The Joke's on Equestria

by Grey Ghost

Dark News

The Friendship Express pulled into the Ponyville station and its occupants filed out. Starlight rubbed at the bandage on her horn while Isaac sat on her back and hummed to himself. Gankoomon joined the group as he stepped away from the caboose where the luggage had been held. In order to ride the train he’d had to revert to a previous form, but for reasons that baffled them, he refused to let any of them see it.

“Man, I didn’t think I’d miss this town so much,” Isaac commented as he stretched his arms out over his head. “Think anything happened while we were out? I mean, it's been like a week.”

“I’m sure something crazy happened,” Daring said, her wings twitching on her back. “If there’s one thing you can count on in Ponyville, it’s random bouts of shenanigans.” Daring then looked around the station, noticing ponies looking worried and talking in hushed voices. “And it looks like there was a doozy while we were gone.”

“Yo! Caramel!” Isaac called out, startling a nearby group of ponies. “What happened while we were out tomb raiding?”

“It’s awful!” Roseluck shouted, her over dramatic tone not surprising them in the slightest. She and her two sisters were well known for their random bouts of panic. “Princess Luna and Canterlot Castle were attacked! She’s in Ponyville Hospital right now!””

“Wait what?!” Isaac hopped off Starlight’s back, rushing over to Roseluck. “Who did it? Is she okay?!” He grabbed her head, bringing her down to his level. “Speak woman!” Roseluck’s eyes rolled in the back of her head as she fainted from his raised voice, her leg twitching as she rolled on her back.

Caramel cleared his throat and spoke up, “We don’t know who attacked her, we just heard that someone did. But I heard that she looks small like she did when she was purified of Nightmare Moon. If you want to know more, Princess Twilight and the other elements are still at the hospital.”

“She's in Ponyville General?” Daring asked, glancing at her own bound wings. “Wouldn't a hospital in Canterlot make more sense?”

“I think she wanted to kill two birds with one stone,” Caramel offered with a shrug. “But I don’t think Princess Celestia’s choices in hospitals is the most important thing at the moment.”

“Right.” Isaac scurried back over to Starlight, retaking his seat on her back. “Hey oh Starlight, away!” He kicked at her sides, pointing forward dramatically.

“Kick me like that again and we’re done,” Starlight warned, turning her head back to glare at him while she rushed towards the hospital.

Isaac looked away, rubbing his neck. “Sorry...I got carried away...” He wrapped his arms around her neck, nuzzling it. “It won't happen again.”

“It’s fine, and I know how you can make it up to me,” she said turning her attention back to the streets. “A nice back massage once things calm down.”

“I think I can do that...” Isaac muttered, holding onto her rather tightly. They lapsed into silence and after a few minutes, they arrived at the hospital. Isaac noticed the stoic faced guards at the entrance, locking eyes with one of them. “We’re here to see Princess Twilight and Princess Luna,” he said, gesturing towards the door. “We just heard the news about the attack.”

The guard looked them over before he nodded, pushing the door open. Isaac gave a nod of thanks, relaxing his hold on Starlight as she trotted inside. The hospital held a rather somber atmosphere, the staff looking rather out of it, most likely due to the numerous amounts of guards patrolling the halls.

The rest of the group stepped inside, but Gankoomon was forced to stand at the door. Starlight was led by another guard to a hospital room where everyone else was sitting, looks of anger and concern on all their faces. Rainbow Dash was the first to notice them, looking up and giving them a small nod.

“Hey, how was your trip?” she asked, a weak smile on her face.

“It... was okay.” Isaac slid off Starlight’s back, looking between everyone. “We got the egg but, uh... everyone's favorite odd couple freed another bad guy.”

“Great, just what we need,” Twilight said with a huff. “As if we don’t have enough enemies to deal with.”

Isaac shuffled a little, debating on how he wanted to drop Gankoomon’s revelations. “So uh, we also found Gankoomon and he’s gonna be helping us train up,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “And uh...”

