Villages across the Digital World was being menaced by swarms of Vilemon, so many places under attack the Digidestined had split into groups formed simply by who got into the digital world first. Takeru, Hikari, Pegasusmon and Nefertimon were one such pair, unaware it had been playing right into the hands of an old foe...
"Why are there so many of them?" Hikari wondered, riding Nefertimon's back.
"I've no idea, but something seems to have really riled them up. They're meant to be cowards but they're just charging mindlessly," Pegasusmon noted, star shower destroying a small cluster of the imp-like pests.
"Look out, there's a bunch clustering up!" Takeru warned as about a dozen barrelled towards Nefertimon.
The warning was a little too late, Hikari tumbling from her back as they struck. Swooping in, Pegasusmon managed to catch her - she hadn't been high up, but it would still not have been a happy landing for the human.
"That was too close!" Nefertimon growled as she swiped the last of her attackers away.
And then a white handkerchief flew out of seemingly nowhere, tangling over the sphinx-like partner of Hikari, making both humans and Pegasusmon feel dread. With a cry, she shrank, the handkerchief lying over a small object as it landed.
"No way, it can't be!" Takeru said.
"Oh, but it can! Trump Sword!" A voice said, unleashing a gust of wind that knocked Hikari and Takeru from Pegasusmon's back, followed up by another handkerchief landing on the flying horse.
And then Piedmon was upon them, grinning evilly, hands raised. Grabbing each of the startled humans, he unleashed electricity, the pair crying out in pain, left moaning and stunned.
"So nice to meet old friends, isn't it? And look! The rope's here too!" The Digimon cackled, producing a long rope from his sleeves that snaked around the pair.
They were soon mummified and tied together, a squirming burrito of rope and human, cursing and protesting defiantly.
"Such foul language you two have learned! Maybe I should gag you..." Piedmon produced two more handkerchiefs.
"Go ahead, turn us into keychains too, you won't win!" Takeru spat.
"Our friends will beat you, they know all about you!" Hikari added.
"Keychains? Oh no, that's not the plan at all!"
And he simply stuffed the two handkerchiefs into their mouths, the cloth quickly warping and wrapping to gag them both tightly.
"Still, keychains... I do have quite a nice little pair here. Shame it's not an Angemon and Angewomon, but I guess your little friends prefer digi-egg stuff these days, huh?" Piedmon sighed, swinging the Pegasusmon keychain around on one finger.
"No matter, though, we should be going, we have some catching up to do and I'd rather have some privacy!"
And with that,he ordered his remaining Vilemon to carry the squirming pair away.
"Welcome to my new lair! Not much, but it'll do!" Piedmon laughed as they arrived at his new base, a ruined western-style castle in the midst of a forest.
Piedmon had the pair deposited atop a tattered red carpet before a decrepit throne, his Vilemon scurrying around as he sat down.
"Now, you were saying, little Digidestined, that your friends knew 'all about me', yes?"
Hikari's muffled retort was simply met with amusement.
"Ah, yes, that is what you said, don't deny it. Still, maybe you can come here and explain it a little better?"
With a wave of his hands, the rope shifted and split, separating the two humans, but seeing loose ends walk Hikari over to the throne, where he yanked the gag away, playing with the newly freed handkerchief.
"The older digidestined were told everything, and we explained to the others about all the Dark Masters," she said.
"Hm. But everything? Did they know about my little rope trick? I bet they didn't. Did you?"
Hikari's defiant look faltered a little.
"You probably told them all I do is keychains and swords, right? Nice ones, true, but that's not all. Why, there's a lot I can do!"
He placed the handkerchief atop her head, making her gasp a little, but she fought the fear off.
"Like I can throw knives!" He cackled, throwing one to land inches from Takeru's head.
"Stop it, leave him alone! You said you were talking to me!" Hikari yelled.
"Ah, true, most rude of me. But yes, you know I can do much more. And to be honest, you have a good point - the other Digidestined pests won't be a pushover. They may not know everything but they do know a little... and that's maybe enough. I don't plan on losing again, though, so, I need some help. You two!"
