Streams of tears fell from Twilight's face as the screams grew more frantic. Her attempt to block out the noise was unsuccessful. All she could do is sit through the madness around her.
How could everything had gone so wrong? The war, the Elements, her research, everything. The Princesses and Ministries were all gone now, along with most of Equestria.
And here she was, trapped within the facility that would be her grave. She might've yielded a peaceful resolution from the testing within a few extra days but there had been no time. The final option now remained with Spike and the Gardens of Equestria megaspell.
The screams were turning into shrieks, making it hard for her to think. She felt herself scream but could hear nothing. It was too loud...
Too loud...
"Hello, Miss Sparkle."
The shrieks stopped, all Twilight could hear was the sound of her breathing. She recognized that voice, she looked up, her eyes meeting a figure clad in a white armor that towered over her.
"Spark."
It was him! He had come back!
Ever since he escaped, Twilight had waited for so long to apologize for all the things she did to him. Though she knew that any kind of explanation would be nothing to him but a feeble excuse.
All of that anger and despair within her, and she took it all out on Spark: her perfect creation, her breakthrough, her-
"Look at what's become of you," he commented, kneeling down to look her over. His voice was distorted by his mask. Even with it on, she could tell he was leering at her.
"Twilight Sparkle; the Element of Magic, the head of the Ministry of Arcane Science, the princess who gave up the chance to have wings and god-like power."
Twilight felt a chill run down her spine as old memories surfaced. She had indeed given up her chance to be an Alicorn and sacrificed much of her magic. All to create him.
Despite his appearance, Spark was almost ten years old. She had genetically modified him to grow at twice the rate of an ordinary pony. She had also embedded him with her own intelligence.
"And a fine job you did, protecting Equestria," he continued. "I mean, the Elements and the Princesses did what they could. And in the end, the Pegasus abandoned Equestria, the megaspells destroyed your homes and the land has been left uninhabitable."
Twilight hung her head in shame, knowing he was right.
"Not only that but two of the Elements along with Luna have perished. The rest have either fled or gone missing. So much for the protectors of Equestria."
He chuckled. "It was almost a thing of beauty if I'll be honest. Like a stained glass window, beautiful and flawless. Some many colors and shapes together in harmony, but then a well-thrown stone shatters the glass."
Tears once again began to stream down her face. It pained her to hear of Luna and the fact that two of her friends had died as well. But, she would not take this lying down.
She craned her neck to look up at him. "Did you just come here to toy with me? Damage my will?"
"Isn't that what you did with me?" Spark replied in a casual tone. "I mean, you hurt me in more ways than one. Isn't returning the favor fair?"
"I never meant to hurt you!" Twilight cried out as she struggled to stand, but she had grown weak from malnutrition. "When I was developing you, I meant for you to be the perfect weapon, but I was blinded by my grief that I didn't realize-"
Spark shot up, "Didn't realize?! For days I begged for the pain to stop, I pleaded with you to let me out. You treated me like a piece of hardware instead of a living being!"
His horn glowed with red-violet energy, and Twilight gasped as an invisible force gripped her neck, lifting her up to his eye level.
"Every day and night, I dreamed of the pain I'd inflict on you once I had escaped. I did my best to bring you down during the war. Under me, others saw how incapable the Ministries and the Princesses were."
Twilight struggled in vain to escape his grip.
"We caused so much trouble, but of course, you all were too busy dealing with the Zebras. So, in came the E.P.D, the self-made protection division to combat us. If I recall, I think one of your assistants defected to them. Starlight I think her name was. Heh. At least they got the job done, unlike the Ministries.
The grip on Twilight's neck slowly tightened. "Near the end, I had hoped to kill all those you considered a friend, but it seems the megaspells beat me to it. But there were others I could dispose of, particularly the Crystal Empire."
Twilight's eyes widened, "You didn't..."
"I did," he confirmed. "My assault lasted for months, but in the end, it was the Megaspells that did them in."
"Shining... Cadence... Flurry-"
"You needn't worry about Flurry Heart," he interjected. "When I confronted her parents, she was nowhere to be seen. Most likely then sent or hid her someplace safe from the Megaspellls."
"Then she could still be alive?" Twilight asked hopefully.
