Theme Song: With the Wind
03: Why should I help?!
“Sir, the anomaly has been taken care of,” a woman behind a computer said. She had really long black hair.
“It looks like three unidentified Digimon appeared and took care of it,” another woman with short neon blue hair said next to her, “I think two of them Digivolved on their own.”
“Can we get ID on the Digimon?” a menacing looking man in a black suit asked behind them.
“Negative sir,” the black haired woman said, “They did not appear in our registry. I think they might might have live users.”
“Hmph, more kids playing,” the man said, “Keep watch of the network, and let me know the second another anomaly shows up.”
“Yes, Mr. Sombra,” the two women said at the same time as the man left. Outside of the computer room, the man in the suit folded his arms looking down.
“Those kids have no idea what game they're playing,” he said, “Once our project is completed though, they'll understand the truth of what they're getting themselves into.”
After that strange incident, the teachers decided to end class early. Most of the students were happy to hear this, even though there was still an air of tension around. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash both went to their lockers to pack up, the latter ecstatic about this development.
“Geez, I have no idea what happened, but I'm happy that it did,” Rainbow Dash said closing her locker and turning to Fluttershy, who was frowning at her Digivice, “Hey, what's that thing?”
“O-oh, it's nothing,” Fluttershy said quickly hiding it behind her, “Just… s-something my brother is… um… into and… uh… um…”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but then shrugged, “Okay then. Hey, wanna head to the arcade? Now that we got this free day, why not have some fun, you know?”
“Actually, I um… I-I have something… I mean, I p-promised someone that… I w-w-would… um…” Fluttershy trailed off, looking away nervously. Rainbow Dash shook her head with a smile.
“Geez, it's alright, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said, “You don't have to be so scared. You have my facebook, so message me if you're free later.”
With that, Rainbow Dash ran off, finally leaving Fluttershy alone. She took a second to breathe out in relief, and then walked off to the student council office. She had no idea why she was going there. She'd run into the same issue she ran into with Rainbow Dash with Rarity and Applejack. Still, she did need to know what was happening. What were “Digimon”, and how did they get Digimon too?
She needed answers, and those two definitely had them. Fluttershy just wished that she could have gotten this information from the internet and not in person.
When she reached the office door, she froze. Suddenly, she couldn't stop trembling. She knew that she needed to do this, as she needed that information, but the thought of going to them directly like this was just…
Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly, feeling a panic attack start to build up. In the internet she was different. She could be brave, assertive, and most of all confident. Out in the real world though, she was none of those things.
“Oh, you came,” Fluttershy heard from down the hall. She looked and saw Rarity walking up to her, “I was just about to head in and wait for you. Applejack and our Digimon should already be inside.”
Fluttershy nodded without saying a word. Had Rarity not shown up when she did, Fluttershy might have just ran off and forgotten about it. Rarity smiled warmly and opened the door, ushering her inside. She didn't seem like a bad person like this. Despite being vain, really vain, Rarity seemed sort of sweet and motherly.
Inside the student council office, she saw a few tables aligned to form a circle with a few chairs, and shelves lined with sort of complicated books. Off to the side, Guilmon, Agumon, and Gabumon sat down talking amongst themselves, and behind the desk right in front of the door sat Applejack, who had a laptop computer in front of her. Oddly, she wasn't doing anything on the computer, and it looked like it was just there to be there.
When they entered, Guilmon looked up at them beaming, “Fluttershy! You came!”
She was surprised when Guilmon ran up to her and hugged her. It wasn't unpleasant, so after a second she did slightly return the gesture.
“Glad ya could join us,” Applejack said with a cocky smirk, “Though, with how long ya stood outside the door, I thought you were gonna run away.”
Wait, she saw her? Well, the door did have a window, even if you couldn't see much out of it. Fluttershy had no idea that someone was inside. Feeling really embarrassed and ashamed, Fluttershy looked away biting her lip.
“She was probably just nervous,” Rarity said walking toward Applejack, “She's rather shy, so perhaps asking her to come here was a bit much. I do apologize for that, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy shook her head smiling a bit. It was a little easier to talk to Rarity than it was to Applejack. At least she felt like Rarity sort of liked her.
