“So... what’s a crystalling? Is that like converting someone into crystal or what?” Isaac asked, peering over Starlight’s head. He was currently riding on said unicorn’s back, with Spike riding along on Twilight’s back. Jethro was with Fluttershy, who couldn’t get enough of him.
“No, it’s an event that happens with the birth of a foal in the Crystal Empire,” Twilight explained. “A piece of crystal is added to the Crystal Heart and further amplifies its protective magic. And, since this is a royal crystalling, the entire empire will be there to witness it!” She beamed, excited for the event.
“Her niece was just born, so you can imagine why this has her so excited,” Starlight added, “But uh, don’t you think I’m better off making friends with your brother? I mean, it’s been so long, I doubt Sunburst even remembers me.”
“Nonsense,” Twilight dismissed. “I’m sure he remembers. So you just have a good time rekindling the embers of your friendship with Sunburst. And I’ll be congratulating my brother on becoming a father!” She squeed, her excitement building further.
“Right...” Starlight chuckled weakly, gazing at the ground.
“What are we going to be doing?” Jethro asked, climbing onto Fluttershy’s head, though the pegasus didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.
“We’ll just be there to witness the event,” Fluttershy told him with a warm smile. “It's a once in a lifetime experience. Plus, it's good for you and Isaac to see more of the world.”
“Actually, Princess Celestia wants to see the two of you,” Twilight cut in, looking between the two digimon.
“That makes sense,” Jethro nodded. “Shouldn’t be a problem just to meet her. Is there anything in particular she wants from us?”
“She didn’t say, only that she wanted to speak to you right away,” Twilight paused, looking between them. “Please promise me you two will be on your best behavior.”
“I can make that promise,” Jethro replied. “Isaac, think you can behave?”
“What?” Isaac asked indignantly. “I’m always on my best behavior.” He huffed, sticking his nose in the air and crossing his arms.
“I know, and that’s kinda terrifying,” Jethro chuckled slightly.
“Don’t make me come over there!” Isaac growled, shaking his fist at Jethro. “I have hands now, you know!”
“Isaac, you and I both know you won't do anything to me,” Jethro rolled his eyes. Isaac just grumbled, looking away, causing the group to laugh at his expense. “So, what’s the Crystal Empire like?” he asked, looking around the group.
“We’ll, it’s shiny,” Pinkie spoke up. “Even the ponies are shiny!!”
“Uh huh, can anyone here translate that from Pinkie Pie?” Isaac asked, scratching his head.
“The Crystal Empire is made out of crystal, even the ponies are crystalline,” Rarity spoke, a dreamy look on her face. “It’s so beautiful...”
“The place probably hurts your eyes when it's in direct sunlight,” Jethro commented. “Does anyone here have any sunglasses that’ll fit me?”
“Nah, it’s cool, everything just kinda sparkles,” Dash said dismissively. “But I got ya covered anyway.” She hovered over, pulling a pair of shades from under her wing and placing it on his head.
“Thanks, I’d like to avoid searing pain if possible,” Jethro replied, nodding in his new shades.
“No problem.” She nodded, zipping away again.
“Looks like we made it just in time,” Twilight said, moving onto the train platform. “I’ll go buy the tickets.” She trotted off to the booth, leaving the rest of them standing there.
“So... she got us here an hour early to buy tickets?” Isaac asked, rubbing his cheek.
“It’s how she is,” Dash sighed. “Hay, she even has checklists for her checklists.”
“...That sounds like Monk on crack...” Jethro commented.
“And now we just sit here...?” Isaac asked with a groan. “God, she’s boring.”
“She can be,” Dash shrugged. “But she can also cut loose every once in awhile. Here,” she started, digging through her saddlebag. “This is the first Daring Do book, should be able to hold your attention for an hour.” She tossed the book over to Isaac with a grin.
“Daring Do?” he asked, looking at the cover. “That looks like the pony rip-off of Indiana Jones...”
“She’s not a rip-off!” Dash growled. “Also... what's Indiana Jones?” she asked, blinking.
“Only one of the best action movie heroes ever!” Isaac beamed, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is still one of my top five movies!”
“Last Crusade huh?” Jethro asked. “You have chosen... wisely,” he continued in a mystical tone. The two of them kept straight faces for a moment before bursting into laughter, with Isaac falling off of Starlight.
“Are you okay?” Starlight asked, looking down at him.
“Y-Yeah,” he nodded, getting to his feet. “I’m fine.”
“Alright, do you wanna get back on?” she asked.
“Only if you don’t mind.” He nodded.
“Of course not, it's not like you're heavy or anything,” Starlight replied, lowering herself a bit. “If you were still Ex-Veemon, then we’d have problems.”
“It’ll take either of us years before we can make our champion levels our default,” Jethro commented, watching Isaac pull himself back onto Starlight.
“So you’re going to be a tiny caterpillar thing for years?” Dash asked.
“I’m a Wormmon,” Jethro reminded, “But yes, sadly.”
“Look on the bright side,” Fluttershy spoke up. “It’ll give you plenty of time to ride on ponies’ heads,” she offered with a smile. Jethro smiled back.
“I guess that is a bright side...”
“Okay everypony,” Twilight called out as she trotted over to them. “Come and get your ticket.”
“Why does mine say foal?” Isaac asked, inspecting his with a raised eyebrow. “I’m freaking twenty three.”
“Because it was cheaper, and with your size, you pass as a foal,” Twilight informed him.
“I had no idea the princess was so cheap,” Jethro teased.
“Hey! I’m not cheap!” Twilight huffed. “I’m just... well informed in money-saving techniques.”
“I bet she dodges taxes too,” Isaac added with a smirk.
“Technically, I’m one of the ponies that taxes go to now, so I don't really have to pay as much in tax as I used to.”
“Aha!” Isaac pointed dramatically. “See! She admits it! Clearly she sees herself above the law and us poor pheasants.”
“You mean peasants,” Jethro sighed. “A pheasant is a type of bird.”
“Taking her side huh? I always knew you were a traitor.”
“Is he always like this?” AJ asked, glancing at Jethro.
