Sparkyll and Hyde

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

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     "Twilight!"

     As Spike's cry rang in Twilight Sparkle's ears, a pang of guilt began to constrict her heart. Never before had she felt so emotionally drained. She had betrayed her closest friends, allowed a great evil to be unleashed, and defiled everything that she was meant to be.

No, Twilight thought to herself. Those ponies are no longer my friends. They don't deserve a traitor and a murderer as a friend, and I certainly don't deserve ponies as faithful and kind as them to be my friends.

     Twilight risked a quick glance at her cutie mark -- or, at least, what was left of it. The five white stars had disappeared completely, and the large pink star was transparent; all the remained of it was its outline. What was worse, though, was the fact that her colors had changed too.

     Her coat lost its lavender shade, and was replaced by a dull, grey hue; similar to when she had become "discorded". Her mane had turned into a deep purple -- close to black, if it was any shade darker -- and lost its hot pink and violet streaks.

     It pained Twilight to see herself like this. With her altered appearance and the crimes she'd committed against those she'd once loved, she didn't deserve to be called even a shadow of herself. Without a cutie mark, she had no purpose, no reason to exist, no path of her destiny to walk. Looking back on all the things she'd done, Twilight didn't even know who she was anymore.

     Try as she might, she could not hold back her regretful tears, only joining them with the icy rain that had long ago drenched her mane.

What have I done?

     Twilight's hooves thundered against the sodden ground, sending droplets of mud flying with each splishing step. Above her, bleak, grey clouds roared, completely obscuring the skies, and shaking the outstretched branches of the Everfree Forest.

     She panted heavily, her heart slamming inside her chest. Knowing what would happen if she stopped, she willed herself to continue running.

     The sounds of branches snapping and several hoof-steps announced her ex-friends' pursuit, followed by a sharp, burning pain that pierced through her entire body.

No! Please, no, not now!

     Clenching her jaw, Twilight focused all her energy fighting the pain. The very thought of her taking control gave her the will to fight back. 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, which made her searing blood pump faster, wasn't making things easier, either. Behind, she heard Applejack yelling something to another. They were catching up, she realized. Black began to edge around Twilight's field of vision. She could feel her heartbeat slowing to a crawl.

     An image of her and Spike embracing suddenly appeared in her mind's eye. Twilight recognized this memory as an event during the "Crystal Empire Incident", when she had promised Spike that she would never send him away. He too, she realized, she had betrayed by breaking said promise. But in the depths of her heart, she knew it was not too late to redeem herself. Perhaps a day would come when Spike and the others would find the strength to forgive her.

     Taking in a deep breath, Twilight shouted, both through 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 the slightest amount of magic. She had so little left, she could hardly lift a quill now, which was the main reason she was losing her cutie mark in the first place. But it did not stop her from finding the spark she needed. She activated a spell to drive her pain away. Her horn humming, it ignited with a furious shade of pink. She felt the beast within -- as well as the searing pain -- withdraw after letting out an irritated hiss.

Yes!

     Twilight's victory was, however, short-lived. She tripped on something -- rewarding her with a new bruise -- and her legs gave way from underneath her, making her helpless to avoid falling into a large mud puddle.

Splash!

     Twilight was nearly submerged in the puddle when she'd landed. Her entire head, her front hooves, and a part of her neck were the only things remaining above the surface. As the rain washed out her mane and stained face, the voices of Applejack, Spike, and the others had diminished. Twilight sighed, relieved, in knowing they were safe for the time being. She knew they would eventually pick up on her trail again, so she would have to get up and move while she had the upper hand.

     As she wrenched herself out of the puddle, her aching limbs began to protest against her action. Her heart resumed its drumming rhythm, beating loud enough that anyone else would have faintly heard it. Twilight finally managed to escape the puddle, still dripping wet of mud. She rolled onto her back so she faced the storm-filled sky above.

Why do you continue to run, Twilight Sparkle? asked a deep, feminine voice. 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.

     Twilight's eyes widened, then formed into a glare as she bolted up into a standing position. "Shut up! Just shut up!" She immediately regret saying that aloud, since it would only give away her hiding place.

It was merely a question, the voice replied, grabbing Twilight's attention again. My point is, your friends know this accursed place as well as you do, and even if they didn't, 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 dragon to finish what you started.

You mean what you started. 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, I ask you once more; 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. All they want is to put you down like the feral beast you've become, especially that Pegasus . . . Rainbow Dash, was it?

     Twilight released a breath she didn't know she was holding, briefly clouding her vision with her foggy breath. She considered her answer for a minute before replying.

You tell me that I can't escape Applejack or the others, or find the answers I need, but you're wrong. Yes, I betrayed them. Yes, they pursue me to eradicate the threat that's now present. If it weren't for that threat waiting to happen, I would just let them come for me. But I know that if I do,  they'll die because of what I've done.

I may not deserve to be their friend anymore, but that doesn't change the fact that they shouldn't be the ones to pay for my crimes. Until my heart stops beating, I will not let you hurt them.

     The voice giggled softly. Even though her voice was that of a mare 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, she had a general idea of what was on her mind.

