> Digital Dustin - Digging Deeper > by Prince Dustin Hogan > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Talking” “YELLING” ‘Thinking’ “Telepathic link” Songs Flashback "Transformation Index” OP – Keys of Revelations [Kingdom Hearts Style] by Infinite Rivals It was a bright yet cool autumn day. Many people were doing their daily business, many houses were had Halloween decorations and jack-o-lanterns, and many stores were lined up with Halloween candy, decorations, and costumes. In the locker rooms of Canterlot High, Dustin was conversing with his friends. "Oooh, I can't believe it's already October!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with excitement. "I'm so gonna get a load of candy this year!" "A little too old for trick-or treating, aren't you?" Aria asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, come now, Aria. Don't go ruin her fun." Adagio said with a smirk. "You're never too old for free candy!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing with sheer enthusiasm. "And not to mention the costumes!" Rarity chimed in, just as enthusiastic as Pinkie. "Oh, I have so many ideas!" "And not to mention the Halloween Ball in just a few weeks." Dustin replied, a smirk on his face. "I'm definitely gonna be cutting a rug out on the dance floor!" "And I think I know the perfect way to start of this spooky season." Sunset Shimmer stated with a smirk. "How about this weekend we have a scary movie night? You guys up for it?" "You kidding?" Aria asked. "Hell yeah I am!" "As long as it's not too gory or visceral, I'll join." Fluttershy chimed in. "I've got some killer classics I can bring over." Salazar suggested. "Mostly slasher, sci-fi, and psychological horror genres." "I'm afraid I can't attend guys." Dustin said with a soft smile. "Gonna be taking Gloriosa on a date." "Oooooh, a date." Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a big grin. "Lucky dog." "How sweet, darling." Rarity said with a beaming smile. "Any plans?" "Oh yeah. Gonna be taking her for a dinner date at this new place in town called The Tasty Treat." Dustin replied with a hint of pride. "The Tasty Treat?" Adagio repeated with a smile. "I hear the place opened a few days ago. And the place actually has some really good reviews." "Oh, I know." Dustin replied. "And I've saved up quite a bit from my Jon at the mall, so I should get it covered." "Wait! You have a job?" Sonata asked with surprise. "For realizes? How come I didn't know that?" "I told you like last week." Dustin replied with a perplexed look. "Remember I work at the local game store called Gamer's Lounge?" "Oh." Sonata exclaimed, now remembering. "Right." "Anyhow, anybody have any costumes ideas?" Applejack asked. "I know I do." Rarity replied with pride. "I'm rocking this year as Elvira." "Oooh, classy." Adagio replied with a smirk. "I know I can kill it as Vanessa from The Little Mermaid." "The human guise Ursula takes?" Sunset asked. "I do actually see you as her." "What can I say?" Adagio retorted with a proud smile and a flick of her hair. "I'm just as hot as she is." "What about you, Sal?" Pixel asked Salazar. "Any ideas?" "I've never been a suckered for Halloween, if I'm being honest." Salazar replied with a shrug. "But I'll see what I can come up with." As the group were chatting, they had no idea that they were being observed. But by who? Within a dark area, an orb displaying footage of Dustin and his friends was seen, acting as the only source of illumination. Observing them were several entities of varying appearances. The first figure resembles an anthropomorphic mirror with three legs, two three-digit arms, four red-colored eyes and two protrusions resembling horns. The second resembles a black, indigo, and raspberry colored griffin with forelegs resembling bird legs while the hind feet resembling those of lion, a long beak, tail feathers, and eyes with black sclera and yellow irises. The third figure resembles a humanoid plant with the lower half composed of a purple blooming flower with her feet exposed. Her hair, arms, and parts of her dress are composed of leaves. She has pink and blue colored petals on her shoulders, behind her head, her mid back, and hanging from her dress like coat tails. Her head is composed of purple petals, her eyes are magenta in color with pink splotches beneath them, and she has two violet Berries making up her breasts. The fourth figure resembles red colored muscular humanoid resembling an oni from Japanese folklore. Most of his body appears to be composed of red colored scales while he has spiked up yellow that reaches a few inches past his rear and has yellow patches of hair on his hands and feet. He has bird-like skulls adorned around his collar, shins, and waist. His lower half is covered by a loincloth and has flames emerging from his forearms. He has two pronged horns on top of his head, sharp teeth, and eyes that have black sclera and red irises with slanted pupils. The fifth figure a large whale-like creature that is brown with white flecks and a lighter brown underbelly. He has six fins, a wide mouth filled with sharp teeth and having five slits on both corners, two fin-like protrusions on his jowls, a dorsal fin, and a white fog appears to be visible on various parts of his body. His eyes have black sclera and blue irises. The sixth figure resembles a humanoid with two sides of his body being entirely different. The right side of his body had tannish color and is a somewhat skeletal in appearance, even appearing to be composed of bony plating, on his right shoulder is the top part of what appears to be an animal's skulls, and the right side of his face has some tufts of dark hair with a purple-colored eye. The right side, however, appears to be composed of purple-colored muscles and tendons with a milky right eye and a right arm that appears be a large jawbone. The final figure resembles a large humanoid resembling a volcano. His body is composed of a tannish rocky material with various orange lines visible. He had four smaller volcanoes on his back, two that make up his shoulders and his hands. Whenever he is sleeping, he does so in a meditation posture. He normally has his eyes closed, but whenever he is awake, his eyes are actually hollow and glow bright orange due to the core in his body. “So, these are the ones?” A feminine voice spoke from the mirror, the mirror's surface emitting a raspberry glow as a feminine figure appeared. She had dark wavy hair reaching down her mid back, wearing short-sleeve crop top and a pair of jeans. “To be honest, not was I was expecting.” The woman in the mirror spoke with a chortle and a smirk. “One should not judge be appearances. Even I know that.” The gryphon spoke in a raspy voice with an English accent. “Let’s not forget what they were able to achieve back at that encampment.” “Why are we even bothering with these insects?” The oni spoke in a deep gruff voice, clearly not interested in the conversation at hand. “I’ve got better things to do than waste my time watching a bunch of runts!” “Have you not seen what these children can accomplish?” The gryphon asked with his attention to the orb. “Not only that, but the boy has also obtained the seven Digitalismans! And his feminine companions bear a unique source of power that even I have never seen.” “Hmm… the boy could be useful to us.” The plant woman said, eyeing Dustin’ projection in the orb. “With the right “training”, he could be a notable ally.” “Oh please!” The woman in the mirror retorted with a roll of her eyes. “You just want another boy toy to play with!” “Someone’s jealous.” The half-skinned man said with a smirk. “This coming from the embodiment of envy!” The whale-like creature spoke with a look of annoyance. “Shut up already!” The oni declared, his temper fading. “I swear, only you guys know how to rile me up!” “But back to the subject at hand, these kids have faced threats from Cyberspace before.” The woman in the mirror said, looking to the footage of Dustin and company, a wicked smile forming on her face. “But I wander how