Return to Equestria

by HalfAngelHuman

Episode 5: Yin of Yang

“Are you gonna help me clean up or not?” Spike said as he swept the library floor.

“Hoo,” Owlowiscious said.

“You,” Spike said, leaning the broom against the wall.

“Hoo,” Owlowiscious said.

“You!” Spike said, clearly annoyed.

“Hoo,” Owlowiscious said.

“YOU!” Spike shouted.

“Hoo,” Owlowiscious said.

“Y-aww, forget it,” Spike sighed as he resumed his work. “I have half a mind to make you extra crispy,” he grumbled.

“Hoo.” Spike dug his claws into the broom as his body slightly trembled.

“I’M GONNA-” Spike began to shout as somepony knocked on the library door, stopping him from doing something he might regret. “Coming!” Spike said as waddled over to the door, tossing the broom along the way.

“Hey Spirit! Good to see ya!” Spike said to the black creature in front of him, holding out a balled fist.

“Good to see you too, little buddy,” the Changeling said, bumping his hoof on Spike’s fist. “This is my friend Kalinka,” he said as Kalinka waved at the baby dragon. “Kalinka, this is Spike.”

“Hi Spike, nice to meet you.” Kalinka said, rubbing his head.

“Nice to meet you too,” Spike said, blushing at the attention.

“Hey, where’s Twilight?” Spirit asked, looking around the library for the lavender unicorn.

“Oh, she’s in the basement,” Spike said, pulling away from Kalinka. “I’ll let her know that you’re here. Then I gotta get back to cleaning.” he said as he walked to a nearby door.

‘Another basement? Goody.’ Spirit thought to himself as followed the young dragon. “You comin’ Kalinka?”

“Nah. I think I’ll keep this little owl company,” Kalinka replied, poking the little bird.

“Hoo.” Owlowiscious said, nudging the Changeling’s hoof away with a wing.

“You, ya joker.” Kalinka giggled as she continued to poke the owl.

“Twilight, you have a guest,” Spike called down the stairs to the reading mare. “She’s all yours,” Spike whispered to the Changeling before waddling off.

“Who is it?” Twilight asked, still focused on her book, oblivious to the hybrid sneaking up on her.

“Wow Twilight, you’re just like my mother: once you’re doing a hobby, everything around you becomes unimportant.”

Twilight’s head immediately snapped behind her. “Spirit! I almost forgot I asked you to come over today,” she said, closing the book.

“Let’s be glad that I remembered,” Spirit grinned as he sat down in front of the mare. “So, what do you need?”

Twilight stood up and set her book on a nearby table. “Your body.”

Spirit froze. “Come again?”

“Remember when you gave your reason for harming Fluttershy? How you said it was a twisted part of you?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah. What about it?”

“Let’s assume that I believe you,” Twilight said, walking towards Spirit. “And let’s assume that a certain lavender unicorn would like to help you.”

“Really?!” Spirit exclaimed. “Wait a minute, why and how?”

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Well, this is my first time being close to a Changeling that’s not attacking me, so I kinda want to study you. See what the average Changeling is like.”

“Twilight, I’m far from your ‘average Changeling’,” Spirit deadpanned.

“And to answer your question on how,” she continued. “I’ve been reading a book on possessions and I figured that thing inside of you is the closest thing.”

“If you're planning on destroying Yin, don’t,” Spirit said, holding a hoof up. “Princess Celestia already tried that and almost killed me in the process.”

“Then let’s be glad that’s not what I’m going to do,” Twilight explained. “The spell will simply extract Yin from your body and turn him into a non-sentient little orb. The process should take a few minutes or so.”

“Are you sure about this?” Spirit asked, eyeing Twilight’s horn.

“Spirit, I was the highest ranking student at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns,” she said with a smile. “I should know what I’m doing.”

“If you say so,” Spirit said before flashing the lavender unicorn a wide grin. “Go for it, Princess!”

Twilight frowned. “Spirit, don’t call me that. You know I’m not a princess.”

The Changeling’s grin grew bigger as he tapped the side of his head. “Fluttershy’s memories beg to differ,” he objected. “With how everypony in this town has been treating you, you might as well be a princess.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and gave him a small smile. “Let’s be reasonable here. The chances of me becoming a princess are as high as Spike becoming a dog.”

Spirit chuckled. “Say what you want, but I think Princess Twilight has a nice ring to it.”

“Whatever you say,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, you ready to get this started?”

Spirit nodded. “We should do it as soon as possible. The last thing I need is for him to wake up now,” he said, poking his chest. Twilight nodded in agreement as she closed her eyes in concentration, magic slowly building up in her horn. “Um, Twilight?” Spirit suddenly said, slightly shaking Twilight’s focus.

“What is it, Spirit?”

