Chapters March Sierravista. Husband, Father, once Digi-Destined... Blacksmithing heir of Entropy... He was many things, but fantastically intelligent he was not.
His tale began when Dianamon of the Olympos XII used him as a means of escape from a binding fate. The day she mistimed her digital jump was the day their fates would be intertwined. From super conglomerates to the Digi-Devils of the Dark Ocean, his foes were varied and powerful. Despite this, with good friends, an awakened dark half and strengthened will, he made do.
His tale however had *ended*. The world could be saved by one of his many children and descendants, both half human and Digital... But, his foes would never rest, and thus in a moment of unguarded weakness was he met with a strange man in even stranger garb; within the comfort of his half destroyed/rebuilt castle no less.
It happened too quickly. No time to take a weapon. No time to take stock of any items. One moment he was surrounded by his many moon rabbits... The next, he was a prisoner upon a cursed moon.
The first year had been the hardest, his mortal mind still unable to fathom the immediate change in environment. Thankfully, deity and demon were not so easy to harm. Within the second year, their shared mind space, a recreation of their castle's forge room, would be created.
And so the trio spent the better part of a decade simply existing... That was until the first disturbance. It was a trivial affair, just an upstart child throwing a tantrum. Simply touching their mental barrier had put it to sleep.
Dianamon had been stronger then.
Centuries passed by slowly, the "child throwing a tantrum" had evolved into "that adolescent experiencing rage" to "Oh, this is actually an adult and they're pissed" whereas Dianamon had gone from "Sleep Inducing Goddess of the Moon" to "I can still induce sleep" to an unfortunate "I Am Smol Rabbit".
Which now brings us to...
"Ponies... We're surrounded by ponies..." March murmured.
"Hey! I asked you a question!" A rainbow maned pegasus shouted as they attempted to rush the currently Ultimate level being... Only to have their tail hog tied by an orange mare wearing a stetson hat.
"Woah~ Nelly! Why don't we think things through!?"
Of course, just as the cowpony(?) shouted at "Rainbow" she would groan as March was now being closely examined by a pink fluffy ball of cotton candy, "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name? Do you like parties- I loooove parties! Oh wait, you're not supposed to be here!"
March would attempt to step away only to find Pinkie Pie constantly ducking down and reappearing over his shoulder, over his head, under his crotch, and even out of his right ear as he tried to talk, "No, yeah, I got tha-"
"I mean, you fell out of the sky! Princess Celestia was supposed to come down from- *AUDIBLE GASP* "Did you do something to the princess!?"
The many ponies would stir, now sporting angered eyes before Twilight would teleport in between March and the now angry hoard.
"Wait! Stop! This creature is not your enemy!"
"Twilight!" Spike would shout with worry as he scrambled to the stage, "What are you doing!? You don't know if that thing is working with Nightmare Moon!" Drakeling would then point to the many crescent motifs scattered about March's body, "Look! It's covered in half moons!"
"Spike! I thought you didn't believe in Nightmare Moon!" Twilight shouted with righteous indignation.
"Well I do now! Plus, aren't you the one that said she would return after a thousand years!?"
The encroaching mob would stop, conversing amongst themselves as they digest this new information as Rainbow loosened herself, "And just how do you know so much? Are you a spy!?"
As the mob's restored angry attention was now squarely on Twilight, March would sigh before taking a cleansing breath...
"Everyone please just SHUT THE HELL UP AND FUCKING LISTEN!" Silence, followed by another cleansing breath, "Thanks Sato... Now, do I have everyone's attention?" Every pony nodded, mostly from the fact that they all experienced a visceral reaction after hearing that... word, "Okay, from what I'm hearing, your princess is in danger and that pony on the moon is dangerous."
When it was clear none would disturb him, he continued, "Now, where I'm from, we hunt demons like her..."
"I'm sorry, hunt?" An alabaster unicorn mare wearing what amounted to a noble's dress would ask in disgust as she made her presence known, "When you say... Hunt... You don't mean?"
"You don't often kill your demons, do you?" When the dreaded "K" word was uttered... The angry mob took a step back as they all seemed to show more than just apprehension. They held fear in their hearts... For their enemy.
"Wait, you can't kill Nightmare Moon!" Twilight began to argue as Rainbow stepping up next to her.
"Yeah! What, do you think we're just as bad as she is!? We're better than that! I'm better than that! PONYVILLE! Is BETTER THAN THAT!"
"YEEEEAAAAHHH!!"
Blinking, it was March's turn to be silenced.
"So whaddya say to that, uh... You... Rabbit... Thing?"
Smiling, March would release his form, returning to his normal human stature; to much surprise and gasps, "Okay, we'll do it your way, but the first sign of trouble and she dies. That goes double for anything that gets in the way."
"Now just hold on one apple pickin' second there partner," The cowpony declared as she climbed the stage, "Now Ah ain't sayin' I believe ya or this here Twilight gal, but iffin' ya think I'mma just let you wander off to Celestia knows where to do Celestia knows what then ya got another thing comin' to ya!"
"Why I concur!" The fancy dressed mare would shout as she was now nose to nose with March, stars in her eyes... Much to Spike's chagrin, "Not until you reveal your secret!~"
"Uh... My... Secret?"
With a haughty giggle, Rarity began to inspect his every feature and physical motions, flinching slightly at the dirt brown, large and loose fitting tank top he wore along with brown work boots and cargo shorts holding an empty tool belt, "Why... Yes, your secret! How was it you were able to change forms!? Why, your pink fur absolutely shines under the moonlight, ah but if only it's beauty wasn't marred by the garish brown of your... Wait, you don't have fur anymore."
"That's a really complicated question with an answer we don't have time for," March replied before looking at Twilight, "Can I assume you have the most information here about what we're fighting?"
Smiling brightly, Twilight gave a spirited nod, "It has been passed down the generations as a fable, that after a thousand years of banishment the seal placed upon the moon would break; freeing Nightmare Moon so she could bring everlasting night."
"Wow, that's a stupid plan," Lulu would speak through March, the ponies blinking in confusion as he continued the thought, "Ah- what my partner meant is most daylight crops will die without proper moonlight, even if you could concentrate enough sunlight through the moon. Most living things that need the sun would die after months."
"Oh yeah, that is a stupid plan." "Wait, are we all going to... Die?" "I don't wanna die! I wanna live!"
Bedlam soon followed as the crowd of ponies ran for their lives. Husbands to be with their wives. Mothers to be with their children. Friends and lovers alike running away so as to live whatever life they still could in spite... Save for six.
"Huh... You peo- ah... Ponies really don't have a concept of dea-" March would then find a cupcake shoved into his mouth.
"Chapter's over folks, come back next time!" Pinkie cheered to no one as the others looked at her strangely.
You Have What in Your Head?
March walked silently, eyes filled with purpose and focus-
"Heloooo ?~" Pinkie Pie would practically sing out as held her ear to March's cranium, "Can you hear me?"
"Marchy... Why is this... Sassy lost pony talking to us?" Lulu questioned within the confines of her partner's mind eliciting a reaction from the Pink One.
"Hey! I'm not lost!" Pinkie shouted with righteous indignation as she reeled her head back as if the offense disgusted her... Until she giggled, "I'm Pinkie Pie!~"
"Maaarch... That thing can HEAR us!" Sato declared as Pinkie now harrumphed.
"I'm not a thing! I'm-"
"Pinkie Pie, yes, we heard," March replied, Lulu and Sato joining their voices together. Every pony turned their heads to look at the blacksmith as Lulu gave a spirited, "Womp womp!"
"Just what are you?" Twilight asked with ever growing curiosity.
"And the hay ya mean by we ?" Applejack asked.
March would sigh and shake his head, "Like I said, that's-"
"Complicated and we don't have time, yeah yeah," Rainbow cut in, "Sure sounds like a good excuse for a spy!"
