Our Digital Friends (MLP X Digimon)

[LinkOnScepter]

Spoiler: Sneak Peek

Upon returning to her cottage, Fluttershy soon learned two facts about her situation. The first, was that she was indeed in way over her head. Contrary to what her original belief when she offered to foalsit the so called "Cutey Mark Crusaders", this was anything but easy. The three fillies were...a hooful to say the least. They didn't seem to run out of energy and constantly talked about doing things that Fluttershy saw as dangerous. Like going into the dark, scary, Everfree Forest in some strange attempt to get their Cutie Marks. She tried to convince them to calm down...but her attempts had been less than successful.

"Break anything," she opined while watching the three fall over each other after playing "Creature Catchers". Where Apple Bloom and Scootaloo pretended to be a monster for Sweetie Bell to capture. They had landed on one of her tables and broken it into multiple pieces.

The three of them looked ashamed, Scootalo even more so with a laundry basket on her head. Sweetie Bell was the first to say, "Sorry, Fluttershy."

"Yeah, sorry," Scootaloo followed up.

"Ah guess we aren't Creature Catchers," Apple Bloom finished, all three fillies laying on the floor totally dejected.

Fluttershy started to comfort them, however, every ponies attention was suddenly taken by the sound of someone walking down the stairs. Looking up the four mares saw a familiar face making his way to the first floor. Lucey was smiling while carrying two plates filled with tea cakes down with him. His gaze fell onto the Crusaders, eyebrow raising, "My, my. Did the three of you do that?"

Suddenly, the three fillies were all standing with their heads bowed. Their originally energetic disposition had all but disappeared the second Lucey stepped into the room. Sweetie Bell started drawing circles in the carpet with her hoof, Apple Bloom was rubbing at her hoof, and Scootaloo was the first to speak up, "Y-Yeah. We're really sorry."

Lucey said nothing as he put the plates of cakes down and walked over to the broken object. He crouched down and rubbed his chin while humming to himself. He put a finger on the shattered furniture and gently rocked part of it back and forth, "Yep, this is broken alright. A shame. I did like this table."

Those words seemed to get the Crusaders to worry even more. That is, until he looked at them with a smile, "Guess we'll just have to fix it, won't we? But I'll need you girls' help to do it. Think you all could be my Cutie Mark Carpenters for a bit."

The fillies' eyes all lit up at this words. They yelled out in unison, "Cutie Mark Crusaders Carpenters! Yay!"

While Fluttershy was left rubbing her ears at the yelling, Lucey seemed fine. He sat down on his knees, cleared his throat, then held out his hand, "Very well, let's begin. Scootalo, bring me a hammer."

"Right!" the orange filly dashed away before coming back with a hammer in her mouth. She placed it in Lucey's outstretched hand and waited for his next instruction.

"Thank you, now hold this please," he handed her on of the broken table legs before turning to Apple Bloom, "Apple Bloom? Could you bring me some nails? In a box, please."

"Yes sir!" Apple Bloom hurried off and came right back with a box of nails on her back.

"Good," Lucey took the nails then placed them down next to him, "Now hold this."

He gave her another table leg before looking down at Sweetie Bell. The filly was still standing behind him, so nervous she couldn't meet his eyes. Lucey spoke gently as he carefully reached over and guided her to his side, "Sweetie Bell. You sit here and watch me work, alright?"

"O-O-Okay, but why?"

"Because you're so cute, that you'll give me motivation to work harder," Lucey's words were simple and straightforward, but they were enough to make Sweetie Bell blush like crazy. She mumbled and affirmative while looking at the floor, steam coming off the top of her head. Scootaloo looked to Apple Bloom, eyebrow raising in confusion, but Apple Bloom could only shrug.

As Lucey proceeded to work on the table, Fluttershy trotted over to the plates with the tea cakes. She sighed while picking one up and daintily eating it. This was the second fact she had become aware of since starting; Lucey was seemed to be better than her at this. She didn't know what it was, but Lucey seemed able to corral the three fillies without even trying. When they had arrived at her house, the three had stayed put while he headed up stairs to get the tea cakes. But the second she tried to get them to listen to her, they went right back to being more energetic than she could handle. She figured that was how the whole night was gonna go.

Yet the moment Lucey came back, they were all back to doing as he said. They were even sitting completely still while he worked on the table. He did ask for them to help him out, but only when their actions wouldn't cause any more issues. By the time three minutes had passed, the table was completely repaired. Lucey even took a moment to polish it with his toga to make sure it shined like new.

He wiped the sweat off his brow and smiled at the three girls, "Good job, Cutie Mark Crusaders. You were all big helps. Now, let's see if you got anything."

With excited smiles all three fillies looked at their flanks to see if their Cutie Marks had appeared. But their excitement is soon dashed as they remain blank. All three say, "Awwww", in unison.

"Oh, I'm sorry girls," Fluttershy hovered over to them, carrying a plate of tea cakes with her, "But look on the bright side. You all did a great job helping Lucey fix the table. Now, how about we all-"

"Ha! That's it!" Apple Bloom suddenly shouted hopping up and down while looking at her friends, "That's something we can try to do! Become Digimon...uh...what're ya'll called again, Fluttershy? Digimon...Sitters?"

"Tamers," Lucey answered for Fluttershy, "They're called Digimon Tamers. And that might not be a bad idea. We have been looking for poines to adopt the eggs. What do you think, Fluttershy?"