“What is it?” Willy asked, arching his brow as he leaned on a wall. “Spit it out already, dude.”

Isaac sighed, casting his eyes at the ground. “We’re... not us.”

“Huh?” Roger asked, tilting his head and blinking owlishly. “What are you talking about? If we’re not us then who are we?”

“Copies,” Isaac explained, hugging himself. “We’re copies imprinted on leftover data.” Starlight pulled him into a hug, stroking his head softly.

“Wait, are you serious?” Alex asked, his mouth gaping slightly. “We’re just… copies of the real us?” Isaac nodded, returning Starlight’s hug.

“This is nuts,” Jethro muttered, shuddering as he clutched onto Fluttershy’s head. “Everything is going crazier than normal around here.” Fluttershy pulled him off her head, giving him a reassuring hug.

“We don’t think you’re anything less than you,” she whispered, petting the top of his head. “You’re here, and you’ve saved our lives, that should be more than enough to tell you you’re real.”

“Thanks, Shy,” Jethro whispered back, snuggling into her coat. “That means a lot.”

“It’s what friends are for, Jethro.” She held him away from her chest so she could flash him a warm smile. “You’ve been there for me when I was feeling down.” He smiled back at her, returning to his spot on her head.

“Well, that’s another bombshell for today,” Rico said, shaking his head. “This is gonna take some time to process.” He looked down at Isaac, giving an unsure look. “And you found Gankoomon?”

“More like he found us,” Isaac replied, ending his hug with Starlight. “The uh, bad guy that was let out, it was Leopardmon.”

“So, a demon Lord, a corrupted warrior, and a royal knight?” Willy pinched his nose, letting out a groan of aggravation. “That clown is starting to piss me off!” Applejack moved away, taking the warming air around him to be a bad sign.

“I share that sentiment,” Celestia stated with an unreadable tone, she and Coronamon unbothered by the rapidly heating air. “Piedmon and his forces have attacked my family. That is something that I will not let slide. I will personally make sure that the ‘clown’ is locked deep in the sun’s core.”

“How is Luna doing?” Isaac looked at the bed, noting Luna’s still form. Her chest rose and fell slightly, a heart monitor beeping away by the side of the bed. Lunamon sat quietly on the bed, just as still as her partner.

“The doctor said she is stable at the moment,” Celestia replied, turning her gaze to her sister. She frowned, staring at the spot where ShadowSeraphimon had taken the spirits from. “But she used a lot of energy in our fight against ShadowSeraphimon. And the Darkness Spirits were tightly woven into her being. We’re still waiting to hear the extent of the damage.”

“Did you know they were in her?” Wily asked, locking eyes with Celestia. “Because knowing she had them and not telling us, when you know damn well we need all the spirits, is a pretty fucking stupid decision.”

“No, I didn’t know that the spirits resided in her,” Celestia assured. “If I had, then my castle wouldn’t have a new skylight in it and my sister would be conscious while you kept the spirits safe.” An ember flickered up from her mane, falling to the floor.

“I think we all need to calm down,” Lee interjected, giving both a stern look. “At this rate, you two are going to make us all spontaneously combust. I don't think us being ash helps anyone but Piedmon.”

“This is me being calm,” Celestia said, taking a deep breath and releasing it. “If I wasn’t then this hospital would be on fire. But, I will do what I can to rein in my magic.” Her horn lit up and a shimmer was added to her coat.

Lee focused on Willy, giving him a stern look. Willy snorted and stormed out of the room, leaving slight burn marks in his wake. Daring shook her head and sighed, adjusting her disguise as she stepped to the door.

“I’ll go talk to him,” she said, walking out after him. It didn't take long to catch up with him, all she had to do was follow the footprints burned into the floor. “Willy, where are you going?”

“Away from everyone so I can let out all this pent up frustration without giving you all burns,” he answered as he continued to walk out of the hospital. “You should probably hang back before you get roasted.”

