//------------------------------// // Chapter 57: The Truth Revealed // Story: BlackWarGreymon: Warrior of Harmony // by I-C-U-P //------------------------------// The scenario of what was transpiring in the Everfree Clearing was almost identical to BlackWarGreymon’s first day in Equestria. Firstly there being a big fight that involved the Mega, followed by him and a group of ponies sitting in a circle talking about themselves. But the difference was that the center of attention was on the mysterious Alicorn that greatly resembled Twilight Sparkle. A look-a-like that went by the name Ayumi. Sitting around each other, BlackWarGreymon, Spike, Twilight, Celestia and Luna all looked at Ayumi. Waiting for her to be ready to tell her story. As for the said Alicorn, she felt uneasy. She was just moments away from revealing to the group of who she was. And what happened to her. She found it difficult to recall the events of her past on an emotional level. Some of which clearly upset her even to the present day. She feared that digging up what she had mentally buried would cause her to start to shed tears again. But she had to keep her promise. She had her fight with BlackWarGreymon. So to stay true to her word, she had to tell the group the truth. No matter how horrific it was. Not wanting to pressure Ayumi into discussing things she didn’t want to discuss, Twilight began to interject. “Hey, if there’re things you don’t want to talk about, then…” “No, Twilight. You all need to know. I don’t want to hide anything from you all.” Celestia and Luna were mentally surprised. Ayumi spoke to Twilight as if she was a different pony. They thought she would treat her the same way she would to herself. As the others patiently wait, Ayumi took a moment to breathe deeply. No doubt that her story would make her feel tense. But for her to gain trust with the others, especially after her fight, she needed to come clean. She started by introducing who she once was. “As all of you might’ve guessed. Yes. I was once Twilight Sparkle.” She continued as she glanced over to Twilight. Effectively talking to her. “Just like you, I was born the same. Taught the same. Even the friendships and the adventures I had were the same as yours.” “Then… why are you so different?” Spike asked. Just like the others, he was eager to know where the differences started. For the answer to the dragon’s question, Ayumi gave an interesting reply. “Before the fight, as BlackWarGreymon and I were talking, I figured out where our times had changed.” As the others gave her a questionable look, wondering what she meant by, Ayumi glanced over to Twilight once more and asked her a question of her own. “Twilight. When Tirek attacked you and your friends in this clearing, do you remember what happened next?” After giving her counterpart a confused expression, the younger Alicorn answered. “Well… Tirek had us cornered. But just as he was about to strike, BlackWarGreymon appeared and got in his way. The two then ended up fighting with BlackWarGreymon winning.” From hearing out Twilight’s memory of the events, Ayumi revealed to the group what she herself went through. “Well that’s just the thing. Because that’s not how I remember that day.” “What?” Celestia asked. She and the others startled at what the purple Alicorn said. Ayumi then made herself clear on what she was implying. “From what I recall, no one came to our rescue. We were completely at the mercy of Tirek. Some of us ended up hurt. But by sheer luck, we managed to escape and hide.” The group were startled at what was said. But it was Twilight and BlackWarGreymon who were horrified. The thought of no one jumping in to help against the evil centaur was certainly an uncomfortable thought. But it led to a shocking discovery about where Ayumi really came from. “Y… you mean… you’re me… from another timeline!?” Twilight asked. Joined by the equally baffled BlackWarGreymon. “A time… where I never showed up?” Ayumi answered the questions by reminding the Digimon what she said before the fight. “Like I said, this is our first meeting.” The group couldn’t believe it. The Alicorn was from an alternate reality where BlackWarGreymon never arrived in Equestria. But Ayumi’s appearance was questioned by the stuttering Twilight. “But…but why do you look older than me?” Ayumi looked over to Twilight with a reply. “Because I’m you from a future timeline.” Her answer had only filled the group with countless questions. Mainly why a Twilight from another timeline was in their own. As well as what the future was like. “W-What?” The alarmed Spike asked. “The… the future?” Twilight asked. Feeling uneasy from all the facts thrown at her. “Settle down, everyone,” Celestia said with authority. Seeing that the revelation was making the group on edge. When the group calmed down, Celestia turned towards Ayumi with a question of her own. Recalling to the warnings of Tirek before BlackWarGreymon’s arrival. “Before the events of this clearing, I had reports that Tirek was on his way to Canterlot. But in your timeline, did that happen?” Seeing that Celestia wanted the story to continue, Ayumi answered the question. “Yes. After he gave up trying to find me and my friends, Tirek left the clearing and went straight for Canterlot. But by the time we got there, all the guards were beaten, and you and Luna were doing your best to hold off the Changelings.” It was the last thing Ayumi said that got the group’s attention all the more. “Wait, Changelings? I thought you said it was Tirek?” Luna asked. Leaving Ayumi to reveal what had truly happened. “We thought so too. But it turned out that Tirek wasn’t alone. By the time he arrived, Canterlot was under attack from Chrysalis and her Changeling army. But if that wasn’t bad enough, things only got worse when King Sombra joined in.” The group were horrified at what they heard. It seemed things kept going from bad to worse. “What? Even Sombra?” Celestia asked. To which Ayumi confirmed by a simple nod. The ponies felt a wave of fear from the thought of the possibility. Though it never happened to them, a team up of Tirek, Sombra and Chrysalis was a very frightening possibility. “So those three attacked you all at the same time?” BlackWarGreymon asked. Concern in his voice. “Yeah, they did. You