Twilight Sparkle and the Dark Spark

Chapters

Twilight Sparkle and the Dark Spark

Twilight Sparkle and the Dark Spark

TWILIGHT SPARKLE AND THE DARK SPARK

Written by Sparrow9612

Based upon 'My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic,' created by Lauren Faust

“Some ponies aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some ponies...just want to watch the world burn.”
-Alfred Bitworth-

Twilight Sparkle was a Unicorn born and raised in the great city of Canterlot. Educated under the wisdom and guidance of Princess Celestia, she learned to harness her immense magical potential. Now eighteen, Twilight had officially been granted the title of Mage. She very much looked forward to her first real test as a graduated magic-wielder. At her side was Spike the dragon, whom Twilight hatched during her initial test to get into Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns. Twilight and Spike walk through the grand corridors of Canterlot Castle, heading for Celestia's throne room to see what the Princess has in store for them.

"So, what do you think our task will be?" Spike asks Twilight, "Are you ready for it?"

"I don't know Spike, but I'm ready" Twilight replies to Spike with confidence in her voice, "I won't let Princess Celestia down!"

Suddenly, a bright light pierced the eyes of Twilight and Spike, causing a moment of blindness. When they opened their eyes again, Unicorn and Dragon were staring at a book with an odd cover, depicting the red outline of a globe with a jagged line running diagonally across it from top left to bottom right.

The text was written in a language neither had seen before, and yet Spike was able to instantly understand what it was saying.

"The Book of Cataclysms" he read about, "sounds like the title of one of my graphic novels."

"You can read that language, Spike?" Twilight asked her #1 Assistant, her violet eyes wide with disbelief, "what does it say? I must know! TELL ME!" Twilight could be quite neurotic and impatient at times, but she was a wonderful pony with a good heart.

Spike took the book from the ground. Twilight leaned in close to hear Spike read, a wide and eager smile on her face. Bookworm for life, that mare.

"These two ponies are the last of their kind," Spike read aloud, "the last two remaining members of the so-called 'Mane Six' of the former Royal Pony Academy. This is their tale."

"But...all of our friends are still alive, and there is no such place as the Royal Pony Academy" Twilight whispered to Spike, "is this book some kind of sick prank?"

Spike tilted his head to one side and gave a cynical snort. "It says here that the Academy was real, and this is how it looked."

Twilight's horn glowed with a purple light and levitated the book with her magic, encasing it in the same aura. She looked at the picture of the so-called Royal Pony Academy in the book.

The description in the book matched the castle they were currently walking through. Twilight just stared at the pages of the book in utter disbelief.

It couldn't be, it just couldn't be. "What do you think it means, Twi?" Spike asked, "is the book lying?"

Twilight replied with much concern, "I don't know Spike, but I bet Celestia will be able to figure this mystery out! She's the smartest pony in all of Equestria!"

Slipping the strange book into her saddlebag, Twilight levitated Spike onto her back and galloped onward to Celestia's throne room.

Celestia sat on her throne with a stern expression on her face. She looked over when she heard the hoof-steps of her two students approaching. "Hello my students, is there something wrong?" she asked, rising to her hooves. She was a tall and regal Alicorn, white of coat with a mystical flowing mane streaked in the colors of dawn.

Twilight levitated the odd book out of her saddlebag. "Its this book, Princess Celestia. It appeared out in a flash of light when Spike and I were walking to your throne room. Spike was somehow able to read the textual language and it reads that only two of my friends are still alive, and that all of them attended a former Royal Pony Academy that, as far as I am aware doesn't exist! It's...it's baffling!"

Celestia's face displayed a mixture of concern and seriousness.

Twilight continues her explanation to Celestia, "I thought perhaps you could make some sense of this book and its contents." She levitated the book over to the Princess.

Celestia levitated her magical spectacles out of her saddlebag and levitated them onto her face. She began to read the book's text, head bowed low as she concentrated.

Twilight paced back and forth like a nervous cat until Spike finally gave a downward push on her rump to get the neurotic Unicorn mare to stop.

Celestia read for several minutes in silence before looking up at her two students.
She closed the book with a snap and stared at it with a furrowed brow.

"What did you learn, Princess?" Twilight asked, rising to her hooves again, "is it bad news? Is Equestria in grave danger again?"

Celestia lifted her head, eyes distant as she looked at the book's cover. "I don't believe so, but only time will tell." Her eyes returned to normal and she gave a small smile.

Twilight let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Well that's a relief" she replied to the Princess, "still...I wonder who sent it to me? Books don't normally materialize in a flash of light." Spike quipped in response, "especially if Twi here gets her hooves on it. The sender will never get it back."

Celestia smiled at Spike's dry humor.

Twilight glared at Spike for a moment before smiling at her #1 Assistant's humor. "So, to business" the Unicorn said to Celestia, "I came here to see if you had any tasks for me? I really want to prove myself as a mage!"

Celestia stood up and moved closer to Twilight. She levitated a small black book off of her throne, perusing it with care as she looked it over. "Have you read this tome?"

Twilight levitated the black book over to look it over. The book was small, much smaller than the ones she was used to reading. A golden seal with two crossed swords was imprinted on the center of the front cover. "No, I have not" she replied, "what is it?"

Celestia levitated the book back to her and opened it. On the first few pages were many symbols that didn't look like anything she had seen before.