“Willy, I don’t think arson is gonna help anything,” she deadpanned, sticking close to him. “Can you at least try talking to me?” He ignored her, throwing the front doors open, melting the handles slightly. Daring let out a huff and moved quickly to avoid touching the heated metal. “Willy, I’m your friend, and your partner in crime. You can talk to me about what’s eating you.”

“Really? It's not fucking obvious?” Willy turned on her, his eyes aflame. “What do you think I'm upset about?!”

“Keep screaming at me, see what happens,” she warned, giving him an icy glare. “I’m trying to help you, Willy.”

“What do you know?! All you do is write books!” Willy snarled, his body bursting into flames. “You didn't lose all of yours! Your friends haven't been ripped from their sleep and turned into twisted puppets!”

“You think I haven’t lost anypony important to me?!” Daring shouted back. “Do you really think treasure hunting doesn’t come with risks?!” She reached into her shawl and pulled out something. “Did you ever wonder why I told you I didn’t work with a partner?!” She threw the object at his head. “If you wanna throw a pity party then have fun by yourself!” She stormed off, cursing all the while.

“You don't know what it's like,” Willy responded, his voice softening. “You've never had to fight a war. You’ve never had your friends sacrifice themselves to buy you more time...” Willy dropped to his knees, his fire going out. “You've never had the love of your life taken from you...”

“Oh yeah?” Daring asked, turning back to glare at him. “Look at that locket I hit you in the head with.” She pointed a hoof at the golden locket sitting in the grass. He did as she asked, lifting it up and opening it. His eyes widened as he saw a picture of Daring and a steel grey unicorn stallion he didn’t recognize together. They were smiling and dressed in matching safari gear, though Daring was without her trademark hat. The stallion was wearing it and the two were standing in front of Mareyan ruins.

“Who?” He locked eyes with her, both of them shedding tears.

“That’s True North,” she answered sitting on her haunches and staring at the locket. “I met him back in college. He was my husband, and he was smarter than I’ll ever be.” He reached out, pulling her into a hug.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered, burying his head into her neck. No longer was he able to hold back the tears, sobbing into her coat.

“There was a trap,” she continued, weakly returning the hug. “Dr. Cabelleron and his thugs ambushed us for an important artifact. He… cut down a rope bridge so Cabelleron couldn’t get to me. I wasn’t able to fly both of us to safety.”

“That had to hurt...” Willy pulled away, wiping at her tears. He reached around her neck, clasping the locket back into place. “You probably shouldn't be throwing this at some asshole’s head.”

“Well, sometimes an asshole needs a point driven into his head,” she replied, smirking softly and wiping at his tears in return. “Literally, in this case.” He returned her smirk, touching his forehead to hers. She then reached up and scratched behind his ear. “Well, looks like you caught yourself on fire and talked to me. I’d call that a compromise, wouldn’t you?”
Sounds good to me.” He gazed at her hoof, looking a bit puzzled. “How are you doing that without fingers?”

“The same way I pick things up with them,” she replied, continuing to scratch behind his ear. “If you want an in-depth explanation, you’d be better off talking to a hippologist.”

Willy snorted, getting to his feet, lifting her up in his arms. He ignored her protests, carrying her off towards the park. Seeing she wasn't getting away, Daring relaxed, waving sheepishly at the crowd they had garnered.

“Is there any reason that you’re carrying me?” she asked with a huff. “It’s my wing that’s hurt, not my legs.” She demonstrated this, poking his chest. “So, you can let me down.”

“Nah, I think I’m gonna keep carrying you,” he said with a smirk. “You’re cute when you’re annoyed at me and your fur is super soft.” A wide grin bloomed on his face. “Perhaps I wanna pull a Zeus and start seducing ladies?”

“Oh yeah? Does that mean you’re trying to seduce me right now?” Daring chuckled and batted her eyelashes at him. He leaned in close, his hot breath on her lips. She gulped, noting the burning passion in his eyes. Her good wing flapped in an attempt to cool her down as her cheeks flushed. “Hey uh… is it hot out here or are you about to catch fire again?” He leaned in closer, his lips a hair’s breadth away from hers.

