The Joke's on Equestria

by Grey Ghost

Rub Some Dirt In It

Trixie and the gang continued their journey into the next town. And just like she promised, she started teaching Flint about magic. He was disappointed at first to learn about all the illusions that their act employed, but started learning with enthusiasm. Trixie, Roger, and Alex all felt the colt growing on them, especially with the way he called them Mom or Dad.

“So... we almost to Ponyville?” Alex asked, looking up at Trixie.

“We’re getting there,” the showmare nodded. “If we keep at our current pace then it won't be much longer. And there’s a really good bakery there~” she called out for Roger’s sake. This seemed to get his attention as the wagon picked up speed. “And now it’ll take a little less time to get there,” she smiled.

“Heh, good plan.” Alex nodded with a grin.

“You said it best, his stomach is his biggest motivator,” Trixie giggled. “Why do you think I’ve been cooking after all our shows?” Alex grinned, looking over at Flint.

“So kid, having fun?” he asked.

“You bet, Dad!” the colt beamed, his hat slipping down slightly. “And... isn't Ponyville where the newest princess lives?”

“That's right,” Trixie nodded. “And you’re going to meet her. So I expect you to be on your best behavior.”

“Yes ma’am!” he smiled, saluting.

“I’m guessing he picked that up from you?” she asked, looking over at Alex.

“Yup!” Alex proclaimed proudly.

“Ooh!” Roger called out. “Guys, I’m seeing a ton of apples! Think it’d be okay to stop and have some?”

“You're not just eating peoples food!”

“Aww, but they look super tasty!” Roger whined.

“I said no!” Alex replied, a stern edge to his voice.

“Don't worry, Roger. If we’re at where I think we are then we’ll be in town shortly,” Trixie assured him. “We can buy plenty of apples there. And if you hurry, I’ll make apple pie~”

“Yay!” Roger shouted, increasing his pace. It didn't take long for the group to reach the town proper at their new pace, though Roger seemed oblivious to the odd looks and hushed whispers that their wagon drew. He continued to pull them along until they reached the market, where his eyes locked onto the apple cart that was set up. He skidded to a halt in front of it, his tail wagging happily. “Trixie!” he called out as he licked his lips. “Can we buy some apples now?!”

“Fine,” Trixie sighed as she stepped out of the wagon. “I suppose you do deserve a treat, considering how hard you’ve worked today,” she smiled at him.

“Trixie?” Applejack asked, rising up from behind the stand.

“Oh...” Trixie paused and blushed, not making eye contact with the farm pony. “Hello... Applejack. It's... been a while. I... guess I should start by saying how sorry I am for all the trouble I caused the last time I was here.”

“What are ya’ll doin’ back in town?” she asked before looking at Roger. “Is that a digimon?”

“Yup!” Roger grinned. “I’m a Guilmon! But you can call me Roger.”

She turned back to Trixie. “Y’all really need to get him to Twilight.”

“That's why we're here,” Trixie replied. “Princess Twilight sent me a letter saying I should be on the lookout for any digimon... but since I already had two travelling with me, I thought it was just better to show her.”

“Ya got two of ‘em?”

“Yea, he’s in the wagon,” she said. “So... like I said, I truly am sorry for what I did to you and the town. And if I could just buy some apples from you to give Roger I’d really appreciate that.”

“How many ya need?” Applejack asked, looking the red dinosaur over.

“Roger, how many apples do you want?” Trixie asked, turning to him.

“Umm... a bushel!” he said after a moment of thought.

“A bushel it is,” the showmare chuckled, pulling out a coin bag and turning back to Applejack. “How much do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Applejack waved her off. “Ah know how much digimon can eat.”

“...You do?” Trixie questioned.

“Yup.” Applejack nodded.

“And... how do you know this?”

“Twi’s got four of ‘em living with her.”

“Wow, good thing she's a princess, otherwise I don't know how she’d afford to feed them,” Trixie giggled. “Roger alone eats me out of a good chunk of my earnings.”

“Ah hear ya.” Applejack smiled, passing a bag of apples over to her.

“Alright, seriously Applejack. How much do the apples cost?” Trixie asked, resting a hoof on the bag.

“And Ah’m serious too, don’t worry ‘bout it,” the farm mare retorted with a stern look.

“I’m not going to accept these apples for free. Not after what I did.”

“Yes y’all will!”

“Fine,” Trixie sighed, taking the bag, and turning away. “But before I go, take this,” she said as she used her magic to leave a small pile of bits on the stand. “Consider it a tip for your wonderful customer service and hospitality.” She smirked as she entered the wagon. “Come on Roger, we have a princess to meet~”

“Where am I going?” he asked curiously.

“Do you see the giant, crystal tree-castle?”

“Uh huh.” He nodded

“There,” Trixie replied, floating an apple out to him. He licked his lips, starting to walk. Roger ate the apple as he went, scarfing it down after the first bite. He had just finished licking his lips of the apple’s juices when they arrived at the castle.

“Are we there?” Flint asked, peeking out of the wagon.

“Yup!” Roger beamed, unhitching himself from the wagon. “Do you wanna knock on the door?”

“Yeah!” Flint hopped out, rushing up to the door, knocking on it. A moment later, Spike opened the door.

“Hello, how may I help you?” the drake asked, smiling at Flint.

“We’re here to see the princess!” Flint beamed up at him.

“We?” Spike questioned just as he noticed Alex and Roger. “Uh, Twilight, we have digimon on our doorstep!” he called back.

“What!? More of them!?” she cried, running out to see.

“Hey,” Alex waved, leaning against the wagon. Twilight stood there in silence, scanning them.

“Isaac! Get out here!” she called at the top of her lungs.

“...Wait a minute... Isaac!” Alex shouted, his eyes widening.

“Yeah, what is it this time Purple Smart?” Isaac asked, walking into view. He paused, staring at the newcomers. “Uh.... hi?”