well they fare in Cyberspace.” “I see what your planning, milady.” The gryphon said with a sly grin. “A good way to test their skills, if I do say so myself.” “Indeed.” The woman in the mirror replied with a chuckle. “Plus, it will be amusing to see how far they come, only to have their hopes and dreams crushed in front of their eyes. All in favor?” The gryphon, oni, plant woman, half-skinned man, and whale collectively said “aye” in response. The only one that didn’t was the humanoid volcano. “Is he asleep?” The plant woman asked. “He is the embodiment of sloth.” The half-skinned man simply replied with a shrug. “What did you expect?” “Well, since he’s too busy napping, lets extend an invitation to our dominion.” The woman in the mirror asked her fellow embodiments of sin. “Shall we?” In the school library, Dustin was typing on the keyboard of one of the computers. Twilight was at the bookshelf as she found a book she needed. "I had a feeling they'd have a book about myths and folklore." Twilight said, with a smile. As Dustin continued to type, the computer monitor began to flicker. "Oh great!" Dustin groaned; Twilight looked to the computer with a surprised look. "Oh boy." Twilight responded with slight concern. "Looks like this one might be out of date..." Suddenly, the computer screen then showed a deep rec colored unicursal hexagram with various symbols on it and a red colored background that was heavily glitchy. Spike popped up from under the computer desk and saw the computer monitor. "What the...?" Twilight asked in shock as the computer monitor began to spark. "Oh crap!" Dustin muttered. "Spike, go get Allister! Now!" Spike nodded as he ran out of the library. And suddenly, a red and black portal appeared from the screen, trying to suck the two in. Luckily, the others were in the library as well and were surprised to see this. "Dustin! Twilight!" Sunset called out as she and the others ran to their two friends, buy Dustin was ultimately sucked into the portal. "Dustin!" Twikight called in dismay! "What was that?!" Adagio asked out in shock. Mrs. Cheerily was there too and was shocked upon seeing this. "Oh dear!" Cheerily muttered in concern before she reached for the nearby telephone. "I better contact Celestia and Luna!" > Welcome to the jungle > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Talking” “YELLING” ‘Thinking’ “Telepathic link” Songs Flashback "Transformation Index” OP – Keys of Revelations [Kingdom Hearts Style] by Infinite Rivals Dustin groaned as he fluttered his eyes open, rubbing his head as he slowly got up. "Ooooh.... my head..." Dustin groaned out as he got up. He then looks around, seeing that he was what looked like a forest. And a rather creepy looking on at that. The trees were bent and twisted in unnatural positions and were black in color like they were charred and burnt. They even had a somewhat human-like look, each had holes that mirrored anguished faces, the branches they had resembled twisted and mangled up arms, the there was some red sap seeping from them that looked like blood. There was a fog that fevered the area, making it almost impossible to see past his nose. There were also the sounds of eerie sounds that sounded like pained moaning, wicked cackling, and even ghastly groans. "Wh-Whoa... OK, this is awfully creepy." Dustin muttered, feeling unsettled by the environment that surround ground. "Where am I?" Dustin looks around, unsure where he was and if there was a way out of here. Meanwhile, the seven figured were observing Dustin through the orb. "Hmm. It seems only the red-haired boy only arrived." The griffin said with a puzzled look. "This I didn't expect." "Indeed." The plant woman said, a wicked smile visible. "But when you think of it, this should be more fun." "What do you mean?" The oni asked with a snarl. "Think about it. We have the bearer of the Digitrix in our dominion. Just think of what we can accomplish if we have him in our ranks?" The plant woman said, a wicked chuckle exiting her. "Sounds easy timing, doe it not?" "You just want another plaything!" The half-skinned man scoffed with an unamused look. "I swear woman, you're more insatiable then Monstro!" "And I seriously doubt he would reason with you." The griffin said. "What if he isn't willing to comply?" "I have my ways." The plant woman replied with a smirk. "A bit of persuasion might be in order." "Oh, bleh!" Monstro gagged in disgust. "Don't bring up your salacious crap inf root of me! I just ate!" "Desire is not just about sex, you dimwitted guppy!" The plant woman replied with a roll of her eyes. "Lust is desire in general. Wanting something. It's similar to gluttony and greed in a way." "Maybe we should let the boss decide!" The oni said before looking to the mirror woman. "What do you think?" The woman in the mirror rubbed her chin, mulling over the idea of having Dustin siding with her and her subordinates. Such an idea proved to be quite tempting. "Very well then, do what you wish." The woman in the mirror woman said. "But if he is unwilling to comply, then do what you must to take him down." "As you wish." The plant woman said with a bow before vanishing in a spiral of flower petals. "Shall we commence with the betting?" The griffin said as he projected a holographic screen with a score board. "Two-to-one odds for the boy. Nine to one for boy. The minimum bet is 100 of your Cryptocurrency of choice!" "I'll put 300,000 Ethereum on the kid." The oni said with a confident smirk. "I'll put 100,000 Bitcoins on Succubelle!" Another stated. "Make that 500,000 for me!" The whale-like monster said with a chuckle. "Hey sleepy head! You game?" The oni said to the volcano man. "Mmmm.... 10,000,000... Ethereum... on the kid." The slumbering volcano said in-between snores. "Daring, aren't we?" The griffin said with a smirk, chuckling a bit. "I'm going to be cashing in quite a hefty sum!" Back with Dustin, he was traversing through the thick forest. He clearly had no idea where he was going, and the thick fog certainly was not helping things. "Damn it!" Dustin cursed under his breath. "Is there any way out of here?" Then suddenly, Dustin heard what sounded like singing. He places a hand to his ear, and he could tell that it was singing. "The Hell?" Dustin asked with a perplexed look before gasping in realization. "Wait! Maybe whoever is singing knows a way out of here!" Without any hesitation, Dustin followed the sound of the singing. The further he got, the louder the singing got. Which means he was getting close. "Hello? Is somebody there?" Dustin called out as he walked through the forest. "Hello?" After some walking, Dustin had stopped at an archway as he to the source of the singing, and silence had filled the air shortly afterwards. "Hello?" Dustin called out, but no response. "I don't mean to intrude, but I...." When Dustin entered, he was floored to see what looked like a massive courtyard garden that looked like it was ruined for centuries and was slowly being overcome by nature. In the center was a pavilion that was nearly overran by ivy and other plants. Behind the pavilion was a large pond that was fed by a waterfall, and behind said waterfall was a cave where the water was being drained into. In front of the pavilion was a cobblestone path with small bushes decorating the sides. Each bush had flowers that were purple with magenta streaks and petals shaped like hearts. Dustin looks to his right to see a large flowerbed that housed flowers of various varieties. "Man! Major props to the gardener!" Dustin said as he approached the flower bed. These flowers were unlike any he had ever seen before. Some were bright red with petals shaped like puckered up lips, some were deep violet with six petals positioned to look like a hexagram, some were even bright white in color with splotches that looked like the faces of in the middle. Dustin turns around, seeing that on the other side of the garden was small pond surrounded by podiums. In each podium was a broken and withered bust with cracks forming on them, their heads were broken