Black Knight Stalks the Night!
Princess Celestia Enacts Curfew for Safety
Setting the paper down, I huff out loud and grab a slice of watermelon to eat. “The countdown has started then. It’s only a matter of time before I’m revealed - whether or not as a pet or villain, who can say…”
Two weeks ago I broke out of my prison of stone, thanks in part to Discord, for whatever reason he might have had. Equestria has settled down by now, with only a few still commenting on the event to mark its impact anymore. Canterlot especially seemed to be running by routine; nobles were whining, people were living the high life, and Celestia was running things almost entirely by herself. Nothing ever cropped up indicating that she was on the hunt for me, or that my escape had even been found out. Taking caution over reckless actions I however have not made a move yet. I didn’t like the restrictions placed on me, but knowing the battleground was more important, as well as letting the royal sunbutt grow lax in her vigil.
Unfortunately, though perhaps luckily considering my choice, she had noticed from day one that I was gone. Up until yesterday, Celestia was actually searching for me in secret by herself. But since all of her investigations had been outside of the castle, if not beyond the city entirely, nothing had cropped up about my whereabouts. Probably didn’t help either that she still knew me as a towering draconic human, instead of a tiny pink blob with fangs. So after two weeks of failed results she’d decided to finally bring someone into the search: Shining Armor, the Captain of the Day Guard. She briefed him on the search and who I was, and he in turn was told to begin his own investigation using trusted individuals who could keep things on the down-low.
Now I knew most of this thanks to Princess Cadance telling me after the big outburst, but what clued the public into this whole mess was much more amusing. Apparently, the first soldier Shining had gone to was his counterpart in the Night Guard in order to pool their resources. Who in turn, went to Princess Luna for more details and instructions about who and what he could use for the search. Only nobody had told her about my escape; for two weeks she’d been kept in the dark, and learning that her sister had been hiding such a monumental thing from her…
I suspect even Twilight Sparkle in Ponyville could hear the Royal Canterlot Voice argument that broke out between the siblings.
Princess Celestia held a press conference last night and the press rolled out a front-page spread on the hunt for ‘The Black Knight’ in under twenty-four hours. Meanwhile, Princess Luna has taken to flying with a squadron of her most trusted soldiers to find me herself. Of special note in all of this was the backstory given about me by the princesses, repeated by the press to the entirety of Equestria. They didn’t speculate much on where I came from or why I did things. What they did was lambast me with countless crimes, only a few of which I could concede to by the word of law as it stood today. Several others were pure farces or utter bullshit; Of my greatest ‘crimes’ listed was apparently the corruption of Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon. If there was any reason to hate Princess Celestia still for the mistakes of a thousand years ago then I would have to say it’s her blaming me for her own failings. Failure to be a sister, a friend, even a ruler. I will allow that she did not know everything about our fight, and the timing couldn’t have been worse this is true. But Princess Luna could have told her the truth by now, instead is going along with this farce. Together they have made me their scapegoat, and I don’t doubt I will continue to be one for anything that goes wrong until I can clear my name.
Still, there were benefits to be found among the troubles opposing me. “At least they gave me a cool name. I’ll take ‘the Black Knight’ - I’ll even bite their ankles, heheheh.” I chuckle, spitting a few watermelon seeds out. They strike the newspaper, punching into the picture of Princess Celestia and ‘beheading’ her. “But now I have my own quest for the Holy Grail, and this time there’s at least four of them in a castle full of stuck-up frenchies.”
It was time to do some more research. Polishing off the rest of my snack bowl, I hop off the bed and make my way across the room to the desk. Living with Cadance so far has been pleasant. She never forgets about my high IQ compared to the average pet and often leaves me plenty to entertain myself with, and eat, during the day. We talk often when she’s in, through the loosest definition of ‘talk’ however. My disguise leaves my half of conversations very bland no matter how much emotion I put into things, but she oddly seems to get what I mean most of the time. She lets me sleep on the bed with her every night, though I do try to at least keeps things decent by taking a corner of it. I still end up awakening in her arms while being hugged close to her chest, but that’s not a complaint.
However the downside begins with my near-imprisonment within the room. Out of worry and fear of how other ponies might treat me, Cadance has kept me locked within her bedroom all this time. Not even Shining Armor, who visits often, has been able to see me yet as she feels he’d be the worst. Apparently he was a ‘sweet’ stallion but a stickler for the rules, which included reporting and expelling any unknown creatures from the castle unless otherwise ordered. Since Cadance knew my arrival time and appearance was not exactly the most innocent of things that was something I reluctantly agreed on her doing. The second problem was that my ability to sense out my armor appeared to be short-ranged, within perhaps a few meters given the distance I had in the tower. Confined to a single room I couldn’t sense much at all; my armor, if still within the castle, was not on this level or within a few rooms. I would have to explore around to find any trace of its unique digital signal, which in turn meant I had to leave the room. But at the rate Cadance was going so far it would be too long a wait. It would either be taken to far-off locations for better safe keeping, or locked behind some form of magic I doubt I’d be able to pass.
So to combat the cabin fever I was getting, I’d taken to researching my options.
Canterlot Castle was ancient, even more so than most people assumed. When the original settlers of Equestria came to this land, the mountain it was built on was where they congregated and had the big fight that led to the Hearth's Warming Eve tale. In honor of this victory and union of the three tribes, they constructed the city and castle over-top of the crystal caverns the Founders had been trapped in. Princess Platinum lived in the castle alongside her new friends for many years, until eventually Princess Celestia moved in due to the destruction of her old home. History is not too clear on the details of how and when the Everfree Castle was made, but it was made for the two alicorn sisters after they defeated Discord that much is certain. When Nightmare Moon attacked and wrecked the throne room, the solar alicorn retreated here and began living with Platinum’s descendants. She remained as a guest for some time, until about one-hundred years later when the time period descendant, Princess Sapphire, bequeathed the castle to her so she could rule more properly over Equestria. In return, Celestia adopted the family as her own, leading to Prince Blueblood being her ‘nephew’ in the current age. How the great Platinum line has fallen if he’s the kind of snob I recall from the show.
Much like the ownership, the layout and facilities within the castle have shifted with the times. As Equestria went through times of peace, and war, the inner workings were moved so as to better aide the needs of ponies of the time period. In more tense years rooms were commissioned and remodeled for warfare. Others had the more decadent accessories, like the garden and game fields, added on to serve the nobility. Entire hallways went from on-sight housing to tourist locales, and some floors were demolished to fit in more towers and open walkways. It was no wonder the place was so diverse in color and shape from the outside; Canterlot Castle has been changing and evolving ever since the first brick was laid. The book I was reading from in fact was just Volume One of a small series meant to catalogue all the history that lay in the castle. Since Celestia has been around for most, if not all of these changes, it’s possible she knows of various hiding spots that aren’t on conventional maps.
If only I had Hermione Granger to read Canterlot Castle: A History for me. That’s seriously the name of the book series.
