Deep in the Everfree Forest, in the heart of the Everfree Clearing, a battle was about to take place. But unlike the battles before where it was against the forces of evil, the clash was itself a test. BlackWarGreymon was the test subject. His opponent, an Alicorn named Ayumi. Who in truth, was Twilight Sparkle from either another time or place.
After seemingly transforming into a different form, Ayumi was the one to make the first move. Due to her transformation, it increased her speed to a much higher level. So much so that it left BlackWarGreymon stunned from such display of speed. Seeing that the baffled Digimon left himself wide open, Ayumi charged in and with her right hoof outstretched, slammed it into BlackWarGreymon’s gut.
Due to the Alicorn’s increase of power and the Digimon not raising his defense properly, the blow shook his very being. His yellow eyes widened in shock and something he did not expect from fighting a pony… pain. He felt the stinging sensation as the blow not only knocked the wind out of him, but also sent the Mega hurtling back. The surprised Mega tried digging his hands and feet into the ground to slow down. But as soon as he came to a halt, Ayumi teleported right in front of him and swung both her front hooves down on his head. The surprisingly powerful blow again shook BlackWarGreymon to the core as his face smashed into the ground from the attack. Ayumi was then quick enough to fly around and slammed her rear legs into the Digimon’s side. The kick sent the baffled Mega tumbling across the field. After coming to a stop, BlackWarGreymon tried to get back up. But due to how shaken he was of Ayumi’s strength, his movements were slow. Much so that Ayumi used his disposition to her advantage. Once more teleporting in front of him, she wrapped her hooves around his outstretched arm and with a firm hold, she threw him over her shoulder and slammed him into the ground. Then after spinning him around, she threw him aside but not before firing a blast of purple magic. The attack spell struck BlackWarGreymon in the chest and sent him crashing into a large boulder. Exploding on impact.
During the clash on the sidelines, Twilight and Spike were left speechless with their mouths and eyes as wide as they could be. They knew that Ayumi was a different version of Twilight, but the one thing they did not expect in the slightest, was the sight of BlackWarGreymon being beaten up by an Alicorn princess. Something that could only be thought of in dreams. But it was no dream. A pony was not only putting up a good fight against the Mega, but also giving him a run for his money. Just one of those blows would’ve sent any other pony to hospital for sure. They were so confused at what was going on that they were beginning to feel concerned for BlackWarGreymon. Having no idea what to expect next.
As the dust settled from the explosion, revealing piles of rock, Ayumi silently stood still as she watched. Waiting to see what her opponent would do next. After a brief moment, BlackWarGreymon was seen. Stumbling out of the rubble before falling to his knees. The sight caused Twilight and Spike to feel alarmed.
“BlackWarGreymon!” Twilight called out.
“Why is he on his knees? Surely, he could get back up even after that,” Spike added. Remembering the ordeal the Mega went through at the Crystal Empire.
As BlackWarGreymon breathed heavily on his knees, his mind tried to process what had just happened. He wasn’t in pain. He was going though shock. He couldn’t believe that any version of Twilight, even one that was a few years older than the one he knew, would possess such immense strength. Even without looking at her, he could feel Ayumi’s energy. The mixture of Equestrian magic and Digital data deep within her. The fact that kept his mind conflicted on not just where the energy came from, but from what happened to Ayumi on how she attained it.
“How… is she like this?” He quietly asked himself.
But all those thoughts and questions faded away from hearing Ayumi’s words. Calling out to him.
“Was that all you got?”
BlackWarGreymon’s eyes widened as he stared at the ground. His heavy breathing stopped. He remained still as Ayumi approached him, listening to what she had to say.
“You can clearly sense my energy. You’re probably confused as to how I got it. How I became this way. But does it really baffle you to a point where you become such an open target? Or are you holding back… because of who I once was?”
Her movements stopped when she was a few feet in front of the downed Digimon. Looking down at him in wonderment. But with it… came disappointment.
“I may have been the Twilight you know, but that’s the past. That side of me is gone. I’m much different now. Stronger. You shouldn’t restrain yourself for my sake. You shouldn’t need to.”
She continued as she lent down closer to BlackWarGreymon’s head. Even going so far as to say the things that mentally took him by surprise.
“I’m not the Princess of Friendship I once was. In fact, at this point… we’re not even friends.”
That was it. It was those words that struck something within BlackWarGreymon. If it were some random pony, he wouldn’t mind it much. But since the pony in mind was a version of Twilight, the pony who was first to be friends with him, the feeling felt… horrifying to him. What’s worse was that the voice of Ayumi was exactly like Twilight’s. It was like Twilight herself was saying those words.
The feeling he felt was something he had never felt before. Betrayal.
Ayumi continued on.
“As far as I’m concerned, you’re just a Digimon. Nothing more. And if you carry on with your poor performance, how could you convince me that what you say is true. To show me where your strength lies.”
Silence filled the area. But Twilight couldn’t believe for a second what Ayumi just said. She felt awful. As if her other self not only didn’t trust Digimon, but disliked them as a whole. Feeling that Ayumi was trying to mentally bully her friend, Twilight was about to step in. But hearing BlackWarGreymon’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
“You’re right.”
Twilight paused. Surprised that BlackWarGreymon was seemingly agreeing with Ayumi. The older Alicorn looked down at the Digimon with a raised eye. Curious as to what his reply would be.
“To you, I’m just a stranger. You may somehow know my name, but you don’t know me. You clearly don’t.”
BlackWarGreymon continued as he felt tension in his right arm. His energy starting to spike.
“But there is one thing you should know about me. It doesn’t matter if you think I’m good or not, but NEVER LOOK DOWN ON ME!”
With a sudden rush of energy, BlackWarGreymon formed a small Terra Destroyer sphere in his right hand and slammed it into Ayumi’s stomach. The attack sending the surprised Alicorn high in the air. After getting back on his feet, BlackWarGreymon brought his arms together and formed a green sphere in front of him.
“War Blaster!”
