//------------------------------// // Gems and Spirits // Story: The Joke's on Equestria // by Grey Ghost //------------------------------// “You sure you’re okay to get up?” Willy asked, looking at Daring Do with a frown. They had camped out in the temple of light for the past few days, the two warriors taking shifts watching over Daring. “Can ya stop nagging me hike you're my mom or something? Yes, for the tenth time in the last minute alone, I’m fine,” the pegasus huffed. “I’ve had worse injuries before and I’m still kicking.” “Sorry...” he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s just... we’ve lost most of our friends...” “Well you’re not gonna lose me,” Daring offered. “Not if I have anything to say about it. Besides, I’ve got two legendary warriors acting as my personal bodyguards. I think I’m as safe as I could possibly be.” “Who you calling a bodyguard?” Willy pouted, crossing his arms. “What, don’t like being called bodyguards? I could think of a few other titles for you,” she offered with a laugh. “Yeah, yeah, you laugh it up.” He rolled his eyes before something caught his eye. “Huh, I guess we missed something.” He moved over to a nearby pile of rubble, shifted it around a bit, and lifted up a small crystal vial. “Whatcha got there?” Rico asked. “It’s that vial AncientVolcamon always carried around. You know that one he always used to fix stuff?” He tossed it over, letting Rico examine it. “Cool, what’s it doing in my temple though?” Rico asked, examining the orange fluid. “I have no idea.” Willy shrugged. “We should hang onto it, never know when it’s gonna come in handy.” “Knowing us... probably pretty soon,” Rico said. “Here Daring, you hold onto this. You're the only one with something to carry it in.” “Alright, I don't know what this stuff is, but it sounds important. I’ll be sure to keep it safe.” Daring nodded, wrapping the vial in a piece of cloth before putting it in a front pocket of her satchel. “Alright, we ready to roll out?” Willy asked, cracking his back. “Yeah, I wanna get back to some form of civilization,” Daring grinned. “We need to have some celebratory drinks for the formation of our new team!” “I’m totally getting wasted.” Willy chuckled, starting to exit through one of the holes in the wall, Rico behind him. As Daring went to follow, a soft glow caught her eye. She rummaged through her bag quickly and pulled out the source of the glow. “Hey uh, guys, your weird thing is glowing.” She blinked, realizing the object in her hoof was not the vial, instead it was a strange black and red device, with a small screen and a few buttons on it. That and it was glowing. “Who is this?” a voice emanated from it. “Uhh... Daring Do,” she replied, confused. “Daring, who are you talking to?” Willy asked as he and Rico moved back over to her. “Uuuugh, Daring Do? Seriously?” the voice groaned, “Okay, fine, I’ll take it, beggars can’t be choosers.” The light from the device expanded, engulfing them before they could react. “Ow...” Willy groaned, getting to his feet. “Let’s... not do that again...” Rico agreed, getting to his feet as well. They were in some type of tundra, surrounded by women of various cartoonish proportions and skin colors. His eyes widened, realizing they were the gems from Steven Universe. “Some time today would be nice.” Peridot said, while an orange gem just stared curiously at those that had just appeared. “Some context would be nice,” Willy huffed, cracking his knuckles. “You see those two on the bird?” Peridot pointed at the orange gem and... a orange colored blob. “We’re beating them and everything else surrounding us. Us good.” She gestured to to those around her. “Them bad.” She pointed back to her enemies and the monsters. “Any other questions I don’t have time for?” “You’ll have to forgive her, she’s understandably tense,” Garnet exclaimed. “We can see that.” Rico nodded, cracking his neck. “I’m Rico and Hellboy over there is Willy.” They both turned to the attacking gems , grim looks on their faces. “Best if you just surrender.” “Yeah, we’re not the two you want to piss off.” Willy smirked, looking at them. “Oh, really?” the orange one laughed. “This is just rich, you think that you two pint-sized little monsters could take on my force? It’s your funeral.” “We are the very elements of fire and light.” “And I’m Cinnabar and this is Amber.” She gestured to the orange blob standing next to her. “Now that we’ve got introductions out of the way, you can die now.” A tiger and a bull gem-monster ran towards the two. They darted into action, both easily sending the monsters back at her. “We may look like runts but believe me, we’re a lot stronger than you.” Willy growled, snorting fire. “Hm. Eat up Amber!” She pointed at the gems that were just standing up and Amber jumped down towards them, his gooey hands latching onto their gems. Any further fight that they might’ve put up against the two digimon was gone as their forms vanished in puffs of smoke. Willy and Rico were surprised at this gem attacking its own team, but were more surprised when it grew a few feet. “Well, that's just messed up...” Rico frowned, looking up at it. “Eh, we’ve seen worse.” Willy started to walk forward, stride full of confidence. “I warn you now, we won’t show you any mercy.” Amber simply roared and brought its fist down on Willy, just missing Rico. “That’s what we think of your little mercy.” Cinnabar chuckled, sitting on her bird. Rico just crossed his arms, not looking impressed. “Fusion spirit evolution!” Willy roared before Amber was thrown back by an explosion of flame. Standing in the crater was a large armored creature, its armor a mix of red and gold. A golden mane flowed through the air, its flame wings reflecting off its three horns. It slammed its tail into the ground, letting out a roar of rage. Cinnabar raised an eyebrow, while Amber got back up and charged forward. It slammed its fist into Aldamon’s face, but found the amount of damage was lower than before. “I burn hotter than the sun.” The smaller creature grabbed the blob’s arm, starting to boil it. “You think you can handle my heat?” He extended his free arm, firing off fireballs, burning away portions of it. “So this guy’s stronger than I thought?” Cinnabar thought aloud, raising an eyebrow. “I see. Attack!” Several other corrupted gems either ran or flew down towards the mega digimon. The damage they did was mild and they were mowed down relatively quickly. It wasn’t until the orange goo on the ground enveloped them that he noticed something was up. Amber got up, his arm quickly regenerating as he rose even higher than before, thrice the size of Aldamon. Roaring, he kicked the digimon away, sending him quite a distance. “Now it’s getting go-” Cinnabar was cut off as an arrow pierced the body of her bird gem, causing her to fall to the ground. Looking up, she saw Opal holding a bow with an arrow pointed at her, glaring. “Anytime, Rico,” Willy hissed, soaring back into view. “Just give me a moment.” The blue digimon held his hands out, a miniature figurine appearing in each hand. He let out a slow breath before bringing them together, lines of code appearing around him. “Fusion spirit evolution.” He shifted form, becoming humanlike, his head hidden under a wolf themed mask. He wore white and purple armor, and he was armed with a double bladed sword. His left arm was like a wolf leg, hiding a missile launcher. He leapt forward, cleaving through Amber like he was nothing. Cinnabar’s eyes widened. Using all her speed, she jumped over Opal and changed into her gas form, shooting off to assist Amber, who was quickly reforming. Rico would’ve performed a more thorough slash, but he felt a choking sensation in his lungs, as if all the air around him had suddenly gone. “Something wrong?” a voice around him echoed. “It doesn’t matter how strong you are, as long as you breathe then I can kill you all the same.” “Did you know... I can move faster than the speed of light?” He smirked before vanishing out of the cloud, cutting one of Amber’s arms off. He coughed, taking in a large gulp of air. “I’m the one you’re fighting. And you can’t really hurt a cloud of gas, can you?” She was very irritated, but tried not to show it in her voice. ‘Lady Mercury will definitely want to hear about these two, assuming she isn’t watching already,’ she thought. “Did you forget? Gas