Sparkyll & Hyde

Five years ago...

It was a warm Saturday morning in Canterlot. There was a blanket of clouds surrounding the sky, and a slight drizzle came down on my mane. I walked into the palace gardens, where I always went to when I needed peace and quiet. You see, this was back when I didn't know AppleJack, or Rainbow Dash, or any of the others yet. It was just me, and Spike, and Princess Celestia.

Back then, I was absorbed in my studies, learning about magic day in, and day out. But when the night fell, or on Saturday mornings, I went to the gardens where I could read my favorite fantasy books, eat a light lunch, or just listen to the birds chirping their melody.

Today was different. I decided to just walk around the garden and look at the flowers blooming on the trees. As I continued my walk, I stopped to see a woodpecker banging its beak on a large oak tree's stubby branch that was twisted and looked strangely like a lever. I shooed the woodpecker away, and stared at the branch. No, it couldn't possibly be a lever.

But I knew that the longer I ignored it, the more I would feel compelled to see if it was a lever. I gave into my curiosity and gently pulled on the branch. When nothing happened, I pulled harder and harder until, with a loud click, the branch switched down. I jumped back at the click, and watched as a section of the tree opened outward like a door. The "entrance" in this tree was huge, big enough for Princess Celestia to easily walk through it.

I hesitated, considering finding a guard to tell him about the entrance. However, there was no guard in sight. I thought of finding the Princess, but I dismissed that quickly, because I really didn't want to bother her when she was probably extremely busy. Taking a deep breath, I slowly walked into the entrance. I lit my horn and saw a swirling staircase below. It looked like it was about a twenty foot drop from where I stood. I nudged a pebble over the edge, and in a few seconds, I heard the pebble hit the ground, and decided that to just run down the stairs, see what was down there, and run back up.

As I begin my journey down the stairwell, I feel extremely cold. I look around the damp room and shiver violently. You'd think some pony would clean this place up, I wonder. Then I get the feeling that it's so cold and dirty down here because no pony's been down here recently. I panic and begin to backtrack, thinking this is a place that I'm not supposed to be in, but I stop. If I am not supposed to be down here, wouldn't there be at least one guard by the entrance? Or wouldn't they have hidden the lever somewhere less obvious? I turn around and continue my descent through the stairwell.

Soon, I reach the bottom and see a large steel door with a deadbolt holding it in place. I see no lock holding the deadbolt, so I slide the lock open with my magic. The door slowly opens with a loud creak, and I walk through the doorway. But nothing could prepare me for what I saw in this room. It was a long, dark hallway that had water dripping down the walls, with a torn-up carpet spread out on the floor, and it was just as cold in here as in the staircase. On either side, there were numerous jail cells made completely out of stone, even the bars. But that wasn't what frightened me. It was what was inside the cells.

Ponies.

Deranged, half-crazed ponies

In every cell that I could see, there were at least five ponies, along with one blanket and pillow for each pony, and a food/water bowl that looked to have been empty for some time. Some of the ponies looked at me for a moment, and then focused their attention to something else, some held their stare and grinned wickedly, like I was a meal, and some even pressed their faces against the bars, reaching out for me, with that same, unnerving look. I shuddered at the sight, and wondered if Princess Celestia even knew about this. I gulped and slowly walked down the hall, hoping to find an exit on the other side.

I continued down the hall, staring at the cages, and the ponies inside them. How long have they been down here?? I think. I couldn't help but get the feeling that Princess Celestia did know about this tunnel. But, why would a fair ruler like Princess Celestia lock these ponies away from the world, imprisoning them like animals?

I came to a dead end in the tunnel and I felt sweat beading on my forehead. Now I had to backtrack through this....place...with a hundred eyes on me, no doubt wanting me dead. I took a deep breath, looked straight ahead, and walked quickly down the hall. I was almost to the door when a Pegasus mare reached out, wrapped her front hooves around my neck, and screamed, "Where you going, my pretty??" I screamed, struggled out of the Pegasus' grip and bolted.

As soon as I got into the staircase, I slammed the door shut, and closed the deadbolt. But I didn't stop there. I ran as fast as I could up the stairs and leaped through the exit. I landed on what I thought was grass, but felt cold as stone. Stone. I quickly stood up and blinked twice as I saw my vision of the garden fade away, and found myself back in the dark tunnel. Only I wasn't in the tunnel. I was in a cage. I felt the walls closing around me, and heard deep moaning from the ponies surrounding me.

I felt myself falling out of bed and hit the floor with a dull thud.

"Owww...," I said as I rubbed the new bruise on my head.

"Twilight?" a voice called out. I heard the door open and looked up to see Spike's head peering in ever so slightly, with a look of concern in his eyes.

"Twilight? Is everything okay?? I heard you screaming."

I glance at the floor, staring the broken vase by my hooves. I must have broken it in the middle of the night.

"I'm fine, Spike," I say with a hint of annoyance in my voice.

I look back at him, and I know he knows I'm not. "Did you have that nightmare again?"

I sigh with both pain and frustration and say, "It's never come this often before."

Spike climbs up the stairs and onto my bed. "Y'know, I'm here if you ever want to talk."

I nod my head slowly. "I know. It's just..." I shake my head slowly. "I'm scared that I'm going to fail. That I'm going to let them down."

"Hey," he says, placing his claw on my cheek. "I believe in you. I know you'll find a way. And I'll be right here till the very end."

Tears begin to well up in my eyes, and I hug him tightly. "Oh, Spike," I say. "What would I do without you?"

I see tears forming in Spike's eyes as he returns the hug. We let go of each other, and he hops off the bed.

"Well," he says, "I'd better get going. Gotta go pick up that ingredient from Zecora's."

I'm not sure what he meant, at first, but then I remember last night. I had received a letter from Zecora telling me that she had the last ingredient I needed for my potion.

"Okay then, Spike," I call out. "Be careful not to wander off, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Spike calls back.

Still feeling tired, I slide back into bed, and lay my head on the pillow. I sigh happily, glad to know Spike's got me covered when I feel defeated. My eyes close slowly, I and fall into a dreamless sleep.