10 years ago, Twilight and Shining Armor watched as the chosen heroes of the Digital World perished in an epic conflict. It was all a dream, they told her. Twilight isn't so sure and then one day she accidently opens a portal to the Digital World.
10 years ago, Twilight and Shining Armor watched as the chosen heroes of the Digital World perished in an epic conflict. Now a teenaged mare, Twilight has been obsessed with what she saw as a filly, though Shining Armor keeps telling her it was all a dream. When she opens a portal to the Digital World by accident, a whole new adventure begins, and the Digital World will never be the same.
The sounds of indiscriminate shouting filled the air as the ground erupted nearby; spraying dirt and debris everywhere. She looked around her at the chaos ensuing. The injured forms of her friends lay around her, their wounds grave and she wasn’t sure just how long they would be able to hold out. Trying to sit up, she realized her body was dissolving, little by little. A massive shadow lumbered towards her; a dragon with a metallic helmet and cybernetics. It spoke to her.
“We have to get you out of here! This battle is lost.”
She turned to the leader of their group, only to see his body dissolving away into nothing. This is it, she thought bitterly, we’ve finally met our match. She reached down to her side and grasped a small device in her hands as a tear fell down her face. The dragon before her was battered and fading as well, and with everything she had, she smiled grimly locking eyes with it.
“It’s too late, my friend.”
Those eyes were clear of any fear or doubt. They were heroes, after all, that is what she and her friends had signed up for before this whole craziness began: save the world. Looks like it's time for the next chosen ones to do what we could not. Though even defeated, she grinned. She was a hero and heroes never gave up. mustering her remaining strength, she cried out.
“Just once more, MetalGreymon! Lend me your strength just one last time."
With a final surge of conviction as a blast of darkness washed over the battlefield she cried out as she held the device high.
In the land of Equestria, a young lavender-furred Unicorn was getting ready for bed. Tomorrow was her first day of pony kindergarten, and she wanted to be prepared. Standing by her desk on her hind hooves, she nudged the quill and ink well, not really knowing how they worked yet, but excited to learn. She loved learning new things. Almost as much as she loved books. From the doorway, a familiarly warm voice spoke up.
“Excited about your first day, huh?”
Turning sheepishly away from the desk, the little filly’s face was flushed with embarrassment as she responded.
“Sorry, mama. I just wanted to make sure my supplies are all in order.”
Chuckling, the mare in the doorway used her magic to levitate the small filly into the bed.
“Oh, Twilight, you’ve gone over them twenty times. Now it is time for little fillies to snuggle tightly under the covers and dream until the sunrise. Time for bed. Sweetie.”
Velvet watched as her daughter wiggled her way under the covers and closed her eyes, snuggling her one-eyed rabbit stuffed animal. Turning off the light with a loving smile, Velvet whispered softly.
“Good night Twilight.”
Slowly closing the door behind her, Velvet Twinkle went out to the living room where her husband waited. Meanwhile, in bed, Twilight slowly opened one eye, before eagerly crawling out of bed. She headed over to the desk and eagerly poked the inkwell again. Suddenly, the ground shook violently, causing the inkwell to tip over.
As the black pool dripped onto the carpet below, Twilight broke out in a fit of tears, the young filly bawling at the top of her lungs, but her mom didn’t come running. Nopony did. Twilight sniffed as her crying ceased. Where was her mommy? Her mommy always came running when she cried. The ground shook once more, sending the little Unicorn scurrying out the door, desperate to find her mommy in the living room; where just moments ago the TV had been blaring.
However, there was nopony there when she arrived. The TV was off, and the room was dark, causing her to sit down and begin crying all over again.
“Mommy!”
Suddenly the light flicked on and a young colt, just a head taller than Twilight came running to her side. His fur was as white as the driven snow, and he possessed a brilliant cobalt blue mane. The Unicorn grabbed his little sister up in his hooves and rocked her.
“Twily! What are you doing out of bed?”
Twilight immediately giggled and shouted.
“Shiny!”
Looking at the ink-stained fur of Twilight, Shining Armor looked around before looking at his sister.
“Twily? Where’s mom and dad?”
Before she could answer, another massive ground quake shook the house, causing the front door to suddenly swing open. Walking cautiously over to the door, Shining armor peered out of it and his mouth fell open. Twilight raced over to her brother to see what he was gawking at, when she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes transfixed on the sky.
A massive rip in the night sky had appeared amidst a shining aurora. And in the midst of it stood seven bipedal creatures. They ranged in appearance, some had blonde hair, some had brown, some had dark skin while others had light. The one thing they had in common was they looked utterly defeated and a few were dissolving from the ground up.
Twilight gazed on in awe at the seven massive creatures that stood by them; some kind of dragon with a metal claw, a wolf that walked on two legs, a massive red beetle with a glowing green orb on its back, a gigantic bird with strange markings, a beast with a shell that wielded a hammer, and a pixie but not small like the ones in Equestria. And next to them floated two angelic-like beings. They seemed to be in the midst of a struggle with something.
And then it happened. A girl amidst the group shouted out.
“We are the DigiDestined! We will never surrender. Come on MetalGreymon, one last time!”
Twilight watched as a cheer went up from the group and as one they raised their hands to the sky, clasping strange devices. As one they cried out.
“Digi-Fusion Energize!”
The monsters beside them vanished in a blinding flash of light and Twilight stared in amazement as the bipedal creatures stood clad in armor that resembled their monsters. Bracing themselves, one looked down at Twilight and for a moment their eyes met.
Behind that armored dragon head, Twilight could see her eyes burned with determination as she smiled and Twilight saw her lips move.
“It’s your turn, now.”