Hopping onto the chair, I pull the book off the desktop and begin flipping through it to find my last bookmark. I’ve been reading about a period some six-hundred years ago when the Minotaur's started brawling with just about everyone on the planet. They’d taken to challenging numerous military's and claiming various rewards after their victories, up to and including several slaves if nothing appeased them otherwise. Due to their physical size and strength they had an advantage, so Celestia ordered a new addition to the castle to help tip the odds. Down on the first sub-level was placed a series of crafting rooms, including a blacksmith, enchanting suite and-
The doorknob on the front door begins to jiggle as magic surrounds it. Dropping my book, I hop and roll around the side of the desk as fast as my body can move. It was likely to be either a maid or Cadance, even if the former typically knocked first. Then whoever was entering did knock, but it was in a certain sequence, letting me relax. As I hop back out the door swings open, with Cadance trotting in carrying a few shopping bags in her aura. “I’m back Koromon.” She calls softly.
“Koro ko.” I reply warmly.
“Heyyy sweetie, did you miss me?” She coos once she sees me, beckoning me closer. I oblige and get a nice hoof rub on top of my head. When not wearing those metal horseshoes, I’ve found that pony hooves can be actually quite soft and malleable. “Sorry I took so long, but I had a wonderful time out with Lemony Gems and Diamond Rose. It was nice catching up again - I haven’t seen them in ages!”
I shake my head and chirp out a sound of comment. Though not strict with it, Cadance typically followed a pattern of one day of rest, one day of study. Even if a Princess her actual duties were quite small and limited; Celestia has long ruled Equestria alone, and nothing about that seems to have changed when a second, now third alicorn (re)appeared. Perhaps she would handle the occasional lovers feud, or go out to celebrate Heart and Hooves Day like in some of her tales. But otherwise she was free to do whatever she liked, which on days of rest was mainly hanging with friends. On days of study she would be the one at the desk; She was always reading up on various aspects of Equestria and the world's economics, history, politics and diplomacy.
Today she’d spent the afternoon with her two high school friends: Lemony Gems and Diamond Rose. They were arguably her best friends too, if not counting a few staff members here in the castle who simply knew her longer. Lemony Gems was apparently the blonde of the trio; she was very peppy and always looking for cheap, or expensive, thrills that she didn’t often think through to the end. She also had a bad penchant for spending too much money, so apparently her husband had put her on a budget whenever she went out, which was a constant whine from her. Candace however said he was actually a very nice stallion, and I could understand his policy despite my first thoughts of him being a control freak. Diamond Rose, on the other hand (hoof, tentacle) was the opposite to her friend. Calm, focused, maybe a bit too serious at times but still warm and friendly. She saved money more than spent it, and according to Cadance was too busy usually with her floral business to spend time with them for long. She also says that Diamond had been much more loose when in school, but while Lemony has grown more energetic, Diamond has matured quickly once she started her business. Together they sounded like a nice duo, and I hope to meet them in person one day instead of just through stories from my companion.
I withdraw from my recall to check on Cadance, who has taken the time to unpack most of her purchases and tuck them away. A few simple dresses and pieces of jewelry just like the last time she went out to shop. She mostly wore them on ‘not-dates’ with Shining Armor, which is what she actually calls them. It was pretty adorable to know she still acted so young about their relationship in some ways. “We visited some of the market stalls this time.” She says to me, noticing I’m finally watching her again. “So many visiting merchants today - very cheap too! Even Lemony could afford to splurge a bit, but don’t tell her I said that.” I chuckle and we both wink. “Poor Buck, I think he’s still trying to figure out what to do with that vase from last month.”
Peeking into the last bag, she smiles as her tail flicks in delight at something within. “Oh, right! I have something for you too Koromon. I’m sure you’ll just love it.” My left eyebrow lifts in curiosity. A gift?
“Koro?”
She nods, lifting out with her magic...a red bow. To be fair it was a fairly plain one, and matched my eyes with a tiny blue gem on the knot to compliment it. But all the same I sigh heavily and shake my head. “Ko ko…”
“It’s so pretty, don’t you think?” Cadance nearly squeals. “It matches your eyes so well - go ahead and try it on girl!”
Shaking my head again, I swat the offending accessory away when she levitates it closer. The last, and most upsetting aspect of living with Cadance, was my continued gender confusion. Ever since that first day she has taken to assuming I was a female blob, and has tried multiple times to dress me up accordingly. I could understand the confusion; my pink color and soft body naturally lent itself to such things I suppose. But while I was fine being addressed as such, playing dress-up or putting on girly jewelry was a line I would not cross. I have tried time and again to explain to her that I am, in fact, a guy. But somehow she never gets it, and until that changes I would have to endure both the ‘gifts’ she brings...as well as…that, once I inevitably rejected them.
Speaking of, there it was now. Lowering the bow but not discarding it, Cadance’s lower lip begins to quiver as she stares at me. I don’t simply mean giving me a sad look, or looking upset, no. Her eyes grow wider, water, doe-like and full of innocent, bottomless abyss sadness. “Y-You...don’t like it?” She says softly. Her voice could convince even the most innocent man that you’d killed her puppy, you heartless monster. “Y-You never...sniff...like anything I get you Koromon! I really, reeeally tried this time too! Won’t you put it on for me, pretty please?”
Sighing, I roll my eyes and shake my head. Instantly her eyes grow wider, wetter, with a tiny whimper escaping her pouty lips. She crouches down to be more eye-level with me and crawls a bit closer. “Pleeease?”
“Ko.” I deadpan. Turning away, I try to hop over to the bed, but her magic grabs hold of me. I'm forcibly lifted up and over to her awaiting hooves, where her giant, vision filling puppy eyes dominate my face. Shit, she was really intent on winning this time.
“Pleeease?”
“Ko!”
“Pretty please?”
“Ko.”
“Pretty please with sugar on top?”
“Ko ro.”
“You’ll make me happy~?”
“Ko rorom ko.”
“You’ll look so pretty!”
“Ko!”
“I’ll bring you some cake next time!”
“Koromon.”
“Oh please, please, please just try it on for one teeny-tiny second!”
“Mmm…” Cadance holds her breath. She really shouldn’t. “Ko.”
She finally gives up, blinking a few times and sighing heavily. Pressing in closer as she slumps to the floor boneless, she buries me into her chest fur and pins me under her muzzle. “Darn it, I was sure I’d win this time.” Her voice vibrates through her body. A small ‘pff’ tells me the bow’s back in the bag, and probably set to be returned like all the others have been. “How can you even say no to me like that? Shining always caves when I do that - hay, even Auntie has once or twice!”
I chuckle into my prison of fluff, thinking of a few reasons Shining might be so pliable. Sorry Cadance, but you can’t manipulate someone who already can control emotions as a second energy source like myself. That, and, you're adorable more than sad looking while doing that.
In retribution for my laugh she squeezes me in a tight hug. “Don’t you laugh - You’ll wear one yet Koromon! You can’t stay unphased forever young lady.”
“O mo ro kororo. Monmo ko rom mon ko korom o koroo.” I reply, lifting a tentacle to point where I know the door was. There’s a moment of silence, before her chest heaves in a deep sigh and she lets me hop free.
“I know you want to go out and explore, stretch your...um, body some. But it’s far too dangerous still for you to go! Especially now that the Black Knight is apparently out there…” I don’t react. “He supposedly has a really bad history with my aunts, and who knows what he might do to get revenge on them? I’m not even sure I feel safe going out like I did today, but I’d already promised Lemony and Diamond…”
That gets me to react. I don’t want Cadance to feel threatened by, well, myself if I could help it. I had no beef with her, and I wasn’t the kind of guy who would attack or target innocents in order to get back with Celestia or Luna. Manipulate perhaps, since I was thinking of just that with her, but not even to the extent most villains would try for. So I move in closer again, until my mouth is lined up with the side of her muzzle and give it a nice nuzzle of affection. That makes her smile, and she tilts her head in to bump it against mine. Her mane smells of strawberries and kiwi fruit; a not-so unpleasant aroma to be buried in for a moment.
