Chapter Text
“I’m still shocked, Twilight,” Spike said as he ran ahead of the unicorn in question, “You’re the best magic user in Equestria, managed to perform all twenty five of those tricks with ease, and you’re Celestia’s personal student. How could you not figure out how to cast spells like Cornelius does?”
Twilight had a thoughtful frown on her face as she walked alongside the baby dragon. She was going over the previous events of the day in her head as she said, “That’s likely because I was working with a different kind of magic than what I’m use to. I might as well have been trying to understand an alien language. While the magic Cornelius uses seems similar to ours, the way it works is entirely different. Right, Cornelius?”
Twilight and Spike both looked up at the Digimon in question. Cornelius was in his Wizarmon X form, walking alongside his Tamer and her baby dragon friend. He looked down at them and nodded, “I believe that is the case for both of us. In particular, there seems to be a distinctive difference between how we gather our magical power and how we project that power into the world.”
“What. Cornelius. Mean?” Babs asks, the Dracomon X flapping his wings as he hovered just above the group. The four had just left Twilight’s home after said unicorn had finished performing the twenty-fifth trick in a spell book she had. Said spell was a growing spell that gave Spike a mustache, though she had already removed it. After that, Cornelius and Twilight decided to see if either of them could perform the same magic spells that the other could. But what they found was something much more complicated.
Cornelius hummed then snapped his fingers, “Ah, how about a demonstration? Twilight?”
“That sounds good,” the group stopped walking and Twilight looked at Spike, “Mind helping us out, Spike?”
“No problem!” Spike moved to stand in front of Twilight and Cornelius. As he did, Babs flew down to stand beside him.
When all eyes were on him, the Dracomon X said, “I. Help. Too. I. Ready.”
Spike smiled then held his arms out, “You heard him. Give us your best!”
“Right. I believe that we should start with a simple comparison of our telekinetic abilities. Ready, Twilight?” Cornelius asked as he summoned his staff. It appeared in his right hand right when Twilight’s horn started to glow. The two focused on the small dragons in front of them, with a purple glow surrounding Twilight’s horn while an azure one surrounded the top of Cornelius’ staff. A purple aura surrounded Spike and lifted him into the air, while an azure one did the same to Babs. The two dragons both cried out in excitement as they floated above the ground. Cornelius spoke first, “As you can see, it is relatively simple for the two of us to accomplish a basic feat of telekinesis. However, the difference is in our capability. Twilight?”
“Right,” Twilight said, before walking away with her back turned to Spike. She stopped ten steps away from the floating dragon, but her hold on him didn’t waver in the slightest. She turned back around and then nodded at Cornelius. The Wizarmon X turned his back on Babs and walked towards Twilight. Immediately, the aura around Babs began to shimmer and fade away. By the time he had taken five steps, the aura around Babs disappeared and the Dracomon X could move on his own again. He flapped his wings to keep himself in the air as Twilight lowered Spike to the ground.
Once Spike was free of Twilight’s hold he asked, “Woah! What happened?! Why did Cornelius’ spell fail so quickly?”
“Because his magic isn’t suited for it,” Twilight explained as she trotted to Cornelius’ side. The Wizarmon X turned back around to face Spike as Twilight continued, “Utility spells don’t seem to be his strong suit. He can use them, but not for long nor without direct concentration. Unlike unicorns and alicorns who can keep a basic telekinetic spell like that going for a while.”
“However, I do have my own specialty,” Cornelius twirled his staff then aimed it toward the sky. He seemed to concentrate for a moment, before letting out a short grunt. There was a booming sound as lightning jumped from his staff and into the air above. It continued on until it almost hit a passing cloud, at which point it split into electric particles. A few pegasi got scared and flew off but didn’t notice that the source of the bolt was Cornelius.
Babs “oohed” while Spike clapped his claws together, “Wow! Yeah, I don’t think Twilight can do anything like that.”
“Exactly, Spike!” Twilight said while nodding her head, “That’s because Cornelius’ magic is more suited to controlling elemental forces directly. He seems to have an affinity for lightning, fire, and earth specifically. When he uses spells that fall under one of those categories, he’s able to exert a much finer control over them with less concentration required.”
“Why. So. Different?” Babs asked with a tilt of his head.
“That is because of what Twilight and I discovered when were comparing our magic; The sources of our power and the methodology behind how we use it are completely different. Mine is external while Twilight’s is internal.”
At the confused look on the dragons’ faces, Twilight stepped in, “The magic that ponies use comes from within their bodies and souls. We are all born with innate magical power that we use in different ways everyday. From earth ponies manipulating the land to grow crops, pegasi moving clouds and creating rain, to us unicorns using our horns for more direct applications of magic. We use the magic power within ourselves to change the world around us by exerting our will upon it through spells and otherwise.”
“In contrast,” Cornelius began, “we Digimon have our own innate powers that we are born with, but those powers are not necessarily magical in nature. They are, instead, simple abilities that come with our various forms and bodies. Much like a dragon’s fire breath or a bee’s stinger. The magic that I use is based off a specific practice known as ‘High Programming Language’. To put it simply, I change the world around me by manipulating the basics building blocks of the world in order to cast my spells. When I created that lightning bolt, I wasn’t using the innate power within me to summon the lightning like a pegasus would. I, instead, shifted the basic elements of the world above me in order to create a bolt of lightning.”
“...Huh?” both Spike and Babs said in unison.
Cornelius and Twilight both rolled their eyes at the same time, though neither looked upset. Twilight stepped up, “Put simply, Spike, I use my own innate powers to change the world around me and do magic, Cornelius changes the world around him first in order to do magic.”
“Oh! Okay,” Spike nodded his head with closed eyes as if he understood. Babs copied him, though neither looked like they really got it. Spike opened his eyes and looked at Twilight, “So, what does that have to do with Cornelius not keeping his telek-whatsits up?”
“Telekinesis, Spike,” Twilight corrected, “and it’s because of how his magic works. It’s a lot easier to keep control over something that is fully under your power, or comes completely from yourself. My telekinetic holds are things that come from me, and thus I have full control over them, for the most part. This makes it easy to keep concentration up and hold it steady even when I’m not looking at it.”
“Something I cannot do. Because I am changing reality itself, my magic is not always fully under my control. There is always a little bit of it that I can’t control, and if my concentration on it lapses even slightly, it will fall apart,” Cornelius tilted his hat as he continued, “However, it does afford me something Twilight doesn’t have; Offensive power and stamina. My offensive spells are much more potent and less costly, as they do not directly come from my inner source of power. Though I am not necessarily proud of that. I would much rather be able to use the utility spells the same way Twilight can.”