He pulled away suddenly, leaving her very flustered and confused. He just smirked at her, plopping down on an empty bench. Daring blinked and shook her head. She then leveled a glare at him and socked him in the chest.

“You jerk! I should’ve known you were just messing with me!”

“Maybe.” He gave her a sad smile, a tear running down his cheek. “I don't really know how I feel.” Daring’s look softened and she let out a sigh. She rubbed the spot she hit and grabbed her locket.

“I can’t fault you there. I remember telling myself that I wouldn’t let myself fall for anypony after losing True North. Now… I don’t know.”

“That's just how it is.” He ran a hand through her mane, admiring how soft it was. “The heart wants what it wants, even if we’re not listening.”

“Way to try and sound deep, ya dork,” Daring teased, laughing a little. “Did you get that from a fortune cookie or something?”

“Just popped into my head.”

“Wow, that’s bad,” she said with a giggle. “Don’t quit your day job.”

“Yeah, providing the world with fire is such a better gig.” He closed his eyes, leaning his head back. “You're welcome.’

“And what should I be thanking you for?” Daring asked with a tilt of her head. “For not burning me to a crisp?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Willy opened his eyes, watching a cloud float by. “You know... You told me your story, it's just right I give you mine.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she assured, letting her hoof drop from his chest. “I think I’m all cried out for today.”

“You sure? I bet I could get some more tears outta ya.” Willy took a deep breath, letting his mind open up to the world around them.

“If you’re set on telling it then I’ll listen,” she replied, setting her head down on her forelegs and curling her tail up onto the bench.

Willy looked up at the sky, resting a hand on Daring’s back. “I guess the best place to start would be to say that while all of us warriors were allies, some of us were closer than others. Besides Rico, my closest friend among them was AncientKazemon.”

“I think you’ve mentioned AncientKazemon before,” Daring commented. “I take it you and AncientKazemon were really close.”

Willy moved his hand up, placing it on Daring’s head. “As close as you can be on a battlefield.”

“You said you lost the love of your life,” Daring started, “was that AncientKazemon?”

Willy let the question linger, listening and feeling the wind blow around them. Did he want to reopen the wound? It seemed only fair, Daring had shared her story with him. He let the breeze hit his face for another moment before nodding.

“Yes, she was. We didn’t get a chance to do anything but fight.” Willy let out a long sigh. “I’ll always regret that.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Daring said, patting his side. “I know that feeling.” She let out a sigh of her own. “True and I made all sorts of plans for our future together, but they were literally cut short just two years into our marriage.” She looked down at her stomach. “He kept teasing me by saying he wanted us to have tons of foals together.”

“Never had the chance huh?” Willy asked. “You had a better chance at it than I did.”

“True and I were married to our work as much as we were to each other,” Daring replied. “And I was hesitant about having kids too young. I wanted to wait until I had gotten all my adventures out of me. Now though, I regret not trying.” She closed her eyes and turned her head to the ground. “It might sound dumb, but it’d be like having a piece of him still in the world.”

“That's not dumb. Kids are half of both their parents,” Willy explained, scratching her ear. “I was hoping to have a few myself.”

“You still could. Princess Cadance and Princess Twilight are looking into that.” Daring leaned her head into the scratching without thinking.

Willy nodded, closing his eyes. “I hope they can do it.”

They sat in relative silence, listening to the sounds of the town around them.

“Do you think we can beat these guys?” Daring asked, breaking the silence. “I mean, they put Princess Luna in the hospital.”

Willy scoffed at the notion. “Of course we can! We’re the good guys. We’ll kick their asses so hard, they’ll be reformatted twice!” He gave her a toothy grin. “Ya just gotta keep on keepin on.”

Daring smiled, a small chuckle passing through her lips. “Yeah, no way those chumps are gonna keep us down. I’ve been in worse positions than this before.”

“So, we gonna sit here or what?” Willy asked, hopping to his feet.

Daring climbed off of him and returned to her hooves. “Yeah, let’s get going, I think we’ve moped enough.” Stretching out, she nodded at him. “Back to the others?”

He nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I think that’d be for the best.” He put his hands behind his head and walked towards the hospital.

---

Gankoomon looked over Ghastly Gorge, taking everything in as he made a checklist of what he’d need in order to train the Digidestined. The eels that resided in the tunnels would make for interesting obstacles. He cast his gaze over the other parts of the gorge, looking for anything he could use to his advantage.

“Perhaps a few sparring matches?” he asked himself, stroking his chin. “Those young ones need experience.” He nodded, making a list of pairings in his head. A grin split across his face and he snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it! I’ll have them take part in a tournament of my making! Nothing like competition to ignite the warrior’s soul!”

It was a brilliant idea, one that would keep them on their toes. Letting out a hearty laugh, Gankoomon turned on his heel, walking back into town. He tapped at his chin, thinking on who he could ask for help making an arena for his tournament covertly. After a moment’s consideration he altered his course towards the town bakery.

Bursting into the establishment, he cleared his throat. ‘Hackmon! Pink one!” he called, startling the customers.

“Sensei!” Hackmon replied, rushing out of the kitchen to give Gankoomon a salute. “What do you need from me?”

“I need you and your partner’s help,” Gankoomon explained. “I have decided to hold a tournament.”

“Ooh, that sounds exciting!” an energetic voice cheered directly into Gankoomon’s ear. He quickly turned to find the pink mare standing on his shoulder.

“I’m glad you think so.” Gankoomon nodded. “I will need both of you to help me prepare.”

“You can count us in!” Pinkie agreed, hopping down from his shoulder. “Just tell us what you want from us.” She snapped off a quick salute.

“You will come with me to the gorge.” Gankoomon turned, stepping outside again. “Come.” Without waiting for a reply, he made his way out of the town.

Pinkie scooped up Hackmon and put him on the top of her head. She then followed after the knight, hopping down the street with an excited smile on her face. “I’m gonna put up flyers! And get the hot air balloon! The whole town can come out and watch!”

Gankoomon chuckled at her enthusiasm. He turned to look at her over his shoulder. “You can announce this tournament once I tell the Digidestined about it. I want to surprise them myself.”

“Okie Doki Loki!” she grinned back at him, bouncing along with a double spring in her step.

Once they were in the gorge, Gankoomon pointed out a large, flat portion of the gorge where they could put the arena. Pinkie then pointed at the top of the ravine where she thought bleachers and by extension an audience would be safe from the collateral damage of the tournament.

Hackmon found himself doing a lot of the labor. He took solace in it, pushing his body to its limits, wishing to please both his teacher and his partner. Pinkie cheered him on the entire time, waving a little flag that had a crude drawing of his face on it. It was silly, but it did spur him on as Gankoomon instructed him to carve tiles for the arena.

“Sensei! I finished!” Hackmon called, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

“Good job, Hackmon!” Pinkie praised, zipping over to him with a bottle of water in her hoof. She then gave it to him with a smile on her face. “You sliced and diced those boulders like it was nothing!” She reared up on her hind legs and made chopping motions at the air to elaborate her point.

Hackmon laughed, pouring the bottle out into his mouth. “Thanks, Pinkie. You know how to make a mon feel good about himself.”

Pinkie patted his head, giggling. “That’s what I’m here for. Making ponies and digimon feel happy is why my business cards address me as, ‘Dr. Goodtime’.” She reached into her mane and pulled out her card to show him. Sure enough, next to a drawing of Pinkie in a lab coat was the title in question.

Hackmon blinked, looking at it. “Did you make that yourself?”

Pinkie nodded and put the card back in her mane. “Yuppers. I even upgraded from crayons to markers.”

Hackmon laughed again, his smile growing. “How very professional.” He sat down, stretching his limbs out. “I guess you’re gonna tell everyone else?”

“Once Gankoomon gives me the go ahead!” Pinkie replied, bouncing in place. “Wanna help me make the posters I’m gonna put around town?”

