//------------------------------// // Tell No Tales // Story: Digital Harmony // by Zennistrad //------------------------------// The black tower loomed ominously over the waters as Pegasusmon and Nefertimon made their approach, with their riders in tow. Its height was as impressive as any other control spire despite much of it being submerged beneath the ocean; Vespimon must have built the tower to be especially tall for it to stand so far above the waves. T.K. looked over to Kari and gave a nod. Neither of them needed to say a word: their partners instinctively understood what needed to be done. “Star Shower!” “Rosetta Stone!” The attacks converged upon the control spire, and it imploded in a cloud of dust, whatever remained quickly disintegrating into fragments of data. “Let’s head back,” said T.K. And with that, the two digimon and their human partners turned around, flying towards Port Digital. ——————— “Hi-yah!” Flamedramon let out a sharp cry as he bolted forth, throwing forward a fierce punch. CaptainHookmon retaliated swiftly, parrying Flamedramon’s attack with his weapon, and catching Flamedramon’s three-pronged claws with the barrel of his gun. He retaliated swiftly, twisting his body and carrying the momentum into his anchor, bringing it forward in a mighty horizontal swing. Flamedramon, however, managed to anticipate the strike, and ducked beneath it just as CaptainHookmon swung the anchor. Flamedramon retaliated with a backwards flip, kicking CaptainHookmon across the chin. The pirate captain stumbled backwards from the force of the blow, and Flamedramon charged forward, his claws wreathed in fire. “Fist of Flame!” The ignited claws crackled as they narrowly swung past the body of CaptainHookmon, who dodged expertly as Flamedramon unleashed a flurry of repeated strikes. Shifting his weight forward, CaptainHookmon thrust his leg out in a frontward kick. His foot caught Flamedramon straight in the stomach, and the fire lizard was sent flying backwards. CaptainHookmon charged forward, hefting his anchor on his wrist, and sent it smashing downwards in a vertical motion. Flamedramon rolled out of the way just before the moment of impact, sending splinters of wood flying as the anchor crashed into the ship’s deck. Swiftly rolling back onto his feet, Flamedramon maneuvered himself behind CaptainHookmon, his fist ignited in crimson flame. “Fist of Flame!” “Kyaa!” With a shout, CaptainHookmon pivoted his body, swinging his weapon around horizontally. The sword-like barrel slashed Flamedramon in the center of his torso. The flames surrounding his claw dissipated from the impact, and he was sent flying backwards, collapsing in a heap near the edge of the ship. CaptainHookmon gave a menacing grin, pointing the barrel of his gun at Flamedramon’s prone body. “Any last words, landlubber?” Flamedramon let out a groan, struggling in vain to return to his feet. “Aye, I didn’t think you would. Pirate’s Punish-” “Golden Noose!” The mighty shout signalled the arrival of Pegasusmon and Nefertimon, carrying between them a gleaming rope of golden light. Swooping down from the air, the rope caught CaptainHookmon in the chest, lifting him up into the air as Pegasusmon and Nefertimon wrapped the Golden Noose around him. The two flying digimon released the rope, and CaptainHookmon was sent crashing onto the wooden deck, lying in a heap with his arms bound to his torso. Pegasusmon and Nefertimon descended upon the deck, near the prone bodies of those that CaptainHookmon had injured. “We’ll take the others to safety,” said Pegasusmon, “you focus dealing with our foe!” “Thanks! I’ll take care of it,” said Flamedramon. Kari and T.K. quickly climbed off of their respective partners and carried the injured ponies and digimon away, hoisting them onto their partners’ backs. As the two armor Digimon carried the others away, CaptainHookmon crawled to his feet, his arms still bound in golden light, and glared at Flamedramon intensely. “Arrgh... ye think ye’ve bested me? I don’t even need me arms to kick you in the stern!” “We’ll see about that! Fire Rocket!” Flamedramon’s body was instantly engulfed in flames as he leapt into the air, sending himself rocketing head-first towards the pirate captain. With a spring of his legs, CaptainHookmon nimbly leapt out of the way, a ring of flames billowing outwards where Flamedramon landed. They quickly began to spread across the woodwork, smoke rising from the ship as the fire began to rapidly engulf the deck. Ignoring the blistering heat, CaptainHookmon followed his dodge by quickly circling around Flamedramon, lowering his head and charging forward through the flames. CaptainHookmon soon landed a mighty headbutt on the curve of Flamedramon’s spine, and the fiery Digimon was sent flying backwards, soaring high into the air. When Flamedramon finally descended, Flamedramon crashed face-first into the lower deck, right beneath the ship’s main mast. His body now aching and wracked with exhaustion, Flamedramon slowly shambled to his feet, covered in bruises and scars. Through the crackling of the flames, which now burned around him from all sides, he could barely make out the sound of Davis calling for him. A silhouette soon emerged from the fire, and he looked to see CaptainHookmon staring him down, his arms now free from their restraints. With a maniacal grin, he raised his weapon and pointed the barrel straight at Flamedramon’s head. Flamedramon winced as CaptainHookmon tightened his finger around the trigger, but neither the sound of the gunshot or the shout of the attack call came. Instead, he heard an ominous creaking sound coming from just above him. He and CaptainHookmon both paused, and looked upwards towards the