//------------------------------// // Chapter One: Partnership // Story: Digital Harmony // by Fallen Prime //------------------------------// Dorimon stared at Twilight as she stared inquisitively at him. For someone he’d been waiting his entire life to meet, she wasn’t at all what he expected. Still, she was here, which could mean any number of very important things for him. Eventually, the newly arrived alicorn coordinated her curious thoughts enough to formulate words. “Who—no, what—are you?” Well, that made more sense. Dorimon had figured that one of Twilight’s first questions might be what he was. He had a vague idea of what she was, but her world wasn’t very connected to his, at least not yet, so she’d have absolutely no way of knowing what was going on. Right now, though, the most important thing was that she was here. And if she was here, that meant they could go on an adventure! “So where do you want to go first?” Dorimon asked, completely dodging his new partner’s question. “How should I know!?” Twilight retorted. “What is this place!?” “You’re my partner, right? Does that mean you can help me evolve?” “I don’t care! Where are my friends!?” “You brought friends!? Do you think your friends and my friends have met yet?” “How is this relevant to anything that’s going on right now!?” “If you came through, does that mean other ponies might start coming through too? I’d love to meet new people!” “Why are you asking so many questions instead of answering mine!?” “Oh, oops,” Dorimon stated. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I guess you have different priorities.” “No kidding,” Twilight retorted. “First off, how do you know my name?” “Well, I knew you were coming,” Dorimon explained. “And I’ve spent my whole life waiting for you! My friends have people they’re waiting for too; maybe they’re your friends! And if that’s the case, then they should all be nearby!” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. I suppose we should go look for them. Before we do that, though... I still have so many questions.” “You can ask while we look!” Dorimon suggested. “I don’t know if I’ll have all the answers, though.” “Alright, then,” Twilight agreed. “First off, before we head out... you seem to know me, but who are you?” “Oh, sorry! I never actually gave a proper introduction. My name is Dorimon, and welcome to File Island!” File Island. Twilight had never once heard of it. It couldn’t be in Equestria, and all signs pointed to it not being in the world she meant to visit either. Adding in the element of the creature that called himself Dorimon, it was clearer than ever that she was nowhere near any place she’d ever known. That fact made her isolation from her friends that much more painful. She had no idea where she was, and she had no idea where they were, a combination that wreaked havoc on her nerves. If she even had one friend near her, she could rest easy knowing the others could still be just as close. Finding the rest now seemed more important than— “Twilight!?” Twilight looked to her left to see who was calling to her, and she saw Applejack stepping out through the foliage. Riding on her back was another small creature, this one a small, blob-like white puppy with a maroon tail, ears and legs. Applejack ran right towards Twilight, knocking her companion off her back with a yelp, and hugged Twilight uncomfortably tightly. “Oh, thank Celestia!” Applejack cried. “Ah just woke up alone in this jungle, and ah got scared ah might never see any of y’all again!” “You didn’t wake up alone,” the puppylike creature stated. “I was right next to you!” “That ya were,” Applejack conceded. “That’s wonderful,” Twilight groaned, “but can I have my lungs back now?” “Right.” Applejack released her hold on Twilight, allowing her to breathe properly again. “Sorry, Twi.” “Well, I’m glad you caught up to me, Applejack,” Twilight confessed. “I was just about to leave to find the others, since Dorimon here thinks they should be nearby, but I would have missed you if I’d—” “Wait, you’ve got one of those critters with ya too?” Applejack asked in surprise, staring at Dorimon. “Hey, Dorimon!” the puppy greeted. “Who’s the pony? Your partner?” “Yep!” Dorimon confirmed. “Her name’s Twilight Sparkle!” “Seems these two know each other,” Twilight observed. “This little guy here’s Shaomon. He was standing right by my side as ah was wakin’ up. Loyal little fella. Kinda reminds me of...” Applejack sighed, her ears drooping. “Kinda reminds me of Winona. And ah didn’t see no portal back to Equestria on my way here. Twilight, what if we can’t go home? What if ah never see my family again?” “We will get home, Applejack,” Twilight assured