off either particularly or completely, and some were covered in light moss patches. The podiums that stood upon were lightly cracked and had ivy goring on them. Dustin walks to the pond, a sense of dread filling him. When he got close enough, he sees strange white tadpole like creatures with three black splotches on their heads that mirrored the faces of a cartoon ghost. "I see you like my handiwork, yes?" A feminine voice spoke, making Dustin jump in surprise. "H-Hello?" Dustin asked, looming around as his heart racing and his breathing becoming hitched. "S-Somebody there?" "Aww, what's the matter little one?" The feminine voice said. "Are you lost?" "W-Well y-y-yes..." Dustin replied, stuttering with unease before swallowing a lump in his throat. "I'm just looking for a way out of here." "Oh? Now why would you want to leave this place?" came the same female voice from before that was coming from behind him. And before Dustin could turn around, he suddenly felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. "Why not stick around for a bit?" she whispered in his ear. Nervous, and a bit curious, Dustin slowly looks behind to see the plant woman. His eyes widened in shock as his face went a bit red upon seeing her. To be continued... > Every rose has its thorn > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Talking” “YELLING” ‘Thinking’ “Telepathic link” Songs Flashback "Transformation Index” OP – Keys of Revelations [Kingdom Hearts Style] by Infinite Rivals In Principle Celestia's office, our remaining young heroes were telling Celestia, Luna, and Allister about what ha occurred in the library. "Oh boy." Allister uttered in concern. "It's not too often a rift from Cyberspace occurs in the physical world." "Are you certain that this was the case?" Luna asked with a puzzled look. "It could have been a rogue case of magic." "Trust me, Luna. I've had experience with this sort of stuff before." Allister replied. "I've been an Enforcer for years now. I've been to Cyberspace many times in my life." "Enforcers?" Sunset asked with confusion and interest. "A law enforcement group tasked with ensuring order between both the real world and Cyberspace." Allister replied. "But anyhow, did anything occur before that rift appeared? Like glitching?" "Actually, I recall seeing a red screen that was heavily glitched." Twilight said, scratching her chin as she recalled what she had seen moments prior before the rift appeared. "Along with a strange symbol located in the center." "A symbol?" Celestia asked with interest. "Can you describe it?" "It was deep red and looked like a unicursal hexagram." Twikight explained. "Along with seven additional symbols; six on each point and a single one in the center. Each one had a unique shape and color scheme." When Allister heard that, his face went extremely pale. "Wait! What?!" Allister approached Twilight, paling his hands on her shoulder and looking her dead in the eye. "Are you certain that's what you saw?!" "Y-Yes?" Twilight replied with skepticism. "Why?" Allister said nothing, his eyes wide in fear. "No... not them!" Allister muttered, releasing Twilight while the others look to him. "Anyone but them!" "Allister?" Rarity asked with unease. "Are you alright?" Allister said nothing, taking a deep breath before collecting his thoughts. "This is serious! Very serious!" "What?" Adagio asked. "What exactly are we dealing with here?" "Yeah, the way you reacted sounded like it was something really big!" Applejack said, fearing something big was going down. With a deep breath, Allister reached into his shirt before pulling out a strange looking laptop. Allister cracks the laptop open and begins typing furiously on the keyboard while the others watched. "That insignia Twikight saw belongs to possibly one of the most feared and reviled groups to ever exist in Cyberspace." Allister said as he still typed on the keyboard. "A group of seven entities that only a select few have squared off against and lived to tell the tale!" "Are they really that bad?" Flutterhsy asked, a cold shivering running down her spine. "I already don't like where this is heading!" Sunset said as she began to sorry for Dustin's sake, wherever he was. "So, you're saying he's in Cyberspace?" Celestia asked. "Yes. But where specifically is most concerning." Allister replied. After he finished typing, he turns the computer to show his young friends, the screen showed the image of what looked like a portal floating in the digital void. On the portal was what looked to be a seal with a demonic head resembled an upside-down pentagon. "Is... I that where he is?" Spike asked with a hint of fear. "What even is that?" "That is Goetia! Think of it as Cyberspace's equivalent of Hell." Allister elaborated, making the others go pale. "H-Hell?!" Sonata asked with fear in her voice. "As in the place where those who've done bad things in life go to?!" "Indeed so!" Allister explained. "It's one of the most feared Sites in all of Cyberspace. Well, I say Site... it's more like a rift, if you will." "You mean like a pocket dimension?" Twilight asked. "If you want to put it that way, yes." Allister replied with a nod. "Any of you familiar with the seven deadly sins?" "Ooh! That's one of my favorite anime!" Pinkie Pie said, making the others faceplate at that remark. "Not what I meant, Pinkie." Allister said. "I mean the seven deadly sins in religious scripture." "Yeah. We know." Sunset acknowledged. "I take it this has something to with this... Goetia was it?" "Indeed so." Allister replied. "Goetia is divides in to seven layers. Each one representing the seven deadly sins." "Seven sins..." Twikight pondered before gasping in realization. "Maybe that's what the seven symbols on the insignia I saw were for!" "Yes. Not only do they represent the seven sins, but they also represent the seven embodiments of said sins." Allister said, gaining a serious look. "Before I go any further, what I'm about to tell you next is something that remains between us!" The other said nothing, but nodded to show that he has their word. Dustin was still speechless upon seeing this floral woman. "What's the matter, hon?" The plant woman asked playfully with a smirk and a chuckle. "Cat got your tongue?" "Uh...." Dustin stammered, his mouth agape as his face went flushed. "Well? Do you have a name?" The plant woman asked, earning a nod of his head from a befuddled Dustin. "Are you going to tell me what it is?" Again, Dustin silently nods. "Well, mine's Succubelle." 'Come on, dude! Stop gawking like an idiot and say something!' Dustin shook his head rapidly, snapping himself out of his stupor before finally using his words. "Uh... my name's Dustin. Dustin Miller." "Dustin Miller, hm?" Succubelle asked with a rather sultry voice. "Strange name, but simply adorable." Dustin blushed again from that comment. "Uh... so-uh.... I was wondering if y-you..." uh..." Dustin stammered again. 'Come in, moron! Use your damn words!' "Aw, you seem tense." Succubelle said, placing a hand at the top of his head. "Perhaps a massage might help." "Uh... tempting offer, but I need to find a way home." Dustin replied. "Perhaps you know a way out." "But you must have walked a good mile to find my garden." Succubelle said, placing a hand under his chin. "Perhaps a bit of a breather before you continue on your way." "Again, thank you but..." Before Dustin could even finish, Succubel grabbed him by the hand and lead him to the pavilion. As the two walked, he never kept his eyes off of her. 'Man, gotta admit she's got looks.' Dustin thought to himself before blushing madly. 