//------------------------------//
// Chapter 70: The Hard Truth 
// Story: BlackWarGreymon: Warrior of Harmony 
// by I-C-U-P 
//------------------------------//

A mysterious event had occurred at Equestria’s capital. In the castle of Canterlot, the Mane Six, the royal sisters and the royal couple were discussing about the events that had transpired. All from Twilight’s conversation with ChaosBlackWarGreymon, Luna and Cadence’s trip into Ayumi’s mind and made a horrifying discovery of the evil Digimon’s subconscious within, and how it all tied with the nightmare vision Celestia had witnessed the night before. But it all came to an abrupt end when they heard the sounds of a crash outside. When the group left the castle to investigate, they discovered to their shock, the unconscious form of BlackWarGreymon.

Seeing the black armoured Mega lying comatose in a creator made them thought that he was attacked. But with no damage or injuries on his body, there wasn’t any signs of a battle. Nor was he in any condition to fight. His experience as BlackWarGreymon Berserk Mode had left him exhausted. But as they inspected him more, they were suddenly surprised when they saw dark blue energy sparking around his body like electricity. And when it happened, BlackWarGreymon could be seen twitching in discomfort. A clear sign that he was struggling.

As they looked at him in shock and concern, the ponies were also curious as to how he ended up outside. But as they looked around, they saw that the Digimon was surrounded by rubble. Looking up at the tall tower that was right by them, they could see at the top, there was a gaping hole in the wall.

Princess Luna let a brief sigh of relief. The hole in the wall didn’t come from her bed chambers. Meaning that BlackWarGreymon was elsewhere in the castle prier to the incident. But that revelation caused her concern for the Artificial Digimon to peek again. It had only been a short while since she put him in her bed for rest. He was too weak to move on his own. She was wondering why her friend was wandering out of bed, whereas he should be resting. Even for his standards, it was too soon for him to recover.

But the group had to investigate the hole in the wall later. Their one priority was to get BlackWarGreymon inside. Using her teleportation spell, Princess Twilight Sparkle brought the whole group and the Digimon back to the throne room.

After they placed him gently on the ground, they were once again startled by the dark blue energy sparking randomly around his body. The group were confused at first, but for the magic casters, they could sense the kind of energy that was being emitted.

“Why does he keep doing that?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I sure don’t have ah clue,” Applejack answered. Having no idea.

But Twilight grew a worried expression.

“I don’t know what this is. But the energy were seeing definitely isn’t magic. It’s… almost like…”

“His own.”

The group all looked to Luna as she finished Twilight’s sentence. And were taken aback by her saddened expression as she gazed at the Mega. She continued while never breaking sight of the Digimon.

“That’s his own energy. I know it. It’s… unstable.”

“But why? What’s causing this?” Fluttershy asked. Her voice full of worry.

As she processed her thoughts, Luna gasped in realisation. A memory flickered in her mind.

“Wait. I think I’ve seen this before!”

While surprising the others, Luna turned towards Cadence.

“When we were moving through the dream realm, we passed by the door to BlackWarGreymon’s mind. As we moved, I saw the same spark of energy from the door.”

The pink Alicorn looked at her aunt in surprise. Being the one who didn’t notice before.

“Really!? That happened?”

After hearing Luna out, Twilight began to see a connection. As well as the cause of the abnormality.

“And all that happened, after his Dark Digivolution.”

In response to Twilight’s comment, the group all looked back at the unconscious Digimon. Rainbow Dash especially getting a bad vibe.

“Wait. You don’t think this is because of… that?”

Hearing the fearful tone in the blue mare’s voice gained the looks of surprise from most of the group. Rainbow Dash was never the one to show fear so easily. But it was understandable. The way the berserker Digimon acted toward her had certainly left an impression on her. But the thought caused them to worry. Would it mean that Rainbow Dash had become afraid of BlackWarGreymon?

Then Rarity spoke up. A questionable look on her face.

“And it me, or does his armour look… darker?”

Silent gasps were let out from the discovery made by the keen eye of the fashionista. BlackWarGreymon’s Chrome Digizoid armour certainly was a darker shade of black. It was surprising. If it weren’t for Rarity, they probably would’ve noticed. But it was strange. Other than the darker shade of black, BlackWarGreymon’s appearance remained the same.

