//------------------------------// // Chapter 67: The Nightmare of the Past // Story: BlackWarGreymon: Warrior of Harmony // by I-C-U-P //------------------------------// After hearing out the request proposed by her younger niece, Princess Luna ultimately decided to go along with the pink Alicorn’s plan. Leading Princess Cadence to one of the unoccupied spare bedrooms, the two Alicorns were getting prepared to set the plan in motion. But concerned for the younger Alicorn, Luna spoke up. “Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this, Cadence? If everything they said to us holds truth, then we would be witnessing horrors beyond our comprehension.” Despite being just as concerned about what they were about to witness, Cadence gave her reply. “Yes, I am. Whatever that evil Digimon was, he destroyed the other Twilight’s whole world. I want to see how it all ended.” As she continued, her tone carried a hint of anger. “And to see who this monster is. He… he hurt her.” Luna looked at her as she listened. Like Cadence, Luna too was curious of how the Equestria from another timeline was destroyed. But while she wanted to see the miracle that was Ayumi’s survival through what was essentially hell, for Cadence it seemed that she just wanted to see what kind of Digimon that ended everything. The one who was responsible got hurting Ayumi. But since it was a Digimon that neither of them had ever soon before, she couldn’t but be curious herself. As Cadence approached a large bed, she spoke up to Luna. Revealing how little her knowledge of Luna’s dream-hopping magic worked. “So, what happens? Do you just… put me in your mind? Or…” “It doesn’t work like that. For this to work, I need you to be asleep. Once you do, I’ll be able to use my magic to enter your mind and retrieve you. Only then will both of us venture into minds of others. As long as they too are asleep,” Luna answered. Explaining how her magic worked. “Oh. So that’s how you do it. It’s actually quite impressive,” Cadence complemented as she climbed onto the bed. But then expressed a slight flaw in the plan. “Though it would be quite hard for me to sleep right now.” But it seemed Luna was prepared for the problem. “You won't have to worry about that. I can just put you to sleep with my dream magic. That is… if you really want to do this.” Luna said that to make sure if Cadence was not having any last-second thoughts about her idea. But as she looked at the Moon Princess, the Princess of Love gave her honest answer. “I do.” Given the green light to proceed, Luna nodded as she prepared her magic. A spell being cased as her horn lit up in a gentle blue glow. Then tilting her horn towards Cadence, the stream of magic flowed from her and towards the awaiting pink Alicorn. The spell taking a form that resembled a gentle stream found by the lakes by Ponyville. “Oh, that’s nice,” Cadence said as the sounds of the spell was quickly causing her to feel drowsy. Her eyelids already feeling quite heavy. Within seconds, Cadence surrendered herself to the melody of Luna’s spell. Quickly falling asleep on the bed. Luna took a moment of pause and smiled at the slumbering Cadence. Knowing full well that it may be a while to see such a sight again. Considering what they were about to go through. With Cadence quickly falling into a deep sleep, Luna engaged a spell what made her the Princess of the Night. Eclipsing the room in a bright light. It didn’t take Luna long to venture into Cadence’s mind and find her subconscious within the world of dreams. In fact, the pink princess was quite surprised. “Oh, Luna! Wait! So did it work?” “Yes, Cadence. We are within your mind.” “Wow. That was quick. And… kind of strange.” Luna understood why Cadence felt a little off from the experience. It was the first time the pink mare was pulled out of her dream and having a conversation with Luna as if they were awake. It wasn’t the first time Luna had to deal with it. But not wanting to waste any more time, Luna addressed Cadence. “Well? Are you ready, Cadence?” Without a second thought, Cadence gave her answer. “Ready.” Seeing the confidence in the pink Alicorn, Luna was ready for travel. With a flash of magic, the two left the confines of Cadence’s mind and traversed through the dream realm. The two emerging in an ethereal corridor dominated by doors either side them. for Cadence, it was her first time seeing it. “Wow! So, what are these doors?” These are the doorways to the mind of everypony in Equestria. The ones you see belong to those who are in Canterlot right now,” Luna explained. Quite happy to give Cadence what was essentially a tour. After a quick look around, the pink mare then spotted a door unlike any other. A large black metal slab. “What’s that one?” She asked as she pointed at it. Following to where her niece was pointing, Luna smiled as she replied. “That there is the doorway to BlackWarGreymon’s mind. With him being an Artificial