Digimon in Equestria Folder 1: Agumon in Equestria

Falling… I’m falling? What was I doing before… I… I can’t remember. I can’t feel anything, I smell nothing but the rushing wind as I spiral down. I see nothing but the inky black void… I taste nothing but stale air and I hear nothing but rushing winds, and then….

I didn’t even have that. For a good while there was nothing. No sounds, no smells, no feelings, sights. Before long I could see an orange light… a light that glowed like a flame, I could feel the heat pouring from it! I could… smell the smoke? I coughed and spurted as I tasted the ash, but what I heard was not just the roars of the flames, but the screams… People were screaming, my eyes focused and I saw the city. Crates abound, burning, as ponies ran to and fro, fear in their eyes like I had never seen. I was looking down at them… was I flying?

“Connor?” A familiar voice asked from below me, I looked down to see Fluttershy covered in ash and blood.

“What did you do?”

I outstretched a hand instinctively, a boney arm was what raised… my arm…

“No. My arm, MY BODY. IT’S ALL MINE!!!” Skullgreymon’s voice snarled into my mind.

I woke up with a start again… another nightmare. This was the fourth in a row, the last two I had been chased by SkullGreymon… I guess he finally got bored. I had stopped sleeping in the same tent as Fluttershy, stating that it would be improper for us to sleep together seeing as I'm a guy and she’s a lady. I got Applebloom’s as she was fine sleeping with her sister, it was small but so was I so I didn’t mind it too much. Especially since it gave me a moment to recollect.

If this keeps going, I’m not so sure that I’ll be able to handle it, but it’s not like I can talk to anyone about this. My relationship with these ponies is on very thin ice and after my fight with Twilight I’m sure I’m in an enemy of my enemy is my friend situation. If they found out there was even a chance of me turning evil… I shook my head trying to clear these thoughts from my head, thoughts that had repeated every morning since the nightmares began. I needed to keep a cool head if I was going to get out of here alive.

“Connor it’s time to go! Wake up sleepy head!” Applejack called from outside my tent, “It’s time ta git goin'!”

“I’m up, I’m up!” I said, ironically thanking the nightmare for removing any morning grogginess I would have had. Sure, I still felt tired but at least I was alert. I got up and shivered once I noticed the biting cold, and walked out of the tent.

“Alright, pack up your tent and let’s get going!” Applejack said as she pushed the large bag that carried our supplies onto the cart.

I turned my gaze to the tent and set to work putting it back in its bag-like sleeve.

“How did you sleep?” Fluttershy asked from behind me.

I didn’t turn to look at her, pretending to be busy putting the tent away, “Fine, you?” A pretty good deflection if I say so myself.

“You talk in your sleep,” Fluttershy said simply, causing me to drop the tent before I heard her walk off in the directions of the cart.

I looked up at the cold grey sky, snow was falling slowly down to the ground taking its time to reach the ground. I turned my gaze to the mountain blocked horizon, and I saw a large sparkling city that loomed nearby. We were about an hour away from our destination. I was excited… but I was also anxious as something in my gut said something was wrong.

“Connor, ya comin'?” Applejack asked, a hint of worry in her voice. I turned to see that Fluttershy was next to her with a somewhat blank expression on her face, obviously she had been whispering something to her. Applebloom had obviously been listening as those big orange eyes looked at me quizzically.

“Yea… I’m comin',” I said, my nostrils flaring as I vented a bit of steam from my nose. That still feels weird, but it was starting to become the norm.

“Well, alright then,” Applejack said, shooting me a somewhat forced smile.

I walked to the back of the cart and grabbed the back of the cart and as I struggled to pull myself up, a yellow hoof was offered to me. I ignored it and with all my little dino strength pulled myself onto the cart. There were a few moments of silence.

“Alright Big Mac, let’s get going,” Applejack said awkwardly.

The ride was uncomfortable, to say the least. There was a silence that seemed to push inward like a tight grasp around my throat, but I didn’t dare break it, trying instead to keep warm. It was harder than it used to be for sure. An hour passed and Big Mac pulled through the sparkling crystal gates of the city. Ponies that shimmered as if they were made of transparent gems were watching us in curiosity. A curiosity which soon turned to fear when they saw me leaning out of the cart to look around. They began whispering amongst themselves almost immediately, some even running into their crystal-like houses.

“They sure do like crystals,” I muttered.

“Well it is the Crystal Empire,” Applejack chuckled.

