//------------------------------// // Chapter 35: The Threat Deepens // Story: BlackWarGreymon: Warrior of Harmony // by I-C-U-P //------------------------------// Hidden lair, unknown location The one thing that King Sombra dreaded the most upon first meeting his new master, was to disappoint him. Unfortunately for the unicorn, the very thought became a reality. Sombra completely underestimated BlackWarGreymon. He thought that the Shadow Legion would be enough to destroy the Digimon, or at least wore him down. But no. Because of his carelessness, Sombra had lost the element of surprise. Not only he was proven to be alive, but the whole Crystal Empire would be aware of his revival. Sombra himself stood firm in the dark chamber, trying to keep his confident composure. But failing two missions, he figured that his master wouldn’t be pleased. It was evident, since the evil Digimon had his back to the Unicorn with his arms crossed on his back. Queen Chrysalis and some of her Changelings stood aside. Not wanting to be on the receiving end of what might go down. King Sombra nervously gulped, creeped out by the Digimon’s long pause. But then was startled when he spoke. “Twice you failed me. I expected more from you, Sombra. But you’re becoming as useless as that Tirek.” Sombra looked down in shame before speaking. “I’m…I’m sorry my lord. I tried my best. But…he just toyed with me! My legion didn’t stood a chance. Even my mind control spell failed. In the end…I had to retreat. Silence again filled the chamber. Chrysalis felt sorry for Sombra, knowing that he was the type who didn’t like feeling powerless. The once proud Unicorn king then listened to what the evil Digimon had to say. “You’re just lucky to be alive at all. BlackWarGreymon is a Mega. If he wanted you dead, he would’ve done so from the start.” The former king felt a cold chill up his spine. Not realising that the Artificial Digimon could end his life so easily. He could only figure out that the reason why BlackWarGreymon hadn’t killed him was that, either he had gotten soft, or he wanted to strike terror in Sombra’s black heart. Hurting him slowly so he could feel the Digimon’s power. But what his dark master said next was something Sombra dreaded most of all. “Too bad he didn’t kill you though. He would’ve spared you the fate of being tortured by me for failure.” The frightened Sombra knew his master was being serious. He could see the gleam in his piercing yellow eyes. The beast-like creature raised his huge arms above Sombra’s head, his claw-like finger ready to do their nasty work. Preparing to accept his punishment, the Unicorn stood still with his eyes shut tight. Not wanting to see what his master was about to do to him. Just as the Digimon was about to inflict pain on Sombra, something odd caught his sights. Causing him to stop momentarily. “Huh?” Though Sombra remained having his eyes shut, he felt no pain on him. Confused as to why his master suddenly stopped, Sombra opened his eyes in confusion. Looking up to his master, only to see that he had a look of confusion of his own. “My lord?” He asked. “What is it, master?” Chrysalis joined, curious of what was going on. “What’s that?” The Digimon asked as he lowered his arms. Sombra knew that the question was aimed at him. He looked around to see if something was out of the ordinary. But found nothing. “What’s what?” The Unicorn asked. “There’s something stuck on your crown,” The Digimon pointed out as he reached his right arm down towards Sombra’s head. The king flinched from having such large claws near his head. As the being reached towards the Unicorn’s crown, he plucked something free from it. Pulling his hand away, the Digimon, Sombra and Chrysalis got a good look at what was pinched in-between the finger and thumb of the monster. “Is that…yellow hair?” The Changeling Queen asked as she eyed the hair-like substance. “I must have got it from one of those mares,” Sombra mentioned, recalling his little scuffle with either Rainbow Dash or Applejack. But the Digimon said otherwise as he brought the hair sample closer to his face. Analysing the yellow strands closer. “No. This isn’t pony hair. This is… Digimon hair!” He said. To the confusion of the others, his voice had excitement in it. “Of course. BlackWarGreymon’s hair must have been caught on my crown when I tried to mind control him,” Sombra said, recalling the time that in his shadow form, he phased through the Mega’s head. It must have been true, since it was the only time Sombra came so close to BlackWarGreymon’s head. The king the brought his attention back to the tone of voice that his master used. “But… what’s the big deal about some bit of hair? It’s not like its going to be useful.” “Oh, but on the contrary Sombra, I will make good use of this. In fact… it’s perfect for what I just have in mind!” He then turned towards Sombra. “Congratulations. You had