“Isaac, it's us, Roger and Alex,” Alex informed him, walking up to the Veemon.

“Seriously?!” Isaac asked, practically glomping the Impmon.

“Take a whiff of the Guilmon and you tell me,” Alex smirked, weakly returning the hug.

“Rog?” Isaac asked, looking up at the larger digimon.

“Yup it's me!” Roger beamed, his tail wagging.

“Jet, Lee, and Marty are inside,” Isaac explained getting up and helping Alex to his feet.

“Seriously?” Alex grinned. “But wait... what about Seth, Scotty, Willy and Rico?”

“Well... we’ll explain inside,” Isaac commented, rubbing the back of his neck,

“It seems we’ve found your friends,” Trixie offered with a soft smile.

“This is great!” Alex smiled, trying not to tear up. “I thought I’d never see them again...”

“And here I thought the only thing that could make you smile like that was a large pile of bits,” she teased, putting a hoof on his shoulder.

“Haha...” he blushed, looking around.

“Why don’t you all come inside?” Twilight offered, moving to the doorway.

“Yeah!” Roger cheered, dashing inside. “Lead the way to our friends, princess lady!”

“Forgive him,” Trixie sighed as she trotted over to Flint. “He's just understandably excited.”

“And who is this?” Twilight asked, smiling down at Flint.

“I’m Flint! The Great and Powerful Trixie adopted me!” The colt beamed.

“Really?” Twilight asked, shifting her eyes to Trixie.

“Well... he snuck onto our wagon when we were leaving a town on the way here asking us to teach him to become a magician. And it turned out that he didn't have a home. So... we all decided to let him stay with us,” Trixie explained, rubbing the top of Flint’s head.

“She’s my mom!” Flint declared with a smile. “And Roger and Alex are my dads!”

“I see,” Twilight said, returning his smile, “Why don’t you come in and tell me all about it?”

“Okay!” Flint nodded, rushing inside and glomping onto Roger’s back. “Let's go, Dad!”

“Okay!” Roger smiled, running down the hall, though he had no idea where he was going.

“And now we have to go get him before he gets lost,” Trixie sighed, trotting inside and glancing at Alex.

“I’m going to go with the princess,” Alex said, walking with Twilight

“Fine, I should be back with them shortly. Knowing Roger, he’s probably heading somewhere he smells food... or pan. But I don't think anypony here partakes of that,” she chuckled as she trotted after Roger.

“So... lead the way?” Alex asked, looking up at Twilight.

“Alright, let me show you where the rest of your friends are,” Twilight smiled as she led them down the crystal halls. Eventually, she took them into a rather large library, where three other digimon were sitting around, looking bored.

“So, who's all here?” Alex asked, glancing between the assembled digimon.

“Marty is the Geo Agumon,” Isaac started to explain. “Jethro is the Wormmon, and Lee is the Gaomon.”

“So, boxing gloves?” Alex asked, looking at Lee with a smirk.

“Alex, I will delete you like an email if you finish that joke,” Lee warned with narrowed eyes.

“What joke? I was only inquiring how you do mundane tasks with boxing gloves?” Alex smiled innocently.

“I am never going to hear the end of that joke,” Lee sighed.

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t get it,” Twilight assured him.

“Of course you don't,” Alex laughed. “It's a reference from our world.” Twilight just sighed, taking her seat.

“Now, why don’t you introduce yourselves?” she asked, conjuring up her quill and scroll.

“The name’s Alex, and I’m an Impmon,” Alex said, puffing out his chest. “Oh, and I can digivolve into Wizardmon.”

“Wizard?” Twilight asked, her face lighting up.

“Yeah, it's pretty awesome,” Alex said, a smug look on his face.

“You have to show me!” she nearly shouted, a manic grin on her face.

“Well... I dunno if I can digivolve without there being some sort of danger around... but I’ll try.” Alex then closed his eyes in concentration and took a deep breath. “Impmon digivolve to!” He shouted. Twilight gasped, watching in baited breath. He started to change, his body glowing. “Wizardmon!” he shouted, the transformation complete. “Whaddaya think?” he asked, striking a pose.

“That's amazing!” Twilight gasped, nearly dropping her things.

“You’re too kind, m’lady,” Alex said with a bow.

“Can you do magic?”

“Of course I can,” he grinned, though the gesture was lost. “Got anything you wanna see?”

“Can you teleport?”

“Hmm, can't say that I’ve tried. No time like the present to try, though!” he exclaimed, flourishing his wand.

“This is going to be so much fun!” Twilight squeed, clapping her hooves together.

“Alright, any advice on teleporting?”

“Well... try to imagine making yourself appear somewhere else.”

“Got it.” He nodded, closing his eyes. “Bada Boom!” he shouted, his body flashing out of existence for a moment. He reappeared behind Isaac, leaning down. “Boo,” he whispered in his ear.

“Gah!” Isaac shouted, jumping up into the air.

“Ha!” Alex laughed, watching Isaac with a giant grin. “Oh man, I am gonna get so much mileage out of this trick.”

“You dick!” Isaac huffed, glaring at him.

“Did you expect anything different from me?” Alex snickered, twirling his wand. Isaac growled, kicking his shin.

“Jerk!”

“Keep that up and I’ll throw a Thunder Ball at your face,” Alex warned with narrowed eyes. He then teleported back over to Twilight. “Looks like I can teleport, Princess Twilight.”

“That's amazing~!” She grinned.

“I believe the word you're looking for is, astounding,” Alex replied, stroking his ego a bit more. “Anything else you want me to do? This is pretty fun.”

“What spells do you know now?” she asked, levitating her quill again.

“Well, I’ve only ever turned into this form one other time. So I haven't exactly done too much. The only things I’ve done yet aside from teleporting just now are Electro Squall and Thunder Ball,” Alex answered.

“Can we see?”