With a quick charge, the Artificial Digimon fired five green energy blasts towards the ascending Ayumi. Up in the sky, the Alicorn managed to push aside the Terra Destroyer sphere. Only to barely have the time to put up a forcefield to block the War Blaster attacks. Despite the magical barrier blocking the blasts, the attacks caused her shield to receive massive cracks. Much to her surprise. But as she used magic to disperse the clouds from the explosions, she was surprised to see that BlackWarGreymon was gone.
“Huh?”
Without knowing, BlackWarGreymon used the smoke as means of cover. So that by using his speed, he could get behind her before she could react. Which was what happened. After appearing behind her, the Digimon delivered a strong kick. Shattering Ayumi’s barrier and sending her plummeting towards the ground. But to the shock of the onlooking Twilight and Spike, Ayumi crashed into a large boulder in the ground. Shattering it to pieces.
Twilight held her breath from seeing a body of a pony smashing into solid rock. Not even putting up a safety barrier to cushion the fall. Causing her to think that BlackWarGreymon may had overdone it.
“BlackWarGreymon! She may be strong, but she’s still just a pony!” She called up to him. But to her confusion, BlackWarGreymon didn’t respond. He was just staring down at the dust cloud.
Then sounds of rubble moving caused the pony and dragon to turn back towards the rubble. Then after bright purple light shinned from the rocks, a pulse of magic blew the debris clear. As the light faded, Ayumi was revealed. To Twilight’s surprise, the older Alicorn was standing on her hooves. Apparently unharmed from the crash.
She let out a heavy breath before making a reply.
“That’s more like it.”
After looking up at her opponent, she could see BlackWarGreymon descending back to the ground. Not tearing his gaze away from hers.
“So, you finally got your act together?” She asked him. To which the Digimon replied.
“I have. I was just in shock at the power you possess. But that shock is now behind me. I won’t be so easily tossed around.”
As the two got back in their battle positions, a thought crossed Ayumi’s mind.
‘That was a strong forcefield spell and he was able to shatter it. He is strong, that’s for sure. But by how much?’
Then without warning, Ayumi was first to charge in again. Trying to deliver the same blow as before. But despite her speed, BlackWarGreymon was more than ready to counter. Raising his right wrist, he was able to block Ayumi’s hoof. A burst of air from the shockwave blew through the area. While the Digimon was again taken back from feeling the pony’s attacks, he didn’t let it get to his head like before. Instead, he chose to counterattack. Throwing his arm out to push Ayumi back before using one of his abilities.
“Mega Destroyer!”
After shrouding himself in dark energy, he tackled Ayumi. Pushing her back while his energy dealt damage to her. After feeling the stinging sensation from the energized attack, Ayumi teleported beneath the Digimon and delivered a hard kick to his gut. Knocking BlackWarGreymon out of his attack and into the air. Then after teleporting above him, she formed a purple ball of magic from her horn and threw it down at the Digimon. The blast sent him hurtling towards the ground. But seeing the approaching ground, BlackWarGreymon cushioned his fall by landing on his hands. Then he backflipped away before standing back up.
As he looked ahead of him, BlackWarGreymon could see Ayumi diving towards the ground before levelling off above the ground. Speeding towards the awaiting Mega who guessed what she was about to pull off next.
‘Is she going to teleport? If so, then she’s going to reappear…’
Just as he predicted, just as Ayumi was about to attack, a flash of purple light signalled the sign of teleportation. Prompting BlackWarGreymon to know immediately what was about to come next.
‘…behind me!’
Just moments after reappearing behind BlackWarGreymon, Ayumi’s surprise attack was met with a counter surprise attack. Just as she was about to strike her rear leg into the Digimon’s back, he sharply turned around and grabbed onto her outstretched leg. Much to the Alicorn’s surprise. Then after spinning around, the Mega flung her in the direction of the Everfree Forest. The Alicorn crashing through a couple of trees before disappearing into the darkness.
Twilight and Spike were amazed at what they had seen. It seemed that BlackWarGreymon was finally figuring out a strategy against opponents who can teleport. With BlackWarGreymon himself mentioning it.
“Good, it worked. I could use that against ChaosBlackWarGreymon once we fight again,” He said quietly to himself.
To his surprise however, a large purple beam of magic was fired from where Ayumi was sent to. Aiming directly towards the Artificial Mega. Seeing that more power was used in the attack, BlackWarGreymon was quick to bring forth his Brave Shield. Placing the slabs of metal together to block the attack. But while most of the beam was being reflected off the Chrome Digizoid, the force of the spell was enough to push him back. His feet clenched into the ground for grip.
Then as the attack ended, BlackWarGreymon placed his shield back on his back and then saw Ayumi flying out of the forest. Speeding towards him with incredible speed. But to his confusion, the speeding mare chose a different strategy. She started to fly in circles around him. The force of her speeding momentum causing winds to swirl around BlackWarGreymon. Picking up dirt from the ground. Within seconds, the Digimon was surrounded by a tornado. The buffeting winds caused powerful gusts of wind to blow through the clearing. Twilight and Spike had to stay low for cover.
While seeming trapped in the tornado, BlackWarGreymon stared at it in confusion. While he could feel the winds against his body, it wasn’t doing any damage to him. In fact, the winds were barely lifting his body at all. But just as he was about to call out to Ayumi to enquire her tactics, he was suddenly struck from the back of his right shoulder. Causing him to stumble forward as he received a jolt of pain. Looking behind him, all he could see was the cyclone. But then, from just seeing it from the corner of his eye, a purple blur suddenly emerged from the twister and struck him on the side of his head. The blow caused him to dazzle but not before seeing the purple blur going back into the cyclone. The same thing happened again, but striking the back of his left knee before retreating. As BlackWarGreymon fell to one knee from the blow, he figured out what Ayumi was going.
“So that’s it. She isn’t using the tornado to hurt me, she’s using it as cover!”
He was right. Due to the dirt and dust in the cyclone, he wouldn’t be able to see the Alicorn. And once he dropped his guard, she would briefly emerge to strike him in his vulnerable spots.
BlackWarGreymon tried to fire a blind Terra Destroyer sphere into the tornado. But it only flew straight through the twister and leaving himself open to another strike from Ayumi. Colliding into the back of his head.