'Wait! The Hell am I saying?! You're already in a relationship jackass!' The two then made it to the pavilion, and Succubelle took a seat on a bench while Dustin stood where he was. "Care to join me?" Succubelle asked, petting the spot on the bench beside her. "I won't bite." With a shrug, Dustin took a seat next to Succubelle, but he avoided eye contact with her. Dustin looks around the place, still admiring the garden. "Nice place you have here." Dustin said. "You like it?" Succubelle asked with a smirk. "It's where I go to have some alone time. The atmosphere here is quite peaceful." "Sure, I guess." Dustin replied while still avoiding eye contact with Succubelle."so... where am I exactly." "My place, of course." Succubelle said, being cryptic. "But why don't you tell me a little about yourself? It's not too often a human ends up in Cyberspace." "Cyberapace?!" Dustin asked in disbelief. "Shit! The others must be worried sick!" As Dustin panicked, Succubelle leaned to him. "Try to relax." She whispered into Dustin’s right ear while placing her hands on his shoulders and began to rub them. Dustin stiffened up at first, but shortly after he began to relax. As she continued her massaging, he could feel himself loosening up, which Succubelle could feel too, making her smirk deviously. "See? Doesn't that feel so much better?" she whispered in his ear. Dustin nodded in reply, continuing to face away from Succubelle. 'Whoa... no lying at all, she's good with her hands.' Succubelle could sense Dustin was falling under her spell, making her smile more. "Relax. Just lean back and forget all your worries." she whispered while his body started to relax. "Forget my worries..." Dustin replied as his eyes glazed over. Succubelle chuckled lightly as she was slowly gaining control over him. 'This is too easy!' Succubelle thought to herself, continuing to massage and manipulate Dustin. Back at CHS "Now the seven rulers of Goetia are known as the Seven Vice Presidents!" Allister explained. "They are seven unique digital life forms that embody the seven sins." After a bit more typing, Allister turned the computer to the others, showing the image of the volcano. "Starting with the bottom of the barrel, Vesuvia. He represents the sin of sloth." "Why do I get the feeling that's he's slot tough than he looks?" asked Twilight. "Because he is." Allister replied. "Even when he's catching zs, he quite formidable. Get near him and you'll feel overwhelmed with fatigue and exhaustion. But it's when he's awake is when crap really starts hitting the fan!" "My word!" Rarity gasped. "And he's the lowest ranked?!" "Yes. He's also the nuclear option of the group." Allister replied as the computer screen thawed the half-skinned man. "Next up is the representation of envy, Derma." "Yikes!" Adagio winced. "That guy seriously needs a skin graft!" "He's the Shapeshifter of the group." Allister elaborated. "He can assume the form of just about anybody or anything. Whether it be humans or animals." "Oh... my!" Flutterhsy muttered, shivering in terror. "He uses his shapeshifting capability as a way to take down enemies." Allister explained. "In addition to shapeshifting, he can also copy the abilities of others. And he's only the second lowest of the totem pole!" The computer screen then switched to show the image if the whale-like monster. "Embodying the sin of gluttony is Monstro." Allister said, the others going wide-eyed upon seeing the beastly cesarean. "With a name like, Monstro, I'll bet he's a big one!" Salazar said. "The second biggest actually. The biggest of the bunch is Vesuvia." Allister replied with a nod. "Anyhow, Monstro is not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's still formidable. As the embodiment of gluttony, this monster mackerel can eat just about anything." "Does that include his enemies?" Luna asked. "Unfortunately, yes." Allister replied with a nod. "Matter of fact, her prefers to eat his enemies as because he simply "wants to savor the sweet taste of victory" as he puts it." The computer screen then showed the image of the red oni. "Next up is Doji, the embodiment of wrath." "Yikes!" Rainbow Dash muttered to herself in terror upon seeing Doji's image while Flutterhsyhid behind her. "Talk about sinfully ugly!" "Indeed, Rainbow." Allister nodded in agreement. "Doji is the muscle of the group. And as a manifestation of wrath, he is not somebody you want to agitate. He's a ticking time bomb on a dangerously short fuse, and once he goes off, he's as uncontrollable as a bull chasing a matador!" "Wow! And I thought Aria was a hothead!" Sonata muttered, earning a glare from the twin-tailed girl. "Hey!" Aria retorted in offense. "You know she'd right Aria." Adagio replied. "At least not as extreme as this Doji figure." "Moving on..." The computer screen then switched to the familiar plant woman that was Succubelle. "Next up is the bronze medalist, Succubelle." "Unless I miss my guess, she represents lust." Sunset guessed, making Allister nod in response. "Lust? As in... doing the dirty?!" Rarity gasped in horror. "That witch better not defile him, or so help me..." "Lust isn't just sexual pleasure, Rarity." Allister elaborated. "While lust is commonly associated with sex, it's actuallymore than that. It's desire in general." "So, it's basically wantin' somethin'?" Applejack guessed. "Like when somebody wants a new car?" "Yes, that's one good example." Allister replied. "It's similar to greed and gluttony in a sense. Though Succubelle is no symbol of chastity, I'm afraid." "I don't think I want to know her... preferences." Adagio muttered with a shiver as thoughts entered her head. Thoughts that she wished she didn't have. "She mostly uses her allure and feminine charms as a way to distract her enemies or to get what she wants." Allister elaborated. "Ahem... anyhow, let's move on to the second in command." The computer screen then showed the image of the griffin. "That being Corvoss, the representation of greed." "That's the second in command?" Pixel asked with a perplexed look. "He doesn't seem so tough." "While he may not be the brownies compared to Doji, he is however the most cunning and intelligent of the group." Allister elaborated. "He doesn't earn the title "Greedy Scholar" for nothing. He makes both Sunset and Twilight look simple-minded by comparison." Allister's eyes widened suddenly brfore looking to both Sunset and Twilight. "Uh... no offense girls." "None taken." Sunset replied with a roll of her eyes while Twilight looked away with an abashed look on her face. "Uh... ahem! Anyhow. He's the strategist of the group." Allister continued his explanation. "But even he is nothing compared to the head honcho." The computer screen then switched to the final image, one depicting the mirror woman. "That being Narcissa, the embodiment of pride." "With a name like that, she must be nothing short of egotistical." Rarity said. "You don't know the half of it." Allister replied. "As the leader of the seven, she's the most powerful of them all. Only a select few who dealt with her have ever survived." The others said nothing upon hearing that, truly shocked upon that reveal. Back with Dustin, he was still being massaged by Succubelle, the floral woman smiling as she could tell Dustin was slowly succumbing even further. "So? Why don't you tell me about yourself?" Succubelle asked with a smirk on her face. "Well..." Dustin replied, "I'm a student at Canterlot High for starters." "You have any friends there?" Succubelle urged, trying to get more info out of him. "Yeah." Dustin nodded. "Seven female friends called Mane 7. Along with the Dazzlings; Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk, and Aria Blaze." "Strange names, but I'm not one to judge." Succubelle reolied before leaning to his ear. "Is there anything special about them?" Succubelle whispered in his hear. "Something... extraordinary?" "Well... uh..." Dustin muttered, and Succubelle could tell that he was slipping from her control. Succubelle however ceased her massage before wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning closer to him, rubbing her chest against his back. "Go on~." Succubelle said, sensing that he was now back into her grasp. "They each possess magic." Dustin said, his voice becoming a bit more monotone. "I also have another friend, Pixel Prada, who is actually an android." "I see." Succubelle whispered into his ear with a wicked grin. "And what of thar boy? The one closest to the bespectacled girl." "Salazar." Dustin