“Alright... I don't think crystals are conductive so using Electro Squall shouldn’t be all that dangerous,” he thought aloud. “But Thunder Ball can be explosive, so I don't think I should do that in a library.” He pointed his wand at an empty part of the room and shouted, “Electro Squall!” A cloud appeared in the middle of the room and a bolt of lightning crashed into the crystal floor.

“We are totally gonna spar,” Isaac said, smirking a little.

“I don’t see why not.” Alex shrugged. “If I’m not too busy doing shows with Trixie. We’ve been raking in the dough lately,” he said, rubbing his hands together.

“Always with the get rich quick schemes,” Jethro sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Except this time, it's working,” Alex pointed out. “We’ve got enough to rent a place here and stay awhile. And that's after dealing with Roger when he gets the munchies.”

“What? I get hungry...” Roger frowned, looking down.

“Hey, no worries man. Like I said, we can afford it.”

“When did you meet them Trixie?” Twilight asked, peering at the quiet showmare.

“It was... a little bit after the alicorn amulet incident,” Trixie answered, thinking for a moment. “Maybe about... a month or two after that happened.”

“Trixie thought we were dragon eggs,” Roger chuckled, letting Flint play with his ears.

“Can you blame me?” she asked. “I’d never seen eggs like them before and I knew they weren't griffon eggs.” She smiled, looking between Roger and Alex. “I will say, you two made adorable foals.”

“Shuddup,” Alex huffed, turning away from her.

“Aw, thanks Trixie.” Roger smiled, licking the mare’s cheek.

“What are your plans now, Trixie?” Twilight asked, scribbling away at her scroll.

“Well, I suppose the most important thing to do is worry about Flint’s education. And since Alex and Roger’s friends live here, I guess that means I should stay in Ponyville for now. I might even show the town our new act. It's vastly superior to the old one,” Trixie answered with a smile.

“Know of any theaters for sale?” Alex asked, leaning on his staff.

“...I can't say that I do,” Twilight replied, rubbing her chin. “But I could always ask around for you.”

“That would be great, thanks.” He nodded, looking around. “How long have you guys been here?”

“Lee and I were sent here about a thousand years ago,” Marty answered. “Though most of that time was spent brainwashed and sealed away.”

“That's harsh,” Roger commented, with Flint nodding in agreement.

“Tell me about it,” Marty replied. “It took a few lasers to the face and a supersonic mare to the chest to calm me down.”

“Jesus...”Alex shuddered, shaking his head.

“Yeah, and I got stabbed in the back... literally,” Lee grumbled.

“Sorry...” Jethro mumbled, looking away.

“So, you said you'd explain what happened to the others,” Roger pointed out. “Where are they?”

“We have no idea where Rico and Willy are,” Isaac admitted, looking at the ground.

“And Seth and Scotty?” Alex asked. “What's the deal with them?”

“They’re... we have no idea. Out in the void somewhere.”

“Wow... heavy,” Roger commented, his ears pinning to the sides of his head.

“Hey, I know they’ll be back,” Isaac assured them with a smile, “We just gotta make sure we’re here to meet them, ya?”

“Ever the optimist,” Alex chuckled. “Yup, you haven't changed a bit. Got anymore lines you stole from Naruto?” he teased, nudging the Veemon.

“I will hit you into next Tuesday.” Isaac snorted, narrowing his eyes.

“I... believe it,” Alex replied, breaking out into laughter.

“Vee-headbutt!” Isaac shouted, ramming into Alex’s gut. Alex skidded along the floor a bit, gripping onto where Isaac hit him.

“Would you rather I said ‘dattebayo!’?” he wheezed.

“Okay, no rough housing in the castle!” Twilight declared with authority. “If you two wanna spar, do it outside, got it?”

“So demonstrating a lightning based attack is okay, but a headbutt is too far?” Trixie questioned.

“It’s not setting a good example for Flint. Friendship problems should not be solved with violence,” Twilight said, her voice firm.

“Yeah, but giant bug monsters can be,” Flint noted, causing Roger to snicker.

“Yeah, I get it,” Alex sighed. “Sorry for pushing your buttons, Isaac.”

“It’s fine.” Isaac waved it off. “Sorry for hitting you.”

“Ahh, no worries. I kinda deserved it. Plus, I’m at champion right now...” At that moment he reverted back to Impmon. “Okay, I was at champion.”

“Don’t worry, lots of guys have trouble keeping it up.” Isaac smirked.

“I’m sure that's what all your exes told you too,” Alex shot back.

“No, but that’s what they said about you.”

“You’re forgetting, Isaac only ever dated Dork Girl,” Lee cut in with a smirk of his own.

“I was counting the body pillow we walked in on him making out with,” Alex laughed.

“Yeah, yeah.” Isaac rolled his eyes. “I already told you I was sleepwalking.”

“Do you often sleepwalk in a Tuxedo Mask costume?” Alex snickered.

“Well, considering my mom found me playing poker with a cactus one night...” Isaac rambled on, looking lost in his own little world.

“...Where did you even find a cactus?” Roger blinked. “Your folks don't have one of those in their house.”

“We never figured that one out.” Isaac shrugged a little.

“You scare me sometimes, man,” Marty commented. “Have you sleepwalked as a digimon at all?”

“I dunno, have I?” he asked, looking at Twilight.

“I don’t know,” Twilight shrugged. “This place is so big that Pinkie could throw a party at one end of it and I wouldn't know. Plus, I'm a bit of a heavy sleeper.”

“We could always ask the florist if they’ve sold any cactuses to a sleepy blue creature lately,” Trixie suggested with a giggle.

“Yeah you laugh it up... wand... ass...” Isaac muttered before storming out of the room.

“Oh... I didn't mean to upset him,” Trixie pouted, her face falling a bit. “I should apologize.”

“Nah, he just gets pissy,” Alex waved her off, “He’ll be fine in a few hours.”

“Okay... you know him better than I do.”

“Did any of you happen to find a digivice?” Twilight asked, levitating two into view: one belonging to 02 and the other from Data Squad.