couldn’t imagine how terrified the citizens were as they fled their homes. Some of my friends even felt that it was too late to save the city.” Before Ayumi continued of what happened, the others noticed she gave an ominous pause as she was in thought. “But just as we thought that they would destroy the city, they suddenly stopped.” The group looked at each other in confusion. “They stopped? Just like that?” Spike asked. “Yes. It turned out that the attack was just a scare. And a prelude to what was about to come.” The group felt concerned from Ayumi’s choice of words. Uncertain of what she was about to tell them. “If the villains weren’t there to destroy, then why did they go through all that trouble to go to Canterlot?” Twilight asked. Seeing no other reason for such powerful foes to appear in Equestria’s capital. But before she could answer, Ayumi found it hard to talk. Remembering the events of what happened were already getting to her. Causing her to pause in thought. Celestia caught on to the Alicorn’s change of expression. Which caused her to be concerned. If the attack of Tirek, Sombra and Chrysalis didn’t cause her to be unnerved, then what did? With a stern but caring tone, Celestia addressed Ayumi and asked her a question. Even using the former Twilight’s new name. “Ayumi? What happened on that day?” The purple Alicorn looked at her former mentor in surprise. She never thought she would hear her use her new name. It was strange to hear it from her voice. But seeing that the white Alicorn really wanted to know what happened next, Ayumi took in a deep breath and answered. Her voice carrying a hint of fear. “Well… all the villains started to gather around one spot in the city. But just as we went over to investigate what was going on… HE came.” The group paused at what they heard. As well as the fear that was evident in Ayumi’s voice. The group all looked at each other in confusion. Wondering who she was talking about. “He?” Celestia asked. Leaving Ayumi to explain further. “Yes. Tirek, Sombra, Chrysalis, her Changelings… despite their reputations, it turned out that they were all merely solders themselves. All serving a higher power.” “They were working for someone?” Twilight asked. To which Ayumi explained further. Detailing more about the individual. “Yes. He… he was a monstrous… horrific… ferocious beast. A hideous being with unparalleled strength and power beyond anything we have ever seen before. Like the stuff of nightmares come to life.” She then described her first reactions of the beast. “When I saw that creature for the first time… he terrified me. I had never felt so afraid in my entire life. Nothing came close.” The group felt unnerved from how Ayumi spoke about the monster. It looked as though just talking about him was making her afraid. Her expression continued to maintain its uneasiness as she continued. “When that monster rose from the ground, we all thought that he was just out to take control of our land.” Ayumi’s expression darkened as her voice carried a hint of sadness. “Oh, how wrong we were.” The group became even more concerned from the Alicorn’s change of mood. Causing Luna to ask. “Why? What did he want?” Ayumi surprised the group by looking at them with a look of sorrow. Then with a heavy heart, she revealed the truth. “That freak… he wanted to create a world where only the strong would live. With him on top. But for those who were weak in his eyes, he… he destroyed.” The group were all stunned at what the purple Alicorn had just said. A wave of shiver flowed up their spines. Even BlackWarGreymon had the look of horror in his eyes. “Y-You mean he…?” Twilight asked. But unable to finish her sentence due to Ayumi already nodding in reply. To which the older Alicorn then continued. Her voice carried fear and sorrow. “Yes. The moment he appeared, he began to rain terror on Canterlot. Destroying every building in sight, and… and killing every pony that got in his way. The guards. The nobles. The citizens. Families. Loved ones. It all didn’t matter to him. They were nothing in his eyes. No matter how hard they fought or run, he… he slaughtered them all.” As she continued, she revealed something what could be the most shocking thing to the whole group. “Even my friends weren’t spared. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Rarity. He’d thrown them off the city’s side. Rainbow Dash tried to save them. But he ripped her apart before she had the chance. Fluttershy was paralyzed with fear, but even she was taken away from us. And Spike…” Ayumi instantly paused before she could say more. Looking over to the horrified dragon with sadness. Not wanting to reveal the details, she instead spoke a single sentence. “You were very brave, Spike.” Spike could feel his heart pause. Gripping his chest from the shock of the news. Twilight wrapped her hoof around him for comfort. The girl just as horrified from the story. Celestia and Luna were speechless. While the villains they had delt with may had been power hungry, but not one of them was a mass murderer. It was unspeakable. A creature that wanted nothing but death and destruction. But despite their beliefs, they were curious about one thing. “But… what about us?” Luna asked. Motioning her hoof to herself and Celestia. After looking at the two sisters, Ayumi revealed the truth to them. “No matter how hard we tried, our magic was useless against him. But despite that, you Celestia decided to stay in Canterlot to try and save as many ponies as you could. While you were doing so, me and Luna managed to escape.” She then looked at the white Alicorn in sadness. “That was the last time we ever saw you.” The stunned Celestia knew very well what Ayumi was implying. By staying behind, it meant that she had fought against the monster. A fight that she couldn’t win. Despite the shock, Celestia felt somewhat proud. She would rather go out fighting than submitting to an evil dictator. As he stood there silently the whole time, BlackWarGreymon took in every note that was being said. He was shocked beyond belief. He knew that something bad happened to Ayumi’s time of place. But he never thought it would be something go horrific and ghastly. It was a disaster that he could very easily evert. But due to his absence, it