“He's worse when he's really bored,” Jethro nodded. “Plus he’s cranky because he's missing episodes of Dragonball Super or some other anime.”
“I am not cranky!” Isaac huffed. “You know what, I’m just going to sit over there and read this book.” He hopped off Starlight’s back, took a seat on a bench, and started to angrily read Daring Do.
“You're only proving my point!” Jethro called out to him.
“Go die in a fire!” Isaac called back.
“Well, that was harsh,” Dash commented.
“Leave him be,” Jethro said. “He’ll calm down and apologize later, he always does.”
“You two have a very... strange friendship,” Rarity said rather gingerly.
“Comes from years of knowing each other,” he replied. “If you want to see a really strange friendship you should’ve seen our friends Rico and Willy,” he chuckled, shaking his head.
“Are those two of your friends?” Twilight asked, levitating out a scroll and quill.
“Yeah, they tended to fight a lot, but at the end of the day, they were bros. Kinda wish I knew what happened to them,” Jethro sighed.
“Hey, we’ll find them, okay?” Twilight said, placing a hoof on his head. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Alright Twilight, thanks... for wanting to help us,” he replied, smiling at her.
“That's what friends do,” she assured him, bending down to nuzzle his head.
“I know, but I still thought I should thank you,” he said. “Anyway, what else can you tell us about the Crystal Empire? We do have time to kill after all.”
“Oh boy, here we go,” Dash groaned. Jethro binked, realizing that he may have just made a grave mistake.
“Well, let's begin with basic history...” Twilight spent the next hour lecturing about the Crystal Empire, only stopping when the train pulled into the station. “...And that's the bare essentials of what you should know about the empire. Now come on, our train is here.”
“That's... more than I ever wanted to know...” Jethro muttered, shaking his head to stave off the nap that had been threatening to take him.
“And that's why we don’t ask Twilight for information when we have time to kill,” Dash groaned, trotting onto the train.
“Isaac.” Starlight trotted over, gently lowering his book with her magic. “Train’s here.”
“Huh?” the little digimon asked, blinking a few times. “Geez, I didn’t even notice...”
“I take it you like the book?” she asked with a smile as she used her magic to place him on her back.
“It’s pretty good.” he nodded, making sure to place a finger between pages so he wouldn’t lose his spot.
“Probably a better way to spend your time than listening to Twilight talk about the history of formal dancing in the Crystal Empire,” Starlight giggled as she boarded the train.
“Why does she even know that?” he asked, blinking a few times.
“Because she's Twilight,” she simply replied.
“Can’t argue with that, I suppose...” he nodded, hopping off her back. He stretched out, taking a seat next to Spike.
“Hey,” Spike greeted, stretching out in his seat.
“Sup my scaly brother?” Isaac asked, holding his fist out.
“Not much,” Spike replied as he bumped Isaac’s fist. “Oh, did I ever tell you how I’m a hero up in the Crystal Empire?” he boasted, puffing out his chest.
“A small fry like you?” Isaac teased, “That's hard to believe.”
“Who are you calling small fry?” Spike huffed, narrowing his eyes at Isaac. “We’re the same size.”
“As if, I’ll totally taller than you,” Isaac glared back.
“Whatever,” the purple drake huffed. “Do you wanna hear the story or not?” he asked as the train lurched forward.
“Dude, relax,” Isaac dropped his glare. “I’m just messing with ya. Yes I want to hear the story.” Spike cleared his throat and began to weave a grandiose tale. Some of it sounded believable. But other parts... not so much.
“...And that's how it really happened,” Spike grinned.
“Ah don’t exactly remember the crystal tigers.” AJ shook her head.
“Or the giant golems,” Rarity added.
“Maybe you just... exaggerated...” Fluttershy mumbled before hiding behind her mane. “O-or not...”
“Or you fighting Sombra one on one,” Pinkie giggled.
“You girls just weren't there for those parts,” Spike waved off, chuckling nervously.
“Whatever you say Spike,” Twilight said with a knowing smile. Spike just pouted, crossing his arms and looking out the window. The girls giggled before settling down.
“So, what actually happened?” Jethro asked from his perch atop Fluttershy’s head.
“While Sombra had me trapped in a crystal cage, Spike helped Cadance return the Crystal Heart to its proper resting place, and destroyed Sombra with its magic,” Twilight explained.
“That’s still pretty cool,” Isaac nodded. “Though not as cool as the crystal tigers,” he teased, nudging Spike with an elbow. Spike grumbled, not bothering to look at them. “So, anyone know any good travel games?” he asked, ignoring Spike’s antics. “Or maybe we should have a singalong?”
“You could tell us more about digimon?” Twilight asked with an innocent smile.
“Fine, not like I wanted to show off my golden pipes anyway,” Isaac sighed. “Fire away Purple Smart, the Digipedia is always open.” Twilight smiled, not even hearing the Purple Smart comment, pulling out her quill and scroll.
“Maybe we can let everyone ask some questions?” Jethro suggested.
“Good idea,” Isaac nodded. “Who wants to go first?”
“Anyone?” Jethro asked, looking around the car. “Come on, you guys have to have something.”
“Ooh, what does digivolving feel like?” Pinkie asked, a bright smile on her face.
“That’s... a hard one...” Isaac blinked, looking down in thought.
“Hmm, imagine if you just suddenly felt... stronger,” Jethro said. “Like you could do things that you couldn't before.”
“It’s a little intoxicating...” Isaac admitted, “All that power at your fingertips, just waiting for you to use it...”
“Yeah, that's why it's easy to lose control in some forms. Like in Frontier with the beast spirits,” Jethro added.
“What exactly can you digivolve into?” Twilight asked, looking up from her scroll.
“Well, most digimon have branching paths in their lines,” Jethro explained. “A Tsunemon for example could become a Gabumon, but it could also become an Elecmon. Though for us, I think we're going to continue on in the forms from season two of the show.”
“We fuse together for our ultimate form Paildramon and then from there digivolve into our mega, Imperialdramon. Though Veemon and Wormmon have their own individual lines,” Isaac continued.
“And you’ve already seen Stingmon and Ex-Veemon... I already miss the wings... and the hands,” Jethro sighed.
