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// Chapter 7- Midnight Sparkle. 
// Story: My immortal phoenix. 
// by Lieral 
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Beaten, cut and decapitated.

Impaled, burned and hanged.

I died many and many times, but each time, I came back, bringing more fear and hesitation to all those who condemned me. Even though I suffered everything that would destroy anyone's spirit, I still could not disappear.

They wanted to kill me to prevent any kind of disaster a monster could bring, and I wanted to die to escape this hopeless nightmare.

But, they could not make both of our wishes come true.

With the time they finally understand that they can not kill me, and that make them even more scared of me.

I was thrown into a chain made especially for me. There was no magic or anything that was done to kill me, but it had been built inside an isolated cave, embedded in the mountain itself, as a desperate measure of restraint.

For their happiness it worked.

Locked inside it I could not be killed. They do not even bothered bringing me food or water, since I could not die from neither of those restrictions.

How long I was there? I do not know the answer to that question.

My throat became so dry that my voice could no longer leave my mouth. Hunger made me crazy.

Days and days. Weeks and weeks. Months and months. And finally years and years, they simply let me there, rotting and living each day with the certainty that the next day would unfortunately come.

Until a faithful day.

An old guard came to my cell. Now he showed the signals of an old man, but when we first meet he was no much older than 18 years old.

But he wasn't alone.

Dragged by the guard, I saw the same girl I had seen so long ago, her purple face now dirty with blood and mud.

'I brought company for you, monster.' He said opening the cell's door and toss the girl unceremoniously inside. She was unconscious and her body has some clear signal of tortures. The guard locked the cell and walked away without turning back.

I stared the old guard and then I looked back at the same young girl laying at my side. She's exactly like I saw her last time, an impossible feat for a normal human, and because of that I noticed...

She's immortal too!

I tried to woke her up, her body was cold, but not enough to be considered dangerous... Well, actually I do not know why I was even worried with hypothermia.

After a few minutes she woke up. Her first action was to scream and ran away from me, her eyes wide open and teary, she was obviously afraid of me, and I can't blame her.

I tried to talk, but no sound leaves my dry mouth. I tried again and again, but just after a few times I finally managed to make a simple question.

I asked her name.

Every word was a torture to me, I felt as if my throat was ripping inside after so many years without uttering a single word, but after each try she seems a bit less scared, so I took it as a victory.

Yet away from me she answered my question with agony clear in her voice.

Midnight she said... Midnight Sparkle.

I asked why she was locked with me, even if I already was certain of her answer.

She cried.

Observing a small and lonely girl crying is hard, I wonder if that's how I looked when I cried so long ago... I do not think so, I could never attack someone crying like that, but that never was a problem for those who pursued me, and if a monster like myself can't do that, then who can.

Cautiously I approached her, my legs were shaking, almost too weak to keep my own weight. But yet, I tried to come closer, and this time she did not avoid me, instead, she tried to say what have happened.

She said she was adopted by a rich family of the region, but after many years her appearance did not change nor old, making those near her got worried with the possibility she's like me.

She said she remember me. She remember the day I was "killed" by those guards.

I could not answer... Even now I do not know what I should have done at that time.

I turned to the locked cell. The jail cell was already beginning to look worn and rusty, but there's nothing we could do. I sat down and stared the far outside dreamily.

But the worst was after that.

I could endure everything they have done to me, but probably the worst torture was to see that girl suffering. I already could support that "life", but Midnight  was raised in a rich family.

I watched as that small girl languished. suffering from thirst without ever being able to quench it, dying of hunger without being able to even die. Every day, every second she stood there, whispering to herself, not loud enough for me to hear.

That was a true torture.

Again years and years have passed. Even with "company" this time the experience was the same. The last time years passed and turned a 18 years old into an old man, and yet neither of us got any older.

But this time enough time has passed to make both of us become "18 years old girls". 

One day no guards showed up

And then again.

And again.

The time has passed.

And at a time when the prison itself rotted away, we finally saw the light of the sun again.

