Episode 23:

“The Beginning of the End”

By

Jennifer Morton

and

Shelli-Jo Pelletier

* * *

~~~ Diratimon's P.O.V. ~~~

I don’t know what to say. . . . We lost our dear trainer and guide Piximon in our last adventure. You see, we all decided to stay at the Digi Palace for the night (we did raise it out of the ocean after all!) and it turned out to be a good thing that we had shelter! A terrible storm hit and we stayed safe in our beds. But suddenly the lights went out and the whole palace started shaking! Piximon started getting hit by an invisible foe, so we grabbed him and moved our tails outta there. Outside the storm passed, but poor Piximon was too injured to survive. We swore to save the digital world, though, and we will! Man, a Digi can’t even make a wisecrack at a time like this. . . .

* * *

There was no creature, Digimon or human, around to see the scene forming, but if they had they would see a scene of blackness. In this unlighted room shadows curled like thick, dark mist in the corners, moving sluggishly as if just awakened. After a while they began to move faster, curling in on themselves and making strange shapes in the darkness.

A black silhouette began to form in the murky vapor, a shapely woman holding her hand up to her mouth in a yawn. A second form began to appear not far away, a four-legged beast with great long horns. Finally a third form, another female human, appeared.

Suddenly three pairs of eyes pierced into the black fog, glowing in the darkness.

They were awake.

* * *

“Why are we walking in this direction?” Dani demanded, arms crossed, as the group of Digidestined and Digimon walked.

“Well, it’s just as good as any other,” Jenn replied with a shrug, glancing back at the blonde from the lead. Foximon and Sunemon flanked the goggle-headed girl on either side.

The incident at the Digi Palace had darkened just about everyone’s spirits, and optimism was in short supply. “We don’t know where we’re going,” sighed Lina.

“Or what we’re looking for,” Emily added.

“Or who we’re facing.” Erica looked at the ground in discouragement.

Tania grumbled softly to herself, “And now we’re alone.”

Silence fell, and the Digimon stared at one another in shock and worry. Their first instinct was to reassure their children and try to cheer them up, but the loss of Piximon had hurt them as well, and they had no one to comfort them either. For a long time no one spoke.

A sniffling broke the silence, and everyone looked over at Skye with Magimon beside her, holding the leg of Skye’s shorts with one gloved paw. The blue-haired girl sniffled again and rubbed at her eyes before she noticed everyone looking at her. Instead of being embarrassed, she burst into tears.

“Oh, Skye!” gasped Kristina, who was closest. She stepped over and gave Skye a hug.

“We’ll never get home now!” wailed the girl, clinging to her friend desperately. “We have to fight this-this evil before we even can try to get home, a-and we don’t even know how, even if we do defeat it!”

Jenn doubled back and joined in the hug. “It’s okay, Skye!” She tried to comfort the other girl. “We’re all going to try the very best we can. That’s all we can do, right? And we’ve made it this far! I think we can do it!”

Skye continued to wipe at her streaming eyes. “I don’t even remember what happened!” she whimpered. “When I was the Digi Princess, I don’t remember that! It’s so confusing. . . .” She put a hand to her head.

Magimon, still keeping a firm grip on her Digi-Destined, squeezed her hand comfortingly. “I’m here for you,” the cat-like Digimon said quietly.

“Us too,” Alex said firmly. “All of us. We’re all in this together.” The other children and Digimon gathered around in the rough circle nodded.

“Th-thank you, everyone.” Skye smiled shakily and wiped her eyes. “That really does help. Thank you.”

“That’s what being a Digi-Destined is all about,” Jenn said with a firm look in her eyes. “Helping Digimon, and also helping each other.”

That was when everything went dark.

“Oh, great,” sighed Cunomon, glancing up at the sky suddenly covered with dark clouds. “Are we going to get more rain?”

It didn’t rain, but the air began to prickle and feel static-y. Lightning flashed in the clouds above, and thunder followed.

“Uh . . . I wonder if these things double as flashlights,” Alex said, looking down at the digi-vice in his hand.

“Is this a bad time to remind everyone I’m afraid of the dark?” Skye joked, trying to make up for her earlier breakdown.

“Uh, I think we should try to keep moving and find some shelter,” commented Jenn.

* * *

In the dark room a shadowy figure walked up to the crystal ball set in a stone column in the center of the room. Glowing eyes focused on the scene within the clear ball, depicting the Digidestined and their Digimon wandering in darkness. A hand came out and caressed the round surface with sharp claws. Large wings ruffled in agitation as the scene focused on Jenn and her fox Digimon in the lead.

A larger shadow loomed over the one focused on the crystal ball, glowing eyes narrowed in anger as the scene moved on to Lexxy and the dragon Digimon, Cunomon.

Lastly the third shadow stepped forward and took her spot at the viewing ball as Skye and her blue and white Digimon came into view.

* * *

Foximon suddenly bumped into Jenn’s legs as the girl stopped walked. “Jenn?” she asked, “are you okay?”

The redhead put her arms around her. “I think it’s getting colder. I’m getting chills.”

Foximon’s eyes widened. “. . . .I feel the same way, really,” she said quietly.

“You too?” Lexxy asked, as Cunomon nodded.

“Something’s watching us.” Skye’s voice was hushed and distant. “It’s familiar. . . .”

The other Digidestined and Digimon looked at one another, confused and worried, even as Jenn, Lexxy, Foximon and Cunomon nodded in agreement with Skye.

Suddenly, the three girls wavered and their eyes closed, falling to the ground. The other Digidestined and Digimon looked on startled and confused. It was difficult to see beyond the blackness in front of them, much less the gloves in front of their own faces. They hurried forward to help their fallen comrades. . . .

* * *

“Huh? Where am I?” Jennifer awakened groggily.

A blurry figure loomed over her. “Well, well, well,” it said, laughing wickedly. Startled, Jenn quickly started to lift herself upward only to find that her wrists had been restrained by chains. She was hanging helplessly against a stone wall, while the pale figure appeared more clearly in front of her.