is flammable.” Willy unleashed a barrage of fireballs, smirking. “And if not, I do believe it becomes plasma.” Cinnabar’s eyes widened as her form was set ablaze, her gem quickly falling to the ground. Amber, unable to handle the two of them at once, also fell, along with all the gems he assimilated. Meanwhile, the rest of the gems had just poofed the remaining corrupted gems, bubbling all they could, with those they couldn’t being teleported away. “So that’s the power of two mega digimon.” Peridot’s eyes were wide. “No... that's the power of the legendary warriors...” Daring muttered as the two reverted back to their smaller forms, rather worn out. “Fusion level and mega is basically the sa- argh!” Peridot was grabbed by the hair by Lapis’s water wing before she could go on a rant. “She says thank you,” the water gem said simply, while Peridot made a face in between a pout and a glare. “As do the rest of us,” Garnet said. “Yeah... you’re welcome...” Willy smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. “So... got any food?” “Plenty back at the Empire.” Amethyst gestured to the space behind her. “Wanna come?” “Yes please, the more food the better.” Willy bounded over, leaping onto Garnet’s shoulders. Rico just rolled his eyes, walking over to the group. “Very well then, let’s go.” Pearl smiled. The three followed the gems back, but Rico turned around for a moment before catching up with them. “Very interesting.” Mercury watched them leave. Despite her naturally dismissive look, she was very intrigued of the nature of these beings that were supposed to be from entirely separate realities. They had taken down both Cinnabar and Amber so quickly. Their appearance could either be seen as a nuisance or a blessing, a chance to improve gems such as Amber. She would need a DNA sample from them. But judging from their strength, this would be easier said than done. “But who to send?” she thought. “So... been here long?” Willy asked, sitting on Garnet’s shoulders. “Over a thousand years,” Garnet said. “Huh, you know, a thousand years doesn’t even seem that long anymore.” Willy blinked, scratching his cheek. “About half of us were kind of in suspension, the rest were in hiding,” Jasper replied. “Until somepony went and blabbed about us after all that time.” Peridot shot a small glare at Daring. “Why are you looking at me?” She blinked. “I’d tell you, but you’d probably write about it in your next book.” “Someone’s high on attitude all of a sudden.” Jasper whistled. “Don’t speak to me like I’m a child, I’m an immortal space rock.” “Then stop acting like a child.” “I’m very confused...” Daring blinked. “I’ve never met any of you before.” “You know about multiverse theory, right?” Pearl asked. “Your friends have explained it to you?” “We gave her the gist of it.” Willy shrugged. “A lot of it went over my head,” Daring admitted. “Well let’s just say that this dimension’s version of you is very blabby. You wouldn’t happen to be a writer would you?” “Yeah I am, actually.” Daring stepped forward, ruffling her wings. “Of course you are.” She rubbed her forehead. “You know, all I wanted to do was protect one of the most ancient sites on Halla, not get dragged into some weird adventure by Fire and Light themselves.” “Well all I wanted to do was sleep in the temple I built for the rest of my existence, but we don’t always get what we want now, do we?” “You guys sure you don’t want to ask any questions about us?” Willy asked, resting his chin on Garnets hair. “Your hair is very comfortable.” “We were just waiting until Peri was done whining... you are done, right?” Pearl frowned and Peridot simply crossed her arms. “Hmm, what to start with... Alright, how exactly did the three of you meet?” “I first met Willy in the temple of Fire. Ahuizotl was trying to steal the spirits of flame but neither of us were expecting the spirits to ya know, wake up.” Daring gestured to Willy, who looked lost in thought. “What were you doing in a temple?” she asked Willy. “I died. It’s that simple,” he replied, looking back at her. “So you always go back to the temple when you die?” “No, the temple was built afterwards,” Daring explained, “ The ancient ponies worshipped the ten elements, mostly after witnessing the Great War.” “Speaking of which, where are the other elements?” Peridot asked. “We were the only two that were human.” Willy gestured to himself and Rico. “The rest were the actual warriors. They... didn’t have the power to come back. Their spirits are still scattered.” Both digimon seemed to sadden, with Rico looking off into the distance. “Hey, there anything you want to ask us?” Lapis smiled, trying to lighten their mood. “What’s it like being a lesbian space rock?” Willy grinned, looking down at Garnet. “We don’t age, we don’t need to eat, we don’t even need to breathe... It’s safe to say that definitely took some getting used to. We’ve never gone to space before. Being one giant woman just feels right, really, not much else to say about it.” “We used to be giants as well,” Willy said with a nod, “We originally arrived as AncientGreymon and AncientGarurumon.” “Let me guess, then you died?” “We died banishing Lucemon to the void.” Rico snorted. “I hope he rots.” “And you’re not worried he could come back?” “Who knows, but something is attacking Halla again, that's why I woke up, so I could get Rico and collect the other spirits.” Willy snorted. “And when we get them, nothing will be able to stop us.” “Yes because I’m so eager to fuse with you, Hellboy.” Rico smirked, seeming to lighten up. “Okay. Any other questions about our world?” Lapis asked. “And don’t take fusion so lightly.” “It’s not that big a deal, we can’t even do it yet.” Willy shrugged. “Try dancing, that works for us.” Pearl smiled. “It doesn’t work like that.” Rico shook his head. “We can’t fuse because we only have the spirits of fire and light. We need all of them to do it.” “Then we can spirit evolve into Susanoomon!” Willy grinned, baring his fangs. “One of the most powerful digimon there is!” Pearl frowned before turning to Peridot, who simply responded with, “He’s right,” and a shrug. “Okay, what other questions did you have again?” “So uh... what is this place anyway?” Willy asked, scratching his cheek. “This is Northern Equestria, coldest part of the land and home of the Crystal Empire, which is also our home. Speaking of which, we should be there soon.” “Modern geography is lost on these guys, they were around about 10,000 years ago.” Daring pointed out, adjusting her hat. “Sometimes Digimon forget their previous lives when they die, has that ever happened to either of you?” Peridot asked. “Not that I know of.” Willy shrugged. “I remember my time as a human and as AncientGreymon perfectly.” He tapped his chin, looking down at Pearl. “So, who were those guys attacking you?” “Are you familiar with the name ‘King Sombra’?” After receiving one nod, from Daring, Lapis continued. “Well long story short, evil pony who once ruled the Crystal Empire and an expert in dark magic, possibly the best there is or ever was. The guy was able to control us with his magic, with nothing we could do. He got beaten eventually by Celestia and Luna, but he put a curse on the Empire, locking it away for over 1,000 years. About half of us were able to escape, but we had to run. We went in hiding for all that time until they finally found us, at the same time the Empire resurfaced. We beat Sombra again and became guards for the Crystal Empire. Things were looking up for us until we found out Sombra had a failsafe; he stored his magical essence in all of us and was able to be brought back to life. Now he’s cheated death a second time, with a force of gems he made himself. The ones you saw were Cinnabar, a needle- throwing gem who can turn her physical form into gas. The other was Amber, a monster who becomes more powerful by assimilating gems into his body.” “You mean this Cinnabar?” Willy asked, pulling the red gem from his pocket. “I snagged it before we left.” “What?” Amethyst frowned. “But that doesn’t make any sense, why didn’t Mercury teleport her away?” Garnet rubbed her chin. “Did you see any others when we left?” “Nope, but then I just wanted a trophy.” Willy grinned. “I’m so keeping this one. I think it’s only fitting that the first servant of flame is a cinnabar!” Rico groaned. “Pokemon logic does not