replied. "I don't know how, but he can change parts of bis body into weapons." "Interesting." Succubelle said with a purr, her eyes glowing a feint violet glow. "But that's enough about them, tell me more about you. Do you have any... special talents of your own?" "Uh.... well... I do.." Dustin said, his attention turning towards the Digitrix. "I have the Digitrix." Succubelle looks to the watch-like device, smirking wickedly. "Oh, I've heard stories about a hero in the human world that can shapeshift in various life forms from Cyberspace." Succubelle said, looking back to Dustin. "Glad to know that I have that person in my company." Succubele leaned into his ear again, the violet glow in her eyes glowing a bit more intensely. "Tell me, why do you resort to heroics?" Succubelle asked. "Huh?" Dustin asked, looming to Succubelle while he was still under her influence. "Listen, the hero business sounds fun and exciting, but one thing people love more than a hero is to see the hero fail. Fall. Die try." Succubelle explained in a sultry whispered tone. "In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they'll end up hating you. So, why bother?" "Because.... it's.... it's right." Dustn stuttered out. Succubelle chuckled while ruffling Dustin's hair. "How cute. But tell me this. Do you help people because it's the right thing to do? Or just for the thrill of being a hero?" Dustin would have explained, he would have come up with an answer, but he couldn't. What could he say? Succubelle knew she had him right where she wanted him. "Listen honey, it's quite gallant that you use your powers to help others." Succubelle said. "But you could also use those powers to get whatever you want." Dustin still said nothing but was confused ok what Succubelle was talking about. "Tell me. When you helped those people, have you ever once gotten a thank you or a token of gratitude?" "Y-Yeah..." Dustin replied with a nod. "But are they really thankful for your endeavors? Or are they just taking you for granted?" Succubelle asked. "Now aways, it's hard for one to tell if who is being, or who had an agenda. One minute you're helping somebody out of the kindness of your heart, and the next they end up leeching off of you." Dustin still said nothing, unsure what to think. He would have objected, but he knew that she wasn't wrong. He has seen stuff like this happen on occasions. "Maybe you're so called "friends" aren't as friendly as you think." Succubelle spoke. "They could be taking advantage of you, just like those you've helped." Succubelle placed a hand under Dustin's chin, smiling deviously. "But I would never o such a thing dear. So, I have a bit of a proposition." Dustin blushed madly as he looked Succubelle dead in the eye. "Join me, and you could have anything your heart desires." Succubelle said, leaving closer to his face. "You could have all the respect in the world. Anything you wanted can be granted to you on a whim. People will be begging to even grace you with a moment of their time." "Uh... well... I..." Dustin stammered, struggling to find the right words. "Come now, you'll never get an opportunity like this again dear." Succubelle spoke, a grin filled with malice gracing her face. To be continued... > Thorn in my side > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Talking” “YELLING” ‘Thinking’ “Telepathic link” Songs Flashback "Transformation Index” OP – Keys of Revelations [Kingdom Hearts Style] by Infinite Rivals Succubelle was still looking Dustin in the eye, hand under his chin with a small grin visible. "Well~?" Succubelle goaded on, "Do we have a deal?" "I.... uh..." Dustin stuttered, still entranced by Succubelle's influence. But suddenly, he then remembered his friends back home and broke out of his stupor. Once free from Succubelle's control, he pushed himself out of Succubelle's grasp. "No deal!" Dustin declared, a glare on his face while Succubelle was shocked. 'Impossible!' Succubelle thought to herself in bewilderment. 'Nobody is immune to my charms!' "I'll find a way back home!" Dustin said, readying his Digitrix. "And I can sense you're up to no good! So, either you tell me where the exit is, or I'll have to force the answers out of you!" Succubelle was still shocked that Dustin had broken from her spell, but she then had a smirk as a chuckle escaped her. "I'm afraid finding a way out of here is not that easy." Succubelle responded wickedly. "What do you mean?" Dustin asked, raising an eyebrow. "There is only one way to escape Goetia, child!" Succubelle replied with a smirk, getting up and crossing her arms. "And it's not going to be an easy rope to climb!" Back at CHS "WHAT?!" Everyone said collectively out of disbelief. "You mean Dustin has to make his way down to the seventh layer to get out?!" Rainbow Dash asked in shock. "Pretty much " Allister replied with a nod. "To escape Goetia, one must traverse to its deepest recesses." "How long will that take?!" Subset asked, concerned for Dustin's wellbeing. "It's hard to say." Allister said with a shrug. "The last person who ventures through Goetia returned within six months." "Six months?!" Twilight asked out in shock. "But knowing Dustin, he'll probably be out within three days." Allister said with a hint of uncertainty. "But again, it's hard to say." "I hope he's doing ok." Fluttershy said out if pure worry for her male friend. Back with Dustin "I see." Dustin said, scratching his chin. "So, you're saying that if I need to get out of here, I need to go all the way down to the seventh layer?" "Indeed." Succubelle replied. "But as I said, such a task is a fool's errand." "Then I might as well die trying, lady!" Dustin declared as reached for his Digitrix. "You don't even know the location of the gateway to the second layer." Succubelle replied with a smug grin. "And I'm certainly not going to tell you thar easily." "Then I guess I'll just have to beat the portal's location out of you!" Dustin said before dialing up the Digitrix. And in a flash of blue light, he changed into the familiar plant-like dragon named... "SNAPDRAGON!" The other Vice Presidents were watching the scene go down through an energy orb. "Looks like her plan failed!" Doji said with a smirk. "I knew it!" "Bring pit your bets, gentlemen." Corvoss said to his fellow Vice Presidents with a smirk. "This will be quit the show." Narcussa eyed Snapdragon, a look of intrigue visible on her face. "A dracoflorasian." Succubelle muttered a smug smile. "This should be interesting." Succubelle then snapper her fingers, causing a bunch of massive flower bulbs from the ground. Within moments, the bulbs upped up, revealing a green bulky humanoid which white mask-like heads. "Bring it!" Snapdragon breathed out a blast of green fire at one of the creatures, reducing it to ash. But shortly afterwards, the creature had emerged anew like a phoenix. "Seize him, my servants!" Succubelle declared, and the bulky plant creatures charged at Snapdragon. Snapdragon smirked before flapping his wings, taking flight. "Good luck taking down someone in the air!" Snapdrabon taunted. Succubelle smirked as one of her servants lunged a series of vine-like tentacles from its arms. "Oh, come on!" Instantly, the creature had slammed Snapdragon into the ground. Pe dragon groaned in slight pain as Succubelle approached him. "Such a shame." Succubelle said with a smirk. "Perhaps my hypnotic pollen would make you more submissive." She then puckered her lips before placing her right hand in her lips, then with a smooch, she blew a plume of purple mist at Snapdragon. Succubelle smiled wickedly as this occurred, but then the pollen subsided, she gasped in shock upon seeing that Snapdragon was not there. "What?!" Succubelle asked with surprise, looking around. "Where are you?" While she didn't notice it, Rockweiler had dug out of the ground and was about to strike her from behind. But Succubelle was quick to notice and send a vine whip at him to knock him away. Rockweiler however growled before being engulfed in a bright blue flash, shifting to Rainbow Rocks. Succubelle