Digimon, it was obvious that the door to his mind would look different from ours.” But just as the two were about to continue on, Luna’s eyes caught a glimpse of something out of the ordinary. For a split second, she thought she saw what looked like dark blue electricity surging around the base of the door to BlackWarGreymon’s mind. But by the time she everted her gaze to fully look at the door, it all seemed normal. “What was that?” Luna asked herself. Her voice carrying a hint of concern. It only happened for a moment, but she swore that she saw something. Something that she had not seen before. Oblivious to what Luna just saw, Cadence looked back to Luna in confusion. “Hay, Luna? Are you coming? I can’t exactly find my way around here.” “Oh, r-right. Coming,” Luna said as she joined up to Cadence. Thinking that she was just seeing things. But if she had stayed a little longer, then she would’ve seen BlackWarGreymon’s door sparking with blue energy again. Surging all over the door before vanishing from sight. After only a minute or two of trekking, the two then came across a second strange looking door. It looked similar to the usual doors that lead to the minds of ponies, but the new door looked much more decrepit. As if it was starting to come apart. Furthermore, was the patches of metal on the door. To which Luna had yet to find out why. “I assume… that this is it?” Cadence asked. With Luna confirming it. “Yes. This is the door to Ayumi’s mind. But unlike before, this door is stable. We can enter it.” As she looked over to her aunt, Cadence could read Luna’s expressions. “You look unsure.” After taking in a deep breath, Luna revealed what was making her feel insecure. “It’s just that. If we’re successful in seeing her memories, than that means that… that we would likely… witness our own deaths. In her world I mean.” Cadence flinched in surprise at what Luna said. It was a thought that never occurred to her. To see the death of her alternate self. It was near enough the same as witnessing your own death right before your eyes. Despite the sudden feeling of uneasiness, Cadence tried to support Luna. “Well… it wouldn’t really be us that we’re seeing. I mean… we’re here right now.” Despite her vague explanation, it was enough for Luna to get the general idea of what would be happening. While they would be seeing themselves, it wasn’t them exactly. Clearing her head, and not wanting Ayumi to wake up anytime soon, Luna cleared her head and focused on the task as hand. “Ok. I’m alright now. Let’s do this.” With a supportive nod from Cadence, Luna used her magic to open the door to Ayumi’s mind. The two were just moments away from entering the conscience of the Twilight from a future timeline. As soon as the two entered Ayumi’s mind, they were startled at what they were seeing. Luna was less so than Cadence. While the mind of Ayumi was overall similar to any other pony, the whole area was darker. As if it was either early in the morning or late in the evening. But the biggest difference was green numbers swarming across all around the two. All zeros and ones. “W-What’s going on here!? What’s with all these numbers!?” Cadence asked. Obviously spooked at the scene. The more level-headed Luna explained. Having experienced the sight before. “It’s fine, Cadence. BlackWarGreymon’s mind is like this too. The numbers is data. The energy that Digimon possess.” Cadence blinked in response. Then remembering what the other ponies told her. “That’s right. The others did say that she absorbed the energy of the Digimon she defeated. So, this is what the energy of a Digimon looks like.” Luna then looked back at the door they had just entered. Her eyes widened in realisation. “So that explains the door.” “Pardon?” Cadence asked. To which Luna explained. “The door to a pony’s mind also reflects the condition of the mind itself. You saw how that door looked decrepit. It must mean that for a time, the horror that Ayumi went through must’ve almost broke her mentality. But by absorbing the data of the Digimon, she finally had the confidence to fight back. In which the data is used to help repair the door. That’s actually very impressive. Normally ponies wouldn’t have the courage to do so,” She said, admiring how brave and strong Ayumi had to be to recover from such trauma. As for Cadence, she froze form hearing Luna’s explanation. Ayumi… who was once the sweet, kind-hearted little girl that she once looked after when she was small. Twilight Sparkle. Her little Twilight. She would’ve stayed the same. The same Twilight that she knew. But for one timeline, that Twilight was no more. She was forever changed. Scarred by an evil being form another world. Whoever that Digimon was, he had completely transformed the other Twilight. Power wise, for the better. Gaining the kind of strength to end the evil. But for the rest of her, it was for the worse. But most of all, her mentality. If what Luna said was