//-------------------------------------------------------// Equestrian Warriors -by OmniWriter- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// A New Friend - Part 2 (Edited) //-------------------------------------------------------// A New Friend - Part 2 (Edited) The gang slowly sneaked Gumdramon to the castle, hoping no one would notice him. Once inside, they tied him up and put him on a kitchen stool. "Is this really necessary Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, looking very concerned. "Of course Fluttershy! After somepony knocked him out..." She turned and glared at Rainbow Dash. "We're not sure if he'll be angry or not." They all stood around and waited for him to wake up. It took about thirty minutes for him to awake. "Huh, w-what's going on?" Gumdramon said, confused. He looked up to see the six mares, three fillies, and dragon standing in front of him. "Oh this is great, just great! Well, do whatever your going to do quick." He said, closing his eyes. Everyone looked confused at him. "What?" Applejack asked. "You know, destroy me. dissect me, or... I can't really think of anything else. Just do it anyways, I don't ca..." Gumdramon paused as he looked at one of them. "Hey, I know you. You're uh, Fluttershy. Right?" They all turned to Fluttershy, waiting for her answer. "Um, y-yes. It's um, n-nice to see you again Gumdramon." "I would like to say the same thing if I wasn't... tied up at the moment." He said, chuckling a bit. Fluttershy couldn't help but jiggle a little too. Spike leaned towards Twilight, whispering to her. "I don't think he's a bad guy Twi." Twilight started taping her chin with one of her hooves. "I know! I'll just use my lie detector on him to see if he's telling, well the truth." "Sounds good to me." Gumdramon said proudly. Twilight and Applejack circled Gumdramon under a spotlight with him rolling his eyes. "Ok," Twilight began. "First question. Are you here to harm ponies?" "What? Of course not, I only hurt the bad guys that try to harm and destroy the innocent. *DING* Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Ok? Next question. Why are you where?" "Hmm, well I didn't really come to this universe on purpose. It was more of an... accident." *DING* "Wait, what did y'all mean by this universe?" "It might be hard to tell, but I'm not actually from this universe. I come from another one." *DING* "WAIT! You're from another universe?" Twilight asked excitedly. "Uh, yeah." *DING* "Why did you leave your universe?" Twilight asked. "Well if you would let the others in and let me explain, then I"ll be more than happy to." He said with a huge grin on his face. "I dunno, what do ya think Twi?" Applejack asked, looking towards Twilight. Twilight placed a hoof on her chin. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to try. After all, the lie detector did say he was telling the truth." They both looked back at Gumdramon, who was now looking around the room. "Ok Gumdramon, we'll let the others in..." "Cool!" "After, you answer one more question." Twilight continued. "No problem. What is it?" "Do you have a crush on somepony?" She asked, laughing a little. "Pfft, of course not." *BUZZ* They all suddenly turned to the machine. "W-wait, that things still on!" He asked, panicking. "Off course not." Applejack said, hitting the off switch. "Ok, everypony's here. Now tell us everything." Twilight said. "Well it all started about 10 years ago, the world I came from was known as the Digital World. It was so peaceful and everyone got along with one another. But then out of nowhere, a stranger from another world came to ours and invaded it with his army. He soon took control of it and everyone there. Even the protectors of the Digital World had fallen to his rule and are now nowhere to be found. This guy was absorbed so much Digimon, that he actually became part Digimon. I'm not even sure what he is or what he use to be. All I now is that he calls himself Lord Plasmamon now." Suddenly, Spike's eyes popped wide open as he saw an image from his nightmare a few months ago. The image of the dark figure flashed for a second, only for Spike to shake it out of his head. "His army was full of creatures called Shadows. They are the living embodiment of everything bad that has happened or someone has ever done in their life. Their skin is made of the darkness inside people's heart and their entire body is made entirely out of chaotic energy. "Man those things sound evil." Rainbow said. Twilight turned to her. "I think he's saying that they are evil itself, right?" Gumdramon nodded. " Yeah, but the worst thing is that he didn't work alone, he had two other generals that led their own clans. One was Lord N.R.G., leader of the Voltroids. The Voltroids are high-tech androids that believe that all organic matter is inferior to their technology." Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Uh, come again?" "He's saying that they think they're better than anything that's alive." Twilight replied. "Oooh." Rainbow said, dumbfounded. "Continue." Both Pinkie Pie and the fillies said, laying down on the crystal floor. "Ok." Gumdramon said. "And the other general was Mist Lord, leader of the Nightmarus. These things are smog like creatures that are able to transform into anyone's worst nightmare or something that gives the feeling of that nightmare. They're stronger when they're in the dream world." "W-what happened to your world?" Fluttershy asked. "Well, after all those years, my world died and turned into the Wasteland Kingdom. But now they're trying to take over the entire multiverse and destroy anyone that gets in their way." "Aw, that's horri... Wait! Doesn't that mean our world will be destroyed as well?" Twilight asked, shocked at the thought of it. "Sadly yes, but I took the only thing that has a chance to defeat them. This the D-Drive!" Pixels started to come out of his hand and a device slowly came out of his hand. It flies out and he catches it with the other. https://camo.derpicdn.net/0ea258d9332c0ad0a81440ba032b6054bd36742e?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpre08.deviantart.net%2F415d%2Fth%2Fpre%2Ff%2F2012%2F085%2F2%2Fd%2Fd_drive__digivice__by_lurocha-d4u1z9e.jpg "What's that?" Everyone asked in unison. "This little device allows who ever uses it to use multiple evolutions like normal, fusion, armor, and others that haven't been discovered." "Wow, I don't really know what that means, but can I try?" Rainbow asked, reaching for it. "Sorry, but I can't just let anyone use this. I need to trust you all a little more before I can let you use it." They all nodded, agreeing with him. Twilight started yawning. "Well, I think we should all go to bed." "Oh, can we have a sleepover?" Pinkie asked excitedly. "Hmm." Twilight thought for a second. "Sure, that sounds like a great idea. But what do we do with Gumdramon?" "Oh, can we have him join the sleepover?" Pinkie asked. "Um, what's a sleep... over?" He asked, tilting his head. "Oh boy, do I have a surprise for you." Pinkie said, grabbing Gumdramon's arm and pulling him towards Twilight's room. "PINKIE?!" They all yelled, running towards them. Author's Note Thank you to LuRocha (http://lurocha.deviantart.com/) for letting me use the D-Drive in my story. //-------------------------------------------------------// A New Friend - Part 3 (Edited) //-------------------------------------------------------// A New Friend - Part 3 (Edited) Twilight and the others raced down the long hallway of the castle, until they came to a sudden stop. "Pi-Pinkie Pie, w-what are you do-doing in my room?" Twilight asked, out of breath. "We're getting the sleeping bags ready for the sleepover, duh." Pinkie replied, rolling her eyes. "Um, a little help here." A muffled voice said from the inside of a sleeping bag. "Hold on Gumdramon, I got you." Twilight said, her horn glowing in her magic aura and soon the zipper. Gumdramon popped out of the bag, taking a deep breath. "Man, it was hot in there." He said, pulling the collar of his shirt. "Now that I'm out, can someone tell me what a sleepover is?" He asked, still confused. "Well..." Twilight started. "A sleepover is when multiple ponies stay at a house all night and have fun." She said, smiling. "Oh, well that sounds... cool. Um, do you think I c-could join?" Gumdramon asked nervously. "I mean, it's just that I haven't been to one and I really want to get to know all of you a little more..." "Of course you can!" Twilight said. "I actually want to learn a little more about you and your world." She responded. "Well that might be a little tough." He said, looking down at the floor. "Why?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well... because I stole the D-Drive from them and used it to teleport away before I got captured. I accidentally used it too soon and it went haywire. I was teleported here, but I lost some data. Luckily it transformed into data to repair me, but the data I lost was a lot of my memories. I can't remember who I am or who I used to be. I still have the basic memories like my name and how to breath. I also have almost all of my knowledge, but what's the point. I can know everything in the world, but it doesn't matter if I don't know who I am." He started to tear up. The Mane Six, C.M.C., and Spike all looked at him with sympathy. Fluttershy walked towards him, slower than usual. When she reached him, she lifted a hoof and placed it on his shoulder. He looked up to see a small smile on her face and sympathetic eyes. "Don't worry Gumdramon, we help can make new memories. They may not be your old ones, but we can try to make them as better." Gumdramon looked up at her with a smile, tears in his eyes. He pulled her into a soft embrace. "Thanks Fluttershy. That means a lot to me." She was shocked by the sudden embrace, but returned it with a slight blush on her face. "Um, n-no p-problem." After a few seconds, they separated, both blushing a little. They turned to the others, remembering that they weren't the only ones in the room. "Uh, so. What kind of things do you do to have fun at a sleepover?" Gumdramon asked with a nervous smile on his face. Three Hours Later "Incoming!" Scootaloo screamed. Gumdramon walked into the kitchen and was suddenly hit with ice cream. He looked up only to see the C.M.C. playing with a catapult made out of kitchen wear. "Oops, sorry Gumdramon. We were trying to shoot the ice cream into Spike's mouth from the other side of the kitchen." Scootaloo said, pointing to Spike who was standing in front of Gumdramon. "Why?" He questioned. "Cause he dared us." Applebloom replied. Gumdramon just rolled his eyes at the fillies silly antics and then looked at the little dragon in front of him. "Hey Spike, where's the bathroom?" Gumdramon asked, showing him the stain. Spike turned around. "Oh, it's the last door on your right." "Thanks Spike." He said, walking out the room. "No problem. Alright girls, let's try this again." He said, the fillies reloading the catapult. Ten Minutes Earlier Twilight was walking through the halls when she stopped to looked at her reflection in the crystal floor. She had glasses and facial hair drawn on her face. "Ugh, Rainbow!" Twilight grunted, rubbing her face. It only made it worse and now she had ink on her hoof. With another grunt she headed to the bathroom. Present Time Grumdramon got closer to the door as the thought of getting rid of this stain grew. He twisted the golden knob and the door flew open. He came to a sudden stop, noticing Twilight had just opened the curtains of the shower and froze in place. Gumdramon's face was covered in the color red as he quickly covered his eyes and ran out of the bathroom. "SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SOR-" *BANG* He ran into a wall and was laying on the floor, swirls in his eyes. Everypony looked out of the rooms to see what caused the noise. A now dry Twilight Sparkle walked towards Gumdramon, dizzy on the floor. "Um, Gumdramon. You know we don't wear clothes, right?" "Ha, pretty purple princess." Gumdramon said, reaching out one hand, but suddenly passed out. Twilight looked away, smiling at Gumdramon's delusional statement with a blush. Two Hours Later Everyone was sleeping in their sleeping bags, except Gumdramon who was walking through the mess of sleeping ponies. He had already passed Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy. He was about to pass Pinkie. Suddenly Pinkie's tail slapped his legs, making him trip. He closed his eyes and extended his arm to catch himself. Once he opened his eyes, he saw that Applejack's muzzle was barley an inch away from his mouth. Blushing, he slowly lifted himself, until Applejack extended her hooves and tightly hugged him like a plushy. She nuzzled him, making him blush even more. After a few minutes, he slowly escaped her python like grip. After passing the last few ponies, he had finally made it to the door. He taped a piece of paper on the door as he slowly exited the room. "Huh, Gumdramon?" Spike wondered before falling back to sleep. //-------------------------------------------------------// A New Friend - Part 4 (Edited) //-------------------------------------------------------// A New Friend - Part 4 (Edited) *5 A.M.* Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes, coughing a little. She got out of her butterfly sleeping bag and made her way to the door. She suddenly stopped, noticing the piece of paper on the crystal door. She took the paper off the door, reading it. Dear Everyone Everypony You've probably noticed that I'm not here when you all wake-up. I'm sorry, but I couldn't stay for long because I left my stuff at the tree. If you want to see me again, come to the old castle in the forest. P.S. Bring more of that ice cream. Fluttershy placed her hoof on her mouth, shocked by what she had just read. "Why would he want to meet there of all places." She thought, looking at the others and placing the note back on the door. She left the castle and made her way towards the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy slowly walked through in the center of the Everfree Forest. She looked up, seeing that she was only a few feet away from the Castle of the Two Sisters. She stood still in front of the castle doors, nervous thoughts coursing through her mind. "Should I really be doing this? Why did I even come here alone?" She asked herself, shacking her head. "N-no! You know why you're here. Gumdramon wanted to see us here. That's why I... came... alone. This probably wasn't a good idea." She turned around and started walking away, but came to a halt, hearing a noise coming from the castle. Shaking her head, she opened the two large doors of the castle, walking inside. She walked through the eerie castle halls, her movement started to slow down. The sound of music became louder the further she went into the castle. After a few minutes of wondering the castle, she found the source of the music. It was coming from the library. She trotted to the doors, but slowed down as she walked inside the room. She saw Gumdramon who was standing in the center of the library, looking at the shelves. He slowly walked towards one of the many bookshelves. Looking at the shelf, he reached in and grabbed one of the books. He looked at the title... "Precious Memories" Gumdramon slowly opened it, seeing many pictures of happy ponies with quotes under them. He nearly flipped through the entire book, but stopped at the very last page. On the last page was a picture of a filly, colt, stallion, and mare hugging each other. His eyes looked down to the quote. He couldn't help it and read it out loud. "Today's little moments are tomorrow's precious memories." He said, tears forming in his eyes. Slowly putting the book back, Gumdramon slowly walked to the center of the room. He raised his head, looking at a shattered stained glass window. Dancing bears, painted wings Things I almost remember And a song someone sings Once upon a December Gumdramon walked towards another bookshelf close to Fluttershy. She panicked and quickly hid behind the wall. Looking at the shelf, he turned around and started to gently dance around the room. Someone holds me safe and warm Horses prance through a silver storm Figures dancing gracefully Across my memory Far away, long ago Glowing dim as an ember Things my heart used to know Once upon a December Fluttershy placed a hoof to her mouth, shocked by what she was seeing. "I-is this really what he thinks?" She whispered to herself. Someone holds me safe and warm Horses prance through a silver storm Figures dancing gracefully Across my memory Far away, long ago Glowing dim as an ember Things my heart used to know Things it yearns to remember And a song someone sings Once upon a December Gumdramon came to a halt, a tear falling down his cheek and onto the floor. Fluttershy slowly walked towards Gumdramon and put a hoof on his shoulder. He turned his head towards her and wiped the tear stream off his cheek. "I-I didn't know that your memories meant that much to you. B-but like I said, you can always make new ones w-with me... I-I mean us." Fluttershy said, intensely blushing. Gumdramon smiled at her, new tears forming in his eyes. She was surprised by hug from him, returning his sudden embrace. "T-thank you Fluttershy." Gumdramon said, his tears now falling down his cheeks. On the ceiling of the library, the other girls along with Spike and the fillies were watching them through a hole. While the girls 'awed', Spike and Scootaloo made gagging gestures. "Looks like Fluttershy got herself a very special somepony." Pinkie said, giggling. "Huh?" Applejack wondered. "I never thought that Fluttershy would be the first one of us ta get a special somepony." She said, folding her hooves. "Indeed, I always thought that it would be me." She said, putting a hoof to her chest. Fluttershy was making her way back to her cottage. She walked inside, turning on the light. Once she turned around, she was surprised by seeing her friends. "W-what are all of you doing here?" Fluttershy asked, very confused. Pinkie suddenly appeared behind Fluttershy. "Oh, nothing. We're just here to celebrate you finally getting a very special somepony!" Pinkie said, now jumping up and down. "W-what?" Fluttershy asked, blushing. "Oh come on Flutters." Rainbow said. "We all know that you like Gumdramon." She said, nudging her. "W-what are you talking about? I-I don't like Gumdramon in that way." She said, trying to hide her embarrassment. Rarity walked up to her and wrapped a hoof around her. "Don't try to lie to us. You should know that I have a eye for romance and you two have a thing going on." She said. "P-please s-stop saying that." She said, tears forming in her eyes. "Um, I think y'all should stop tea-" Applejack started. "If you need any help with your relationship with Gum-" Twilight started. "No!" She yelled, slapping Rarity's hooves off her face. "No! No! No! No! I don't love Gumdramon! I don't! Him and I are just friends and that's all we'll ever be!" She yelled at them, bawling her eyes out. Embarrassed, she ran upstairs and locked herself in her room. Roseluck walked to her flower stand, and came to a stop noticing that there was a bouquet missing and two bits. Gumdramon was ran towards the edge of Ponyville, but came to a stop in front of Fluttershy's cottage. "Ok, you can do this." He said, blushing. "All you have to do is knock on the door, give her the flowers, and tell her that you like her. Piece of cake." Gumdramon walked up to the door of the mare's cottage. Before he could knock, he heard someone talking inside. "Is that, Rarity?" He asked himself. Curiosity getting the better of him, he leaned on the door to hear them better. "No!" Fluttershy's voice yelled. "No! No! No! No! I don't love Gumdramon! I don't! Him and I are just friends and that's all we'll ever be!" The last part echoed through Gumdramon's mind, his eyes starting to tear up. Instead of crying, he threw the bouquet into the river under the bridge and ran into the Everfree Forest. After running for a while, Gumdramon sat down at a river, staring into it. "See, what did I tell you?" A mysterious voice said. "You heard what she said. She will never love you. So how about you just let me take control to ease your pain." Suddenly, Gumdramon's right arm slowly became covered with a black slime. He looked at his arm and quickly clawed the slime away. "I said no!" He yelled. "For the last time you will never take control of me, no matter how upset or angry I get." Looking back into the river, his reflection in the water turned into a black and red version of him. "Come on, you know it's useless to resist. Just say yes." The dark reflection's arm extended towards him from the water. Gumdramon growled, as his arm extended to grab the reflection's. Suddenly an image of Fluttershy smiling popped in his head. "I.. said... NO!!!" He yelled, clawing the water. //-------------------------------------------------------// A New Friend - Finale (Edited) //-------------------------------------------------------// A New Friend - Finale (Edited) Twilight and Fluttershy were walking out of Sugar Cube Corner, Fluttershy looking a little concerned. "...I'm really worried Twilight. We haven't seen Gumdramon in a few days." She suddenly gasped. "W-what if those Shadows got him?" Twilight just rolled her eyes to her friend's question. "Don't worry Fluttershy, if Gumdramon was in any trouble this would start ringing." She used her magic to take a little sphere-shaped device out of her saddlebag. Fluttershy looked at the device and raised an eyebrow at it. "What's that thing?" "Oh, well at the sleepover Gumdramon used that D-Drive thing on some of my broken inventions to make it. He gave it to me and said it was some sort of alarm that rings when he presses a button." Twilight said, starring at the object with an affectionate gaze. She looked back up at Fluttershy and gave her a nervous smile. "Anyways, he said that if he was in any danger it would ring and I think he said that it works the same way if I press this button." She said, pointing one of her hooves at a blue button. Fluttershy gave a sigh of relief. "I guess you're right Twilight. I shouldn't be worried, he's probably doing just fine." Gumdramon was walking through the Everfree Forest as if everything was normal, but there were large, black tentacles with red outlines coming out of his back. "Come on Gumdramon, why do you still disagree with me so much? I only try to make you happy." The voice said with the tentacles getting closer to Gumdramon's face. "For the last time, I will never let a filthy Shadow like you take control of me!" He yelled, slapping the tentacles away from him. "But you can not escape my grasp. Ever since you teleported here, we have been together for years." "The only reason that we're stuck together is because you tried to capture me and got teleported with me." Gumdramon said, getting angrier at it. "Which means we are so much closer than any of those ponies you call friends will ever be." Gumdramon's head tilted down, tears slowly forming in his eyes. "But there's a big difference between you and them." "Hmm?" The voice questioned. "There lives actually matter!" He yelled, slashing the tentacles with his claws and destroying them in an instance. "And don't you forget it." The Mane Six, C.M.C., and Spike were all in the center of Ponyville, which was filled with armored ponies. "Hey Twilight, What's with all of the Royal Guards?" Rainbow asked. "Princess Celestia was getting tired of all of the rumors of the 'monster'," Twilight said, using air quotes on the word monster. "So she sent a couple soilders of the Royal Guards to Ponyville, hoping it'll calm everypony down." Suddenly, a mare screamed and everyone turned around to see a baby pegasus flying in the air. "Some pony help me!" The mare continued screaming. "My baby's too young, he can't fly for long." The baby continued to fly circles in the air. He started going slower and slower, until it couldn't flap his wings anymore. He stopped flapping them and started to fall. Twilight and friends started running towards it, but a shadowy, hooded figure flew threw the air and caught the baby right as it was about to hit the ground. The figure hit the side of a building, slowly removing its back from the building. He slowly walked towards the mother and lifted the foal to her, giving him back. "Th-thank you!" The mare said, grabbing her foal and giving the hooded figure a grateful smile. It nodded its head and gave her a two finger salute before walking towards Twilight and the others. He lifted his hood to show that it was Gumdramon. "Gumdramon, you're okay!" Fluttershy said with a huge smile on her face. Before Gumdramon got to say anything, a rope covered in a electric aura wrapped around one of his arms. Gumdramon started screaming in pain as the surge of electricity flowed through his arm. Suddenly two more electric ropes wrapped around his other arm and neck. "Stand down beast!" One of the many Royal Guards surrounding him yelled. Fluttershy tried to get towards Gumdramon, but was stopped by a guard that was trying to keep them safe. "Stop, he's my friend!" Fluttershy tried to yell, trying to help Gumdramon, but to no avail. As Gumdramon was about to cut one of the ropes, a black, slimy ball flew out of the back of his shirt and towards Canterlot. Gumdramon fell towards the floor and passed out. The Royal Guards all grabbed him and put him into a cage on a carriage. Two pegasi stallions started flying Gumdramon towards Canterlot. "No!" Everyone yelled. "End of Episode 1" //-------------------------------------------------------// Chaos in Canterlot - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chaos in Canterlot - Part 1 Princess Luna started walking down a long spiral staircase. "So, the Monster of Ponyville was real after all. But I want to know why it saved a foal? How could such a strange monster be so kind?" She had finally reached the bottom of the staircase. "Princess Luna." Two Royal Guards say and bow down in unison. The white-coated Stallion started talking. "The beast is in the first cell, but there is something you should know about him." Luna raised an eyebrow. "Him?" She asked in a confused tone. The same guard rubbed the back of his head with one of his hooves. "Yes, he's one of those beasts that have a gender. And the other thing is that he can talk, but isn't very willing right now." "It, I mean he speaks?" Luna asked, still in a confused tone. "That is correct Princess." The other guard said. "Well then, I shall go speak to him." As she said that to the guards, she slowly walked towards the cell holding the "monster". She used her magic to unlock the door and walked into the cell. Inside the cell was a dusty purple creature with electric chains on his arms that were connected to the wall he was leaning on. "So, you are the monster of Ponyville?" Gumdramon slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes. A sudden grin showed on his face. "Well, well, well. Princess Luna I presume?" Luna's face was now one of total shock. "How do you know my name?" She asked, looking at him with anger in her eyes. "I had nothing to do here, but read. Nice to finally meet you, your highness." Gumdramon tried to bow, but was stopped by the chains. "Sorry I can't really do a royal greeting with these chains." He said with a shrug. "Silence beast, I want to know what you were doing in that little town." "Well, I couldn't really come to Canterlot or else I would've been in the same situation I'm in right now. Also I have some friends that I just made, but looks like i might be doing five to ten." He said in a very annoyed way. "Five to ten?" Luna asked with a tilted head. "Well never mind that. Now if you would be so kind to let me out before a real monster comes to Canterlot..." "What are you talking about?" Gumdramon looked over at his bag on the floor behind her. "Everything will be explained if you would just grab the book with the red symbol on it in that book." Luna looked over at the bag on the floor and walked towards it. She used her magic and pulled out the bag with the red symbol on it. "What does this symbol mean?" "Oh, nothing much, Just the living embodiment of everything bad that's ever happened or someone's ever done in their life." He said, rolling his eyes. She looked at the book again and slowly opened it. She looked at a couple of pages with a brief history, the anatomy, and facts about the creatures called Shadows. "I-is this all true?" She asked, stuttering a little bit. Gumdramon just simply nodded to answer her question. "And if you don't let me go, your kingdom might fall." "I-I'm sorry, but I cannot let you go. Until I can figure out if your good or not, You'll be staying in this cell for a while." She said. "If that is your wish, then so be it." He said trying to bow once again. As Princess Luna walked out the cell door, she left the door unlocked. As she continued to walked up the stairs she grew a small grin on her face. "He's so charming." "...But why not! He's our friend!" Twilight shouted. "I'm so sorry Twilight, but this makes all of the citizens feel safer. So, until the citizens of Ponyville will calm down, he must stay in the dungeon." Princess Celestia said, putting her hoof on one of Twilight's shoulders. Suddenly there was a huge quake that just came out of no where. "What was that?" Rainbow Dash asked. A large dark figure started crawling down the side of the castle. A huge, earth shattering roar could be heard through out all of Canterlot. Everyone ran towards the clear window to the side that the creature crawled down. Twilight was shocked. "Is that.. A SHADOW!" The creature was a black, twenty feet tall monster with a tentacle for a leg and two long arms with only two fingers each. There were several red sharp spikes coming out of it's back and two long tentacle like antennas coming out of it's head. It had no eyes, but the Shadow Symbol was on it's forehead. (Which means that is it's eye) Several Royal Guards trotted towards it and blasted it with their magic rays. The Shadow didn't even move, except for when it grabbed one of the guards and pulled him towards his mouth. Suddenly a black mist with red light inside of it seeped out of the guard's body and into the mouth of the Shadow. The shadow threw the guard onto the ground and grew a few more spikes on it's back. "It's getting bigger." Rainbow said with fear in her voice. She then shook it off and flew towards the others. "Come one girls, let's show this thing a world of pain." Once the others got it together, they all nodded and ran towards the exit. "Good luck." Princess Celestia said. Gumdramon was still laying down on the floor, when sudden flashes of the girls getting hurt by the large Shadow. The first one was Rainbow Dash getting hit with a backhand. The second one was Pinkie and Rarity flying away and from one of the arms punching the ground. The last thing Gumdramon could hear was Fluttershy's scream, and then his eyes suddenly opened. He ran towards the cells door and the electric chains broke as he stretched his arms in front of him, finally separating the chains from the cuffs. He ran out of the cell door and jumping over the guards and taking a few pieces of their armor. As he ran towards the battle he ran into something and fell to the ground, dropping the helmets, shoes, and chest plate. "Uh... watch where your... Gumdramon?" A familiar voice said. As Gumdramon got back up he saw that it was none other than Spike. "Spike, just the dragon I needed. You need to help me with something." Spike jumped back up and grew a huge smile. "Anything, how can I help." Gumdramon raised his right arm and it turned into a little blocky, pixelated version of itself and turned back to normal once the D-Drive popped out of the sky and into his hand. Gumdramon spun the wheel on top of the D-Drive, and it suddenly stopped on a white one with rainbow pixels on it. "Digital Monster Simulation activated." A female voice said from the D-Drive. Gumdramon pointed the D-Drive at Spike and a glowing white ball started coming from the screen. "Get ready Spike." Gumdramon said. Spike was blasted and covered in the white light for a few seconds and then the light flew into his chest, disappearing inside of him. "What was that?" Spiked asked. "Congratulations Spike..." Gumdramon leaned down and put one of his hands on his shoulder. "Your part Digimon now." Spike's expression quickly changed from shock to happiness. "Does this mean that we can fuse?" Spike questioned. "That's the plan." Gumdramon said raising the hand with the D-Drive into the air and they both were engulf in a white light. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chaos in Canterlot - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// Chaos in Canterlot - Finale "Aaahh!" Rainbow screamed as she was thrown towards one of the pillars, cracking it in the process. She slowly fell to the ground, only to be hit by the Shadow's tail and slammed into another pillar. Her eyes started to flutter as the tail was coming at her for another strike. "Oh no." She said faintly. As the tail was about to hit her she closed her eyes, embracing for impact. The only problem was, nothing hit her. The only thing happening at the moment was some grunts. As she opened her eyes, she saw that it was Gumdramon. "Gu-Gumdramon?" She asked. "Almost" He said. As the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Gumdramon was wearing a golden chest plate. It was like one of the Royal Guards, the only difference was that it had dragon head on the middle of the chest and the shoulders. There was also some green lights coming from it. The other thing Rainbow noticed was that Gumdramon's hands were wearing golden gauntlets that also had some glowing green lights. It was strange because the gauntlets were on fire, But Gumdramon was using them to burn the tail, causing the Shadow to squeal like a pig. The Shadow waved it's tail up and down, trying to shake Gumdramon off. Gumdramon tried holding on a little more, but was thrown towards a pillar. Before his back could hit it, Gumdramon hit the pillar with his feet and decided to launch off of it, towards the Shadow again. As his right fist was engulfed in another green fire, preparing for a punch. Before he could reach the Shadow he was hit by one of its arms. As he flew through the sky he suddenly stopped in midair. As he opened his eyes he saw that he was floating down to the ground by a purple aura of magic. Before anything else could happen he was surprised by a hug from Twilight. "I'm so glad you're were Gumdramon." She said, rubbing her cheek on his. Gumdramon was blushing, but slowly pushed her away and looked around. The others were standing around, giggling. "Um..." Gumdramon said as he finally escaped Twilight's grasp. "Ok, we need a plan. And I think I know a good one." He said giving a thumbs up. "Well, what is it?" Twilight asked. "Ok, Fluttershy you get the animals in the garden to safety, while Pinkie Pie will get Rainbow and the other ponies to safety." Gumdramon said, pointed to the locations they need to go to. "Right." They both said in unison. "Applejack, use your lasso to bring the pillars back in place and Rarity will use her magic to fix the cracks. This will make sure that the castle won't collapse on us." Gumdramon said pointing to the broken pillars. "You got it." Applejack and Rarity said. Gumdramon turned to Twilight. "Twi, you lead the Shadow to the Labyrinth and I'll take it from there." She nodded in agreement and flew upwards towards the Shadow. She blasted it with some normal energy lasers, getting the Shadow's attention. "Hey ugly, come and get me." She yelled, blasting it another time. Now the Shadow was very angry and crawling even faster towards her. As it was reaching out to grab he, Gumdramon popped out of nowhere. "Blazing Uppercut!" He screamed as he hit the Shadow with a fiery fist, knocking it's head back. He then started spinning in a wheel of fire, until he was falling down with a flaming foot. "Flaming Spine Kick!" He screamed kicking the Shadows face deep into its head. The Shadows head shot back up and slapped Gumdramon sideways, knocking him into Twilight. "Oops, sorry Twilight." He said, helping her back up. "It's ok, but how do we defeat this thing?" Twilight asked. "Huh, there's only one last thing I can do. Twilight, I need you to blast my gauntlets with one of your energy spells when I'm right about to hit it." Gumdramon said, looking very furious at the Shadow. "Bu-but it's too dangerous, I can't aim that well. And I might accidentally hit your arm instead." She said very worried. He turned back to Twilight and smiled. "Don't worry, you can do it. You're smart." He said, making her blush before he ran towards the Shadow. As he got closer and closer, his flames grew bigger and hotter by the second. When the Shadow looked down at him, he jumped up high. As he was about to hit it Twilight's magic hit his gauntlet perfectly, making it the flame grow by 3x and turning it purple. "Blazing Fury!" he screamed as he shoved his fist perfectly threw the Shadows head. As he landed, the Shadow started to shrink as black and red smoke seeped out of it. Soon all of the smoke all came together into a single red ball of plasma with black mist coming from it. It was just floating in midair, until Gumdramon walked towards it and grabbed it. He slowly moved it towards him and opened his mouth so wide that he devoured it in one bite. He started chewing it a little bit before swallowing it. "Ah, now that was some tasty Shadow." He said, patting his stomach. Gumdramon's armor started glowing and then extended towards the ground. It slowly created a body of light before adding color to it to form Spike. Spike slowly looked up at Gumdramon with a emotionless expression. "That... was... Awesome!" Spike yelled, jumping up and down. Spike suddenly stopped when he saw a shocked and frozen Twilight Sparkle standing there. He slowly walked towards her and poked her foreleg. "Um, Twi? You ok?" Two feet started running down a long black rock and red crystal hallway. The persons face and body is almost completely covered in paper. "Sir! Sir!" He shouted in a scratchy teenage voice, kicking two large doors open and continued running. "Um, sir? I have some news about a Shadow that was destroyed." He said putting down all the papers. "Huh, for the last time DarkShoutmon, tell me when something really important happens." A familiar voice said. https://camo.derpicdn.net/99b25cbd4ea94be478063f50afcf0bd842735b5a?url=http%3A%2F%2Forig00.deviantart.net%2F269b%2Ff%2F2015%2F180%2Fe%2Fd%2Fdarkshoutmon_by_theomniwriter-d8z79wm.png "But Lord Plasmamon, It's... Gumdramon" "What? Where is he?" Lord Plasmamon said with more enthusiasm this time. "Universe Thirteen, Dimension Five, Sector Forty. It's a place called... Equestria." He said, holding up a map of Equestria. A dark a villainous smile grew on Lord Plasmamon's face as the screen turned to black. "Send another Shadow... soon." "End of Episode 2" //-------------------------------------------------------// Love Quest - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Love Quest - Part 1 Three Day Later Twilight and Gumdramon were in one of the Sleeping Cars of the Friendship Express. Since Twilight was a Princess she was able to get a private car for her and Gumdramon. The other reason why other ponies didn't want that car was because no one was comfortable with sharing a car with Gumdramon. Gumdramon was laying on one of the beds, reading one of his journals. Twilight on the other hand was sitting on a separate bed on the other side of the train. "Gumdramon, are you sure you want to meet Cadence so soon?" Twilight asked. "I mean, my letter didn't really tell her who or what you are. The only thing it said was that you were different." She added, putting hoof on his shoulder. Gumdramon just shrugged it off, turning his head towards Twilight. "Don't worry about it Twilight. I defeated a giant monster made out of darkness and chaos, I think I can handle your sister in law." He said, returning his gaze to the book. Twilight did her little breathing exercise for a moment and turned back to Gumdramon. "Huh, you're right Gumdramon. I'm sure that when you two meet, everything will be perfectly fine." Twilight said, now started to yawn. Gumdramon yawned as well. "You know what, I think I'm gonna turn in early tonight." He told her while putting his journal back into his bag. He started stretching a little bit and turned over to his side. Twilight giggled a little bit. "Yeah, I think I'll do the same." She turned to her side as well and put both of her forehooves under her head. Her eyes started to flutter a little bit before finally closing. Flashback Dream Gumdramon was walking down the halls of Twilight's castle, looking at his Official Equestrian Citizen Certificate. He can to a sudden stop and turned his around a little to see Twilight dancing. She was waving her wings, head, front and back hooves in every direction. Gumdramon just raised an eyebrow at the scene he was looking at. "Uhh, no no no!" Twilight shouted to herself. She walked over to the only open book on the golden table. "What am I doing wrong?" "Well for starters, try dancing to the beat instead of doing it willy-nilly." Gumdramon answered her question. Twilight shot her head around to see him leaning on one of the bookshelves. "Gumdramon!" She said surprised, quickly closing the book next to her. "W-were you watching me?" She asked, backing up a little. "Yeah. You know if you wanted to learn how to dance you could've asked me for help." He said walking a little closer to her. Twilight's expression changed from embarrassment to shock, while putting one of her hooves over her mouth. "Y-you'd really help me learn how to dance?" She asked with big eyes. Gumdramon just chuckled at her question. "Of course, what are friends for?" Twilight's frown turned into the most joyful smile Gumdramon has ever seen. "Thank so much." She said, pulling him into a tight hug. ------------------------------------------------------------------------(Dream Time Lapse)------------------------------------------------------------------ "Wow Twi, you're a pretty quick learner." Gumdramon said, sitting down at the table. Twilight started to blush and waved a hoof towards Gumdramon. "Thanks, I get that a lot." Gumdramon turned away from her and to the book on the table. "Well then, let's see what the next dance style is." Gumdramon said. His smile quickly turned into a frown when he read the title of the chapter. "Um, Twilight?" He asked, slowly turning he=is head towards her. "Yeah?" "Are you sure you don't know any type of dance style?" Gumdramon asked, getting more and more nervous. "Uh, yeah. Why?" She asked, becoming confused. "Well the only thing left for you to learn is ball room dancing." Twilight started to blush a little. "Well, I really don't know how to do that either." Gumdramon slowly got up and walked towards Twilight. He lifted both of her forehooves and put them on his shoulders. He put his arms on her waist, this made Twilight look right into Gumdramon's eyes. "W-what are you doing?" She asked, blushing even more. "This is the position you have to be in when you're ball room dancing. Now first things first, you let the guy lead and keep your hooves where they are." Gumdramon said, blushing a little himself. Twilight slowly put her head on his chest and closed her eyes. They started dancing for about five minutes until Twilight lifted her head again. Their eyes locked on each other as their lips got a little closer to one another. Twilight and Gumdramon closed both of their eyes and their lips were an inch away from each other. Twilight's head shot up from the sudden change of the flashback. She was breathing a little heavy, but it returned to normal in a few seconds. "W-what happened?" She asked herself, still blushing a little bit from the dream. "That last part never happened. Why would I be dreaming of Gumdramon like that? Unless..." She quickly shooked her head, now started to sweat. "That's crazy. I don't like him like that, or do I?" She asked with a shocked face. Twilight suddenly jump by hearing the noise of a door creaking open. Once she landed on the floor she looked up to see Gumdramon holding a glass of water. "Hey Twilight. What are you doing up so late?" He asked her. Twilight's blush returned as she quickly got back on her hooves. "Oh nothing. It's not like I was having any weird dreams or anything." She said with a nervous smile. Gumdramon just raised an eyebrow at her. "Ok then?" Gumdramon just brushed it off as he returned to his bed. Twilight looked at his bed noticing that their was a strange glowing box on it. "Hey Gumdramon, What that thing?" She asked. "Hmm?" He looked at the box and then back at her with a smile. "Oh, this thing? It's called a Dream Screen. It basically connects to someone's mind and shows their dream on the screen." Twilight looked at him with excitement. "Wow! That's amazing. It kinda sounds like a C.V." Gumdramon once again raised an eyebrow at what she was saying. "What's a C.V.?" "Well C.V. is short for Crystal Vision. It was invented a few years ago and became really popular very quickly. A couple miners found some enchanted gems in the old Canterlot Mines under the city. If you enchant one of those gems and use the same spell on another gem it will show what the other gem sees as long as it's still enchanted. So after a little bit of research they created special cameras that have those gems as lens and they use them to show ponies movies and concerts in their own homes. They also made a special remote that shoots rays of spells that can change what you see. The reason why you haven't seen any so far because they're really expensive and only the richest of ponies own them. I actually have one being shipped to my castle in a week or two." Gumdramon was just sitting on his bed in shock of how much information he was given by Twilight. "Wow, that kinda sounds like a human invention called a T.V. or Television. But that and your C.V. is kinda like my Dream Screen." Before Twilight could say anything else Gumdramon started to talk again. "Hey Twilight, do you wanna watch some dreams with me?" He asked her, a little blush now growing on his face." "Oh, I really shouldn't look at other pony's dreams." She said as she started walking backwards. "Really? Not even if it's Sweetie Belle dreaming about her knight in scaly armor?" He said with a sly smile. Twilight suddenly turned her direction back to Gumdramon with a nervous smile. "Well, one dream wouldn't hurt." She said walking onto Gumdramon's bed, blushing even more than she was before. Princess Sweetie was locked in a cell on top of a floating rock. She was in a strange void like room with a path of broken floating rocks in a castle filled with Shadows. As Princess Sweetie sat down in her cell, depression on her face, she was trying to think of someone who could help her, but she was having trouble. As she took a few deep breathes, she started clearing her voice and prepared herself for what could be her last song. Where have all the good men gone And where are all the gods? Where's the street-wise Hercules To fight the rising odds? Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream Of what I need Sir Spike was riding a giant red dragon that was charging towards the castle. As the Shadows ran towards the gates, Sir Spike's dragon crashed through the large gate of the castle. I need a hero I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night He's gotta be strong And he's gotta be fast And he's gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light He's gotta be sure And it's gotta be soon And he's gotta be larger than life Larger than life Sir Spike jumped off of the dragon as it continued attacking the Shadows. As Sir Spike ran into the castle, he was accompanied by three dark figures. Somewhere after midnight In my wildest fantasy Somewhere just beyond my reach There's someone reaching back for me Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet The four warriors ran into an army of Shadow in the halls of the castle. The three dark figures ran into the pack of Shadows, one attacking with a short, white, energy like sword. Another attacking with a flaming yo-yo with blades. The third dark figure was using a staff with an electric blade on the top of it. Sir Spike jumped over the pack and continued towards the double doors at the end of the hall. As he opened the doors, he entered the void like room with floating rocks making a path to Princess Sweetie. He started running on the rocks towards his love. Up where the mountains meet the heavens above Out where the lightning splits the sea I could swear that there's someone somewhere Watching me As he got closer, Sir Spike could hear a slithering like noise coming from under him. He didn't care though, he just wanted to reach and save his lovely Sweetie. Through the wind and the chill and the rain And the storm and the flood I can feel his approach Like the fire in my blood Once Sir Spike reached the cell, he melted the lock with his fire breathe. He quickly grabbed one of Princess Sweetie's hooves and ran towards the double doors. Before they could reach it, they both stopped in place when the rocks began to shake. (Like the fire in my blood) (Like the fire in my blood) (Like the fire in my blood) (Like the fire in my blood) A large snake like Shadow was wrapped around the single path that was connected to the floor of the hallway. He produced a fearsome roar from it's hidden mouth. Sir Spike quickly leaped into action, attacking the Shadow with his fire breath. (Hero) I need a hero I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light And he's gotta be sure And it's gotta be soon And he's gotta be larger than life After a minute or two of fighting, Sir Spike was knocked back into the rock Princess Sweetie was on by the Shadow's long tail. Princess Sweetie quickly trotted towards Sir Spike, who was now knocked out. She slowly bent her head down and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. Suddenly Sir Spike's eyes shot open and he got up, now holding a green fire sword. (Hero) Oh he's gotta be strong And he's gotta be fast And he's gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero With a final lash, Sir Spike slashed right through the Shadow's head and it dissolved into smoke. All that was left was another red and black ball. Sir Spike grabbed and devoured it. As Sir Spike turned around, he saw Princess Spike running towards. She gave him a big hug. "My hero." She said as she and Sir Spike puckered up and kiss each other passionately. The screen went all fuzzy. "Hey, what happened?" Twilight asked Gumdramon. "Sweetie Belle probably just woke up." Gumdramon said. As he turned back to Twilight, both him and her started to blush because they had their hand and hoof wrapped around each other. "Um, I think I need to go back to bed." Twilight said as she quickly went into her bed and pretended to snore. As Gumdramon looked at her and then back at the Dream Screen, one thought came to mind. "I probably shouldn't let her watch my dream tonight." He thought with a blush. //-------------------------------------------------------// Love Quest - Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Love Quest - Part 2 The train slowly stopped at the Crystal Empire's train station. Gumdramon and Twilight were the last ones to leave the train. "Gumdramon, welcome to the Crystal Empire." Twilight said, waving a hoof in the air. Gumdramon looked at it in awe. "Wow, this place is amazing." Gumdramon started to walk forward until Twilight put a hoof in front of him. "Wait, I need to tell you a couple of things." She said. Gumdramon just shrugged. "Sure, what do I need to know." He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. This action made her blush a little. "Um, the first thing you need to know is that Princess Cadence is my sister in-law because she married my brother, Shining Armor. Second, my brother is the captain of the royal guards, so don't get on his bad side." Gumdramon gulped at this. "Oh, don't worry about it, he's a pretty nice guy. Just, uh, remember what I said." Gumdramon nodded his head, sweating a little bit at the thought of her brother. "Don't worry Twilight, I'll be sure not to." Twilight smiled at him. "Okay, now let's get going." She said, trotting in front of him. Before Gumdramon walked with her, a thought popped into his head. "Oh boy." Princess Cadence was pacing around the large double door to her castle, awaiting her sister in-law. Suddenly a knock on the door got her attention. The door handles were engulfed in a light blue aura as the doors slowly opened. In once the doors fully opened, Twilight jumped into the castle, landing in front of Princess Cadence. "Cadence!" Twilight shouted. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake." The two alicorns sang, as they did their little dance as well. "Hey Twilight, I'm so happy to see you again." Princess Cadence said, looking around Twilight for a second. "Hey, where's your 'special' friend?" She asked, saying the word 'special' differently from the other ones in her sentence. Twilight raised an eyebrow at her and then turned around to see no one behind her. "Hey Gumdramon! You can come out now." One of Gumdramon's little spikes on his head popped out from behind the door frame. "Um, ok." Gumdramon said. After a few seconds Gumdramon revealed himself to the two alicorn princesses. He slowly walked towards Cadence and extended his right arm towards her. "H-hi, I'm Gumdramon. Twilight's, uh, friend." Cadence was just standing there, looking back and forth at him and Twilight. She eventually put her left front hoof into his hand. "I-it's very n-nice to meet you." Once their handshake was over she looked back at Twilight. "So, he's the stallion?" Twilight Just shrugged. "Well technically, he's a creature called a Digimon. He's from another universe." She said, with a nervous smile. Cadence looked a little confused, but after a few seconds she grew a sly smile. "Well, at least he's a good looker." She said, nudging Twilight. Twilight's face started turn tomato red. "W-what?" She asked, shocked by Cadence's choice of words. "So, how long have you two been dating?" She asked Gumdramon. "Dating?!" Gumdramon and Twilight both screamed in unison, both of them now blushing violently. Twilight was the first to say something. "We are not dating!" Cadence raised an eyebrow. "Really? But in your letter it says that he was a 'special' friend." This made Twilight and Gumdramon blush even more. Once again, Twilight was the first one to speak. "I wrote that he was a 'special' friend, I meant that he wasn't a pony." Cadence slapped the top of her head with one of her hooves. "Oh! That makes sense. Aw, but you too would have made such a cute couple." She said, giving the two of them a sly smile. Twilight's face became so red, that it could be a new shade of red. They turned to see what Gumdramon looked like, the only problem was that Gumdramon was not there. "Where'd he go?" Cadence asked. Shining Armor was standing in the middle of the Crystal Empire Stadium. He was using his magic to hit a pony dummy with a sword. He put down the sword and walked towards the dummy. "Hey great job today bud." He laughed a little at his action and started to walked towards the exit. Before he could make it, something knocked him down to the floor. "Ow!" Shining responded when he hit the ground. "Man, I-I'm so sorry." Gumdramon said, reaching out a hand to help him up. "Here, let me help you." "Thanks for the hel..." Before he could finish, Shining Armor saw who was trying to help him up. "A monster!" He shouted, getting back up on his hooves and pointing his horn at him. "Back off!" "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Please let me ex..." Before Gumdramon could finish, he was sent flying into the wall. "Take This!" Shining said as his horn blasted another ball of magical energy at him. Before it hit him, Gumdramon's head shot up and grabbed the ball. "What?" Shining Armor said, shocked by this action. Gumdramon dislodged himself out of the wall and stared at him, pupils as small as they could be. "So, you wanna fight huh?" He asked, tossing the ball up and down. Suddenly a wicked smile appeared on his face. "Then let's make it even." Just then, Gumdramon devoured the ball of magic. The center of his chest started to become a little pixelated, as the front of the D-Drive started to slowly appear and stopped halfway. The disk on the D-Drive started to spin, but stopped on a white glowing piece. After a second the white glow broke like glass, revealing a light blue piece with Shining Armor's cutie mark instead. "New 'Battle Mode' unlocked" The D-Drive said in a female voice. "Activate." Gumdramon said. The D-Drive suddenly transform into the shape of Shining Armor's cutie mark, but with the screen still there with an 'X' on it. Gumdramon put his arms together, forming Shining's shield, but when he separated them they broke into two halves. Once his arms reached his sides, they turned around, making blade like objects. "Gumdramon - S.A." He said, striking a battle ready pose. Shining Armor looked at him in shock. "How is this possible?" He asked no one in particular. Before they knew it, they were both charging at each other. Gumdramon ready to slash him and Shining using his magic to form a purple colored sword made out of his magic around his horn. Each one of them had death in their eyes, until... "Stop!" Twilight shouted. The two stopped in mid-air, looking at her. She quickly trotted towards Shining. "Shining Armor, this is Gumdramon. My friend." She told him, holding one of his forelegs. Shinging Armor looked at her then at Gumdramon and then back to her. "This is the guy your dating?" He asked, surprised. This caused both Twilight and Gumdramon to blush intensely. "Uh, for the last time we are not dating!" She yelled, obviously being very irritated. Gumdramon's pupils quickly grew back to their normal size and his body turned back to normal as well. "Oh, I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble. I..." Suddenly, Gumdramon fell to the ground, face first. "Gumdramon!" Twilight yelled, running towards him. She put her one hoof on his back, lifting him up a little bit. Her other hoof was on his head. "He feels warm. We need to bring him back to the castle." With a quick nod, Cadence and Shining Armor used their magic to lift him up onto their backs. "Let's go!" Shining said, as they started to run towards the Crystal Castle. "Please be okay." Twilight thought, a tear starting to form in one of her eyes. //-------------------------------------------------------// Love Quest - Part 3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Love Quest - Part 3 "Are you sure he's going to be okay?" Twilight asked, looking over Gumdramon laying on a bed. Cadence put one hoof around Twilight's neck, pulling into a soft hug. "He's going to be fine." She said, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's just a little fever. He's going to be fine." "Uh." Gumdramon grunted. The ponies looked at him as his eyes slowly opened. Once they were fully opened, he looked directly at Twilight. He reached out a hand and started ruffing her mane. "Huh, pretty purple pony princess." He said in a drunk like style. Twilight couldn't tell anyone, but she was enjoying Gumdramon petting her. Once she realized what she was doing, she quickly slapped Gumdramon's hand of her, slightly blushing a little. "Um, I think he needs some more time to heal. I-I need some, um, lunch! That's it, lunch, I haven't had lunch yet. Gotta go, bye!" She said, running out of the room as quickly as she could. Shining Armor simply shook his head. "I'll keep an eye on her." He gave Cadence a quick kiss on the cheek before he walked out of the room. After they were both gone, Cadence looked at Gumdramon and used her magic on him. The thermometer in his mouth started to lower to 98.6. He rose from the bed, stretching his arms out, as if he woke up from a nap. "W-what happened?" Gumdramon asked, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry about that Gumdramon. I used my magic to make it look like you had a fever." Gumdramon raised an eyebrow at her. "And why would you do that?" "Because I couldn't tell them what you were really suffering from." "W-what is it then?" He asked, beginning to worry. "A lack of love in your heart." "Come again?" Gumdramon asked, raising his eyebrow again. "Well, after you fainted, I used my magic to scan your body and noticed that your heart barely had any love inside of it. The only reason for this is either you haven't had a romantic relationship or you've had your heart broken by the pony you love." Gumdramon merely scoffed at her so called 'diagnosis'. "Well thank you Princess Cadence, but just trust when I say that I'm perfectly fine in my whole love life." He said, turning away from her and folding his arms. Cadence was the one who was raising the eyebrow now. "Really?" She questioned him. "Y-yes." Gumdramon studdered once he saw the look she was giving him. After a few seconds of cold silence and that look on her face, Gumdramon gave in. "Okay fine! I never had a relationship with someone. And I guess I was kinda heartbroken by someone I really liked." Cadence's face turned into one of pity. "Who was she?" Gumdramon's eyes shot open at the thought of her. "I... I rather not talk about it. It kinda happened recently, actually." This got Cadence's attention. "Really? So, is it a pony?" Gumdramon was starting to become a little more uncomfortable in his current predicament. "Maybe." He said, sweat starting to form on his forehead. Gumdramon could feel something on his shoulder. He turned to his left to see Cadence's hoof and herself standing next to her. "Don't worry Gumdramon, you don't have to tell me. I just want to help you get back on your hooves." "What does that mean?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm going to get you a couple of dates!" She said excitedly, giving him a big smile. Gumdramon's face was the exact opposite of hers. "Whoa! I don't really think that's a good idea." He said in a panicking manner. "Oh come on. It's just a few little dates." She said, putting her hooves together as a example of the size of the dates. "I really can't. After all, me and Twilight are only here for two days." He said that last part of his sentence a little more proudly than the begging of it. "Then, how about speed dating?" Gumdramon raised another eyebrow at her. "What's that?" "It's when you date one pony at a time and each one only lasts three minutes." Gumdramon just looked down at the ground. "I don't know?" "Please Gumdramon, I think this might work. After all I'm still the Princess of Love." She said, putting a hoof to her chest. "Well okay, but just a few dates." "Deal." Cadence and Gumdramon shook on it and headed out for the speed dates. "Alright, so who's first?" Gumdramon asked. Cadence looked at a piece of paper in her hoof. "Um, Shoeshine!" She called out for the pony. "Ooh, here, here, here!" She yelled, plowing through the small crowed of ponies. "Wow, your Gumdramon? As in The Gumdramon?" She asked excitedly, smiling at him at only a few centimeters away from his face. "Uh, yeah, that's me." He said, trying to sound happy. She squealed a little once he said that. "Oh, I really hope you'll pick me to be your very special somepony!" "I hope not." Gumdramon thought. "And she said that I took her dress and I told her that it wasn't me, it was mom the whole time..." Cherry Berry babbled. Gumdramon was just banging his head on the table, hoping that the timer would go off any second now. Merry May was shoving her face into a plate of grilled carrots and potatoes, getting it all over her face. "So, do we kiss now?" "I'd rather not." Gumdramon said, turning away from her. As Daisy sat down on the table, she just grew a big smile on her face. "I like kissing ponies!" She wrapped her hooves around Gumdramon's neck and tried pulling him in for a kiss. "Ring the bell. RING THE BELL!" Gumdramon was rubbing his face with a towel in one of the bathrooms in the castle. "How that was a bust." "Aw come on Gumdramon. Just one more date?" "NO! No more dates. I already had thirty dates and I nearly got smooched to death by that last one!" He said, steam starting to come out of his head. "Please Gumdramon, just one more pony and I won't bother you anymore." Gumdramon turned around to say no, but once he say the face she was making, he gave up. "Fine. But just one more, so make your decision carefully. Because after this, I'm done." He said, walking into his room and slamming the door shut. "Oh no! Come on Cadence think. Who would be perfect for Gumdramon to be with?" After a few second, a devilish grin grew on her face. "I think I know the the pony." Gumdramon was wearing the top half of a tuxedo, that was the only one that they had in the castle that would fit him. "Ok Gumdramon, just give this one a chance. After all, what's the worst that could happen?" He thought to himself. He entered a restaurant called 'The Crystal Cafe'. Once he entered, he saw the table that Cadence booked for him and his date. She was already there looking at the menu Shew was wearing a plain,but stunning, night blue dress with silver around the flounce. Her mane had a done up into a bun with a daisy pin holding it together. Gumdramon took a deep breath and walked towards her. "W-wow you look fetching tonight." "W-why thank you I..." As she put down the menu , it revealed that it was a familiar purple pony. "Twilight?!" "Gumdramon?!" "You're my date?!" They both asked in unison. //-------------------------------------------------------// Love Quest - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// Love Quest - Finale "Twilight? What are you doing here?" Gumdramon asked, blushing from the commotion that they caused. "C-Cadence told me that s-she heard about my crush on a certain pegasus, that will not be mentioned, was not going well. So, she said that she found me the perfect stallion and told me to meet him here. But what are you doing here?" Twilight asked, blushing intensely in her current predicament. "Well Cadence told me that I didn't have a real fever. it was just a spell she put on me to get you two out of the room. She said that my heart was lacking love because of me never having a romantic relationship and when Fl... Uh, a certain pony broke my heart." He was now blushing even more than Twilight. "So, she made me go on thirty speed dates to find a special somepony, but that didn't work. She told me that this was going to be the last date before you and me return to Ponyville. But I never knew that she was going to choose you as my date!" Gumdramon somewhat yelled that last part, getting most of everyone in the restaurant to look at them. The two of them started to blushing even more when they hear a couple of ponies saying stuff like, "Is Princess Twilight on a date with that thing?" and "They make kind of a cute couple. The two of them looked angry , realizing what was happening. They looked at each other, saying a single name. "Cadence." They said through gritted teeth. Cadence was looking out of the window of the castle, towards the 'The Crystal Cafe'. She grew a little smirk on her face. "Yep, they know." She said with a single laugh. "I can't believe her! I mean no offence Twilight, your pretty cool, but I just like you as a friend." Gumdramon said, taking a seat at the table. "It's okay." She said, blushing at the complement. "She's always doing this kind of stuff." "Really?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah! Like this one time when she was foalsitting me, we saw a couple arguing and she used her magic to make them fall for each other again." "Wow, that's some magic. I mean, being able to raise and lower the sun and moon is cool and all, but being able to bend other pony's emotions? That's something else." "That's what I thought!" Twilight said, surprised by his words. "Well, I brought my journals with me. If you wanted, I could show them to you while we eat dinner. Is that okay?" Twilight smile grew even bigger. "Of course! I always wanted to talk to you about that." Gumdramon just smiled and took out a worn out book with the shadow symbol on it. "Let's start with the first one. Twilight and Gumdramon were both still looking over the book, empty plates on the table. "Wow, I never knew that there was an entire realm full of these things." Twilight said, surprised by all of the information she learned. "Well, whenever Lord Plasmamon wants more Shadows, he either takes them out of that realm or he creates them using his own body." Gumdramon said, now sitting next to her. Before Twilight could say anything else, a piece of paper was put on the table. "Here's the check, now bits." Twilight rolled her eyes at the pony's rudeness, but before she could pull out her saddlebag, Gumdramon had already paid the pony. "Here you go my good sir." The pony was surprised by the ten bit tip. "W-why thank you sir." He said, gaining a smile as he walked away. Twilight simply looked at Gumdramon, blushing by the act of generosity. "W-where did you get all those bits?" Gumdramon just simply smiled at her. "Well, I found a couple all around Ponyville Park one night. I couldn't find the owners of them, so, I just kept them. Well, until I had to use them to buy something." "But, you didn't have to pay for my dinner too." "Please, it's the least I could do for giving me a place to stay." He said, looking into her eyes. Twilight looked away from him, blushing intensely. "W-we should probably head back to the castle." She said, getting up from the table. "Sure, that sounds good to me." He said, following her. As Twilight reached the door, Gumdramon had already opened it for her. "T-thank you." She said, blushing even more than before. Twilight had taken her dress off and put onto a manikin in the corner of her room. She was now looking into a mirror, trying to get the pin out of her mane. "Well, he is really nice." Twilight shook her head at this thought. "No! He's just a friend, that's it." Twilight walked towards her bed, climbing into it. She yawned and slowly closed her eyes. "Just a friend." Twilight was inside of a tall crystal tower, awaiting her knight to save her. An arrow with a scroll on it was shot into her wall. Using her magic to lift it off of the arrow, she opened it to read. Dear Princess. This is a message from the battlefront, from your trusted knight, Sir Gumdramon. I have ridden thousands of miles I have survived the deadliest trials I've fought through battles you can't even dream For a look at your beautiful gleam Sword and steed are all that I've had To conquer the evil over the land But the beacon of light at the end of their schemes Was the thought of your beautiful gleam Lost in the dark of eternal night Failing my quest meant the end of my life And when things were the worst I wanted to scream Then I thought of your beautiful gleam Now I kneel and pray to the gods Amidst fallen cities and crumbling facades That I shall return and make you my queen And bask in your beautiful gleam Next thing she knew, a grappling hook was thrown at her window. She put the scroll down and saw that it was her true love. And with these last words I must now bid you adieu You are my princess And I will always love you. They both hugged each other and looked into each other's eyes. She simply smiled at him. "There's that 'beautiful gleam' I've been searching for." They both leaned in, puckering their lips. Twilight woke up, still puckering her lips. She slowly put a hoof on her head. "I do like Gumdramon." She said, shock by her realization. "End of Episode 3" //-------------------------------------------------------// Shadows Start to Rise - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Shadows Start to Rise - Part 1 It was the middle of the night and Twilight was walking up and down the hall. She was trying to be as quiet as possible, so that she wouldn't wake up anyone. "What am I gonna do?" She questioned herself. "I like Gumdramon, but I don't want to ruin our friendship." Twilight started to panic, but did her breathing exercises to calm down. "It's okay, I mean they were just dreams after all. It probably means nothing." As Twilight turned the corner, she bumped into someone. She was about to hit her back on the ground, until something caught her. She slowly opened her eyes to see that it was Gumdramon. From a 3rd person view, it looked like they were doing the dip at the end of a dance. Their faces were only inches away from each other. Twilight face was engulfed in the color red. "You okay?" Gumdramon asked. Twilight's pupils were larger than normal and her eyes were sparkling as she looked into Gumdramon's emerald eyes. Once she snapped out of it, she got back to her hooves and simply nodded to answer his question. "W-what are you doing up so late?" She asked, looking away from him. "I heard walking and I thought someone broke in. Once I heard that it was coming from outside your door, well, I rushed to see if you were okay." Gumdramon said, with a tint of blush on his cheeks. Twilight just looked at him in 'aw'. "Y-you... were trying to... p-protect me." She asked, her eyes doing the same thing from earlier. Gumdramon walked backwards a little. "Y-yeah. Well, I-I gotta go." Once he was out of her sight, Twilight still had a love struck smile on her face. She shook her head as quick as possible. "Okay, maybe those dreams do mean something." Cadence was walking down the stairs when she heard the noise of over hooves behind her. "I know what you're going to say and I'm sorry." She slowly turned around to see a ruffed mane Twilight with tears flowing down her cheeks. Cadence noticed this and quickly wrapped her hooves around her in a tight embrace. "What happened?" Twilight sniffed and looked into Cadence's eyes, saying her next few words in the most serious tone she ever had. "I love him." Cadence shook her head after hearing it. "What? Love who?" With another sniff, she answered Cadence's question. "Gumdramon." Shock engulfed Cadence's face, but was slowly replaced with a small smile. "Then, why are you crying?" "Because, I don't know how this will end. Will he love me back or will he just laugh at me." Twilight rubbed the sides of her heads forcefully. "What if he doesn't want to be friends with me anymore." Twilight started crying into her hooves. Cadence put on her most caring smile as she lifted up Twilight's head. "Twilight. You are an amazing pony, your smart, strong, and beautiful. If Gumdramon doesn't see that, well then he isn't worth it." Twilight's lip began to quiver. "B-but what if he rejects me like Flash." More tears started to form in her eyes. "It won't be like that, I promise." "How do you know?" "Because Gumdramon is not Flash." Cadence used her magic to teleport and levitate a tissue to Twilight's eyes then muzzle. "T-thank you Cadence." She said, returning the hug from earlier. "But what do I do now?" "Well, love takes time to become really special. So, the only thing you have to do now is just wait." "Wait?" She asked, tilting her head. "Yes. Just wait for the time you're ready to tell him and just go for it." Twilight smiled and wiped her eyes with a hoof. "You're right." "Lord Plasmamon!" Dark Shoutmon yelled across the room. Two big red eyes quickly opened and looked in his direction. "What is it? I was trying to regain my energy. This spiritual form isn't exactly a body you know!" Dark Shoutmon cowered in fear. "I-I know sir. I just came in here to let you know that the Shadow you wanted is all charged up and ready to go." Suddenly, a giant black glob of goo stretch out of the shadows and held Dark Shoutmon to the wall. "Then what are you waiting for?! Send it to that miserable Gumdramon already!" The black glob let him fall to the floor and went back into the dark corner of the room. Dark Shoutmon started coughing. "Of course sir! I'll get the machine ready." As Dark Shoutmon left the room, The red eyes looked at an orb showing Gumdramon making pancakes in a crystal kitchen. "You hear that Gumdramon? The D-Drive will be mine!" Twilight was walking towards the kitchen when she came to a sudden stop. She saw Gumdramon was flipping pancakes. "There he is. Remember, wait for the right time." She said to herself. "Um, good morning Gumdramon." She said with rosy cheeks. Gumdramon slowly turned around to see who it was. "Oh, good morning Twilight." Gumdramon stopped what he was doing and walked towards Twilight. He put a hand on her cheek and rubbed it with his thumb. This act made her blush even more than before. "Where you... crying?" He asked, looking very concerned. Twilight, once again, was looking deep into his emerald green eyes. "M-maybe." She said, wincing away. "Do you wanna talk about it?" "Uh, no. I mean, it's okay. I already talked to Cadence about it. I'm fine, really." She said, giving him a fake smile. "If you say so. But I just want you to know that if there is anything you need to tell me, I'll be here to listen." He said, walking back to the stove. Twilight just had one more tear dropped down her cheek. "If only I could." //-------------------------------------------------------// Shadows Start to Rise - Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Shadows Start to Rise - Part 2 After breakfast, Twilight and Gumdramon were walking along the streets of the Crystal Empire. A couple ponies started whispering about something to each other when they saw them. Twilight didn't know why, but she started blushing at the thought of what they might be talking about. She tried her best not to stare at Gumdramon, but to no avail. Every time he turned to look at her she would just turn away from his gaze. "Hey Twilight?" Gumdramon asked. She turned her head around to look at him. "Y-yes?" "Do you think we could go into that stadium from yesterday? There's... there's something I need to tell you." He said, rubbing his arm. Twilight looked at him with rosy cheeks. "S-sure." They turned the next corner and headed towards the stadium. Twilight was calm on the outside, but her mind was in a panic. "What does he want to talk about? Is he gonna say he likes me? Oh, I just wish I knew what he was going to say." She thought to herself, starting to sweat a little. They entered the stadium and sat down on the benches on the track. Taking deep breaths, Gumdramon turned to Twilight and started to talk. "Listen Twilight, I-I've been meaning to tell you this for a while. I-i just didn't know how to say it." Twilight scooted a little closer to him, her flank almost touching his hip. Her gaze on him was intensifying by the second, her pupils as large as they could be. Gumdramon didn't take notice to her actions and continued. "You see the thing is... I'm..." Suddenly, Gumdramon's spikes on his head started to twitch. "Get Down!" He grabbed hold of Twilight and tackled her to the ground. A black figure jump out of the ground, over their bodies, and into the ground again. Once they got back up, Gumdramon grabbed Twilight's hoof and ran towards the exit. Before they reached it, the black figure jumped out of the ground and slashed Gumdramon's back with it's large claws. "Ah!" He screamed in pain. "Gumdramon!" Twilight yelled. She looked at his back and saw a bunch of clear, yellow pixels coming out of the scratches. Once again, the black creature popped out of the ground and was about to pounce on them. Twilight quickly closed her eyes and covered her face with hooves. The only problem was, the impact never came. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that Gumdramon was no longer on the ground. She looked behind her to see him with the creatures claws in his hands. He then spun around and let go of it's claws, sending it flying. "Alright, let's get this over with." Gumdramon said, the D-Drive appearing into the palm of his hand. "Let's go! Armor Fusion!" Gumdramon was engulfed in a sphere of clear, yellow pixels. "Gumdramon." The female voice coming from the D-Drive said. "Digmon. Armor Fusion activated." Digmon's torso, arms, legs, and head were glowing in different colors. Each part of him were separated from each other as they moved towards Gumdramon and engulfed each of his body parts. Each body part was starting to transform into the perfect sized version of itself. The glow around the arms shattered like glass, revealing two fully armored arms, the hands replaced with drills. The drills on the hands had four, glowing yellow cracks from the bottom to the top. They then separated into four, sharp drill fingers, making a normal hand. The legs' glow broke like glass and revealed armored legs that began at the feet and stopped at the knees. His feet were drills that split in half, one in the front and another in the back. The front half of the drills split into three toe like drills. His torso's glow broke like glass to reveal a bug winged torso with the D-Drive melded on the center of it. Finally his head's glow broke like glass to reveal Gumdramon's normal head, but with two half spheres on both sides of his head. The only thing connecting them was a single piece of see through, purple glass, shaped like futuristic sunglasses. Gumdramon landed on the ground and got into fighting position. "Gumdramon - Dig Armor." Everything was silent, until... The Shadow roared as it jump out of the ground from behind Gumdramon. Gumdramon quickly turned around and pointed his claws at him. "Drill Seekers!" Gumdramon shouted. His claws started spinning and blasted towards the Shadow. When they made contact with it, they all exploded, causing the Shadow to fall to the ground. It was revealed that it had a snake like body with two big mole arms. Gumdramon's claws quickly grew back, acting like he reloaded a gun. It tried digging it's way into the ground, but Gumdramon grabbed it's tail when it was halfway down. "Oh... no... you... don't!" Gumdramon said, struggling to pull the Shadow out of the hole. Before he knew it, the Shadow slipped through his hands and escaped into the ground once again. "No!" "Gumdramon!" Twilight screamed. Gumdramon quickly turned around to see Twilight with the Shadow on top of her. She was holding it back by pushing her hooves onto it. "Twilight!" He shouted. Before Gumdramon got to Twilight, the Shadow scratched her right cheek. Twilight had started crying from the pain. When the Shadow went to go for another scratch, it's claw was caught by something. It was Gumdramon, the only problem is that his entire armor was black and red. He lifted his head up to reveal a wicked smile and two red eyes. Gumdramon's hand grabbed the Shadow by the neck, while the other hand was covered in clear red pixels. Once his pixelated hand shoved itself into the Shadow's chest, it turned into Beelzemon's chain gun. Gumdramon's smile grew even wider. "Belt Unloader." He whispered. Suddenly, an entire belt of red energy bullets were sent blasting through the Shadow's body. Once the belt stopped, the Shadow transformed into another red and black sphere. Gumdramon stabbed it with one of his drill claws and devoured it. Once he swallowed it, he was engulfed in a black sphere of clouds. When the clouds disappeared, he was back to his normal form. When he opened his eyes, he noticed Twilight was passed out on the ground. He quickly ran towards Twilight and lifted her off the ground, into his arms. "Don't worry Twilight, I'll always keep you safe." He said, shedding a tear. He ran out of the stadium and towards the castle. "Cadence! Shining!" They both turned around to see Gumdramon running towards them with Twilight in his arms. She was covered in bruises, cuts, and dirt. "What happened?!" Shining Armor asked, almost in a panic. "We were attacked by a Shadow in the stadium and Twilight got hurt in the process." Gumdramon said, tears starting to form in his eyes. "She's okay, just really hurt." "Here, bring here inside." Shining said, leading him towards the stairs. Gumdramon nodded and walked behind him. "It's okay Twilight, your going to be fine. I'll stay by your side until your better." After saying that, the corners of her mouth started to form a small smile. "T-thank you." She said, fainting once again. //-------------------------------------------------------// Shadows Start to Rise - Part 3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Shadows Start to Rise - Part 3 Twilight was lying down on her bed at the Crystal Castle. She couldn't really hear much, but she swore that someone was talking to someone else in her room. She slowly opened her eyes to see a blurry image of a purple blur next to a white smug. Once her eyesight returned to normal she say that it was Gumdramon and Shining Armor. Twilight suddenly noticed that it looked like the two of them were arguing with each other. Her hearing returned to normal and she was able to hear what they were saying. "...And you let her get hurt!" Shining said, looking at him with pure anger. "I told you before I tried to save her, but the monster was too fast. I was able to stop the monster before she got worst." Gumdramon said, a few tears in his eyes. "Well you did a lousy job of protecting her!" He yelled at him a little louder. Gumdramon's expression turned from annoyed to angry. "Well then, if saving her life wasn't good enough for you then how about you try it. But don't come crawling back to me when you need my help. And when I do comeback to save you it will be for her." Gumdramon said, pointing at Twilight. He slowly walked to the balcony and climbed onto the railing. Twilight's was starting to become distressed by this, but she thought he wouldn't do something that stupid. He then jumped off of the railing, causing everyone in the room to run towards the balcony. Twilight was the first one to get there despite her injuries. She looked down only to see Gumdramon gliding towards the train station. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her bandaged foreleg. Her face suddenly changes from one that expresses relief to one that expresses anger. She quickly turns around to show Shining Armor and Princess Cadence that she is not happy. "What in Equestria did you say to him?" She asked slightly louder than she had intended it to be. Shining was shocked by her question. "Us?! He was the one who couldn't protect you from that... that... thing!" He shouted much louder than Twilight. Twilight just looked at him, her face showing more anger now than before. "What are you talking about? He protected me just fine and if he wasn't there in the first place then I wouldn't be here right now." She said, her tone of voice slowly calming down as she was reaching the end of her sentence. Before Shining Armor could say anything she stormed out of the room. He was about to follow her, but Cadence placed a hoof on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He turned his head to look at his beautiful wife. She looked at him with caring eyes. "Just.. give her some space okay? I think she needs some time to cool off." She said giving him a warm smile. Shining sighed. "Fine. But you know I'm only doing this to keep her safe right?" She nodded. "I know you are, but I think Twilight also needs some time to realize that as well. After all, she has been doing pretty well at protecting herself, not to mention all of Equestria." He sighed once again. "I know. I just wish she thought of me as her brave older brother again." He said, looking a bit depressed. Cadence embraced Shining Armor in a hug and giggled. "You still are and will always be her brave older brother. She just sometimes forget, that's all. But things that are forgotten can always be remembered when they're needed." Shining slowly pulled away from Cadence and raised an eyebrow at her. "Have you been reading those psychology books again?" he asked with a smirk. Cadence did her best to avoid eye contact. "Maybe." She teased. They both started giggling as they exited the room and headed towards the kitchen. Twilight was walking through the Crystal Empire, her hooves still in some pain. She was too angry to notice though. She was in front of the train station and used her little breathing exercise to help herself calm down. She went up to one of the ticket windows where a gray coated stallion with a blond mullet. "Um excuse me? I'm looking for my friend. He's a purple monster that walks on two legs. Have you seen him?" She asked To Twilight's disliking, the stallion slowly shook his head from left to right. "Sorry your highness, your friend wasn't here." Twilight was about to walk away before the stallion quickly interjected. "But I think I say him walk over to the market." Twilight's frown quickly turned back into a smile as she turned to the stallion. "Thank you so much." She said as she rushed towards the market area. As she was leaving, a completely black fly with dragon wings was looking directly at her. It turned to the camera to reveal it had no eyes, but The Shadow Symbol. In a small orb on a pedestal was what the Shadow Fly was seeing. The silhouette of Dark Shoutmon walked around it with curiosity in his eyes. "Well, well, well. Looks like Gumdramon's got a little girlfriend. If he wasn't such an idiot, they would be together already." "Do you always talk to yourself like this?" Lord Plasmamon said, his red eyes glowing in the shadows of the ceiling. Dark Shoutmon quickly looked up at his master and started sweating. "S-sorry about that sir." Lord Plasmamon simply sighed at his minion. "It doesn't matter, but you did bring up a good point." "Really?" He asked, a proud smile growing on his face. "Yes. Love makes strong warriors weak, especially when they will do anything to protect them. Perhaps I can use this, but for now." He turned his attention to Dark Shoutmon. "Right sir, I'll get right on that new Shadow." He said, walking towards a door. Before he could reach it, a black glob of slime shaped like a leg block the door. "Not this time. I want to try something risky. Send the Shadow Centipeetle Hive." A worried look grew on Dark Shoutmon's face. "But sir, are you sure you want a full invasion right now? It could compromise with the plan." "I know what I'm doing. I just want to see how loyal he really is to these ponies." Dark Shoutmon sighed. "Ok sir, I get everything ready." He finally left the room. As he walked down the hall another shadowy figure was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He slowly looked up to reveal two red eyes. "Have you been thinking about my plan?" He asked in a deep, but smooth teenage voice. He sighed. "I told you already, until Lord N.R.G. is free we won't have the proper technology to make them." "Well then, I guess I'll just have to find something else to do in the meantime." He said, looking away. "Don't you have like a dozen universes to take over?" He asked, getting annoyed by him. "Technically it was a baker's dozen and I finished that task two months ago." "You haven't been looking for Gumdramon in your free time have you?" "Pfft, no. Besides, he wouldn't be worth my precious time." Dark Shoutmon raised an eyebrow at him. "Ok. Well I got a project to work on. See ya." He said as he walked through the door. The shadowy figure opened one of his closed hands to reveal a flash drive that said 'Equestria - Gumdramon's current location.' on it. "And I've got a project of my own." //-------------------------------------------------------// Shadows Start to Rise - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// Shadows Start to Rise - Finale Twilight was walking through the market, turning her head left and right. She stopped and turned her entire body to the right towards a unattended melon stand. She walked up to the stand, once she got close enough a pony jumped out from under the counter. Once she regain her balance, Twilight looked at the pony in question. She was a lime green mare with a curly pink mane. "Welcome to Melina's Melon Mart, how can I help you today?" The melon mare asked. "Oh, I was just wonder if you say a purple creature about my height, walking on two legs?" She asked, hoping for a 'yes'. The melon mare's smile grew twice as large. "Do you mean that nice guy named Gumdramon?" Twilight's grew as well. "Y-yes that's him! Do you know where he went?" She asked with excitement. "I believe so. After he caught all my melons before the hit the ground, he asked me where the bakery was, so I pointed it out." "Thank you so much." Twilight thanked her before walking off. "Tell him I said hi." She said, waving her goodbye. As Twilight turned the next corner, she well down and got dragged by her back hooves. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 Hour Later------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An alarm was being set off all through out the Crystal Empire. The entire town was under attack by hundreds of Shadows. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are blasting the ones in the center of the Empire.Wrapped around the castle was a giant centipede like Shadow with a beetle head and pincers on it's tail. In those very pincers was a knocked out Twilight. "Don't... don't worry Twilight! W-we're coming!" Shining yelled to his unconscious sibling while struggling with a circle of spider, bat, and snake like Shadows around him. "Shining, I need some help over here!" Cadence yelled, trapped in a corner with several Shadows slowly coming closer to her. A spider Shadow jumped at her, but she blasted it before it got any closer. The only problem was that for every Shadow she destroyed another one would take it's place. "I-I'll be there in a sec!" Shining yelled, as more and more Shadows create a much larger circle around him. "I hope." He said under his breath. He kept blasting thee Shadow that were too close to him. Before he could turn around, a spider Shadow jumped onto his back and started biting his back. "AH! Get off me!" She yelled, trying to shake it off of him. Once he successfully shook off the Shadow another one jumped onto his back. Her started shaking again, but one after another, multiple spider Shadows started jumping onto him. He kept shaking for a few more seconds, but he had too many Shadows on his back to shake off. A snake Shadow quickly slithered towards his legs and knocked him down to the ground. Now that he was vulnerable, wave after wave of Shadows started to dog pile on top of him. Shining shot a couple magical blasts, but he stopped because no matter how many times he shot blasted them, more just kept coming. He looked through a hole that wasn't covered in Shadows to see his wife trying her best to fight off her Shadows, but to no avail. His eye slowly created a tear that fell down his cheek. "I-I'm sorry. Cadence, Twilight. I-I couldn't protect you." He said, finally giving into defeat. BOOM Shining's eyes quickly opened at the sound of the explosion. He could hear a bunch slashes and Shadows screaming. The sounds started coming closer and closer to him. Soon enough the pile of Shadows he was in disbanded. Shining looked up to see Gumdramon - S.A. standing in front of him. He looked angry until he knelt down, extending his hand to him. Shining smiled and placed his hoof into Gumdramon's hand. He lifted him back up to his hooves. "Thanks." Shining Armor said. "No problem, now let's go get Cadence." Gumdramon said with a look of determination. Shining nodded as they ran towards her location. Shining blasted a couple of Shadows that were far away, while Gumdramon was slashing the Shadows closer to them with his Shield Blades. As they got closer to Cadence, the Shadows surrounding her start changing their attention to them. Cadence grows a smirk and start blasting multiple Shadows, knowing this time that they will not gather up as quickly as before. Cadence, Shining Armor, and Gumdramon - S.A. start getting closer to each other as they take out tens of Shadows. Once they meet up with one another, Shining and Cadence quickly hug each other before attacking more Shadows. After Gumdramon destroyed three Shadows at once he jumps backwards, landing in front of them. "Now that we've got a bunch of these beasts destroyed, I'll head to the castle. You guy's think you can handle it from here?" Gumdramon asked, looking at them before slacing another spider Shadow apart. "Sure, but how are we suppose to take out all these things?" Shining asked. "It's just like an ant kingdom, kill the queen and you kill the hive." He said. Gumdramon quickly dashed towards the castle while destroying multiple Shadows on the way. Once he got close enough castle he jumped into the air and slapped the D-Drive on his chest. "Upload, Magnet Boots!" Gumdramon yelled. His feet suddenly get surrounded in spinning rings of yellow pixels. They quickly slammed onto his feet and broke like glass to reveal white, astronaut like boots. Once his feet got close to the wall of the castle, they got stuck to it. Gumdramon continues to dash after the centipede like Shadow. He is about to slash at one of it's legs until it's tail hit him back. After being knocked back a few feet, Gumdramon regains his balance and tries again. This time he was able to cut it off, but only to get hit with the other leg. Once again, Gumdramon is knocked back by this and is preparing for another attack. Before he runs after it, a sketch of the Shadow appears in his mind with a bunch of arrows pointing to it's bellies with the words 'Weak Points' connect to them. Gumdramon simply smiled and dashed faster than he did before. He ran at the leg that attacked him before, as the centipede lifted it. Right before the centipede could perform the same trick it did last time, Gumdramon quickly turned and slid under it. He stabbed it's belly with both of his Shield Blades as he continued running under the Shadow. Once he reached it's head, the Shadow completely disintegrated, including the pincer tail that was holding Twilight. Gumdramon started to panicked until he thought of something that he hope will work. He quickly ran up to the top of castle before jumping off and returning the 'Magnet Boots' to the D-Drive. He started darting down towards not only Twilight, but the red and black sphere. He opened his mouth and swallowed the plasma like sphere, this caused his eyes to become nothing but the color red. He suddenly got an extra boost and was able to reach Twilight. He wrapped his arms around her as a black and red sphere covered Twilight right before they hit the ground. Once the sphere around Twilight disappeared, Gumdramon's eyes turned back to normal as he started breathing heavily. Gumdramon's armor breaks like glass, turning him back to his original form. Twilight's eyes started to flutter open as she sees that she is laying on Gumdramon's chest. She had a huge smile on her face now, as she wrapped her forelegs her around Gumdramon's neck. "Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!" She yelled, as she nuzzled his face vigorously, yet passionately. "Heh, no problem Twi. I told you I'd protect you no matter what." He said, his voice a little raspy. "TWILIGHT!" Shining and Cadence both yelled as they ran towards them. Twilight quickly got up and hugged them. "We're so glad your okay." Cadence said. "I'm fine. I-I'm sorry that I got made at you earlier Shining..." Twilight said, but was interrupted when Shining Armor rubbed her mane with his mane. "It's okay Twily, at least your safe." The three of them started laughing with each other. Gumdramon smiled as he slowly got up, only to fall back to the ground. Twilight noticed this and ran towards him. "Are you okay Gumdramon?" She asked, putting her head under her arm. He smiled at her act of kindness. *cough* "Thanks Twi, but seriously I'm fine. I just need some rest and I'll be fine in a couple of hours. That's plenty of enough time to get from here to Ponyville." He said, trying to regain his balance. Twilight nodded and turned towards the royal couple. "Could you two help us bring our stuff to the train?" They nodded as they all walked towards the now damaged Crystal Castle. Dark Shoutmon looked at Lord Plasmamon with a worried expression. "S-sorry sir, looks like the plan didn't work." Lord Plasmamon's eyes looked at him with confusion. "You blind fool, it did work." Dark Shoutmon looked at him with disbelief. "It did?" His dark master laughed in his deep, raspy voice. "Indeed. It proved what I believed the entire time. He will use his Chaotic Energy to save these ponies." "Really? That seems like a waist." "Sadly yes, but we can use this to our advantage in many ways. I need you to do as much research as you can on Gumdramon's new life and figure out some new strategies." "Of course sir, I'll looked at the previous footage from the Spy Shadow that was attached to Gumdramon." He said, as he quickly exited the room. Lord Plasmamon rewound the footage in the orb to the creation of the circular force field. "Why waist that much power just to save one life form." "End of Episode 4" //-------------------------------------------------------// Pinkie Love - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Pinkie Love - Part 1 "A few days later" Dark Shoutmon was pacing around a small, circular table with a note on it. A sound of metal hitting concrete started coming closer to his location. A rabbit like creature appeared from the shadows, revealing a large pair of robotic arms being used to walk. https://camo.derpicdn.net/16e8431f1e91863924610c41e3a939960151fb51?url=http%3A%2F%2Forig02.deviantart.net%2F2860%2Ff%2F2016%2F059%2F3%2F6%2Frascal_by_theomniwriter-d8ttt25.png "Hey master, whatcha doin?" He asked, staring at him. He just rolled his eyes. "Well Rascal, if you must know, I'm thinking." Rascal used his arms to grab the top of the table and lifted himself up. Once he was on top of it, he grabbed the note and started reading it. "Really? Lord Plasmamon wants you to go on another DNA run? Doesn't he already have enough?" He asked, turning the note like it was a steering wheel. "Give me that!" He yelled, snatching the note out of his robotic claws. "This is a new world with new creatures, so we need those DNA samples." "So, why are you just pacing around this table? Just go to that world and get the samples. Easy peasy." He stated, getting ready to jump off the table. "It's not going to be that easy this time. Gumdramon's in this world, so I'm trying to think of a way to keep him distracted while I explore the world."He said as he continued pacing. "Whoa, that guys still alive. Sheesh, I thought we already caught that guy." He said with a sarcastic, confused tone of voice. "We did! He just got away before we could exterminate him properly." He said with disappointment. "Ok, let's just skip the whole backstory thing and get back to the exposition." He said, quickly giving you (the reader) a sly smile that said 'Yeah, I know you're there'. "So, what have you thought of so far?" "Nothing! And that's the problem. I don't know what I can do to keep him distracted for an entire day." He said, tapping it head with a single finger. A mischievous grin started to grow on Rascal's face. "Well, I see that you're pretty busy right now. so I'll just be going to the vault. That possessive attraction chemical isn't going to dispose itself." He sarcastically said, hopping off the table. Before Rascal could get a foot away from the table, Dark Shoutmon called him. "Rascal! That's it! Grab that chemical, but bring it to me instead. I think I finally found a use for it." He said as he ran through a door with the word 'Arsenal Vault' spray painted on it. Rascal just chuckled. "Idiot." He said, shaking his head as he walked towards the Chemical Vault. Twilight was walking down the streets of Ponyville. She was waving to everyone she passed by, giving them all a big smile. When she reached the north end of the town she saw Gumdramon there, leaning on a old well. "Good morning Gumdramon!" Twilight yelled at him from a few yards away. Gumdramon's head slowly turned and once he saw her a huge smile grew on his face as well. "Hey Twilight. What brings you here?" He asked. Twilight chuckled. "I was looking for you. What's with you making me and Spike breakfast and just leaving without us even knowing?" Gumdramon scratched the top of his head, looking a little embarrassed. "Well, while I was making breakfast I noticed what time it was and I just wanted to appreciate the morning. The nice breeze, that morning smell, and of course that nice feeling of dewdrops on your feet. It's just the perfect morning and I think that the day will be even better." He said while smiling at the sky. Twilight was standing there speechless. "Wow, I never knew you loved the morning so much." Gumdramon smiled at her, making her blush a little before turning back to the sky. "In order to love the day, you have to love everything about it." They looked at each other and started laughing a little. Suddenly the camera started back out to reveal Dark Shoutmon's silhouette on a near by hill covered in trees. He had a silver, sniper like weapon with glowing red lines on it. He was looking through the scope that had Twilight in the center of it. Rascal was rapidly tapping his foot like a rabbit, obviously impatient. He sighed. "Master, why don't you just fire the Chemical Pellet already. I mean, you've had her locked on for like five minutes now." Dark Shoutmon shushed him. "Not yet, I just need Gumdramon to turn around and then I'll be able to shoot her without him blocking it." He said, still looking through the scope. In the scope, Twilight and Gumdramon were talking for a few more minutes before Gumdramon waved to her and started walking away. Dark Shoutmon smiled and quickly pulled the trigger and a tiny, yellow ball was fired from the sniper. It was getting closer to her and was about to hit her until a pink mass covered the scope. "Hiya Twilight, whatcha... OWIE!" Pinkie Pie screamed after being hit in the flank with the yellow pellet. Once it hit her, it went into her skin and disappeared. "Whoa! Pinkie, are you ok?" Twilight asked, quickly walking towards her hurt friend. "Yeah, I'm ok. I think I just got a mosquito bite." She said, rubbing her flank. Dark Shoutmon slammed his fist to the ground. "Curses, that pesky pink pony got in the way. She ruined my plan." He said, grinding his teeth. Rascal just smiled. "On the contrary, I think she improved your plan. I mean, the pony princess wouldn't really be that distraction. This one however, haves a very... bubbly and insane personality. I think she's going to be very clingy when the chemical kicks in. I think that might be an... entertaining distraction, don't you think?" He asked, turning his head towards him. Dark Shoutmon smiled and nodded his head. "I guess your right. Come on, we have some free samples to get." He said, getting get back up and put the gun over his shoulder. "I hope there's some cute rabbits handing out some carrots at one of these stands." Rascal said with a sly smile. "Don't get your hopes up." He said, rolling his eyes. Pinkie Pie was walking around Ponyville, waving her hooves at all the ponies she passed by. When she turned the corner, she saw Gumdramon walking pass the water fountain. She was about to call to him, but she stopped before she could say anything. Her iris started glowing and pulsing pink. The white circles in her eyes also transformed into tiny hearts. Her eye lids slowly lowered and her smile became more of a smirk. Gumdramon was walking the opposite direction Pinkie was, only for her to appear in front of him with that same expression. This caused him to jump back a little, but he quickly compose himself. "Oh, hey Pinkie. How are you today." He said, looking a little confused. "Oh, I'm doing fine. How about you, good looking?" She asked, getting closer and closer to him. Gumdramon was blushing at what she just said. "Um, what did you call me?" He asked, backing up from her. Pinkie continued getting closer to him, this time wrapping one of her forelegs around him. "Good looking, why? Do you prefer something more fitting? How about Mr. Pie?" She asked, her muzzle a few centimeters away from his mouth. "W-what!" Gumdramon quietly yelled, starting to sweat. Pinkie put her free hoof on his mouth. "Shh, how about we make this relationship official." Pinkie removed her hoof and started puckering her lips, getting a little closer to his lips. Right before Pinkie could kiss him, Gumdramon quickly ducked, slipping out of her hold and started running away. "Gumdramon! Get back here! We need each other!" She yelled, looking desperate. She quickly ran after him. "Gumdramon! Please, how are we going to take care of our foals if their father keeps running away!" "Someone help me!" Gumdramon yelled at the top of his lungs. "We can help each other! You can help me find a wedding dress and I can help you find a tuxedo! We can have the wedding at the Sugarcube Corner! Ooh, maybe we can have it on a huge wedding cake! Then, when you remove my vial, we'll kiss each other with so much passion that it'll activate those flameless fireworks in less than a second! Doesn't that sound great!" Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and noticed that Gumdramon was no longer in her sight. "Gumdramon! Here are you!" She yelled, disappearing in a matter of seconds. Gumdramon's head slowly poked out of a barrel in the same area she used to be in. He sighed, but felt something touching his leg in the barrel. He looked down to see Pinkie Pie, but before he could get out of the barrel Pinkie grabbed the back of his head. She pulled him into the barrel and smooching sounds could be heard. Once he got out of the barrel, his cheeks her covered in pink lip gloss. He ran away from the barrel with a depressed looking Pinkie Pie inside the barrel. "Come on Gumdramon! I didn't even get a single kiss on the lips!" She yelled, running after him. Rascal was looking at this through a tiny crystal ball. "Heh, this is going to be a good episode." He said, smiling at the you (The Reader) with a mischievous, toothy grin. //-------------------------------------------------------// Pinkie Love - Part 3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Pinkie Love - Part 3 Twilight was trotting through the southern part of Ponyville, waving to the ponies she passed. She felt a chill go up her spine when she felt a claw touch her left wing. She turned her head to the left, her cheeks blushing a bit. "Gumdramon, will you please calm down." She said, flustered. "I can't, she could be anywhere." Gumdramon said, his worried voice coming from an unknown location. "Why are you so worried? She can't see you." Twilight said, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, but she can still hear, feel, smell, and taste me. I wouldn't be surprised if she had any other senses." Twilight was about to mention the 'Pinkie Sense', but didn't, thinking it would freak him out even more. After a couple minutes of walking, they finally made it to the entrance of the Everfree Forest. Twilight was hesitant at first, remembering the incident with the cockatrice. She started to shiver, but she shook it off for the sake of her friend. "Let's head on in Gumdramon." She said, looking to her left. "Um, Twilight? I'm over here." He said, his voice coming from her right. "Oh!" She turned her head to the right. "Let's head on in." She repeated with a embarrassed smile. "All right! What are we waiting for?" He said as footprints could be heard quickly moving away from Twilight. "Hey, wait up. You don't even know where her hut is." Twilight yelled, running after him. As they entered the Everfree Forest, two pink pony ears popped out from a nearby bush. Twilight and a now visible Gumdramon walked up to the hut that belong to the only zebra in all of Ponyville. Twilight knocked on the door, waiting for the zebra to answer it. After about few second a voice came from hut. "My house is in a messy state, would you be so kind and wait?" Zecora asked. Twilight turned to Gumdramon, he shrugged. The were standing outside for nearly fifteen minutes, awkward silence being their only companion. Twilight was shuffling her hoof in the dirt, while Gumdramon whistled a generic tune. After a few more minutes of awkwardness, the door slowly opened, revealing the zebra. "Sorry, my house looked like there was a stampede. Now how may I help you in your time of need?" She asked. "Zecora, there's something wrong with Pinkie and we don't know what it is. Can you help us figure out what's wrong with her?" Twilight asked. "I believe to know what to do, come inside and help with my brew." Zecora said, waling into her hut. Twilight and Gumdramon looked at each other and simply shrugged, following the zebra inside. Gumdramon was nervously pacing around Zecora's small table, biting his claws. "How's it going?" He asked, a sense of impatience in his voice. "Almost, just stay calm Gumdramon." Twilight reassured him. Zecora grabbed a small mixing bowl filled with a green powder substance. She gently blew it over the pot, creating a puff of green smoke. It slowly started taking the shape of Pinkie before entering the cauldron. Once all of the smoke entered the bubbling, purple liquid it turned into a lite shade of pink. "The brew is nearly done, I just need something from the loved one." Zecora stated, turning towards Gumdramon. "Oh, uh..." Gumdramon mumbled to himself, looking for something to give to her. After a second or two, He snapped his fingers and plucked a hair from his right arm. "Will this do?" He asked, rubbing his arm in pain. "Precisely, this will do nicely." She said, Gumdramon placing the hair in one of her hooves. She walked back to the cauldron and added the hair. A huge puff of dark purple smoke exploded out of the cauldron, but was quickly sucked back in. "It is done and without a book, come here and take a look." She said, gesturing Gumdramon and Twilight to join her. They walked up to her and looked inside the cauldron. The liquid started swirling like a whirlpool, an image starting to emerge from the center of it. After a few seconds, the image turned out to be Dark Shoutmon on top of a hill. "Dark Shoutmon?!" Gumdramon angrily questioned. "You know him?" Twilight asked Gumdramon, turning her head towards him. "Unfortunately." He replied, a clear tone of annoyance in his voice. "Now Rascal, this chemical will make that pony fall for Gumdramon." The image of Dark Shoutmon said. "So how long do we have before it wares off?" Rascal asked, not showing him in the cauldron. "This was just a quick and small dosage of the chemical, so we only have about seven hours." "Ten we better get going then." Rascal said, fading out. The liquid in the cauldron turned back into water, no longer showing the image. "So that's why Pinkie's been acting like that, she's under a spell." Twilight said, shocked by what she just say. "Technically Twilight, it's a chemical that is forcing Pinkie's brain to increase the creation of love and directing towards me." Gumdramon corrected her. Twilight gave Gumdramon a displeased glare. "Uh, s-sorry." He apologized, nervously laughing and rubbing the back of his head. "As I was saying, whatever happened to Pinkie won't last much longer." Twilight stated, placing a hoof on her chin. "If she was injected at 8:30 and it's almost 3:00, that means we only have half an hour before the chemical wears off." "So what do we do until then?" Gumdramon asked with a shrug. "It doesn't really matter, your perfectly safe now." Twilight said, giving him a warm smile. Before Gumdramon could reply, a lasso flew threw the open window and wrapped around Gumdramon. He was then pulled threw the window, the rope wrapping around him in the process. "Hiya Gummy Bear!" Pinkie said, fluttering her eyelashes. "HELP!!!" He screamed while Pinkie rode her part cannon back to town with him inside it. "I hate to admit, but I believe you jinxed it." Zecora said to a shocked Twilight. Author's Note Sorry this chapter took me so long, I just had a lot of other projects. //-------------------------------------------------------// Pinkie Love - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// Pinkie Love - Finale 15 Minutes Later Gumdramon's eyes started to open, once they did he looked around the room. It was dark, but there was enough light to see what was around him. There were a couple of barrels, a red carpet that stretched into the darkness, and a baby alligator on a podium. "Sup Gummy." Gumdramon said, nodding at him. Gumdramon looked down and noticed he was still tied up in the party cannon. He tried cutting the rope with one of his claws, but they could only scratch the cannon. Before he could think of another way to get out, a song started playing from the darker part of the room. "Where have I heard this... oh no." Gumdramon said, realization hitting him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0wmzoHd6yo All of the lights in the room turned on to reveal a wedding themed hall. Gumdramon started twisting in the cannon, hoping to get out. The doors slowly opened to reveal Pinkie Pie wearing a white wedding dress and veil. She looked at Gumdramon and gave him a flirty wink before slowly hopping towards him. Gumdramon's pupils shrunk and he started twisting even faster, tilting the cannon back and fort, but never knocking it down. Once she made it to the to the podium, the music stopped. They stood there in silence for a few second. "Oops, almost forgot." Pinkie said, taking a boombox out of her mane. She placed it next to Gummy and pressed the play button. "Fillies and gentlecolts, we are gathered together on this beautiful day to join Pinkie and Gumdramon as they exchange vows of their everlasting love." The recording of Pinkie said in a bad male impression. Pinkie looked at Gumdramon only to turn around and starting giggling, lightly blushing in the process. "Help." Gumdramon mumbled. Twilight was flying throughout Ponyville, searching for Gumdramon. Once Sugarcube Corner came into view and started to slowdown. She ran into the building, seeing Mr. and Mrs. Cake behind the counter. "Hello Twilight, what brings you-" "Where's Pinkie?!" She asked, interrupting Mrs. Cakes. "I-I'm not too sure. Honey, do you know where Pinkie Pie went?" Mrs. Cake asked her husband. Mr. Cake stopped for a second, placing a hoof under his chin. "I remember her saying she needed to deliver a wedding cake an hour ago." Twilight's eyes widened, finally putting the pieces together. "Do you know where she was going?" "Uh, I think she was delivering it to one of those party halls." Mr. Cake replied. "Thank you!" Twilight said, quickly flying through the double doors. "Do you know what just happened?" Mrs. Cake asked, her husband simply shrugged in response. Gumdramon was heavily breathing after spending a couple minutes trying to get of the cannon with no success. After Pinkie finished her long list of vows, she turned to Gumdramon as the end of the wedding was at hand. "Pinkie, do you take Gumdramon to be your husband, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish his friendship and love him today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor him, laugh with him and cry with him? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?" The recorded Pinkie asked. "I do." Pinkie said, starring directly into Gumdramon's eyes. "Gumdramon, do you take Pinkie to be your wife, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish her friendship and love her today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor her, laugh with her and cry with her? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?" The recorded Pinkie asked. Gumdramon looked at Pinkie, sweat falling down his face. "I-I-I..." He looked at a nearby clock that read 3:27. A smile formed on his face as freedom was a few minutes away. "YES!" He said in excitement, not realizing what he just said. "I know pronounce you mare and stallion... wait that's not right. Uh, Digimon? Yeah, that's it! I know pronounce you mare and Digimon. You may now kiss the bride!" The recorded Pinkie finished, ending the tape. "WHAT!?" Gumdramon screamed. Pinkie Pie slowly leaned towards Gumdramon, puckering her lips. Gumdramon leaned back the closer she got. He leaned back as far as he could, but it wasn't enough. Their lips were just about to meet until... "Stop!" Twilight yelled, teleporting Pinkie right next to her. "What are you doing Twilight?! Me and Gumdramon were just about to finish our wedding!" Pinkie yelled at her. "Pinkie you don't really love Gumdramon, your just under a spell!" "How would you know Twilight, you never had a boyfriend!" "I could have if I wanted to!" Twilight yelled, blushing a bit. Gumdramon sighed in relief, but heard a weird noise behind him. Turning around, he saw Gummy chewing on the fuse. Gumdramon didn't realize it until Gummy pulled the fuse, shooting Gumdramon through the roof and into the sky. Twilight and Pinkie quickly ran to the podium and looked through the hole in the ceiling. Suddenly, Pinkie started shaking her head, her heart shaped irises turned back to normal. "Oh, hiya Twilight, what's going on?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Pinkie, you're back to normal!" Twilight said, hugging her. "Uh, why am I wearing a wedding dress?" She asked, twirling the dress. "It's a long story." Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head. "And that's what happened." Twilight finished catching Pinkie up. "Wow, I feel really bad that I put Gumdramon through all that." She said, rubbing the back of her head. "Speaking of Gumdramon, shouldn't he have landed yet?" Twilight asked, looking through the hole. Before either of them could say anything else, the front doors opened to reveal Gumdramon. "I... had... to walk... a mile... back... here." Gumdramon said, breathing heavily. "I really... need to do... more cardio." Pinkie walked towards Gumdramon, looking at the ground. "I'm so sorry I did all of this to you Gumdramon." Pinkie said, frowning and not making eye contact with him. "It's not your fault Pi-." Gumdramon was cut off by Pinkie kissing him on the lips. His eyes widened and pupils shrunk, shocked by the sudden affection. She quickly pulled away, a large smile and deep blush forming on her face. "I realized you didn't get that kiss, so I thought you deserved it after everything you went through. Anyways, I'll see you all tomorrow!" Pinkie said, hopping out of the building. Gumdramon fell back, cartoony swirls in his eyes and a goofy smile on his face. "Pinkie Pie!" Twilight growled, intensely blushing. "Hope you all enjoyed the fanservice, see you later." Rascal said, waving goodbye to the audience. "End of Episode 5" //-------------------------------------------------------// A Discorded Experience - Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// A Discorded Experience - Part 2 The main six and Discord were having a friendly conversation, but they quickly stopped once someone banged on the table. They turned their attention to Gumdramon, arms hanging on his sides and just staring off into space. "Gumdramon... are you okay?" Twilight asked, waiting for an answer. Gumdramon slowly got up and started walking away from the table. Rainbow Dash quickly towards Gumdramon, stopping in front of him. "Hello, is anypony in there?" She asked, tapping the top of his head. Once she made contact, his colors slowly became pale. The others quickly ran over towards the two, worried expressions on their faces. "I didn't do anything!" Rainbow quickly yelled in her defense. "Twilight, what's happening to him?" Fluttershy asked, turning her head towards Twilight. "I'm not sure, but I have seen something like this." She replied, rubbing her chin with a hoof. "Now where in Equestria have you seen this kind of thing?" Applejack asked, confused by what her friend had just said. "Actually, we've all seen. This looks like the same thing Discord did to us in the maze." Twilight said, pointing a hoof at him. "How dare you! I thought we were all friends, I feel so betrayed." Discord said, dramatically tilting his head back and placing his claw on his face. Everyone raised their eyebrows at him, not buying the act. "But seriously, I didn't put this spell on him. It seems similar to mine, but it's a bit different." He started, getting everyone's attention. "He does seem to be acting different and starting to loss color, but the magical aura feels very different. He's appears to be in some sort of mental state." "How would you know all that if you didn't do it?" Rainbow asked, getting up in Discord's face. "Um, hello? Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, I can tell whenever there's something wrong with somepony, magically of course." "Alright, so can you get rid of it?