only smirked in response before tapp9ng her foot on the ground. In moments, a large puppy flower that resembled a Rafflesia emerged beneath Rainbow Rocks' feet. Before he could even react, the flower had ensnared in in vines, and shortly afterwards he began to grunt and groan as the vines glowed a multicolored glow. "Drain Bloom. Nast little buggers that quite literally suck the life out of you!" Succubelle declared with a smug grin. But in a flash of blue, Rainbow Rocks changed to Einstrike before emitting a electricity, electrocuting the plant to death and freeing himself. "You'll have to try harder than that!" Einstrike declared, before reverting back to Dustin in another blue flash of light. "The Hell!" Dustin gasped in shock, looking to the Digitrix. "Oh, come on! Now's not the time to recharge!" "Oh dear, looks like your luck ran out." Succubelle said as her servants surrounded him. But then suddenly, three orbs of light appeared and surrounded Succubelle, much to her shock. "What?!" Succubelle muttered before she was electrocuted. Her servants went to help her, only for then to suddenly be encased in ice. Dustin watched on in surprise as one of the orbs flew towards him. "What the..." The red orb then flew off, followed by the yellow orb. The blue orb flew towards Dustin, motioning him to follow. Dustin, still confused, got up and followed the blue orb. As Succubelle recovered from the sudden attack, she looked to where Dustin had run off. The other Vice Presidents were taken aback by what they had just seen. "You've got to be kidding me!" Doji growled angrily. "Those three again?!" "It seems we have some party crashers!" Narcissa spoke, an unamused look visible on her face. To be continued... > Mix It Up! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Talking” “YELLING” ‘Thinking’ “Telepathic link” Songs Flashback "Transformation Index” OP – Keys of Revelations [Kingdom Hearts Style] by Infinite Rivals Dustin had stopped to rest at a nearby tree to catch his breath as the three orbs of light that saved him were floating near him. "Man... that... that was close..." Dustin said in between breaths as he looks to three orbs of light. "Thanks for the save, by the way. Whatever you guys are." "I think you mean "whoever we are." The red orb spoke, making Dustin jump in surprise. And suddenly, the three orbs emitted a bright flash. After a brief moment, three human-like figures stood before him. One was a man in his mid-thirties dressed in a red open blazer with black leather pants and, brown eyes, and short auburn hair. He had the air of a punk man with him, and seemed quite rambunctious. The second was a man who seemed to be five years older than the man in red. He was dressed in a yellow buttoned up blouse with khaki pants, emerald green eyes, and short blonde hair. He seems to be more of the intellectual type of person based on his rather calm and collective demeanor. And the third was a woman who was probably in her early twenties. She wore a blue dress, had long silvery hair, Arctic blue eyes, and had a rather fair completion compares to the two men accompanying her. She seemed to be the rather affectionate and tender loving type, much like Fluttershy. Dustin was surprised by what he seeing, and was a bit awestruck as well. “Who… who are you guys?” “The name’s Damian.” The man in red named Damian introduced with a nod. “Salutations, young one. I am Verne.” The man in yellow said with a bow. “And I am Bea.” The woman in blue said with a smile. “And we are the creators and gatekeepers of Goetia.” “Wait! You guys made this place?” Dustin asked, shocked by such a reveal. “ “Yes. We built it as a way to imprison the Seven Vice Presidents.” Verne explained. “I’m sure Succubelle has told you about them, yes?” “Yeah.” Dustin nodded. “So, if you guys made this place, then you guys…” “Help you break free?” Verne finished with a smile. “We wouldn’t have rescued you if we weren’t considering that.” “And lucky you, we know the portals for each layer of Goetia.” Damian said, making Dustin beam a bit. “Just stick with us, and you’ll make it out in one piece.” Before anything else was said, one of Succubelle’s minions had arrived, knocking a tree down with Succubelle sitting in its shoulder. “There you are.” Succubelle said with a smirk, but then loos to the three. “And I see you’ve made some new friends.” Succubelle scoffed. “What’s happening, bitch?” Damian asked with a cocktail smirk. “Up for a other ass beating?” “Stow it, red!” Succubelle relied as another one of her minions arrived and was ready to strike. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got a little human to capture.” “Just try it, wench!” Verne replied before raising his right arm upwards, electrocuting the two hulking plant beasts. “You meddlesome bastards!” Succubelle growled angrily before sextet ding some vine-like tendrils at them. Damian smirked before snapping his fingers, causing each vinegar to erupt in flames while making Succubelle yell in shock and pain. Dustin looks to the Digitrix, only to groan out in dismay as he saw that it was still in recharge mode. “Come on, you piece of crap! Recharge time’s over!” Dustin failed to notice another one of Succubelle’s minions approach him from behind. But when Dustin turned to face the beast, it was suddenly enveloped in thick ice. “Damn you!” Succubelle declared out of announce before she two was enveloped in ice. “Lets move!” Verne exclaimed. “The portal shouldn’t be too far!” “Then let’s get a move on!” Dustin said, and the four ran off. As they ran off, Succubelle growled in rage before breaking free. “That’s it!” Succubelle growled furiously. “I think now is a good time as any to bust out the big guns!” Succubelle reached into hair before pulling out a single seed, smirking with malicious intent. *** After a bit of running, the group arrived to the portal. The portal resembled a stone Gothic style archway that had various vines and ivy plants ground on it. In the middle was a purple and green colored vortex. “There’s the portal!” Dante exclaimed. “Thank God!” Dustin said with a sigh of relief. Dustin was about to approach the portal, only for a mass of vines to completely cover it. And suddenly, Succubelle appeared in front of the vine covered portal from a shower of flower petals. “Going somewhere?” Succubelle taunted. “Oh come on!” Dustin groaned out in annoyance. “You never give up, do you?!” “Not when I have my sights set on something I want!” Succubelle replied, snapping her fingers. The ground beneath them began to shake before something erupted from the beside Succubelle. It resembled a large three-head Serpent composed of thorny vines, each head measuring up to fifty feet in height. “Oh crap!” Dustin muttered, eyes wide in shock upon seeing the massive plant monster. “Time for a little control burning!” Damian declared, his hands being encased in fire, and sends a blast of Flames at the center head of the creature. But the head had regenerated shortly afterwards. “Aw, what?!” “Chow time!” Succubelle laughed out maniacally as the plant monster roared. The left head of the Beast went to chomp down on Damian, only for Verne to send a surge of electricity at it. Bea unleashed a barrage of ice crystals at rhetorically floral monster, but the world’s that is has sustained healed up instantly. As Verner, Bea, and Damian were fighting of the floral monster, Dustin was looking to the Digitrix. “Come on, recharge time’s over!” Siddbely, Dustin was ensnared in vines as Succubelle approach him. “You’re coming with me!” Succubelle declared as she grabbed Dustin by the collar But suddenly, the Digitrix beeped as it’s screen glowed intensely. And suddenly, a surge of blue electricity was emitted from the device, electrocuting Succubelle in the process. This made her pull away in pain. “Ok… that’s new.” Dustin muttered in surprise before looking back to the Digitrix, seeing that is was done recharging. “Well, it’s about damn time!” “New feature unlocked.” The Digitrix AI spoke, surprising Dustin even more when the screen displayed something new. “Select transformations by voice command or typing in their designated names.