"Um... Mister Rabbit?" A voice soft as a cloud would ring within March's ears, his eyes being drawn to his immediate left before shifting just slightly over his shoulder as he looked at a single blue eye hide behind a mass of pink hair with a meep.
"Did... Did my heart skip a beat? " Sato spoke through March, the ponies surrounding him now paying even closer attention.
"I knew it! I knew there were other ponies in there!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
"Um, Pinkie? I don't think-" The soft voice would attempt to speak, their tranquility intruded upon by the loud rambunctiousness of the Pink One. Thankfully, she was content with simply talking to herself about a "Super Deluxe Triple Stacked Party".
March would try to reply to the shy, buttery yellow pony once more before Rainbow had stepped in between, "Hey! You stay away from her!"
Blinking, March noticed that, yes, the Shy One attempted to speak again as her Rainbow maned "friend" continued to speak over her, "And don't think I'm going to sit back if you try to do anything to my friends!"
"I can respect your loyalty," March would reply, his voice augmented by Sato's dark undertones, "But know that blind loyalty can harm those you want to protect. "
The temperature around them grew colder for the briefest of moments as Twilight pointed at a massive tree turned building, "Oh look, there's the library let's all go in!" Enveloping her charge in a violet aura, Twilight rushed away as the drakeling shouted, "Woah! Slow down, Twi!"
The others rushed forward as well... Save for the Rainbow One as they looked back to the Shy One... For all of a second. March didn't see it, but he looked back as Rainbow walked on ahead.
"Did... You say something to her?" March asked curiously as the buttery mare shook her head.
"I... Just wanted to apologize. My friends mean well and no bunny rabbit is an evil bunny rabbit."
...
"You have a lot of trust in me miss..."
With a giggle, the pony walked forward and pushed March forward with a wing, "Not miss. Just Fluttershy, Mr.-"
"Not mister," March replied with a smile of his own as he moved, "March."
Once safely inside, pony and man would find the others crowded around Twilight as she looked through a book.
"Here! These are the Elements of Harmony," Twilight spoke, "These are the artefacts that sealed away Nightmare Moon all those years ago. If we use them again-"
"Woah woah woah, slow down there egghead," Rainbow spoke as she pulled the book down from Twilight's view, much to her friend's audible disappointment as well as a cold glare from the drakeling, "What? You're really gonna trust something you read from a foal's bedtime story?"
"Pretty sure your Big Bad Evil Guy is, how'd you put it?" March asked as he found a wall to lean on.
"Who even are you!?" Rainbow shouted, "You fall from the sky, trash the stage we put out for the Princess and then you... You..."
"Right, I said the unalive word," March murmured as the others experienced a visceral reaction, faces showing disgust as their ears flattened backwards as if in fear, "Maybe we should... Introduce ourselves? Names, occupation, experience."
"Experience in exactly what , darling?" The alabaster unicorn asked.
"You know? Fighting?"
The cowpony and Rainbow shared a smile, striking their forehoofs together, "Name's Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria~"
"And A'hm Applejack! Me an mah brother Big Macintosh do all the apple pickin' down at the family orchard."
March nodded at this before looking at the other four ponies, "And you four?" He asked as the Pink One appeared in his vision as he immediately said, "Pinkie Pie, yes."
"Hrmm..." With a pout, the Pink One huffed... Something which riled the senses of the others, "I'm Ponyville's Party Planner."
"Good, we'll need a wild card," He gave the off put pony a smile, one she graciously returned in full, "So we've got a chaotic force of nature, a farmha-"
"Farmhoof, baby~" Lulu corrected audibly as March scratched his cheek.
"You... Know to make that distinction?" Twilight asked curiously, a pen and notepad appearing from a burst of magic which now floated curiously to the right of her field of vision.
March shrugged and smiled, "Eh, wasn't all that hard to- we're getting off topic. Science mare, name please?"
The lavender mare snorted and shook her head at this, "Science Mare? No no, my name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia~" She closed her eyes as she held her head up high, left forehoof held over her chest.
"And I'm Spike!" The drakeling exclaimed with a toothy grin and puff of his chest, "Twilight's number one assistant!"
"Okay, putting you down under non combatant support partner."
"Hey! What do you mean non combatant!?" Spike questioned indignantly.
"Hatchling, I could sever you limb from limb in a literal half second and you all told me you don't ki-" As March argued his point, Pinkie shoved another cupcake in his mouth.
"Can we ixnay on the ill kay?" The Pink One pleaded, their puffy bubblegum like mane in the process of deflating. Looking around, the drakeling was not only mortified, but was now cowering behind Twilight, the mare having dropped her hold on her items.
The others had fared equally as terribly, horror and panicked anger flaring up.
"I'll explain my side of things once we've all introduced ourselves and we get moving."
The blacksmith's words were less than reassuring, but one amongst the ponies held a bit more bravery than expected.
"Um... My name is Fluttershy. I help take care of sick and hurt animals that come from the Everfree forest..."
March nodded at this with a serious stare, "Can I assume you've seen your fair share of combat?" When the shy pegasus did not deny this, the others gave her strange looks which urged her to clarify.
"I've... Never been in a fight, but sometimes the animals come in... Injured, and sometimes I'd have to get help to stop one."
"Okay, marking you down as the group's beastmaster," March replied as Sato spoke, "And just where are we marking this down ?" His only reply being, "In my head."
"And that leaves you, miss-"
"Rarity Belle!~ Ponyville's resident fashionista!" The alabaster unicorn declared with playful pride, "I own and operate Carousel Boutique, where everything is chíc, unique, and magnifique~"
"Non combatant seamstress, good for armoring, but not for the battlefield."
"Hmph! I'll have you know that despite being a lady, I can defend myself~"
"Y-yeah!" Spike stammered out as he found the will to speak once more, "And what about you!? What gives you the right to act so high and mighty!?"
March stared at the drakeling before sighing, "Outside."
"Wh- outside?"
With flooding questions, the ponies all watched as March opened the door, walked out into the middle of the dirt path and motioned for Spike to follow, "The more time we waste here, the more time your Big Bad has to prepare. You want to prove your worth as a warrior? Fight me at my weakest."
Spike "Sparkle". Child. Son. Infant Assistant...
Dragon
To Twilight's credit, the child was given an education far more advanced than any one institution could provide. Being so young once allowed the unicorn to understand that children needed time and space to properly grow... But she was a pony, and she knew nothing of draconic pride.
Spike Sparkle. For all his knowledge and sense of self, could not deny the call to combat, and before he could realize it; he was ten feet away from March.
"W-wait, wha-" By the time he overcame that compulsion, March had already dashed past the drakeling's left side, only two inches away and with a sphere of water forming in his left hand.
"Signature Move: Tear Shoot!"
Spike would be staying home that night.
"Did you... Have to hurt Spike that way?" Twilight asked as Fluttershy had taken point to lead the group to the safest mouth of the Everfree Forest.
"I already told you, I didn't ," March argued, "I have a naturally occurring sleep inducing aura that transmits through touch."
"Like magic?" Pinkie asked as she bounced along.
"Speaking of, where did you say those magical artefacts you wanted were located?" March asked as Twilight opened the children's book.
"They're held within the Castle of the Two Sisters, a now long forgotten stronghold nestled within the heart of the Everfree Forest."
With a nod of understanding, March would step away from the group, the ponies now watching him tentatively.
"Alright everyone, my name is March Sierravista. With me are my two partners, SkullSatamon-" He raised his right hand, index finger pointing above his right shoulder as the hazy blackened image of a skull would stare back, "And Dianamon-" Mirroring the motion with his left hand, an armored face would look at the ponies with smiling lavender eyes, "I call em Sato and Lulu. They're my Digimon partners."
Blinking. Blinking. Silence... At least until-
"The hay's a Digimon?" Rainbow would ask.