I snorted in amusement before my attention was attracted to the large crystalline spire castle at the center of the city and our apparent destination. Honestly, it was quite the sight, reminding me a little of my trip to Paris with my family a few years back. That little thought of course immediately bummed me out, but I did my best to hide it by turning away from the group as the cart went silent for a bit.

“Can we visit Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle after we go to the castle, big sis?” Applebloom asked, breaking the silence.

“Oh, right. Almost forgot they volunteered to help Spike with his diplomatic duties!” Applejack said, letting out a chuckle.

“Spike?” I asked as I turned to look at them.

“Looong time friend of ours, he’s a dragon too!” Applebloom said excitedly, before looking embarrassed, “Wait, no yer a dinosaur, not a dragon.”

“I’m a human in a dinosaur’s body, yes,” I said in annoyance.

“Sorry…” Applebloom said apologetically, her head drooping and causing me to feel a sharp pain in my heart.

“Look it’s fine, you didn’t mean anything by it,” I awkwardly said quickly.

“He’s right, sugar cube! You didn’t mean nothin' by it,,” Applejack assured her, patting her on the back. Another memory of home surfaced, but I shoved it down well enough; there would be time for that later.

“So, there are dragons in this world?” I asked my curiosity building.

“Oh, yeah! They even have their own lands far to the west, it’s not very nice there, but the dragons don’t mind!” Applebloom said excitedly.

“To be honest,” Fluttershy whispered to me, “The real reason for the girls going to the Crystal Empire is that Scootalo’s aunt and Sweetie Belle’s sister Rarity thought they would be safer in the Crystal Empire. Applejack didn’t feel comfortable with sending her sister off where she couldn’t be sure she was safe so they the diplomacy duties were arranged,”

“Neat,” I said, it made a fair bit of sense to me. If these girls were as close as I assumed, it would be less of a hassle getting them to behave if they didn’t feel like it wasn’t their choice, I assumed it was brought to them as if they had a choice.

“Just wish I coulda come, but ma family needed my help on the farm,” Apple Bloom sighed longingly.

“Well, at least you get to stick with your family,” I said, though I must have come off as irritated because the young filly flattened her ears in recoil.

“Sorry….” She mumbled, her head drooping.

“It’s fine….” I murmured, letting out a sigh.

A few more minutes of silence passed.

“What was your family like?” She asked eventually.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I replied quickly, the scent of apple pie and the open field I used to play in my grandfather’s old farm coming to me. Worse still… I could still remember my mother’s voice telling me to wake up for school. Once again I turned away from the group.

“So-” She began.

“It’s fine,” I snapped, I didn’t really mean to, it just slipped. All this talk of family was starting to irritate me.

I looked around a bit more, catching sight of a few guards, they looked tired. Heavy bags under their eyes, barely held wavering upright spears, and sluggish movements… that didn’t bode well.

“You said the Crystal Empire was safer right?” I asked, turning to the cowpony.

“That’s right, there haven't been any Digimon sightings in the last 6 months the Digimon have been ere’! Ain’t that fantastic!?” Applejack said cheerfully.

“I think that that little record’s been broken,” I said pointing to the guards.

Applejack and Fluttershy’s eyes went wide in realization, Applejack’s attention being drawn down to Apple Bloom as the filly tapped her chest area.

“You think the girls are okay?” Apple Bloom asked, her eyes filled with fear and the beginnings of tears.

Applejack pulled her close and said, “Of course they are sugar cube, everything’s gonna be a-okay, they're with Shinin' Armor and Princess Cadence after all!”

This seemed to comfort the filly as she snuggled close. My immediate thought of that hug feeling really warm melted into a realization that the air around us felt warmer than it had before we reached the city. I looked up and saw a light blue energy shield that seemed to dome the city.

“How did I miss that…” I muttered under my breath. Cocking my head to the side, I realized it was harder to see depending on how much direct sunlight it was receiving. Of course, I started cocking my head to either side rapidly to amuse myself with this new thing.

“Uh… well we’re here partner, ya'll can stop having a stroke now,” Applejack chuckled.

I snorted out some steam and jumped out of the cart from where I was leaning on the side. With a thud, I was on the smooth stone road and just like everything else, it had a brilliant shine to it. This time it didn’t look like it was made of crystals but of some kind of really smooth asphalt.

“Ya comin', or are ya gonna admire the ground some more?” Applejack laughed.

I chuckled, “Sorry, it's just this city is so different from what I'm used to.”