"I've read a lot of books about runes and symbols, and I've never in my life seen the ones in that book" Twilight said, her ego small enough to admit when she didn't know something. Sometimes.

Celestia nodded, turning several pages and pausing on one in particular. Twilight walked up the ramp to the throne's platform, levitating Spike onto her back before sitting down next to Celestia to study the leather-bound tome. The symbols were unfamiliar to the both of them, and it took some studying to even begin to understand them. Half-an-hour later, one of the castle staff brought out a tray of fresh tea and tiramisu cake for Celestia, Twilight, and Spike.

They dug in immediately and talked away the rest of the book's symbols and language. "This is very...complex" Twilight said, closing her eyes as she took a big bite of the delicious dessert. While her sweet tooth was not as big as Celestia's, she did enjoy a nice dessert every now and again, especially if it was baked with love in Sugarcube Corner.

"I'll say" Spike replied, taking a bite of his own cake. As a young dragon he required a great deal of sleep. He yawned and curled up on Twilight's back like a scaly purple cat. Thankfullym unlike a cat, he didn't start kneading his dragon claws to 'fluff up' his resting spot. That would have ended in decisively bloody fashion.

"But some of the symbols look familiar," Spike replied sleepily, "look at this one." He pointed to a smaller symbol that was imprinted on one of the pages.

Twilight looked closely at the symbol Spike pointed out. The smaller one had several components and represented the larger runes as a whole. The Unicorn racked her brilliant brain to try and work out the meaning of the symbols and components.

"I think...it looks a lot like one of those symbols on that golden box in the treasure room" she replied to Spike, "maybe it's part of some spell or something. I'll have to check it out."

Spike nodded, rubbing his head. "Yeah, I don't really care about that thing anyway."

"You go home and get some sleep, Spike" Twilight told her #1 Assistant, lighting her horn and opening a portal back to the Golden Oaks Library for him.
"See you later, Twi" Spike replied, stepping through the portal into the library's central room.
"Goodnight Spike," Twilight said gently, before closing the portal.

She turned her attention back to the page in front of her, then froze. "What in the world...?" she said in confusion, staring at a new symbol that had just appeared on the page. A portal had opened up on the page, and it was almost beckoning to her. She couldn't tell if it was good or bad, right or wrong. Curiosity killed the...well, you know the rest. Startled, Twilight dropped the book and stepped back as the portal engulfed it.

Then, the portal began to glow and hum in a decidedly unpleasant fashion. A venomously green ball of light rocketed out of the portal, nearly taking Twilight's head off if Celestia hadn't teleported the Unicorn to her side. The ball of light hovered around the throne room for a moment, as if looking around, before slowly settling to the floor. It burst in a flash of purplish-green-and-black dark magic, and in its place stood a Unicorn mare. In its place stood...

...another Twilight?

Except this new Twilight was clearly not in the least bit friendly. Her coat was darker, almost a midnight blue, and her eyes were a demonic burning red with yellow sclera. "Give me that book...or I'll kill the both of you where you stand!" Other Twilight demanded. Her voice was exactly like the good Twilight, except it held all the warmth of an arctic blizzard.

Celestia teleported behind Other Twilight, standing ready to cast a banishing spell. Other Twilight reacted swiftly and stomped a hoof on the throne room floor, shattering the marble and sending a massive shockwave that launched a shocked Celestia clear across the throne room. The Princess smashed into the wall hard enough to shatter the stone and tumbled to the floor in an unmoving heap.

Outraged by her doppelganger's attack on the Princess, Twilight immediately fired a Scorching Ray spell at Other Twilight. The ray slammed into Other Twilight, but it only served to enrage her as she conjured a shield around herself. She charged at Twilight, teleporting and sent her hurtling into the wall again with a single powerful kick.

As she lay on the floor, Other Twilight rose up onto her forelegs and brought her back hooves down on the stunned Twilight, stomping on her head several times and shattering the marble beneath. She seemed to enjoy the agonized screams her brutal attack caused. Other Twilight left her bloodied and critically-injured counterpart and walked over to the Book of Cataclysms. "At last...it's mine" she hissed with malevolent glee. However, bad karma bites hard. Celestia fired a spell from her horn and teleported the book of runes to parts unknown.

Other Twilight whirled on Celestia with a truly chilling look of anger and unbridled hate, "You won't take it from me! I will find the Book of Cataclysms, and I will use it to burn my world to ashes, and then I'm coming for yours!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Celestia roared with a rarely seen anger. She desperately wanted to race to Twilight's side, but this dark version had to be dealt with first. The Princess of the Sun fired a beam of intense magical fire at the Other Twilight, who frantically conjured a shield to protect herself. The deranged mare teleported away before any significant damage could be inflicted.

"Twilight? Oh my dear child, please stay with me..." Celestia rushed over to her faithful student, who lay unmoving by the throne in an ever-growing pool of blood. The Princess dropped to her knees and checked for a pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt one, although it was extremely faint. But it was not to be, and the last traces of life slipped from Twilight Sparkle.

But perhaps there was a way to save Twilight? Celestia knew she needed a cleric skilled enough to raise the dead. It would have to be done quickly, as only the recently dead could be restored to life. Princess Celestia put out a call to the one pony she knew to be powerful and skilled enough to bring her faithful student back from the dead.

With hours, a white-maned, white-bearded Unicorn stallion in a star-studded robe stepped through a portal and into the corridor outside the Canterlot Castle medical wing. This was the legendary mage Starswirl the Bearded, a friend and mentor of Princess Celestia when she was young. He hurried to the castle's medical wing where Twilight's body had been taken.

