//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Sparkyll and Hyde // by Dragon Spire //------------------------------// You know the story of how the renowned unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, discovered the true meaning of the magic of friendship, and how she ascended as an Alicorn princess. You know how the tales of how she and her closest companions saved Equestria from countless evils that threated all that they loved. However, this is not the intended story. This is a tale that begs the question, "What if something occurred, something that drew Twilight Sparkle's main focus away from learning magic, before she ever met Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and the other ponies with whom she would create unbreakable bonds?" This is the story of Twilight Sparkle, and her endeavors to understand the elements of goodness and evil, which are inherent in every heart. Sparkyll and Hyde Prologue: Trapped ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ "Twilight!" Spike's cry, piercing the air of the Everfree Forest, penetrated the ears of Twilight Sparkle. Reacting like a spear was thrown at her, she ducked away from the cry and into a swarm of bushes. Branches clawed at her skin as she struggled to find an opening to see out of. There was no one in sight, yet she knew her little brother was out there, looking for her. She forced slow, deep breaths through her system. Her little brother's calls for her continued, each cutting into her heart more painfully than the last. He could not be allowed to find her. Not ever. There was too much to lose if he did. What would one so full of innocence want with someone like her, anyway? He knew full well what she'd did. Anyone else would've shrank back in fear, begging her to leave. But him? He yet tore into the forest, never giving up his search for his traitorous sister. The thought, along with the violent weather, made her shrink deeper into the bushes. Thunder screamed overhead, its hardened tears pelting the earth with hail. There was no mercy from nature. Prying out of her peephole, she scoped the area once more. Spike had gone quiet for some time now, perhaps muted by the thunder. Yet as she started to step out, she heard the alarm of a twig snapping behind her. She bolted. Less than a moment later, she heard someone tackling into the same bushes she'd hidden in. They squeaked, called her name, but she was already gone. She galloped off, resisting the thought of who tried to ambush her. As she turned her head away from bushes and pony, her eyes landed on her flank, where the outline of a twelve-pointed starburst rested. There used to be five small white starbursts surrounding it, but ever since she'd fled from her home, they - one by one - vanished. Her cutie mark had been slowly fading away, and this one starburst was all that remained of her identity. Her cutie mark, her friends, her brother - even her colors were lost because of her actions. Her coat, once lavender, was a dull, grey hue that was similar to when she was long ago 'discorded'. Her mane and tail were a deep purple, close to black if it were any darker, and the pink and purple highlights in both were eaten away. A fitting alteration, it seemed. She wasn't even a shadow of her true self anymore. Her past self would've been horrified if she knew what would be done at her hooves. Looking back on her mistakes, she tried to answer her own question of who she was now; but no answer came. Try as she might, the sharp lump in her throat grew threefold, regretful tears joining the icy rain that had long ago drenched her mane. Hooves thundered against the sodden ground and sending droplets of mud flying onto her barrel and face. The bleak clouds overhead roared and shook outstretched branches above her. They formed a thick grey blanket that blocked the skies from lighting her path. She was running blind. Yet she pushed on. Not even the hammering pulse in her chest nor the thin oxygen burning her nostrils would stop her. Knowing what would happen if she stopped, even for a second, forced her onward. She dove into the thick of the forest, her eyes wary of incoming obstacles ahead. Behind her, the sounds of branches snapping and several hoofbeats made her heart sink. Her ex-friends. Which meant - Twilight gasped, heat churning from her gut and numbing her body. "No! Please, no, not now!" she shouted to the contorted skies. Clenching her jaw, she focused all her energy into fighting back. Letting her take control again was not an option. This was not a battle that she would lose. The pain writhed within her; a monster fighting to break free and attack. Her veins burned with an acidic sensation. Her rapid heartbeat, making her searing blood pump faster, wasn't making things easier, either. Some distance behind her, she heard someone yelling to another pony. Their voices were louder; they were catching up and closing in. Black began to edge around Twilight's field of vision. She could feel her heartbeat slowing to a crawl. No . . . she couldn't fail . . . she couldn't let her hurt her brother. Spike . . . Her mind's eye conjured a memory from what seemed so long ago, in the Crystal Empire, before it was saved from King Sombra's grasp. She and Spike were embracing, the latter being victim to the usurper's trap of showing one's worst fears. She was reassuring him that his, that she would send him away, would never come to be. But in her attempts to salvage what she had lost, she had betrayed him especially, by breaking