Twilight’s smile grew wide as she trotted over to Cornelius, “Then, how about I teach you?! We can make a day out of it! You help me learn about Digimon magic and this ‘high programming language’ and I’ll teach you about Equestrian magic.”
“Why that sounds lovely, Twilight. I’m looking forward to it,” the two shared a smile while Spike rolled his eyes. Babs looked confused but copied Spike anyway.
“Gang way!/Coming through”
The four were suddenly broken from their reverie as two unicorn stallions charged toward them. One was small and stout with a large head and light blue coat, while the other was tall and lanky with a deep orange coat. The former ran into Spike, accidentally picking the baby dragon up as he galloped away. Babs called Spike’s name before flying after the two ponies. Wanting to check on Spike and see what the commotion was about, Twilight and Cornelius ran after the two.
“Snips!? Snails!? What’s going on?!” Spike cried as he was carried along by the smaller unicorn.
The two unicorns came to an abrupt stop, sending Spike flying as they did so. The orange one, Snails, didn’t seem to mind as he spoke, “Haven’t you heard? There’s a new unicorn in town!”
The blue one, Snips, hopped up and down as he said, “Yeah, yeah! They say she’s got more magical power than any unicorn ever!”
Twilight and Cornelius came up to the group just as Snips finished talking. Babs flew over to Spike’s side, making sure the baby dragon was alright. A concerned look flashed across Twilight’s face as she asked, “Really?”
“Unlikely,” Cornelius stated plainly, “for such a claim to be true would require said unicorn to be able to overcome the combined magical prowess of unicorns both past and present. And I doubt any unicorn could match, say, Starswirl The Bearded in power. At least if the stories I have heard about him are true.”
Spike nodded, “Yep. And besides, that honor goes to Twilight here.”
He waved his arms at Twilight and Babs nodded in agreement. Twilight looked bashful while Cornelius remained still. Then Twilight asked, “Where is this unicorn?”
“Ah, she’s in the town square, come on!” Snails said, galloping away.
“Yeah, hehe, come on!” Snips said, following his friend.
Twilight, Spike, Cornelius, and Babs all shared a look. Then they all moved to follow the two unicorn stallions.
[hr][/hr]
“Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic, of The Great and Powerful Trixie!”
The stage wagon that had been set up in the middle of the town square unfolded. The front became a stage, the sides opened to reveal musical horns, and multiple stage decorations popped out from the roof. A moment later, in a bright flash of smoke and light, a dark blue unicorn appeared. Her pure white mane was covered by a purple wizard’s hat covered in gold and blue stares. A blue gem clasp kept her similarly colored cape attached to her, while her pure white tail hung behind her. She smiled while her purple eyes stared out at the crowed of awed ponies before her. The crowd included Twilight and the rest of her friends, along with most of their Digimon. Loo, Cutie, Squirt, and Babs were all in their Rookie forms. Loo sat next to Applejack his expression stoic as he beheld the new unicorn. Squirt looked unimpressed, leaning against Rainbow Dash’s side and yawning with boredom. Cutie was hanging off Pinkie Pie’s back, carrying a cupcake she had brought from Sugarcube Corner in one hand. Babs flapped his wings and hovered just above Spike, eyes sparkling at Trixie’s magic.
Cornelius was the only one in his Champion form. He stood next to Twilight at the front of the crowd with the rest of her friends. He raised an eyebrow at Trixie’s entrance while trying to gauge the unicorn’s magical ability.
Trixie continued, her voice loud and proud, “Watch in awe, as The Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!” She held her hooves out wide as her stage’s pyrotechnics went off all around her.
Rarity was as unimpressed as Squirt and said, “My, my, my, what boasting.”
“Come on,” Spike began with a frown on his face, “No pony is as magical as Twi-“ he suddenly stopped as he remembered who he was talking to. After stuttering a bit, he said something about a mustache and dashed way. Babs didn’t follow him, eyes completely locked on Trixie’s show.
“There’s nothing wrong with being talented is there?” Twilight asked Rarity, sounding a bit concerned.
“Nothin’ at all,” Applejack answered, before turning back to Trixie and frowning, “ ‘Ceptin’ when somepony goes around showin’ it off like a school filly with a pair of fancy new ribbons.”
“Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic doesn’t make one better than the rest of us,” Rarity answered, though it didn’t seem to make Twilight feel better. Her ears dropped and she lowered her head in shame.
Noticing this, Cornelius spoke up, “Twilight, being talented or being good at something isn’t a problem. Neither is being proud of it. The problem comes when one decides to act as if it makes them better than everypony else. For instance, I can cast healing spells to help with wounds. But my ability to do so is nowhere near Cutie’s Healing Glow power.”
He pointed his staff at Cutemon with Twilight, her friends, and their Digimon turning to see what he meant. Suddenly finding herself the center of attention, Cutie could only smile and wave at everypony looking at her. Pinkie, meanwhile, bounced up and down while saying, “You hear that, Cutie?! He says you’re real good at fixing up owchies!”
“I-I-I know. But it’s not that big a deal,” Cutie said, trying to hide the blush on her face.
“See? Humility. Having humility when it comes to your powers is a virtue. But boasting and showing no humility...well, that leads to claiming you somehow have more magical power than any unicorn in the world,” all eyes turned back to the stage, where a certain “Great and Powerful” mare was glaring at them.
She huffed and spoke in a frustrated voice, “Well, I see we have a few naaaayyyyysayers in the crowd! Allow The Great and Powerful Trixie to show the magical prowess of not just herself, but her equally wonderful assistant!”
“Assistant?” Twilight and her friends said in unison, looking around for whoever Trixie was talking about.
Everypony watched as Trixie’s horn glowed a bright pink color. She waved her hoof up in the air as her magic opened a large trap door to her left. Her cape fluttered as she spoke, “Consider yourselves honored, for you all get to bare witness to The Great and Powerful Trixie’s, Amazing and Beautiful Assistant; Witchmon!”
“Witchmon?!” all the Digimon said in unison, their eyes going wide as something flew out of the trap door. Trailing red smoke and glitter behind it, the newcomer became a red blur as they flew into the air.