As Luna stared at the sleeping Digimon, energy again sparking from his body, the Princess of the Moon received another bad feeling. Remembering what Celestia said to her just moments ago about her vision. The part that included BlackWarGreymon. And about this possible defeat. She began to fear that what was happening… may be a precursor to what could be his destined fate. Could the sparking energy be a sign that worse is to come?

Despite all the uncertainty in her mind, Luna felt that it was best to focus on one thing at the time. And the first thing was to find out what had happened just moments ago. How did BlackWarGreymon found himself outside?

“I’ll try to wake him up,” She said as she walked closer to the Digimon’s horned head. Her words gaining the attention from the others.

“Everypony. Please remain quiet as Luna needs to concentrate,” Celestia said quietly to the others. Knowing what her sister was about to do.

After moving closer to the Digimon’s sleeping face, Luna’s horn began to glow blue. Activating one of her spells. Then with a confident expression on her face, closed her eyes and pressed her glowing horn on BlackWarGreymon’s forehead. Everyone in the room stared on silently as Luna focused on her magic. Trying to tice the Mega to awake from his slumber. The process causing his closed eyes to twitch.

But as the blue Alicorn continued her spell, she also took a moment to use her magic to see into BlackWarGreymon’s mind. She briefly flinched in response to the surprisingly strong resistance she felt. But she felt the need to get through to him. As her spell continued, she began to whisper to him.

“Please, wake up. Blackie.”

As if in response to Luna’s quiet prayer, BlackWarGreymon began to grunt. He then began to shift his position. Moving his arm. Sensing the change, Luna stopped her spell as she took a few steps back towards Celestia.

“Good work, Luna,” Celestia said to her sister. Happy that her efforts paid off.

While the others were glad that the Night Princess’s spell had worked, they were also curious. Just before BlackWarGreymon began to stir, they thought they had just heard Luna whisper something to him. Her voice was too quiet for them to hear properly. The group wondering what she said to him.

After more grunting, BlackWarGreymon’s yellow eyes slowly opened while the sparking energy slowed to a stop. Then the half-wake Digimon sat up as he rubbed the back of his head from the headache he was feeling.

“Urrgh… m-my head.”

Finally, fully awake, BlackWarGreymon took note of his surroundings and all his friends.

“What? W-Where am I?”

“We’re in the Canterlot throne room,” Cadence responded. Followed by Celestia.

“Are you feeling alright?”

The Mega looked aside in thought. His puzzled expression was a sign that he was unsure.

“I… I don’t know. What… happened?”

The ponies looked at him in confusion.

“You’re asking us that? Were about to ask you,” Twilight answered.

The reply only confused the Digimon.

“What? What do you mean?”

Then Shining Armor spoke up. Revealing what had happened.

“You mean you don’t remember what happened just a moment ago? We found you lying in a crater outside.”

The Mega flinched in response.

“What!? I was outside!?”

But as BlackWarGreymon tried to stand up, he received a painful headache. Then as he clenched his head, his body began to emit the same dark blue energy sparks. Causing the Mega to twitch in response. But being wide awake, he was able to see his body letting out what looked like blue lightening. His eyes went wide in shock and surprise as he looked at his left arm.

“W-What’s happening!?” He said in an alarmed tone. 

Clearly seeing that their friend was panicking, the ponies tried to reassure him.

“BlackWarGreymon, it’s ok. Just calm down.” Cadence said. Joined by Fluttershy.

“It’s going to be ok. We’ll figure this out, right Twilight?”

After seeing the purple Alicorn nodding in agreement, the panicking Digimon tried to calm down his nerves. Despite what was happening to his body, he wanted to trust his pony friends. As he sat back down, Celestia walked up to him with a question in mind.

“BlackWarGreymon? Tell us. What was the last thing you remember?”

It was an important question. Not only it was about the events that had just happened, but also about the battle that happened outside the city. In response to the question, the Mega glanced down to the ground as he tried to remember. Closing his eyes as he tried to envision the events that transpired.

“I… don’t know. The last I remember was that you told me… that I defeated Tirek. Then after that… Luna helped me sleep. And then… then…”

Despite his best efforts, BlackWarGreymon came up empty.

“I can’t remember anything else.”