“Veemon can go, Veedramon, AeroVeedramon and UlforceVeedramon,” Isaac listed, “Wormmon can go Stingmon, Jewelbeemon and GrandisKuwagamon. Though there is a mega form of Stingmon known as BanchoStingmon.”
“I’m kind of hoping I turn into him at some point,” Jethro commented. “BanchoStingmon is sweet.”
“Maybe you’ll get lucky,” Isaac chuckled, “Any other questions?”
“Hmm, how does the fusion work?” Twilight asked.
“Well, we’d sorta digivolve into one digimon.” Isaac shrugged. “We haven’t exactly done it yet.”
“I know how fusion works!” Pinkie chimed in. “First you get into position,” she started, standing on her hind legs and leaning over to one side. “Then you move like this and say, fu-sion ha!” She cried as she was left in an odd pose, leaning in the other direction.
“Uh...” Isaac just stared. “How does Pinkie know the fusion dance...?”
“Because she's Pinkie Pie,” Dash sighed.
“Come on and fuse with me Dashie!” Pinkie cheered, ignoring the comments. “Together we’ll be, Rainbow Pie!”
“I wanna see that.” Isaac sat up, rather interested now.
“Totally,” Jethro agreed.
“Fine, guess I can give it a shot,” Dash sighed, getting out of her seat. “Not like anything’ll happen anyway.” Pinkie got into position and she mirrored the action.
“Fu-sion ha!” they cried as their hooves touched. They all watched with bated breath, no one making a sound.
“See, nothing happened,” Dash said with a roll of her eyes.
“Aw...” Isaac frowned, looking down.
“Guess our power levels didn’t mesh,” Pinkie shrugged, returning to her seat.
“Wait, are you saying that actually works?” Jethro asked.
“Sure, my sister Maud and I did it once. Though daddy said we weren't allowed to any more after what happened to the south field,” Pinkie answered.
“Huh...” he looked between them all. “I bet Dash and Applejack could do it...”
“What makes ya say that?” Applejack asked, tilting her hat up.
“It makes sense dear,” Rarity agreed, “You two are quite evenly matched.”
“So yer suggestin’ Dash an’ I try this... fusion dance just t’see if it works?” the cowpony asked.
“I’m up for it,” Dash smirked, “But if it does work, Starlight and Twilight have to do it too.”
“Fine,” Applejack said as she got up. “Spike, hold mah hat,” she said, tossing her stetson on Spike’s head. “Let's make this quick,” she finished, getting on her hindlegs. Dash got into position, nodding at her.
“Fu-sion ha!” They shouted, touching their hooves together. Everyone watched closely, with Twilight eyeing them critically.
“Feel anything?” Applejack asked.
“Besides stupid? Nothing.”
“You were off by just an inch,” Pinkie explained, adjusting their hooves. “Try now!” The two mares rolled their eyes but obliged.
“Ha!” They shouted again. This time, they were engulfed in a bright light, leaving one mare standing there.
“Uhh, what just happened?” the new mare asked, looking around the car.
“I-it worked!?” Twilight fell out of her seat, looking the new mare over.
“Yer weirdin’ me out here, Egghead,” the new mare commented, watching Twilight.
“Told you!” Pinkie grinned, pulling a camera out of her mane, taking a picture of the mare. “Happy Birthday Zapp Apple!”
“Eh, I was thinking Apple Dash, but yours works too, Pinkie,” Isaac shrugged.
“Yer turn Twi, Starlight,” Zapp Apple smirked, looking at the two. “And give me my hat back, Spike,” she said, holding a hoof out to the dragon.
“Uh, okay...” Spike stared at her, placing the hat on her hoof.
“Thank ya kindly,” she nodded, placing the hat on top of her rainbow-maned head. “Now get the lead out you two, I ain't got all day, y’hear?!” she chided Starlight and Twilight.
“Well... you ready?” Twilight asked, taking her position.
“As I’ll ever be,” Starlight nodded, striking her own pose.
“Okay here it goes.” they started the dance, touching their hooves. “Fu-sion ha!” The flash went off again, and like last time, only left one mare.
“Well, whaddya know, it worked for them too,” Zapp Apple chuckled, tilting her hat.
“I feel... weird...” the mare muttered, looking herself over.
“You’ll get over it right quick,” Rainbow Apple dismissed before turning her attention to Fluttershy and Rarity. “Wanna give this a try? All the cool foals are doin’ it,” she smirked.
“What do you say Fluttershy, dear?” Rarity asked, looking over at the shy pegasus.
“Umm... well, i-if you're okay with it then I suppose I could give it a try,” Fluttershy stammered, taking Jethro off her head and getting out of her seat. The two of them got into position and performed the dance.
“Fu-sion ha!” they cried, the bright light engulfing them. The light died down, leaving one mare yet again.
“So, what do we name them?” Isaac asked, looking at the two new mares.
“How about... Twin Light for the Starlight, Twilight combo?” Jethro suggested.
“Twilight Star?” Isaac asked.
“That's good too,” Jethro nodded. “Oh, how does... Butterfly Gem sound?”
“Ooh, I like that name,” the Rari-shy merger said with a nod.
“Alright, glad I could help. So... ponies can fuse. Was not expecting to learn that today,” Jethro commented, eyeing the new group.
“What’s it like?” Isaac got out of his seat, poking Star in the side.
“Like... we’re both in here... and neither of us is,” she answered. “Thoughts and ideas are running through my head and I can't really tell who’s coming up with what.”
“So are you like, twice as smart?” he asked, looking her over, “Because that could come in handy.”
“Maybe?” Star replied, sounding unsure. “I’m still getting used to being... this,” she said, waving a hoof in front of her.
“How long does this last?” Jethro asked, looking at Pinkie.
“Well, it can depend on the stability and balance of the mental state of the two fused ponies. But I’d say... 15-20 minutes, tops,” the party pony shrugged.
“So...” Isaac looked at Jethro. “Wanna fuse?”
“Think I can do the dance like this?” Jethro asked, wiggling his body for emphasis.
