//------------------------------// // Interlude 1: Food // Story: Digital Harmony // by Zennistrad //------------------------------// Twilight stared incredulously at the stew that sat in a bowl in front of her. Sitting at a rectangular kitchen table at Davis’s apartment, she was joined by Davis and Veemon, as well as Davis’s mother, father, and sister. Taking a glance around the kitchen, she realized that the rest of Davis’s family was staring at her. Sighing softly, she turned her attention back to the stew that she’d been served. In the bowl she recognized the potatoes, vegetables, and soy sauce, but aside from that there were chunks of a dark, fleshy substance that she was unable to properly identify. Focusing her magic through her horn, she carefully levitated the spoon that she’d been given into the air and poked at the stew hesitantly. “So... Davis tells us you’re from another world?” Davis’s father had finally broken the silence with the question, which had caught Twilight by surprise. “Whoa!” Startled, her magical grip on the spoon suddenly gave way, and the spoon began to fall. Reacting quickly, she reached out with her front hoof and grabbed the spoon in mid-air. With a nervous smile she set the spoon back down on the table. “Right, sorry about that... Anyway, yes, I’m from a world called Ungula, but ponies like me just say we’re from Equestria, the kingdom most of us are from.” “I see...” “Oh, what does it matter what world she’s from?” Davis’s sister suddenly spoke out, “I think she’s just adorable either way! Oh, I just wanna hug her so bad!” “Aw, come on Jun, leave her alone!” said Davis, “What do you think she is, some kind of stuffed toy?” “Davis, it’s alright, you don’t have to defend me,” Twilight said with a giggle. Once again her horn glowed and she levitated the spoon took a bite of the stew. “Oh, wow, this is great!” “Glad you like it!” said Davis’s mother, “It’s called nikujaga.” Leaning down over the table, Twilight greedily devoured the rest of the stew, the sound of her loud slurping filling the rest of the apartment. The others stared at her in disbelief as she very quickly gobbled up what was left of the stew, until there was nothing left in the bowl. When she finished, she let out a sigh of satisfaction. “Geez, what a pig,” Veemon muttered. “Look who’s talking. You ate my entire stash of snacks in one day!” Davis replied. “Davis, don’t fight at the dinner table,” his mother scolded. “Twilight, I take it you enjoyed your meal?” “Oh! Um...” Twilight suddenly jumped, her face flush with embarrassment. “Y-yes, I did. What was in that, anyway?” “Oh, just a bit of beef, potatoes, vegetables, and a few other things. I can teach you my recipe if you’d like.” Twilight stared back at Davis’s mother, nonplussed. “Beef? What’s that?” Davis suddenly broke out into a cold sweat. “Uh-oh. Twilight, you’re, uh... You’re not supposed to eat meat, are you?” “H-huh?” Davis swallowed a lump in his throat. “That stew you ate had beef in it, it’s uh... It comes from an animal called a cow.” Twilight suddenly froze in place, as though she were a deer caught in a car’s headlights. At that moment she could feel the weight of Davis’s revelation hit her all at once, one that made her very soul shiver. Her knees went weak, and she could feel her entire body shaking in horror. “Twilight?” asked Davis, “are you okay?” “No!” Twilight snapped, slamming her front hooves onto the table. “I’m not okay! I’m a cannibal! I’m an abomination! How can possibly go back to the life I knew after committing such a heinous crime against nature?” Tears poured freely from her eyes as she glared daggers at Davis, her face an image of equal parts rage, sadness, and fear. Davis instinctively leaned backwards, throwing his hands up in a defensive pose. “Hold on, how does that make you a cannibal?” said Jun, “I thought you were a pony, not a cow.” “That doesn’t matter!” Twilight yelled. “Cows are but one of the many species living in harmony in our world! To eat one of them would be no better than eating one of my own kind! And you...” Twilight pointed a hoof accusedly at Davis’s mother. “You not only slaughtered this innocent being, you fed it to me as though its life didn’t even matter! How could you!?” “Twilight, calm down!” said Veemon, “It’s not that bad!” “Not that bad? Not that bad!?” “Twilight!” Davis interjected, “Just