"A dark imposter of Twilight appeared in my throne room" Celestia explained to Starswirl as he walked over to her, admirably able to maintain her composure despite the death of her beloved student, "she wanted a book Twilight and I were studying and attacked us. I was rendered unconscious and Twilight was...she was...that..that imposter she...there is no delicate way to put it: she stomped Twilight's head in. She murdered her in cold blood, Starswirl. I can still hear her cackling in my mind."

Celestia finally lost her legendary composure and broke down sobbing. She fell on the floor in the medical wing. Starswirl, in a rare show of affection he granted to a very, very select few, held his former pupil as she cried.

"Can you resurrect Twilight?" Celestia asked Starswirl quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks, "can you bring my faithful student back to me?"

"I..." the aged wizard was at a loss of how to respond. He had rarely ever failed to bring back a dead pony before, as he was quite adept at healing magic. But it had been a long time since his last resurrection.

"Do what you can, Starswirl" Celestia replied to her friend and mentor, "I won't hold it against you if you are unable to bring Twilight back. The damage that fiend inflicted is...unspeakable."

"I understand, Tia. I'll try to bring her back, but I cannot promise anything" With those words, the wizard began to cast a complex series of spells and incantations. He muttered quietly and levitated a large crystal coffin into position, which he kept stored in a pocket dimension, such was his magical prowess that he could craft such a thing. It was specially made for Cleric work. The crystal enhanced the life-restoring magic and channeled it fully into the pony or other creature in need of resurrection. Starswirl gently placed Twilight's body into it and sealed the lid.

Starswirl focused his incredible magical power into the crystal coffin, channeling life energy into it to mend Twilight's fatal injuries and restore her to life. Thankfully the coffin was intentionally sound-proof, otherwise one would hear the unsettling crackles and pops of mending flesh and bones.

In what felt like hours passing, the clerical magic was done and the crystal coffin glowed brightly. For a moment, nothing happened, and Starswirl and Celestia removed the lid and peered into it in puzzlement and hope. At first it looked like the Resurrection spell didn't work, and Celestia prepared for the worst, that her faithful student had already crossed the great rainbow bridge into the afterlife.

However, there was a small bit of movement and Twilight bolted upright with a deep intake of breath. She looked around her in a daze and seemed unsure of who, what, where, when, and perhaps why she was. She gazed in half-catatonic wonder at her left foreleg, then the right.

"Twilight...are you all there?" Celestia asked, hoping her faithful student hadn't lost her memories or brilliant mind from the process of being resurrected.

"I'm...I'm not sure" the Unicorn mumbled, still a little confused, "who are you?"

"It's me, Princess Celestia, your mentor and friend." The princess wrapped her long forelegs around her faithful student, pulling her into the warmest of hugs, "please tell me you haven't lost your faculties?"

"I...I remember...you, but everything else is a bit of a blur" the Unicorn said with a small giggle, "what's going on?"

"Take it easy and rest Twilight" Celestia gently told her faithful student, "to put it simply: you died and Starswirl the Bearded here was able to bring you back to life."

"I remember now" Twilight explained, remembering the harrowing events that occurred, "that evil version of me, she...she stomped on my head. After about the eighth time, everything went white. I was somewhere else...somewhere far away but...something is blocking me from going into detail."

Celestia gently patted her pupil on the head and hugged her again, happy to see that her friend and faithful student was alive, aware and breathing.

"So, Twilight is indeed fully restored to life?" Celestia asked Starswirl hopefully, "there won't be any side effects? She's not...living on borrowed time or anything?"

"None at all" the wizard assured his former pupil, "and her mind is as sharp as ever. I guarantee that if she does experience any memory lapses in the future, we can fix them easily enough."

"Oh, I'm so relieved" Celestia replied, hugging her mentor, "thank you Starswirl. I knew you would succeed."

"Don't mention it, Tia" he waved a hoof dismissively, "there's no need to thank me. I'm just happy to have saved a worthy student." Even through her addled mind, Twilight was still able to pull a 'senpai noticed me!' expression at being called a worthy student by her idol, hero, and inspiration.

The steady and deliberate clop of armored hooves could be heard outside the medical wing and Princess Luna stepped through the doors, clad in her new battle barding, customized in her preferred black and dark blue with a white crescent moon in the center.

"The hunt continues for the imposter Twilight, dear sister" the Princess of the Night reported to Celestia, "she has yet to turn up, but our guards are scouring the land far and wide. She will be captured, and she will pay dearly for her crimes."

Celestia nodded at her sister and continued to watch over her pupil, who was yawning and stretching. She would be fine. Twilight was young and resilient. "Get some sleep Twilight" the Princess told her friend, "you've had an experience that a very rare few come back from."

"Goodnight Princesses, Starswirl" Twilight replied, laying back on the medical cot and closing her eyes. Celestia and Starswirl departed the medical wing to attend a briefing with Luna, leaving Twilight to rest.

The unicorn was woken up halfway through the night by strange noises outside the window. She slowly got up, warily testing her balance before trotting over to the tall window of the medical wing. The moon was bright and round, giving her a good look at the empty courtyard and the distinctive figures milling about down below. Twilight was relieved that her eyesight was still 20/20. She would have been mortified to learn that she couldn't read anymore. Though she wouldn't turn down a nice pair of wire-framed spectacles to look more distinguished.