“That's... a good point...” Isaac frowned. “Eh, it’ll probably be cooler to be Paildramon anyway.”
“We’d better load up on data, then.” Jethro smiled.
“Jet, you see a computer around here?” Isaac asked, crossing his arms.
“You do realize we convert food into data, don't you?” Jethro asked him.
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that...” he trailed off, too busy examining Star’s wing.
“Umm, is there something wrong?” Star asked.
“How does a wing this small keep you in the air?” he asked, looking up at her.
“What do you mean small!” Star growled, her wings flaring. “My wings are perfectly normal-sized!”
“I think he means that, they’re small compared to your body mass,” Jethro said, coming to Isaac’s rescue.
“Oh... um, it could be that the passive magic present in all ponies helps keep me aloft in the air,” Star answered, letting out a nervous chuckle.
“You don’t know, do you?” Isaac asked with a smirk.
“Just because I’m smart doesn't mean I know everything,” she huffed. “I actually plan on doing some research on non-unicorn pony magic. It may even help me understand the enigma that is Pinkie Pie.”
“Silly Star,” Pinkie giggled, “To do that you’d need to get Moondancer and Sunset Shimmer to fuse and then fuse with that fusion! It’s the only way to get the brainpower!”
“... I might be sending a message to Sunset soon,” Star muttered to herself, rubbing her chin.
“Yay! I caused fuseception!” Pinkie cheered, tossing confetti in the air. “Bwooom~” she finished, making a noise that most would say is impossible for pony vocal cords to make.
“Jethro.... What have we done?” Isaac asked, looking up at his partner in crime.
“Lit the fuse on an insanity bomb,” Jethro sighed, watching the ponies.
“Twilight, I think your brother is a crackhead,” Isaac commented, observing Shining Armor’s spastic behavior.
“Isaac, my brother has not and would not ever touch a drug in his life. This is... I have no idea what this is,” she admitted.
“Twily!” Shining beamed, trotting over to them. “So good to see you!”
Twilight frowned, giving her brother a once over. “Are you alright?”
“Never better! Being a father is amazing! And wonderful, and amazing, and confusing, and amazing, but surprising too, you know?” Shining rattled off, his eyes unfocused and his words firing off rapidly. “I mean, not that you'd know. You wouldn't know, I know... You know?” he paused, staring off into space for a few moments. “Sorry. I haven't really slept since Cadance had the baby. Come to think of it, she hasn’t either. It sure would be great to get a break.”
“Oh, of course!” Twilight exclaimed. “You two could probably use help! Sorry Starlight, I guess combining your first friendship lesson with this visit wasn't such a great idea.”
“Oh.” Starlight blinked. “Uh, don't be ridiculous!” she laughed sheepishly, “You're an aunt now! That's way more important than some friendship lesson.”
“I wish there was a way to do both,” Twilight sighed.
“Maybe there is!” Spike interjected, “You've already done the work for Starlight's lesson with this list. All we have to do is follow it!”
“Spike! You're a genius!” Twilight cheered.
Starlight laughed, “Yeah...” she gritted her teeth. “Genius...”
“Then it's settled!” Twilight beamed. “Shining Armor and I will head straight to the castle, and you two can head to Sunburst's!”
“Aye-aye princess!” Spike smiled back, giving her a salute.
“What do you think we should do?” Isaac asked, looking at Jethro. “See the pony baby, or watch Starlight’s reunion with her old friend?”
“We have to meet the princesses, remember?” Jethro reminded, letting out an exasperated sigh.
“Oh yeah... sorry, kinda forgot due to the little fusion party we had back on the train,” Isaac admitted with a weak chuckle, rubbing the back of his head.
“Looks like you two are sticking with us,” Dash sighed with a smirk.
“There are worse fates in the world,” Isaac laughed. “Like an eternity of Boku no Pico,” he shivered.
“Oh come on, Princess Celestia is great.” Dash waved him off. “She probably just wants to hear your life story.”
“I hope you’re right,” Isaac replied. “It just feels weird getting called out by the leader of a country. From our perspective it’d be like if the President called us over for a tea party.”
“Tea with the Princess is lovely~” Rarity smiled. “She tells the best stories.”
“Oh really, what kinds of stories does she tell?” Jethro asked.
“Mostly humorous anecdotes about political figures, perhaps you can convince her to tell you some?”
“Considering we know jack all about Equestrian politics, I don’t think the jokes will land with us,” Isaac sighed. “Oh well, lead the way my trusty steed!” he called out, pointing into the distance.
“Really?” Jethro asked, making his way over to Fluttershy, who kindly let him climb on.
“You're just jealous that you didn’t do it first,” Isaac shot back, sticking his tongue out at him.
“Whatever you say, Isaac,” Jethro responded, perching himself on Fluttershy’s head.
“Anyway, let’s get going,” Twilight chimed in, starting to trot toward the empire. “We all have important things to do today.”
“Up ya go.” Applejack slipped her head under Isaac, sliding him onto her back, all without disturbing her hat.
“Yabba dabba doo~” Isaac chuckled as the group followed Twilight. They moved toward the palace, with Twilight pointing out various landmarks, most of the time rambling off stories no one really paid attention to. Eventually, they all made it to the Crystal Palace, where Princess Celestia and Luna were waiting for them.
“It is true...” Luna muttered, moving over to inspect Isaac and Jethro, “You really are digimon.”
“Wait... you know about digimon?” Jethro asked, taken aback. “How?”
“It is a long, personal tale for us,” Celestia spoke, stepping closer, “Please, walk with us to the baby’s chambers.” She turned, starting to trot into the castle. Jethro and Isaac shared a look as the others followed her.
“So, what’s so personal about this story?” Isaac inquired. “If you don't mind me asking.”
“Are you familiar with the names Seth Tribal and Scott Shepard?” Celestia asked softly, gauging their reactions.
“Th-those are the names of two of our friends,” Isaac said, eyes widening.
“They appeared in Equestria over a thousand years ago, during the Discordian era,” Luna cut in, “Though our paths did not cross until our final battle with Discord.”
“What kind of digimon did they become?” Jethro asked.