apply, nerd.” “You do realise she’ll eventually reform and escape from you?” “Hey man, I beat Lucemon, I can handle a gem.” “You don’t understand. Why is she still even here? Each of the gems is always teleported back to Mercury and Sombra’s hideout. Is it a trap? Did Mercury just decide Cinnabar was of no further use? It really seems like you’re not thinking about this.” “Obviously, it’s a trap.” Rico shrugged. “Willy is just playing the idiot.” “Hey man, I’m just not that worried about it.” Willy huffed, tossing the gem up and down. “We ran into this sorta thing a lot against Lucemon.” “Still, I highly doubt she’ll be willing to be any kind of servant to someone other than Sombra.” “Well... we could try to purify her...” Rico stroked his chin. “You’re really sounding like some sort of cult now.” Jasper said. “We’ve done it before.” Willy examined the gem closely. “Lucemon used to corrupt digimon to do his bidding. We legendary warriors were able to remove the dark taint from inside them but... we haven’t tried it on non-digimon.” “Each gem is made with a built- in loyalty to Sombra, by him, for him. It’s kinda all they know.” Amethyst stared at the gem. “We could still try...” Willy placed the gem back in his pocket. “It doesn’t matter what you are, you’re always more than the sum of your parts.” “None of us will stop you from trying, but we’re just warning you. Even after removing her dark magic, I don't imagine it’d be easy teaching her other ways than Sombra. But if you can do that, we’ll probably be taking up a lot of your time.” Jasper chuckled. “Alright then.” Willy cracked his knuckles, jumping off Garnet’s shoulders. He snagged the gem out of his pocket, letting out a long breath. “Be purified by the flame.” He closed his eyes, enclosing the gem between his hands and letting some of his essence wash over it. He finished, and the gem appeared to be slightly brighter. “Did it work?” Amethyst tilted her head. “Dunno... yet.” Willy panted. “That... is a lot harder... on non-digimon.” “Well on the bright side, we’re at the Empire.” Pearl smiled as a bright light came into view, with dazzling crystals enticing the eyes of both digimon and pegasus alike. Crystal ponies trotted through, with smiles on their faces as they spoke to each other or were just walking. “Quite a sight, isn’t it?” “Jesus... look at these guys...” Willy breathed out, looking at the crystal ponies in awe. He moved over to one, poking it. “Come on, let’s get you guys something to eat. Our treat.” Garnet dragged Willy by the tail away from the ponies. They sat in a restaurant at a large table by the wall. Many of the crystal ponies were uncomfortable and shifted slightly further away from the gems. Willy scarfed down a pie with Amethyst while Rico ate a shiny corn cob. Pearl looked down at the food, conflicted about eating it. “Just eat already.” Willy grinned, looking at Pearl. “It’s delicious!” “Be quiet!” she stammered. “I take it you’re enjoying the food?” Garnet asked. “It’s very good.” Rico smiled, nodding his head. “I wish there was more meat in these places.” Jasper grunted. “What I wouldn’t do for a good steak right now...” “If you want meat, go to Griffonstone,” Lapis said in between bites of a corn cob. “U- um, would a- any of you like anything else?” the waiter asked, stuttering slightly out of nervousness. “Got any root beer?” Willy asked. The waiter nodded. “Some of that please.” “Alright. A- Anyone else?” He forced a smile as he looked to the others, before turning away after getting a series of heads shaking. “Hey, you guys mentioned a name back there, a ‘Mercury’?” “Yes, Mercury Pierce. She’s essentially Sombra’s second in command. She helped make many of the gems like Cinnabar and Amber. She’s incredibly intelligent and deceptive,” Garnet explained. “Pony, I take it?” “Yes.” “Huh, the more you know...” “Say, any change in Cinnabar?” “How would I tell?” “Her gem would be shining, for a start. Is your pocket any brighter?” He reached down, pulling the gem out. It was the same as before. “Nope. No change.” “Oh. Okay then.” “Your root beer, sir?” The waiter came back with Willy’s order. “Ah, thank you.” He took it, taking a long sip. He let a satisfied sigh, sliding down in his chair. After a while, a guard walked over to their seat. “Sup?” He asked, looking up at the guard. “Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armour would like to speak with the two of you.” She pointed at the two digimon. “Don’t worry, I’m sure nothing’s wrong.” Lapis smiled when she saw the two looked uncertain. “Right then, don’t let the food get cold.” Willy hopped out of his seat, walking over to the guard with Rico in tow. When the gems stood up the guard raised her hoof. “They’ve only asked for these two.” “Oh, um, I see.” “We’ll be fine,” Rico assured them. “This... doesn’t exactly look like a palace...” Willy commented with a frown. The guard had led them through the city in what should’ve been a simple route, but she had had taken a sudden turn into an alleyway and stopped them. “Relax, this is a detour,” She reassured the two. “I saw you guys take down all those gems, what happened there? You all suddenly just got bigger and stronger.” “We just tapped into our true power.” Willy smiled. “We just use these forms for convenience... and because Aldamon tends to melt or burn everything around him...” “How does that work?” She frowned. “What’s this ‘true power’ you’re talking about?” “We’re the warriors of fire and light, when we fuse the two halves of our element together, we unleash our true power.” Rico crossed his arms, looking at her suspiciously. “Hey, I was just asking, you don’t need to glare at me like that and... Wait, there are more of you guys? That sounds amazing! A whole bunch of powerful elements. The only elements we have here are the Elements of Harmony.” “There were more but they gave their lives to stop Lucemon.” “I don’t know what a ‘Lucemon’ is but that all sounds like a lot to wrap your head around. So that makes you two the last of your kind, right?” “If you’re talking about digimon, not really.” Willy shrugged. “But we are the only remaining of the legendary warriors.” “Legendary warriors, we’ll remember that name.” She grinned. “Ooookay the-” Willy was cut off as he felt his limbs move on their own, a magical aura covering them. “Seriously!?” He felt something sharp stab his lower back, before quickly removing itself. His body was then hit with a blast of magic, knocking him in a wall. Meanwhile, the ‘guard’ bucked Rico while he was about to help his friend. “We certainly will remember,” a voice spoke from behind them. They saw a unicorn mare with a bright emerald coat. Her eyes were a dull indigo and her neat mane was a shining silver with a greenish tint. Glasses were balanced on top of her muzzle. “So you’re Mercury, right?” Willy asked with a growl, getting to his feet. “Indeed, and you two are ‘Willy’ and ‘Rico’. Strange names, but I won’t question foreign customs.” “Better names than Flamemon and Strabimon,” he shot back, throwing a fireball at her. “Of what significance are those names?” she asked, her tone not changing as she jumped to the left to avoid the fire. “Chalcanthite, if you would?” Behind him, a gem of pale cyan rose up from where the guard was. With daggers in her arms, she slashed his body several times before moving on to Rico. “Spirit evolution!” Rico shifted, becoming tall and human, his body covered in the same armor as when he was Beowolfmon. “Lobo Kendo!” He pulled out a sword hilt, creating a blade of light. Rico lunged forward, cutting the daggers in two. “Be purified by the light!” He thrust his hand out, sending a wave of light at Chalcanthite. She flipped over him and jumped on his back. Mercury frowned at the attack, then looked at WIlly, seeing something glisten in his pocket. “I could no longer sense Cinnabar’s presence. It was as if her dark magic had vanished.” Her gaze darkened as she looked down at the rookie digimon. “That’s your fault, isn’t it?” “I do my best.” Willy grinned back. “Lucemon learned that the hard way.” “You continue to speak of this ‘Lucemon’. Should I care about that name?” She shook her head. “Well it doesn’t matter. Originally, I was going to get some samples of your DNA and leave, but you removing Lord Sombra’s influence has changed that. You’re going to die. You and your friend.” “You