“Is this gonna hurt?”

Twilight giggled. “If goes how I think it should, you should only feel a slight pinch. Now hold still,” she said a small beam of magic flew from her horn into the hybrid’s chest.

*Spirit’s Heart*

Yin laid still in the white void that was his home, his sleeping form somewhat uncomfortable from the silver chains running through the holes of his legs. All of Yin’s dreams consisted of different ways of harming Spirit, some would involve burning everything he cared about to ash while other were simply slowly tearing Spirit limb from limb. But Yin would consider this dream to be the best of them all. In this dream, Yin had broken free from his imprisonment and taken over Spirit’s body. He then proceeded to murder each and every one of Spirit’s loved ones as Spirit made desperate pleas for him to stop. The dream was perfect, until he sensed a strange presence nearby.

“Who’s there!?” Yin shouted as he jumped to his hooves. A sharp gasp left his mouth a he saw a multitude of thin purple tendrils crawling towards him. “Stay back!” He growled at the tendrils as he stepped back, silently wishing that the inhibitor brace on his horn wasn’t there. “STAY BACK!” Yin shouted as the tendrils grew closer. Another gasp escaped him as he felt a tendril wrap around his back hoof. “L-let go!” Yin said as he tried to jerk away, unaware that the tendrils in front of him were gaining ground. His eyes widened in horror as he saw his back hoof begin to disappear. “Are these things...making me fade away?” Yin whispered, before being smothered by the multitude of tendrils. “No! Let go of me!” Yin panicked as he tried to squirm free, feeling more and more of his body fade. “NO! I WON’T DIE! NOT LIKE THIS!!!” Yin shouted as the tendrils dragged him to the ground. “I WON’T FADE!!!”

*Reality*

“Well, how do you feel?” Twilight asked after a few minutes had passed.

“I don’t feel any differ-ngh?!” Spirit started to say before feeling something rupture in his chest.

“Spirit!?” Twilight exclaimed as she watched the Changeling fall to the ground. Spirit began to scream, slowly increasing in volume.

“Spirit, what’s wrong!?” Twilight said, rushing to the fallen hybrid’s aid.

“M-my h-heart,” Spirit managed to choke out before resuming his screaming.

“What’s going on down here!?” A voice shouted from upstairs before the basement door flew down the stairs, along with a Changeling.

“What the!?” Twilight exclaimed as she was shoved to the side.

“Oh Tau, Spirit! What happened to you!?” The Changeling cried out as she watched Spirit writhe and scream.

“Who in Equestria are you? Wait, are you Kalinka?”

The Changeling immediately turned, a scowl plastered on her face. “That’s me,” Kalinka spat as she got up. “Now I’ve got a question for you,” she said before pinning Twilight to a wall. “WHAT THE BUCK DID YOU DO TO HIM!?”

“Ngh! Let go!” Twilight shouted as she tried to squirm free.

“Not until you tell me!” Kalinka shouted into the unicorn’s face.

“I was trying to help him get rid of that thing in him!”

“Celestia’s prized pupil or not, if he dies you’re next!”

HUUUURGGEHH!!!

The pair’s attention was returned to Spirit, who had begun vomiting an ink-black liquid on the floor. “SPIRIT!” The two shouted in unison as the hybrid continued puking. Twilight removed herself from the wall as Kalinka rushed to Spirit’s aid, carrying him to a nearby sofa.

“Spirit! Are you okay!? How do you feel!? Do you need anything!?” Kalinka asked in rapid succession as she laid him down.

“I feel...empty,” Spirit said, struggling to stay conscious.

“Empty? Well, I can go get you something to eat-”

“No,” Spirit interrupted. “Not hungry empty, it feels like something’s missing…”

“Hey, is Changeling vomit black?” Twilight asked, sounding slightly worried.

“No,” Spirit answered. “It’s supposed to be green, like our blood.”

“Okay, well is it suppose to move!?” Twilight shrieked.

“Huh?” Spirit and Kalinka said as they faced Twilight, their eyes widening at the sight of before them. The black substance Spirit vomited had begun wriggling around like Twilight said, stretching itself wider and wider with each passing second.

“Twilight, do something,” Kalinka said, frozen in fear.

“I-I can’t move,” Twilight responded, her legs shaking.

“It can’t be,” Spirit whispered to himself as the black substance stopped moving.

“It looks just like Spirit,” Twilight said, get a good look at the form the substance had taken.

“Yin.” The creature immediately turned to face Spirit, its demon-like eyes staring into his shining blue eyes.

“Spirit.”

Comments

[Light Ascend]

Twilight rolled her eyes and gave him a small smile. “Let’s be reasonable here. The chances of me becoming a princess are as high as Spike becoming a dog.”

Aaaaand it fires back.