“Sir Seth was an Agumon, while Sir Scott was a Gabumon,” Luna explained, “We spent many years together with them in our service.”
“Uhh why did you call them ‘Sir’?” Isaac asked, tilting his head.
“The two of them were our knight commanders, Seth of the Solar guard-”
“And Sir Scott of the Lunar guard.”
“What? There were digimon that far back and I’m only now finding out about this!?” Twilight asked, frantically scribbling on her scroll.
“It is one of many things we felt was better left undocumented,” Luna explained. “Much like the loss of this empire.”
“S-so what happened to them?” Isaac asked, hopping off Applejack’s back to slowly approach the solar alicorn. “Why aren’t they here now?”
Celestia sighed, she and Luna sharing a similarly melancholy look. “Throughout the course of their illustrious careers, the two of them protected Equestria from many a rogue digimon. Shortly before the loss of the Empire, a powerful digimon named Chaosmon appeared, and despite their combined power as Omnimon, they had no choice but to cast him and themselves into the void.”
“We have prayed for their safe return for years,” Luna sighed, gazing out a window, “Though those prayers have long gone unanswered...”
“So... they're really gone?” Isaac asked, tearing up.
“Fear not my small friend,” Luna soothed, reaching out with her wing to wipe his tears away, “I know in my heart they will return to us. Do not lose hope.”
“I have a question,” Jethro spoke up, raising one of his legs.
“What is it?” Celestia questioned. “We might have an answer for you.”
“You said digimon attacked Equestria, what happened to them?” he asked, looking between the sisters. The two glanced at each other before Celestia spoke.
“Each digimon they defeated was reduced to a digiegg. We placed them all in a secure vault. To my knowledge, that vault remains sealed to this day.”
“Have you visited this vault recently?” Jethro asked.
“Nay.” Luna shook her head. “Neither of us have been to the site in countless moons.”
“Maybe it's a good idea to check on it again?” Isaac suggested. “Can never be too safe with something like that.”
“Maybe we could try to reform them?” Twilight suggested, regaining her composure, “If what Isaac and Jethro said are anything to go by, digimon aren’t inherently bad.”
“That may not be a bad idea,” Celestia smiled. “Keeping them as eggs forever might be too cruel of a punishment.”
“Though, they will all need suitable homes,” Luna commented, glancing at the gathered group.
“Y-you want us to take care of reforming digimon?” Fluttershy gasped.
“Sounds pretty sweet to me!” Dash grinned. “I’m hoping for one that can fly!”
“You already succeeded in reforming Discord, I shouldn’t think this would be any harder.” Luna smiled at them.
“Th-that is true, I suppose,” Fluttershy admitted. “I guess as long as I don't get a scary one it’ll be fine,” she relented.
“Even scary digimon can be nice,” Jethro assured her, giving her a smile.
“I guess so,” Fluttershy sighed. “But I’d prefer something... cuddly... if that's not too bad,” she said, hiding behind her mane.
“We should make our way to the baby,” Celestia said, getting the group back on topic. She smiled, gesturing to Shining Armor, who was asleep on his hooves. He jumped slightly.
“Right! The baby. Follow me, everypony,” he said, practically dragging himself down the halls. They all stopped in front of a door near the center of the palace. Shining stopped, looking back at everyone. “Before we go in, I should probably tell you... seeing the baby might be a bit of a shock.”
“Oh come on big brother, I've met babies before,” Twilight laughed. “I can’t imagine this’ll be that different.” Shining opened the door, allowing the group to walk inside. A very tired Cadance greeted them with a smile, gesturing to the large, decadent crib taking up most of the room's back wall. They all saw the foal, swaddled up in her blanket. Her fur was an off pink, she had a purple mane with a blue stripe, and a horn poking out through it. She looked up at the group with her big, expressive blue eyes and... unfurled her wings as she babbled happily at them.
“Holy crap her wings are huge!” Isaac exclaimed, having climbed onto Twilight’s back.
“Something tells me that's not normal,” Jethro commented.
“The baby’s an alicorn!” Twilight gasped.
“It looks that way,” Cadance replied, looking down at the foal.
“ But... But... But...” Rarity stuttered, her eyes wide “I thought becoming an alicorn had to be earned by accomplishing some great, princess-worthy deed!”
“Yeah,” Applejack agreed, “How can you just be born with it?”
Celestia nodded, an unsure look on her face. “The birth of an alicorn is something Equestria has never seen!”
Luna opened her mouth to speak, only for Jethro to cut her off. “What!?” the little worm shouted, causing Fluttershy to jump. “That doesn’t even begin to make sense!!”
“What do you mean?” Luna asked.
“How the hell did you two become alicorns before you got your goddamn cutie marks!?!?! That’s a plot hole so wide you could shove Galactus through it!!” the worm ranted, glaring at the two.
“The answer to that is simple,” Celestia chuckled. “You see, we...” She blinked, as if the answer eluded her. She motioned for Luna to come close and whispered in her ear. “Luna, do you remember how we earned our alicornhood before our cutie marks?”
“...No...”
“...Then what do we say? We have to do something.”
“You don’t know, do you...?” Jethro asked, letting out a long sigh. “I’m going to have such a headache...”
“Umm...” Celestia paused, turning to Pinkie. “Pinkie Pie, we need a distraction!” the solar princess ordered.
“Come on everypony do the Mario!” Pinkie got on her hind legs, starting to do a dance, taking everyone's eyes off the princesses.
“Crisis averted,” Celestia whispered to her sister.
“We must consult with Zecora... perhaps that past sight potion of hers will prevent a repeat...” Luna whispered back.
“Or... and this might sound crazy... we could always just keep Pinkie close by to provide distractions if the topic comes up again. That way, neither of us has the possibility of reliving our... awkward teenage years,” Celestia shuddered.
“We cannot expect Lady Pie to be available at a moment’s notice because our memories are faulty.”
“We would compensate her for her service, of course. And do you want me to start reciting the poetry from back then? Because I will,” Celestia warned, narrowing her eyes.
“I am ready for whatever you can throw at me Tia,” Luna countered, narrowing her eyes. Their staring contest was interrupted when the baby sneezed, which triggered a magic surge, blowing a hole through the roof.
