Name: Floramon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Data
Attacks:
- Rain of Pollen
- Poison Ivy
Mephistomon stared at the crumbling ruins of a dark, imposing fortress. The fortress originally belonged to an ambitious Digimon, who once sought to conquer the Human World. The King of Undead Digimon, Myotismon. Now, centuries later, the castle was but a shadow of its former self. A memorial to his failure.
Mephistomon growled to himself. The very notion that a bunch of children managed to best a Digimon as powerful as Myotismon sickened him to no end. Shaking his head clear, he marched into the castle, passing by many Digimon infected by his Black Shadow Virus. Several Bakemon were overseeing their activity, directing them in the excavation effort.
“My lord!” Mephistomon looked up to see Tsukaimon hovering down to him, wearing a yellow construction hat. “I have some good news for you sir, we’ve finally managed to uncover the chamber where the gate is housed.”
Mephistomon glanced at Tsukaimon. “And the status of the gate?”
“Mostly intact.”
“Mostly?”
Tsukaimon blanched. “W-well, this castle is hundreds of years old my lord. There’s bound to be some structural damage. But the Soulmon have been studying it, and have determined that it does still hold true to its original function.”
“Show me!”
“Yes sir,” Tsukaimon bowed, leading Mephistomon deeper into the ruins. After passing through a veritable labyrinth of dark and musty smelling corridors, they descended down a long staircase. At the bottom was a large chamber with a large steel door standing tall in the center.
“That is one big door, huh?” Tsukaimon whistled.
Mephistomon ignored him, gliding towards the steel door. One of the Bakemon hovered up to Mephistomon with a clipboard. “My lord,” he bowed. “Based on our current analysis, the portal required a set of keys at some point.” He hovered over to a small pedestal a few yards away from the gate. A three by three grid was engraved into the pedestal. “We believe that where the portal would connect to depended on a certain sequence in which the keys were placed.”
“And the keys themselves, what were they?”
“Judging from the size of the grid, I’d say they were about the size of trading cards.”
Mephistomon raised an eyebrow. “Trading cards?”
“As odd as it sounds...yes. We did manage to recover a couple of them during our investigation of the chamber but…” Soulmon brought out a small plastic bag. Inside was a card containing an image of a Gomamon, but the image was very faded, and the card looked ready to disintegrate if someone so much as blew on it. “The years have not been kind to them.”
“I see,” Mephistomon turned back towards the gate. “Well, a skilled thief doesn’t need a key to open a locked door. He would use...alternative means to gain access.”
“He’d need some pretty big lockpicks to get through this thing,” Tsukaimon muttered.
“Quite right Lord Mephistomon. We are searching for remnants of the remaining cards as we speak. Perhaps we could restore them, or reach out to our contacts in the black market to see if they’ve heard anything. If not, we can look into alternative means of using the gate, as you so wisely put it my lord.”
“We can look into alternative means of using the gate, as you so wisely put it my lord,” Tsukaimon condescendingly imitated. “That’s you, that’s what you sound like.”
“Tsukaimon…” Mephistomon growled.
“Y-yes sir, shutting up now.”
Mephistomon gazed at the door. True to Tsukaimon’s word, the gate reflected the state of the surrounding ruins, albeit it had fared better in comparison to some of the more weathered sections of the castle. Whether that was owed to the material the gate was built from, the fact that it was buried so far underground, or to some obscure magic, Mephistomon couldn’t say for certain.
What he could say for certain is that the gate was still very much active. It still served as a connection to the Quantum Sea.
“I’ll be right back, do mind my body while I’m gone.” Mephistomon knelt on the ground, closed his eyes and focused. He held his breath for a moment as he felt his astral form leaving his physical body.
He hovered towards the massive gate. Passing through the steel door, he entered a vast space of swirling energy and data.
The Quantum Sea, Mephistomon thought. The interweaving void that connects our world with hundreds of others.
Drifting through the tumultuous sea of raw data and energy, he followed a specific path towards his destination. After passing by several spheres showing windows into various other worlds, he finally arrived before the window to the world he sought.
The Human World! Mephistomon grinned. The shimmering orb in front of him showed images so distorted that he couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was seeing. But he could feel the malice, greed, the taste for power and violence, and the naive notion of hope and prosperity. All the characteristics that the humans possessed.
He reached out towards the portal. He knew that even he wasn’t strong enough to pierce the defenses that confined the Digimon to the Digital World, and manifest himself in the Human World. But he would be able to take a peek in his astral form for a few moments.
As his fingers began to phase through the portal, he let out a blood-curdling scream. It felt like someone had taken a hot fire poker and drove it into his hand. He yanked his ethereal hand back, which was oozing a dark purple smoke as it regenerated itself. With a cautionary growl, he slowly reached towards the portal with his other hand, only to receive a painful shock.
What is this? Mephistomon’s thoughts began to spin. The Digital World’s defenses? No. Me and NeoDevimon were able to weaken them. And even if they were at full strength, I should at least be able to pass through in my astral form!
Mephistomon stared at the portal, watching it swirl with various shades of grey, making it look like a ball of cloudy water. I doubt that humans would be able to make something this strong. The only other explanation would be—
He slowly looked back at the other worlds he passed by. Each portal showed a shimmering image of their perspective worlds. The images were slightly distorted, like looking into a pool of water, but certain objects and patterns could be discerned. Looking back to the portal to the Human World, he noticed how the surrounding space looked darker, how the portal seemed to be at a slightly further distance than the others. Even the portal itself looked wrong. The others seemed to shine to reflect their world’s brilliance, but this one seemed to be like a candle in the back of a lamp shop, unable to keep up with the brightness of even the weakest of lamps.
No…
Mephistomon clenched his ethereal fists as he realized that the unthinkable had happened.
No… he thought with a growl.
He began to register a faint numbing sensation at his legs. Looking down, he saw parts of his body starting to break down into raw data. Cursing himself for spending too much time in the Quantum Sea, he willed himself back into his corporeal body.
His eyes snapped open as he found himself back in Myotismon’s castle, staring at the large metal gate once again.
“My lord, you’re back!” Tsukaimon cheered. “So, what’s it like? Have the humans invented flying cars yet? Oh, or maybe they’re finally in the middle of World War 3? Although it has been a long time; maybe it’s the fourth World War? Did they colonize that red planet yet?”
“No...no no no!” Mephistomon growled, his breathing getting heavier and heavier, his hands churning with a vast amount of dark magic.
“M-my lord? What’s wrong?” Tsukaimon hovered back, eyeballing the closest exit.
Mephistomon leaned his head back. “GRRRR AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” he roared as he let loose his magic in all of it’s fury.
Sweetie Belle was certainly in high spirits today. As the DigiDestined wandered down a dirt road, everypony noticed a slight spring in her step. Her optimism was certainly contagious since nopony could resist smiling along with her.
“Wow, somepony woke up on the right side of the bed this morning,” Scootaloo chuckled.
“What are you talking about Scootaloo?” Guilmon asked. “We all woke up tied to chairs this morning, remember? Can you wake up on the right side of the bed when you’re tied to a chair?”
“Figure of speech Guilmon,” Scootaloo shook her head. “Figure of speech.”
“Well, yeah this morning did have a...rough start,” Sweetie Belle admitted. “But everything worked out alright afterward, right?”
“Darn right!” Rumble puffed out his chest. “We managed to find one of the Crests!” He gestured proudly to the Crest of Courage in his Tag.
“Not to mention these new duds,” Babs Seed said as she put some water purification tablets in one her bandolier pouches. While she mainly choose the accessory because it looked cool, Apple Bloom was quick to suggest a use for its three small pouches. When they stopped for a break, Babs looked through her Digivice inventory for small items that she could need at a moment’s notice. Along with the water tablets, she stowed away some bandages, matches and a few crackers.
“Yeah, Kamemon wasn’t a bad guy,” Apple Bloom said. “He was just between a rock and a hard place. I hope everything works out for him.”
“He’ll be fine, I’m sure,” Sweetie Belle said. “And as long as we stick together, I know we can conquer any challenge ahead of us.”
“Well, here’s a challenge,” Diamond Tiara said. “Anypony have any idea on what we’re supposed to do with these Crests?”
Rumble glanced down at the Crest of Courage. “Didn’t Anahita say something about them making our Digimon digivolve further? How’s that supposed to work? Is there a button on this thing or something?” Rumble inspected every nook and cranny of the Tag but found nothing. “Ugh, is it really so hard to write an instruction manual for these things?”
Everyone pondered over the Crests for a few minutes. A few theories were tossed around regarding how to use them. But even Hawkmon couldn’t say for certain how the Crests were used, or how they were supposed to allow Digimon to digivolve to the Ultimate stage. The matter was soon dropped in lieu of a more present regard.
“So Armadillomon, you said you had a poem to share?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Yeah, it was something I came up with yesterday at breakfast with Terriermon,” Armadillomon nodded to Terriermon, who seemed to be trying to hide a smile. “I wanted to share it but didn’t have the chance. What with that whole Kamemon fiasco this morning.”