"Walk and talk folks," March would offer as he stepped forward once more, the tips of his hair changing coloration from a golden chestnut brown to the softest lavender as a long tuft of hair would sprout from the middle of his hairline, "Lulu, how ya feeling?"
"I'll be fine, we didn't reach natural Ultimate evolution for nothing after all~"
"Partner? Dash asked a question," Applejack spoke as the group entered the forest proper.
"Right, you asked what a Digimon was," March replied as he took a cleansing breath, "The word Digimon is short for Digital Monster, monster being the operative word for the... Well, I don't wanna say species as there are definitely more than one species of Mon..."
"Digital?" Rarity asked curiously.
"Ah, that unfortunately explains a lot..." The ponies gave the blacksmith a curious look as he explained, "Data is a type of information, commonly found as biological Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid in worlds where an internet connection has yet to be established."
"Ooh, what's an internet!?~" Pinkie asked cheerfully as she bounced forward facing backwards, "Is that a double net for bug catching!?"
Fluttershy spoke up at this with worry, "Please don't catch the poor bugs, Pinkie..."
"So... This 'Internet' connection creates data?" Twilight asked.
"Well, the interconnected network helps keep data flowing from one server to the next, regardless of space or time," March explained as the group found themselves before a torrential rapid, "Nothing a Deep Saver can't handle."
"Deep... Saver?" Twilight asked as March rushed forward with a shout: "Lunamon, Digivolve to!"
As the human jumped, he shouted as fur sprouted from his limbs and metal tore out of his chest and eyes, ribbons sprouting from his back as his collarbone shattered outwards to create a metal plate linked necklace holding a medallion imprinted with the image of a sleeping crescent moon, "Lekismon!"
With several shouts of worry, March dove into the raging rapids only to reappear and holding on to a massive purple sea serpent with orange gold slicked back hair and half of a mustache.
"Godling Aura: Scion of Morpheus!" Raising a pawed hand, March would smack the serpent atop the head and knocking them out cold.
"You... You killed them!" Rarity shouted in horror as the serpent fell before the group chin first... And snoring.
March chuckled as he wiped his paws, "If I wanted him dead, I would have sliced his-" He would then blink and place his paws on a loose scale.
"Sliced his what?" Fluttershy asked, less from fear more from inquisitiveness.
"These scales! They're amazing! Hey, you girls go along ahead, I need to harvest one of these!" And with no patience, he would remove a loose scale from the serpent.
"Why I can't leave..." Rarity murmured as she swiped the the scale faster than March could react, the blacksmith's thoughts focused on a daydream, "This must be rectified!"
With a grand swipe, Rarity had sliced off her tail, much to the horror of her friends.
"Rare... That was yer tail..." Applejack murmured as Rarity took the lock of hair and tied it to a nub of hair upon the serpent's face; completing their mustachioed look.
"My tail will grow back, but this affront to style shall not be left unresolved!" Rarity declared with pride, being lifted away by Fluttershy, the others already having found their way to the other side of river, "Um, do you still want this scale?"
"Fuck yes?" March replied as he held out his palm, happily receiving the scale he had pulled off, "Moon's nice and bright tonight. Could infuse enough Data into this and shape change it into a halfway decent sword."
"Can you jump across on your own, Mister Bun- um... March?" Fluttershy asked, the blacksmith nodding happily as they continued on their way into a dense and darkened forest filled with dead trees.
"Stay close everypony, we don't know what's waiting for us in this forest," Twilight spoke as she took point, a luminous light emanating from the tip of her horn.
"Y-you don't think there are g-g-ghosts?" Fluttershy asked as she hid behind the half rabbit.
"Don't be silly, there's nothing to be afraid of when you're with friends!" Pinkie cheered, Twilight looking at the Pink One curiously.
As the forest grew darker, the group (Save March and Partners) began to experience a visual hallucination that super imposed disastrous visages of horror upon the dying trees, "Okay, now don't nopony panic..." Applejack murmured as she corralled her friends into a tighter cluster, "Let's jus' stick together and we an get through this..."
"Hold that thought," Sato murmured,"Looks like our moonicorn flooded this place with dark magic."
"Y-y-y-you aren't scared, Mister S-s-s-sato?" Fluttershy asked as she practically hugged March from behind.
"Of? They're just dead trees."
That was when Pinkie began to giggle... And then start to sing?
"And I'm clocking out," Sato murmured, "Singing multi colored ponies is where I draw the line."
"Aw, come on Sato, does a little singing bother you that much?" Lulu asked teasingly.
"It's only cool when we do it..."
"Hmph~ Womp womp."
As the night grew colder and as the moon shined brighter, darkness and data would grow in power to match as if awaiting the recommence of a thousand year struggle.
Really Though, What is Data?
Once the ponies had finished "Giggling at the Ghosties", the group walked further into the dense fog that covered the forestry until...
"Girls? Does anything looks strange to you?" Twilight asked.
"Why whatever do you mean, darling?" Rarity asked.
Twilight hummed as she took stock of the situation and area as she walked, "Well, pardon me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that look like the-" That was when she was face first with a massive beast more muscle than fur.
Pulling back, she was met with the visage of a lion, bat wings on its back and a scorpion's stinger for a tail, "Look out!" Applejack shouted as she roped the unicorn in by the tail as Rainbow flew in and slammed her hind leg against the right side of it's face mid roar.
"Um, girls?" Fluttershy attempted to gain the attention of the group, March's ear twitching.
"Talk to me, Flutter," The half Digimon spoke as the knelt next to the shy pegasus, "What do you need done?"
"That poor manticore has a thorn in it's little paw..." The mare's quiet concern voiced, March put down the serpent's scale and took a breath... Before pushing off, rushing the chimera just as it took a swipe at Applejack, the farm mare having entered the fray.
With a vault just a foot before the beast, March span counter clockwise as he straddled the now flailing beast, "No damage, just put it to sleep!" March shouted as he palmed the creature's scalp. As the beast struggled to maintain alertness, March would nudge the beast on to it's left side as Fluttershy hurried to the beast's pierced paw.
Though initially roaring in pain, the manticore had become calmed by a soothing aura...
"Signature Ability: Moonlight Aura."
Though some of the ponies looked back, Fluttershy watched in awe as the wound had closed, the manticore happily licking the pegasus in thanks.
"How did you know about the thorn?" Twilight asked as Fluttershy pet and cuddled the beast.
"Oh, it wasn't so hard," Fluttershy replied softly, "I noticed he favored his left forepaw and afterwards; I saw the thorn."
As March retrieved the scale once he was sure the beast would be fine, he was confronted by Rainbow Dash, "Hey... Uh... Rabbit thing."
"Just call me March."
Rolling her eyes, Rainbow would look at him quizzically before looking to Fluttershy, "Thanks for... Hearing her out. I feel like crud whenever I don't notice her talking to me."
"I don't blame you, these ears aren't for show after all~" With a one eyed smile, he would go back to infusing the scale with aquatic digital energy, shining it in the light of the moon when able... Until the fog returned.
"They're late, " A cold voice would say through the mist.
"This was the only way forward!" Another would chime along with yet another.
"Fear not, that shallow pegasus will fly here in order to salvage the bridge. Then we will entice her mind and heart with the promise of fame and fortune. "
"You think Fluttershy is shallow!?" Pinkie shouted, scaring the three voices as a trio of pegasus rush out wearing purple flight suits with a black lightning bolt pattern.
"None of you are supposed to be here! " The leader of the trio shouted.
Fluttershy had looked to Rainbow Dash, the mare huffing out visible puffs of smoke, "Shallow huh? Yeah, maybe I am..." That was when she stepped forward, Pinkie Pie smirking as she handed her a red and aged bandana. With the grace of the calmest wind, the pegasus had affixed the accessory upon her forehead before bursting forward with unimaginable speed. As fog and deadwood dispersed besides her, she struck the leader with an outstretched hoof before spinning in place and allowing her built momentum to be released as kinetic force... Causing the three interlopers to burst into smoke.