Raising her head, the metal-draconic armor-wearing bipedal shouted to her companions before charging forward.
“For the Digital World!”
The rift in the sky closed as with a final cry of resolve, the group raced out of sight, leaving behind an awestruck pair of siblings.
An anxious Twilight raced down the royal hall towards the throne room in Canterlot Castle. Galloping at top speed, she avoided guards as papers spilled out of a satchel on her back. Gotta hurry! The Unicorn mare boasted a luxurious mane and tail of indigo and violet, her fur a gentle lavender and on her flank was a peculiar marking; a glowing blue hollowed-out ying-yang within a stylized eye.
As papers landed on the floor, various calculations and formulaic equations could be glimpsed before they were levitated back into her pack as she ran by. Today’s the day. I’ll finally prove to them I’m not crazy, that it does exist.
Lost in her thoughts, Twilight slammed into something hard. Falling back onto her flank, Twilight groaned as she rubbed her aching hindquarters. Looking up, she found herself staring into the stern face of a white-furred Unicorn dressed in golden armor. The Unicorn’s flowing cobalt mane poked out from beneath the helm the stallion wore. Twilight grinned sheepishly.
“Hey Shining, sorry about-”
“Twilight, you know you aren’t allowed here.”
Twilight spoke excitedly.
“Shining! I found it. The portal, for real this time!”
Shining Armor was not amused by this, as he spoke coldly.
“Not this again. Twilight it doesn’t exist, stop embarrassing yourself. Go home.”
Looking desperate, Twilight shouted at him.
“It does exist! You saw it too!”
Her shouts had caught the attention of other guards who had stopped to watch. Shining Armor looked to either side of him before saying callously.
“Twilight, it was a dream. None of it was real. We aren’t foals anymore, the time for pretending has passed. You need to grow up and set aside these childish fantasies. Now, as Captain of the Royal Guard, I am ordering you to go home.”
Twilight’s eyes hooded over as Shining Armor turned away.
“Shining, I-”
“Go home Twilight.”
Before another word could be uttered, the guards that had been listening stepped forward, spears drawn.
“You heard the boss, get lost, you crazy Unicorn.”
Twilight’s eyes burned with the saltiness of tears as she shouted suddenly to the retreating form of her brother.
“I’ll show you, Shining! It is too real! You’ll see.”
Turning on her hooves, Twilight raced away, tears flowing down her muzzle as she ran.
Slamming her hooves on the desk in frustration, tears coursed down her face. All around her were the various charts, graphs, equations, and formulas of years of research. Twilight stared at the words: The Digital World Portal. For years she had been called crazy, a dreamer, a fool for seeking what she saw that night ten years ago. But now, now she was sure she had proof, she wasn’t crazy. She would show them.
Her cutie mark pulsed with energy as her horn lit up with light blue magic. As the portal manifested, her heart leaped; this was it! Finally, she would be vindicated, finally, she would be- huh? As the portal opened wider it had revealed…nothing. No land of strange creatures, no colorful landscapes. Just a hole in her floor revealing what lay beneath.
“No, no,no. This isn’t-”
Frantically, she levitated a nearby parchment. Had she forgotten to carry the two, or maybe she should have divided instead of multiplied for x? Or…Her eyes hooded over in defeat. Maybe Shining is right. Maybe, maybe I really am crazy.
Twilight hung her head in shame, perhaps everypony had been right about her; maybe she was just chasing fairytale nonsense. After all, the next morning her mom and dad had been there, eager to hear about her night but unaware of any earthquakes. Maybe she really had been deluding herself all these years.
Angrily, she lashed out, using her magic to shred her research, before stopping, that night flashing before her eyes once more. That night she and Shining had received weird runic cutie marks, unlike any seen in Equestria. It had been so real, she couldn’t forget it. The last stand of those creatures; The words spoken. It had to be real, but if so what was she missing? How could she open the portal to the Digital World?
That’s when she spied the strange device sitting there on her desk. She stared at it. What was it? Where had it come from? Curiosity overcoming her, Twilight levitated the odd object over to her to examine it.
It seemed to be specifically designed to be worn on a hoof, boasting a strap of an unknown material. After turning it over a few times, Twilight noticed an electronic screen and her cutie mark etched above it. Blinking, she put her hoof in the strap and watched in amazement as it suddenly tightened to a snug fit on its own.
Surprised, Twilight instinctually attempted to remove it with her magic, but to no avail, the device didn’t budge. Lifting her hoof up to her mouth to manually remove it, Twilight was taken by surprise as the screen hummed to life and a beam of red light washed over her face.
“Wha-?”
Startled, Twilight fell over and stared at the screen as numbers and figures flashed across it before displaying an image of her, and her name, height and age. Twilight shook her hoof, trying to remove it only to see it was no use. As she frantically shook her hoof, she accidentally pointed it at the still-open portal, causing a flash of light.
As the light faded from her eyes, Twilight gasped in shock. The portal now showed a jungle, some plants Twilight had never seen, and little creatures Twilight had never known. She cheered excitedly. She had done it! Now she just had to show Shining and-
“Another Digi-Destined to thwart my plans…”
A large billowing shadow had filled the entire portal as a pair of ruby-red eyes glared at Twilight. And before Twilight could so much as yelp, a gargantuan black scaly claw reached through the portal and grabbed her. Twilight gave a squeak of fear as the scaly claw retracted back into the portal, dragging Twilight in its grasp. The sinisterly silky voice spoke once more as the portal closed behind Twilight.
Shining Armor stood at attention, spear at the ready in full salute as Dullahan of the Nightwatch approached. With fur as dark as a moonless night, and golden irises indicative of his kind, The batpony captain of Luna’s Royal Guard stepped in a measured way; the ceremonial changing of the guard taking place under the ever-watchful eyes of the Princesses of Equestria.