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head. "Oh, there's no why I can fix it." Discord replied, filing his dragon claws with a toothbrush. "What?!" They all yelled in shock. "Everypony just calm down. I can't do anything, but prissy princess here can." "I can... wait, I'm not pri-" "Just do the same thing you did when I used it on you girls." He said, getting into a bed that came out of nowhere. "Oh yeah, the Memory Spell!" Twilight exclaimed, realizing what Discord was talking about. "Shpingo!" Discord said, snapping his fingers in bed. "Um, I don't want to ruin this lovely conversation, but where's Gumdramon?" Rarity asked. Everyone, except Discord, started to panic and ran towards the direction Gumdramon was originally going. "Why wasn't anypony watching him?" Applejack asked. "Oh, your the one to talk. Why didn't you watch him?" Rainbow retorted. "That doesn't matter!" Twilight interjected. "All that matters now is trying to find him and use the spell to remove that spell on him." "I see him! Hey Gumdramon, where are you going?!" Pinkie yelled, riding on her part cannon. "Rainbow, hold him down!" Twilight asked. "Alright." Rainbow replied, saluting before flying towards Gumdramon. She started to get closer and closer to her slow moving target. "Aaaaand... Gotcha!" She yelled, pressing wrapping her legs around his chest. Slowly after grabbing him, she flew right through him, hitting the ground. Gumdramon continued walking and was about to step on her. Once his foot made contact with her, it continued to go through her, causing Rainbow to shiver. Rainbow quickly flew off the ground, shivering a little more. "What the what?!" Rainbow shouted, the expression on her face capturing pure confusion. "Rainbow, what happened?" Twilight asked. "I don't know! I thought I grabbed him, but it was like I was grabbing frozen air. It was weird." Rainbow answered, shivering again. "There's no time to worry about that now, I need to use the spell while I still have the chance." Twilight said, running in front of Gumdramon. She blasted a ray of purple aura at Gumdramon's head, making him stop. Twilight started to smile, but it quickly faded as his colors started to become even paler and continued to walk. "I don't understand, why didn't it work?" She wondered, worried about her friend. "I forget, what was that spell suppose to do again?" Pinkie asked, bouncing on a party balloon. "The spell is supposed to make the pony you use it on remember their true... selves." Twilight stopped, realization the answer to their problem. "The spell couldn't work on him. He doesn't have any memories about his past. He can't remember a memory if it's not there." Twilight stated, tears forming in her eyes. "There there, Twilight. You tried your best." Discord said, coming out of nowhere and giving her a tissue. "What are we suppose to do? None of us can use our magic to get rid of it." Twilight said, tilting her head down. "Well, maybe it's not as bad as we think. Maybe he just needs to walk it off." Rainbow said, trying to lighten up the mood. "Uh, I don't think he's gonna be able to walk much longer." Pinkie said. "Why's that?" Rarity asked. "Because he's about to walk off that cliff." She finished, pointing at Gumdramon who was only a few yards away form the edge of the cliff. "Gumdramon!" The other five ponies yelled. //-------------------------------------------------------// A Discorded Experience - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// A Discorded Experience - Finale "You're doing great, just a little further and you'll find me." The mysterious voice said. "I forget, what am I looking for again?" Gumdramon asked. "You're looking for yourself." The voice replied. Gumdramon continued walking, but a little slower than he was before. The mane six were trying everything they could to stop Gumdramon from walking off the cliff. Pinkie tried to blast him back with her party cannon, but to no avail. Rainbow Dash and Applejack tried pushing him back, but kept going trough him. Twilight tried to use her magic to blast, levitate, or teleport Gumdramon away from the edge, but nothing worked. After a few minutes of trying, they all went back towards Fluttershy and Discord, sitting down and breathing heavily. "I don't know what to do anymore, we've tried everything. We... we can't do anything." Twilight said, tears forming in her eyes. "T-There has to be something we can do!" Fluttershy quietly yelled, tears falling down her cheeks. "Alright, this has gone on long enough. Sorry KK, but I do this anymore." Discord thought to himself, snapping his fingers. Gumdramon sparkled a bit, but soon became even paler. "What, this can't be happening. It's not supposed to do that, what's going on in his head?" Fluttershy got up and quickly flew in front of Gumdramon, only a few feet away from the edge. "Gudramon, please listen to me! I'm here for you, we're all here for you! Just tell us what's wrong and maybe we can help." Fluttershy said, walking a little closer to him. "Gumdramon!" Fluttershy's voice echoed trough the endless void. "What was that?" Gumdramon asked, looking around. "It was nothing! Quickly, you've almost found yourself!" The voice yelled. "Find myself? That doesn't really make much sense." "What?" "I mean, how can I find myself if I'm standing right here?" "You're only half of yourself. You need me to be whole again." "Wait, earlier you said you were me." "I am!" "But now you're telling me you're a part of me. I'm starting to think you don't know what you're talking about." "That's It!" The voice yelled, black smoke forming in front of Gumdramon. The smoke soon vanished, revealing a black version of Gumdramon with the Shadow symbol on his forehead instead of an X. "Who are you?" Gumdramon asked. "I'm you, the old you that is. I'm the your life that you tried to get rid of, but you can't erase the past. I'm literally your past coming back to haunt you, but instead I want you to be me again. It was fun being me, no rules, no remorse and no one holding me back. Come on, I'll give you one more chance to be me again before I force you to become me." The dark version of Gumdramon said, offering his hand to his purple counterpart. "N-No! I don't want to go back to that! I have people who depend on me now! I have... friends!" "Ha! I gave you a chance, but looks like you just won't listen. Now I'm gonna have to make you!" He yelled, turning into black smoke and flying into Gumdramon's chest. Parts of his started to glow certain colors, blue, purple, orange, red and light blue. Gumdramon opened his eyes and started screaming in pain. "No, stop! Please!" "Sorry, but you made me do this. I think the best way to win you over is to relive the memory of your first sin. You know the one." "No, I don't!" He yelled even louder. "You will." Flashes of Gumdramon in a small white hallway appeared in his mined. Scrambled voices yelled at him from behind could barley be heard. He lifted up his arm, shaking in fear of something. "NO!!!" He yelled, a loud gunshot echoed through the hallway after he said that. Gumdramon slowly regained his colors, staring up at the sky. Fluttershy was squeezing him in a hug, her back legs hanging off the edge of the cliff. Gumdramon slowly started to tear up before going into full cry mode. He returned Fluttershy's embrace, scaring her a bit, but slowly calming down and cried tears of joy. The other five ponies quickly ran towards the two and hugged each other in tight embraces. "We're so glad your okay!" They all cried in unison. "Thank you, all of you." He mumbled loud enough for all of them to hear. Discord looked at the heartwarming moment and smiled. His smile quickly disappeared as he teleport away. "Ah, Discord. How did it go?" Princess Celestia asked him. "I'm never doing that again." He said, folding his arms in anger. "And you won't have to. I just wanted to see if this new technique would help us see if was truly on our side." "Well we still do not trust him." Luna interjected, drawing the attention of Discord and Celestia. "Luna, there's is nothing more we need to prove. Not only did he save our castle and the Crystal Empire, but Discord's spell showed that he's actually just as scared as we are." Celestia said, putting a hoof on her sister's shoulder. Luna slapped her hoof away and walked towards the doors. "Still, there's just one thing we must do before we can truly trust him." She said before closing the doors behind her. "I've gotta go, my friends are probably wondering where I am." Discord said, preparing to snap his fingers. "Just don't tell them what you did. I don't want them to lose faith in you again." Celestia said. "I won't... But I hope you'll tell them what you did." He said, teleporting away. Celestia looked around the empty room, seeing no one was there. "Huh, I wish they'd understand I do this things with good intentions." Luna walked into her Hall of Mirrors and teleported to the very end of the hall. In front of her was a fancy, dark blue mirror with a crescent moon engraved in the glass. "Ponies say that the eyes are the windows to the souls. I believe that mirrors are the doorway to the mind." Luna slowly walked into the mirror, entering a magical void with millions of doors floating in the air. "All I need to do is find the right door." "End of Episode 6" Author's Note Sorry I haven't been uploading any chapters lately, I've doing a lot of stuff in my life and I'm also an editor for GamerBrony95 (https://www.fimfiction.net/user/GamerBrony95). Go check out his latest story he's been working on and what I've been editing! A (Somewhat) Normal Life (https://www.fimfiction.net/story/339384/a-somewhat-normal-life) //-------------------------------------------------------// Dreams Don't Come True - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Dreams Don't Come True - Part 1 Twilight was walking in around the map, sweat falling down her forehead. The doors to the room opened, revealing Spike. She turned her attention towards him and rushed over. "Is Gumdramon back?" She asked, a smile starting to form on her face. "Sorry Twi, but I still haven't seen him." Spike replied, causing Twilight's smile to disappear. "Are you okay?" "I'm just worried about him Spike. After what happened earlier today, I just want to know that he's okay." "Yeah, what exactly happened?" "I don't really know. I thought that once he was back to normal everything would be fine, but whatever happened to him was a lot worse than I thought. He didn't tell us what happened to him, he just said he needed to be alone." Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight, leaning his head on her shoulder. "I think everyone needs some time to themselves. I'm sure he'll be better once he comes back." Twilight sniffled and wiped one of eyes. "Your right, he's probably fine. Gumdramon has a strong heart, nothing can keep him down." "You know, maybe we can make him something special to eat for when he comes back." Spike added, letting go of Twilight. "That's a great idea Spike!" She said, picking Spike up with her magic and placing him on her back. "I have a few cook books in the library I never really used, maybe there's something in one of those." Twilight added, walking through the doors and into the hallway. Gumdramon was sitting on a log near a pond in the Everfree Forest. His head was down, staring at the floor. He slowly lifted his head up, looking at his reflection in the pond. "What did you do?" He asked his reflection. Suddenly, a red light started to emit under his shirt, causing him to wince in pain and grab his side. "That's it!" Gumdramon shouted before closing his eyes. After a few seconds of silence, his body fell backwards and onto the grass. Gumdramon opened his eyes, reveling that he was on a rock that was floating in space. The only other thing on the rock was a pitch black door standing right in front of him. He walked up to the door, breathing heavily. Grasping the knob, he slowly turned it and opened the door. Inside was a pitch black void with nothing inside except for an all too familiar silhouette, sitting in the center of the room with chains around his arms. "Welcome back Gumdramon." The black version of Gumdramon said, maliciously smiling at him. "I knew you'd show up. So, what brings you here?" "I want answers." Princess Luna was walking through her hall of mirrors, looking at each one. "There must be a way for us to get into his dreams. This would be a lot easier if we had a mirror for him." She said, continuing to walk through the hall. She suddenly stopped, gasping. "That's it!" She shouted. She started running down the hall, a look of determination on her face. She stopped at the end of the hall, breathing heavily. In front of her was a blue mirror that had her cutie mark on it. She looked at for a bit and started walking into it. Once she was through, she was in space with stars making a road. Luna looked down one side of the road and saw nothing, but looking down the other side revealed a single door in the distance. Smirking, she ran towards the door, stopping directly in front of it. The door was purple with a yellow X on it, but the wood had chips and cracks in it. "This must be his door, it just has to be." She said, turning the knob with her magic. Once the door opened, Luna was shocked to see a void with several rocks and objects floating inside. "Wha-What happened here?" She asked herself, walking through the door. She started floating once she entered, unable to control where she went. She created a field of magic around her, allowing her to properly flew through the void. As she flew through the void, she noticed that some of the rocks had door on them, while other doors were just floating by themselves. A lot of the doors were rotten and old, but some looked brand new. Luna stopped, noticing a door made entirely out of metal. She flew towards it, landing on the rock. Her magical field disappeared, but she didn't float away like before. The door didn't have a knob, but when she used her magic on it, it suddenly opened. She looked inside and saw nothing more than a black void. At the very bottom of the door was a floating cloud of smoke leaving the room. It wrapped itself around Luna's tail, but she didn't notice. (A FEW MINUTES EARLIER) "So, you're my darkest memories and secrets that I kept in the back of my mind and that's why you weren't destroyed my other ones?" Gumdramon asked, trying to wrap his head around this. "That's right, and all you have to do is just let in out and you'll remember more about who you are." "Was..." "Excuse me?" The black Gumdramon asked, raising his head to look at him. "I would remember who I was, because I'm me now." "So what? I want is to get out of here and you want to get your memories back, so just let me out!" He yelled, getting up and trying to run towards Gumdramon. However, the chains kept him a few feet away from him. Before Gumdramon could say another word, his eyes suddenly widened. "Someone's here!" He yelled, slamming the door and flying towards the location of the intruder. "He can't keep me in here forever. Just like everyone, he'll get curious." The black Gumdramon said, chuckling afterwards. (BACK TO THE PRESENT) Luna suddenly flinched, sensing a strong presence. "He's here too!? I thought he would be dreaming! We must leave... now!" She said to herself, quickly surrounding herself in her magic aura and flying away from the door. She took a quick took behind her and saw Grumdramon stopping at the door, not noticing where she was. She saw the door out of his mind, went through it and quickly slammed it shut. She leaned against the door, breathing heavily. "Perhaps we were wrong about him. He may have secrets, but everypony has secrets... even us." Luna said to herself, exiting her mirror as she did. Her horn started to glow and teleported away. The smog-like creature slowly exited Luna's mirror, moving around the room before entering a random mirror. Inside a local arcade place, hundreds of ponies were lining up to see Button Mash play a video game. "He's so cool!" A filly in the crowd said. "I've never seen such a gamer in my entire life!" Another pony said. "I'd never be able to get that big of a high score!" A stallion said, fainting. "Button Mash, Button Mush, GO GO GO!" Several mares and fillies cheered, wearing cheerleaders outfits. "Congratulations, you're the new champion!" The arcade game said, causing the crowd of ponies to cheer Button's name. "Thank you, Thank you!" Button Mash said into a microphone. "I couldn't have done this without all of you. You're all the real champions!" He said, throwing the mic, everyone cheering even louder than before. The smog-like creature dived into the ground, disappearing. As Button started blowing kisses, the cheers completely disappeared in a quiet echo. "Huh? What?" Button said, looking around to see he was in a old, dark park. The only thing beside himself were broken-down playground rides. The single chained swing slowly swung in the wind, one of the seesaws repeatedly hitting the ground, and the roundabout slowly turning with no one on it. "M-Mom? Hello? Is any... pony... there...?" He said, turning around to see a large figure behind him. //-------------------------------------------------------// Dreams Don't Come True - Part 1.5 //-------------------------------------------------------// Dreams Don't Come True - Part 1.5 Button Mash coward in fear as the unknown creature loomed over him. He slowly calmed down, hearing a voice call out to him. Once he was completely calm, he couldn't hear the voice anymore. "Hey kid!" The voice yelled at him. "Huh, what?" Button Mash said, confused and looking around for the source of the voice. "Right here kid, I'm floating in front of you!" The voice yelled again. Button Mash looked where the voice said it was, but saw the creature floating in front of him. "Wait, was t-that... you?" He asked the creature "Yes, I'm the only other person here. And now that I've got your attention, can you explain this." The creature said, pointing at himself. "I-I don't know what you mean?" Button replied, confused by what the creature was talking about. "THIS!" The creature yelled, coming out of the shadows. https://camo.derpicdn.net/e7811d55d1f9a9995fe5ef772ca500743597158e?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpre00.deviantart.net%2F6e4e%2Fth%2Fpre%2Fi%2F2017%2F106%2F9%2Fc%2Fmist_lord_by_theomniwriter-db63wkj.png "I still don't understand..." "Listen kid, my body is created by combing the deepest, darkest fears of the first person I enter. My old one was destroyed and you're the first person I entered. Now that you're all caught up, why do I look like this?" Button Mash put a hoof under his chin. "My biggest fears are ghosts, skulls, and... tuxedos." He said, shivering at the thought of tuxedos. "Really? Ugh, of course the first one I chose was a kid scared of his own shadow. And now I'm stuck looking like this until this one gets destroyed, but I really don't wanna go through that again." The creature said to himself before looking back at the colt. "Well, I might as well get a little snack while I'm here... boo." He said. Button screamed and ran straight through the wall of a nearby house. "Ha, still got it." He said, giving himself a high five. "Now then, let's get down to business." He gathered the purple mist on the ground, creating a small ball in his hand. "It's not much, but it'll have to do." He said before crushing the ball. Three streams of purple smoke escaped from his closed hand. They suddenly grew the same masks like the one on the creature. They flew around for a few seconds before lining up in front of the creature. "Hello my little Nightmarous, did you miss me?" He asked, scratching one's chin. "I bet you've been hungry since I've been gone. Let's go get something to eat and maybe make some more friends for you to play with, how does that sound?" The three little Nightmarous flew in excitement and followed the creature as they did. The creature stuck out one of his claws and stabbed the air. He slowly pushed it down, creating a big, glowing tear floating in the air. The little creatures flew through the tear, slowly followed by the bigger creature. Once they exited through the tear, they were inside someone else's dream. "Go on little ones, go collect some fear." He said, pointing in a random direction and laughing manically as they flew off into the distance. "Look out world, Mist Lord is back!" He stated, laughing some more afterwards. Author's Note I really wanted to get this part of the chapter out, which is why the title says it Part 1.5 instead of 2. I thought it felt more like half of a normal chapter I usually write. //-------------------------------------------------------// Dreams Don't Come True - Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Dreams Don't Come True - Part 2 (The Next Day) "Twilight? Spike? It's almost noon, are you gonna get up anytime soon?" Gumdramon shouted through the halls of the castle. "Huh, guess they didn't get much sleep last night." He said, shrugging his shoulders and walking back downstairs. He stopped halfway down, hearing knocking at the front door. "Finally, someone to talk to." Gumdramon excitedly rushed down the stairs and ran towards the door. Once he opened the door, a blast of magic knocked him to the ground. Rubbing his head in pain, he looked up and saw Princess Luna standing in front of him. "Hey Luna, I'm glad you didn't bust in, but did you have to blast in?" He asked, laughing at his own joke. His laughter stopped once Luna pointed her horn at him, her horn glowing in her magical aura. "You beast! I knew there was something wicked about you the first time we met!" She shouted, angrily looking at him. "First off, calling me a beast is very rude. Secondly, what exactly did I do?" He asked, completely confused. "Do not act dumb, you know what you have done to the citizens of Ponyville!" She said. "I'm not acting dumb, I am dumb! Wait, no, that's not what I meant. I mean I actually have no idea what you're talking about." Gumdramon said, standing back up. "So, thou has not caused the citizens to fall asleep?" Luna asked, calming down. "Yes, I didn't do anything. But what do you mean by everyone's asleep?" "Everypony in Ponyville have not awaken from their slumber. Not only that, but I cannot enter their dreams. It is as if they are somewhere else." Luna said, pacing around little bit. "Hmm, there probably in some sort of pocket-dream" Gumdramon said, scratching his head. "Wait, what? What is a... pocket-dream?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's a space between dreams, but they can't really be found." He said, grabbing a bag from behind a panel on the wall. "Why is that?" "Because they don't really exist. They're actually created by someone, but it takes incredible power to do such a thing." "Wait, I have made combined dreams in the past. Could those possibly be these pocket-dreams?" "Pretty much, but we can't go to any of those. Once the creator of the pocket-dream leaves, it gets destroyed." Gumdramon said, taking out several tools and mechanical pieces, slowly building a strange device. "I see, then whoever has done this must have powerful magic and a vast knowledge of dreams." Luna said. Gumdramon's eyes slowly widened, but he quickly shook his head, slapping himself out of it. "Is there anyway for you to get us into the pocket-dream?" He said, putting a crystal into the device like it was a battery. "Yes, I do have a mirror that is in between dreams, but it is a vast space, there is no telling how long it would take to find it." She said, lowering her head in defeat. "No problem, I just upgraded one of my devices and now we should be able to locate it once we're in the space." He said, pointing at his finished device. Luna gasped in shock. "Then there is no time to waste!" She shouted, teleporting the both of them to her hall of mirrors. "Whoa, now that is a way to travel." "Quickly, we must enter this mirror to enter the space!" She shouted, pointing at the largest mirror in the room. They both entered it and stood in the same spot for a few minutes. "Come on, just gotta get the right frequency and we should be good." Gumdramon said, turning several dials in different directions. "Perhaps this device of yours does not work. Maybe we should start searching before-" "Got it!" Gumdramon shouted, interrupting Luna. "It looks like the pocket-dream is two miles in... that direction." He said, pointing in the same direction as the one on his device. "Quickly now, we mustn't waste anymore time." Luna said before levitating Gumdramon and flying in the direction of the pocket-dream. //-------------------------------------------------------// Dreams Don't Come True - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// Dreams Don't Come True - Finale (Inside the Pocket-Dream) It was a copy of Ponyville, but the sky was completely covered with an aurora and many of the buildings were floating in the air. Hundreds of smog like creatures wearing masks were flying in the air, some holding ponies inside their bodies, their heads were their only body part outside the smog-like creatures. Several other ponies were either on the buildings or the ground. A much larger version of Mist Lord was sitting in a throne made of some of the buildings. "Well, it seems that all of my guests are finally here. Great job my Nightmarious, here's some food for you." Mist Lord said, pointing one of his fingers in their direction, shooting several balls of purple aura at them. Many of the Nightmarious chased after the orbs, dropping the ponies onto the ground. "Now then, let's see who we have here." He continued, looking down at the groups of ponies, as many of them trembled in fear. As many of them shake, the same purple aura flowed out of them and into Mist Lord's flaming head. "Oh yes, that's some good fear right there." He complimented them, enjoying every second of it. "You better stop this before you get what's coming to you!" Spike shouted, causing Mist Lord to looked down at the little dragon. "Well well well, who is this little fella?" Mist Lord asked, raising a brow. "I'm S-Spike, Spike the Dragon!" He stated, nervously lifting up his fists. "Oh, this is rich. Okay then kid, give me your best shot. Go ahead, right here." He said, pointing to his cheekbone. Spike lifted up a fist, his entire arm trembling with fear. As it did, a purple aura seeped out of Spike and flew into one of Mist Lord's eyes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, causing the purple aura to disappear. The moment he threw his punch, his fist was engulfed in a green flame. "Dragon Fist!" Spike suddenly shouted, as he slammed his fist into Mist Lords cheekbone. Once it make contact, there was a tiny explosion around his fist. "Ow!" Mist Lord shouted, covering his cheekbone. Spike looked down at his hand, seeing the flames slowly disappear into nothing. Mist Lord moved his hand from his cheekbone, revealing small burn marks. "Well then, that was certainly a surprise." He said as the marks on his cheekbone disappeared. "Not only did you make a mark, you also managed you hurt me!" He said, bursting into laughter. "Oh man, it feels so good to feel pain again!" Mist Lord continued laughing for a few more seconds until he finally stopped. "Oh, by the way kid. You've got a little someone here." He said, pointing at Spike forehead. "Wha-" Spike was interrupted when he got flicked, pushing him back several feet away. "Spike!" The Mane 6 and the CMC yelled in shock. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Sweetie Belle ran towards his direction. "Spike, are you okay!?" Sweetie Belle yelled, holding Spike in her hooves. She looked at his forehead, noticing a small glowing dot on his forehead. As soon as she noticed it, the dot instantly disappeared as Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy ran up to Spike's side. Mist Lord continued laughing. 'Why are ya'll doin this for?!" Mist Lord shot his head up, turning his attention towards the crowd again. "Which one you you said that?" Mist Lord asked in a demanding voice. "I did!" Applejack replied, the ponies around her moving away. "Oh yes, you are one of Gumdramon's friends aren't you?" He asked, leaning the side of his skull and placing it on his fist. "Wait, ya know bout Gumdramon?" Applejack asked, confused by his question. "I'd be surprised if I didn't know him. After all, he did lock me away inside the darkest corners of his mind." "WHAT?!" Applejack and the other girls shouted. Behind the throne of building, Gumdramon and Luna were hiding, listening to the conversation. "Why are we not attacking that beast this instant?" Luna asked Gumdramon. "We need him to be perfectly distracted or else he'll get the upper hand. Once I get the first few hits in, you'll create a portal out of the dream world and I'll push him in." "You want to send him into the real world?" Luna asked, concerned about the plan. "He won't be able to do much in the real world. He's the master of the mind, not the master of reality." Gumdramon said reassuringly. "My granny always told me that 'if ya'll wanna do somethin' bad, just don't do it'." "Oh really? Well then..." Mist Lord quickly grabbed Applejack, lifting her up to his face. "Let me tell you a little something about me." He said, as music suddenly started playing in the background. "Well, Mist Lord hasn't always been this bad, I was a scared little kid once. Now I know I can be happy as a lad, because I'm terrible, baby." He sang, twirling Applejack in the air. "Did your granny say listen to your heart, be who you are on the inside? I need three words to tear her argument apart... your granny lied!" He yelled, pulling her closer to his face. "I'd rather be scary! Like a shark in a sunken pirate wreck. Wreck the deck and make it look scary!" He summoned a pirate ship out of nowhere and poked holes in it. "I will gladly break a healthy woman's neck. Just a sec!" Pretending to snap his own neck. "Don't you know? Dreams are dumb, dumb, dumb, they cover everything in glitter. Bitter!" He said in disgust. "Oh, and here they come, come, come, to the darkest thing in Dreamland. Ha, my hand." As white clouds flew into his hands, he crushed them, turning them into more Nightmarious. "I just love free fears, and you have some big fears." He opened his mouth, causing purple aura to slowly flow out of Applejack. "Now!" Gumdramon whispered yelled to himself, running into the open. "I think it's time for a little Drillmon fusion!" He stated, pulling out the D-Drive and pressing one of the buttons. "ERROR ERROR! FUSION MALFUNCTION! PLEASE STAND BY!" The D-Drive shouted, causing Mist Lord to dropped Applejack and slowly turn around. "Oh no..." Gumdramon whispered. "Well, well, well, little Gummy's having trouble with his look, you little semi-demi-Digimon." Mist Lord continued to sing, grabbing Gumdramon by the tail and throwing him to the ground. "Ouch! What a terrible performance, get the hook! Get it? You don't swing it like you used to, man." He continued, using a fishing rod to hook Gumdramon and fling him once again. "Yet I have to give you credit for my start and your tattoos on the outside." He lifted Gumdramon's shirt up a little, revealing several colors glowing underneath, but Gumdramon quickly pulled it down. "For just like you I made myself a work of art, I'll never hide; I can't, I'm too scary! Watch me battle like a bully that's real tough, strut my stuff; my stuff is so scary!" He sang, throwing Gumdramon like a ragdoll several more times. "Send your armies but they'll never be enough my skull's too tough." He said, banging the top of his skull. "Gumdramon, you could try, try, try, but you can't expect a Digimon to beat a Demonspawn." Mist Lord slammed Gumdramon into the ground, leaving a huge crater. "You will die, die, die! Now it's time for me to take apart your aching heart." He snapped his fingers, causing the entire dream world to turn dark. Everyone was glowing their colors in the darkness, including Gumdramon and Mist Lord. "Far from the ones who abandoned you, chasing the love of these ponies who made you feel wanted." He picked Gumdramon back up by the foot, as Gumdramon was completely ragdolling. "You try to be tough, but your armor's just not hard enough" Threw Gumdramon up and caught him into his other hand, then slamming and sliding him into the ground. "Gummy! Now it's time to kick your hiney! Ever seen someone so scary!" He threw him into the air again, but this time he let him fall onto the ground. "Soak it in 'cause it's the last you'll ever see. C'est la vie mon ami, I'm so scary! Now I'll kill you, so prepare your final plea, just for me." Mist Lord started circling around Gumdramon as he laid there lifelessly. "You'll never be quite as scary, you wish you were big and scary!" He lifted up a hand and was about to slam Gumdramon with it. "Not so fast!" Luna shouted, shooting a beam from her horn, hitting Mist Lord in the chest. "No fair! I wasn't looking!" Mist Lord shouted as the laser continued to blast him. "Ugh, forget this!" He slashed the darkness with one of his claws, opening a portal. "I'm outta here!" He yelled, saluting them as he entered the portal. Everyone ran towards Gumdramon, all of them mumbling worried words. Princess Luna flew down towards Gumdramon, lifting his head up. "Gumdramon, are you all right?" She asked with a worried look in her eyes. "*cough* Aw you do care." Gumdramon said in a exhausted, yet joking way. Luna blushed, dropping his head back on the ground. "Of course we-uh I was. You have proven yourself and thus a care for your well-being." He said, a little blush still showing. "Glad to know I finally won your trust." Gumdramon said, laughing a little. "Gumdramon!" Several feminine voice shouted, as the Mane 6 jumped onto him, pinning him down in a joyful group hug. "Thanks girls, but I am actually in incredible pain at the moment, so could we please save the hugs for later?" They all said 'sorry' as they got off him. "So Princess Luna, you think you could get everypony out here?" "That fiends dark power is no longer controlling this place. I have full control over this dream." She stated as she started to glow her horn. Suddenly the dark void was engulfed in light. Mist Lord exited the portal and entered a familiar room. It was a very dark and rocky room with six thrones on one end and a large door on the other. "Well, this is a nice surprise." A familiar voice said from behind. "Ah, Lord Plasmamon, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" Mist Lord said in a happy tone. "Indeed, several thousands of years to be exact. I see that you have finally returned to me." "Yeah, someone finally opened a doorway into Gumdramon's mind and let me out. Talk about a lucky break." Mist Lord said, shrugging his shoulders. "Luck had nothing to do with it." A deep, robotic voice said from the door. The two lords turned around to see a beaten down machine with three metal, spider-like legs, a single hand with blade-like fingers, and a circular orb at the base of the body, with a symbol of three balls in the shape of an upside down triangle. "It was bound to happen eventually, you just needed to wait long enough for it to happen. "Lord NRG, you've finally awoken." Lord Plasmamon said. "Yes, though my body is in shamble, my mind is perfectly intact." He said, pointing at the orb. "Well, it looks like a family reunion! Are the other guys around?" Mist Lord asked. "Sadly the others are unable to cooperate anymore." Lord Plasmamon clarified. "Then it is just the three of us, our armies are too busy keeping our universes under control, and none of us are capable of battle. It seems the odds are not in our favor." Lord NRG said, looking at Lord PLasmamon. "No matter, we still have DarkShoutmon and his experiments on our side. Besides, what's the rush? Gumdramon's not going anywhere." Lord Plasmamon used a tentacle to press a button on the wall. A large hologram of Gumdramon appeared in between all three of the Lords. "He has nowhere else to go." "End of Episode 7" //-------------------------------------------------------// A Date With Rainbow - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// A Date With Rainbow - Part 1 Rainbow Dash was flying around Ponyville, pushing clouds back and forth. After a few clouds, she wipes the sweat off of her forehead. Her ears perk up and she turned around, noticing a cloud floating away. "I don't think so!" She shouted, dashing towards the cloud. She flew in front of it, placing both of her hooves on the cloud. She quickly push the cloud back to it's original position. "Ha, thought you could get away from me, huh?" She asked the cloud, smirking at it. "So, you're talking to clouds now, huh?" A feminine voice laughed at the rainbow maned pony. "Who said th-" Rainbow stopped after turning around and seeing the pony in question. She was an pegasus with a light gray coat, a yellow mane and tail. Her mane was in a ponytail and both her ponytail and tail were in the shape of a lighting bolt. Rainbow's jaw dropped, but she quickly regained her cool with an angrier expression. "Hello... Thunderbolt." Rainbow greeted through her teeth. "Why Rainbow, you always give such a... nice greeting to your wonderful cousin." Thunderbolt said, waving a hoof at Rainbow. "Sooo... what brings you to Ponyville?" Rainbow asked, still visibly angry. "Well you see, I actually came here with my new boyfriend. He's Hot Streak, perhaps you know him?" "Whoa, you mean the Hot Streak? As in the fifth fastest earth pony in Equestria?!" Rainbow asked, shocked by what she had just heard. "Oh, so you do know him." Thunderbolt laughed, walking closer to Rainbow. "Yeah, we've been seeing each other for a few months now. I told him that you were my cousin and that I beat you in a race." She continued, looking at her hoof. "It was on the ground and I had a broken back hoof!" Rainbow yelled. "I still beat you, didn't I?" She asked with a smirk. Rainbow folded her forelegs together, pouting. "Not fairly." She mumbled to herself. "So I thought that he and I would meet you. Perhaps we could go on a double date?" "A double-what?" Rainbow asked, confused by Thunderbolts question. "Oh no, you mean all these years and you still couldn't get a single stallion to fancy you?" She starting laughing, causing Rainbow's cheeks to puff up and blush. "I-I do have a coltfriend!" Rainbow yelled. Thunderbolt turned her attention back to Rainbow. "Really?" She asked, just as shocked as Rainbow was earlier. "Y-Yeah! And he's so much cooler than Fire Streak! In fact, he's the coolest dude you'll ever meet in your entire life!" Rainbow yelled, now with more confidence. "Really?!" She asked as if she was offended. "Who is he?" There was a loud knock on the door to Twilight's castle. Gumdramon popped his head out of the kitchen. He move his head around, looking to see if anyone was up yet. "Welp, looks like I'll answer the door this time." Gumdramon said, walking out of the kitchen. He was wearing a white bath towel and holding a coffee mug. As he got closer to the door, the banging grew more and more intense. He opened the door, revealing that the knocker was actually Rainbow Dash. "I need you to be my coltfriend!" She shouted in a pleading manner. Gumdramon, with tired eyes, took a sip of his drink. He then walked back into the kitchen and above the sink. He immediately performed a spit tick, aiming all of the liquid into the sink. "WHAT?!" Gumdramon yelled, turning his head back at Rainbow. She gave him a confused expression. "What? Did you think I was gonna spit tick in your face? That would be very rude." "Okay, now I see what's going on." Gumdramon said, leaning back on a couch. "So, will you pretend to be my coltfriend, just for tonight?" Rainbow pleaded, placing her hooves together. Gumdramon scratched the top of his head. "Sure, anything for a friend." He said, sitting back upright on the couch. Rainbow flew at Gumdramon, giving him a tight hug. "Thanks a billion for this!" She said, hugging Gumdramon tighter. "I can see that light." Gumdramon said, his face turning blue. "Oops, sorry about that. I don't really give a lot of hugs." She said, releasing her grip on Gumdramon. "I can see why." He said, taking several deep breaths. "So, where are we going tonight anyway?" He asked. "Some place called 'Cho Cho's' or something like that." Rainbow answered, waving a hoof around. "Oh Jo Jo's, I know that place." "Wait, really?" Rainbow asked, surprised. "Yeah, I didn't really eat there, but I did work in the kitchen for a few days." "What happened?" "It didn't work with my other jobs." "Wait, jobs?" Rainbow asked, even more confused. "Oh yeah, I just work as much as I can when I can around town. Everyone really appreciates it." Gumdramon said, reading a book that was on the coffee table. Rainbow stood there in shock, but snapped herself out of it. "Never mind about that now. Do you have anything to wear tonight?" "You mean, like a tuxedo?" He asked, looking away from the book. Rainbow smacked her face, sliding her hoof down, comically stretching it. "Yes!" "Hmm, I think Rarity made me some new clothes a few days a go. Maybe she made me a tux as well." "Alright, you go to Rarity's and get your tux, while I'll go see what I need to do." Rainbow said as she started flying out the window. "Oh, wait!" Rainbow stopped as she remembered something important. She flew back down to Gumdramon. "Here, I made this list of what you'll need tonight." Rainbow said, handing Gumdramon a small piece of paper. "Alright, see you tonight." She said, finally exiting through a window. Gumdramon looked down at the paper in his hand, noticing that there was not much written of it. Gumdramon's Do It List Tuxedo Flowers Some Kind of Gift Come by my House at 7 "Oh boy, this is gonna be a long day." //-------------------------------------------------------// A Date With Rainbow - Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// A Date With Rainbow - Part 2 Gumdramon stood outside of the Carousel Boutique, holding the list in his hand. "Alright, here goes nothing." He said, walking into the boutique. When the door opened it made a small dinging noise. "I'll right with you, darling!" Rarity's voice yelled from upstairs. "Uh, Rarity? It's me!" Gumdramon shouted back at her. All of a sudden, several hooves could be heard running down the stairs. "Gumdramon!" Three little fillies yelled as they tackled him to the ground. "Whoa! Well it's nice to see you girls too." He said, lying on the floor. "Now girls, there's no need to be so ruff with him." Rarity said, using her magic to lift the three fillies off of him. "Now, what do you say?" "Ugh, sorry Gumdramon." The three fillies said in annoyance. "We were just wanted to say thanks for trying to save us from that skull dude." Scootaloo said. "You shouldn't be thanking me, it was pretty much all Luna." He replied, rubbing the back of his head. "But ya did try and that's better than doin nothin." Applebloom said, giving him a warm smile. "Speaking of which, I was kinda wondering something." Sweetie Belle said, rubbing her chin. "How did Spike do that flaming punch thing?" She asked, tilting her head. "So, he's already starting to develop." Grumdramon said under his breath. "What?" Sweetie asked. "Uh, it's nothing. I'll tell you later. Anyways, I'm actually here to talk to Rarity." He said, getting back on his feet. "Really? What did you come to see me for?" Rarity asked, placing a hoof on her chest. "Well, I was wondering if you... made me a tuxedo?" He asked, sweating from embarrassment. "*GASP* I knew this day would come!" Rarity yelled, using her magic to pull Gumdramon and several pieces of fabric. She placed Gumdramon on the modeling stand, wrapping several measuring tapes around him. "I didn't know it would happen so early, but I knew that you'd find soempony!" She said, giggling to herself. "So, who's the lucky mare?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, Rainbow Dash." He said, blushing and giving her a nervous smile. Rarity dropped everything, staring at him in shock. "Rainbow?!" She shouted in shock. "Well, let me explain." Gumdramon said, laughing to himself. "So, this is for just some dumb lie?" Rarity asked, using her sewing machine. "Yeah, pretty much." Gumdramon said, shrugging. "Ugh, and here I thought this would've been used for something special." Rarity said, crying a little. "It still can, just not right now." Gumdramon replied, looking down at the ground. "I guess you're right." She said, turning the sewing machine off. "here, try these on." She said, handing Gumdramon the clothes she finished making. "Thanks again, Rarity." He said, giving her a smile before walking into the changing room. He stayed in there for a minutes before finally coming out. "How do I look." Rarity turned around, seeing Gumdramon wearing a simple, but classic, black and white tuxedo and a goofy top hat. "Hmm, perhaps we should lose the top hat?" She said, using her magic to take the hat off. Gumdramon waved to Rarity, holding a flat box, as he walked away from the boutique. "Alright, one down, two to go." He said, taking out the piece of paper and slashing off the first thing on the list. "Let's see, now I need some flowers." Gumdramon looked around, seeing Roseluck at a small cart with flowers. "Roseluck!" Roseluck turned around, seeing Gumdramon running at her. "Oh, good afternoon, Gumdramon! What did you need?" She said with smile. "Do you still have those rainbow dyed roses?" He asked, catching his breath. "Actually, I just made another batch. They're right here in the cart. How many did you need?" She asked. "A bouquet of 20 should be enough." He said, holding his chin. "Ooo, got a hot date tonight?" She asked, laughing afterwards. "Uh, kinda?" Gumdramon replied, shrugging with a blush. "Okay then, that'll be six bits." Roseluck said, holding the bouquet of multicolored roses. Gumdramon stretched out his arm, causing several pieces of data to appear in his hand. They spun together, creating five bits in the palm of his hands. "Here you go." He said, handing Roseluck the bits and grabbing the roses. "How do you do that?" She asked. "Oh, let's just say I've got a special kind of wallet." He answered, starting to walk away. "Thanks for the bouquet!" He shouted, waving his spare hand. "You're welcome!" She shouted back, returning the wave. "Alright, now all I need to get is a gift." Gumdramon said, crossing out the second item on the list with his tail. "Huh? What would be a good gift for Rainbow? The better question is what's a good gift to give Rainbow on a date?" He wondered to himself, scratching the back of his head. He snapped his fingers, running towards the shop in mind. "Seven exactly!" Gumdramon happily said, looking at the distant clock tower. He was wearing the tux from before, holding the bouquet of rainbow roses. He looked back at the floating home made of clouds. He looked back down to see a trail of smaller clouds. "These are probably stairs for Scootaloo." Gumdramon thought aloud. He looked back up at the house, taking a deep breath. "Here we go." //-------------------------------------------------------// A Date With Rainbow - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// A Date With Rainbow - Finale Rainbow Dash was flying in circles, wearing her Grand Galloping Gala dress. She turned her gaze towards a clock hanging on the wall. "Okay, he should be here. I better head down there before he tries-" She was interrupted by a knocking on her door. She raised a brow, flying to the door and looking through the peephole. "What the?" She questioned, seeing Gumdramon at her front door. She opened the door, revealing a Gumdramon in a classic black and white tuxedo, holding a bouquet of rainbow roses. Gumdramon's eyes and mouth widened, staring at Rainbow. He shook his head, snapping himself out of it. "W-Wow, you look... great." He complimented, blushing a little. "Uh, thanks. How did you get up here?" She asked, dodging his compliment. "What do you mean?" He asked, raising a brow. "The clouds! How are you standing on the clouds?" She asked. "Oh, I just... walked on them." He said, shrugging. "Ugh, never mind. We've gotta get to Jo Jo's before they do!" She said, grabbing Gumdramon's free hand and pulling him down the stair. Gumdramon and Rainbow Dash were walking up to Jo Jo's, holding each others' hand/hoof. As they got closer to the restaurant, Rainbow could see Thunderbolt and a stallion, Hot Streak, standing in front of the restaurant. The stallion had a red coat and his mane and tail were orange with yellow highlights. His mane and tail looked like flames. He was a much bigger stallion than others, but not as big as Big Mac. "Great, they got here before us. Well, it's too late to back out now." Rainbow said as she and Gumdramon walked a little slower as they got closer to the restaurant. Once they were a few feet in front of them, Thunderbolt turned around, finally noticing the two. "Oh my, so you weren't lying." Thunderbolt said in complete shock. "Yep! Gumdramon, this is my cousin, Thunderbolt." Rainbow said, gesturing at her with her free hoof. "It's... uh, nice to meet you." Gumdramon said as a steam of sweat fell down his forehead. "Huh? And here I thought that this Gumdramon was just a local legend." Hot Streak said, smiling at the two. "I guess you could say that I'm a living legend?" Gumdramon said, looking around for laughs. "So..." Rainbow started, ignoring Gumdramon's joke. "Shall we go in?" "Yeah, I'm starting to get pretty hungry." Hot Streak agreed. They all nodded in agreement and began to walk into the restaurant. They were immediately lead by one of the staff towards a free, four person table. Gumdramon quickly grabbed Rainbow's chair, pulling it back. "Oh, t-thanks." She said, a little surprised by Gumdramon's kindness. "Welcome! You know I do this because I chair about you." Gumdramon replied with a smirk. Rainbow smacked her forehead with a hoof as Gumdramon pushed her chair in. "What would you all like to drink?" The mare, unicorn waiter asked once everyone sat down. "How about some apple cider?" Gumdramon suggested. "But, that's really expensive." Rainbow whispered to him. "Don't worry, I'll be paying." He whispered back. "Apple cider, huh? Never had it. Sure, I like new experiences." Hot Streak said, looking at the menu. "I think I'll just stick with a water." Thunderbolt said to the waiter. "Alright, I'll will be back in a moment." She said, walking away from the table. 