"Constructs!" Both March and Twilight shouted, the former kneeling down as he began to finish work on his new "Sword", "You kids go on without me," March continued, "This was just a distraction to keep you all occupied or to get you all killed."
"Ah can tell when a pony's tellin' us a fib, stranger..." Applejack spoke up, "But ya got an honest heart to ya. Y'all a hundred percent sure this here's a trap?"
"Almost certainly!" March declared as he began sharpening the edges, the makings of a handle already having formed at the base of the scale, "Now go! I'll catch up!"
Without another word, the six ponies rushed ahead, the blacksmith sighing, "Lulu, how's the Data infusion going?"
"Womp womp!" She replied happily, "That poor godling really thinks she can match me ~ The nerve of some creatures."
"Aw, is the little goddess of the moon feeling petty?" Sato said sarcastically, Lulu making March roll his eyes for her.
"Sato, finishing touches pal."
With a devil's cackle, red energy would be replaced with a sickly green, Sato's core energizing itself.
"Slide Warp Digivolution! Lekismon Digivolve to!"
With the fog dispersed and the path clear, the six ponies ran directly to and into the aged and derelict visage of what was the castle of the Two Sisters.
Fear and worry gripped the hearts of the many, mild frustration gripping two, "Just stop starin' at the darn things and I won't... Hafta hog tie ya away!" Applejack grunted as Rarity had started to muss with a set of destroyed tapestries.
"Just one! Just one! I can fix at least one!" Rarity pleaded.
"The world comes first," Twilight declared with purpose, the others looking at her as she began to scatter her magic throughout the hall they found themselves in. With a further push, she would begin to map out the inner workings of the castle before reeling immediately, "So... So many moving parts..."
Fluttershy and Pinkie had rushed to the unicorn's side, one immediately massaging their scalp and the other having produced a cupcake from her mane. Once Twilight was more or less over the initial discomfort, she would close her eyes and focus again.
"Thanks girls, I needed-" She had found what she was looking for, the Throne Room and it's hidden secret. Unfortunately, her problems were now twofold. From behind; a burst of magic so inherently violent it almost caused all in range to wretch from fear induced disgust. Before them; the mechanism hiding the Elements of Harmony had been activated... Revealing them to Nightmare Moon.
"We... Have to hurry..." Twilight groaned as she pushed forward.
"I don't want... To know what's back there..." Rarity continued as she steadied herself.
"But... Mr. Rabbit is still out there..." Fluttershy spoke as audibly as possible despite her internal need to flee for her life.
"He said to... Move!" Rainbow declared as she trot forward, heavy hoof fall after heavy hoof fall.
"Then let's!" Twilight shouted as her magic flared, the girls now directly before Nightmare Moon in a magenta burst of magic.
Nightmare Moon held a look of surprise, but smiled slyly before cackling madly, "Hm? What's this? More heroes who believe they can stop me?"
The girls took a step back in unison, Nightmare Moon grazing a stone sphere stamped with the image of a protruding gemstone, "However, as you can all see clearly~" With a mighty stamp, the aged stone became dust, the ponies crying out in horror as with a discharge of mana from her horn the dark princess shattered the remaining stones.
"Now bow before your new-"
The aura of fear and loathing had returned in full, a masculine cackle so heavy with the threat of violence shaking the souls of all but Nightmare Moon, the dark princess only becoming defensive as a mass of void gathered and condensed into a giant, purple of skin and garbed in metals of silver and emerald.
A green hood covered most of their head, their bog green face grinning with malice as crimson wings spread behind them, a tail half their size at ten feet slithered slowly in the air and a polished purple blade resting in their right hand.
"That... March had that..." Pinkie whispered as her mane lost its form, her colors darkening by several tones.
"Stand down, demon of Tartarus, this world is mine to conquer!" Nightmare Moon declared, charging a beam of concentrated shadow touched mana before firing at the "Demon".
"Child's play..." The Demon replied lazily as the angled the blade, cathing the beam along it's polished surface as it reflected harmlessly upwards, "Girls, I'll hold her off. You six find out how to beat her. Preferably before I have to unalive her."
"M-March?" Twilight asked, hope rekindling within her and her grieved friends.
"Who else would it be?" Looking back, March would lift his left hand, snagging Nightmare Moon by the throat as she teleported directly before him, "Again, this close to killing her."
"R-right! Girls... Huddle."
As Twilight rallied her allies, March had chosen to play with his opponent, "You may have had the upper hand on the moon," Letting go, he would spin a full three hundred sixty degrees to his left and angled his tail down so as to slam Nightmare Moon to the hard stone.
"You... The warden of my ever sleeping prison..." Nightmare grunted, dark energy eating away at the metal of her regalia, "You did not have this demonic form before..."
"That's because I don't need to," Sato would reply through March, "I only turn into Murmurkusmon when I need to teach some upstart godling brat a very valuable lesson."
"And what lesson would that be?" Nightmare asked as they took to their hooves and charged her mana upon the tip of her horn.
"Stalling's a bitch."
And with that, all the world was a rainbow.
Wireless Fidelity Severed
The last thing to grace March's sight was a rainbow, the colors rapidly draining away all darkness as it all turned to white. The last thing he felt was a great calm, his body frayed and excitable being brought to a soothed halt.
Unfortunately, the next thing was not so pleasant.
When he awoke, his wrists and ankles were bound to a bedframe as a winged and horned horse made itself known.
"And so we meet," A soft feminine voice would hum as she came into view, March's surroundings covered in darkness as a pale white horse with a muted pastel rainbow mane came into view... And they did not look happy.
"I'd say I touched a nerve... But I just woke up..." March groaned before sighing.
"You attacked my sister," The mystery mare scoffed.
"You... Put her up there, didn't you?"
The mare's face contorted with fury, small spheres of light appearing around her, "Don't change the subject! You tried to kill my sister!"
"No... I tried-" With a physical flex of his muscles, March would send out a small burst of dense dark mana; breaking the restraints, "To put her to sleep. You ... Look like you want to kill me ."
"You are a demon of Tartarus, here only to cause whatever trouble you see fit!" The mare declared with righteous fury... Before deflating, "But every account says otherwise. Despite your many threats of violence, deliberate acts of terrorism-"
"Terrorism?" All three voices questioned at once.
"As well as the property damage caused to Town Hall-"
"Is that where we landed when your sister blasted us planetside?" Sato asked, "If you ask me, it's pretty easy to figure out why she was there."
The horned, winged mare huffed as a fire seemed to light underneath her mane, "Oh? And why pray would that be, Demon?"
March's features darkened, SkullSatamon's crimson bones appearing over his features, "Aw, what an adorable little show..." Sarcastic glee would be replaced with harsh criticism, "Admit it, you're just a senseless monarch with a power kink... Sealing the only thing between you and total control-"
A grand, gold light would burst outwards, encompassing all shadow within the small room as its surface area started to melt and settle as the light faded, "And here you are, trying to kill us," Lulu continued with no less vitriol, "What can one expect from a child who never grew up?"
"I have!" The mare shouted, mane flaring with the force of a small star and further melting the room around her before snuffed out in a split second, "I ... I have. I wanted to use this night to reconnect with her..."
"Through a botched world domination attempt?" March asked as he looked at the damage, "Were you born yesterday or are you immortal?"
"Why would immortality correlate?" The mare asked curiously.
"For fucks sake, this is why I hate you angel types," Sato groaned as Lulu mentally rolled her eyes and earning him a glare from the mare, "It means you're too early in your life cycle to treat you like an actual adult."
"An actual- I am more than one thousand years old!"
"No, you're ten , because a ten year old has no concept of death or time," Sato bit back, "Mortals aged seventy to ninety understand life and society far more than some prissy godling sitting on a throne."