Usually, Shining Armor would take great pride in the nightly tradition but tonight his mind was clouded with feelings of guilt, and so he just went through the motions.
I was too hard on her. Salute, twirl the spear to the left, three full rotations before stopping. But it’s time for her to let that go. Step to the side, salute, and bow. What we saw that night, what we dreamed. Turn and face the Princesses. Still, I behaved just as childish as she did. That’s not befitting for a Captain of the Guard. Stand at the ready. Or a big brother.
Princess Luna and Celestia nodded at their respective Captains, and Luna flared her wings.
“Captain Shining Armor. Your guard is dismissed for the night.”
I need to apologize to her.
Bowing, Shining Armor responded in kind.
“Yes, your majesty.”
Over by the door, his squad waited to celebrate another successful and uneventful shift. As he approached them, one of the guards clapped him on the back with a stout hoof and said.
“Hey Captain, we’re head down to the Punch Bowl, on me. You in?”
Shaking his head, Shining responded.
“No, you go on without me, I’ve got something I need to do.”
Stepping into the house he called home, Shining Armor sighed before calling out.
“I’m home.”
There was no answer. I guess Twily’s still mad at me. Slowly he removed the cumbersome armor, to reveal the cutie mark he had received that night; a runic spiral that resembled an orange sun. Placing his armor in the closet, Shining turned to look at a framed picture on the wall.
It showed the smiling faces of Twilight Velvet and Nightlight, the late parents of the two siblings. Ever since the two passed almost ten years back during a freak accident, Shining had been forced to step up and provide for his little sister, becoming her guardian.
Walking over to his sister’s room, Shining Armor gently knocked on it, calling out.
“Twilight, about what I said earlier-”
Shining stopped as the door swung inwards to reveal an empty room. Papers were scattered all around. It was an utter mess, but there was no sign of Twilight. Instantly, Shining felt the hackles on the back of his neck stand up. Something was wrong, Twilight was obsessive about being neat and tidy; there was no way she would leave it in such a state.
Scanning the room, Shining noticed and approached a pile of shredded papers, using his magic to piece them back together, looking for a clue. Greeted with a bright, bold headline proudly proclaiming ‘DIGITAL WORLD PORTAL’ in all capitals, Shining felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Surely, she didn’t.
After the incident, Shining was just as excited as Twilight about what they had seen, often imagining going there himself; as if it was calling him. However, once their parents passed away, he had been forced into adulthood at an early age, in the process dismissing the digital world as just a fanciful imagining of a young colt’s mind. All the responsibility fell on his shoulders, to care for and support his little sister. And so that night had been cast aside. Now, however, it looked like that past was coming back to haunt him.
For hours he poured over the various equations before coming across a group of coordinates. He stared at them, narrowing his eyes. Had his sister really opened a portal to another world?
That’s when he noticed it, a small device, just laying there on the floor. What was it? Had his sister made this? He stared at it for several seconds. With each passing second, he felt more and more compelled to touch it; it was almost as if it were reaching out to him, beckoning him.
Almost as if mesmerized by the device, Shining Armor slowly reached a hoof out to touch the device. Suddenly, it seemed to come to life, the screen on it blinking rapidly as two straps of indeterminate material wrapped themselves around his foreleg. Startled, he tried to kick the device off, but a beam of bright red shot out from the device and scrolled across his face.
Moving his hoof to his mouth, he stumbled as he tried to remove the device; the screen now flashed with an image of him, his name, height, weight, and age. Data continued to flash on and off the screen as he stumbled around. Finally, he tripped and fell on his side, the screen now pointed at the floor. That’s when the device started to glow and beep.
Before Shining could question what was going on, a portal opened beneath him, causing him to fall through it, before closing behind him.
Shining found himself plummeting like a rock through the sky towards a clump of thick forest. With a scream of panic, he crashed through the foliage. Down through the branches and leaves to crash onto the forest floor. Dazed and confused, he lay splayed out in an undignified pose, while strange creatures began to surround him. Too weak to fight back as they took hold of him, Shining gave in to oblivion as he fell unconscious.
Groggily, Shining Armor opened his eyes, before sitting bolt upright. This was not his bed. Looking around at his surroundings, he was surprised to see he was in a brick house. Was he back in Equestria? Had it all been a dream? That’s when he noticed the bandages wrapped around his hind leg. It had been no dream, he realized. But he couldn’t help but wonder as he lay there. Where am I?
“Good, you’re finally awake, Shining. I’ve waited long enough. Now we can finally take the fight to Asmodaemon.”
Turning his attention to the feminine voice, Shining Armor blinked. There, sitting in a chair by his bed was what looked like a wingless dragon with an orange body and several long claws and talons on its feet and hands. Its left eye was a brilliant violet while a large scar could be seen where its right eye should have been, and a small stream of data seemed to be leaking from it. And around its neck, a black ring sparked and fizzled continuously while runes pulsed a bright red across its surface.
Confused, as to how this creature knew his name, he shouted in surprise.
“Who are you? What are you and how do you know me?”
This seemed to trigger something within the creature as she shouted back.
“Of course, you don’t know me! Why would you, after I’ve waited for you this whole time! The others were taken, enslaved, or erased, while I held hope and waited for you, dreaming of the day you would come. And you don’t even know who I am? That’s just perfect! I…I need some air.”
Stomping over to the entrance of the small house, the creature stopped and she snarled before exiting.
“I’m Agumon, your Digimon. Welcome to the Digital World.”
He could barely make out a single word she spoke as he struggled to stay sitting, a wave of pain washing over him causing Shining Armor to fall back, unable to stop himself from closing his eyes. Once more the painless calm of darkness overtook him. And then he heard nothing more.
