The Joke's on Equestria

by Grey Ghost

Battle In The Deep Part 2

“Alright so, what are we dealing with?” Marty asked Willy, who was looking out from their hiding spot through some binoculars. Team Distraction had hidden in a small trench, waiting for the signal to charge.

“Well, a GigaSeadramon for one thing. Along with a MarineDevimon and several other aquatic digimon.”

“Oh joy...” Marty grumbled, shaking his head. “Any sign of ShadowSeraphimon?”

“I’m not seeing him around here. He’s probably looking for the spirits,” Willy replied, scanning the area.

“At least we don’t have to deal with him.” Lee nodded, peering over the side

“It’s too early to say that yet,” Willy told him. “We’ve got our work cut out for us. Let’s just keep a cool head and expect the unexpected.”

“Ready when you are,” Marty said, taking in a deep breath.

“Then let’s do this,” Willy said jumping out of the trench and swimming in view of the digimon. “Fusion spirit evolution! Aldamon!”

“GeoAgumon digivolve to! GeoGreymon!”

“Gaomon digivolve to! Gaogamon!”

“Fu-sion, ha!” Rarity and Fluttershy called out, touching their hooves together.

“I can yell too!” Pinkie shouted, swimming at the back of the group. Tritons warriors let out a warcry, charging out after them. This got the digimons’ attention. They all turned to the approaching ponies and digimon before charging after them.

“Spiral Blow!” Lee shouted, creating a whirlpool that sent several digimon spinning in every direction. Marty rushed after the spinning digimon as fast as he could, biting down on the closest one.

“Atomic Inferno!” Willy boomed, trying to shoot the GigaSeadramon. The massive beast, which was far larger than any whale, was sleek, its entire body robotic. Its armor was a deep gold in color with blue plating on its underbelly. It had several fins that looked like sharpened knives Its mouth was more like a cannon, glowing ominously. Digimon continuously streamed out of it, marking it as some kind of battleship

“That thing is going to be a problem!” Marty shouted, dodging a Divermon’s harpoon. The blue fish like digimon grinned at him, darting closer, trying to skewer him.

“I’m doing what I can here!” Willy shouted back, his burning bullets not seeming to do anything to the massive serpent. “My attacks aren’t doing much here. I’m gonna have to try something else!” GigaSeadramon roared, launching a barrage of shells from the guns built into its back. Willy dodged the oncoming shells, then reached down into himself, pulling out Grumblemon’s hammer. “I sure hope this works better than my bullets,” he muttered. He rushed over to GigaSeadramon, smashing its side with the hammer. It roared, its metal skin denting. “Yes! Thank you AncientVolcanomon!” Willy grinned wildly, spinning the hammer around in a flourish and swatted the serpent again. It slammed its body against him, knocking him away. It turned, firing a shot from its mouth laser. Willy was sent crashing into the sea floor, knocking up a cloud of dust as he grunted in pain. When the laser finally died down, he managed to pick himself up, his grip tightening on the hammer.

“You know,” Lee started, doing his best to avoid being turned into a pincushion by the multitude of Divermon, “Being stuck as a champion is becoming hazardous to my health!”

“I gotta agree with you there!” Marty shouted, attempting to tail whip away the Divermon after him. “Reaching ultimate would be really nice right about now!”

The huge form of MarineDevimon loomed over them, the behemoth swatting away a group of seaponies with its tentacles.

“Okay, better deal with that before it kills the seaponies or someone,” Willy grumbled, charging the MarineDevimon, his hammer stretched over his head. “I’m gonna make calamari outta you!” he roared, swinging downward at it. The hammer caught the giant in the face, sending it stumbling backwards. It took a moment to right itself before retaliating, unleashing a cloud of brackish ink from its mouth. Willy tried to shield his eyes, not wanting to be blinded. It didn’t work, the ink surrounded him and robbed him of his vision. He cursed under his breath, trying to think of his next move.

“I-I can’t move!” a panicked seapony shouted, having gotten caught up in the cloud.

“Don’t panic!” Willy called out to him. “I just hurt it so it’ll be after me. Just stay calm, and we’ll get out of this!” Willy waited, using his other senses in an attempt to find out where MarineDevimon would attack him from.

One of its giant hands shot into the cloud, with the intent of swatting Willy away like a fly. Willy groaned, landing on the sea floor and kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Being in the water blows hard!” Lee hissed, a harpoon grazing his shoulder.

“I’m not enjoying it much either,” Willy replied, picking himself up. “My attacks are weak here.”

“This would be a lot easier if one of us was Ranamon or I dunno, Gomamon,” Marty complained, slapping a Divermon away with his tail.

“Trust me, if it meant being rid of these guys, I’d gladly be Ranamon right now,” Willy said, gripping his hammer a bit tighter and charging MarineDevimon again.

“I don’t think you’d ever hear the end of the jokes,” Lee chuckled, though it was obvious he was on his last legs. “Willy I think you need to go all out... Clear out these damn Divermon...”

“Alright, the seaponies are gonna have to get over the parts of the ocean I evaporate.” He held his hands out, an orb of flame forming between them. “Solar Wind Destroyer!” he boomed, sending the ball into the midst of the Divermon. They moved to scatter, though most weren’t fast and were consumed by the fire. “There we go, that did the trick,” Willy said with a weak chuckle.

“Okay, that's a lot better...” Marty panted, “You focus on the big guys.. We’ll keep the small ones busy.”