just redeemed yourself, Sombra.” Though the Unicorn was glad that he was spared from his punishment, both he and Chrysalis were confused as to what the Digimon had in mind. “But, what can you possibly make use of that hair for?” The Changeling Queen asked. The dark being only chuckled before answering. A sinister smile forming on his face as he came up with a crazy idea on how to defeat BlackWarGreymon. “Oh you will soon find out. Sombra, can you shape your black mist into any shape?” “Of course, I can. I’m the master of the shadows after all.” The Unicorn said proudly. Then the Digimon turned to the queen. “Chrysalis, can your solders manipulate weather?” “Well… we’ve never done that before. But I believe we can with our magic.” The royal Changeling answered. The evil Digimon grinned even more as he looked at the samples of BlackWarGreymon’s hair. “Good. Now we can begin the experiment!” ……………………………………………………………………………………....................................................................... Castle of the Crystal Empire Upon learning that the there was a hidden door, the Mane Six, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, Prince Shining Armor, Flash Sentry and Spike left the room they were trapped in and headed down a large staircase back to the main part of the castle. They were also followed by BlackWarGreymon, all the while engaging in conversation. “Come on, admit it big guy. You were just pretending to be mind controlled, weren’t you?” Rainbow Dash asked, thinking that it was just a ploy to fool Sombra. “Honestly I wasn’t. Sombra’s magic filled my mind with thoughts of violence and hate. But I eventually regained control,” BlackWarGreymon admitted. Luna meanwhile secretly smiled. Feeling that it her words was in fact the catalyst of what started the Digimon rebelling against Sombra. The Mega then felt guilty. “I’m sorry if I frightened you all.” “It’s ok, BlackWarGreymon. We’re just lucky that you came back just in time,” Twilight said with a smile. Their conversation continued as they entered the main hall. Shining Armor talking to the tall Digimon. “I still can’t believe that even King Sombra couldn’t beat you. And the way you took out those shadow ponies was amazing.” Then Luna frowned from a fact she just realised. “Yes. But those weren’t just shadow ponies. They were the Shadow Legion that I heard about a long time ago. Only my sister knows about them. But why would Sombra go great lengths to conquer the Crystal Empire? Especially with the Shadow Legion?” As the others walked on, BlackWarGreymon stopped as he spoke up. “Isn’t it obvious?” His question made the group pause for a second. They then turned around to look at their friend. Only to see that his eyes looked serious. “What is it?” Luna asked. Before answering, BlackWarGreymon closed his eyes in thought. “I thought if it for a while. But what happened today only confirmed it.” “Confirmed what?” Cadence asked. BlackWarGreymon then opened his eyes. The look of pain within them. “That I won’t always be around to protect you.” Most of the group felt frightened at the Digimon’s words. Some even sad. But it felt like the statement was true. The black Digimon then explained himself. “Sombra deliberately placed his army outside, so that he could draw me away from the empire. Distracting me so that he could go after you.” The group were shocked, but what he said in fact made sense. “I see. That’s why you were teleported outside. And that’s why Sombra looked surprised when you arrived. Sombra wanted to get us, without facing you,” Twilight said, finally understanding Sombra’s plan. The group then turned to BlackWarGreymon. Knowing that he had something else to say. “That’s why you all need to train to fight. In case such things would happen again.” “Train?” The Mane Six asked at the same time. Unsure what BlackWarGreymon had in mind for them. ………………………………………………………………………………………….............................................................. After a short trip, the group found themselves back at the newly built gymnasium. BlackWarGreymon then explained what he wanted them to do. “Ok. Since all of you managed to hold off Sombra long enough for me to arrive, then it must mean that you know how to defend yourselves. What we’re doing here is to see you all in action, then to focus on anything that needs improving." After raising her hoof, Rainbow Dash asked a question. “Umm… I already know how to fight. So what do I do?” After a brief thought, BlackWarGreymon had an idea. “Then you can teach the others to fight.” “No problem.” The Pegasus said with pride in her voice. “What about me?” Luna asked. BlackWarGreymon momentarily looked at Luna. Like Celestia, she too had experience in combat during her long reign. He then looked over to Cadence. Though she was shorter and not as strong as Luna, the two Alicorns were roughly the same build. “I would like you to pair up with Cadence. Teach her well,” He said as he made his decision. “I will,” Luna said as she and Cadence smiled at each other. The Digimon then turned towards Shining Armor. “Though basic combat is good, it’s not good enough. Shining Armor, see if you can teach the other guards advanced combat.” “I’ll do my best,” The prince said as he made a salute. He then widened his eyes in realisation. ‘Wait, why am I saluting him?’ After the Unicorn recomposed himself, the others were amazed. They had never seen BlackWarGreymon being so authoritative before. For even made Prince Shining Armor salute. “And as for the rest of you, find something in the gym you could use, so I can see what you can do. If there’s anything that needs improving, I’ll let you know.” “Right!” The rest of the group said. All seemed eager, except Fluttershy, who only nervously mumbled in response. With that, the group parted to do their own things. Shining Armor and Flash Sentry left towards the second room to inform the guards whom weren’t on duty. Luna and Cadence went to the upper floor to train. The upper floor had a window that overlooked the others below. Although fairly strong, Applejack felt like running. So she started to use the treadmill to test her speed. At first Rarity was hesitant. Fearing that the sweat might mess up her look. But thanks to Pinkie Pie’s child-like motivation, she decided to try. Using a punching bag, the two mares took turns at hitting it. BlackWarGreymon was admittingly surprised to discover that the white fashionista had some deceit fighting techniques. Unsure where to start, Fluttershy only walked to the side wall and watched the others. Rainbow Dash meanwhile joined BlackWarGreymon as they walked to Twilight. “I’m not exactly sure what I’m supposed to do,” The young Alicorn said. “Well Celestia told me that you’re very talented with magic, so let’s see it.” BlackWarGreymon suggested. Just the mention of her talent made Twilight more eager to demonstrate it. “With pleasure! So what’s first?” Wanting to see the Alicorn’s attack power, BlackWarGreymon knelt down near Twilight and pointed out to a ready placed target on the other side of the gym. “Ok. You see that target over there? Try to hit it in the middle.” “Got it,” Twilight responded. Taking a step back to give the Alicorn some room, BlackWarGreymon and Rainbow Dash began to observe Twilight. “Ok, Twilight. When you’re ready, show me what you got.” “Right,” Twilight said with a smile. The lavender mare looked at the target with determination, ready to do her best. Closing her eyes, she focused on her magic within her as her horn glowed brightly. Then a magical purple orb formed at the tip, steadily growing bigger. As she threw her head down, she fired the orb at the target. As it flew through the air, it landed a direct hit on the target. A purple coloured explosion followed as the gym was shaken slightly. After taking in a deep breath from using such a powerful attack spell, she looked over to BlackWarGreymon. “So, what do you think?” “Impressive. You not only scored a bullseye, you even managed to destroy it.” Twilight was taken back by his words. She and Rainbow Dash then looked back at the fading cloud of smoke, only to see that the target had blown into bits and pieces. “Wow! I didn’t know you had that in you, Twi!” The blue Pegasus said as she hovered over Twilight. After she got over her own shock, the Alicorn turned her attention back to the Digimon to hear what he had to say. “So it’s true about your talent with magic. What about combat?” BlackWarGreymon asked. “Well I do know a thing or two.” BlackWarGreymon then looked over to Twilight’s wings. “And in the air?” Twilight briefly paused before looking back at her wings. Flexing them as she pondered. “Well…I’m slowly getting the hang of flying. And the only combat I used while flying was my magic,” She explained. “I see,” BlackWarGreymon said before turning his head to speak to Rainbow Dash. “You’re a talented flyer, Rainbow Dash. Could you teach her about aerial-combat?” While hovering, the Pegasus smiled with pride as she crossed her forelegs together. “No problem. Come on newbie,” She said to Twilight as she motioned her head upwards. Ready to learn, Twilight flew off the ground and towards the blue Pegasus. “Hey Rainbow. I’ve heard that you did a little combat with BlackWarGreymon yesterday. How did it go?” The young princess asked. “Oh. Uhh…uhh…it went well. No problem whatsoever,” The startled Pegasus said, hiding the fact that she couldn’t land a decent hit on the Digimon. Below them, BlackWarGreymon looked up at the two as if he was smiling. Proud that his friends agreed to go through the exercises. Though he had a feeling that the mares might even have fun. The Digimon left the two so they could carry on. As he walked through the gym, he glimpsed over to the rest of his friends to see how they were doing. Pinkie