The group all looked puzzled. How could he not remember what happened? The fall he had wasn’t something he could forget. And it was not like he landed on his head. But wanting to get any resemblance to what had happened, Twilight hoped that BlackWarGreymon would answer her next question. Since the event in question happened before things went very south.

“Hay BlackWarGreymon. There’s something I need to know.”

The young Alicorn continued as the others looked at her to listen.

“In your fight with Tirek, you were in your Ascended form. You were very powerful, but as the fight went on, it made you weaker. Why did that happen?”

The group realised she had a point. The whole reason things turned out the way they had was because the Ascended form had failed BlackWarGreymon. During the fight, the magical transformation caused him to be worn-out while fighting Tirek.

At first, the Digimon wasn’t sure. But it was something he indeed remembered. Especially what the evil centaur said to him.

“It’s because Tirek was right. Despite having the power, I know little to nothing about my Ascended form. I overused its power, so just maintaining the form was exhausting.”

Then Applejack brought up a good point.

“Hay wait. But in ya’ fight with your clone, your form lasted a lot longer. So… what’s the deal with that?”

Despite what sounded like a mystery, BlackWarGreymon had already found the answer.

“It’s probably because I didn’t use my powers as much. At that fight, I didn’t use as much abilities as I did today. But with Tirek, I did.”

Twilight was first to understand the picture of which BlackWarGreymon was trying to explain.

“Oh, I see. So everytime you use your powers, it drains the energy of your Ascended form.”

The others were mentally surprised at the new revelation.

“Wow. That’s some weakness,” Pinkie Pie commentated.

As silence filled the room, most of the group were letting the information about the Ascended form sink in. But BlackWarGreymon broke that silence. Turning to his friends in confusion.

“But I don’t understand. Tirek drained me of that power. Then the next thing, Luna got hurt and…”

BlackWarGreymon quietly grunted as he tried to remember. But again, came up empty.

“Urgh… why can’t I remember?”

In uncertainty, he turned towards his friends.

“What happened?”

The group didn’t know how to answer the question. With how attached BlackWarGreymon was to his friends, the answer would certainly hurt him. He cared for his friends so dearly. A complete contrast to his Berserk Mode. Where he cared not for such things. The whole ordeal left them hurt and scared. In fact, some of them hoped that it was best for BlackWarGreymon to not know. But deep down, they knew it would be wrong. What if it happened again? What if he really did hurt someone and had no memory of it? By protecting him from the truth, it would be them who would suffer. 

As the group tried to decide what would be the best cause of action, it was Luna who spoke up. Addressing the other ponies.

“Everyone. As painful as it is, he needs to know.”

The ponies all gulped in response. But the blue Alicorn was right. It was something the Digimon had to know about. Even if he wouldn’t like what he would hear. As for BlackWarGreymon, he looked at his friends in confusion.

“Tell me what? What is it?”

Most of the group held their breath. Both from the sudden tension of how the Mega would react, and for some, not wanting to be the ones to tell him. Being the one who was the closest to him, Luna was the one who spoke first.

“BlackWarGreymon. Back at the fight, after Tirek bested me… you underwent a… change.”

“A… a change?” BlackWarGreymon asked as his body began to spark up again. Almost in sync with his uncertainty.

When Twilight spoke up, she went into detail about the event.

“Yes, BlackWarGreymon. When you saw Luna got hurt, you just froze in place. And then you let out your anger at Tirek. And when you spoke to him, these… black flames appeared around your body. Then as you roared out in rage, your whole body just erupted in black energy. I honestly have never seen you so angry before. Then the next thing we knew, you changed. Your body just transformed into something else. You looked mostly the same, but… much scarier… and angrier and…”

Twilight was silenced as BlackWarGreymon surprised the group by standing straight up. Throughout the Alicorn’s explanation, the Digimon’s expression changed. The look of confusion in his eyes slowly morphed into horror as he listened. He perfectly understood what Twilight was trying to say. The description was just too accurate. 

Despite his legs screaming for rest, the shock of what he heard was just too great for him to sit still. He looked down at Twilight with the look of utter terror.

“Wait! Don’t tell me! Did I … Dark Digivolved!?”