“Alright, I’ll start with MarineDevimon. Then I’ll deal with GigaSeadramon,” Willy relayed, charging MarineDevimon again. The demon growled, swinging its tentacles at him. Willy zigzagged around the tentacles, bringing the hammer down on its face again. It hissed, spitting the gas at him again, flailing its arms around. Willy growled, his limbs locking up. “I am already tired of that move!”

“Could be worse. That thing could be intelligent,” Lee reminded, dodging a harpoon. “I really hope the others aren’t having this much trouble.”

“Okay, Lee, you have lost talking privileges for a while!” Willy growled. “You just invoked Murphy twice!”

“We’ll see, won’t we?” Lee asked, steeling himself as a wave of Divermon descended on him. “Being a champion sucks.”

---

“Search every nook and cranny!” ShadowSeraphimon ordered, starting to get impatient. The shadow digimon he had been provided with were good for cannon fodder, but not much else. He’d have preferred to use changelings, but alas, they could not breathe underwater.

“You could always, you know, go look for yourself,” Simon commented, leaning on a rock. “Might speed up the process.”

“I am above such things. You can search if you like,” ShadowSeraphimon dismissed. “It would be the first thing you’ve actually done since we’ve arrived.”

“And what exactly have you done?” Simon shot back, raising his eyebrows.

“I have been leading this assault and search, as per the instructions of our master.”

“You're all talk and you know it,” Simon scoffed, watching a few Divermon work.

“Do not test my patience,” ShadowSeraphimon warned. “I could absorb your data right now and our master wouldn’t care. I wouldn’t even need to come up with an excuse.”

“Whatever you say,” Simon conceded, crossing his arms. “If the plot holds true, you know they’ll show up.”

“I am prepared for the arrival of the digidestined,” ShadowSeraphimon nodded. “I am merely surprised we haven’t seen them yet.”

“You know they're planning something,” Simon pointed out, scanning the area, “I told you we should have shelled the city. Would have made the fish talk.”

“If we had done that we would’ve run the risk of killing them all. Then there’d be no one left to talk.”

“So, instead we’re on a wild goose chase, while they're all nice and snug in their caves.”

“They will come to us soon enough. And when they do, we can torture one of them for the information we want. A simple matter.”

“Right...” Simon rolled his eyes. “Anyway, what are we gonna do with the spirit? Is the clown prince gonna absorb them or revive Ranamon or what?”

“I was not told the details of what our master wishes to do with them,” ShadowSeraphimon admitted. “Though reviving Ranamon might be his intention. She would be able to help us locate one of Lucemon’s generals.”

“Oh yeah? Which one?”

“Leviamon, lord of envy,” ShadowSeraphimon answered simply.

“Shouldn’t you already know that? You WERE there,” Simon pointed out, returning his gaze to the fallen angel.

“My memories have been corrupted due to the mixture of different data,” the fallen angel admitted. “I cannot remember the war against Lucemon.”

“Ain’t that typical,” Simon snorted, “If I had to place my bet, you just want everyone to think you can’t.”

“Oh? You think I am hiding things from our master?” ShadowSeraphimon asked, a menacing tone in his voice.

“You said it not m-”

“Desperado Blaster!” Simon jumped up, narrowly avoiding the oncoming blasts.

“Jesus!” Simon cursed. “When the hell did they get a Paildramon?!”

“It matters not,”’ ShadowSeraphimon growled, “Get out there and distract them.” Simon growled, but did as he was told.

“Okay, who wants a piece of this?!” Simon taunted, scanning the area.

“Right here, ugly~” Paildramon called, unleashing a few more salvos at him. Simon let out a shrill cry, dodging the oncoming firepower.

“I don’t like this plan!”

“You don't have to like it, just do it!” ShadowSeraphimon growled. He flared his wings, flying at Paildramon. Paildramon turned his attention to the mega, leveling his blasters at him.

“Desperado Blaster!”

“Insect!” the mega shouted, the salvos ricocheting off his armor.

“Technically I have more dragon features in this form,” Paildramon corrected. “Dinobeemon is the one that’s more insectoid.”

“Cease your prattling!” ShadowSeraphimon hissed, bringing his hands to his chest. “Strike of the Seven Dark Stars!” Seven dark lights shot out from his hands, all heading straight for Paildramon.

“Frozen Hunter!” Rico called out, sending a wolf-shaped aura to intercept the fallen angel’s attack.

“So, the warrior of light,” the fallen angel snort, “Come to claim the spirits, have you?”

“That was the plan, former comrade,” Rico replied, coming into view. “We can’t let Piedmon continue with his plans. I’m sure you understand.”

“I’m afraid we don't share that sentiment.”

“Then I’m going to have to convert you back to your spirits,” Rico told him, pointing his blade at ShadowSeraphimon. “Sorry it had to be this way.”

“We shall see who is reduced back to their spirits,” ShadowSeraphimon scoffed, “Strike of the Seven Dark Stars!”

“Frozen Hunter!” Rico roared, sending out another wolfen aura. The two attacks collided, creating a substantial explosion. “Cleansing Light!” Rico called out before the explosion settled.

“Strike of the Seven Dark Stars!” The missiles and the dark light collided, cancelling each other out in a grand explosion. Rico rushed forward, using the explosion as cover to hide his movements. “Hiding are we? Some warrior you are,” ShadowSeraphimon taunted, looking around.

“Electric Bolt!” Paildramon shouted, firing electricity out from his hand toward the fallen angel. ShadowSeraphimon scoffed, swatting the bolts away.

“Huh, thought that would do more,” Paildramon commented. “Oh well, I did my part,” he said with a shrug.