appeared that no other power was there to stop the monster. Though it wasn’t his fault, he felt awful for not being there to help. For such a heartless creature to perform such evil deeds while being all powerful, he suspected that the creature was not from Equestria at all. With his shock giving way to a determined look, BlackWarGreymon asked Ayumi a question. “Ayumi. This creature. What was his name?” The group were surprised at how stern the Digimon’s tone was. He sounded angry. While Ayumi was just as surprised, she eventually answered the question. But not what BlackWarGreymon entirely wanted. “I’m sorry. But I don’t know his name. All I know was that he said that he was a Digimon.” “He…He was a Digimon!?” Luna asked. She and the others shocked to discover that the monster was a being from the Digital World. Despite the answer not what he wanted, BlackWarGreymon figured an alternate way of possibly identifying the evil Digimon. Much to the surprise of his friends. “What did he look like? Did he have something that resembled an animal? Like a bat?” Ayumi looked at BlackWarGreymon in confusion. Having no idea what he was going on about. But answered the question, nonetheless. “N-No. Nothing like that. If anything, he looked more like a demon.” BlackWarGreymon looked to the side in thought. ‘No? Then it couldn’t be MaloMyotismon.’ Seeing that no more questions were being asked, Ayumi continued with her story. “After we fled, Luna and I were forced into hiding. No matter how much we’re against it, we were simply no match for him. By the time we escaped, Canterlot was lost. But it was far from over. Somehow, that evil Digimon started to spawn more horrific creatures. Within moments, he created his own army. To which they began to spread all over Equestria and beyond. Many towns and cities fell. All those lives lost. And we couldn’t do anything to stop it.” The disheartened tone in Ayumi’s voice showed that at that moment, she had lost virtually all hope. She and Luna didn’t have the strength to stand up against the evil Digimon. But then she started to bring up a subject that caused confusion amongst the group. “But I have heard, that not long after he started to spawn more monsters, he suddenly turned against his own followers. Chrysalis. Sombra. Tirek. They all tried to fight back to save their own lives. But even they failed.” “So he only used them until they were no longer needed?” Spike asked. But the answer was already clear. “So, what happened to you and Luna? Well… your Luna?” Twilight asked. Also trying to make sure not to confuse between the present Night Princess to the other version. Ayumi took a moment to think before answering. "After we went into hiding, we decided to change our names. It was Luna’s idea so that the evil Digimon wouldn’t pick us up as quickly as they would. Luna chose Night Star as her cover name. As for me, well… I’m sure you already know what it is.” The group were stunned. It turned out that the name Ayumi was only a cover name to conceal her identity. But they found it strange that she would still use it after entering their version of Equestria. “So then what happened?” Spike asked. With Ayumi answering. “Without Celestia or my friends, we couldn’t use the Elements of Harmony. But Luna saw the reason why Celestia sent me away from harm’s way. I still had my natural talent with magic. So she had hoped that one day I would find a way to defeat that Digimon and save our world. But seeing that I wasn’t ready, Luna took me under her wing and began to train me. Not just on learning magic, she also trained me on how to fight. To use everything I have to the best of my abilities.” “That certainly explains your fighting style,” BlackWarGreymon mentioned. Recalling how Ayumi fought in her first transformed state. “Wow. So I taught you how to fight?” Luna asked. Amazed that she would do such a duty in honor of her sister. “Yeah, you did,” Ayumi replied while being a little bashful. Deciding to conceal the fact that while training, she started to see her version of Luna as a mother figure. Much like how Celestia was in her younger years. But as Ayumi continued on, her expression darkened once again. Which slowly grew sad when she revealed that her horrors were far from over. “We’ve been at it for quite a long time. Years even. But despite our efforts, I still wasn’t ready to fight against that Digimon. Then came the day when his minions found us. Despite being weaker than their creator, they were still too powerful to fight back. That was when…” The group took note of her long pause. “When what?” Celestia asked. While trying to fight against the uneasiness in her gut, Ayumi revealed what she was trying to say. “When Luna made a decision. Like Celestia, she too knew that I was the only hope of Equestria. And so… she too sacrificed herself to buy me some time to escape.” The group once more were stunned silent. Luna for the fact that she too was killed off in Ayumi’s world. And BlackWarGreymon for the fact that the pony he had come to respect the most, had her life taken away on a different version of Equestria. The more he heard that the lives of his friends kept being snubbed from the living, the more he felt sick to his stomach. He hated the feeling. It was when Twilight realised something. “Wait! But without Celestia and Luna, how will the sun and moon bring day and night?” The Royal Sisters couldn’t believe that they overlooked something as important as that. Like Twilight, Spike and BlackWarGreymon, the two looked at Ayumi for an answer. While she had an answer, it wasn’t a good one. “They don’t. The sun remained in one part of Equestria while the moon stayed in another. Without the usual day and night routine, my whole world turned upside down. To a point where some parts of Equestria became uninhabitable.” Just as the group thought it couldn’t be worse for Ayumi, they received more bad news. The latter subject caused Luna to remember her talk with BlackWarGreymon after her trip in his memories. The details of what the Digimon thought of what would happen if the sun and moon stayed in one spot for too long. It seemed that the Mega’s theories weren’t too far-fetched. “But… with all of them gone… were you… all alone?” Twilight asked her other self. To which the