“So, is she ready?” Rarity asked Applejack.
“She's been waitin for y'all the whole time,” Applejack said looking at the computer, “Want me to turn on the speakers?” after apparently getting her response, she typed on the laptop for a bit and then turned it around. On the screen showed an odd looking white machine with a red visor.
“GREETINGS, USER FLUTTERSHY. WE SPOKE EARLIER I BELIEVE.”
The voice Fluttershy heard was terrifying. It sounded female mostly, yet she could almost hear multiple voices all at once. The voices sounded somewhat mechanical, and devoid of humanity. Fluttershy slowly walked toward the computer.
“W-who are you…?” Fluttershy asked slowly.
“I AM YGGDRASIL,” the entity on the computer said, “I AM THE MOTHER COMPUTER, AND OVERSEER OF THE DIGITAL WORLD.”
Yggdrasil? That was the name of the person who gave Fluttershy her Digimon and Digivice. Was this who she was talking to?
“I'm sure you're confused,” Rarity said folding her arms, “There's no need to be afraid though. Yggdrasil is benevolent. Think of her as the God in the Digital World.”
“AFFIRMATIVE. PLEASE BE AT EASE, USER FLUTTERSHY,” Yggdrasil said, her tone sounding almost comforting, “MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ANSWER YOUR INQUIRIES AS TO THE EVENTS FROM TWO HOURS PRIOR TO THIS MOMENT.”
“She scared us too the first time,” Applejack explained, “Don't worry.”
“Y-you called me a “user”,” Fluttershy asked, now relaxing a bit, “Are you referring to my Digimon partner?”
“AFFIRMATIVE. YOU HAVE BEEN REGISTERED INTO MY CPU AS THE USER OF THE DIGITAL MONSTER “GUILMON”.”
“Digital Monster?” Fluttershy asked.
“That's what Digimon stands for,” Rarity explained kneeling down to pet Gabumon on the head, “Though they look real, these little guys are actually made of computer data.”
“But how is that possible?” Fluttershy asked looking at Guilmon confused, “If they're made of data, they shouldn't be able to materialize out here.”
“NEGATIVE,” Yggdrasil said suddenly, “HUMAN DNA AND COMPUTER DATA ARE QUITE SIMILAR IN THEIR COMPOSITION. THE IDEA OF CONVERTING DATA SO THAT IT ACTS LIKE MATTER IS A SIMPLE CONCEPT TO ME.”
“We don't know how she does it either,” Applejack said with a shrug, “But ya saw it, right? That Kabuterimon we fought today disintegrated like it wasn't even there.”
“It did,” Fluttershy said thoughtfully, “After your Digimon attacked it, it just vanished. Almost like it was…”
“Like it was deleted, right?” Applejack asked with a knowing smile. Fluttershy couldn't argue with that logic. Sure, it didn't make sense, but she couldn't refute it.
“I APOLOGIZE IF THIS CONCEPT DOES NOT COMPUTE TO YOU, USER FLUTTERSHY. BUT IT IS JUST AS MY KNIGHT SAID, THE KABUTERIMON YOU FACED BEFORE WAS DELETED.”
“Remember when I said to you back home that I used the data from your computer?” Guilmon asked, “I'm still data.”
“So… does that mean you brought that… bug thing here?” Fluttershy asked folding her arms frowning.
“NEGATIVE. THAT HAPPENED DUE TO THE BARRIER BETWEEN DIMENSIONS WEAKENING.”
“Yggdrasil, may I?” Rarity asked walking over to the computer and typing on it, pulling up what looked like two maps of planet earth side by side, streams of light shooting out between them, “Fluttershy dear, please take a look at this.”
Fluttershy walked forward to take a look at the map, “What is this…?”
“This, darling, is how our worlds are connected,” Rarity explained, “The planet on the left is Earth, and the planet on the right is, well, that's their world,” she pointed to the Digimon.
“The streams of light shooting between the two worlds is what you humans call the Internet,” Agumon said, “That's how we were able to come here.”