true, than there was a moment in time when the Twilight turned Ayumi was on the verge of giving up hope. Absolutely desperate for anything to help her struggle. Losing her friends. Her family. Everypony she ever knew. Subjugated to constant torture on her body that lead to scar after scar. She must’ve been absolutely terrified. Petrified that death would come for her at any moment. And the cause of all that trauma… all her suffering… all her pain. It was caused by one Digimon. A Digimon worse than any villain they had ever faced. A foe… without a soul. “How? How could any creature be so evil?” Cadence whispered to herself. She had never met the evil Digimon, yet she already felt absolute hatred for him. Her attention was averted when from the corner of her eye, she saw the blue glow of Luna’s magic. Turning to look at her, Cadence could see that the blue Alicorn was trying to focus. Her eyes clenched shut. But after some effort, she stopped. Gasping for breath as a bead of sweat dropped from the side of her head. “What is it?” Cadence asked. Seeing that Luna was trying to do something. Luna looked over to Cadence with a look of confusion. “Something is not right. I can’t seem to access Ayumi’s memories.” “You can’t? Why?” Cadence asked. Surprised at what she heard. After a quick moment of pondering, Luna made an assumption. “If I were to guess, it’s perhaps she’s mentally blocked her memories. But for her to do so to prevent even me from seeing them… she must’ve really concentrated hard to achieve it.” “I don’t blame her. If such terrible things happen to me, I would try to block it out and forget it too.” Cadence said, feeling yet more sympathy for Ayumi. But as Luna once more tried to use her magic, she gasped at what she had discovered. “What is it, now?” Cadence asked. When Luna replied, she had a look of shock on her face. “It’s Ayumi. S-She’s having a nightmare.” “Really? Right now?” “Yes. A bad one too. I can feel it.” Then after taking in a deep breath, Luna looked over to Cadence as she came to a decision. “We may not be able to access her memories right now, but the least we can do is spare her from any nightmares.” “That’s a very good idea, Luna. I think she would really like that,” Cadence said. Supporting her aunt’s idea of easing Ayumi’s mental suffering. With Luna using her expertise in dream magic, both she and Cadence were consumed in a bright light. The two traversing through the mind of Ayumi. Without wasting anymore time, they made a beeline straight to the ongoing nightmare. Unfortunately for the two, what they were about to witness would shake the very cores of their morality. As the light faded around them, the two Alicorns had arrived. Flying in the air. “Right. We should be…!” Luna stopped her sentence as soon as she and Cadence realised where they were. And what was happening around them. The sight caused their eyes to widen in shock and their mouths to hang low. Hovering in the sky, they found themselves above Canterlot. Or to be precise, what was left of it. The entire capital had been completely decimated. There was nothing but smouldering ruins and crumbling debris. Smoke filling the air. The whole world around them had been darkened by the black clouds in the sky. Unleashing pouring rain down on the war-torn land. But over in the horizon, a bright orange glow could be seen across the mountains. But it was no sunlight. Those were the glowing lights of wildfires. As if the entire world beyond Canterlot had been set alight. “Is this really her nightmare!? You are sure that this isn’t her memory?” Cadence asked. Baffled at what was going on and stricken at the sight of devastation before her. But it seemed that even Luna was unsure. “This has to be her nightmare. I felt it. Unless…” “Unless what?” Luna looked at Cadence in worry. “She’s having a nightmare… about her past.” Cadence looked at Luna in shock. By having such a nightmare, it was as if Ayumi had combined her memories and her dream into one singularity. As she inspected the ground from above, Luna then spotted some movement. “Hay. I see somepony.” Following Luna’s lead, Cadence followed her down towards the ground. As they landed by an overturned tree, the two Alicorns then saw who it was that Luna saw. “Hay! I-It’s Twilight!” The pink Alicorn exclaimed. She was correct. The pony they saw was indeed the Princess of Friendship. “Yes. This must be her… before she became Ayumi,” Luna added. Seeing that the Alicorn before her looked more like the Twilight she knew. It was when the two watchers paused to notice. The Twilight they were seeing was lying in the middle of the destroyed road. Her fur ruffled and torn. Missing some feathers on her wings. But most distraught of all, was what she was doing. Huddling on the ground, she was loudly sobbing. Crying her eyes out. It was a sight that struck something within Cadence’s heart. The nightmare must be at the time when Twilight had lost everything. All