“It seems her magic is... somewhat more powerful than a newborn unicorn’s,” Celestia commented, containing her shock.
“The crowds have already started to gather,” Luna commented, peering out of the window.
Pinkie grinned, blew up a balloon, and rose up into the air. “This crystalling is gonna be some party!” The balloon popped when it touched the ceiling, though she was no worse for wear when she hit the ground.
“You ever feel like a third wheel?” Isaac asked, looking over at Jethro.
“Kinda,” Jethro nodded. “It's almost like we’re being ignored for some reason.”
“Maybe it's like the world’s on autopilot?” Isaac suggested, no longer all that interested in the conversation.
“What, like we could say or do anything right now and no one would notice?” Jethro asked, tilting his head. “They’d just keep going with their conversation?”
“Well, you did say this was My Little Pony, maybe we’re in an episode or something?”
“...That makes a lot of sense, actually. Wait... if we're in an episode then that means something’s gonna go horribly wrong for the sake of the plot!” Jethro realized, eyes bugging out.
“What?” Isaac rolled his eyes. “Now you’re just being paranoid.”
“Isaac, I actually watched the show,” Jethro reminded him. “I think I know what I’m talking about here.”
“Yeah, okay, by that logic, there's going to be a digimon attack. Probably under evil control or something...”
“And you just invoked Murphy,” Jethro growled. “If I had hands right now, I’d slap you upside the head.”
“Whatever, every time you say that, nothing happens.” Isaac growled back.
“Wanna bet money on it this time?” Jethro asked. “20 bits says I’m right.”
“The hell is a bit? We betting in data now?”
“A bit is the currency here,” Jethro explained with a roll of his eyes.
“That's a stupid name...”
“Look, you in on the bet or not?” Jethro sighed.
“Yeah, I’m in.” Isaac nodded, locking eyes with his insectoid friend.
“Good because you're going to lose,” Jethro smirked.
“I will not lose, you little bug.” Isaac smirked back. At that moment, an ear piercing cry echoed through the empire, followed by what sounded like glass breaking. Isaac and Jethro turned their heads to see a pile of crystal shards on the ground, and everyone in their group looking horrified.
“Oh, that's not good,” Jethro muttered.
“Uh... what?” Isaac asked, looking around, “The hell are we?”
“While we were having our argument the world continued on autopilot,” Jethro explained. “And now, the Crystal Heart is broken.”
“Whats the Crystal Heart?” Isaac asked, starting to get annoyed. “Jesus man, every five minutes I have no idea what's going on.”
“Short answer: it's the thing that keeps the endless blizzard out there from overtaking the city,” Jethro replied.
“Well, I don’t see any digimon,” Isaac declared with a smirk, “Looks like I win~” As soon as the words left his mouth, the ground started to shake. An explosive roar echoed through the air, echoed by another.
“You don’t think...” Celestia started, gazing at Luna.
“Sombra’s enforcers have awakened? Aye.” The smaller alicorn nodded.
“And who exactly are Sombra’s enforcers?” Jethro asked.
“One is some kind of Greymon,” Celestia recalled, frowning, “The other is some type of blue dog.”
“Hey Isaac~” Jethro smirked, turning to his friend.
“Don't. Say. Anything,” Isaac growled, gritting his teeth. Isaac hopped off Twilight, cracking his knuckles.. “Alright, you guys do your thing with your rock candy, we’ll beat up some digimon.”
“Very well, but do be careful. Sombra’s digimon were quite ferocious when we encountered them in the past,” Celestia warned.
“Thanks for the tip,” Jethro nodded as he climbed off Fluttershy.
“Ready?” Isaac asked, looking over at Jethro.
“As long as you don’t invoke Murphy anymore, then yes,” Jethro nodded. “Wormmon digivolve to! Stingmon!”
“Veemon digivolve to! Ex-Veemon!” Both glowed, transforming into their champion forms.
“Let's fly above the city and see if we can spot these digimon,” Jethro suggested, buzzing his wings.
“Right.” Isaac spread his wings, flying out from behind the curtain and startling the crowd.
“...We probably should’ve thought about the gathered crowd,” Jethro admitted, looking at the gathered crystal ponies.
“Hello shiny ponies,” Isaac called down, “How’s the weather?”
“Same as always! Snowing!” A crowd member shouted, which caused some of them to laugh.
“That really wasn’t the best question to ask given the circumstances,” Jethro sighed. “Anyway, let’s get going,” he concluded as he started flying over the city.
“See anything?” Isaac asked, gazing around the city.
“Nothing yet, but a giant orange dinosaur and a blue dog can't be too hard to find,” Jethro replied.
“Mega shot!”
“Gah!” Isaac shouted, barely dodging as a ball of fire shot up from the ground. “...Found ‘em,” he deadpanned.
“Then let's deal with them,” Jethro said, flying down. Glaring at them was a GeoGreymon, its large, muscled, dinosaur-like body an orange color, sporting blue stripes. It had a dark brown carapace on its head, said carapace having three horns, spiked edges and red stripes. Next to the GeoGreymon was a snarling Gaogamon, its large fangs bared. It was covered in blue fur, on its back were two red appendages, and on its front paws were what looked like red gloves. Both had deep green eyes, with purple smoke pouring off them.
“...I hate Murphy so goddamn much...” Isaac muttered, gazing down at the pair of rogue digimon.
“I warned you not to invoke him,” Jethro scolded. “Moon Shooter!” he shouted, firing a large stinger at the Gaogamon.
The Gaogamon sucked in a large breath. “Spiral Blow!” It breathed out a whirlwind, sending the stinger flying off in a random direction.
“Screw you Murphy,” Jethro muttered. “Looks like projectiles won't work, but your Vee-laser should,” he called out to Isaac.
“Right!” Isaac swooped down, diving toward the GeoGreymon. “Vee-laser!” He fired it off, sending the dinosaur backwards. It snorted, shaking its head as it righted itself.
It reared its head back, fire welling up in its maw. “Mega Flame!” It unleashed the fire like a flamethrower, sending Isaac back into the sky.
