The Joke's on Equestria

by Grey Ghost

Battle In The Deep Part 1

“I’m truly glad you decided to invite us on you little vacation, Twilight,” Celestia commented, glancing down at her fellow princess.

“Well, I figured you two could use the time off,” Twilight replied, adjusting her sunglasses as she looked away from the ocean.

“The digimon are most certainly having fun,” Luna pointed out, glancing a little ways down the beach, where the digimon were playing.

“I still think it’s funny that you two got Sunmon and Moonmon,” Twilight commented with a giggle, watching Sunmon and DemiMeramon getting along.

“It is quite fitting though, don’t you think?” Celestia asked, a serene smile spreading across her face.

“A perfect fit,” Twilight agreed, lounging on the beach blanket. “I really should thank Dash for…”

“Cannon ball!” a familiar raspy voice shouted as a rainbow blur crashed into the water. A giant plume of water erupted, drenching Twilight and a few others.

“...suggesting the beach,” Twilight completed, her eyes obscured by her dripping bangs.

“Ha! You call that a cannon ball!?” Luna shouted, galloping over to the water. Dash popped out from under the water, smirking from behind her goggles.

“Oh yeah? Show me your moves, Moonbutt,” the prismatic mare taunted.

“You wish to challenge me?” Luna asked, narrowing her eyes.

“You know it,” Dash replied. “It’ll do wonders for my reputation around the Wonderbolts once I beat a princess at something.”

“You will not defeat me, Lady Dash! Prepare to meet your match!” Luna flapped her wings, darting into the sky. Celestia’s horn lit up, setting up a small barrier around herself as Luna started barreling down towards the water. She repositioned herself at the last moment and shouted, “Cannon ball!” A huge wave erupted from where the princess of the night breached, sweeping Dash up and sending her back to the shore in a heap. Twilight and the other ponies all got another bout of water sent at them while Celestia remained dry thanks to her barrier.

“My mane!!” Rarity cried, lifting a wet lock out of her face.

“It’s just a little water, Rare,” Applejack dismissed, wringing out her own mane. “Yer at the beach, ya were bound t’get wet eventually.”

“I just want to sunbathe!!” Rarity lamented, falling back on her fainting couch.

“How does she move that thing around?” Roger asked, blinking a few times.

“It’s magic, we don’t have to explain it,” Pinkie said, helping Flint build a sand castle.

“That's just an excuse,” Isaac huffed, crossing his arms.

“So, would you rather I pull a Twilight and give you a long and super complicated explanation full of charts and diagrams that basically boils down to the same thing?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

“She’s got a point...” Alex admitted, rubbing his head.

“Your cannon ball has greatly improved, Luna,” Celestia complimented, dropping her barrier. “Though your angle was off at the last second.”

“I was not!” Luna huffed, shaking her wings.

“Yes you were,” Celestia replied. “If you had hit the right angle, Pinkie and Flint’s castle would now have a moat.”

“Bah, you have no idea what you're talking about. Perhaps I did not want to take the risk of destroying their castle?”

“Oh, I have no idea what I’m talking about, do I?” Celestia asked with a smirk, getting up and striding over to the water. “Then perhaps I should throw my tiara into the ring for this little competition?”

“Shoot, ah’d be up fer that!” Applejack beamed.

“Then go right ahead, Applejack,” Celestia said, motioning to the water with her wing. “I can wait a moment to show up my sister.”

“And there goes such a nice afternoon...” Rarity groaned, still reclining on her couch.

“Oh come on, Rarity,” Pinkie chimed in. “How often do you get a front row seat of Celestia and Luna seeing who can make the best splash?! This is super exciting.”

“And most definitely not what I had in mind for today.” Rarity stood up, grabbing her couch up in her magic and proceeding to move further down the beach.

“Aww, let Rarity be a sourpuss,” Applejack waved off. “The rest of us are gonna be havin’ fun in the sun. Now,” she looked up at Celestia with a smirk. “Care to use yer magic to lift me up? Ah don’t have wings t’get high up like Luna and Dash do.”

