Twilight walked into the next room watching as the walls melted and changed into a replica of the Celestia’s gardens. This place held a lot of memories for her. Twilight contemplated that this was the reason the room chose this location since the part of the spell attached to ones dark side was also tied to places with great emotional significance. Twilight was sure that it was made so to allow a greater amount of emotional damage, and Twilight wasn’t sure enough of the spell glyphs to make any alterations to lessen that.
As Twilight looked ahead she noticed what looked like a purple nightmare moon. With Amythest armor adorned with Twilight’s Cutie Mark. And an ethereal mane and tail which shone with flecks of raw magical power.
“So you’ve finally made it here. Congratulations, you may call me Nightmare Spark.” Her double stated with a cold glare directed at her.
“ So you’re the dark manifestations of my repressed subconscious. It’s a good thing that I came here prepared. You have no hold over me.” Twilight said with a satisfied grin.
“Is that what you said when your friends and family abandoned you? Or when despite all that you’ve accomplished those you care about would judge you so harshly rather than listen to you?” Nightmare Spark replied.
Twilight’s grin instantly vanished as those wounds were dug into. “W-Well no. You can’t prepare for something like that.”
“Yes you can. Your parents did nothing but train you to accept that you are nothing but a disappointment. That all your accomplishments can never live up to their expectations. Heck even after you saved the world numerous times they still felt that it was worth it to say how you could’ve done better.”
“Well yes I guess they did shape me into the neurotic mess that I am today. But there is good that came out of it. And I know what you are trying to do. You can only take over and eject me from the spell if I give into you. And I am ready to forgive others so there!”
“All words Twilight. Have you forgotten that we are the same being? I know your secrets, your pains, your thoughts. You say that you are ready to forgive, but I taste the anger you hold close to your heart. Admit it. You know nothing about this place other than that I am a darker representative of yourself.”
Twilight sat on the grass the fight having been taken out of her before she had a chance to build steam. When I set out from the castle I didn’t know what I would go up against. I just wanted to find meaning in my life again. Get back that fire that propelled me into the mare I’ve become. But I never expected this. Even when going over the spell I simply thought that knowing what I was going up against would prepare me enough. I forgot that knowing is only half the battle.
“You’re right. So let’s get this over with what do I need to do to pass this place?”
“Pass? Simple give into me. Let me take over and you’ll be free to take the revenge you so rightly deserve.”
“No I don’t want revenge I want them to apologize for betraying me. That’s all.”
“You want them to forgive you? Why not force them to do it? After all you don’t have a problem with using magic to enforce your will onto others.”
“Because that wouldn’t be a true apology. It would be scripted.” Twilight replied, her ears falling flat against her head as her tail twitched in annoyance.
“But you don’t deny that you force others to do what you want. That’s rich. And who cares if it’s scripted? If they won’t follow you out of love you can make them love you. You can make them do what ever it is you desire. You know how to do it after all.”
“I don’t do it that often. That plus it was Luna who taught me that spell, I just use it when I don’t want to have to deal with some pony when all they are doing is acting on some irrational fear. That doesn’t make me in the wrong. As for forcing love. That’s worse than rape, and I won’t do that too anypony. I want them to apologize because it’s the right thing, not because they have no choice.”
“You do know that was a highly hypocritical, and blame shifting statement you just made? ‘Oh I don’t do it that often, only when I want others to do what I tell them too’. ‘Oh and it’s not my fault it’s Luna’s for teaching me dark magic’. ‘Ohhh! booo hooo!’” Nightmare Spark laughed.
“Your right I shouldn’t blame others for my actions. It’s my fault I react that way, but that doesn’t mean I’m doing anything wrong.”
“And I never said you did. Only that you should own up to the fact that you are a tyrant. You should embrace it, not fight it.”
“What! I am not a tyrant!” Twilight screamed.
“Really? What is a ruler that exercises their power or control in a cruel, irresponsible, or arbitrary manner?”
“A tyrant.” Twilight whispered, “I can’t believe I was the tyrant that others call us. I didn’t think I was, but I am.”
“See was that so bad? You should be like me Twilight. Others only leave you, betray you, look down upon you. Even your marefriend thinks you are a joke. After all everypony knew of your feelings, but made you embarrass yourself instead of being there for you. But me I’ll always be there.”
“You might always be there, you always have been, but I’ve just been throwing away one self destructive habit for another. I won’t be like you know that I see that I am what others feared of me being.”
“Silly filly we are the same being. I’m just what you’ve tossed into the darkness and ignored. You see others as inferior to your research, as only things that will betray you when you need them most, as creatures that need to be controlled for their own good. You keep saying that we are different, but I am you. And you are me.”
Twilight sat on the Garden grass. Her ears wilted and wings hung limply by her sides. She had been ignoring that one point. That the thing before her was a part of her. It’s so much easier to attack something than it is too work things out. But she had to accept that while she wasn’t cruel, she was being tyrannical in her actions. Turning from freaking out over ever little problem to using dark magic to avoid conflicts and inconveniences. She needed to accept that she was in the wrong and had a lot of work to do if she was to grow as a pony.
“You know dark me? You are absolutely right.”
“What?” Nightmare Spark said with a look of confusion on her face.
“Those things you mentioned I did think, but I put them away because I know that they are wrong, but we are the same being. I accept that now, but I want to change us so that we can be the mare that we were meant to be. Rather than what we’ve become. I need you to keep me honest though.”
“I’ll make sure you remember that. But that’s what I needed to hear.”
As the room shifted back to normal she sat down and had to think to herself. So I went on a journey to find my roots, but instead found more about myself that I wanted. While I was never cruel, I was the definition of a tyrant. But I’m not going to step down, that wouldn’t fix the problem only be running away like I’ve been doing. I need to talk to Celestia though, I know every pony makes mistakes, but it’s only through being honest with those I care about that I can grow. She’ll know what to do. As for my friends. I need to talk to them, it’s hard to forgive them, but if they knew how much they hurt me than we can work on fixing this. Rather than let it fester. I owe it too myself.