“Ohohohohoho!” A confident, feminine laugh echoed through the air as the newcomer circled above the stage. Her figure came into view as she stopped right above the roof of the stage wagon. She wore a deep crimson dress with a similarly colored witch’s hat atop her head. Her dressed covered her from her collar to her hands, with the bottom of her skirt open to let her pointed shoes poke out. A black cape fluttered behind her, the same color as the strange black cat that almost looked attached to her left arm. A tiny bit of blonde hair peaked out from beneath the hat, hanging over light blue eyes with slitted irises. Her mouth was open in a wide toothed grin, revealing the sharp fangs that were her teeth. She rode atop a broom that seemed to fly on its own.
With another laugh she floated down to the stage, gracefully landing feet first next to Trixie. Applejack looked over to Loo and said, “Ahm gonna take a wild guess and say that there’s another Digimon?”
“Yes! And a Champion at that,” Loo stated, frowning in confusion, “Why is she here?! Is there another Digital Gate somewhere out there?!”
“I’m more worried about what Trixie said about her being an ‘Assistant’. Are the two of them friends or something? Or is she...one of them?” Squirt didn’t have to clarify what he meant. If she was part of the Dark Area Invasion Army then...
“What do you think, Cornelius? Cornelius?” Twilight asked, looking up at her Digimon in confusion. Said Digimon was completely silent, his eyes locked on the Witchmon standing next to Trixie. Twilight called his name again, but he ignored her and slowly started walking toward the stage.
The Witchmon stood to her full height, the cat on her arm climbing up to her hat. She made a show of looking out at the crowd. She stuck her tongue out while leaning forward and said, “Hmm, quite a crowd we’ve got out here today, Great and Powerful Trixie. So many have come to see the greatest feats of magic in all of Equestria! It’s clear that these Ponies have immaculate tastes, is it not?”
Trixie smiles and steps up next to Witchmon, making sure to flutter her cape as she speaks, “I can only agree my Amazing and Beautiful Assistant! However, it seems there are a few Ponies who are determined to interrupt and discredit our abilities.”
“Is that right?” Witchmon flourishes her broom, smile turning mischievous as she begins to scan the crowd, “And where are these naysayers that are so sure of themselves?”
Trixie points in Applejack and Rarity’s direction with a smug look on her face. Witchmon turns her attention to the front of the crowd which is when she notices Cornelius walking toward the stage. Her entire body goes rigid, even the cat suddenly standing at attention. A strange silence falls over the crowd as everypony watches the two Champions in confusion. Twilight trots over to Cornelius and pats him on his leg, “Cornelius? Are you alright?”
“Assistant Witchmon? What are you doing?” Trixie asked while her eyes darted from her Digimon to the crowd, “This is taking time away from our show.”
Neither Cornelius nor Witchmon seemed to hear either of the ponies. The world itself seemed to have fallen away as the two of them stared into each other’s eyes. The pause was so poignant that a few ponies in the crowd began to wonder if it was part of the show. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, the two Digimon broke from the trance they were in.
The first to speak was Cornelius...who’s brows furrowed into a frown, “What are you doing here, Witchmon?”
Witchmon’s lips curled into a smug smile as she leaned down to look Cornelius in the eye, “I could ask you the same question, you walking scarecrow.”
“Scarecrow? Really? That the best you could come up with?”
“Oh, please. As if I would use any of my prime material on someone who’s head is filled with straw.”
“Better straw than having all the blood flow be constricted by my clothes. Really, what is with that outfit? No one save you would be caught dead wearing it.”
“Ohohoho! Is that jealousy I hear? Is someone upset that I happen to have a much more refined fashion sense than you? Well, that’s only natural. I’d feel the same if all I had to wear was my pajamas.”
“Pajamas?” Cornelius grabbed at his clothes and glared at Witchmon, “These are a professional wizard’s robes. Their stitching is a status symbol to show how I am now an accomplished mage! Unlike you! How many years did it take you to graduate again? I think it was ten before I left!?”
Witchmon’s right eye twitched at Cornelius’ retort. The cat standing on her head hissed and bared its claws at Cornelius while its owner continued, “It was five years. And it was entirely by choice. Unlike some of us, I actually wanted to fully understand how to use my magic. Rather than rely on guesswork and theories like some people.”
“Are you insinuating-“
And so the bickering went. The ponies, totally confused at the argument, could only stare at what was happening in front of them. Their eyes moved from Cornelius to the Witchmon then back, to the point that Pinkie’s eyes actually rolled into her head. Cutie grabbed the sides of Pinkie’s head and her eyes returned to normal. Eventually, Twilight stepped between Cornelius and Witchmon. She looked up at her Digimon and asked, “Wait, what’s going on? Cornelius, do you know her?”
Cornelius blinked, as if he just now remembered that Twilight was there. After a few moments he gasped, “Ah! Apologies, Twilight. I, um, ahem. Yes, I do know her. In a sense.”
“I’d like an explanation as well, Assistant,” Trixie said while waving her hoof at Cornelius, “How do you know this lesser magician?”
Ignoring Cornelius muttering “lesser” under his breath Witchmon turned to Trixie with a smile. She waved dismissively at Cornelius and said, “Don’t worry, my Great and Powerful friend. This man is merely a third rate mage that I knew from my school days. A self-professed rival of mine that believes his magical abilities are in anyway equal to me.”
“That’s a lie and you know it,” Cornelius said before turning back to Twilight, “She’s a Witchmon, Twilight. A Champion Stage Digimon. We both come from a place known as Witchleny. That is where one goes to learn high programming language. And we consider each other rivals.”
“Is that why you were insulting each other earlier?” Twilight asked, looking between Witchmon and Cornelius.
“Yes. And it was unbecoming of me,” Cornelius approached the stage and spoke, “Witchmon, allow me to apologize. I didn’t mean to insult you like that. Would you perhaps be willing to talk about-“
“Ohohohohoho!” Witchmon suddenly interrupted, leaning toward Trixie and speaking, “You see, Trixie? Not even a minute since we’ve seen each other, and he is already begging me for forgiveness. This is how things usually go between us.”
Trixie’s smile was identical to Witchmon’s as she spoke, “Why of course! It is only natural that the Assistant to The Great and Powerful Trixie have so called ‘rivals’ who nonetheless know their place.”
“That’s not right, Trixie,” Twilight frowned as she stepped up to the stage, “Cornelius was trying to say sorry and find some common ground. There’s a lot that’s going on and it’s all connected to these Digimon. If the both of you would take some time to talk to us, we could explain.”