“Oh, well let’s hear it then.”
Armadillomon cleared his throat and began reciting his poem:
“I dig.
He digs.
She digs.
We dig.
They dig.
Everyone digs.”
“So what did you think?" Armadillomon asked with a smile. Everyone else in the group looked at him with neutral expressions. Somewhere in the woods, a cricket could be heard chirping.
“Yeah, ah was never good at poetry but ah don’t think that really qualifies as a poem,” Apple Bloom said.
“Yeah, it may not sound like the greatest poem. But as a whole, you gotta admit it’s pretty deep.” Armadillomon’s comment was met with silence, followed by a period of groans, barely suppressed chuckles, and a collection of facehooves and facepalms. “Everybody's a critic,” Armadillomon chuckled.
Not too long after that, the group came upon a small town at the end of the road.
“Hey check it out. Why don’t we all take a little break at that town up ahead?” Scootaloo suggested.
“Sounds like a good idea. I’m still not really used to the whole ‘long journey’ thing yet," Diamond Tiara said humorously.
They made it to the entrance of the town and were a bit surprised to see a Palmon there to greet them.
“Hello there travelers. Welcome to Rosetown. What brings you out here?" the Palmon asked.
Sweetie Belle’s partner Palmon stepped up. “We’re just some travelers passing through, looking for a place to stay the night.”
“Oh, well it’s a good thing I bumped into you. My family and I run a beautiful inn, just a few blocks down the road here. Follow me.”
As the DigiDestined entered the town they were amazed at the kind of buildings they saw. Grass huts, bamboo huts and even a couple of trees made into buildings. It seemed like every building in Rosetown was made of plant life.
“Wow, just look at this town. It’s so… different than what we’re used to," Silver Spoon pointed out with stars in her eyes. “I mean, buildings made out of stone and metal are one thing, but all these buildings are made out plants. It’s so cool!”
“Oh great, not again,” Diamond Tiara said begrudgingly.
“Again?" Babs questioned.
“Sometimes when Silver Spoon sees something new and different she goes into ‘Nerd out mode’ and has to learn absolutely everything about how it works." As if proving her point, Silver Spoon was chatting with a couple of Palmon, asking questions about how the buildings came to be.
“I don’t remember seeing her like this before,” Apple Bloom said. “Not even durin’ school field trips.”
“Yeah, it used to be something she’d do when she’s by herself or with me,” Diamond Tiara rubbed the back of her head. “It’s kind of embarrassing for her. But sometimes—” she looked to the grey and silver streak gawking at the village with a dry chuckle. “—she just can’t help herself.”
“She reminds me of Twilight Sparkle," Sweetie Belle said with some concern.
“She’ll be at it for a while, we might as well just check in on her later.”
They soon arrived at the inn, which was a large hollowed-out tree. The Cutie Mark Crusaders couldn’t help but compare it to the old Golden Oak Library from Ponyville. Unlike the library, however, this tree was much larger, with large spheres with windows protruding from various limbs. A Palmon sat behind a counter near the entrance.
“Welcome to The Royal Garden,” she greeted with a smile. “Are you looking to stay the night?”
“That would be nice, thank you,” Sweetie Belle graciously replied.
“Okay then, that’ll be fifteen bytes per room. There appear to be six pairs of you…”
“Actually, there are seven pairs, one of us is out in the town," Sweetie Belle interrupted.
“Okay seven, so that’ll be one hundred and five bytes total.”
Apple Bloom took out her Digivice and retrieved the money to pay for the rooms. Everyone went to their respective rooms to find each was outfitted with a bed and mattress made of soft leaves sewn together with vines, and a neatly sewn grass patterned blanket.
After resting for a bit, Sweetie Belle left with Palmon to check out the town. Out of the gate they were enamored by the beautiful flower garden outside the inn. Colorful flowers giving off such a luscious scent, making the garden pleasing to both see and smell. Sweetie Belle was taking pictures of the town when she spotted a Digimon that looked like a walking flower. She took out her Digivice to ID it.
Name: Floramon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Data
Attacks:
- Rain of Pollen
- Poison Ivy
“Wow, she looks like she came right out of a garden,” Sweetie Belle smiled.
“Yeah, she looks like a weed pulled fresh from the soil,” Palmon muttered.
The Floramon stopped, turning her head slightly towards Palmon with a look of disgust. “Ugh, this coming from the little jungle creeper.”
“Please, if you lived where I did, you wouldn’t last two days! Seriously, those bright colors of yours would make it easy to find you for miles.”
“Oh well, at least my colors let me be cute! Those greens and purples are so sickly looking it’s a wonder why anyone would want to be around you.”
“Why you little!” Palmon was about to charge at the Floramon but Sweetie Belle restrained her.
“Calm down Palmon, violence won’t solve anything,” Sweetie Belle pleaded as Palmon squirmed in her hooves.
“You’d better listen to the squeaky white thing little weed,” Floramon taunted.
“Wait, what was that?” Sweetie Belle glared at Floramon.
“You might wanna keep that weed on a leash, and maybe trim that petaled mess on its head that it calls hair. I would say something about yours, but frankly, it looks like a Biyomon made a nest out of it, and tried to add some pink and purple dye to make it look better.”
Sweetie Belle glanced towards Palmon, whose glare seemed to have intensified. “Alright, have fun,” she remarked, putting her hooves up.
Apple Bloom gazed at the gardens around the back of the inn, which were even more grandiose than the flower beds out front. Walls of lattice allowed vines adorned with beautiful flowers to weave walls around the visitors. Towards the center, a few tables were set up to allow guests to dine outside among the myriad of colors and smells.
“This place is amazin’!” Apple Bloom smiled. “This place must be pretty popular.”
“We make sure our guests enjoy their stay here,” said an elderly voice behind her. Everyone turned to see another Palmon slowly walk in with the help of a cane. This one was much older than the Palmon that greeted them. Her leafy skin emitted a crinkling sound and seemed to be more amber than green. This elder Palmon reminded Apple Bloom of trees during the Fall.
“Well, I’d know I would love to eat out here,” Diamond Tiara said.
Bearmon stood at one of the tables snacking on a small plate of rice cakes coated in honey. “Yeah, no kidding!” he piped up, happily pigging out on the sweet gooey squares.
Looking around the garden, Diamond Tiara began to notice something. “Wait, why aren’t there any lights out here? It’d be pretty nice to come out here on a clear night.”
The elder Palmon chuckled. “Too much light would be bad for the plants. And we don’t want to risk leaving lanterns lit out here.”
“Yeah, I can only imagine how that might end,” Veemon commented wryly.
“Although…” the elder Palmon began. “Forgive me for presuming, but perhaps you could help us make a little addition to our lovely gardens here? We’d even pay you for your troubles.”
Apple Bloom looked to the others in the garden. Applejack always taught her the importance of helping others. The incentive for a little extra money certainly didn’t hurt either. “Sure thing ma’am. We’ll go get the rest of our friends, and maybe we can talk about it.”
“Splendid! I think I saw one of them out front, and I caught a glimpse of the one with glasses running around town for a moment.” The elder Palmon led them out of the gardens and back through the inn.
“So, what kind of flower were you looking for anyway?” Scootaloo asked.
“Patience little one, I’ll explain everything in a moment. But it’s a flower that our family has been looking for for quite some time. It may prove difficult for you.”
“Perhaps,” Hawkmon shrugged, holding open the front door for the elder Palmon. “But these little ones may surprise you. And besides, they’re accompanied by some strong, and disciplined Digimon.”
“I’LL END YOU, YOU LITTLE DANDELION!”
Hawkmon’s eyes widened as he saw the scene unfolding in front of the inn. Palmon and Floramon were grappling with each other as they tried to pin the other to the ground. Eventually, Floramon managed to push Palmon off of her and throwing her arms forward.
“RAIN OF POLLEN!” Floramon shouted. Small clouds of pollen began to flow from her arms to envelop Palmon. “Aww, what’s the matter?” she taunted as Palmon collapsed on her knees. “Where’d all that big talk go?”
“Right here!” Palmon thrust her hands into the soil, sending her vines to tangle Floramon’s feet from underground. “ROOT BREAKER!”
Floramon winced as she began to feel weaker. Looking down, she could see Palmon’s tendrils draining something out of her, making her clouds of pollen grow weaker by the second. “That’s a dirty trick! POISON IVY!” Floramon launched vines from her arms in a manner similar to Palmon’s signature attack, wrapping around Palmon. “Get over here!” she shouted, yanking Palmon over to her.
As their scuffle continued, Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle sitting on the sidelines. “Don’t let her pin you Palmon!”
“Sweetie Belle, what in tarnation is happenin’?!” Apple Bloom asked.
“Well from the looks of things, Palmon is winning.” Sweetie Belle turned back to the fight. “Whoo! You go girl!”
“Sweep the leg!” Veemon cheered.
“V, what the hay?!” Babs Seed asked.
“What?” Veemon shrugged. “This is awesome.”
