him and give him a big hug, but opted to rush towards him when she saw him shining and shrinking. Watching as the freshly-reverted DemiVeemon fell was more than enough to cause her to slide, catching the exhausted digimon in her hooves. She didn't even care to dust herself off as she picked the in-training digimon up and pulled him into a hug, " You are THE most awesome monster I know! " She nuzzled him as she gave him praise.

" I know I am... " DemiVeemon said in a familiar smug tone, mimicking Rainbow Dash's demeanor from earlier.

The rest of the main six trotted up to and circled around their friends. Twilight quickly pulled Rainbow into hug, not just glad to see her safe, but glad that it was over, " I'm so relieved you're ok! ".

" Me too, " she responded, " but I wouldn't be if Veemon hadn't shown up when he did! "

 Her purple gaze fell on DemiVeemon and her smile grew, " You're right. It looks like at the end of the day, Veemon ended up being the real hero.

Everypony present cheered and agreed with Twilight, everypony except Rainbow Dash. She simply kept her partner held close, not wanting to lose him again like she had earlier, " You're definitely my hero. "

In the midst of the celebrating, Pinkie Pie began tapping Rainbow Dash for her attention, " Hey Dashie, what's with that turtle? " What she was actually pointing to was a tortoise, the same one that had tried "abducting" Veemon earlier.

" Oh yeah, " DemiVeemon spoke up in his tired tone of voice, " I forgot to tell you, I made a friend today... "

Laughter broke out among the group. It was a surefire sign that the day was safe and they could go home and rest peacefully.

Deep within the recesses of dark, dreary cave, rested a chamber that housed an evil that had begun to take root within Equestria.

Footsteps echoed throughout cave, the sound bouncing off the walls that had formed perfectly from ages of erosion. The sound of heeled boots grew louder and louder as it reached the main chamber, the source of the evil. " Another failure, " a dark, stern, feminine voice growled out as she seated herself  in a makeshift chair.

" Heheheh, " a chuckle reverberated throughout the chamber, belonging to an individual standing across the room, " What did ya expect, doll face? " The male voice spoke in a cocky, carefree tone, " The saying is 'third time's the charm' not 'third time didn't work', better keep trying. "

" Oh shut up, " the female voice spoke as if the sound of the males voice brought great irritation, " besides, I found something out about this world that will make up for the lack of success. "

The sound of heavy boots and the flap of a long coat grew closer to the owner of the feminine voice. " Is it someone who can sew? My coat got a nasty tear in it on the way into this place. "

" No, you idiot! " she growled out, but quickly regain her composure and cleared her throat, " What I found out was that not everything in this world is sparkles and rainbows. There are a few bad eggs among the general populace, and I should be able to use that to further our agenda. Until then, we'll just keep doing what we've been doing. "
 
" Sooooo, absolutely nothin' then? " 

" Oh, just shut up already! "

The sound of heavy, cloven hooves walking towards them diverted them from the threat of an ensuing argument. " You're both insufferable. Quit your pointless bickering and get out there before I delete you myself, " threatened the owner of a deep, dark voice.

" I'd like to see ya try, horn head! " the male voice was issuing a challenge.

That was when the feminine voice cut in, " Neither of you are at your full strength, it'd be pointless and you'd just wear yourselves out. He does have a point, however, we needn't dawdle here...there is much to do. " 

" I agree. "

" Eh, whatever. "

A wicked cackle left the female's throat, echoing throughout the cave, and out into the night sky.