“DUE TO REASONS BEYOND MY UNDERSTANDING, THE HUMAN WORLD'S NETWORK HAS BEGUN SHARING INFORMATION WITH THE DIGITAL WORLD,” Yggdrasil explained, “BEFORE, THE DIGITAL WORLD WAS SIMPLE, BUT IT EVOLVED AND BECAME IT'S OWN WORLD. BITS OF DATA BEGAN TO FORM INTO CREATURES AND GAINED SENTIENCE. I TOO, EVOLVED IN THIS MANNER, AND BECAME SIMILAR TO THE DIGIMON.”
“Hence how a computer is able to talk to ya, in case you were wonderin,” Applejack said, “An' no, my laptop ain't Yggdrasil. She exists somewhere in the real world, but we don't know where.”
“It was fine at first,” Gabumon said wilting a bit, “Digimon would be created whenever new information from your world entered the network. But eventually holes within the net began to form, and Digimon started coming into this world.”
“THE DIGIMON THAT ENTER THE HUMAN WORLD ARE INFECTED WITH AN ODD VIRUS OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN,” Yggdrasil explained, “THEY BECOME MORE POWERFUL, AND THEIR DATA BECOMES CORRUPTED, MAKING THEM VIOLENT. IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT I AM GIVING THE POWER TO TAME DIGIMON TO INDIVIDUAL HUMANS IN THE HOPES THAT THEY WILL BECOME MY ROYAL KNIGHTS.”
“And that, dear, is where we come in,” Rarity said holding out her Digivice, “We were chosen by Yggdrasil to become what we call “Digimon Tamers”. Using these, we can fight infected Digimon with our own Digimon partners.”
“You mean… so your Digimon can fight them?” Fluttershy asked frowning.
“Nope, we fight jus' as hard too,” Applejack said pulling out her Digivice, “Our Digivices allow us to hack into the data of our Digimon, augmentin their abilities. Also, as ya saw earlier, they need our energy to enter their higher states.”
“DIGIMON PHASE INTO ANY OF SIX STATES DEPENDING ON THEIR DEVELOPMENT,” Yggdrasil explained, “THESE STATES ARE THE FOLLOWING: FRESH, IN-TRAINING, ROOKIE, CHAMPION, ULTIMATE, AND MEGA. WHILE DIGIMON ARE ABLE TO ENTER THESE STATES ON THEIR OWN, IT NORMALLY TAKES MUCH MORE DATA, AS SUCH ONLY A FEW DIGIMON ARE ABLE TO ENTER THE HIGHER STATES UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES.”
“However, as Yggdrasil pointed out earlier,” Rarity pointed out, closing the map and showing Yggdrasil's “face” again, “human DNA is very similar to the data that make Digimon. As such, the main function of our Digivices is to allow us to transfer aspects of our being into our Digimon, allowing them to instantly shoot into their higher forms while still retaining their sense of self.”
“HOWEVER, THERE IS A BACK DRAW TO THIS. ONE THAT I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO RECTIFY,” Yggdrasil stated, “IN ORDER FOR DIGIMON CONNECTED TO A USER TO DIGIVOLVE INTO THEIR HIGHER FORMS, MORE ASPECTS OF THE USER IS NEEDED. AT LEAST 25 PERCENT FOR CHAMPION, BETWEEN 50 AND 75 PERCENT FOR ULTIMATE, AND NO MORE THAN 100 PERCENT FOR MEGA. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE USER EXPERIENCES A PSYCHOLOGICAL FEEDBACK FROM THEIR DIGIMON FIGHTING. THIS PHENOMENON BECOMES STRONGER AS THE DIGIMON ENTER THEIR HIGHER STATES.”
That was why Rarity screamed in pain when her Digimon got hurt in battle. Those numbers were scary though. She saw what 25 percent looked like, but what would 50 or 75 be like? And what did 100 percent entail?
“This ain't exactly a kid's game,” Applejack said, “We could get seriously hurt doin’ this. Still, as Royal Knights, we got a duty to this world an' the Digital World.”
“What are Royal Knights?” Fluttershy asked, “I think you mentioned those before.”
