Name: Vilemon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Virus
Atacks:
Nightmare Shocker
Demon Darts
CLANG CLANG CLANG
The banging against the cell doors shook Silver Spoon from her light slumber. Her head shot up from its resting place on her forelegs to see two Gazimon standing at the door.
“Alright, you all know the drill!” one of the Gazimon said. “Everyone back against the wall!”
Silver Spoon looked behind her to see Babs Seed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Beside her, Terriermon and DemiVeemon were quick to get up. “Wha-What’s going on?” Silver Spoon asked, her voice quivering.
“It’s feeding time,” Terriermon said, stepping back to the cave wall. “Just get up and move to the wall. If you don’t, then none of us eat.”
Hearing the urgency in his voice, Silver Spoon got up and scurried over to Terriermon. The Gazimon watched as the last of the Digimon filed along the wall. Satisfied, he turned to his partner with a nod before taking a set of keys out. As he unlocked the door, his gaze never left the occupants of the cell, paying extra attention to DemiVeemon. The door swung open, allowing the other Gazimon to toss a burlap sack into the center of the cell. The door was closed and locked before the sack hit the ground.
Babs Seed looked around the cell. She could see every Digimon in the cell eyeballing the sack and shooting glances to everyone else. As the guards walked out of sight, Terriermon spoke up. “Alright everyone, moumantai,” he said. “I know we’re all hungry, but if we take the time to divvy out the food this time—”
A piece of bread fell out of the mouth of the sack.
Babs Seed remembered going on a field trip to the Manehattan Aquarium with her class and seeing an interesting exhibit about sharks. It talked about how they could smell a drop of blood from up to three miles away, and would occasionally fight over wounded prey. She recalled that exhibit perfectly as the Digimon pounced on the sack of food the moment the bread hit the floor.
“Aw geez, here we go again,” Terriermon sighed before running into the writhing, shouting mass of In-Training Digimon.
Babs Seed felt something pull on her foreleg. She tore her gaze from the spectacle of sheer pandemonium to see DemiVeemon tugging her towards the food. “If we don’t hurry, they’ll scarf it all down before we can get any!” he said.
Babs gave a curt nod, before turning to Silver Spoon. “Come on!” she yelled, before following DemiVeemon. DemiVeemon leapt into the fray, while the two ponies hovered outside, trying to find an opening.
Babs Seed’s attempts to gently move some of the Digimon out of the way were met with hostility. As she continued in her attempts to get near the sack, she managed to catch glimpses of the rapidly dwindling food supply. Gathering her courage, she took a few steps back before charging into the frenzy.
With the strength and finesse of a rhinoceros, Babs pushed her way into the pile. The closer she got to the center, the harder it was to move. She could barely see anything and it took all her strength to hold her position amongst the pouncing, hitting, and biting. Unable to breath or move any further, Babs blindly reached towards the sack. After getting her grip on something solid that didn’t try to bite her, she wiggled her way back out of the frenzy.
Silver Spoon kept looking for a way to the sack from outside. Unable to find a way in, and too scared to enter the fray, she could only watch as they ripped the sack apart. As the frenzy reached its climax, DemiVeemon came flying out of the pile, landing beside Silver Spoon with a small pear in his clutches. Soon afterwards, the Digimon began to disperse.
Babs Seed looked at the remains of the sack as she caught her breath. She looked down at the item she managed to grab, and a hint of a smile graced her face. In her hoof, was a honeycrisp apple.
Silver Spoon trotted up to the remains of the food sack, hoping to find something to eat. A groan coming from nearby grabbed her attention. She looked beside the sack to find Terriermon, who had wrapped his ears tightly around himself like a cocoon. Silver Spoon gently poked him with a hoof. “Terriermon? Are you okay?” she asked.
Terriermon opened his eyes. “I feel like sunshine right now,” he groaned.
Silver Spoon turned to the sack as she heard Terriermon get up and walk back to their corner. She peered into the bag, her heart sinking when she saw it was barren of even crumbs. Hanging her head in defeat, she shuffled her way back to Babs Seed and the others. DemiVeemon was already making quick work of the pear he grabbed. And Babs Seed had already finished half of her apple. Silver Spoon looked at them with more than a hint of jealousy.
A grumbling from Silver Spoon’s stomach made Babs Seed stop herself from taking another bite. She looked at Silver Spoon’s forlorn face, then back down to her apple, a pang of guilt hitting her in the chest.
Silver Spoon felt something gently poke her side. She glanced to her left to see Terriermon, offering a smile and one of two pieces of bread. “It nearly cost me my left arm, but I managed to grab something extra,” Terriermon said.
Silver Spoon gently took the bread as if it were a fragile piece of glass. She looked back to Terriermon and returned the smile. “Thank you,” she whispered before taking a bite out of it. The bread was bland and a little stale, but her hunger outweighed her palate, and the bread was gone in less than a minute. She could see Terriermon was finished as well, and that Babs Seed and DemiVeemon looked ready to eat the cores of their fruit.
Babs Seed put a hoof to her belly as it grumbled, demanding more sustenance. “Is that really all they give you guys?” she asked.
DemiVeemon looked down. “Yeah, they barely give us enough to get through the day.”
“A hungry Digimon is a Digimon that can’t fight,” Terriermon added. “But they clearly want us for something, so they have to feed us a little.”
“That’s…” Babs Seed shook her head. “That’s just horrible.”
“Well, it doesn’t help that someone—” Terriermon shot a glance to Pagumon on the other side of the cell. “Started spreading a rumor that they feed us even less because there’s one Rookie level Digimon in here.”
“You mean you?” Silver Spoon asked. “No one actually believes that, do they?”
“Well, I’m not exactly the most popular one in the cell. So...yeah, they probably do.”
Silence hung over the four captives. In her peripherals, Babs Seed could see some of the other Digimon shooting dirty looks at them, specifically at Terriermon. A glare from Babs Seed though, and they were back to minding their own business. “So...what do we do in the meantime?” she asked.
“Well, we could get to know each other a bit more,” DemiVeemon suggested. “Not much to do in here.”
“Uh...quick question?” Silver Spoon asked, rubbing the back of her head. “What do you do if you have to...use the restroom?”
Terriermon and DemiVeemon shared an awkward glance. “Well, um…” Terriermon trailed off, looking behind Silver Spoon. She followed his gaze to a metal bucket being held up by a stand in a corner of the cell. Given how the other Digimon gave the bucket a wide berth, and the sound of flies hovering near it, it’s purpose seemed pretty clear.
Silver Spoon slowly turned to Babs Seed, who had a sour look on her face. “On second thought...I think I’d rather hold it,” Silver Spoon grimaced. Babs Seed nodded in agreement.
Hawkmon glanced up to the distant Mt. Panorama. “Just a couple of miles left to go.” He looked behind him to see everyone keeping a good pace with him. Turning his gaze back to the woods in front of him, he pressed on. The sound of hoofsteps made him look right to see Diamond Tiara trotting up to him.
“So, you’re sure you saw Silver Spoon and Babs Seed?” Diamond Tiara asked.
Hawkmon sighed. “Yes dear, I’m sure.”
“Are you really—”
“One of them was grey with silver hair and wearing glasses. The other was light brown with a short tail. Both of them had four legs and were about your size.” Hawkmon turned to Diamond Tiara. “As I’ve said the last two times you asked me. Does that sound like them?”
Diamond Tiara looked down. “Yes...sorry. I’m just really worried that—”
Hawkmon draped a wing over her. “It’s okay, you’re concerned for your friends. That’s admirable.”
Diamond Tiara gave a small smile before looking back to the rest of the party. Towards the back, she could see Rumble and Bearmon having a small conversation. “Those two seem to be getting along pretty well,” she said.
Hawkmon followed Diamond Tiara’s gaze. “Yes, quite well,” he smiled before focussing on the trail. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him warm up to someone so quickly, especially a complete stranger.”
“Is that so?”
“Oh yes, he’s usually quite timid. Why, it took almost a week for him to muster the courage to say hi to me when we first met.”