her. “Even if there’s no clear way now, we’ll find our own way. Right now, though, our priority is regrouping. How did you find me, anyway?” “Ah was close by,” Applejack replied. “Once ah heard ya shout, ya weren’t hard to spot.” “Sorry,” Twilight muttered. “Well, it’s still good that we found each other. Now let’s see if we can find the others.” “So we are going on an adventure?” Dorimon inquired. “A little one, yeah,” Twilight answered. “Yes!” Dorimon exclaimed. “Then let’s move out!” “So...” Twilight asked as the four of them walked through the jungle. “What did you mean when you said you were waiting your whole lives for us?” “It’s not easy to explain,” Shaomon replied. “It’s just... I was just born knowing I had something to wait for. Someone to meet. I can’t necessarily speak for the others, but I think it’s the same.” “Others?” Applejack remarked. “How many of ya are there?” “Of us?” Dorimon answered. “Not many at all. I only know four more, but for all I know, there are more elsewhere with the same sense of destiny. The only others I know are the ones that live on this island.” He quickly perked up. “Actually, one of them’s my best friend! Maybe you’ll meet him!” “Hey!” came a voice from above. “Up here!” Twilight looked up to the sound of the voice and saw Rainbow Dash standing atop a tree ahead of them. She flew down to meet the group, at which point Twilight could see that she had a new companion as well. Clinging to Rainbow’s neck was a yellow, draconic creature with purple- and red-tipped horns on his head and little fins in place of arms and legs. “Boy, am I glad to see you!” Rainbow stated. “I can’t imagine having to go through this jungle alone!” “Kyokyomon!” Dorimon exclaimed, completely ignoring Rainbow Dash and rushing to greet the creature on her back. “It feels like it’s been ages! How have you been?” “All’s quiet on my end,” Kyokyomon replied. “Well, except for Rainbow Dash here dropping in. There hasn’t been a dull moment since!” “I imagine,” Dorimon agreed. “I’ve been walking around looking for my own partner’s friends, and I think you nabbed one of them!” “Uh... are they talking about us?” Rainbow asked. “I think so,” Twilight answered, no less confused. “Wow,” Rainbow remarked. “I just got here, and I already feel like a third wheel.” “Ah’m just glad these little guys are hittin’ it off,” Applejack replied. “It’s kinda cute.” An ear-piercing shriek rang out through the jungle, disrupting the group’s train of thought. The ponies realized at once who it must have been coming from. “Rarity!” they cried in unison. Without hesitation, they ran towards the source of the noise. It took only a moment to find her, as she was running in the opposite direction, colliding with Twilight as soon as she was in view. “Twilight!?” Rarity cried. “Applejack? Rainbow Dash? Could it truly be you?” “One hundred percent,” Rainbow replied. “And us too!” Kyokyomon chimed in from atop Rainbow’s back. Rarity screamed again. “There are more of them!?” “Aw, don’t be like that, Rarity!” a voice scolded from behind her. The owner of the voice stepped forward, revealing a green, white-faced reptilian creature with two massive leaves growing on her torso. “You really know how to pick ‘em, Tanemon,” Kyokyomon quipped. “This disgusting plant... reptile... thing has not stopped following me!” Rarity complained. “When I awoke, it popped up from out of the ground!” “Is she like this about everything?” Tanemon asked. “This is a beautiful jungle, but she’s been complaining about everything she sees!” “She ain’t used to roughin’ it,” Applejack replied. “Shame, too, ‘cuz unless we get outta here soon, she’s gonna hafta do a lot of it.” “Get out of here?” Tanemon repeated. “You guys don’t want to stay here?” “I should say not!” Rarity shouted. “I have prior obligations back in my own world that I was not willing to put off for more than a day! For the sake of my business, for the sake of my sister, we had best depart this world before then.” “That’s it,” Rainbow remarked. “Until Rarity gets ahold of herself, I’m scouting from the sky. I’ll let you know if I see anything.” With that, she took off, Kyokyomon clinging to her for dear life. “Rarity, just take deep breaths,” Twilight pleaded. “We’ll find a way out of this situation, I promise." Upon Twilight’s instruction, Rarity regulated her breathing, and after a few moments, she looked considerably calmer. “Very well. If you believe that we may escape this place, I have faith in your judgment. To that end, I am willing to tolerate these creatures who are so insistent on following us.” “Awesome!” Dorimon exclaimed. Tanemon hopped up on top of Rarity. “We’ll have so much fun together. You’ll see!” “Please don’t ride me,” Rarity deadpanned. “Guys!” Rainbow shouted from above. “There’s a clearing over here! And I see Fluttershy right in the middle of it!” “...which, I think, is why the northeastern end of the island is all snowy.” “This place is so fascinating!” Fluttershy mused. “You must love it here, Gummymon!” “It’s cozy,” Gummymon admitted. “I’m more used to this jungle area myself. Nice big trees, plenty of little clearings, mostly peaceful... no worries! Moumantai!” “Mou...man...tai?” Fluttershy repeated. “What does that mean?” “Oh, it’s just a little mantra I live by,” Gummymon explained. “It means ‘no problem.’ To relax and take it easy!” “Well, it’s a beautiful sentiment,” Fluttershy commented. Gummymon nodded his head enthusiastically, his little ears flopping with the force. “Thanks!” “You’re quite welcome,” Fluttershy replied with a warm smile. “While we’re talking about the island, do you know anything about that mountain?” She pointed upward, to a dark and foreboding mountain at what looked to be the heart of File Island. “Oh, that’s Infinity Mountain,” Gummymon stated. “Highest point on the island. I don’t know too much, but I know it’s hollow inside. There’s actually a way inside by the Village of Beginnings. That village, by the way, is like a giant day care. I think you’d love it!” Fluttershy beamed at the thought. Gummymon was already just so cute; to think that there could be a whole village on the island with creatures just as cute was almost too much for her. Before she could dwell on it further, she heard a familiar voice calling to her. “Hey! Fluttershy! We’ve been looking all over for you!” Twilight and the crew fought through the foliage to reach the clearing Rainbow Dash had pointed out. Just as she’d said, there was Fluttershy, sitting with what looked like a green ghost with floppy ears and a large horn atop its head. Twilight also noticed something else... something strapped to Fluttershy’s right foreleg. It was shaped like a pink butterfly, just like her Element of Harmony, but it also looked to have a screen and buttons on it. “Hello, girls,” Fluttershy greeted calmly. “I figured you’d come find me, so I decided to wait here for you and have a nice talk with—” “Wait,” Twilight interjected. “That thing strapped to your leg. What is that?” “Oh, this?” Fluttershy asked, lifting her leg to display the contraption. “Gummymon called it a Digivice. I just found it in my bag, but I don’t know how it got there. He didn’t know exactly what it did, and neither do I, but he said that if you all had partners too, you should have a Digivice of your own.” “I think I’d have noticed something like that,” Rainbow retorted. “Nopony goes through my bags without me knowing about—” “Well, ah’ll be,” Applejack remarked, pulling out a Digivice resembling an orange apple. “Wow, Applejack!” Shaomon exclaimed. “Your very own Digivice!” “You should look for yourself, Rainbow,” Rarity replied, pulling a purple diamond Digivice from her bag. Twilight reached into her own bag with her magic, detecting something that wasn’t there before, and pulled out a magenta star-shaped device. Rainbow did likewise, finding a red lightning bolt. “These Digivices...” Twilight observed. “They all resemble our Elements of Harmony. They’re personalized for us. But... where did they come from? Who made these?” “I don’t know,” Dorimon replied. “But it’s a sign that you all were chosen to partner up with Digimon to serve some higher purpose.” “What purpose!?” Twilight demanded. “All I’ve had this entire time were questions, and I haven’t gotten nearly enough answers!” “If we’re really in this for the long haul,” Applejack interjected, “then we’ll have time to get all those questions answered. If we get outta here fast, they won’t even matter.” “Alright, so Fluttershy’s here,” Rainbow noted. “That just leaves—” “Oh my gosh, I finally found you!” As if on cue, Pinkie Pie stepped through into the clearing. Upon her back was what appeared to be the head and tail of a blue cat, with a darker blue M on its forehead. Strapped to her foreleg was a Digivice modeled to look like a blue balloon. “Hey, guys!” Pinkie exclaimed. “So, it turns out this isn’t where we wanted to be!” “Thanks, Pinkie,” Twilight grumbled. “I noticed.” “I figured, but that’s not the really cool part! Wanyamon here says this whole place is made of computer data! Guys, I think we’re in a video game!” “I never said that,” Wanyamon clarified. “Just for the record. There’s just no convincing this one. On a related note... we may want to move.” “Why?” Fluttershy asked. “We’re having a nice, quiet moment.” “Oh, but that’s not even the coolest coolest part!” Pinkie