“ROYAL KNIGHTS ARE SPECIAL TAMERS THAT I DESIGNATE TO BECOME MY PERSONAL DEFENDERS,” Yggdrasil explained, “THE REQUIREMENTS OF A ROYAL KNIGHT ARE STRICT, AND REQUIRE A CERTAIN TYPE OF TAMER TO MANIFEST. SO FAR, ONLY THE USERS APPLEJACK AND RARITY HAVE SHOWN ME THOSE REQUIREMENTS. IT IS FORTUNATE THAT YOU GO TO THE SAME SCHOOL AS USERS APPLEJACK AND RARITY.”
“You… want me to join you?” Fluttershy asked slowly.
“We of course don't wish to force you,” Rarity assured, “But we are short on help. Most of the Royal Knights before us have all been purged due to the reboot 2 years ago.”
Reboot? What did that mean? Wait, two years ago was the network crash in Japan! Was that related to this “reboot”?
“THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE SHOWS THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF THIS INCIDENT,” Yggdrasil pointed out, “I BELIEVE IN THE REAL WORLD, THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AS A NETWORK CRASH IN THE COUNTRY OF JAPAN. DURING THAT TIME, I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO REBOOT THE DIGITAL WORLD IN ORDER TO PREVENT A GREAT DESTRUCTIVE FORCE FROM ENTERING THE HUMAN WORLD.”
“Sadly, she fucked up, puttin’ it bluntly,” Applejack said, resting her hands behind her head, “Doin that opened a bunch of rifts here. It also disabled a number of Royal Knights. The only one she was able to salvage was Examon.”
“Sadly he's too large on a network scale to reform,” Rarity explained, “So Yggdrasil has been working overtime to create new Royal Knights.”
“Huh… and the quickest way is for you guys to give Digimon to Tamers so they can become Royal Knights,” Guilmon said thoughtfully, “Alright then. We're in.”
“W-what?!” Fluttershy exclaimed, “Don't just decide for the both of us!”
“Come on, Fluttershy. She really needs help,” Guilmon pressed.
“That's easy for you to say, but you're made to fight!” Fluttershy fussed, “I'm sorry, but the whole me giving my being to fight scares me to death!” she turned to Yggdrasil, “I'm sorry Miss Yggdrasil, but I can't just decide on this right away.”
“THAT IS FINE, USER FLUTTERSHY,” Yggdrasil said, “PLEASE TAKE YOUR TIME IN DECIDING. THE OFFER WILL ALWAYS BE THERE.”
Fluttershy bowed to everyone and rushed out of the student council room, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone or even to check and see if Guilmon was following her. She needed to get away from all of this craziness. Maybe consult with Cipher to get his opinion.
This wasn't something she could decide on the spot like that.
“Well that went about as well as I thought,” Applejack said sitting down once Guilmon and Fluttershy left, “I told y'all she'd be too spooked.”
“I'm not ready to give up on her yet,” Rarity said thoughtfully, “Her Digimon is so different than ours. We should try and get her on our side.”
“IT IS MANDATORY THAT SHE JOIN US,” Yggdrasil said, “THAT DIGIMON COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IS LEFT TO ITS OWN DEVICES.”
“You talk as if that Digimon is dangerous or somethin,” Applejack said.
“HIGHLY DANGEROUS, USER APPLEJACK. MY SCANS INDICATED A POWERFUL VIRUS LOCATED WITHIN THAT DIGIMON. ONE THAT WILL ONLY GROW AS THE DIGIMON GETS STRONGER.”
“Is that right?” Applejack asked frowning a bit, “Well then, maybe we should have jus' deleted her Digimon when it was here.”
“Or we could continue to try and convince her to join us,” Rarity said, “Her Digimon didn't seem bad. Actually, he seemed sweet.”
“Guilmon is super cool!” Agumon cheered, “Gabumon and I wanna show him our clubhouse!”
“We're not going to fight Guilmon, are we Your Highness?” Gabumon asked.
“No dear, we're not,” Rarity said, shooting Applejack a bit of a look, “He's going to become our friend one way or another. Him and his Tamer.”
Applejack rolled her eyes and looked away. Honestly, sometimes Rarity was just too nice. Still, that was what she loved the most about her. She was everything that Applejack wasn't. So even though she didn't agree, she wasn't going to argue.