“Really?” Diamond Tiara glanced back to Rumble. “I could almost say the same thing about Rumble.” Diamond Tiara glanced downward. “Though to be fair, me teasing him for being a blank flank probably didn’t do me any favors.”
Before Hawkmon could inquire as to what a “blank flank” was, the sound of a crash echoed from nearby. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, heads whipping left to right attempting to locate the source. A roar made Hawkmon look towards a hill off the side of the trail. He looked back to the party, motioning for them to follow quietly.
As everyone crept up the hill, the sounds of a fight grew stronger. Apple Bloom hung back for a moment as Armadillomon peeked over the hill. “Well would ya look at that,” Armadillomon said, turning back to Apple Bloom. “Looks like a couple old friends of ours are having a bit of a disagreement.”
Apple Bloom crawled up next to Armadillomon and peered over the hill. In the clearing below them, Kuwagamon and Snimon were in the middle of a battle. The damage to the clearing around them indicated the battle had been raging for quite some time.
Kuwagamon snapped his pincers together and charged at Snimon, who flew to the side to dodge the attack. Kuwagamon clipped the top of a tree before turning around for another attempt.
Snimon stood his ground, lifting up his sickles as they began to glow with pink energy. “TWIN SICKLES!” he shouted, launching two crescents of pink energy towards Kuwagamon.
Undeterred by the attack, Kuwagamon dodged the first crescent with ease. As he altered his course to dodge the second crescent, Snimon made his move. Leaping from the earth, he met Kuwagamon in mid air, giving him a perfect view of Kuwagamon’s underbelly. “GREEN SICKLE CUT!” Snimon shouted as he made a horizontal slash across Kuwagamon.
Kuwagamon roared as Snimon’s attack threw him off course, and the momentum from his charge sent him spiralling into the earth. He skipped across the ground like a stone, tearing it up before skidding to a stop. As he struggled to get up his body began to flicker, becoming pixilated.
Snimon hovered in the air raising both sickles before announcing, “ULTIMATE TWIN SICKLES!” Slashing his sickles in the air, Snimon launched four crescents of pink energy at the fallen Kuwagamon. As each crescent made its mark Kuwagamon’s body became more and more glitched. As the final crescent hit him, Kuwagamon gave one final roar before exploding into thousands of glass-like shards.
Hovering nearby, Snimon spread his arms out triumphantly as he absorbed the shards, which turned blue as they flowed into him. After a few moments the cloud of shards was all but gone. In its place was a pulsating white orb with a thin veil of blue shards orbiting it. The orb flew out of the clearing, soaring over the trees. Snimon leaned his head back to give off a triumphant roar before flying off.
Silence reigned over the clearing. Apple Bloom stared at the battleground with wide eyes. Her mouth agape and her breath caught in her throat. Apple Bloom glanced left to see everypony else just as flabbergasted. Sweetie Belle was giving off small shivers, Diamond Tiara was slowly putting a hoof to her mouth, even Scootaloo was at a total loss for words.
“Did anyone else think that last attack was just a bit...excessive?” Hawkmon asked.
Armadillomon shrugged. “I guess some Digimon wanna finish things off with a bang.” He turned right to see Apple Bloom still staring into the clearing. “Um...Apple Bloom?” he asked, lifting a paw and gently poking her. “Are you alright?”
Apple Bloom snapped out of her trance, turning to Armadillomon. “Am I alright?” she asked. “Did you not see what just happened?”
Hawkmon looked at Apple Bloom with a confused expression. “Well, I do believe that was some sort of territorial dispute. Or it could have been—”
“That ain’t what I meant!” Apple Bloom snapped. “That Digimon was just...was just—”
“Killed,” Rumble finished. He backed away from Bearmon and the other Digimon. “He was just killed, and you’re talking about how it was “excessive”?!”
“I know Kuwagamon came after us before, but that don’t mean he deserved to...die like that!” Apple Bloom said, tears starting to form in her eyes. “He’s gone forever, how can you be so casual about that?!”
Armadillomon stared at Apple Bloom with concern and confusion in equal measures. “Hold up, gone forever? What are you talkin’ about?” After a few moments of silence, his eyes snapped open wide. “Oh...that’s right. I keep forgetting you’re not from around here,” he said, giving a comforting smile. “Kuwagamon just got defeated, yes. But he ain’t “gone” in that sense.”
Apple Bloom blinked. “Wha-whaddya mean?”
“Whenever a Digimon is destroyed, it’s primary data is sent back to Primary Village.” Armadillomon explained.
“Primary...data?” Scootaloo asked.
“You all saw that white light fly off, right?” Bearmon asked, pointing to the horizon. The ponies nodded. “That was Kuwagamon’s DigiCore. It contains a Digimon’s primary data. It’s, uh…” Bearmon twirled his paw in a circle, trying to settle on a word. “It’s soul, in a sense. When it goes back to Primary Village, it’s reformed as a Digi-Egg. The egg eventually hatches and the Digimon begins life again.”
“So…” Sweetie Belle said. “Digimon can never really die?”
“Right,” Palmon said. “As long as our DigiCore remains, we can keep coming back.”
Apple Bloom wiped her eyes and gave a small smile. “Well...that’s a bit of a relief.”
As they made their way back down the hill and back on the trail, the shock from witnessing the previous battle faded. “But...what happened to the rest of him?” Diamond Tiara asked. “Where did the rest of that...stuff go?”
As they started down the trail again, Hawkmon turned back to Diamond Tiara. “Well, Snimon absorbed the rest of Kuwagamon’s data. Whenever a Digimon absorbs the data of another Digimon, they become stronger. Given enough time and data, one can eventually digivolve to a more powerful Digimon.”
Scootaloo glanced to Guilmon. But...Guilmon didn’t absorb any data before he digivolved. Did he? she thought.
“There it is,” Hawkmon said, snapping Scootaloo out of her thoughts. Everyone looked up to see Mt. Panorama in front of them. “Everyone stay low and keep your voices down.”
“Why, what’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked. Hawkmon pointed to an outcropping on the mountain, where two small Digimon stood vigilantly before the mouth to a cave. Everyone quickly backed up into the treeline. “Is that where they were taken?” she whispered. Hawkmon nodded.
“Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s get going!” Scootaloo whispered. She began to charge before being stopped by Rumble. “Hey, what gives?”
“We don’t know what we’re getting into here,” Rumble whispered. “We don’t know how many Digimon are in that cave.”
“If we just charge in now, they would have time to shore up any defenses they might have,” Bearmon reasoned. “And better secure everyone they’re holding. Your friends and the Digimon.”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “We need to find a way to get up there quietly.” Sweetie Belle looked at the rocky outcropping, putting a hoof to her chin. “Now...how do you think they got up there in the first place?”
Apple Bloom scanned the mountain side near the outcropping, noting the Gazimon guards. They don’t look like they have wings. she thought. So either they got a lift from someone, or… Her eyes followed a cliff running from the outcropping. It curved around the mountain side until it met something that brought a ghost of a smile to Apple Bloom’s face. Bingo! she thought.
“Everyone, look over there,” Apple Bloom whispered, pointing to the base of the mountain. Everyone followed her hoof to a point that was just out of the guards sight. At the base of the mountain was a switchback trail which zig-zagged up the mountain side up to a cliff. The cliff itself ran around the mountain to where the outcropping was. “It leads right up to the cave entrance!”
“Great, we can take that up the mountain and still get the drop on these goons!” Scootaloo whispered, bearing a cocky grin.
“Alright then,” Hawkmon said. “Just watch where you step, and keep quiet.”
The two Gazimon standing near the cave entrance were bored out of their feline skulls. Ever since the Flymon left a few hours ago, the only thing resembling entertainment for them was the fight between a Kuwagamon and Snimon taking place somewhere in the forest below. Unfortunately the outcropping which they stood on didn’t give them a good view of the fight, only small glimpses. After the Snimon flew away victorious, it was back to watching the same quiet forest.
“Hey,” one of the Gazimon said, turning to his partner.
“What is it?” the other Gazimon groaned, refusing to tear his gaze from the forest.
“You ever wonder why we’re here?”