The three fillies all turned their bright smiles and wide eyes onto Fluttershy. She bit her lip as nervousness took her over, "Uh, I don't know. Having pets are big responsibilities. Are you girls sure you can handle it?"

"We'll never know until we try!" Apple Bloom said, soon joined by her friends.

Still unsure, Fluttershy looked at Lucey. Lucey nodded, "It should be fine. If anything, it might actually be fore the best. Digimon grow based on the bonds and emotions of their owners. And, considering these there are so...energetic, their Digimon should grow rather well. And besides, they have to actually hatch the eggs first. Something that might not happen."

With Lucey backing them up, the three fillies stared expectantly at Fluttershy. While she was still somewhat uncertain, Lucey's words helped calm her nerves. After a few moments of contemplation, she eventually smiled and nodded at the fillies, "Alright. But you girls need to be careful, okay?"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, DIGIMON TAMERS! YAY!" they all shouted before dashing out the back door and towards where they thought the eggs were. Fluttershy and Lucey followed after them to make sure they didn't do anything too damaging. When they made it outside, they saw the three fillies standing around the nest that had been created for the eggs. All three of them had already grabbed their own, with Scootaloo struggling to lift up one of the solid gray eggs, "Wow! These things are...heavier than I thought."

"Maybe to ya'll, but it's not that bad to me," Apple Bloom said as she easily carried her own egg in her hooves, "They're about as heavy as a barrel o' apples."

"Well that's...nnh...good for you," Sweetie Bell replied, trying to move her chosen egg by pushing against it with her head.

"Girls! Be careful! You don't want to hurt the eggs," Fluttershy zipped over and quickly helped the three get better grips on the eggs.

While she did that, Lucey hovered over and stopped a few steps away from the scene. He put a hand on his chin and raised an eyebrow, "That's strange. They haven't hatched yet."

"Huh? Are they supposed to hatch when you touch them?" Scootaloo asked, looking at her own egg with newfound confusion.

"That's how it worked for us," Lucey shrugged and closed the distance as he explained, "I hatched after Fluttershy touched my egg once. The others hatched overnight. And considering how easy it was for the others to evolve into their Rookie Stages, I assumed something similar would happen with you three."

"Does that mean we already did somethin' wrong," Apple Bloom asked, looking distraught.

Fluttershy came over and rubbed the girl's head, "No, no, Apple Bloom. It's just yours are probably a bit different. They need a lot of love and care before they're gonna hatch."

 

[LinkOnScepter]

Upon returning to her cottage, Fluttershy soon learned two facts about her situation. The first, was that she was indeed in way over her head. Contrary to what her original belief when she offered to foalsit the so called "Cutey Mark Crusaders", this was anything but easy. The three fillies were...a hooful to say the least. They didn't seem to run out of energy and constantly talked about doing things that Fluttershy saw as dangerous. Like going into the dark, scary, Everfree Forest in some strange attempt to get their Cutie Marks. She tried to convince them to calm down...but her attempts had been less than successful.

"Break anything," she opined while watching the three fall over each other after playing "Creature Catchers". Where Apple Bloom and Scootaloo pretended to be a monster for Sweetie Bell to capture. They had landed on one of her tables and broken it into multiple pieces.1

The three of them looked ashamed, Scootalo even more so with a laundry basket on her head. Sweetie Bell was the first to say, "Sorry, Fluttershy."

"Yeah, sorry," Scootaloo followed up.

"Ah guess we aren't Creature Catchers," Apple Bloom finished, all three fillies laying on the floor totally dejected.

Fluttershy started to comfort them, however, every ponies attention was suddenly taken by the sound of someone walking down the stairs. Looking up the four mares saw a familiar face making his way to the first floor. Lucey was smiling while carrying two plates filled with tea cakes down with him. His gaze fell onto the Crusaders, eyebrow raising, "My, my. Did the three of you do that?"

Suddenly, the three fillies were all standing with their heads bowed. Their originally energetic disposition had all but disappeared the second Lucey stepped into the room. Sweetie Bell started drawing circles in the carpet with her hoof, Apple Bloom was rubbing at her hoof, and Scootaloo was the first to speak up, "Y-Yeah. We're really sorry."

Lucey said nothing as he put the plates of cakes down and walked over to the broken object. He crouched down and rubbed his chin while humming to himself. He put a finger on the shattered furniture and gently rocked part of it back and forth, "Yep, this is broken alright. A shame. I did like this table."

Those words seemed to get the Crusaders to worry even more. That is, until he looked at them with a smile, "Guess we'll just have to fix it, won't we? But I'll need you girls' help to do it. Think you all could be my Cutie Mark Carpenters for a bit."

The fillies' eyes all lit up at this words. They yelled out in unison, "Cutie Mark Crusaders Carpenters! Yay!"

While Fluttershy was left rubbing her ears at the yelling, Lucey seemed fine. He sat down on his knees, cleared his throat, then held out his hand, "Very well, let's begin. Scootaloo, bring me a hammer."

"Right!" the orange filly dashed away before coming back with a hammer in her mouth. She placed it in Lucey's outstretched hand and waited for his next instruction.

"Thank you, now hold this please," he handed her on of the broken table legs before turning to Apple Bloom, "Apple Bloom? Could you bring me some nails? In a box, please."

"Yes sir!" Apple Bloom hurried off and came right back with a box of nails on her back.

"Good," Lucey took the nails then placed them down next to him, "Now hold this."