Babs Seed rolled her eyes as she and Scootaloo marched towards the fight, which had been reduced to the two blindly slapping each other with their heads turned away and their eyes shut. “Alright come on, break it up, break it up!”
With yak-like finesse, the two fillies managed to pry the two Digimon apart. “You know what?” Floramon asked. “I’ve got better things to do than wipe the floor with you. Smell you later jungle creeper.”
It took Scootaloo, Babs Seed, and Guilmon to hold Palmon back as Floramon sauntered away.
“Did you have to stop it B? I had five bytes on Palmon,” Veemon whined.
“Um, Palmon are you okay?” Guilmon wrinkled his nose a little.
It took Apple Bloom a moment to smell the reason why everyone restraining Palmon looked a little nauseated.
“Palmon, I think your ‘stink bomb’ defense is acting up,” Sweetie Belle said through her plugged nose. “Can you turn it down a little?”
Palmon took a few deep breaths, the flower on her head opening and closing with her breath. Soon the stink vanished and was replaced by a more pleasant smell similar to a garden mist. “Sorry about that,” Palmon rubbed her arm. “I didn’t mean for that to get so crazy.”
“Wow, is this the inn?” Everyone turned to see Silver Spoon and Terriermon walk up to the front. “This garden is beautiful!” Her smile quickly faded after seeing the scuffs on Palmon, and the concerned looks on everyone else.
“What? What did we miss?” Terriermon asked.
“Care to fill us in on the details Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom gave the unicorn in question a flat look.
“Ugh,” Sweetie Belle sighed. “It’s...something stupid, I’ll tell you later.”
Rumble coughed. “So, you said you wanted our help with something?” he asked the elder Palmon.
The elder Palmon relaxed her grip on her cane. “Yes, as she pointed out—” she gestured towards Diamond Tiara. “—our garden could use some lighting for the night hours. But we’re worried about how electrical lights will interfere with the plants, and leaving lanterns out could risk burning our prized gardens.
“Though I could imagine some Digimon itching for that to happen!” she grumbled. “Anyway, I’d like to show you something,” she gestured for them to follow. She led them back inside the inn, to what seemed to be an office. Pulling a book from a shelf, she flipped the pages until she came across a detailed image of a beautiful flower white flower. The picture showed one flower closed up in the shape of a bell during the day, while another picture showed the same flower open during the night. What’s more, it seemed to show it giving off an aura of light.
Apple Bloom quickly read the large Digicode at the top of the section: The Night Flower.
Sounds about right, Apple Bloom thought with a chuckle.
“As you’ve probably guessed, this flower blooms only at night, while shining with a light similar to that of the moon.” The elder Palmon passed the book around. “A flower like that would be a wonderful addition to our garden. And if it attracts more customers to our inn, then even better,” she chuckled.
“Wait, if it glows in the night, wouldn’t that make it pretty easy to spot?” Rumble asked.
“You’d think so. But we’ve been looking for this particular flower for quite some time, even risking multiple trips into the territory of nocturnal Digimon. But so far, the closest thing we’ve found are white tulips!”
“Are you sure it’s even here?” Palmon asked.
“Oh, trust me youngin’, it’s here somewhere. I may be old, but this wireframe can still feel when growing conditions are good!”
“Okay…” Scootaloo looked to Guilmon, who only shrugged in return.
“Anyway, if you can bring back a nice bundle of those Night Flowers, I’ll pay ya for the trouble.”
“Thanks, we could use the money,” Apple Bloom said.
“Wait, what do you mean?” Silver Spoon looked worried. “How much did the rooms cost? How much money do we have left?”
“Well, the rooms cost us a hundred and five so…”
Silver Spoon looked down, her mouth moving as she did the math. “So we only have forty-five bytes left?!”
“Um...yeah?” Apple Bloom stepped back.
Silver Spoon took a deep breath. “Come on everyone,” she said through clenched teeth. “We’ve got some flowers to pick.”
The DigiDestined were given several special bags to safely carry the flowers back to the inn, as well as the necessary tools to carefully dig up the flowers without damaging them. They were then directed to a large acre of woods where the elder Palmon believed that the Night Flower was located. The elder Palmon explained that while they were unable to find it there at first, the conditions were more favorable for the Night Flower there than in any other part of the surrounding forest.
Nopony fully understood what these conditions were even after they were explained. Despite this, they still agreed to try their best as another of the inn-dwelling Palmon led them to the acre before returning to town to resume her duties.
As they began to comb the area, Sweetie Belle brought everyone else up to speed on the fight that happened earlier.
“Well, I won’t say that Floramon is in the clear here, but it sounds like Palmon kinda started it,” Babs Seed pointed out.
“What? Wouldn’t you say something if someone compared a sunflower to a dandelion?” Palmon huffed.
“Palmon, what’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked. “You’re normally so nice and calm. That Floramon probably would’ve walked past us without saying anything. Why the sudden attitude?”
Palmon grumbled under her breath and stomped ahead of Sweetie Belle.
“I...may have an explanation, actually.” Sweetie Belle turned to Hawkmon, who was walking beside her with Diamond Tiara. “You see Palmon and Floramon are natural rivals. In the wild, Palmon and Floramon will establish their territory as far away from each other as possible. They can barely stand being in the same room with each other without butting heads.”
“Sound like cats and dogs,” Diamond Tiara observed.
“I suppose so,” Hawkmon nodded.
“Okay, so why are there Floramon and Palmon in the same town?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Well, when Terriermon and I were checking out the town, we found a flower shop run by some Floramon,” Silver Spoon said. “We were checking out their display when they suddenly got agitated at a Palmon passing by. The two were glaring daggers at each other until she left.”
“Well, that’s gotta be awkward. Havin’ a business rivalry like that,” Babs Seed shook her head. “Think it’s possible for them to move on from that?”
“Maybe if one of them leaves town,” Terriermon piped in. Silver Spoon nodded.
The search continued for several minutes until everyone met up near a large tree for a lunch break.
“Anyone find anything?” Sweetie Belle asked, only to get a series of groans and murmurs in return. “So, nothing then?”
“Nada,” Diamond Tiara sighed, taking a bite of fruit. “I’m starting to think that old Palmon may be a little delusional. I mean, we’ve been out here for a while and haven’t found squat!”
“Yeah,” Rumble nodded. “She went on and on about her having a hunch that it was here. Is that all we’re going off of, a hunch?”
“It’s not just a ‘hunch’ guys!” Palmon growled.
“Palmon!” Sweetie Belle said. “Calm down girl, we’re all friends here.”
Palmon sighed. “Sorry, everyone. I guess that little run-in with Floramon put me in a bit of a mood.”
“A ‘bit’ of a mood?” Terriermon muttered.
“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that we Palmon are experts when it comes to finding and identifying certain flora. We can sense where plants will grow most fertile, whether the soil is good or bad, or if the plants are toxic. It’s an instinct that helps us find and establish territory. But given enough time, it can be honed to help find certain plants if you know the specific properties that help them grow.”
“And yet the old beet is sitting in a rocking chair back at her inn, with no Night Flower.” Palmon and Sweetie Belle grimaced upon hearing that voice. Their expressions only turning sourer as Floramon waltzed in, wearing a satchel.
“Don’t tell me you’re looking for the Night Flower too,” Palmon groaned.
“Well well, maybe you’re not as dumb as you look,” Floramon jabbed. “And for your information, me and my sisters stand a better chance of finding it because unlike the weeds at that inn, I’ve actually seen one before.”
“You’ve found one of those flowers out here?” Apple Bloom asked skeptically.
“Well...not exactly. I was visiting a friend out of town, and she had one in her kitchen. But we Floramon can track any plant based on the pollen that it gives off. We don’t need to know whether or not the soil has a cough or...whatever. All we need is to know the pollen.”
“If you’re so good at finding these things, then how come you don’t have it either?” Palmon asked.
“Y-you don’t know that!”
“Silver Spoon, did you see any Night Flowers at their little flower shop?” Palmon glanced back.
“Uh...no I don’t think so,” Silver Spoon shook her head.
“O-of course you wouldn’t! We uh...probably have them growing in the back.”
Palmon leaned over to Sweetie Belle. “I think I smell a flower who’s a little full of herself.”
“What was that you little stinkweed?!” Floramon shouted.
“Oh no, are they going to start fighting again?” Scootaloo sighed.
“I said you’re full of it petal sniffer!” Palmon got up into Floramon’s face.
“They’re fighting again,” Guilmon’s ears dropped.
“Can it, radish head!” Floramon shot back.
“Make me fertilizer breath!” Palmon retaliated.
“Jungle creeper!”
“Garden weed!”
“Grass mat!”
“Plastic petals!”
“WILL YOU TWO JUST KISS ALREADY?!” Terriermon screamed.
Everyone slowly turned to Terriermon. “Can’t you see you’re in love with each other?” Terriermon continued. “Please, for all of our sakes, just drop this nonsense and tell each other how you really feel!”
After a long period of awkward silence, Silver Spoon spoke what was on everyone’s minds. “What...are you talking about?”