The other Gazimon slowly turned to his partner, breathing heavily through his nose. He opened his mouth, struggling to from a response to the same stupid question he asked every time they were out here. “You know what?” he asked, deadpan. “I hate you. I just want you to know that I...genuinely despise...your existence right now.”
His partner just stared at him before shrugging. “Well, what did I do?”
The other Gazimon stared at him, mouth agape. He then breathed through his nose, and let out a heavy groan before storming off into the cave.
The remaining Gazimon stared as his partner stomped into the cave. “Hey! What did I do?” Getting no response, he shook his head and turned his gaze back to the forest below.
Scootaloo crept back from around the corner of the rock she was hiding behind, having witnessed the exchange between the two Gazimon. She looked back to see Guilmon just behind her on the cliff, along with the rest of her friends. “Alright, looks like there’s just one right now,” she whispered. “Guilmon, see if you can throw a rock to distract the other one.”
“Okay,” Guilmon nodded before picking up a big rock and creeping over next to Scootaloo. Taking aim, he brought back his arm in a pitch before chucking the rock. Scootaloo and Guilmon watched the rock sail through the air, and winced as it reached its destination with a THUMP. They watched as the Gazimon stumbled for a few seconds before collapsing onto the ground, unconscious.
“That works too...I guess,” Scootaloo said. She looked back and signalled for everyone to move up. Everyone gathered at the mouth of cavern, staring into the foreboding darkness. A chill ran down Scootaloo’s spine as she thought of the Digimon being dragged into this lair, kicking and screaming, not knowing what fate would await them.
“Alright, so what’s the plan?” Rumble asked. “We just wander around and hope we find where they’re keeping Babs Seed and Silver Spoon?”
“Right now I reckon that’s all we can do,” Apple Bloom said as she walked into the cave, everyone filing in behind her.
Sweetie Belle quietly ran up to Apple Bloom, Palmon right at her side. “That’s it?” Sweetie Belle whispered. “There’s gotta be a way to find out where they are.”
“Well what do ya wanna do, ask for directions?” Apple Bloom snapped.
A groan echoed through the tunnel. Everyone stopped to see the other Gazimon guard walking towards the entrance, and towards them. “Look, I’m sorry,” he said, his gaze directed at the floor as he rubbed the back of his head. “It’s been a long day for me, and the last thing I need is for you to go on another philosophical ramble. Everyday we’re stationed together and you ask that question. Sometimes you go so deep into it, and then the next thing I know, I have trouble falling asleep—” He looked up to see the congregation of ponies and Digimon in the tunnel. “Aw...crud!” he said as he turned to make a break for it.
“Oh no you don’t!” Palmon said. She threw her arms forward, launching several purple tendrils from her fingertips. “POISON IVY!”
A few of the tendrils wrapped around the Gazimon’s feet, sending him face first into the ground. The rest of them wrapped around his torso as Palmon reeled him in. The Gazimon tried digging his claws into the earth in an attempt to halt his capture, but only managed to succeed in creating a long scratch in the cave floor. He looked up to find himself face to face with an unhappy Hawkmon.
“Where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?” Hawkmon asked. “Don’t you know it’s rude to just run away from guests without saying hello?”
“Oh, my apologies,” Gazimon smirked as he tried to get up. “If you let me go then I’ll give you a proper greeting you puffed up—” A foot planted firmly in his back granted him a new perspective of the cave floor.
“Thank you Bearmon,” Hawkmon said looking to Bearmon, who gave a small nod. “Well then, seeing as your manners are a lost cause, I’ll cut straight to the point,” he said, turning his attention back to Gazimon. “Where are you keeping the Digimon you took?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what you mean,” Gazimon replied. “We’re just mining this place for precious metals. I think you have us mixed up with someone else.” He yelped as something grab his ear and pull his head right. He soon found himself staring into the angry orange irises of Apple Bloom.
“Don’t you play dumb with us!” Apple Bloom seethed. “We know you brought my cousin here. Now tell me where she is you varmit!”
“Would you let go of my ears?!” the Gazimon cried. Apple Bloom complied, letting his head fall back to the floor. “Even if what you’re accusing this place of being is true, I wouldn’t tell you anything. And there’s no way you’re gonna make me!” He felt the tendrils holding him shake a little before loosening their grip on him. As the tendrils released him, they left behind a numbing sensation.
Bearmon looked up at Palmon. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere,” Palmon said. “I can lace my ivy in a paralytic toxin. So, you can take your foot off of him now.”
Bearmon reluctantly lifted his foot off of the Gazimon’s back. Gazimon tried to run, but found his legs refusing to move. As he struggled to escape, Palmon walked in front of him, getting down on her hands and knees and looking him in the eye. Palmon glanced up at everyone else. “You all might want to stand back and plug your noses.”
Everyone looked at Palmon with confusion but gave her some space nonetheless. Palmon looked back down to Gazimon before closing her eyes. The flower on her head began to retreat into itself. As the petals converged onto the pistil, the flower shook ever so slightly, as if it refused to close. Then like a spring releasing tension, the flower reopened.
As Gazimon watched the spectacle, a smirk began to form on his lips. But before he could say anything, his nose twitched and his expression twisted in disgust.
Sweetie Belle watched the writhing Gazimon trying to turn away from Palmon. “Um...Palmon?” Sweetie Belle asked. “What’s the matter with—” Her nostrils twitched as she breathed in one of the most foul odors she ever smelled. “Eww! What is that smell?!” she said, stepping back a few more feet and putting a foreleg up to cover her nose.
“Ugh! Smells like a skunk got into a trash can filled with nothing but two month old cheese!” Scootaloo said through her foreleg.
As everyone resisted the urge to run straight for the cave entrance for the promise of fresh air, Gazimon continued to writhe on the ground. Unable to turn away from Palmon, Gazimon held his breath in an attempt to cease the assault on his olfactory senses. But even when he held his breath, the odor coming from Palmon’s flower would waft straight into his nostrils. After a few more moments his eyes began to water.
“Alright!” Gazimon shouted. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Just please, make it stop!”
Palmon got back up and took a deep breath as her flower closed, opening again as she exhaled. She opened her eyes and began fanning the smell away with her hand. Eventually she waved the rest of the group over once most of the stench had been cleared.
“What was that?” Sweetie Belle asked as she waved her foreleg in front of her nose.
“It’s a defense mechanism I have,” Palmon shrugged. “Helps keep away large Digimon.”
“Well it’s an effective one, I’ll give you that!” Diamond Tiara said, still plugging her nose.
“Ugh,” Gazimon groaned. “I’m not gonna be able to smell anything for a week now!”
“Now, where did you take the two ponies you captured earlier today?” Palmon asked.
Gazimon looked up at Palmon in confusion. “Ponies? Is that what they were?” He glanced to the other fillies and colt in the tunnel. “I had a feeling they weren’t Digimon, but we tossed them in with the others just in case.”
“Where are they?” Apple Bloom growled.
Gazimon motioned his head further down the tunnel. “Keep going down this tunnel until you hit the split at the end. The tunnel on the right will take you to the holding cells. Just follow the minecart tracks.”
“Alright,” Apple Bloom said before turning to everyone else. “Let’s get movin ya’ll!”
“Before we do, I have a few questions,” Bearmon said. “Why do all this? Why abduct In-Training Digimon?”
“Hey, I don’t do the snatching!” Gazimon said. “I just help guard the place.”
“Well, what do you do to them here?”
“Not much really. We’re just told to keep them here until the boss tells us to ship a few of them out down the tunnel,” Gazimon looked down. “Of course, every now and again the boss likes to pick on some of the smaller Digimon. Don’t know why; I guess it’s how he gets his kicks…”
Bearmon growled, his paw clenched in a fist. He grabbed Gazimon and hoisted him up to face level. “Where does that tunnel lead?” he growled.
“I-I think it cuts through Infinity Mountain,” Gazimon stuttered. “I heard a few of the them say something about a place in Overdell.”
“You “think” it goes to Overdell?” Hawkmon asked.