She carefully looked over the stone walls surrounding the courtyard, searching for any intruders. The courtyard was empty save for a Lunar Guards trotting to and fro. Nothing out of the ordinary. That imposter version of Twilight would be a fool to return to Canterlot Castle. She was a wanted mare after all.

One of the guards noticed her looking out the window. Twilight waved and snapped the guard a respectful salute. Having been born and raised in Canterlot, she recognized the Bat Pony as Shadow Vigil. He was a steadfast and fearless stallion. Criminals beware. Shadow saluted back and Twilight returned to her cot to get some proper non-death sleep.

Meanwhile, to the east in Ponyville, the peaceful shroud of night had fallen over the village. Then the lights in Ponyville suddenly went out all at once. The thaumic power grid cut out, plunging all of Ponyville into total darkness and startling many a citizen in the middle of one activity or another.

In the clothing shop known as Carousel Boutique, one Rarity Belle was carefully navigating her way down the stairs, which were lit now only by a vivid blue light at the end of her horn.

Her assistant, Ophelia Goldenfield, followed close behind. She moved slowly and occasionally bumping into things. "I can't see a dang thing!" she complained.

"Follow the light of my horn, darling," Rarity told Ophelia, "you'll be just fine."

"This is just so frustrating!" Ophelia grumbled, "I'm twenty-two and the dark still makes me shiver my horseshoes off!"

"Darling please, you must learn patience" Rarity replied, trying to sooth the Unicorn mare's frazzled nerves. Ophelia suffered from a moderate case of nyctophobia, stemming from being trapped in a cave by a rockfall when she was a filly. The poor dear was always a little on edge when it got too dark, a fact which embarrassed and frustrated the proud mare.

Rarity and Ophelia reached the bottom of the stairs and stood now in the first floor workroom of Carousel Boutique. Ophelia's nyctophobia had made her very aware of any movements in the shadows, and she immediately caught sight of a pony standing in the open front door. "Ms. Rarity...you have a visitor" Ophelia shakily pointed out to Rarity.

"Really? Who?” Rarity asked, following Ophelia’s line of sight to the front door. She caught sight of the apparent intruder, as her shop was closed at this hour of the night.

The pony by the door didn't answer, but a horn ignited with crackling dark magic, slightly revealing what appeared to be the face of Twilight Sparkle...except it was twisted by an intense anger and hatred the likes of which Rarity had never seen on the face of any pony she had ever met in her life. Not even Suri Polomare's countenance held such venom.

"RARITY!" the Twilight doppelganger bellowed with a truly unfettered rage, "YOU DID THIS! YOU DID THIS TO ME!" Other Twilight fired a purple beam of dark magic at the startled Rarity.

Ophelia quickly shoved her employer out of the way, taking the full brunt of the Negative Energy Ray. The Unicorn mare was sent flying through the wall and into the kitchen.

"Ophelia!" Rarity cried at seeing her friend and assistant in danger. The fashionista growled and turned to face the attacker that was most certainly NOT the real Twilight Sparkle!

"You'll pay with your life" the imposter hissed, charging up another dark spell, “you’ll pay for what you did to me. You cost me my friends...so now you lose yours!”

"RARITY!" The badly injured Ophelia cried as she launched herself at Rarity and took a second Negative Energy Ray that sent her tumbling through the air again, this time straight through one of the glass windows.

Rarity, having had more than enough of this hostile and murderous imposter, levitated numerous sharp sewing implements and hurled them at Other Twilight with lightning speed.

The imposter did her best to defend herself from the swift attack, but her reflexes were no match for the marvelous telekinetic skills of the fashionista.

"You'll never get away with this you...you monster!" Rarity snarled, "I'll pin you to the wall like a macabre Nightmare Night decoration!"

Other Twilight directed her focus on quickly yanking sewing needles, pins, and even a pair of scissors from her flesh. By the time she looked up, Rarity was gone. The imposter growled under her breath and weaved some healing magic to try and mend her wounds.

As she did so, a chair was smashed over the back of Other Twilight's head by Rarity, who had quickly circled around the boutique. However, all the sneak attack did was piss off the apparently highly pain-tolerant Other Twilight. The imposter's horn glowed purple and Rarity screamed as she was telekinetically hurled into a wall. She slammed it into and dropped to the floor, only able to groan in pain.

Other Twilight slowly stalked over to the fallen Rarity, red eyes glowing in the darkness. Charging her horn for a coup de grâce, the dark Unicorn hissed, "I'm so going to enjoy killing you a second time. Your counterpart from my universe, and all the rest of my so-called ‘friends,’ stabbed me in the back at my brother Shining's wedding. They thought I was crazy, and nopony believed me when I said that Cadence was an imposter, that she was a Changeling. Turns out...I was right. But by the time my friends tracked me down and begged my forgiveness...it was too little too late. I killed Applejack, my Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, but Rainbow and Fluttershy escaped...or maybe I let them get away to be hunted down later? When I get home with my new grimoire, the Book of Cataclysms, I'll find my two former friends. Their screams of agony will echo throughout time itself before I am through with them. The same can be said for everycreature of my world when I burn it to ashes."

Rarity's eyes watered as Other Twilight painfully levitated the fashionista's head up by her mane, "I see you know how this story ends...don’t you?”