The process continued on. Ayumi’s speed keeping the tornado moving while taking a brief second to strike at BlackWarGreymon. Causing him damage by hitting him hard and fast. But as it continued, BlackWarGreymon finally had enough of the hit and run tactics. With a loud grunt and thrusting his arms apart, he released an invisible pulse of negative energy. Dispersing the tornado entirely. As the winds died down, BlackWarGreymon looked at his surroundings to try and spot Ayumi. But when he did, he saw her flying towards him. Her speed increased immensely due to the effects of the tornado. Seeing that he had little time to react, he tried to counter her with another of his abilities.
“Dragon Crusher!”
With a swing of his arms, he unleashed a wall of fire fuelled by negative energy. But to his surprise, by surrounding herself in a small purple forcefield, Ayumi charged straight through the attack and tackled BlackWarGreymon. Colliding into his chest and pushing him off the ground. High into the air above the clearing.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Not very far away, Celestia and Luna had pushed deeper into the Everfree Forest. Flying high above the treetops, using their magic to pinpoint all the energy spikes, the two Alicorns were making a beeline towards the clearing. That was until they spotted something that caused them to stop dead in their tracks. The sight of BlackWarGreymon in the distance, being hurtled through the air by a purple light.
“Wh-What’s going on?” Celestia asked.
But rather than replying, Luna simply stared at the sight with her sister in disbelief. After BlackWarGreymon managed to steady himself, he was seen moving and dodging what appeared to be a purple sphere. While the Digimon managed to gain a few hits on the orb, knocking it back, the latter was more of the aggressor. Dodging the Digimon’s attacks and landing a few blows back. To the princesses’ shock, the blows were effective against him.
“He’s… in a middle of a fight!” Luna answered. She couldn’t believe that there was something else in Equestria that can put up a fight against the Mega level Digimon.
Luna then gasped in shock from the sight of the purple light tackling BlackWarGreymon from behind. Pushing him back towards the clearing.
Back on the ground, Twilight and Spike were surprised from the sight of Ayumi slamming and grinding BlackWarGreymon into the ground. Her hooves forcing him further into the ground. Sensing the Digimon coming to a halt, Ayumi leapt off of him and landed some distance away. But just as she thought she dealt a heavy blow on the Digimon, a large Terra Destroyer sphere was launched from the dust cloud. The startled Alicorn formed a barrier just moments before the attack struck her. The orb detonating with a large explosion. The blast throwing up a mountain of dirt into the air.
Back in the skies above the clearing, Celestia and Luna could plainly see two large dust clouds down in the field.
“Just who is BlackWarGreymon fighting?” Celestia asked. With Luna making a suggestion.
“Let’s get down for a closer look.”
With Celestia in agreement, the Royal Sisters swiftly descended towards the ground. But not wanting to risk distracting BlackWarGreymon from the fight, the two landed behind some hedges. Hidden from view, the two Alicorns peered through the gap in the bushes to see what was going on. While they were looking, Luna spotted something before gaining her sister’s attention.
“Sister, look. Twilight and Spike are over there.”
Startled at what she heard, Celestia followed her sister’s gaze. Only to see that she was right. Twilight and Spike were seen standing on the edge of the clearing. Watching the fight.
The two looked back at the two large dust clouds to feel out the energy present. They could clearly tell that one of the was BlackWarGreymon. But it was the second energy that completely threw them off. It felt a lot like Twilight’s magic, but they saw the princess on the clearing edge. They knew that she couldn’t be in two places at once. What was going on?
Their questions were soon answered when the dust clouds settled. BlackWarGreymon was first to be seen. Rising back up while brushing the dirt off his shoulder. But when his opponent was revealed through the dust cloud, the two Alicorns couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
“Is that… another Alicorn?” Luna asked. In shock from the discovery of an unknown princess.
But from what Celestia said next after a quiet gasp, the mysterious pony may not be entirely unknown.
“But her cutiemark. It looks like… Twilights!”
Luna looked at her older sibling in disbelief.
“What!? H-How is that possible!? How can there be two Twilights!?
“I…I don’t know.”
Celestia then remembered back when Twilight sent her the letter. Remembering that it mentioned of something that possessed the same magic as Twilight’s own. But looking back at the clearing, she couldn’t imagine that the anomaly was a pony who didn’t just looked like Twilight. But another pony who WAS Twilight. But if that wasn’t enough, a version of the princess who could hold her own against the likes of BlackWarGreymon.
The two hidden Alicorns stared on in stunned silence as they watched the two combatants. With Ayumi thinking to herself.
‘Though I was able to block that last attack, but it was much more powerful than I thought. He’s clearly holding back more power. Well then… it looks like I have to get serious from now on.’
To the confusion of everyone around her, Ayumi relaxed her wings as she stood up from her battle stance. She then spoke out to BlackWarGreymon. Her voice shocking Celestia from how similar it was to Twilight’s.
“I have to admit, you’re starting to become impressive. You’re clearly much stronger than I anticipated.”
While confused at the sudden compliment, BlackWarGreymon made his reply.
“It’s like I said earlier. You shouldn’t take me so lightly. You may not know this, but I’m a Mega level Digimon. And Megas are the most powerful form of Digimon.”
Celestia and Luna both were taken back by what BlackWarGreymon said.
“Wait. So, she doesn’t know about him?” Luna asked.
Ayumi closed her eyes in thought. Seeing that the Digimon still had vast amounts of power left unused, she made comparisons in her head. Then speaking out what she was thinking.
“Yes, you’re very powerful. Definitely more so than I am presently.”
BlackWarGreymon and the listening Twilight were taken back by what she said. If she knew that the Digimon was stronger than her, then why ask for a fight? And why being so calm about it? After listening carefully to Ayumi’s words, BlackWarGreymon was first to figure something out.
“Wait… you’re hiding something aren’t you?”
While having her eyes shut, Ayumi made a small smile in response to the question. Impressed that the Digimon was able to figure it out.
“Yes, I am.”
BlackWarGreymon readied himself. Having no idea what to expect. Then as Ayumi’s wings fanned out, she spoke out while giving her opponent a determined glare.