“Look, I’ve never been down that tunnel before!” Gazimon said. “And quite frankly, I’d rather keep it that way. There’s something about that tunnel that just gives me the—”
A distant murmuring from further down the tunnel made Gazimon look up. “HELP!” he shouted. “INTRUDERS! INTRUD—”
A punch to the back of the head, courtesy of Bearmon, knocked Gazimon unconscious. Everyone stared down the tunnel, not daring to move a muscle. “You think they heard that?” Sweetie Belle whispered.
A small group of Gazimon emerged from the darkness, charging straight towards the ponies. “Yeah, probably,” Diamond Tiara answered.
“So much for keeping a low profile,” Hawkmon said, stepping in front of everyone while reaching up to the feather in his headband. “FEATHER STRIKE!” He shouted as he threw the feather like a boomerang. The feather struck two of the Gazimon in front, causing them to stumble backwards. As the feather spun back towards Hawkmon, he reached up to catch it before placing it back in his headband. He looked to the Digimon behind him. “Feel free to jump in at any time!”
Babs Seed stared at the cell door with intense curiosity. Her ears were erect and swiveled forward as she walked towards the cell door.
“What is it?” Silver Spoon asked.
Babs Seed glanced back to her. “Thought I heard somethin’,” she said before looking out past the iron bar door. “Sounded like someone shouting.”
“Probably just the Gazimon in another argument,” DemiVeemon said. “They have a poker or dice tournament, someone loses their money, and then for the next hour or so they fight each other over who cheated.” DemiVeemon smiled. “Trust me, it happens every other day.”
“I don’t know…” Terriermon added, his own ears raised up. “That didn’t sound like someone who lost a big bet.”
“What do you think it was?” Silver Spoon asked.
“I’m not sure, but we should be on the lookout. Opportunity might just come knocking.”
Babs Seed peered up the tunnel, listening to the commotion.
“PYRO SPHERE!” BOOM!
The sound echoed down the tunnel, and was music to Babs Seed’s ears. She turned back to Silver Spoon, Terriermon and DemiVeemon. “That was an explosion!” she said excitedly.
Terriermon smiled. “Sometimes opportunity sounds a lot like an explosion.”
DemiVeemon started jumping up and down. “Haha, we’re saved!”
“Maybe…” Terriermon trailed off.
Silver Spoon and the others turned to him. “What do you mean maybe?” Silver Spoon asked.
“Well, it sounds like they got in a fight. Which means the guards know they’re here.”
“Well...duh! What’s your point?”
“My point is that they’re probably gonna do everything they can to make sure that we don’t get out of here,” Terriermon reasoned. “We need a plan for when they come down here.” DemiVeemon opened his mouth to speak. “A plan that doesn’t involve charging them as soon as they open the door!” Terriermon interrupted.
“Aww, come on!” DemiVeemon pouted.
Babs Seed shook her head with a chuckle. “So, any ideas?” she asked.
Terriermon put a paw to his chin. He looked around the cell before turning to Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon looked to Terriermon as he continued to stare at her. “What?” she asked.
“KARATE FIST!” Bearmon shouted as he punched a Gazimon in the chest, sending it flying into the wall and reducing him to raw data. Bearmon closed his eyes as he absorbed the Gazimon’s data. He looked behind him to see Guilmon and Hawkmon absorbing the data from their own fallen opponents, while Palmon and Armadillomon stood ready for any stragglers. Bearmon watched as the remaining data trailed after the Gazimon DigiCores as they flew towards the cave entrance.
“Alright, nice work everyone!” Scootaloo cheered. “Now let’s get our friends back!”
“We’re almost there, just hold on a little longer you two!” Apple Bloom whispered to herself as she galloped after Scootaloo. It wasn’t long before the tunnel lead to a split. A group of Gazimon emerged from the left tunnel, making the ponies skid to a stop. The Digimon stood in front of the ponies, ready for a fight.
“Stop!” a small, yet sinister voice commanded. “I’ll deal with these trespassers, you secure the prisoners!”
“You sure about that?” one of the Gazimon asked, looking back into the tunnel they came out of.
“Did I stutter? I said go you fools!”
“Y-yes boss,” the Gazimon turned to his comrades, motioning them to go down the right tunnel.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re goin’?” Apple Bloom shouted to the Gazimon.
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them if I were you,” the voice cackled. “Oh no, you should save that for me!”
“You’re the one in charge of this whole operation?” Scootaloo confronted. Beside her, Guilmon growled at the darkness.
The voice chuckled. “Indeed little one.” A figure slowly emerged from the darkness. “Prepare yourself! And gaze upon the face...of your doom!” A Digimon leaped out of the darkness and landed in front of them. A cackle let itself loose from his large mouth filled with crooked teeth as he stared them down with his red eyes. He was mostly covered in gray fur, with a patch of white on his chest and a long streak of orange fur going down his back. He sported two bat wings, two yellow hands with sharp claws...and was less than half the size of anypony in the room.
The Digimon continued his maniacal laughter until he noticed that everyone was staring at him. He didn’t see any trace of fear in their eyes like he anticipated, but rather confusion. “What?” he asked. “Do I have something in my teeth?”
Scootaloo’s gaze shifted behind the small Digimon, expecting someone bigger to come out at any moment. After a few moments she looked back down to him. “You’re...the one in charge of this whole operation?” she asked.
“Yes! Were you not listening to me earlier?” the Digimon shouted. “Why aren’t you trembling before me!”
Apple Bloom and Armadillomon looked at one another. “Well, um…” Apple Bloom began. “We were just…”
“We were kinda expectin’ someone taller,” Armadillomon finished.
“Yep, pretty much,” Apple Bloom nodded.
“I...bah...what?” the small Digimon fumbled.
“Wait, hold on,” Diamond Tiara snickered. “This is serious? You mean to tell me that all those guys took orders from this...this little shrimp?” Her snickering soon evolved into a full belly laugh. “This thing’s even smaller than Pipsqueak!”
As Diamond Tiara’s laughter sent her sprawling to the ground, Rumble aimed his device at the Digimon.
Name: Vilemon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Virus
Atacks:
Nightmare Shocker
Demon Darts
Rumble’s eyes widened. He looked up from the screen to Vilemon, who began to shake with anger. “Uh...Diamond Tiara?” Rumble said with worry. “You might wanna cut that out!”
Diamond Tiara looked up at Rumble, catching her breath and wiping a tear from her eye. “Why, what’s the worst he could do?” she asked. Rumble showed her his analyzer. Her eyes darted around the stats on the screen, lingering on Vilemon’s level. “You mean to tell me that this half pint is a Champion level Digimon?” she asked.
She looked to the rest of the group, most of which were looking at Vilemon with disbelief. Rumble was slowly putting distance between himself and Diamond Tiara, while Sweetie Belle had her hoof to her face. It was at that moment that Diamond Tiara realized what she said, how loud she said it, and why Vilemon looked like he had steam coming out of his ears.
“That’s it, you’re gonna get it!” Vilemon shouted before going airborne. “NIGHTMARE SHOCKER!” he shouted as a supersonic wave flew from his mouth straight towards Diamond Tiara. She leapt back as the shockwave impacted the ground in front of her, sending her onto her back.
“PYRO SPHERE!” Guilmon shouted as he launched a fireball at Vilemon.
Vilemon dodged the fireball, focusing on Guilmon. “NIGHTMARE SHOCKER!” Vilemon launched another shockwave at Guilmon. Guilmon turned to run, but cried out as he was struck in the back by the shockwave. He fell forward as he closed his eyes and collapsed.
“Guilmon!” Scootaloo shouted as she galloped towards the fallen dinosaur. “Guilmon, are you alright?” she said as she gently shook Guilmon.
Guilmon’s eyes began to twitch behind his eyelids. “Dark...so dark,” he muttered. “Hello? Is anyone here?”
“What?” Scootaloo leaned back. “What are you talking about? I’m right here.”
“Hello? Wait, what was that?” Guilmon asked. For a few moments he was silent. But then he began to squirm, and his breaths became quick. “No...no, stay away! Stay away! Help!”