The female Digimon looked like an Egyptian goddess with black bat wings and a golden tiara. Her eyes as she smirked cruelly at Jenn were without pupils, sharp fangs poking through her purple lips. Jenn knew the Digimon immediately from her fanfiction. It was, in fact, one of her own creations. As the redhead struggled to regain full consciousness Marajamon taunted Jenn, holding her tag and digi-vice in front of the girl’s face. When the Digimon failed to get a response, she frowned.

“Now, don’t tell me you don’t remember me?”

* * *

Lexxy gasped as she felt the heavy paw cover her, pinning her to the floor. The cold of the stone penetrated through her thin summer clothes straight to her bones, but she was more concerned with the gigantic pressure on her than smaller comforts. She squirmed, but the evil one only increased his pressure until she could barely breathe. Her struggles ceased, and her mind whirled. What was going on? How did she get here? Where was Cunomon!?

A deep chuckle floated down from above her, and it was an expression of triumph. “So, my dear,” an evil voice murmured, savoring his victory. “So now you die, and your friends will be mine.”

Lexxy’s eyes widened in terror as she looked up. A giant loomed over her, a hulking creature reaching to the high ceiling, with four legs and a torso like a man, long horns on his head. She knew this Digimon . . . she had designed him with so much thought, even the ugly smirk showing through the slicing fangs. . . .

The Digimon’s second head hissed. “Acid Strike!” Lexxy screamed as the snake’s head reared back, about to let lose a glob of putrid green acid. It couldn’t end like this!

* * *

Skye found herself being thrown to the ground. The cold, rough stone floor stung her hands and knees. Slowly looking up, she saw a tall, slender Digimon clothed in black and purple. Long silver hair with streaks of purple flowed down her back. She looked down at the confused Digidestined from her throne as a sinister smirk crossed her red lips.

"Leave us!" Lordessmon commanded, gesturing to her servants to leave the room. Lordessmon then gestured to Skye. "Come here."

Skye lifted herself up. She recognized this scene from her fic instantly, so she wasn’t quite as frightened as Lordessmon had hoped. Instead, she wondered how she got there so suddenly.

"Lordessmon?" Skye asked the evil Digimon.

Lordessmon stood up from her throne and advanced towards Skye. "An impressive memory you have, Child of Faith."

"Wanna know what's even more impressive? How I'm about to kick your corrupted digi-butt!" As Skye leaped towards Lordessmon in anger, the Digimon struck her down with a blow of her fist.

"How DARE you talk to me in such a manner!" Skye wiped dirt from her bottom lip. "Now, give me the imperial amulet!" The Digimon held up her hand, as if prepared to throw an attack.

Skye grasped her locket, holding it closer to her chest. "Never!" She narrowed her eyes, her heart beating fast in her chest. "You'll have to pry it out f my cold dead hands!"

"Interesting suggestion. So be it!" Lordessmon formed a ball of energy in her palm. "Nightmare of Darkness!" she screamed, as the dark ball flew towards Skye.

She struggled to get up, only to feel a piercing pain in her ankle. "This can't be happening . . wake up Skye!" she pleaded with herself.

"There will be no escape for you this time, my little digi princess!" Lordessmon laughed.

* * *

At that very same moment all three girls were seconds away from annihilation, their screams suddenly drowned out by a flash of light. Then everything was still.

* * *

Jenn, Lexxy, and Skye opened their eyes to see a blurry Kristina standing over them. "Good, they’re waking up." She looked over to the others.

Lexxy was the first to sit up. "What's going on?" she rubbed the back of her head, confused.

"You guys passed out," Kristina replied.

"Thank god!" Jenn sighed loudly. "It was all a dream."

"Not all of it." Skye gestured to the darkness that still surrounded them.

The three helped each other off the ground. "Come on, let’s keep going," Jenn ordered, "before we have any more surprises."

"Right behind ya, Jenn!" said Foximon, glad her partner seemed okay.

As they continued through the black fog, Jenn, Skye and Lexxy explained what had happened to them.

"It was so real, I could actually feel Marajamon's claws digging into my skin," Jenn described her nightmarish experience.

"Same here!" Skye replied. "When Lordessmon knocked me to the ground, the pain in my ankle was so intense."

"Something tells me these were more then just nightmares," Lexxy added.

"I agree." Jenn nodded. "They were a warning."

"Right!" Lexxy nodded in agreement. "And I'll bet Marajamon, Duodramon and Lordessmon have something to do with this new evil we've been looking for."

"Wait, why do those names sound so familiar?" asked Alex.

"Marajamon was the villian I made up for my Jennifer and Foximon Saga."

"Oh, right . . . and Doudramon was Lexxy's creation if I remember correctly?"

"Um, yeah," Lexxy replied sheepishly. After meeting her evil creation face to face the thought of releasing such a terrible force onto the Digiworld didn’t make her too proud of herself. The same could be said for Jenn and Skye, who were mentally kicking themselves at that same moment.

"I don't think I ever had the chance to read your fic, Skye, but I assume Lordessmon is yours?" Alex continued.

"YES! Can we please move on?" Skye snapped.

"Sorry." The boy shrugged. "Just making friendly conversation."

"Not sure if it's a good time for that now, buddy," Nerimon corrected Alex. The red dino had noticed how the girls were bothered by the conversation.

"Hey, you guys created these Digimon! I'm sure you'll know how to defeat them! I mean, you were able to in your fics, right?" Emily tried to put a positive twist on things.

"Doesn't matter." Jenn shook her head. "I said it before and I'll say it again. This is real life, you guys! This isn't just a fanfic where we can type whatever we want and every ending is a happy one. We have no magical control over the outcome of this battle. It's good to have confidence in ourselves . . . but we need to stay prepared for anything." Jenn looked down at Foximon as she began to wonder. "Hey, Foximon?"

"What's up?" Foximon blinked.

"Do you, by chance, remember fighting Marajamon?"

"Of course I remember."

Jennifer stopped and kneeled down, allowing her and her Digimon to make eye contact. "Really? Please, tell me everything."

"Well..."

**Flash back**