“I did used the word ‘presently’, didn’t I? So, let us see how well you fair against me going all out. And truth be told, I only ever did this once before.”
BlackWarGreymon felt slightly nervous. He was about to see something that Ayumi had hardly ever done before. As for the Alicorn, she closed her eyes as her curved horn lit up in bright purple light. As did her chest, revealing the symbol of her Element of Harmony. Twilight and the hidden Celestia and Luna all looked at her in amazement. She truly did possess her very own Element of Magic. BlackWarGreymon however felt uncertain of what was happening. He felt as though he had seen it before.
Then as Ayumi levitated off the ground, her energy exploded from her body. The blast of purple light surrounded the Alicorn’s form within a large energy sphere. But as soon as it happened, the flow of magic form her became overflowed with data. While the princesses could sense the change in energy, it was BlackWarGreymon who was the most in shocked. He HAD seen something familiar before. In fact, quite a lot of times back in the Digital World.
“Impossible! It’s almost like… she’s digivolving!”
The energy sphere briefly expanded as it descended back to the ground. Then as it vanished from sight, a brand new Ayumi was revealed to all. Much to the surprise of everyone.
She was still the same pony, but her appearance had changed drastically. She retained her pony features like her head and her mane. But that was where the similarities end. One major change was that she was standing upright, very similar to BlackWarGreymon’s stance. While her rear two legs kept her hooves, her front legs however changed into arms and her front hooves into hands. Her new height almost half the size of BlackWarGreymon. Her tail was longer with a resemblance of a dragon and both her dragon and Alicorn wings became larger. The armour she wore changed to better fit her new form while black and white flames sparked around her body. A sign that even in her transformed state, her body couldn’t contain the staggering amount of power.
“W-What happened to her?” Spike asked, he and Twilight staring at Ayumi’s change of appearance in confusion and awe.
“I…I don’t know, Spike. But her power is even greater than before. It almost doubled,” Twilight replied, also noting the increase of power.
BlackWarGreymon was almost shaken from sensing the shear amount of data radiating from Ayumi. For a second, he thought that she was on her way of becoming a true Digimon.
“H…How? How are you doing this?”
The transformed Ayumi stared blankly at him before talking back.
“That’s for me to know… and you to find out.”
Ayumi then began to process her thoughts.
‘He’s clearly disturbed by this power. Is he really that baffled at how I acquired the energy of his kind? Or have I become stronger than him?'
She then received a brief flashback. Recalling an event in time that happened in her own Equestria.
‘Either way, there is no way he’s stronger than that monster. He just can’t be.’
In a flash of both magic and data, armoured gauntlets appeared around her wrists. Thinking that her display of power was just to try to freak him out, BlackWarGreymon shook of his surprised expression and glared back. His fists clenched hard.
With a flap of her wings, Ayumi yelled as she charged forward. BlackWarGreymon done the same, the ground exploded as he took off. When the two met in the middle of the clearing, Ayumi’s right fist collided into BlackWarGreymon’s own. Creating a loud boom with a shockwave that rustled the surrounding trees. A clear sign of increased strength.
The two paused as their fists pressed against each other. They then parted before leaping into the air, moving at incredible speeds almost too quick to be seen. With the occasional boom from left to right as the two fought. It went on for several moments until the two fighters were seen in the air. Once more, Ayumi was the aggressor of the two with BlackWarGreymon on the defensive. Due to being nearly half his size, the Alicorn’s transformed state was far nimbler than the Digimon expected. Having trouble dodging her flurry of punches. Distracted at how vicious Ayumi was being, the latter managed to land a solid blow to the Digimon’s gut. Stunning him long enough to fly beside him and delivered a hard kick to the side of his head. Sending him crashing into the ground.
Hidden from view, Celestia and Luna were shocked that a pony was able strike back at BlackWarGreymon with such strong attacks. Transformed or not. After seeing a purple flash of light, the two looked back up to see Ayumi performing a magical spell. Raising her arms above her head, a bright purple orb formed within her palms. With a quick yell, she threw her arms down at the Digimon and fired countless beams of magic. All homing in on BlackWarGreymon’s location. Just before the black armoured Digimon got back up on his feet, he was suddenly bombarded with attacks that exploded both against him and all around him. Ayumi continuing her onslaught as to try to pin the Mega in place.
While being pressed down by his opponent’s attacks, BlackWarGreymon decided to fight back. Quickly rising back up and preparing to spin.
“Black Tornado!”
With swirling black winds engulfing his spinning form, BlackWarGreymon ploughed straight through the magical barrage and collided into Ayumi’s gut. The transformed Alicorn gagged in surprise while being knocked out of her attack. But after getting over her shock, she teleported out of BlackWarGreymon’s path. Reappearing just after the Digimon stopped his attack. Just as the two locked gazed once more, Ayumi began to teleport again. Appearing and disappearing all around BlackWarGreymon in an attempt to throw him off-guard. The Digimon however remained still.
“She’s just trying to spook me,” He said to himself. Remembering his past battle with ChaosBlackWarGreymon who was another magic user.
While remaining calm, he realised that Ayumi was about to attack him from behind. After letting her teleport behind him, BlackWarGreymon swung his arm out in an attempt to counterattack. But to his surprise, Ayumi was expecting him to expect her attack pattern. After ducking to avoid the swinging fist, she used her new tail to wrap tightly around BlackWarGreymon’s leg before proceeding to spin him around.
After gaining enough momentum, Ayumi released her hold and sent BlackWarGreymon shooting towards the ground. But before he could hit the ground, Ayumi teleported beneath him and swung her tail out. Swatting the Digimon back into the air. As he ascended through the air, he knew that Ayumi would reappear above him and try to use him as a ping-pong ball again. Anticipating the outcome, he formed a tiny red sphere in his right palm. Hidden from view.
Just as he predicted, Ayumi teleported above him and prepared to swing her tail down on top of his head. But just as she was about to swing down, BlackWarGreymon threw his arm up as the Terra Destroyer sphere grew bigger in his palm. When the unsuspecting Ayumi struck her tail against the orb, it triggered an explosion. The blast sent Ayumi hurtling through the air before coming to a stop. Looking down to inspect her tail, the transformed Alicorn was taken back at what she saw. Most of her tail was badly bruised from the attack.