1 Hour Later "... and so I tell the guy that the glasses display was right behind him and then he walked right into it!" Gumdramon said, causing everyone at the table to laugh, including a few ponies from other tables. "Wow, I guess that guy really did need glasses." Rainbow said, whipping a tear from her eye. She continued to eat the other half of her omelette. Thunderbolt was looking at Rainbow and Gumdramon with skeptical eyes. "I could have sworn that these two were pretending to date, but now I can't even tell." She thought. "If only there was a way to tip the scale?" "So, I've been wondering something for a bit. What level of dating are you two at?" Hot Streak asked, taking another sip of his apple cider. Thunderbolt shot her head up, growing a mischievous smirk across her face. "Oh yeah, Rainbow told me earlier today. She and Gumdramon are totally at smooching levels." Rainbow froze, her cheeks completely engulfed in a red blush. "Oh no, I did said that?! Why did I say that?!" She internally panicked. "Did she say that?! Why did she say that?!" Gumdramon internally screamed. "Yeah, I do find it odd how they haven't even kissed once since we've been here? I mean, it almost seems like they're not really dating." Thunderbolt continued, keeping her mischievous smirk. Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the worlds. She looked around, noticing a few ponies staring at them. She began thinking about what to do, suddenly coming up with an idea. She took a deep breathe trough her nostrils before grabbing Gumdramon's face, quickly pulling him into an intense kiss. Gumdramon's eyes widened, his face was completely covered in red blush. Everyone watching gasped, especially Thunderbolt. Rainbow slowly removed her lips from Gumdramon's, opening her eyes. She quickly turned away from him and back at Thunderbolt. "You were saying?" Rainbow asked with a proud smirk, still blushing a bit. Thunderbolt opened her mouth, but quickly closed it. She got of her chair and stormed off towards the bathroom. "I hate it when she gets like this." Fire Streak said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, sorry about that. She gets pretty skeptical towards other couples." "That's alright, we don't mind. Right Gumdramon?" Rainbow asked, turning towards the empty seat where Gumdramon was sitting. "Huh? Where'd he go?" Gumdramon was splashing his face with water from the bathroom sink. After drying his face off, he lifted his head up, staring at his reflection. "S-She kissed me? I thought this was just a fake date, but I didn't expect anything like that would happen. I just can't believe that Rainbow Dash was my first kiss. Wait, did that actually count? I mean it was against my will. I also got a kiss from Pinkie, but that was kinda the same situation. Huh, what does count as a first kiss?" Gumdramon said to himself, rubbing his chin. He shook his head, snapping out of his haze. "Wait, what am I thinking? Rainbow just did it so that her cousin wouldn't get suspicious. Even though it was... nice, she doesn't like me that way. Just like... forget it! If she can do something like that for an act and still be cool, so can I!" Gumdramon said, striking a confident pose. He walked out of the bathroom, only to be immediately stopped by Thunderbolt. "Well hey there Gumdramon." She said, leaning against the wall. "Oh, hey Thunderbolt. I was just about to head back to the ta-" Gumdramon stopped once he noticed Thunderbolt walking closer to him. "What's the rush? Why can't we just spend some alone time together?" "Uh, because our dates our waiting for us at the table." Gumdramon stated, feeling very uncomfortable. "Well, maybe we can be each other's date." "Ugh, what's taking them so long?" Rainbow said, getting off her chair and flying towards the bathrooms. She stopped and hid behind the wall after noticing Gumdramon and Thunderbolt. "Listen, I-I don't think Fire Streak and Rainbow would be happy to know what you're doing." Gumdramon said, pinned the wall. "Oh come on! Fire Streak is nice and all, but he's not really my type. Besides, who would you rather be with? A pegasus as attractive and successful as me? Or a pegasus as ugly as her that can't even fulfill her stupid dream of becoming a Wonderbolt?" Rainbow gritted her teeth, getting ready to give Thunderbolt a piece of her mind. She was about to take her first step until... "You shut your mouth!" Gumdramon yelled. "Excuse me?!" Thunderbolt asked, shocked by what he just said. "Do you really think that I would ever be with a heartless creature like you? How pathetic must you be to insult your own family member?" Gumdramon said, a red glow emitted from under his shirt. His eyes also a red tint to them. "You would betray your own boyfriend just to make Rainbow Dash upset? What kind of person does that and is still able to look at themselves in the mirror?" Gumdramon started walking closer to Thunderbolt, causing her to back up. "I-I... uh..." "Let me tell you this. Rainbow Dash is better than you in every way, especially in the fact that she works hard everyday to achieve her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. So, tell me... When are you gonna wake up and start living your own life instead of trying to ruin others?" Gumdramon asked, leaning down to her level. "I-I... I don't have to take this! Fire Streak, we're leaving!" She yelled, walking by Rainbow without noticing. The red glow faded away, causing Gumdramon took shake his head, his eyes back to being green. He looked around, before he could continue walking back to the table, Rainbow revealed herself from the corner. "Oh, hey Rainbow, what's go-" Gumdramon was interrupted by a sudden hug from the cyan mare. "Uh, Rai-" "Shush, don't ruin to moment." She said, laughing a little. "I-I'm sorry things didn't work out the way you hoped for Rainbow." Gumdramon said as they walked up to Rainbow's front door. "It's alright. Besides, what you said back there was... nice." Rainbow said, blushing a bit. "If you tell anypony about tonight, I will strike you with the biggest storm cloud you have ever seen!" She suddenly spurted out, causing Gumdramon to laugh. "It's a deal, but you owe me big time." "Anything you want, just name it." "Hmm, wanna spend the rest of the night watching TV from other universes?" "It's a deal!" Rainbow said as they ruched into the cloud house. Spike was tossing and turning in his bed as he occasionally breathed a little bit of fire. Tears began forming in his eyes until he suddenly stopped moving altogether. His eyes shot open, glowing yellow for a split second as me began chuckling with a evil smirk. "End of Episode 8" //-------------------------------------------------------// Spike's Inner Dragon - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Spike's Inner Dragon - Part 1 Spike slowly opened his eyes, only to be blinded by sunlight. He quickly shielded himself from the sun and rolled over, staring at the wall. He looked at the calendar, noticing several x's on a lot of the dates. His eyes shot open, finally realizing what day it was. "It's Monday!" Spike shouted, jumping out of bed. "I'm gonna be late for school!" He ran into his closet, throwing out several shirts until he pulled out a blue and yellow hoodie. "Wait, what am I doing? I don't need to wear anything." Spike was about to put the hoodie back, but his eyes flashed yellow. "Then again, it's better to look cool as much as I feel cool." Spike said, putting the hoodie on. "But it needs a little more. Or should I say... less." He continued, looking at a pair of scissors on a nearby desk. He cut off both the sleeves, leaving two plain holes in the hoodie. He ran out of his room and into the nearby bathroom. He slipped on the sleeveless hoodie and grabbed some gel, pulling his scales forward. He stood on a stool, staring at himself in the mirror. "Looking good Spike, looking real good." He said, snapping both his fingers at his reflection. "Spike! Breakfast!" Twilight's voice echoed through the halls of the castle. Spike blinked a few times, losing his confident demeanor. "W-What? Oh right!" Spike said, rushing out of the bathroom and down several stairs. He entered the kitchen, seeing Twilight flipping pancakes and Gumdramon sitting at the table, sipping out of a coffee cup. "Good morning Spike, how did you-" Twilight stopped, noticing Spike's appearance. "Uh, what's with the new look?" She asked, levitating a plate of pancakes onto the table. "What do you mean?" Spike asked, taking a seat. Twilight looked at Gumdramon, only for him to shrug his shoulders. She used her magic to levitate a hand mirror towards Spike. "This new look." She said once the mirror was showing Spike what he looked like. Before Spike could react, his eyes flashed yellow again. "Oh yeah, I totally forgot. Well I just wanted to try something to show how cool I am." He said, pushing away the mirror. "Pfft, who are you, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said, laughing a little. "Uh, y-yeah!" Gumdramon said, taking a long sip from his cup, blushing a little. "Well I'll just take these treats to go. Gotta head to school or whatever." He said, grabbing the pancakes from his plate, shoving one of them into his mouth. "Later!' He said with a mouth full of food, walking out of the room. "You've noticed that Spike is acting a little... weird, right?" Twilight asked Gumdramon. "I dunno, kids can change just like that." He replied, snapping his fingers. "Maybe he's just growing up?" "Maybe..." Twilight said, looking worried. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were standing outside the school, talking to each other. They stopped when they heard a familiar motor-like sound from afar. They looked down the road, seeing Scootaloo riding her scooter towards the school. She quickly pulled to a stop right in front of them, blowing some dirt in their faces. "Whoops, sorry about that." Scootaloo said, removing her helmet. Sweetie and Apple Bloom shook the dirt off them, smiling at their friend. "It was nothin." Apple Bloom said, laughing a little. The other two started laughing too, but stopped once they heard familiar noise. "Out of the way!" Spike shouted as he swerved back and forth on his skateboard, almost hitting a few ponies. He pulled to a stop, blowing a lot of dirt at the three fillies, covering them from top to bottom. He kick flipped the skateboard, catching it in midair. "Nailed it!" The three fillies shoot the dirt off them, each of them gave Spike an angry glare. "Hey, what was that for?!" Scootaloo yelled at him. "Yeah, that wasn't very nice." Apple Bloom agreed with Scootaloo. "Sorry if I was too fast for you to handle." Spike said with a smug smirk. "W-What?" Sweetie questioned, looking confused. "Alright everypony, time to head inside!" Cheerilee called from the front of the schoolhouse. "Later ladies." Spike said before dashing pass the three fillies. "Gees, what's his deal?" Scootaloo questioned. "Spike?" Sweetie mumbled, looking upset. //-------------------------------------------------------// Spike's Inner Dragon - Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Spike's Inner Dragon - Part 2 "Alright everypony, time for arts and crafts!" Miss Cheerilee cheered, causing several ponies to immediately get up with joy. "Grab whatever you need from the art bin." Several ponies grabbed some crayons and paper and headed back to their seats. The CMC however were standing close to the bin and talked to one another. "I'm thinking about working on some designs to make my scooter even faster." Scootaloo said. "Really? I was just gonna draw an puppy." Apple Bloom said, rubbing the back of her head. "What are you gonna draw Sweetie Belle?" Sweetie Belle was looking concerned at Spike as he walked up to the bin. He grinned as he grabbed some pencils, erasers, and crayons, stuffing them in his hoodie pockets. She gasped, quickly walking up to him. She grabbed his shoulder, pulling him away from the bin. "S-Spike, what are you doing?" "What, the school can always get more." Spike retorted with a smug smile. "But it's not right. This isn't like you." Sweetie said. "Well, goes to show how much you actually know me." Spike said, chuckling as he walked away. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stood in front of Spike, blocking his path to his seat. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Scootaloo asked in anger. "Well I was about to head back to my seat, but some losers just blocked my path." "You gotta stop actin like this Spike. You're gonna get yourself in trouble." "Oh, I think you two are gonna be the only ones in trouble if you don't get outta my way!" Spike growled, small flames escaping the sides of his mouth. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom quickly moved out of his way. Spike smiled as he walked passed them and sat back down. "Wow, Spike's become a real jerk." Scootaloo said, Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. Sweetie just looked sad, staring at the floor. Everyone was playing outside around the playground. Several ponies were on the playset, while others were playing tag. Sweetie Belle was the only one not playing. She was laying against a tree, pocking at the ground. "M-Maybe he's being possessed by an evil ghost, or maybe he's cursed, or... or he's..." Sweetie stopped, hearing Spike's voice off in the distance. She got up and walked around the playground. "Ugh, what do you want?" Diamond Tiara said in disgust. "Oh there are a lot of things I want from you." Spike said, leaning against the wall of the schoolhouse. "What?!" "Y'know, I've always had a feeling that you were pretty on the outside, but it's even better to know how spicy you are on the inside." Spike said, giving her a suggestive look. "I-I... listen you-" Diamond started, blushing a bit. She was interrupted by Spike placing a finger on her lips. "C'mon, let's ditch these losers and use our lips for something more enjoyable." Spike said, getting closer to Diamond Tiara. She started ranting, but Spike couldn't hear her. He looked off to the distance, seeing Sweetie Belle standing in the middle of the playground. Tears were forming in her eyes as she stormed off. Spike's expression slowly changed to a more worried look before his eyes flashed green. "Hey, are you listening to me!" Diamond yelled. "Huh, S-Sweetie Belle?" He mumbled before feeling his head. He then panicked as he felt that his spikes were different. He looked down and noticed that the sleeves of his hoodie were gone. "W-What's happening?! I-I need help!" Spiked yelled as he ran away from the school. "What a freak." "You see the trick is to move slowly so that you know how to do it. Then we can start practicing the moves in a faster manner." Gumdramon said as he and Twilight slowly dance in the library. "W-Wow, you're really good at dancing." Twilight said, blushing. She slowly moved herself towards Gumdramon, sweat falling down her forehead. "HELP ME!!!" Spike shouted, slamming the doors to the library open. "Spike what's wrong! And it had better be good." Twilight mumbled the last part to herself. Spike's eyes suddenly flashed yellow. He pushed Twilight away, pushing his spikes forward again. "Ha! Just messing with you two. You shou-" Spike yell to the floor. Gumdramon was behind him in a karate pose. "What did you just do?" Twilight asked him. "Sleeping karate chop, but that doesn't matter. Quickly, to my secret lab I created in a secret room in your castle that I found when I moved in!" "Huh?" "Just follow me to my room. There's like this secret entrance I found that lead to a secret room. I thought that since no one was using it, I could have it." "That would've been really nice to know." "Well now you know and knowing's half the battle!" Gumdramon saluted while he held Spike's limp body over his shoulder. "I really think we should help Spike before he wakes up." "Oh yeah. To the laboratory!" //-------------------------------------------------------// Spike's Inner Dragon - Part 3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Spike's Inner Dragon - Part 3 Spike was knocked out and laying down on a metal table. The room he was in was fairly big and made entirely out of crystal. There were also several large machines around the room. On the walls were multiple metal cabinets with glass doors hanging on the walls, each one was filled with a specific item (Such as beakers, small devices, and gems). Gumdramon was rushing around the room, grabbing several boxes and placing them next to the metal table Spike was on. "Alright, that should be it." Gumdramon said, placing one more box next to the table. He began opening the boxes and connecting the pieces and parts together. While he was quickly putting the pieces together, Twilight was looking at Spike with a concerning gaze. "Y-You'll be fine Spike. Gumdramon's going to find a way to help you." She said, petting the spikes on top of his head. "Okay, just put this here, cross these wires and... THERE!" Gumdramon shouted in excitement. He walked back looking at what he just put together. It was a large monitor hanging on the crystal wall. There were several wires connecting the monitor to three computer towers. "Excuse me Twilight." Twilight looked up, seeing Gumdramon holding a few wires connected to stickers. "Oh, sorry." She said as she backed away from Spike. She sat down and watched Gumdramon attach the stickers to Spike's head. "I-Is he going to be alright?" Twilight asked, tears slowly forming in her eyes. "We'll find out right... now!" Gumdramon shouted turning on the machine. The monitor turned on, showing a black outline of Spike's head, showing his brain. A certain part of his brain had a flashing dot. "Found it!" Gumdramon tapped the screen, zooming into the dot. It showed an extremely distorted and fogy version of Spike's room. There were many places with fractures that acted like pieces of a broken mirror. Several items were floating around or hanging upside down/sideways. "What is that place?" Twilight asked, completely shocked by what she was seeing. "That is called the Kaleidoscope. It's the part of your mind where memories, facts, dreams, nightmares, and anything else that your mind needed to get rid of." Gumdramon said, analyzing the screen. "Why is it called the Kaleidoscope?" "It's because that just like a kaleidoscope, everything in it overlaps each other and the further you go into it, the more distorted everything becomes. just like when you turn a kaleidoscope." Gumdramon explained, not looking away from the screen. "How do you know so much about it?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because I've spent a long time trapped in mine. That and I wrote a whole book on the subject. Here, just in case you have anymore questions." Gumdramon said, handing Twilight a book. She looked at the book, noticing the cover was Gumdramon looking at a brain through a kaleidoscope. The title of the book was 'Kaleidoscope's In Your Brain?' and was written in comic sans. "I'll read it later." She said, levitating the book to a nearby counter. "So, what's wrong with it?" "Well, since Spike's been acting like a different person today, I think a part of him that was locked away got out." Gumdramon walked closer to the screen, squinting his eyes. They widened as he backed up and began zooming in on Spike's bed. "I found him!" He shouted. "Really?!" Twilight shouted in relief. She ran up to the screen, seeing Spike laying in his bed, shivering and rolling around in it. "Spike! Can you hear me?" She shouted at the screen. "Sorry Twilight, this thing only let's us see inside his mind. I don't have the right equipment to communicate with him." Gumdramon said as he looked down at Spike's body. "So, how are we supposed to help him?" "Sorry, but I'm afraid that only Spike can help save himself. I can however help him by guiding him to the problem." "But i thought you said you couldn't communicate with him." "I said I didn't have the tools, but I do have the power to communicate with him." Gumdramon looked down at Spike, his the look in his eyes became very serious. "You have to promise to not tell anyone else about what you're going to see." "I promise, just help him." Twilight said, doing the motions of a Pinkie Promise. Gumdramon sighed as he slowly took his shirt off. Twilight quickly looked away blushing, but she was tempted to look. Once she did, her jaw dropped in disbursal. Gumdramon's torso had sever symbols on them, some of which were very familiar. "G-Gumdramon, are those-" "The symbols of the Clans. I was cursed by each of the Lords because they believed that all of their powers could corrupt me, but they were wrong. At least, I thought they were. I can use and absorb each Clan's energy, but if I have too much of one, it's power would start to change me. I won't be myself until I use enough energy, that way the corrupted form wouldn't have enough to keep it going." Gumdramon explained, looking down in shame. "W-Why didn't you tell us about this?" "I was afraid that you wouldn't see me that same way if you knew that I was such a rick to keep around. If I were to ever transform, I would have no control over my actions." Gumdramon said, a single stream of tears fell down one of his cheeks. "I-It's alright. I may not understand how you feel, but I know that with our help, we can make it through this." Twilight said, holding Gumdramon's hands in her hooves. She gave him a little smile and Gumdramon returned it. "Thanks Twilight, but we need to worry about Spike's well being right now." Gumdramon said, removing his hands and walking over to Spike's table. "Alright, here goes nothing." Gumdramon cracked his fingers before placing them of Spike's forehead. Gumdramon's eyes were closed, but a stream of purple energy flowed of of his eyes. The Nightmarous symbol on his right side began to glow the same shade of purple. "Spike? Can you hear me?" //-------------------------------------------------------// Spike's Inner Dragon - Part 4 //-------------------------------------------------------// Spike's Inner Dragon - Part 4 "Spike, can you hear me?" Spike slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times before keeping them open. He sat up, rubbing the back of his. "W-Where am I?" Spike said, revealing that he could see his own breathe. "Whoa, it's not even that cold." "Spike, you need to listen to me!" Gumdramon's voice echoed. "Huh? Gumdramon, what's going on? What is this place?" Spike asked, getting up. "Long story short, this is your Kaleidoscope. It's a very confusing place in your mind that's created by forgotten memories and dreams. Now, do you see a small fridge?" "What? Why would there be a-Oh there it is." Spike interrupted himself, noticing a small fridge floating upside down. "Alright, now open it and there should be a hallway inside." Spike raised an eyebrow as he walked up the the small fridge. He slowly reached for the handle and quickly opened it, revealing a large hallway. "Whoa, this is weird." Spike said, looking at the back of the fridge before going into the fridge. Spike quickly turned around, seeing that the door was no longer there. "Okay, now this is going to be pretty dangerous." "What do you mean by da-" Spike stopped, staring down the long hallway. There were several cell doors going down the hallway, each one had different strange noises. "This seems to be where a lot of your nightmare creatures are held. It's best if you stay as far away from each cell as you can. Whatever you do, don't let them touch you." Spike was standing still as he shook with fear. He snapped out of his fearful trance when a flashlight hit him in the back of the head. He quickly grabbed it and turned it on. He slowly walked down the hallway, staying away from the cells. He kept the flashlight off them, so that he didn't see how terrifying there were. Before Spike could move away from the next cell, a spider leg-like tentacle grabbed one of Spike's legs, pulling him towards the cell. Spike screamed as he shined the light at the creature, revealing it as a large, plant-like spider. Spike fell on the floor, hearing the spider plant screech in pain. He looked up, seeing the spider plant cowering in the corner, staying away from the light coming from the flashlight. "Y-You're scared of the light?" Spike said, picking up the flashlight. He looked at the spider plant and then at the flashlight. He smiled at the spider plant, causing it to cower again. It opened it eyes, no longer seeing any light. "There you go. I may be scared of you, but you're scared of the light. If I don't have this light on in the hallway, will you stop trying to scare me?" Spike said, giving a nervous, but gentle smile to the creature. "Yessss." The spider plant said. Suddenly, the cell bars disappeared and the spider plant rushed out of it's room. Spike coward, awaiting for something to happen. He opened one of his eyes to see a door where the spider plant's cell used to be. Spike looked up, seeing the spider plant crawling on the ceiling. "Goooo... that... way..." It slowly said, point at the door. "Uh, Gumdramon?" Spike called, looking around. "Well that is a shortcut. I just didn't think you could've gotten to it, what with there being one of your nightmares in the way." Spike turned to the spider plant, smiling at it. "Thank you!" He said, waving to the creature as he ran towards the door. As he entered the door, he could see that all of the cells had appendages waving at him in a much more friendly manner. Spike entered the door, now in a completely different room. In fact, it wasn't really a room. It was a bizarre version of Ponyville Park. There a lot of his childhood items floating around in the air, along with some memories of him and Twilight playing in the park. He smiled, loving to see how much fun they were having in the memories. "Alright Gumdramon, where to now?" Spike stood there for a few seconds, not receiving a response. "Uh, Gumdramon? Hello? Anypony?" Spike said, getting quieter with each word he said. He could hear a strange, distorted laugh coming from all around him. He looked left, right, up, down, but to no avail. "Hello loser!" The distorted voice said, this time it was clearly coming from behind Spike. He slowly turned around to see himself, except it had the same broken mirror and distorted reality effect as the Kaleidoscope. "W-Who are you!" Spike stuttered at first, but quickly got into a fighting stance. "Isn't it obvious? I mean, you're pretty much looking into a mirror. A bit of a fun house mirror, but you get the idea." It replied, floating around Spike without any legs. "You are not me." "Well, that is true. I'm not a lame loser like you, but I am a part of you. I'm your true self, your dragon side." He exclaimed. "My what?" "Oh c'mon dude! We've met before, well... not formally. You remember, right?" Spiked shrugged, obviously confused by what he was talking about. "Your birthday! Jeez, what is wrong with you?" "Wait, you mean when I became a big, scary dragon-" "That was us! We were finally working together and you were finally embracing me... but you rejected me." It said, staring at Spike. "We were finally being a dragon, but you threw that all away, and for what? Friendship! After that I was put here, immobilized in your Kaleidoscope. That was, until that Misty guy set me free!" "Oh no..." Spike said, remembering when Mist Lord flicked him in the head. "But why are you trying to take over my body? "We are a dragon! You proved that your too weak and dumb to be one, so I'll take your place and show those ponies what a real dragon is like!" "Not if i can help it!" Spike yelled, running at his other self. When Spike was about to hit him, he disappeared. He began to laugh maniacally. "You twerp chose the wrong playing field to fight in." He said, cracking his knuckles. //-------------------------------------------------------// Spike's Inner Dragon - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// Spike's Inner Dragon - Finale Gumdramon squinted his eyes, the purple glow started to dissipate. "No, no! C'mon!" He shouted, causing his eyes to flicker a few times. Soon enough, his eyes were no longer glowing and he opened them. "W-What happened?" Twilight questioned, flying over the the table Spike was laying on. "He went too far into the Kaleidoscope. I can't connect to him anymore." "What?! Then... what should we do?" Twilight asked, placing her hoof on her chest. "I don't think we can do anything. Spike's the only one who can help himself now." Gumdramon said, walking away from the table. "You mean there's nothing we can do?" Twilight complained, walking up to Gumdramon. "S-Spike?" Gumdramon and Twilight looked towards the staircase, seeing a small, white unicorn filly. "Sweetie Belle?" Twilight said in shock. "Okay, who left the door to my secret laboratory open?! Oh, wait... that was me." Gumdramon said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sweetie, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked with a nervous smile. "I-I noticed that Spike was acting really weird today, so I came here to see if any of you knew what was going on." She explained. "But that doesn't matter now. What's wrong with Spike?" "Well long story short, there seems to be an alternate personality inside Spike's mind, but now we lost contact with him." Gumdramon explained. "I still think we can figure out a way to help him." Twilight said, facing Gumdramon. "And I told you that I don't know if there is another way." Gumdramon replied. While the two of them were arguing, Sweetie Belle walked over to the table Spike was laying on. She got on the seat next to the table, elevating her high enough to see Spike. She inspected him, noticing some scratches and bruises on him. As she stared, she noticed that they were being formed right before her eyes. "Oh, no! Spike, I'm sorry for getting angry at you earlier. Please, you have to get better." She said, grabbing one of his hands as she began to cry. Suddenly, she shot her head up. A younger Sweetie Belle was crying, holding one of her forelegs. Cookie Crumbles runs in the room from the kitchen, sitting down next to her daughter. "What's wrong Sweetie?" She asked, placing a hoof on her back. "I-I hurt my leg!" She yelled in pain, streams of tears were still falling down her face. "Okay hunny, let me see." She grabbed Sweetie's arm, pulling it closer to her. "Don't worry, it's only a little bruise." She reassured her. "But it really hurts!" Sweetie continued to yell, but much quieter this time. Cookie Crumble rubbed her chin, trying to think of an idea. "Oh, I know!" She turned her attention towards Sweetie Belle. "Do you know what your grandma used to do when I got hurt?" "N-No..." Sweetie replied, sniffling. "Well, when I was your age I used to get hurt all the time. Your grandma had a very special way of making me feel better. She used to sing this special song that her mother sang to her and when she finished, I felt so much better." "Really?" "Oh yes, and now I'm going to sing it to you my little angel. Just remember that if somepony you care about gets hurt, just sing this song and it'll make them feel better." "Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine." Sweetie began to sing. As she did, her horned started to shot green sparks and they landed on Spike. "Heal what has been hurt, change the Fates' design, save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine." Her horn finally started to glow green and the magic flowed from her horn and into Spike's chest. "What once was mine." Her horn stopped glowing and the magic disappeared. She began to cry and a tear fell onto Spike's chest. Spike ran at the Kaleidoscope version of himself, waving a fist in the air. He jumped up and tried to punch him, but was knocked back. Before he hit the ground he began to float in the air. He tried to swim, but immediately fell to the ground. The Kaleidoscope Spike began to laugh. "Ha, face it loser! I've been here way longer than you. I know where everything is. Like so!" He then punch the air, but his hand disappeared. All of the sudden, his fist appeared behind Spike, knocking him down. "H-He's right, I can't do this. I can't beat him, I can't fight here, and I can't even fight him." Spike said, tearing up. "Finally you get it. I really wanted us to work together, but after locking me away, I think it's your time to be in timeout." Spike kept crying, until he started to hear a familiar voice singing in his head. "S-Sweetie?" Spike began to get back on his feet. "And just when I thought you finally gave up." Kaleidoscope Spike said as he created a distorted ball of energy. He threw it at Spike, creating a fog. "Wait, there shouldn't be any fog. What's going on?" Spike slowly walked out of the fog, a green, flame-like glow surrounded him. "I'm not going to give up. Not as long as I have somepony supporting me." Kaleidoscope Spike began throwing countless balls of energy at him, but to no avail. They kept bouncing off of his aura. "Why isn't this working!" He said in a panic. Suddenly, Spike began to charge at him with intense speed. With one punch, Kaleidoscope Spike fell to the ground, having less of a distorted effect around him. "Wait! Y-You can't get rid of me! I'm a part of you!" He pleaded as Spike towered over him. "You're right, you are a part of me... A part I don't need anymore." Spike kicked him in the face, launching him across the void. He landed on the floor, moaning in pain. "Ha! I'm still here!" He shouted to Spike. Before he could get back up though, the area he was on began to suck him under like quicksand. "N-No, NO! PLEASE YOU HAVE TO HELP ME! I DON'T WANT TO SEE IT! NO, NO, NOOOO!!!" He screamed. Spike stood there, shocked by what he was seeing. In no time, Kaleidoscope Spike was nowhere to be seen. "What just happened?" Spike said, scratching his head. He turned around, only to be confronted by a strange mirror. It was floating in midair, but wasn't moving around. Spike walked up to it, noticing that the mirror actually had glass doors on it. He looked into the mirror, seeing a shadowy version of himself. Before he could do anything else, it opened it's eyes. https://camo.derpicdn.net/989c48e9561750149479ce43c9b88e7aa40ec679?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg00.deviantart.net%2F6249%2Fi%2F2017%2F247%2Fd%2Fb%2Fspike_s_potential_by_theomniwriter-dbmdrfh.png Spike shot up, breathing heavily. "Whoa, that was-" He was stopped when a pair of white hooves pulled him. "Oh ,Spike! I'm so happy you're okay!" Sweetie cried out, holding Spike in a intense hug. "S-Sweetie?!" Spike said, blushing a bit. "You're choking me!" "Oh, I-I'm so sorry! I-I was just so excited when I saw you get up." Sweetie explained, blushing a little as well. "Spike!" Gumdramon and Twilight shouted in unison. They ran over to the table, pulling Spike in for a hug. "Oh, we're so glad you're okay!" Twilight said, rubbing her face on his. "I was so scared when I lost contact with you, I thought we'd never see you again!" Gumdramon said, shooting fountains of tears out of his eyes. "I'm fine guy, really!" Spike said, slipping out of the hug. "I just need a minute to calm down after what happened." "Speaking of which, what did happen?" Gumdramon asked, scratching his head. "What did you do to get better?" Spike sighed, sitting down on the floor. "Okay, so this is basically what I know..." "... And then I beat him." Spike said, ending his story. "S-So my song helped you?" Sweetie asked, blushing. "Yeah, I don't know why, it just made me think of why I shouldn't quit." Spike said, causing Sweetie Belle to blush even more. "What do you think Gumdramon?" Twilight asked, turning her attention to him. "Hmm, I might need some time to think this through and piece everything we know together. I might be able to tell you what all that stuff meant." Gumdramon said, sitting with his legs crossed. "Alright, now that that's settled, let's head back upstairs for some victory cookies!" Gumdramon said, quickly standing up and pointing a finger to the sky. "Yeah!" Spike and Sweetie cheered as they ran up the stairs. "Hold on kiddos, leave some of the peanut butter ones for me!" Gumdramon shouted as he ran up the stairs as well. Twilight shook her head, giggling to herself. She was about to walk back up herself, but stopped when she heard a noise. She looked around, noticing a book had fallen off the shelf. She walked up to it and levitated it up. It read 'THE CLANS' as the tittle in black marker. She looked around the lab, seeing if anyone was still down there. She teleported the book and herself back to her room. She quickly placed it under her pillow and teleported to the kitchen. " I don't get it, why did you bring me here?" Kaleidoscope Spike said to the mirror. "Why aren't you going to get rid of me after everything I've done? I'm a part of Spike that's not needed anymore, so why?" He questioned the shadowy Spike in the mirror. Suddenly, Kaleidoscope Spike's eyes widened. "I get it now! You you get rid of the parts of Spike that aren't needed, but I'm no longer a part of Spike now, am I?" The shadowy Spike slowly nodded it's head, answering his question. //-------------------------------------------------------// Party Time - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Party Time - Part 1 Fluttershy and Rarity were walking through Ponyville in the late afternoon. As they walked, Rarity turned her attention to Fluttershy, her head looking around the shopping area. "Fluttershy, what's got you so flustered today?" Rarity asked, getting her attention. "Oh, I-I was just trying to figure out what to get Gumdramon for his..." Fluttershy paused trying to remember the name of his party. "Thank you for saving and joining us Gumdramon party?" Rarity asked. "Y-Yeah, that." "Honestly, Pinkie Pie should of thought of a simpler name for his party. But forget that, why do you think you need to bring a present?" "Twilight bought him a present. So did Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash... and you." Rarity blushed, rubbing the back of her head. "Well we just wanted to say thank you, but that doesn't mean you needed to get him anything." "I-It's just that... I want to show him how thankful I am as well. But I don't want to get him just anything, I want to get him something special." Fluttershy explained, hiding behind her hair. "Perhaps a nice trip to the spa will help clear your mind!" Rarity suggested, trying to cheer her up. "Didn't we go to the spa yesterday?" "Actually, I wanted to go today to see if I could get an appointment with this mysterious masseuse." "Mysterious masseuse?" Fluttershy questioned. "Well, there is this masseuse that only works on Wednesdays and they're supposed to be amazing!" Rarity explained, flipping her mane. "But apparently they're very shy and don't want anypony to see who they are, so you have to wear a blindfold before they enter." "I can understand feeling nervous about that. It would be pretty awkward if somepony you knew gave you a massage without you knowing it was them." "So, what do you say?" Rarity asked, leaning towards her. "Well, maybe I could think better if I were more relaxed." Fluttershy said, tapping her chin with her hoof. "Wonderful!" Rarity exclaimed, happily trotting towards the spa. "I've never seen so many ponies in the spa before." Fluttershy said, sitting next to Rarity. They were surrounded by over twenty other ponies in the waiting area. "Well I don't blame them. After hearing about the mysterious masseuse, I couldn't wait until today to have a chance to get a massage from them." Rarity said, getting very giggly. "Attention every pony!" A pink pony with a blue main and tail called out, getting everyone's attention. "I have been told that the mysterious masseuse will be able to see one more pony today." Several ponies in the waiting area sighed. "Miss Rarity, since your appointment is next, you will be the last one for the day." "Oh my, this is so wonderful!" Rarity clapped her hooves together in excitement, but stopped when she looked at Fluttershy. "But I believe my dearest friend, Fluttershy should take my appointment. "But Rarity, you said that you really wanted to get an appointment with them?" Fluttershy asked, confused by her sudden change of thought. "Well... you've been having a rough day, so I think you should have this appointment. After all, there's always next week." Rarity explained, giving her a warm smile. "Well, i-if you say so." Fluttershy said, giving Rarity a quick hug before walking away. "Now just lay down here on your belly and put this blindfold on." A blue pony with a pink mane and tail said, handing Fluttershy the blindfold. "They should be out in a moment." She quickly added while walking out of the curtain room. Fluttershy put on the blindfold and started to get comfortable on the message table. She stretched out her legs and wings, flapping them a little. Gumdramon stood there, staring at her. "What? What?! WHAT?!" Gumdramon panicked in his head. "F-Fluttershy?! I-I have to give a massage to F-Fluttershy?!" He continued to panic, the blush on his face grew the longer he stared at her stretching. He stopped panicking as he watched her stretch, but quickly shook his head to snap out of it. "O-Okay, I can do this. She's just another costumer, she's just another customer." He repeated to himself as he walked up to her. "Oh, um... h-hello?" Fluttershy called out, lifting her head. "Please no talking, I must concentrate." He said in a high pitch voice with an undefinable accent. "O-Oh, s-sorry." Fluttershy apologized, putting her head down. "Okay, here we go." Gumdramon thought as his hand began to rub upper part of her back. "Now I just need to think of the right song..." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=196mwuXgQ5I) As the music began playing in his head, Gumdramon began to blush even more. "WRONG SONG!" He panicked, quickly turning the song off and playing another one. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqpXrDuLqE0) "There we go." As Gumdramon worked down to her lower back, his hands began to emit a cyan glow. He was now in a trans like state and didn't freak out when began to massage her flanks. Fluttershy and Rarity were walking out of the spa, talking to each other. "It was that good?" Rarity asked. "Yeah, it felt amazing! I haven't felt this good in so long." Fluttershy said, flapping her wings a bit. "My wings even feel as light as a feather... *GASP* I know what to get Gumdramon! I'll see you at the party!" Fluttershy said before quickly flying away. "Wow, that massage must have been really good if she's flying that fast. Oh, now I feel a little jealous." Rarity said, giggling before heading home. //-------------------------------------------------------// Party Time - Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Party Time - Part 2 Gumdramon was walking up to the front gate of Ponyville Park. He lifted up a piece of paper that just said 'Park 7:00 PM, IT'LL BE FUN!!!' with a drawing of a smiling Pinkie Pie. He looked up at the gate and then back at the paper. "Hmm, I wonder what this is all about." He said before putting the paper away and walking into the park. As he entered the park, he noticed a large stage and several tables with different items spread around the center area. Has he got closer, giggles could be heard coming from some bushes and even the clouds. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Gumdramon called out as he got to center of the park. "SURPRISE!!!" Several yelled as they popped out of there hiding spots. Several lampposts and stage lights turned on, revealing all the decorations, snack tables, and a table covered in presents. "W-What's all this?" Gumdramon asked the large crowd of ponies in utter shock. "It's a welcome to and thank you for saving Ponyville party!" Pinkie explained, popping out of thin air in front of Gumdramon. She blew a party blower and it exploded into confetti. Once the confetti was gone, so was she. "A-A party... for me?" Gumdramon asked, scratching the back of his head. "What's wrong?" Twilight asked, wearing a purple party hat. "Well, it's just that... no one has ever threw me a party before. At least, I think that's the case." Gumdramon explained, looking away from her. "Now why in the world would somepony not want to throw somepony as great as you a simple party?" Rarity asked, wearing a purple party hat with white gems on it. "Uh, never mind, it's not important. What is important is hanging out with all my friends and rocking out all night!" Gumdramon exclaimed, throwing two fists in the air. "Hit it!" He yelled as he pointed towards the stage. A white pony with a blue mane, headphones, and purple sunglasses nodded, pushing a button. Suddenly, pop music started blaring from the speakers and a laser light show started shining through the sky. Several ponies cheered and began dancing, others were either eating from the snack tables or just talking. Gumdramon extended a hand towards Twilight, causing her to blush. She placed her hoof on his hand and he pulled her onto the dance floor. Before Gumdramon started dancing, he saw Twilight with a huge smile as she kicked her hooves several times in the air. "Looks like we still have to teach you how to do solo dancing." He said, shaking his head. Watching her 'dance' gave him a huge smile and he began dancing in a similar manner. "Ooo, they have cocoa nuts!" Twilight said in excitement, running off to the snack table. "Later Twi!" Gumdramon said, waving goodbye. "Uh, Gumdramon?" A familiar, raspy voice asked. He turned around to see Rainbow Dash. "You wanna dance?" She asked, blushing a little. "Sure." Gumdramon said, extending a hand. "But if you make this awkward or bring up the date, I'll snap you like a twig!" She said, flying up to his face. "Okay, okay!" Gumdramon exclaimed, raising two hands to try and calm her down. She landed on the ground and began dancing in a rough, but controlled way as a more rock like song played. Gumdramon started to do the same by pretending to play the guitar. "Heh, you dork." Rainbow said under her breathe, still blushing a little. "Woo, what a work out! I think I'm all danced out, later!" Rainbow said before flying off towards a group of ponies. "Howdy, Gumdramon!" Applejack said, walking up in front of him. "Oh, hey Applejack! What's up?" "Well, I just asked the DJ ta play my song next and I was wonderin' if you wanted ta square dance?" She asked. "Frankly I'm kinda embarrassed since I never squared danced with pony who wasn't a family member. So, what do ya say?" "I'd say we better get all these little doggies moving before the cows come home!" Gumdramon exclaimed in a bad country accent. Applejack laughed a little. "Well, what are we waitin' for?" She asked, grabbing Gumdramon's hands and they began to dance to the country music. "Woo, I think I just work myself up an appetite! Hope there's still some of Granny's fritters left!" Applejack said to herself as she let go of Gumdramon and walked over to the snack tables. "Well, Gumdramon, what's all this about? You've given almost everypony here a dance, but me. I don't believe that's fair." She said, smiling at him. "May I have this dance, my lady?" He asked, bowing down and lightly kissing her hoof. "Oh my, you most certainly may." Rarity said, waving herself with a hoof. She and Gumdramon began to dance in a much more elegant manner with orchestra-like music. "My, you are quite the dancer. You simply must teach me some of those lovely moves of yours. I'm feeling a bit parch though. Our dance will have to end today, perhaps another time." She said before walking towards the snack tables and waving goodbye to Gumdramon. "OOO, MY TURN!!!" Pinkie shouted, grabbing Gumdramon and pulling him towards the middle of the dance floor as a more energetic song started playing. Spike was dancing on the dance floor. He stopped as he felt a hoof tap his shoulder. He quickly turned around and saw Sweetie Belle standing there, blushing a little. "H-Hi, Spike!" She blurted out, but quickly bit her lip. "What was that?! Play it cool, Sweetie!" She thought to herself. "Uh, I-I was wondering i-if y-you wanted to dance?" She asked him with a nervous smile. "Oh, uh, s-sure!" He replied, smiling back at her while blushing as much as her. They began dancing to the energetic song, it was awkward at first, but they soon started laughing with each other and having fun. Spike began to dance a lot faster as the song sped up. The song kept getting faster and so did Spike. Before he knew it, he jumped into the air when the base. "Blazing Uppercut!" He shouted, his hand was engulfed in a green flame, only to be shot in the air a few seconds later. Once he landed back on the ground, he looked at his hands, panicking. He looked around, but no one has seemed to notice what he just did, not even Sweetie Belle. "S-Sorry Sweetie, but I have to talk to Gumdramon!" He said before running away. "S-Spike?" She called out, standing in the center of dancing ponies. A tear started to form in her eye, but she quickly wiped it away. "No, he didn't ditch you! That's not something he'd do. He just needed to talked to Gumdramon, that's all." She said to herself, nodding in agreement. Gumdramon was spinning around for a few seconds before falling down. He sat back up, scratching rubbing his head. "Gumdramon!" Spike yelled as he ran up to him. "Oh, please don't tell me you wanna dance to?" "What? No! Can we talked somewhere else?" Spike asked him, leaning in and placing a hand on the side of his mouth. "Alright." Gumdramon said before getting up. Gumdramon and Spike walked away from the dance floor and towards an area away from anyone else. "Alright, what's up?" "Well, while I was dancing, I jumped into the air, shouted 'Blazing Uppercut', and shot out a green flame from my fist." He explained, peaking Gumdramon's interest. "Oh, I was afraid of this." Gumdramon said, slapping his forehead. "Well Spike, what happened is that when I used the D-Drive to turn you into a half Digimon, I thought you would've turned back. You did, but not in the right way." "What do you mean by that?" "Well, instead of turning back to normal, your body transformed your data into your DNA. So now it seems that you can freely change from a dragon to a Digimon by transforming your DNA into data, vice versa." "So, I'm a Digimon now?" He asked, rubbing his stomach. "Well, not right now. You're normal now, but it seems that any extreme emotion can cause you to transform at anytime. Unfortunately, I can't do anything to turn you back to normal, but I can teach you to control your powers." "You mean like super hero training?!" Spike asked, his eyes sparkling in excitement. "Yeah, just like that. We can probably do it an hour or two a day, maybe do it after school on weekdays." Gumdramon thought out loud, stroking his chin. "Anything you want to do is fine by me! I can't believe I actually have super powers!" Spike squealed in excitement. "How about we keep this between the two of us, at least until after the party. Deal?" Gumdramon asked, extending a hand. "Deal!" Spike replied, shaking Gumdramon's hand enthusiastically. "Now come on! I think they're gonna have me open my presents soon!" Gumdramon said as the two rushed back to the party. //-------------------------------------------------------// Party Time - Part 3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Party Time - Part 3 DarkShoutmon was sitting in a chair, watching the party on a large screen. Rascal walked up behind him, trying to open a jar of pickles. He stopped trying to open it, looking up at the screen. "Wow, if you wanted to go to the party I'm sure they would've let you if you'd just asked." Rascal said before biting the lid of the jar. "Ugh, this isn't about not being invited to a party! Besides, I'm not really the party guy." DarkShoutmon said, crossing his arms. "For a guy who doesn't like parties, you sure do like the pony that throws them." Rascal added, smirking at him. "Now why would you say such a thing." DarkShoutmon asked, not turning around to hide his blush. "We live in the same room and you talk in your sleep. Oh, before I forget, I've been meaning to ask you something. Do you really like her ocean blue eyes?" Rascal asked, leaning of the pickle jar. "I'm tired of this conversation." DarkShoutmon said in a flat tone. "Alright, let's change the subject. So, why are you watching this party?" Rascal asked as he began to slash at the jar of pickles. "Well if you must know, I had one of my new inventions sent to that world not so long ago. You see that boom box?" He asked, pointing at the screen as the camera zoomed in behind the DJ. "That is Doom Box, a killer robot that uses the sound waves of music as ammunition! Once the party dies down, the DJ will use the boom box so that it'll be easier to play songs and then..." "you're robot blows up?" "What? No, it transforms when she hits play and starts to attack Gumdramon." "Oh, well I still think it's gonna blow up." "It will not! It's going to cause chaos and mayhem!" "I bet you three Nutty Bars that it's not going to attack once." "You're on! We'll see who's wrong." DarkShoutmon confidently sat down and relaxed in his chair. "Yeah well, you're not the one who read the story." Rascal whispered, winking to the reader. Fluttershy was running down the dirt roads of Ponyville, trying her best not to trip. She had a small, pink box with yellow ribbon under one of her wings. "Oh, I'm so late. I really wish Angel had woken me up earlier." She said to herself. She started to slow down as she got closer to the park. "Okay, just give Gumdramon the present and see what happens. He'll like it, I-I think he'll like it... I hope he likes it." She stopped in her tracks, hearing loud cheers and screams of excitement. She walked onto the bridge and looked at the large crowd of ponies. Gumdramon was on stage, opening the last of his many presents. In the pile of opened presents were several appliances, furniture, clothes, and even an arcade cabinet. "Wow everyone, these presents are amazing! Thank you all so much!" Gumdramon shouted, causing several ponies to say thank you at once. Fluttershy looked at Gumdramon and then at the large pile of presents. She looked at her small box, frowning at it. She hung her head down as began to walk away. "But you know, I actually have something for all of you!" Gumdramon shouted, getting several ponies' attention, including Fluttershy. "Now I know that this isn't much, but just know that I'm putting a lot of thought and effort into this! And to me, that's really the only thing that matter!" "The only thing that matter?" Fluttershy thought to herself as she looked back at her present. Gumdramon summoned the D-Drive and spun the disc, stopping it as it landed on a music note. All of a sudden, a keytar appeared in his hands. "I would also like to mention that this isn't for a particular person! This is just a song I really like and wanted to share with all of you!" Gumdramon quickly added, blushing a little. "It's been said and done, every beautiful thought's been already sung, and I guess right now here's another one. So your melody will play on and on, with the best of 'em. You are beautiful, like a dream come alive, incredible. A sinful, miracle, lyrical, you've saved my life again... and I want you to know baby!" Suddenly, the stage pyrotechnics activated, shooting out colorful sparks and the stage lights shined on Gumdramon as he began to rock out. "I, I love you like a love song, baby! I, I love you like a love song, baby! I, I love you like a love song, baby! And I keep hitting re-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat!" Several ponies began to dance and cheer to his song. Fluttershy stared at him with big eyes, a large smile began to grow on her face. "I, I love you like a love song, baby! I, I love you like a love song, baby! I, I love you like a love song, baby! And I keep hitting re-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat!" Twilight and the others began to cheer for Gumdramon as well. Fluttershy, still on the bridge, began to shake her flanks as she leaned on the side of the bridge. "Constantly, boy you play through my mind like a symphony, there's no way to describe what you do to me! You just do to me, what you do and it feels like I've been rescued, I've been set free! I am hypnotized by your destiny! You are magical, lyrical, beautiful, you are and I want you to know baby!" Once again, several ponies started cheering as Gumdramon jumped in the air, landing closer to the edge of the stage, bouncing to the beat. "I, I love you like a love song, baby! I, I love you like a love song, baby! I, I love you like a love song, baby! And I keep hitting re-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat! I, I love you like a (love song baby) love song, baby! I, I love you like a (love song baby) love song, baby! I, I love you (I love you, I love you) like a love song, baby! And I keep hitting re-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat (like a love song)!" Suddenly, Fluttershy began to sing the song, not knowing how loud she was singing. " No one compares, you stand alone, to every record I own! Music to my heart that's what you are... a song that goes on and on!" Everyone looked at her, including Gumdramon, who began to blush. "I, I love you like a love song, baby! I, I love you like a love song, baby! I, I love you like a love song, baby! And I keep hitting re-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat!" Gumdramon and Fluttershy sang in unison, Fluttershy still not realizing how loud she was singing. Gumdramon began to blush more the longer he saw her dance in place, a small smile started to grow on his face. "I, I love you like a love song, baby! I, I love you like a love song, baby! I, I love you like a love song, baby! I love you like a love song..." Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes, finally noticing all the ponies staring at her. She quickly looked at Gumdramon, noticing that he wasn't playing anymore and was also staring at her. She blushed as everyone started cheering. She began to run away, causing several ponies to be confused. Gumdramon returned the keytar back to the D-Drive before running after her. "What just happened?" Twilight asked the others, only to receive several shrugs. Fluttershy continued to run through the park, her face still blushing from embarrassment. Before she could go any further, she tripped on a rock and fell to the ground. "Fluttershy, are you okay?" Gumdramon asked, leaning over her. "Y-Yeah, I-I'm fine." She said while getting back up on her hooves. "Y'know, I don't think I've ever heard you sing before." Gumdramon said, blushing a bit. "Well know everypony has and I hate it!" She shouted as tears began to form in her eyes. "What's wrong with that?" "I-It's just that, I'm so embarrassed. I'm not comfortable with singing in front of other ponies and now I find out I just sang in front of the entire town!" She shouted, sitting down in fetal position and crying. "You know, I'm not that comfortable with doing some of the stuff I do either." Gumdramon said, sitting down next to her. "Really? I thought you were this war hero, how could you be uncomfortable with doing small things?" She asked, looking at him with teary eyes. "Well, just because I can fight a war doesn't mean I'm fearless. Heck, I'm too scared to let anyone know that I give massages." Gumdramon quickly covered his mouth, blushing. "W-Wait, are you?" Fluttershy wondered before she began to blush as well. "Y-You're to mysterious masseuse!" She realized. "Uh, well, I-I, uh, yeah." Gumdramon said, blushing in embarrassment. "So, you were the one giving me that massage?" She asked more calmly. "I know, it was really awkward for me! I probably totally ruined it too because of how weird it was and-" "No, it was actually... nice." She interjected, blushing a little. "R-Really? I... I'm sorry." "Why are you sorry?" "I don't know, I just am." The two of them sat there in awkward silence before Fluttershy broke it. "So... what was with weird thing you added before your song?" "Uh, what do you mean?" Gumdramon asked, trying to act like he didn't know what she was talking about. "You said that your song wasn't for a specific pony?" "Who said it was a pony? I never said it was a pony?" Gumdramon said in a panicked fashion. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, so maybe it was for somebo-... somepony." Gumdramon said, blushing. "Well, she must be pretty lucky to have someone like you like them." Fluttershy said under her breathe. Gumdramon took a deep breathe before pulling an envelope out of his shirt. "Here!" He said, holding the envelope in front of her, but facing the other direction to hide his blush. Fluttershy grabbed the envelope and opened it, pulling out the letter. "Actually I changed my mind, this was a bad idea!" Gumdramon quickly said, trying to grab the letter, blushing intensely. "What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked. Gumdramon looked into her eyes and quickly looked away, covering where his ears would be. "J-Just ready, quickly!" He said, blushing. Dear Fluttershy My heart burns with a passion I can't explain. This fire inside my heart was lite the moment I saw you. Your eyes, your mane, but most importantly... you. I didn't fall in love with a pony, I fell in love with you. No matter you you were a Digimon, dragon, or cow, I would love you for you. Roses are red, violets are blue, is it bad that I want to be with you? Roses are red, violets are blue, how can I say I Fire is like my heart because My heart is burning with passion becau I LOVE YOU Fluttershy placed a hoof on her mouth, turning to Gumdramon. He slowly turned his head, but quickly looked at the ground "I'm uh, not really the best at writing my feelings in poetry." He said, blushing intensely. "Gumdramon, I-I..." Fluttershy stopped talking as tears started to run down her face. She jumped onto Gumdramon, pinning him to the ground in a hug. "I LOVE YOU TOO!" She yelled, blushing as intense as him. Gumdramon didn't say anything, he just started to hug her as well. The two of them looked into each others eyes and quickly stood back up, blushing. "W-Well, that was some development." Gumdramon said, rubbing the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, so... what do we do know?" "I don't know, I've never been in a relationship before. Are we in a relationship now?" "I guess, maybe." Fluttershy and Gumdramon began kicking the ground, but Gumdramon stopped when he noticed the small, pink box. "Hey, what's this?" He asked as he picked it up. Before Fluttershy could stop him, he opened the box to reveal a small, silver heart locket with wings. "W-What, what is this?" "It was a present I was going to give you at your party. It's not big and bold like the others, but I thought about you when I got it." Fluttershy explained, rubbing her foreleg. Gumdramon put the locket around his neck and over his shirt. "It's perfect. So, what are we going to tell the others?" "C-Could we keep this a secret, just between the two of us? I mean, at least for now? I'm not sure I'm ready to tell them about this." "I understand." "And that's what I love about you." "I keep a lot of secrets?" Gumdramon joked. "No, that you understand." Fluttershy said, giggling. Gumdramon started laughing as well. On top of a distant hill, a shadowy figure is hiding in the bushes, watching the two. "So, you finally found someone to love? Well then, looks like it's my turn to destroy her like you did to mine!" The shadowy figure said in a deep voice as one of his eyes glowed red. //-------------------------------------------------------// Party Time - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// Party Time - Finale Twilight walked on the stage and stopped once she got to the DJ pony. "Um, do you think you would play this song before the party ends?" Twilight whispered to her as she levitated a purple tape. She receiving a nod shortly after. "Thanks!" Twilight said, placing the tape in her hoof before flying away. "Hey DJ, ya think you could play this for me?" Rainbow asked, flying down next to her and holding out a blue tape. She nodded, using her magic to take the tape. "Cool, thanks!" Rainbow said before dashing away. "Ooo, me too! Play this one too!" Pinkie cheered, popping out of nowhere and holding a pink tape. The DJ pony nervously smiled before taking the tape. Pinkie smiled back before diving off the stage. The DJ levitated all three tapes in front of her, looking at them. She rubbed her chin with a hoof before brightening up. She levitated a pair of scissors and started cutting up the tapes. After a few seconds, all that was left was a poorly put together pink, purple, and blue tape levitating in front of her. All she did was nod at it before placing it into the boom box. "So, this actually happened?" Gumdramon asked Fluttershy as they walked back to the party. "I guess it did. What exactly do we do? I mean, I just don't know how to go forward with this." Fluttershy said, messing with her mane. "Maybe we should just take it slow for now, who knows? Maybe well get better at this once we figure it out together." "Yeah, you're right." Fluttershy agreed, nuzzling Gumdramon's cheek, causing them both to blush. "I-It's not a kiss, but it's the only thing I think I'm comfortable doing right now." She said, nervously smiling. "Heh, fine with me." Gumdramon said, nervously laughing. After a few more minutes of walking, they ended up back at the party. Once they entered the area, several of their friends ran up to them. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright, Fluttershy!" Rarity said, hugging her friend. "When I saw you singing, I knew you'd run away. I'm just so glad you're back." "Well, you should thank Gumdramon for that part." Fluttershy said, turning Rarity's attention towards Gumdramon. "Oh, of course. Gumdramon, darling, you are such the gentlecolt. A can't thank you enough for helping Fluttershy." Rarity said, hugging him. "It was no problem at all." Gumdramon said, rubbing the back of his head. "Huh, what's this?" Rarity said, moving her head away from Gumdramon's chest. She used a hoof to lift up the silver locket. "Oh my, this is gorgeous!" Rarity said, gawking over it. "Oh, that's just a the gift Fluttershy gave me." Gumdramon quickly said, grabbing the locket away from her. "Really? I never thought you were they type to wear jewelry." Rainbow said, laughing a little. "It is quite the necklace I gotta admit." Apple Jack said, looking at it in Gumdramon's hand. "Where ever did you find something so lovely, darling?" Rarity asked, turning her attention towards Fluttershy again. "Oh, it's actually something I used to wear back in high school." "Really? And you gave it to Gumdramon?" "Yeah, why?" "Oh, it's nothing. I was simply wondering." "Well, I guess it's because I cared about it so much back then. So, I thought that giving it to Gumdramon would show how much I cared about him and everything he's done." As Fluttershy said those words, Gumdramon began to smile and blush a little more. Suddenly several ponies began to scream as loud, mechanical sounds could be heard on the stage. Gumdramon and the others quickly ran in front of the stage, seeing a boom box slowly transform into a robot. One of the robot's claws grabbed the DJ's sunglasses and placed them on it's supposed face. https://camo.derpicdn.net/d9fbb89c79851e03414515ceb0eea81dcde3804c?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpre00.deviantart.net%2F12d2%2Fth%2Fpre%2Fi%2F2016%2F362%2F1%2Fe%2Fdoom_box_by_theomniwriter-dat8i2b.png The robot quickly turned towards Gumdramon and began to charge up. It's speakers began to glow green, but they quickly blew a fuse. The robot started to spaz out, it's appendages began moving around in janky fashion. Suddenly, Spike jumped on stage and ran towards the robot. "Blazing Uppercut!" He shouted as a green flame engulfed his fist. Once he made contact with the robot's body, there was a small explosion as the robot flew off into the distance. Spike turned around towards the crowd of ponies, smiling. Twilight and the others were jaw dropped, except for Gumdramon. Gumdramon's spikes stood up, hearing a strange noise. He turned around to see a red ball of energy flying at Spike. Gumdramon quickly turned around and jumped on stage, grabbing Spike. Before he could get out of the way, the red energy ball was only a few feet away from them. Gumdramon and Spike closed their eyes, embracing for impact. The entire stage blew up, causing everyone to run away except for the mane six and the CMC. Twilight was about to run into the fog of smoke, but stopped once all the smoke blew away, as if a strong wind kicked in. As the smoke cleared, everyone looked, seeing a single figure standing on the large pile of rubble. https://camo.derpicdn.net/f6b747b6fa2b94c399a7589150e08cfb34f6f9e0?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpre00.deviantart.net%2Fe349%2Fth%2Fpre%2Ff%2F2017%2F268%2Fe%2F1%2Fspikedra_by_theomniwriter-dbokgiz.png "Gumdramon?" Fluttershy said, walking closer to the familiar figure. "Spike?" Sweetie said, walking closer as well. "Huh?" The fusion said, looking at itself. "Whoa, are we, am I... this is awesome!" He jumped for joy, raising both fist in the air. "We became one, how is that possible? Wait, I know why! We're a fusion! I know everything they know! And yet, I feel like someone new." He said, looking his hands. "Well, If we er, I'm a fusion of Spike and Gumdramon, I think I'll call myself... Spikedra!" He shouted, stroking a heroic pose. "Gumdra- uh, Spikedra, look out!" Twilight shouted. Spikedra looked in the distance, seeing another red energy ball flying at him. He smiled before jumping up into the air. "Flame Kick!" He shouted, sticking one of his legs out. As he fell, the foot was engulfed in a green flame. Once his attack came in contact with the massive energy ball, it exploded. As the smoked cleared, Spikedra stood in the crater, unharmed. "Now this is more like it!" "Wait, who the hay is that?" Applejack shouted, pointing at a nearby hill. On top of the hill was a familiar figure to Spikedra. https://camo.derpicdn.net/eda5c44868d7d1d795611034e724d07941d918ce?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpre00.deviantart.net%2F2d8b%2Fth%2Fpre%2Fi%2F2017%2F268%2F3%2Fb%2Fexmon_by_theomniwriter-dbokgzz.png "No, it can't be." Spikedra said under his breathe. "Heh, who am I?" The strange looking Veemon said with confidence as music began to play in the background. "Forget this!" Rainbow said, charging at him. Once the bass in the song dropped, the Veemon swiped his arm, blasting her with a beam of red energy, slamming her into the ground. "Rainbow!" Everyone yelled, getting angry at the figure. Several of the ponies charged at him. "I'm the tallest of mountains, I am the roughest of waves! I'm the toughest of terrors, I am the darkest of days! I'm the last one that's standing, don't try to stand in my way, cause I've been up against better, just take a look at my face!" He took down Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity with one fell swoop. Twilight, however, was still flying in the air, blasting at him with his magic. "Cause if you're messing with me, I am a dangerous weapon! I am the sharpest of blades; I'll cut you down in a second! Cause I was born in this pain, it only hurts if you let it, so if you think you can take me, then you should go and forget it!" He and Twilight started teleporting behind each other, blasting at each other. Before Twilight could shoot another blast, the Veemon teleported above her, slamming her into the ground. The Veemon began to walked away, but stopped once he saw Spikedra standing in front of him. "And after all this time, you're back for more!" Spikedra shouted in rage. "I won't stop until they know my name!" The Veemon sang, giving Spikedra a menacing smile. "So I'll take what's mine and start this war!" Spikedra prepared for an attack. "I'm coming at you like a tidal wave!" Before he knew it, Spikedra was jabbed in the stomach, causing Spike to flew out of him. Gumdramon looked up in shock. "When everything you know has come and gone, (You are at your lowest, I am rising higher!) Only scars remain of who I was! (What I find in the ashes, you lose in the fire!) When there's no one left to carry on, (This is an illusion, open up your eyes and...) this pain (persists), I can't (resist), but that's what it takes to be infinite!" Suddenly, the Veemon started furiously attacking Gumdramon, causing him to fly off several times, only to have the Veemon teleport and start attacking him again and again. They were in the air, Gumdramon was still being viciously attack, until the Veemon slammed him towards the ground. Everything was moving in slow motion for Gumdramon as he fell. He looked around, seeing all of his friends, except for the CMC, being encased in red balls of energy. "So look around you and tell me what you really see! I never end and that's the difference in you and me! Cause when your time is up and everything is falling down, It's only me and you - who is gonna save you now?" Once again, the Veemon teleported above Gumdramon, slamming down even harder. "So look around you and tell me what you really see! You live a lie and that's the difference in you and me! I have the power, let me show you what it's all about! It's only me and you - who is gonna save you now?" His hand was engulfed in red energy before punching Gumdramon in the chest, finally causing him to make contact with the ground. Gumdramon laid in a crater, unable to move. His eyelids became heavy and all he could see was the Veemon standing above him, his right eye glowing with the red energy. "Who is gonna save you now?" //-------------------------------------------------------// Escape - Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Escape - Part 2 Gumdramon was handing on one of the side walls in the same manner as Twilight. His head slowly rose, his eyes still closed. He could hear some kind of electrical noise. He slowly opened his eyes, only for them to shoot open. "Ah, glad to see you're finally awake." Exmon said, standing in front of Fluttershy, who was hanging on the back wall. On her forehead was a device that looked like a metal pen with a suction cup and buttons on the side. "You're just in time to see her love for you to slip away." Exmon said, smirking at him. Gumdramon's eyes opened as wide as they could, his pupils were dilated. His irises started glowing red. He gripped his hands into tight fists, tightening the grip more and more. Two small, black spikes started pocking out of the back of his shirt. "And to think, you lost her as quickly as you got her." Suddenly, the two black spikes shot out and turned towards Exmon, impaling him in the stomach. He stood there in shock, looking down at his injury. The spikes then lifted him up and threw him into the forcefield, electrocuting him. After a few seconds, the forcefield turned off and he fell to the floor, laying motionless. The spikes then slashed his and Fluttershy's cuffs, setting them free. The spikes retreated into Gumdramon's back, diapering. "Fluttershy!" Gumdramon yelled, running over to her. He lifted her up, removing the device from her head. She slowly opened her eyes, looking directly at him. "G-Gumdramon? Where are we?" She weakly said. "Do you remember what we talked about tonight?" Gumdramon said, helping her up. "T-Tonight? But it's noon... I-I just left the spa, right?" Gumdramon looked at her in shock, coming to realization. "He actually did it." Gumdramon mumbled, looking angrily at Exmon. "C'mon, we've gotta get out of here." He said, helping Fluttershy walk. As they left, Exmon's eyes shot open, looking around. The holes in his stomach began to heal in a pixelated effect. "Alright, let's see here." Rascal said, looking at the group. "Five ponies and one dragon. Hmm, there should be one more pony here somewhere." He said, looking around. "Shh, somepony's coming!" Rainbow whispered at the group. They all hid in a open cell, waiting for the unknown person to leave. "Girls, is that you?" Gumdramon asked as he walked passed them. "Gumdramon, Fluttershy!" They all shouted and jumped on them, giving them a hug. "Alright, that's enough, break it up!" Rascal said, pushing the ponies off of Gumdramon. "We still need to get you guys back to your world. Now the teleporter should be right down this hallway." He said before walking down said hallway. "Wait, who's this?" Gumdramon asked, pointing at him. Rascal stopped in a cartoonish manner. He slowly turned around, raising an eyebrow at him. "Really?! They got rid of the memory too?! Oh, come on!" He yelled, throwing his hand in the air. "I'm Rascal, one of your experiments!" He exclaimed with a large smile, waiting for a response. "Uh, I'm sorry, but it doesn't ring a bell." His ears and smile dropped at the same time. "Okay, whatever! I guess I'll have to remind you some other time!" He yelled as he stormed off down the hallway. "You guys coming or what?!" "You girls go, I need to stay back." "What, why?!" Everyone exclaimed, including Rascal. "I managed to stun Exmon, but he'll be here any second. I'm the only one with enough power to keep him busy." "Ya know, he's got a point." Rascal said, taking a bite out of another nutty bar. "Rascal, do you think you can set the teleporter to self-destruct?" "Can a baby fit through a chihuahua sized doggy door?" Rascal asked, striking a heroic pose. "Uh, maybe?" Gumdramon shrugged. "Exactly!" Rascal said before dashing down the hallway. "You girls go on without me." "We can't leave you like that!" Rainbow exclaimed, landing in front of Gumdramon. "Listen, I might have enough time to go through the teleporter before it blows." "You will or you might?" Twilight asked. "Details are not important now, just go!" "B-But-" Fluttershy began. "Please... just go." Gumdramon said sincerely. The group looked at each other and nodded. They each gave Gumdramon a quick hug before running down the hallway. "Alright, let's do this." Spike said, standing next to Gumdramon. "Spike, what are you-" "Listen Gumdramon, when we fused I felt... powerful! We felt powerful! And I think we need that power to win this fight. Please, let me help you." Spike said, extending a hand. Gumdramon smiled and shook his head. "You are one crazy kid!" He exclaimed, grabbing Spike's hand. They were both engulfed in a sphere of light blue data. "Where are you?!" Exmon roared, his voice echoing through the halls of the prison. He ran down several halls before coming to a stop. "What do we have here?" He said, staring at a sphere of light blue data. The data slowly disappeared to reveal Spikedra. His eyes shot open, staring directly into Exmon's. "Alright, let's do this!" Spikedra shouted. //-------------------------------------------------------// Escape - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// Escape - Finale Exmon and Spikedra stood across from each other, staring in silence. Exmon stood up straight and began to chuckle. "You chose to use this fusion again? Have you forgotten what happened literally an hour ago?" He asked, chuckling once again. Music slowly started playing in the background. "What's this sorry excuse for a fusion suppose to be anyway?" "This is Spikedra, back together, and I'm never going down at the hands of the likes of you because I'm so much better. And every part of me is saying 'Go get em'." Spikedra sang as they circled around each other. "The two of us ain't gonna follow your rules, come at me without any of your fancy tools. Let's go, just me and you. Let's go, just one on two." After that, Exmon charged at him with his fist engulfed in a red aura. "Go ahead and try and hit me if you're able. Can't you see that my relationship is stable?" Exmon continuously missed several times. "I can see you hate the way we intermingle, but I think you're just mad 'cause you're single." Exmon looked furious after that and started rapidly punching at him, finally knocking him down. "And you're not gonna stop what we made together. We are gonna stay like this forever." Spikedra quickly got back up, dodging several more punches and landing a few on Exmon. After the punches, Exmon looked shocked, but quickly started jumping around and attacking Spikedra. "If you break us apart, we'll just come back newer and we'll always be twice the gem that you are. I am made O-o-o-o-of Lo-o-o-o-ove. O-o-o-o-of." The two were jumping around the room, missing and hitting each other several times. "Lo-o-o-o-ove. Lo-o-o-o-ove. Lo-o-o-o-ove." Exmon smirked and quickly grabbed one of Spikedra's legs, hurling them into a nearby cell. Before Spikedra could get up, they were immediately rammed by Exmon, the impact caused him to fly through the back wall and into another hallway. Spikedra laid down, trying his best to get up, but fell back down. From the smoke, Exmon slowly walked out, his right eye flowing with the same red aura. "This is who we are, this is who I am. And if you think you can stop me, then you need to think again." Spikedra slowly got back up as images of the girls started slowly flashing in his mind. After each flash, the D-Drive on his chest started turning pink. "Cause I am a feeling, and I will never end. And I won't let you hurt my planet, and I won't let you hurt my friends!" Once the images of Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy flashed in his mind, he stroke a confident pose. https://camo.derpicdn.net/7ee3bc0c08aebdfdc748a3f84787e458700d9bb8?