“Of course Lady Applejack. Luna lit her horn up, grabbing Applejack in her magic.

“Thank ya princess,” the farm mare said, tipping her hat at the lunar princess. “Now take notes, Dashie, Ahmma show ya how this is really done.”

“Yeah right,” Dash scoffed, watching as AJ rose into the sky.

“You’ll see,” Applejack told her. “Ya’ll pegasi are lightweights. Us earth ponies are hearty. Ahmma make a splash that’ll cause a tsunami!”

“You better not!” Rarity shouted back at them.

“Too late, Rare, it’s gonna happen!” Applejack smirked. “Now drop me!” she called out, the aura dying out around her. Applejack dropped like a rock, careening towards the water. “Yeehaw!” she cheered, colliding with the water.

“You ruffian!” Rarity shouted, doing her best to take cover behind her couch. A wave that was slightly smaller than Luna’s rushed out, causing Twilight and several other ponies to get another helping of saltwater.

“Shouldn’t we be more careful with the digimon?” Fluttershy asked, peering out from behind her dripping mane. “Most of them are tiny, we don’t want them getting washed out to sea...”

“Hmm, you do make a good point,” Celestia agreed. “Sunmon, come over here please,” she called out with her maternal tone.

“Yes, Celestia?” Sunmoon asked, floating over to her.

“I’m going to need you and the others to play away from the shore for a little bit,” she told him with a smile. “We’re having a silly little competition and don’t want you to get washed out to sea. You can go right back to where you were once we’re done.”

“Okay!” He beamed at her before floating back to the other digimon. After a few moments of debate, they all moved off the sand.

“Does anypony else want to try their hoof at splashing before I make my attempt?” Celestia asked, looking at the others. “The winner might get a special prize.”

“What do we look like, foals?” Rainbow asked, raising her eyebrow.

“Well, to Luna and I, all of you are foals in comparison when it comes to age,” Celestia replied with a small laugh.

“And you’re just a foal compared to us,” Willy pointed out with a grin.

“True,” she said, chuckling. “It’s actually rather nice to not be the oldest one in the group for once. Wouldn’t you agree, Luna?” she asked, turning to her sister with a smile.

“You will always be the oldest among ponies,” Luna teased.

“Hmmph,” Celestia huffed, fluffing her wings. “I suppose that is true. And you will always be…” all of a sudden, Celestia’s horn lit up, grabbing Luna and dunking her beneath the waves. “...Wet behind the ears.”

“Simply adorable,” Willy chuckled, shaking his head.

“Anyway,” Celestia said, her magic dying out. “Would you care to join in our competition, Twilight? All the cool princesses are doing it,” she joked, giggling.

“Sure, why not,” Isaac said, the others giving similar replies.

“Fantastic,” Celestia beamed. “And who shall be the first to make the attempt?”

“I suppose I can,” Rico spoke, cracking his neck. “Do you mind if we digivolve?” he asked, looking at Celestia.

“Go right ahead,” she told him. “It’ll make this much more interesting.”

Rico opened his mouth to speak when both he and Willy turned, staring out over the ocean. They didn’t move, both just staring at the water.

“Um, are you two okay?” Rainbow Dash asked, waving a hoof in front of Willy’s face. “You guys have a serious thousand yard stare going on.”

“You feel that too, right?” Willy asked, turning to his fellow warrior.

“Yeah, the call of a spirit,” Rico said. “There’s no doubt, it’s the water spirits.”

“Should have known they were in the ocean,” Willy scoffed, a frown worming its way across his face.

“Yeah, don’t know how we’re gonna get to them,” Rico said, scratching his chin. “None of us are water based digimon so this could be pretty tricky. Unless someone here has a spell for breathing underwater?” They both turned to the ponies expectantly.

