"Twilight, you're going to make a trench, stop pacing."
Twilight turned around to see who was speaking to her. She was greeted by the sight of her brother standing right in front of her. He was obviously watching her.
“I can’t...” She replied, continuing to pace like no comments were made.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine...”
“Fine?! Are you kidding me?! You saw what kind of shape he’s in!”
“If I remember correctly, he’s been in worse...”
Twilight’s head dropped. She wasn’t sure about that. From what she had seen from his time in Equestria, this was easily the worst. But what if he’d survived worse during that war he fought in...
Her train of thought was derailed as the door to the operating room opened. She turned towards the doctor faster than anyone thought possible. The doctor could see the desperation in her eyes. She was hoping for good news. How he wished he could give her some.
“I’m afraid he’s in worse shape than we initially thought...”
Great, even more bad news in this already bad day.
“He has third degree burns all over his body. His face is badly disfigured, arms, legs the same. The only thing that was relatively untouched by the flames was the torso...”
Well, at least SOME part of him was intact.
“Although it also took most of the shrapnel from the explosions. He’s got chunks of metal near almost every major blood vessel, and quite a few of the minor ones are torn to ribbons. He’s got massive internal bleeding. We’ve plugged many of the holes...But there are just too many for us to reach.”
Twilight’s heart skipped a beat. Too many to plug? But that only meant...
“I’m afraid...” The doctor inhaled sharply, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.
“...that we’ve done all we can. I’m sorry Your Highness, but...he’s not going to make it. He’s slipped into a coma right now, so...at least he won’t feel a thing.”
Anger. Rage. Hatred.
Another mix of all three flooded Twilight. Her horn began to glow deep purple as the magical energy, fueled by the toxic mixture building up inside her. Both the doctor and Shining Armor could see her anger.
Before their very eyes, Twilight shot up through the ceiling with a loud crash. Shining Armor looked up through the gaping hole in the ceiling, to see Twilight hovering there for a minute. He felt something drop on his muzzle. Something fluid, warm. He squinted to look at his nose, where he saw a tear rolling down the length of it.
Twilight’s loud shriek startled him. He looked up in the air just in time to see the lavender streak in the sky, the wake left behind Twilight as she barreled off into the distance. She was heading for the palace.
- - - - -
The sound of doors crashing open and shattering glass broke the tranquil silence that reigned inside the palace. Unable to stop the storm that was coming, the doors just gave way. nothing could stop her from reaching her destination.
Her wings suddenly clasping shut, unwilling to carry her any further. Gravity finally took it’s hold on her, sending her falling into the bed. She met the mattress with a soft thud. Immediately she buried her face in the blankets and pillows, trying to mask the sound of her sobbing uncontrollably.
This was it. He was going to die. There was nothing that could save him now. She would be alone once more. But he Pinkie Promised! He couldn’t leave her! He was bound for life!
“For life...”
Twilight finally caught on to the fine print. Leaving her, not dying on her. He wasn’t bound by that sense.
She spent another few minutes pondering what would happen after he would...go to a better place. How would she adjust? How would everypony who had known him adjust? And how was she so sure he would go to a better place? What if he was destined to burn in the eternal flames of the deepest darkest depths of Tartarus? Her mind then drifted to what was the cause of this. It could have been the burns. But they could have been treated. The shrapnel maybe? It did cut him up inside, causing profuse internal bleeding. But then, what caused the shrapnel itself? It was the explosion of course. But again, what caused the explosion? The answer was the crash. Then, what caused the crash?
She wondered why she even had to ask. She knew damn well what had caused this. Who had caused this.
Her eyes opened. They were completely dry now. She knew who had caused this, and they were going to pay for it. Her horn glowed purple again as her wings, now more than willing to carry her once more, unfurled from her sides. She lifted off the bed, turned around, and flew out of the broken windows, towards the VIP airship landing pads.
- - - - -
Wolf’s eyes shot open. Where was he? The sequence of questions that had formed in his head was interrupted by a wave of pain stemming from all over his body. As the pain subsided, his eyes finally focused on his surroundings. It was pitch black, all around him, save for a beam of white light coming from above, illuminating him and a small area around him.