The group looked surprised at the Digimon. Not only he was fully aware of the transformation, but he too was terrified of it. But probably in shock that he went through such a horrific transformation.

The group all fell silent. But the expressions on their faces confirmed that it was true. BlackWarGreymon felt as though the weight of the world fell on him. His eyes wide in shock and disbelief as he looked down at his arms. Again seeing the dark blue sparks of energy emitting from his body. 

“But… that’s impossible! I’m an Artificial Digimon! Created from Control Spires! I shouldn’t be able to do such a thing!”

BlackWarGreymon then paused for thought. He began to remember his conversation with his creator back in the Digital World. Back when he was in doubt about his destiny. He began to remember what had been said.

‘Wait! Could this be the result of these… left-over programs she was talking about? That it’s not just my defiance against her?’
 
As his mind continued to process, he received a sudden bad feeling as he turned to look at his friends. The feeling of dread already setting in. Knowing full well how dreaded Dark Digivolution could be.

“What… did I do?”

Most of the group couldn’t conceive a way to explain. They just didn’t want to be the ones to tell. But Twilight came up with an effective solution.

“It would be easier to show you.”

The ponies all looked at her in surprise. Wondering what she was going to do.

It didn’t take long for the solution to present itself. The young Alicorn’s horn glowed a bright purple as she prepared a memory spell. Then magically forming a large flat square above her head, it acted as a window to her memories. Giving the group an opportunity to see the events from Twilight’s point of view. For the group, it was something they were about to relive. But for BlackWarGreymon, the fearful Digimon silently looked at the screen. Scared for what he was about to see.

Everyone fell silent as Twilight performed the spell. Images began to come into view through the magical window. They all began to see the field outside of Canterlot. Tirek standing tall. BlackWarGreymon standing in defiance. And Luna unconscious on the ground. The group all realised that Twilight was playing the events after the blue Alicorn was bested. But for Princess Luna herself, it was her first time seeing the events unfold. She being knocked out at the time.

But for her, he felt uneasy. She was about to witness BlackWarGreymon’s dark transformation.

All eyes were on the view screen. BlackWarGreymon made a declaration that Tirek would suffer for what he had done. He began to roar at the sky, followed by his body being shrouded in a powerful black aura. There was a moment where the Digimon tried to regain control, but ultimately surrendered to his rage. Undergoing his Dark Mode Change. The Mega concealed in his dark ball of data, only for it to break open. Revealing the Digimon in a whole new light. In a brand-new body.

For Luna, the transformation was very reminiscent of her decent into Nightmare Moon. Already feeling uncertain as to how BlackWarGreymon was feeling. As for Digimon, it was his first time seeing his dark transformation in full form. His eyes widened in disbelief.

“Is… is that me!?”

“I’m afraid so, darling,” Rarity answered. Then she and the others were surprised at what BlackWarGreymon said next.

“It's so... hideous.”

The others were stunned as they looked at him. It was his own transformation, and he called it hideous. BlackWarGreymon was repulsed by his mode change. He had never seen himself look so threatening. Already seeing why his friends were all hesitant in telling him the truth.

But the worst was yet to come. As the memory played out, the battle between Lord Tirek and BlackWarGreymon Berserk Mode insured. The battle looked even at first, but the dark Mega grew stronger overtime. Eventually overpowering Tirek. But during the clash, the first big fright came to bare. BlackWarGreymon stared at the scene in horror. The sight… was of him threatening Rainbow Dash. Fortunately, the Pegasus got out of there without getting hurt. But the next big surprise was after Tirek was depowered. The berserker Digimon kept on attacking him. Torturing him before putting an end to his life by fire.

“I… killed Tirek?” BlackWarGreymon asked. Shaken from the fact that he just took another’s life.

Twilight then made the decision to go to the next big battle. The clash between the enraged Mega and his clone. The Artificial Digimon was admittingly surprised to see that even ChaosBlackWarGreymon was trying to calm him down. But the fight still happened. And with the nature of BlackWarGreymon’s dark form, the grey armoured Mega couldn’t fight back as he wanted to. BlackWarGreymon almost felt sympathy from seeing himself inflicting severe injuries to the clone.