In a castle across the land, sat an amused-looking Asmodaemon. The self-proclaimed Queen of the Digital World sat on her throne slowly swirling a glass of chardonnay; watching a portal in which she saw Agumon yelling at Shining Armor. Pursing her scaly fanged lips in a mirthless smile, she chuckled.
“So, he finally shows himself to me, the last Digi-Destined. How wonderful-”
Her charcoal black, scaly tail flicked around in excitement.
“And don’t I have just the perfect welcoming committee for you.”
Snapping her claws, she watched as a sentient rock golem rushed in. Without turning her head, Asmodaemon addressed it, her voice silky and dripping with malice.
“Gotsumon. Fetch me Solara. After all-”
The ruby-red eyes of the massive dragon Digimon flashed as she stared into the portal.
“She’s dreamt of seeing this ‘Shining Armor’ for the longest time. And who am I to get in the way of such dreams?”
Gripping the glass in her claws so tightly that it shattered, Asmodaemon grinned wolfishly, her fangs glinting in the light as the wine dripped onto the floor. Throwing her head back, the sound of the Gotsumon scurrying away could be heard behind her as her wicked cackling laughter filled the chamber.
The Unicorn mare sat in silence amongst the plethora of books surrounding her. She wore gold Chrome Digizoid armor that covered her features from head to hooves, Only her dark indigo mane and tail were visible swaying to and fro as she quietly read, the mask covering her face possessing no features aside from two slits from which she looked out of.
In her lap lay a small, curled-up creature, sleeping soundly as the mare turned the pages in silence. The firelight of a nearby candelabra illuminated the flank of her armor, revealing the stylized eye with a hollowed-out ying-yang symbol emblazoned on the side.
Behind the mask, her Amethyst eyes betrayed no emotion as she scanned the pages of the book. She had read all these books before, over the course of many years in the castle. And yet, the only time she felt at peace was when she was reading. Sadly, that peace was not to last.
“Your highness, a thousand pardons-”
Before another word could be uttered, the mare raised her head, causing a wicked-looking halberd to embed itself microns from the trembling form of Gotsumon. She spoke with no emotion, and yet her fury could be felt.
“Why are you disturbing me? Choose your next words carefully.”
Barely able to keep its composure, the messenger of Queen Asmodaemon began to sweat profusely. Meanwhile, the furry creature on her lap opened one eye to watch the scene. Stammering the Gotsumon cried out.
“Princess Solara, Queen Asmodaemon a-asked me to get you!”
The book snapped shut with an audible thud as the mare slowly nodded.
“I see. Come, Gabumon-”
The furry mass on her lap yawned and uncurled, revealing a yellow animal Digimon wearing a blue wolf pelt made of Chrome Digizoid. Its brown eyes were soft and warm. Rising to its yellow paws, Gabumon stood at the ready.
“Let us see what mother wants.”
As Solara walked slowly out the door, the halberd suddenly wrenched itself free from the door frame and slashed at the unfortunate Gotsumon, leaving a gash across its body; data pouring out of the wound. With a scream, the Gotsumon disintegrated into nothing as Solara coldly spoke, her halberd now levitating by her side encased in a glowing light blue magic as she walked down the corridor.
“Next time, knock first.”
Queen Asmodaemon sat there in silence, staring at the various portals before her. Resembling CRT Televisions, each depicted various areas of the digital world. The Mega-level Digimon grinned; the world was hers. Suddenly, she frowned glancing at the portal depicting Agumon and Shining Armor once more. No, not yet. That Agumon had caused her distress for years; its strong, seemingly unbreakable will, had been the source of much aggravation to the self-proclaimed ruler. Just like her companions, but I ground them beneath my claws, just as I will her.
Asmodaemon sat there, recalling with glee the captures of each of the Digi-Destined and how their Digimon had been erased one by one by her own claws. They never saw her coming, did they? The fools, betrayed by one of their own. Slowly rising to her talons, her tail swished from side to side as she approached a row of containers along the back wall. Filled with a glowing green liquid, within each housed the perfectly preserved form of a single pony.
Six mares of various fur colors, and mane styles, each branded with various runic markings. Their eyes were wide open and their chests heaved in and out as they breathed, bubbles exiting their mouths. But they didn’t move, blink, or make a sound as Asmodaemon ran a long talon almost lovingly across the surfaces of the sealed containers. Only two were empty.
She seemed to pause, considering the empty one that bore a crest of a hollowed ying-yang within a stylized eye, for just a moment, before moving on to the empty one that bore Shining Armor’s cutie mark.
“Soon Digi-Destined of Courage, you too, will belong to me. Isn’t that right, my precious playthings?”
“Am I interrupting your playtime, mother?”
Turning slightly to address the speak, Asmodaemon laughed.
“Ah Solara, my daughter. No, mommy is just so very excited. The final toy for my collection has revealed itself.-”
Whirling around to face Solara, the massive dragon grinned hungrily, its eyes flashing in anticipation.
“And I want you to fetch it for me.”
Glancing over at the televisions, Solara was silent for a moment. Her lips pursed in a grim smile as she stared at Shining Armor. So, you finally came. But you’re too late.
“And what about his Digimon?”
Waving a clawed hand dismissively, Asmodaemon said sharply.
“Erase it, like the others. I have no need for such accessories.”
Solara turned on her hooves, she would not question the command; if that’s what Asmodaemon wanted, that’s what would happen. As she strode away, she replied.
“As you wish. Come Gabumon. Let’s go pay Shining Armor a visit.”
The world belongs to her. Everything belongs to her, I belong to her.
Her eyes narrowed underneath her mask.