continued. “I figured the best way to start this game off was with a good boss fight we could all tackle together for some major experience points, and I found the perfect one on my way to meet you guys!” Before anyone had the chance to ask what in Celestia’s name Pinkie was on, they heard a thunderous stomp from the area Pinkie had approached from. The stomps repeated, growing louder as whatever was making them drew closer. Before long, it shoved its way through the trees and into view of the group. “Pinkie,” Rainbow stated, “if we don’t survive this, I am going to kill you.” Behind Pinkie stood a yellow, humanoid, draconic beast several heads taller than everypony. Its tail was tipped with silver armor, and its brown head only accommodated a single eye on the left side of its face. Its right arm was disproportionately enormous, with giant red claws and a spiked shoulder guard. “What is that thing!?” Fluttershy whispered loudly, trying to hide herself behind the rest of the group. “I think that’s Cyclomon,” Gummymon replied. “And I think he’s angry.” “Cyclomon,” Twilight’s Digivice explained. “Virus-type Dragon Man Digimon. Champion level. A prideless warrior driven solely by revenge. Signature move is Hyper Heat.” “Why are you telling us this now!?” Twilight cried, screaming at her Digivice. Gummymon moved forward in a surprising display of mobility, eyes locked on the towering menace. Turning back for a second, he gestured forward. “Come on, guys! We need to help our partners!” With that, he zipped forward again, just out of reach of Fluttershy’s hooves. The ponies froze, staring slackjawed. Rainbow raised a hoof in an unusual display of nerves. “He’s… he’s not…” “Double Bubble!” Gummymon spewed a series of pink bubbles from his mouth, aimed directly at Cyclomon’s face. Cyclomon, for his part, merely lazily rubbed at his one eye, and retaliated by swatting Gummymon away effortlessly. Landing in Fluttershy’s hooves, Gummymon shook his head a few times to clear it. “Oh my goodness, are you alright? Do you need healing, or anything like that?” Concerned teal eyes fixed to the little creature in her hooves, and he looked back dizzily. “I’m fine! Time to show him what we’ve got!” Fluttershy’s squeaked-out “We?!” was drowned out by the other creatures leaping to their feet and shouting their support. An angry roar drew the ponies out of their shocked stupor, and all eyes fixed back on Cyclomon. Smirking, Rainbow Dash flexed her wings. “Let’s do this.” Taking off in a blur, the other ponies began to move as well. Wordlessly, the two magic-wielders nodded to each other and took off, Twilight to the right and Rarity to the left. Both charged their horns in preparation as Rainbow set about distracting the beast by flying around its head. Expertly dodging the swipes from its smaller paw, she darted around the back, taking some breathing time as she watched the others. Pinkie Pie darted around Cyclomon’s enormous feet, moving just in time to avoid each angry stamp of them. Wanyamon rode with her, biting at Cyclomon each time they got close and taking refuge in her mane directly after. As his right foot came down in another frustrating miss of the party pony, Rainbow darted upwards again from behind. Kyokyomon tumbled gently from her back, landing fins-first on Cyclomon’s head and shooting tiny spikes harmlessly at it. Seeing it was barely affecting it, Dash darted down to snag Kyokyomon. Before she could get there, Twilight fired a bolt of magic at the larger paw, hoping to incapacitate it. Cyclomon roared, bringing it up suddenly as it was hit, knocking Rainbow from the sky. She landed hard, pulling up dirt and grass as she slid across the ground, wings ineffectually splayed. With a gasp, Twilight threw up a shield around her and ran forward, meeting Fluttershy on the way. Their partners trembled slightly, looking down on the still form of the pegasus. “R-Rainbow?” Reaching out a hoof, Fluttershy stroked her mane gently. She stirred, one rose eye looking out blearily. “Anyone get him?” Suddenly, the Digivice on Rainbow Dash’s leg shined a brilliant white. Kyokyomon, still atop Cyclomon’s head, was engulfed in the same light, momentarily blinding the dragon-beast as Rainbow’s partner’s form began to change. “What’s happening?” Rainbow cried. “Kyokyomon!?” After a moment, the light dissipated, but Kyokyomon looked radically different than he did moments ago. His head and limbs were covered in golden fur, and most of his body was covered in black, purple-dotted samurai armor. Just below the helmet, on his forehead, was a vaguely triangular red interface. “Ryudamon,” Rainbow’s Digivice exposited. “Vaccine-type Beast Digimon. Rookie