that very promise. That memory, however, told her that it wasn't too late to redeem herself. Everything she was, or used to be, could still be forgiven, one day, when she was certain that each of her once-friends was safe from herself. Gathering her strength, Twilight shouted through both her mouth and her mind, "You will not hurt them!" Her horn fizzled and crackled. Pink wisps of smoke rose into the air. Closing her eyes, she began to search through her mind for her magic. She had so little left, she could hardly lift a quill now. But still she searched, finally detecting the smallest spark she needed. The spell activated, her horn igniting with a furious shade of pink. She felt the beast within - as well as the searing pain - withdraw after an irritated hiss. A sigh had started to escape her before realizing how short-lived her victory was. She tripped on something - rewarding her with a new bruise - and her legs gave way from underneath, making her helpless to the mud puddle waiting for her. Splashing into the pit sideways, mud drenched nearly her entire body. It was so deep that only her head, neck, and front hooves were above the surface. As the rain washed out her mane and stained face, the voices of her pursuers steadily diminished. She released her pent-up breath, relieved in knowing they were safe for the moment. She knew they would eventually pick up on her trail again soon, so she would have to get up while the upper hand was still hers. Wrenching herself out of the puddle was harder than it seemed. Her limbs ached in protest, and her heart drummed back to its dreaded beat, loud enough that anyone else would've faintly heard it. Her coat brown with mud, she pried the upper half of her body out and rolled onto her back, facing the angry sky. Why do you continue to run, Twilight Sparkle? asked a deep, feminine voice. Twilight's eyes widened, then formed into a glare as she bolted into a standing position, ignoring her sore muscles. In the end, it will not matter. No matter where you plan to go, no matter how much distance you put between yourself and your so-called friends, it will come to nothing but a pool of fresh blood, and a mewling coward whose endeavors failed because of her selfishness. "Shut up! Just shut up!" Twilight immediately regretted her outburst, having only given away her hiding place. She whipped her head around, but there was no sign of her pursuers. It was merely a question, the voice replied, taking her attention again. My point is, your friends know this accursed place as well as you do. And even if not, your fleeing is a lost cause. You will not find the answers you seek, and you will only come to eventually return to those ponies and that dragon to finish what you started. You mean what you started, she answered mentally. She made brief periodic glances at her surroundings; not only to watch for the others, but for the owner of the voice, who was most likely hiding to toy with her. Just because we share the same body, it doesn't mean we share the same soul. You and I are nothing alike. The voice took on a more somber tone. You and I . . . are not so different, Twilight Sparkle. Remember that. After a pause, it continued, You never answered me. Why do you run when it won't matter in the end? Why do you even continue to protect those ponies? They don't even care about you anymore. You know this. All they want is to put you down like the feral beast you've become, especially that pegasus . . . Rainbow Dash, was it? She'd said that with a laugh edging her voice. Twilight released a breath she didn't know she was holding, briefly clouding her vision with white breath. She considered her answer for several heartbeats before indulging her. You tell me that I can't escape Spike or the others, or find the answers I need, but you're wrong. Yes, I betrayed them, and yes, they want to eradicate the threat that's here. If it weren't for my being a time bomb, I'd just let them come for me. But we both know that if I do, they'll die because of what I've done. She paused as thunder rolled and muted them both. I may not deserve to be their friend anymore, but that doesn't change that they shouldn't be the ones to pay for what I've done. And until my heart stops beating, I will not let you hurt them. The voice giggled softly. Even though her voice was that of Twilight's age, this laugh sounded like that of a filly's; something that unnerved Twilight more than she'd like to admit. She didn't need to ask what was funny to her, though. Knowing this . . . thing . . . well enough told her what was on her mind. As expected, Twilight felt her heart jolt with a fresh wave of pain. She groaned, her knees buckling. Hot tears dribbled from her clenched eyes as she tried to contain the storm inside. Her heartbeat began to boom in her ears, in unison with the thunder above. The creature did not stop there. She cast various memories through Twilight's mind, each of them reminding her of the sins she'd committed against her mentor, her friends, and herself. The worst memory that she threw at her - resonating the most with how selfishly she'd acted - was joined by a stallion's dying scream, and the sound of bones snapping under a great pressure. N-no! I didn't mean to . . . Please . . . I'm sorry . . . Twilight's skin quivered as she wished for the nightmare to end. She wished for the strength of will to fight back like before, yet the memory continued its vicious assault, crushing any will to fix her grave mistakes. Suddenly, the pain, memories, even