Scootaloo’s eyes widened. Is he...having a nightmare? she thought. She began shaking him even harder. “Guilmon! It’s just a dream, wake up! Wake up!”
“Keep trying, it won’t do you any good,” Vilemon cackled. “Now then, who’s next?”
“Alright, you all know what to do,” the lead Gazimon said. “Secure the prisoners! We’ll prep them for transport down the tunnel if we have to!” He began unlocking the cells, leaving two Gazimon to secure the prisoners in each cell. Finally arriving at the fifth and final cell, he nodded to his partner, knowing to take extra care due to a certain occupant of this cell. He unlocked the door.
“Alright, all of you up against the wall, now!” the Gazimon barked to the cell occupants. Everyone complied almost immediately, rushing towards a part of the wall and pressing against it. Looking to the left, he spotted the small light brown pony from earlier today standing next to DemiVeemon, both up against the wall. “Aww, what’s the matter short stuff? Finally learned your lesson?” Gazimon gloated as DemiVeemon glared at him.
Looking up and around the cell, Gazimon smirked as the wall was lined with In-Training Digimon. But one Digimon stayed where he was, hunched over something towards the back of the cell. “Hey, Terriermon!” Gazimon barked. “I said get up against the wall!”
Terriermon looked back with worry in his eyes as the two guards marched towards him. “Please, you have to help,” he pleaded. “I think she ate something bad. She’s been like this for awhile now.”
The two Gazimon looked past Terriermon to see the gray pony with silver hair on her side with her eyes closed, clutching her barrel with her forelegs as she writhed on the cave floor. “Ugh! It hurts...my stomach...ugh!” she moaned.
“Can’t you do something to help her?” Terriermon pleaded.
“Oh for crying out loud,” one of the Gazimon rolled his eyes as he picked up Terriermon by his ear. “Get up against the wall now!” he yelled as he threw Terriermon towards the side. He looked down to Silver Spoon, who was still on the ground. He gently nudged her with his foot. “That means you too.”
“I can’t...I can’t get up,” Silver Spoon pleaded.
“Did you not hear him?” the other Gazimon asked. “He said, up against the—” He was interrupted by Babs Seed who had jumped onto his back, and had her forelegs around him in a headlock.
His comrade had barely taken a step to help when he was robbed of his sight. “Guess who?” Terriermon asked cheerily as he clung to the back of his head, using his giant ears as a blindfold. He held on as Gazimon tried to pull him off.
After stumbling around for a few moments, Gazimon tripped forward onto his face as Terriermon jumped off of him. “Why you little—” he grumbled before he looked up. Leaping towards him was an angry Pagumon, with several In-Training Digimon following his lead.
“DIGI-PILE!” Pagumon shouted as he and the Digimon following him descended onto Gazimon.
As Terriermon watched the Digimon piling onto Gazimon, and another group soon enveloping the Gazimon Babs Seed was handling, a smile crossed his face. He looked left to see Silver Spoon galloping towards him. “Alright, what do you say we get outta here, huh?” Terriermon asked.
“Sounds good to me!” Silver Spoon nodded. She ran towards the cell door, where Babs Seed and DemiVeemon were waiting. As they ran out of the cell, she could see the Digimon from the other cells using the commotion they caused to their advantage. The Gazimon were struggling to keep the small Digimon in the cells.
“Come on, let’s go!” Babs Seed said, motioning to the exit. Behind her and Silver Spoon, Babs saw Pagumon hop out of the cell with the rest of the Digimon imprisoned with them.
“FREEDOM!” Pagumon cheered as he led the charge out of the cave.
“ELECTRIC STUN BLAST!” a voice shouted from the cell. A black cloud laced with electricity billowed out of the cell, enveloping Pagumon and the other In-Training Digimon. Babs Seed and Silver Spoon, along with DemiVeemon and Terriermon, stood at the edge of the smoke. As the smoke cleared, the Digimon caught shook as they struggled to move. And out of the cell, emerged a very angry Gazimon.
“No one’s going anywhere!” he shouted. Gazimon leaned his head back as a black cloud began to form in his mouth. “ELECTRIC STUN BLAST!”
Another black cloud spewed forth from the Gazimon’s mouth. Between his attack and the pandemonium ensuing behind them, Babs Seed and Silver Spoon were trapped. Before they felt the sting of the electricity though, Terriermon leapt in front of them, spread his ears out and began to spin. “TERRIER TORNADO!” he shouted as he began to spin faster and faster. Soon Terriermon was nothing but a spinning green blur, with a green tornado forming around him. The tornado spun directly towards the cloud, dissipating it. As the cloud cleared away, Terriermon slowed down his spin until he came to rest on the ground and assume a fighting stance.
Gazimon looked to Terriermon with a smirk. “Not bad,” he said with a nod.
“You want more?” Terriermon smirked. He took a deep breath, a ball of green energy forming in his mouth. “BUNNY BLAST!” He spat the ball of energy at Gazimon...which dissipated before it got two feet away. Terriermon collapsed forward, breathing heavily.
“Terriermon? What’s wrong?” Silver Spoon asked.
“So...hungry,” Terriermon groaned as he struggled to get up.
Silver Spoon glanced between Terriermon and Gazimon. “What’s the matter?” Gazimon laughed. “Run out of steam?” Gazimon inspected his claws. “Now under normal circumstances, this would be the part where I beat you senseless, toss you back into your cell, and cut your rations down even further.”
“I knew it!” Pagumon shouted, earning a glare from Terriermon.
“But, since there’s intruders running around…” Gazimon said as he looked back up. “I think I’ll just destroy ya and take your data, and your pals back there too.” Gazimon nodded behind Terriermon. “By the time you all hatch again, we’ll be long gone.”
Silver Spoon’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks, and her breath got caught in her throat. “You’re going to...what?” she whimpered.
“Although, if you would do me a small favor?” Gazimon continued. “When that day comes, tell Elecmon I said hello, and thanks for the hospitality.”
Gazimon took a couple of steps towards Terriermon before he stopped upon hearing the rapid clopping of hooves against the ground. He looked up in time to see Babs Seed put herself between Terriermon and Gazimon. She blew a lock of hair out of her left eye before leveling a glare at Gazimon. “Back. Off!” she growled.
Gazimon stared at her before bursting out into laughter. “And what, hahaha...what are you gonna do?” He said in between chuckles.
Babs Seed’s nostrils flared as she got low and began pawing at the ground with her right forehoof.
“Aww...look at you being all defiant. That’s cute.”
Babs Seed smirked. “Wait ‘till you get to know me!” And with that she charged at Gazimon with a loud battle cry.
Gazimon looked up from his laughing fit. His eyes widened upon seeing the angry mass of amber and dark pink charging for him. He barely had time to react as Babs leapt up in the air and tackled him to the ground.
Silver Spoon rushed to Terriermon with DemiVeemon beside her. Silver Spoon gingerly helped Terriermon back onto his feet. She looked back up to see Babs on top of a still shocked Gazimon. DemiVeemon watched the spectacle with an open mouth and wide eyes.
Babs Seed held Gazimon’s chest with her left forehoof as she pulled back her right foreleg and delivered a solid punch to his face. She pulled back her foreleg again and delivered another punch, and another. As she pulled back her foreleg for another punch, Gazimon whipped his right arm forward and scratched her cheek.
“Gah!” Babs cried out, quickly bringing her left hoof up to her face.
“Get off me you little twerp!” Gazimon shouted as he slipped out from under her, and used both legs to kick her off of him.
“Omph,” Babs landed on the ground a few feet away from Gazimon. She slowly got up and put a hoof up to her stinging left cheek. She brought her hoof away from her face and looked down on it. She closed her eyes, and smiled. “That the best you got?” Babs chuckled as she turned back to Gazimon, who was massaging his jaw. “I’ve taken worse from the playground at my old school!”
“Hmph,” Gazimon grunted as he marched towards Babs Seed and delivered a punch to her gut.
Silver Spoon and Terriermon winced as the wind was knocked out of Babs Seed, causing her to collapse onto the ground. DemiVeemon only took deep breaths through his nose as he began to shake in anger, and his eyes narrowed.