“Thanks Koromon.” She whispers. We sit like this in silence for a time, with me just letting her take comfort in our contact. “You know, maybe instead of a bow we could try...I don’t know, a few ribbons? I think they’d look cute wrapped around your ears.”
I huff but smile. Seems she was feeling better if she was scheming her next attempt to beautify me.
The next day, as a study day, means we’re spending time together learning history. After ordering a breakfast platter and enjoying the bulk of it, Cadance took a seat at the desk with me in her lap. We were reading through the local history of farming and advances made for agriculture as a result. A rather bland subject choice, but one needs to know even the dullest of things when ruling a country. A kingdom could not flourish if their ruler knew nothing of the common folks struggles. Plus, knowing your history meant fewer mistakes by later generations who don’t know of the struggles others might have had over the same thing before. I could think of a few personal things that I’d certainly prefer not repeating.
Drifting away from my thoughts, I see Cadance flip the page to reveal a large glass motif picture on one side, with a wall of text on the other. Depicted on it are two ponies facing each other; judging by the small, elaborate details surrounding the pair these two must have been important to the crisis we were reading up on. A time a few hundred years back when most of Equestria unfortunately suffered a nasty drought. The left one held a bag of gold up on one hoof, offering it in exchange for the small bundle of wheat the other was giving in return. Of special note was that both of their cutie marks were also emblazoned beneath them; A familiar minty hard candy for the noble, and a stalk of wheat being watered for the farmer.
Cadance read aloud for us. “‘Seeing no other recourse due to the actions of her fellow nobles, Lady Peppermint willingly gave almost her entire fortune to the suffering east coast farmers to support their families, while also paying the more successful west coast farmers to send their crops and assist the city's dwindling supplies. Touched by this generous, selfless act, many farmers chose to follow the shipments and assist with managing the next growth. Among them was later infamous agrimancer Dust Bowl - that’s her on the right Koromon - who invented a spell that allowed for crops to survive even in the harshest of conditions. Due to this magical bolstering, the next crop survived and the city in turn was able to support itself until the National Weather Service was established later that month by Her Highness Princess Celestia.’”
The name of the pony told me enough about this situation to connect the similarities to a similar event on Earth. Instead of striking a large swath of the country, the infamous Dust Bowl caused by the drought period only targeted the city of Fillydelphia, which at the time had been a major hub for food trade. With the city slowly starving and money running dry due to the needs of its people, it was slowly affecting the rest of Equestria until this noble, Lady Peppermint, stepped in with her fortune. The nobles of Canterlot had taken on a policy of only enjoying ‘home grown’ foods from the lush Canterlot Valley, which was the future sight of Ponyville but still a farm-enriched zone even then. Angry that none of them were willing to help all the ponies coming to ask Princess Celestia for help, she did it herself, losing almost all of her money but gaining the adoration of the nation and the lifelong friendship of Dust Bowl and several other ponies.
From this also arose the National Weather Service, which we had read about a few days ago. Up until this drastic drought and its fallout weather had been mostly left to the local pegasi and unicorns to look out for. Then, when Fillydelphia entered a crisis period, Princess Celestia put forth a plan to control the weather nationally via a central agency. Cloudsdale was elected to be the central factory and ‘warehouse’ for all weather operations, but oddly the official home office of it was placed inside of Canterlot. What’s more, the current and past few head meteorologists have all been unicorns. Even if the old days were past, it seems some things are hard to let go of, such as unicorn superiority. Plus, Cadance had commented that the current head, Stormy Overcast, was a noble who left all of the duties to his underlings. Sad to see such a generous and kind act like Peppermint’s be marked with a sour note like that.
Cadance continues. “‘To thanks Lady Peppermint for her selfless act, Princess Celestia…’” Trailing off, she turns her head to the right and I look over as well. It isn’t until someone knocks again that I realize someone must be at the door. I prepare to dive out of sight. “Yes?”
“Her Majesty wishes to speak with you at your earliest convenience ma’am.” A guard says through the wood.
“Oh, okay then. Did she say what it was about sir?”
“She did not ma’am.”
“Huh, well thank you sir. I’ll be along momentarily.” As the hoofsteps move away, she looks down and smiles at me. “I guess this is a good time for a break Koromon. You can eat the rest of breakfast if you want - knowing Auntie I bet she’s near the kitchens right now enjoying a quick snack before Day Court. I’ll snag something on my way back up.”
“Koro.” I chuckle. I hop off her lap and wave goodbye as she leaves. My smile slips a bit when I hear the telltale click of the lock, but shrug it off quickly and get back into the chair. Reaching up with a tentacle, I bookmark the page and close the book we were reading, a drawer opening with my other ear so I can pull out my research from yesterday. After being interrupted there had been no time to continue, but now was a good time as any to at least wrap up the chapter I was on before Cadance returns. Setting it down on the chair beside me I flip quickly to the last page I was on and skim to the place I left off at.
“Let’s see - minotaurs, attacks, new rooms - ahah!” I finish reading the paragraph and pause, a thought brewing as I catch sight of the last few words I’d missed yesterday. Not letting myself get ahead of the game, I turn the page and see a half-length picture of the room mentioned, its contents on clear display. I chuckle, not really surprised but pleased by this confirmation of a very obvious idea Celestia could have had. Following the next paragraph’s narration further cemented the proof, and I lean back in happiness. The clear blue sky occupies my attention through the large windows above me, and I chuckle again in victory.
“Bingo.” I smirk. One of the biggest rooms commissioned during that expansion period of the castle was a massive armory. Originally meant to house the numerous tools of war the guard might need, after the end of the conflict with the minotaur several of the spoils taken by them had instead been claimed by Equestria. Over time some of it was returned; many countries became indebted to the ponies for their aide, and some even let them keep the items as trophies and gifts. As such, and with time, it had become a massive storehouse of numerous countries weapons and armors of war. Theoretically, if there was anywhere in the castle you could best hide something, say a set of black armor, it would be there. Hidden in plain sight; Surrounded by so many different pieces of history, one might never be able to tell it apart from a very fancy set of Minotaur armor, or a very tall Diamond Dog’s. I could not tell if there was indeed a piece of my armor in there, if not all the remainders, but it was the perfect start to begin my hunt for real.
My smirk falls however as I think over my troubles of getting there to do so. At this time the only solid things I could do to get out would be very...unsubtle. Enough at least to make eyes turn to me as a hostile, especially since it would involve a lot of liberal use of acid on my part. I could try to wait it out still; Cadance would give in eventually and then I could have a personal escort to the places I needed to go. But I don’t want to give Celestia more time to hide away my prize. I must find a way out, now.
And then something thunked on the window.
Startled from my thoughts, I look down some to see a bird flapping its wings in dazed confusion. Its chirping makes me think it’s not very happy to have done that, and I can tell it must have been just as adrift in thought as me since there was actually a small crack in the glass from its beak. When it spies me, it caws out something in a very rude fashion. I think it was trying to blame me somehow.
“Not my fault you were watching that little lady flying the other way.” I joke at it, which makes it actually puff up defensively. “Hah, you totally were!”