And soon you will, too.
With a groan, Shining Armor opened his eyes. Ungh how long was I asleep and where am I? That’s when he remembered the orange creature from before. He glanced towards the door on the other side of the room. Slowly, he tried to move his leg, only to find it bent quite easily and painlessly. Climbing out of the bed, Shining made his way over to the door before flinging it open, to reveal a grim scene.
All around lay piles of rubble and destroyed buildings, scattered across a crater of scorched earth. Everyway he looked, pink round creatures, resembling disembodied heads, rushed around in silence; the black rings around each’s midriff pulsing with mysterious red runes.
Suddenly one of the pink heads bumped into him, and as he leaned down to utter an apology for being in its way, it raced off as though nothing had even happened.
“Don’t bother with them. They can’t hear you.”
Turning, Shining Armor watched the orange creature from before approaching him.
“Oh, um it’s you-”
“Agumon.”
“Oh, right. Sorry, but what do you mean they can’t hear me?”
Gesturing around at the scurrying Digimon, Agumon said in a sobering tone.
“See the rings on those Koromon? While wearing them Digimon can’t hear anything aside from her voice, think any thoughts aside from hers or do anything but what she wills. Just mindless slaves.”
Feeling his blood boil at such a sentiment, Shining Armor cried out.
“That’s horrible! Who would do such a thing?”
The single eye of Agumon narrowed in disgust as she spat out the name.
“The Digimon Princess, Solara.”
“Digi-mon Princess?”
Agumon kicked at the ground, scornfully stating.
“It’s Digimon, not Digi-mon. And yes, Solara. No one knows where she came from, but one day, a year ago, she appeared and announced that she was taking over in the name of her queen.”
Staring in dismay at the Koromon as they bustled along, Shining Armor spoke.
“Is there something we can do to remove those rings?”
Agumon shook her head in dismay.
“No. Nothing short of a Champion-level attack can break those.”
“Champion-level?”
“For reference, I’m a Rookie-level. If I was to Digivolve I could break those rings easily.”
Shining looked confused.
“Then why don’t you do that? You know, Digivolve?”
“I don’t know how.”
“Oh. Well, maybe I can help. Somehow. What do you know about this Digivolving thing?”
Agumon shrugged and looked down as if in thought.
“Just that it involves some kind of activity that makes me change shape and grow stronger.”
Shining put a hoof to his muzzle.
“I see. So some kind of training or exercise huh? Well, you are lucky I’m here to help.”
Looking dubiously at Shining, Agumon asked.
“How so?”
Smiling proudly, Shining armor revealed the source of his confidence.
“Back in Equestria I am a Royal Captain of the Guard, I train my subordinates night and day to be the best they can physically be. With me helping I’m sure we can get you Digivolving.”
Agumon just stared at him, her voice less scornful than normal.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Let’s get started, no time like the present.”
Agumon smiled, revealing several sharpened teeth in her jaw.
Gripping a giant piece of concrete with her claws, Agumon struggled to drag the stone through the scorched landscape as Shining Armor shouted encouragement.
“Come on Agumon, you got this!”
Agumon groaned, her claws aching as she strained with all her might to move the large chunk of rubble.
“That’s…Easy…For…You…To-”
Turning her head, she paused midsentence as she watched in disbelief as Shining Armor with an even larger piece of debris strapped to each of his hindlegs walked steadily beside her. The sweat glistened on his fur as he called out encouragements to her.
“Say. How-”
Smiling proudly, Shining proclaimed.
“I would never ask another to do something I could not do just as well. Now come on, put your back into it, we still have one hundred push-ups and three more circuits with your concrete chunk before lunch.”
Completely exhausted, Agumon flopped onto her back. Next to her Shining Armor lay, a bowl of apples he had conjured between the two. Gratefully, Agumon reached for an apple, cutting it into pieces with her claws before nibbling on them. Turning to look at Shining she spoke.
“You are one strong Pony.”
Laughing, Shining nodded and answered her, his words soft and unlike his usual carefree demeanor.
“In my world, many ponies can’t use magic, but many possess great strength to an almost unnatural degree. As a Captain of the Guard, I have to be prepared for any type of attack, and all my subordinates look to me for strength; I can’t let them down.”
Noticing the sadness in his voice, Agumon asks him what’s wrong.
Shining stayed quiet for a moment, staring up at the sky, taking note of both the sun and moon sharing the same space, causing him to smirk.
“I wonder if going home is even an option now.”
Turning to look at her, he asked.
“What about you, What’s your story?”
Agumon was silent as she placed a claw on her empty eye socket. Taking a deep breath she began explaining, her words slightly choked with emotion.
“I ran afoul of the Princess’s halberd. If it hadn’t been for Lilymon’s sacrifice, I wouldn’t have been able to break free of my dark ring and get away…mostly intact. If she hadn’t taken the time to break my ring, she might still be here. They might still be here.”
“Sounds like she meant a lot to you.”
Nodding, Agumon agreed.
“She was like a sister to me. They were my family. We waited together for our tamers, and even when theirs showed up, they took me with them. They told me you were coming and not to give up. But that was ages ago. But I waited, while they grew stronger, digivolved, and saved the digital world from many threats. I waited for you, unable to help them being far too weak.”
Tears forming in her eyes, she began to wail.
“I was too weak to save them, when they needed me most, when their tamers were captured.”
Shining felt somewhat guilty as he heard her words, he wanted to comfort her, to tell her it would be okay. Yet, all he could do was ask her.
“What happened that day?”
Agumon’s crying stopped and her eyes hooded over.
“She appeared…”
“And so I said, Looks like Piedmon got creamed!”