“Eat it!” Zapp shouted, colliding with ShadowSeraphimon’s chest. ShadowSeraphimon flinched, being pushed back a bit by the pegasus.

“Insolent creature!” the fallen angel boomed, grabbing Zapp’s wings and flinging her away. She recovered quickly, flying at him again. The fallen angel grabbed her again, stopping her charge.

“Shadow Starburst!” he boomed, sending electricity arcing across his body. Zapp screamed in pain, gritting her teeth. “Know your place, pony,” the fallen angel said. “Do not think you are capable of defeating me. My next attack will take your life,” he concluded, tossing her away. She floated idly, twitching every now and then.

“Frozen Hunter!” Rico boomed from directly behind ShadowSeraphimon, sending the aura point blank against him.

“Rah!” He hissed, whirling around to attack Rico. Rico jumped back, swinging his sword to meet ShadowSeraphimon’s hand in a mighty collision. “You think this twig can harm me?”

“No, but this might,” Rico said with a smirk. “Cleansing Light!” The portion of his claw slid open and several missiles hit ShadowSeraphimon right in the face. ShadowSeraphimon flew backwards, crashing into the trench wall.

“Get them!” ShadowSeraphimon roared at his minions. The various shadow digimon abandoned their searching, descending on the attackers.

“Desperado Blaster!” Paildramon shouted, firing on the charging shadow digimon, several of them bursting apart.

“Now!” Alex shouted, leading the seaponies down into the trench. “Electro Squall!” he shouted, bursting a few of them.

“You just can’t find good help these days,” Rico taunted, coming up on ShadowSeraphimon again. “Well, you can’t anyway.”

“Strike of the Seven Dark Stars!”

“Frozen Hunter!” The two attacks collided, the resulting explosion sending them both backwards.

“You seem to be out of practice,” ShadowSeraphimon taunted, cracking his neck. “Simon, you worthless lout, stop gawking and do something.”

“Fine, I’ll go after one of the other champions,” Simon grumbled, swimming after Alex. “Death Hand!” he called out, firing dark energy at Alex.

“Pyro Blaster!” Roger jumped into the trench, unleashing a burst of flame. Simon cursed, trying to dodge the attack, only to have it hit his wing.

“Ugh!” he groaned. “I really hate this plan!”

“Sounds like you need a new job.” Alex swam to Roger’s side, grinning behind his collar.

“Or maybe I just need to move up the corporate ladder,” Simon shot back, smirking darkly. “If I absorb your data, I might get some more respect. Death Hand!”

“Gah!” Alex shouted, barely dodging out of the way, Simon’s claws ripping his shirt. “Electro Squall!”

Simon dodged the attack, his smirk growing. “Death Claw!” he shouted, extending his arms out to grab Alex.

“Too close, too close!” Alex panicked, desperately trying to swim out of range. Roger growled, biting down on one of the arms at the wrist.

“Bad Devimon!” he shouted around the arm in his mouth.

“Let go of me you Charizard reject!” Simon hissed, flailing his arm around, trying to shake Roger off.

“Stop trying to hurt my friends!” Roger growled, biting down even harder.

“Rog!” Alex shouted, swimming deeper into the trench. “Keep him busy will ya?!” Roger nodded, keeping his grip on the Devimon, determination burning in his eyes. Alex left him to his work, scanning the trench for any sign of the water spirits. OK, if I were the water spirits, where would I be?” Alex asked, swimming around the trench. “Maybe in a patch of coral?” he suggested aloud, frowning as he came up empty.

“Seriously?!” He groaned, shaking his head. He gazed back at the battle, gripping his staff tighter. “Come on Alex, you can find these things, just calm down and focus,” he muttered to himself, continuing through the trench.

---

“Grah!!” Lee hissed as MarineDevimon smacked him away. He winced, his form distorting for a moment. The Divermon had been dealt with, leaving only MarineDevimon and GigaSeadramon. Willy had elected to take on the latter, while the rest of their forces handled MarineDevimon.

“Lee!” Marty shouted, leveling a glare at the MarineDevimon. “That’s it fishface, I’m gonna rip you to shreds!” Marty let out a roar, charging at the ultimate and leveling his horns at the digimon’s chest. MarineDevimon glared down at him, unleashing another toxic cloud. Marty let out a growl of irritation as he was stopped dead in his tracks. He continued to glare at MarineDevimon, not seeming to be intimidated at the moment.

“What a big meanie!” Pinkie pouted, holding onto Marty's foremost horn.

“I’ll get him, Pinkie,” Marty growled. “Once this stuff wears off, I’m gonna clobber him.”

“We better hurry,” she spoke, a frown crossing her face, “Everypony is getting real tired.”

“I’m doing my best, Pinkie,” Willy said. “He’s in his element and is an ultimate. We’re fighting an uphill battle at this point.”

“This guy is such a pain in the flank!” Pinkie growled, baring her teeth like an angry dog.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Marty said with a nod. His tail flicked slightly, causing him to smirk. “It’s wearing off, time to do this,” he concluded, trying to move his limbs.

“Look out!” Pinkie shouted as MarineDevimon swing an arm at them. Marty’s eyes widened, turning his body to shield Pinkie from the attack. He let out a cry of pain, falling over and sliding along the ground.

“Marty!” Lee growled, leaping to their aid. “Spiral Blow!” he roared, trying to get the ultimate’s attention.

“I’m fine,” Marty groaned, slowly picking himself up.