He gave her another table leg before looking down at Sweetie Bell. The filly was still standing behind him, so nervous she couldn't meet his eyes. Lucey spoke gently as he carefully reached over and guided her to his side, "Sweetie Bell. You sit here and watch me work, alright?"

"O-O-Okay, but why?"

"Because you're so cute, that you'll give me motivation to work harder," Lucey's words were simple and straightforward, but they were enough to make Sweetie Bell blush like crazy. She mumbled an affirmative while looking at the floor, steam coming off the top of her head. Scootaloo looked to Apple Bloom, eyebrow raising in confusion, but Apple Bloom could only shrug.

As Lucey proceeded to work on the table, Fluttershy trotted over to the plates with the tea cakes. She sighed while picking one up and daintily eating it. This was the second fact she had become aware of since starting; Lucey was seemed to be better than her at this. She didn't know what it was, but Lucey seemed able to corral the three fillies without even trying. When they had arrived at her house, the three had stayed put while he headed up stairs to get the tea cakes. But the second she tried to get them to listen to her, they went right back to being more energetic than she could handle. She figured that was how the whole night was gonna go.

Yet the moment Lucey came back, they were all back to doing as he said. They were even sitting completely still while he worked on the table. He did ask for them to help him out, but only when their actions wouldn't cause any more issues. By the time three minutes had passed, the table was completely repaired. Lucey even took a moment to polish it with his toga to make sure it shined like new.

He wiped the sweat off his brow and smiled at the three girls, "Good job, Cutie Mark Crusaders. You were all big helps. Now, let's see if you got anything."

With excited smiles all three fillies looked at their flanks to see if their Cutie Marks had appeared. But their excitement is soon dashed as they remain blank. All three say, "Awwww", in unison.

"Oh, I'm sorry girls," Fluttershy hovered over to them, carrying a plate of tea cakes with her, "But look on the bright side. You all did a great job helping Lucey fix the table. Now, how about we all-"

"Ha! That's it!" Apple Bloom suddenly shouted hopping up and down while looking at her friends, "That's something we can try to do! Become Digimon...uh...what're ya'll called again, Fluttershy? Digimon...Sitters?"

"Tamers," Lucey answered for Fluttershy, "They're called Digimon Tamers. And that might not be a bad idea. We have been looking for poines to adopt the eggs. What do you think, Fluttershy?"

The three fillies all turned their bright smiles and wide eyes onto Fluttershy. She bit her lip as nervousness took her over, "Uh, I don't know. Having pets are big responsibilities. Are you girls sure you can handle it?"

"We'll never know until we try!" Apple Bloom said, soon joined by her friends.

Still unsure, Fluttershy looked at Lucey. Lucey nodded, "It should be fine. If anything, it might actually be fore the best. Digimon grow based on the bonds and emotions of their owners. And, considering these there are so...energetic, their Digimon should grow rather well. And besides, they have to actually hatch the eggs first. Something that might not happen."

With Lucey backing them up, the three fillies stared expectantly at Fluttershy. While she was still somewhat uncertain, Lucey's words helped calm her nerves. After a few moments of contemplation, she eventually smiled and nodded at the fillies, "Alright. But you girls need to be careful, okay?"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, DIGIMON TAMERS! YAY!" they all shouted before dashing out the back door and towards where they thought the eggs were. Fluttershy and Lucey followed after them to make sure they didn't do anything too damaging. When they made it outside, they saw the three fillies standing around the nest that had been created for the eggs. All three of them had already grabbed their own, with Scootaloo struggling to lift up one of the solid gray eggs, "Wow! These things are...heavier than I thought."

"Maybe to ya'll, but it's not that bad to me," Apple Bloom said as she easily carried her own egg in her hooves, "They're about as heavy as a barrel o' apples."

"Well that's...nnh...good for you," Sweetie Bell replied, trying to move her chosen egg by pushing against it with her head.

"Girls! Be careful! You don't want to hurt the eggs," Fluttershy zipped over and quickly helped the three get better grips on the eggs.

While she did that, Lucey hovered over and stopped a few steps away from the scene. He put a hand on his chin and raised an eyebrow, "That's strange. They haven't hatched yet."

"Huh? Are they supposed to hatch when you touch them?" Scootaloo asked, looking at her own egg with newfound confusion.

"That's how it worked for us," Lucey shrugged and closed the distance as he explained, "I hatched after Fluttershy touched my egg once. The others hatched overnight. And considering how easy it was for the others to evolve into their Rookie Stages, I assumed something similar would happen with you three."

"Does that mean we already did somethin' wrong," Apple Bloom asked, looking distraught.

Fluttershy came over and rubbed the girl's head, "No, no, Apple Bloom. It's just yours are probably a bit different. They need a lot of love and care before they're gonna hatch."

"But how are we supposed to give 'em that?" Apple Bloom asked, lightly tapping her egg.

"Don't you usually sit on eggs to keep them warm?" Scootaloo said, looking the eggs up and down. She swallowed and said, "I don't think we'll be able to do that."

"Digi-Eggs don't need to be kept warm, necessarily," Lucey stated while crouching to be level with the girls. He then glanced up at the sky and smiled as an idea came over him, "But, I know of a way to check and see if it'll work. It's late enough that the three of you should be in bed."

"What?! Aww!" all three girls said in unison, looking visibly deflated at the thought of having to go to bed. Apple Bloom protested, "But we're not tired!"