“That… actually hurt,” She said quietly to herself. She felt as though something was off.
But her inspection of her tail had left her open to attack. To her surprise, BlackWarGreymon appeared behind her and grabbed the base of both her wings. Unable to move her wings, she briefly dropped down slightly. But being held up by her wings in the Digimon’s grip.
“H…Hay!” She shouted out in retort.
“Bet you didn’t expect this,” BlackWarGreymon said before raising both his legs up to his chest. Letting go of his grip just as he delivered a kangaroo-like kick to her back.
Ayumi yelled from both the attack and the surprise. But after using her wings to steady herself, she was about to fly up to engage in battle once more. Only to see that BlackWarGreymon was ready with an attack.
“Terra Destroyer!”
With one throw, BlackWarGreymon sent down a large red orb of negative energy down towards the startled Ayumi. The latter then countered the attack by firing a purple beam of magic towards the former. The beam collided into the large orb. But to her surprise, her powerful spell couldn’t push the Terra Destroyer attack back. If anything, it was herself that was being pushed back. Letting out a loud yell, she channelled more of her magic into her spell. Just as she was able to hold it back, the giant red orb detonated. A giant explosion lit up the clearing and the surrounding forest.
When the explosion died down, there was a brief moment when Ayumi felt uncertain. She was huffing for breath from using her counterattack. Yet when BlackWarGreymon was revealed from the dissipating smoke, he was unmoved.
“What?” She asked.
But she had to shake off her uncertainty due to the sight of BlackWarGreymon diving down towards her. Clearly wanting to continue the fight. With a strong beat of her wings, she ascended higher into the skies to fight on. While the Digimon got ready with his fists clenched, Ayumi tried something different. Channelling her magic into her fists, she used a spell to increase the strength of her physical abilities. Like before, their fists collided into one another. Releasing another pulse wave.
As the two paused in mid-air, Ayumi took a moment to look at the expression in BlackWarGreymon’s eyes. While he was putting up more effort, he wasn’t being pushed back. Something that she hadn’t anticipated. She then tried to outmanoeuvre the Digimon by teleporting to his side to land a punch to his face. Only for him to tilt his head back to dodge the attack. Both BlackWarGreymon and Ayumi then began to exchange blows to one another. Their arms and legs were nothing but blurs to the three Alicorns and dragon down below at the clearing.
“What’s going on, Twilight? Who’s winning?” Spike asked.
But from seeing how the fight was playing out, Twilight made an assumption.
“From the way it looks, it looks like BlackWarGreymon is keeping up with her.”
“I still don’t understand how there could be another Twilight. Let alone one with the power to fight on par with BlackWarGreymon,” Luna said, worried that her digital friend might get hurt from the battle.
“I don’t either, Luna. But I’m just as curious as you about the outcome of this fight. And why they’re fighting to begin with,” Celestia replied.
Back at the fight, Ayumi landed what seemed to be a successful blow to BlackWarGreymon’s face. But to her surprise, she saw the Digimon’s yellow eye glancing back at her. Showing that he was starting to become resilient. The Digimon countered by kicking her in the side. The blow forced her back before the two hovered in the air. Mentally processing the battle.
‘She may not be the Twilight I know, but she does share the same intelligence. I have to admit, she’s more impressive at fighting than I was expecting.’
But while BlackWarGreymon was mentally giving her praise, Ayumi however was quite opposite.
‘Something’s not right here. He shouldn’t be doing this well against me. He shouldn’t be!’
She then received the same flashback again. Recalling what happened back in her own world.
‘That monster. That... Digimon. Even he didn’t fight as well as this one! Is he…? No! It can’t be! He can’t possibly be stronger! There’s no way!’
Not wanting to believe what she thought was impossible, Ayumi’s horn shinned brighter than ever before. The magic causing her whole body to ignite in a magical purple aura as her eyes glowed bright white. She then glared at BlackWarGreymon with determination.
“This is it! No holding back!”
Surprised by her sudden determination, BlackWarGreymon had no time to counter what was to come. Charging forward, Ayumi slammed her fist in a form of an uppercut. Punching BlackWarGreymon with enough force to send him flying in the air. Then through a series of teleportation spells, the transformed Alicorn attacked at every part of BlackWarGreymon’s body with incredible speed. After what seems like an infinite beating, Ayumi smacked her tail across BlackWarGreymon’s face. Sending the Digimon spinning across the air. The former giving chase to continue with her unrelenting attacks.
But BlackWarGreymon was about to use his spinning momentum to his advantage. He started to spin faster as he raised his hands above his head. After forming a Black Tornado, the Digimon made a quick U-turn and flew straight towards Ayumi. While the Alicorn was able to avoid the worse of the hit, her armoured shoulder was grazed by the black winds.
After seeing BlackWarGreymon cancelling his attack, Ayumi charged in with a magically charged punch of her gauntlets. Despite dodging the punch, the Mega was surprised to see that the tip of the gauntlet caused a scratch against his chest. Showing that her strength was at a point where she could do significant damage to him. The two then exchanged blows once more. Ayumi was mentally surprised. Despite continuously putting more and more magic in her abilities, BlackWarGreymon kept coming back for more. Causing her to think.
‘With as much power I’m using, he surely must be at his limit. But just to be sure…’
To BlackWarGreymon’s surprise, his entire body suddenly froze on the spot. His form being surrounded in purple energy. Looking ahead, he could see that it was Ayumi using her levitation spell to stop the Digimon in his tracks. After throwing her arms down, she sent BlackWarGreymon crashing into the ground with a massive impact. With Ayumi teleporting back on the ground fifty feet away from him.
“Let’s see if you can handle THIS!!” She shouted. To the confusion of the others, her voice carried a hint of… anger.
