Story: An Alicorn And A Hacker Walk Into A Bar
Summary: An insomniac hacker gets sucked into the digital world with a banished princess as his partner.
1. Arrival To The Digital World
Story Start: In A Universe Similar To Our Own/US Pentagon
Daniel Richardson once more walked through the Pentagon's firewalls like he was strolling through Central Park, one of the more competent members of the building's cyber squads taking notes as the insomniac hacker once more pointed out where their weaknesses in cyber security were. Daniel was a human who for some reason only needed an hour of sleep ever since he was young and had damn near perfect memory recall, and the man had taken advantage of that fact ever since he was five. The man knew a dozen languages, had no less than three degrees in cyber tech, another in electrical and mechanical engineering, was proficient in several different martial arts, and could quote entire episodes of several series and a large number of books and movies without fail, and in multiple languages at that.
Thanks to his supposed 'disability' the man was now one of the most sought after consultants when it came to cyber security. Unfortunately for him, his employment was about to be terminated in a way he would never have imagined. Just as he was shifting to another area to once more breach the Pentagon's security, the computer screen suddenly rippled before the monitor stretched up and over the surprised hacker sucking him in before snapping back into place.
The Pentagon member dropped his clipboard in surprise before he face-palmed and said "God Damnit! We told those guys in R&D never to run their Improbability Generator while he was here!"
Scene Change: A MLP Universe, One Thousand Years Before FIM Pilot
Luna yelled in pain as the Elements of Harmony banished her. Her pain only grew as she felt something ripped out of her and banished into the moon she was passing before she shot past the celestial body she commanded and flew through an open portal, not to return to her dimension for a millennium.
Scene Change: A Digimon Universe, Long, Long Before The Chosen Children Arrive
Two portals side by side opened up in the air and a shouting figure appeared from each falling side by side before they hit the ground with heavy thuds. Daniel groaned as he said "God damned R&D developers. I told them messing with that Primus damned Improbability Generator was a mistake." Pushing himself to his feet he groaned as he flexed his spine cracking his back. Looking around, he said "Cartoonish anime like world, unknown if cartoon physics apply." Feeling a weight on his shoulders, he looked over his shoulder and continued "Book bag on my back which wasn't there, given its weight, most likely stocked with supplies, stiffness against my back implies a laptop in a sleeve." Glancing down, he blinked and said "And apparently the Improbability Generator pulled a 'blank flank' My Little Pony filly to here as well. Friendship Is Magic series by the look of her."
Said pony groaned before her eyes snapped open while he spoke and she glared at him as she said "Who are thou calling blank flank Strange creature?!"
Daniel rubbed an ear as he continued "Old English way of speaking implying she is from before Friendship is Magic era, and volume implies used to bellowing orders. Words also imply subject used to have a Cutie Mark before today implying she is older than she appears, possible de-aging of physical body highly likely."
"De-aging?!" The foal asked in shock, leaping to her feet before stumbling. The foal looked over her body before she blanched and shouted "Where are mine wings?!" She suddenly ran a hoof over her head and said "Mine horn is missing as well! What is the meaning of this?!"
"Subject claims horn and wings are missing implying she was an Alicorn. Based on coloring this means subject is 99.9 percent likely Princess Luna with her powers either blocked or full-out stripped. Most likely by the Elements of Harmony." That got Luna's attention, but as Daniel put his hands in his pocket's with his thumbs hooking the outside, he paused before pulling an object out of his right pocket. Frowning at the device, he said "Generation 1 Digivice, theory of Subject Luna's powers being stripped by Elements of Harmony replaced with Subject instead being turned into a Digimon, the presence of limbs leading to the most likely assumption of Subject currently at the Rookie stage rather than In-Training. Wings and Horn most likely to return when Subject Digivolves to Champion and Ultimate. Full power most likely returned once Subject reaches Mega."
"Will thou stop talking about We like a lab experiment and not currently two feet in front of thou?!" Luna asked with a fierce glare, well, fierce for a little pony that barely reached Daniel's waist at any rate.
Daniel raised an eyebrow at her and said "I'm speaking like this because I have a damn near photographic memory and I'm going to type this up in an electronic file that will document your time with me which the R&D people back in my home universe will no doubt greatly appreciate. Or if we are stuck in this universe, the people who will make studying Digimon a career once humans and Digimon reach the point where they coexist, either one." That made Luna blink in confusion even as Daniel continued "And kindly keep your volume down. If we are in fact in the Digital World which is practically one hundred percent likely at this point, there are a rather large number of Digimon you do not want to be attracting attention from, especially in your diminished state." As if Fate wanted to lend credence to his words, there was a roar in the mid distance before the earth under their feet shuddered like a short mini earthquake, clearly something that was both a rather large and rather heavy figure approaching.