Biyomon flew in front of the group and spread her pink wings as she delivered the punchline causing laughter to erupt from the group of mares and Digimon below. Laughing at her own joke, the small pink bird flew down to rest on the back of a pink pony with a bubbly mane and tail; her tamer with a runic heart for a cutie mark.
Next to the pink Earthpony walked an orange-furred one with a humanoid plant-like creature on her back. She wore a worn Stetson hat and on her flank was a green runic teardrop. She called out to the plant-like creature.
“Y’all alright there, Palmon?”
Giggling, Palmon replied.
“All good back here, Sugarcube.”
“Darling! Your fur is going to get all muddy again.”
Off to the side, a white Unicorn with an amethyst mane and tail, both perfectly coifed, and sporting a blue runic cross with two points on either side as a cutie mark, chided a furry water-dwelling mammal as it happily splashed in a mud puddle. Cheerfully Gomamon called back in a singsong voice.
“Oh come on Rarity, it’ll wash out, no need for fuss.”
While the two debated the qualities of mud on fur, above Rarity flew two Pegasi mares; one cyan-blue with a rainbow mane and tail, sporting a cutie mark of concentric circles joined by an arch. The other was a buttery-yellow furred pink maned one with a sun emitting a beam of light as hers. Next to them, floated two Digimon, one an insect with large green eyes, the other a large-eared creature. The two conversed happily with their partners; Tentamon showing off for his tamer by generating electricity between its insectoid wings to which she declared,
“Awesome!”
Meanwhile, Patamon gratefully nuzzled her tamer, who grinned happily. And there at the front of the pack, talking to a cat-like Digimon with a sacred ring on its tail, strode a lilac-furred unicorn with a stylized star as a cutie mark. The two were laughing at Biyomon’s joke along with Agumon, who sat with Palmon on the back of her tamer.
The group was in high spirits having finally achieved their hardwon goal of defeating the 13 Demons of the Digital Realm and saving the Digital World. It was nice to have some time to just enjoy life after many months of non-stop fighting. Finally, they could just relax.
And then the birds stopped singing. It was a subtle change, and went unnoticed at first as the friends laughed and joked about. But then the air grew heavier, noticeably heavier; colder even. The laughter died down as a feeling of doom settled in the air. Halting, the group was suddenly on their guard, immediately drawing forth their Digivices, just in case.
Without a sound a Unicorn clad in Chrome Digizoid armor stepped onto the path, blocking their way. The armor was carved and engraved around the Unicorn’s features, and on its back, was a massive halberd. Perhaps most unsettling was the faceless mask the Unicorn wore. And next to it, a large blue and white wolf-like creature, Garurumon.
For a moment the group stared at the figure in silence before Gatomon’s Tamer stepped forward addressing the strange Unicorn.
“Can we help you?”
The figure’s horn glowed light blue as it drew forth the halberd. Its voice was decidedly female, though cold and quiet, yet somehow filled with rage.
“In my mother's name, your journey ends here, Digi-Destined.”
The star on her flank now glowing, and the device on the Tamer’s hoof began to beep and whirl. With her eyes narrowed she shouted.
“Gatomon!”
Leaping into the air, Gatomon shouted back.
“Let’s do it!”
Glowing, Gatomon began to morph and change shape, becoming more angelic in shape. A Norse helm adorned her head while eight wings sprouted from her back, her now-humanoid body encased in ribbon and fabric. Gatomon had digivolved into Angewomon.
The mysterious mare stood still as the Tamer called out to her.
“After everything we’ve been through, you think some Champion-level tamer is going to defeat us?”
Raising her head, the armor-clad Unicorn simply said.
“Solara. My name is Solara, remember it.”
She too, began to glow, as did the Garurumon by her side. But unlike Gatomon, Garurumon simply vanished, as a blue wolf pelt appeared on the Unicorn’s back, her hooves suddenly took on the appearance of furry wolf paws, while her mask suddenly split to reveal rows of fanged teeth.
“Now perish.”
Standing on her new paws, Solara leaped into the air swinging the halberd and snarling like a wolf, as she struck out toward the stunned Archangel Digimon with the deadly blade. Bringing it down in one swift motion, Angewomon gasped in shock as her body was split in two.
Landing back on her hind paws, Solara placed the thunderous ax head of the halberd against the armor on her back with an audible *tink* as a massive explosion rocked the air. Everyone watching was dumbfounded as the falling pieces of Angewomon’s body disintegrated into nothing but bits of data. It was then that Gatomon’s tamer gave a scream before collapsing to the ground. Solara spoke coldly, the mouth of the strange mask moving as she spoke.
“Who’s next?”
“It was a transformation we had never seen before. The others tried to retaliate but were tossed around like leaves in a storm. One by one, she destroyed them as they tried to attack as a group. And then there was just me-”
Agumon’s single eyes welled with tears as she muttered and angrily clawed at the ground.
“And I wasn’t even worth deleting.”
Solara stood amidst the collapsed forms of the tamers, her eyes fixed on Agumon, as the Rookie angrily slashed at her with her claws. Over and over, she shouted at Solara.
“Bring them back!”
The tears burned on her cheek as Agumon lashed out, again and again, slashing at the silent mare. Solara just stared down at her for a moment before hefting her mighty halberd, flipping it over so that the haft pointed at Agumon. With tremendous force she slammed the pole into Agumon’s right eye, causing it to vanish in a stream of data and knocking Agumon down onto her back.
Screaming in agony, Agumon sat up, holding her empty eye socket in one claw and looking frantically around, but Solara was gone and so were Agumon’s tamer friends. However, as she slowly stood up still on guard, she heard that cold, mockingly emotionless voice once more.
“Not yet. I still have use for you, little one.”