“I do believe I have a spell that should allow us to breathe underwater for some time,” Celestia informed him. “And don’t worry, this spell doesn’t involve growing gills.” Her horn lit up, and she fired a golden beam at both warriors. “There we are, care to test it out?”

“I suppose I will...” Wily dove in, staying under for several minutes before thrusting a hand out of the water, giving a thumbs up.

“Then I guess it’s safe to use the spell on digimon,” Celestia said with a sigh of relief. “With you all being a different type of lifeform I wasn’t sure how you’d react to the spell.” Her horn lit up again, firing a beam at the rest of the group sans Flint, Trixie, Fluttershy, herself and the in training digimon.

“Jeez that's weird...” Isaac muttered, rubbing the spot where Celestia blasted him.

“Well it is meant to allow you to do something you normally can’t, it would be surprising if it didn’t feel weird,” Celestia offered with a chuckle.

“You just laugh it up Sunbutt, see where it gets you,” Isaac responded, wading into the surf.

“It’s gotten me to the throne of one of the richest countries on the planet with a reign that’s lasted longer than any other leader,” she shot back with a smirk.

“We shall stay here and watch over the smaller digimon,” Luna informed, casting a glance at them, “Though, they may not be happy with your departure.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like we can take them with us,” Dash said, gliding over to her digimon. “It might be too dangerous for them. So you be good for Luna, Yokomon,” she concluded, petting Yokomon’s petals.

“Do you really have to go?” Yokomon frowned, looking up at her.

“Yeah, being one of the Elements of Harmony means I’ve got a duty to do stuff like this,” she told the little plant, smiling softly.

“When I get bigger, I’m gonna tie you down so you can’t run off anymore,” Yokomon informed her, puffing her cheeks out.

“You gotta grow limbs first,” Dash told her with a chuckle, ruffling her petals. “And when you get bigger I plan on taking you with me to things like this.”

“Maybe I’ll just tie you down and go in your place.”

“I think we need to have a talk about your sudden interest in tying me down when we get back to Ponyville,” Dash replied, giving Yokomon a quick hug before flying over to the surf. “And don’t worry about a thing. There’s nothing that Rainbow Danger Dash can’t handle!”

“That's not really your name!” Yokomon called back, pouting at her.

“Totally is!” Dash called back. “Put it on my Wonderbolts registration and everything!” She beamed before diving into the water.

The rest of the girls bid farewell to their digimon, proceeding to enter the water after Dash. Flint had to stay back as well, pouting along with the in training digimon as they all dove beneath the surface.

“Relax Flint, everything will be okay,” Trixie soothed, watching as the last of the digimon dove into the water.

“Yeah, but I wanna go too,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You have to stay here and help us protect the smaller digimon,” she said, patting his head.

“I guess that’s important,” he said, his frown softening slightly as he scooped up Hopmon and hugged him close.

“Don’t worry Flint,” Hopmon spoke, looking up at him, “Soon we’ll be able to help.”

“I can’t wait for that to happen,” Flint told him. “I wanna be able to do something too.”

“Don’t try to grow up too fast,” Trixie warned, kissing his head.

“Okay mom,” he replied. “I just wanna be make sure you and dads stay safe.”

“I know, I know.” she pulled him into a hug, being careful of Hopmon.

“Do not worry young one,” Luna assured him. “They are all quite capable. And my sister is with them, they are all as safe as they could possibly be.”

Flint nodded, snuggling into Trixie’s coat and staring off into the water.

---

“So... how far are we swimming?” Isaac asked, glancing over at Willy and Rico.

“For a while,” Willy answered, his eyes locked in the direction they were swimming. “Couldn’t tell you an exact distance.”

“It’s gonna suck getting back...” Isaac muttered, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry Isaac, I’m keeping track of where we’re going,” Twilight told him. “It should be a simple task to teleport us back to the beach once we grab the spirits.”

“And how do you know it’s gonna be easy to grab em?” Isaac questioned, raising his eyebrow.