“You take care of GeoGreymon! I’ll fight Poochy here!” Jethro shouted before turning to Gaogamon. The dog bared its fangs, snarling rather threateningly. It lunged at him, aiming to clamp its jaws around his leg. Jethro shot up in the air, narrowly avoiding the fangs. “Bad dog!” he scolded. “Spinning Spiking Strike!” he called out, his legs moving in a blur, sending blasts of wind toward Gaogamon. Gaogamon howled, being sent tumbling into a building. He stood up, shaking the rubble off while glaring at him.
“What, can’t hit me?” Isaac asked, darting in to punch GeoGreymon in the gut before flying off before the beast could retaliate.
“Mega Flame!” GeoGreymon shouted again, shooting fireballs after Isaac. He growled, one of the fireballs clipping his wing. He landed, with a snort, glaring at the taller digimon.
“Lucky shot,” Isaac spat. “Vee-laser!” he fired off another blast, aiming for GeoGreymon’s head. GeoGreymon let out a cry, stumbling a bit. “Like that, huh?” Isaac grinned, panting slightly.
“Mega Roar!” GeoGreymon replied, sending a shockwave hurtling towards Isaac.
“Aw crap...” Isaac muttered before being sent flying backwards. GeoGreymon decided to take advantage of this, gathering a large amount of fire into his mouth.
“Mega Burst!” A larger fireball than the ones from before went flying directly towards Isaac’s face. Isaac’s eyes went wide and he quickly fired off another Vee-laser, detonating the blast before it reached him.
“Holy crap... didn't think that’d actually work,” Isaac chuckled to himself.
“We should probably try to avoid property damage!” Jethro scolded, slashing at Gaogamon, who leapt just out of reach.
“I’m doing my best here!” Isaac shot back. “But the giant fireballs are making that a bit difficult!”
“Need any help?” Zapp Apple called, zipping onto the scene. “Y’all look like yer having a hard time.”
“... Do you think you can handle it?” Jethro asked, sounding worried.
“Why d’ya think they made me?” she asked with a cocky grin.
“Alright, which one do you want to fight? Poochy or Barney?” Jethro asked.
“Ah’m gonna take the big dragon.” She grinned. “Ya’ll ever seen a sonic rainboom?”
“A what now?” Isaac asked. Zapp just grinned before starting to zip around, building up speed. “Jethro, what’s she doing?”
“It looks like she's building up speed... other than that, I couldn't tell you.” A sonic boom filled the air, followed by a rainbow shock wave that swept across the sky, clearing away many of the encroaching storm clouds. Zapp hurtled at GeoGreymon, slamming into his chest faster than the speed of sound. She pushed him down the street before kicking away and zipping into the sky. GeoGreymon collapsed into a limp pile of dinosaur, twitching weakly.
“Holy crap!” Isaac shouted. “That was awesome! Guess I should finish him off.” He rushed over to GeoGreymon, opening his mouth wide. “Critical Crunch!” he boomed, snapping his jaws closed on GeoGreymon. GeoGreymon let out a howl of pain, weakly struggling to get free. “And Vee-laser!” Isaac grinned, firing point blank at the downed dinosaur. It let out a howl of pain before devolving into a small orange dinosaur with red bracers around his hands.
“I don’t think he’ll be bothering us for a while,” Isaac panted. “Rainbow, think you can pull off another Rainboom on Gaogamon?” he asked, looking up at the hovering mare.
“Ah dunno...” she shook her head. “That hurt somethin’ fierce. Ah may be awesome but ah can’t pull off two o’ those in a row.”
“Alright, good work anyway. Jethro and I will take it from here,” Isaac said, charging at Gaogamon. “Critical Crunch!” he shouted, snapping his jaws at Gaogamon’s leg. Gaogamon let out a whine of pain, desperately trying to kick Isaac off.
“Spiking Strike!” Jethro cried, stabbing his stingers down on Gaogamon’s back. Gaogamon let out a louder whine before degenerating into a small blue bipedal dog with boxing gloves and a bandana. Both Isaac and Jethro let out a sigh of relief as they reverted to their rookie forms.
“I-I’m really hungry,” Isaac commented, collapsing on the ground in a sitting position.
“So... what do we do with them?” Zapp asked, landing between Isaac and Jethro.
“I dunno... guess we have to wait and see if they're still evil,” Isaac replied.
“Is that really a good idea?” she asked, fluffing her wings.
“Well, they had this weird energy around their eyes like Sombra did,” Jethro told her. “They might be brainwashed by him.”
“I think the dog’s waking up.” Rainbow pointed out, gingerly walking over to the prone figure.
“Ugh, where am I?” he groaned, slowly opening his eyes.
“Wait...” Iaac blinked. “I know that voice...” He gave the dog a long look. “Lee?”
“Isaac? Is that you?” the blue dog asked, getting up.
“Dude!” Isaac rushed over, pulling him into a hug.
“Ow... my everything,” Lee groaned, weakly returning the hug.
“Yeah...” Isaac stepped back rubbing his head. “You were kinda rampaging through the city and we had to beat you down.”
“Really? The last thing I remember is getting zapped by a black unicorn,” he said, rubbing the side of his head.
“So, does that mean the GeoGreymon is one of your friends too?” Zapp asked, looking Lee over.
“Yeah, he’s a friend of mine,” Lee nodded. “His name's Marty.”
“Well, that's six of us accounted for...” Jethro muttered, crawling over. “We’re still missing Rico, Willy, Roger and Alex.”
“Seriously? You know where Scotty and Seth are too?!” Lee asked, seeming to get a bit of energy back. “Are they close by?”
“They’re uhh...” Isaac looked away. “Not here right now...”
“Oh,” Lee replied, his face falling. “Well, it's still good seeing you guys again.” He then looked Jethro and Isaac over. “Guess this means we all got turned into digimon, huh?”
“What?” Isaac asked, tilting his head.
“Well, the four of us got turned into digimon,” Lee said, waving a hand across the group. “I’m guessing Seth and Scott did too?” he asked, looking at Jethro.