Placing her open palms out in the direction of the fallen Digimon, Ayumi’s horn began to shine bright like a beckon. Lighting up the entire clearing in its purple coloured brilliance. Her transformed body soon followed suit as her cutiemark glowed just as bright. Within her palms, she channelled both the magic and data within her body. Pouring everything she had to create what was to be her strongest attack. She called out to the downed BlackWarGreymon as she continued to power up.
“What’s more, I only ever used this spell once! Not even you can get out of this without a scratch!”
But as a purple magical circle appeared on the ground beneath her, she whispered something under her breath.
‘From what I’ve done when I used this spell before, it will definitely do more than give you a scratch.’
Twilight and the two hidden Alicorn sisters began to suspect that Ayumi wasn’t bluffing. To their surprise, they could feel the power in the spell reaching to even higher levels. It completely eclipsed any spell they could muster. Luna began to fear that BlackWarGreymon might actually get hurt from the attack.
As he recovered, BlackWarGreymon looked over to Ayumi preparing her attack. Sensing the staggering amount of power that was building up.
“With all that magic and data, that’s clearly her final attack,” He said quietly to himself. But rather than moving out of the way, he decided to challenge Ayumi head on.
“We’ll see about that! Give me your best shot!” He said as he brought forth his Brave Shield. Preparing to take the direct hit of the upcoming attack.
As the two combatants stared each other down, Ayumi looked at BlackWarGreymon’s shield with uncertainty. She could clearly tell that the Chrome Digizoid shell would take the worst of the spell. Which was something she wasn’t looking for. Nor would allow.
Deciding to play a deadly game, to the surprise of everyone, when Ayumi’ spell was nearly finished, she used a teleportation spell. Transporting BlackWarGreymon’s Brave Shield out of his grasp and reappearing beside Twilight.
“What!?” The surprised Digimon said as he looked at his hands. Shocked to have his shield taken away so suddenly.
Believing that the Digimon was without any defence, Ayumi’s spell was finished. Shouting at him as if he was her enemy.
“Let’s see if you can survive this!” She said before letting out a loud energized scream. Giving her all by firing an almighty powerful beam of dark purple light. The energy within a mixture of elemental magic and chaotic data.
The beam of colossal proportions cleaved through the clearing and heading directly towards the surprised BlackWarGreymon. Almost afraid at the staggering amount of power within the blast.
“Damn it!” He shouted before crossing his arms with just seconds to spare. Without his shield, it was his only other form of defence.
Then the beam made contact. But it didn’t smash into the Digimon. It entirely consumed him. BlackWarGreymon’s body could briefly be seen as a silhouette before fading into the light. The beam continued on. Bursting across the forest canopy and into the open blue sky. No doubt that it could be seen by onlookers all-round.
As the attack carried on, the Alicorns and Spike noticed two things. Firstly, the attack kept on going, seeming more powerful by the second. Secondly, and most shockingly, was the expression on Ayumi’s face. She looked intense… almost rage filled. Opening the floodgates of her power, not holding anything back.
It could be just their imagination. But for a second, the four almost thought that Ayumi was intentionally trying to destroy BlackWarGreymon.
But just as it seemed that the attack could go on forever, the spell finally came to an end. The beam becoming weaker and smaller in size. When the spell was finished, Ayumi was left standing. Her arms visibly shaking from the strain of her attack. The transformed Alicorn took in deep breaths as she looked at what she had done. Aside from a massive grove in the ground, there was nothing but smoke.
“Where is he? Is he alright?” Luna asked. Concerned that her Digimon friend might actually had gotten himself hurt.
From using so much of her powers, Ayumi’s body glowed bright before her form started to shrink. Down to her first transformed state, then afterwards back into her original body. When the glow faded away, Celestia and Luna could see who the pony truly was. To their surprise, she looked even more like Twilight than before. With minor differences in her height and battered appearance. Ayumi felt as though her legs were going numb. Almost struggling to stand on her four hooves. While trying to catch her breath, she looked at the large smoke cloud. Puzzled if she actually destroyed the Mega by accident. She couldn’t sense his energy either. Within the smoke were magic particles that were left over from the attack. She stared on with uncertainty. She knew that if BlackWarGreymon perished or heavily injured, then it meant that she was stronger.
But if it were otherwise… it would mean that what she thought was impossible.
But with her wide eyes and an audible gasp, what she thought was impossible came true.
As the smoke faded away, BlackWarGreymon remained intact. Despite standing in the middle of the uprooted ground, he remained in his defensive stance. But he had suffered damage. His armour was scuffed with dirt and scratches and his bare arms had a couple of burns and bruises. What’s more, his entire body was venting smoke. Showing the sheer intensity of Ayumi’s attack.
As he slightly lowered his arms, BlackWarGreymon raised his head as he looked back at his stunned opponent.
“That was a close one,” He said to himself. Surprised at how powerful the attack was and how close he was to actually being in trouble.
He then took notice of her change of appearance.
“I see you powered down. I guess that means I’ve won this fight.”
As Ayumi stood still, she stared at BlackWarGreymon in shock and disbelief. In her mind, she felt as though the world had turned upside down. Her mind racing in confusion and questions.
‘He…He’s still standing!? A-After all that!? With barely any damage!? But how!? He should be lying on the ground! Knocked out even! How could he possibly endure!?’
Wanting answers, she spoke out to him. But with a stuttered voice.
“Y…You… you’re… unharmed? H-How?”
While replying back to her, BlackWarGreymon’s awe of Ayumi’s abilities made him blind to the fact that she was in shock.
“I have to say, that attack was far more powerful than I thought it would be. If I hadn’t raised my power to its fullest, I might actually have lost that battle.”
Ayumi’s eyes grew wider in shock. To which then changed to uncertainty.
“What!? You were holding back!? B-Buy how much?”
Twilight on the side-lines took note at her other self’s change of attitude. Before the battle, Ayumi was confident and unfazed by BlackWarGreymon’s powers. But to her confusion, after the battle, the older Alicorn almost seemed… afraid.
BlackWarGreymon took a moment to think of how to explain his answer.
“Well… if I have to put it in numbers. I guess before you used your final attack… I was at… roughly eighty percent. Maybe eighty-five?”
