Alone

The second confrontation with her soul other was very different from the first. It knew the same pressure point trick wouldn't work twice in a row. However, that wasn't enough to keep Twilight's body from being beaten, broken, and bloodied. She still lacked the strength, stamina, endurance, and pain tolerance to protect herself. It would take a while to get used to this. She wondered off and on if that was all she was going to do.

"Still have a bit of a ways to go," the soul apparition said bluntly. Twilight couldn't respond because of the pain, but she was in complete agreeance with herself. Her other half's horn began to glow a dark color. "There; right as rain."

After feeling the pain subside for a minute, Twilight stood up. Her body was completely healed.

"We don't really have much to gauge how much stronger you've gotten since the first night. It'll be easier to tell next time we fight."

Twilight grumbled in frustration.

"I can see you're getting a bit flustered. You realize you could just fly back and forget about all this, right?"

"You'd eventually show up again anyway. I'd rather just be over and done with this whole ordeal the first time."

"Well, you'll have to take that up with our brother."

A confused look crossed Twilight's face.

"I felt his energy shift a while ago. He's on his way here as we speak."

"Why?"

"I'm not a mind-reader. I just possess knowledge of the physical world, but I do know one thing; you're not entirely thrilled to have to see him, are you?

"Have I told you I hate having you in my head?"

"I probably could've guessed."

Both of them looked out to the forest's exit where Shining would eventually appear in two days' time.

"Anyway, it's time I get going."

"You think he'll show up before our next meeting?"

"Who knows?"

With that out of the way, the other portion of Twilight's soul vanished into the forest.

"Shining Armor? Now I'm really lost."

Shining's ride wasn't particularly eventful, but there was a hollow feeling that settled in. There was no one else around to converse with, so he couldn't even take his mind off the unfavorable possibilities running through his mind. The experiments he'd previously brought up with Twilight's friends were something else to dwell on too. Those that volunteered didn't show any signs of psychological harm for a while, but was there a possibility it began earlier? From what Shining remembered reading, the examinations were conducted in intervals instead of having the participants be constantly monitored. That could've been a fatal flaw in treating the illness. Maybe there was something they missed; something Shining might just figure out when he achieved contact with his younger sister. Something else was off too. How come Twilight's magic was suppressed before any of this even occurred? In every unicorn case, changes in their magic were documented, and there were no effects until after a varying period. Was something up before the experiments even started?

The next 48 hours came and went without much incident. Shining arrived at the entrance to the forest as the sun began to set. To his surprise, Twilight was standing before him, a stone cold look in her eyes.

"I knew you'd be here," was all she uttered, though there was a strong sense of underlying remorse.

"How?"

"I guess you're here to tell me this is a bad idea and I should go home, right?"

"Did you develop precognition powers or something?"

"Everything's set up. Stay here tonight. You'll see what's really going on."

Twilight reentered the forest.

"Could this mean I missed something after all?"

For the first couple hours, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Twilight and Shining sat around the fire in front of the shelter. The exchange of words leading up to that point was minimal.

"So, what's been going on since you left?"

"Look behind you."

"Not funny, Twily."

"You don't even know the half of it," Shining heard from the rear area. He froze before slowly, delicately moving his head to see what was making its way to his ears. The shadowy figure caused him to scream in panic.

"WHAT ARE YOU!?"

"You're easier to scare than me, Shining."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME!?"

"If you'd stop screaming for a minute, I could actually tell you."

Though still in a panicked state, Shining kept his mouth in check.

"Good. Now, to start off, if you look at my form, who do I remind you of?"

"...T-Twilight?"

"Bingo. Both of us are Twilight, but I'm the half you never saw."

Shining began to calm down and stood up on his hooves.

"The half I never saw? What in Celestia's name are you talking about?"

"I don't think you should be using the name of your goddess in vain, should you?"

Shining was getting more confused with every word.

"Never mind. Anyway, to put it in layman's terms, I'm every destructive impulse and self-defeating emotion your sister never experienced."

"So, the ones like you were behind everything!?"

"You mean those failed experiments where they thought it was some kind of disorder of the mind, right?"

"Darn it! I should've known from the beginning there was more to it than that!"

"Every species in this universe was born with a type of safety lock in their psyche that can only be broken when the circumstances call for it. In the case of those experiments, there was an opportunity for their variations to escape, so they took it. Without strong enough convictions to resist, they gave up and let their emotions take over, leading to the disaster you know now."

"I'm guessing Twilight's been giving you a run for your money, then?"

"Mentally, yes."

"Mentally?"

"It's better if you see for yourself."

The original Twilight stood on her hooves.

"Shining," she told her brother, "whatever you see, don't get caught up in it. I'll be okay."

Shining was still mixed up in his thoughts, but he nodded anyway. He could guess what was about to happen. With every necessary preparation taken care of, Twilight and her soul engaged in battle.

Unlike the previous nights, when the fight concluded, Twilight still had the strength to stand, albeit just barely. She wiped the blood from her now broken nose.

"You're a quick learner."

"..."

"Anyway, your strength and technique really need some work, but you did a good job at minimizing injury by dodging. If you want my advice, try blocking with the sturdiest parts of your limbs too."

"I'll take that into account."

"Time to heal."

The separated entity cast her healing spell, fully restoring Twilight's power and cleaning her off. Once that was finished, she retreated to the shadows. The original walked past her brother to the shelter. Without looking back, she gave him one last warning.

"Now you know what I'm dealing with. Go home and be with Cadance and Flurry. They need you."

"...Hey, Twilight."

"Yeah?"

"Did you resent me for not being around after I joined the guard?"

Twilight hung her head in sorrow.

"I did, but you were happy. I couldn't take that way from you."

"It's okay. I get it."

"I was lost without you around. You and Spike were my only friends for a long time."

Shining went over to Twilight and lifted her head. There was a huge smile on his face.

"Hey, don't look so down. There's a whole world open to you now, and I can start to make it up to you."

"Huh?"

"You're already getting really strong. I think I can retire and leave Equestria in your security."

"I can't be a guard."

"I can find someone to replace my position, but if the world has a mare as strong as you, the royal guard's just a formality at this point. You don't have to do everything on your own either. You can train with others and teach them everything you know. I think you've just unlocked the secret to a global defense force."

Twilight's eyes lit up with hope at the prospect. Equestria could finally be safe forever, and she would be the one to bring it all to fruition.

"I'll take your advice and leave in the morning. This is getting a bit too weird for me. Just keep fighting, no matter what tries to stop you."

Twilight looked into her brother's eyes, determination overflowing.

"I will."