latter gave a sad reply while continuing the story of her past. “I was. At that point, all my friends and family were gone. It was just me to do something about it. I figured that training alone would take too long. So I returned to the spot where it was my only hope of salvation. The Elements of Harmony.” “But I thought you said that without the others, they wouldn’t work,” Spike mentioned. Leaving Ayumi to explain what she had done. “That’s true, but I had no other options. After I retrieved the elements, I began to use my magic to experiment with them. To find a way to use their power with only me as the wielder. But after many attempts, it seemed impossible. That was, until something happened.” The group looked at the Alicorn in curiosity. “What is it? What happened?” Celestia asked. “Well, one of the Digimon’s minions found me again. But as it attacked me while I was using my magic near my element, something bizarre happened. I’m still not sure how it happened. Probably an imbalance in my magic. But at that moment, the Element of Magic… merged into me. Becoming part of my being.” Ayumi’s explanation left the group completely baffled. “What? It fused into you!?” The startled Twilight asked. But seeing that the Alicorn speaks the truth, Celestia and Luna began to think back to when they entered the Everfree Forest. “So that explains it. The magic we felt, was your element at work,” Celestia said. Joined by Twilight. “So you really do have you own Element of Magic with you?” Ayumi decided to show rather than tell. Illuminating her horn with her magic, she was able to tap into the magic of the element within her. The symbol of her element could briefly be seen on her chest. Much to the amazement of the other Alicorns. “So what happened afterwards?” BlackWarGreymon asked. “When the Element of Magic became infused in me, it gave me a very strong boost in power. I felt it as though it was taking me to uncharted territories. Unlocking magic that I never thought possible. And the first thing I did with that power, was to fight back against the Digimon that attacked me. And to my surprise, I won.” The group looked at her in astonishment. “You mean you defeated it?” Spike asked. But the reaction the dragon received was a puzzled expression. To which Ayumi explained herself. “Well, yes. That Digimon didn’t stood a chance against me. I was able to destroy it. But as soon as its body broke apart, something strange began to happen. The creature’s body broke down into some sort of particles. But then those particles just… flowed into me.” The ponies and dragon looked at Ayumi in confusion. “I’m sorry, what?” Twilight asked. Which was met with the same response from her other self. “That’s the thing. To this day, I still have no idea what just happened.” Then to Ayumi’s surprise, BlackWarGreymon spoke up. “I believe I know what happened.” Ayumi’s mood perked up in curiosity of what the Mega had to say. Something about her new self that she had yet to understand was about to be discovered. The others too were curious as to what BlackWarGreymon knew. All eyes were on the Digimon when he explained the strange phenomena. “For starters, those particles you describe is in fact data. Though it looks like we’re made of flesh and blood, every Digimon is made out of data. When a Digimon dies, the data disperses and scatters. Though I’ve personally never seen it done, but when a Digimon is slain by another, the victorious Digimon would be free to absorb the fallen Digimon’s data. By doing so, the added data would increase the Digimon’s power and makes it stronger.” From hearing the details of the explanation, Ayumi pieced together what she felt from her experience. “Yeah, I see what you mean. Because I somehow gained extra power from that Digimon’s defeat.” BlackWarGreymon continued. “That’s what happened. Through you’re not a Digimon yourself, you have been unintentionally absorbing data from the defeated Digimon. Which actually explains your energy and your ability to transform.” The others looked at Ayumi in amazement. Her body contained the data of the Digimon she defeated. Which explained how she was able to put up a fight against BlackWarGreymon. As all eyes turned back to the alternate Alicorn, she continued about what happened next. “Yeah. Like I said, after I destroyed that Digimon and absorbed it’s… data, I felt the power of the creature within me. Increasing my power exponentially. Afterwards, it made me realise that there was a way to save my world after all. The more of those minions I destroy, the more power I gain form absorbing their data. That’s when I began to fight back. I focused on attacking the weaker creatures first. And after I gained enough power from defeating them, I began to fight against the stronger creatures. During one of those clashes, that was when my body transformed for the first time. I was confused at first, but since it made me stronger, it didn’t matter. I just kept on going and going.” As Ayumi paused, BlackWarGreymon figured out her strategy. “I’m starting to get the picture. Your plan was to keep gathering energy to a point where you would be strong enough to fight against the Digimon who started it all.” The others were shocked and amazed at Ayumi’s strategy. She had to constantly fight just to build enough strength she needed. To which the Alicorn confirmed it herself. “That’s exactly what I did. Because one day, the fighting just stopped. Not one of those minions tried to track me down and attack me. I thought that it was because either they realised I was too strong to fight against, or that I had destroyed every last one of them. But yes. After I gathered enough power, I traveled back to what was left of Canterlot and confronted that monster.” The other five became more intrigued as they listened. With Spike asking a question. “So you fought against that evil Digimon head-on?” “I did. But it wasn’t as easy as I hoped. Despite my newfound power, he seemed to have even more power than I thought. There was a moment where I thought that I was going to lose. But that’s when a miracle happened. Out of nowhere, I transformed again. Gaining a new body while it doubled my strength. The feeling felt… incredible.” The group knew what she was talking about. The form she used