Animals in Equestria are notably smarter than the ones on Earth. Maybe it was because of all the ambient magic in the air. So upon realizing it was caught the bird began flapping its wings against the window, making it rattle. The noise wasn’t too bothering to me, but I knew it could attract the attention of ponies outside if it kept up. So hopping up to the top of the desk, I grin at the little ball of feathers until it freezes up. Why? Because just one of my fangs was about as long as it was tall, and I have a very large number of them. The better to eat you with my dear.
“Don’t pick on someone higher in the food chain. Now shoo, please.” I say, words a bit more menacing sounding with my mouth curled open like this. It flees quickly in response to my words, and I lick my fangs a bit to feel their size some myself. My anatomy was definitely strange, even knowing it like a textbook as I did thanks to my databank memories. In some cases I was literally a pink ball of teeth and eyes, yet thanks to odd data compression my organs were all still in here like a human, or pony as the surroundings may be. I could even eat over twice my size in food, though doing so wasn’t needed unless I planned to fight. For a Digimon, eating was less a needed part of organic life, and more a fuel source for more energy and power in battle. It explains why the Digidestined had issues with it in early episodes of the series.
As I drift away from thoughts of fried chicken, I see something that makes me pause in surprise. Looking around, I see the clasp holding the window closed and carefully flip it with my ear. Then, knowing to be slow, I push it open and let the high winds outside blow in around me. Papers fly into the air, dotting the floor and bed behind me. A howl fills my ears from the noise created by the wind, and distant crowds of Canterlot far below. Leaning out I peer down at the ground far below, and then tilt my head down further at what I’d spied a second ago. A narrow yet long ledge was set against the side of the castle, running in both directions across the stone just below the windows of this level. It looked to be too small for a pony to traverse; barely a foot out from the wall, it couldn’t have been more than a few inches thick from top to bottom as well going by what I could see further on at a bend in the stonework. Such a purely decorative piece of the castle probably could never be considered by a pony to sneak around, but for me? With a bit of work, then…
I debate over the idea a moment longer, then act. Diving into my data I search for the portion holding the ‘slotted’ piece of my Armor I’ve collected so far. The Shield I’d obtained in the vault tower was emitting a large amount of power and data which flowed through my body to let me keep this form. By cutting it off, I would revert to my Botamon state, but I wonder if I could keep it inside of me even while like that. It’s the better option than having to hide a big shield somewhere, and then struggle to reach the armory in such a tiny, weak state. With the mental image of taking it out of its slot, I feel my body glow and revert back to its Baby form. Then, as the shield begins to materialize in the real world, I grab that data and instead compress it like a zip file, packaging it away in a small pocket right next to my core. To my surprise it works; perhaps my body knew it wasn’t supposed to be separate from my powers like I was now, and was willing to shift the way things worked to keep it inside.
With my body smaller and lighter, I feel confident I can hop down to the ledge and safely make my way down its length. This level was almost entirely guest quarters like the converted one Cadance lives in. If I can find a window that’s open, and an empty room, I could slip inside and maybe hide until nighttime to sneak around the castle unseen. Make my way down to the sublevel of the castle, into the armory and retrieve the next piece of the puzzle. I wanted the rest to all be there so I could grab it in one go, but if not maybe I could at least unlock my Rookie state. As Agumon my strength would surpass most ponies and give me better mobility. I could even leave Cadance...but no, I wouldn’t. Much of why I stay with her still applies, as well as the fact it would make her worry needlessly over my disappearance.
But enough thinking ahead; it was about time I finally got a move on. Cadance would be back soon and I need to be in a good hiding spot before she finds out. I drop onto the ledge and adjust to the tug of wind blowing at this height. I wasn’t worried about falling, but all the same I kept to the wall as best I could and shuffle instead of hop my way down to the next window. As I approach I hear someone singing inside, so I skip this one and go to the second room. Here there is nothing immediately wrong, so carefully I put my Shield back into place so I can reach the window and peer inside. The walls are covered in pictures and the bed is clearly unmade; a satchel sits on a chair and a small cart holds the leftovers of someone’s breakfast. I revert back to Botamon, noting that the process was faster this time absently as I check the third window down. Here I see a maid cleaning up, forcing me to duck as she turns toward the window.
Room after room I see something or someone that forces me to move on. The castle was coming alive the longer I took, which in turn meant more ponies were bustling about and cleaning/eating/resting/occupying all the rooms of this floor. Since this was the first guest floor I suppose I couldn’t get too frustrated, but I was worried once I came to the last room on this floor after all the strikeouts so far. This room was externally different right away; set into a corner of the castle, it jutted out as part of the lower-half of a spire filling the higher floors above. No balconies or ledging existed past the curve, but there was a window hanging just past where my little walkway ended. If I wanted to get in from here, I would have to jump. Why didn’t I simply turn back then? Because the window was unlocked; just within view I could see the little latch was turned, meaning that if I could grab ahold of it I could swing it open and slip inside. The surface was also dusty, which implied the maids have not been in there for quite some time. Doing so would however mean turning back to Koromon, and even with my extended reach I wasn’t sure I could tug on the window before jumping. I would have to calculate this maneuver carefully.
Gurgling a few words of frustration, I equip myself back to Koromon and reach out with my ear tentacles. They fall short, but the distance is barely more than an inch. My eyes almost lower to stare at the ground, but I stop. I can’t look at what failure would mean or else I would fail. I had strength and a computer mind on my side, so that alone gave me more of an edge than most daredevils. When I realize I’m psyching myself up pointlessly, I leap. A little cry of shock escapes my lips, but my ears grab the thin divider on the window and even pierce the glass some for better grip. Hoping nobody heard that smashing of glass, I swing my body to the far side and force the window to swing out and open. The hinges creak, my heartbeat skyrockets, and then I’m swinging back toward the wall with my back toward it. Twisting quickly I yank on my ears to lift my round body up and over the other side of the window. I nearly wedge myself against everything but it works and I come to a rest on the small windowsill, inside of the room.
“Oh thank god.” I mutter breathlessly. I let go of the window, wincing as I cut myself some on the jagged glass, then close it completely. The holes I’d made with my ears aren’t very notable from afar so I think I’m in the clear from being seen by flying patrols. In hindsight I think I’m lucky also that none had flown past or noticed me while I was out there too. When I turn to look at the room I’ve found myself in better, all I can see are the dusty light beams from the window shining onto a small bed and the floor beside it. I hop onto the bed, which kicks up a cloud of dust that sends me into a coughing fit. Seems I was right; the room was covered in dust and showed signs of having been abandoned. As my vision adjusts to the dark interior I can see a few bookshelves and other live-in pieces of furniture much like Cadance’s room has. Only this one was very notably different in one major way: Paper. Scrolls, book, wall-hangings and loose sheets were scattered everywhere on all surfaces with numerous scribbles and designs on their surface. I wasn’t magically learned but there was no mistaking some of the circles and words used. Whoever had lived here was obviously a powerful, or at least intelligent, unicorn of some significance.