“I dunno,” Terriermon shrugged. “I was just trying to get them to stop screaming at each other.”
“Right…” Floramon said. “And with that, I’m out of here.” As she turned away, a low rumble made her stop dead in her tracks.
Everyone stood up, frozen in place as the rumbling steadily grew louder. “Guilmon, please tell me that was your stomach,” Scootaloo begged.
“That was my stomach,” Guilmon lied.
“Really?” Scootaloo said, half believing him. But then a crack began to form beneath her hooves.
“N-no,” Guilmon stuttered.
Sweetie Belle slowly glanced down at the ground as a spider web of cracks formed beneath her and her friends. “Uh oh…” she whispered before the ground fell apart right from under everyone. Her stomach lurched as she tumbled down into the darkness. The wind whistled past her ears, competing with the screams of her friends as they fell with her.
After a few moments, they landed not on the cold, hard ground but on a bunch of large, bouncy leaves. They bounced several feet back into the air a couple times before coming to a stop on the soft, springy service.
“Is...is everyone alright?” Sweetie Belle called out.
Diamond Tiara reached up to her hair, feeling around for something. “Where is it?” she asked as she looked around in a panic. “Hey, has anypony seen my—” she started. She then opened her Digivice inventory, scrolling through her belongings until she found her tiara. “Oh...right,” she chuckled. “It’s fine, I’m alright.”
“Yep, I think we’re alright,” Apple Bloom called back. “Luckily we landed on somethin’ soft.”
Scootaloo bounced on the leaf she landed on a couple of times. “Hehe, cool! It’s like a bounce house.”
“Hahaha, whoo!” Guilmon cheered as he bounced on a leaf near Scootaloo, creating an impromptu contest on who could bounce higher.
“Will you two knock it off?” Silver Spoon scolded. “In case you forgot, we’re kind of in the middle of a situation here.”
Everyone stared up at the massive hole they fell down. “So, any ideas?” Floramon asked.
“Palmon, you think you can reach up there with your vines?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“No, it’s too high up,” Palmon shook her head.
Apple Bloom turned to Diamond Tiara. “Hey Diamond Tiara, is Aquilamon an option? Ya think he can help us out?”
Diamond Tiara looked from her Digivice to Hawkmon, who shook his head sadly. “Sorry dear, but I used a lot of energy this morning when I was fighting the Pteramon.”
“Drat!” Apple Bloom cursed. “Well...does anypony else have any ideas? ‘Cause I doubt we can bounce our way to the top here.”
“Well, what about over there?” Guilmon pointed to a cavern overhead. “That doesn’t look too high.”
Scootaloo looked from the ground to the ledge Guilmon pointed to. “Yeah, you’re right Guilmon. Nice catch!”
“And how do you suggest we get up there?” Silver Spoon asked.
Scootaloo smirked. “Watch and learn.” She stepped back a few yards from the cavern entrance before taking her mark. “Time for a little Leapfrog!” She charged forward a few feet before jumping. She bounced once, twice, three times, gaining altitude with each jump. On the third, she soared high into the air, spreading her tiny wings for a moment, before landing gracefully on the cavern’s outcropping. She turned back to her audience, bowing at the cheers she received from her friends.
“Let me try, let me try!” Guilmon ran over to Scootaloo’s starting point. He repeated Scootaloo’s technique, even spreading his arms like wings on the third launch, before crashing onto the outcropping. “How’d I do?” he groaned as he lay there on his belly.
Scootaloo, who had just barely managed to dodge Guilmon’s “landing”, brushed his head with a soft chuckle. “You did good boy, you did good.”
“Alrighty then,” said Terriermon. “Everyone over here! Let’s make like an Italian plumber and jump on outta here!”
“Uh...a what plumber?” Apple Bloom asked. Unfortunately, Terriermon was already on the move.
“Letsa go!” Terriermon bounced up to the cavern overlook with ease, leaving the confused fillies and colt to puzzle over the obscure reference.
One by one, the DigiDestined joined Scootaloo up on the ledge. There were a couple of mishaps and a few misses. And then there was Silver Spoon, the last one still in the pit of moon bounce leaves.
“Come on Sil, you can do it!” Diamond Tiara cheered.
“Will she make it this time fillies and gentlecolts?” Rumble asked. “Or will she turn the number seven into an unlucky number?”
“Quiet you!” Diamond Tiara whipped him in the face with her tail.
“Okay Silver Spoon, you can do this!” Silver Spoon whispered to herself. “If they can do it, you can too.” She pawed the leaf she stood on, took a deep breath, and let out a ferocious battle cry as she charged. She jumped once, twice, three times. To Silver Spoon, time seemed to slow down as she soared through the air, inching closer and closer to the ledge. The thrill of being airborne, however, was soon drowned out by terror and frustration when she realized that she had undershot her jump...again.
Diamond Tiara reached out to try and catch her friend, but could only watch as Silver Spoon face planted into the ledge just inches out of her reach.
Everyone winced as Silver Spoon fell back down into the leaves.
“Ow…” Terriermon reached up to his cheek. “Did anyone else feel that?”
“Oh...and with a brutal wipeout, that makes seven,” Rumble said. “Fillies and gentlecolts, do I hear eight, or will she go to—” Whatever announcement he was going to make was lost due to a not-so-gentle jab by Bearmon. “Ow…alright alright, I’m done.”
“Ya’ll okay Silver Spoon?” Apple Bloom called out.
Silver Spoon groaned. “What does it look like?”
Terriermon shook his head before jumping back down to Silver Spoon. “Hey, are you hurt?”
Silver Spoon picked herself up. “How’s my face? Am I bleeding?” she panted.
“Mmm...nope you’re good.”
Silver Spoon nodded, adjusting her glasses. “Then so far, my pride’s the only casualty.”
“Hey, moumentai,” Terriermon smiled. “You were so close that time.”
“Yeah, well ‘close’ only counts in horseshoes and firecrackers.” Silver Spoon looked up to the ledge, and the concerned ponies staring back down at her. “I don’t think I can make it.”
Terriermon glanced up to the ledge. “Do you think you have enough in you for one more jump?”
“I can’t reach the ledge, Terriermon!”
“I didn’t ask if you could reach the ledge, I asked if you had enough for one more try.”
Silver Spoon looked from the ledge to her smiling partner. “I...guess. Doubt it’ll make much difference.” She stood up on shaky legs as she made her way back to the starting point, her friends cheering her on. As she prepared herself for her next attempt, and possible screw up, she felt Terriermon climb onto her back. “Um...Terriermon, what are you doing?”
Terriermon straddled Silver Spoon’s back, grabbing onto the back of her neck. “Jump as high as you can, and then hold on to me.”
“What? Why? What are you planning?” Silver Spoon glanced back to her passenger as he tightened his grip.
“Trust me,” Terriermon winked.
Silver Spoon shook her head as she took her mark. She ran, jumped three times with all the remaining strength she had. The second she went airborne, she braced herself for the inevitable crash. A sharp tugging at the back of her neck made her yelp. She grabbed onto Terriermon, about to pry him off before he tore a piece of fur out. But something felt off, she should’ve started falling by now, but it looked like she was moving at the same level as the height of her jump.
When she glanced down at the ground, it was impossible to hold in her shriek. She was flying! “Sweet mother of Celestia and Luna!” she screamed. She glanced up to see Terriermon holding his ears out like a hang-glider. Everyone made way as Silver Spoon glided past them, shrieking all the way until she and Terriermon tumbled onto the outcropping.
“That was awesome!” Scootaloo jumped. “Did you see that?”
“No Scootaloo, we missed it,” Sweetie Belle deadpanned. “Silver Spoon are you okay?”
Silver Spoon put a hoof to her chest, her breaths coming in quick gasps.
“Come on Silver, you’re okay,” Terriermon brought Silver Spoon’s sunhat, which had fallen off during their landing.
“That...that was insane!” Silver Spoon gasped.
“Maybe,” Terriermon shrugged. “But we got up here, didn’t we? So come on, moumantai.”
Silver Spoon gave a soft chuckle as she put her sunhat back on. “Thanks, Terriermon,” she smiled, giving him a soft pat on the head.
“So, now what?” Floramon asked.
“Well, I reckon there’s only one way we can go from here,” Apple Bloom gestured towards the cavern.
Switching on their Digivice lights, the reluctant spelunkers ventured into the cave. After several minutes of silence, Sweetie Belle trotted up to Floramon. “So...what’s the deal with you and Palmon? I mean, were you always at each other’s throats?”
“Hmph,” Floramon snorted. “The Palmon are just jealous of us because we’re prettier than them, always have been.”
Sweetie Belle paused. “Is that it? You pick fights with each other because you think you’re prettier than the Palmon?”
“O-of course not! It’s not just looks. Palmon are nothing compared to Floramon in a fight!”
“Not from what I was seeing,” Veemon smirked.
“Hey, I only lost because...uh...the sun was in my eyes. Yeah, that’s it…” Floramon shifted.