“I’m okay...” Pinkie groaned, floating a little to his right. Marty glared at the MarineDevimon, flames trickling out of the corners of his mouth.

“Get Pinkie out of here!” Lee barked, still trying to lure MarineDevimon away. He unleashed another attack, dodging away from a tentacle. Unfortunately, he didn't expect the other tentacle, which lashed out, wrapping around him. Lee howled in pain as the limb began constricting him. With a flash, he devolved back to Gaomon, his body threatening to devolve further.

“That’s it!” he boomed. “I’m not letting you hurt my friends anymore!” His body started glowing, his form disappearing behind the light. “GeoGreymon digivolve to!” Large red and white mechanical wings shot out from the blinding light. “RizeGreymon!” he thundered, the light dying out and revealing his new form. His carapace had been replaced with a metal plate. His chest was covered in a red plate with a glowing blue spot in the center. The most striking difference, was the large revolver that was his right arm.

MarineDevimon hissed, baring his fangs at the new ultimate. It unleashed another black cloud, swinging its other tentacle at him. Marty aimed his wings at the other ultimate, the blue spots on his chest and wings glowing brightly.

“Rising Destroyer!” Marty called out, firing beams from his chest and wings. The demon roared, the beams severing the tentacle. The wayward limb writhed for a moment before evaporating. “Not so tough now, are you?!” Marty taunted, catching Lee as he fell. He set him down beside Pinkie. “Make sure he’s okay, I’m gonna finish this fight.”

“Yes, sir!” Pinkie chirped. She grabbed Lee’s hand, swimming away as fast as possible. Marty returned his attention to the enemy digimon.

“Alright you ugly squid, let’s dance!” he challenged, charging at the MarineDevimon with his revolver pointed at his head. The demon glared, breathing out another spray of fumes.

“Rising Destroyer!” Marty called out again, firing beams past the oncoming cloud. MarineDevimon howled in pain as the beams tore through it, boring holes in its body. It snarled at him, shadows leaking from its wounds. “I’m not done yet,” Marty said, leveling his revolver at the wounded digimon. “Let’s see if this thing works underwater. Trident Revolver!” he yelled, three bullets firing out of the revolver and towards MarineDevimon. It let out a final cry before bursting into shadows.

“Excellent work, Marty!” Rarity called, swimming over to him. “You needn’t worry about Pinky and Lee, Fluttershy and a few seaponies are looking after them.”

“That’s great,” Marty said, letting out a sigh of relief. Fractal code surrounded his body, and he reverted to a Koromon. “Aww man!” he whined. “What am I supposed to do without any arms?!”

“Are all pre-rookie digimon so adorable?” she asked, a tired smile on her face. Like the rest of the distraction team, she was covered in cuts and bruises, and she seemed to be favoring her right hind leg.

“Sorry I didn’t digivolve sooner,” Marty pouted, looking down. “If I had, you all might not have gotten hurt so much.”

“Nothing a little spa treatment can't fix.” She gently pulled him over with her magic, wrapping an arm around him. “Comfy?”

“Yeah,” he admitted, snuggling closer to her. He then let out a drawn out yawn. “I guess that fight took more out of me than I thought.”

“You and me both, my adorable pink friend.” Rarity suppressed her own yawn, swimming back toward the others. “I am glad you’re safe, even if death for you is just becoming an egg.”

“I’m glad you’re all safe too,” Marty said. “I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself if anything happened to even one of you.”

“We all take risks, Marty,” Rarity soothed, her words full of experience, “I’ve risked my life more than once, you know.”

“I get it, I guess I just want to protect lives instead of what I did under Sombra’s brainwashing,” Marty admitted. “I feel like I have to make up for my actions then.”

“None of that was your fault and you know it.” She pursed her lips. “Do you even remember that time?”

“No,” Marty admitted, frowning. “But I know there are things I did during that time that make my stomach churn. I did do those things, even if I wasn’t in control.”

“It's still not your fault,” she insisted, her voice full of authority, “it was Sombra’s, and no amount of guilt and self loathing is going to change that.”

“Heh, sure thing, mom,” Marty joked, chuckling slightly. “Whatever you say.”

“You're not young enough to call me mom,” she chuckled, a smile gracing her lips.

“How am I supposed to know that?” Marty joked, looking up at her with a smirk. “It’s not exactly like you’ve ever told me your age.”

“Are you asking a lady her age?” Rarity gave him a bemused look, raising her eyebrow.

“Nope, just stating the obvious that I don’t know how old you are,” he said with a mischievous smirk. “I would never ask that question without arms to defend myself with.”

“I'm keeping an eye on you, blob.” Rarity mock glared, letting out a huff.

“Hey, I’m a Koromon, not a blob!” Marty mock pouted.

“Well, you look like a blob to me.”

“And you look like a marshmallow to me,” he shot back, sticking out his tongue.

“I assure you good sir, I am much more than a mere–” she scrunched her muzzle, “–marshmallow!”

Marty smirked, taking a gentle bite of her. “I dunno Rare, you even taste like a marshmallow.”

“And I bet you taste like chewing gum,” she countered, giving him a return bite on his ear.

“S-stop that!” he cried, bursting out into laughter. “Y-your teeth tickle!”

“Hm? What was that?” she asked with a smirk. “More?” She bit down again.

“Y-you are a white furred devil!” he shrieked, howling with laughter as the two made it back to the others.

“You two seem to be getting along,” Fluttershy commented, looking up from her work. She was tending to a wounded seapony, knowing a little first aid.