     Sure enough, Twilight felt her heart jolt with a fresh wave of fiery pain, making her groan softly and her knees buckle. Hot tears dribbled from her clenched-shut 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 which resonated the most -- practically screaming the selfishness that Twilight held on to during her most previous betrayal -- was joined by a stallion's dying scream, and the sound of bones snapping under a great weight.

N-no! I didn't mean to . . . I . . . I'm so sorry . . .

     Twilight shivered softly, wishing for the nightmare to end, to just wake up in the Golden Oaks Library as if none of this ever happened. The memory continued its vicious assault, crushing her will to fix her grave mistakes.

     Suddenly, the pain, memories, even her drumming heart, halted without explanation. Fearing the worst was yet to come, Twilight kept her eyes shut, assuming that she was giving her a false sense of security. That was one thing that she wouldn't allow her to have.

     Cold sweat seeped down her face. The icy rainfall continued its assault on her, making her spine tingle and the fur on her back stand on end.

     After several minutes had passed, Twilight finally gathered her courage, and 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.

     Once she was sure the attack had ended, she straightened her legs out - rearing to her full height. She stretched out her stiff back, prepared to run when the girls would find her. Still, there had to be some reason as to why she suddenly backed off.

What do you think you're doing, Ni--

     Twilight's challenge was cut off by a nearby crackle of lightning. But it wasn't that which sent her heart into her throat. As the lightning's glow blinded her vision, she caught a glimpse of a grim-faced stallion standing under a canopy of trees, not even ten feet from her. Twilight blinked once, and he vanished out of existence, the same way the lightning bolt did.

     Twilight felt her neck prickle with dread.

Who is he? The better question is, why does he keep following me?

     This was not the first time she had seen this stallion. He had first appeared back when this whole . . . situation had begun, and had been turning up -- only for a few, brief seconds each time -- on several occasions since. And with each appearance, Twilight's memory was imprinted with the glow of his piercing, emerald irises. It felt, to her, as if he could look past her flesh and bone, and see her once pure soul. But worst of all, she felt a cruel sense of familiarity whenever he would appear, a sense reflecting that of seeing an old friend or enemy after many years of absence.

     Twilight would have attacked him by now, if not for her hesitant decision on what his alignment was.

     She was left unsure if he good, only here to guide her to the path before her, or if he evil, with the intention of murder on his mind, and to haunt her while waiting for the right moment to strike. Or was there a deeper purpose for his interaction than either theory? It occurred to Twilight that maybe the stallion was the one who stopped the attack.

But I've never even seen him before! Why did he help me if we've never--

     Twilight's train of thought was once again interrupted by a tree branch snapping, followed by a grunt of exertion from a voice Twilight recognized at once. Applejack leapt over, and slid around to face her, covered head to tail in sticks, leafs, and splotches of mud. She fixed her eyes on her, and opened her mouth to speak. Twilight took no hesitation to focus on firing an energy-beam spell -- before remembering that she'd already used the last spark of 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 focused on Applejack, whose hardened expression faded, replaced by fear. Using this to her advantage, Twilight rushed forward, jumped over Applejack, and forced her back legs to strike. As Twilight predicted, Applejack recomposed herself and dodged out of the way just before she kicked empty air.

     It was more of a second distraction to buy some time; not only to stall Applejack, but also slow the others, who would no doubt, stop to check if she was unharmed.

     But Twilight's plan had a slight flaw. A lack of experience with back-kicking at nothing had the potential for serious damage. Twilight's backbone faltered painfully, causing her body to collide into another mud puddle, soaking both her and Applejack.

     "Owww . . ." she whimpered.

     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 to find solid ground, like a blind pony.

     "Girls, there's Twilight!"

     Twilight's ears shot up as she heard Pinkie Pie's voice. Still dripping mud, Twilight darted into the trees, reluctant to abandon Applejack to the others' concerns.

     Twilight panted as she weaved between, leapt over, and ducked under branches that blocked her path. From all sides, she couldn't see any kind of clearing that would lead to her destination, her intended hiding place. Even if there was a pathway, there was no sky or moonlight to show her the way. From behind, she thought she heard Rarity, or possibly Rainbow Dash screaming. She considered going back to check before mentally slapping herself.

     She started to feel her stirring in her heart again, like a waking dragon hatchling. There wasn't much time left before she decided to emerge again. And there was no magic, no mystery stallion -- as far as she knew -- to prevent that.

     As she felt the first pulse from her attack hit, Twilight charged into a large clearing. Realizing the momentum was too much, she skidded to a halt, just before she could fall into the deep chasm below. She backed up and examined her surroundings.

     There was a narrow, wooden bridge in front of her, hanging over the deep chasm she'd almost fell into. The bridge looked as though it sorely needed repairs; the ropes especially needed to be replaced. Looking closely, they were only loosely secured to the stone pillars they were tied to. They also had bits of sickly-colored rot on them, and some sections looked like they could break at any moment.

     Across the bridge was the place Twilight was looking for.

     "The Castle of the Two Sisters. The girls may know this place too, but I can lose them in here. There's more to it than meets the eye."