“I thought Scootaloo, Babs and I broke up the fight,” Guilmon pointed out.
“Yeah, but if you didn’t I would have turned the jungle creeper into mulch,” Floramon smiled.
“But, didn’t you just say that you lost that fight?” Guilmon asked.
Floramon blanched. “No, I...I didn’t, I mean...shut up!”
Sweetie Belle shook her head with a chuckle. “Seriously though, did you even try to get to know them?”
Floramon stopped. “Why would I waste time doing that?”
Sweetie Belle shrugged. “Because you might find out they’re not so bad? Or that you two aren’t that different? I mean, you’re here looking for the same rare flower as the Palmon for the sake of your businesses.”
“But...there’s still so much that’s different between us.”
“So? Look at us,” Babs Seed gestured to everyone. “Do we all look like we share everything in common with each otha?”
Floramon looked to the collection of ponies and Digimon walking with her. “You all do seem pretty close. I don’t think I’ve seen so many different kinds of Digimon traveling together before. And I’ve never even met...creatures like you before. I mean you all look a little different, but are you really all that different?”
“First of all, we’re called ponies. And second...” Babs Seed smiled. “You have no idea how different we all are.”
Floramon couldn’t help but smile at how close everyone seemed to be. She turned back to Palmon. “So, how did you end up with this...colorful group of travelers?”
Palmon glanced at Floramon, surprised at her gentle tone. “Well...we actually met on File Island. You see I was just in the jungle, minding my own business. When all of a sudden—”
“Stop!” Floramon said firmly.
Palmon fumed. “If you’re just going to interrupt me like that, then why bother asking in the first—”
“No, I mean hold up for a second,” Floramon held an arm up.
“What’s going on?” Rumble asked. “What’s the hold up back there?”
Floramon didn’t answer. Instead, she closed her eyes and spread her arms out slightly. Various petals on her arms and neck seemed to sway as if some breeze was blowing against her. After a few moments, her eyes snapped open. “Can it be?” she whispered to herself.
“What is it? What was that?” Palmon asked. But Floramon ran ahead, brushing past everyone else. “Where are you going?”
Everyone followed Floramon as she navigated the various twists and forks in the cave, almost as if she had been down here before. Eventually, she stopped at a dead-end, pressing up against a tiny crack in the cave wall.
“It’s here,” she whispered excitedly. “The Night Flower’s here!”
“What? Are you sure?” Palmon asked.
“Positive!”
Apple Bloom trotted up to the wall, putting her face up to the crack. “I think I can feel a breeze comin’ through here. This might be a way out!”
Armadillomon walked up beside Apple Bloom, inspecting the crack. “Yeah, I think I can see some grass out there...maybe? I dunno, it’s so dark.” He prodded the crack with his claws, digging some small pieces out. “Ugh, this is a pretty solid wall. I don’t know if I can dig through this.”
“You need some help?” Guilmon asked, holding his large claws up as they began to glow with energy.
“Knock it down boy!” Scootaloo patted Guilmon’s side.
“ROCK BREAKER!” Guilmon charged at the wall, punching it with massive force. It didn’t completely destroy the wall, but it did weaken it a bit. Guilmon and Armadillomon quickly worked together to dig. Guilmon would smash the wall with his Rock Breaker attack, allowing Armadillomon to quickly dig through what was left. A couple of minutes later, the two had dug a small tunnel through the wall.
“Hey! Y'all gotta see this!” Armadillomon called through the hole.
Everyone crawled through the hole. When they saw what was on the other side, everyone found it difficult to hold their jaws in place.
“Whoa…” Apple Bloom breathed.
Before them was a massive chamber housing a beautiful grove. Trees dotted the small landscape, blanketed by tall grass, while fireflies lit the air. Towards the center, a massive tree stood tall, stretching to the ceiling, where a small hole let in rays of sunlight.
“This is incredible!” Rumble said. “Anypony ever seen anything like this before?”
“Never…” Sweetie Belle shook her head. She took this opportunity to take a picture of the majestic scene before her. “Hey, look over there!” Sweetie Belle pointed along the ground. Several patches of Night Flowers lit the cave, illuminating the landscape.
Floramon bent down to one of the flowers, gently cradling it. “After all this time...I finally found you.” She looked back to everyone at the entrance. “Well? Are you going to pick some too?”
“Oh, right!” Sweetie Belle put aside her camera. Opening her Digivice inventory, she brought out several of the bags that the elder Palmon gave them. Behind her, Apple Bloom brought out a few garden trowels and began passing them out. “Let’s get to work!”
On the edges of the grove, a pair of orange eyes watched them with glee. “Excellent, dinner came falling right into my coilsssss.”
The ponies and Digimon began to carefully pick some of the flowers, making sure to leave the roots undamaged and to fill the bags with some of the soil.
“How do you suppose these little guys managed to grow up down here?” Apple Bloom wondered. “I see how they would get a bit of sunlight, but how do they get water down here?”
Palmon dug her vines into the ground for a moment. “Wow...the deep layers of the soil are actually really moist.” She looked up, noting the shape of the ceiling, and the tell-tale marks of erosion from the water flow. “I guess whenever it rains, some of the water seeps down here, and the soil soaks up as much as it can. Maybe since there’s only so much sunlight, only a small portion of it would get evaporated.”
“Hmm…” Silver Spoon ran her hoof through the tall grass, which felt a little wet. “And I’d imagine only a small part of the evaporated water actually makes it out of here. The rest remains trapped in the cave.”
“Which means that this place would probably have a nice supply of moisture for the plants to grow down here,” Apple Bloom finished.
“Huh, how’d you know all about that Silver Spoon?” Scootaloo asked as she placed another flower in a bag. “I can kind of understand how Apple Bloom would know a little about plants growing, but when did you learn about this?”
Silver Spoon gave Scootaloo a flat look. “We learned about this in school last semester, remember?”
“Uh…maybe?” Scootaloo grinned sheepishly.
“Well, at least now we know why this place is so cool and damp,” Diamond Tiara shivered.
“Oh, quit yer belly achin’. Just keep movin’, that’ll keep ya warm,” Apple Bloom shook her head. “Hey Armadillomon, could you pass me another bag please?” But Armadillomon was staring out into the grass, ears up and his head on a swivel. “What’s wrong?”
“I thought I saw somethin’ move out there…” Armadillomon said.
“Eh, probably just the wind,” Rumble shrugged.
“Uh...a wind coming from where exactly?” Bearmon whispered. “We’re in a cave.”
Everyone stopped what they were doing, and got up. All the cheer and mirth that was in the air moments ago had vanished, replaced by a fear of anything that moved in the darkness.
“Does anyone see anything?” Terriermon whispered, his ears scanning for the tiniest noise.
Every little noise and movement put the group on edge. A tiny movement in the grass here, a slight slithering noise there, every time seeming to come from a different place. Almost as if a ghost was circling them.
Soon though, the noises seemed to stop for a couple of minutes. “I-is it gone?” Sweetie Belle whimpered.
Babs Seed gave a sigh of relief. “I think so. Just what the hay was that all abo—”
“LOOK OUT!” Veemon tackled Babs Seed just as a gaping maw of fangs surged from the brush. It raced past Babs and Veemon, a long white body trailing behind it as it circled around the group. Everyone’s breath was caught in their throat as a giant white cobra rose from the grass. Its hood and belly were lined with a purple skin that almost looked like armor, with a segment of green at its throat resembling a chest plate.
“W-what...is that?” Diamond Tiara shivered behind Hawkmon.
“A problem. A really big one.” Babs Seed shakily brought up her foreleg, switching on her Digivice’s analyzer.
Name: Sandiramon
Level: Ultimate
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
- Venom Axe
- Treasure Lance
“Hello there little morssssselsss. Sssso nice of you to join me for dinner,” Sandiramon hissed, his forked tongue flickering out.
“Uh, right,” Apple Bloom laughed nervously. “That’s m-mighty kind of ya to invite us, but we really oughta be goin’. So if'n ya don’t mind, we’ll just be uh…”
Sandiramon lunged for Apple Bloom as fast as a lightning bolt.
“RAIN OF POLLEN!” Floramon launched a heavy cloud of pollen directly at his face. “Run for it!”
Everyone dashed towards the hole they came in through while Sandiramon shook his head clear.
“VENOM AXE!” Sandiramon shouted, spraying a large spew of poison at a set of stalactites above them. The poison quickly dissolved their bases, sending them crashing in front of the hole and trapping them in the grove. “Leaving sssso ssssoon?”
“BUNNY BLAST!” Terriermon launched a ball of green energy at Sandiramon.
“PYRO SPHERE!” Guilmon launched a series of fireballs at Sandiramon. But the combined attacks didn’t seem to phase the giant snake.
“Okay, we need a new plan of attack, and we need it now!” Diamond Tiara said.
Rumble stepped forward. “I have a plan." He held up his Digivice at it started to glow. “Attack!”
Babs Seed blew a lock of hair out of her face with a smirk. “I can get behind that!” She held up her own Digivice.