her friends and family. “Y-You’re right, Luna. She must be having a nightmare about what happened to her!” “Don’t worry, Cadence. I know what to do,” Luna declared. Confident that she would cure Ayumi of her mental despair. Her horn gave out a blue glow. Charging up the kind of magic that made her unique. As she felt the magic building up, the blue Alicorn felt ready. “Nightmare… BEGONE!!!” With a swing of her horn, Luna launched a bright beam of magic into the air. Designed to disperse any nightmare. However… just as Luna’s magic touched the clouds, the river of magic paused itself. Unable to pierce the clouds. If anything, the spell seemed to be… retreating back towards her. “What!? W-What is this!?” Luna asked in disbelief as her magic began to merge back to her. As the last of her spell returned to her, Luna was left completely dumbfounded. The nearby Cadence could only stare at her in confusion. “Is that… not supposed to happen?” She asked her aunt. Luna looked up at her horn in deep uncertainty. “S-Something is very wrong here! That never happened before!” After a brief thought, Luna felt a cold shiver from one possibility. “Something is blocking my magic!” Looking ahead of her, she could see that the past Twilight continued to cry. Seemingly oblivious to her and Cadence. “Twilight! Can you hear me!?” Luna called out. Calling Ayumi by her past name. Being in one’s mind, regardless if it were a dream of nightmare, Luna was able to communicate to others through their subconscious. But to her confusion, the fallen mare in front of her didn’t respond to her. “Y-You should be able to hear me! Please look at me!” Luna couldn’t understand what was going on. Firstly, she couldn’t dispel the nightmare. And then unable to communicate to Ayumi’s subconscious. Such things had never happened to her before. She was always in full control of the dream realm. The only thing that she could guess was that something was preventing her from using her abilities to help Ayumi. Then to the surprise of the two Alicorns, the nightmare began to shift. The whole area became darker. As if it were night-time. And the rain around them became more intense. The pouring rain soaking the young purple Alicorn’s body as she started to shift position. Standing on her hooves as she looked around her surroundings in fright. Terrified at what was out there. And as for Luna and Cadence, they were about to get a hint of the Destroyer of Equestria. The three Alicorn’s suddenly heard a thunderous crash. Followed by a deep demonic growl. Knowing who it was behind her, the past Ayumi turned to look behind her. Freezing in terror. Luna and Cadence stood firm. They had got a perfect view of what the younger Alicorn was seeing. But in a way, they sort of wished they hadn’t. Looming over the downed princess, stood a massive imposing figure. The entirety of his body was shrouded in darkness. Preventing Luna and Cadence from seeing that the monster truly looked like. However, they were able to see his outline due to the thunderstorm. Bolts of lightning illuminating the area. The two were horrified at how accurate the creature was to Ayumi’s description of him. His demon-like horns on the sides of his head. His long thin arms ending with large, clawed hands. But what made the creature very intimidating was his sheer size. Going by the past Ayumi’s height, which at the time was identical to Twilight’s, the creature was easily larger than even BlackWarGreymon. Only by a couple of feet. But then a massive wave of fright travelled through the three mares when a pair of lights lit up where the creature’s head was. Then as he looked down to glare at the past Ayumi, his glowing eyes were revealed. A pair of haunting yellow orbs with piercing black pupils. It was a sight that made Luna and Cadence take a step back. With the type of eyes he had, along with the outline shape of his head, the monster looked very creepy. Almost freakish. Even though they couldn’t guess how truly powerful the evil Digimon was, just his eyes and outline alone made Luna and Cadence understand why Ayumi was so terrified of him. As the nightmare began to unfold, events began to play out. As the past Ayumi gawked at the beast in fear, the massive creature roared as he raised his right arm up in the air. Extending his blade-line fingers that were illuminated by the thundering sky. Attacking the Alicorn, the beast lashed out his arm at her. The past Ayumi screamed in pain as the swipe sent her hurtling through the ruins of Canterlot. Gasping in horror at what they had just witnessed, Luna and Cadence flew after her. Only to watch her crash and skid across the ground towards a nearby woodland. As the stricken purple princess came to a halt, Cadence was the first to land by her side. “Twilight!!” She cried out as she attempted to reach down to comfort her. But when her hooves try to get close to her, she could feel some invisible force pushing her away. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t reach her. Cadence then watched as the past Ayumi tried to stand back up. The younger mare yelling out in pain as she struggled to get back on her hooves. Trying to hold back her tears. But as she sat up, Cadence got a full view of the injury. The initial attack didn’t just smack the past Ayumi away, but it gave her a nasty gash on her left side. A gash that was bleeding. Cadence couldn’t believe it. Not only was her sister-in-law violently attacked, but the gash was in the exact same spot where one of her scars were. Furthermore, there were signs that she had also sprained her left wing from the tumble. She turned to Luna with the look of desperation. “Please, Luna! You must do something about this nightmare!” Luna paused for a moment before her face grew an expression of sadness. With all attempts to interact with Ayumi’s subconscious failed, options were very limited. “I’m sorry, Cadence. There’s only one thing we can do now.” The pink mare looked at her aunt in disbelief. With no way on helping, the only option they had left was to simply stand and watch. But with what the past Ayumi went through, she couldn’t even imagine how she would react. As the past Ayumi struggled to stand up, she heard another outburst of the monster back towards the city. As she turned to look back, she froze from seeing him with his sights on her. But the fear only escalated when the beast quickly moved into the shadows. Disappearing from sight, but clearly moving towards her. The actions caused the injured Alicorn to panic as she rushed onto her hooves. Despite the pain she was feeling, she started to run as fast as she could through the heavy rain and into the woodland. Charging through the plant life and moving in-between the trees. Not being a part of the nightmare, Luna and Cadence followed her by hovering through the woods. As if they were flying on a magic carpet. As the two flew through the air, they looked down at the past Ayumi below them. Both Luna and Cadence really wanted to help her. At first, they wanted to help cure her nightmare outright. But as the two became more engrossed in the horrible dream, the more they wanted to help her in her predicament. Even though it was all in just her head and that it was not real. Deep down, the two wished that such a disaster never befell Ayumi’s Equestria. The two were snapped out of their trance when a bright yellow energy blast shot right past them and into a nearby tree. The power of the attack caused the large tree to topple over close to the past Ayumi. Scaring her even more. Looking back to where she came from, the frightened mare could see a dozen more energy attacks shooting through the canopy. Flying over her head of exploding nearby. Luna and Cadence looked at the scene in horror. The monster was trying to blast her from afar. The two then heard trees crashing down from where the attacks were coming from. A sign that the evil Digimon was charging through the woods. Hearing that the evil being was catching up with her, the panicking Alicorn began to stumble out of fear. But before she fell over, he painfully jumped onto a half-fallen tree. Then out of desperation to escape the beast, Ayumi tried to climb the massive tree. Despite her wing being sprained, and no claws for grip on the tree bark, her struggles were bearing fruit. With great effort, she managed to escape through the thick leafless branches and into the thick blanket of cloud and smoke. Following her up, Luna and Cadence broke through the clouds and emerged to the other side. Just in time to see the past Ayumi emerging from the cloud and continued to climb on what was left of the highest branch. She paused as she took in deep breaths out of fear and exhaustion. As she rested the smoke-filled clouds continued to swirl around her. As if she was the centre of a lonely world. But as she looked around, along with Luna and Cadence, they could see the very tops of other trees. Until they were all knocked down. Undoubtedly smashed apart by the Digimon down below. As well as odd energy blasts that shot out of the clouds and into the darkened air With her body wounded and apparently very little magic left, the past Ayumi was forced to improvise. Looking over to a small branch nearby, she tore it off and held it under her working wing. Holding it out like a spear as she darted left and right to see any threats. Luna and Cadence could only watch on in worry. For the Night Princess, it was a horrific nightmare that she cannot repel. But for the pink Alicorn, the sight of what was essentially Twilight being all alone and so desperate to say alive was tearing her apart. With tears in her eyes, the once Princess of Friendship slowed her movements as she continued to scan her surroundings. She and the watching two received a brief fright when they heard a demonic growl as a section of cloud in front of them momentarily bulged