“H-How does it look like we’re getting along?” Marty snapped, still laughing. “She’s t-torturing me right now!”

Fluttershy giggled, shaking her head. “Why don't you two come over here and let me fix you up?”

“That would be lovely, darling,” Rarity said as she swam over to the other mare. “I could use some freshening up.” Fluttershy nodded, looking over Marty first.

“I’m fine,” he protested. “Just tired after reaching ultimate. Focus on Rarity first. She’s the injured one here.”

“I have to make sure “ she replied, giving him a stern look.

“Trust me, I’m all good,” he countered. “Rarity has all the cuts and bruises. I just happen to be a piece of gum with a mouth at the moment.”

“Martin Torres.” Fluttershy glared. “You are going to stay right there and let me examine you.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stay still,” he grumbled. “Jeez, are all of you gonna start acting like my mom?”

“No use fighting her,” Rarity replied, “Fluttershy always wins her arguments.”

“I figured as much,” Marty huffed. “And it’s not like I can get away while I’m like this.” Fluttershy hummed softly, searching for any wounds. “You’re not gonna find anything,” he mumbled, pouting as he was examined.

“Hush,” Fluttershy chided. Marty closed his mouth, looking over to the recovering Lee and pouting further.

“She's a pretty good doctor.” Lee smiled, gazing over at him. “Heh, so, how was being a Borg?”

“Like I wanted to assimilate things,” Marty answered with a grin. “But I don’t think I’ll get to be Locutus again for the foreseeable future.”

“Seven of Nine was cooler.” Lee smirked, letting out a pained laugh.

“Yeah, but I don’t have the figure to pull off the Seven of Nine look,” Marty replied with a snicker. “And if I did, I’d never hear the end of it from you guys.”

“At least we have two ultimates now.” Lee leaned back, letting out a long sigh. “Even my sense of humor hurts...”

“Hey, you still got your arms, that’s something,” Marty told him. “I’m stuck as a talking soccer ball at the moment. I’d take hurting over that.”

“Not so keen on the boxing glove jokes now are you?”

“Oh go answer an email, Strong Bad,” Marty retorted.

“Whatever you say, Homestar.”

“Oh, that was a low blow,” Marty commented. “What’s next? Gonna kick my puppy while you’re at it?”

“No, but I will show you this sketch of a one-legged puppy I drew.” Lee grinned evilly.

“He can make it on his own,” Marty said with a sagely nod.

“What are you two talking about?” Rarity asked, wincing as she stretched out on a mat provided by the seaponies.

“Just referencing a series of animations on the internet,” Marty replied. “One that sadly doesn’t update much anymore.”

“You’ll have to show me some time.” Rarity laid her head down, nearly falling asleep on the spot.

“If we find a way to do it, then sure, we’ll show you that sometime,” Marty agreed with a nod.

“You get a clean bill of health.” Fluttershy smiled, patting Marty’s head.

“I told you I was fine,” Marty said, looking up at her.

“I had to be sure.” She stood up, moving to look over Rarity.

“I swear, some boys and stallions don’t know when to just be quiet and let others offer their aid,” Rarity commented, a smile on her face as she closed her eyes.

“Now, now Rarity, I don't think stubbornness is related to gender,” Fluttershy responded.

“True, it does seem to be a common trait in mares too,” Rarity agreed. “One need look no further than our dear friends Applejack and Rainbow Dash for prime examples of the trait.”

“I hope the others are alright...” Lee yawned, letting his eyes close.

“Same here,” Marty agreed with a yawn of his own. “But they do have Paildramon and Rico with them on top of Zapp and Star. They’ve got a good team on their side.”

“I hope that's enough...” Lee muttered, drifting off to sleep.

---

Rico growled, slashing his sword at ShadowSeraphimon’s face. ShadowSeraphimon caught the blade, struggling to keep it from his throat.

“You really are out of practice,” the fallen angel taunted. “Has the warrior of light truly fallen so far?”

“Not as bad as you,” Rico hissed, kicking ShadowSeraphimon away. “Frozen Hunter!” he shouted, swinging his sword again. ShadowSeraphimon tried to dodge, but he was too slow and the attack slammed into his left side, causing him to let out a groan of pain. “Getting tired?” Rico smirked, trying to cleave through the fallen angel.

“My endurance is not to be questioned,” ShadowSeraphimon growled, catching the sword in both hands. Rico lifted his other arm, leveling it with ShadowSeraphimon's head.

“Cleansing Light!”

“Shadow Starburst!” ShadowSeraphimon shouted, trying to use the attack as a shield. The resulting blast sent them both spiralling away, parts of the trench wall collapsing.

“Desperado Blaster!” Paildramon took advantage of the confusion, unleashing a barrage of salvos at ShadowSeraphimon. One of the blasts managed to hit ShadowSeraphimon in the spot where Rico had attacked moments ago, causing him to grunt in pain and his grip on the Beo Saber to falter for a split second.

“Aim for the weak spot!” Rico shouted, edging the saber closer. ShadowSeraphimon growled, trying to keep the saber from reaching his neck.

“Shadow Starburst!” he cried, increasing the intensity of the electricity arcing across his body.

“Touch of Evil!” Rico let out a howl as Simon’s claws dug into his back, shocking him with dark lightning.

“Oh no ya don’t, varmint!” Zapp called out, swimming around Simon until a whirpool formed around him. “Even down here, Ah can still kick major flank!”

“You annoying little twerp!” Simon hissed. He flared his wings, trying his best to fight the current.