“Yeah, it's somethin' else,” Applejack said, taking a deep breath before letting it out with a satisfied look on her face. After a few seconds, she cocked her head toward the castle in the universal 'Lets go' motion. My reply was a small nod as I followed along, Fluttershy deciding to trot close to me on my left. As I walked, I came to a startling realization.

“Uh, how are we gonna get up there?” I said pointing to the bottom of the castle as we walked under the castle which had no obvious entrance.

“There is a magical transport circle,” Fluttershy explained.

“Huh... neat,” I said as I stood with the rest of the group below the center of the castle.

Fluttershy looked upward and let out a whistle, a glowing white circle was slowly drawn at the bottom of the castle. The circle turned out to be a disk as it descended down to our level, after we backed up to give it some room, two sparkling pony guards with long spears, which they were barely holding onto with deep bags under their eyes appeared.

“State your business,” The guard to the left said in the most monotone voice I've ever had the displeasure of hearing.

“Uh, we’re here to see the princess, we need her help!” Applejack said after a few seconds of recovering from the shock, even if her face still told me that she was uncomfortable.

“Name…,” The right one said before yawning, and nearly passing out on the spot.

“Applejack!” She said a bit of pride before saying, “Element of Honesty!”

“You mean former Element of Honesty. I heard you guys got your flanks handed to you on a silver platter,” The right one snorted, before a frown came over his face, “Sorry that wasn’t funny… I’m just… nevermind you're on the list.”

Applejack raised and eyebrow but nodded, “Well alright then,”

“You guys look tired. Shifts been hard?” I asked.

“Nothing the crystal empire’s finest can’t handle,” The two guards said in perfect unison.

I turn to see Applejack, but meet Fluttershy’s eyes instead. I see that she shares my suspicion that something is up, but she seemed to take this moment of locking eyes to bore into my soul like she was looking for something, I turned away. A sound of satisfaction or perhaps confirmation coming from her.

The disk quickly floated back up to the castle, a feeling I likened to an elevator from back home, though a bit more unnerving due to the lack of walls. After that, it was a short walk through the long hallways and into the open windowed throne room adorned with crystal walls and royal purple drapes. Another winged unicorn, this one pink in fur with a long well kept mane that started with a very light yellow stripe before alternating between magenta and dark purple with the last three stripes. Her visage reminded me of the only other two winged princesses, Celestia the one that had kidnapped and force fused me and her accomplice Tara who had shot my arm off.

“Oh joy, another one,” I muttered bitterly, slowly turning to the fully armoured white furred stallion with a dark blue mane that seemed to have heard my muttering and turned to give me an angered look.

“Care to repeat that?” He said, narrowing his eyes at me.

“Oh. Joy. Another. One,” I said growling as I made sure to emphasize each and every syllable, I could feel the heat from my fight with Twilight resurface, but this time I shoved it down as it wasn’t able to catch me off guard. My vision however was still restricted a bit, my peripheral fading to nothing. All of this disappeared as I felt a firm slap upside my head.

“No, none of that,” Fluttershy hissed.

I snorted, the heat exiting from my nostrils in the form of small jets of flame.

“You’ve got something against ponies, friend?” The armoured pony said with an accusing undertone.

“Not all ponies, just ones with a horn and wings,” I replied coldly.

“Why you little-” The pony began attempting to take a step forward, being stopped by the pink winged unicorn, something about this pony was irritatingly familiar.

“No, Shining Armour, we aren’t here to start a fight. You're Connor Sanders right?” The pink pony asked, giving me… a look of remorse?

“Yep, how do you know my name?” I asked, crossing my arms as I awaited her answer.

She gave me a small friendly smile, which I suppose was supposed to put me at ease, it did not, but it didn’t hurt her case.

“My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Cadence. We got a letter from the capital that told us everything!” Cadence said with a friendly smile.

I couldn’t help but laugh at my italian lessons after high school coming back to me (I had gained quite the interest in Italian after learning spanish in high school).

“Is something funny?” She said, giving me looking confused and a little insulted.

“I'm sorry, but in one of the languages I know from my homeland, your name translates more or less to, My love, Cadence or I love Cadence!” I said chuckling.

She blinked a few times before laughing, “Oh my that is funny! My name here means, boundless love!” She said. Maybe this one was okay.

“Huh, neat,” I blinked, “Guess that means there are quite a few different languages here too.”

She nodded, before Shining Armour fake coughed turning her head to him.

“Oh right! We’re quite glad you’ve arrived. We have a problem,” Cadence began.