Trixie huffed at Twilight and turned her head away, “Hmph! And who are you supposed to be?”
“I’m Twilight Sparkle and I-“
“-am the companion of this ‘Cornelius’ I presume? Why would I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, even consider associating with a rival?”
“But we’re not rivals. We can-“
“Not rivals? Ha!” Trixie stepped away from Twilight and flipped her mane with a hoof, “If our Digimon are rivals then we are rivals. After all, why would I work with a pony who would tell my Assistant’s secrets to her rival?”
Twilight looked confused as she shook her head back and forth, “What? Why would I ever do that? I have no reason to.”
“That’s your companion, Cornelius?” Witchmon said his name like it was garbage in her mouth, “Typical. You would choose somepony who is not only foolish, but naive as well. No wonder she chose you to accompany her. After all, only the unwise would believe having a Wizarmon as their companion was any great feat.”
A gasp echoed through the crowd and Twilight looked shocked. She stepped away from the stage while Cornelius stepped forward. Behind him, Twilight’s friends and their Digimon also moved up. Pinkie Pie and Rarity moved to comfort her, while Applejack and Rainbow glared at Trixie and Witchmon. Cornelius’ voice was filled with frustration as he spoke, “How dare you! Twilight is neither naive nor a fool! She is a wonderful mare who is as smart as either of us!”
“She can’t be that smart, considering she’s associating with you. A foolish wizard who can only dream of being my equal in the magical arts.”
“Hey! Back off!” Squirt shouted, waving his fist at the Witchmon, “Cornelius is a way better magic user than you!”
“Yes! He. Great. Can. Summon. Lightning,” Babs said in support of Squirt’s praise.
Loo had moved to Cornelius’ left side and looked up at the Wizarmon X. Cornelius was glaring at Witchmon with his hands clenching into fists. Worried, he put one of his paws onto his friend’s left leg, “Don’t let her get to you, Cornelius. She’s just trying to rile you up. Nothing she says is worth worrying about.”
“That goes double for you, Twilight darling,” Rarity said while patting Twilight on her back, “Someponies simply can’t feel better about themselves without making others feel worse.”
“And those are some of the most boring ponies in the world! Like, who doesn’t have fun when other ponies are having fun?! Boring ponies, that’s who!” Pinkie said with her trademark smile on her face.
Twilight lifted her head as her lips curled into a small smile, “Thanks, girls. You’re right. I shouldn’t let her get to me.”
While everypony nodded in agreement, Witchmon let out another shrill laugh. Her and Trixie stood back to back as Witchmon said, “Ah, how adorably pathetic, my dear rival! You need others to make you feel confident about yourself? I wonder what our peers would think if they saw you now?”
“Probably that he’s a sorry excuse for a magician. And that he should simply give up on ever being even nearly as great, as the Great and Powerful Trixie’s Amazing and Beautiful Assistant!”
Cornelius huffed at the responses and turned his back on the two, “Forget it. These two clearly don’t want to have a civil conversation. Let’s get out of here, everypony.”
“Ah, leaving so soon, my dear rival?” Witchmon called at Cornelius retreating back. As Twilight and everyone else started to leave, her lips curled into a devious smile, “It is expected. Though some advice for your companion, Twilight, was it? I would highly recommend that you find a new compatriot. After all, him choosing to ignore me shows what a coward he is. And that, when it comes down to it, he will leave you behind. But I guess that’s to expected of a fool like her.”
Cornelius stopped in his tracks. Before anyone could say anymore, he whirled around and glared at Witchmon. He gripped his staff tight as electricity sparked along his gloves. He stomped his way back to the stage and shouted, “That’s it! I’ve had enough of your nonsense! Twilight, come! Let’s teach these arrogant witches some manners!”
“C-Cornelius! Wait, don’t!” Twilight cried while galloping after Cornelius. But he ignored her as he stepped up onto the stage. Loo tried to stop him by grabbing his cape in his teeth but ended up losing his grip when he got on the stage. Squirt and Babs were cheering him on alongside Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Twilight hopped up onto the stage and ran over to Cornelius’ side. She frowned up at him and shook her head, “We shouldn’t be doing this! There’s no reason to engage in their taunting.”
“Twilight, these two may say whatever they want about me. But insulting you is the one thing I will not allow,” he stepped over to the other side of the stage flourishing his cape to make it flutter as he prepared his staff. The crowd of ponies had risen in size by this point. Many had heard the commotion and had come to see what was happening. Cornelius ignored them and paid no heed to Twilight as she yelled at him from his left side. He only had eyes for Witchmon and Trixie, “Our competition will be a simple one. Twilight and I will cast our magic spells on you and Trixie. Each side will attempt to hit the other one with a simple, non-damaging spell. Any spells meant to actually harm another will lead to immediate disqualification. We’re going to the best of three rounds. Are these rules satisfactory?”
“Indeed they are,” Witchmon said as she twirled her broom in her hand. She pointed the brush end at Cornelius while her cat traveled up to her hat, its eyes bright as it glared at Cornelius, “I look forward to embarrassing you in front of your companion. Have at you!”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie agrees to these terms as well,” Trixie’s horn started to glow as she glared at Twilight, “Let us see if you are truly as skilled as your comrade says you are.”
Twilight flinched and tried to shake her head, but Cornelius was already moving. Five playing cards appeared in his right hand and he quickly tossed them at Witchmon, “Magic Game!”
The cards flew toward Witchmon before splitting into five more cards, creating ten total heading toward the other Champion. With a huff Witchmon waved her broom through the air and shouted, “Baluluna Gale!”
A vortex of wind shot forth from the end of her broomstick. It gathered up the cards from the air, twirling them up in its gale and sending them back at Cornelius. Before the cards could reach him, Cornelius lifted his left hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly, the cards exploded into golden dust, the force dispelling the wind before it could touch him. The ponies in the crowd clapped at the display while Cornelius frowned, “Hmm, you’ll have to do better than that you crimson clad reject”
“If you believe that is my best, scarecrow, you are more of a idiot than I thought,” Witchmon responded with her teeth bared. Next to them, Trixie’s horn glowed as a beam shot out of her horn at Twilight. Twilight, caught off guard, took a direct hit. She landed on her rump and shook her head, both hooves going to her mane. The crowd gasped as they saw that her hair had been turned from its normal purple to an ugly yellow color. Rarity fainted at the sight of the crime against fashion while Twilight used her magic to turn her mane back to normal in a poof of smoke.