“Good luck tryin’ t’get outta that one,” Zapp challenged, adjusting her hat and smirking. “Ah’ll take care o’ this one, Rico. Ya’ll just focus on the big green rustbucket.”

“No,” Rico growled, kicking ShadowSeraphimon away. “Go help Alex! Tell Star to check on Roger!”

“Fine,” Zapp huffed, swimming off to do her assigned task and reaching the other fusion. “Hey Star, make sure Rog is okay, Ah gotta go and see if Ah can help wrangle up those spirits.”

“Right!” Star nodded, rushing off to where she had last seen the big lughead. Zapp then moved off into the trench, quickly catching up with Alex.

“Ah’m here t’help ya,” Zapp told him. “Just point me in a direction ya haven’t looked in yet and we’ll find these spirits faster than ya’ll can say yeehaw.”

“You look on the left side and I'll look on the right,” he instructed, peeking into a cave.

“Alright, Ah can handle that.” She snapped a quick salute, swimming towards her instructed area. She left no stone unturned (literally) as she searched through the trench.

“Come on!” Alex hissed, clenching his fists. Every minute they spent searching was another minute for their friends to get hurt. “Come on you friggin’ spirits, just show up already!” he shouted, his voice echoing sharply off the cave walls. “Don't you understand, people are in danger! The world needs you back!” The cave didn’t answer him, leaving him to stew in his frustration. “And I’m talking to a cave, great,” he huffed. “What, was I expecting the spirits to actually answer me?” He let out a growl, firing off an Electro Squall, sending it deeper into the cave. He continued to swim, having calmed down slightly. “Ugh, I need to calm down. The others are counting on me to do this.” His eyes scanned the cave, hoping to find anything that seemed out of place.

“Come on....” he murmured, looking around, “There has to be something!” He felt ready to give up, but out of the corner of his eye he saw something glint on the cave floor. He swam down to examine it, and saw something seeming to be buried within the rock. “Well, this looks promising,” he noted, slamming his staff down in an attempt to crack the stone.

After a few more taps, it broke open, revealing two glowing figurines.

“Yes, now I just need to give these to Rico!” he cheered, scooping up the figurines and making a break for the mouth of the cave. “Zapp!” He shouted, swimming out of the cave. “I’ve got the spirits, we can join the fight now!”

“Don’t gotta tell me twice!” Zapp whooped as she dashed out of the trench.

“Wait!” he called after her, “give me a lift!” Zapp nodded, rushing back over and letting him clutch onto her neck. The two then raced out of the trench and Zapp let Alex off as they saw how Rico was doing.

Paildramon had reverted back to Isaac and Jethro, the two of them hiding in a small crack in the ground. Rico stood over them, holding off ShadowSeraphimon and Simon.

“Rico! We got em!” Alex called out, waving his staff.

“Simon, take care of that Wizardmon and retrieve the spirits!” ShadowSeraphimon shouted, punching Rico into a rock formation.

“Touch of Evil!” Simon grinned, reaching out for Alex.

“Let’s try something a little different,” Alex smirked. “Vision of Terror!” he shouted, thrusting his staff out towards Simon’s eyes. Simon slowed, gritting his teeth.

“W-what do you think you’re doing?”

“Taking you out of commision by showing you your worst fears,” Alex replied. “Consider this payback for what you did to my bud Roger.”

“You really think that’ll work on me?” Simon grunted still making his way toward Alex..

“I dunno, it seems to be working,” Alex noted, his smirk growing. “Or are you trying to say that you’re not afraid of anything?” He thrusted his staff out more, pouring more energy into the attack.

“You little wretch...” Simon froze up, gritting his teeth hard enough to crack a few of them.

“Yeah, call me what you like, you’re still gonna fall victim to my bag of tricks,” Alex retorted.

Simon sneered, struggling to make his body obey him. He gazed around, spying the wispy remains of the shadow digimon. “E-Evil Hand!” he croaked, extending his hand to gather the remnants of the shadow digimon. He then shoved the data into his chest. Devimon digivolve to! Myotismon!”

“Oh… that’s not good,” Alex muttered, as Simon broke free of his attack with ease. Simon smirked at him, slowly making his way toward the Wizardmon. His eyes lit up, spotting Star and Zapp swimming up behind Simon. “Electro Squall!!”

“Grisly Wing!” Simon called out, spreading his cape and sending out a swarm of dark bats to meet Alex’s attack. Star took her shot, firing a beam of magic into Simon's back. He grunted slightly, turning to her with a hateful glare. He then smirked, biting down on his hand to open up a wound. “Crimson Lightning!” he shouted, using a stream of blood as a whip to lash across Star’s face.

“Leave er’ alone, ya sorry excuse for a vampony!” Zapp hissed, slamming into his chest as fast as she could.

He grabbed her by the wings, laughing maniacally. “Silly pony, I am Myotismon! Lord of the night! Nightmare Wave!” Electricity was sent arcing through Zapp, his smirk widening.

“Leave her alone!” Alex shouted, clutching his staff. 'I have to do something...’ He thought to himself, watching the display in horror.

“And why would I do that?” Simon asked, smirking as he tossed Zapp into Star, both of them groaning in pain. “I need them to feed my new form,” he said, showing off his fangs and making his way toward the two barely conscious mares.

“No!” Alex shouted, starting to glow. “Wizardmon, digivolve to! Baalmon!” When his body stopped glowing he glared at Simon with his one uncovered eye. His face was mostly covered in a blue bandana with a red mark in the middle and his long yellow hair. His left arm reached past his knee, while his right seemed to be nothing more than an empty sleeve. “I said get away from them!” Alex hissed, slashing at him with his short, red bladed sword.