“It’s best to hope for the best and expect the worst,” she answered with a shrug. “I’m trying to lift morale by being nonchalant about this ordeal. Besides, we have all of you, the girls and my ability to fuse and Princess Celestia with us. If we do run into any trouble, we can deal with it.”

“Hmm....” Celestia hummed, looking around.

“Is something up, Princess?” Alex asked, noticing her expression.

“I seem to recall there being a seapony city around this area,” Celestia replied, looking deep in thought.

“Seaponies?” Roger repeated, tilting his head. “So pony mermaids? That sounds… super cool!”

“Whats a mermaid?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head.

“Back home, sailors made up stories of creatures that had human upper bodies and the lower half of a fish,” Alex explained. “Particularly the upper half of an attractive young woman, hence the ‘maid’ in the name.”

“Then yes, they are similar,” Celestia acknowledged, watching a school of fish swim by.

“Hmm, a thought comes to mind,” Willy said, scratching his chin. “The earth spirits were in a place sacred to an earth pony family and the wood spirits were in a tree sacred to the deer. I’m willing to bet that the water spirits are somewhere sacred to these seaponies. I think we need to find this city you mentioned, Celestia.”

“I may have exaggerated its closeness to us,” Celestia admitted with a sheepish smile, “Seaponies usually make their homes in the open ocean.”

“...Is anyone else getting a Little Mermaid vibe now, or is it just me?” Marty asked, looking between the other digimon.

“Ya lost me.” Applejack frowned, looking at him.

“It’s the name of a popular animated movie where we’re from,” Isaac explained. “The story took place in an undersea city.”

“Sounds like an entertaining movie.”

“It’s a pretty good movie,” Jethro said. “And the music in it is insanely catchy. I get the feeling you’d all like it.”

“Maybe we could see it someday?” Fluttershy suggested.

“I guess it’s not impossible,” Lee said. “We might be able to find a way to show you all the movie considering all the travelling through the multiverse we do.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, people,” Alex reminded, “We still have a pair of spirits to find.”

“Hey, it’s nice to plan ahead for these kinds of things,” Isaac said. “Helps keep our minds off unsavory things like Kurata or Piedmon possibly having something already poking around for these spirits.”

“Do you... know where you're going, Celestia?” Rico asked, casting his gaze to the older alicorn.

“I do,” Celestia answered. “It has been quite some time since I’ve been here, but it is coming back to me. We are going in the right direction.”

“Well then, lead the way.” Celestia nodded and swam just a little faster to take the head of the group. Her horn lit up to cut through the inky darkness of the deep water. Eventually, she led them to an open area of the ocean, the only landmarks being what laid on the sand below them and the schools of fish above them.

“Do you really know where you're going?” Isaac asked, narrowing his eyes at Celestia.

“I told you that it would take us a while to get there,” Celestia answered without turning back. “Just be patient, Isaac, we will make it to the city.”

“He’s just being cranky,” Jethro teased, clinging to Fluttershy’s head.

“Hey! You know that I get freaked out by the ocean ever since you guys made me watch Jaws!” Isaac pouted.

“Then why don’t you just digivolve then if you're so freaked out?” Jethro raised his eyebrow.

“Because I know that I have to conserve my energy,” Isaac huffed. “I don’t want to forcefully get shot back to rookie in case we run into a big fight.”

“You just don’t want to be a baby again,” Willy smirked, reaching over to flick his nose.

“Aww, that’s too bad,” Starlight commented with a smile. “I could use more practice baking cakes. That seemed to do the trick last time you were turned back into DemiVeemon.”

“I don’t have to be DemiVeemon for that...” Isaac blushed, falling quiet.

“I guess you’re right,” she replied with a laugh. “I’ll have to make one for everypony when we get back to Ponyville.”

“Are we there yet?” Roger whined from the back, “My arms are getting tired...”

All of a sudden, a large shadow was revealed at the end of Celestia’s light. The shadow slowly took on more details as they swam closer to it.

“Yes Roger,” Celestia answered, smiling, “we’re there.”