Hackmon gave her a salute. “You can count me in.” He patted his stomach and grinned at her. “As long as we eat some of your experimental cupcakes while we make them.”

“Of course!” Pinkie assured, pulling him into a hug. “You’re my number #1 taste tester!”

Hackmon licked his lips and returned the hug. The two stayed like that for a moment while Gankoomon stepped up to the pile of freshly cut stone. He picked one up and examined it for a moment.

“Very nice work, Hackmon. These are perfect for the arena.”

“Thank you, sensei!” Hackmon grinned, his tail wagging a little.

Gankoomon returned his smile before turning his attention to the place he had pointed out earlier. He then walked forward with the tile balanced on his shoulder before setting it down. He walked back to the other tiles, repeating the process until the arena was complete.

“Go, now.” He turned back, looking at the pair. “Spread the word.”

“Can do!” Pinkie put Hackmon on her back and zipped away, leaving a dust cloud in her wake.

Hackmon held on tight as blurry buildings came into his sight. When they came to a stop, they were in Pinkie’s room. She dropped him on her bed and tapped her hoof against the wall behind her bed to cause a rope to fall from the ceiling. Pinkie pulled it and several panels spun around in her room to reveal whiteboards, drawing tables and a scale model of Ponyville.

“How do you do that?” Hackmon asked, regaining his bearings. “You just, zip around all crazy like.”

Pinkie giggled and walked over to the drawing table. “I’d tell you if I knew. I just get excited about things and do them. Though, I think it has something to do with my cutie mark. I started being able to do zany things after I got it.”

“Right.” Hackmon just nodded along, not really getting it.

The two stayed up late, drawing up posters and eating cupcakes while they made their plan for spreading the news about the tournament. At the end of the night, Hackmon collapsed onto the bed, letting out a long yawn. Pinkie smiled, climbing in next to him and pulling the covers over them.

“Good night, Hackmon,” she whispered, yawning. “Tomorrow we’re telling everypony the exciting news.”

Hackmon nodded, quickly drifting off to sleep.

---

Gankoomon sat the last bed down in front of his arena before taking a step back. Within the beds were the Digidestined, each of them blissfully unaware of where they were as they slept.

Gankoomon cleared his throat and shouted, “Good morning, Digidestined!”

“Gah!” Isaac fell out of his bed, scrambling to his feet. “The hell are you doin’!?” He rubbed the side of his head, his eyes widening as he took in everything. “And where the hell are we?”

“I will answer your questions in order,” Gankoomon replied, putting his hands on his hips and smiling. “First, I was waking you up for the day. Second, you are in Ghastly Gorge.”

“I can see that,” Twilight muttered, looking around. She had the worst case of bed head, with her mane going every which way. “Would you mind telling up why you dragged us out here?”

“The answer to that is simple,” Gankoomon said, stepping out of the way to give them a better look of his arena. “Today we will begin training you. And I have devised an interesting way to begin. A tournament!” He swept his hands towards the tile structure in a flourish. “I want you to clash with one another and test your skills.”

Applejack gave him a flat look. “A what now?”

Gankoomon deflated for a moment before quickly recovering. “A fighting tournament. A contest to see which mon comes out on top.”

“Aw yeah!” Dash zipped into the air, discarding her bedwear. “Me and Bi are gonna show everypony how awesome we are!” She crossed her arms, giving everyone a cocky grin.

Spike and Dorumon shot up, giving her a determined look. “No way, Dash. Dorumon and I got this tournament in the bag!”

Rarity frowned, pulling her face mask up. “I’ll have you know, Mr. Gankoomon, some of us have jobs. Currently, I’m swamped with orders. I can’t partake in your ‘tournament.’”

Lalamon pouted, looking up at Rarity with a pleading look. “Can’t you put them on hold? This tournament could be good for me. I mean, the soonest that somepony needs their order is two months from now.”

Rarity sighed, removing the curlers from her mane. “Alright, alright Lalamon. If you want to compete then, I can take the day off.” She glanced at Gankoomon. “As long as I’m given the proper time to fix myself up.”