“Yeah, they got turned into Agumon and Gabumon,” Jethro explained, “Though we’ve only been here for about a week.”
“Then it looks like all of us were flung all over this world's timeline,” Lee sighed. “So, what all have you guys been up to? Besides kicking our asses,” he added with a chuckle.
“Hanging out with a pretty purple pony princess,” Isaac said with a grin.
“Huh, sounds like an interesting time,” Lee nodded. “And who’s the pony with you?”
“Ah’m Zapp Apple. Pleased t’meet ya,” she said with a tip of her hat.
“Let’s go check on Marty,” Jethro said, jumping onto Zapp’s back, “He got hit the hardest.”
“Yeah, mighty sorry ‘bout that,” Zapp Apple apologized as she trotted over to the collapsed dinosaur. “If Ah had known the critter was a friend o’ yers, Ah’d’ve held back a little.” She leaned down, letting Jethro get a good look at Marty.
“Uhn...” Marty moaned, slowing opening his eyes, gazing up at them.
“Hi Marty, how ya feeling?” Jethro asked.
“Like I was hit with a tanker...”
“Sorry ‘bout that. Ah was just tryin’ t’help Jethro and Isaac and keep ‘em from destroyin’ the whole empire,” Zapp Apple said, rubbing the back of her head.
“I have the worst headache...” he muttered, getting to his feet, rubbing at head.
“That one was probably me,” Isaac admitted. “I kinda Vee-lasered your face a couple times.”
“At least you guys didn’t get reduced to eggs,” Jethro said with a sigh, “Come on, let’s get to the castle.”
“Yeah, hopefully Twi and Princess Cadance have fixed the heart by now,” Zapp Apple said, looking among the group. “Do all y’all wanna ride on mah back? Yer all pretty banged up.”
“We’re like, as tall as you...” Marty countered, looking her over.
“Please, Ah could haul a dozen barrels of cider right now. So get on, ya varmint!” she ordered, scooping Marty onto her back with her head.
“I can walk.” Lee shook his head. Isaac looked at the taller digimon before he grinned.
“Hey, hey Lee?”
“What is it, Isaac?” Lee asked, quirking a brow.
“How do you type with boxing gloves on?” Isaac snickered before bursting into laughter.
“Am I going to be hearing that question a lot?” Lee sighed. “Because that could get old real fast. And if that were an email I’d delete it.”
“Alright, seriously, let’s get to the castle,” Jethro growled, wishing he had hands to stave off the coming headache. “We only have a few minutes before Zapp reverts to normal.”
“... What do you mean, revert to normal?” Marty asked as Zapp Apple started trotting down the crystal streets.
“Excuse me, miss!” a young voice called out. Trixie turned to see a pegasus, slightly younger than her, flitting over, carrying a mailbag. “Are you Trixie Lulamoon?”
“Yes, I am... Trixie,” she replied, stopping herself from demanding he address her by her self-imposed title.
“You have a letter from Princess Twilight.” The pegasus dug into his bag before pulling out a letter, stamped with Twilight’s royal seal.
“Thank you,” she said, taking the letter in her magic. “I wonder what she wants from me? I haven’t seen her since... that incident that shall never be mentioned again.”
“Well, whatever it is, she sent it express, covered the fees and everything,” the mail pony explained. He spread his wings, flying off.
“Then I suppose the... nice thing to do would be to send a thank you note for that,” Trixie said as she opened the letter. She scanned through the letter, noting Twilight’s normal friendship ramblings before her eyes came to a single word, ‘digimon’. “What the hay is a digimon?” she asked, tilting her head.
“You say something Trixie?” a male voice asked as a small white and purple face peeked out of her wagon.
“Oh, it's nothing to worry about Alex,” she assured him. “Just a letter from Princess Twilight telling me to keep an eye out for a creature.”
“What are we, monster hunters now?” he asked with a roll of his eyes, climbing out of the wagon. He was a foal sized, purple imp-creature with a spaded tail, a yellow smiley face on his chest, red gloves and a red ascot.
“Something called... a digimon,” she replied, studying the letter again.
Alex blinked, looking up at her. “Trixie... me and Roger are digimon. We’ve had this conversation before.”
“We have? Did we have it during my me time?” Trixie asked, blinking. “Because you know I don't listen during my me time.”
“No it was when you were yelling at Roger for eating the last eclair. Remember? Back in uh...” he snapped his fingers, “Vanhoover! Yeah that’s it.”
“Oh yes... sorry, I think the sugar coma after I made him buy me more screwed with my memory,” she admitted with a chuckle. “Anyway, I guess I should tell her about you two and how you assist in my magic act... Well you assist in the act. Roger just kinda...” She trailed off, trying to think of a nice way to put it.
“Eats all our food and lays around all day?” Alex offered.
“Yes, and let's not forget the pseudo-philosophy lessons he gives us,” Trixie laughed.
“Personally? I think the guy’s homesick.” Alex leaned on one of the wagon wheels, crossing his arms. “I mean, he hasn’t had any pan since we got here and he still acts like he’s high all the time.”
“...I don’t know what you mean by ‘pan’, but I understand that you two must miss your home. Why do you think I let him get away with raiding the fridge in the middle of the night?”
“Because you know to keep the big red dinosaur happy.” Alex chuckled. “Anyway, where does this ‘Princess Twilight’ live anyway?”
“In the strangest town in all of Equestria, Ponyville,” Trixie answered. “Though maybe we should make a detour to get Roger some of this ‘pan’? Maybe we can use it to bribe him to do work?”
“I was gonna clean my room, until I got high~” Alex sung before snickering a bit. “Trixie, if marijuana exists in this world, I’ll eat my ascot. You also don’t bribe people into work with it, you give it to them to get them out of the way.” He stood up straight, clearing his throat. “No, there's only one way to motivate Roger. Food.”
“We can always pick some more up after get the weed,” Trixie smirked. “Hope you like the taste of ascot~” She then trotted into the wagon.
Alex went wide-eyed for a moment, then blinked a few times before growling. “I am not eating the ascot!” he retorted, storming in after her.
“I’ll have Roger hold you down if I have to!”
“Bring it, pointy!”