He shrugged. "Most likely in a Stable with the other crystal ponies who survived. Though we'll probably never know her location. Not to worry though, I have-" He froze, and tilted his head to the right as if he heard something. "Our time's up."
He let Twilight fall to the ground in a heap, she grunted in pain as she looked up.
"What do you mean?"
"I originally came to kill you, but she has something else in mind." He gestured toward something behind Twilight.
"She?" Twilight sat up, turning around to come face to face with... Trixie?!
It was Trixie or an illusion of her. She looked the same way she did before her accident.
“I’m sorry, Trixie,” Twilight whimpered.
“You don't have anything to be sorry for," the illusion spoke with a gentle smile. "Your experiment worked, after all. It worked more wonderfully than we ever dreamed it would. Don’t be sorry. Be happy. We’re going to live forever, you and me.”
“What?” Twilight asked startled.
“I’m sorry it took so long for me to be strong enough to save you, Twilight."
Out of nowhere, light blue tendrils snaked across the floor and wrapped around Twilight's legs. She struggled to get out, but they held on.
Twilight looked to Spark for help, but he just stood there.
"You can't let her do this!"
He chuckled, "Why not? I'd like to think of this as poetic justice. Soon you'll feel how I did inside of that vat for all those years, floating in constant pain."
"But I'm-"
"Besides, you'll finally get the chance to become what you originally gave up. Who knows, maybe you'll like having wings-"
"I'm sorry!"
That caught Spark by surprise. Of all the things he had expected her to say, an apology was not one of them. However, it served only to strengthen his anger.
"Sorry?" He echoed slowly. "So many chances, pleas for mercy, screams of pain, and all you have to say is sorry?"
He looked her right in the eye. "You had your chance. And you now have to pay the price."
The tendrils began to drag her away.
“No!” Adrenaline surged through Twilight as she fought their grip, but it didn't help.
“It’s time to save you now, Twilight Sparkle,” illusion-Trixie said, “We’re going to be very close now, you and I.”
Spark watched as Twilight's screams grew more frantic, begging him for help.
"Spark!" Twilight cried out one last time as she was pulled into the furthest vat.
Then, she was gone.
Spark lost track of how long he stood there, Twilight's screams echoing in his mind.
Strange. So many years he waited to see her fall and make her pay for everything she put him through. Yet, after finally having his moment, he felt... unsatisfied. Was it pity for the loss of the only parental figure he ever had?
No. Not for her, never for her.
"I've held up my end of the deal," he spoke as he looked up. "Now I expect you to do the same."
"Of course," the voice of Trixie invaded his mind. "It's already been done."
"Then I'll take my leave."
"You know, without you, The Goddess wouldn't be complete. Are you sure you can't stay?" the voice seemed to pout. "The two of us are almost like siblings, we could accomplish great things together."
"I have a few goals of my own I need to achieve," he answered. "But I'll think on it."
"A pleasure doing business with you," Trixie called after him as he teleported away.
Spark materialized outside of the facility. He had a lot of work to do.
The "Goddess" would alter the surveillance footage in the facility, making it look as if he never existed. He had big plans for Equestria, but for now, he'd have to remain a ghost.
Many of his followers had already destroyed or altered many memory orbs or cameras that contained information on him. As well as killing anypony that had encountered him. Some of his followers had also escaped into the Stables. There they would alter the history books, making sure everything single detail of Spark and themselves was erased.
In order for his actions of the Crystal Empire to be erased, the Crystal Empire itself would also be erased as well. Nopony would be missed. Aside from Flurry and those who escaped, nopony would ever again encounter the remnants of the Crystal Ponies. He made sure of it.
The Canterlot Wedding and some events proceeding and succeeding it would also be erased, as to not let ponies know of Cadence and Shining Armor becoming the Crystal Empire's rulers. Perhaps would be best to erase Shining and Cadance completely. He'd be sure to send the message to his followers.
Lastly, Twilight's status as a princess and an Alicorn would be erased as to prevent Spark's origin from being revealed. It would take Equestria a long time to regrow. He was patient, he could wait.
He remembered when Twilight told him that he would accomplish great things. Perhaps he still could.
But until then, he would be a ghost.
Watching... Waiting... Studying...
Hunting down anypony aware of him.
And when the time came.
He would make himself known.