Gazimon grabbed Babs Seed’s mane, lifting her up to his face. Babs Seed let out another chuckle. “Come on...impress me!” she dared.
Gazimon smirked as he brought back his claw. “You don’t scare easily, I’ll give you that.”
Babs Seed closed her eyes, bracing herself.
“DemiVeemon! What are you doing?!” she heard Silver Spoon shout. She opened an eye to see DemiVeemon, sounding off his battle cry as he charged towards Gazimon.
Gazimon rolled his eyes as he turned to the charging DemiVeemon. “You always know how to take the fun out of my day, do you?” he asked.
“DemiVeemon…” Babs Seed whispered. She spotted a faint blue light in her peripheral vision. Glancing down at the blue device on her left foreleg, she saw the screen beginning to glow brighter and brighter. She looked back up to DemiVeemon who began to glow with a similar light.
Gazimon stepped back, dropping Babs Seed in the process. “What the—”
DemiVeemon Digivolve to…VEEMON
“VEE HEADBUTT!” Veemon shouted as he charged headfirst into Gazimon, sending him flying across the floor. “Yeah, I guess I do,” he smirked. He looked back to Babs Seed. “Hey, you alright?” he asked, extending a hand to her.
Babs Seed looked at Veemon in awe before taking his hand with a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured him as he helped her up. Once she was back on four legs, Babs was able to get a better look at Veemon, who was now able to meet her at eye level. His feet now sported three claws on each foot, and his arms and legs were longer with more muscle. The white was gone from most of his face, with the exception of the area around his mouth. There were yellow markings just beneath his eyes and a small yellow V in between them. And finally, there was a small horn at the tip of his nose.
“Good,” Veemon nodded as he gave Babs a light pat on her side. “You hang back for a bit. I have a little score to settle.” He turned to Gazimon with a confident smile as he pressed a fist into his palm.
Gazimon got back up on his hind legs. As he assumed a fighting stance, he chuckled and said, “Did I not tell you about the definition of insanity?”
“DEMON DARTS!” Vilemon shouted as he threw darts of dark blue energy towards a charging Bearmon. Bearmon skidded to a stop and rolled to the side, dodging the attack. Before he could continue forward, Vilemon launched another barrage of darts at him, forcing him back.
“I can’t get close to him!” Bearmon yelled as he continued to hop back. Soon he felt something solid against his back. He glanced back to see that he had hit the cave wall. “Uh oh.”
“Gotcha!” Vilemon said as he throw another round of darts at Bearmon. Bearmon cried out as the darts hit him right in the chest. He winced as he crumpled forward, clutching his chest with one paw.
“Come on Bearmon, shake it off!” Rumble cried.
“FEATHER STRIKE!” Hawkmon threw his feather, only for Vilemon to expertly dart out of the way. “Little bugger’s too fast,” he muttered as he caught his feather again.
“DIAMOND SHELL!” Armadillomon attempted to hit him from the side, only to cannonball into the wall.
“Too slow,” Vilemon taunted as Armadillomon shook himself off. “NIGHTMARE SHOCKER!”
Armadillomon looked to Vilemon with wide eyes as the shockwave hit him.
“Armadillomon!” Apple Bloom shouted as he fell onto his belly, eyes closed.
Hawkmon flew towards Vilemon, swerving side to side. If I can just get close enough, I should be able to—
“DEMON DARTS!” Vilemon threw three more darts at Hawkmon, clipping his wing and sending him crashing back onto the cave floor.
Palmon lifted her hands back. “POISON I—”
“Nope!” Vilemon yelled, throwing another burst of darts at Palmon and knocking her on her back.
Apple Bloom looked around the cave. Most of the Digimon were struggling to get up, while Guilmon and Armadillomon were writhing on the ground. Apple Bloom glanced over to a now squirming Armadillomon.
“Please,” he muttered. “Please let me out. The water...the water’s rising! Please...let me out!”
“Now then,” Vilemon cackled. “Which one of you should I take care of first?” He lifted a claw to his chin. He then began to point to each of the scarred ponies scattered around the tunnel. “Eenie...meenie...miney…” He then pointed to Diamond Tiara. “Mo!”
Vilemon drifted ever closer to Diamond Tiara, forcing her to back up even further. “W-wait a minute,” Diamond Tiara stuttered. “C-can’t we talk this over?” She felt her flank touch the cold surface of the rock, yet she continued to press further up along the surface. As she pressed against the wall on her hind legs, her chest quickly rose and fell with her breathing.
“Hehehe,” Vilemon chuckled. “Sweet dreams. NIGHTMARE SHOC—”
Hawkmon swooped in from behind Vilemon, grabbing him by the shoulders with his talons and pinning him to the ground. “BEAK PECKER!” Hawkmon shouted before rapidly pecking Vilemon with his beak.
“Ow ow ow ow!” Vilemon yelled before taking a swipe at Hawkmon, who flew up to avoid the attack. Vilemon growled before hovering towards Hawkmon. “You’ll regret that you feathered fr—”
“POISON IVY!” Palmon shouted, wrapping Vilemon in her tendrils. Vilemon could only shout as he was whipped into the wall, then onto the floor where Bearmon was waiting.
“KARATE FIST!” Bearmon shouted as he sent Vilemon flying back into the wall.
As Vilemon slid back down the wall and onto the floor, he let out a distorted groan as his body began to glitch. He crawled forward until he he found himself in front of a yellow talon. He slowly looked up into Hawkmon’s icey blue eyes, leveling a glare that could burn through paper. Vilemon scurried back to the wall as Hawkmon advanced towards him. “W-wait a minute, let’s not get too h— *bzzt* hasty here,” he pleaded. “We *bzzzt* we can talk this over!”
“Sorry,” Hawkmon said. “But I do believe that ship has long since sailed. BEAK PECKER!”
Vilemon let out one final cry as Hawkmon delivered a few more powerful hits with his beak before he was deleted. Hawkmon absorbed his data, and glared at his DigiCore as it flew towards the cave exit. “Good riddance!” he muttered.
While everyone took a few moments to recover from the fight, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo ran up to Armadillomon and Guilmon, who were still asleep on the ground.
“Armadillomon?” Apple Bloom whispered. She reached out and gently shook him. Armadillomon’s eyes shot open and he let out a small yelp. He looked around frantically, taking shallow breaths. “Hey, it's alright,” Apple Bloom said, putting a hoof on his shell. “It was just a bad dream.”
“Where...where’s Vilemon?” Armadillomon asked.
“He's gone, don't worry. How ‘bout you, are you alright?”
Armadillomon looked up and smiled. “Yeah, I’ll be alright.”
Apple Bloom and Armadillomon looked over to see Guilmon holding on tightly to Scootaloo. “Yeah, I’m alright Guilmon,” Scootaloo croaked. “But do you think...you could loosen up...just a little?”
“Oh, sorry,” Guilmon said as he put Scootaloo down.
“Diamond Tiara, are you alright?” Hawkmon asked, extending a wing to her.
Diamond Tiara looked up at Hawkmon. “A bit shaken up. Other than that I’m alright, thanks to you.” She smiled as he helped her up.
“So, is everyone good?” Rumble asked. “Then what do you say we wrap this up and get out of here!” Everyone looked to each other and nodded before following the tracks down into the tunnel.
Veemon blocked another punch from Gazimon before countering with a couple punches of his own. Gazimon stumbled back a few feet before stabilizing himself.
Gazimon leveled a glare at Veemon before lifting his head back. “ELECTRIC STUN—”
“VEE HEADBUTT!” Veemon charged in with another headbutt, interrupting Gazimon’s attack and knocking him to the floor. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
Gazimon propped himself up on one foreleg, using the other to grip his chest. “What’s the matter?” Veemon taunted. “Finally learned your lesson?”
Gazimon slowly he picked himself up. “You...little imbecile!” he growled. “I’ll teach you a lesson!” he shouted as he charged towards Veemon. Bringing his foreleg back, Gazimon threw a powerful strike at Veemon, which he dodged. Turning around, Gazimon tried to strike him again. Veemon knocked the attack aside, then followed through with two punches to his gut and one to his jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground once again.