"On behalf of my counterpart, I am truly sorry for what happened to you" Rarity groaned through the pain of at least three broken ribs and being held up by her mane, "surely you must know that if your friends went out of their way to find you, to ask your forgiveness for turning their backs on you...then it means they truly loved you, doesn't it? There was no need for them to die. Friends forgive each other."

Other Twilight frowned, lowering her head as if thinking over and considering those words, then raised it back up, "I know...but it doesn't change a thing" she hissed, readying a spell to end Rarity's life. However, the attempted murder was foiled by a flying shard of glass that embedded itself in Other Twilight's left eye.

Dropping Rarity, Other Twilight screamed in agony as she clutched a hoof to her bleeding face. The dark Unicorn teleported away, leaving only wreckage and two badly injured mares in her wake.

Rarity groaned and struggled to stand, using her dress-fitting platform to get up. She made her way outside, where Ophelia lay unmoving amidst the broken glass.

"Ophelia..darling, please hang on" Rarity croaked, limping over to her severely injured assistant, "I'll summon a medical carriage...momentarily. Be strong my friend. You have so much to live for."

Ophelia weakly smiled at her, touching a bloodied hoof to Rarity’s chest. Rarity immediately summoned numerous ribbons and lengths of cloth, securing them around her assistant's wounds to stem the blood loss as best she could. The fashionista then put her new phone to use and made an emergency call to Ponyville General Hospital.

"Hang in there, Ophelia" she weakly whispered, "Just...hold on for me, alright?"

Back in Canterlot, Twilight was awakened in the morning by a flare of green dragonfire. A scroll materialized before her, addressed to her from Spike. She immediately read it.

Twilight,
Rarity and her assistant Ophelia were attacked by an imposter of you last night. Both badly hurt. Get home fast! -Spike

Spike's letter set off another flare of panic within the purple Unicorn. Her dark counterpart was at large and going after her friends! She vaulted off the cot and rushed out of the medical wing to catch the first train to Ponyville.

Rarity awakened in a hospital bed, immediately feeling pain radiating from her body like light refracted through a many-faceted diamond. Her face was heavily bandaged and her torso wrapped tight due to broken ribs. She saw several doctor ponies gathered around a practically mummified pony in one of the other beds.

"Please...please don't tell me...that that's Ophelia" Rarity said quietly to the doctors, hoping that the brilliant young Unicorn she had mentored was still among the living.

"I'm afraid she is, Ms. Belle. Ms. Goldenfield has been in an induced coma ever since she was brought in" Dr. Greymare replied to Rarity, "given time she may recover, but the dark magic used on her is slowing her body's healing processes, which are quite severe. We have some skilled Unicorns who are trying to rid her body of the dark magic, but it is proving difficult."

"Please do all you can for her, doctor" Rarity replied softly, "Ophelia took two of those dreadful dark magic beams to save my life. I owe my dear friend more than I could ever repay."

The doctors shuffled away, still discussing how to save Ophelia. Her injuries would have killed a lesser pony, but Ophelia was half Earth Pony on her mother's side, giving her incredible resilience and strength. Rarity was certain that if anypony could recover from wounds as dreadful as the ones inflicted by the imposter Twilight, it was Ophelia Gemma Goldenfield!

Rarity heard the rapid clop of hooves and several ponies and one dragon burst into the room: Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Spike, all led by a frantic-looking Twilight. All gathered around Rarity and held their friend close.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Rarity reassured them all, even though in actuality she felt like she had been run over by the Friendship Express, "But that...that terrible pony is at large! We need to find her immediately!"

"Why did the imposter attack you?" Twilight asked, "I don't understand. What possible reason would she have?"

"The imposter told me, Twilight" Rarity explained grimly, "remember at Shining Armor's wedding, when none of us believed you that Cadence was a Changeling? Well, in the imposter's timeline, she left Canterlot and was not there when she was proven right. Our counterparts, her friends, eventually tracked the imposter Twilight down to beg her forgiveness. Instead she...she...she killed her Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Only her Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy escaped."

Everypony and Spike just sat there, wide-eyed at this revelation. Pinkie's mane even deflated about half-way upon learning that her counterpart had been been betrayed and killed by a friend? Applejack turned a lighter shade of orange tinged with sickly green, looking about ready to chuck up the apple fritters she had for lunch. Fluttershy shuddered and hid behind her long pink mane. Rainbow just looked ready to seek out and kick some imposter booty.

"How could anycreature be so monstrous as to murder their best friends?" PInkie croaked, her mane deflating further, "when they simply asked to be forgiven for their past deeds? What kind of sick, twisted and demented monster would do such a thing?"

"One that needs to be caught and shown some hard justice" Applejack replied solemnly, "ah ain't lettin' no imposter hurt my friends anymore than they already have! You have mah word on that as a Smith and the Element of Honesty!"

"Could...could this imposter go after any of us?" Spike asked with much concern, "are any of us even safe if she's just as powerful as our Twilight, if not even stronger?"

"I'm afraid so, Spike," Rarity replied, also addressing her gathered friends, "this alternate Twilight is dangerously unstable. But thanks to Ophelia she is also badly wounded, likely missing her left eye thanks to a precisely-thrown shard of glass."

"Well we gots to find her before she does any more damage," Applejack said, "I'll organize a search party, maybe a lynch mob while I'm at it!"