The mare slowly closed her eyes, glaring daggers at the half man... Before sighing, "I... Have been a child, haven't I?"
"At least you're aware," March murmured as he rubbed his wrist, "Say, you aren't planning on pinning your sister's crimes on me are you?"
"I thought about it, but as much as it pains me to say, I don't think I'd have my sister back if it wasn't for your intervention... And it seems our heroes have also taken a liking to you."
"Heroes?" The door to the room opened again, the six mares from the previous night's encounter rushing in and stopping just a foot away, "Ohhh, Hero-"
Fluttershy, to her credit, lasted all of two seconds before rushing the blacksmith, tears running down her face, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm-"
"Woah! Sorry about what?" His question... Spooked the others.
"Y'all was out cold and ya weren't breathin..." Applejack said softly, "We thought we... Hurt ya."
"You thought you kil-" March would find his mouth silenced once more by a cupcake, Pinkie looking at him sadly as she shakes her head slowly.
Taking the time to savor the treat and feeling much more refreshed afterwards, "So... I guess since I did my time with her sister-" He would casually point a thumb at the larger mare before getting to his feet and stretching languidly, "You all get to help me go back home~"
"Home?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Yes, home. The planet Earth? If you can harbor me, it means that there is or was at some point, a connection to the Greater Internet."
Blinks of confusion were his only reply.
"Okay... No internet..." Hanging his head, March sat cross legged on the bed and hummed in thought, "However you all seem to have magic. Any of you know about the Cosmic Microwave Background?"
When silence reigned, Twilight's magic burst before her, a quill and notepad now floating by her head once more.
"Okay... Gonna take that as a no," Clearing his throat, March would focus darkness and light upon his palms before gently coaxing them together into a contained explosion, "My world holds a long lasting theory known as the Big Bang. It was the point in time where existence as modern science knows it began."
"What's that got to do with... Whatcha call it?" Rainbow asked with genuine curiosity.
"Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, sometimes just CMB for short. The occult theory goes, that the energies from the Big Bang never faded and its what grants us magic... But who really knows."
Twilight's eyes would shine with stars, quill writing a mile a minute, "Actually, I'm a bit of a researcher myself and I would love to learn more about-"
"Now now, our new friend needs to rest, don't you?" The look the taller mare had given promised more annoyance than actual harm as they draped a wing over Twilight's eyes, "But, I fear I have forgotten myself. I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria."
"March Sierravista, blacksmith," he would then raise his hands up as Sato and Lulu came into ghostly view, "And my partners, the Arch Demon Sato-" SkullSatamon's skull appeared in his right hand with a grunt, "And Lulu, also known as Dianamon, goddess of the Moon," A Dianamon's armored face appeared with a pout.
"So you do have a demon with you," Celestia mused as March got to his feet and bowed.
"You don't attack me, we don't retaliate," March offered once the spectral images of his allies faded.
Celestia gave a huff, but smiled, "Likewise... Will you be staying here? You're free to remain at this clinic for however long until you find suitable living-"
"That ruined castle, I'll live there," March replied easily, the girls immediately moving to protest until-
"So it shall be," Celestia replied whilst draping her right wing over her chest, "It is in desperate need of repair however."
With a chuckle, March simply stretched before opening his bedside window, "No use staying here to whine about it. See ya~"
And with a leap into the air, holy energy would surround him as he cried, "Lunamon, Digivolve to!"
An elongated feline tail would sprout from his tail bone, fingernails became claws, his natural ears would recede and change into large feline ears as white fur would sprout from his joints along with a set of whiskers.
"Tailmon!"
Many a pony would scream and shout as he made contact with the ground floor as he races away, Celestia immediately regretting her every decision.
I'm a Blacksmith, Not an Architect.
Pawed, pounding hands impacted against the earth, the currently half-cat smiling ear to ear before immediately grinding to a halt... Followed by a horizontal tumble.
"What the fuck was that!?" Sato shouted.
"WE FORGOT THE SWORD!" Lulu cried as March took to his feet and patted himself down.
"Damn, and it's probably too late to ask for it... Well, it's not like we can't take care of ourselves..." With a playful kick, he was back on his way, "Plus, an abandoned castle means gear. Gear means metal, and metal means-"
"We're gonna have everything we need to make a somewhat dependable weapon," Sato said before groaning.
"Sato?" March called out as he mentally dived into his core.
Within the confines of his soul, he could feel the ebb and flow of his Dark Half and his Partner. As a consequence of just what he is, when he first experienced Dark Digivolution it did not draw from Lulu's psyche, (though she developed her own fairly different problems). Instead, the Dark digital transformation had ripped his Id away from him; creating SkullSatamon.
As a result, though divine light would never harm March because of Lulu, should she ever be caught unaware or lose consciousness... Any divine light no matter how weak would harm him utterly.
And so...
His core had been hurt a fair amount, nothing a day's rest couldn't fix... But neither the Blacksmith nor the Moon Deity could let their guard down again. Once his consciousness was once more focused upon the waking world, March held a hand over his chest, "Rest up, Sato. We'll take it from here."
"Do I look weak to-" Once more Sato groaned as he sighed, his bony frame shrinking and becoming... Fuzzy, "I hate taking this form..." Within the confines of his soul, March's Dark half had become a four foot brown furred koala like creature, two single scars adorning his face over each eye, two small horns atop his head, a pair of comically small crimson bat wings upon his back and an elongated tail tipped with a steel arrowhead.
Partner and Blacksmith chuckled as they ran, Lulu now petting the weakened demon while holding him like a plush toy, "Now now, Sugar ... is being a grumpy pants how you say thank you?"
"I didn't ask for your head pats!" Sato shouted... Before humming softly, "Hah... Thanks Lulu..."
"You're wel-"
The rustling of leaves caught their attention, March sliding to a successful stop this time as he slowly turned to the source of the noise. Ear twitching and swiveling, he took a feral stance as his claws began to glow a soft gold.
"We're not alone..." And nay, they were not. A wolf made of leaves and tree bark pounced from before him, hollowed eyes glowing green with the force of nature, wooden teeth bared to sink into his flesh.
"Signature Move!: Neko Scratch!"
Only for the foolish creature to be sliced evenly three ways across their body. With a clattering thud, the wolf was felled...
Sighing in relief, the Blacksmith allowed the glow to fade, "Glad to know the monsters here are pushov-" Only for him to step back as the wolf's paw attempted to claw into his leg, the scattered beast now reforming, "Guess we'll have to pull out a custom move."
"Oh?~ Are we using that ?" Lulu questioned with a smirk, March preparing himself as he mirrored the mental smile.
"Hey, I watched anime just like any other kid... So here goes!" A blazing orange flame soon covered his right paw, his steel like claws now tinged with the raging flame, "This hand of mine burns... And ROARS! BURNING-"
As he pulled back his claw, torso turning with it as the wolf once more lept so as to strike...
"FINGER!"
The wolf yelped, it's wooden body erupting in an uncontrolled burst of fire as the light of its eyes dimmed and faded, the "corpse" now a pile of coal and ash.
The blacksmith shook his clawed hand, the fires dissipating gently as his eyes scanned the area.
"There are more..." He murmured as he slowly turned a complete three hundred and sixty degrees.
"They're watching us," Lulu replied, "Should we stay and fight?"
Nodding, both claws were now covered in flame. Understanding the situation, the sounds of pounding paws echoed softly before fading entirely.
"Guess they weren't hungry," March said with a chuckle, fires snuffed before making his way to the castle once more.
He took note that someone or thing had hoisted a bridge over the massive gorge leading to the ruins at some point once he drew near, eyes quickly appraising the woodwork and found it more than satisfactory.
"Think this is a trap?" Sato asked, voice holding a bit more strength.