     Just like the first time she came to the Castle, the place was in shambles. The wall which held the entry doors was somewhat intact. The towers on either side of the doors stood tall, still whole and easy places to hide in. Various tree branches hung over the Castle, and the moss on the branches hid part of the entrance, like a great curtain.

     Seeing the Castle again brought back pleasant memories of her very first adventure, back when she and the girls fought Nightmare Moon. Back when their friendships formed, and became, Twilight once believed, unbreakable.

Fate has a cruel sense of humor, it seems, she thought grimly to herself.

     Hearing Rainbow Dash yelling something to another pony, Twilight examined the bridge again.

I don't think crossing's an option. The bridge could break at any second. But do I really have another choice?

      After risking another glance back to Rainbow's general direction, Twilight backed up as far as she could. She took a deep breath, ignoring the pain as much as she could. She charged for the bridge. Just before her hooves hit the bridge's first plank, Twilight jumped. She landed roughly on the halfway point, causing the whole structure to shake and sway. Twilight yelped sharply, clinging to one of the planks.

Okay, Twilight. You're almost there. Just get off the bridge, and get inside.

     Brushing a droplet of rain out of her eyes, she inched across the remaining distance, taking one plank at a time. Some planks cracked, causing her to nearly fall. Once on solid ground, she looked back to see all six friends approaching the bridge. Rainbow flapped open her wings, ready to fly over, while Spike and Fluttershy stared intently.

     Clearing her hesitation away, Twilight back-kicked the pillar on her left --injuring her spine further -- forcing the rope to break, causing the bridge to sway in an tilted manner, making it difficult to cross.Startled, Rainbow's wings closed on her as she fell face-first into the ground, then rose, glaring at Twilight.  The unicorn sighed disappointedly -- wishing she didn't have to escape by upsetting her once-friends further -- and stumbled to the large, wooden doors that led inside.

     Once in the Castle, Twilight pushed a wooden beam across the closed doors. The first room had no roof, so rain still splattered Twilight's face. She considered the problem of Rainbow or Fluttershy easily getting in because there was no roof, but then decided it would take awhile for either to fly over and dislodge the beam.

     She walked into the second room which, thankfully, had a roof to shield the rain. About twenty feet in front of her was a small staircase that led to two other staircases which ascended to her left and right; both ended at a small balcony-- which had a path to more rooms -- above the first staircase. Hanging above the staircases, there were two banners; one was golden, and had the image of an Alicorn under a glowing sun; and one was a deep shade of blue, with an Alicorn standing under the crescent moon and a starlit sky.

     The Alicorns themselves did not have much detail, for they were made with the Old-Equestian Art Style, with thin bodies, oval eyes and black irises, and only showed one wing -- due to the two-dimensional art style.

     On the walls to Twilight's left and right were six different arches that each led to a certain room. In between arches, there were empty pockets for torches to be held.

Okay, now I just have to find that old library, thought Twilight. There should be some books there that can help me with --

     A discordant melody of wood breaking, hinges creaking, and doors hitting stone walls announced the girls and Spike's presence. Twilight muttered "shoot" under her breath, and continued her retreat. It was a bit ridiculous to her now; it felt more like a horror movie version of "Red Light, Green Light", in which "red" meant stop to rest, and "green" meant to run away.

     Twilight chose a corridor on her right, hoping that it led to the library. She was desperate, enough to hope that her friends just might think she wasn't going there. Of course, she had her moments when her brain refused to think logically.

     Exiting the inky black of the corridor, Twilight found herself in the chamber where the Elements of Harmony had been found by her and the girls. Straight ahead was the hall that led to the throne room. Twilight face-hoofed herself, gritting her teeth.

Arrgg! I'm never going to find the library at this rate! Go back, and pick a different corridor!

     She revolved herself and charged into the dark hallway; only to hear Rarity's voice inside. She skidded to a halt, and once again turned and ran. She shot past the structure that once held the Elements of Harmony in stone-form, and took no hesitation to enter the next hallway.

     Before she knew it, Twilight had found the throne room. She ran towards the back of the room, in hopes of finding something like a secret passageway out of the room, or a loose tile in the floor that had a little cubbyhole to hide in. She'd circled the round platform three times before collapsing in hopelessness.

     "Trapped . . ." she whispered through broken tears.

     The pain increased, forcing her to inhale sharply. The pained tears slid down her face as she considered her few options. Telling her friends the truth wasn't one of them. 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.

     The pain shot a fresh wave through Twilight, leaving the sensation of something trying to pry itself out of her chest. She stifled a pained scream, realizing that she would be free any second.

No . . . I can't let her . . .

     Twilight stood up, her muscles tightly clenched. She stepped back into a wall behind her, using it as an anchor to hold onto her sanity. She cast a mental wall in her mind to protect her consciousness as she pounded against it.

     It seemed as thought Twilight was winning, when the voice said two words in a sing-song voice:

Behind you . . .

     Twilight broke from her battle-trance just as she heard a glass window shatter from above her. The distraction rewarded her as she attacked Twilight with a new hatred, forcing her into a violent spasm that paralyzed her from any movement, other than twitching violently. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the pink star on her flank disappear for the last time.

"No!"