"She's too strong, Applejack" Rarity replied sternly, "this evil Twilight wields great skill in the dark arts. She has all of our Twilight's power, all of her knowledge and intelligence...but none of her good nature to hold her in check. Considering what she did to your counterpart Applejack, I'm sure she would not hesitate to kill you on the spot."

"Don’t matter, ‘cause I'm not letting anypony else get killed!" Applejack replied, with Rainbow Dash adding in her usual brave and bold way, "we'll kick that imposter's plot right into Tartarus! Nopony hurts our friends and gets away with it!"

"We need a plan before we can do any of that!" Twilight shouted, "I've seen first-hoof what my counterpart can do. When I first encountered her in the Canterlot throne room, she created a shock-wave that sent even Princess Celestia flying across the room, hard enough to shatter the wall!"

"All I'd like to do is hug this imposter!" Pinkie said out of the blue, "hugs can warm even the coldest of cold hearts!”

"Pinkie...I know you would" Twilight replied to the excitable pink Earth Pony, whose heart was sometimes bigger than her brain, "but I doubt she would return the affection. Don't forget that this alternate version of me is extremely dangerous. She killed your counterpart in cold blood. If any of you see her, do not try and take her on alone. I don't want to lose any of you!"

"Don't worry Twilight, we'll protect you!" Fluttershy assured her with more bravery than the jittery Pegasi displayed.

“Ah second that, Shy!” Applejack added, “you know I’ve got y’all’s back until the universe explodes!”

"I know" Twilight replied, smiling at her best friends, "right now we should let Rarity rest and heal. Meanwhile, we need to figure out a good plan to deal with my counterpart. What do we call her, to distinguish her from me?"

"How about we just call her the 'impostor'?" Pinkie suggested, “or imposter Twilight...or Big Meany McMurderypants!”

"That first one is simple enough, but if any wanted posters are going to be put up, there should be a proper name" Twilight replied to Pinkie, "something like, I don't know...Darklight? Dark Sparkle? Dark Spark?"

"Ah like Dark Spark," Applejack stated, "its a lot easier to say and remember than 'Big Meany McMurderypants,' however fittin' that one might be." Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike all nodded in agreement. Their new enemy had a name to put to the face.

"Let's head back to Golden Oaks Library and figure out what we're going to do" Twilight said, taking up her role of leader of the Elements of Harmony, "Rarity, you just relax and get some rest. Heal up.”

“And don’t freak out about any scars you might have!” Pinkie Pie helpfully added, “wear them with pride Ms. Fashionista Warrior!”

"Thank you, all of you" the alabaster mare smiled gratefully at her friend, "I really appreciate it." She hadn’t thought about any scars her wounds would leave. Perhaps...leaving a few uncovered wouldn’t be so bad? Scars were the road map of your life, as her father Magnum once said. He had more than his fair share of dings and dents from his days as a hoofball player with the Whinnyapolis Berserkers.

Twilight departed Ponyville General Hospital with Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Spike, heading back to Golden Oaks Library. There, she spread out maps of Ponyville and the surrounding area on a fold-out table she kept stored in her laboratory. The rest of the group gathered around her.

"Okay, so we know now that Dark Spark is injured thanks to Ophelia" Twilight began, "she's nursing a badly-damaged left eye, and possibly no longer has sight in it. So if we encounter her, we could perhaps make an attack from the left side, her blind side? Then again that might not work. Any ideas?"

"Dark Spark is clearly really arrogant, so I'm pretty sure she'd leave a flank open" Applejack said, "I'd just need one good opening to plant my hooves in her backside, and down she'd go in need of a replacement hip, ripe for a beat-down or slipping one of them fancy anti-magic rings on her horn!"

"I could try to distract her while you do that?" Spike offered. Twilight vetoed that immediately, admiring her #1 Assistant's courage, but unwilling to let Spike get himself killed.

"Or maybe I could just bum-rush her and try to tear her horn off with my teeth?" Rainbow Dash added, “these choppers are Grade A. I take good care of ‘em in the event of any photo-ops.” She grinned broadly, showing off her pearly whites.

"Rainbow, quell your impulses just this once" Twilight grumbled at the colorful and brash Pegasi, "if you clamped your teeth around Dark Spark's horn....she'd just charge up her magic and blow your head off. That's what I would do anyway. A Unicorn's horn is solid bone, part of the skull, so you couldn't bite through it anyway."

"Dark Spark has an Achilles Heel now, right?" Fluttershy asked, “with her wounded left eye.”

"Yes Fluttershy" Twilight replied, "Dark Spark was blinded by Ophelia, but we have to take into account that her hearing is just as keen as mine. So if even she can't see you, she can still hear you. We have to assume that Dark Spark possesses all of my strengths and weaknesses."

"Then I need to be even quieter than I am now," Fluttershy said, instinctively hiding behind her mane at the thought of facing down an equicidal maniac.

"Let's try something else" Twilight suggested, "anycreature have any workable ideas?” No pony spoke up.

Twilight lowered her head and tried to come up with a plan of attack on Dark Spark that wouldn't get herself or her friends killed. There had to be a way. There had to be a weakness. There just had to be.

"Dark Spark comes from a parallel universe, right?" Spike said after a few minutes of silence, "I bet it's different than our Equestria. So that means Dark Spark is in unfamiliar territory. She wouldn't have any idea on where to go or anything, plus she's wounded. We should track her down and strike while the iron is hot, right?" He looked around at his friends, all of whom approved. Twilight gave Spike a proud smile at his pragmatic and sensible thinking. He was a very smart dragon.