But it was the blanks that Twilight hesitantly filled in that made BlackWarGreymon flinch in terror. The sight of him lashing out at his friends. The ponies just wanted him to stop his rampage. But he wouldn’t listen. Even Ayumi became a victim as she tried to help. The future alternate Twilight suffering by his hands. And not long after becoming his friend.

The sights and sounds of the memory was causing BlackWarGreymon to not only immediately regret asking, but an unpleasant feeling swelled within him. Urging him to stop watching.

“Stop it.”

And it was the sight and sound of him striking Ayumi down that snapped him. His eyes widened in desperation from the need to end it.

“Show me no more!!” He shouted as he swiped his right arm at the magical screen. Causing it to dissipate into nothing. Bringing it to an end.

The shaken Mega breathed heavily from what he saw as his body once again began to spark with dark energy. The feelings he was experiencing were a mix of horror, fear and disbelief. The panicked Digimon looked to his friends. The ponies were surprised at how he reacted. As he looked at them, BlackWarGreymon’s sights fell upon Rainbow Dash. Looking at him in uncertainty. He then remembered how she looked at him before he was taken away by Luna. The look of fear. And he finally realised why.

The Digimon spoke to the blue Pegasus. His voice stricken in sympathy and regret.

“Rainbow Dash. I... I’m so sorry. I… I couldn’t…”

His fear began to escalate as she looked to all the other ponies. The guilt building higher.

“Everyone. I… I didn’t mean to… I… I would never! It’s… It’s…”

Luna quickly stepped in. It was something she didn’t want to see. Remembering how surprisingly fragile BlackWarGreymon’s mind was, she had to help him. Seeing the blue mare walk towards him gained his attention. Surprising Luna with the distraught expression on his face. Seeing those eyes raised the urgency within the Alicorn. Rushing up to him to help reassure him.

“Ha-hay, it’s ok. It’s ok. It’s not your fault. We already know. It’s a transformation you couldn’t control. You lost yourself to your anger. But you’re back now. That’s what matters now.”

BlackWarGreymon saw the smile on Luna’s face. He wanted to believe her. But Dark Digivolution was no joke. Making him second guess where he would go from there. But to his surprise, the next voice of support came from Rainbow Dash. The blue mare walking up to him. 

“Hay, big guy. I admit, it was scary. Like… really scary. But that wasn’t the real you, right? The BlackWarGreymon I know would never do that kind of thing on his own. I guess what I’m saying is, I forgive ya.”

Hearing such words from Rainbow Dash had lifted such a worrying load off BlackWarGreymon’s back. The Mega felt touched from being forgiven. The worries melting away. He wasn’t the only one. The rest of the group all smiled at Rainbow Dash for doing something so mature. She was afraid at first. But seeing the amount of regret from the Digimon showed her that it wasn't his fault. It was all just in the nature of Dark Digivolution. The forgiving atmosphere was high enough for the emotional Pinkie Pie to act up.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash!” She yelled as she leapt onto the Pegasus to the ground for a big hug.

The others laughed at a display of such affection. The tension in the air virtually gone as even BlackWarGreymon softened his expressions. Then as Rainbow Dash wrestled Pinkie Pie off of her, she spoke to the Digimon again.

“Hay! If it makes you feel any better, you should see when Fluttershy gets angry.”

The group again laughed at the remark. The yellow Pegasus blushed in embarrassment, but even she saw the funny side of it. Like how she of all ponies was the one to tell a full-grown dragon off. Eventually giggling in response. The mood had been lifted to a point where even BlackWarGreymon let out a quiet chuckle. But the laughter ended when the Digimon spoke up. The sound of confusion in his voice.

“But there’s something I don’t understand. How did I turn back to normal? Dark Digivolution isn’t easy to reverse.”

The ponies all looked at each other with small smiles. Knowing how it happened. Then Twilight spoke as her horn lit up.

“See for yourself.”

Using the same spell as before, a purple magical window reappeared above her. When images began to appear, BlackWarGreymon was stunned at what he saw. He saw himself in his Berserk Mode form. And he was staring down at the last pony he wanted to hurt. Princess Luna herself. He could see her talking to him. But due to the distance between them and where Twilight was standing, no words were heard. But from how Luna acted, the words she spoke must’ve been important. Then something caught the Mega’s full attention. As Luna looked down, him in his berserker state reached his arm down and with the upmost care, caressed his finger against her cheek. Wiping away her tears. Then after a surprised reaction from the princess, the Digimon thrashed around before his body let out a bright glow. Then within moments, returned to normal.