Shining Armor’s eyes narrowed angrily. Just listening to the tear-stained words of Agumon reminded him of Twilight and all the times she ran to him for comfort. He’d heard enough. And he had made up his mind. Slowly he rose to his hooves and held out his forehoof to Agumon.
“We’ll make her rue that decision then, won’t we partner?”
“W-what?”
Agumon looked up, the tears in her eye drying up as she stared at Shining’s hoof. He smiled down at her.
“The worst decision she ever made was leaving you around to get stronger. You called us partners before and while I don’t know much about this world, or you Digimon, I do know I would never leave a partner hanging. So let’s work together to get you stronger. Let’s get your revenge.”
Taking his hoof in both her claws, Agumon smiled as she rose to her feet, her resolve renewed.
“Right!”
Shining smiled back as she took his hoof.
“Good. Now let’s see you do one hundred push-ups!”
Agumon’s eye grew wide as she wailed.
“But I can’t even do one!”
“That sounds like quitter talk! Come on, we’ll do it together.”
Slowly she walked through the lush rainforest outside the castle. Solara was silent and lost in thought; not paying attention as she bumped into two imposing figures. One was a large green goblinoid wielding a large femur, while the other was a bipedal lion with an icy glare; Ogremon and Leomon. Pausing, Solara stared down at the ground, her voice cold, indifferent.
“Move aside.”
Ogremon let out a heavy laugh and jabbed the tip of the femur at Solara.
“Not this time, Princess. This time you’ll pay for what you’ve done to us!”
The word Princess was spat at her in disgust as though it pained Ogremon to even speak it. Slowly Solara raised her masked face to peer at the two and immediately took notice of the two sparking dark rings around their midriffs. Solara began to glow as her mask split into a fanged smile and a coat of blue and white fur covered her body. She slowly pulled the halberd from her back.
“If that is your wish.”
With those words, she leaped at the two with a feral snarl.
Sitting in a clearing amidst the suspiciously silent forest, Solara stared into her little campfire. Overhead the moon had risen, though how and why in the world without magic, she didn’t know. Staring up into the night sky, she vaguely recalled two all-powerful beings; one that commanded the sun and another that controlled the moon. She laughed to herself, such a crazy notion. There were no such beings, she knew. Not in the Digital World at least.
For every hour in Equestria, one decade had passed in the digital world. And it had been over seventy years since she had been snatched through the portal. Seventy years since Asmodaemon gave Solara her current home. Not that she recalled having a previous one.
Staring into the hungry flames of the fire, Solara saw the white stallion from the screen flash once more in her mind, she knew that stallion. Or did she? She wasn’t sure. Something about him was familiar and yet not at all at the same time.
“Shining Armor.”
She spoke the name out loud as though it would help, as though it would answer the question in her mind. And yet, no answer came. It rang hollow in the air, meaningless to her. She sighed. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that her mother was wrong.
Suddenly, she flinched as she felt the scars under her face mask sting. Asmodaemon was never wrong, mother was never wrong how could she even consider such a thing? After everything Asmodaemon had done for her, had given her?
Such thinking was taboo, she winced as the numerous scars crisscrossing her body beneath her armor burned and stung in memory; taboo and blasphemous. Asmodaemon could do no wrong and that was how it would always be. Solara narrowed her eyes in pain. How it should be.
“My darling little daughter, Solara, why must you insist on trying to run away from mommy?”
Asmodaemon stood with her back to Twilight as the latter struggled against the metallic robotic forms of Guardramon that held her between them. Twilight shouted out.
“My name is not Solara. And You are not my mom!”
“Silence!”
The massive scaly tail of the Mega-Class Asmodaemon slammed down into the flooring, completely gouging the steel like it were paper. Turning slowly around, the enormous reptile looked Twilight in the eyes as she spoke in an almost melodic voice.
“Tell me then little one, who has raised you all these years, taken care of your needs and your wants? Who was it that made sure you learned your lessons-”
Before Twilight could react, a giant scaly claw grabbed her muzzle and shook it.
“When you did wrong but rewarded you when you showed improvement? Which Digimon gave you a roof over your head and food from her larders? Tell me, little one, what has your so-called real mother done for you recently?”
As Twilight stood there stunned in silence, Asmodaemon continued.
“I have given you everything, while that so-called family of yours has done nothing to provide for you. Your brother didn’t even come looking for you. None of them did, because none of them care as I do. Take her to her room, she needs to think about what she wants.”
As Twilight was rushed away, Asmodaemon called out to her, in a voice that echoed down the passageway.
“It’s been thirty years Solara, my daughter. It is time to let the past go. You belong to me now, my child.”
Solara let out a scream as the agonizing pain grew more intense. Throwing up her hooves to the mask she wore, she could almost feel those long black claws digging deeper into her flesh. Solara felt that dragon’s fearsome strength as the talons tore into her hide, threatening to tear her apart until she relinquished her will; until she submitted. Desperately, she began shouting over and over.
“Mother is right, always right! My opinions don’t matter, mother is always right!”
And just like always, the unbearable pain ceased the instant she admitted the ‘truth’. She began to shake.
“I must obey my mother.”
Her eyes narrowed in rage as she gritted her teeth, staring into her campfire. Standing up she swiftly swung her halberd into the nearest tree letting out a terrifying scream. All around her the trees and vegetation toppled over from her furious strikes as again and again, she swung her fearsome weapon, tears streaming down beneath the mask.
As the last tree hit the ground, a gentle and soothing voice spoke up from behind her.
“Feeling better?”
Whirling around, Solara found herself staring down into the warm brown eyes of Gabumon. Solara’s eyes softened, though only slightly, as she sighed.
“No. Not at all.”
“Talk to me, what’s wrong?”