Lucey put a hand on his chin, "Hmm, maybe. But, like I said, the other Digimon hatched after the night passed. Perhaps your Digimon will hatch after you get a good night's sleep?"

Lucey's words easily swayed the three fillies, who all made to drag their eggs into Fluttershy's house...with little success. They mostly accomplished just moving the eggs a little bit without really going anywhere. Holding back chuckles, both Lucey and Fluttershy helped the fillies get their eggs, carrying them into the cottage and up the stairs to their room. Once they, and their eggs, were all tucked in nice and cozy, Fluttershy bid them good night. The three fillies said good night then tried to force themselves to sleep, each one with an egg next to them in bed.

After Fluttershy left the room, she let out a sigh and looked up at her Digimon, "Thank you so much, Lucey. I don't think I would've been able to handle them if you weren't here. Haaa, I guess I'm not really made to be a foalsitter."

Lucey smiled then patted Fluttershy on her head, "Now, now, don't be so down on yourself, Fluttershy. I'm sure you'd be a great sitter. But looking after those three requires...a special touch."

"You mean like what you have?" she turned to look up at him with a frown, "How do you get them to hang onto your every word anyway?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a little bit of Hero Worship left over from when I saved Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell, plus using what you've taught me when it comes to handling animals. Soft voice, calm tone, and speak in ways that make them love you," Lucey kept smiling as he spoke.

Fluttershy started blushing as she said, "Y-You learned that from me?"

"Who better? Now, let me go make you some tea," Lucey said, heading towards the stairs. Fluttershy giggled, flying up and muttering happily to herself as she followed Lucey.

Meanwhile, within the guest room where the Cutie Mark Crusaders are supposedly resting...

"Urgh, this isn't working!" Apple Bloom said, sitting up in bed and causing her own egg to shake. She slaps her front hooves onto the bed, "Aye got too much energy!"

"Me too," Scootaloo sits up as well, being a bit more careful with her own egg, "But how else are we supposed to get our eggs to hatch?"

"Maybe we got bad eggs? Ya know, ones that aren't supposed to hatch," Apple Bloom said with a shrug.

Sweetie Bell sat up and gasped, "Don't say that, Apple Bloom! It's like Fluttershy said, we just need to give them love and care. Don't worry, little Digimon egg. You can hatch whenever you want to."

She then started to gently rub the outside of her own egg with a hoof. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo flinched before looking ashamed. Scootaloo was looked at her own egg and smiled while touching it with her tiny wing, "Yeah, sorry little Digimon. I'm sure you'll hatch soon, and you'll be awesome! Just like Rainbow Dash."

"And ya'll get big and strong like Big Loo, lil' guy! I can't wait to show ya 'round the farm and introduce you to mah family!" Apple Bloom gently nuzzled her face against her own egg.

And, a moment after this, the three eggs all began to move in unison. The three fillies gasped, all hopping backwards on the bed as the eggs started to rock back and forth. The three fillies looked at each other, lips curling into excited smiles as they watched their eggs hatch. That was, until all three started glowing so bright that the CMC had to cover their eyes. The light became so bright that it encompassed the entire room and shined out the window. However, as quickly as it came, it soon disappeared.

"Wh-What was that?" Sweetie Bell asked while looking around the room. She squinted and kept rubbing at her eyes, "I still can't see anything."

"Ah don't know," Apple Bloom's head darted in every direction as she tried to see anything, "Did ya'll hear anything? Like an egg shell crackin'?"

"Nope! Nothing like...woah!" Scootaloo shouted as something slightly prickly knocked her off the bed. She heard a small squeak as it fell with her, the two of them hitting the floor and rolling into the wall. She grunted while rubbing the back of her head with one eye closed, "Ah, Apple Bloom watch where you're going?"

"Apple Bloom?" the voice was unfamiliar. High-pitched and much too squeaky. Not like Apple Bloom or Sweetie Bell's voices at all. Stiffening in both apprehension and excitement, Scootaloo opened both her eyes and looked down at what had rammed her off the bed. What she saw was a small, round, gray and white furry creature. It had big, round blue-green eyes and stared at her with curiosity and awe. It's little mouth hung open in confusion, showing that it only had two teeth. One on the top and one on the bottom. On its head was a yellow spine in the shape of a lightning bolt, with four more spines sticking out of its hindquarters. It looked up at Scootaloo and then said, "Who's that? I'm Pusurimon! And, matter of fact, who are you? Are you another Digimon?"

"...EEEEEE!" Scootaloo couldn't help the girlish squeal she let out, as she grabbed the Digimon in her lap. Careful to avoid touching the spines, she squeezed the little guy into a huge bear hug while her little wings flapped in excitement, "It worked, it worked, it worked! I've got a Digimon. And you are so cute!~"

"I don't know what this is...but I like it!" Pusurimon said, trying his best to return Scootaloo's hug.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell, their vision having cleared up, both stared at Scootaloo and Digimon with their mouths hanging open. Then Apple Bloom frown and stood up, "No fair! Where's mah Digimon?! Didn't they all hatch at the same-"

"Watch out!" another tiny voice shouted as a small, white creature landed just in front of her. Its body, which seemed to also be its head, was completely white with dashes of red on the tips of its two horns and the frills on its back. It blinked and opened up two bright yellow eyes while wiggling its little black nose. The sudden appearance of the strange creature made both fillies squeak and fall back, sending Sweetie Bell off her side of the bed. Her panicked shriek was cut off as two soft things grabbed her and gently carried her down to the floor. Her eyes were drawn to the similar creature that was sitting on the floor near the bed.