“Yeah, I got mine right here,” Alex replied, pulling his digivice out from behind his neckerchief. “Trixie found it along with our eggs.”

“So every pair gets one between them...” Twilight muttered, scribbling away at her scroll. She cleared her throat, looking between them. “Given the sample size, I think I have an idea why you all didn’t show up at the same time and place.”

“Really, Twilight?” Jethro asked. “Mind sharing with us then?”

“Starlight, can you come in here please? And bring the chalkboard with you!”

“The big one or the small one?” Starlight called back.

“The big one!”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Alex muttered, paling a bit. Starlight entered the room a moment later, wheeling in a large chalkboard with a supply of chalk in multiple colors.

“Trixie, Alex, Roger, Flint, this is my student Starlight Glimmer,” Twilight introduced, already starting to draw on the board.

“I feel like I’m back in school,” Alex muttered, watching Twilight.

“”Hi Starlight!” Roger waved, with Flint mirroring his action.

“Hello” Starlight waved back with a smile. Twilight cleared her throat, getting their attention.

“Now, this,” she tapped the chalk against the board, indicating a blue colored sphere. “Is our world and this.” she gestured to a yellow sphere, the two separated by a purple line. “Is the human version of our world.”

“Wait... there's a human version of this world?” Alex blinked. “What's that like?”

“Everypony has a human version of themselves,” Twilight replied before clearing her throat. “Normally, the only way between these worlds is through a mirror created by Starswirl the Bearded.”

“He was a great unicorn wizard,” Starlight explained, allowing Twilight to continue.

“Recently however, two major events have disrupted the world's natural separation. “Twilight grabbed an eraser, wiping away sections of the purple line.

“...I’m guessing that's not a good thing,” Lee, said.

“About a year ago, Equestrian magic was leaked into the human world.” Twilight added a bit of pink to the yellow sphere. “Now, I can only speculate how the world has been adapting to it but, one event truly highlights how dangerous cross contamination can be.”

“Are you saying our being here could also be causing some kind of contamination?” Jethro asked, eyes widening.

“Honestly? I have no idea,” Twilight sighed, shaking her head, “But I’m not finished yet. The cross contamination with the human world almost culminated with both worlds being destroyed. My human counterpart managed to gather a sizable amount of magic and used it to become some kind of corrupted pseudo-alicorn. She proceeded to tear her world apart to get to this one.”

“Wow... that's some pretty crazy stuff. But... what does all of that have to do with us being sent to different times and places?” Roger asked, tilting his head.

“I’m getting to that,” Twilight chided. “Now at the same exact time, Starlight initiated a time loop, resulting in several increasingly worse timelines. I believe that both the disruption of the timeline and the breakdown of the dimensional barrier are what scattered you across time and space.”

“Alright... makes about as much sense as an explanation from Star Trek,” Alex commented. “Which, going by the logic of a magical pony world, means it's true.”

“What’s Star Trek?” Twilight asked, tilting her head to the side.

“One of the longest running sci-fi franchises of all time spanning several tv series, movies, comics and other forms of media,” Alex answered.

“Well, now that the lesson’s over, how the hell do we find Rico and Willy?” Lee asked, looking at Twilight with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh! I have an idea!” Roger chimed in, his tail wagging. “Just look at all of us! Every pair is from a different season of the show! Alex and I are from Tamers, you and Marty are from Data Squad, and Jet and Isaac are from 02. If they were here a long time ago like you guys and Seth and Scott, then there might be something about them.”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Pinkie called, leaning over the back of the couch, waving her hoof around.

“Pinkie? When did you get here?” Twilight asked.

“When you started the lesson.” She smiled.

“Okay, and did you have something you wanted to share?”

“Uh huh!” She jumped over the couch, erasing the chalkboard. “It’s story time with Pinkie Pie!!”

“Are there going to be pictures?” Roger asked excitedly.

“You betcha!” Pinkie grinned. “Now everypony sit down and get comfy!” They all did as she asked, Twilight grumbling something about her chalkboard. “Everypony ready?” Pinkie asked, glancing over the room.

“Get on with it!” Alex shouted.

“Yes, get on with it!” The other digimon shouted.

“Okay, okay.” She cleared her throat. “A very long time ago, a powerful angel came to our world.” She drew a human figure with several pairs of wings. “They wanted to conquer everything and brought an army with them.”

“...This angel wouldn’t happen to have been called Lucemon, would it?” Jethro asked.

“Sh!” Pinkie snapped before clearing her throat. “When our world felt the danger, each of its elements manifested into a warrior.”

“You mean the Elements of Harmony?” Flint asked, looking at Pinkie.

“No, this is the legend of the ten warriors,” Twilight answered. “The elements in that story were...”

“Twilight, don't hijack my story,” Pinkie pouted. She cleared her throat. “Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Ice, Lightning, Metal, Wood, Light and Dark.” She named each element on the board, along with their corresponding symbol. “They fought against the angel’s army, and in the end, exiled him to the space between spaces.”

“Just like what happened to Scott and Seth,” Jethro commented.

“There is something else.” Pinkie looked between them all. “But you have to Pinkie swear not to tell anypony.” Twilight went through the motions of a Pinkie Promise, while the others slowly mirrored them when they were done. “I know where the Earth spirits are.”

“Seriously?” Alex asked. “Do you mind telling us?”

“I made sure it was okay with my family. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Huh? What's that supposed to mean?” Marty asked.

“You're the digidestined aren’t you?”

“Pinkie... how do you know that word?” Lee questioned.

“The spirits of the elements visited my ancestor, Holder Cobblestone and tasked our family with protecting the Earth spirits until the digidestined appeared,” Pinkie explained.

“So... you want us to take those spirits and keep them safe until we need to use them for something?” Marty guessed, scratching the top of his head.

“That's the idea~” Pinkie chuckled.

“Alright, then I guess we should go and get the earth spirits,” Alex nodded.