should. Lady, we beat a god,” Willy snorted. “Spirit evolution!” He shifted, becoming Agunimon. “Pyro Darts!” Fire erupted from the back of his gauntlets. He swiped his free hand over them, sending them flying at her. “Strange. Your power seems to depend on these transformations you undergo. I’ll kill you before you get any stronger.” She teleported behind him. “Attack, Gagate.” Two stone hands just looming over the Agunimon rose from the ground below, putting Willy in between them, then they slammed together. “You think that's going to stop me?” Willy asked, causing an outward explosion. “Pyro Punch!” He thrust his fist at her, unleashing a barrage of fire. A stone wall rose up between them, blocking the fire. A stone golem with purple eyes appeared from the earth in front of the wall. Willy avoided a swing from the construct. “Meet Gagate, Willy. He will be your opponent.” “Should have made him bigger.” Willy smirked, cracking his knuckles. “Such cockiness. Let us hope this form is as strong as your previous one.” As she finished, two small rock hands grabbed his legs, holding him in place, and Gagate socked him square in the face. “I will not allow you to hurt Lady Mercury.” He stated. “You will fall.” “And you...” Willy chuckled, headbutting the golem, “will melt!” He shrouded himself in flames, melting the hands holding his legs. “If that is what it takes to defeat you, then so be it.” Willy jumped up as spiked rocks snapped up to impale him, but when he took to the air, Gagate summoned another far taller wall to hit him. “That's... really annoying,” Willy snorted, punching through the wall. “Pyro Darts!” He launched a few at Gagate, dodging out of the way of another attack. The stone gem tackled Willy to the ground, headbutting him several times before being thrown off. “How you doing over there, Rico?” he asked, unleashing a firestorm on Gagate. “You know, just fine.” He parried a slash by Chalcanthite, before roundhouse kicking her into a wall. “Why do you oppose Lady Mercury? Had you offered your services to her and King Sombra, you would have been a valuable asset.” She ducked when Rico attacked again. “I don’t bow to dictators, nor do I let others suffer.” He held out his left hand, a point of light shining on his gauntlet. “Howling Laser!” The point became a beam, firing off at her. “Do you think I’m like Cinnabar?” She stepped to the left to avoid the laser and slashed at him with her daggers before kicking him in the jaw. “It doesn’t matter. I am the spirit of light and I will purify any corruption I see!” He slid to the right, slamming his fist into her stomach. “Your light is no match for King Sombra. You’ll learn that not everything can be purified!” She became faster, making various cuts in his armour, her daggers slicing deeper. She ducked a swing and shoved one into his leg. He grabbed her hand, grinning at her. “You’re right. Darkness in itself is not bad, but...” He stabbed his sword into her, slicing upward. “Just like everything else, it can be corrupted.” As she popped, he snagged her gem, closing his hand around it. “Be purified by the light...” He closed his eyes, allowing his essence to wash over it. “This... must be what... you did to Cinnabar.” She shuddered and writhed. “However... I. Am. Not. So. Weak!” Her eyes became black as she futilely tried to resist his purification. She was suddenly teleported behind him and kicked him in the back. “That was far too close, Chalcanthite.” Mercury’s voice ran through the alley. “But that is why I’m here.” Chalcanthite summoned the daggers, but this time they were radiating with dark magic. Rico responded by summoning a second sword, connecting them into a two bladed weapon. The two ran at each other, dagger and blades colliding before they jumped back. “King Sombra’s magic benefits in more ways than one.” She swept him off his feet and kneed him in the face. “I think... you’re underestimating me...” Rico got to his feet, cracking his neck. “If I have to, I will destroy you.” He ran forward, laying down a barrage of slashes. “The fact that you’re only now considering it almost makes me laugh.” Chalcanthite glared at him with her new eyes. She summoned several daggers in her hands and threw them at Rico. When he dodged them, the pale cyan gem leapt on his shoulders and stabbed the daggers into his back, letting the dark magic seep into him. “This is what the warrior of light is brought down by, the dark magic of King Sombra.” Rico grunted, stumbling into the wall. He dropped his sword, bringing his hands together. He shined brightly, illuminating the alley, nearly blinding everyone. “I’m not merely the warrior of light. I.AM. THE. LIGHT!” He threw the offending gem off his back, the dark magic evaporating from his body. “I live in balance with darkness. Neither is good nor evil, they are merely a part of nature, just as corruptible as any other! You think you can handle us? We’ve just been playing at your level, but if you want to get serious...” “Do you think I’m a fool? I’m aware of your power, your... Transformations. But I would die for my makers. My power lies not in my stealth or my weaponry but in my devotion to them!” She flipped over him and gave him a kick in the face when she was above. Her left hand became a hammer and slammed down on his back. He rolled forward before springing back, sending her tumbling out of the alley. “You are a sad little creature. You don’t even have a choice in anything you do. You never even had the chance to think for yourself.” He sighed, taking a stance. “Fusion Spirit Evolution!” He shifted back into Beowolfmon, leveling his blades at her. “I’m done going soft on you.” “I see.” She simply stood up, not attacking. Rico was about to make the first move when he felt something sharp lodge itself in his back, and it wasn’t a dagger. “The form you used to defeat Amber and Cinnabar.” Mercury made a presence known again. After a moment, the syringe was removed. “And now I have a sample.” She looked at the syringe being held by her aura. “Go ahead, without our spirits, those samples are worthless.” Rico was gone only to appear in front of Mercury, pinning her to the wall with her head between his blades. “Anything can be found. No matter how hard you may try to hide something it can be dug from the hole it was placed in.” She was suddenly standing behind him, the Mercury between his blades gone. “That will be all, Chalcanthite.” The gem nodded and jumped away. Willy chucked Gagate at her before leaping out into the open, once again becoming Aldamon. “You know...” He set himself ablaze, heating the air around him. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I burned as hot as the sun.” Stone hands grabbed both of their feet, except instead of simply holding them in place, they were dragged into the ground, the hole sealing up afterwards. “You will be dug up eventually,” Gagate said. “Whether it be after you suffocate... Or even in a few seconds.” A few seconds passed before an eruption rocked the ground, with flames firing outwards. Willy flew out of it, firing a shot from his arm cannon, vaporizing a good portion of Gagate’s body. A stone fist sprouted up from under him, hitting his face. Instantly, several more burst out, hitting him from every angle. He was forced up into the air to avoid them. All the while, rocks collected around him, repeatedly striking his body. “You think this hurts?” Willy asked with a blunt laugh. His flames roared outwards, melting the fists. He righted himself, putting his hands close together and summoning up an orb of flame. “Solar Wind Destroyer!” He expanded it to an alarming size before chucking it at Gagate. The golem had no recourse, his body melted under the power of a star. Rico chuckled, flying over to snatch his gem up before it was destroyed. However, he frowned when none was there. “Simply destroying my body won’t work.” Another golem rose up from the ground. “And you’ll be hard pressed to find my gem.” Another jumped onto his back, taking him by surprise and bringing him down. “I am not as easy to bring down as you think.” A dark light shone in the arms of each, as two more piled on him, punching up unendingly. Soon, an energy wave slammed into each of the golems, knocking them away. “Okay, that was annoying...” Rico coughed, standing up, brushing himself off. Mercury shook her hooves, and ran them