The closest thing she could compare it to was a bunny rabbit. But instead of pure white fur and four limbs, it was a moving head with dusty yellow fur, and its two large ears were pointing out the top of its forehead. Its eyes were completely covered by its fur, but it didn't seem to have any issue watching Sweetie's movements. The unicorn filly slowly crawled her way forward and asked, "Um, uh, um, he-hello, there. Are you...my Digimon?"

"I don't know," the little Digimon said, its voice high-pitched but calm rather than scared. It slowly hopped closer to Sweetie Bell, "Are you a Digimon?"

"No. I'm Sweetie Bell," she said, trying to remain calm and not immediately try to rub the Digimon's soft looking fur.

"Hey, Sweetie Bell. I'm Bosamon. What's a Sweetie Bell?" the other Digimon said, hopping around to Sweeite's right side, "You look bigger than normal Digimon. Are you a Champion?"

"No. I'm a Unicorn filly," Sweetie Bell said, sitting up as the watched the Digimon hop around her, "And, I think you hatched out of the egg I was holding. So, um, I figured that meant I was your Tamer."

"Are you?"

"You don't know?"

"I just hatched. There's a lot I don't know. Other than being a Digimon, how to move, how to use my ears, and that you're a Unicorn filly. Whatever that is."

Sweetie Bell and Bosamon stared at each other, both looking confused and not sure what to do next. The silence between them was broken by Apple Bloom shouting Sweetie's name. The two looked up at the bed to see her flying over the edge of the bed while holding onto the Digimon that had fallen from the ceiling. Said Digimon was floating into the air with his two horns glowing purple, laughing along with the young filly. However, its horns soon stopped glowing and the two fell onto the floor. Bosamon moved to the left to avoid the other Digimon falling on top of it, while Sweetie Bell didn't move fast enough and ended up with Apple Bloom landing her flank first.

"Sorry, Sweetie," Apple Bloom said while helping her friend up. But she quickly rebounded and said, "But did ya'll see what mah Digimon could do?! Little feller can fly!"

"I'm actually just making myself lighter with gravity control," the Digimon in question said, shaking its head to get rid of the stars in its eyes, "At least, I think that's what I did. I just thought it would cool, so I did it."

"Darn tootin' it was cool!" Apple Bloom said, confidently stepping up to and petting the Digimon on the head, "I'm Apple Bloom. What's your name little fella?"

"I'm Gurimon! Nice to meet you Apple Bloom!" the now named Gurimon said while bumping his head into Apple Bloom's hoof. He then looked over at Bosamon and said, "Ah, sorry for almost landing on you. I can't control my powers well yet. But I'll get to it! What's your name?"

"Bosamon," Bosamon said while taking a few steps away from Gurimon, "And, if you don't mind, I'm gonna stand at least a few steps away from you. Just as a precaution."

"Girls! Girls!" Scootaloo came climbing over the bed, landing in between the fillies and the Digimon with her own still held in her hoof. She held Pusurimon up for everypony to see, "Check it out! I got him! I got my own Digimon!"

"So did we, look!" Apple Bloom pointed towards the others who were staring up at Pusurimon.

The hedgehog-like Digimon wiggled out of Scootaloo's grasp and ran over to the other two. Without warning, he hopped on to Bosamon's head, flattening the rabbit Digimon's ears while giggling, "Hehehe, you're really soft! What kind of Digimon are you?"

Bosamon was cut off as Gurimon hopped up and landed on Pusurimon's back. He spoke up, "That's Bosamon. I'm Gurimon. And you're kind of prickly. Ow."

"Yeah, be careful of the spines. They're always like that! I'm Pusurimon! Nice to-wooooaaahhh," the weight of the combined Digimon sent all three tumbling to the ground. But none of them seemed upset. They all started to laugh as they rolled around on the floor.

"They are soooo cute~!" Sweetie Bell said, eyes sparkling while watching their Digimon frolic. Then she gasped and said, "Our Cutie Marks!"

All three looked at their flanks...but didn't see anything. Their excitement soon waned as Apple Bloom let out a loud grunt of annoyance, "Aw, come on! Not even that worked!"

"So, are we not Digimon Tamers?" Scootaloo asked, sounding distraught at the thought of not having her own Digimon.

"I don't think so. My sister's got a Digimon, but her Cutie Mark didn't change. Maybe being a Tamer is about more than having a Digimon?" Sweetie Bell posited while idly tapping her muzzle.

"Hey, yeah!" Apple Bloom shouted, regaining her enthusiasm, "In fact, I bet it has to do with them evolving or whatever it was. We probably have to help them evolve first!"

"What are you three talking about?" Gurimon said, rolling over and gently hitting Apple Bloom's leg, "Are you talking about food? We're all kind of hungry."

A trio of growling stomachs responded to Guriomon's assertion. Hearing that Sweetie Bell said, "Well, I guess we need to go get Fluttershy and-"

"No, wait!" Apple Bloom got in the way of her friend before Sweetie could get close to the door, "We're supposed to be sleep! If they find out we're still awake, they're gonna be real upset."

"Then what are supposed to do? Not exactly much to eat in here except the sheets and...Pusurimn! No!" Scootaloo grabbed her Digimon before it could bite down on the bed covers, "That didn't mean eat them!"