level. Fires iron blades from its mouth with Iaijin.” “Not the time!” Twilight shouted. “Can’t these things turn off!?” An angry growl erupted from above, drawing all eyes back up. Ryudamon faced down, clinging deeply to the beast’s head as he fired his blades directly into the top of Cyclomon’s head. Snarling, Cyclomon shook his head furiously, slowly dislodging the silver claws from his head. Fluttershy stayed crouched with Rainbow, who was trying to rise, as the others took up their positions once more. Hooves dug into the ground, Rarity assessed the situation as best she could. There’s that… thing Pinkie has, and I suppose I have this one as well… She glanced to her left, appraising Tanemon with a critical eye. Tanemon looked back up, eyes meeting Rarity’s as she hopped nervously from foot to foot. Sparing a smile for the tiny creature, the white unicorn poured more power into her horn. “Tanemon, darling, I must ask you to assist us. My specialty in magic is fine manipulation. I need you to distract that beast long enough for me to use these.” Rarity carefully levitated out a stray pincushion from her saddlebags, drawing out the tiny needles. “It may not be much, but it should cause him enough pain to possibly stop the attack.” Steeling herself, Tanemon nodded. “A-alright.” “On my mark!” called Rarity. Across the pitch, Twilight fired off another spell at Cyclomon, causing him to step back a pace and narrowly miss Pinkie Pie, who was still bouncing carelessly between his feet. After a moment, Rarity saw what she needed. Applejack. The farm mare charged up behind Twilight, passing by her to come before the beast’s leg. In a fluid motion, she spun, bucking up once to allow Shaomon to attack as she readied herself to acquaint Cyclomon with Bucky McGillicutty and Kicks McGee. “Now, Tanemon!” As Tanemon charged forward with a speed belying her stout appearance and rammed Cyclomon’s leg, Applejack’s hind legs shot out as well, both pony and Digimon hitting true to their targets. This small distraction given, Rarity took the opportunity to fire her pins. Hundreds of tiny points whizzed towards their target, lodging themselves in the chinks of his natural armor, and Cyclomon roared once again. Waving his arms across his body to dislodge the pins, he snarled down at Rarity, who simply regarded him coolly as Tanemon scampered back to her side. Growling angrily, Cyclomon looked down at Twilight. The ruse worked—Twilight fired up her horn, not expecting what came next. The larger creature darted his eyes to the side before somehow extending his arm out, catching Rarity with the palm of his hand and tossing her into the dirt. Twilight fired a bolt of magic as Rarity cried out, and Cyclomon roared, bringing his knuckles back and knocking Twilight into a tree. She skidded, her horn flickering and finally going out as she connected with the bark, the shield around Rainbow Dash following suit. Rarity’s and Twilight’s Digivices lit up, and Tanemon and Dorimon interrupted their assault as their bodies were enveloped in the same glow. As their bodies morphed, Cyclomon was hit in the face by a sphere of iron from where an evolving Dorimon stood, and his enormous right arm was wrapped in vines stemming from the hands of what once was Tanemon. Blinking blearily, Twilight looked on, bemused. “I… kind of wish I could write this down…” “DORUmon,” her Digivice chimed in, providing a less welcome alternative. “Data-type Beast Digimon. Rookie level. Carries the X-Antibody. Signature move is Metal Cannon.” “Palmon,” Rarity’s device added. “Data-type Plant Digimon. Rookie level. Ensnares opponents with vine-like fingers with Poison Ivy.” “I don’t think writing it down will be necessary, dear.” Rarity struggled to her hooves, shaking her head and wincing slightly as her right front hoof refused to fully hold her weight. Eyes sweeping the field nervously, she noted Rainbow back on her hooves, as well as Fluttershy standing beside her with a new determination in her teal eyes. The two pegasi eyed Cyclomon warily as he shook off Palmon and DORUmon's assault and brushed the last of Rarity’s pins from his hide. Drawing the broken and bent implements to her, the white unicorn had just enough time to lament the loss of their use before a familiar grunt caught her attention. Applejack stood resolutely in front of the pegasi, facing Cyclomon. Snorting once, she tossed her head. “Ah’ve had about enough of this. This here monster ain’t gonna get the best of us, girls, so stop lettin’ it.” With that declaration, she lowered her head, pawing at the ground. Bouncing up again to an impossible height, Pinkie Pie hopped on Cyclomon’s shoulder. “Yeah! You big meanie