"I don't sense any magic," Lulu offered as the bridge was crossed.
Not wanting to jinx his luck, March kept his mouth shut as he ran across the bridge and towards the ruined castle.
Underneath the light of the sun, the aged, shrub covered brick worked structure appeared rather... Nostalgic to Blacksmith and partners.
Slowing to a leisurely walk, March placed a hand upon the entrance, "Reminds me of..."
"Home."
The trio spoke as one, the stone doors pushing inwards as March took in the sights of damaged tapestries, scattered rubble and debris and several holes in the roof.
"Yeah... Shit hole looks almost as crap as our castle..." Sato murmured.
"Yeah well... Now we get to rebuild this castle," Lulu offered.
Sighing, March slowly made his way to the throne room, "Never had to build a house before... Guess now would be a time to learn," Taking a seat, his form reverted as he was once more human shaped, "Somehow... I'm just not excited."
Starting to Feel Like Home
The soft sounds of rock and dust echoed in the halls of the once grand castle. Tapestries that hung limp and torn were pulled away in their entirety and folded as neatly as possible.
It was a difficult task... Said task made more so when the blacksmith had decided to hunt for proper tools for the job ahead of him.
"Aged and broken brooms..." Lulu murmured.
"Cracked and useless hammers..." March continued with a bitter tongue as he tossed another sorry excuse for a hammer over his shoulder and on to a pile of what he deemed to be scrap metal and wood.
"Somehow still all magically charged," Lulu added with a happier tone as the blacksmith knelt before his pile of junk, his partner's energies mixing with the latent and nigh exhausted magics held within the objects.
The best hammer head broke away and soon sat by his side and the best handle (broom or otherwise) now sat with it. Next was the best broom head (though "best" was pushing it) and of course the second best of the wooden handles. After a bit of Digital/Magical jury-rigging, March had a halfway useable hammer and a broom able to withstand a decent amount of energy infusion.
And so, for the last half of the day the blacksmith did his best to tidy up, breaking apart the larger "boulders" of debris and sweeping it into manageable piles... Until he fell over, hand on his stomach and pained gasps escaping him as he shouted.
"L-Lulu! How... How many years were we on that moon?" He questioned as he crawled along the floor.
His partner wasn't doing so well either, her owned pained shouts echoing her partner's, "One... AHHHHAAA!!! One thousand years!!!"
"One... Thousand..." With a grunt, March failed to keep his pace as he slipped and fell face first upon the floor, "How much... Magic was on that moon!?"
"DOES IT MATTER!?" Lulu shouted with pained indignation, "IT'S COMING OUT!!"
With one last cry underneath the moonlight, blacksmith and partners shared each other's pain as the castle was bathed in lavender light.
When March opened his eyes next, he found himself upon a bed decorated in space blue sheets, the cloth seemingly shining with the light of the stars themselves. To his right, Sato still in his Phascomon form and to his left, Lulu as a Lunamon. Directly before him was a winged horse of the darkest blue, mane flowing in nonexistent wind and shining with celestial light.
"WE HOLD HOPE THAT THESE ACCOMODATIONS ARE TO THINE PREFERENCES," The mare offered... Rather loudly, Lulu groaning as she held her ears.
"Marchy... Why is she loud... "
Sighing, the blacksmith sat up as he looked around the room, the entirety of it decorated much the same way.
"I don't mind this, but could you quiet down? My partners need their rest."
"WE APOLOGIZE, WE- We shall utilize Our "inside" voice, as Tia hath so bluntly put it," The mare replied as she drew closer... However, her inside voice was still quite audible.
"Still loud, but that's probably the best I'll get, isn't it?" The blacksmith asked as he slowly placed a hand on his stomach.
"As Co-Ruler of Equestria, tis Our obligation to make use of the Royal Canterlot Voice," The mare explained, "We have not yet formally become acquainted. We art Princess Luna, Co-Ruler of Equestria and Princess of the Moon. Thou art..." Her face contorted... Horn aglow as the scenery began to shift until returning to "normal", "How queer, We can not peer into thine dreams."
March pet Lulu gently as he smiled, "Right... March Sierravista. Scion of Morpheus, Hand of Thanatos... Hephaestus himself made flesh and Entropic Shard of the first Digimon King."
"King?" The princess questioned, "Dost though mean that We art in the presence of a fellow sovereign?"
"Eh, you could say I'm a fellow prince..." March looked away with a smile before his features mellowed, "Besides that, I have a good handle on my Dreams, so you'd have to be the Goddess of the Moon to even try."
"We see..." With a hum, Luna trot to the side of the bed as she stared at Sato, "Thou hast surrounded thyself with strange beasts."
"That strange beast is a part of me," March replied quickly and defensively.
"Except for me, I'm his mate and partner..." Lulu murmured, Luna blushing quite a bit.
"M-mate!?" This cry was only met with a chuckle and a tired "Womp womp." Clearing their throat, Luna looked to March once more, "Regardless, we have come here, to the crossroads of all Dreams, to thank thee for aiding the Elements of Harmony in liberating Ourselves from Our self inflicted torment."
Luna thusly bowed, wings unfurling and folding before her.
"Right... If it's all the same with you, I think I'll sleep now..."
With a yawn, March ignored Luna's further olden day speech patterns, hand upon Lulu's head as he practically banished the mare from his presence as his head fell upon the pillows of the dreamscape.
When next he awoke, he found himself in a tattered room, a stone replica of the spacial Dream Room. Alone, he realized that someone or something had dragged him to this half destroyed bed... Along with a crescent adorned lavender egg.
"Heheh... Hurt like a bitch... But here you are, little one..." With an exhausted yawn, March once more closed his eyes as his hand gently caressed the egg until he could move no longer. Minutes passed slowly, unbeknownst to the Blacksmith, the egg shined softly until it fell into the Void, multiplying endlessly as it fell... Right back on to the bed.
None the wiser, March awoke with a languid stretch as he once more smiled at the egg, "This one's special, I can feel it..."
"Mm... Special huh?" Sato murmured within the smith's soul along with Lulu, the two sharing in the happiness.
"Come on... Let's wrap her up and get back to work..."
Hours once more passed, March diligently cleaning more and more of the castle with the egg strapped to his back via a purified and cleaned tapestry cloth. Humming to himself, his work was interrupted at the sounds of keratin knocking upon the castle's door followed by soft trotting.
"H-hello!? March!? Are you there?" A somewhat familiar voice called out.
"Hey... That sounds like the purple one," Sato murmured.
"The one with the starburst on her butt?" Lulu asked.
"Let's not... Draw attention to that, it could be a cultural tattoo or something," March offered as he found his way to the mare in question, said mare slowly trotting along the stone carefully.
"You've certainly been... Busy?" The unicorn questioned as they spied the glistening top of the torso sized egg strapped to his back, "What... Is that? And what are you wearing to keep hold of it?"
"Oh this?" The blacksmith questioned in kind as he smiled, idly tugging the fabric, "I hope your rulers don't mind, I needed to use one of their banners to make a modified rebozo to carry my baby."
Twilight smiled... Curiously at this, "A rebozo? I don't think I've-" That was when her mind finally processed his words, "B-BABY!? YOU HAVE A BABY!? HOW!? WHEN!?" Popping in and out of existence in an instant, Twilight was now dangerously close to touching the egg...
Until of course a clawed finger hovered dangerously close to her neck, March having grown black cat ears, patches of black fur, as well as an elongated tail.
"Not. Another. Step..." He growled, golden slits staring the unicorn down before softening, "Sorry, Digitama though stronger than your average egg are still pretty fragi-"
With a loud thunk, Twilight had passed out, March sighing as he hefted the mare over his left shoulder and took her to the same bed he had awoken in...
Wouldn't You Like To Get Away?