He lifted himself up, shaking slightly as another wave of pain washed over him. He fought past it. and got back on his feet. He looked around once more. Darkness everywhere. Footsteps echoed through the darkness. Wolf turned frantically in an attempt to lock his eyes on the approaching object. He finally locked in it’s trajectory, training his eyes on one spot. And from that spot, slowly but surely, the light from above illuminated...
Him?
Wolf scanned the new arrival frantically. It was him! Save for a few differences, namely that the new arrival was clad in damaged battle armor, his hair a dirty mess, and his eyes...
Those pitch black eyes.
“Who are you?!”
It moved a bit, apparently processing what was said. Then, with a deep, raspy voice, it replied.
“Don’t you recognize me? I’m you of course!”
“I’m supposed to believe that bullshit?”
It laughed.
“No, of course not. The truth is, I’m not you, and you’re not me.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?!”
“Alright then, a little explanation is in order...”
It paused, then began to explain the whole situation.
“I’m the other part of Wolf.”
“I find that hard to believe, considering I’m whole and standing here in front of you.”
“You’re not whole. You’re half. I am the other half.”
“What?”
“We are each a piece, of a whole person. We are the pieces of Wolf. The two of us together comprise the whole being. He has all of your elements, and only some of mine...”
“And why would that be?”
“Because you were, and always will be, the stronger one. The good one...”
“If I’m good then, does that mean you’re...”
“Evil?” It interrupted.
“Yes. Yes I am.”
“You’re strangely civilized for someone that’s evil...”
“I despise the stereotype that says us villains are supposed to be barbarians.”
“So...what should I call you?”
“For some reason, I’m partial to the name Hyde...Cliché, I know, but I find it suits me.”
“Hyde then...I guess that makes me Jekyll?”
“Yes. Unless you prefer a different name...”
“I think I’d rather stick with Wolf, thank you very much...” He said, taking a few steps towards the left.
“Except that. It would be unfair, you see, considering you are not Wolf. Like I said, you are only a part of him. Only together, do we make a complete entity.”
“Jekyll is fine then...” Jekyll said grudgingly.
“So, Jekyll, had a bit of an accident now, have we?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that right now, thanks to you, we are sitting on a table in a hospital emergency room. And apparently, we are going to die...”
“How do you...”
“I’m always watching you...”
Jekyll shifted a bit, trying to grasp what Hyde meant.
“Watching me?”
“Whenever you have control, I’m always here, locked away in the back of his mind...Watching you...”
“What do you mean control?”
“You control him most of the time, seeing as how you’re the stronger one. During that time, I have no choice but to remain in my dormant state, like now.”
“So you’re dormant right now?”
“Indeed. It’s pretty much why I’m so calm and civilized.”
“So when do you take control?” Jekyll had to ask.
“When you’re in a very weakened state...” Hyde started to walk over to Jekyll.
“Like say, I don’t know, in a coma, multiple burns, internal bleeding...”
Hyde was now a few steps away from Jekyll. Jekyll noticed Hyde’s list of situations where he could take control...
“You mean like now?”
Hyde disappeared suddenly. Jekyll scanned the area frantically, trying to find him again. His raspy voice echoed from behind Jekyll...
“Exactly...”
Jekyll was knocked unconscious by a sharp hit in the back of the neck.
- - - - -
In the operating room, amidst the sounds of a beeping EKG, doctors talking to each other while attempting a last ditch effort to save Wolf, his eyes opened, revealing a pair of pitch black eyeballs.
A deep blue wave shot from out of his body, purging it of all shrapnel within it, regrowing the destroyed blood vessels, repairing all damaged tissue, while also sending the doctors flying into the walls, a jacket of sharp metal travelling behind them. Wolf got back up just as the doctors were ripped apart by the shrapnel that was forcefully ejected from Wolf’s body. Wolf craned his neck around in every direction, until hearing the desired crack. He then looked at his arms and legs as a wave of new tissue regenerated over the burned.
“Ah...much better...”
He jumped from the table and walked to the door, stepping in the growing pool of blood emerging from the doctors lifeless corpses.