through her mane to remove any loose pebbles. “I usually prefer not to get my hooves dirty...” She closed her eyes. “After all, that’s why I have the gems. But your face, your voice, your annoying speeches about the good in everyone. Honestly...” Her eyes lit up. “Do you truly believe that we can all be good if we simply try?” “Of course. I fought alongside the element of darkness himself. Nothing in this world is inherently good or evil, it's how you use them that define you.” “You really are a white knight, aren’t you? Would you say the same of those like Tirek, or Lucemon?” “Yes I would.” He took a breath, sighing. “Lucemon fell to his own ambition. He was an angel who brought peace before his power consumed him.” “Your refusal to acknowledge these facts makes me sick. I’ll kill the pegasus you were with, then I’ll kill everyone else you care about! Then I’ll ask you if I can still change!” She shot several magic beams at him. “Everyone we care about is dead.” He didn’t seem all that affected by the magic, firing off a barrage of missiles from his left hand. Her eyes widened as they hit her head- on, obliterating the wall of a house she was near. “Not everyone.” She got up and looked back at Willy who was still fighting Gagate. The latter was glowing with a similar type of magic that had covered his arms shortly before, except this time it was his entire body. Only one of the golems was undergoing this transformation. She directed her gaze back to Rico. In front of him something started to take form. A construct of a seven- foot tall minotaur made entirely out of magic dug its hoof into the ground. It rammed into his chest, sending him away. “That tickled.” He laughed, getting to his feet. “Got anything else?” Mercury responded by covering herself in her own magical aura and rocketing towards him. Instead of slamming into his body, she ran through his legs, stopping when she was just behind him. A chain- like appendage extended from her horn, attaching itself to the back of his head. She threw him into the nearest wall and shot some more magic blasts where he landed, causing a small explosion. The once calm and calculating Mercury had an insane and maniacal look on her face. “You're getting there at least...” Rico emerged from the rubble, letting debris fall from his body. “But not by much.” “I’m the strongest, the smartest there is!” she yelled. “I won’t lose to some idiot who should be old enough to know you can’t change anything with the good of your heart!” “Actually you can.” He cracked his neck, brandishing his weapon. “If you try hard enough, that is.” He vanished then reappeared above her, cleaving one of his blades through her horn, straight down the middle, the ground below them splitting as he followed through. “Oh, save it!” Magic still attempted to appear in the horn. “ It baffles me how a warrior such as yourself can be so blind. You’ll be obliterated by the darkness you claim to be balanced with.” “No, I won’t.” He kicked her away, launching another barrage of missiles. They hit several locations around Mercury, including the mare herself. She fell to the ground. “You... You...” Her frown became a grin. “Idiot.” Her horn and all her injuries healed. Her body became larger and larger as she became something that wasn’t even remotely recognisable as a pony. It advanced towards him, and no matter how many slashes he dished out, the beast did not waver. “Is that all?” She laughed. “Where was that fighting strength you had before? “Rico?” He heard a voice that he couldn’t pinpoint the location of. “Rico!” He opened his eyes, finding not an insane pony that was transforming into some sort of monster, but the gems and Daring next to him. “I’ll give you this.” Mercury sat on a roof. “You really put a strain on my magic. However, you’re not good with illusions, are you?” “Just me playing along Mercury.” He smirked up at her. “I’d rather not level the city.” “It’s a bit too late for that.” She turned her sights to the damage he had caused from their ‘battle’. “Such destructive power. Who knows how many you hurt, how many houses you destroyed. It’s not my problem, then again.” “You’re still here?” he asked, raising his eyebrow. “I’m waiting for Gagate to finish up.” One Gagate, the true one, was covered in a dark light, similar to Chalcanthite’s eyes. His body darkened and crystals appeared on his upper back. “One of the wonders of dark magic,” the golem said. “Yeah yeah, whatever.” Willy shrugged, easily melting the golems to slag with careful shots of his blasters. Once Gagate found himself as the next target he summoned another wall, where the blast was stopped and the stone barrier stood strong. “Melting me won’t work.” The wall fell down on top of Willy. “I’m just not trying all that hard.” Willy punched through the wall, yawning a little. “I brought myself down to your level, friend.” “Is that your excuse? I am almost tempted to laugh.” He stared through Willy, who went in for a punch. He blocked it with his arms instead of a wall. Once he saw an opening, he brought both his hands up and slammed them down on Willy’s skull, forming a crater in the ground. “Hahaha!” Willy laughed, standing up, looking no worse for wear. “It’s actually hilarious. To just imagine that a unicorn and a some talking space rocks could take us down. Please.” He punched his fist into Gagate, flying the both of them up into the sky. He exited the barrier and kept going, allowing his temperature to soar, quickly reaching the heat of the sun. “That same unicorn tricked your friend into bringing down two blocks.” Gagate remained unfazed. “Actually, she didn’t. You think we’re stupid? All of our attacks were localized, and didn’t stray from our fight.” He smirked, the air around them combusting. “But up here, up here there's no one to hurt.” “I’d look again when I get back down if I were you, which will be sooner than expected.” Gagate grabbed onto Willy’s body, the heat not affecting him in the slightest. Dozens upon dozens of dark jagged crystals came out of his body. Each one of them stabbed through the fire element, piercing his armour and skin. “I was made with the durability to handle heat from the ruler of the sun, flames do nothing to me in this form!” He brought one of his arms up and punched Willy in the face, leaving various cuts in its wake. The two stopped in the sky. “Oh wow, that actually hurt a bit.” Willy laughed, headbutting the golem hard enough to send cracks through his body. He tightened his grip on the construct, dive bombing the two of them into the tundra. “It’s a shame. You never seem to listen when I say how durable I am.” Gagate rose up, his body repairing any damage that might’ve been there. He held his face until he was sure it would stay there. Almost immediately, Gagate found most of his body vaporized. Willy got to his feet, the temperature rising still, the remaining sections of Gagate starting to melt. “However, I will not lose!” “You think the element of fire can’t burn hotter than a star?” he snarled, a firestorm starting to whip around him. “I can burn hotter than any star you know. Solar Wind Destroyer!” He launched the orb at the golem, a sneer etched onto his face. Gagate’s right arm fell off first, sinking into the ground. Suddenly, his body did the same. It stumbled forward to try and land one last punch, but fell onto the ground. “Ha... You’ve destroyed... almost as much as your friend did.” The shrieks and screams of crystal ponies could be heard, they were running away in fear of the element. “However...” A large crystal lodged itself in his chest. “You still... haven’t... destroyed me!” There was no body behind him. At least, not a full one. A head,half a torso and an arm made of dark stone had emerged behind him. Of course, the large crystal impaling him, as well as the quick construct of a body, was also melting. Out from the golem’s right arm, a gem fell to the ground. “I don’t need to.” He huffed, snatching up the gem. “Daring!” “Y-yeah!?” The pegasus gulped, flying over to him. “You have the vial right? Use it.” “W-what?” she asked, blinking. “You heard me. Use it.” “O-okay...” Daring reached into her satchel, pulling out a small vial. She popped the cork, letting a cloud of orangish dust float out. It spread across the destroyed city, the crystal repairing itself as Willy brought the flames into himself. “The last