“Crimson Lightning!” Simon shouted, blocking the slash with his blood whip. “Looks like someone’s been eating his Wheaties every morning.”

“Simon!” ShadowSeraphimon growled. “Stop playing games and get the spirits!”

“Don’t you have a warrior of light to be fighting?” Simon snapped, charging Alex with a blood covered hand. “Blood Punch!”

“Kamiuchi!” Alex rushed to meet him, swinging his sword. The two attacks collided, causing both of them to grunt and press against each other. “Guiltish!” he shouted, one of the paper amulets lining his cape transforming and shooting a lightning bolt at Simon’s face. Simon growled, backing off. “Rico! Get over here now!”

“Frozen Hunter!” Rico roared, sending out the attack to get some distance between himself and ShadowSeraphimon. He swam over to Alex as fast as he could. Alex threw his sleeve forward, tossing the spirits to him.

“Water to Light!” Rico boomed, taking the spirits inside him. He shivered, feeling his strength return. He smirked over to ShadowSeraphimon. “I think the tides have turned in our favor. Frozen Hunter!” he shouted, sending out the attack and using the water to make it move faster.

“Did we get em’?” Zapp asked, cracking an eye open.

ShadowSeraphimon howled in pain, his armor starting to crack. “I will not be defeated so soon after my rebirth!” He flared his wings, quickly retreating. Simon hissed one last time before following him.

“Think we should go after them?” Alex asked, panting a bit.

“Let them go.” Rico looked down at Isaac and Jethro. “We have wounded to take care of.” He knelt down, gesturing for the tiny digimon to come out. “You check on Star and Zapp.” Alex nodded, swimming over to the drifting mares.

“Are you girls okay?” he asked, a sympathetic look in his eye. “Come on, wake up,” he said, gently touching them to get a better look at their wounds.

“Ah’m fine,” Zapp croaked. “Don’t need t’worry about me none. Focus on Star. She got the worst of it.”

“You both look pretty beat up,” he countered, looking her over. “Can you hold on to my arm?”

“Ah can do that,” she nodded, grabbing his right arm with her hoof. “There, now what do ya want from me?”

“Just hold on.” He grabbed Star, swimming over to the makeshift hospital that the seaponies had set up. “We have two more over here!” He called out. He released them to a pair of medics before reverting to Yaamon. “And now I have no hands...”

“Looks like you’re gonna be getting the baby teasing right alongside Isaac,” Rico commented as he swam over with Isaac and Jethro. “I can just see Trixie being merciless with that.”

“Hey, where's Rog?” Alex frowned, looking around.

“Over here,” Roger called, waving a claw from a cot he was put in. He had reverted to Guilmon and a seapony nurse was giving him first aid.

“Oh good, I was worried you got egged or something.” Alex let out a stream of bubbles, moving over to Roger.

“Don’t worry about me, the seaponies dragged me away before that could happen,” Roger told him. “They’re really nice.”

“Just be happy you still have hands.” Alex pouted at him.

“Hey, maybe you can convince Trixie to spoon feed you?” Roger suggested. “That way you don’t have to bury your face in your food.”

“Yeah, yeah...” he grumbled, resting on Rog's stomach.

“Hey, at least you made it to ultimate,” Roger offered, patting Alex on the head. “And Baalmon is totally cool. That cape with all the paper thingies is really useful.”

“Yeah and I'm one step closer to...you know...” Alex didn't finish his sentence, looking away.

“You’ll be fine, buddy,” Roger assured him. “How many times do we have to tell you that before it sinks into that head of yours?” he asked, tapping Alex’s forehead with a claw.

“I... don't think I'm going to become Baalmon for a while...” Alex still didn't look at him, frowning.

“You do whatever you like,” Roger replied. “Just know that Trixie, Flint, me and the others will always have your back. Always.”

“Thanks Rog.” Alex smiled briefly before letting out a long yawn. “I'm just... gonna take a nap...” He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

“Not a bad idea,” Roger agreed, putting his head down and letting out a long snore. Rico chuckled, placing two more sleeping digimon onto Roger.

“Make sure no one wakes them up,” Rico instructed a nurse, reverting to Strabimon.

“No worries there,” the seapony assured him. “We’re not going to interrupt the sleep of four beings that just helped protect our home.”

“Thanks...” Rico moved away, to check on the girls. He spotted them not to far away, having split back into individuals. “How are you girls holding up?” he asked, looking between AJ and Dash.

“Ugh, my head is killing me,” Dash admitted. “That weird lightning stuff that Myotismon used on us really did a number on me.”

“You can thank Alex for saving your ass when he wakes up.” Rico sat down next to them, suddenly feeling very tired.

“Ugh, ShadowSeraphimon took more out of me than I thought,” he sighed. “Still, we got the spirits and protected the city. So, today was a win in my book.”

“You look plum tired,” AJ commented, looking him over.

“I feel it,” he admitted. “But I gotta stay up to make sure the others are okay. Wouldn’t be able to sleep right with all the thoughts buzzing around my head right now.”

“If'n ya say so,” AJ said with a nod. “Y’all should go check on Twilight and Starlight.”

“I’ll do that,” Rico said, turning his attention to the other two mares. “You two okay?” he asked, looking over their wounds.

“I think so...” One of her wings was bent at an odd angle, but Twilight gave him a weak smile.