Gazimon shook and glitched as he got up. Ignoring the pain, he let out a battle cry as he attempted one last charge. Veemon narrowed his eyes, brought his right foot behind him and bent his left knee. As Gazimon threw his punch, Veemon grabbed his foreleg, pulling him forward. At the same time, Veemon put his left hand to Gazimon’s stomach. Using Gazimon’s momentum against him, he flipped him forward onto his back and delivered one last punch to his face.
Gazimon shattered into raw data, and Veemon smiled as he absorbed as much as he could. He looked to Gazimon’s DigiCore as it flew off. “Lesson over, class is dismissed,” Veemon smirked. He turned back to Babs Seed and the others, all watching in awe.
“Wowza…” Babs Seed started before smiling. “That was awesome!”
“Nice to see that guy finally get what was coming to him,” Terriermon nodded.
“It was even better knowing I was the one givin’ it to him!” Veemon chuckled. “Now then, who wants to go out and see the sun again?”
“Forget the sun,” Terriermon said. “I just wanna eat something that I don’t have to fight over.”
“Uh...I’m not sure if now is the time to celebrate,” Silver Spoon said.
Everyone looked behind them to see the four remaining Gazimon advancing towards them. Glancing past them, Babs could see the In-Training Digimon strewn across the floor, subdued and paralyzed. Veemon raced in front of them and assumed a fighting stance. Terriermon, in his weakened state, tried to look as intimidating as possible.
Suddenly, one of the Gazimon jumped with a yelp as he was hit in the back with a fireball. The others looked to him as he spun around a few times until he got a grip on his tail, and put out the small fire on the tip of it.
“Let ‘em go!” a country voice shouted from behind them. Babs Seed and Silver Spoon beamed with happiness as they saw their friends emerge from the darkness. Apple Bloom glared at them while Guilmon hunched over and growled.
“Wait, if they’re here then that means…” one of the Gazimon started. His eyes widened as he arrived at the same conclusion as his comrades. “They defeated Vilemon. They got the boss!”
“Game over for you jerks!” Scootaloo shouted.
“You’re surrounded, just give up!” Rumble said.
The Gazimon stood back to back as they tried to find a way out of their predicament. “Uh, quick!” one of the Gazimon shouted. “Initiate Emergency Plan Delta!” The others nodded and took a deep breath. “ELECTRIC STUN BLAST!” they shouted as they exhaled enough gas to create a smokescreen.
The ponies stepped back while the Digimon stood ready to fight. As the smoke cleared, where there was once four Gazimon, four holes remained. “Where’d they go?” Babs Seed asked. The sound of rapid footfalls made her look back just in time to see the last of the Gazimon burst out of the ground behind her. Running on all fours, he dashed down the tunnel with the rest of the pack.
“That’s right you losers, run!” Veemon shouted after them. “And don’t you ever come back!”
“Babs!” Babs Seed looked back to see Apple Bloom galloping for her.
“Hey AB!” Babs cheered as she rushed to greet her cousin. She caught her in a hug and gave her a loving nuzzle.
“Thank Celestia!” Apple Bloom cried as she hugged Babs Seed. “Thank Celestia you’re alright! If anything happened to you, I don’t know—” Her eyes went wide as she gave off a small gasp. “Oh my gosh…”
“What?” Babs asked.
Apple Bloom put down Babs Seed. “You’re cheek...”
Babs Seed put a hoof to her left cheek, feeling a small sting as she touched it. She shook her head and chuckled. “It’s just a scratch.”
“You sure? You’re not hurt anywhere else are ya?”
“Cuz’, I’m fine. Really, it’ll heal.”
Apple Bloom gave a sad smile before looking to Diamond Tiara, who was holding on to Silver Spoon as if she was about to float away from her.
“You’re not hurt either, are you?” Diamond Tiara asked.
“No,” Silver Spoon replied. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Mmmhmm,” Silver Spoon nodded.
“Then...why are you crying?”
Silver Spoon wiped her eyes before looking back at Diamond Tiara. “I’m...I’m just happy you found us.”
“Well of course we’d find you! Did you really think I’d just give up on my best friend?”
Silver Spoon glanced at Babs Seed. “Never doubted it for a second Di,” she chuckled before giving her a nuzzle.
Apple Bloom turned to Veemon, who was standing behind Babs.
“Who’s this?” Apple Bloom gestured behind Babs.
“Oh,” Babs looked back. “This is Veemon. He really helped me out of a bind back there.”
Bearmon’s ears perked upon hearing the name. He turned to Veemon, staring at him for a few moments. “Wait a minute…” Bearmon said. “DemiVeemon?”
Veemon looked over to Bearmon, studying him with the same intent. “No, it can’t be…” Veemon muttered, a flash of recognition crossing his eyes. “Tsunomon, is that you?”
The two Digimon stared at each other for a few moments before they both smiled. “You digivolved!” they both shouted. “Congratulations!” They embraced in a quick hug before Veemon stepped back and looked Bearmon over.
“Put on a few more pounds eh?” Veemon teased, giving Bearmon a playful punch on the arm. “You look good buddy.”
“You too,” Bearmon said. “You finally got arms long enough to reach something.”
“Oh, get a room you two!” Pagumon shouted.
Everyone looked back to see the Digimon shaking off the Gazimon’s paralysis. “Oh, hello Pagumon,” Bearmon said, deadpan.
“Hello fuzzball,” Pagumon replied.
Bearmon clenched his paws into fists and let out an annoyed growl. “Hey, come on now,” Veemon said, putting a hand on Bearmon’s shoulder. “He’s not worth it.”
Bearmon gave a small nod. “What do you say we get everyone back to Primary Village—” he turned to glare at Pagumon. “Before someone does something they’ll regret.” Pagumon blew a raspberry before hopping towards the cave entrance.
“Primary Village?” Silver Spoon asked as she walked with everyone towards the exit. “You sure we...won’t run into any trouble there?”
Diamond Tiara smiled. “Don’t worry Sil. The Digimon who runs the place is actually pretty nice, we’ll be alright.”
Terriermon walked up to Silver Spoon. “Yep, Primary Village is one of the safest places on File Island. So moumantai, alright?”
Silver Spoon stopped. “Okay, that’s the third time I’ve heard you say that.”
Terriermon turned to Silver Spoon. “Say what?”
“That word…moumantai. What does that mean?”
Terriermon giggled. “Come on, haven’t ya figured it out yet?”
“...If I had figured out what it meant, would I be asking you?”
“Fair enough,” Terriermon nodded. “It means: take it easy.”
The sounds of cheering and celebration filled all of Primary Village as the Digimon who were rescued were reunited with their friends.
“Wow…” Babs Seed said. “Look at all of them.”
“They’re all so happy,” Rumble smiled.
“Thanks to you they are.” Everyone turned to see Elecmon walking towards them with a smile. “You all must be hungry. Why don’t you follow me and we’ll get you something to eat.”
“What about the other Digimon?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Don’t worry, some of the Gotsumon are making a nice meal for them. Goodness knows they could use it.” Elecmon led the group back to the cabin. “So, what are you up for? We’ve got some fruits, vegetables, I think we’ve got plenty of stuff for sandwiches…”
“Do you have any salmon?” Veemon asked excitedly.
Elecmon put a paw to his chin. “I think we have some in the freezer. If you want, you can help grill some while me and Bearmon get the rest of the food.”
“Hey, why can’t I help grill the salmon?” Bearmon pouted. “You know I like fish.”
“Yeah, I do,” Elecmon said, deadpan. “The last time you helped cook fish, half the catch seemed to vanish before it made it to the plate.” Bearmon smiled sheepishly.
“Well while you’re doing that, perhaps the rest of us could help set the table?” Hawkmon suggested.
Elecmon nodded. “You know where the plates are, go right ahead.”
As everyone followed Elecmon into the kitchen, Babs asked, “Wait, you eat fish Veemon?”
“Sometimes,” Veemon replied.
“So...what kinds of food can Digimon eat?”