Instead, she'd just keep an even closer eye on Fluttershy and her odd Digimon.
“Fluttershy, wait up!” Guilmon cried, running after Fluttershy as she stormed back to her house. He finally caught up to her when they reached her neighborhood, “Fluttershy!”
“What?!” Fluttershy asked turning to Guilmon.
“Don't you want to help those two girls and their Digimon?” Guilmon asked.
“No actually, I don't!” Fluttershy fussed, “They're not my friends or anything! Besides, this whole thing is too crazy for me!”
“Fluttershy, I know this is really scary,” Guilmon said walking over to Fluttershy, “I'm sorry that you had to figure all of this out so quickly. But if what Yggdrasil said is true, then those other girls need all the help they can get.”
“Then why don't you go help them yourself?” Fluttershy asked harshly looking away, “Why do I need to get involved?”
“I can't help them alone, Fluttershy,” Guilmon explained, “I'm your Digimon partner, which means all of my power has to come from you. Without you, all I am is,” he held his arms out, presenting himself, “well… this.”
“Guilmon…”
“You saw how much help I was fighting Kabuterimon,” Guilmon added, “I don't want to have to rely on other Digimon all the time. I want to fight too. I want to become a strong Digimon, and reach my Mega Level so I can protect others. I bet together, we could become Royal Knights like Applejack, Rarity, Agumon, and Gabumon.”
“But I don't want any of that…” Fluttershy said, tears welling up in her eyes, “I just…”
“What do you want then?” Guilmon asked. Fluttershy looked back at Guilmon, surprised by how sincere he looked. He actually cared about her, and wanted to-
“No,” Fluttershy said shaking her head, “Stop that.”
“Stop what?” Guilmon asked, genuinely confused.
“That!” Fluttershy cried, “Looking at me with those eyes! Asking me what's wrong! Stop doing that!”
Guilmon tilted his head frowning, looking even more confused, “You… want me to stop caring…?”
“YES!” Fluttershy screamed, her tears falling freely, “I didn't ask you or anyone to start caring for me! I didn't ask you to even enter my life! If you want to care about someone, then go care about someone else! I don't want any part of it!”
“Fluttershy!” Guilmon cried as Fluttershy ran off. He was shocked. Not mad though. Instead, he was just worried. Why did she close herself off like that?
“You need someone to care for you though…” Guilmon said somberly, “Even if not me, why not those other girls?”
Unknown to either of them, Pinkie Pie stood behind a corner listening to them. She had it all wrong. Fluttershy didn't need a smile. She needed a friend. She placed a hand on her chest, closed her eyes, and surprisingly started crying a bit herself.
“I'm so sorry…” Pinkie Pie sobbed, “I had no idea you were in such pain…”
Thankfully Fluttershy had enough mind to keep the door unlocked for Guilmon, but by the time he made it back in she was already upstairs. Guilmon saw Fluttershy's brother, Zephyr sitting on the couch playing his 3DS again.
“Did you see Fluttershy?” Guilmon asked.
“She rushed upstairs and slammed the door shut,” Zephyr said, never taking his eyes off his game, “She must have been really upset. Then again, she's always like that.”
“Did you talk to her?” Guilmon asked, “Maybe she'll feel better.”
“Ha! Nothing I can do,” Zephyr said, “She's a closed book. No one can get through her angry exterior, and not from lack of trying either. My advice Guilmon? Don't waste the energy. She's determined to stay in that dark place, and you trying to force her out is only going to make things worse for both of you.”
Guilmon frowned at Zephyr. That didn't make any sense to him. Weren't they bother and sister? Siblings looked out for each other, like Agumon and Gabumon. How could Zephyr just leave her like that?
Feeling really frustrated, confused, and depressed, Guilmon trudged into the kitchen and sat down, where Cyrus was already making dinner.
“Hello Guilmon,” Cyrus said, “We're having leftovers from last night. Hope you don't mind.”
“That's okay,” Guilmon sighed resting his head on the table, “I liked the food from yesterday.”
Cyrus turned to Guilmon once he put the food in the oven, “Something wrong, Guilmon?”