“Oh thank Buddha, my arms are like rocks...” Roger swam a little quicker, moving to the front.

“Dude, since when are you a Buddhist?” Alex asked with a chuckle, swimming up beside him.

“I’m not, it was the first thing I thought of.”

“Never change, dude,” Alex said, shaking his head and smiling. Roger smiled back, letting out a happy hum.

“So, these seaponies are friendly, right?” Lee asked, a cautious frown on his face.

“Yes, they are an extremely friendly race,” Celestia answered. “Unless they feel their ocean is being threatened, then they are vicious warriors.”

“Sounds familiar,” Willy spoke softly, a melancholy look coming over him.

“Yes, they told me that they follow the example set by AncientMermaimon,” Celestia explained softly, sensing Willy’s shift in mood.

“They know her name?” Willy asked, looking at her, shock replacing his sadness.

“Yes, the seaponies are an old race that have kept good records of their history,” Celestia explained. “And apparently AncientMermaimon was close with them.”

“I don’t... remember that...” Willy frowned, gazing down at the seafloor.

“Well, it’s not like we knew everything about our fellow warriors,” Rico offered with a sigh. “Even the ones we were closest to had their fair share of secrets.” Willy nodded, but didn’t respond. “And I seem to remember you keeping your own secret from one of our fellow warriors,” Rico pressed, looking Willy in the eyes.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Willy shot back, looking at Rico.

“Fine, tell yourself that,” Rico shrugged, “it’s no skin off my nose.”

“What are you two arguing about?” Dash asked, looking between them.

“It’s nothing,” Willy dismissed and started to swim faster. “Just talking about ancient history, that’s all.” He continued to swim forward, not saying anything else.

“Uh... what?” Dash blinked, looking at Rico.

“It’s a long story,” Rico replied with a sigh. “The only thing I’ll say is that Willy and AncientKazemon were good friends.”

“I can understand his pain,” Celestia commented, looking after the fire warrior.

“Yeah, I guess you’d be able to relate pretty well,” Rico said with a nod. “We’ve got plenty of time to regret things we’ve done.”

“Hmm... that's odd...” Celestia paused, coming to a stop, “They should have sent guards to meet us...”

“So you’re thinking something’s up,” Alex said, tensing as he looked at the city in the distance. It appeared to be made out of some type of coral, though some structures used debris for decoration.

“This place is beautiful,” Rarity gasped, taking in the city. “It’s like something out of a painting.”

“I don’t see anypony,” Celestia spoke, her frown deepening, “Something is very wrong.”

“I think we need to look in their library or something,” Alex suggested. “If we find that, we should be able to find out where the water spirits are. I’m willing to bet all my bits that something’s trying to steal them.”

“No, we must find the seaponies,” Celestia insisted, “Nothing about this is right.”

“Maybe we could split up?” Jethro suggested. “The seaponies might be in hiding from whatever’s after the spirits. We do have a duty to ensure the safety of both the spirits and the seaponies.”

“We don’t even know where the spirits are in the first place!” Dash argued, gesturing toward the city.

“Which is why a group of us will go with Alex toward the library and the palace to find out where the spirits are resting,” Jethro said. “The rest of us will look for the seaponies. So, who wants to be in what group?”

“Wait,” Starlight cut in, getting their attention, “Somepony’s coming.” True enough, a lone figure swam out of an old shipwreck, heading towards them.

As it got closer, it was clear it was a seapony. Its upper half was that of a green stallion, while the back half was that of a fish. He came to a stop, looking them over.

“Hail!” he greeted, seeming to be on edge. “Princess Celestia, we prayed to the ancient one that you have received our plea for aid, though we did not expect you to come in person.” At her confused expression he continued. “We sent you a formal request a fortnight ago, it didn’t reach you?”

“No, it may have been intercepted,” Celestia replied, frowning. “Our enemy has access to changelings that may have infiltrated the castle.”