"Aw," Pusurimon sounded honestly upset. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom looked at the bed, then at the single window leading out into Fluttershy's backyard. And she got a devious little idea.

---

"So, Fluttershy, what do you-" Lucey was interrupted by the sound of something wooden shattering outside.

"What was that?!" Fluttershy shouted, flying into the air and heading towards her backdoor. Lucey followed her, making sure to put up the tea and cakes before doing so. The two of them burst through the backdoor to find Fluttershy's Chicken Coop in disarray. All around, her chickens were clucking up a storm as they ran every which way. Fluttershy gasped, "Oh no! Everypony, what happened?"

"Let's get them all back in the Coop, first. Then we can figure that out," Lucey said, already flying over and grabbing some of the chickens in his arms. With his help, Fluttershy quickly got all the chickens back to where they belonged...well, almost all of them.

"Elizabeak, she's missing!" Fluttershy said after seeing that one of the spaces in her Coop was empty.

"She's not the only one," Lucey called down from the second floor of Fluttershy's home. His wings flapped as he hovered near the singular window, looking inside the room where the Cutie Mark Crusaders were supposed to be. Turning, he instantly spotted a trail leading out of the backyard and into...the Everfree Forest. Though what caught his eye the most were the prints left in the dirt. Not just hoofprints or talonprints, but prints more reminiscent of...

"Baby Digimon," Lucey sighed as Fluttershy ran over to him. He then looked at her as he landed and pointed a finger at the Everfree, "I think I can guess what happened. Seems their eggs hatched sooner than expected."

"So, did their Digimon do this?"

"I think they were part of it. Baby Digimon are really hungry when they're first born. They were probably looking for food for them, but didn't want to let us know they were awake. They came out the window, the Babies saw the Chicken Coop, and probably tried to eat the eggs. The fillies stopped them but, Elizabeak was still gone."

"Oooh, those girls have really done it this time. They've really bitten off more than they can chew...just like me," Fluttershy said, before looking towards the Everfree. She felt fear seize her heart and nearly stopped herself from going in. However, that fear wasn't as strong as her want to protect those three fillies from danger. And it only grew weaker as she felt Lucey's hand pat her back. Looking up at her Digimon, Fluttershy took a deep breath before the two of them flew into the Everfree Forest.

---

"Here, chick-chick-chick," Apple Bloom shouted, followed by her making her best impression of a chicken.

"What are you doing?" Scootaloo asked, confused by her friend's actions.

"Callin' for the chicken."

"That is not how you call a chicken."

"Oh and you know how to call a chicken."

"I know that's not the way. Back me up, Pursi," Scootaloo said, looking at the hedgehog Digimon on her back.

But instead what she got was a sad sounding, "I'm sorry I scared the chicken away."

Scootaloo's expression fell and she nuzzled her Digimon's face, "It's alright. You guys were hunger and didn't know better. Just make sure you never do anything like that again, got it?"

"Okay," Pursi said, perking up a little bit, "But it was funny to see Lil' Gu' covered in feathers when he tried to tackle those three chickens."

"Those chickens were faster than I thought. Even managed to avoid me when I using my gravity control," the Gurimon on Apple Bloom's back, Lil' Gu', said, shaking one more feather out of his head, "And I'm sorry, too. I was just hungry."

"Clearly your Digimon need to learn a thing or two from Fluffykins here," Sweetie Bell said, reaching behind her and patting Bosamon on his head as he road on her back. Said Digimon said nothing, but his ears seemed to stand a bit taller. The two other Crusaders looked at each other and mouthed out "Fluffykins" as Sweetie Bell shouted back, "And have you seen anything yet?"

"Nope! Not yet," both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom said aloud as they continued after Sweetie Bell. Apple Bloom continued making her chicken noises, trying to attract Elizabeak. Soon she was joined by Lil' Gu' copying her in his own way.

Meanwhile, far behind them, Fluttershy was trotting along the Everfree Forest trail after the girl's hoofprints. She was shaking like a leaf, muttering to herself in order to stay brave. Lucey walked right beside her, keeping an eye out for anything dangerous. Fluttershy looked up and asked, "D-D-Do you see them, Lucey?"

"Not yet. Are you sure flying is out of the question?" he asked, holding out his wings for emphasis.

Fluttershy nodded, "Y-Yeah. W-We might miss them if we fly too high o-or too fast."

"Good point. Still though I-"

"Urgh."

Fluttershy squealed and hid behind Lucey's leg while Lucey aimed a Holy Shot at the direction the sound came from. The light from his finger broke through the dark of the underbrush, revealing the source of the sound.

"Cornelius?! Twilight?!" Fluttershy looked around Lucey's leg and gasped as she saw what he meant. Sitting within the bushes was Cornelius in his Rookie form with his Tamer...who had been turned to stone.

"L-Lucey? Fluttershy?" Corenlius said, pushing himself to his feet...and revealing that those had been turned to stone, "Is that you?"

"Oh my!" Fluttershy shouted, dashing to check on the Rookie Digimon and her friend, "W-What happened?! What did this to you?!"

"A C-Cockatrice. Twilight and I were, on our way to Zecora. Ran into it. She looked into its eyes and got-petrified before I could evolve. I looked at it too but...it seems that the petrification process isn't working as well on me," he looked at his two feet that had been turned to stone.