"We'll never help yo-" Hikari began, cut off by the handkerchief expanding and covering her entirely.
"I'm not giving you a choice, I would have thought you would have learned that much by now," Piedmon sighed, as the shape below the handkerchief did not shrink, but instead, grew slightly to his height.
Takeru watched in shock as the cloth was ripped away, revealing not Hikari, not any more - but a female-looking Piedmon, with a pink and white mask. She wore green knee-high socks, ankle-high yellow boots, and the ruff part of Piedmon's red jacket was now a longer skirt-like portion. Her jacket sleeves were shorter, stopping above her elbows, and the gloves simply white wrist-length ones.
"What did you do to me?!" She cried.
"Oh, I'm not done yet..."
He raised his hand, shooting out red strings, that attached to her wrists, ankles, and head. With a shriek, she tried to struggle, but soon collapsed in a heap as the exposed elbows and knees shifted into ball joints. Her face shifted from shock, to a wide and glassy Cheshire grin. With a tug, the strings vanished, and the new puppet-like shape rattled as she stood.
"And hey presto - some help! But I could use more, couldn't I... LadyPuppetPiedmon?"
"Yes, master, you could," the transformed Hikari giggled, staring at Takeru.
"Make yourself a sister then!"
Rushing over, swiping her swords, LadyPuppetPiedmon swiped the ropes away, grabbed the gag, and yanked Takeru up by his shirt, dropping the handkerchief on his head so quickly he barely even managed to shout out one thing:
"Hikari, sto-"
And then he too was wrapped up in the expanding magical cloth, only for it to be whipped away and reveal a twin to the other transformed human, the only differences being a green and yellow mask, and pink/white socks and boots respectively.
"Ah, you were such good friends as humans, and you'll be great sisters, won't you?" Piedmon grinned, as he repeated the string process, the former Takeru crying out in fear as the former Hikari cackled.
"Yes, master, we will," the new LadyPuppetPiedmon grinned.
"Ah, but both of you being LadyPuppetPiedmon might get confusing. I know, the one of you that was Hikari, give yourself a little makeover!"
"Yes, my master," she said, dropping a handkerchief on herself, changing her red jacket and skirt to black leather, rips and tears appearing in her now darker green tights, and the hearts on her chest and mask becoming instead the Crest of Light, split in two. Her wooden-like skin also seemed splintered and coarse - it would form one of her attacks, Darkness Splinters, shooting out shards of her skin to impale and blind her foes. Her handkerchief turned black
"Ah, yes, you shall be the LadyPuppetPiedmon of Darkness, the cruel marionette jester of shadows!"
"What of me, Master?" the former Takeru whined.
"Well, give yourself a little makeover too!"
At this command, she did so, revealing now no neck ruff, the hearts becoming broken Crests of Hope, and the same torn tights and black jacket ensemble of her sister. Her skin too was unsanded and harsh now, promising pain if any were to have the wood ran across their own skin - or despair should the splinters be loosed as needles.
"The LadyPuppetPiedmon of Despair, the merciless jester on strings of hopelessness! Ah, aren't you happy in your new forms?"
"We're delighted, Master Piedmon," they chorused.
He raised his hand, the strings reappearing, making the pair giggle as he had them dance for a moment.
"And aren't you delighted to be my puppets? Forever?"
"We love being your puppets, Master Piedmon!" Darkness cooed.
"We will dance for you for eternity!" Despair laughed.
"Good! Anyway, my ladies of Darkness and Despair, you should have these," Piedmon said, releasing them from the strings, then handing over the keychains of Pegasusmon and Nefertimon to their former partners. The pair clipped them to their belts eagerly.
"Thank you, Master!"
"Those two are just the start, Ladies! Now you have these wonderful new forms, you must go and collect as many of the Digidestined as you can! Capture them in darkness and despair, bring them to me... and I shall transform them into new keychains!"
The two gasped in delight.
"Now go forth, have fun, and bring your former friends the despair and darkness they deserve!" Piedmon grinned, the two bowing before heading off...