“Don’t leave me out!" Sweetie Belle joined them as well.
Bearmon Digivolve to…
Grizzlymon!
Veemon Digivolve to…
Veedramon!
Palmon Digivolve to…
Togemon!
“Well, thisssss issss an interessssting development,” Sandiramon said. “But it makes no difference.”
“We’ll show you a difference! CUTTING SHOT!” Veedramon let loose multiple wind blades but Sandiramon used its sleek body shape to easily dodge it. The blades ended up slicing a few branches off the giant tree.
“Be careful not to damage the tree!” Floramon called out.
“Sssssilence you whelp!" Sandiramon lunged towards Floramon, his mouth wide open.
Floramon closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable. But after a moment she opened them and was astounded to see that Togemon took the blow. “You…but why?”
“You and I aren’t so different. We both have the same goal: to make others happy," Togemon explained. “Your sisters and the family of Palmon who run The Royal Garden; you both bring that happiness through sharing beautiful flowers.”
“B-but...you’re not a part of that family,” Floramon said. “What do you know about making others happy?”
“Oh, I know enough to help a poor little pony, lost and crying in the jungle. I knew enough to make her smile.” Togemon glanced at Sweetie Belle.
“I see…” Floramon smiled.
Sandiramon finally managed to release his grip, shaking his head in pain. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle ran up to her partner. “Are you alright Togemon?”
“I’m fine, it’ll take a lot more than that to pierce me.”
“But what should we do?" Grizzlymon said. “He can easily maneuver around our attacks and we can’t risk harming this grove since the Night Flowers only seem to grow here.”
Rumble took a good look at Sandiramon and had an epiphany. “I got it! Guys, aim at his neck! Let’s break that armor!”
Everyone nodded and got ready to fight again. Sandiramon was clearly annoyed from having his snack replaced by a giant cactus. “Alright, no more ssscrewing around!” He straightened his body. “TREASURE LANCE!” Sandiramon’s throat began to bulge. He opened his mouth as a long halberd began to emerge, coated with venom.
“Ewww,” Diamond Tiara shivered. “Gross!”
With a final cough, Sandiramon launched the halberd into the air and expertly caught it in his tail. He twirled it around a few times before aiming it at Veedramon. “Ready or not, here I come!” he charged with a hiss.
Veedramon bided his time and when Sandiramon was close enough he attacked. “HAMMER PUNCH!" His attack connected right on the armor on Sandiramon and knocked it back. “Got him!”
“You’ll pay for that!” Sandiramon began slashing with his halberd, keeping Veedramon from launching another attack. After, blocking a few jabs, Veedramon was knocked off balance. Seizing the opportunity, Sandiramon slashed at his legs, knocking him on his back. Just as he began to lunge for his neck, the halberd was knocked aside by Grizzlymon.
“My turn!” Grizzlymon parried Sandiramon’s halberd until he saw an opening. “CRESCENT DAWN!” He slashed at the giant snake’s neck.
“And one more!" Togemon reared up for her attack. “COCONUT PUNCH!” Togemon knocked Sandiramon to the ground.
Sandiramon slithered back to an upright position. “Isssss that the besssst you can manage." The sound of something cracking filled the air. Sandiramon looked down on his armor plating to see a steadily growing fracture. “Impossssible!" The armor soon shattered, revealing the soft scales underneath.
“We got him, now let’s finish this!" Rumble declared.
“HAMMER PUNCH!" Veedramon quickly closed the distance and went in for another attack but Sandiramon dodged with a smirk.
In the blink of an eye though, Togemon was already ready to attack. “This is for trying to hurt my friends! LIGHTSPEED JABBING!” Almost faster than the eye could see, Togemon delivered punch after punch to Sandiramon’s exposed weak point. She delivered a fierce uppercut and Sandiramon went down. His body dissolved and the Digicore flew out through the hole in the top of the cave.
“And that’s the end of that!” Togemon flexed her arms before reverting to Palmon.
“Awesome work guys!” Rumble slapped Bearmon on the shoulder. He gave a soft chuckle and a thumbs up in return.
“I guess I got more than just a few bruises sparing with Veemon the past couple nights,” Bearmon panted.
“Told ya!” Veemon laughed.
“Hey, it looks like the flowers survived that whole fiasco,” Armadillomon walked over to the sacks that were abandoned during Sandiramon’s ambush. “What’re the odds of that?”
“Hey, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” Apple Bloom chuckled. “Let’s see if we can’t get a few more.”
“There’s a big patch by the tree over there,” Armadillomon gestured to the large tree at the heart of the grove.
Everyone wandered over to the tree, working carefully to gather up as many Night Flowers as they could carry. As they ran out of empty flower bags, Floramon drifted over to Palmon.
“Hey, thanks saving me back there,” Floramon said with a sheepish smile. "I guess you're not so bad after all."
“Maybe it’s high time we move past this stupid rivalry and start over. As friends." Palmon held out her hand which Floramon graciously accepted.
As everyone watched the two Digimon makeup, a spot on the large tree’s body began to glow a bright cyan. A shape began to emerge, appearing to be a circle with curved points on the left and right side and a split circle in the middle. The light then emerged and condensed into a small tag that flew into the Tag on Babs Seed’s neck.
“Whoa,” Babs Seed breathed. “This is…”
“That’s the Crest of Friendship," Veemon smiled, clapping Babs on the back. “Who would have guessed we would find it in a place like this?”
“Actually..." Babs said as she looked towards Palmon and Floramon bonding. “I don’t find it that hard ta believe.”
“All right, we have plenty of Night Flowers, and we found another Crest. Just one problem: how do we get out of here?" Scootaloo asked with a hint of worry.
Guilmon started sniffing the air. “Hey, I smell something.”
“What is it?”
“I think I smell it too!" Bearmon said, following the scent to a few bushes towards the back of the grove. Tucked away behind them was the entrance to a small tunnel. “It smells like the scent Rosetown was giving off. Come on everyone, this way!”
Quickly packing up the flowers and tools, the group followed Guilmon and Bearmon into the tunnel. By the time they got back to the surface, the sun was beginning to set.
“Yikes,” Terriermon muttered. “Guess we were down there for a while, huh?”
“Oh dear…” Floramon muttered. “My sisters are probably worried sick about me. I was supposed to be gone for an hour. By now they’re probably—”
“Floramon!” a voice called out. “Sis, where are you?”
“Speak of the Devimon…” Floramon muttered.
Three more Floramon emerged from the treeline, rushing to their sister. “There you are!” One of them grasped her in a massive hug. “Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick!”
“Are you alright?” another one asked.
“I’m fine girls, really,” Floramon replied. “Better than fine actually. Look what we found.” She took one of the bags off her shoulder and opened it.
“Is that…” one of the Floramon trailed off.
“Indeed it is,” Floramon replied, chuckling at her sisters' reaction to the flower. “And if you think that’s crazy, then you might wanna sit down when you hear who helped me.”
“Who, them?” one of the sisters gestured to the DigiDestined. “Wait, is that a Palmon back there?”
Floramon looked back to Palmon with a smile. One of her sisters looked from Floramon to Palmon in disbelief. “No...there is no way!”
“Why don’t we all head back to town, and I’ll tell you all about it over some juice?” Floramon started walking into the woods.
“Um, sis?” one of Floramon’s sisters pointed toward another end of the woods. “Home is this way…”
“Oh...right,” Floramon blushed. “Uh...how about you lead the way?”
Everyone followed Floramon and her sisters as they made their way back to Rosetown.
“Well, I don’t know about y'all, but after a day like that, I’m about ready to hit the hay,” Apple Bloom yawned.
“I hear ya cuz’,” Babs Seed stretched her neck a bit, hearing some cracks.
“Yeah, a day of looking for rare flowers and being attacked by a giant snake with an attitude does take it out of a pony," Scootaloo remarked. “Kinda works up an appetite too…”
“I know how that feels,” Guilmon replied, provoking more than a few chuckles.
“A nice meal, warm beds, and finding a Crest on top of all that,” Diamond Tiara looked over to Babs Seed, who glanced down at her Tag with pride. “I’d call that a pretty good day.”
Mephistomon stood in the chamber of the gateway, what was left of it, taking haggard breaths as the dust settled. In his rage he had destroyed a great deal of the surrounding chamber, nearly bringing it on the verge of collapse. Many of the infected Digimon in the chamber were killed in the maelstrom, the force sending their DigiCores flying through the walls. But by some subliminal level of restraint or luck, the gate was spared Mephistomon’s wrath.
Seeing the gate in front of him made him clench his fists. All our planning, all our efforts...was it all for nothing?!
“So...are you done throwing a hissy fit?” a voice asked from behind him.
Without hesitation, Mephistomon turned around and unleashed a blast of dark magic behind him, only to hit the wall. Mephistomon growled as he felt an icy presence behind him. He glanced over his shoulder in time to see NeoDevimon rise from the shadows, his long arms crossed over him like a mummy.