Lucey flew over and gently put a hand on Twilight. She was cold to the touch, but he didn't think she was gone. If she was, Cornelius would probably be panicking much more than he was. He didn't know if they could sense when their Tamers were in danger, but he liked to think that they could sense if something terrible had happened to them. He knelt down and patted Cornelius on the head to comfort him, "My condolences. Is that Cockatrice still nearby?"

"Most likely. I-I don't know how to undo the process but-if you could find a way...please."

"We will, I promise," Fluttershy said, smiling at the Rookie Digimon.

"Did you see Apple Bloom, her friends, three Baby Digimon, and a chicken pass through by any chance?" Lucey asked, though he figured he knew the answer already.

Cornelius shook his head, "No, but if they're out here, they're in danger. You need to find them, fast! Before the Cockatrice gets them!"

"R-Right. S-Stay safe. We'll be back for both of you," Fluttershy said, revolve strengthened by the thought of helping her friend. She looked at Lucey and said, "Change of plans. We're flying, now!"

Lucey nodded and the two took to the skies. Fluttershy repeatedly called out, "Girls?! Girls?!" as they flew, while Lucey kept his eyes focused on the dirt path below. Now in flight, it didn't take them any time at all to spot the three fillies walking through the woods. Lucey pointed at them and the two of them flew down to land in front of the group.

"Fluttershy? Lucey?" Apple Bloom called as the two arrived.

"Wow! What's that Digimon?" Pursi said, hopping off Scootaloo's back and running over to Lucey. He tripped over his own paws and ended up skidding to a halt in front of the Angelic Digimon. But he easily got back on his feet and stared up in awe at Lucey, "You're huge! I am I gonna get that big when I evolve?!"

"Of course we are," Lil' Gu' said, hopping off Apple Bloom's back and coming to stand beside Pursi, "I bet he's a Champion. And once we grow up, we'll probably be bigger than him. Hey there! I'm Lil' Guri'! This is Pursi, and that's Fluffykins!"

"I'm actually a Bosamon, but I like the name," Fluffykins said, keeping his perch on Sweetie Bell's back.

"As much as I'd love to return your greetings, there is no time. We need to head back to Fluttershy's house," Lucey stated, gently patting the two Digimon in front of him to get them to move back.

"But we haven't found the chicken yet," Sweetie said, in protest.

"There's no time for that," Fluttershy began, "There's a Cockatrice on the loose."

"A Cocka-what?" Apple Bloom stated in confusion.

"What kind of Digimon is that?" Lil' Gu' said, sharing Apple Bloom's confusion.

"It's not a Digimon, it's a terrifying monster-"

"-that has the head of a chicken and the body of snake," Lucey began and Fluttershy finished for him, "Now come on!"

However, somehow without either of them noticing, the three fillies and their Digimon were already walking away. With Sweetie Bell saying, "The head of a chicken and the body of a snake?"

"That's not scary, that's silly," Scootaloo backed up.

"Yeah," Pursi agreed, "and if it's not a Digimon, then we can take it. We can beat up any monster that's not a Digimon!"

"Why, I bet if we ran into it right now, it would be scared of us!" Apple Bloom's words sent the entire group into a laughing fit. However, it was cut off when Fluttershy showed up in front of them.

"No, you don't understand! Cockatrice are dangerous! If you look one in the eye you'll-"

However, before the could finish, Elizabeak ran out of a nearby bush and into the distance. Sweeite Bell shouted, "The chicken!" and all three were off. They ignored Fluttershy and Lucey's cries to stop, chasing after the chicken without a care in the world. Eventually, it dove into a bush where they cornered it...but as they approached they noticed something strange.

"Two chickens?" Sweetie Bell said, seeing that there were two chicken heads poking out of the bush.

"I thought there was only one?" Scootaloo said, confused.

"Grab them both!" Apple Bloom shouted before trying to grab one, only for the chicken to dash away from her and the bush. Scootaloo ran in after the other one...but soon realized her mistake. Fear overcoming her, she backed away as the head rose out of the bush, revealing a dark green snake-like body with similar, bat like wings. The fillies all watched in fear, while the Baby Digimon hopped down ready for a fight.

Once the Cockatrice revealed it's full form in the light of the moon, it crowed loudly and went after the panicking Elizabeak. It opened its red eyes and stared the chicken down, quickly turning it to stone. As the now petrified Elizabeak hit the earth, the Cockatrice turned its eyes on the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

However, while the three fillies were filled with fear, their Digimon were ready for battle. Chuckling, Lil' Gu' was the first to say, "You don't scare us, you overgrown chicken-lizard-thing! Bring it on!"

With a battle cry, the three Digimon all charged right at the Cockatrice. However, before they could even get their attacks ready, the monster opened its eyes and subjected them all to is magical gaze. All three Baby Digimon were stopped before they could get close and their bodies swiftly turned to stone. The Cockatrice smacked the stone Digimon with its tail, sending them all flying back at the CMC.

Now fully consumed by fear, they picked up their Digimon, screamed, and ran as fast as their little hooves could take them. Unfortunately, that wasn't very far as they had underestimated the weight of their now stone Digimon. The stones threw off their balance sending them falling down in a heap. Fluttershy and Lucey arrived, the former trying to calm them down. But the girls just kept running around and screaming their lungs out. Lucey kept an eye on where the girls had come from. Soon enough, the Cockatrice appeared from within a bush. It rounded on them with its eyes still wide open. Lucey closed his eyes then said, "Fluttershy! It's here!"

Fluttershy closed and covered her eyes, yelling as loud as she dared, "Girls, behind us, now!"