~~~ Foximon P.O.V. ~~~

Years before you and the other Digidestined came along, when I was still Junumon, I used to live in a little village with other Junumon. It was so pure and peaceful. In fact, none of us had even heard about the chosen children, not to mention we were totally oblivious to any evil that had existed at the time. Until one day, out of nowhere the village was attacked by an army of Gazimon. A couple of them got ahold of me, and I remember them saying something about their boss, Marajamon, and that they were suppose to find and destroy the ninth destined Digimon. But then I was knocked out and don't remember much after that. When I woke up, everything had been burnt to the ground and all the Junumon were gone. For years I searched the Digiworld, hoping one day to find them again, but I never did.

**End flashback**

"As far as I know, I'm the last Foximon. Also, I was injured pretty badly during the attack, which is why my ability to digivolve is so unstable."

Jennifer sighed and looked at the ground. She had known exactly what Foximon was going to say before she said it. After all, Jenn had made up the entire story, including the part about her Foximon being the last one. At the time, she had just wanted to make a Digimon that was special and just hers! Now she realized what she had done. It had been her fault that the Junumon village had been destroyed, along with all the other Junumon. . . .

“What’s wrong, Jenn?” Foximon asked, seeing the sadness cross her Digidestined’s face.

Jenn forced a smile on. “It’s nothing, Foxi. I’m just . . . well, I’m sorry.” She hugged her Digimon close, while Foximon just looked confused.

Lexxy kneeled down and rubbed Cunomon’s ears. “I’m sorry too,” she said, understanding exactly what Jenn was feeling.

Cunomon blinked. “Sorry for what?” But Lexxy didn’t answer.

Skye didn’t even say a word. She just scooped up Magimon and held her close.

This was the moment it stuck all the children just what they had done. They were the ones who had created a lot of the darkness currently shadowing the digital world. Even if they hadn’t meant to, believing they were just making things up for fun on the Internet, it didn’t stop the fact that the things they had made were coming true, and not everything they had made up was very nice.

And while the meaning of the three visions they had just experienced were still unclear, if Marajamon, Duodramon and Lordessmon did appear, the havoc they would wreck on the Digiworld would also be their fault.

“Being Digidestined never seemed more important than it does right now,” whispered Emily.

* * *

“They are quite amusing, aren’t they?” smirked a voice in the darkness.