"So, if I were an evil version of Twilight, and I was hurt and Public Enemy #1 in an unfamiliar version of Equestria, where would I go to hide?" Spike continued, "where would a good, safe place to hide be?"

"Well...there is this cave to the north of Ponyville, at the base of Mt. Dapple" Applejack suggested, "some ponies seem to think its haunted and stay clear. There are also rumors of hengstwolves livin' in that part of the Whitetail Woods. All the more reason to hide there, if'n you've got the might and magic to defend yourself with."

Twilight smiled at Applejack and turned to the rest of her friends. "Spike, send a letter to Princesses Celestia and Luna. Tell them to send a detachment of the Royal Guard and lead them if possible. Even if Dark Spark is hurt, she's still more than capable of attacking, so we need to be ready and bring some serious firepower. Pinkie Pie, I want you stationed at the Ponyville belltower. If there are any sightings of Dark Spark, you are to sound the alarm. Rainbow, you will be our eyes in the sky. Fluttershy, brief all of your animal friends and tell them to keep watch for Dark Spark and report any sightings to you. Applejack, you get the townsfolk together and tell them what's going on. Make sure they don't panic like they usually do. We're going to make sure Dark Spark has nowhere she can hide. We will find her, and we will bring her to justice!"

Pinkie Pie added in her own fourth-wall breaking way: "Autobots, I mean ponies: ROLL OUT!"

Spike grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and started to write. He blew green flame on the scroll, sending it straight to Celestia and Luna via 'dragon-fax.'

The Mane Five, minus the hospitalized Rarity, scattered to carry out the tasks Twilight entrusted them with.

Twilight waited at the edge of Ponyville for the Royal Guard squads to arrive, hopefully with Celestia or Luna leading them. The sun was beginning to set when she saw the approaching task force from Canterlot. Twilight snapped a salute to the golden-armored Royal Guards as they approached. Four Pegasi were pulling Celestia's chariot. and the Princess of the Sun was clad in her own rarely-used golden armor barding, knowing how dangerous the fight with Dark Spark could prove to be.

Each Royal Guard held a long spear with an ornate and razor-sharp blade at the tip. The light from the sun reflected off the polished metal, making them glisten.

"As Spike said in his letter, we're heading for a cave north of Ponyville, at the base of Mt. Dapple" Twilight explained to the Royal Guards as well as Celestia, "Applejack thinks that if Dark Spark were going to hide anywhere, it would be there. The locals believe it to be haunted and stay clear. Let's get moving while we've got a bit of daylight left."

"Let's go!" the leader of the Royal Guard squad, a unicorn with a bushy mustache, barked. Silver Spirit was Shining Armor's replacement as Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard. He was a veteran of many battles and a great commander. Twilight sat down in Celestia's chariot as it took off north towards the supposedly haunted cave. Two Pegasi guards flanked the chariot while the Earth Pony and Unicorn guards followed on the ground below.

"Do you think we'll be enough?" she asked Captain Silver, worried about the size of the force.

"We'll be more than enough" Captain Silver said with confidence, "these Royal Guards are among my finest." Twilight trusted the good Captain's judgement and settled in beside Celestia in the chariot. She tried to focus and prepare herself for the battle ahead if Dark Spark really was hiding in the cave.

"Are you okay, Twilight?" Celestia asked, resting a hoof on her faithful student's shoulder and giving her a warm smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Twilight replied, "together I think we can take Dark Spark down. We'll be ready this time."

Celestia smiled. "I have no doubt in you, Twilight" The miles passed under the hooves of the horses and Pegasi while the guards kept watch for anything suspicious. The sun continued to fall towards the horizon, casting the entire landscape in darkness. The only light came from the moon and the few stars that could be seen. "The cave should be visible now," Twilight stated, looking over the map she had brought along.

As if on queue, a large, black mass was seen lurking in the distance. It stood out clearly against the dark night and the mountain. Mt. Dapple loomed large amidst the dark trees of the western Whitetail Woods. Celestia ordered her carriage to be set down at the edge of the woods. "You six" she said to her Pegasi Royal Guards, "stay on guard while the rest of us go into the cave." The six guards nodded, ready to fight.

Twilight followed Celestia, Captain Silver Star, and the Earth Pony and Unicorn Royal Guards into the Whitetail Woods, keeping alert for any signs of danger. Though not as hazardous as Everfree Forest, Whitetail Woods still held its fair share of hungry creatures.

A scream pierced the silence of the forest. The group ran in the direction of the noise, drawing their weapons as they went. A young mare with a broken leg was surrounded by a pack of wolves. The guards immediately rushed to the mare's aid, fending off the pack of wolves with their spears.

The wolves howled and attacked relentlessly, pushing the guards back. They nipped and snapped at the guards' legs, fighting to keep the prey trapped.

"Get off her!" Silver Star growled, swinging his spear around and sending a wolf flying. As the wolves were pushed back, the group fought its way to the young mare. She was exhausted, having pushed all of her energy into protecting her broken leg, and could do nothing to help.

One of the Earth Pony guards draped the injured mare across his back and galloped off to the chariot. Twilight, Celestia, Silver Star, and the remaining guards continued onward towards the cave.

