Darkness matters

"BEN! We did it!" Twilight shouted happily as she ran up to her spirit friend, only to see a faint frown on his face. "What's wrong? I thought you would be happy."

"Twilight, what do you think about darkness in general?" BEN asked, a tone of sadness on his voice.

"Well I would have to say that it's not so great, and it can cause evil to raise." Twilight told him.

"You're wrong."

"What?" Twilight stared at him, confused.

"Twilight...Darkness isn't bad." BEN explained, "It gives the earth a chance to rest after the sun shines on it. Darkness gives everything a chance to rest after a long day. You just never thought of it that way."

"You're mistaken BEN. Darkness-"

"Is something that we need to live."

"Huh?"

BEN looked at the princess and sighed, turning away, trying to hid his bloody tears.

"I've...For the longest time, I've been in darkness. Thought everything should be darkness. Did so much for evil. But now, I see that light is too needed. But darkness? Everyone thinks it's bad...What makes a nightmare." BEN could slowly feel blood dripping down his cheeks, making their way onto the ground, "But now I know what it truly means."

Twilight stood still, quiet as BEN went on.

"It makes up the earth with the light. Does so much for us. People think light does it all...But it doesn't. Darkness is important too. Maybe evil does come from the darkness, but that only happens because people choose to be evil. Just look at Princess Luna. She was once evil, but she didn't want to be! She was lost and confused. She found a way out of that."

"From the elements of Harmony." Twilight reminded, "Darkness didn't do anything but lure her in more!"

"Because she choose to believe it would save everyone."

Twilight was quiet once more.

"Don't you see? No one is born evil, Twilight, they're only evil when they choose to be. Maybe something in their life happened that made them go evil. See things another way."

Twilight took one look at BEN before catching up with her friends, that were happy that they saved the land once more, but BEN, he wasn't. They had betrayed the dark once more. When all it asked was to be seen like the light. In the end...They betrayed the dark. And it's not the dark that betrayed them. No. It never did. It was always them.

How could he be so blind? He was made in the dark, once in the light, he was needed in the dark. He couldn't be in the light. It was time he returned to his true nature. True home in the dark.

Twilight and her friends went up to BEN and heard him crying. They saw blood drip from his face and onto the ground. Why was he crying?

"BEN?" Twilight asked, "You okay?"

"I have to tell you something." BEN said, sighing, "I've...I've been meaning to tell you this."

"What?"

"I was...I was born in the darkness." He heard gasps, "I'm sorry that I never told you before."

"Why would you keep this from us!?" Twilight asked/yelled, hurt to know that BEN kept something from them. From her. "I thought we were friends..."

"We are, it's just...Just that I need to return to the darkness soon...Or...Or..."

"Or what!?"

"Or I'll die..."

Twilight stared at him in shock. What? He could die in the light?

"BEN, what do you mean?" Twilight asked, taking a step forward.

"I mean...The darkness keeps me living. Keeps me alive and able to be seen by others." BEN softly explained, "And if I leave the darkness...I'll be leaving my life."

"So you need the dark?"

"Yes. And I know what you're going to say. "But that darkness has evil! You can't just turn to it! It'll destroy you!" But I was born into the darkness after I drowned. I can't leave it."

"Could I speak with you for a moment?" Twilight asked him. Already moving him away from everyone else.

"Okay."

BEN followed Twilight and soon found himself in a...Garden? the garden was filled with flowers and had a maze. It looked so familiar somehow. Somehow he felt like he knew the place.

"BEN," Twilight began, "I don't understand, how could you keep this from us?"

"I've seen how you treated ones from the darkness and I thought you would do the same to me. I was...Frightened. I also saw the way Princess Luna acted when she came back. Needless to say I couldn't just tell you!"

"We've known each other since I was a filly BEN! How could you think I would treat you like that!?"

"Maybe because you've fought other creatures from the darkness to send the message, 'I'll defend Equestira from you!'. Doesn't matter anymore. Goodbye Twilight Sparkle."

When Twilight blinked, she didn't see BEN anywhere. Fear set in and she began looking everywhere for BEN. But she couldn't find him.

"BEN!? WHERE ARE YOU!?" Twilight asked/yelled.

"Twilight, what's going on?" A voice said, she turned around and saw Luna.

"I can't find BEN."

"He just came to me. He told me to tell you something." Luna said, sounding a bit sad.

"What?"

"He said, Never fear the darkness. Because maybe, we'll see each other again."

"No...BEN..."