Twilight had awoken with a groan, the entire left side of her face feeling pained and numb all at once. It was a hell of a way to continue her day... First, Princess Celestia herself invited her to the Grand Galloping Galla, an exclusive event so prodigious and extravagant that only the who's who of Canterlot were ever allowed in. Secondly, she had only given her two tickets... And she now had friends. Plural. Which lead her to her third and final problem.
All of her friends had a reason to go, and they all stopped at nothing to get into her good graces, "I really wish they didn't try so hard... Making friends is a lot more complicated than I-" With a gasp and widening eyes, Twilight scrambled away from the bed bellow her body, falling to the floor as she attempted to recall her very last memory.
With a groan and a calmer mind, she hoisted herself back to the arguably comfortable bed, "I... I left Spike to come to the Castle of the Two Sisters..." She murmured to herself, the drakeling himself suggesting she find a safe haven to properly order her thoughts (and definitely not so he had a reason to stay behind and ogle a certain seamstress), "Then I came to the castle..." She recalled it's newest and only resident, March, sweeping away at rubble and debris, one of the castle's tapestries wrapped around his body and-
"The egg... He said it was his..." A hoof grazed her neck cautiously. He didn't touch her, of that she was sure... But the threat of a swift end shelved any and all questions and curiosities she had about the egg. That however came with it's own now burgeoning questions, "He doesn't trust us... Or, do they not trust us? They saved our lives... But-"
The thought was snapped in two, the door to the room opening slowly as a hand poked in holding a cup of water.
"The pantry was empty, but I found some dishware and purified a cup..." March spoke apologetically before he walked in, catty features long gone, "I'm... Sorry for almost... You know."
"The world you come from... There's a lot of..." The word hung heavy in Twilight's mind, her throat practically catching the word, forcing it still in fear that should it so much as escape it would do unimaginable harm.
Witnessing the inner turmoil, the blacksmith simply sighed before going inside and offering the cup, "Look... I've got blood on my hands. Not just Digital. I've got enemies... And I've gotten horribly paranoid because of it."
Twilight gulped at this... Before calmly taking the water... Taking a sip... And immediately drinking the rest, "What was in that water!?"
"Holy magic?" March offered as he refilled the cup, a sphere of glistening water dropping in, "Part of my abilities."
Twilight blinked, her mind racing with the thought of still yet undiscovered magics... But then she remembered. Not the claw to her throat. Not the threat of vengeance... It was the eyes. Those feral eyes that shook with such fear and rage.
She was a student first... And maybe that was the problem.
"March... I-" The sounds of shouting was heard through the halls, the voices of her new friends echoing out in worried search of her.
"Huh, sounds like the girls..." March murmured before smiling sadly, "Uh... Hey. Before they find us... You wanna touch the egg?"
Flabbergasted, Twilight only managed to give a small, "Guh?" in question as the Blacksmith swiftly but carefully removed the egg from his back.
"Hurry up," Sato groaned, "Before we make him change our minds."
And so, Twilight tentatively placed her right forehoof upon the egg... "It's... Cold."
"Yeah... It's a trait of the Deep Savers. Aquatic eggs are usually kinda cold~" March explained with a chuckle before wrapping the egg upon his back once more, "We should see your friends."
"Friends..." Twilight murmured as she looked at the floor and smiled, "Thank you, I know what to do now."
"You do? Wait... What did I do?" As the blacksmith questioned her with a confused smile, Twilight popped out of existence before returning with her friends... Who were now more than thoroughly confused. At least until they all decided to pounce on Twilight.
"WE'RE SO SORRY!" The mares shouted as one, Rarity speaking first.
"I apologize, Twilight dear, I was being so selfish."
"Same goes for me," Applejack continued, getting three quick nods in response from Pinkie and Rainbow, "Ah kept thinkin' bout how that many fancy pants ponies in one spot would help out tha farm with sales and such!"
"Yeah, I just wanted a chance to show off to the Wonderbolts," Dash confessed.
"I mean it's THE Grand Galloping Gala!" Pinkie cheered... Before deflating, "Hah... It's supposed to be the greatest party ever."
"And you two?" March asked, scaring the ponies for a moment, Pinkie Pie reinflating as she pointed at him.
"When did you get here!?'
"I was... Already here?" With that, the girls simply shrugged, Rarity clearing her throat.
"Yes, well... I wished to attend in the hopes of meeting the stallion of my dreams~" As she had said this as sweetly as possible, a small grumble could be heard from Pinkie's mane. When she reached in, she pulled out-
"SPIKE!?" Twilight cried, the dragon smiling before rubbing his arms.
"Everything got really tight in there for some reason? Somepony make Pinkie- dude, is that an egg?" He questioned as he pointed at March's back, the blacksmith chuckling as he maneuvered it to his front.
"I'll let everyone have a turn with the baby after you've aired your grievances," The smith explained as he turned to Fluttershy, "That said, you're up."
"Oh- I... Really wanted to play with the exotic animals..."
Nodding, March looked to Twilight, "So, you said you knew what to do?"
"I do," With a small huff, Twilight looked at all of her friends, "I'm going to ask the Princess for extra tickets-" This elicited a sharp and loud "WHAT!?" from the ponies in the room. Recovering her hearing, Twilight continued as she rubbed her flattened ears, "I'm going to ask for extra tickets. If she denies me this request, we can still go to Canterlot and we can have a small party at Pony Joe's... Just us."
"Oh my gosh, I love those donuts!" Spike cheered, "You guys really need to try them!"
"YEAH!" The six cheered as they 'high fived the sky', the girls jumping up for joy...
Of course, two of the mares remembered a promise...
"Um... March?" Fluttershy questioned as she looked at both smith and egg with widened, pleading eyes, "Did you say... Baby?"
Chuckling, March unfurled the egg, showing the crescent stamped 'baby', "Here. Go on..."
Dragon and ponies (save for Twilight) looked upon the egg and drew closer as, even though he flinched, March watched as they all touched the egg... As it cracked.
With horrified gasps all around, a lavender glow escaped the egg before shining white. The crack soon ran along a jagged line along the egg, the light soothing only once the circuit was complete. As silence engulfed the world, the eggshell soon rose, a yawn echoing from within. Staring at the guests with grand golden eyes was a light blue creature seemingly simulating a bulbous ball of water with an elongated prong simulating a water trail.
"Oh wow... I didn't think she'd be born this fast..." March uttered with a shaky smile, tears forming on his eyes as he removed the shell and held the newly born Digimon, "Girls... Spike... Meet my baby, Moonmon."
All in attendance blinked... And cried out, "EH!?"
"SHE'S ADORABLE!~" Both Rarity, Fluttershy, and strangely enough, Rainbow Dash all cheered as they rushed only an inch away from the infant.
Moonmon only gave a questioning sound before blowing bubbles at the three.
"I have... So many questions..." Twilight mumbled, Spike looking at her worriedly.
"Actually, I got questions too, partner," Applejack spoke as she trot to the smith's immediate side on the edge of the bed, "I don't know nuthin bout whatcha are or how ya... Do yer business... But Ah'm darn sure y'all shouldn't be able ta... Make an egg."
March chuckled nervously at this as he looked away in a futile attempt to ignore this question... Only to sigh in resignation at the Cow Pony's questioning glare... One immediately joined by everyone present.
"I mean... You're not a dragon," Spike commented, "You're a rabbit."
"And Angel Bunny could never make an egg on his own," Fluttershy added.
"So how'd ya... Do it?" Rainbow asked as she hovered upon a cloud she conjured herself just above the right side of his head, "Come on, spill."
"Wait, wait! Can I guess!? Can I guess!?" Pinkie cheered while hopping before being grounded by Rarity.
"Now now, dears... Pestering a newly made father about how he... Procreates... Is unbecoming," The alabaster unicorn chastised before immediately making kissy faces at the newborn, said newborn only looking at her with what could be conveyed as awe.