“ The Digitrix AI continued “That’s new too!” Dustin said, confused as he examined then screen. “Uh… Ok, I guess…. Lightspeed and Firefox?” The names of the transformations appeared on both bars, the images of the respective transformations appeared before a third image appeared on the square in the center. "Whoa." Dustin muttered out, surprised even more now upon seeing this. And out of curiosity, Dustin pressed the "activate" button, causing him to be enveloped in the familiar egg-shaped dome. Within the dome, Dustin levitated as both Firefox and Lightspeed both materialized and slowly began to inch towards him. Once the three made contact, they were enveloped in bright flash. Once the light faded, the surrounding environment resembled a barren desert with a single highway. And in a flash of multicolored lightning, Dustin’s new form appeared. It resembled Firefox, though there were some major differences. For one, his fur color was bright cyan with a cream yellow underbelly. Secondly was the armor; consisting of a bulky cyan chest plate, leggings and shoulder pads that were red with blue and cyan hotrod flames, cyan arm guards with orange and yellow hotrod flames and packed with thrusters, cyan facemask zig zags under the eyes, and a single queen on the heels. And instead of the nine tails like Firefox had, he had a single tail shaped like a lightning bolt had every color of the rainbow. The new transformation did a few dashes and high kicks before striking a dynamic pose. "HOTWIRE!" The new form roared out as the data dome surrounding him then vanished. Succubelle got up, rubbing her head in pain, and took notice if Dustin's new transformation. "Wha-What the...?!" Succubelle stuttered in disbelief. "What is this?!" (Transformation Index) Name: Hotwire The resulting fusion of Lightspeed and Firefox, Hotwire inherits the speed and electrokinetic power of Lightspeed along with the pyrokinetic power and fiery fighting style of Firefox. With the ability of firing fire and electricity at enemies, enhanced agility, and the ability to run at phenomenal speed, Hotwire is truly a fiery digital lifeform with a need for speed. Bad guys better get ready to feel the thunder, because Hotwire is ready to bring on the storm. With near impossible speed, Hotwire sped to the three-headed plant monster and pinched it, electrocuting it with a surge of multicolored electricity. Damian, Verne, and Bea were stunned by Dustin's new form, but were grateful for the help. Succubelle was more shocked than amazed, but her shock quickly changed to anger and frustration. "Looks like I need to discipline you!" Succubelle declared before sending another wave of vines at Hotwire. Hotwire however sidestepped to avoid them before dashing to her and pinching her in the gut with am electrically charged fist. She coughed up a bit as she was electrocuted in multicolored electricity. The right head of the plant monster lunged towards Hotwire, but the fusion canine had an idea of taking the beast out. Hotwire, with a determined look, jumped down the head's throat as it's jaws snapped shut. Bea covered deer mouth in shock as Damian and Verne were mortified upon seeing this. But suddenly, smoke began to emit from the mouths of the plant monster before plumes of multicolored fire erupted from their mouths. Moments later, the three heads collapsed to the ground and a column of rainbow fire erupted from the ground, and Hotwire emerged. Succubelle was in total disbelief upon seeing this. "No.... no!" Succubelle muttered, rage slowly taking her. "NO, NO, NO! THIS CANT BE!" "Believe it, woman!" Hotwire declared before spending towards her, delivering a series of pinches and kicks in blinding speed. After a good minute of high-speed kicks and punches, Succubelle was battered and beaten, but she was not willing to give up yet. "You little shit... I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU ALIVE!!!" Succubelle roared out as she fired yet another wave of vine tentacles at Hotwire. Hotwire however countered but jumping up and charging a large ball of rainbow fire before sending it at her. The attack causing a tremendous explosion when it made contact. When the dust settled, Succubelle was on her knees, singed badly and breathing heavily. Hotwire then used his speed to remove the vines that covered the portal before he reverted back to Dustin. Succubelle looked to Dustin, seething bitterly in anger. "Well, as fun as this visit was, I believe I should get going." Dustin said to Succubelle with a smug grin. "Later bitch." And with that, Dustin had entered the portal with Damian, Verne, and Bea following. With the other Vice Presidents, they were surprised by what they had seen from fight. "What was that?!" Doji asked out in disbelief. "He never used... whatever the hell that just was!" "It seems that he has unlocked a new powwer." Corvoss said before flashing a smug grin. "Also, I do believe you and Derma owe me 500,000 and 100, 000 Bitcoins respectively, Monstro." "FUCK!" Derma yelled out in dismay as Monstro grumbled in defeat. > Come hell or high water > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Talking” “YELLING” ‘Thinking’ “Telepathic link” Songs Flashback "Transformation Index” OP – Keys of Revelations [Kingdom Hearts Style] by Infinite Rivals It was now evening in the real world, and the Mane 7 and friends were still worried sick for Dustin's safety in Goetia. They were at Allister's residence, where Allister himself was booting up a computer in case Dustin managed to escape. "Are you sure that he'll find it?" Aria asked with a bit of uncertainty. "What if he ends up somewhere else?" "Which is why I'm typing in the coordinates to the portal located in the seventh layer of Goetia." Allister said as he began typing rigorously on the keyboard. "That way he won't end up somewhere that we won't find him. Whether it be another part of the globe, or an entirely different world." The moment Twilight heard the "different world" part, that piqued her interest. "Wait! You mean anyone who enters into Cyberspace could exit to another world entirely?" Twilight asked in shock and fascination. "Of course." Allister replied with a shrug. "You see, Cyberspace isn't connected to just this world, but rather any world with technology similar to or greater than ours. Whether it be an alternate version of Earth, or an extraterrestrial planet." "You're... You're kidding!" Sunset muttered in disbelief. "Is that how you and Dustin ended up here?" "Yes." Allister replied. "Well, when Dustin first obtained the Digitrix, I simply inputted the coordinates here via voice command. And with a link to Cyberspace, he was transported here. I simply entered directly into Cyberspace and arrived here via a terminal." "Wait! What about Decibus?" Adagio pondered. "He was from your world too, right?" "Well, he said that upon death in the physical world, he had arrived in the Deep End. That area is nearly impossible to access, whether you're searching on a computer or traversing through Cyberspace. My guess he worked his way upwards." Allister replied. "Well in Cyberspace it's called the Deep End, while here in the real world it's called the Primarch System." "The eighth level of the internet?" Sunset asked. "Absolutely. You see, Cyberspace is divided into levels to 0 to 8, each one being the levels of the internet." Allister explained. After some typing, the code he inputted had been successfully. "Success! Now all we do is wait." "I just hope he's doing ok in there." Fluttershy muttered. "I still can't believe he's going through that awful place all by himself. "I wouldn't say that Fluttershy." Allister acknowledged. "Unless I miss my guess, he's probably met with the Tribunal." "The Tribunal?" Rarity asked. "Normally, Sites in Cyberspace are made naturally from date. Though not all of them are naturally made." Allister elaborated while the others listened. "Some Sites are made through artificial means, and Goetia is one of