“Dad, why is Fluttershy so closed off?” Guilmon asked.
“You and Fluttershy have a fight?” Cyrus asked.
“Something like that. I guess it wasn't really a fight, but she said some things that really didn't make sense. We met some people today who might need help, and Fluttershy can help, but she doesn't want to get involved. She then asked me to stop caring for her. Dad, did I do something wrong?”
“No Guilmon, you didn't,” Cyrus said with a sigh, “She's just… like that sadly.”
“That's what Zephyr said,” Guilmon said pouting, “He told me that there's no point in trying to reach out to her. How can he say that? Is she really that bad off?”
Rather than answer his question outright, Cyrus walked out of the kitchen for a second, going to the shelf where the pictures were. He then came back and placed a portrait down in front of Guilmon.
“What's this?” Guilmon asked taking the picture, “Is that Fluttershy in her In-Training form?”
Cyrus laughed sitting down across from Guilmon, “I guess you could say that. She's six in this picture. The woman holding her is her Mother, Posey.”
“Where is she?” Guilmon asked looking up at Cyrus, “I haven't seen her at all.” The way Cyrus looked away made Guilmon's chest feel funny.
“She's… no longer with us,” Cyrus said sadly, “There was an accident at her job, and she… died.”
Guilmon's eyes widened. He knew what “death” was. It was similar to a Digimon being deleted, only for humans the data couldn't be retrieved to prevent permanent deletion. For humans, death was final.
“Fluttershy was close with her… wasn't she?” Guilmon asked softly.
“She idolized her Mother,” Cyrus said, taking the picture and looking at it fondly, “She was truly a beautiful woman. She wanted to use computers to make the world a better place. Fluttershy dreams of being a programmer just like her. But… after the accident, Fluttershy changed. She closed herself off, and became obsessed with the company that Posey worked for, Umbra Corp. She thinks I don't know, but she started hanging out with seedy people on the internet. There's this notorious hacker over here named Zero, and well, I have my suspicions…”
“So she does have people she talks to?” Guilmon asked.
“I think so, but not “real” people if that makes sense,” Cyrus said, “She doesn't connect with people face to face. Instead she just stays behind her computer, talking to people on chat rooms. I want her to live her life, and I'm not trying to stop her, but…” he set the picture down and took Guilmon's claws earnestly, “Guilmon, I know that you came here for Fluttershy. I believe that if there's anyone who can save her, it's you. So don't stop caring for her. Stay with her, even when she's pushing you away. She needs someone. She needs you.”
Guilmon looked at Cyrus seriously, taking in what he was saying. Maybe he was brought here not just to help fight bad Digimon, but also to help Fluttershy. He nodded, resolving to help her any way he could.
After all, like it or not, she was his partner now. They needed each other.
Once she got in, she rushed into her room and logged into the chat room where she and Cipher talked. It took a few minutes, but he eventually got on. She told him everything about the Digimon, and how her Digimon apparently took her virus in order to take form.
That's a bit of a problem, not gonna lie._
So the question now is… what are we going to do about it?_
Honestly, I don't know WHAT to do about it._
I didn't ask for any of this!_
I don't want to be involved with any of this!_
She felt her eyes watering again, but wiped her tears away trying to force herself not to cry as Cipher typed his response.
I know you're scared, Zero._
But this could work out in our favor._
“What?” Fluttershy asked, reading Cipher's latest post a second time, “How could this work in our favor?”
What the fuck are you talking about, Cipher?_
Well, what if your virus isn't gone at all?_
What if… it just took on a new form?_
Fluttershy narrowed her eyes thinking about what Cipher was saying. She had wrestled with the possibility, but hearing it from another source…
Cipher, are you suggesting…_
That Guilmon IS my virus…?_
It didn't take long for Cipher's response to show up.
Yes._
That's exactly what I'm suggesting._
Fluttershy's heart was racing. That was exactly what she was thinking herself when she saw the symbol on Guilmon's stomach.