“Wait... does this mean Rico and Willy were two of the warriors...?” Jethro asked, looking deep in thought.

“Who else would they be?” Roger smiled. “It's like I said before, all of us became digimon from each season. Well except for... that season.”

“Thank god. Whoever did would have been useless.” Lee shuddered, shaking his head.

“Guys, I think we're getting off topic,” Alex chimed in. “Right now, we have spirits to collect. And if we’re lucky, we might get Rico or Willy back.”

“Where do we have to go, Pinkie?” Roger asked, wagging his tail in excitement.

“We have to go to my family’s rock farm,” Pinkie answered. “Come on, we have to go catch a train,” she said as she started trotting out of the room.

“That's... short notice...” Trixie blinked.

“It's Pinkie Pie, everything is short notice with her,” Twilight sighed as she followed after the party pony. “It wouldn't surprise me if she already has the tickets.”

“So... do we all go or...” Lee asked, blinking.

“We should all go,” Roger grinned. “Think of it as a celebratory road trip for our reunion!” He beamed, following the mares.

“We need to get Isaac...” Jethro reminded, jumping on Marty’s head.

“I’ll get him,” Starlight said as she trotted off in the direction Isaac went. “You guys go ahead to the station, we'll catch up.” The group nodded, leaving the castle and walking to the train platform.

Isaac was in the kitchen, stuffing his face with food.

“Isaac,” Starlight called out, poking her head in the room. “Our friends are all going on a road trip to get some earth spirits.”

“Huh?” he blinked, looking over at her.

“Earth spirits, from the ten ancient warriors,” she clarified. “And they might be one of your other friends.”

“Seriously?” Isaac jumped to his feet, wiping his mouth off.

“Would I interrupt an eating digimon if I wasn’t?”

“Let's go!” He rushed over, hopping onto her back.

“Glad to see you in a good mood again,” Starlight smiled as she galloped out of the castle.

“Hi ho Silver, away!” Isaac commanded, holding onto her mane.

“...Another reference?” she asked, making a beeline for the train station.

“An old one.”

“I’m going to start assuming that when I don’t understand something you're saying that it's a reference.” She rolled her eyes as she stepped onto the platform.

“Well, you’re no fun,” Isaac retorted, sticking his tongue out.

“You’ll change your tune when you're hungry again,” Starlight teased.

“Uh huh, sure it will star butt.”

“Whatever, baby dragon.”

“Stick head.”

“Horn nose.”

“Will you two stop your flirting and get on the train already!” Alex shouted, sticking his head out the window.

“We are not flirting!” Isaac snapped, blushing profusely.

“Well then, stop whatever it is you are doing and put your blue butt on this train! We might be getting Willy or Rico back.”

“Well... you heard him...” Isaac mumbled looking away.

“Yeah... onto the train we go...” Starlight said, trotting onto the train and letting Isaac climb off. He walked off, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Wow, haven't seen him like that since he went to ask out Dork Girl,” Alex whispered in Lee’s ear.

“I remember that,” Lee nodded, “At least he didn’t faint this time.”

“Our little weeaboo is growing into a real mon,” Alex pretended to sniffle. “20 bits says she makes the first move and he’ll freak out.”

“You realize I don’t have any of those right?” Lee asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Was more of a rhetorical bet,” Alex snickered. “But you could always find a job here. Bet your old skills as an EMT would come in handy somewhere.”

“I doubt it, considering I have these things,” he held his hands up. “I don’t think I can apply my skills with mitts like these.”

“Come on, you’ve dealt with worse situations before,” Alex waved off. “Remember the club’s first Halloween party?”

“How could I not?” Lee rolled his eyes. “Whose bright idea was it to let Roger make the punch?”

“Isaac’s,” Alex replied. “He was more innocent back then. Didn't know about Roger’s affinity for the seven leaved plant. He just thought Roger really liked incense.”

“You know, I wonder what they think happened to us...” He leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head.

“It's hard to say,” Alex sighed. “They probably think we went missing for one reason or another. We probably had our pictures plastered on the local news. People went searching, and with enough time, we were just labeled dead.”

“Life can be a bitch, ya know?” Lee sighed, staring up at the ceiling.

“Tell me about it. There was a lot I wanted to do with my life. I mean, sure, digivolving is cool and all. But... being a digimon does have certain... downsides.”

“Didn’t uh... didn’t season 6 have digimon pairing up and actually having kids?”

“Yeah, but how much you wanna bet they kept the whole ‘digimon are genderless’ thing? Probably just something to do with snippets of code. Oh, and no offense or anything, but I haven't exactly met a digimon I’d want to, uh, ‘pair up’ with.” Alex said with massive air quotes.

“I’m simply heartbroken,” Lee joked, giving a small smile.

“Laugh it up but... I do miss being an actual guy,” Alex sighed. “Inside I still feel like me, but every time I look in a mirror I do a double take. And little Flint might be the closest thing to an actual kid I ever have. I mean, I never really considered having them before. But now that the possibility is gone... Guess this is a situation of not knowing what you have.”

“Maybe we’re just mental copies and the real us are back home?” Lee suggested. “You never know.”

“What you mean like in season one?” Alex asked with a quirked brow. “Think that kinda thing applies even though this isn't the digital world?”

“I dunno, I’m just trying to make you feel better.” Lee shrugged.

“Nice attempt, bud,” Alex chuckled weakly. “But this is stuff I gotta come to terms with on my own time.”

“Knowing you, you’ll try to swindle everyone out of their jaw breakers,” Lee teased.

“Oh, go play with the jaws of life or something,” Alex shot back, giving him a small shove.

“Come on Alex, what's the scam this week? Paint objects gold? Turn Jimmy’s house into a spa?” Lee continued, trying to keep a straight face.

“You suck. I hope you get Rolf’s cursed telephone.”

“Buttered toast~” Roger smirked, having been listening in.