As a second shudder went through the ground, Luna nervously took a step back and said "We thinks we should head in the opposite direction of that sound."
"Way ahead of you sister!" Daniel called over his shoulder from where he had already started to run away.
Luna did a double take before she galloped after him at about half speed. When she drew level with him, she said "We are not thy sibling Strange Creature!"
"It's an expression, you silly filly. And I'm a human, not a Strange Creature. Now less talking, more running. Move your flank!" Daniel said half shouting the last part as his arms went from their up-down piston movements and instead went rigid facing backwards as he leant forward and put all his practice of running at least an hour a day to good use and kicked in the afterburners leaving Luna behind before she too started running at a full gallop.
They ran through the forest for a good half hour, startling quite a few In-Training and Rookie level Digimon who saw them pass by before they reached a cliff with a cave resting in it six feet off the ground. Daniel quickly shot ahead of Luna and jumped, pushing himself up with his arms. He did a quick scan of the cave to make sure it was empty before he jumped down and hoisted Luna in before reentering and walked ten steps in before leaning against the cave side getting his breathing back to normal condition. Beside him Luna also panted, tongue lolling a little as she said "We are the Mistress of Dreams, so why can't We wake up from this one?"
Daniel let out a chuckle at that and said "Sorry princess, I'm afraid your stuck with me for a while yet. Still, for a pony turned Digimon partner, you aren't too bad a choice. I could have been stuck with Pinkie Pie after all."
Luna looked at him in confusion and said "We are afraid We do not know any pony by such name."
Daniel waved his hand in a negligent motion and said "Party pony from a show that starts about a thousand years after you were banished."
"Show? And what did thou mean by partner?" Luna asked with a cocked eye.
"It means that you better hope we make good roommates." Daniel said pulling his book bag off and sitting on the cave floor as he opened the bag. Grinning at what he saw, he said "Jackpot!" Inside was the laptop he had felt along with four super capacity external hard drives he recognized from his home that had a rather sizeable chunk of his media along with a large capacity water container and enough food to last him for a week, and that was counting having a Digimon partner with him.
Pulling out the laptop, he continued "Basically, we're now in a symbiotic relationship. You're the heavy muscle in any engagement with other Digimon while I provide the energy you'll need to Digivolve. The bond between Digimon and Human usually is also one of companionship, the two becoming damn near inseparable over time." As the laptop powered up, he pulled out his Digivice and said "This allows you to go to the next stage of the power ladder faster instantaneously rather than the years or even decades of training it would take. However, that is only a temporary power boost, depending on how long we're here you could reach and stay at the max level completely on your own. Something that I think is quite likely given your banishment is supposed to be a thousand years long. Of course, considering a human's natural life span is measured in decades rather than centuries means that whether or not I'm with you by that time or dead, buried, and turned to dust is another matter."
Daniel said that last part as if he was talking about if it was possible to rain in the next hour but Luna's ears pinned back as she suddenly felt terrified of that prospect. If what this human was saying, they could become as close if not closer than siblings and yet it was entirely possible she would lose him within a century. She wasn't certain she'd be able to handle it if she had to go nine hundred years or more without him before returning to Equestria if he came to be so important to her.
Daniel however didn't see this as he said "Ah, finally. Let's see what you are shall we?" He put the Digivice in a docking port at the top of the laptop screen and the computer scanned Luna. Daniel raised an eyebrow at the species name and said "Ponymon, really? Not very original, is it? Whatever, you've got pretty good attack stats for a Rookie level with your Double Buck attack. Holy Beast type, huh, guess your status as a moon deity had something to do with that." Luna pulled herself together and walked over to look at the screen showing her image on the computer's screen and the stats showed there.
Daniel glanced at the Digivice on the docking port before he picked it up and stared at its screen as he mused to himself "I wonder how hard it is to make this work the first time if you know how the digivolution process works." Closing the lap top and putting it to the side for a moment, he gestured to the center of the cave and said "Luna, I want to try something, can you stand over there, you might get a bit bigger if this works."