Gankoomon rubbed the back of his head. “I suppose that will be alright. My apologies for not giving a lady the proper time to prepare.”

Rarity smiled at him. “Thank you. Twilight, if you wouldn’t mind?” she asked, hopping off her bed.

Twilight lit up her horn. “Not at all, I need to teleport back too.” She ran a hoof through her mane only for it to get stuck. “There’s no way I’m having bed head all day.” In a flash of light, She and Rarity were gone.

Gankoomon looked around at the remaining digidestined. “Does anyone else need to prepare?”

“Um, I guess I’m as ready as I can be,” Fluttershy spoke up, rubbing a hoof at the ground. She looked down at her partner. “Elecmon, are you ready for this tournament?”

Elecmon nodded. “I’m ready when you are!” he smiled, his ears twitching.

Fluttershy nodded and looked back at Gankoomon. “Then it looks like we’re ready on our end.” Her expression then morphed into a glare. “As long as this is safe.”

“It’ll be fine,” Isaac waved off, dismissively.

Willy put his hands behind his head and chuckled. “I think you guys are forgetting something. Rico and I are the only real contenders here. I mean, no one else here can go mega.”

“That is why you two will not be competing,” Gankoomon spoke. “Both of you already have the experience you need. I trust you to go about finding the rest of the spirits, while I whip these young ones into shape.”

Rico nodded, getting to his feet and stretching. “That makes sense to me.” He turned to Willy. “Looks like we’re going on a roadtrip. Wanna head to the market and grab some supplies?”

“Yeah, we can swing by the castle and grab Daring.” Willy turned to the others, giving them a thumbs up and a smirk. “Give em hell guys.”

“I’m gonna do my best!” Roger assured, attempting to make a thumbs up with his claws. He then paused and looked up at Gankoomon. “Does the winner of the tournament get a prize?” He tilted his head.

Gankoomon struck a pose. “Yes, the knowledge that they have overcome their peers!”

Everyone rolled their eyes, unimpressed by the offered “prize”.

“Aw, come on,” Dash huffed. “Can’t you offer us a little something more than good feelings?” She paused before her eyes lit up. “You know, a trophy or even a ribbon would serve to remind the winner how hard work and determination pay off.”

Gankoomon rubbed his chin, nodding slightly. “Hmm, you do make a very good point. But for now,” he clapped his hands and walked over to a large box with a hole cut into it, “let’s decide the matchups for the first round! Within this box are numbered balls, each of you will pick one and whoever has the same number, will be your opponent.”

“Twilight’s gonna have to go for me,” Candlemon spoke, waving his arms around.

“Then I guess I’ll go first,” Isaac spoke up, walking over to the box. He reached inside, feeling around until he wrapped his hand around one of the balls. “Lucky number seven!” He proudly displayed his number.

Once Twilight and Rarity returned, everyone else picked their numbers. No sooner had the last number been picked, Pinkie gave a signal and a crowd of ponies filed into the seats at the top of the gorge. She then rushed behind a boulder and took to the air with the hot air balloon.

“Fillies and gentlecolts!” Pinkie shouted, her voice echoing out across the gorge thanks to her megaphone. “The First Annual Digibattle Tournament is about to begin!”

Comments

[Warcrafter80]

Where in oblivion have you been?!?!

[Sr Face Tear]

Celestia: My sister, fello ruler of Equestria an Princess of the Night has been severely injured! Guard, where's the nearest hospital Guard: There's a great one right down the street, super high tech, and has the best doctors in Equstria. That place is great, my gra- Celestia: Fuck that, to ponyville!!

[DDDDDDDDD23]

Be careful with crossovers.
Most displaced stories start having crossover chapters every few pages and never have any plot at all.

[Shinegreymon]

9361600
Is this dead?

[Grey Ghost]

10474452
Nope.

[Shinegreymon]

10474530
Outside problems? Or can’t think of what to write problems?

[Grey Ghost]

10479028
We'll get around to it