With trembling steps we walked away from the ruin that one day was our punishment for having existed, and we leaved the cavern without looking behind.

It wasn't the sunlight as I thought before, but we were graced with the moonlight on our almost deformed faces. We walked away into the forest that hided our jail, and not far from where we were locked I saw a vision that is still trapped in my mind.

In the middle of the trees, in a great ruin I saw a lake, in fact it was more than that, it was almost ... Like a fountain.

We ran toward it and we crouched down to drink it's water.

Now, it seems like we were two small children running toward an amazing prize, but I do not cared at that time. I am not ashamed to say I cried.

After the living hell we lived I could not believed this was even happening, the water trickled down my throat as if it were pure magic, giving me back the life that had long been taken. I drank it as if I never has drunk before, I turned at my side to see Midnight's face and I was surprised to see nothing.

With my vision yet blurred I searched for her around. 

I found her standing not far from me, watching in the landscape below something I could not see. I walked over to her and searched for what she watched with such interest.

We were in a high place, and just below a small village stood out in the darkness of the night.

My eyes widened and I just did not know what to do. I looked over to my side to see her face, but I could not see her eyes, just a small grin.

Before I could do anything to stop her, she jumped off the cliff.

Beaten, cut and decapitated.

Impaled, burned and hanged.

Everything I could do was watch as the blood flows on the streets.

She did to others what they once did to her, almost like a demon trying to become human by imitating them.

The night passed with screams of terror. I did not know what to do. I did not know how she gained such strength. I did not know when her heart and soul were consumed by anger and hatred.

The sun rose and fell, and just after every living being was murdered by Midnight's hand she came back to me.

Her whole body was covered in blood, and on her face an innocent smile countered her grotesque appearance. She looked at me and her smile fainted.

'Is there something wrong?' She asked.

I did not answered.

'Why you are so scared?' She asked approaching me, somehow her purple skin seems a lot darker than before, and it was not because of the blood.

'Why have you done that?' I asked.

'I just gave then what they deserved for being cruel with us!' She answered.

'By doing the same with then? Do you remember the pain we felt? Do you think is right to give it to the others?' I asked back.

Her face did not change as she answered. 'Yes. I think it is!'

I did not answer.

'Why are you angry with me? I thought you are my friend!' She said stepping forward. 

I asked her to stop, I said we did not need to do this, we can live in the forest, away from the humans and the suffering they could bring as a last attempt to bring her back to senses.

With every word her face darkened, she said she was not a coward to ran away. We have a fight.

It was not like a discussion, we fought each other. With each punch I could feel my strength increasing, but with each punch I wondered if it is hurting her or myself instead.

After we got tired I saw behind her a man holding some kind of weapon. He attacked Midnight with a scream, but she did not kill him.

When he tried to hit her I killed him.

I tried to make him faint, but I did not understand how to control my strength, my punch was enough to break his neck without even trying.

I stared at the man I just killed as Midnight screamed with me. I turned my head and she asked if I understand now, she said all humans would do the same and they should not exist. 

With tears in my eyes I still said it was not right.

That was the end. 

She made a solemn promise, she promised that only after she'd killed every human in the world would she come for me, no matter what.

She pushed me off the cliff, and I saw when wings so purple that it seemed almost black came out of her back, and a blue glow covered her eyes and created what appeared to be a long horn coming out of the middle of her forehead.

Somehow she learned to use those wings immediately and flied to the sky.

I fell on hard and painted with blood stones that were bellow that beautiful place, but that did not hurt. What really hurt was to see my only friend flying away from me. What really hurts is to know that someday she will certainly fulfill her promise. What really hurt is to know the truth that in the end we are the same.

Disliked by all as a taboo, a monster with talent for nothing more than killing

In other words... Me. 

………………………….

Tears of sadness stained the pages of the open book in front of Twilight Sparkle.

She did know what to do.

Rising from the chair, she ran toward the magic mirror that lit up her room and entered that other world with her dog following loyally.