“That’s one for us!” Trixie gloated, sharing a smile with her Witchmon.
“Pay attention, Twilight!” Cornelius growled at the purple unicorn as she got to her hooves, “We cannot afford to lose this!”
“I-I’m sorry! I-I was just surprised,” Twilight said, body shaking as she tried to get her nerves under control. She looked at Trixie with a furrowed brow and aimed a shot of her own at the other unicorn. A beam of light shot back at Trixie, but the blue unicorn created a shield and easily stopped the attack.
“Is that your best?” Trixie said while looking down her muzzle at Twilight, “How disappointing. Please do try to at least entertain our audience, Twilight Sparkle.”
“How’s this for entertainment?” by the time Trixie looked over at Cornelius, it was already too late. A small bolt of lightning flew from his staff straight toward her. It struck her head on, zapping her and making her body jerk to and fro. Her mane and tail stood on end as the lightning ran itself through her system. The crowd laughed at the funny poses Trixie made as the lightning ran through her. Cornelius’ smug smile was hidden beneath his mask and he looked at Twilight for praise. However, Twilight just looked confused and disturbed by what was going on. Trixie eventually stopped jerking around as the lightning left her. She hopped to her hooves and spat out a cloud of black smoke.
Witchmon waved a hand and conjured a gust of air that blew the black soot off Trixie’s body. She glared at Cornelius and replied, “You snake! How dare you attack my partner while my back is turned!”
Cornelius shrugged, “Don’t know why you’re getting so upset. We never said anything about needing to wait for the other side to be ready before making a move.”
Witchmon spun her broom around and pointed its other end at Cornelius, “Then you won’t mind if we don’t give you a moment to recover. Trixie, would you do me the honor of helping me teach this straw-head some manners?”
“As if you even need to ask, Assistant!” Trixie’s horn began to glow as she turned her attention to Cornelius.
As the two readied themselves to attack, Cornelius lifted his staff and leaned toward Twilight. He spoke softly as he said, “Okay, Twilight. While I’ve got them distracted, you need to blast both of them with your magic. That’ll get us the last two points and we’ll win this.”
“Wh-What! No, I-I don’t even want to do this, Cornelius! Why are we even fighting them?!” Twilight kept looking between Cornelius, Trixie, and Witchmon. Anypony looking at her could tell she was nervous, confused, and unsure of what was going on.
Anypony...except Cornelius.
Ignoring her protest he turned to face Witchmon and Trixie, fully confident that Twilight would do as he asked. With a cry of “Aquary Pressure!” a blue magic circle appeared on the end of Witchmon’s broom. A stream of crystal clear water blasted out of her broom at a high speed. At the same time, Trixie fired a beam of magic at Cornelius from his right. Cornelius swiftly responded by moving his staff to his left hand while holding his right hand, palm up, toward Trixie’s blast. A shield shimmered into existence on the palm of his hand, while he pointed his staff toward the oncoming wave of water.
“Thunder Cloud!” he yelled, a black cloud appearing at the tip of his staff. It expanded until it was big as his hand, blue electricity crackling within. A second later a blast of lightning shot out of the cloud and crashed into the stream of water. They clashed, creating a dazzling display of shining reflective water and a electric sparks. The crowd clapped and cheered at the action in front of them, still seeing this as part of the show. As Cornelius continued to block the streams of magic, he looked over at Twilight and said through grit teeth, “Now, Twilight! I can only hold them off for so long!”
“Wh-Bu-But I-“
“Do it, now!”
Shocked by Cornelius sudden tone, Twilight panicked and shot a random blast of magic in the vague direction of Trixie and Witchmon. The blast flew passed Trixie, was reflected by the edge of one of the horns, bounced off a building’s window, and flew right at Cornelius’ face. Eyes widening, he instinctively lifted his right hand to block the oncoming blast...which left him open for Trixie’s own shot. Witchmon stopped her gale as Cornelius was swiftly hit by both Trixie and Twilight’s beams at the same time. A gasp ran through the crowd as all eyes focused on Cornelius. Rarity had gotten back on her hooves, head darting around in confusion, “What? What happened? What did I miss?”
Her eyes eventually landed on the stage again...which let her see what had become of Cornelius. His cloak had turned from a tasteful yellow, into a vomit colored green. His gloves were smaller than before and were now a distracting red color. His hat was way bigger than his head and fell over his face. The stars had turned from white to a tacky red. Spike just happened to appear with a new mustache right when Rarity fainted again. He managed to grab the passed out mare, but was confused by what was going on.
Witchmon and Trixie didn’t hold back. Both began to laugh at Cornelius’ “new look”, the Digimon holding her sides and nearly doubling over in humor. Trixie did the same, needing to hold her hat down to keep it from falling off. Cornelius’ face turned red underneath his hat. He tapped his body and head with his staff and turned his outfit back to normal. Then he rounded on Twilight and shouted, “What was that?! Weren’t you paying attention?! You were supposed to hit Trixie and then Witchmon! Not me!”
“I-I-I’m...,” Twilight tried to explain, backing up at Cornelius burning glare.
He interrupted her, throwing his arms into the air, “Are you even trying to help, Twilight?! Cause if you are, then stop helping! Just stand there and let me do all the work! Unless you want to prove those two right about the both of us!”
Cornelius turned back to face off against Witchmon and Trixie. His mind was completely overcome by a haze of anger and indignation. The only things he could see where the insulting faces of Witchmon and Trixie. The only sounds he could hear was their incessant laughter.
...But then something broke through the haze.
A sobbing sound.
He glanced toward Twilight and suddenly felt all his anger melt away. In its place was a mixture of panic, worry, and shame. What else could he feel after seeing the tears falling down Twilight’s face. She managed a soft, “I-I’m sorry.” before turning and running away from him and the stage. Ponies cleared the way to let her through as Cornelius held out his hand while calling her name. She didn’t seem to hear him, continuing to gallop off into the distance toward her home.
An awkward silence fell over the stage wagon and audience for a moment. Trixie and Witchmon had stopped laughing, though neither looked very sorry for what had happened. They just looked at each other and nodded at a job well done. Cornelius, meanwhile, was looking over his actions and trying to find out what had gone wrong. That is until he suddenly felt the glares from the crowd focus onto him. Judgmental glares from ponies, Twilight’s friends, and even the other Digimon all fell upon him. He flinched away from their stares, refusing to meet their eyes as he slowly left the stage.