meanie pants face! Stop being so mean to my friends!” Headbutting him once, she leapt deftly aside as his hand came up, causing him to merely smack himself in the face. With a giggle, she jumped down, joining the small group that was forming. The bemused Cyclomon recovered quickly from the attack of… well, Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, and snarled down at the little group. Both pegasi extended their wings and crouched, prepared to take off, while their partners stood at their sides. Applejack and Pinkie stood shoulder to shoulder, both with their heads lowered angrily. Wanyamon and Shaomon took up stations to their far sides, growling. A beat of silence crossed the pitch. A weak bolt of magic from the downed Twilight was enough, and the earth ponies charged as soon as he was distracted. Fluttershy and Rainbow immediately took to the air, Fluttershy following Rainbow as if it were a tornado drill. Shaomon dashed forward from the right flank, biting at Cyclomon as the two earth ponies connected, hard heads and sharp hooves damaging the skin of his feet. Purple and blue magic fired off, dual protective shields coming down around the ponies as Cyclomon swung down, enraged. Twilight’s shield around Pinkie Pie held. Rarity’s shield around Applejack did not. As the giant fist connected, the shield cracked and then shattered despite the unicorn’s exertion. Applejack was snatched up in the giant fist as Rainbow and Fluttershy began to circle Cylcomon from the bottom up. Desperately, Rarity lit her horn again, trying to levitate Applejack’s entire mass away. “Applejack!” Shaomon shouted, his body enveloped in the same white glow as the others before him as his partner’s Digivice shone its light. Now more fully resembling a dog, he let out a ferocious supersonic bark as he rushed towards the hand that was clutching Applejack. Cyclomon released his grip to block his ears from the audio assault, and Applejack was caught by her partner and Palmon before she hit the ground. “Labramon,” her Digivice exposited. “Vaccine-type Beast Digimon. Rookie level. Restores and optimizes the data of weakened allies with Cure Liqueur.” “This isn’t working!” Labramon shouted. “We’re just making him angrier!” “I think we need a plan!” DORUmon replied, strafing to avoid Cyclomon’s swinging arm. “Got one right now?” Ryudamon called, still clawing at the dragon-man’s head to keep a grip. “Of course I don’t!” DORUmon yelled back. “Just keep wailing on him and hope it works eventually!” “Keep up, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash increased her speed, whirling around Cyclomon with the yellow pony right on her hooves, wings straining against the effort. “I’m trying!” Nearly in tears, she pushed herself even harder, muscles burning with the effort as a whirling mass of debris began to form around the beast. Cyclomon managed to finally throw Ryudamon off his head with a violent thrash, the smaller creature trying to fire another sword in retaliation as he fell. Palmon continued to stand her own ground, ensnaring Cyclomon’s arm in her vines again, but she was lifted up and swung around for her efforts. DORUmon and Labramon prepared to strike on their own, but looked up to see what the pegasi above were attempting and backed off. Palmon was not so lucky, her grip slipping just as their efforts bore fruit. The pegasus tornado was abruptly halted by the interruption of Palmon flying through the cyclone, and the two pegasi wobbled before breaking off suddenly to recover their stability. “Whoa, watch it!” Rainbow Dash flapped furiously, righting herself before gliding down beside Twilight. Fluttershy landed with a stumble a moment later, beside the other pegasus. As the winds died, however, Cyclomon remained standing, unaffected but thoroughly aggravated. He turned to Fluttershy, readying his right arm for another long-range strike. “Fluttershy, no!” Gummymon hollered, placing himself in front of his partner as a rather ineffective meat shield. However, Fluttershy’s Digivice lit up the instant Cyclomon tried to strike, and the evolving Gummymon spun himself around rapidly, creating a mini-tornado of his own and slapping the offending hand away with his now-massive ears. “Terriermon,” Fluttershy’s Digivice revealed. “Data-type Beast Digimon. Rookie level. Fires small green energy blasts from its mouth with Bunny Blast.” Not even paying attention to the exposition, Terriermon flapped his ears and took off, firing at Cyclomon from above. As the battle continued to unfold, Twilight recalled the information she’d been given about their foe. “Wait, everyone! The Digivice said something about ‘Hyper Heat.’ I don’t think he—” Right at that moment, Cyclomon’s mouth opened, a mass of superheated energy gathering within. As he charged, he set his sights on the gathered group of ponies. Twilight’s eyes widened in sudden realization. “Scatter!” she ordered, and most of the group dissipated immediately, fearing what may happen if Cyclomon’s attack struck them. Only Pinkie Pie remained, staring distractedly at the pretty blue light. “Pinkie, come on!” Wanyamon urged. “Get out of the way!” “Why?” Pinkie asked. “This is a perfect chance to see how the extra-life system works!” “This isn’t—” Wanyamon tried to say, but before he could finish, Cyclomon threw his head back, ready to launch a beam attack that would surely roast Pinkie alive. Unseen by her, both her partner and her Digivice were enveloped in that same brilliant whiteness. Wanyamon charged towards her, completing his own evolution and tackling Pinkie out of the way just as Cyclomon fired. The force of the blast threw everyone back, the surrounding temperature rising dramatically as the grass around the impact zone burned away. “Gaomon,” Pinkie’s Digivice explained before she could react. “Data-type Beast Digimon. Rookie level. Launches a barrage of swift punches with Gao Rush.” Pinkie had time to blink once, examining her singed mane and tail, before Cyclomon set his sights on her again. Eyes widening, she bounced away just as his massive fist swung again, barely whiffing past her as she made her way to Rarity. “Oh my gosh, Rarity! I don’t know if we can do this…” Pinkie looked over, eyeing Applejack, who had struggled to her hooves and was making her way to them. “Wait a minute!” DORUmon cried, finally seeming to notice that his comrades around him had all evolved as well. “There are six of us, and only one of him! He might be bigger and stronger, but we’ve got numbers on our side!” “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Terriermon called from above. “Please tell me you’re saying what I think you’re saying!” With a nod from DORUmon and a cry of “Rush him!” the group charged one last time towards the towering beast, Palmon breaking off to hit him from the back. Gaomon leapt up and thrust his fists into Cyclomon’s chest with blinding speed. As soon as he jumped away, a supersonic wave, a green energy ball, and an iron sword struck the same area, the force sending Cyclomon reeling backwards. DORUmon shot a large iron sphere from his mouth, nailing Cyclomon dead in the face. Palmon sent her vines out one last time, wrapping themselves around the titan’s throat, and with one powerful downward thrust, brought him crashing down to the ground with monstrous force. Once the dust cleared and Cyclomon kept still for a moment, Fluttershy walked gingerly up to his head. His breathing was audible, but his eye was shut and he showed absolutely no signs of getting back up. “I think you just knocked him out!” she called out to the panting and exhausted cluster of combatants. As the adrenaline wore off, the group stood in silence for a rather awkwardly long time, just staring at where Cyclomon lay unconscious and trying to process what just happened. The shock of six small creatures taking out such a massive beast left them all at a loss for words. Eventually, out of nowhere, Palmon suddenly screamed, “Oh my gosh, we’ve all evolved!” “Hey, yeah!” Ryudamon replied. “We really did! I was firing swords out of my mouth! How awesome is that?” “The awesomest!” Rainbow Dash answered, her hoof bumping with her partner’s fist. “Isn’t this great?” Palmon exclaimed, hugging Rarity tightly with a massive smile on her face. “Now we’re even bigger and stronger than before!” “And no more attractive,” Rarity muttered. “Not that such is any of my concern at this time. I thank you sincerely for saving all of our lives.” “Yay!” Palmon exclaimed, releasing Rarity and smiling warmly. “What do you think?” Terriermon asked Fluttershy, attempting to show off what little muscle his small body had. “Think I look pretty tough?” “I don’t know about that,” Fluttershy remarked, “but you still look very cute. And you were very brave out there.” Terriermon stared at Fluttershy incredulously for a moment, then shrugged. “Moumantai. I’ll take what I can get.” Labramon paced around Applejack, checking for any signs of injury. “Are you sure you’re alright? I’d hate for you to get hurt.” “Ah’m fine,” Applejack assured him. “Golly, ya really do worry ‘bout me, don’t ya?” “Well, you’re my partner!” Labramon reminded her. “It’d be wrong of me if I didn’t.” Applejack was rendered speechless by the remark, but she managed to give Labramon a warm smile. “So, how does this work?” Pinkie asked, examining Gaomon. “Did you level up or