“Please, follow me,” he spoke, turning back toward the city, “It’s not safe out here.”

“We need to know where the water spirits are,” Willy stated. “Whoever is threatening your city is after them. I’m the warrior of fire.”

The stallion paused, staring at Willy for a moment. “We can talk back in the city, now please-” his voice was drowned out by a loud roar, causing the water around to stir and the fish to dart away. “Please!” the stallion insisted. “Let us talk where it is safe!”

“That roar,” Isaac gulped, shuddering. “That was… Leviamon, wasn’t it?” he asked the seapony, starting to swim faster.

“Nay, tis some creature the knight brought with him.”

It didn’t take them long to reach the city, the stallion leading them over to a giant clam. He swam up to it, where he proceeded to knock on it several times, in some sort of pattern. The clam swung open with a creak, revealing a tunnel leading below ground.

“Please, before our enemy finds this entrance.” He gestured into the tunnel, floating beside the clam. The group rushed inside the clam, and it swung shut just as the last pony entered the tunnel.

“What was the thing that roared?” Willy asked. “Describe it for us.”

“A massive metal serpent,” the stallion began, leading them down the tunnel, “The knight appeared first and demanded the spirits from us. When we refused, he summoned his pet monster. It unleashed a wave of similar metal beasts and ravaged the city. We fled into the caverns under the city, but it won’t be long until we run out of supplies.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll run these things out of your city,” Isaac assured him. “We’ve dealt with these guys before and we came out on top. This time won’t be any different. Especially since we’ve got our DNA digivolution on our side,” he beamed and looked over to Jethro.

“I’m more worried about what we’re up against,” Marty spoke, looking over at Isaac, “I mean, a ‘knight’ could literally be anyone.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t really narrow the list of digimon down,” Jethro agreed. “There’s no shortage of armor clad digimon.”

“Alright, we’ll leave that guy for later than,” Isaac stated, putting his hand on Starlight. “Mind if I catch a ride so I can think?”

“Go right ahead,” Starlight told him with a smile. “I’ve gotten pretty used to having a digimon on my back.”

“Thanks.” Isaac climbed on, wrapping his arms around her neck. He spent the next few minutes in silence, looking deep in thought.

“The sea serpent sounds like MetalSeadramon,” Alex said. “Unless there’s another digimon that matches that description that I’m forgetting.”

“Oh no, if fish-boys description is right, it’s something even worse.” Isaac sat up, a grim expression on his face. “Sounds like we’re dealing with a GigaSeadramon.”

“Why can’t we ever find the digimon that want to give out free hugs?” Roger asked with a pout.

“Because those make terrible villains,” Isaac explained, “Unless you want to try the pony way and hit things with rainbows.”

“That does sound better than fireballs,” Roger admitted. “Especially now that we’re underwater. I dunno if I’ll be able to shoot fire here.”

“That may be a problem,” Marty agreed, “We don’t exactly have any water digimon with us.”

“Looks like I might actually be one of our heavier hitters now,” Alex commented. “Most of my attacks as Wizardmon are electricity based, and water conducts electricity.”

“We have arrived at our safe shelter,” their seapony guide said as they came upon an opening in the tunnel. There were a myriad of seaponies gathered there. Some were huddled around giant hermit crab shells that served as shelters and some were swimming around, darting between tasks. The group noted that there were actually different types of seapony. Some had horns, some had nothing like their guide, and some had fins that looked like that of a flying fish.

“Everyone!” the stallion leading them shouted, swimming out ahead, “Princess Celestia herself has come to our aid!” All eyes locked onto Celestia, and a chorus of cheers broke out.

“Hey, looks like you’re still popular here,” Isaac commented, looking up at the solar princess.

“I am the sun’s warden,” Celestia reminded, putting on an air of grace, “Even those who dwell in the deep need its life giving rays.”

“True,” Isaac nodded, “ still, they’re looking at you to do something about the rampaging monsters. Got a good princess speech to boost morale?”