“If you’re going to try to kill me, then you could at least put some more effort into it,” NeoDevimon said in his smooth, icy voice. He looked around the chamber, running his claws over the new damage. “Tsk tsk tsk. I never knew you could be so volatile Mephistomon. You know, there are some who say that catharsis is actually bad for you.”
“Shut up you skinny-armed yarn-spinner!” Mephistomon growled.
NeoDevimon stopped, digging his claw into the wall and slowly dragging it down. “I’m sorry, I must be hard at hearing,” he looked over his shoulder. “Would you care to repeat that?”
“You said that we would be able to rebuild this world,” Mephistomon continued. “You said the humans possessed the means to level mountains, envelope continents in flames. That the tools spawned from their destructive ingenuity would give us the power we need to smash the Digital World. All we needed was an army, and the means to get to the Human World.”
“I said that the Human World would give us the means to reshape this world,” NeoDevimon corrected. “To shift the tyrannical so-called “balance of power” that keeps Digimon like us from exercising our nature.”
“What’s the difference?” Mephistomon grunted. “In order to bring about change, true change, the old system must be weeded out. The corrupt balance of power is too deeply ingrained into the Digital World to simply reshape it. It must be destroyed to make way for a new world.”
NeoDevimon shook his head. “Such narrow-minded thinking.”
Mephistomon turned to the gate. “All this effort, all these resources, the years of planning and research and for what? To be wasted on some idea that was nothing more than a fever dream!”
“What do you mean?”
“I peered through the gate, into the Quantum Sea. The way to the Human World...it’s too fragile to traverse. Even if we got this gate open, we could never enter that world. You know as well as I do the history of how the Digital World was born, and how the Human World is supposed to bear the strongest ties among the worlds on the Quantum Sea. I can only think of a handful of ways in which that connection could be compromised to such a degree.”
“I see,” NeoDevimon nodded. “It’s quite possible that there was some great calamity that destroyed the ties between our worlds in the process. Perhaps their destructive nature finally got the best of them.”
“What happened isn’t the problem,” Mephistomon said. “The problem is that this unravels everything we planned!”
NeoDevimon looked to the large gate, bringing a golden claw to his chin. “While I understand your frustration Mephistomon, I believe what we have here is merely a minor setback.”
“Elaborate…”
“Our goal was to search for a means to shift the balance of power of the Digital World. If we can’t find that means in the Human World, we’ll just have to find someplace else. Fortunately, it seems that a candidate has sent a few lost souls our way.”
Mephistomon scoffed. “Surely you can’t mean those tiny, pastel-colored rugrats running around on Server, do you? We know next to nothing about them, let alone their world!”
“We know that it shares a connection to the Digital World. One that is strong enough for its inhabitants to cross over into our own.” NeoDevimon conjured a small projector into his hand. “We also have this…” He switched on the projector, which beamed a holographic screen showing video footage of Primary Village. Panning across the town, the ponies were seen taking care of various baby Digimon. The view focused on Sweetie Belle smiling over a crib while levitating a bottle of milk.
NeoDevimon paused the video. “This footage was from the Gizumon during their reconnaissance before the Primary Village attack. Notice anything peculiar?”
Mephistomon looked at the screen for a few moments. “The bottle...is it floating? Is she doing that somehow?”
“Looks like it, her horn is lit up with the same aura.”
Mephistomon put a hand to his chin. “Interesting. So these ponies seem to possess a certain affinity to magic. Even the humans could never truly master the most basic of arcane arts.”
“Indeed,” NeoDevimon nodded, switching off the projector. He then casually tossed it towards a pile of debris, where it hit the head of a cowering Soulmon.
“So, we know they can channel magic, but to what degree? Does their magic come from within or from without? And how far have they advanced technologically?”
“Is it possible to pinpoint their world among the Quantum Sea? We may be able to conduct some reconnaissance using astral projection.”
Mephistomon sighed. “With what little we know, it’ll be like trying to find a needle in a coal mine.”
Tsukaimon peered out from behind the rock he was hiding behind, along with several Bakemon and Soulmon. “Um, don’t you mean haystack, my lord?”
“No...no I do not,” Mephistomon said wryly.
“Well then, it sounds like we’ll have to work on gathering intelligence on their world, and then move forward from there,” NeoDevimon said. “I’ll have a couple of the Gizumon monitor their movements. Maybe they’ll overhear some conversations about their world.”
“I’d be willing to bet you could learn a bit about them if you took a peek inside their dreams too.”
“You know how to infiltrate the dreams of others?”
“No, but I know about certain Digimon who can. Tell me, are there any Tapirmon roaming the continent?”
The six eyes on NeoDevimon’s mask glowed red. “You can’t possibly be suggesting to bring a holy Digimon into the fold? They would never work with Digimon like us! Not to mention they’re immune to many dark magics, including my Guilty Claw and your Black Shadow Virus!”
“Tapirmon derive their holy magics from a ring on their foreleg. If you can find one, I can have Tsukaimon assist you in taking it. After that, he’ll be open to your Guilty Claw.”
“Why not use your Virus?”
“Personally I value a spy whose both loyal and can speak in complete sentences. Unfortunately, the Black Shadow Virus only ensures the former at this point in development.”
“I see. And are you certain that your...pet will be up for the task,” NeoDevimon glanced at Tsukaimon, who quickly bowed after realizing he was the center of his attention.
“He has his uses. And if he botches the job somehow, feel free to do what you want with him.”
Tsukaimon gulped.
“Very well then,” NeoDevimon nodded. “In the meantime, continue researching ways to open a gateway and building our army.”
“What about the DigiDestined? They’ve managed to find the Tags in a matter of hours after landing on Server, and it’s only a matter of time before they find the Crests.”
“If the bounty hunters on this continent don’t possess the competence to capture a group of small children, then we’ll step in if an opportunity presents itself. What’s your point?”
“My point is there’s no way that they could’ve found those Tags so quickly without outside help! I fear that Anahita may have a part in this.”
“What do you suggest?”
“If that annoying nuisance is popping her head out of whatever hole she’s hiding in, we need to chop it off the moment she does. If you’d send some Gizumon my way, I can have them try to track her down and...do what they do best.”
NeoDevimon sighed. “I only managed to reactivate a handful of them, but I’ll see what I can spare. Just remember to stay focused on the larger goal. We can’t waste time with you getting distracted by a personal vendetta.”
As NeoDevimon sank back into the shadows, Mephistomon turned to the remaining Digimon in the chamber. “Alright, everyone pack up and return to the stronghold. We have work to do. Tsukaimon, inform the remaining crews to finish collecting their data and head home. Make sure we leave nothing behind.”
“At once my lord!” Tsukaimon bowed before fluttering out of the chamber.
The next morning the elder Palmon was taking a look at the Night Flowers the DigiDestined gathered. “It is truly a remarkable specimen, and we have you to thank for bringing them here.”
“It was no biggie,” Scootaloo said with some moxie.
“But Sandiramon was pretty big wasn’t he?" Guilmon said, bursting Scootaloo’s bubble of confidence.
“Regardless, we owe you a debt of gratitude so please take this." The Palmon elder gave Scootaloo a small coin purse filled with bytes. Scootaloo promptly put it away in her Digivice. “It’s also nice to see some semblance of peace with the Floramon." Looking out the window they saw Palmon sharing some of the Night Flowers with Floramon. “It certainly won’t be perfect overnight but I see a bright future for us.”
Diamond Tiara came downstairs with an aura of happiness surrounding her. “Oh wow! That was the best night's sleep I’ve had since we landed in this world. I will never take beds for granted again.”
Silver Spoon then came downstairs as well. “It’s also nice to be able to shower and get all this grime off us.”
Rumble and Bearmon were next. “I hear that. I remember my mom always saying, ‘Rumble go wash yourself off, you’re filthy!’ even though I was barely out for an hour. It’s a whole different story after a week in the outdoors, actually seeing all that dirt go down the drain. You know what I mean Bearmon?"
But Bearmon was too busy enjoying his handfuls of honey-covered treats to really pay attention. “Huh, wuh?” he muttered, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
On their way out they decided to pay the Floramon a visit in their shop. It was quite the sight to behold; similar to the Palmon garden there was a wide array of colors and beautiful scents all around them.
The Floramon they helped yesterday noticed them and went up to greet them. “Hello there, what do you think of our flower shop?”
“It’s so pretty," Sweetie Belle remarked.
“I know, right? What kind of flower is that? Did you cross breed any of them?” Silver Spoon began launching an utter tirade of questions and a collective groan came from the ponies.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to her antics eventually,” Diamond Tiara groaned.
Another Floramon soon burst through the door in a frantic state. “We got trouble. There are some nasty looking Digimon prowling the town.”
Everyone looked outside and saw the Impmon from Kamemon’s trading post.
“Oh great, not those guys again!" Rumble said with disgust.
“You know them?”
“Unfortunately, yes. But what are they doing here?”
One of the Impmon held up one of the ponies’ wanted posters, asking questions to a Digimon on the street.