Despite BlackWarGreymon not being exactly accurate with his estimates, it was all what Ayumi needed to hear. To her, which meant the impossible. Which again caused her to think back to what happened in her version of Equestria.
‘No! It… it can’t be possible! It just can’t! That Digimon… he didn’t stand a chance against my final attack. It destroyed him completely. If what this Digimon said is true… then… it means…’
Her eyes couldn’t be any wider from the realisation. Staring at BlackWarGreymon in disbelief and… fear.
‘He’s… He’s even stronger!!?’
But from remembering what had happened in her past, she went into denial. Finding it very hard to believe that a Digimon with such immeasurable strength could be a ‘good’ Digimon.
“N-No. This has to be some sort of mistake. You can’t possibly be that strong.”
“I assure you, I am,” He replied. Then deciding to inform the Alicorn about something else. His eyes growing an amused expression.
“And what’s more, I can become even stronger than this.”
Ayumi took a step back in surprise form what BlackWarGreymon said. He clamed to grow even more powerful than he already was.
“W-What?”
BlackWarGreymon then explained himself. With Twilight, Spike and the hidden Celestia and Luna knowing what he was referring about.
“That’s right. I’ve found a way to break through my limits and attain an entirely new level of power.”
He then squatted down slightly with his arms to his sides. Readying himself.
“Since you showed me your fullest, it would be fitting if I showed you mine.”
The hidden Celestia turned to Luna in surprise.
“Luna? Is he going to do it?”
“Yes. He’s going into his Ascended form,” Luna answered, excitement in her voice.
Celestia looked back at BlackWarGreymon in fascination. Her being the only one who hadn’t been to the Crystal Empire to witness the transformation.
As BlackWarGreymon began to concentrate, he softly grunted as he tried to remember the feeling he experienced when he transformed. While all the Alicorns could feel it, Ayumi was the only one who quietly gasped.
“His power… is rising even higher.”
As BlackWarGreymon continued to concentrate, his yellow hair began to flow upwards. Soon after, a faint red glow began to form around his body. His rise in power causing the ground beneath his feet to shake. But the trembling ground was the last thing Ayumi paid her mind to. Her eyes were too focused on the Digimon’s form.
“That glow. That’s not his energy. What is…”
She was interrupted when she caught a glimpse of something red in the sky. Looking up, she could see a small red orb hovering in the air. Followed by a couple more. Materializing out of thin air. But just as she was about to enquire about them, another orb appeared right in front of her. Briefly surprising her.
But as Ayumi curiously stared at the red orb, she felt something deep within her. She could feel it. Her Element of Magic was reacting to it. Ayumi stared at the orb in disbelief and awe. For it to cause a reaction with her element, she knew exactly what the red orb was.
‘Wha… this orb. It’s… pure magic. Straight from Equestria itself.’
After the curious Alicorn looked back at BlackWarGreymon behind the orb, her purple eyes grew wider. The red glow around his body not only was the exact same colour, but it also had the exact same energy.
‘But… how can magic this pure… react with someone with such negative energy? How can magic even react to him at all!? He’s not even from this world! It’s… It’s…!’
Despite her thoughts, she could not deny what she was feeling. The magic of Equestria was being channelled into BlackWarGreymon’s very being. Increasing his power to levels she couldn’t even dream off. It was so otherworldly, yet right at home. As a couple more magical orbs popped into existence, she could feel the Digimon’s power rising with them. Which proved that what he was saying to her, was the truth from the very beginning.
Ayumi, the Twilight Sparkle from another realm, could only respond with a single word to what was unfolding right in front of her.
“Impossible.”
But as BlackWarGreymon tried to build his energy up further, the magical orbs stopped appearing. As well as the tremors becoming more violent. Shaking the Everfree Clearing. The Artificial Mega grunted very loudly as sparks of electricity began to form around his body. Twilight, Spike and Luna knew that something was wrong. They had seen very similar signs before back at the Crystal Empire.
Then in a sudden outburst, BlackWarGreymon’s power suddenly dropped. The rumbling ground stopped as the red orbs faded away. Strained from the amount of effort he put into his attempt of transforming, BlackWarGreymon collapsed onto his knees. Huffing for breath.
“BlackWarGreymon!” Twilight called out as she and Spike ran up to the downed Digimon. With the hidden Luna resisting the temptation to join.
But the blue Alicorn was distracted when Celestia gave her a look of amazement.
“Luna. Was that the power you were talking about? It’s astounding!”
But Luna looked back at her with uncertainty.
“But he didn’t transform. That was only a failed attempt.”
“You ok, big guy?” Spike asked as he and Twilight walked up to BlackWarGreymon’s face. After getting his breath back, the Digimon reassured the two.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be ok.”
After hearing hoof steps approaching the three, they looked to see Ayumi slowly walking up to them. Staring at BlackWarGreymon in complete shock with a mind full of questions.
“How? How did you do that?” She asked. Her voice shaken from the experience.
BlackWarGreymon looked back at her with a response.
“To tell you the truth, I’m still not so sure myself.”
“What?” Ayumi asked in confusion. Watching the Mega standing back up as he explained himself.
“Ever since I arrived in this world, the magic of Equestria was having some effect on my powers. I felt as though it was making me stronger every day. But recently, I was able to find a way to draw even more magic into my very being. To ascend. But I was only able to successfully do so twice before.”
“But we believe it might have something to do with him having a pure heart,” Twilight added. Explaining one possibility to Ayumi.
“Strange. After the Crystal Empire, I thought you would’ve gotten the hang of it,” Spike mentioned. With BlackWarGreymon agreeing with the young dragon.
“I thought so too. But I think it’s because I’m still new to it.”
While the two were in conversation, Ayumi was lost in thought. Something what Twilight said kept repeating itself in her mind. Something about the Digimon that she never thought possible.
“A pure heart?”
She then used her magic to check on BlackWarGreymon’s energy. But like before, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. It was negative. Which caused her to second guess herself and what she believed in.
“But how? How can someone with such malicious energy have a pure heart? And why is the magic of Equestria giving you power?”
It was the last question that gained the attention of Twilight, Spike and BlackWarGreymon. The three looking at her in puzzlement.