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpre00.deviantart.net%2Fe3c3%2Fth%2Fpre%2Ff%2F2017%2F279%2F5%2F0%2Fspikedra___heartful_by_theomniwriter-dbpqo06.png "Go ahead and try and hit me if you're able. Can't you see that my relationship is stable? I know you think I'm not something you're afraid of, cause you think that you've seen what I'm made of." Spikedra started teleporting left and right, punching Exmon each time he appeared and dodging a punch each time he disappeared. "But I am even more than the two of them. Everything they care about is what I am. I am their fury. I am their patience. I am a conversation." After a swift flaming, downward kick to the head, Exmon knelt on the floor. Spikedra quickly teleported in front of him, smiling. "I am made O-o-o-o-of." With one flaming uppercut, Exmon went flying through the ceiling. "Lo-o-o-o-ove. O-o-o-o-of. And it's stronger than you. L-o-o-o-ove. O-o-o-o-of L-o-o-o-ove. And it's stronger than you." Spikedra sang as he ran away, giving a quick salute to Exmon. "Lo-o-o-o-ove. O-o-o-o-of Lo-o-o-o-ove. And it's stronger than you." Spikedra looked down the hall, seeing Rascal wave at him. With one fell swoop, Spikedra dived through the teleported before it exploded and landed on soft, grassy ground. "O-o-o-o-of Lo-o-o-o-ove. Lo-o-o-o-ove." He sang before he was engulfed in a white light. Spike and Gumdramon were both getting up, looking around. They saw the others standing over them, tears in most of their eyes. Without any warning, the two were pulled in a big group up. After a few seconds, the two finally returned the embrace, a big smile on each of their faces. Exmon was walking through the halls of the castle with an occasional limp. He entered DarkShoutmon's lab, placing what remains of his device on a nearby table. Before he could leave, the mechanical doors shut and locked on him. He turned around to see DarkShoutmon sitting in his chair, staring at him. "You know I don't like others taking my stuff without permission." He said, not moving from his spot. "I'm sorry I broke your stupid toy, but at least I put some good use to it." Exmon said, smirking. "Oh yes, I'm sure erasing the party from the yellow pegasus was your master plan." "What? No, I erased her memory of ever loving Gumdramon!" Exmon retorted. "*sigh* If you read my instructions, you would have know that a few minutes would not be able to erase that much. She still loves him, she just doesn't remember their confessions." "What?! You have to fix this!" Exmon shouted, grabbing the remains of the device off the table. "Oh, I think that won't be necessary." Exmon quickly turned around to see a large, red eye staring at him. "M-My Lord!" "Don't try to defend yourself, Exmon!" The tentacle-like eye slowly moved around Exmon like a cobra. "When did I give you an order to attack and capture Gumdramon and his friends?" "You never told me to..." Exmon said in a ashamed manner. "But I-" "No 'buts'! You are one of my strongest generals, which is why I am sparing you. But if you run off again... well, I'll just have to find a new general. And I think you know what happens to my old generals, right?" Lord Plasmamon asked, fully wrapped Exmon with his tentacle eye. "Understood, my Lord." Exmon said. After that, he fell to the ground, having been released from his Lord's grip. "That's what I like to hear." Lord Plasmamon's tentacle eye slowly merged into the ceiling, disappearing. "Now then, what did you do to them?" DarkShoutmon asked. "I did nothing to the other ponies, I only-" "Not them!" DarkShoutmon quickly typed on his keyboard, turning on three camera, each with different cell numbers. "They're not in their cells and you were the only one in there that could open them! So, where are they?!" DarkShoutmon yelled, only to have his neck grabbed by Exmon. "Why would I waste my time with your stupid experiments?" Exmon threw DarkShoutmon back in his seat before walking away. "Next time you jump to conclusions, remember who you're talking to." He said before exiting the lab. DarkShoutmon looked at the cameras with a worried expression. "Where could they have gone?" High above the lab, Rascal was chomping on a nutty bar in the rafters. "Oops!" Rascal said, twirling three access cards in one of his fingers. "Now what magical world could they have gone to?" Rascal began scratching his chin with Exmon's flash drive that had 'Gumdramon's Location' written on it. //-------------------------------------------------------// How To Train Your Spike - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// How To Train Your Spike - Part 1 Spike was in bed, rolling back and forth. He stopped, laying on his back and eyes wide open. He groaned, getting out of bed and through his door. He walked the down the stairs and entered the kitchen, looking around. He opened a cabinet and pulled out a clear glass cup. He walked over to the sink and filled the cup with water. He yawned before taking a sip. He just stood in the kitchen, deep in thought. "Spikedra..." Spike thought as images of Spikedra's fight with Exmon flashed in his mind. "It's so weird. I-It felt like I was there, but I wasn't. It's as if we were someone... different." Spike took another sip of water. "Hey, buddy." Spike quickly turned around, only to see Gumdramon standing in the doorway. "Oh, it's just you." Spike sighed in relief. "Couldn't sleep?" Gumdramon asked, walking over to the cup cabinet. "Yeah, I just can't for some reason." "Is this about Spikedra?" He asked, filling his cup with water. "How did you-" "Trust me Spike, when you go through an experience like that, you're gonna have trouble sleeping." He took a quick sip before continuing. "So, what do you wanna know?" He asked, pulling out a chair. "Why did it feel like I was there, but not at the same time." Spike asked, pulling out another chair. "That's because we did a special type of fusion, one I haven't done in a long time. It's called DNA Digivolution." "What's that?" "It's a lot like normal fusion, but this one doesn't just combine bodies and powers, it also combines minds and souls. We were a fusion of ourselves, but we were also someone new. Spikedra is different from us because he's sort of his own person. Does that make sense?" "Uh, I think so." Spike replied, scratching his head. "Wait, what are you doing up so late?" "I'm actually working on something that'll help you control your powers, but we'll do it after school." Gumdramon got up, washed his cup, and put it back in the cabinet. As he walked by Spike, he gave him a quick pat on the head. "You try to get some sleep. We've got a lot of work to do." And with that, Gumdramon left the kitchen, leaving Spike with his thoughts. "Control my powers?" Spiked wondered, raising an eyebrow. Gumdramon walked back into his room, quietly closing his door. He then walked over to the closet, which was opened, and walked threw a hidden passageway. He walked down the stairs, entering his secret laboratory. He sat down at a small, metal desk, which was covered with mechanical pieces. He began fiddling with some of them, but stopped. He looked up, seeing a framed picture of him and Fluttershy. He looked down a little to see the locket she gave him. Tears began to form in his eyes before placing his head in his head, sobbing. "W-Why?... WHY?!" He cried, slamming his desk. He laid his head down on the desk and began pulling his spines. Spike was sitting at his desk, trying to balance a pencil on his snout. It fell off, causing Spike to get irritated. "Psst, Spike!" Spike looked around to see who was talking to him. It a second, but he saw that Apple Bloom was the only one turned towards him. "What?" He whispered back. "Could I borrow a pencil?" He rolled his eyes before digging through his backpack. He pulled out another pencil and reached out to give it to her. She took the pencil with her mouth and Spike could swear he heard a mumbled thank you from her. Before he knew it, Spike was hit in the head with a crumpled up piece of paper. He looked around, but couldn't tell who threw it. He unwrapped it, seeing that it was actually a note. "Apple... Lover?" He read, raising an eyebrow. He looked around the class again. "Spike, is there a problem?" Miss Cheerilee asked, sitting at her desk. "Uh, n-no." He replied, putting the note away. He couldn't help but hear someone laugh before he went back to work. *DING DONG* "Alright everypony, lunch time!" Miss Cheerilee shouted from the doorway. Before she knew it, she was almost trampled by her students as they rushed out of the school house. Several ponies were sitting on the grass, while only a few were sitting at the picnic tables. Most of them were eating sandwiches. Others were eating random fruits and veggies. Spike and Apple Bloom were sitting together on the grass under a tree. "So... where's Sweetie and Scootaloo?" Spike asked before taking a bite of his sandwich. "I think Rarity wanted to make sure Sweetie was alright after the party last night." Apple Bloom answered, sipping some of here apple juice. "And I think Scootaloo had to help her parents around the house." "Huh, guess that answers that." "Now it's my turn to ask ya a question." Apple Bloom said, turning to Spike. "What was it like when ya'll were fused?" She asked excitedly. "It's a little hard to put to words, but I guess the best way to explain it is that we were someone else." Spike said, backing away a bit. "Cool! Hey, I'm not feelin' that hungry, you want me apple?" She asked, pulling out an apple out of a brown paper bag. "Sure!" Spike quickly grabbed the apple, taking a big bite out of it. "Mmm, your family makes the best apples!" "Well, we make the only apples in Ponyville, but thanks." Apple Bloom added, blushing a little. "Well, well, well... I knew you were an apple lover!" Spike turned towards the source of the voice, frowning immediately after he saw who it was. "What do ya want Diamond Tiara?" Apple Bloom asked, annoyed by her appearance. "You know, I always knew that two freaks like you would be desperate enough to go out with each other." She said, pointing at the two of them, causing them to blush. "H-Hey, we're not dating!" Spike argued, standing up. "So... what? Does that mean you think she's too ugly, even for you?" "W-what?" Spike back up, blushing. "I totally get it. I mean, even a hideous dragon knows better than to date somepony like you!" She continued, pointing at Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom looked at Spike only to quickly look away. She began tearing up. "Hey! That is not what I meant! Apple Bloom is so much prettier and kinder than you'll ever be!" Spike retorted, causing Apple Bloom to look back up. "Wait, are you saying that you'd date... Apple Bloom?" Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow at him. Spike looked back at Apple Bloom and then at Diamond Tiara. "Yes, yes I would!" Spike said, blushing a little. "Good, you two freaks deserve each other. Apple lover!" She shouted before walked away. Spike turned back to Apple Bloom, who was still blushing. "Y-You didn't have ta lie Spike." She said, looking down at the ground. "I-I wasn't lying!" He quickly retorted. "I-I mean, I would date you, but not right now. I mean, wait, let me try to-" He was stopped by a hoof covering his mouth. "It's alright Spike. I know ya like Sweetie." "Y-You do?! H-How?!" He asked, panicking. "You were talking in your sleep during the sleepover." She said, causing Spike to smack his face. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." "R-Really?" Spike asked, receiving a nod as a reply. "Thanks Apple Bloom!" Spike gave her a quick huge. "No problem." She then walked a little closer to Spike. "So, I'm cuter than Diamond Tiara, huh?" She teased him. "W-Well, I mean-" *DING DONG* "Oh would you look at that! Better head back to class! See ya!" Spike quickly said before running off. "Hey!" Apple Bloom shouted, running after him. //-------------------------------------------------------// How To Train Your Spike - Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// How To Train Your Spike - Part 2 "I'm home!" Spike shouted as he ran into the castle. "Welcome home, Spike!" Twilight greeted, pocking her head out of a door frame. "Is Gumdramon here?" He excitedly asked, looking around. "I think he's still in his room. I wouldn't know, he hasn't come out all day." Twilight answered, looking up the stairs. "Do you think you could go check on him, I'm busy baking cookies for the Pinkie's potluck." "Sure thi-wait... Pinkie's having a potluck?" "Sort of, Sugarcube Corner's having a contest for a new recipe to sell. But Pinkie kept calling it a potluck party and it just kind of stuck." "Oh, so you're entering the contest too?" "Yeah, I know I'm not gonna win, but I just love backing these chocolate nut cookies!" Twilight exclaimed, clapping her hooves together. She stopped once she heard a loud ringing noise. "Oh, that's the first batch!" She said, rushing back into the kitchen. "I hope she didn't mistake the salt for the sugar again." Spike thought to himself before walking up stairs. After walking for a few minutes, he came to Gumdramon's door. He knocked on it, waiting for a reply... nothing. He knocked a few more times... still no reply. He took his backpack off, placing it on the ground, before entering the room. "Where is he?" Spike wondered, looking around Gumdramon's empty room. He stopped in his tracks once he saw hidden passageway in the closet. "Oh yeah, I totally forgot about his lab." Spike quickly walked down the stair into the lab. He stopped again, noticing Gumdramon. He was laying face down on a metal table, tubs of ice cream were scattered around him. Spike slowly and quietly walked closer to Gumdramon. He looked at the desk, seeing a picture of... Fluttershy? "Huh?!" Gumdramon yelled, shooting his head up and knocking Spike on the ground. Gumdramon turned towards Spike, quickly rubbing his eyes. "Oh, Spike... I'm so sorry!" Gumdramon said, helping Spike up. "It's no problem. So... what were you doing all day?" Spike asked, feeling a little awkward. "Nothing..." Gumdramon paused, giving him a forced smile. "I couldn't help but notice the, um..." Spike pointed at the picture of Fluttershy on Gumdramon's desk. "OH!" Gumdramon quickly moved in front of the picture. "W-What are you talking about?!" Spike crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Alright..." Gumdramon said in defeat. "I was crying all night and day." "What? Why?" "*sigh* I finally got her, but now... she doesn't love me." "Huh?" Spike asked, confused by what he had just said. "Fluttershy and I got together, Exmon erased her memories of loving me, and now she doesn't love me anymore." Gumdramon blurted out, slowly forming tears in his eyes. "W-Well... have you talked to Twilight about this?" "Oh Spike, I can't talk to her about this kind of thing. Well, it's more like I don't feel comfortable about it." "Oh, okay... so, that this mean no training today?" Gumdramon wiped the tears out of his eyes. "No, there will be training today. Training usually helps me get myself together. Oh, by the way..." Gumdramon knelt down to Spiked, pulling him in close. "Could we keep this between the two of us?" "Sure." Spike said, nodding in agreement. "Perfect, you keep my secret and I'll keep yours about liking Sweetie Belle!" Gumdramon exclaimed. "WHAT?!" Spike shouted, blushing. "Spike, I minds were fused... I know how you feel about her." Gumdramon said, winking at Spike, causing him to blush even more. Gumdramon was walking through the forest, Spike slowly following behind. As they walked, several animals sounds could be heard, some getting louder than others. Spike looked back and forth, a worried expression dawned his face. "Uh, Gumdramon? Where are we going?" Spike asked, pushing several branches out of his way. "We're already here." Gumdramon said before breaking a wall of branches and throwing them behind him. "Ow!" Spike exclaimed, rubbing his head in pain after being hit in the head with some of the branches. "Whoops, sorry about that." Gumdramon apologized. After that, the wall of branches was finally gone, revealing a way to an open field. "It's a... clearing?" Spike said, confused by what he saw. "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Gumdramon said to Spike before walking away. "I live with Twilight, I pretty much hear that expression in my sleep." Spike said, walking towards Gumdramon. "Alright, it should be right..." Gumdramon felt the ground, searching for something. After a few seconds, a loud, metal click could be heard. "There!" Gumdramon said, quickly getting back on his feet. Several mechanical sounds echoed through the forest, scaring away several animals. Soon, small spots around the clearing shot out steam and slowly opened. Several punching bags, weights, and other instruments arose from the ground. Spike stood there, jaw dropped. "W-What is all this?!" Spike asked, freaking out. "This is my training spot. It took a long time to make, what with your world having less advanced technology." Gumdramon explained as Spike ran around, looking at the objects that had appeared. "I haven't used it in a while, but it's good to know that it still works." "Whoa, this is amazing! What should we do first?" Spike excitedly asked, hopping up and down. "Well, first we have to figure out how and why you switch from normal to digital." As Gumdramon explained, Spike slowly stopped hopping. "Oh, right." Spike said as he completely stopped. "So... how do we do that?" "Well, I managed to make this out of a few spare parts." Gumdramon pulled out something that resembled a pin-back button, except it was much more mechanical looking. "It can't control when you transform, but it can detect a change in your DNA, especially if it turns into data." "Alright, put it on me!" Spike enthusiastically exclaimed, spreading his arms. Gumdramon walked over and attached the device to one of his head spines. "Great, now let's get to training!" Gumdramon exclaimed, pointing to a punching bag. "Let's start of with punching bags." "Yes sir!" Spike said, saluting to Gumdramon before running over the said punching bag. He got into a boxing stance and began punching it. Gumdramon looked at the D-Drive, which showed a green, spiky wave going up and down. "Hmm, I don't think it's going to be that simple." Gumdramon said, rubbing the back of his head. //-------------------------------------------------------// How To Train Your Spike - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// How To Train Your Spike - Finale Gumdramon was sitting down, leaning on his hand. He was looking at Spike punching and kicking at a punching bag. Gumdramon looked at the D-Drive, seeing a strait green line. "Uh, still nothing." Gumdramon got up and walked over to Spike. "Spike, c'mon! We've been here for an hour and nothing new happened. We should get back home before Twilight starts to get worried." "What, no! I'm almost there, I can feel it!" Spike argued. "Spike, it's the first day. You can't expect something amazing to happen on the first day." Gumdramon looked back at the D-Drive. "Besides, you haven't been able to switch this entire time. C'mon, let's go." Gumdramon said, gesturing Spike to follow him as he walked away. "N-No..." Spike thought, clenching his fist. "I can't just be standing on the sideline or being used as a tool. I need to be able to help, I need to be able to fight! This is a sign that I have a chance to be something more. I need to do this for them, for Twilight, for the girls, for Ponyville, for... for..." Suddenly a flash of the dragon mirror with the shadowy Spike appeared in his mind. This doors opened a crack and Spike's eyes opened wide. "FOR SWEETIE!!!" He shouted as he reeled back his fist. In an instant, his fist was engulfed in a multi-colored flame of red, blue, light purple, light blue, green, orange, and pink. As he threw his fist at the punching bag, Gumdramon turned around to catch a glimpse of Spike before his fist made contact. Instantly, the punching bag exploded, sending out a wave of energy with the same colors as the flame. "*cough* Spike!" Gumdramon called out, waving away the smoke. Running over to where the punching bag was, Gumdramon saw Spike standing there. "Spike, what was that?!" He asked him. Spike stood there, staring blankly into space. "S-Spike?" Gumdramon said. He snapped his fingers a few times in his face, finally catching his attention. "Huh?! W-What happened?!" Spike shouted, looking at the mess. "You Spike! You're what happened!" "Wait, what?" "Spike, this is serious!" Gumdramon said, kneeling down to his level. "I need you to tell me what you just did!" Gumdramon demanded in a serious tone. "I-I don't know, honestly!" Spike said, scratching his head. Gumdramon rubbed his eyes before looking around. "Okay, let's keep this between us." Gumdramon said before grabbing Spike's hand. "Wait, what do you mean?! W-We have to at least tell Twilight about this!" Spike argued while being pulled along. "Trust me Spike, if this is what I think it is, then it be safer if Twilight didn't know unless we're sure about it, got it?" Gumdramon said, looking at Spike for approval. "You do want to keep Twilight safe, right?" "Y-Yeah..." Spike answered, looking away. "Alright! We'll comeback here tomorrow to see if this is what I think it is." Gumdramon said, not looking back at Spike. "Hey Twilight, we're home!" Gumdramon called out, looking trough the halls. "In here!" Twilight's voice emitted from the kitchen. As Gumdramon and Spike got in the kitchen they stopped in horror. Twilight was floating a tray of burnt, soggy cookies. Gumdramon raised a hand as if to say something, but was immediately stopped by Twilight raising her hoof in front of him. "I know, these look terrible. I mean, everything was going fine, but I got a package delivered at my door so I thought it would only take a second, but it turned out that the package wasn't for me, it was for somepony else! I tried telling the mailmare, but she insisted that it was for me even though it didn't have my name on it! That went on for so long that my cookies got burnt in the oven and then the mailmare tried to put the fire out even though there was no fire! After that it was already too late to make a new batch and I Pinkie promised to be there and bring cookies, so yeah that was my day, how was yours?!" Twilight asked, giving the two a stressed smile. "Okay, I see you've had a rough day." Gumdramon began, taking the tray away and giving it to Spike. "How about we go in the other room and try to learn a new dance. That usually helps you calm down." Gumdramon suggested in a calming tone. "Y-Yeah! T-That would be nice." Twilight agreed, blushing a little. "And to make it a little better, I'll let you choose any kind of genre you want, okay?" "A-Any one?" Twilight asked, looking at him. He gave her a nod and a huge smile grew on her face. "Y-You know, I-I always wanted to learn r-rumba." Twilight said, playing with her mane. "Perfect! Spike you don't mind cleaning the rest of the dishes do you?" Gumdramon asked as he walked to the next room with Twilight. "Already on it!" Spike said as he scrubbed the cookie tray in the sink. He turned to the door to say something, but they had already left. "Wow, and I thought my crush on Sweetie Belle was obvious." Spike said, rolling his eyes as he continued with the dishes. Spike was laying in bed, hearing the rumba music playing downstairs. He stared at his hand, turning it around every so often. He closed his eyes really hard, but quickly relaxed them. "Sweetie Belle..." He said in a loving manner. Her heard a roaring fire and quickly opened his eyes. His hand was once again engulfed in the same multi-colored flame. He touched the flame with his other hand, but slowly pulled it away. "I-It's not even hot?" Spike looked at his the flame even closer. "What is this stuff?" He thought and went to touch it again. He quickly looked at his other hand. Closing his eyes he focused again and when he opened his eyes, there was now another flame on his other hand. He slowly moved his hand around and the flames slowly followed, leaving a trail of colors for a few seconds. Spike began to focus again, this time without closing his eyes. And just like that, the flames disappeared. Smiling, Spike rolled over in his bed and looked out the window. "Don't worry everypony, I'm here to protect you." Spike said before closing his eyes. //-------------------------------------------------------// On The Hunt - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// On The Hunt - Part 1 It was early morning in Sweet Apple Acres and Applejack was walking through the fields of apple trees. "Nothing like a breath of fresh, mornin' air to wake a pony up!" She cheered as she continued to walk down a dirt path. She suddenly stopped, sniffing the air. "Is... is somethin' burnin'?" She wondered, looking around. She stopped once she saw a few spots of grace were black and smoking. "What the?!" She yelled out, looking around for the culprit. "And that's when I saw the burnt patches of grass! Now who in Equestria would go to a farm and just start burnin' stuff?" Applejack asked, slamming the inactivated Cutie Map. "Hmm, that is strange." Twilight said, rubbing her chin. "It's probably just some brats trying to cause trouble." Rainbow interjected, hovering above her chair. "Dashie may have a point, darling." Rarity said, agreeing with Rainbow. "I don't care who's doin' it, I just want it to stop! If whoever's doin' this keeps burnin' my land, they could do some serious damage!" Applejack yelled, slamming the map again. "Ooh, we should have another stake out!" Pinkie suggestive, throwing confetti into the air. Suddenly, she appeared next to Fluttershy. "But this time, we won't find a vampire pony! Right?" Pinkie asked Fluttershy, raising an eyebrow. "I-I pretty sure." She replied, blushing from embarrassment. "Well, that might work, but I don't think it'll come to tha-" Before Twilight could finish talking, the Cutie Map activated, showing a closeup on Sweet Apple Acres. "See! That map says we should go!" Pinkie said, patting herself on the back. The map began creating each of their cutie marks and floated them to the center of the apple tree fields. Suddenly, the map began emitting a yellow light in the center of all their cutie marks. Slowly, the light disappeared and showed a yellow X between the cutie marks. Everyone's jaws dropped in shock, staring at the X. "Hey guys, what are you all doing in here?" Gumdramon asked as he opened the doors to the room. The yellow X on his forehead was pulsing in the same manner as their cutie marks. They all turned their attention to him, still looking shocked. "What?" Gumdramon asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "So you're telling me this map tells you where to go in order to solve friendship problems and it decided to choose me to go along with you?" Gumdramon asked. "Yeah, that's pretty much it." Rainbow said, still hovering in the air. "I would really love to help you girls tonight, but I've got some work in the lab I need to fi-OUCH!!!" Gumdramon screeched as his X glowed. "You never told me it shocks you!" Gumdramon said, rubbing his forehead. "We didn't know it did either!" Twilight quickly said before checking Gumdramon's forehead. "Are you alright?" She asked him, looking directly into his eyes. "Y-Yeah, I-I'm fine." Gumdramon stuttered as he looked into her eyes. Rainbow glared at the two and then at Twilight. "So!" She shouted, flying between the two. "What's the plan, Twi?" SHe asked, gritting her teeth a little. "Uh, well, I think we should all meet up at where the map says to meet at sunset." Twilight nervously said. "Great! That means me and Gumdramon can race a few laps before we have to go!" Rainbow cheered, smirking at Gumdramon. "But I-" "But Gumdramon said he was going to help me before he left for work." Twilight interrupted Gumdramon. "Oh really? I've been wondering this for awhile now... what IS he helping you with?" Rainbow asked her, getting close to her face. "I-It's not important!" Twilight shouted, blushing a little. "Well, if it's not that important then I guess it'd be fine to reschedule." Rainbow said, giving Twilight a smug grin. "Actually I'm su-" "Why are you making this such a big deal? Do you want Gumdramon all to yourself?" Twilight asked, causing Rainbow to blush. "W-What, no! If anypony's trying to keep him to herself, it's you!" Rainbow refuted. "Why you!" Twilight growled, getting right in Rainbow's face. "Um, girls?" "What?!" Rainbow and Twilight shouted in unison at Rarity. "Gumdramon already promised to help Fluttershy with the animals today. Isn't that right, darling?" Rarity asked, turning to Fluttershy. "Um, y-yes." She confirmed, lightly nodding her head. "Oh..." Twilight and Rainbow said, looking at each other once more before going back to their seats. "Well... I guess this ends the meeting. I'll see you all at sunset." Twilight said, regaining her posture. "Whatever." Rainbow sighed, rolling her eyes before flying off. "Now then, I believe you two have somewhere to be?" Rarity said, using her magic to nudge Gumdramon and Fluttershy out the door. "Uh, yeah! We better get going, right?" Gumdramon asked Fluttershy, only receiving a nod in agreement. "Wow, now that's what I call tension!" Pinkie said as she hopped out of the room. After a few minutes, Twilight was finally alone in the room. She stared blankly at the door, as if in a trance. "Rainbow and... Gumdramon? Oh no, that's not how it's going down!" Twilight angrily said. "It is on!" //-------------------------------------------------------// On The Hunt - Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// On The Hunt - Part 2 The sun began to set as everyone gathered together in the center of Sweet Apple Acres. Gumdramon and Fluttershy quickly ran up to the others. "Sorry we're late, Angel was being really needy." Gumdramon explained. "That doesn't matter now. So, is everypony here?" Twilight asked, looking around. Everyone either cheered or nodded to answer her question. "And does everypony have their flashlights?" "Yep!" Everyone "Nope! Wait... never mind!" Pinkie shouted, pulling her flashlight out of her mane. "Alright, here's the plan. Rarity and Fluttershy will search the western parts of the acres. Applejack and Pinkie Pie will search the northern parts of the acres. Rainbow Dash will search the southern parts of the acres. Finally, Gumdramon and I will search the eastern pa-" "Wait, why does Gumdramon get to go with you?!" Rainbow argued. "Because that's part of the plan." Twilight grumbled at her. "Well, shouldn't Gumdramon go with somepony who would need the protection, like Rarity or Fluttershy?" "What? Rainbow Dash, we're just looking for some trouble makers!" "We don't know that for sure! We could be looking for a dragon or a fire breathing cat!" "Rarity and Fluttershy can protect themselves! Unless of course, YOU'RE the one who needs HIS protection." Twilight said, smirking at Rainbow. "W-What?! I don't need HIS protection! I can do fine on my own, and so can you Miss Alicorn Princess!" Rainbow argued, getting closer to Twilight. "Fluttershy, I believe we should start our search." Rarity whispered to her. "I-I think that's a good idea." Fluttershy said as she and Rarity start walking west. (A Few Minutes of Arguing Later) "If you want to have Gumdramon all to yourself, just say it!" Twilight and Rainbow yelled at each other in unison, both blushing profusely. They both stop, staring at each other. "How did you-" They both started, but stopped again after hearing a crunching sound. They turned to see Pinkie Pie eating a bowl of popcorn, but everyone else was gone. "W-Where did everypony go?" Twilight asked, looking around the area. "Well, Fluttershy and Rarity left when things were getting intense, then Applejack took Gumdramon with her. "O-Oh..." Twilight and Rainbow sighed. "Whelp, I'm outta popcorn! I think I'll head south, later!" Pinkie said, hopping away. Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other, sighing again. "Well, I guess we're going east." Twilight said, shrugging a little. "Oh, looking for a burning thing, looking for a thing that burns! I'm looking for something with... flames inside it's glands!" Pinkie Pie sang to the tone of Somebody's In The Kitchen. She stopped as she heard a rustle in the bushes. "Ooh, a lead!" She said, pulling out her flashlight and shinning it at the bush. Once she got to the bush, she quickly dug her hooves in it and pulled the sides away. "What? I could've sworn I heard something?" Pinkie said, looking in the empty bush. Suddenly, a loud growling noise came from behind her. She quickly turned around and screamed at the large, shadowy mass. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were silently walking down a dirt path, neither one making any eye contact. Rainbow Dash sighed and turned to Twilight. "Y'know, we're never gonna get over this if we don't talk it over." She said, rolling her eyes. "So, do you really like Gumdramon in... THAT way?" Twilight asked, not looking in Rainbow's general direction. "I guess, maybe?" Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I mean, how can you really tell if you like somepony in that way?" "Well, Cadence always told me that when your in love, your stomach fills butterflies, you can't help but smile when you think about them, and..." Twilight paused, stopping to look at the ground. She dig the dirt with the tip of her hoof as her face began to blush. "You feel this sort of... spark. Like a bolt of lighting flowing through your body and right into your heart." Twilight smiled as she doodled a little heart in the dirt. Shaking her head, she quickly erased the doodle. "B_but of course, she says that one usually only happens when you... k-kiss them." She stuttered, nervously giggling afterwards. "Whelp, then I guess I don't actually like him that way." Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. "W-What?!" Twilight shouted, pressing her muzzle against hers. "Y-You k-kiss him?!" Twilight asked her, staring at her with a shocked expression. "Uh, y-yeah..." Rainbow said, pushing Twilight back a bit. "Long story short, he pretended to be my boyfriend so that I could shut Thunderbolt up. I had to kiss him or else she wouldn't believe me. After that, she tried to get Gumdramon to leave me and date her instead, but... Gumdramon said some really nice things about me then. I guess that might have been the reason why I thought I liked him like that." Rainbow said shrugging. "So, no spark?" Twilight asked. "Nope." Rainbow replied, shaking her head. "Did you... like the k-kiss?" Rainbow's face immediately turned red in embarrassment as she jumped into the air. "N-NO! Of course not." Rainbow retorted, folding her forelegs. "Heh, sure you didn't." Twilight said, smirking and rolling her eyes at Rainbow. "W-Well what about you, huh?! Do you like him?" Twilight froze, looking at the ground. "I-I..." Twilight stuttered as her eyes darted around. Rainbow Dash quickly flew down, wrapping one of her wings around Twilight. "Uh, sorry about that. I didn't mean anything like that. Ugh, can we please stop talking about all this mushy stuff and try to find this pony?" "Yeah, your right. Let's just forget about this whole thing. Forgiven?" Twilight asked, extending a hoof towards Rainbow. "Forgiven!" Rainbow said, slamming her hoof against Twilight's. //-------------------------------------------------------// On The Hunt - Finale //-------------------------------------------------------// On The Hunt - Finale Applejack and Gumdramon were walking down a dirt path, shinning their flashlights at the trees and bushes. "Man, I never knew Sweet Apple Acres could get so dark at night." Gumdramon said, squinting. "Yeah, all these shadows from the trees make it really hard ta see anythang." Applejack said, looking behind herself. "Luckily for you, I've been out here so much that I can actually see in the dark!" Applejack proudly stated, still looking behind herself. "Really, that's pretty co-" Gumdramon was interrupted by Applejack bumping into him, knocking them both to the ground. "What the? Why do I taste... apple?" Gumdramon thought before he slowly opened his eyes. One of their flashlight were shinning in his direction, revealing that Applejack was laying on top of him. Gumdramon's eyes suddenly widened, realizing that their lips were pressed against each other. Applejack slowly moved her lips away from Gumdramon's. "Whoops, sorry 'bout that." Applejack said while she got back up, her face blushing a little bit.. "Probably should've been looking where I was goin' instead of where I was." Joked, chuckled. She looked down at Gumdramon, noticing he was blushing profusely and staring directly into space with spiral eyes, with the occasional twitch. "Wow, I must be an amazin' smoocher if that little peck managed to knock him out." Applejack said, blushing a little more. "C'mon now, let's get ya back up." Applejack said, lifting Gumdramon by the shoulders. "Wow, you're lighter than a bucket of apples!" She chuckled, getting him back on his feet, only for him to fall back down. "Hmm, now how am I suppose ta wake him up?" Applejack wondered, tapping her chin. Suddenly, Applejack grew a large smile. "Of course! It's like that old fairy tale Granny Smith used ta tell me before I went ta bed." She said, walking over to Gumdramon's head. "If my kiss knocked him out, surely it can wake him back up!" Applejack puckered her lips as she slowly lowered her head down to Gumdramon. "Oh boy, do I ever feel awake!" Gumdramon shouted as he darted back up. "Hey now, that ain't how it works!" Applejack shouted at him. "You ain't supposed to wake up till I kiss ya!" "No seriously, I'm fine! Hey is that a clue!" Gumdramon quickly shouted before he started running. "Oh no you don't!" Applejack yelled as she lassoed Gumdramon, pulling him towards her. "Seriously, Applejack, why are you doing this?!" Gumdramon asked, freaking out. "Well you stole my first kiss. The least you can do is actually give me a REAL one." Applejack said, smirking at him. "Applejack, you're reminding me a lot of Pinkie Pie right now and that's not a good sign!" Gumdramon said, trying to back up. "Oh c'mon Gumdramon, I ain't askin' ya to go out with me." Applejack said, waving a hoof at him. "Wait, what?" Gumdramon asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I ain't into the whole idea of dating. That's more of Big Mac's thang." "So... what exactly is going on?" "Well, i do like ya, but I ain't takin' ya from somepony who really needs you." Applejack said, laughing a little. "Besides, you ain't gonna impress that mare if ya keep smoochin' like that. The least I can do is teach ya how to do it right." "Uh, I'm really confused. Is this a normal thing in Equestria?" "Eh, maybe. Now then, are we gonna try this again or do you wanna keep kissin' like wimp?" Applejack asked, smiling at him. "I honestly have no idea." Gumdramon said, shrugging. "Ugh, whatever! I'm still gonna smooch ya though." "Of course, why not?" Gumdramon said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, I do kinda need the practice." "That's good enough for me!" Applejack said before grabbing Gumdramon's face and pulling him in for a kiss. They both lightly blushed as their lips locked. Gumdramon slowly closed his eyes before he started kissing her back. After a few second, Applejack slowly pushed Gumdramon's head away from hers. "See, that wasn't so bad now was it?" "I-I guess not." Gumdramon said, lot making eye contact with her. "I gotta say, you're a great kisser. I little rusty, but that's fine." "Great, now can you please untie me." Gumdramon asked, awkwardly smiling at her. "Heh, sure thing surgarcube!" Applejack said, laughing a little. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were searching in several bushing, groaning after finding nothing in each on. "Anything?" Twilight asked Rainbow, looking in another bush. "I refer you to my previous, ugh!" Rainbow groaned, flying up to one of the trees. "Huh, that's weird?" Rainbow said, looking at one of the trees. "It's a tree Rainbow, we've seen hundreds of them for the past hour." Twilight said, walking up to her. "No, this one doesn't have any apples on it. But every other tree here still has apples on them." Rainbow said before looking closer at the branches. "And what's weirder is that these apples were cut, not bucked." "Hmm, you may have a point there Rainbow. But what kind of pony would steal apples and set patches of grass on fire?" "I don't know, but they sound like they have some life problems." Rainbow said, looking closely at the branches again. "Hey, you don't think Applejack would mind if we took one while we're out here, right?" Rainbow asked, looking at a shiny red delicious, only to receive no response. "Uh, Twi?" Rainbow said, looking behind her. Suddenly, a metal claw shot out of the tree and pulled her in. "Wait, something's wrong." Gumdramon said, placing an arm in front of Applejack. "What? What's wrong?" "I feel some kind of energy. It feels so... familiar." Gumdramon said, looking around. "There!" Gumdramon shouted, pointing at a large group of trees. Suddenly, three blue circles appeared in an upside down triangle on one of the trees. "Look out!" Gumdramon shouted, pushing Applejack out of the way as a giant metal claw flew directly at the two. Slowly exiting the shadows, the tree revealed that it was made of a yellow metal and it's innards were filled with mechanical wires and devices. "What is that?!" Applejack shouted. "A Voltroid!" Gumdramon said. "It's a creature made of pure energy, hosting a mechanical body of armor. They're kind of the eggheads of the Clans." Gumdramon explained as the Voltroid retracted it's claw. "Well, how do we beat it?" Applejack asked, quickly dodging another one of it's claws. "You see those three circles?" Gumdramon asked as he pointed to them on the Voltroid. "Hit that, hard!" "That's all I needed ta know!" Applejack said, running towards the Voltroid. Before it could fire another claw at her, Applejack bucked her hind legs into circles. As the metal flew off, it hole revealed a glowing, blue sphere inside. "Perfect! Leave the rest to me!" Gumdramon said, charging towards the Voltroid. Grabbing onto the orb, Gumdramon quickly pulled it out, tearing off the wires connecting it together. The Voltroid began to moved around a bit before falling over. "Whelp, looks like I've got a midnight snack!" Gumdramon said before devouring the sphere in one gulp. "Wow, I thought that thing was gonna be a lot tougher." Applejack said, kicking one of the robotic limbs. "Well, this seems to be a much older model." Gumdramon said, looking at the machine's circuitry. "This thing must have been sent here as a way to get rid of the outdated tech." "Well they better learn that Sweet Apple Acres is not a trash dump!" Applejack shouted, kicking the same robotic limb even harder. "Well, this isn't all that bad." Gumdramon said, still looking inside the Voltroid. "Now that this is here, I can use its parts for my inventions." "Really? You mean you can turn this piece of junk into somethin' useful?" "Yeah, pretty much." Gumdramon stopped, looking at one of the legs. It was burnt. "Wait, these things aren't able to use any kind of pyrotechnics, so how did it-" "HEY EVERYPONY!" Pinkie Pie's voice screamed at them, getting their attention. Turning around, they saw Twilight levitating four more of the same Voltroid. "Whoa, guess there were more than I thought." Gumdramon said, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, mind telling us what exactly these things are?" Rainbow asked, lifting one of their limbs. Gumdramon and Twilight were walking up the path to the castle. Twilight was now levitating all five of the Voltroids. "So, what exactly can you make with these things?" Twilight asked. "If most of the mechanisms work, probably a lot of things. Hopefully they weren't too damaged." Gumdramon said, looking at them. "Well, Rainbows may be beyond repair." Twilight said, laughing. "Heh, yeah! But it's worth a try!" Gumdramon laughed with her. As they walked into the castle, they stopped in utter silence once they reached the kitchen. Spike, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were all sitting at one side of the table. On the other side was a Charmander, Pikachu, and Oshawatt. https://camo.derpicdn.net/4887aecb76bc5b9bdfba5ee268d9d209eca38f87?url=https%3A%2F%2Forig00.deviantart.net%2Ff054%2Ff%2F2017%2F312%2Fb%2F3%2Fflare_by_theomniwriter-d9hmr9q.png https://camo.derpicdn.net/28944beed034d60a431b24fafb3840cf520928a8?url=https%3A%2F%2Forig00.deviantart.net%2F73e3%2Ff%2F2015%2F326%2F8%2Ff%2Fsparks_by_theomniwriter-d9hmpbb.png https://camo.derpicdn.net/e3531151acc254de728a8fcdac18ee2d9ac5b8c3?url=https%3A%2F%2Forig00.deviantart.net%2F2e3c%2Ff%2F2016%2F197%2Fc%2F5%2Foshawott_by_theomniwriter-d9hmdg4.png //-------------------------------------------------------// Uninvited Guests - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Uninvited Guests - Part 1 (Earlier That Day) Gumdramon and Twilight are walking towards the front door of the castle, Spike following right behind them. "Are you sure you'll be okay watching the girls? We might be gone for a few hours." Twilight asked. "Psh, piece of cake! I took care of all of your girls pets remember?" Spike replied, striking a confident pose as he walked. "Yeah, but these are three hyperactive fillies in a large, crystal castle. I don't think it'll be that easy." Spike reminisces about the time he and had to chase the CMC and pets to the Crystal Empire and back without Twilight or the girls noticing. "Oh, I think I can manage..." He said, sweat falling down the side of his head. "Well alright. They should be here right abo-" *DING DONG* Gumdramon opens the door and the three fillies rushed in. "Howdy Twilight! Thanks for lettin' us stay here while y'all take care of that mysterious pony messing with our farm!" Apple Bloom said, walking by her. "Wished I could go, but Rainbow Dash said I wasn't old enough. I would've taken it the hard way, but since it was Rainbow Dash it's fine!" Scootaloo explained, following behind Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle walks by her as well, but in a nervous way. "Yeah, it'll be a lot of fun hanging out together with..." She looks over at Spike, blushing a little and lovingly looks at him. "Spike... I-I mean ice cream! Hanging out together eating delicious ice cream!" She quickly shouted, intensely blushing in embarrassment. "Well just don't eat too much. It is a school night and I don't want you to miss any educational wonders." Twilight cheered, smiling at the thought of education. The CMC and Spike roll their eyes and shake their heads. "You two better hurry to Sweet Apple Acres. I mean, you wouldn't want to be... late!" Spike said, smirking at Twilight. "OH MY GOODNESS!!!" Twilight immediately teleports her and Gumdramon away. "Alright! No adults, kids only party!" Scootaloo cheered, jumping in the air with a raised hoof. "Well four isn't really a party. It's more of a hangout to be honest." Sweetie Belle said, causing Scootaloo to sigh and land beside her. "Sweetie... you're bumming me out." She said, shaking her head in disappointment. "Uh... Spike! What's on the list of activities?" Apple Bloom asked, trying to change the subject. "Oh, well I rented some movies at Blockbuckers. Follow me to the library!" He gestures them to follow as he walks down the hall. The others follow behind. Unknowing to them, the front door is crack open. Little claws grab the door and slowly open the door a little more. Everyone is looking through the selection of movies, Scootaloo looking pretty displeased. Apple Bloom keeps choosing the comedies and Sweetie keeps choosing the musicals. Scootaloo looks over at the other side of the room, seeing another box. She walks over and looks in it, looking surprised and amazed. "Whoa! What are these movies?!" She shouted in fascination. "Huh?" Spike walks over, looking into the box as well. "Oh, these are some of Gumdramon's movies he brought with him from other worlds. I think he said this one was mostly horrors." He explained, looking at some of film reels. "I wanna watch... this one!" She exclaimed, pulling out a film reel with the title "Poltergeist" written on a piece of tape on its side. "Eh, I don't know Scoots. Weren't ya scared of Rainbow's campfire stories?" Apple Bloom interjected. "Yeah, but movies are different. I can't explain it, but I can handle horror movies way better for some reason. So, what do you say Apple Bloom? Can YOU handle it?" Scootaloo asked with a sly smirk. "Oh, you're on! Spike, load it up!" Apple Bloom shouted, forcefully handing him the film reel. "Uh... are you okay with this Sweetie Belle?" He asked her, a drip of sweat falling down his forehead. "I-I... uh..." Sweetie Belle stopped for a second, thinking about the situation. "Wait, this is a horror movie. And I'll get scared by watching it. Which means I'll need... a strong dragon to comfort me. And I'll cuddle up next to him. Embracing each other during the scariest part and I'll look into his eyes and he'll look into mine... and... and..." "Uh, S-Sweetie Belle?" Spike waves his claw in front of her face. She shakes her head, blushing intensely. "Y-Yeah! Let's watch it!" "Oh, well alright then!" He shrugs and happily walks to the projector and gets it ready. (Later During the Movie) The room is almost completely dark, the only thing lighting it is the screen and projector itself. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are sitting next to each other on the left side of the couch, shaking a little. Sweetie Belle and Spike are sitting next to each other on the right side of the couch. Sweetie Belle is quaking in fear, covering her eyes most of the time. "Hey, are you okay?" Spike whispered to her, leaning a little close to her. Sweetie Belle shakes her head, clearly too scared to say anything. Nervously, Spike scoots a little closer to her and goes to hold her hoof. The screen flashes bright and a scared scream echoes through the room. Sweetie Belle immediately, without thinking, leans over to Spike and wraps her forelegs around him, holding him close. Spike intensely blushes, lifting his arms up, not sure what to do with them. Sweetie Belle nuzzles her face in his chest as the movie continued to make scary noises and screaming. "S-Sweetie Belle..." He thought to himself as he nervously pets her mane. She calms down a little and her grip on him loosens. She lifts up her head, looking into his eyes. "Spike..." She thinks to herself as she slowly moves her head closer to his, her cheeks burning red hot. Suddenly, the projector falls over, causing everyone to jump and fall off the couch. Spike lifts himself up, seeing Sweetie Belle under him. He blushes really hard and quickly gets up. "W-What was that?" He asked, helping her up. "No, what is THAT?!?!?!" Scootaloo points at the projector. A shadowy figure standing in front of the lens, the light blinding them from seeing what the figure looked like. The figure quickly runs off, slamming the library door. Spike and the girls quickly bust through the door, looking for the figure. Its footsteps loudly echoed through the halls, making it hard to tell where it went. "This way!" Spike shouted, pointing to the staircase. The figure's feet can be seen disappearing at the very top. They all chase after it upstairs, seeing it entire one of the rooms. Without warning, the four bust through the door, seeing three shadowy figure in the dark. Spike turns on the light, revealing a charmander, pikachu, and oshowatt. "Uh... hey?" The charmander said, waving a hand with a drip of sweat on the side of his head. //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue (Edited) //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue (Edited) It was another day in Ponyville and everything was peaceful once more. Tirek was defeated, Twilight was given the title "Princess of Friendship", and everything is back to normal. Well, almost normal. "Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Mysterious creature seen roaming the night!" A brown stallion with a yellow colored mane and tail yelled out to the other ponies walking by. The stallion obviously worked in the news business since he's wearing a fedora with a little piece of paper with the word "PRESS" on it. About five or six multicolored ponies were surrounding his newspaper stand, wanting to see what he was talking about. Two mares walked pass the stand. One was a white unicorn with a curly purple mane and tail. The other was a light yellow pegasus with a pink mane that somewhat covered her right eye. "Huh, did you h-hear that Rarity? A m-monster, in Ponyville! What if it tries to eat the animals or the other ponies or-" The panicking pegasus was silenced by a white hoof covering her mouth. "Don't get yourself worked up darling. Ponies just make up those stories so that we would buy more newspapers from them." Rarity said as she released her hoof from her friend's mouth. "Kinda like when you became a model and everypony wanted to buy anything that had the name "Fluttershy" on it." Rarity giggled at her own statement, but Fluttershy wasn't amused. "But what if there is a monster roaming Ponyville at night." She asked, shaking. "Did somepony say monster?!" Rarity and Fluttershy both jumped as a pink earth pony appeared in between them. "Pinkie Pie! Please don't do that. It always scares me when you um, pop out." Rarity said while taking deep breaths from time to time. "Oops, sorry about that. I just wanted to know more about this monster thingy. Ooh, do you think it likes parties, wait what am I talking about? Everypony loves parties! Except Gilda. I don't think she liked that party I threw, but since she's a mean meanie pants I can make an exception. Anyways, I was working on this rock sculpture and..." "PINKIE!" Rarity yelled at her, snapping her out of her ramble. "Yes~?" "Would you be a dear and please keep your pinkieness to a minimum?" Pinkie just stared at Rarity for a few seconds before growing a big smile on her face. "Oki doki loki." She sang as she trotted away. "I swear she keeps getting more and more random everyday." Rarity chuckled a little as she and Fluttershy continued to walk. "So Fluttershy, what did you want to do? Ooh, maybe we can go to the spa!" She shrieked with excitement. "Um, I was actually thinking about a nice, quiet picnic in the park." Fluttershy responded. "Oh come now dear, how would we ever do that. We don't even have a basket." "Oh, right." Fluttershy sadly responded and she retreated into her mane. "Well then, I guess we could go to the spa." "Wonderful! What are we waiting for, let's get fabulous~." Rarity sang as she grabbed one of Fluttershy's hooves and pulled her to the direction of the spa. *sigh* "I wish Rarity would let us do what I wanted to do for once. Well as long as she's happy I'm happy." Fluttershy was walking up the bridge to her front door step when she suddenly heard twig brake. This scared the pegasus so much that she jumped straight up into the air and floated back down with her wings. She looked around for a second and saw a large, gray unicorn stallion walking up to her. He had a black frazzled up mane and what looks like a five o'clock shadow. He was wearing a torn up white T-Shirt and his cutie mark was a broken dollar sign. "Oh, um... c-can I help you?" Fluttershy asked in a quiet voice. "Why yes, I believe you can help me." The mysterious stallion replied in a deep, raspy voice. "I am oh so lost and I was wondering if you could be so kind as to give me a bit or two so that I may buy a map." "Oh, ok. I think I have more than enough with me." Fluttershy reached a hoof into her saddle bag and pulled out a small bag of bits. She was about to untie the knot on it when she looked up and the stallion was inches from her face. He raised up his foreleg and pushed her onto the ground. Her bag was in the stallion's orange aura. "Thanks Missy. You're a very kind pony. Stupid, but kind." He started running away with her money. "Hey, t-that's not yours!" Fluttershy quietly yelled, tears building in her eyes. Before the stallion could say another word somepony or something jumped from one of the trees and landed in front of him. It definitely wasn't a pony because it was standing on two legs instead of four and it hand claws instead of hooves. Neither she nor the stallion could see the creature's face, for it was wearing the same kind of hood Zecora wore when they first met. Only this time she didn't know anything about this except... "Is that the monster of Ponyville?" Fluttershy thought out loud. "If it is, I-I can't have it attack that pony. Even if he did something bad to me." Fluttershy got back up and wiped the tears out of her eyes as she slowly walked towards them. "Huh? What do you want?" The stallion asked the creature standing before him. They were at the same height, so the stallion didn't take him as a threat. "Well, are you gonna answer me or not!" The stallion was starting to get frustrated with the creatures behavior. "Eh, I don't need this. Move it freak." He walked to the side of the creature, but was stopped when it grabbed his shirt. "Hey, what do you think your doing?" The creature's head turned around to looked at him. "I should be asking you the same question." Both Fluttershy and the stallion were shocked by the creature saying, well, anything. "Di-did you just t-talk." He asked, shaking in fear. "Wow, nothing gets by you does it?" The creature responded in a smooth, but calm, male teenager like voice. He reached out his other claw and grabbed the bag. "Hey, that's mine!" The stallion was once again furious. "Yeah, I don't think so." He started walking towards Fluttershy, until he felt his back get hit by the stallion's hoof. He almost fell to the ground, but stopped himself by placing one of his legs in front of him. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" He slowly put the bag into his hood and quickly turned around. "Tail Whacker!" He shouted as his reptile-like tail came out from under the fabric and hit all four of the stallion's hooves, making him fall down. He got back up, only to run in fear of the creature standing before him. The creature turned back around and started walking towards Fluttershy. She was shaking and cowering in fear as she hopelessly tried opening the door to her house. Before she knew it, he was right in front of her. Fluttershy quickly covered her face with her hooves, hoping that someone would save her. "P-please don't h-hurt me." She cried. She awaited for him to attack her, but he didn't. Fluttershy removed her hooves from her face as she saw the creature in front of her. He was kneeling down and extended his hand out, revealing her bag and bits. "I believe this belongs to you." "W-wait, your not gonna hurt me?" She asked, small streams of tears on her cheeks. "What? No! Why would I every hurt the ones that needed help?" He grabbed her hoof with one claw and placed the bag into it with the other. This action caused Fluttershy to grow a red tint on her cheeks. "Yell, I gotta get going." He stood back up and started running away. Fluttershy looked at her hoof and then back at him. Before he left Fluttershy started running after him. "W-wait, I didn't get your name!" He turned back around and took of his hood, revealing his face to her. he had a tall, sleek purple figure with three spikes looking things coming out on top of his head and a white stomach. He also had a rad shirt with two yellow circles on it, that didn't look like it was a size too big for him. He also had for white claws with black nails on each hand. Two yellow wings, light blue eyes, and a perfect yellow X on his for head. "The names Gumdramon." He said while smiling with his sharp teeth. "Flu-Fluttershy." And with that, he climbed up the nearest tree and started jumped from tree to tree, leaving the now confused pegasus behind. She didn't know what he was or where he came from. The only question she really wanted to know was... "When can I see you again?" Author's Note Hey everyone, in case your wondering about Gumdramon, just go look him HERE (http://theomniwriter.deviantart.com/art/Gumdramon-527218701) //-------------------------------------------------------// A New Friend - Part 1 (Edited) //-------------------------------------------------------// A New Friend - Part 1 (Edited) *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* There was a loud knocking coming from the front of the castle. This act caused a sleeping purple alicorn to awaken from her slumber. Popping one eye open, she rolled around in her covers until she fell of the bed. With a quick grunt, she got up and started making her way down stairs. "Uh, who could it be? *yawn* It's eight in the morning." Twilight complained as she walked towards the front door to her new crystal castle. She put one hoof on the door and slowly opened it. "Fluttershy? What are you *yawn* doing here?" Twilight asked, rubbing one of her eyes. "Oh dear, I-I'm sorry for w-waking you up Twilight. Maybe this isn't a good t-time." Fluttershy started turning around. "No, of course not. I was about to get up anyway. So, what did you want?" She asked, giving a reassuring smile to her friend. "W-well I um, do you know about those rumors about the m-monster of Ponyville?" "Yeah, why?" Twilight questioned, raising an eyebrow. "I uh, may have met it l-last night." Her mane was now covering half of her face. Twilight's jaw dropped straight to the floor. After a few seconds she shook her head and turned her attention back to Fluttershy. "Really?" "Um, y-yes." "Did it try to hurt you in any way?" She quickly asked, concerned about her friend. "What? N-no! He actually helped me." Twilight raised another eyebrow. "He?" "L-let me explain. If that's okay with you?" Twilight sat down and gestured her to continue. "Alright. Well last night , when I was about to go inside to check on my animals this stallion showed up and asks me for some bits to buy a map. I was going to give him some, but he knocked me to the ground, stole my bag and tried to run. He would have gotten away if h-he didn't show up. He was so brave and told the stallion to give me back my bag." Twilight didn't notice, but a red tint was starting to form on the shy pegasus' cheeks. "Did he hurt the stallion?" Twilight interrupted. "N-not really. All he did was knock the stallion down with tail. The stallion got so scared that he just ran away. He came up to me and I-I thought he was going to hurt me, but he didn't. He just put the bag in my hoof and walked away. He showed me what he looked like and told me that his name was Gumdramon." Twilight quickly stood back up and started pacing back and forth. She was doing this for about a minute or so, until... "I've got it!" She suddenly shouted. This outburst made Fluttershy lay on the floor, covering her head. A worried smile grew on Twilight's face. "Oops, sorry about that Fluttershy." She said, helping her friend off the ground. "I-t's ok. So what did you get. I mean, if y-you don't mind me asking." "Oh, well I was thinking that tonight we should do what we did when you turned into Flutterbat." "I don't really see why we would need to use mirrors..." "What? No." Twilight quickly interjected. "I meant Spike and the other girls will have a stakeout tonight and try to find this uh..." "Gumdramon." The pegasus replied. "Yeah, him." "But we don't even know where to start looking for him." Twilight was thinking about the situation for a moment, until another idea popped into her head. "Fluttershy, where exactly did you see him head off to when he left?" "Well, all I remember was that he started jumping from tree to tree and it looked like he was going to the park." "So then that's where we'll start the look out." "Um, Twilight?" "Hmm?" "Why are we trying to look for him?" "I just wanted to make sure that he's nice like you say and won't try to harm anypony." "Oh, ok." "It's settled then. We'll all meet at the entrance to Ponyville Park tonight!" Twilight shouted out with pride, making a victorious pose. "Um, yay." Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike were all standing at the entrance of the park, waiting for the rest of their friends. "Ugh!" Rainbow Dash grunted. "What's taking them so long? We've been waiting here for hours!" "It's only been fifteen minutes." Twilight replied. "Well it feels longer to me." Just as she said that, five figures started to come into view. Two were mares while the other three looked a little smaller. "Oh, no." Twilight thought out loud. As the figures finally emerged from the shadows, it was revealed to be Applejack, Rarity, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. The three fillies were full of energy, but Sweetie Belle suddenly stopped bouncing and became silent, staring directly at Spike. She stayed frozen for a moment until Applebloom bumped into her, bringing her back to the realm of the living. "Sorry that we're so late Twi, but I had ta take care of the fillies tonight. I couldn't just leave them alone." Applejack said. "And I could never go on a secret mission without something that absolutely screams secret." Rarity said, waving her hoof across the air to emphasize her point. Everypony just looked at her, raising their eyebrows. "But you're not wearing anything." Rainbow Dash said. "Or so you think." She replied with a smug smile. She spun around and was now wearing a slim and shiny dress. "What the - how did - with the - and the... huh?" Rainbow Dash blabbered out, confused. "Do you like it. I made it out of these special little gems I found just a few weeks ago. One side is invisible, while the other is just plain fabulous~!" She said, posing for her friends. "Yeah, whatever. Can we just get this over with already?" Rainbow asked with an irritated tone of voice. "Alright everypony!" Twilight shouted, getting everyone's attention. "Here's the plan, each of us will split into five teams of two. Applejack, you'll be teamed up with Applebloom." "Yeehaw!" The two country girls both cheered in unison. "Rainbow Dash, you and Scootaloo will be teamed up next." "Awesome!" Scootaloo shouted out in excitement. "Heh, stick with me kid and will find this guy in no time." Rainbow dash said, wrapping one of her forelegs around Scootaloo's shoulder. "Rarity, your teammate will be Pinkie Pie." "Yippee!" Pinkie screamed, magically appearing next to Rarity. "Oh, wonderful." Rarity said less enthusiastic, rolling her eyes. "And finally, Fluttershy and I will form the last team." Twilight stated with a proud pose. "Yay." Fluttershy cheered. The ponies started making their way towards the entrance of the park, until two figures suddenly zipped right in front of them. "Hey! You forgot us." Spike growled through his grinding teeth. "Oh, right." Twilight said, feeling a little guilty. "Um, how about you two become a team." Sweetie Belle's expression suddenly changed from anger to utter delight. "ALRIGHT!" She screamed, causing everyone to look at her with confusion. "I-I mean, sounds like a plan." She said, blushing a little. "Ok, let's go Sweetie." He said, walking through the gate with Sweetie Belle behind him. They all just stood there trying to figure out what just happened, but decided to just shrug it off and continue on with the mission. As they entered the park, they all started to walk in different directions with their partners. "Ugh! How long have we been lookin'?" Applebloom asked as she slid on the ground with nothing but her back legs moving. "'Bout," Applejack lifted a foreleg as if it had a watch on it. "Five minutes." She answered with a irritated look on her face. "Now could ya stop askin' that question!" "...and then I said 'Pudding? I didn't order any pudding', but that stallion showed me the clipboard and my name was on it! Can you believe it? So then I looked at him and-" "Pinkie Pie! Could you please stop talking!" Rarity screamed with steam blowing out of her nostrils. "Oki doki loki. Ooh, I know the perfect why to pass the time. Ahem, 100 buckets of oats on the wall, 100 buckets of oats! You take one pass it around, you got 99 buckets of oats on the wall! "Oh sweet Celestia make it stop!" Rarity thought to herself. Spike and Sweetie Belle were walking side by side. They were on a smooth dirt road in the middle of the park. While Spike was walking, Sweetie's blushing intensified every second. When she wasn't paying attention, she would be a few inches away from Spike. "Come on Sweetie Belle! Stop getting so close to him." She thought to herself. Once again she was closer to Spike, but this time her side was touching his. "Um, Sweetie Belle? What are you doing." He asked with a raised eyebrow, now looking directly at her. "Oh! I w-was just uh, scared. Yeah that's it, I was just scared. So I thought getting c-closer to you would make me feel s-safer." She smiled at Spike and hoped he would have bought her little fib. "Oh... Well ok. I'm actually glad to hear that." Sweetie's ears suddenly popped up. "Really? Why?" Spike put a claw to his chin. "Well it um, makes me feel like I'm useful." "But Spike, you're always useful." "Thanks Sweetie, but I don't really think everypony thinks that as much as you do." Sweetie Belle turned around to hide the angry expression on her face. "Who ever said that to Spike don't know what they're talking about." She thought to herself. She turned back to Spike with the same smile she had before. "So uh, nice night we're having today huh?" Spike thought for a second. "Um, yeah. It's pretty... dark." Spike and Sweetie Belle kept walking, but now with awkward silence. When Spike wasn't paying attention, Sweetie Belle repeatedly hit her forehead with her hoof. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid..." Twilight and Fluttershy were slowly walking past a park bench, when all of the sudden. CRACK "Aaah!" Fluttershy screamed. Twilight rolled her eyes as she walked towards the yellow pegasus. "Fluttershy get down from there." Fluttershy was hugging a tree branch. "Um, ok." She replied, flying down to the purple alicorn. This time another sound erupted, but it was the sound of guitar strings being tuned. "Wait..." *bing* "Hold on..." *bing* "Almost got it..." Fluttershy didn't scream this time, but Twilight still put her hoof to her mouth. "Shh, don't make any noise." "Why not?" The two ponies jumped when the pink earth pony popped out of nowhere. "Oh, so sorry dear. Pinkie Pie insisted we surprise you." "What in tarnation is goin' on here?" Applejack asked, walking out of the bushes with Applebloom. "Hey Twi, what's going on?" Spike asked, walking out of the bushes from the other side of the area with Sweetie Belle. Twilight shushed everyone. "Now that we're all here, lets get back to work." Just as she said that, another voice in front of the group was heard. "Finally my guitar's all tuned up. Now where was I? Oh, right." Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go So make the best of this test and don't ask why It's not a question but a lesson learned in time It's something unpredictable but in the end is right I hope you had the time of your life So take the photographs and still frames in your mind Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial For what it's worth, it was worth all the while It's something unpredictable but in the end is right I hope you had the time of your life It's something unpredictable but in the end is right I hope you had the time of your life It's something unpredictable but in the end is right I hope you had the time of your life "That's him. That's Gumdramon." Fluttershy whispered to to others who were now at a lost for words. "Well darling, you never told us he could sing." Rarity said. Suddenly Scootaloo walked from behind them looking confused. "Hey, have any of you seen Rainbow Dash?" *BONK* The group ran towards the tree, seeing a now unconscious Gumdramon laying on the trunk of it. "Oh yeah! Who's awesome? I'm awesome! That's right it's me, it's me, it's..." "RAINBOW DASH!!!" Everyone yelled at her. "What?" //-------------------------------------------------------// Pinkie Love - Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Pinkie Love - Part 2 Twilight was flipping through pages of a book, looking a little bored. She yawned, using her magic to put the book back in it's original place of the shelf. Twilight walked away from the book stand, heading towards the door. Once she opened it, she was tackled to the ground. She rubbed the top of her head from the impact and slowly opened one eye. "Gumdramon?" She questioned, blushing a little when she noticed he was on top of her. Gumdramon however didn't take light to it and quickly slammed the double doors to the library close. He turned, covering the doors with spread out arms, and quickly ran over to the couch. Twilight was about to say something, but was interrupted when Gumdramon lifted the couch over his head and placed it in front of the door. "And just for good measures." He said, turning the lock on the door. Twilight walks up to Gumdramon. "Gumdramon, can you please tell me what you're doing?" Gumdramon puts his hands on Twilight's shoulders. "Twilight! You have to hide me!" Twilight pushed his hands off of her shoulders. "What? From who?" She asked, looking worried. "Gumdramon! Where are you!" A familiar female voice called outside of the castle. Gumdramon's face quickly went from scared to down right terrified. "HER!" He yelled, running under the couch. He was shaking so violently that the couch did as yell. Twilight walked towards the window and opened it, sticking her head out, to see who he was hiding from. She had a questioning face when she saw Pinkie Pie waving one of her hooves in the air. "Pinkie Pie? What are you doing?" "Oh, nothing. Me and Gumdramon were just going to talk about our wedding and future foals." She replied with a huge smile. Twilight's face was now pale as snow. She turned around to Gumdramon, closing the window behind her with her magic. "G-Gumdramon... are you and Pinkie... dating?" She asked, almost on the verge of tears. Gumdramon quickly popped half of his body out from under the couch. "What?! No! We're not dating, she just started talking and acting like this." Twilight sighed in relief, wiping the tears forming in her eyes. "Thank goodness." She whispered to herself. "What'd you say?" "Nothing!" Twilight quickly replies. "I-I mean, do you know why she's acting like this?" Gumdramon taped his chin, trying to think of a reason. "I'm not sure. One moment she's waving to other ponies, but when she starts to wave to me she became crazy for me. Did she act like this earlier?" "No. I mean, she saw you leave the well this morning, but didn't act different. The only thing weird that happened was that she was bitten by a bug." Twilight said, pacing back and forth across the room. "What's so weird about that? People get bug bites all the time." "No, that's not the weird thing. It's the fact that there were no bugs in the area and I think I heard a weird sound before she got bitten." "What did it sound like?" "I'm not really sure, I think it sounded kinda like a quiet explosion." Gumdramon tried thinking of what it could be, but he just shrugged it off. "I got nothing." Suddenly, Twilight got a huge smile on her face. "I know!" She stated proudly. "We can ask Zecora, she knows almost everything when it comes to mysterious occurrences." "What, you mean the zebra that lives in the Everfree?" "Well, yeah. Why?" Gumdramon quickly hid under the couch again. "No! I can't leave the castle! She'll see me!" She quickly shouted, shaking the entire couch again. Twilight silently giggled into her hoof, using her magic to move the couch back to it's original position. "Don't worry Gumdramon, I'll just use a spell to make you invisible." Gumdramon was about to grab the couch again, but stopped after that statement. "Wait, you can do that?" "Of course I can, what do you think I read all day... comic books?" She asked, trotting pass him. "Wait, this place has comics?" He asked, quickly following her. The window in the library started swinging until a pink hoof grabbed the stool followed by a second one. Pinkie's head popped up, her eyes filled with anger. "Twilight, you just made a BIG MISTAKE!!!" She yelled with fire in her eyes and steam coming out of her ears. She turned to the reading. "You can tell I'm really angry because I used three exclamation points." She said, smiling. "Where was I? Oh, right!" Pinkie said out loud, making the same angry face from before. "Gummy-Wummy will be MINE!!!" She yelled, laughing maniacally with both fore hooves in the air. She then just started levitating to the ground as if she was on an elevator, humming the MLP FIM theme song. //-------------------------------------------------------// A Discorded Experience - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// A Discorded Experience - Part 1 Gumdramon and the mane six were walking through the streets of Ponyville. Applejack was telling Rainbow about her day at the farm, Rarity was telling Pinkie about her new line of dresses, and Gumdramon and Twilight were talking about their opinions about a book they had just finished reading. The only one who wasn't talking was Fluttershy. She was walking behind Gumdramon and Twilight, listening in on their conversation. "I wish I could talk to Gumdramon." She thought, looking down at the ground. "OW!" Gumdramon yelled in pain, gaining the attention of the entire group. "Are you okay Gu-" Fluttershy began, but stopped after seeing what was happening. Gumdramon was being repeatedly hit in the head by something floating in the air. After a few good hits, Gumdramon finally grabbed it. "Alright why a-" Gumdramon paused, looking at the object. "What the? Is this a rubber chicken with tentacles and binkies on them? Who would think of something like this?" Before he got and answer, the object teleported out of his hand. He looked around himself, only to start getting repeatedly hit in the back of the head with the object once again. Fluttershy was worried, but then she started to think for a second, realizing who it was. "Discord!" She yelled. The object stopped hitting Gumdramon. In a flash of light Discord appeared out of nowhere, holding the object. "Oh, hi Fluttershy." Discord said, doing a Tommy Wiseau impression. "Why are you hitting him?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Well I saw this monster near you girls and thought it was going to attack you." He replied. "I have a name y'know." Gumdramon said as he started to get back on his feet. "Discord, this is Gumdramon, our friend." Fluttershy said, pointing and smiling at Gumdramon. "Oh, so your the Gumdramon I keep hearing about." Discord said, magically appearing behind him. Discord had also turned his own ears into elephant ears for a split second, before turning them back to normal. "You've heard of me?" Gumdramon asked with a puzzled look. "Of course, I'm Discord! I know everything." He said, random images of the first few seasons of MLP flashed in his eyes. "Actually, I heard your name once in a while in Fluttershy's letters." He corrected himself, pulling out a piece of paper out of nowhere. "Well Discord, we were just about to get something to eat. Would you like to join us?" Fluttershy asked, grabbing the letter out of his hand. "I would love to! Let's go!" He said, snapping his fingers. In a flash, they were teleported to an outdoors restaurant in Ponyville. "What the-How did-huh?!" Gumdramon asked, confused by what just happened. "That's right, Gumdramon never met Discord before." Twilight said, patting Gumdramon on the back. "Ooh, story time!" Discord cheered, teleporting everyone onto stools at a mushroom-like table. Soon after, he teleported onto a fancy recliner. He wore a red bathrobe, a monocle, and had a pipe in his mouth, blowing bubbles with it. "Ehem." He coughed, opening a popup book. The first image was a goofy drawing of Discord that looked badly cutout. "My story began with me having fun with the ponies. Boy did they laugh and laugh... or was that just me?" He said, stroking his beard as he thought. "This is gonna be a long story." Rainbow mumbled, slamming her head on the table. "... And then we all sat down at this table. I began telling you all my life story. Ehem, my sto-" "NO!!!" Everyone, but Gumdramon, screamed, cutting Discord off before he could repeat the entire story. "Well there's no need to be so rude." He said, throwing the book behind him and into someone's soup. "I think it was an interesting story." Gumdramon said, taking a bite out of a daisy sandwich. "See, this guy gets it." Discord replied, pointed at Gumdramon. "That might be because there's another Lord of Chaos that's a lot eviler than you were." Pinkie said, drinking a chocolate milkshake. "What?!" Discord yelled, shocked by the sudden news. "Yeah, Lord Plasmamon is no joke." Gumdramon added. "There can only be one Lord of Chaos and that's me!" Discord yelled, flames bursting out his nostrils. "Well, I would say that you two use... different forms of chaos. Yours is more random and comedic, while his is destructive and evil. I'm actually glad that I'm with this Lord of Chaos instead of the other one." Gumdramon said, smiling. "That makes me feel a little better. At least he's not copying me." Discord said, making the silverware in front of him dance. Gumdramon was about to take another bite of his sandwich, but stopped when he couldn't feel it in his hands anymore. He opened his eyes to reveal a dark, empty void. He stood up, realizing there wasn't a stool anymore. He started to panic, but calmed down in a second. "Hello." A mysterious voice said. "Who's there?" Gumdramon replied, no emotion in his voice. "You." "What do I want with me?" "Find me." "Find you?" "Yes, you need to find yourself." "Why would I want to do that?" "So that you can be whole." "How does being whole feel?" "Good." "I'd like to feel good." "Then come and find me." "Okay." Gumdramon began walking in a random direction, following the mysterious voice. //-------------------------------------------------------// Escape - Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Escape - Part 1 The strange Veemon was walking into a smooth, metal cell. Once he entered, a yellow forcefield appeared, blocking the entrance. Hanging on the wall was Twilight Sparkle. Her bottom hooves were in a black rectangle attached to the back wall. Her other hooves were in a similar black rectangle above her head attached to the wall. Her eyelids twitched before opening. Once they were open, she immediately glared at him. "Who are you?! Why are you doing this!" She shouted at him. "The name is Exmon and I'm doing this for one simple reason... revenge." He stated, glaring back at her with a small grin. "I want to make Gumdramon lose the ones he loves! But first, I need to take some notes on you six." "W-What?" "It's not for me. One of my co-workers needs them, but he's far too incompetent to get them himself." She said, pulling out a notepad. "I guess that makes two of you." Twilight mumbled. "I wouldn't be so snippy. Don't forget where you are and where I am." There was nothing but silence as the two stared at each other. Suddenly, Twilight shot a large beam from her horn, only for Exmon to create red circle of energy to block it. "S-Such power! She's just like-" Exmon froze, his eyes widened and his pupils shrunk. He grabbed his head, screaming in pain. He began to sweat as he continued to scream, still blocking Twilight's beam. He clenched his teeth and started to rapidly shake his head. Sweat began to fall down Twilight's forehead and her horn began to turn red from the heat. "ENOUGH!!!" Exmon screamed, his shield turned into a tentacle and wrapped itself around Twilight's horn, detaching it's self in the process. "M-My, my magic!" Twilight shouted, trying to use her horn, only to no avail. "Is incapacitated... for now." Exmon said, breathing heavily. "You are quite powerful. Hmm..." Exmon got back on his feet and walked right up to her. "A horn and wings?" He stopped and looked at the notepad, flipping through the pages. "Hmm, according to this page, most of the ponies in your world are either a unicorn, pegasus, or... 'earth pony', is that right?" "Y-Yes, that is correct." "So why do you have a horn and wings?" Twilight stared at him, not moving a single muscle. "Alright, I guess we'll have to do this the more 'scientific' way." Exmon said, staring back at her, then down at her wings. "Hmm... your wings look different than the normal ones." He said as he slowly moved a single finger across the middle of her left wing. Twilight blushed, wiggling in her chains. "And you forelegs don't look as strong as an earth pony's" He said as he held one of her forelegs with both hands. "Could your um... cutie mark be the reason for this?" He said as he reached for her flank. "OKAY I'LL TALK!!!" She shouted, her entire face was engulfed in a blush. "That's more like it." "B-But you have to tell me something about yourself too." "Far enough, so... the wings and horns." He said, pulling out a pen. "... and that's how I became the Princess of Friendship." Twilight finished. "Hmm, your world in quite unique indeed." Exmon said as he finished writing something down on the notepad. "Alright, now it's my turn." She said, glaring at him. "Sure, ask away." "Why did you freak out earlier?" Exmon froze again, looking down at the ground. "Asked something else." He said in a flat and serious tone. "O-Okay... who are you and what is this place." Twilight asked, looking around. "I am Exmon, Lord Plasmamon's most powerful general in his army. And this, is DarkShoutmon's experiment holding facility. He's made so many experiments that we had to create several buildings just to hold them all. Next?" "Who's DarkShoutmon?" "He's the head scientist. Well, technically he's the only scientist, but even after using the others for experiments, he still wants to be called the head scientist." Exmon shook his head disapprovingly. "Honestly, he's lost his touch. Nearly all of his inventions now are total busts. Next?" "Where is L-Lord Plasmamon?" Twilight nervously asked. "Closer than you think." Exmon said, grinning with his eyes closed. "Well, this has been nice, but I've got one more cell to go to... and I think you know who's in it." Exmon said, before stepping out of the cage and reactivating the forcefield. "Gumdramon... no." Twilight said, lowering her head in sorrow. "I wish I could help you." "Well you can't help him, but I can help you!" A cheery voice said. "Huh, who said that?" Twilight asked, shooting her head back and forth. "Hey, down here." Twilight looked down, seeing what looks to be a... "A rabbit?" "Half right, the other half is robot." Rascal said, chomping on a nutty bar. "And you can talk?" "Really? You, a talking horse, thinks a talking rabbit is weird? Man your world makes no sense!" He said, getting up and walking back away from her with his robot arms. "First off, I'm a pony not a horse. And second off, what do you mean you can help me?" "It means exactly what it means. What you need a dictionary? And here I thought you were the bookworm." He said, rolling his eyes before touching both of the black rectangles. They opened, dropping Twilight onto the floor. "Wow, thank you!" She said, giving Rascal and hug. "Whoa, haven't had one of these in a while... I forgot how nice they feel." He said, returning the hug. "Ow!" Twilight said, holding her cheek. "Whoops, sorry about that." He apologized, wiggling his metal claws. He walked through the forcefield and tapped the screen next to the cell, dropping it. "Great, now I can go help Gumdramon!" She said, preparing to run. "Whoa, slow your roll!" Rascal said, standing in front of her. "Listen, you and I need to go help your other friends and get you guys back home." "But what about Gumdramon?" "Don't worry, he'll be fine. Trust me, Exmon doesn't know what's gonna hit him. Now come on, that rainbow pony is in this one over here. I can never seem to remember her name. I think it was something like Mindy, or was it more annoying." "Rainbow." "Macaroni."