It was enough to make me want to stop and study some of these things, since it could lead to me learning more about magic perhaps. But after another sneezing fit I decide I could do without a dry mouth and sore throat from all the dust clogging up the air. Besides my goal was in the opposite direction within the castle. I make my way to the door and press an ear against it to listen. The hustle of castle workers and other ponies is very dull even to my ears, so I reach up and carefully work the handle. While Cadance locked the door with magic this one had a simple button to push in for privacy. It pops out and the handle turns slowly in my grip before it parts just a hairsbreadth for me to look outside. No guards in view, and only a single door at an angle from mine across the hall. There would be a set of spiral stairs leading up to my left, but the stonework would alert me far ahead of time if anyone was coming down. I cautiously pull the door open further and start to slip outside-
The handle on the opposite door lights up with magic-
I rush to close the door, the loud thump it makes startling me and making someone outside whinny in surprise. “What?” I hear an accented male voice. “I could have sworn...bah, blast it!”
The pony mutters a few things, my ears picking up odd comments about the room I was in. Seems he didn’t like staying near it since there was always odd noises coming from it at all times of the night. It was curious, but he leaves after another few seconds spent locking his door. Letting my heartbeat still, I listen again for a clear window, but now I heard the clop of iron horseshoes and the chatter of ponies milling about. It would seem the narrow window I had was now completely gone. Perhaps it was better I hadn’t attempted it anyway.
“The sun’s up and the castle is alive with people right now.” I reason out loud to myself, under my breath. “Dammit, I guess I’ll have to stay here after a-”
A deep gust of air rattles the window, making me freeze. What could it be now? Staying in the shadows, I turn and try to look outside to see if there was someone investigating the broken glass. To my shock it’s Princess Cadance; her face was etched in panic and worry, a hoof to her mouth to perhaps stifle any cry she wants to shout. She looks side to side, even toward the window, and I try to remain as still and innocuous as I can. Then she zooms off, no words cried out but then against she couldn’t. I knew she was looking for me; she must have returned and seen the open window, and was now panicking that I not only got out, but perhaps was stuck or injured somewhere on the outside of the castle. Today was as much a race against time for her as it was for me now, since the longer I stayed outside her room the bigger the chance was that I’d be caught by an unsympathetic guard.
To calm my shaken heart I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Things had quickly piled up on me and it seems I was stuck once again in a room. Not much of a change from how I hoped it would be. If I left via the door someone would likely see me. If I left via the window, then it would be Cadance who does. She would lock me up in the safer fashion, but now that I’d discovered the window there would be no escape as she locks that down too. I would have to wait until it was dark to enter the castle proper and make my way down to the basement levels.
Sighing, I move toward a pile of papers and idly begin poking at them with a tentacle. Maybe I could learn something about magic while the long hours pass.
My first observation on the former occupant of the room was: they were obsessed with magic. I don’t mean spells or rituals either, but rather the innate magic found in all ponies. Earth, pegasus and unicorn body charts dotted the walls with lines flowing through them in ways not unlike nerves or blood veins. The really damning thing however was the makeshift chart above the desk that had various pieces of the first three charts taped together. The ‘alicorn’ had obvious flaws where numerous lines didn’t cross or connect, but there were notes all over it hinting toward rituals and magic that could put them together.
The second was that they must have been someone important to have all of this left untouched. Not only were such notes and research left lying around, but so was everything else in the dust covered room after what must have been years. This included articles of clothing that looked worthy of nobility and trinkets that were marked with gold and gems. While few in number their tastes had obviously been very high-brow, perhaps rewards or thank you’s from Princess Celestia for previous research they had done.
Finally, and the most...interesting, were the shattered picture frames. There were less than a handful of them on a side table near the bed. Each was summarily smashed inside the frame still, with the web of cracks so thick that I couldn’t make much of anything out about them. Trying to remove the pictures showed the backs had been bent out of shape too, and although curious I felt it better to leave as much as I could intact instead of wrecking things further. About all I could say was that Princess Celestia might have been featured in a number of them, along with a smaller pony, but that’s about as informative as saying the sun is bright and hot. The clear breaking of some form of bond was obvious however.
Further research proved fruitless in general. I could only interpret the most basic outline of what was scribbled on the pieces of paper around the room. Nothing about the furniture or trinkets denoted anything specific about the pony that I could see. Still it served a purpose; by the time I decided to simply rest and wait, the sun was setting and the castle staff outside were starting to vanish from my hearing. I’d seen Cadance twice more by the window outside flying around, but each time I hid out of sight and she never suspected I was here. When the sun finally did depart from the sky, I waited even more for midnight to roll around before I took my first step.
Cracking the door open a hair, I peer out into the hallway and spy nobody around. An ear twitches as I stretch my senses to listen, but the only noise is the faint wind outside. Smiling, I step out and begin hopping down the hall toward the stairs. The main staircase was no doubt patrolled by guards, but the servant stairway was much more narrow and echoing thanks to the harder stone steps it had. I don’t believe the guards would spend time watching them directly, not when they could simply listen from afar for anything suspect. After all, most of the inhabitants of this world have hooves or sharp talons to walk on. My squishy body never made a peep as I carefully make my way down the internal quick-drop to the bottom floor. I come out from the winding staircase near the kitchen, whose wide double doors are dark and still this late at night. I think about perhaps stealing a snack; my last meal for the day had been the delightful breakfast I shared with Cadance, but I wanted to get my mission over with. So long as I didn't get into a fight I would be okay. Looking left and right, I spy a section of the long hallway that turns to stone instead of marble or tile and make my way over to it. It seems to be a back hall of sorts, full of pantries and other storage closets, but I could tell I was getting close to my goal.
“The guards are very lax at night.” I murmur under my breath. “Not a soul in sight for me to worry about.” It wasn’t a complaint, but I certainly could see this being corrected if I was caught stealing the armor. Still, my worries don’t slow me down at all and after a few more turns I find a second set of narrow stairs. These only went down two levels and I got off at the first: the sub-level basement. Below me was the dungeons and other little use rooms branching off from that, which from my readings hadn’t been used in quite some time thanks to the peaceful era. But this level was clearly in use; large sconces were lit on the walls down either side of the hallway I was in, the fires crackling faintly. The floor down the middle was carpeted with a simple red strip of cloth, and several marked doors filled up the spaces between support pillars and the various lights.
In addition, this is the first sign of ponies I’d had. Though still their numbers were few; a guard was down the way by a corner in either direction but otherwise that was it. They haven’t noticed me, but they keep glancing down the hall toward one another. I stay still and even go so far as to devolve into Botamon so my body can better blend into the shadows. After a time I realize they were checking each other at regular intervals, so once I start tracking this I count down until I’m certain I can move between the shadows. When one guard looks away, I dive into a corner the other couldn’t see from their angle. When that guard turns, I move into one he might have seen me from, but of course it was the other guard who couldn’t now. Over and over, I make smooth progress until I’m almost directly across from one. Here I close my eyes to narrow slits and press myself flat. I could visualize in my head the image of a camera in lieu of the guard, who I absently note is a Day Guard and not a Night Guard. I don’t see why Luna’s personal troops weren’t handling this shift; this guard obviously was exhausted after a long shift going by the shadows under his eyes, which would only help me, but still. As his head pans left and right I carefully move around the corner until I can see down the next corridor. A third guard is there, but to my relief the passage I need to go to seems to be about halfway between these two. Repeating the same shadow hop trick, I slip around the final turn and sigh happily when there’s no guard in sight this time. Guess they must only care about guarding the entrances to the level.