against BlackWarGreymon during the last moments of their fight. When Ayumi continued, her tone made a significant change. Sounding more upbeat and positive. “When I used that power against that evil Digimon, he was afraid. No matter what he could do. No matter how hard he tried to hit me. I hit back harder. And with the feeling that I was going to win, I decided to finally put an end to him. Using all the power I had within me, I fired an attack that engulfed his entire body. Within moments, he was vaporized.” BlackWarGreymon then spoke up. “That final attack. Would that happen to be the one you used against me at the end of our fight?” “Actually, it is.” While the others were amazed that they got to see an attack that ended the evil Digimon, Luna however was a little shaken. She recalled hearing BlackWarGreymon admitting that if he hadn’t raised his power to its fullest, he would’ve lost. It caused her to worry. Did he meant losing the battle… or his life? She also found it suspicious for Ayumi to teleport BlackWarGreymon’s shields away before firing the attack. She deliberately tried to bring the Mega to his most vulnerable state. It caused the blue princess to think. When Ayumi fired that final attack at BlackWarGreymon, what was she really trying to do? With the group oblivious to Luna, Ayumi continued on. But her upbeat tone drastically changed to a more somber level. “After many years of hiding, I finally destroyed that monster. But what it took to get there. Celestia. Luna. All my friends and family. Everypony I met and knew. They were all gone.” The group felt sorry for Ayumi once more. Despite winning the battle, the aftermath left her all alone. As for how alone she was, they were about to find out. “So then what happened?” Spike asked. To which Ayumi replied. “Not long after I recovered from the battle, I took to the skies and flew. Seeing if there were any other pony left out there. But the devastation that the Digimon left behind was far greater that I imagined. I traveled to every corner of Equestria, but I couldn't find anypony at all. So I then traveled to lands far beyond Equestria. But no matter where I went, all I could find was destruction and decay. Griffins. Dragons. Yaks. Zebras. Everything. I even went as far as to find any Changeling survivors. But I found nothing.” As Ayumi concluded the tale of her search, the group felt an uncomfortable shiver up their spines. Suspecting that the worst-case scenario had happened. To which, Ayumi confirmed. “By the time I returned to Equestria, I came to realise that… the reason I find nopony else… because there was nopony else left. I was all alone. The only pony left in Equestria. And possibly the only one left alive… in the entire world.” Her expression grew more depressed from the truth of which she was about to reveal. “I may have won the battle. But in the end… it was HE who won the war. It was he who had the last laugh. He had fulfilled what he wanted to do. To destroy everything.” The group had no words to describe how sorry they felt for Ayumi. She made tremendous progress in gaining the strength to avenge her friends and family. But the world she tried to save was already lost before the battle started. Seeing that she had left the group silent, Ayumi spoke up. “Now you’ll probably wondering how I got here.” The group looked at the Alicorn in curiosity. They were indeed wondering how she was able to jump from her timeline into their own. “If you care to explain,” Celestia replied. Letting the younger mare to give the detailed of what happened next. “After I got back to Canterlot Castle, I tried to find the forbidden scrolls that explained the concepts of time travel. I thought that if I went back in time to destroy the evil Digimon when he first emerged, I could save the future. But it seemed that he already anticipated the attempt. Because when I got to the Canterlot vaults, all the time travel spells were destroyed. So I had no way of changing the past. But in my search, I have found something else. The Cross Dimensional Spell.” The group looked baffled at what Ayumi said. But none more so than Celestia. “Strange. I don’t remember such magic in the vaults.” Ayumi explained what the spell was used for. To which she then continued her story. “It’s a powerful spell that when used correctly, it would transport the user into an alternate reality. I was skeptical to use it at first, because it would mean going to a world that I might not recognize. But after realising that there was nothing left of my world, I decided to use it. When I cast the spell, I was sent through a time stream. It was there where I saw multiple versions of Equestria.” “So that’s when you came to this world, right?” Twilight asked. To which Ayumi replied. “Well… not at first. During my search for a new home, I wanted it to closely resemble as possible the world I once knew. Before that evil Digimon arrived. But while I found many, each of them suffered from disasters of their own. Either from Sombra’s take over to Tirek’s victory over pony kind. But after looking into countless realities, I found this one. A world that’s just like my own… but with one difference.” She then looked over to what she was talking about. With the others following her line of sight, their eyes all fell upon BlackWarGreymon. To which the Mega spoke up. “It’s me, isn’t it?” “Yes. Instead of that evil Digimon, it was you. But because you’re a Digimon, I was hesitant of arriving in this world. But from what I’ve seen through the time streams, you were no where near as evil as the one that was in my world. It was also where I’ve learnt your name. So last night, I finally decided to leave the time streams and enter this world. I must’ve been searching for a long time, because I almost forgot how it feels to be standing on these grounds again.” “So that’s why you wanted to fight BlackWarGreymon. To see if he wasn’t as bad as you thought he might be.” Twilight said. To which Ayumi answered back. “That’s right. But there was one thing that I had not anticipated.” She continued as she looked over to BlackWarGreymon. “Your strength. When we started our fight, I knew you were strong. But I first thought that you wouldn’t be on the same level as that monster. Or anywhere close. But as we