“Wait... if you're Ed, and I’m Eddy, does that make Trixie Double D?” Alex wondered aloud, tapping his chin in thought.

“What now?” Trixie looked over, having been chatting with Twilight.

“Nothing,” Alex waved off. “We’re just making references to things you know nothing about. Go back to your mare talk.” Trixie rolled her eyes, going back to her conversation.

“What are you guys mumbling about?” Marty asked, looking at his friends.

“Oh, Lee called me Eddy, and Roger chimed in as Ed. So I was just wondering who Double D would be in our little group,” Alex explained.

“A very enlightening topic,” Marty commented.

“Would you rather we talked about Courage the Cowardly Dog?” Roger asked.

“Who doesn’t love Courage?” Jethro asked, crawling over.

“Stupid people with terrible taste,” Alex nodded sagely.

“I think Dork Girl liked Chowder better,” Marty said, tapping his chin.

“I’m almost willing to forgive that,” Alex chuckled. “It does have John DiMaggio doing a voice in it after all. But he only ever says one nonsense word so no, Dork Girl must be shunned.”

“Too bad she isn’t here, I think she and Twilight would have gotten along well,” Lee said with a sigh.

“Probably too well,” Jethro chuckled. “The two of them would never stop geeking out if they met.

“She’d turn Twilight into Nerd Girl,” Roger snickered.

“Turn her?” Marty asked. “Based on that lecture she gave us, I’d say she’s already there.”

The group all burst into laughter, momentarily forgetting their situation. The train ride continued on in relative normalcy, and eventually the train lurched to a stop at a gray, bleak landscape. The group all stepped off the train, with the digimon of the group looking around at the void scenery.

“Nice place...” Isaac muttered.

“Well, at least there's plenty of rocks,” Alex said, picking up a pebble.

“Come on everypony, it's only a short walk to the house!” Pinkie cheered, trotting along happily. They followed after her, staying close. It didn't take long for the group to reach the Pie family home, a tiny bit of brown amongst all the gray. Just outside was a gray pony, keeping a watchful eye on an unassuming boulder.

“Hi Limestone!” Pinkie called out, rushing over and tackling her sister, hugging her tight.

“Pinkie, what are you doing back here?” Limestone asked, reluctantly returning the hug.

“I brought them!” She beamed happily.

“Whaddya mean, them?” the gray mare asked with narrowed eyes.

“The digidestined!”

“Seriously?!” Limestone cried, losing a bit of her attitude. “Then that means...”

“That our watch over Holder’s Boulder is over!” Pinkie cheered, throwing out confetti.

“Hi.” Isaac waved, walking into view.

“Whoa, so you’re one of the digidestined?” Limestone wondered aloud, looking the Veemon over. “...Kinda thought you’d be taller.”

“I mean, I could be taller,” Isaac offered.

“Nah, it’s fine. Just as long as you take and keep the earth spirits safe I don't care how tall you are.” The gray mare smiled.

“I’m Isaac.” He smiled, holding his hand out.

“Limestone Pie, glad to finally meet the digidestined,” she replied, shaking his hand. “Now, the spirits are in the boulder,” she said, walking over to it.

“How do we get ‘em out, just break it?”

“That's what we were always told,” Pinkie nodded. “Only one of the digidestined were allowed to crack open Holder’s Boulder.”

“Well, there are six of us...” Isaac muttered, gesturing to his friends as they approached.

“Attack it all at once?” Lee asked, getting into a stance.

“Might as well try,” Isaac nodded. “Vee Headbutt!” he shouted, smashing his head into the giant rock.

“Double Backhand!” Lee called out, his body spinning in a blur of motion with his fists extended.

“Pepper Breath!” Marty pulled his head back, unleashing a fireball.

“Pyro Sphere!” Roger fired off his own fireball.

“Badda Boom!” Alex shouted, throwing yet another fireball.

“Silk Thread!” Jethro spat out threads of needle-like silk. The attacks all collided, creating a large crack in the boulder. The crack started spreading and a bright light could be seen within the boulder.

“Woot!” Isaac smirked, fist pumping.

“Is it one of them?!” Roger beamed, his tail wagging madly. “Willy, Rico!” The light seemed to break through the rest of the boulder, revealing the two earth spirits.

“Hello?” Roger asked, stepping forward, sniffing at them.

“I’ll be taking those,” A slightly distorted voice spoke, followed by the buzzing of wings. A changeling darted into view, snatching up both spirits.

“Hey! Those might be our friends!” Roger growled.

“Isaac, we’re the only ones that can fly besides Twilight!” Jethro exclaimed. “Digivolve, now!”

“What’s a changeling doing here?!” Twilight gasped, her eyes going wide.

“Don’t let him get the spirits!” Pinkie shouted, unloading a shot from her party cannon.

“Wormmon digivolve to!” Jethro boomed, his body glowing. “Stingmon!”

“Veemon digivolve to! Ex-Veemon!” Isaac shouted, shooting up in the air after the changeling.

“I will not fail!” the changeling hissed before regurgitating a black orb. It fell to the ground, exploding outward into a black mist.

“What the hell was that?!” Isaac cried, watching the mist.

“Careful! Something’s coming out!” Jethro shouted, watching the mist. It started to form into shapes, becoming at least six champion level digimon.

“Okay, what was a changeling doing with that thing?!” Alex shouted, looking at the dark digimon.

“Get them!” the changeling ordered the digimon before buzzing off.

“You’re not getting away!” Isaac roared. “Vee-laser!” he thundered, firing a blast at the changeling. He dropped to avoid the blast, firing a beam of green magic in retaliation. Isaac let out a small hiss of pain as the magic struck his chest, but continued to rocket towards the drone. “I’m not letting you take one of my friends!” Isaac boomed as he closed in on the changeling. “Vee-laser!” The changeling spun out of the way, spitting goo at Isaac’s face. Isaac stopped for a moment, tearing at the goo clinging to him. He tried shouting something, but it was lost under the goo.

