//------------------------------//
// Episode 2: Arrivals- Part 2 
// Story: DigiPones: Digital Ponies Season 1 
// by DougtheLoremaster 
//------------------------------//

Shining Armor stood at attention, spear at the ready in full salute as Dullahan of the Nightwatch approached. With fur as dark as a moonless night, and golden irises indicative of his kind, The batpony captain of Luna’s Royal Guard stepped in a measured way; the ceremonial changing of the guard taking place under the ever-watchful eyes of the Princesses of Equestria. 
Usually, Shining Armor would take great pride in the nightly tradition but tonight his mind was clouded with feelings of guilt, and so he just went through the motions.
I was too hard on her. Salute, twirl the spear to the left, three full rotations before stopping. But it’s time for her to let that go. Step to the side, salute, and bow. What we saw that night, what we dreamed. Turn and face the Princesses. Still, I behaved just as childish as she did. That’s not befitting for a Captain of the Guard. Stand at the ready. Or a big brother.
Princess Luna and Celestia nodded at their respective Captains, and Luna flared her wings.
“Captain Shining Armor. Your guard is dismissed for the night.”
I need to apologize to her.
Bowing, Shining Armor responded in kind.
“Yes, your majesty.”
Over by the door, his squad waited to celebrate another successful and uneventful shift. As he approached them, one of the guards clapped him on the back with a stout hoof and said.
“Hey Captain, we’re head down to the Punch Bowl, on me. You in?”
Shaking his head, Shining responded.
“No, you go on without me, I’ve got something I need to do.”

	



Stepping into the house he called home, Shining Armor sighed before calling out.
“I’m home.”
There was no answer. I guess Twily’s still mad at me. Slowly he removed the cumbersome armor, to reveal the cutie mark he had received that night; a runic spiral that resembled an orange sun. Placing his armor in the closet, Shining turned to look at a framed picture on the wall.
It showed the smiling faces of Twilight Velvet and Nightlight, the late parents of the two siblings. Ever since the two passed almost ten years back during a freak accident, Shining had been forced to step up and provide for his little sister, becoming her guardian.
Walking over to his sister’s room, Shining Armor gently knocked on it, calling out.
“Twilight, about what I said earlier-”
Shining stopped as the door swung inwards to reveal an empty room. Papers were scattered all around. It was an utter mess, but there was no sign of Twilight. Instantly, Shining felt the hackles on the back of his neck stand up. Something was wrong, Twilight was obsessive about being neat and tidy; there was no way she would leave it in such a state.
Scanning the room, Shining noticed and approached a pile of shredded papers, using his magic to piece them back together, looking for a clue. Greeted with a bright, bold headline proudly proclaiming ‘DIGITAL WORLD PORTAL’ in all capitals, Shining felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Surely, she didn’t.
After the incident, Shining was just as excited as Twilight about what they had seen, often imagining going there himself; as if it was calling him. However, once their parents passed away, he had been forced into adulthood at an early age, in the process dismissing the digital world as just a fanciful imagining of a young colt’s mind. All the responsibility fell on his shoulders, to care for and support his little sister. And so that night had been cast aside. Now, however, it looked like that past was coming back to haunt him. 
For hours he poured over the various equations before coming across a group of coordinates. He stared at them, narrowing his eyes. Had his sister really opened a portal to another world?
That’s when he noticed it, a small device, just laying there on the floor. What was it? Had his sister made this? He stared at it for several seconds. With each passing second, he felt more and more compelled to touch it; it was almost as if it were reaching out to him, beckoning him.
Almost as if mesmerized by the device, Shining Armor slowly reached a hoof out to touch the device. Suddenly, it seemed to come to life, the screen on it blinking rapidly as two straps of indeterminate material wrapped themselves around his foreleg. Startled, he tried to kick the device off, but a beam of bright red shot out from the device and scrolled across his face.
Moving his hoof to his mouth, he stumbled as he tried to remove the device; the screen now flashed with an image of him, his name, height, weight, and age. Data continued to flash on and off the screen as he stumbled around. Finally, he tripped and fell on his side, the screen now pointed at the floor. That’s when the device started to glow and beep.
Before Shining could question what was going on, a portal opened beneath him, causing him to fall through it, before closing behind him.
Shining found himself plummeting like a rock through the sky towards a clump of thick forest. With a scream of panic, he crashed through the foliage. Down through the branches and leaves to crash onto the forest floor. Dazed and confused, he lay splayed out in an undignified pose, while strange creatures began to surround him. Too weak to fight back as they took hold of him, Shining gave in to oblivion as he fell unconscious.






Groggily, Shining Armor opened his eyes, before sitting bolt upright. This was not his bed. Looking around at his surroundings, he was surprised to see he was in a brick house. Was he back in Equestria? Had it all been a dream? That’s when he noticed the bandages wrapped around his hind leg. It had been no dream, he realized. But he couldn’t help but wonder as he lay there. Where am I?
“Good, you’re finally awake, Shining. I’ve waited long enough. Now we can finally take the fight to Asmodaemon.”
Turning his attention to the feminine voice, Shining Armor blinked. There, sitting in a chair by his bed was what looked like a wingless dragon with an orange body and several long claws and talons on its feet and hands. Its left eye was a brilliant violet while a large scar could be seen where its right eye should have been, and a small stream of data seemed to be leaking from it. And around its neck, a black ring sparked and fizzled continuously while runes pulsed a bright red across its surface.
Confused, as to how this creature knew his name, he shouted in surprise.
“Who are you? What are you and how do you know me?”
This seemed to trigger something within the creature as she shouted back.
“Of course, you don’t know me! Why would you, after I’ve waited for you this whole time! The others were taken, enslaved, or erased, while I held hope and waited for you, dreaming of the day you would come. And you don’t even know who I am? That’s just perfect! I…I need some air.”
Stomping over to the entrance of the small house, the creature stopped and she snarled before exiting.
“I’m Agumon, your Digimon. Welcome to the Digital World.”
He could barely make out a single word she spoke as he struggled to stay sitting, a wave of pain washing over him causing Shining Armor to fall back, unable to stop himself from closing his eyes. Once more the painless calm of darkness overtook him. And then he heard nothing more.





In a castle across the land, sat an amused-looking Asmodaemon. The self-proclaimed Queen of the Digital World sat on her throne slowly swirling a glass of chardonnay; watching a portal in which she saw Agumon yelling at Shining Armor. Pursing her scaly fanged lips in a mirthless smile, she chuckled.
“So, he finally shows himself to me, the last Digi-Destined. How wonderful-”
Her charcoal black, scaly tail flicked around in excitement.
“And don’t I have just the perfect welcoming committee for you.”
Snapping her claws, she watched as a sentient rock golem rushed in. Without turning her head, Asmodaemon addressed it, her voice silky and dripping with malice.
“Gotsumon. Fetch me Solara. After all-”
The ruby-red eyes of the massive dragon Digimon flashed as she stared into the portal.
“She’s dreamt of seeing this ‘Shining Armor’ for the longest time. And who am I to get in the way of such dreams?”
Gripping the glass in her claws so tightly that it shattered, Asmodaemon grinned wolfishly, her fangs glinting in the light as the wine dripped onto the floor. Throwing her head back, the sound of the Gotsumon scurrying away could be heard behind her as her wicked cackling laughter filled the chamber.