I take a moment to gather my breath and return to being Koromon. Bouncing slowly down the hall, I look to my sides at the marked doors to see if any say ‘Armory’. An enchanting lab, an alchemy lab, a tinker’s workshop, a storage room...none of them say what I need. Spying a small open archway, I slide over to it and look in. Beyond is another workshop, but this time it’s much more open and curved around the corners of the roof toward a large grated vent. A few trowels along the wall hold what look like water and oil, and an anvil rests almost center of the room. Two large, open double doors show a room beyond with a giant furnace and numerous chains and pulleys to operate the machinery inside. This was clearly the prized forge I read about, and I suppose this small outer room was meant for smaller menial tasks not requiring the full attention and use of the main shop behind it. Since nobody is in view I risk hopping into the room, and spy around the table two more doors. One is clearly labeled as the office of the head blacksmith, with an...axe embedded in it? Well okay then.
The second makes my heart soar, as in very big letters it says ‘ARMORY’ clear as day. Moving to it, there is a large, old iron handle that I can barely work to turn with my smooth tentacles. Still it turns, albeit slowly, and swings open to reveal a small hallway completely dark save for what light pours in from the door. It widens near the end at a pair of massive, thick and solid wood doors with a giant piece of wood barring it. Obviously the actual armory, and as I approach I can feel a hum of magic over the entrance that makes me nervous. What kind of wards did they put over this, and can I somehow get around them?
“Actually, come to think of it…” I ponder for a moment. Could it really be as simple as I hope? To test it I reach up slowly with a tentacle toward the bar holding the doors closed. Just before I touch it, I feel the electric tingle of magic radiating off of it and stop, hovering two inches over the object. Pulling back, I reach for the door about a foot lower from the bar, until I touch it and rub over the smooth polished surface. No magic surges under or around me, and just to be sure I try the bar again only to halt at the same distance. So, they’ve only enchanted the bar to ward off intruders. Even for their size there’s only enough clearance above and below the thing for maybe a foal to slip past if they could somehow get around it, so that’s clever. And anything commonly known to this world is likely too loud or difficult to try and sneak past the guards to get it here. It’s economic, and not unexpected for a peaceful land to be lax over guarding something like this. Besides, most traps don’t cover an entire hall or object, just the location someone has to reach to break in.
Unfortunately for Celestia, I had a simple work-around for this. “Acid Bubble.” Gurgling a bit of my spit, I let it build up until the hissing acid is fully coating my tongue. Then with a hop forward I lick the gap between the two doors, and the wood begins to burn and dissolve rapidly into a hole big enough to let me through. After two minutes it finishes up and, with a smug little look I shuffle through to the other side. Not a subtle entrance, but they wouldn’t even begin to guess that the Black Knight did this.
On the other side, the vast cavern that was the armory was a pit of total darkness. Not even the flimsy light through the hole was enough for my night vision to see by. So I reach up with my tentacles and begin groping at the wall in hopes of a light switch. As much as these ponies kept ahold of medieval practices and architecture there was a very notable presence of modern technology dotting the castle. The best way I could put it is that they preferred hard work over ease of access. Unless a task was too demanding of their time and effort they would opt for the older ways to do things; torches were fine for halls frequented by many ponies on the staff, but in a room this large and rarely used besides storing old equipment? I had to assume it would use something modern to light it all.
Feeling a large protrusion, I push it up and get a satisfying click before the lights overhead begin to hum with electricity. In rows they all turn on, bathing one section at a time in a wondrous display of history as rack after rack of armor and weaponry appears. Since I was adjacent to one of the walkways I could even peer far down to the other side of the room, where the larger objects like catapults and hwachas rested. I stare, admiring their collection, before shaking off the wonder and move in to search for my armor.
With nearly a thousand years of history to peruse the search was not easy. Numerous pieces were black in coloration, or built for upright creatures. Others had claw-like adornments, or horns atop shoulders and helmets. Whatever organization method they used also confused me; in one corner there would be a collection of swords and spears while right beside it was a number of helmets and banners. In another corner there were siege weapons and boots. Some of the older displays showed some form of order, but as I approached the front of the room again it was obviously falling apart as the years passed and ponies cared less I guess. The hours passed fruitlessly, until around five in the morning I realized that the armor simply wasn't here. It annoyed me; all this time searching was for nothing, but what’s worse was that they would notice my break-in and no doubt up security at night. My efforts earlier today proved to be a waste of time and...and…
But at the same time, I could tell my armor had been here. It was why I kept searching for so long, since that telltale hint of power lingered in the air in the way any old house smelled. Notable and distinct, with memories coming to your mind anytime you experienced it again. To say victory was so close I could taste it was literal for me, but still the armor was missing. They must have moved it recently in hopes of eluding me, like I’d guessed they would all along. Maybe if I had come earlier it would have turned out differently, but although I would have to count this as a loss, it meant my theories were sound. I could use this and perhaps figure out where the other pieces, if split up, were.
However as I begin to leave I notice one thing off.
The armory was chock-full of armor, weapons and more with little end to the variety. Yet one thing of note about it was besides the walkways there had been no empty spots. Plenty of room left to store more, yes, but there were no empty stands or positions in any of the displays. So why was that display one row back bare? I turn back to look, squeezing past a few pieces and looking up at the stand where I spy a tiny piece of paper dangling from an arm. I hop and grab it in my mouth, spitting it out onto the floor to read it.
Item: Black Knight Armor
Age: Unknown
Species: Unknown (Possibly Dragon)Armor requisitioned from storage by order of Her Highness Princess Celestia. Grand Master Tempered Blade granted temporary ownership for testing and experimentation.
They were experimenting with my armor?! Do they have any idea how stupid that is? That armor is full of powerful data and energy, which if breached somehow I fear could cause a disaster. Actually, could it even be tapped into by magic or non-data beings? Nothing in my memory banks pertained to this kind of scenario, so I just have to assume it would be Bad and possible. Whoever this Tempered Blade was didn’t know what he really had in his hooves, and I need to get it back from him. Thankfully the title was the same as the office plaque back in the other room, the one with an axe in the door. Perhaps he kept it locked away inside the office, or there were notes about it.
My time in the armory was done. Moving back into the walkway, I head toward the door, but pause. My hearing is picking up raised voices, at least two, and they were coming closer toward my position. A light begins to shine from the hole in the door, and with nowhere to go I revert to Botamon and dive behind a pair of black boots. Grunting and sliding wood fills the air.
“Look, just go alert one of the guards…” I hear Shining Armor say. Shit, what was he doing here?
“Ta Tartarus wi’ that boy!” Barks a hoarse, no pun, voice. The stallion must have been a bear of a pony going by how deep it is. “Ah’m not letting any o’ me armor get dingered up by some damn blasted fools! They’ll be answ’ring to me hammah before I let ‘em go!”
“I’ve got them trapped in here Tempered. There’s no other entrance and I can just keep a shield-”
“Bah!” There was a very loud grunt and suddenly the doors bang open. Eyes wide, I watch as Tempered Blade walks in. He’s a towering pony, probably close to Celestia’s shoulders or so in height, with a deep red coat and coal grey mane. His eyes are fit to burn anything they gaze on as he pans his head around, and Shining Armor comes up alongside of him looking rather small despite his own height. “If’n they’re daft enough ta stay ‘ere then mah HOOF will keep ‘em still! D’ya know what th’ history of this place is?!”
“I do, Tempered, and that’s why-”
“ANCIENT!” The blacksmith bellows suddenly, rattling a few displays. “This ‘ere room be ancient and full of history. War, conquest, honor and glory o’ battle! There even be a damn full set o’ DRAGON ARMOR ‘ere! Not even that piece of-” He spits. “That you an’ ‘er Majesty’s got me prodding and hammering. Useless piece of FILTHY-!”