Chuckling, Lulu spoke up, "Okay, we can tell you this at least. As a Data type, I take in energy from my surroundings for an entire year before shaping that energy into an egg."
"Unfortunately, because Lulu is a part of me, I experience her pain . Honestly though... I don't think I'd have it any other way..." He murmured as he held his child, the babe's purrs causing it's aqueous body to vibrate, "Well... It's probably late. Sleepover?"
And with that, every pony and Spike cheered as they rushed about the rooms to find as many pillows and sheets they could, eager to spend more time with what was a rare occurrence to them.
View Online
The Twin Forged Knight, the Once Brilliant Blackened Moon
Author's Note
Well, though I doubt anyone will read and or find this enjoyable, I present to you my thoughts made manifest.
The Twin Forged Knight, the Once Brilliant Blackened Moon
The summer night was cool and calm, a young lavender filly draped in a quilted blanket enjoying the gentle caress of wind against her muzzle as she spies the sky with a mounted telescope. Just a hoof step away was a padded basket no longer than two feet and no wider than one foot, an infant dragon purple and green in coloration sleeping soundly within.
"The moon always looks so pretty~" The horned filly said to no one in particular, vision currently preoccupied with the shining moon and the imprint of that olden villain, the Mare on the Moon. It had not been more than a year for her, being taken under Celestia's nurturing wing... Not more than a year when it was she first noticed the *spark* that shined upon the moon.
In fact, this night watch was no different than the last as Twilight Sparkle, future student of Princess Celestia, searched desperately for that seemingly random spark.
"I think it's... There!" With quiet excitement, Twilight would focus magic through her telescope's lenses and magnify the image. Though she could not see what caused these sparks, she finally realized- "Those sparks aren't random... Rhythmic in nature, coloration denoting some form of oxidized metal? I think I have a metallurgy book somewhere... It has to be...
"Somewhere..." A *young* man, stature of five foot eight inches with skin and short hair as brown as chestnut murmured. He moved through a cobblestone room, a raging forge blazing away in the confines of his mind... Yet, though in his mind he moved as he always had, in truth he was trapped physically upon a planet's moon, "I know we have help coming from... Somewhere."
"Come on, Marchy. At this point you're hurting yourself," A feminine voice, would call out, her form that of a two foot tall, pink and lavender rabbit like being adorned with ribbons and a silver medal adorned with the motif of a sleeping crescent moon, "We're as trapped as we've always been."
A harsh scoff would echo in the mind scape of the youth's forge room, a winged black and red demonic skeleton no larger than six foot even making themselves known to the others, "Of course. Leave it to the supposed goddess of the moon to give up hope when the going gets tough."
"That's enough Sato..." The youth, 'March' reprimanded softly, "You and Lulu are the only reason we can even blast out these signal flares."
'Sato', would roll their non existent eyes before they looked at 'Lulu', "You can't keep her at bay anymore, can you?"
The rabbit would droop sadly, eyes belying their true state of being, "Look at me, I can't even keep my Lekismon form anymore."
"Can't keep relying on putting her to sleep anymore," March would say before moving to his pit of contained molten material, "Sato, no killing, but when that horned pegasus tries to attack our mind again-"
"Yeah yeah... I'll help you fight her off."
With a nod, March would purge the burning pit of heat with a ball of 'water' a foot in diameter, snuffing the flames, "It's been more than a good nine hundred and some odd years. Safe to say..."
"We're on our own, Spike."
Years had long since passed since those curious nights, those mysterious sparks having ceased that night fateful night. Mare and dragon had grown considerably, Twilight coming into her own as a young adult and Spike as cognizant as a stallion in their academic prime despite only being a drake of eight years.
"Twilight, you know what Princess Celestia said..." Said drake would whine, the pair boarding a train headed to Celestia's prized little hamlet; Ponyville.
"Come on, Spike. Making friends was just a suggestion," Twilight argued as they took their seats, "Once we've made sure arrangements for the Summer Sun celebration have been taken care of, we'll be able to put our plan into action to stop Nightmare Moon."
"You really believe in that old Mare's Tale?" Spike asked as the train made it's relatively slow crawl.
Shaking her head, Twilight sighed as she looked out the passenger window, "I know what I saw, Spike. She's up there... Watching us and waiting. Waiting for-
"Waiting for an opening, are we!?" A pitch black, horned and winged mare would question. Armored in cobalt armor, the mare would give a shark toothed grin as her armored wing would collide with hardened crimson bone.
"I've been holding back for the past nine hundred and ninety nine years!" March would shout, his form currently consisting of an added outer layer of black and crimson bone, "If you won't sleep peacefully, then I'll just have to put you down!"
Swatting away the mare's wing, March would push forward, left hand shaping into a hammer head as he aimed for the mare's chin, "Signature Move, Skull Hammer!"
The resounding strike would echo like a ringing bell, dark energies now eating away at the mare as she experienced her life flashing before her eyes... Eyes which now shined with unfettered rage, "I shall not die here! I... am Equestria's true ruler," With a mighty flare of her wings, she would push back her assailant and whatever energies he brought against her, "For I... am ruler of the Night. I am Darkness incarnate. I am the blight of the Sun! And I. AM-"
"So sick and tired of everything!" Twilight shouted as she practically slammed her head into a pillow.
"Come on, Twi. You can't just skip out on the party!" Spike whined as his caretaker shot him the most spite filled of glares.
"Since I got here, I have been... Mare handled by an apple farmer and her extended family. Drenched in a torrent of rain water. Had a crazed unicorn almost suffocate me to death-"
"Wasn't she just perfect?~" Spike murmured as if in a daydream.
"And not only is there a *party* being thrown in the *LIBRARY*, I was assaulted by a pink bundle of unexplainable chaos!"
"It was just a prank," Spike argued, earning him another glare.
"My tongue and insides would beg to differ. I have half a mind to send a letter to the princess, my brother, my parents and my old foal sitter IN THAT ORDER!"
Blinking, Spike sighed as he crawled up next to his caretaker before massaging her shoulders, "Twilight, you're stressed."
"I know... It's just that no one else seems to care. We're on the brink of eternal night, but I'm the only one willing to do anything about it."
Shrugging off her charge, Twilight would move to the window, staring up at the sky, "But that just means I have to try harder. Come on Spike, we're off to save-"
"The world! With my imprisonment finally come to it's end, I shall claim the world!"
The dark mare would meet hammer fist with hoof, concentrated shadow enveloping her hoof as March would grunt.
"Sato... How ya holdin up?" Though March spoke to his 'partner', his opponent would only stare at the blacksmith strangely... Even in spite of their astral battle.
"Who are you-"
"No no, not you," March said dismissively as Sato spoke within their shared consciousness.
*"Could be worse, but she's starting to draw power from this celestial body. It's almost as if she's-"*
With a powerful beat of her wings, the mare would charge March as shining darkness coated her form... Knocking him spiritually/physically off of the moon.
"Now no one will stop me from claiming what is mine. First Ponyville... And then the world, but I believe I shall pay my sister a visit first~"
With one last beat of her wings, Nightmare Moon would leave the confines of her once prison.
And yet...
Gasps followed by a cry of, "She's gone!" would grip those many ponies awaiting the arrival of their ruler, the stage of what was to be her grand entrance suddenly unceremoniously destroyed by a crashing armored bipedal mass.
"Nice landing, Lulu..." March groaned as he rose. His current form was that of a half human, half lagomorph wearing vanta black armor along their arms, legs, chest and head. Pink and gold fur seemed to sprout from bare brown skin, many of those ponies either finding discomfort or intrigue at the sight, "At least we finally got off that-"
"Hey! Where's our princess!?"
"Prin...cess?" What the blacksmith once believed to be a singular one off coincidence soon became a truth he could not dismiss. He was no longer in the Digital World. He was nowhere near Earth.
And he was surrounded by ponies.