“See ya~” the changeling chuckled, darting away.

“Not so fast!” Star shouted, firing a bolt of magic at the changeling’s back.

“Gah!” the ‘ling shouted, falling to the ground.

“Star!” Isaac beamed, managing to get the goo off his face. “Boy am I ever glad to see you!”

“Sorry it took me so long,” the mare apologized sheepishly. “One of us isn't exactly used to flying. “Now, you go help your friends with those shadow digimon. I’ll handle getting the earth spirits back.”

“I’m not giving them up!” the changeling hissed, rising to his hooves.

“You will, though it’ll be much easier for you if you hoof them over voluntarily,” Star warned, her horn shining with her aura.

The changeling hissed, looking a bit nervous. He glanced at the spirits before rearing up and shoving the spirits into his chest.

“What the hay do you think you’re doing!” Star cried, picking the changeling up with her magic.

“Saving my hive!” he growled, starting to grow in size, his chitin turning brown.

“...Oh, buck me,” Star muttered, watching the changeling transform.

“Spirit evolution!” the changeling shouted, shifting into a bipedal creature. “Grumblemon!” The former changeling smirked up at Star. “Wanna go, little pony?”
I
“Something tells me this is going to be painful,” Star muttered, firing another bolt of magic at Grumblemon. He chuckled, the magic bouncing off his armor. “Yup... gonna be painful.” She charged her horn up, creating a large ball of magic before releasing it at the warrior of earth. He grunted, sliding back a few feet. He held his hands out, summoning up a pair of sledgehammers.

“Gonna make a little pony pancake!” Grumblemon laughed.

“B-back off!” she shouted, firing off a barrage of magic bolts. He continued to laugh as most of the bolts were deflected off his armor.

“Nighty night!” he cackled, swinging his hammer.

“Pyro Blaster!” Growlmon rushed forward, unleashing a torrent of fire at the gnome. Grumblemon jumped back, narrowly avoiding the flames.

“Roger!” Star beamed. “I don’t know why, but my magic isn't working on him!”

“Just give us the spirits!” Roger snorted, baring his fangs.

“Hmm, how ‘bout no!” the former changeling boomed, swinging his hammer again. Roger jumped back, slashing forward with his arm blades. Grumblemon blocked the attack with the shaft of his hammer. “With this power I can save my hive!”

“What are you talking about?” Starlight asked, looking at Grumblemon. “Maybe we can help you!”

“Grrr, no! I cannot trust you!” Grumblemon boomed as he pushed Roger off of him. He spun the hammers a bit before swinging them horizontally at Roger’s chest.

“Please! We don’t have to resort to violence!” Starlight pleaded.

“Quiet, pony! You know nothing!” he roared, slamming his hammer into the ground. Starlight fell over, the ground shaking. Grumblemon looked down at his hammer and a smirk grew on his face. He pulled the hammer out of the ground, just to slam it down harder than before.

“Pyro Blaster!” Roger shouted unleashing another torrent of flame. Grumblemon tried to dodge, but the fire was too fast, engulfing his right side.

“Gyahh!” Grumblemon cried. Roger spun around, slamming his tail into Grumblemon. He rolled on the ground for a few moments, righting himself and glaring at the Growlmon. “I-I can't lose here,” he snarled.

“I won’t hold back!” Roger growled, rushing at him, swinging his arm blade. Grumblemon picked up his hammer, charging at Roger with a roar. The two clashed, both sides landing their attacks. They remained motionless, seeming to stare each other down. “Gonna give up?” Roger growled.

“N-never,” Grumblemon panted. Roger glared, starting to push Grumblemon back.

“Pyro Blaster!” Roger shouted, unleashing fire directly into Grumblemon’s face. Grumblemon let out a cry, the spirits exiting his body, reverting him to a changeling. “Star, take care of him,” Roger panted, grabbing the spirits before changing back to Guilmon.

“He looks okay.” Starlight moved over to the changeling, restraining him in her magic.

“That's good, he seemed like he had a good reason to do all this,” Roger sighed, falling back on his rump. “Man, I’m really hungry.”

“Roger!” Alex shouted, drawing him back to the shadow digimon.

“Alex! I don't know if I have the energy to digivolve again!” Roger shouted back. “But I have the spirits, they’re safe!” he cheered, holding up the figurines.

“You just stay there!” Lee ordered, just before getting hit in the face by a BlueGreymon.

“Ugh,” Roger groaned, trying and failing to get up. “I wish I could get up and help them,” he whined.

“You are helping,” Starlight assured him, nuzzling his neck.

“I guess,” he sighed.

“That's the last of em!” Jethro called, evaporating a Seadramon.

“Good job, guys!” Roger beamed over his shoulder.

“You okay?” Trixie asked, galloping over to him, panting heavily.

“I’m fine, just tired... and really hungry.” As if to accentuate his point, Roger’s stomach let out a loud growl. “But on the bright side, I got the spirits!” he beamed, holding them out.

“Those are... Spirits?” she asked, blinking a few times.

“Yeah, though they look more like collectable figurines,” he chuckled. “They pack a mean punch too.”

“Trust me...” Starlight chuckled, trying to get some dirt out of her coat.

“I’m just glad you're safe,” Trixie sighed as she hugged Roger. “I mean, I would hate to have to rehatch your egg,” she chuckled.

“You know you love Jyarimon.” He smiled, hugging back.

“Hmm, true, but I bet you’d rather not have to become that again.”

“Yeah, you're totally right...” Roger laughed falling back into the dirt.

“Haven't you learned by now? I usually am,” she said with a false tone of arrogance.

“Can I have food now...?”

“Sure thing Roger,” Trixie said, patting him on the head. “Is there anything specific you want?”

“Pizza... lots of pizza. With bacon.”

“...Ugh, you're really lucky that you just saved the day. Otherwise I wouldn’t make that for you,” Trixie huffed. “Now come on. Let’s get your strength back,” she said, picking Roger up with her magic.