I mean, think about it Zero._
Digimon are made of data, right?_
Yeah, that's what I learned today._
Okay, and you said that when he formed, he took the virus and then started changing._
Yeah. He even has the icon I used to represent it on his stomach._
So, putting two and two together would mean…_
“That Guilmon is my Digital Hazard virus,” Fluttershy spoke out loud to herself rather than type it out. This certainly was an odd development. When she made the virus, she hadn't thought of the possibility of it coming to life.
Ugh, why did my virus have to come to life?_
Why did it have to be so goddamn nice?_
She folded her arms pouting as she waited for Cipher's response, which was NOT what she was expecting.
Why is it a bad thing that he's nice?_
That should make it EASIER for you to ask him for help._
Fluttershy's eyes went wide. Cipher understood her position, and why she avoided people. So why was he now telling her to…
I mean… yeah it does…_
But I don't want him to care about me._
It's hard dealing with people right in front of you._
As long as they're in front of a screen, I don't have to feel but so bad if something happens._
Fluttershy couldn't hold in her tears now, as she thought about what she was saying. She knew it was cold, and honestly terrible. But she needed this in order to function.
Zero, what we have is great._
It's wonderful, actually. You're probably my best friend._
Even though we've never seen each other face to face, I truly do love you._
Fluttershy's heart leaped out of her chest. It wasn't the first time they had professed to being so intimate together. They had even had rp sex in the chat room a few times, and in any online game where they could get married, they IMMEDIATELY found each other and got married.
I… I know…_
I love you too, Cipher._
That being said, Zero…_
I can't be the ONLY person in your life that you trust._
What was he saying? He understood her! He knew that she couldn't open up to people!
What do you mean?!_
You're the only person I need!_
The only person I want!_
I don't need anyone else except for you Cipher!_
Do you plan on living the rest of your life in your room or wherever you are right now, Zero?!_
That question made Fluttershy stop and think. It took a few seconds, but eventually Cipher started typing again.
Zero, we've NEVER seen each other's faces._
We don't even know each other's real names._
As far as we know, we could have walked past each other hundreds of times and not even know it._
[i]Maybe we live in the same neighborhood, go to the same shops._
Hell, if you and I are both students, we might go to the same school._
But… we also can't trust each other one hundred percent either._
You could be ANYONE, and so could I._
While us being friends, and having an online romance like we do is fine, until we one day meet in PERSON, this isn't truly real, and you know it._
She did. She hated it, but Cipher was right. I mean, she THOUGHT that Cipher was a guy, as based on the way he spoke in the texts he sounded like a guy, but she had no way of knowing for sure.
Zero, I hope that we can meet in person one day._
I hope that when we meet we're just as close as we are here in the chat room._
But, until then, you need balance._
Guilmon IS the virus you were making. That means in an odd way you KNOW him._
Even if it's just him for now, you need to let other people in, Zero._
Before she could answer him, there was a knock on her door.
“Fluttershy, it's me,” Guilmon said, “I brought us dinner. Dad said it's okay for us to eat here.”
Fluttershy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “Alright. Give me a sec, okay?” she then typed up her response.
Speak of the devil, he's right outside my door._
That's okay. I need to log out anyway._
Think about what I said, Zero._
I… will._
I love you, Cipher._
I love you too, Zero._
She kissed her fingers and placed them on the screen and then logged out. She then walked over to the door and opened it, seeing Guilmon standing there holding two plates of lasagna.
“You… brought me dinner?” Fluttershy asked.
“Dad said that you liked eating up here when you were upset,” Guilmon said.
Yeah, she did, so she could be alone. Still, she could see that Guilmon was determined to not leave her alone. She sighed and ushered him inside.
“You can sit on the bed and eat if you’re clean,” Fluttershy said curtly. Guilmon handed her a plate and then walked inside. Fluttershy closed and locked the door, and then sat back down at her computer table.
“It's so dark in here,” Guilmon said looking around, “Hey, it's a full moon right now. Let's open the windows.”
Before she could protest, Guilmon set his plate down and walked over to her window. He then grabbed the string for the blinds and pulled it down, opening them to reveal the night sky lit up with a full moon. It was nice, melancholy, and while it did light up the room, it still matched the somber feeling in Fluttershy's heart.