her drumming heart, faded away. All of it did, as though one big volume control had been dialed back. Fearing the worst was yet to come, Twilight kept her eyes shut, fearing that she was giving her a false sense of security. That was one thing that she wouldn't allow her to have. As cold sweat and icy rain continued to slide down her face, she felt her spine tingle and the hair on her back stand with morbid anticipation. What felt like several minutes passed by. Twilight, finally gathering her courage, slid her eyelids open with an audible snick. She slowly filled her lungs to the brim with air, released it, then repeated the process twice. She had withdrew. For now. Straightening her legs out, she reared to her full height, still wary of the present danger, both around and within. What do you think you're doing, Ni-- Twilight's challenge was cut off by a nearby crackle of lightning. The bolt struck a dead stump five feet from her right before she jumped. But that wasn't why her heart leapt into her throat. As the lightning's glow was blinked away, she saw a set of eyes imprinted in her vision, their haunting gaze fading much slower than the bolt. She felt her neck prickle with dread. Who was that? The better question is, why does he keep following me? It wasn't the first time she'd seen him. He had first appeared back when this whole . . . situation . . . had begun, and had been turning up on several occasions since then; and only for the briefest of moments. The only thing she could remember about him was the eyes, green, their shape confirming he was a stallion, and so piercing as if he could look past her body and see her tainted soul. Worse yet, she felt a cruel sense of familiarity with each appearance. But was it the good kind of familiar, or bad? Friend or enemy? What if . . . what if he was the one who stopped the attack? In every step of her journey here, his appearances had in small ways helped her get here, so maybe he - Twilight's train of thought was once again interrupted. A tree branch snapped, followed by a grunt of exertion from a voice Twilight recognized at once. A muscled earth pony leapt out of the trees, sliding around to face her. Applejack. If not the orange coat and tri-apple cutie mark, then the Stetson she wore. Twilight turned to run back into cover, but the farmpony followed her exact movements. Covered head to tail in sticks, leaves, and splotches of mud, her appearance showed that she'd been the most determined to find her. Fixing her eyes on her target, she opened her mouth to speak. Quelling her hesitation, Twilight aimed her horn to fire a light-beam spell - before remembering that she'd already used the last spark of spare magic she had. Intriguing, said the voice, her tone damp with sarcasm. So one expresses friendship by attempting to assault one another? Ignoring her, Twilight looked back to Applejack, whose hardened expression faded, replaced by fear. Using this to her advantage, Twilight rushed forward, jumped over her, and forced her back legs to strike. As predicted, she recomposed herself and dodged just before Twilight kicked empty air. As more of a distraction than a real attack, the back-kick would distract the others into checking on her while she made a break for it. But her plan had a slight flaw. A lack of experience with back-kicking at nothing had the potential for serious damage. Her backbone faltered painfully, causing her fall into another mud puddle, soaking both herself and Applejack. "Owww . . ." Twilight winced as she picked herself up. Luckily, the damage was minor, and she could run a bit farther without making it worse. Applejack, meanwhile, was blinded by the mud splash, and was moving her hooves around like a blind pony in trying to find solid ground. "Girls, there's Twilight!" Her ears shot up as she heard the shrill voice of Pinkie Pie. Still dripping mud, she darted back into the trees, abandoning Applejack to the others' concerns. She weaved between, leapt over, and ducked under branches that blocked her path. All around her, she couldn't see any kind of clearing that would lead to her destination; even if there was a pathway, there was no moonlight to show her the way. As she ran, she thought she heard Rarity, or possibly Rainbow Dash, screaming. The fleeting thought of going back to check on them crossed her mind before she mentally slapped herself. Charging into a large clearing, she started to feel her stirring again, like a waking dragon hatchling. There wasn't much time left before she decided to emerge again. And there was no magic and no mystery stallion - as far as she knew - to prevent that. In the clearing, she looked around, then straight ahead at the open chasm she was heading into. Her momentum too strong, she ground her hooves into the earth just as the first pulse from her hit. She skidded, the friction spinning her in place before coming to a complete stop just inches from the edge. Tiny pebbles flew off the side and clattered into the walls before being swallowed by the abyss. Practically drinking in her breath, she backed up carefully and examined her surroundings. Close to the left was a narrow bridge that provided a way across the chasm. Although the planks were sturdy, the ropes were only loosely secured to the pillars they were tied to, and some sections had bits of rot clinging to them. But across the way was where she needed to go. "The castle of the Two Sisters. The library's got to be in there. Just like Luna said." The main concern of the Spike and the girls