[hr][/hr]
“I messed up,” Cornelius sighed and leaned back against the wall of Ponyville’s Town Hall. His head hung low and staff laid across his lap. One hand loosely held his hat while the other was holding his shaking head, “I messed up, bad.”
Celestia had lowered the sun long before and Luna’s moon shined down from below. Though he knew it wasn’t true, it almost felt like the pale light was meant for him. Specifically, to remind him of his mistake. His mind kept returning to what happened at the stage wagon, but not to what he thought he would remember. The thoughts of Witchmon and Trixie’s insults were far from his mind. He could barely even recall what the two had said that led to the impromptu “duel” to begin with.
The only thing that he could recall with clarity was Twilight’s fact streaked with tears.
He squeezed his eyes shut and lightly tapped his fist against his head while muttering, “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” to himself. When he opened them again he lifted his head to star at the stars above. He sighed again before speaking to the open air, “What is wrong with me? I’m the one who said to not let those two’s words get to us. And then what do I go do? Let their words get to me and drag Twilight into a fight she didn’t want. Then I went and yelled at her for not fighting when she didn’t want to. Witchmon was right. Twilight would be better off with a different Digimon.”
He lowered both his head and hand, shame and self-loathing filling his heart. He didn’t know how long he sat there criticizing everything he had today. But, eventually, the sound of wing beats overhead made him look up. There he saw a familiar, blonde haired Digimon floating down from on high with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.
Cornelius lowered his head again, his voice despondent as he spoke, “Hey, Lucey.”
“Hello, Cornelius,” Lucey said, lightly landing on his feet in front of the Wizarmon X. He kept his arms crossed and tilted his head to the side, “What are you doing here?”
“Beating myself up for making Twilight cry and being a dragon sized idiot,” Cornelius responded, waving his hand through the air, “What about you?”
“Looking for you,” Lucey let his arms relax and folded his wings behind his back. He walked over to Cornelius left side then sat down next to him. He pulled his knees up and hugged them while staring at Cornelius, “You know everypony’s wondering where you went.”
“That so? No doubt cause they all want to give me a piece of their minds. It’s what I deserve,” Cornelius said, trying to keep from looking Lucey in the eye.
Lucey shrugged, “Not really. Their all just worried about you. Though everyone is trying to keep you away from Twilight right now. Fluttershy, Spike, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie are keeping her company. Cutey and Ampurley are helping them in their own ways. Everypony else is standing outside Twilight’s home on the lookout for you.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I told them I was gonna go look for you. See how you’re doing and make sure you’re alright. They mostly just want to keep an eye out for when you come back to Twilight’s home.”
Cornelius let out a sad chuckle, “Who’s to say I’m coming back? I’m not even sure if I should.”
“Of course you should. You’re Twilight’s Digimon. And her friend. Why wouldn’t you come back?”
“I made Twilight cry, Lucey,” Cornelius put his head in his hands, “That’s not what friends are supposed to do. I-I was a fool. I let myself be drawn in by Witchmon’s taunting, dragged Twilight into a duel she didn’t agree to, then blamed her when she did nothing wrong! What kind of Digimon am I when I do something like that?!”
He hit the ground with a fist to let out some of his frustration. Silence descended on the two of them for a moment. Cornelius was still while Lucey continued to stare at him. Then Lucey said, “Okay, yes. You did do all of that...so what are you going to do now?”
“...Huh?” Cornelius took his head out of his hands, eyes looking at Lucey with confusion, “What do you mean?”
Lucey straightened out his legs and sat up straight, “What are you going to do now? Yeah, you made Twilight cry, let Witchmon taunt you into a fight, and made a mess of things. So, what now? Will you sit here and continue beating yourself up over something you did? Are you going to leave Ponyville and Twilight Sparkle behind cause you made her cry once? Or are you going to stand up, walk back to Twilight’s home, apologize and ask for her forgiveness? Personally, if I were in your position? I’d choose the last option. After all, that’s the only one where I get to stay with my friend.”
Cornelius blinked in shock as Lucey got to his feet. The Lucemon stretched his arms and wings toward the sky as Cornelius went over his words in his mind. Then he looked up at Lucey and said, “But, do I even deserve to be forgiven?”
“That’s for Twilight to decide.”
“And...what if she says no?”
Lucey shrugged, “Then you figure something else out. You’re smart, Cornelius. I’m sure you’ll be fine. Besides, it has to be better than sitting around here doing nothing, right?”
Cornelius stared up at Lucey with wide eyes. Then he chuckled while nodding his head, “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
Grunting, Cornelius got to his feet. He grabbed his staff with his right hand and patting his hat down onto his head with his left hand. He stood up straight and said, “It’s about time I got going, then. You gonna come with me?”
“I’ll go on ahead. Let everyone know you’re on your way. I’ll be rooting for you, Cornelius,” Lucey winked before swiftly taking to the skies and flying off. Cornelius followed him with his eyes for a few moments before closing his eyes to ready himself for what was to come. Turning around he retraced his steps back to Twilight’s home. It didn’t take him long to find the large tree set near the center of Ponyville. And it certainly didn’t take long for those posted outside the treehouse to notice him. To his left sat Squirt and Loo, both in their Champion forms, watching as he approached. Squirt had his arms crossed and glared at Cornelius, while Loo was completely relaxed and even gave him a slight nod. Babs and Lucey hovered in the air, the large dragon Digimon looking nervous while Lucey just nodded at Cornelius. As Cornelius reached the halfway point he was suddenly blocked by familiar orange and blue mares.
“Woah there,” Applejack said, marching up to Cornelius, “Where’d ya’ll think yer goin?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash flew close to Cornelius’ face with her hooves crossed, “If you think we’re gonna let you see Twilight after you made her cry, you’d better think again! Unless you’re planning to apologize!”
“That’s exactly what I’m here to do,” Cornelius replied, not intimidated in the slightest.
“Well-Oh,” Rainbow Dash, surprised, backed off and landed on the ground, “Ah-Right! Course you are! AJ, let ‘em through.”
AJ rolled her eyes but moved out of the way along with Rainbow. Cornelius thanked the two of them as he headed up to the treehouse door. He climbed the stairs, knocked on the door, and said, “Twilight? It’s me, Cornelius. I’d like to say I’m sorry. Can I...Can I come in?”