“This might hurt a bit,” a seapony medic told her, taking her wing and bending it back into place. Twilight’s eyes widened, and she let out a muffled scream into her cot. The medic then put the wing into a splint.

“T-that hurt a lot...” she whimpered, curling up into a ball.

“Sorry about that,” the medic offered. “But it does help the healing process. You should be up and flying after a week or two.”

“Thanks...” she nodded, looking over at Starlight. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Starlight waved off. “I just have this cut on my muzzle,” she said, rubbing the spot where Myotismon’s whip hit them before.

“Sorry about that...” Twilight gave her a sheepish smile.

“Hey, both of us decided to fight Myotismon,” Starlight reminded her. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

“That's probably going to scar up...” Twilight bit her lip, staring at it.

“I’ll manage,” Starlight waved off. “It’ll be an interesting conversation starter at the very least.”

“I could find a spell, heal it for you,” Twilight offered.

“If you’re not too busy with your research,” Starlight returned. “I don’t want to interrupt your important work for the sake of my looks.”

“No trouble at all,” Twilight assured her.

“Are you kidding?” Dash asked. “Starlight would look totally wicked with a scar. We should probably think about getting you an eyepatch while we’re at it.” Twilight just sighed, shaking her head.

---

“They take this myth thing way too seriously,” Kurata commented, setting out in front of Cerberus. The giant, three headed pitbull stood before the gates of Tartarus, growling at him. “Gizumon, sedate this mutt so that I can get what I came for,” he ordered, not bothered by the demonic dog snarling at him.

Without a thought, the Gizumon rushed forward, throwing a large needle at the massive dog. Cerberus howled, trying to knock the needle out with a paw. The Gizumon held fast, a strange liquid dripping at the end of the needle as Cerberus’s struggling got weaker and all three pairs of eyes fluttered closed.

“Now, get those doors open,” Kurata ordered, adjusting his glasses. The Gizumon all struck at the door, forcing their arms into the crack and prying at the massive stone structure. “Form up.” Kurata strode forward, the Gizumon falling in behind him. He pulled out a flashlight and turned it on as he walked past the doorway. The Gizumon followed him into the darkness. He had two flank him, prepared for anything to catch him by surprise.

He raised his eyebrow, looking at the shriveled centaur in front of him, chained to the floor. “So, you’re Tirek, I presume?”

“And what are you supposed to be?” Tirek croaked, his voice as shriveled as his form. “A shaven dwarf minotaur that lost his horns?”

“Simply hilarious,” Kurata countered, “I may find it in me to release you, provided you make yourself useful.”

“And you expect me to follow your orders?” Tirek asked with an incredulous look.

“I'm not a fool, i know you can't be trusted.” Kurata pulled his glasses off, wiping at the lenses. “Think of this as a mutually beneficial deal.” Tirek started chuckling darkly, his chains rattling.

“If it means a chance at getting revenge on that miserable Princess Twilight, then I see no reason not to take your deal.”

“Good.” Kurata placed his glasses back on, casting a glance around the area. “How do I get to the lower levels?”

“There is a chasm that will get you there safely,” Tirek answered. “The stronger inhabitants of this place don’t go there because the gaps are too small in the rocks. But you and your… companions should fit.”

“And these lead all the way to the bottom?”

“Oh, so you're looking for that,” Tirek said, his eyes sparking in realization. “Yes, the chasm will take you to the bottom if you know where you’re going.

“How much do you know?” Kurata asked, raising his eyebrow.

“I know that it was sealed here thousands of years ago. And that it is very powerful,” Tirek answered. “I guessed you were looking for it, considering how little else is at the bottom of this accursed place.”

“Well then Mr. Tirek, shall we?” He gestured to his Gizumon, who broke Tirek’s chains.

“Very well, I can take you straight to the sleeping thing,” Tirek assured, rubbing his wrists and slowly leading them towards an outcropping of rock. Kurata followed, the Gizumon following behind them.

Comments

[GIGA-XISBASS]

Sleeping thing huh and at the bottom of Tartarus? Either we're getting the Titans digimon like Titamon or Chronomon or Belphemon SM is down there. Guess Kurata didn't learn after the last time if so.

[Grey Ghost]

7415531 not even close. I will say this though: it's one of a group of seven.

[WezzaHD]

7415645 Sleeping thing and group of seven and it's not Belphemon? Now that's got me thinking.

[GIGA-XISBASS]

7415645 That's tough one then. If it's not one of the 7 Great Demon Lords nor any of the digimon based on the Titans by that statement, then the only other things I can think of digimon related are the 7 Death/Dark Generals or the Destiny Stones, but it can't be those as they're only found in the Digital World and effect it solely and you probably wouldn't use those guys as they're Xros Wars/Fusion unless you did a different version of them like how there are many variations across seasons and media of characters like 3 King Drasil, 2 Beelzemon and Lucemon, 2 Crusadermon and Dynamon, ect.

It is Digimon related though right?

[Grey Ghost]

7418942 i never said it wasn't one of the demon lords

[GIGA-XISBASS]

7419033 ........*eyes open wide in an deathly scared anime style like One Piece* Ooooooooh Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!! Don't tell me that's where Lucemon's been sealed in his deleted state!?! He's the only one who'd actually be sleeping right now that isn't Sloth and that one's a hero currently.

[Grey Ghost]

7419049 nope. We have our own lore in place. Besides, Lucemon was kicked out into the void, not trapped in Tartarus

[GIGA-XISBASS]

7419127 Oh good point. Hmm..Doubt it's Leviamon as it sounds like they already have him on the team. Either way this should be interesting.