up before settling. Like a shark lurking beneath the ocean waves. Believing that the creature was circling around her, the past Ayumi turned as to try and keep her sights on the possible whereabouts of the monster. But with her back turned, a large section of cloud plumed up higher into the sky. Only Luna and Cadence were able to see it. The large plume began to change shape. Then more clouds began to grow from the sides of the plume. Only for then to move straight up again. To the horror of the two older Alicorns, the plume was taking shape of the very same Digimon. The main plume moulded into his head. The side clouds forming his demon-like horns. Even the lower part of the plume resembling his neck and lower jaw. Buy the time the past Ayumi slowly turned around from the feeling of something nightmarish behind her, the piercing yellow eyes in the manifestation opened up to look directly at her. A deep growl could be heard as it opened its mouth. Revealing clouds that resembled sharp teeth. As the past Ayumi turned to face the manifestation fully, the expression on her face said it all. It was too late. Her world had fallen. Her friends and family had all been slaughtered. Everything she ever knew and ever had known… had been crumbled to dust. That there was no future for her. Tears flooded from her wide fear-stricken eyes as her face expressed utter terror. Whatever resistance she felt in her body gave out. For the two older Alicorns that were watching, they were seeing an expression that showed she had no hope. No light in the darkness. That everything she had loved… was all consumed by the evil Digimon that took everything from her. And that all what was left… was for it to consume her. Which was the exact thing that it did. The manifestation of the evil Digimon roared as it lunged forward with its toothy maw agape. The past Ayumi could only scream in terror as she too was consumed by it. The snap of its jaws silenced her as well as bringing total darkness to the world around Luna and Cadence. Bringing an end to the nightmare for only a moment. With the nightmare over, Luna and Cadence found themselves back in the confines of Ayumi’s mind. The two were left completely speechless at what they had just witnessed. What they had seen might be the closest to absolute hopelessness that the former Twilight felt. Luna then spoke up, breaking the silence. “That… that might be the worst nightmare I had ever witnessed.” After remembering the outline of the evil Digimon, she began to make comparisons. “Chrysalis. Sombra. Tirek. I thought that they were evil to the core. But that… thing. Even if Ayumi hadn’t told me about him, I could see that he was the worst.” Her thoughts then went to feeling sympathy for Ayumi. “After all this time. Even after destroying him. She still has nightmares about him.” While Luna was talking, Cadence remained silent. She just couldn’t believe such a thing had happened. Especially to the mare that was once Twilight. The evil Digimon left her all alone. No friends. No family. No home. Just thinking about it caused tears to fall from her eyes. Despite not exactly seeing Ayumi’s memories, just the nightmare alone was like a wake-up call for her. As if, it was all she needed to see. But deep down inside of her, there was more. Aside from the fear of what happened, and the sorrow she felt for Ayumi, there was something else. Hate. Deep down inside of her, she felt absolute hatred for the evil Digimon. For everything that he had done. Hearing it from Ayumi was bad enough. But to see it, even in a form of a nightmare, she felt that the creature had no heart. True evil incarnate. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw movement up above. Causing her to look up. Seeing the zeros and ones flowing above her head. Most of which were flowing in the same direction. The pink mare followed in their direction. “Luna, look.” “Huh?” Following her niece’s gaze, Luna too saw how the numbers were flowing in one direction. Much to her confusion. “Strange. The data in BlackWarGreymon’s mind didn’t move like that.” It wasn’t the only thing Luna found strange. Ever since her nightmare repelling spell failed, she felt that something wasn’t right. As if something more sinister was happening in the background. Something within Ayumi’s own mind. Feeling that there was a mystery at play, the night princess made a decision. “Let’s follow them.” Seeing the sudden determination in the blue Alicorn, Cadence followed her. Traversing deeper into Ayumi’s mind. Following the flow of data into what seemed to be an abys. As they travelled, both Luna and Cadence noticed that the world around them grew darker and darker. To a point where it no longer resembled the mind of a pony. Or any creature. The only source of light they had leading them was the glowing green numbers. Luna began to feel uneasy. She was still in Ayumi’s mind, yet she felt very little magic. Instead, she was