BlackWarGreymon stared at the memory in astonishment, then turned to look at Luna beside him. It was her. She was the one who did the impossible.

“You.”

Hearing his quiet voice caught Luna’s attention. When she turned to look at him, the Moon Princess was surprised at the kind of expression she saw in his eyes. Not only he was amazed, but she could tell that he was incredibly touched. He spoke to her again.

“You brought me back.”

Not just his expression, even the quiet tone in his voice showed sincere gratitude. Genuinely moved by her bravery. Though Luna said nothing, she gave him a heartfelt smile while a small blush formed in her cheeks.

However, out of everyone in the room, Rarity was the only one who noticed the two. She paused. Seeing the memory Twilight was showing was sweet, but there was something in front of her that she couldn’t just look away from. The way BlackWarGreymon was looking at Luna. And the warm caring smile the blue princess gave in return. She couldn’t help but briefly ponder as she looked at the sight. As if… she had forgotten something.

Then it hit her. A couple of nights ago, on the that particular day. Hearts and Hooves Day. When BlackWarGreymon came to her for advice, he revealed that he had a date with Luna. Then on the night at Canterlot, she saw the two together.

With the memory fresh in her mind, Rarity looked at the two in front of her again. Thinking about all the times she saw the two together. She then paid close attention to their expressions. It then clicked. The whole time she thought that the date was just Luna’s way of repaying BlackWarGreymon for all he had done. But no. There was more to it. Far more! Far more than she ever imagined!

BlackWarGreymon and Luna. The two truly cared for one another. Possibly even…!

When such a thought entered the Unicorn’s mind, Rarity mentally and physically had to contain herself. Her eyes went as wide as they could as she placed her right hoof over her mouth. Letting out a quiet squeal in excitement.

As the memory ended, so did Twilight’s spell. The actions snapped Luna and BlackWarGreymon back to reality. As everything fell quiet, Prince Shining Armor broke the silence.

“So, what do you think?” He asked BlackWarGreymon.

All eyes were on BlackWarGreymon. Wondering what he was thinking about after everything that happened. After some thought, BlackWarGreymon came to several conclusions.

“There are things I need to figure out. My Ascended form had helped me before, but it clearly has a big flaw. So… I think it would be best that I’d only use it as a last resort. When situations are dire.”

He paused before continuing. Remembering the nightmare that was his Berserk Mode.

“But I will never EVER use that other form! Never.”

The ponies were surprised by the amount of anger in BlackWarGreymon’s voice. A sign that there was now a side of him that he hated. But by making such a promise, it’s likely that they would never see that form again. Hopefully.

Surprise aside, the group were also deeply amazed. The Artificial Mega was willing to fight in his normal state rather than to take risks. Once more making their safety his priority.

“So ya just gonna stay in ya normal form?” Applejack asked.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve spent all my life like this anyway,” He replied.

However, the adrenaline BlackWarGreymon felt from discovering his Berserk Mode had worn off. With it, returned the heavy fatigue he was suffering. Causing him to wobble as he tried to regain his footing.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Cadence asked.

“I’ll be fine. I’m just… going for a walk.”

But as BlackWarGreymon tried to walk towards the exit to the throne room, the same dark blue energy began to spark around him again. The sight made the group feel concerned for him. Thinking that the random flux of energy was just a side-effect of his dark transformation.

“Hang in there,” Luna said to the Mega. To which he nodded in response. Not noticing Rarity again trying not to squeal loudly. Finding the caring duo absolutely adorable.

After some heavy footsteps, BlackWarGreymon took his leave and left the throne room. But as soon as the doors closed behind him, the black-armoured Digimon suddenly felt a headache. Using his left hand to clench his head, he grunted from the stinging sensation in his head. The negative blue energy sparking all over his body.

Then just as the pain grew, for a split second, his eyes briefly flashed white. And his grunting suddenly felt malicious. Then just as quickly as it came, it all suddenly stopped. As if it never happened.

“Urrgh! Wha… what was that!?” He asked himself as he tried to walk on. His voice carrying a hint of fear.