pursuing her in there wouldn't be a problem; it was a labyrinth in there, and there was more to it than meets the eye. Just like the first time she came to the castle, the place was in shambles with its moss-ridden walls and centuries of disuse, but a great curtain of branches hid it slightly, enough that an ignorant set of eyes would miss it. Seeing this place again retrieved pleasant memories of her very first adventure with the girls, when they fought Nightmare Moon and formed friendships that she once believed were unbreakable. She sighed. Once upon a time. Seems fate was a cruel mistress to trifle with. Rainbow Dash yelled something, her voice distant, yet loud enough to tell that she was close. She looked at the bridge. Crossing was risky, as the ropes could break at any moment. But did she really have another choice? After risking another glance to Rainbow's general direction, she backed up as far as she could. Taking a deep breath and ignoring the pain as much as she could, she charged. Just before her hooves could hit the bridge's first plank, she jumped, gliding to the halfway point before getting a rough landing that caused the whole structure to shake and sway. She yelped, clinging to one of the planks. "Okay, Twilight," she laughed hysterically, the dull throb in her chest starting to get the better of her. "Y-you're almost there. Just get off the crazy bridge and get inside the big, not-so shiny castle." She inched across the remaining distance, taking one plank at a time. Some planks cracked, causing her to nearly fall. Crawling to solid ground, she turned to see all six of her pursuers approaching the bridge. Five ponies, and one dragon, judging by their silhouettes. The friends she used to be with. One of the two pegasi flapped open her wings and prepared to fly over while others stared intently. Their eyes spokes pleads, to just give up and come back. I can't ever come back. Raising her back legs reluctantly, Twilight back-kicked the pillar holding the rope - injuring her spine further - but forcing the structure to break. The bridge, now hanging by one rope, swung onto its side, leaving it impossible to cross. Startled, the airborne pegasus' wings closed on her as she fell face-first into the ground. She rose, facing Twilight. She didn't have to guess hard by her stance that she was glaring. Wincing, Twilight turned away and cantered for the large, wooden doors of the castle. Once inside she pushed a wooden beam across the closed doors. Part of the roof above her was missing, allowing either pegasus to get in; still, dislodging the beam would buy her enough time. Facing the room around her she realized she was in the main hall, six corridors to her left and right and a small staircase winding behind the gold and blue banners of the Princesses. "Okay, now what? The old library, right?" she panted, wiping the rain out of her eyes. "That was what Luna told me to do, so I will. Now I just have to find the right book to get rid of -" A discordant melody of wood breaking, hinges creaking, and doors hitting stone walls announced the girls' and Spike's presence. Twilight cursed under her breath and continued her flight. She chose a corridor on her right, once again plunged in darkness. Hopefully this was the right way to the library. If not, she could still lose the girls. Exiting the narrow passage, she found herself in the chamber where the Elements of Harmony used to be. Straight ahead was the hall that led to the throne room. Nowhere near the library. She face-hoofed; at this rate, she'd never find the library in time! She revolved herself and charged into the dark hallway to go pick a new corridor; only to find a blue aura of her unicorn friend inside. She skidded and again turned and ran. She shot past the structure and into the next hallway. Before she knew it, Twilight had found the throne room. She ran towards the back in hopes of finding a new hallway to escape through, but she'd reached a dead end. She circled the round platform three times in desperation before collapsing onto her haunches. ". . . trapped . . ." she whispered, feeling the surrounding area cave in on her. The pain increased, forcing her to inhale sharply. Pained tears slid down her face as she considered her few options. Negotiation wasn't viable. She wouldn't even be able to get near them without disaster. She didn't have any magic left to teleport or fight back, and the throne room was too high to jump out a window. A fresh wave crashed through her, leaving the sensation of something trying to pry itself out of her chest. She stifled a pained scream and her vision went black again; she would be free any second. "No . . . I can't let her . . ." Twilight stood up, her breaths drawn slowly and carefully. She stepped back into a wall behind her, using it as an anchor to hold onto her sanity, then cast a mental wall to protect her consciousness as she pounded against it. Her strikes became more frequent and violent and threatened to break her, but Twilight rebuild the wall whenever it was chipped away. She would not lose. And it seemed she wouldn't. She drifted back into the subconscious, like she was giving up. But then she hummed sickly-sweet: Behind you~ Twilight broke from her trance, glass shattering above her. The distraction rewarded her as she attacked Twilight with a renewed hunger, forcing her into a violent paralysis, her hooves twisting out of control. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the pink star on her flank disappear for the last time.