- - - - -
She had found them. The ones that took him away from her. That killed him.
“Your Highness! To what do we owe this honor?” Sharp eye said as he bowed before Twilight. Steady Aim followed suit. They both wondered why she looked like that, but they didn’t dare ask.
“Because of a murder...”
They both shot up at the very mention of that word.
“Murder?! But who was murdered, Your Highness?”
Twilight responded in a calm tone...for now.
“The person I loved...”
They both gasped. Whoever did that would be in for a world of trouble. They both had to ask though.
“But who committed this atrocious act?”
Twilight’s muzzle pressed against Sharp Eye’s as she hissed out one word.
“You!”
“US?! But how...when...”
It both hit them like a sledge hammer. The airship...the one they shot down...it was him.
Oh shit. Oh SHIT!
Before they could mutter anything, their throat glowed deep purple as Twilight’s magic took it’s grip, lifting them into the air. Terror took it’s icy hold on them both. They screwed up badly, and now they were going to pay the price.
“And now, I’m going to repay you in kind!”
Both of them closed their eyes as they waited for their impending doom. But before Twilight could crush the life out of them, an explosion from the city broke her concentration. She let go of them and rushed over to the railing. Smoke billowed from the hospital. Something was wrong. She strained her eyes, trying to see what was going on. All she could see was a bunch of Royal Guards being tossed down a street like ragdolls. Then, she saw him walking down that same street, bypassing the injured Guards, his hands glowing dark blue.
“He’s alive...He’s alive!” Twilight began shouting that over and over again, much to the relief of the two stallions behind her. This meant that they were off the hook right?
Her joy however, was cut short as she felt the piercing gaze of pitch black eyes on her.
“Oh no...”
She knew. He was out of control. So much power, uncontrolled. He had the potential to cause massive damage.
“Twilie! Wolf’s out of control! He’s taken out an entire regiment of my troops!”
Twilight turned to face him, but was interrupted by an explosion of dark blue magic sending her flying into an empty crate. She shook her head, and saw Wolf standing there, grinning madly, allowing, his black eyes fixated on Shining Armor.
“Hello there, Captain...” His deep, raspy voice sent chills down her spine/
Shining Armor yelled at the top of his lungs as he charged towards Wolf. He had to protect his sister. With one swipe of his arms however, Wolf sent him flying into the wall.
“Naughty, naughty...”
Wolf grabbed him and threw him into the opposing wall as Shining Armor got back up and charged him. He then picked him up by the throat, and walked over to the two stunned stallions behind him.
“You two shot me down...That was very...very unwise of you...”
Wolf threw Shining Armor to the ground, right next to the two stallions. He laughed as he grasped the golden opportunity before him...
“All three of you together...how delightful...”
As Wolf’s hand glowed, forming a ball of magic energy getting ready to strike them all down, Twilight did the one thing she could do. She called out to him.
“Wolf!”
And for a split second, he stopped.
- - - - -
Jekyll got to his knees, and wiped away the blood that was on his nose. He then turned towards the light, where Hyde was standing. Jekyll knew what he was about to do. He could feel it. And he had to stop it.
“Sorry Hyde...It’s my turn again.”
And with that, Jekyll leaped to his feet, then charged Hyde, slamming his body into his. Jekyll had tackled him perfectly, grabbing hold around his waist, sending him to the floor. As he fell back, Jekyll punched him in the face with his right arm. Hard. As the arm stopped it’s forward motion, it swung back, hitting Hyde in the cheek with his elbow. Raising both arms, Jekyll fell down onto Hyde’s stomach with both of his elbows. The force of impact caused a black liquid to escape from Hyde’s mouth.
Jekyll got up from his defeated opponent, then stepped back into the light, reassuming control.
- - - - -
The blackness retreated from Wolf’s eyes, until finally stopping within the normal diameter of his pupils. Once it was gone, Wolf fell over unconscious, despite Twilight yelling for him.
- - - - -
“Well played, doctor Jekyll...Well played...” Hyde said, before retreating into the darkness once more...
End Chapter 45.