“Looks like they saw the bounty posters at Kamemon’s place!" Sweetie Belle said with a spooked tone.
“I guess they wanted to make some extra cash,” Armadillomon said.
“Either way, we can’t let them know we’re here," Diamond Tiara pointed out. “Is there anywhere in this shop where we can hide?”
In the ruins of Myotismon’s castle, a lone Digimon prowled the halls. It slowly wandered the halls on four legs, it’s long claws clicking on the stone floor. Its body was covered from canine head to tail in jet black armor. If anyone were still in the castle, they would tremble from the sight of the two pauldrons on its shoulders, which looked identical to the helm covering the top of the Digimon’s head. The small yellow lights coming from the eye sockets of the two pauldrons gave the Digimon the appearance of a large three-headed dog.
The Digimon swept his head back and forth, his yellow eyes piercing through every dark corner of the castle as he sniffed the air around him. He made his way deeper into the castle, eventually arriving at the massive underground chamber housing the massive iron gate. He paused, noting the extensive damage done to the chamber.
“Hmm...this seems recent,” the Digimon growled. He wandered over to one of the many fresh craters in the chamber. “This kind of damage could only be done by an Ultimate level Digimon, or a powerful Champion level,” he observed. Leaning down to the crater, he sniffed the area several times. “Dark magic, but is it…” he trailed off for a moment, only to shake his head with a long sigh. “No...not him.”
He looked towards the gate, noting a few scraps of white cloth laying around. “Smells like death. Ghost Digimon, maybe Soulmon or Bakemon,” the Digimon noted.
A soft glint of light caught the corner of his eye. Towards the staircase, he spotted a small purple crystal. He looked closely, noting how it almost looked like a dark cloud was swirling inside the crystal. When he leaned down to smell it however, he recoiled in disgust. He leaped backward several feet, growling as green flames filled his mouth.
“EMERALD BLAZE!” the Digimon doused the crystal with a large gout of green flames. He watched as the crystal shattered, releasing a dark purple mist that quickly burned away in the flames.
Before he could begin to ponder the nature of the mist, which smelled foul with dark magic, the eyes within his right pauldron lit up. He paused as he glanced at the pauldron, almost as if someone where there, whispering in his ear. A few moments later, he whipped over to his right, noticing a long scratch mark on the wall of the chamber. He quickly walked to it, rearing up on his hind legs to get a better view.
“Was this the work of the same Ultimate?” he wondered aloud as he sniffed the claw mark. “No, this one is from someone else. Around the same time too. Maybe they—” he stopped, his eyes slowly widening. “Wait a minute, that smells like…”
The canine Digimon took in the scent, analyzing every trace of data the culprit had left behind until his suspicion was confirmed. A grin slowly spread across his face. “There you are…” he smirked.
The scent of his prey still fresh, the Digimon bounded out of the chamber. The eyes behind all three of the helms lit up with glee, knowing that their hunt for him would continue.
Back at the flower shop, the Impmon burst through the front door, sending it flying off its hinges.
“How rude, don’t you know how to knock?" Floramon yelled.
“Can it!" Impmon shouted back. He then pulled out a wanted poster of Sweetie Belle. “We’re looking for these creatures, have you seen them?”
“No, we have not seen anything like them, now please be on your way.”
“I don’t buy it. They’re here somewhere aren’t they? Everyone, search the shop!" The Impmon began vigorously checking out the whole shop. They checked under tables, behind shelves, and beneath the potted flowers. One of them found a locked door in the back. “Hey, what’s in that locked room?”
“That’s for employees only. We cultivate some of our more unique breeds of flora back there.”
“Oh really?" the Impmon smirked. He lifted his finger, conjuring a red flame. “BADA BOOM!” he shouted, launching a small red firebolt at the door and sending it flying back. Behind it was a large room filled with potted Night Flowers.
“What do you think you’re doing!” one of the Floramon rushed into the room, throwing a black tarp over the flowers. “Are you crazy? You could’ve burned them!”
“Forget it, they’re not here,” one of the Impmon sighed. “Let’s just bail."
“Hey! You still need to pay for the doors you brutes!" But Floramon’s comment fell on deaf ears as the Impmon left the shop to search the rest of the town.
On the outskirts of town, two Floramon worked together to pull a large cart of flowers. They stopped by a couple of houses to deliver a few flower orders. As they pulled near a few empty houses, one of the Floramon looked to make sure the coast was clear. Nodding to her sister, the two worked together to lift a few very large pots out of the cart.
Checking once more to make sure it was clear, Floramon pulled the large plant out of the pot, a small disk of fake soil glued to the decorative plastic fern. “You okay in there?” she whispered into the pot.
“No…” groaned a voice from the pot. “Can we get out of here yet?”
Floramon tipped the pot onto its side, sending Apple Bloom, Bearmon, Armadillomon and Rumble tumbling out.
“Whew, that’s much better!” Apple Bloom stretched. “Now I know what it feels like to be a pickle in a jar!”
The Floramon tipped over another jar, pouring out Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Guilmon and Palmon. “Oh thank Celestia!” Sweetie Belle gasped. “Fresh air!”
“Look, I said I was sorry alright?” Scootaloo winced as she felt a few pops in her back. “Could we just let it go already?”
A few more pots later, and the rest of the group was back together. “We are NOT doing that again!” Diamond Tiara fixed her hair.
“It got us out didn’t it?” Babs Seed pointed out.
“Touche,” Diamond Tiara nodded. “Thanks Floramon.”
“Hey, it was the least we could do,” Floramon shrugged. “So, what’d you do to have such a high bounty put on your heads?”
“Someone’s framin’ us for destroying Candlelight Village,” Apple Bloom said.
The two Floramon looked at each other. “Wait, you mean the rumors are true? Candlelight’s been destroyed? And people are saying it was you?”
“More or less,” Babs Seed shook her head. “You...don’t believe that do you?”
Floramon was silent for a moment before chuckling to herself. “After what happened yesterday, I don’t think you could possibly do something like that.”
“Well that’s good to hear,” Sweetie Belle sighed in relief.
“Yeah, but you should probably still get out of here,” Floramon looked over her shoulder. “When word gets out about bounties that high passing through, there’s no way that some real bounty hunters will pass that up.”
“Right, thanks again!” Apple Bloom nodded before running out of town with the rest of her friends.
“Good luck!” Floramon called out.
They ran as far from Rosetown as they could until they ran out of breath. As they settled down in the shade, a beeping from their Digivices drew their attention. All of their screens showed Anahita’s sigil.
“Hello?” Anahita said, her voice sounding noticeably clearer than when she first called them on File Island. “Can you hear me now?”
“Anahita?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Ah, there you are,” Anahita said, sounding relieved. “I noticed you passed through Candlelight Village a few days ago. I can assume you got the little gift from my friend?”
“The Tags?” Sweetie Belle asked, glancing down at her own Tag. “Yep, we got them alright. But...the village is—”
“Yes, I heard…”
“Do you have any idea why we’re getting blamed for it?” Scootaloo asked.
“I can only assume that Mephistomon and NeoDevimon are trying to make life on Server as difficult for you as possible. This way they can continue their schemes without getting their hands dirty.”
“Go figure…” Hawkmon muttered.
“Listen, I have something important to tell you, and I don’t have a lot of time. Did you manage to recover any of the Crests yet?”
“Yeah!” Rumble declared. “We found the Crests of Courage and Friendship not long ago.”
“Excellent! Well, then I have some more good news. I’ve managed to locate the area where another Crest may be.”
“Okay…” Diamond Tiara narrowed her eyes. “Why do I get the feeling that there’s also—”
“But the bad news is—”
“Knew it!” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes.
“The bad news is that it’s somewhere in one of the largest deserts on the continent.”
“A desert?” Silver Spoon asked. “Oh great…”
“But what are we supposed to do with these Crests once we find ‘em?" Apple Bloom asked.
“There will be trials ahead where you’ll—” Anahita suddenly cut out.
“Hello?" Apple Bloom tapped on her Digivice but it did no good. “Drat, we lost ‘er.”
“At least we know where we’re heading next though," Sweetie Belle said as she held up her Digivice map. A few miles west was a large area where the terrain began to flatten out, indicating the transition from forest to desert. Towards the center of the desert, a small circle appeared on the holographic map. “Guess the next Crest is there.”
“We may need ta stock up on water before we get there,” Babs Seed reasoned. “Hey cuz, any more towns near the desert where we can top off?”
Apple Bloom opened the map they bought from Kamemon. Her eyes scanned over the parchment for several moments before her expression dropped. “Uh...doesn’t look like it.”
Scootaloo glanced back towards Rosetown. “And I don’t know if we can sneak back into town with those Impmon looking for us.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a stream along the way or somethin’,” Apple Bloom sighed while she stowed away the traveler’s map. “But until then, I’d say we should start conservin’ whatever water we have on hoof.”
“Well…this should be fun,” Rumble deadpanned. He stared at the large desert on his map. Seeing the distance they would need to travel to reach the next Crest, he could already feel his throat starting to dry.