There’s was silence on the other side of the door for a few moments. Then the door slowly creaked open as a familiar purple dragon peaked out of the opening. Spike glared up at Cornelius then said, “You can come in. But you better be on your best behavior. If you make Twi cry again, you’ll be sorry.”
“I know. Thank you, Spike,” Cornelius lowered his head as Spike opened the door for him. He ducked to fit inside and took note of the inside. The only other person on the ground floor with him was Spike. Above him he could see three tails, one light pink, one deep purple, one a deeper shade of pink. Near the steps he saw Cutey in her Shortmon stage with a tub of ice cream in her arms. She looked over at him and the two locked eyes. She said nothing, but jerked her head toward the second floor before stepping aside to let him up. Cornelius thanked her before heading up the steps. As he crested the top of the stairs, he saw exactly what the situation was like.
Twilight was sitting up in her bed with her head hung low. She would sniffle every now and then, reaching a hoof up to wipe at her eyes. But each time she was stopped by Rarity, who was sitting behind her with her mane held in her magic. Next to Rarity was Ampurley who was gently using her claws to straighten out Twilight’s Mane. To Twilight’s right was Fluttershy held her hoof and said comfortable things to her, and to her left was Pinkie with at least three empty tubs of ice cream next to her. Whenever Twilight held her mouth open, Pinkie would quickly shove some ice cream into her gob. When she didn’t, Pinkie was eating the ice cream.
Cornelius coughed into his hand to get their attention. Pinkie was the first to notice and waved at him. She was about to say something, but Ampurley quickly wrapped her ribbons around Pinkie’s mouth. She shook her head and carried a muffled Pinkie off the bed and out of Cornelius’ way. Fluttershy looked between the two and was getting ready to say something, but Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder and shook her head. The two walked away with Rarity cutting her eyes at Cornelius as she passed. Cornelius, though, only had eyes for Twilight.
Twilight kept her head down, eyes red and puffy from crying so much. Cornelius carefully walked toward the bed, kneeling next to it to be level with Twilight. Neither of them spoke to each other for a few minutes. Then, taking a deep breath, Cornelius looked Twilight in the eyes and said, “Twilight, I’m sorry.”
Twilight lifted her head, eyes focusing on Cornelius. When he saw he had her attention, Cornelius continued, “I-I messed up. I said not to let Witchmon or Trixie’s words get to you, only to let them get to me. But worse than that I didn’t listen to you. You made it very clear that you didn’t want to be involved in any kind of duel with those two. Yet I dragged you into it, completely ignoring your feelings. The exact opposite of what a friend is supposed to do.”
He bowed his head to Twilight as he continued, “It was stupid of me. Stupid and mean. I could promise that it won’t happen again, but I know that it might not really mean anything. All I can do is ask for your forgiveness. I’d understand if you said no and didn’t want to see me again. I just want you to know that, I’m genuinely sorry for what I did.”
Cornelius went silent and waited to hear Twilight’s response. Twilight has stopped sobbing and was staring at Cornelius with understanding in her eyes. She pulled herself over to the edge of the bed and tapped Cornelius on the shoulder with her hoof. When he lifted his head she reached out and pulled him into a hug. She held him close while saying, “Of course I forgive you, Cornelius. Thank you for saying you’re sorry and for coming here to tell me yourself. It really means a lot to me.”
Cornelius was so shocked that he didn’t immediately respond to her apology. He remained still with his eyes wide and mouth hanging open behind his collar. Eventually, he slowly put his arms around Twilight and leaned the hug, “Th-Thank you, Twilight. You won’t regret this. I promise you.”
The two of them remained like that for a few moments, until they both heard a chorus of “d’aaww”s coming from nearby. They turned toward the stairs and saw Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Cutey all standing on the top step. Joining them was the sound of wings flapping above their heads. Looking up the two saw Lucey and Rainbow Dash watching them hug. Lucey was smiling knowingly at Cornelius, while Rainbow as trying to stifle her giggles. Cheeks turning pink, Twilight and Cornelius quickly separated and looked away from each other. Speaking through her chuckles, Rainbow Dash said, “N-N-Now, now you two. There’s no need to stop your little hugging session just cause we’re all watching. Bwahahaha!”
She floated down to the bottom floor and Lucey quickly took her place, “Everyone’s downstairs waiting for you two. Come on down when you’re ready. Cutey, is there any ice cream left?”
“I’m insulted you think I wouldn’t have brought enough ice cream for everypony, Lucey. Who do you think I am?” Cutey said with faux indigence as everypony followed her down.
Once they were gone, Twilight and Cornelius shared a look. Cornelius cleared his throat and said, “W-Well, I’m glad we got that cleared up. Th-Thank you for giving me another chance, Twilight. I’m truly grateful for that.”
“Don’t mention it, Cornelius,” Twilight hopped off her bed and landed next to him, “Though something still doesn’t make sense to me. Why were you so hostile toward Witchmon? Wasn’t that the first time you ever met her?”
Cornelius got to his feet and said, “Yes and no, Twilight. In the Digital World, there are certain Digimon who have a...lets say instinctual relationship with each other. You remember how I stated that Witchmon and I both went to Witchleny to learn magic?”
“Yes. You said that the two of were rivals. Does that mean you argued a lot when you were in school?”
“In a manner of speaking. But what’s different about us Digimon is that it’s true for ALL of us. Every Witchmon went to Witchleny to learn magic alongside every Wizarmon. And every Wizarmon ends up in a rivalry with those Witchmon.”
Twilight’s eyes widen in awe, “Th-That’s statistically impossible! Taking into account possible population numbers, logic dictates that there should be a few outliers. Unless Witchleny is the sole place where Digimon can become Wizarmon or Witchmon, then there should be Wizarmon and Witchmon that aren’t rivals.”
Cornelius nodded, “You would normally be correct. Thus why I posit that the reason for it is engraved in our data. Something about the data that makes a Wizarmon a Wizarmon, and a Witchmon a Witchmon, is fundamentally designed to have the two of us be rivals. It’s not something we can’t overcome but it will likely color some of my interactions with her.”
A determined expression came over Twilight’s face, “Well, I think we know the first thing we have to do. You’re going to go and make up with Witchmon and Trixie.”
“I agree, Twilight. Besides, we need to speak with her about how she came to Equestria. Because if there are more Digital Gates out there then-“
Cornelius was cut off by a loud roar echoing through the air. It made the tree house shake and caused both of them to lose their balance. Rainbow Dash flew up to the second floor and shouted, “Did you two feel that?! Something’s going in Ponyville!”