“I would much rather speak to their leader,” Celestia whispered, leaning in close, “I’ve never been good when put on the spot.”

“Preaching to the choir on that one sister,” Isaac replied. “I never did well on pop quizzes.”

Straightening, Celestia cleared her throat. “I would like to speak to your leader,” she spoke to the crowd, running her eyes over them, “If it’s possible.”

“King Triton is in the largest shell at the back of the cavern,” their guide explained. “I can take you to him.” With that, their guide started swimming, leading them through the crowd.

“I had no idea King Triton moved his capital,” Celestia commented, gazing at their guide, “What made him decide to leave Atlantis?”

“An endangered species of whale wished to make use of the area,” their guide commented. “It seems the water temperature and water pressure of the area was perfect for them. Since we seaponies are comfortable anywhere in the sea, we let them take the area for their new home.”

“Your king is as generous as always.”

“Harmony is as important here as it is on the surface,” the guide replied. “Besides, the new city is more formidable than the old one.”

“This place got a name?” Dash asked, taking in their surroundings.

“It does,” the guide said. “Marecedonia is the new name for our city.” When they reached their destination, the stallion gestured for them to wait, while he swam into retrieve the king.

“So, anything we should know to avoid offending King Triton?” Marty asked, looking up at Celestia.

“Triton is a jolly stallion, fair and kind hearted, just show him the respect a noble you are not on first name basis with and all will be fine,” Celestia explained, narrowing her gaze at Dash and Isaac.

“Alright, I can add a title when I need to,” Isaac shrugged. “I do have some manners,” he huffed.

“I know how to behave...” Dash huffed, looking at the floor. Before anyone could say anything else, a large seapony with a long white beard arrived.

“Princess Celestia, my friend!” he greeted. “It has been far too long since your last visit. I only wish it had been under better circumstances.”

“As do I, old friend,” Celestia agreed, bowing her head slightly, “Is there a place we can talk in private?”

“Inside my makeshift shelter is private enough,” Triton replied. “We can talk there.” He turned and led them inside the shell. It took a minute, and the seating was cramped, but the group managed to settle in. Introductions were made, though Celestia allowed Rico and Willy to go last.

“Your majesty,” Willy started, kneeling before the seapony, “We have not met directly, but you know of our comrade, AnicentMermaimon.”

“Then you must be one of the ten warriors,” Triton responded, turning to Willy. “It is a pleasure to meet another of AncientMermaimon’s ilk.”

“I am the warrior of fire, AncientGreymon.” Willy twisted his arms so his palms were facing the ceiling, summoning his spirits.

“You are far out of your element down here,” Triton joked, cracking a smile at Willy’s display.

“I know I am,” Willy agreed, dispelling his spirits, “But the world is in danger once more.” He locked eyes with Triton. “Will you grant us AncientMeramaimon’s spirits?”

“She did tell us that there might come a day where you and the warrior of light might need her power,” Triton stated. “I was told to allow this to happen if it were to come to pass.”

“Thank you.” Willy bowed, before rising again. “Where exactly are the spirits?”

“They reside in a trench not too far from the city,” Triton answered. “The enemy forces have been unable to locate it thus far.”

“Who exactly, has been attacking you?” Twilight asked, seated next to Celestia.

“We don’t know for sure,” he said, shaking his head. “Just that they appeared to be a knight of some kind that summoned dark creatures that are sieging the city.” He paused, stroking his beard. “The knight did claim to be the warrior of metal, but he... did not seem right.”

“...Did this knight have green armor and bat wings?” Isaac asked, leaning forward. “And an X on his helmet?”

“Aye.” Triton nodded. “If he is the warrior of metal, he has been twisted and perverted into some monstrosity.”

“And we’re dealing with ShadowSeraphimon, fantastic,” Isaac commented, slumping over. “This is not a good situation we’re in.”

“You worry too much,” Rico retorted, patting his head, “You have us backing you up.”

“And if I recall, Aldamon made short work of that guy.” Willy grinned, cracking his knuckles.