of AncientVolcanomon’s power.” He turned toward the gems, reverting back to Flamemon. “Gagate.” Peridot walked up to the digimon. “One of their most versatile gems. He was made to counter the fire magic of Princess Celestia. He could control stone in a similar way that Lapis controls water and use Sombra’s dark magic to make himself even more durable. He doesn’t even have a traditional physical form. He prefers to stay inside a golem and hide his gem, as you saw. If he so much as touches the earth he could easily make a new body.” “I let him get the better of me...” He gazed down at the gem, sighing. “Your people are terrified of us...” “That’s just what Mercury Pierce does.” Jasper sighed. “Mercury Pierce is a scientist, but also a tactician. She’s an expert at playing people right into her hooves. She did the same with your friend.” She looked to the ground. “And as for the ‘people being terrified of you’ thing... Welcome to the club.” Lapis chuckled as she put her hand on his shoulder. “We’re better than that...” He closed his eyes, starting to purify the gem in his hands. “We’ve been tricked into doing far worse,” the water gem continued. “Well as far as we’re concerned, you were just fine.” Garnet picked him up and placed him on her hair. “Thanks.” He smiled a bit, not opening his eyes. “Would seconds make you feel better?” Amethyst grinned. “Hell yeah!” He grinned, opening his eyes as he finished with Gagate’s gem. “Should you really be putting so much strain on yourself? You shot down from the sky and you were stabbed. I’d probably be a bit more careful.”’ “I’ve had worse.” He smiled a little, letting out a yawn. “Alright then.” She shrugged and they walked away. “We couldn’t stop Mercury. She got away unharmed with the samples, by the way.” Lapis sighed. “I wouldn’t worry too much.” Rico walked over, looking exhausted. “Most they’ll get is our current forms.” “Don’t underestimate her. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but I think she’ll find some way to use them.” Pearl said with an unsure look on her face. All she got in response was Willy’s snores, the diminutive digimon passed out on Garnet’s head. “Ugh. I guess it’s our problem. We owe you guys so much anyway.” “Don’t worry about it...” Rico yawned. “It’s our job.” “Still, we’d like to repay you guys in some way eventually.” “If that's how you feel, we won’t stop you.” He smiled up at her. “Hey Will, any change in Cinnabar?” “Huh?” He asked, lifting his head up, letting out a yawn. “I dunno.” He pulled out Cinnabar’s gem, blinking. “How can ya tell...?” “Is it lighting up at all? Even a little bit?” He squinted, peering at it closely. “Hello?” He asked, knocking on it. “You ready to come out?” Nothing happened at first. When he was ready to put it away, a light began to shine in the middle of the gem. It got brighter and brighter, rising up from Willy’s hand into the air. The light began to take form, a body came into being. The light faded, and a woman landed on the ground. She shook for a moment before slowly getting up. “Wh...” They saw a bright red woman, wearing an orange tank top and dark red combat jeans. She wore a jacket over the tank top and a ponytail was hanging on the back of her head. Her hands were covered by brown fingerless gloves. “What... Where... am I?” She looked around, stopping when she saw the gems, pegasus, and digimon. “YOU!” “Sup?” Willy asked, yawning softly. “You destroyed my task force! You defied King Sombra! I’ll destroy all of you!” She got her needles out and most of the gems got ready for a fight, one that never came. Cinnabar stood there with the needles in her hand, ready to throw them. “I feel strange. What did you do to me?!” she demanded, a look of rage and confusion on her face. “I removed Sombra’s hold over you. You’re your own gem now.” “You did what?!” she yelled. “You made me betray my makers?! I’m a traitor because of you! I’ll...” A small amount of gas built up in her arms. “I want to choke you, suffocate with every ounce of gas I have. But what’s this feeling? It’s like this all feels... different.” “Well now that you're no longer full of that corruption, you're feeling normal emotions.” Will got off Garnet’s shoulders, moving over to her. “But... But I have to obey him. He’s my creator, my master. I have to obey!” “No you don’t, not anymore.” “I... I don’t understand.” Cinnabar’s clenched her hands around her head, her body trembling. “Hey.” He placed his hand on her leg. “It’s okay. We’re here for you.” He gave her a tired smile. “You’re safe with us.” “I...” She was still shaking, her eyes wide with fear, the fear of being separated from her master. Slowly, she moved her trembling hand towards Willy. “I know you’re scared, that's okay, everyone gets scared.” He never lost his smile, looking up at her. “But I’m just a creation, a tool to be used and thrown away should it be seen fit.” Her hand stopped in its path, but the shaking didn’t cease. “W-what else am I supposed to be?” “Whatever you want.” He reached out, taking her hand. “You’re free to be whatever you want now.” “Actually.” They turned. “The correct answer is nothing. You are nothing without King Sombra.” Mercury stood in front of the two, her body shaking slightly from the injuries she sustained but she still kept her calm demeanor. The gems, upon sight of her got their weapons ready. “You can say what you want girl.” Willy shrugged. “Doesn’t change anything.” “Cinnabar.” She turned to the gem, who instinctively straightened at her beckoning. “Do you honestly believe that you can live without King Sombra, the one to which you owe the very life he granted you? You will retrieve Gagate from that miserable ape and then you will return with me to King Sombra.” “Cinnabar.” Willy held onto her hand, gazing into her eyes. “I can’t tell you what to do, nor can I make you do anything, but, you don’t have to go back to them. You’re not a tool Cinnabar. We are more than the sum of our parts, and I promise you, I’ll help you find your way.” “You are nothing more than a shadow gem and will never be anything more.” Her stare hardened. “You’re not thinking straight, nor should you be thinking much at all, just like how you shouldn’t be anything other than a shadow gem. Bring Gagate and come with me to replace the lost dark magic in both of you and we might forgive your errors.” “Is that who you want to serve?” Willy asked, frowning. “Someone who tells you you're nothing. It doesn’t matter how you're born or what you are. We’re each our own people. I believe you can be better Cinnabar, just let me show you.” “Look at yourself. Without King Sombra you were reduced to a trembling mess, fearful of everything around you. That is what you are without us. Remember that feeling and tell me if you still want to turn your back on us.” Mercury glared at the two of them. “I can help you, just give me the chance.” Willy smiled, pulling out a chocolate bar, offering it to her. Her hand was shaking now even more than before, her eyes were wide as she looked between the two of them. From Mercury to Willy and from Willy back to Mercury. “It’s alright to be scared, everyone gets scared, even badasses like me.” “Was I really being controlled?” she asked. “Is it true that I can be more?” ‘What’s this inside me?’ she thought. ‘It’s like a fire, something explosive. Why do I get it just thinking about Lady Mercury? It’s like something’s telling me not to go with her. Should I trust this? These... things in me, these emotions. Are they good? Are they bad?’ She slowly put her hand on the chocolate bar. “You’re pathetic.” The words rang in her ears like a church bell. She was shocked, and the fire in her core began to grow. She took a piece. . “I see.” Mercury adjusted her glasses and gave a condescending stare. Her horn lit up as she teleported behind them, her eyes lighting up once again. Willy moved between them, letting out a breath of flame. “You chose wrong, you miserable hunk of rock.” She made a shield before letting out a magical surge, blasting everyone away. “If she chose wrong, why are you so mad?” Willy asked, grinning as he got to his feet. “Such insubordination will not be tolerated. If you would truly choose strangers over those that gave you life then so be it!” She shot off beams in multiple directions. Lapis froze her wings to turn them into a shield to defend against a few of them. “Screw you lady!” Willy growled, looking at Peridot. “Toss me the digivice!” The green gem nodded, tossing the digivice with her right hand whilst she continued to attack Mercury with her left. He caught it, holding it out. A piercing light shot out of it, cutting through Mercury, seeming to sear at her very core. “Back off bitch!” He warned, cutting the beam off, glaring at her. She teleported behind him once again, ready to take the digivice, Gagate and most importantly, his life. She was supposed to just cut his body with her magic, but something was wrong. She felt like she was choking. “You sad little traitor.” She quickly teleported a few feet away from them. Cinnabar walked towards her, gas leaking out of her sleeves. That flame that she felt in her core was larger than ever before. Speaking of fire, a small flame was near the unicorn. The gem pointed both of her arms at Mercury, two large gas clouds flying towards the unicorn. “Everyone down!” Willy shouted, moving in front of Cinnabar, shifting into Agunimon to shield her from the blast. Once the smoke cleared, the spot where Mercury once stood was empty. “That...was very brave of you.” Willy panted, turning to look at the wayward gem. “Good job.” He smiled, pulling her into a hug. She slowly returned the embrace. “All I’ve ever known is Sombra and Mercury. Now I’ve turned my back on them. What do I do now?” “Well, you could stay here with the gems, you could come home with Rico, Daring and I, or go your own way. The whole world is open to you now.” “And what about Gagate?” “I dunno, you think he’ll come around?” “Hard to say, he was always the quiet type.” She thought for a moment. “The dark magic increases our power as well as bonds us to Sombra. We were made in Equestria, so we have some access to that magic. He can’t do that transformation without dark magic though, unless there was some other way to simulate it..” “We’ll just have to wait and see then...” Willy let out a long yawn, reverting back to Flamemon. “Now... some food would be nice...” “Do they have any more of that brown stuff?” Cinnabar asked with uncertainty. “I got a few.” He smirked, pulling another out. “I take it you like?” “I- maybe.” She quickly took the chocolate. “Go ahead, eat to your heart’s content!” He grinned. She paused for a moment before taking a bigger bite out of the bar. The large group walked out of the restaurant. They had finished their meal and each had satisfied looks on their faces, except for Pearl who still looked quite disgusted. “Now I know how Ghouls feel,” she groaned. The crystal ponies still made an effort to keep space between them and the group, but they didn’t seem to mind as most of them were too busy cleaning their teeth. “Ugh, do I have to do this everytime I eat something?” Cinnabar complained, trying to scrape the remains out with a sharpened finger. “Nah, just for what's stuck between your teeth.” Rico leaned over, offering a toothpick. “You use it like this.” He grabbed another, showing her how to get the food from between her teeth. “Um, okay. Let me try.” She rubbed the pick in between her teeth. “Am I doing this right?” “As long as you’re not stabbing your gums, you’re fine.” Willy yawned, lounging with his head resting on her lap. “I thi- wait, what’s happening to me?” Her gem was shining, and she had no idea why, nor did anyone else. “I’m not sure Cinnabar, but just stay still and see what happens. We don’t know what it is and interfering could make it worse.” She heeded Garnet’s advice and stayed still. It became brighter and brighter until something fell down. She turned her head and moved her hand to pick it up. It was a small metallic object, smaller than her palm. The top appeared to be removable. “What’s this?” She frowned, opening it. A small flame rested in it. “It’s... a lighter.” Pearl tilted her head. “Huh, haven’t seen one of those in a while.” Willy reached over, making the flame dance on his fingers. “But why did it appear?” Pearl brought her fingers to her chin. “Is that your weapon?” “I think so. I mean, there are the needles, but those are limited. Come to think of it, I’m not really sure where those come from...” “Don’t they come from your gem?” Willy asked. “My first attempt at humour was unsuccessful, it seems.” She sighed. “Don’t worry.” He grinned up at her. “You’ll get the hang of it.” “Alright then.” She smiled. He smirked, giving her a thumbs up. “It’s funny, I’m still not sure what to do or where to really go.” “You can do whatever you want Cin,” Willy sat up. “The whole world is yours now.” “Hm...” She thought for a moment. “You can come with us,” He offered, “The more the merrier.” “Wait, are you sure?” She tilted her head. “I owe you guys a lot and I don’t want to intrude or anything.” “Hey, like I said, the more the merrier. Though, you’ll be the only gem there, unless Gagate comes too.” “Alright then.” She smiled. “I guess I’ll go with you guys then.” She munched down on another piece of chocolate. “Excellent!” He smiled, taking out Gagate’s gem, tossing it up into the air. “You coming out anytime soon buddy?” he asked it. “What is happening?” A calm voice came from the gem. “We’re eating, that's what’s happening. Wanna come out and have some?” No sound came from the gem for a moment. “Lay my gem on the ground.” “Wait.” Cinnabar said. “Remember, he gets his power from the earth.” “Cinnabar? What is going on? Why do I have this strange feeling quelling within myself?” “I...” She tried to form words, trying to decide how to explain the situation for her superior. “We removed Sombra’s magic from you.” Rico looked over, putting his cup down. “You’re free now.” “You have separated me from King Sombra?” He got no answer, but they could tell there was anger in his voice. “Perhaps I misheard you. Place me on the ground so my physical form may rise up and I can hear you more clearly.” Willy shrugged, going so a bit away from the table. He and Rico got into fighting stances, waiting. The gem on the ground began to glow for a moment, before it sank into the earth. After a moment, around a dozen hands shot out of the ground, grabbing all of them by their necks. “If you so much as think the words ‘spirit evolution’ I will snap your necks before you can utter them.” He growled. “That goes the same for ‘fusion’ and ‘weapons’.” “I knew it.” Garnet grunted. She pulled the hand off, cracking it as she did so. However, several more arose to hold her in place. “I should mention, we’re effectively immortal.” Willy laughed sheepishly, going stock still. “Couldn’t hurt to try.” He tightened his grip on the two digimon. “Cinnabar, y-” He stopped when he realised that there was an empty space of gas where the red gem should’ve been. “What do you hope to accomplish? Even if you escape, you cannot break through my body. Stand down against your superior.” “Gagate, stop this,” she pleaded. “There is no reason to do this; you can be free now.” “Turn my back on the ones whom I owe everything to? If that is how you think then I am deeply disappointed in you.” CInnabar flinched slightly at his response. “You owe them nothing,” Rico snapped. “You are free to make your own choices, you're not a slave anymore.” “Owe them nothing? They granted me my very existence and you expect me to abandon them?” His grip loosened slightly. “Is it worth it if you have no choice in the matter?” Lapis asked. “And what if I don’t? I have a life, a purpose to thank them for? Nothing is for free, so if I have to sacrifice some of my choice then so be it!” “You can do what you want now, you never have to obey anyone again!” Willy argued. Gagate said nothing. There was no retort, no response. “It seems the tests are complete so far.” A cold voice rang out in his head. “What is your name?” “I am Gagate.” He whispered. “What is your purpose?” Once again, he said nothing. “Well? Why are you alive?” “Hey! Are you listening to me!?” Willy shouted at him, struggling to get free. “Answer me now. Why are you alive?” The voice demanded. “I... I am alive to...” He stopped, unsure of what to say. The hands loosened once again. “You can do whatever you want! Freedom is the right of all sentient beings!” Willy shouted, getting an annoyed look from Rico. The hands let go of everyone and sank back into the ground. Gagate himself stood in his spot, unmoving. “Look Gagate, it’s up to you now.” Peridot