“Yay...” Roger cheered with a weak smile. Trixie trotted along slowly, being careful not to jostle him.

“Pinkie, could I put Roger on a couch or something and use your kitchen?” she asked the party pony.

“Go ahead.” Pinkie nodded. “You’re our honored guests!”

“Thank you,” Trixie nodded, slipping inside. Roger was placed onto a plain looking loveseat and she ducked into the kitchen. He could feel his mouth start to water as he sniffed toward the other room. “Alright,” she said some time later, carrying a large pile of pizzas. “I don’t handle meat very often... if at all. So I’m not sure how it turned out.”

“It smells good!” he clapped, licking his lips.

“Hopefully that's a good sign,” she smiled, putting the pizza in front of him. He started to devour it, not caring if he got messy. Trixie erected a small barrier around herself as pizza sauce started flying.

“Could you at least try to eat a bit tidier?” she said with a roll of her eyes. “You’re in somepony else's home.”

“Oh... right...” he blinked, slowing his pace considerably.

“Much better,” she smiled, letting her barrier disappear. “So... how is it?”

“Good!” he smiled at her.

“That’s good,” she sighed in relief. “So... what do we do with those spirits now?” she asked, glancing over at the floating figurines.

“I have no idea,” Isaac said reaching over to touch one.

“Maybe we could keep them in the vault that used to house the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight suggested.

“We can’t do that.” Isaac shook his head.

“Why not?” Trixie asked.

“Because we can’t use them in there.”

“Hmm, do you think we could store them in one of our digivices?” Marty asked, poking one with a claw.

“We don’t have a D-Tector,” Jethro argued.

“So we just keep them floating around us at all times?” Alex asked, quirking a brow.

“I don’t know!” Jethro frowned. “But we can’t unseal them just to seal them again!”

“Do you think we could somehow make them... form into a digimon?” Lee asked. “That way we’d have another ally and we wouldn't have to lock them up again.”

“Do we look like Cherubimon?” Alex asked, crossing his arms.

“Fair point,” Lee sighed. “So basically... we have no idea what we’re doing and no way of effectively keeping these things.”

“So.. what do we do then?” Roger asked, licking his lips.

“I think that before we go looking for any more spirits, we find Willy and Rico,” Alex suggested. “One of them has to have a D-Tector that’ll let us store spirits. And we know neither of them are the earth spirit. So, let's think this through. All of us are rookie by default, so we can probably assume that they're the same way. How many of the ten warriors have confirmed and canon rookie level forms?”

“Two,” Isaac answered, “Fire and Light, or Strabimon and Flamemon.”

“Then that's who they are,” Alex grinned. “So if we find out where the fire and light spirits are kept, then we’ll find Rico and Willy!”

“And where do we even start looking?” Lee questioned.

“In the old legend of the ten warriors,” Alex answered. “I’m willing to bet there’s more to the story than Pinkie told us.”

“Hmm,” Twilight mused, rubbing her chin in thought. “I think there's a scholar in Canterlot who does a lot of research into myths and legends. We could always start there,” she offered.

“Sounds good to me.” Isaac nodded his head.

“Alright, back on the train we go!” Roger chimed in, getting up on wobbly feet. “Are we going to talk about old cartoons again?”

“You guys are spending the night,” Limestone declared, looking them over.

“What?” Roger whined, giving Limestone puppy dog eyes. “But we’ve got a lead to finding our friends.”

“It would be a great honor to have thee partake in our hospitality.” Pinkie’s mother smiled.

“Come on buddy,” Alex said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “One night’s not gonna hurt anything. Plus, you took a pretty bad beating to get those spirits back. You could use the rest.”

“Well... okay...” Roger nodded, yawning softly.

“Thank you ma’am, for all this,” Alex nodded to the older mare before turning to the other digimon. “Anyone got a problem sharing beds tonight?”

“Nah, let's have a digi-pile.” Isaac grinned.

“...It's a good thing we don't have a gender right now. Otherwise that would’ve been the dirtiest thing you've ever said,” Marty pointed out, blinking.

“Might as well milk it, right?” Isaac asked grinning.

“Isaac, stop talking before the 70’s music starts playing,” Alex snapped.

“You’re just paranoid.”

“Dude, Pinkie is in the room,” Jethro pointed out. “This is the mare that caused ponies to start fusing and made the Inception noise with nothing but her vocal cords. Anything is possible with her around.”

“...That's true...” Isaac conceded. “Anyway, let's just get to bed, yeah?” The other digimon nodded, saying their goodnights as they found an empty room to pass out in. They all took a section of the bed, and it didn’t take long for them to pass out.

Comments

[ironwar]

"Later in the night pinkie pie was seen talking about some half of interprazil and fighting the borg. She was later seen be turned into a beam of light. It was not new to anybody watching."

[Masters-of-the-Elements]

So when you said that Season, you were taking about the X-wars/fusion season wouldn't you?

[Grey Ghost]

7178641 Yes, fuck that season.

[Solphestus]

7178646 I like how you think. Also, great story so far. XD

[Cursed Quill]

eating peoples food!”

people's

ya’ll doi'n

y'all

Yea, he’s

Yeah,

meet them, ya?”

yah?”

“”Hi Starlight!”

“Hi Starlight!”

“Hello”

“Hello.”

disrupted the world's natural separation. “Twilight

disrupted the worlds' natural separation.” Twilight

thing,” Lee, said.

Lee said.

tv

TV

pony?”
I
“Something

What's that I doing there?

[Nibi]

I liked that season! *pouty face*7178646

[Time Pony Reborn]

“Who else would they be?” Roger smiled. “It's like I said before, all of us became digimon from each season. Well except for...thatseason.”

“Thank god. Whoever did would have been useless.” Lee shuddered, shaking his head.

Well, in their defense, all of Shoutmon X7's components (except Starmon and the Pickmons) have digivolutions in the manga if that counts for anything.