calm down, okay? Take a deep breath, I’m sure this is just a huge misunderstanding.” “Davis... I-I trusted you!” Twilight sobbed, collapsing onto the table. “How could you let this happen to me?” “Twilight, just hear me out,” Davis pleaded. “I promise you, it’s probably not what it sounds like. I mean, we’re from entirely different worlds, right?” Twilight sniffed, looking up at Davis. “Y-yes? Why?” “Well, I have a hunch that the cows on our world aren’t like your cows.” “What makes you say that?” said Twilight. “Well, we also have ponies here, and uh... they’re not really like you. They don’t come in any fancy colors, or have horns or wings, or any of that stuff. Heck, they don’t even talk!” Twilight stared slack-jawed at Davis. “What? They don’t?” “Of course not!” said Davis, “They just sort of stand around and graze and poop, and stuff like that. Cows are like that, too. We certainly wouldn't be eating anything that could talk to us, would we?” Twilight looked back at Davis, wiping the tears from her eyes with a forelimb. “I... I guess not.  Also, ew.” Twilight sniffed again, grabbing a napkin from the table with her magic and wiping off her runny nose. Her horn glowed brighter, and in a brief flash of light the used napkin disappeared into thin air. Twilight breathed heavily from the exertion of the spell, sweat beginning to drip down her coat. “I’m sorry if I got upset,” Twilight sighed out, “I suppose it’s only natural for an omnivorous species to eat meat when given the opportunity.” Twilight paused, a lump suddenly forming in her throat. “Fluttershy... She used to take care of many animals, including carnivores and omnivores. When left alone in the sanctuary, they’d sometimes go after each other. She always said that it was just part of the cycle of life, and even though it made her sad, it was better to accept it for what it was.” She let out a deep sigh, fixating her gaze on the floor. “I... I can’t help but wonder now where we’d ever be without her. I miss her so much...” Davis sat up out of his chair and walked up next to Twilight, gently scratching her behind the ears. “Don’t worry, Twilight. We’ll find your friend, I guarantee it.” ———————— “How are you even holding those?” Tai stared bewildered at Pinkie Pie, who somehow had a knife and fork in both her front hooves, and a napkin tied around her collar. Sitting around the kitchen table with her were Agumon, Kari, Gatomon, as well as Tai and Kari’s father. Pinkie Pie let out a small giggle. “With my hooves, silly!” “No, I mean how are you holding them with your hooves like that?” “Uh, like this?” Pinkie reached out with her right foreleg, waving it in front of Tai. The fork in her hoof remained attached to it, as though it were tightly glued to the bottom. “No, I mean... Agh, nevermind.” Tai let out a sigh of frustration. “Dinner is ready!” Tai and Kari’s mother suddenly emerged out of the kitchen, wearing an apron around her body. In her right hand she carefully balanced a very strange-looking casserole, and in her left hand she carried a large serving spoon. Walking around the table, she carefully served a large portion of the casserole on each of the plates, before serving her own portion. She placed the casserole dish in the center of the table, leaving the serving spoon in. “Since we have a guest, I decided to try something special. It’s my very own peanut butter and eggplant casserole! Enjoy!” “Ooh, I’ve never tried that before!” Pinkie said enthusiastically. “I wonder what it tastes like?” “Pinkie, wait!” Kari interjected. Pinkie ignored the warning, and instead stuck the fork straight into the casserole, shoveling a massive forkful straight into her open mouth. Her face puckered into an expression of surprise as she placed it into her mouth, her left eye suddenly twitching violently. “What’s wrong?” Tai’s mother said. “Oh no, I didn’t botch the recipe again, did I?” “Mmm... Mmmm...” Pinkie muttered through her closed jaw, chewing slowly and deliberately after several painful seconds, she swallowed the casserole with an an audible gulp. Breathing heavily, she stared blankly at the massive portion of the casserole that was still left on her plate. “Pinkie, are you okay?” said Kari. “T-that was... T-that was...” Pinkie stammered. “Pinkie?” “That was... That was delicious!” Everyone else at the table gaped at Pinkie. “Huh?!” they echoed.