walked up to him. “You’re not Sombra’s puppet anymore.” “Yeah, what she said!” Willy nodded, rubbing his neck. He looked down, staring at his right arm. Inside the arm was his gem, his true self and not the shell he built himself. His fist clenched as he looked up. “Very well.” “Okay so...food?” Willy grabbed his plate, offering it to Gagate. He took the plate and bit it. “It is crunchy.” He nodded. “That’s probably the plate.” Jasper deadpanned. “Eh, he’ll get it.” Willy grinned, going back to his seat. “I seriously can’t believe 80s cartoons defused that situation..” Rico groaned, rubbing his head. “I am merely experimenting with freedom. If it fails to appeal then I will return to Sombra and beg for forgiveness,” he said, chomping down on another plate. “Say, what did you call these? As much as I hate to admit, they are rather delectable.” “... Plates,” Pearl replied. “Oh for- don’t copy him, Amethyst! Get that plate out of your mouth!” “You know... all this... really makes me miss our friends...” Willy sighed, his cheerful act slipping. “Hey... None of us are strangers to being forced to leave behind loved ones.” Jasper gave a sad smile. “We don’t have much, but we have each other. Heh, I know I must sound kinda cheesy right now but it’s honestly true. We’ve all been there... To never hear the joy in a best friend’s voice.” “To never be able to tell my mum ‘Happy Birthday’.” Peridot looked down. “Being displaced kinda does take away a lot for as much as it gives, doesn’t it?” “What’s uh... whats a Displaced?” Willy asked, laying his head back down in Cinnabar’s lap. “Wow...” Pearl was slightly surprised. “From the way you guys acted I could’ve sworn you’d been given the talk already. I mean, you know about the multiverse but not displaced?” “Considering we’re digimon now, you kinda have to believe in the multiverse.” Rico cleared his throat. “After we came to Halla, we were wrapped up in the war against Lucemon and then afterwards spent the last 10,000 years in a deathlike sleep.” “Huh. Go figure. Alright. Displaced is what we are. You know, people ripped from their worlds who usually take the form of a character from a work of fiction? The way we get to these different worlds can vary. For some it can be a costume at a convention or to others it could just be simple items you find or buy. They can talk to each other by the tokens they make. Here’s ours.” The Homeworld Gems brought out their token; the tri-diamond symbol from Steven Universe that bore a resemblance to a triforce. The Crystal Gems’ symbol was the star that had each of their gems on it, except Rose Quartz. “Ours usually arrive together. You already appear to have yours so that skips that.” “Cool... I guess...” Willy leaned forward, looking at their tokens. “Any questions?” “I think we got it.” Rico nodded. “I guess that's what happened to the others...” “Well who knows? Maybe you’ll find them. They could be in your world or another universe. You can look in between finding out who’s attacking you.” “That is true...” Willy nodded. “And with Cinnabar, we’ll one more set of eyes to help look!” The gem gave a small smile in response. “What if it’s another Demon Lord?” Peridot asked, sounding a tad too excited. “If it’s Belphemon you better call me in!” “None of them are as powerful as Lucemon.” Rico shook his head. “The two of us should be able to handle them.” “It might not be just one, and that goes for more than just Demon Lords. It could be any villain from the franchise, or it could not be. Say, do the attacks have any noticeable patterns?” “Considering these two have only been awake for about a month, we don’t know,” Daring spoke up. “I doubt we’ll find out until we reach civilization.” “Well think; anything specific? Digimon? Pony?” “There was a group of Tyrannomon led by a Devimon attacking the temple they were keeping Rico’s spirits...” Willy rubbed his chin. “Well let’s see... I’m going to assume they’re all eggs so interrogation is impossible. Perhaps they were trying to either steal or destroy your spirits. Maybe they were worshippers of Lucemon? With a way to bring him back that involves your spirits? Cherubimon once had some of the Legendary Warriors under his belt, though it seems like a step down from Lucemon.” “See, that's the weird thing, I don’t actually think they were real.” “You mean to say they were illusions?” Peridot frowned. “Maybe? They didn’t leave eggs when we beat them they kinda just...faded away...” “Well when we beat gems they get teleported back to Mercury and Sombra, maybe it’s teleportation?” “It could be... I just wish we could have caught the Devimon...” Willy sighed, putting his hands behind his head. “Or, you know, they’re not natural; artificially made. Like you said ‘not real’.” “We’ll find out at some point.” Rico finished his drink, setting his cup down. “We have to get the other spirits anyway.” “Well alright then. Good luck with finding them, I suppose. It goes without saying that you should be wary.” Lapis smiled. “Thanks.” Willy looked between them all. “So what were you guys before coming here?” “You mean to Equestria? Well I was training to be a boxer. I fell asleep after a match wearing a necklace my friend gave to me,” Jasper explained. “I was- and am- the smartest girl- gem you’ll ever meet. The gem on my head was originally a present for my mum. It was her birthday before I got displaced...” “I... was visiting my brother’s grave before my gem somehow ended up in my pocket,” Lapis looked to the ground. “The three of us bought our gems the day before a convention.” Garnet smiled. “We were originally just gonna paint them on.” Amethyst laughed. “We were visiting a con,” Willy said, closing his eyes, “We were part of our college’s anime club. Our leader, Isaac, dragged us all to the con.” “He paid for the rooms,” Rico added. “We bought some medals off a guy that looked like Genii and we ended up as digimon.” Willy reached into his pocket, tossing his medal to Peridot. “Huh. Neat.” “That's what we thought.” Willy laughed. “You can keep it if you want.” “Well... Okay. But do call us again sometime. It gives me an excuse to use my robots.” “Uh... how do we get back?” Daring asked, putting her hat back on. “That’s....a good question...” Rico frowned, looking at the gems. “Oh that? We just have to say a certain phrase for you guys to return. Have these so you can summon us anytime by the way.” They tossed the digimon their tokens before Jasper frowned. “Say, have you decided what you want to do, Gagate?” She turned around to see the golem gem with several plates in his hands and two in his mouth. “He’s more than welcome to come with us,” Willy offered, storing the tokens in his pocket. “I... have been asked my purpose many times by Lady Mercury. I have always been expected to give the same answer. I never questioned it, I would always unblinkingly give the same answer. However... that answer doesn’t seem to appeal to me any longer. It’s strange, I don’t feel the urge to go back, nor the voice of King Sombra or Lady Mercury telling me what to do. I hear my voice and my voice alone in my head, and that makes me shudder. Yet, I feel as though this way is best. These feelings that are not loyalty to either give me a strange feeling of serenity. I suppose... If others can find peace in freedom, then I would like to try. I think I will go where Cinnabar is heading. I shall learn more about what this all means by travelling abroad.” “That’s a pretty good outlook.” Rico smiled. “We’d be glad to have you with us.” “Okay then.” Garnet smiled. “I guess that settles that.” “I can drink to that.” Willy grinned, baring his fangs. After a few more root beers, they decided it was time to go. “Welp. It’s been fun and certainly helpful.” Amethyst smiled. “But you guys have your own things to do.” “Yeah, it was great getting to stretch our legs a bit... even if we kinda broke the city...” “It wasn’t as much as you think, trust me.” Lapis waved her hand. “The crystal ponies are a bit on edge is all.” “Well, send us off then.” Rico got to his feet, stretching out. “Okay. The phrase is a simple one. Our contract is complete.” “See ya around.” Rico jumped onto Gagate’s back as data started to surround him. “Don’t be strangers, if you need any help, hit us up!” Willy smirked, jumping into Cinnabar’s arms as the four of them vanished in a stream of fractal code.