"Very well." Luna said eager to grow from the ridiculously small size she currently was. Once she was in place, Daniel focused all of his attention on the Digivice, picturing his energy entering it and from it into Luna to make her digivolve. Silence passed for five minutes before Luna shuffled a foot. But just as she was about to speak, the Digivice lit up a little and she felt a surge of energy for a moment before it dimmed and she and Daniel both sagged, the hacker shaking his head as he said "Man, that feels weird. Okay, I know what I need to do now so one more try." The Digivice immediately lit up again, this time near blazing in its brightness and Luna felt an even bigger surge as she also lit up and she heard herself call out "Ponymon Digivolve to…Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"
When the light show died down, Luna looked herself over as Daniel said "Huh, so that's what a female Pegasusmon looks like." The gold plating was now a dark blue gold instead of yellow gold, the yellow fur and bat wings turned dark blue while the white underside was now black. The wings were a slightly lighter shade of blue as her fur while her tail and mane were a little lighter than that still with what looked like miniature stars in them caused by the flecks of white visible in them. Daniel once more put the Digivice onto the computer and as the information appeared, he said "A Holy Beast Type Armor Digimon that normally evolves through the power of the "Digi mental of Hope." Attacks are as follows: Equis Beam which shoots a beam of holy energy from the forehead, Star Shower which creates outer space inside both wings sending down shooting stars, Golden Noose, which is a combo move with Nefrtimon that traps enemies in circles of light, guess we won't be using that one for a while, Rodeo Kick, which is a powerful blow from your hind legs, Pegas Drop, which is a powerful headbutt that does more damage the higher you are when you start the attack, ooh, it's an exponential power boost, nice, and finally Needle Rain which shoots needle like hair strands from your mane. Very nice attack set."
Luna for some reason felt like preening from her new partner's compliments but she was startled as she was suddenly covered in a light again and shrank back down into a Ponymon, feeling rather drained.
Daniel let out a curse as he sighed and said "Damn it, I was hoping that your former status as an Alicorn meant we'd be able to at least maintain your Champion form for at least a minute from the get go. It's going to take a while before you can make that your default form, never mind your Ultimate and Mega forms."
"That is most disappointing." Luna said with a frown.
"Yeah." Daniel agreed before he sighed and shook his head as he continued "Nothing for it right now though. Let's see what else this baby has for us." Switching gears, Daniel went into the lap tops program library and began looking through it, his eyes flashing from side to side as he scrolled down before he blinked, paused his scrolling, before he moved the cursor up and clicked on a program. Whatever he saw on his screen made him grin like a particular Cheshire cat locked inside an aviary overnight causing Luna a not so small amount of nervousness. A nervousness that only grew when the hacker started cackling in evil delight.
"Daniel, thou art starting to scare Us." Luna said as she took a couple of steps backwards away from him.
Daniel brought his eyes up and said "Oh you have a right to be afraid Luna. In fact, I must insist that you be afraid, be very afraid." Giving a gesture to his laptop, Daniel continued "This laptop has a program that allows me to access this world's digital code, and since I'm a hacker…well, watch and learn."
Looking back down, Daniel made two half fists and pushed his hands together cracking the digits before he put his hands on the keyboard and his fingers flew. The tapping of the keys sounded like a machine gun on full-auto as he typed and the world around them shimmered before everything began exploding into pixels further startling Luna, pixels which rapidly rearranged themselves before reverse exploding into shapes very much unlike what they had been before. Ten minutes later, the once bare cave they were in was turned into a bunker that could take multiple nuclear strikes with the inside looking like a suite you'd find at a high dollar hotel.
Daniel closed the laptop with a soft snap and said "There, now we don't have to worry about finding a proper base of operations. We've got proper utilities that run off a geothermal generator below us, enough bunkbed holding bedrooms to hold five human-digimon teams plus our own bedrooms, you'll obviously have your own room since I imagine once Mega is your default form you will be rather big so will require a bed that will take up much of said room, we've got a currently fully stocked kitchen, an MTAC or Multiple Threat Assessment Center, an entertainment room, room where the gravity can be changed for training purpose along with various training modules placed along the room's walls, a fully stocked machine shop with enough resources to build ourselves a whole damn Helicarrier if we need to and just because I felt like it, an arcade with games that are made to be played by both human and equine shaped beings."
Luna stared at her partner in slight awe as she said "Thou made all that with two minutes of button pushing?!"
Daniel grinned at her and said "I am a hacker by trade princess. It's my job to take advantage of digital programs in order to show others how to better protect themselves. In this world, I am the closest thing you can get to a god and still be mortal. It seems fitting that a figure considered a goddess in her world would have someone like me for a partner in this one." Luna nodded at that as Daniel put up the Laptop and said "Come on, I'll give you a tour of the place. I think you'll especially like the view from the observatory balcony I put near the top of the cliff."
END
Author's Notes: And that is done. I really hate the fact that the two chapters I had already written for this story were lost. Daniel was a bit different in the first version and now I have to do all of that research in Chrome Digizoid Armor again for Luna's Mega Form. Special thanks to Magus Neon for correcting my Ye Olde English. (And I probably just pissed him off again with those last three letters. Shrug, oh well.)