But to their surprise, they were joined by a voice. Followed by a second younger one.
“A good question indeed.”
“But one we may never get an answer for.”
The two voiced caught the four by surprise. But as Twilight, Spike and BlackWarGreymon turned to see, Ayumi completely froze on the spot. She knew exactly who the voices belonged to. But couldn’t believe that they were right there. Just hours after she herself arrived.
She slowly turned her head to look. Her eyes wide with shock, but with amazement. She could see them. The royal sisters, Celestia and Luna, had emerged from hiding and walking through the clearing. Approaching the group.
“You made it,” Twilight said with joy as she and Spike approached the two older Alicorns.
“We’ve got your letter,” Celestia replied. Letting her former student know about the message that brought them to the forest.
Luna meanwhile looked over to BlackWarGreymon as he approached her. The sight of him caused her to smile warmly.
“Are you alright?” She asked.
“I’m fine now. Just a couple of bruises.”
The Digimon referencing his battle damage caused the two princesses to remember about the elephant in the room. As their expressions changed to that of curiosity, Celestia and Luna turned to look at the other Alicorn. They were still surprised at how much she looked like the Twilight they knew. For it clearly was her, but an alternate her. The other three saw their change of expressions. Curious as to how the older Alicorns will react.
From seeing a pony who was Twilight but not the same Twilight, the two sisters skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.
“Who are you? Are you Twilight or somepony else?” Celestia asked, joined by Luna.
“We would like an explanation,”
But the two Alicorns received no reply. But rather pressing on, the two took a moment to look at the other Alicorn’s expressions. They were puzzled at what they saw. The pony that looked like Twilight, she was looking directly at them. Her face showed a mix of emotions. Shock. Awe. Disbelief. Denial. Joy and sadness. All rolled into one silent stare.
Twilight, Spike and BlackWarGreymon were curious as to why Ayumi was giving Celestia and Luna such a mixture of expressions. But snapped back to attention when the new Alicorn slowly walked up to the princess of the sun and moon. They remembered that it was similar to her reactions at seeing the young dragon.
Ayumi could feel her legs weakening as she got closer to Celestia and Luna. Going through so many emotions all at once. As she stopped just in front of them, she took a good look at both their faces. They looked just like they were before. Her voice matching her expression.
“C-Celestia? Luna? Is… is it… really you?”
The two sisters looked at each other in confusion before back at Ayumi.
“Of course, it’s us. Don’t you… recognize us?” Luna replied.
Ayumi’s mind was heavily against the uncertainties. She definitely recognized them. She never forgot them. The time before… it happened.
The group were then taken completely by surprise at what they saw next. Despite keeping her mixture of expressions, tears began to build up in Ayumi’s eyes. Tears that started to flow down her face to the bottom of her mouth. Her expression started to soften considerably. Taking on a more saddened expression. Seeing her two mentors was bringing back memories. Memories of her life with the two. The things they taught her. The love they shared. But with those happy memories, it also brought back the bad ones. The day when everything turned upside down. The day when life became a living hell for her. The day… when she lost everything.
Seeing Spike was one thing. But Celestia and Luna… right in front of her very eyes… it slowly became too much for her. She had prepared for their meeting. Yet it was all planned out in her head. Meeting them for real was a very different experience. She couldn’t hold it back anymore. All the brave act she had put on since her arrival was all breaking down. Her expressions changed further into sadness as more tears flooded out of her purple eyes. Finally letting her true feelings take over, she started to cry. Sobbing loudly as she hung her head low.
She may had been powerful mare. But deep down, she was frightened beyond belief.
It was something that the startled Celestia began to see. Despite the pony being visibly a different version of Twilight, she was still Twilight. And she was calling out for help. Help that the white Alicorn knew exactly how to give.
Walking up to the crying pony, Celestia gently placed her right hoof over Ayumi’s shoulder. With the upmost care, she pulled her in for a very affectionate hug.
“There there. It's ok,” Celestia softly said. Her voice soothing to the sobbing Alicorn.
Feeling the warm loving embrace of her former mentor, Ayumi wrapped her left hoof over Celestia’s own shoulder. Holding on to her for the mental fear of losing her again. The scene was enough to even urge Luna to join. The Moon Princess reached her left hoof over Ayumi with the latter returning the hug. As Ayumi’s crying was muffled by the caring embrace, Celestia and Luna looked at her with saddened curiosity. What happened to her? What did she go through to cause her to be this way?
While Twilight and Spike loved the emotional sight they were witnessing, BlackWarGreymon was curious. Though not to the same extent, her reactions were the same when she met the young dragon. It showed that Ayumi had deeply missed them very much. In his mind, he knew that something disastrous must’ve happened in her own version of Equestria. The likely answer was screaming at him in his conscience. It would also be the very likely reason she was in the current Equestria in the first place.
After taking a step forward to the three Alicorns, he spoke up to gain their attention. But with a softer tone to not take them out of the moment.
“Ayumi.”
Hearing the strange name caught the attention of Celestia and Luna. Confused as to what it meant. But were further confused when the other Twilight looked over her shoulder at the Digimon. Her being the one addressed.
BlackWarGreymon was almost taken back at seeing the teary-eyed Ayumi looking at him. She was after all, a version of Twilight who was deeply upset. But after pushing the feeling aside, he knelt down on one knee to get as close to her level as possible. Then spoke up with the same soft tone.
“It’s time. Time for you to explain yourself.”
While Celestia and Luna were confused at what BlackWarGreymon was talking about, Twilight and Spike were giving him a stern look. Thinking that he was ruining the moment. But after taking a step back from the Royal Sisters, Ayumi answered back.
“You’re right,” She said, her voice shaken from the sadness.
After using her hoof to wipe away her tears, she turned to face BlackWarGreymon as she continued.
“You’re right. I did promise you after all.”
“Promise what?” Luna asked her.
Ayumi looked at the two Alicorns. Then at Twilight and Spike. The former being who she once was. Then finally back at BlackWarGreymon. The Digimon that defied all her expectations.
“I’ve delayed it long enough. You deserve to know the truth. All of you. About where I’m from. And who I am.”