feeling more of a Digimon’s power. But while it felt similar to the data that Ayumi wield in battle, what she was feeling felt much darker. Unsettling. After what felt like forever, the two mares saw something strange up ahead. The flow of data seemed to be swirling amongst themselves. With other bits of data leaving and going back to where they came. The two princesses paused as they looked at what could be described as a ball of zeros and ones. “What is that?” Cadence asked. “I have no idea. It must be… the centre of Ayumi’s power. The power of the Digimon,” Luna guessed. Deciding to not stand around, the two mares made a bold decision and fly straight at the ball of zeros and ones. Just as they thought that they could collide into them, the Alicorns simply phased through without any harm. Much to their relief and surprise. What furthered their surprise was that they seemed to have found a floor. Thought the ground couldn’t be seen, they could feel it with their hooves. After landing, the two looked around. The zeros and ones looked as though they were swarming around them. All in random directions in a big circle. As they continued to stare at the spectacle, Cadence spoke up. “This. This is the energy of all the evil Digimon she defeated, right?” Despite not getting a reply, the answer was obvious. A small smile crept on her face. “Well… at least she’s using this power for good. She could even help BlackWarGreymon protect the innocent.” The mention of her favourite Digimon caused Luna to think about him. About how much BlackWarGreymon had helped Equestria. Despite the mishaps, he was always fighting to protect her kind. And the world that he had called home. Then her thoughts went to the version of Equestria where Ayumi came from. An Equestria that, for one reason or another, BlackWarGreymon was never there. The amount of lives that would’ve been saved. To spare Ayumi from the kind of life that was best described as hell. She began to think back to the other day. When she caught on a conversation between Ayumi and BlackWarGreymon. Seeing the former Twilight acting emotional. Then hugging and thanking the Artificial Mega for all he had done. She finally understood it all. It was something that Ayumi had wished for her world. To have a powerful ally to help her. To spare her the pain of what she went through. Someone… that could’ve given her hope. Her sights shifted back to the data swirling around her and Cadence. She also remembered Ayumi saying that BlackWarGreymon… to her own disbelief… was even stronger than the evil Digimon that destroyed her home. Understandably surprised to the core. Luna gave the swirling data a unique expression. One that showed her distain for what the evil Digimon had done, and another that showed mockery. She then spoke up. Surprising Cadence from the fact that she looked as though she was talking to the data. “It’s a shame that BlackWarGreymon was never there to stop you. He had the power to tear you apart.” “Strange. I know those voices.” The new voice sent a very cold shiver of fear and dread down the spines of the two princesses. Their eyes widened as they possibly could as their bodies completely froze. The voice came from nowhere. Yet, it came from everywhere. All around them like an echo. But what struck fear in them was that the voice… sounded so demonic. Even more so, very much like the demonic growls from the Digimon in Ayumi’s nightmare. “L-Luna?” The pink Alicorn asked. Joined by the equally startled Moon Princess. “C-Cadence?” Then to their surprise, all the glowing green numbers suddenly paused. Then resumed moving. But much faster and more erratic. But as the mares watched the swarm of data in confusion, they heard the same demonic voice again. “The princess of love. And the mistress of the moon.” Hearing such a voice calling them out sent another wave of fear in the two. It sounded as though the voice knew them. The ponies began to dart their heads around. Trying to find something out of the ordinary. And as they did, they saw that there was a change to the flow of data. A spot in the sphere of numbers that the zeros and ones were avoiding. The gap grew bigger and bigger but revealing nothing but empty blackness. But when the two heard the voice again, it seemed to be coming straight from the gap. But to add the shock and fear into the two mares, the voice called them by their names. “Cadence… Luna…” Utter silence filled the space as Luna and Cadence stared at the empty void with shock and fear on their faces. Their legs trembling as their hearts raced from the fright. They didn’t like the way the voice said their names. Causing them to move closer to each other. Fearing that they might suddenly get separated. Then… straight from the dark abys in front of them… circled by the flowing data… the voice spoke again. Just as a pair of giant yellow piercing eyes stared right at them and into their very souls. “Haven’t I killed you?”