“I want them,” rumbled the second, deep voice. “We should hunt them.”

“No, we should play first,” purred the third voice. “Why don’t we try to get them one at a time? I doubt they can stand long against even one of us, and it would be no fun to crush them as soon as we find them.”

“Agreed! I’ll go first.” And then there were only two shadows in the room.

* * *

“We’ve been through a lot; maybe we should start looking for a place to rest,” suggested Lina to Jenn as the group continued walking.

“Black Magic!”

The group cried out at the sudden chilling voice calling down from above them, and the following burst of light and sound that surrounded them as the attack descended. A wall of darkness fell over them, while at the same time flames sprung up around them in a circle, cutting off all exits.

“We’re under attack!” Diratimon announced loudly, unable to take off into the thick darkness swirling around them.

“I can’t . . . breathe!” coughed Dani, her hand to her throat.

“Or see!” added Pandamon with a growl, taking a swipe at the darkness.

Jenn couldn’t speak; just stared upward, shaking her head in horror. “It can’t be. . . .” she finally squeaked.

Somehow, their assailtent heard her anyway. “Oh, but it is,” sneered a dark, female voice. The darkness parted as she swooped down at them. “I’ve come for you, Jennifer. Marajamon always gets what she wants!”

“Not this time!” howled Foximon, her ears standing up in her rage. “Digimon attack!” The others fell behind their leader and all eleven Digimon stood between Marajamon and the chosen children.

Marajamon just laughed. “Ooo, I do so fear you, puny Rookies.” The Egyptian Digimon hurled a fireball over their heads, straight at the Digidestined, who shrieked and scattered for cover as well as they could, though the flames still surrounding them kept them from going very far.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Foximon practically blazed with anger, but when she leapt at Marajamon, the bigger Digimon just brushed her aside. With a yelp of pain Foximon went flying, crashing into a tree outside the ring of flames. She picked up her head, dazed, only able to watch as Marajamon approached her trapped friends.

No! It couldn’t end like this! Foximon forced herself to her feet and called on the love she felt for her partner. In a flash of bright light, she digivolved to her Champion form!

“It’s Glorymon!” cheered Cheekomon, hearted by the sight of her friend flying above the flames. “Come on guys! We’re got a digi-tail to kick!”

In a flash the other Digimon had digivolved as well, and Marajamon faced off against nine Champions, and Athenamon. Sunemon, who couldn’t digivolve, circled around the Digidestined protectively, using her own fire attack to keep Marajamon’s flames at bay.

“Get her!” Glorymon called, again leading the charge. She had seen how Marajamon singled out Jenn, and she wouldn’t let this evil Digimon hurt her friend. The ten now-stronger Digimon circled around Marajamon, enclosing her just as her flames enclosed their friends. With a single screamed, “ATTACK!” Glorymon led the fight.

The battle was short and brutal, and it didn’t go in their favor. With her Black Magic attack, Marajamon could call down a black bird made of pure darkness, as well as control fire. Now matter how hard the Digidestined Digimon tried, their attacks never seemed to hit her. She could dodge and twist like she was made of dancing flame herself. In minutes all the Digimon were thrown down to the ground, exhausted and returning to their Rookie forms. All, that is, save one.

Glorymon glared at the evil Digimon that was easily the hardest foe they had ever fought, up to now. “Raging Cyclone!” She tried to whirl around Marajamon, hoping to catch her up in the whirlwind, but Marajamon just ducked under the attack and kicked Glorymon square in the back, sending her down to the ground. She didn’t de-digivolve, but she didn’t get up either.

“Glorymon!” gasped Jenn, trying to get to her partner. Lexxy and Lina grabbed her and held her back, not wanting Jenn to try to get through the flames.

“Now then, where were we? I think we were playing with my magic. . . .” Marajamon floated delicately down and landed before the Digidestined, who backed up as much as they could from this evil menace. But one clawed hand shot out and wrapped around Jenn’s shirt, lifting the girl high into the air. Jenn’s feet kicked uselessly in the Digimon’s grasp. “Let’s see what a few scratches to that pretty little face will do to you,” sneered Marajamon, holding up her other hand and spreading her claws.

Jenn wanted to close her eyes and scream in fear, but instead she glared at the evil Digimon holding her. “You hurt Foximon! I won’t forgive you!” she cried out. Light began to shine all around Jenn. “FOXIMON!” she screamed.

The light brightened and Glorymon stood up again. “Jenn!” she called back to her Digidestined, rising high into the air. Wind whipped all around the Champion Digimon, and she brightened until all the rest of the area was bathed in light, and everyone turned their faces upward. The Digimon cheered weakly; the Digidestineds’ eyes were wide in shock. Marajamon hissed and shaded her eyes from the light with one bat-like wing.

“Glorymon digivolve to . . . PolarGlorymon!”