Pie and Rarity had left countless dents in the punching bag. And if Applejack kept up her pace, the treadmill might overheat or explode. He even noticed that Spike was getting in on the action. He watched the young dragon as he tried to lift a set of small dumbbells in his hands. Despite their size, to Spike the weights were quite heavy. But he was managing. “So you’re working on your strength Spike?” BlackWarGreymon asked, despite that the answer was obvious. “Yeah. I know I can breathe fire and all, but I think more strength could do me good,” Spike answered as he continued to lift. ‘I have to get stronger, if I have to protect Rarity,’ The young dragon thought to himself before his imagination kicked in. He was daydreaming of a much muscular version of himself charging in with his lance, defeating King Sombra with a single swift blow, and rescuing Rarity from danger. Without even knowing it, Spike had a goofy smile on his face. Much to the confusion of BlackWarGreymon. Not paying it to mind, the Digimon walked on. Until he saw Fluttershy standing at the far wall on her own. Confused as to why she’s not participating, BlackWarGreymon walked up to her. “Is something the matter?” He asked. Startled by the sudden speech, Fluttershy responded back. “Oh…sorry. It’s nothing really. It’s just that… I don’t think I could be of much use.” BlackWarGreymon was himself startled by what the Pegasus said. “Why would you think that?” “Well… I'm not as strong as the others… and I’m not the strongest flier. I can’t do much in a fight.” BlackWarGreymon could sense that Fluttershy was only letting herself down. He had to find another way of turning things around. After looking around for a solution, he came up with an idea. “Follow me, Fluttershy,” He said as he walked away. Confused as what the Digimon had in mind for her, the yellow Pegasus did what he said and followed. After a short walk, BlackWarGreymon lead Fluttershy to a spare punching bag. “Have you ever thrown a punch before?” The Artificial being asked. “Umm…no. I haven’t,” Fluttershy said. Leaving BlackWarGreymon to explain what was going to happen. “Ok, pay attention Fluttershy. The true driving force in your punch is not just strength. It’s anger. To make an effective punch, you have to get angry.” “O-ok,” Fluttershy responded, understanding every word. BlackWarGreymon then continued. “Good. Now picture something that you hate and take that anger out on this punching bag. Or to make it easier, picture the punching bag as something you hate. When you’re ready Fluttershy, throw your punch.” “Umm, ok,” Fluttershy said as she walked up to the punching bag. And after a brief thought, she went ahead and punched the bag. However, her punch was so light that the bag only moved by an inch. “How’s that?” She asked. BlackWarGreymon just stared in disbelief. A flick of his finger could do more damage then her punch. Knowing what Fluttershy did wrong, he turned to her and spoke. “Fluttershy. You need to get angry. That punch was practically nothing.” “I’m sorry, BlackWarGreymon. I just don’t feel angry. I’m not sure I can do this.” BlackWarGreymon had to get a rise out of Fluttershy. He shouldn’t just give up on her. After some thinking, he spoke again. “You need to learn to defend yourself, Fluttershy. Not just for yourself, but your friends too.” Though Fluttershy seemed more encouraged, BlackWarGreymon knew it wasn’t enough. Then he had an idea. “Remember when the Bugbear attacked your home the other day. Think of what would happen if I hadn’t arrived to help.” The Pegasus remembered the Bugbear too well. She cringed at the thought if that beast had its way. It would’ve destroyed her home and probably eaten her animal friends. She then realised what BlackWarGreymon was implying. “Well when you put it that way, I guess that would make me mad. No, it would make me very angry. BlackWarGreymon had done it, he had just heard the anger in Fluttershy’s voice. He then pressed on. “If you had the chance, would you avenge your animal friends?” “Yes,” Fluttershy answered. Anger building up in her body. “Do you want to make that monster pay for the damage it caused you?” “Yes!” “Do you want to make it suffer!?” “YES!!!” After her sudden outburst, Fluttershy glared at the punching bag with hate and imagined it as the Bugbear. “AAAAAHHH!!!” As she shouted, Fluttershy leapt forward and punched the bag with a solid hit. The punch was so hard that the chain holding the bag broke off, leaving the bag to skid across the gym floor. A stunned silence followed as all eyes turned to Fluttershy. It was so unusual for a Pegasus like her that even BlackWarGreymon was shocked. “Oops,” Fluttershy said as she blushed in embarrassment. But to the Digimon, her cuteness was overshadowed by what he had just seen. ‘Guess the saying is true. Beware of the quiet ones,’ He thought to himself, felling slightly intimidated.