“Thank You, Grand Master, but I think we don’t want to give the thief even more of an idea that we’re here.” Shining interrupts finally, magic clamping the earth pony’s mouth shut. He turns and glares down at the smaller stallion, but snorts and begins stomping off one direction without another word. The Day Captain stares after his companion for a second, before sighing and chasing after him. Completely forgetting that he was supposed to be standing guard.
I hold off leaping out from my spot until I can barely hear even the hot-headed blacksmith’s voice.
I don’t know why they were both down here so late at night, but if I had to guess it was for a secret meeting. Perhaps about my armor in fact, which makes me believe it really is in the office. Moving to the doors, I peer back into the armory for a second, before hopping down the hall back to the main workshop and evolving to Koromon. I had perhaps a few minutes before they got suspicious of not seeing anyone around and return. It was enough however, for me to get things done.
The office door was locked with a very big, thick, old iron padlock and lever. The kind of craftsmanship that was far from easy to bust apart or pick. My acid quickly sizzled and melted the parts down until the door swung open a few inches. Pushing inside, the room fluttered loudly with the gust of wind my entering caused due to all the papers spread out across the desk and small work table built into one of the walls. Literally every corner of the walls was filled with either tools or paper depicting various armor designs and weapons, as well as the occasional piece of furniture or metal-heavy machine. The desk was beaten, old and worn so bad it was like looking at a piece of roughly hewn rock than some old oaken thing, but it still held the piles of paperwork atop it, as well as more weapons embedded into its wood to hold some down. Finally, in the corner, surrounded by a very clean piece of floor, was an armor rack holding my prize.
My Chestplate sat untarnished and as clean as the day I first woke up in it. Too big to fit a pony, it actually touches the floor with its flaps around where my waist would be if in my Mega form. The pauldrons tied to it by thick yellow cords of flexible metal gleamed along the tips of their spikes as the light from the other room passed over it, and a faint glow of power emanated from the rigid, angled lines scored into the plating all over its surface. To my senses the air felt thick with its aura of data, hidden somehow from me until this very moment, perhaps by some kind of ward around the room. All the more reason to hurry then, since I had no idea if the wards included an alarm system.
“Good to have you back.” I say, before hopping over and putting my tentacles on the surface. A wave of light washes over the armor and I, and then it was gone, slotted inside and unlocking the next tier of my Digivolutions. “Koromon, Digivolve to…!”
Ears lowered and thickened into powerful arms. Legs sprouted and pushed my body up. My head thickened and elongated, while also detaching itself from the blob that began to harden with tight muscle as my torso and gut spread apart. Closing my eyes, I absorb the new data and flood of power, flexing until I shatter the thin barrier of evolutionary light around me. I look down, relishing my new height and freedom of movement, before noting something odd. My three-clawed hands lift up and clack against one-another as the thin strips of leather around them creak. These were a feature I recall from the fifth season and the Agumon of that run. Underneath however, my skin was as black as coal, not yellow like I’d anticipated. A word bubbles up my throat, unbidden and following the end of my Digivolution. I guess then this makes me a-
“BlackAgumon.” I growl, voice deeper and coarse. Still not the deep baritone thing I had as BlackWarGreymon, but I was on the way at last. I’m a little disappointed however that I am not a regular Agumon. To my knowledge a Koromon doesn’t normally evolve into this form, and if I’d continued up the normal line it could have done a great service toward denouncing the crimes placed against me by the crown. Public image helps a lot after all. Ah well; The armor was of a BWG, so it made sense it would put me on this path eventually. With two pieces down, I calculate again that only three remain. My ability to sense the power of my armor was now strong enough that I could feel a very notable echo of the remaining set pieces within the castle above. Nothing concrete as to where, but now I know Princess Celestia has kept them close at hand.
“Now...one last thing before I go.” Turning to the desk, I’m now tall enough that I can reach and pick up the papers strewn across it. I play with one of the daggers wedged in the wood with one claw as I read over what the blacksmith has been up to with my armor. So far it looks like he’s had no success at all in cracking my secrets. The Black Chrome Digizoid was alien to this world and had a resilience and strength greater than diamond. Even when he used such tipped tools he’d not even caused a scratch. When he finally resorted to magic, a very recent experiment, something did seem to react inside my gear. His words however were very erratic, almost...rambling, by this point. He described besting my armor as if he was fighting an enraged dragon, and then went around and said that it could make shadows come alive. Apparently some of the weapons strewn about were from manic moments of paranoia and suspicion, reined in only at the last moment. Notes began to grow short and bold, cursing ‘The Black Knight’ out for having such a tricky piece of armor. When I come to the last page, I see nothing but a sworn promise to cast my armor into the fires of Tartarus before he lets it ever see the light of day. Angry at my armor being treated that way, it was still concerning to know he felt that way after the passionate speech I saw in the armory. This man, pony, cared and loved the history of warfare. But my armor was where he drew the line, or rather, where he crossed it.
Shaking my head, I step back and look around the office. “No telling what might be worthwhile in here...sorry for this.” I snort and gather a bit of spit. “Spitfire!” My loogie flies onto the desk and sizzles for a second, then ignites when the chemicals in it finally mix. All evidence to my armor’s limits and abilities need to be eliminated, just in case, and I turn to spit on the rest of the paper too. It was that shift in stance that saved my skull, as out of the corner of my eye I saw a hammer’s head coming toward me at speed.
I hastily dodge to the side, the hammer missing by an inch and cracking the stone floor instead. “Bah, yer bigger than I expected beastie!” Tempered Blade growls, hefting the two-handed weapon back up and standing on his hind legs. “Nobody lay a hood on me treasure an’ gets s’way with it!”
“Baby Flame!” I rebute, blasting him in the face with a fireball. The attack catches him off guard and he falls back into the other room, but shows little in the way of burns. As I step forward to follow, he snorts and wipes his face down, glaring at me with his burning, angry eyes.
“I’ve ‘ad tha flames of me forge take a swipe a’ me better than ye have!” He taunts, swinging again to force me back into the office. By now the fire I set has taken to the entire desk, illuminating my back and leaving him in the shadow cast by me. “Yer not leaving alive!”
“Well you’re partially correct.” I growl, and he blinks. Did he not hear me speak before? “At least one of us isn’t getting out of this alive.”
I charge headlong, lowering my skull to give him a nasty hammering of my own. Instead of swinging his weapon or dodging though he tosses it aside and grabs ahold of my head. When we collide he slides back a few feet, but surprisingly he stands firm and throws me to the side where I bounce back to my feet. Looking around, I see it’s just the two of us for the moment, with no Shining in sight. Perhaps guessing my intention, Tempered snorts.
“Th’ Captain’s on his way with reinforcements, beastie. Yer not gettin away - I’ll have th’ honor o’ dragging yer ass with chains meself though!” He bellows, charging at me.
“Mach Jab!” I shout, anger coursing through me. My left claw shoots out as he nears, curled just enough to not claws his face off but still snapping it clear to the side. In a straight brawl, I had the superior strength no matter his own. A Digimon simply was stronger than organic life, even as a Rookie like me. His charge broken, I wind up my right to give a rising chop to his chin. Jawbone meets skull in a crack that echoes in the air, and when he lifts high enough to see it I blast him with a fireball dead-on to his chest. The triple staggering knocks the wind from his sails; his hooves stumble for stability, and I deliver the final blow with a full body tackle that sends him flying toward the anvil. His head cracks against the block of steel, and like that he was out like a light.