source of the noise. Halfway up the mast, where Shinobimon’s sword had embedded itself, a crack had begun to form, spreading horizontally across the oaken pole as it widened. With a groan loud enough to be heard over the crackling of the flames, the top half of the mast began to tip over. With little time left to react, Flamedramon ducked down and covered his head, and the ship’s mast toppled itself. Flamedramon’s senses were then overloaded by the sound of a deafening crash and a whirlwind of smoke and dust that erupted from the impact. When his perceptions finally cleared, Flamedramon found that he had been completely unharmed. As the mast fell, its top half still lay precariously perched on the lower half, with the top tipped over diagonally, leaving the space near the mast untouched by the impact. The fire had already begun to recede, as the cloth sail had now covered a substantial portion of the deck, smothering the flames underneath. Beneath the sail, he could see a lump where CaptainHookmon once stood. Flamedramon cautiously stepped forward, careful not to disturb the delicate balance of the mast above him. There was a sudden ripping noise, and Flamedramon stopped in his tracks, raising his claws in a fighting stance. CaptainHookmon burst forth from beneath the sail, his body now thoroughly covered in bruises, scrapes, and burns, but the malice in his eye still was as strong as ever. The pirate captain clutched his head, moaning in pain. Seizing the opportunity, Flamedramon charged forward, brandishing the claws at the end of his hands. With a mighty shout, his fist ignited, striking decisively against the dark spiral on CaptainHookmon’s arm. “Fist of Flame!” CaptainHookmon let out a yell as the attack landed, the dark spiral shattering into nothingness. As he clutched his arm, reeling backwards in agony, the red glow in his eye slowly began to fade, revealing a stern yet compassionate gaze beneath. “What happened?” CaptainHookmon asked. “Did the dark spiral...?” “Looks like you’re back to normal,” Flamedramon replied. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” ——————— “You did it, Veemon!” Davis cried out. He ran up to the edge of the docks to greet his partner, now in his base form, who was joined by CaptainHookmon. “Hey, have I ever let you down before?” Veemon bragged. “I’ve taken on loads of tough opponents and come out just fine.” CaptainHookmon threw his head back, bursting into laughter. “Oh, yer a feisty one, I’ll give ye that! But don’t let it get to yer head! Sooner or later everyone’s luck runs out!” “Boss, you’re alright!” A voice cried out. The formerly-brainwashed Gekomon came running forward, followed by Yolei, Ken, Kari, and T.K., their now de-digivolved partners, as well as Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. At almost the same time, Kelpiemon and Submarimon both emerged from a nearby dock, Kelpiemon climbing onto land and de-evolving, and Submarimon letting Cody disembark before climbing onto land and de-digivolving himself. “Looks like we made it here just in time for the reunion,” said Armadillomon. “Though Ah don’t reckon we can say the same for CaptainHookmon’s ship.” He turned towards the heavily damaged galleon, its deck charred and broken and its mast now rendered useless. Cody and Rarity both winced at the sight of the now-ruined sea vessel. “Oh dear me, that could be a problem,” said Rarity. “Not to worry, lass,” reassured CaptainHookmon. “I’ve lost plenty of me ships before. Compared to the trouble Deckerdramon has caused me, this is nothing!” “But boss, what about Port Digital?” one of the Gekomon chimed in. “All the inhabitants are dead now! There’s no way we can replace them like a ship!” “Hmm...” Captainhookmon stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Aye, that could be a bit of a snag...” “Wait, hold on!” Twilight suddenly interrupted, her voice laden with panic. “D-did you say the town’s citizens are dead? I thought they all ran away because you were infected by the dark spiral!” CaptainHookmon frowned deeply, shaking his head. “No, they’re most certainly dead. With me under the dark spiral’s influence, this town is without a guardian. The demon that's terrorized Port Digital has no doubt finished what he intended to start so many ages ago. Who in the Seven Seas told you that, anyway?” “W-what?” Twilight stuttered, ears tapered to the side of her head. “What demon? Petermon told us the townspeople had fled because of you! I-I don’t understand!” All at once, the Gekomon recoiled in horror, and the port went dead silent. A grim expression suddenly crossed CaptainHookmon’s face. “Did you say... Petermon?” “Twinkle Shoot!” Without warning, a large knife flew straight through the air, traveling at a speed so fast that it was barely visible. The knife landed square in the middle of CaptainHookmon’s chest. The pirate let out a cry of pain as he collapsed to the ground, unmoving. After a second’s pause, his body then exploded outwards, disintegrating into computer data before dissolving into the air, leaving nothing but the knife laying on the ground. “It’s him!” “Run away!” “He’ll kill us all!” A chorus of screams came from the Gekomon as they scattered themselves in all directions, quickly scurrying out of sight of the harbor. As they fled, the knife hovered into the air, pulling itself back towards its unseen master. The Digi-Destined and their companions turned their eyes upwards, horrified to see who had launched the attack. Hovering in the air above them was Petermon, with Tinkermon’s glowing body flying beside him. “Gosh, you sure are a bunch of saps, huh?” Petermon giggled. “Honestly though, I owe you a big one. You really did a number on that old fool!”