“That sounded like a-oh no!” Twilight galloped down the stairs toward the door. Cornelius followed her once he got his balance. Once the two were out the door, everypony else followed after them. They heard another roar followed by the panicked screams of ponies all across the town. It didn’t take long for them to see what the problem was.
That being the massive, star covered bear that was running through the middle of town. It looked like it had fallen straight out of the night sky, its body the color of night and covered in twinkling stars. The muscles of its arms and legs flexed as it reared onto its hind legs. It roared with is head facing down, focusing on three ponies who it had backed against a wall. Two were the stallions Snips and Snails and the last one was Trixie without her hat. The three were cowering away from the large animal, the two stallions trying to hide behind Trixie.
“G-Go on, Great and Powerful Trixie!” Snips said through his chattering teeth.
“Y-Yeah! You vanquished an Ursa Major before, di-didn’t you?” Snails said trying to hide from the monster underneath Trixie’s cape.
Trixie’s eyes widened with fear as she stared into the angry eyes and sharp teeth of the predator before her. Her legs were shaking and her mind froze up. It didn’t take long for her to scream in response, “I-I can’t! I jnever have! No one’s vanquished an Ursa Major!”
As Snips and Snails gasped in shock, Twilight, her friends, and their Digimon ran over and stood protectively in front of the three. The Ursa Major roared again but before it could act Rainbow Dash and Lucey flew in front of its face. It started swatting at the two of them, while they drew it away from the group.
“You said you vanquished an Ursa Major?!” Twilight yelled at Trixie, incredulous at the show mare, “Why would you do that?!”
“I-I-I just didn’t want to look bad in front of everpony! I didn’t mean for it to get this bad! A-And these two were the ones who brought it to Ponyville!” Trixie pointed toward Snips and Snails who looked ashamed of what they had done.
AJ face hoofed and yelled at the two, “Are ya’ll crazy?! Do ya’ll have any idea what that thing’ll do to Ponyville if we leave it alone!?”
“Wait, so...the giant star bear thing is a normal thing here?” Squirt asked, pointing a finger at the Ursa. As all the ponies nodded and gave affirmatives, Squirt crossed his arms, “And you say we Digimon are weird.”
“Nevermind that. We need to do something about this!” Cornelius said as he hold up his staff, “Twilight what do we need to-“
“Ohohohohohoho! Aquary Pressure!”
A wave of pressurized water came out of nowhere and hit the Ursa right in its face. The bear roared in pain as it was sent flying back down the street it had come from. Lucey and Rainbow hovered in mid air as everyone’s eyes followed where the water and laugh had come from. Soon enough, Witchmon came flying in on her broom before stopping right in between Rainbow Dash and Lucey. She flipped some hair out of her face before turning toward Trixie, “I apologize for my tardiness, Great and Powerful Trixie. But now that I am here, there is no more need to fear this uncouth animal before you. You and those naysayers from earlier may sit pretty, while I give this beast what for.”
Snips and Snails cheered Witchmon on while Trixie stared up at her in shock. Then her shook her head and smiled before saying, “O-Of course! Go forth, my Beautiful Assistant! Show your might to all those who would doubt the two of us!”
“Witchmon! Don’t! That’s not a-“ but Twilight’s words fell on deaf ears. Witchmon was already flying toward the downed bear. As it got to its feet, it glared at Witchmon and let out a roar.
Witchmon pinched her nose with her left hand while holding her right toward the Ursa, “Oh! Your breathe smells awful! Here, let me help you with that! Balaluna Gale!”
A magical glyph appeared above her right palm and she quickly turned her hand until her palm faced the sky. A second later, a whirlwind big enough to engulf the Ursa appeared around its paws. The bear panicked, violently waving its paws around as it tried to get out of the swirling vortex. But no matter how hard it tried it couldn’t get out of the gale of wind. It growled in fear as it tried to escape, but Witchmon ignored its pleas and cries. She took her other hand off her nose and lifted the bear further into the air before pointing her other hand at it, “Now that we’ve got your breath taken care of, let me get you a more intensive bath. Aquary Pressure!”
This time the water that she summoned was formed into a sphere that quickly grew from the size of her hand to as big as a building. Once it was ready, she closed both her hands into fists. The vortex immediately dissipated. The Ursa floated in the air for a bit, before it realized that it was no longer buoyed by the wind. It panicked as it waved its paws through the air, before the sphere of water crashed onto its body. The weight of the water sent it hurtling toward the ground. Once it hit, the sphere exploded and covered the Ursa head to tail in water. The audience that had been observing the fight all winced as heard the bear hit the ground. Soaked to the one, the Ursa laid on the ground for a few moments. It blinked as if it was trying to understand what just happened to it. Then it did something that surprised all the Digimon.
It started to sob. Then its eyes filled with water. Then it began loudly crying. It put its paws on its eyes as tears fell across its face. It sniffled, sobbed, and curled up as it continued to growl and groan in pain. Witchmon floated above the animal and started to laugh at it, “Ohohohohohoho! I hope you have learned your lesson you beast.”
“Yeesh,” Spike said, wincing at what Witchmon had done, “Talk about cold.”
“She didn’t have to make it cry!” Fluttershy said, looking like she was about to go give Witchmon a piece of her mind, “Just cause it’s an Ursa Major doesn’t mean she had to hurt it!”
“How else was she supposed to stop it? One can’t expect an Ursa Major to leave simply because one asks it to,” Trixie said with her head held high.
“That’s not an Ursa Major.”
All eyes turned to Twilight who was not looking at the downed bear. Her eyes were focused on the horizon that led to the Everfree Forest. Trixie stepped up to her side and said, “Oh, what? Are you going to try and downplay my Assistant’s achievements by saying she didn’t really beat an Ursa Major?”
“Yes, because she didn’t. That’s not an Ursa Major. That’s an Ursa Minor. A cub,” Twilight clarified. Just as she finished speaking, all of Ponyville shook. All ponies and Digimon looked around to find the source but they didn’t have to look far. Because within moments the source cleared the edge of the Everfree forest. As soon as its shadow fell over Ponyville, all ponies and Digimon felt their blood run cold.
The Ursa Minor stopped crying and looked up at the newcomer. Witchmon, who was staring up at the figure with fear swore she heard it growl out a, “Mommy?”
“That,” Twilight audibly swallowed, “is an Ursa Major.”
Said Ursa Major roared loud enough to shake Ponyville.