“You do make a good point,” Isaac admitted. “Still, he does have back up. We should still be careful.

“So, for sure, we have ShadowSeraphimon and a GigaSeadramon,” Lee remarked, leaning back against a wall, “Both of those are megas. We currently have two megas, an ultimate and four champions.”

“Depending on what the other shadow digimon are, those aren’t exactly bad odds,” Marty offered.

“You got any experience in military planning?” Isaac asked, looking at Celestia.

“Yes,” she answered. “Though it is not a skill that I have used in some time, thankfully.”

“Well, I think you should probably get to planning, because we certainly ain’t that good at it.”

“Very well, I will see what I can do,” Celestia replied, standing up. “I should have something prepared soon. Please, be patient.”

“I realize my people would be sorely outmatched but,” Triton cleared his throat. “We shall do everything in our power to drive these beasts from our home.”

“We’ll take what help that we can get,” Rico said. “But only have your forces attack digimon we designate as champion level. Anything else and you’d just be putting yourselves at too much risk.”

“I myself will abstain from battle,” Celestia informed, “I do not wish to boil away the ocean.”

“Don’t worry, Princess,” Twilight started. “We should be able to handle this without needing your strength. Isn’t that right, Starlight?”

“I hope so,” Starlight replied, giving an unsure smile.

“Hey, you and Twilight are really strong when you fuse,” Isaac assured her, patting her side. “Plus, we’ve all got your back.” Her smile strengthened and she nodded.

“I believe I have a plan,” Celestia chimed in, shifting around small shells and debris. “Willy, I want you, three of the girls here including Pinkie, two of our champion reaching digimon and a group of seapony warriors to lead the enemy away from the trench containing the spirits. Rico, you take the others and find this Dark Seraphimon. Willy might be weakened down here so you have a better chance of defeating him.”

“Just give us a direction.” Willy grinned, flashing his fangs.

“Heading northwest would take you opposite of the trench,” Triton stated. “Plus, there is another cavern in that direction that you could pretend is the resting place of the spirits.”

“How quickly can you muster your troops?” Rico asked, studying the king.

“If I start now, less than half an hour,” Triton replied, swimming out of the shelter and shouting orders.

“Alright then,” Celestia spoke, getting their attention, “Shall we begin our own preparations?”

“Yeah, who wants to join me for the distraction?” Willy asked, looking around the group.

“I-I’ll be part of the distraction,” Fluttershy squeaked and raised a hoof. “I’m not much use in a real fight.”

“Then I suppose that means I will be joining the distraction team as well,” Rarity chimed in. She turned to Fluttershy and smiled. “We are fusion partners after all.

“I’ll join the distraction team,” Lee offered.

“Jet and I will go with Rico,” Isaac spoke, putting a hand on Jethro’s head.

“That was part of the plan,” Celestia told him with a smile. “You two can reach ultimate, which will be the best backup we can muster at the moment for defeating ShadowSeraphimon.”

“Good then.” Isaac nodded, putting on an air of confidence.

“I’ll join Lee and be a distraction,” Marty said as he raised a claw. “My Mega Flame is probably useless down here.”

“No one's useless,” Alex assured him from his seat on Roger’s head, “We’ll just have to think of something.”

“Yeah, when all else fails, we still have our claws and teeth to rely on,” Lee agreed. “And those horns of yours. Those should skewer some poor fish digimon.”

“I guess that’s true,” Marty admitted. Time passed and Triton returned with guards flanking him.

“We are ready to begin our attack!” the king cheered.

“Alright everyone, let’s protect these seaponies and spirits!” Isaac called with a fist pump.

Comments

[Warcrafter80]

any reason why the chapter repeats itself?

[Grey Ghost]

7407829 nope

[Sr Face Tear]

“Of course Lady Applejack. Luna lit her horn up, grabbing Applejack in her magic.

No need to narrate your self Luna.
But really you forgot a quotation mark there.