Hawkmon looked back to Babs, having overheard the conversation. “Well, most Digimon are omnivores so…”
“Omni-whats?” Apple Bloom asked.
Silver Spoon stopped. “So, you can eat plants and…meat?” she asked with a gulp.
“Yep, that’s right,” Veemon replied happily. “I usually like fish because it’s tender. Though I have heard of some pretty flavorful meats out there. So, I like to keep an open mind in case I come across something…” Veemon trailed off when he realized that Babs Seed wasn’t following him anymore. He looked back to see her frozen in the hallway, staring at him with wide eyes. The rest of the ponies looked at the Digimon with varying levels of concern, and in some cases fear.
Veemon looked from the ponies to the Digimon standing in the hall. “Um...was it something I said?”
“So...ponies as a whole are herbivores?” Hawkmon asked as he took a bite of grilled salmon. “But you can eat dairy products and grains?”
“Mmhmm,” Diamond Tiara nodded as she swallowed a bite of her sandwich. “We can eat eggs, bread, cereal, fruits and veggies, that sort of thing.”
“So does nobody eats meat where you come from?” Palmon asked.
“Well...not exactly,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Some races like griffons and dragons can eat meat,” Apple Bloom chimed in as she grabbed a pear from a plate of fruit. “But they mostly live outside of Equestria.”
“I am so sorry,” Veemon said from across the table. Everypony looked to see him rubbing the back of his head as he stared at his plate of salmon. “I didn’t mean to freak anyone out when I said...you know.”
“It’s cool,” Babs Seed smiled, sitting next to Veemon. “It’s just...gonna take some gettin’ used to, ya know?”
“Were you scared that we might…” Bearmon trailed off. “Well…”
“Eat us?” Rumble finished. Bearmon nodded.
Everyone looked at each other as an awkward silence hung over the table. “Well…” Apple Bloom started. “Maybe a little.” Everypony at the table murmured in agreement. “It’s just…” Apple Bloom continued. “We don’t know much about this place, or your way of life.”
“I get what you mean Apple Bloom, but come on,” Armadillomon chuckled. “Ya gotta give us a little credit.”
“Yeah,” Terriermon piped in. “I don’t know what it’s like where you come from. But around here, we tend not to eat our friends.”
Sweetie Belle chuckled. “Well that’s good to hear.”
“So if your kind eats mostly plant based food…” Hawkmon started before looking down the table. “Then how do you explain her?”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked down the table to see Scootaloo halfway through a sandwich. On closer inspection, the fillies could see a piece of salmon sticking out. Scootaloo looked up to see her friends looking at her as if she grew a second head. “...What?” she asked after swallowing a bite.
“Do you...know what you’re eating right now?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Scootaloo glanced down at her sandwich. “Um...a piece of salmon and lettuce between two pieces of bread?” Scootaloo stared back at her friends before she put down her sandwich. “Hold on...you mean to tell me that you’ve never seen me eat fish before?” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shook their heads. “But I’d sometimes bring it in my lunchbox. You never realized that I would have brought a tuna sandwich every now and again?”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other for a moment. “Huh…I guess we never noticed that,” Apple Bloom said.
“I mean, sometimes when my family took me to a restaurant, I would see fish on the menu, but I would never see my parents eat it,” Sweetie Belle said. “Why do you like it Scootaloo?”
Scootaloo stopped chewing her food for a moment, looking from Sweetie Belle to the sandwich. Eventually she looked up to Sweetie Belle and shrugged before she swallowed. “I think I might know why.” Everyone turned to Silver Spoon, who smiled as she adjusted her glasses.
Here we go… Diamond Tiara thought to herself with a chuckle.
“Although most ponies CAN safely eat fish, it’s often favored by Pegasi,” Silver Spoon began. “This is mostly because of their avian ancestry.” She saw Scootaloo looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “Bird-like ancestry,” Silver Spoon said with a bemused stare.
“Oh…” Scootaloo said.
“Anyway, the reasons also date back to the times before the founding of Equestria,” Silver Spoon continued. “Since the Earth Ponies controlled most of the fertile ground, and the Unicorns held a vast amount of territory, the Pegasi had to establish their homes in the skies around the coastlines. As a result, they began to rely more and more on fish as a sustainable food source. When they couldn’t trade enough for food from Earth Pony farms, the Pegasus tribes would send out hunting parties towards nearby bodies of water to get their food.”
Silver Spoon took a drink of water, having finished her lecture. She couldn’t help but smile seeing the impressed faces around the table. “Huh…” Scootaloo said. “That’s pretty cool actually.”
“Well thank you,” Silver Spoon said.
The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, until Bearmon asked Veemon how he digivolved. Everyone listened as Veemon retold the story of their escape, how Babs Seed stood up to the Gazimon, and how Veemon digivolved as he rushed to help her.
“Hold up,” Bearmon said. “It took me a week after you were taken before I was able to get the necessary data to digivolve. You rushed in to save her...and you digivolved just like that?” he asked with a snap of his fingers. “Without absorbing any data or anything?”
Veemon looked down with a creased brow. “Now that you mention it...no I guess I didn’t.” He looked over to Babs Seed, and the device on her foreleg. “Actually, right before it happened I saw that thing start to glow. Then I felt this rush and then...boom! I’m Veemon.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes shot wide. She turned to Elecmon, who had been mostly silent throughout the dinner. “Elecmon, didn’t you say you knew what these things are?”
Elecmon shot straight up in his seat. “Yes, I did say that didn’t I? But then Bearmon came in carrying Hawkmon and then, well...you were there.” Feeling all the eyes at the table on him, Elecmon cleared his throat and addressed the table in a more serious tone. “Those devices you have strapped on, they are called Digivices. Ancient legends describe the Digivice as a holy device which guides the Digital World towards light while repelling the darkness. They are possessed by the DigiDestined, who are—”
“Okay, time out for a second,” Silver Spoon interrupted. “Digimon, Digivice, Digivolution, DigiDestined; Is anypony else detecting a bit of a pattern here?” Her question was met with stares and silence. “...Sorry,” she whispered, sinking a bit into her seat.
“As I was saying,” Elecmon continued. “The Digivices are possessed by the DigiDestined, who are heroes called upon to save the Digital World in times of crisis.”
“Really?” Sweetie Belle asked, to which Elecmon nodded. She looked down at the green Digivice on her foreleg. “Well if that’s true...then we need to find these DigiDestined and give them back!” She declared with a squeak.
Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah, if this world is in trouble, I reckon that they’ll need these!”
“You think maybe they’ll be able to help us get home?” Rumble asked.
“We could certainly use the help of a few heroes, that’s for sure,” Babs Seed said.
“We give them these...Digivices—” Silver Spoon said with a groan. “So they can save the Digital World, and they help us get back home. Seems like a fair trade to me.” Diamond Tiara nodded in agreement.
Apple Bloom turned back to Elecmon. “Do you know where we might be able to find these DigiDestined?”
Elecmon chuckled. “Oh...I think I know exactly where you can find them.”
Everypony looked up at Elecmon, a hopeful gleam in their eyes. “That’s awesome!” Scootaloo smiled. “Where are they?”
Elecmon looked all around the table with a smile. “They’re sitting down here, at this very table.”
Apple Bloom leaned back, puzzled at Elecmon’s words. “Wait, whaddya mean they’re…” The gears in Apple Bloom’s mind began to click into place and turn faster and faster as her expression began to morph from puzzled, to realization, to shock. She looked at Elecmon with wide eyes, her breathing becoming shallow. She opened her mouth to speak, to confirm her bizarre theory with Elecmon. But the words refused to leave her throat, as if her breath was a cork preventing any speech. Instead, Apple Bloom slowly pointed to herself, watching as Elecmon nodded. She then looked towards the other ponies seated at the table, gesturing to each and every one of them before turning back to Elecmon.
Elecmon nodded again. Apple Bloom lowered her hoof back down to the table, looking back to find that everypony at the table had misplaced their voices like she had. In the deafening silence that engulfed the room, everypony stared at Elecmon with their mouths agape as his words sunk in.
“You children,” Elecmon began. “You seven little ponies...are DigiDestined!”