“Digimon have been using guerrilla tactics to tire out your guards to make them easy pickings for taking over,” I said nodding, catching the Princess off guard.

“I was thinkin' the same thing, Connor,” Applejack agreed, “Guard ponies don’t normally look all tired like that, Ah reckon their attacks were a might too frequent not allowing the guards to get a wink of sleep.”

“Yes, that is correct, how they are getting past the shield, Celestia knows!” Cadence sighed, shaking her head.

“Then let’s ask her,” I said with a grin.

“What?” Shining and Cadence asked in unison before getting my joke, Shining rolled his eyes and Cadence giggled before giving Shining Armour an unapproving look, she then whispered very loudly to him.

“Lighten up a bit, they're our guests, you're being rude,” Cadence hissed, her brows furrowing.

“He tried to kill my sister,” he hissed back, cocking his head in the direction of me.

“She shot his arm off, besides we both know Twilight needs a wake up call, she’s been going crazy ever since Ponyville, you know,” Cadence snapped back.

“That doesn’t give him the right to attack her, besides look at him, his arm's fine!” Shining said a little loudly.

“Yeah! Because he was forced into a body not his own!” Cadence snapped, “So how about you stop treating her like a perfect little princess and see her for what she’s become, a neurotic heap of rage and desperation that snaps at the slightest bit of pressure!"

“She’s not the only one…” Shining muttered barley audibly.

“These guys whisper pretty loudly,” I said leaning over to Fluttershy and giving her a little elbow to join me in my chuckling.

“You can hear them?” She whispered to me.

I blinked, “Uh... yeah, you can’t?”

“No…. oh wait, you're kinda like a dragon right? I hear they have great hearing!! All apex predators do usually,” Flutteshy whispered back.

I mulled this over and chalked it up to yet another enhanced sense before the fear of pain arose of being enhanced came to mind, but I banished it as fast as it came.

“Sorry for the wait, there is something we need to show you,” Cadence said apologetically before gesturing to an opening door to the far right of the throne. Out stood an orange furred unicorn with a reddish mane, white boot like marking on the ends of their hooves and length of his muzzle matched with light blue eyes. In his magic he held a pale white unicorn infant with a purple mane with a light blue stripe that matched her light blue eyes, her comically large wings having a pinkish tint.

Then, I was shocked to my core as the infant had a pure digivice with pink buttons in her mouth, floating next to her was a long white serpentine like creature with a more fox like head with a tiny red tipped nose, black tipped ears, a golden ring around where its neck would be if it had such a thing with golden markings stretching down most of its body. Now, although I was a big fan of Digimon, I couldn’t be expected to know every last one of them, but I could infer some things about it. For one, it had a holy ring around its neck, this means it was a holy digimon and most likely as powerful as a digimon of a level higher then it. This one by its size and looks was most likely a rookie, normally I would be hesitant to name it as a rookie due to gatomon existing (a champion that looked like a rookie), but there was no way it had enough time to reach champion and then master it to the point of not having to return to Rookie. It flew over to me and gave me a warm smile.

“Oh my I did not expect to see an Agumon in a place like this. Greetings Agumon, it's nice to meet you, my name is Kudamon!” Kudamon said warmly, it had a british accent funnily enough.

“My name is Connor, and yeah nice to meet you,” I said, taking a step back due to how close it was.

“I don’t mean any disrespect, but as you surely know, it is tradition for a Digimon to be referred to by its species, as unless they are part of a family. Unless... Do you have a family?” He asked, excited at the possibility. It was an innocent question, he didn’t mean anything by it, but I couldn’t help but feel quite angry at the question.

“Yes I do, but unfortunately due to the actions of certain individuals, I won’t be able to see them again for the foreseeable future,” I said calmly, but something in my tone made the digimon flinch.

“Ah, my apologies. I had no idea, Connor,” He said with a very apologetic smile.

“So where did this Digivice come from?” I asked the Kudamon, turning to the child’s caretaker.

“From the Crystal Heart funnily enough, this little troublemaker got up in the middle of the night and we had to chase her all the way to it. Then there was a flash of light and Kudamon’s egg and this Digivice came out of it,” The unicorn explained.

“Anything else,” I asked calmly.

“Well, there was an outline of some crest before the digivice appeared,” He continued.

“Could you draw the crest for me?” I asked.

“I actually already did,” He laughed, showing me the sketch. It was rough and a bit off but I could recognize it all the same. It was unmistakably the Crest of Light.