something? Do you have a completely new skill set? Is there an item equip menu I can access? Where is even the heads-up display? Can you even type with those boxing gloves on?” She went on for several minutes, Gaomon showing impressively little response beyond rolling his eyes. DORUmon, however, had fallen silent. He stared at his reflection in the armored tip of Cyclomon’s tail, seemingly fixated on an odd red interface on his forehead that looked just like the one on Ryudamon’s. Twilight observed this behavior for a moment, somewhat concerned by the unreadable look on his face, and walked up beside him. “DORUmon? Is something wrong?” “What?” DORUmon replied, his focus broken. “Oh, no, it’s fine! I’ve evolved, you’re safe, and we can finally have our adventure now that the gang’s all here! What about that could be wrong?” “It’s just...” Twilight began, but decided not to continue. It seemed to be a matter DORUmon didn’t wish to discuss at the moment. “Never mind. I don’t know how long this thing is going to stay unconscious, so we need to head out as soon as possible. I’m not sure where we’ll go, or what we’ll do, but... now that my friends are all here again, we can find our way back to Equestria.” “You can definitely try,” DORUmon suggested. “And the six of us will be right there with the six of you. I’m not completely sure it’ll be that easy, though. Like I said before, I think you being here is supposed to serve some greater purpose. That might be the bigger picture: why you’re here.” He broke his gaze and returned it to the reflection, sighing. “Why any of us are here.” Twilight let off a sigh of her own. It was possible that she and her friends had been brought to File Island for a reason; she was no stranger to the concept of destiny, after all. There would be plenty of time for discovering that reason, however, after they figured out whether or not returning home was possible. For now, that took priority. Still, she looked back at DORUmon. “If you’re right... if there’s something that we’re meant to do here...” DORUmon nodded. “You’re probably gonna be here awhile.” “Welcome to the Digital World. My name is Yaamon.” A mare opened her eyes after a very confusing turn of events involving getting sucked into her laptop computer. What she saw before her was not the land she was accustomed to, but a very high cliff at the edge of a very tall mountain. The view suggested that the mountain was at the heart of an extremely geologically inconsistent island. Directly in front of her was a round, purple creature with floppy ears and a brown face. This, then, must be that Yaamon character that addressed her earlier. Beside him was a small electronic device, matching the shape and color of the star on her cutie mark. The mare found this to be a curious sight, but given what brought her here, it seemed to make sense. “I was told of a new virtual reality game,” the mare explained, standing upright. “One with a very real and very generous prize for success. I assume this is the game?” “The greatest game you’ll ever play,” Yaamon confirmed. “In this game, you have to be the best. To be the best, you have to be the strongest. The first step is to take this...” He gestured towards the device with an ear. “And use it to make me stronger.” “If this is my quest for power,” the mare demanded, “then why must I strengthen you?” “That’s the rule,” Yaamon exposited. “You get a partner to play with, and you and your partner—that would be me—have to grow stronger together.” The mare paused for a moment before responding. “If the prize is as grand as they say, I will play by those rules.” The mare clutched the device, and the screen shone with a brilliant light. The light enveloped Yaamon, causing him to grow and change form. When the light dissipated, Yaamon stood before the mare as a small purple demon. He had a pale face, a wicked smiley face on his chest, and a red bandanna and gloves. “Impmon,” the device explained. “Virus-type Imp Digimon. Rookie level. Summons giant balls of flame and ice with Inferno Funnel.” “Giant balls of flame and ice, eh?” the mare mused. “Prove it.” “Gladly,” Impmon replied. He spread his arms and opened his palms to the sky, conjuring a ball of fire from nothing in his left hand and a ball of ice in his right hand. He hurled the fireball at the edge of the cliff, causing it to explode and sending chunks of rock falling to the ground below, and repeated the process with the ball of ice, which froze the ground it hit. “So, what do you think?” Impmon asked. “Up for a game of conquest?” The blue unicorn smirked. “Yes, this is shaping up to be an enthralling game... and the Great and Powerful Trixie plays to win.”