Tempered Blade has size, power and durability on his side. But all of that pales next to my own strength, and the experience of a hundred-thousand battles and more wedged inside of my mind. A Digimon was born for combat from the minute they hatched out of their egg, and even if I was running on instinct not originally my own, this human-in-digital-flesh was still the better fighter. With the office aflame and the blacksmith knocked out, I turn to leave, but then I have a thought.
The notes were destroyed, my armor recovered, but there was still one big threat still around that could ruin things. Tempered Blade knew; having spent countless hours on my Chestplate, he knew more about it than anyone else, even if his efforts had drawn so little out. His notes claimed I was weak to magic, and that was most likely to be true. I still remember how I was frozen and scorched by the more powerful attacks Luna and Celestia threw at me. All he would have to do was request another piece be brought to him for study, and he might succeed in cracking some real flaw in my power and forms. If Celestia discovers that and plans accordingly…
With slow steps I move back toward the blacksmith. “I said at least one of us isn’t getting out alive.” I murmur, coming to a halt above him. Lifting a claw, I inspect it, judging my next act. A dark glee fills me at the idea, and I raise it high to strike him down. Just a quick stab in the neck and he would bleed out, maybe choke on his own blood-
The next second I blink and stare at the claw I had almost drove through him. A dark haze retreats from my vision and mind, having somehow come and gone without my noticing. Did I really almost kill this stallion? What the hell was I thinking? Luckily for him, it wasn’t just my sanity coming back that had stopped the murder.
I double-check that I'm in control of myself. Then, stepping back calmly, I turn and stare non-plus at Shining Armor, whose purple domed shield was protecting the unconscious pony at my side. His hooves were set wide in a hostile stance, horn lowered and glowing with his spell, and his eyes were burning in an entirely different manner than how Tempered had been. His eyes spoke of justice and retribution.
“You’re done for, monster.” He spits. “My troops are on their way with more guards, and there’s no way I’m letting you harm Tempered or leave this room! You’ll be dragged in chains all the way to Tartarus for this, and that’s if you’re lucky.” A pause fills the air, the faint humming of magic taking the place of words for a moment. “You’re under arrest for breaking and entering, assault and attempted murder by the way. Just so you know the least of your crimes.”
Eyeing the captain, I feel anger bubbling up in me again, but this I squash before anything amiss comes with it. “...For the record, I wasn’t going to kill him.” I attempt.
A snort answers me.
“Figures...you know as it stands, I just have to defeat you before your troops arrive and I’ll likely escape.”
“I’d like to see you try.” One hoof scuffs the floor. “I’m Captain Shining Armor of the Day Guard. You messed with the wrong pony, monster.”
“It seems I have.” I couldn't hurt Shining, not really. He was just doing his job and injuring him would only hurt my relationship with Cadance more if things got out. I had already taken things a step too far with that attempted murder anyhow, and that brought up a kettle of fish I needed to ponder. “Unfortunately, you’ve messed with the wrong Digimon as well, Captain Armor.”
“Digimon?” There it was; Shining lifted his head, curiosity on his face at the strange word.
“That’s right...and we’re so, so much more capable than any Knight or Dragon can be. Baby Flame!” I fire my shot at the ground, just a foot shy of the stallion who hastily erects a barrier. Shooting twice more, I see him buckling down for an assault and change tactics. Time to get creative with my abilities. “Baby Backfire! Kaff!”
Twisting the fireball inside of me, I cause it misfire into a massive cloud of ash and smoke that billows out into the room. Safely tucked away in his shield, Shining doesn’t start coughing from the burning smog, but it blinds him and that’s all I need. I rush around him and hurry down the hall, my talons clacking and alerting him to my escape. I hear his cries of anger and surprise, but I just keep barrelling down the way.
Thanks to the call to arms the halls are actually empty, but I can hear hooves coming from all sides. Taking the servant stairs three at a time I climb up to the main floor, punch out a guard, vault over another, and fill the hall with the same smoke trick I’d discovered with Shining. “Halt!” A guard cries, but I don’t. Two more come flying out from around the next bend, and I leap up and force their heads together with a metal crunch. Thankfully they’re still alive as I land and hurry away, but seeing this magic starts flying behind me and the stampede behind me grows in number.
Coming out of an archway, I realize I’ve somehow come to the main foyer of the castle and that the giant main staircase is to my left and above. The coast being clear, I try to calculate my best chance of escaping, but the seconds are ticking too fast for anything decisive. Any minute now they’ll probably drag the barracks into this too, which means Day and Night Guards. Once that happens there’s no stopping the Princesses from getting involved, and then I’m screwed.
“Fuck!” I hiss, and then snap my head up. “That’s it!”
Ten seconds later the first guards burst out from the entrance and gather inside of the main foyer. Looking down all the connecting halls, some pegasi fly down from the stairs as well and they start bickering. “Which way did it go?” One asks. “I’m not sure - split up! We have to cover ground until we know its destination!” A second answers. “I’ll cover the corridor, make sure he doesn’t double back. Morning Star, Shining Glory - you two alert the barracks. Get the grounds covered immediately!”
“Yes sir!” The group splits up, one staying behind and moving back to sit in front of the archway leading to the lower levels. His head swivels side to side, intent on catching sight of me, but he’s already fallen for my trick. Up above on the large keystone of the arch, I sit as Botamon with my tiny blob body resting precariously on the ledge it gives. It was tricky to leap up and change fast enough to land, but with my tiny body I blended easily into the shadows just like earlier to avoid the guards.
When the sounds of his comrades are gone, I leap off and evolve back up to Agumon, landing on his back hard enough to drive him to the floor and without breath. My claw quickly finishes the deal, slamming into the back of his head to knock him unconscious. Then, I turn into Koromon, and begin hopping up the stairs as fast as I can. Even if they were hunting for a monster, and Botamon was stealthier, I needed the speed and potential innocence this form could give while I hurried up to Cadance’s room.
The night’s fun was finally winding down, but I had more worries on my mind than when I began this expedition. They still had pieces of my armor and were trying to figure out a weakness, something that Tempered had already hinted to with his notes. The guard now knew the Black Knight was near the castle, or if not they would once they found some of his armor missing and make the connection between the small black lizard and the towering one of legend. My sudden spike of malicious intent, after already having defeated Tempered Blade, was the biggest concern though. I might have lost myself to anger a thousand years ago, but this an entirely different matter. What had come over me? He was down and out, and even if he knows something the notes being lost would set him back. Plus, as much as he ‘knows’ I’m weak to magic, he couldn’t do anything to pierce my armor. So why had I tried to kill him? It felt so natural, so...simple, to take his life. Yet he was an innocent in all of this, and I'd sworn to not to lash out at them when I could. Was this another form of manipulation that my power’s had? If so I must steel myself; my weaker form might be leaving me more susceptible to the armor’s effects, and that could lead to dire consequences for myself and others.
For now though I have to take to being the pet again. Cadance would be mad, but she would hide me in plain sight and keep the danger of capture away. Besides, I felt terrible for making her worry and search for so long. I’ll probably have to accept a ribbon or two finally to make her happy again. But it’d be worth it.
“Koromon?!”
Probably worth it.