them." "So, this Tribunal made Goetia." Applejack pondered. "But for what purpose." "To contain the Seven Vice Presidents, of course." Allister replied. "The Seven Vice Presidents caused quite a lot of havoc in their wake, so they had to be stopped one way or another." Succubelle was being tended to by her servants, still furious that she had lost to a human. And the ridicule she was getting from Doji certainly did not help better the situation. "I seriously can't believe you've got your ass kicked to the curb!" Doji said, laughing like a madman. "Hey! You and the others saw what happened, big red!" Succubelle hissed in rage. "Please! I could have easily crushed that miserable little welp like the little bug he is!" Doji scoffed. "He could have used whatever form he wanted, and it he would still lose!" "Yeah right!" Succubelle replied with a roll of her eyes. "That's if you don't lose your temper! And we all know how you get whenever you get royally pissed!" "What's that supposed to mean?" Doji asked with a scowl. "What I mean is that you face him, that temper of yours will only make it easier for him to kick your ugly ass!" Succubelle replied with a scoff. "He may be a kid, but he's not dumb." "Hey, you're the third most powerful of us, meaning that you outrank even me!" Doji shot back. "And yet you still lost!" "Which means it would be slight easier for him to take you down." Succubelle replied with a smirk. "You can barely count without using your fingers, you dumbass ox!" Doji growled angrily as his fists were encased in flames. "I'd watch what I say if I were you!" Doji warned with a snarl. "The last person who was foolish to insult me to my face ended up having their skull mounted on my wall!" With Dustin Dustin was looking around, seeing that he had found himself standing in a cove that was mostly sand and large rocks with very few trees and grass patches. The sun hung high in the sky's zenith, and it was sweltering hot. "Where are we now?" Dustin asked, looking around. "The Cavernous Cove." Verne replied. "The area of Gluttony, and domain to Monstro." "With a name like that, the guy's gotta be big." Dustin said with a hint of worry. "So, what are we dealing with here?" Dustin would get his answer when a roar was heard from the ocean, making him jump and turn to the ocean ahead. "Oh shit!" Damian muttered out, readying for a fight. "Was that Monstro?" Dustin asked in shock. "No." Bea responded. "But you may want to transform into something with electric powers." Before Dustin could even ask, a large serpentine creature emerged from the water. It was mostly ocean blue with a silvery-cyan underbelly, red stripes on its back, and deep crimson dorsal fin trailing along its back. On its forehead was a single spiraling horn, on its lower jaw were two tentacle-like whiskers. its mouth had razor-sharp teeth and eyes that glowed a bright yellow. "A Royal Daedalus!" Verne exclaimed. "Not even my strongest electrical attacks will be enough to ward it off!" Dustin looks to the Digitrix, an idea forming in his head. Then with a tap of the button and tap on the screen, Dustin had changed into Einstrike. "White Digitalisman, Gemplify! LET IT SNOW!" Einstrike emitted a bright white aura before he was enveloped in an egg-shaped dome of barcode that was a mix of white and tiffany blue. Inside, Einstrike was floating in a white void with snow falling down on him. A unicorn made of bright blue energy then manifested, neighing before trotting its way towards him. When the energy unicorn got close enough to Ensitrike, he placed a hand on the unicorn's head as it placed its horn onto Einstrike's forehead. The contact caused a bright flash to occur before Einstrike was encased in a large chunk of thick ice. Moments later, cracks started to form on the ice, a bright light seeping through the cracks before the ice chunk broke into pieces, revealing the newly Gemplified Einstrike. His mechanical prosthetic arm was replaced with a bulky one composed of white crystal, and the Tesla coils had a single white crystal spike protruding from the top. He had a bulky chest plate, leggings, and a gauntlet on his left hand: all composed of white crystal. His hair was now spiked upwards and appeared to be composed of ice. "From mountain rain and winter air," Einstrike chanted as he landed on the all too familiar square podium that bore the Digitrix symbol, "Comes a natural force both foul and fair!" Eisntrike's arms sparked white electricity before sending the electricity upwards, causing it to strike around him while creating large ice crystals upon impact. "BEWARE THE COLD!" Once the transformation was complete, the egg dome vanished to reveal Einstrike's newly Gemplified form. "Incredible." Verne muttered in awe. "You hold the Digitalismans." "Ja, mein freund." Gemplified Einstrike nodded while looking at the beast. "Now then, you piscine aberration! I certainly hope that you have brought some winter clothing, otherwise you are about to suffer from a severe case of frostbite!" The serpentine sea monster roared in response before sending its tentacle-whiskers at him. But Einstrike grabbed them and emitted white electricity, sending it at the beast. The Royal Daedalus roared as it was overwhelmed with the electricity, all the while layers of ice began forming on it. When Einstrike decided the creature had enough, he released his grip with a triumphant smirk. "Had enough, hässlich bankert?" Eisntrike taunted with a hint of German in his speech. (AN: hässlich bankert is German for "ugly bastard") The serpentine giant broke free from the ice but decided to not take its chances and dove back into the safety of the water. "Man, talk about a cold snap!" Damian said, impressed by what he had seen. "Nice, kid." "Hey, its what I do..." Einstrike said, but was interrupted when he felt something hit his back. "GAH! WHAT THE... OUCH!" Einstrike yelped as he felt something pinch him, causing him to emit more electricity to freeze whatever was on him. When he felt the thing get off of him, he saw that his attacker resembled a cross between a spider and a crab. "What in the..." Einstrike pondered but was once again interrupted when another one of the arachnid/crustacean hybrids landed onto his face. "Oh dear!" Bea gasped, seeing a large swarm of the creatures scuttling towards her and the others. "Sand Scavengers!" "Looks like we're having a crab boil tonight!" Damian said, his hands encased in fire before shooting flames at the Sand Scavengers. Einstrike blasted his freezing lightning at a bunch of them, while Verne and Bea use their respective attacks toward them off. But no matter what they threw out, more kept coming. "How many of these wretched things are there?!" Einstrike said as he still fired his freezing electricity. But when he saw that these creatures were emerging from the ground, he had an idea. His right arm sparked with white electricity, then with a mighty punch to the ground, he unleashed a mighty surge of freezing lightning, covering a large portion of the sand in a layer of frost while many of the Sand Scavengers that had yet to emerge were frozen. And of course, this ceased the onslaught while many remaining Sand Scavengers fled. "Yeah, that's right! Scuttle away you vermin!" Einstrike declared before reverting back to Dustin in a blue flash. "What's next!" Suddenly, Dustin was then pulled back by something while Verne, Bea, and Damian watched on in shock. But they were mortified upon seeing that Dustin was being sucked into the gullet of none other than Monstro as the monstrous cetacean chomped down, imprisoning Dustin, licking his lips like he in satisfaction. "Nothing like a tasty snack on the beach!" Monstro said, chortling wickedly. "You briny bastard!" Damian growled furiously. "Either you spit him out or I'll jump down there and fish him out of your blubbery ass!" "Then come and gem him!" Monstro shot back with a wicked grin. "If you're good swimmers, that is!" And with that, Monstro dove into the water. Damian was about to go in after him, but Verne and Bea stopped him.