Hefting her enormous blade, Solara yelled out as she began aggressively sharpening it on an unyielding rock, sending up sparks
“What’s there to say? I just loooove my mother soooo much!”
“Twilight.”
Freezing at the word, Solara huffed in annoyance, and a little sorrow as she turned to face Gabumon, tears stinging her eyes.
“That’s not my name.”
Gabumon nodded, speaking softly.
“Not now, anyway, but do you still remember how we met?”
With these words, Gabumon held up its paw, revealing a scar. Solara stared at it for a moment, before dropping her halberd and holding up her hoof, which too had a peculiar scar. Touching it to Gabumon’s she whispered softly, her eyes burning like embers behind her mask.
“I will never forget.”
Roughly thrown onto the mattress she called her bed, Twilight screamed profusely into her pillow; fresh claw marks decorating her hide, as she cried in pain. Behind her, the iron door swung shut once more as Asmodaemon spoke softly.
“You’ll learn eventually my daughter. You will obey. Stay here and think about your position and where you belong.”
After she had left, the pain became too much and Twilight blacked out.
***
“Hey, wake up! Hey, can you hear me?”
Slowly Twilight’s eyes fluttered open and she blinked in surprise. There with a bright red bow tied to its leather collar was a strange yellow animal with a furry cloak-like attachment covering its eyes. The creature spoke to her.
“Oh, thank goodness you’re alright.”
Twilight was a bit surprised, taking notice of the damp rag in the creature’s hands. She blinked in silent anticipation as the creature placed the damp rag on her wounds, she flinched at the soft, delicate touch, only to realize it didn’t hurt, at all. Her body no longer burned and writhed from the toxic claw marks of Asmodaemon. The creature muttered to itself.
“These wounds are quite deep, they may never heal fully.”
Twilight stared in silent curiosity as the creature began wrapping her wounds in a bandage gauze. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and blurted out.
“Um…Not to sound ungrateful, I mean I appreciate the care, but who are you?”
The creature paused in its motions and suddenly looked abashed and shyly he spoke.
“Many pardons Princess, I’m Gabumon, your new Digimon.”
Twilight looked confused.
“My-”
Twilight paused as she noticed a slip of paper tucked beneath the red ribbon on Gabumon. Reaching out her hoof, Twilight pulled the paper out and unfolded it. In complete disbelief, Twilight read what was written:
“After discussing your wanton disregard for my love with my advisors, it has occurred to me that maybe you are just needing a pet to take care of to get rid of all that extra energy. This Gabumon now belongs to you. Be responsible and care for it accordingly. With love, Mom”
Twilight blinked, staring into the warmth of Gabumon’s brown eyes as he smiled shyly for a few seconds before speaking.
“Alright…so, are you hungry?”
Gabumon nodded eagerly. Twilight grinned.
“Well thanks to you, my pain has subsided earlier than normal, why don’t we get you something to eat?”
“But the door-”
Twilight laughed.
“She never locks it. Come on Gabumon, to the kitchen!”
***
“You mean she just lets you wander about the castle?”
Reaching for a roll on a tray held by a red bulbous plant Digimon, Twilight laughed.
“Yeah, Asmodaemon keeps saying that a real family is built on trust, I guess that mom thinks it’ll make me more comfortable living in this world.”
Gabumon stopped midbite and looked curiously at her.
“You said mom that time.”
Twilight looked aghast, protesting loudly.
“I would never call mom that!”
“You did it again.”
Twilight’s face fell, her eyes hooded over and she seemed to stifle a sob as she whispered.
“Gabumon, if I tell you something, will you keep it between us?”
Pausing, Gabumon stared into the fearful eyes of Twilight before putting down his bread roll.
“Absolutely.”
Twilight’s eyes went dark as she looked around to make sure no one else was listening. Her voice was different, hesitant, and low.
“I’m losing myself Gabumon. I’ve been trapped in this castle so long I can’t remember my life before this. My friends, my family. None of it. And now, at last, I’m forgetting who I am. Nothing makes sense anymore, I’m starting…to call this castle my home. I feel like I’m going crazy, and I don’t know just how long I’ll remember who I was.”
Gabumon looked down at the table, silent for a moment before picking up the knife.
“Then don’t.”
“Huh?”
Gabumon nodded thoughtfully as he gingerly pricked his paw with the knifepoint.
“Don’t remember who you were. Remember who you are right now in this moment, and this moment of us, together. Let’s make a pact, here and now, always to recall this moment, and when you do, you’ll be Twilight Sparkle once more; even if only for a minute or two.”
Twilight’s eyes shined with a brilliant amethyst as she smiled, and pierced her own hoof before connecting to Gabumon’s paw.
“We’ll always have the here and now.”
Twilight’s cutie mark glowed a bright electric blue as Gabumon’s horn pulsed with the same brilliant blue and a luminescent glow surrounded the pair as they struct their pact.
Together the two spoke as one.
“Even if everything-
-else fades away.”
The two repeated their vow, and the fire in Solara’s eyes vanished revealing her naturally brilliant amethyst irises. Reaching up, she removed her mask to reveal the mangled remains of her face. Her right eye socket contained a robotic eye, while the skin around her muzzle was twisted and deformed from the venom of Asmodaemon’s claws, the scars dark with muddied crimson. Gabumon spoke softly to her.
“Twilight?”
With what was left of her muzzle she smiled sweetly, starry-eyed as she struggled to whisper with her own voice, strained and weakened as it was. She hugged him tightly against her armor-clad body.
Gabumon smiled. Though forty years had passed since they made that pact, and though she could only be herself and survive without her mask for only a few precious minutes, Twilight at least at this moment, still remembered who she was.
