//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: I'm your son too // by Synthetic Soul //------------------------------// “Face it, they don’t care about you.” As soon as the unfamiliar voice registered in Spikes ears, the young dragon spun around as fast as he could to confront the intruder. But when he faced behind him, he was surprised to find that nopony was there. His eyes widened in alarm, he quickly rushed over to the bathtub, and pulled open the shower curtain, thinking the source of the mysterious voice was located in the tub. But it was empty. “He he he. Nope, I’m not in there.” Spike whirled around again, facing the emptiness of the bathroom. Hearing the voice sent chills up his spine. The voice was deep, and malevolent, like a demon whispering in his ear. “Who…who’s there?” “Look a little closer…” Spike turned his head left and right, but didn’t see anyone or anything. That was, until out of the corner of his peripheral, he saw something strange. He turned to face the mirror, noticing that the small bit of his body that reflected in the mirror was shown to be somewhat distorted. Spike slowly walked towards the sink, to get a better view of himself. When he did, the sight caused his pupils to constrict, and his breath caught in his throat. What Spike saw in the mirror was not him, at least…not entirely. It looked enough like him, but was different. The Spike in the mirror had purple scales, though they were darker than normal. His spines and frills were also darker, as well as sharper, ending in menacing points. His eyes were much the less the same, though they held a level of malice, that the normal Spike would be incapable of. Spike stared at the dark copy, eyes wide. The copy looked at Spike with a menacing smirk, showing a sharp fang hanging out of his mouth. Spike raised a shaky hand, watching his reflection. The image copied his movements, as he slowly moved his hand towards the mirror. He hesitated for a moment, before he pressed his hand on the mirror. “Boo!” startled, Spike quickly retracted his hand, and held it to his heart. He nearly fell over, but luckily was able to reorient himself. Spike held on to the counter with his other hand, before pulling himself back to his original position. Spike quickly glanced back at the door to the bathroom. He turned, and ran to the door, and opened it, checking the outside hallway, to see if anypony was nearby. When he saw that he was alone, he shut the door, and returned to the mirror. He looked at the reflection Spike, who still held a menacing expression on his face, a confident smirk. Spike’s eyes quickly glanced down to se that the reflection was leaning on his version of the sink, while rapping the claw tips of his right hand on the counter. Spike swallowed the lump forming in his throat, nerving up the courage to speak. “Who…what are you?” “Do you really not know?” “No, no I don’t. What are you, some sort of spell, a demon?” “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m you, you idiot.” “What? That…that doesn’t make sense,” said Spike, keeping the volume in his voice low, so as not to draw attention. “Oh, I am you. A part of you, one that’s smart enough to see the truth, the truth that you keep denying.” “Truth? What truth?” “That Twilight doesn’t care about you. That she’s not your mother, and she never will be. And any part of you that she actually did care about has been replaced by that baby.” “That’s not true!” exclaimed Spike, quietly. “And that’s exactly why I’m here. To show you that it IS true.” “But it’s not true! And even if it were, why would you want to do that? What’s in it for you?” “It’s my job. I’m a part of your psyche, a part that longs for the truth to be revealed. And you shouldn’t think of this as something I’m doing for myself. It’s something I’m doing for YOU.” “You think that’s going to help me? How could that POSSIBLY help me?” “It’s not healthy to live in denial Spike. To lie to yourself. If you had faced the truth sooner, I might not have needed to be. He he. Too late now.” “You can’t be in my head! I’m not crazy!” “No, no you’re not. I’m only here to benefit you. No you’re not crazy…let’s call it…enlightened." Spike closed his eyes tight, and tried to soak in what the duplicate was saying. “How do I know you’re really in my head?” “I know all your secrets Spike. I know you’ve been feeling neglected, without voicing it. And think about it, you know that every thing I’ve been saying is exactly what you’ve been thinking since the baby was born.” Spike tried to deny it, but he couldn’t. This duplicate was speaking all the feelings he had been feeling…even if he was harsher and more extreme with what he’d been saying. But Spike still didn’t want to admit that he was going crazy. So he changed the subject. “Well…maybe I have been feeling neglected. But you’re wrong! Twilight does love me!” “Oh really? Well then tell me, when was the last time she said that she loved you?” “Well…” Spike searched his mind for the last time Twilight had uttered those words, but he had trouble recalling the memories he was searching for. He was about to give up, when it came to him. “Oh, it was after the incident with Owlicious! She told me she loved me when we got home!” gloated Spike, with his eyes closed, with a smug look on his face. “And just how long ago was that?” Spikes smug look fell into a frown, as he processed the question. “Well, I guess it’s been…a while.” “It was one or two years ago Spike.” The young dragon’s eyes fell to the ground, as he just stared at the floor, processing his doppelgangers words. It HAD been over a year. Spike felt an ache in his heart, but still fought the sadness that was building up inside him. “She doesn’t need to say it…I know it’s true.” “She may have felt some sentiment towards you, but it’s since been replaced with her feelings for her baby. He’s her flesh and blood. And you…you aren’t even the same species.” “Shut up,” muttered Spike. “When was the last time she even treated you as a friend, instead of a servant to bark orders to?” “Please…stop….” said Spike, tears beginning to form in eyes, which were shut tight. “You know I’m right.” “So what if you are? What do you expect me to do? How does creating a riff between me and Twilight solve anything?” “I just want to see you break out of your shackles, and be free. Stop being her servant, be a man!” “But I’d be lost without her. She’s my guide…she’s my family.” “Her actual family doesn’t seem to think so.” “What?” “Look at all the ponies who gathered together for Skylight’s birthday. The Princesses, Twilights parents, her brother and his wife, her friends, and even those little fillies, they all came to celebrate the little brats birth. When’s the last time that many ponies have gathered around for you?” Spike didn’t respond. Instead he just sniffed, whipping his eyes with his arms. “The truth finally soaks in,” said the clone. “So what do you want me to do now?” “You do whatever you want. I just want you to stop lying to yourself, and accept the truth. What you do with it is your choice.” “So does this mean you’ll leave me alone now?” “Oh don’t be silly, I’ll always be with you. Making sure you don’t forget what you’ve learned today. I’d personally recommend you leave this library, leave Ponyville, and seek out your own life, find people you can truly develop a relationship with. I’d leave this house of pretenders, and never look back.” “I don’t…I don’t want to leave. I love Twilight. I…I don’t want to leave…” Spikes voice died down to a whisper. “Well, I’ve said my peace for now. I’ll let you return to the party. Have fun, if you can. And by the way, I wouldn’t tell anypony about me if I were you. They might send you to the bonkers barn. He he.” Spike didn’t respond, just looking down at the floor, before shutting his eyes. “You’ll hear from me again. Oh, it just occurred to me that I never formally introduced myself. You may call me…” “Clarity”