thought on, I began to doubt myself. And in the end, I just couldn’t believe it. You didn’t just have the power on par with that evil being. You surpassed him. And when you claimed that you can get stronger, I didn’t believe you. But when you did just that, and the fact that you can use the magic of Equestria itself to do so, I… I was speechless.” She then approached BlackWarGreymon in curiosity. “But are you sure you don’t know why you’re reacting to magic this way?” The Artificial Mega was a little startled at the sudden attention Ayumi was showing onto him. To which he then replied. “I already told you all I know. It’s a mystery I’m trying to uncover since day one.” As the group stood still in silence, Twilight remembered something. Just the other day, she and her friends made a discovery that might explain the mystery surrounding BlackWarGreymon. The ancient prophecy that was discovered on the Tree of Harmony. She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t told him yet. She was thinking of telling him right there and now. But with the discovery of an alternate version of herself, as well as the ordeals she had to endure, she thought that it would be best to tell him later after Ayumi settled down. “Well… that’s pretty much it. My life turned upside down and I came here,” Ayumi said, summing up her entire explanation into a single sentence. As the group looked at each other in wonderment, BlackWarGreymon spoke up. Asking an important question to Ayumi. “So now that you’re here… what will you do now?” Ayumi was about to reply. Only to pause before she could say anything. Uncertainty dawned on her as she tried to think. “Actually… I don’t know. I honestly thought I would never find a world like this. I’ve been searching for so long, I didn’t think of what to do next.” Most of the group too felt uncertain. That was until Celestia cracked a smile. “I believe I know what you should do next.” As the group looked at the white Alicorn in confusion, Celestia used her magic to summon up a quill and ink. To which she followed up with five empty scrolls. As Celestia wrote on the scrolls in silence, it was Twilight who was the first to figure out what her former mentor had in mind. Causing her to giggle in excitement. As Celestia finished writing, she rolled up the scrolls and gave them to the confused Spike. “Spike, can you send these out?” She asked. Not wanting to delay a princess’s request, Spike blew his green fire on them. The five scrolls magically being sent to their destinations. Ayumi too began to understand what Celestia was doing. “Wait? Are you…?” “Yes. It’s time for you to be reunited.” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Back in Ponyville, there was a bit of commotion going on with the residence of the town. At first, everything was normal. Then out of nowhere, the ponies saw a great purple beam shooting out of the Everfree Forest and into the distant sky high above their heads. Fortunately, the beam was high enough to be out of reach for the airborne Pegasi. But the fact that such power originated so close to their town was quite alarming. But since it only happened once, and that it had been quite some time since its first appearance, the town slowly settled down. Unbeknownst to the townsfolk, they were about to receive a new resident. Over by the edge of Ponyville, just on the boundaries of the Everfree Forest, Fluttershy was first to arrive. Since she already lived near the forest. As she waited patiently, she suddenly heard a voice above her. “Hay, Flutters. Up here.” Looking up, the yellow Pegasus saw Rainbow Dash arriving in the area. To which she greeted her as she landed beside her. “Hello, Rainbow Dash.” “What are doing out here all by yourself?” The blue Pegasus asked. “Well, Princess Celestia sent me this scroll telling me to meet her here,” Fluttershy answered before pulling out a scroll from under her wing. The sight of the scroll caused the blue mare to be confused. “Strange. I got the same thing.” “Really?” The puzzled Fluttershy asked. Then to their surprise, they heard a very familiar voice calling out to them. “Ah take it that ya’ll got Celestia’s note too?” Following the direction of the voice, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were surprised to see not only Applejack, but Rarity and Pinkie Pie too. The three ponies joined the two Pegasi. They too were curious as to what was going on. “This is strange. Why would Celestia ask us to all meet out here?” Rarity asked. Joined by Pinkie Pie. “Maybe she’s planning a super big party. So big that she needs all of us to help plan it out.” Applejack however dashed the excited Pony’s hopes. “Ah don’t think so, Pinkie. Ah mean, where’s Twilight?” “Surely she must’ve got the same letter as the rest of us,” Fluttershy added. As the five mares stood around silently in thought, wondering why Twilight hadn’t joined them, they were surprised to hear the bushes rustling by the Everfree forest. Then to their delight, Celestia and Twilight emerged from the dense foliage. Along with Luna, Spike and BlackWarGreymon. “Oh, everypony’s here,” Rarity commented as the second group approached them. “Very good. I see that all of you responded to my messages,” Celestia said with a smile. “Yeah. But what is this about?” Applejack asked. Joined by Rainbow Dash. “Is there something so important that you need all of us to help out?” Celestia smiled in response. “Yes. As a matter of fact, there is.” She continued as she looked back towards her group. “There’s somepony who has longing to meet you all for the longest time.” Following Celestia’s line of sight, the group were confused as to why they were looking at BlackWarGreymon. Only to see him looking down by his feet. After following his gaze, they could see that somepony was standing behind his left leg. Almost as if the pony was nervous of showing herself. “Who’s that?” Fluttershy asked. As the Digimon looked down, he could clearly see that the mare in question was nervous. To which, he understood why. Given what happened to her friends in her world and that it had been years since she had last seen them. He remembered how she acted when she met Celestia and Luna. Feeling that she would do the same again. But by coming into their world, she was bound to encounter them eventually anyway. He then spoke to her in an attempt to reassure her. “You have no need to hide. You wanted this after all.” Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Fluttershy were puzzled at BlackWarGreymon was talking about. But his words had stirred the stranger behind him. And that was when she revealed herself. First her face peered around the Digimon’s leg, before stepping out into the open. The five ponies silently gasped with wide eyes of surprise at the new pony. She not only greatly resembled Twilight but looked as though she was an older version of her. “A-Another Twilight!?” Rainbow Dash asked while the others were speechless. But what else surprised the group was that the mare’s expression matched their own. She too looked at them in stunned surprise as she slowly approached them. The Twilight lookalike couldn’t believe her eyes. All five of her friends that she’d lost were standing right in front of her. She almost thought that it was some kind of dream. As she stopped a few feet in front of the group, Ayumi took a good look at each of them with the same stunned expression. “Is it… really you?” She asked them. The other five mares looked at each other in confusion. With Pinkie Pie answering back. “Well yeah, it’s us. Who else could we be?” Ayumi paused from hearing the pink Earth Pony’s words. That high pitched hyperactive voice. She’d missed it so much. As well as everypony else’s voices. And their looks. And their personalities. But most of all… the bond she shared with them all. Ayumi began to feel her legs feeling weak as her emotions became apparent. All the happy memories she had with the Ponyville group came flooding back. Memories that she’d cherished. Hoping for them to become reality once more. And with the possibility becoming more true then ever, small tears started to form in her eyes. “Y…You’re all here.” Seeing that the taller pony was on the verge of crying, Fluttershy instantly saw it and rushed forward to comfort her. “What’s wrong? Are you upset?” The kindness from the caring Fluttershy, Ayumi missed that too. Unable to hide her true feelings anymore, to Fluttershy’s surprise, Ayumi reached out and brought the smaller mare in an emotional hug. Wrapping her hooved around her in an embrace. The yellow Pegasus was surprised by the actions. But then turned to concern when she heard the Alicorn crying over her shoulder. What Fluttershy couldn’t see, the other four could. They were surprised to see tears flooding out of Ayumi’s eyes. But they weren’t tears of sadness, they were tears of joy. Being a pony who could read expressions down to the wire, Pinkie Pie could see that the look the Alicorn was showing, was a pony who deeply missed her friends. Wanting to give anything to see them again. To which, Ayumi confirmed herself when she spoke out. “I missed you so much. All of you.” Despite having no idea why the Alicorn was acting up, it didn’t matter to the group. They were seeing a pony who desperately wanted comfort. Fluttershy was the first to see it. Her own expressions softening as she returned the hug. The others too decided to join in. Gathering towards the two to give hugs of their own. Upon being reunited with the five ponies that meant so much to her, Ayumi couldn’t be anymore happy despite her tears. Her sobbing giving way to something she hadn’t done in a very lone time. Laughter. From the sidelines, it was a heartwarming sight. Spike, Twilight, Luna and Celestia smiling warmly. Proud to give Ayumi something she always wanted. BlackWarGreymon too had a satisfied expression in his eyes. Despite the alternate Twilight being different from the Twilight he knew, he could see that Ayumi still valued friendship above all else. Maybe she wasn’t too different after all. ………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………. As the group settled down, the Ponyville group questioned who Ayumi was and why she looked so much like Twilight. To which she explained everything. The fact that she was indeed Twilight, but from another timeline. A world where BlackWarGreymon never arrived. A world where seemingly, it had an entirely different Digimon of its own. But one that brought nothing but destruction to everything in his path. Ayumi originally didn’t want to tell the group about what happened to them in her own time. But decided to do so for fear of her hiding the truth from them. Only for them to figure out for themselves. Once the group were informed, they were naturally horrified. That their lives were taken away along with the rest of alternate Equestria. Leaving Ayumi alone to find a way to survive and fight back. As well as changing her own name. To which she also revealed. And how she was able to leave her own timeline and into theirs. After Ayumi told the group everything, they understood why she acted the way she did when they met. That despite going through hell, the thoughts of her friends and family always remained strong. To which, Rarity had an idea. After reaching a quick agreement with the rest of the group, they would spend a whole day with Ayumi. Reacquainting her with all the luxuries that was lost in her world. When they entered Ponyville, Ayumi was hit with so much nostalgia that she couldn’t protest against the idea. Of course, since she was essentially an alternate Twilight, she certainly gained confused looks from the other ponies. Rarity insisted that the first thing they should do was to go to the spa. The white Unicorn knew that her future friend definitely needed freshening up. Upon entering the spa, Ayumi never felt so relaxed. All the tension in her body finally unraveled and loosened up. She felt as though she could spend the whole day in there. But it was the first of many places to revisit. By days end, the Mane Six had practically shown Ayumi everywhere. Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy’s cottage. All the lakes and woodland surrounding the town. Though not the most extravagant place in Equestria, to Ayumi it was paradise. Far better than the scorched wasteland that was in her timeline. By sunset, they were exploring Twilight’s castle. No longer would Ayumi see it as shattered remains of her old home. The beautiful crystal building continued to stand strong. With every room inside bringing back memories. Especially the library. Much to everyone’s amusement. Inside the library, Ayumi had just put away one of her old favourite books. Recalling back to when she last read it. “Good times.” It was when Twilight entered the room. Ready to give her other self the good news. “Well… since you’re staying, you’re more than welcome to live here in the castle with me.” She continued while giggling to herself. “This is going to be great.” But Ayumi looked back at her with uncertainty in her eyes. “Are you sure that’s ok? Wouldn’t it be strange to live with someone who’s essentially you?” Twilight replied to her with a giggle. “I wouldn’t mind. In a way, it’s like living with a big sister.” Ayumi chuckled from the joke. But surprised at how well her younger self was taking the new development. “Hmm. If you say so.” As the two chuckled, Ayumi could sense that BlackWarGreymon was outside. Her chuckling stopped as she had a look of uncertainty. Again, she could feel the negative energy the Mega possessed. Yet, she was baffled at how benevolent he was. Even the citizens of Ponyville look up to him as a hero. She even saw the children playing around him without a single hint of fear. Really wanting to understand the Mega more, Ayumi began to leave the library. Much to Twilight’s surprise. “W-Where are you going?” “Just out for a bit,” Ayumi replied, reassuring her. Outside BlackWarGreymon was standing by himself. Looking out towards the direction of the Everfree Clearing in the distance. He was deep in thought. Remembering the story Ayumi told him and the others. He was still shaken at how one change can change the course of history. “Just one change.” He was then caught by surprise when Ayumi called out to him. Addressing him with a nickname she just thought of. “Hay, Black.” Turning around, he saw Ayumi approaching him. “Ah, Ayumi. I thought you were still looking around.” Ayumi gave her response as she walked up to him. Stopping beside him. “I have. I just want to talk to you.” As BlackWarGreymon looked at Ayumi in confusion, the two were unaware that they were being watched. Luna had followed Ayumi out of the castle to see what had got her interest. But it seemed she wanted a private conversation with the Digimon. Curious as to what the alternate Twilight wanted to talk about, the blue princess remained hidden from view as she listened in. “Talk to me about what?” BlackWarGreymon asked. After a brief pause and a deep breath, Ayumi spoke up. “I… I just want to apologize.” The Digimon looked at her in confusion. “Apologize? For what?” “The way I acted towards you. When we first met in that clearing. I may had come across as… hostile.” But BlackWarGreymon payed no mind to her previous act. “It’s not your fault. Since your world was destroyed by a Digimon, it should be natural for you to suspect me. I can understand that you don’t trust me.” He then looked at her with a questionable look. “But what about now?” Ayumi seemed amazed as she looked at the Digimon. It seemed like he was testing her. Somewhat like how she tested him back in the clearing. But as she looked down at the ground, her mind was conflicted. “Believe me, I want to trust you. But… I just don’t know anymore.” She began to expose her inner thoughts. “I knew that things would be different when I came to this world. But meeting you has really opened my eyes. I just can’t ignore the fact that you carry this… malicious energy. And what’s more, you’re even stronger that the Digimon that destroyed my world.” She then looked at him with a look of pure confusion. “But the ponies here like you. They don’t just see you as a hero, but as a true friend. Fluttershy even told me that on the day you arrived, when you fought Tirek, you protected her. Even though you have never met her at that point. Spike said that you even have a statue in the Canterlot gardens.” She continued as she looked away. “I know that good and evil exists everywhere. Even in your kind. But… I just don’t understand. Why would you be so heroic… while possessing such power? That’s the one thing I can’t figure out.” BlackWarGreymon was stunned by Ayumi’s speech. Was his energy really that off-putting for her? After a moment of thought, he decided to come clean. Since she shared her story, it was only fair for him to share his. “That’s probably because… I’m not even a true Digimon.” Ayumi paused as she slowly turned to look at BlackWarGreymon in surprise. Unsure if she even heard him right. “W-What?” Hidden from view, Luna knew exactly what BlackWarGreymon was going to do. He was going to tell Ayumi about his own dark past. Despite already knowing the story, Luna stuck by. As for the purple Alicorn, she had a feeling that the Digimon was going to reveal who he truly was. To which after a deep breath, he began his story. “I come from a place called the Digital World. But while peace is constantly strived for, much like Equestria, the world kept boiling down to war after war. Like you said, conflict between good and evil. At one time, the world was plagued by dark towers called Control Spires. Used to stop good Digimon from transforming into stronger forms to fight back. But an evil Digimon, named Arukenimon, found another use for them. Using her powers, she can transform the Control Spires into living breathing Digimon of her own. Artificial Digimon. Unlike true Digimon, they’re mindless slaves that obey Arukenimon’s will.” While Ayumi listened in silence, she was surprised at what she heard. But more so from the fact that there were Digimon with the power to create life. The thought of an evil being spawning an army was reminiscent of what happened in her timeline. But it was what BlackWarGreymon said next was what gained her attention. “But after being foiled by the heroes of the Digital World, she decided to do something similar, but different. In the past, she created Digimon with either one or ten Control Spires. But on that day for the only time, she decided to use one hundred Control Spires. Creating a Digimon that at one point, almost spelled doom to the Digital World.” “W-Who was this Digimon?” Ayumi asked, curious but intimidated from the way the Mega spoke of the Digimon. But as BlackWarGreymon turned to look at Ayumi, he gave her his answer. “Me.”