Guilmon walked back to the bed and sat down, took his plate, and smiled at Fluttershy before digging in. Like requested, he did his best to be neat. Fluttershy looked at Guilmon intently for a few seconds and then started eating her food. They were both silent for a few seconds to a minute, with Guilmon eventually breaking the silence.
“I'm sorry about your Mom, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy gasped and turned to Guilmon, who had his eyes closed somberly.
“Daddy… told you…?”
Guilmon nodded, “He said that you used to be happy, and more open, but then she died in an accident. That's why you're so cold now, right?”
“It wasn't an accident!” Fluttershy fussed, instantly calming down she she saw the shocked look on Guilmon's face, “But… yeah. That's why I'm…”
“She'd be really sad if she saw you like this,” Guilmon said softly, “I bet she'd cry.”
“I know she's upset at me,” Fluttershy said, “I'm upset at myself. I know that this isn't right, and that I'm not being fair to anyone. Not Rainbow Dash, not my Dad, not my brother, not Cipher, or… you.”
“If you know, then why are you like this?” Guilmon asked.
“Because I'm scared, okay?!” Fluttershy cried, setting her fork down and hugging herself tightly, “When Mommy died, I was destroyed. I loved her so much, and felt safest when I was with her. When she died, I couldn't take it. I became ill, and couldn't leave my bed for weeks.”
“You're afraid of people getting too close… because you don't want to feel that pain again,” Guilmon said.
“I know it's irrational,” Fluttershy continued, “But when I get in front of people, I just freeze up. And when someone tries to get close to me, I pull away on instinct. There's this girl in my class named Rainbow Dash who's always trying to be my friend. I… try to let her in a bit, but something inside of me keeps pulling away. She doesn't seem to mind, but I know that one day she'll stop trying. Everyone stops trying.”
“I won't stop.”
Fluttershy looked up at Guilmon, who was looking right at her sincerely.
“Guilmon…?”
“I promise, Fluttershy. No matter what, I'll stay by your side. Even if you push me away, I'll be right there.”
“Why…?” Fluttershy asked tearing up, “Why are you always so nice to me? Even after what I said to you earlier?”
“Because we're partners, Fluttershy,” Guilmon said smiling, “Partners look out for each other.”
Guilmon set his plate aside, and walked over to Fluttershy taking her hand into his, giving her the sweetest smile he could. She couldn't hate him. She knew that he was just trying to help her open up. Even though they hadn't known each other long, in a way it was like they knew each other forever.
Fluttershy broke down completely and embraced Guilmon tightly, a gesture that he returned. She was afraid, but she decided to take a chance and let him in.
“Guilmon…”
“Yeah Fluttershy?”
“Help me… find out who killed my mom.”
At night, two drastically different people were having a sparring match. One of them was a teenage girl wearing sweatpants, a tank top, and her long hair tied in a ponytail. The other one was a small figure shaped almost like a mini dragon with large fists. They had almost cartoon like proportions, but what was interesting what that these two were at the same level.
The girl threw a kick, but the tiny figure jumped to the side out of the way and jumped up with an uppercut. The girl did a sudden back flip out of the way and then braced herself as her opponent jumped forward charging at her.
The tiny dragon threw rapid punches and kicks while still in the air, but the girl blocked each and every attack before doing a spin kick knocking her tiny opponent back. Said opponent landed on his back, but then kicked back up to his feet.
The two of them charged at each other at the same time, the dragon jumped up, and the two of them threw punches at the same time, hitting each other's jaws. After a second, both of them fell down onto the ground next to each other and did something shocking.
They laughed.
“Man, talk about a great fight!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “For a little guy, you got real spirit.”
“Told ya so!” her tiny new friend said with a smirk, “I may be small, but these fists got infinite power in them!”
“You're like, one hundred percent pure punch! I love it!” Rainbow Dash cheered before turning to her partner, “Name's Rainbow Dash, by the way.”
“Just call me Veemon,” the tiny dragon said, “Partners?”
“Partners,” Rainbow Dash said, the two of them bumping fists. Rainbow Dash then looked up at the sky, holding up a blue and white Digivice, “Now, how about you start by telling me how to use this thing?”