That got through to the three fillies and they soon all ran to hide behind Fluttershy. The Cockatrice approached, flapping its wings while getting as close as it could to the group. Fluttershy kept her eyes closed for a few moments, trying to think of what to do. Then she opened up one of her eyes and saw how scared the CMC looked. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell were hiding behind Scootaloo, who looked like her legs would give out at any moment. Around them were the petrified bodies of their Baby Digimon, their mouths open wide in shock.

Seeing that finally brought out the courage she needed.

"Lucey...I'm going to do something crazy. Can you help me?"

"I think I know what you're going to do, Fluttershy. And I have my own idea. One based on a hunch. If you would humor me, climb onto my back. Quickly now."

Not sure what he meat, Fluttershy trusted Lucey. She flapped her wings and climbed onto his back, resting her chin on his shoulder. Once she was there, Lucey told her, "Now, at the count of three, we both open our eyes and stare this creature down. Ready?"

"Ready."

"One...two...three!"

In a flash, Lucey opened his eyes and charged forward. He grabbed the Cockatrice around its throat, cutting off its latest crow, before unfurling his wings. He soared into the sky while he and Fluttershy kept their eyes locked onto the monster. He only stopped once they were right at the edge of the canopy, where the CMC could still see them but the Cockatrice couldn't see the fillies.

"You!" Fluttershy began, her voice loud and angry at the monster.

"Just who do you think you are?!" Lucey continued, his own anger coming across much clearer than Fluttershy's, "Going around turning other's into stone?!"

The Cockatrice, not intimidated in the slightest, focused its power onto Lucey. The Digimon's skin began turning to stone, starting with the hand he was holding the Cockatrice with and crawling up his body. But when it reached his elbow, Lucey raised his other hand and said, "Cute."

With a single snap the stone on his arm shattered, leaving it looking good as new. The Cockatrice's eyes widened in shock and fear but things only got worse for it. Lucey pulled it closer to force it to stare into Fluttershy's eyes as she continued her admonishments, "You should be ashamed of yourself! I'd half the mind the mind to find your mother and tell her what you've up to tonight!"

"Or better yet, find your father!" Lucey backed her up, the Cockatrice beginning to sweat, "I'd bet he'd like to have a very fruitful conversation with you!"

"Now you go back," the two began to say in unison, "and turn Twilight, Elizabeak, those three Digimon, back to normal! And don't ever let us catch you doing this again!"

Lucey had pulled the Cockatrice so close, that his nose was pressing into the monster's beak. It had folded backwards, sweat dripping off it in waves while its eyes were filled with naught but fear. The Tamer and her Digimon said four last words to end it off; "Do you understand us?"

The Cockatrice closed its eyes and nodded. Only then did Lucey let it go, the creature quickly flying away while below them all those who were turned to stone were soon back to normal.

---

"...and that's when it brought you back from stone," Fluttershy said to a no longer petrified Twilight Sparkle. The two were sitting at a table outside of Fluttershy's cottage, while the Cutie Mark Crusaders played around with their Digimon.

As the two mares caught up, their Digimon were standing across from where the CMC were playing with their, still Baby Stage, Digimon. Cornelius looked up at Lucey and said, "I now owe you twice, Lucey. The first time was when you came to help me with Twilight, and now when you've saved both of us."

"Oh, it was nothing. Just helping my friends, like Fluttershy taught me," he said, smiling at the three fillies as they tried to keep up with their Baby Digimon. Lucey put a hand on his chin and hummed in thought, "Hmm, Cornelius? Do you think we're different from other Digimon?"

"I'd say so. But what, specifically, do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing, you all evolved after you ate something or met your Tamers. But the Cutie Mark Crusader's Digimon have already been fed, but they haven't evolved yet. Why do you suppose that is?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe the stimulus to reach your Rookie Stage is different for each Digimon? Or maybe it's because of how young their Tamers are?" Cornelius rubbed his head and sighed, "I'm not sure. But what I wish to know is, how did you dispel the Cockatrice's power? You said you just...snapped your fingers and it stopped? How?"

Lucey shrugged, "I'm not sure myself. While I was holding it something inside of me just...told me it wouldn't work on me. That I could...cancel it out. So, I did. And it's not the only strange thing. When Twilight and Elizabeak looked at the Cockatrice, they turned completely to stone within moments. But you looked at it, and only your legs got turned to stone. How?"

"...Touche," Cornelius stated before shaking his head, "More and more questions. If only our memories of the Digital World were intact. Maybe we would get some clarity then."

"Maybe. But, being honest, I'm not that worried," Lucey smiled and took to the air, "If whatever makes me different helps me protect Fluttershy, then I don't care where it comes from. Now, would you like me to get you some teacakes?"

"...I'd like that, yes," Cornelius said, smiling as he followed after Lucey.

---

FINALLY! Sorry it took so long.

Some of you have likely noticed that the images and links I put up for some of the Digimon in the previous chapters are broken. That's cause I used Wikimon, which is a much more accurate Digimon Wiki than the Fandom Wiki. However, it's servers are notoriously out of date and go down a lot. So, I'm thinking of maybe shifting them depending on how things go.

Next time, we're getting the Dogs...and a scene I've been looking forward to writing.

Hope you all enjoy!

New Digimon Appearing In this Chapter

Baby II:

https://wikimon.net/Pusurimon

https://wikimon.net/Gurimon

https://wikimon.net/Bosamon