A howl was heard, and a massive wolf appeared in front of them. It stood on its hind legs, its snout almost as high as Silver Star's chest. "Hengstwolf!" Silver Star cried, brandishing his spear, "stay back and do not let him bite you!" A Hengstwolf was a pony afflicted with lycanthropy, becoming a killer wolf monster during the full moon. Anyone attacked and bitten that survived would turn into a hengstwolf at the next full moon and go out in search of ponies to eat.

The monstrous wolf ran forward, as Silver Star jabbed his spear in an attempt to hit him. The hengstwolf ducked and grabbed the spear with his mouth, tossing it to the ground. Celestia and Twilight charged up their horns and blasted the hengstwolf with their magic. He howled in pain and lunged again, but Silver Star kept his distance, readying his spear for the attack he knew was coming. The hengstwolf lunged forward, teeth bared for the kill.

Silver Star again jabbed his spear at the hengstwolf, aiming to spear him through the heart. He instead stabbed the beast through the stomach. The hengstwolf howled in pain and fell on his side. The Royal Guard Captain drove his spear through the skull of the hengstwolf, ending his life and the threat he posed. With the hengstwolf dead, the guards breathed a sigh of relief.

The victory turned somber as the dead hengstwolf immediately shrank and changed form. In his place was the body of a young Earth Pony colt. His dusty grey coat was matted with dirt and blood, and his lifeless blue eyes were dull. Twilight did not recognize him, but her heart was broken by the sight nonetheless.

"He was just a colt" Silver Star said grimly, "his curse has ended then, his pain has ended. Better to die than become a bloodthirsty monster every full moon. Rest peacefully little one." The veteran Captain remained stoic, though he was obviously pained at having killed a young pony.

Celestia and the other ponies comforted Silver Star as they paid their respects to the dead colt. "We must keep moving," Captain Sunflower spoke to the group, "to the cave."

"Yes, let's go," Twilight replied. One of the guards covered the dead colt with a blanket and Celestia cast protective spells to keep the forest creatures away. She would make sure the colt was identified and given a proper burial. The group continued to march towards the cave. They heard a few howls in the distance, and shuddered at the sound of the approaching moon.

"You think there are more hengstwolves out there?" Twilight asked Celestia nervously, "at least the legends of only silver being fatal to them aren't true."

"I don't think anypony can accurately count how many of those things are out there," Celestia said, her eyes scanning the trees, "we just need to keep alert, stay on guard, and avoid being bitten at all costs.”

Twilight nodded and cautiously approached the cave, wondering if Dark Spark was in there, or if this whole trip was for nothing. The group soon reached the mouth of the cave and entered with caution, weapons at the ready. Celestia took the lead, lighting her long horn as she slipped into the darkness and silence. Silver Star carefully eyed every corner.

As the group entered, the cave grew darker. A cold wind blew, and an eerie howl came from deeper in the cave. "What was that?!" one of the guard exclaims, before Silver Star's hoof covered the panicky young Earth Pony’s lips.

"We'll find out if you keep shouting like that" he hissed angrily at his subordinate.

"Sorry" the guard mumbled sheepishly as Silver Star slowly and carefully lifted his hoof. The captain walked slowly forward, following Celestia as she continued on deeper into the cave.

Suddenly, something small and black leapt out of the darkness and bit into Silver Star's neck. He smacked the small black creature with his powerful, armor-clad hoof. The small black creature was crushed under his strength, and the captain himself stood up, rubbing his sore neck.

Celestia shone her hornlight onto the crushed creature to find out what it was. "A wazzler" she identified, "they're known to be aggressive and territorial, so that’s probably why it ambushed and bit Silver Star. He will be fine. They can't do much damage."

Celestia continued leading her group into the cave with Twilight at her side. After a while, the cave widened, revealing a large underground lake. Several large caves opened up in here, filled with water and light, and twinkling with many different colors of rock.

"Princess, do you think Dark Spark is even in this cave?" Twilight asked her mentor, "it would be hard to navigate a dark, critter-filled cave with a blinded eye and various other wounds."

"Dark Spark is here" Celestia said with certainty, her eyes glancing at the water, "look!" she pointed to a small island in the center of the lake, which had a campfire burning there. Twilight teleported over to the small lake island and began examining the campsite for signs of Dark Spark's presence. "I sense no magical auras" she said to the other princesses, "she may have left, or..."

Suddenly, the island exploded in a blinding flash. Twilight screamed as she was hurled into the air, landing in the lake with a loud splash.

"TWILIGHT!" Celestia cried, scanning the lake's surface for any sign of her faithful student. "Twilight!" she cried again, as she ran over to the surface and found her faithful student's emerging from the water, mane soaked and draped over the Unicorn’s face. Twilight spat out a jet of water.

"Ah... what a lovely surprise!" a familiar voice echoed in the acoustic cavern. Dark Spark stood at the entrance to one of the cave's side passages, glaring at Celestia and her guards with her remaining eye, "you were fools to try and track me down. I know this cave like the back of my hoof. In my universe, it was where I set up shop after my friends stabbed me in the back!"

Dark Spark fired a blast of dark magic at Celestia and her Royal Guards. The Princess immediately formed a spell shield barrier to protect herself and her Royal Guards. The blast struck the shield and dissipated, but it was so strong that it cracked the shield and sent Celestia skidding back several feet. She quickly gathered the energy to renew her protection.

"Better swim fast, my lesser counterpart!" Dark Spark roared, charging up electricity in her horn as Twilight saw the spell building up and frantically tried to swim to shore. Teleporting while immersed in water was very difficult. She would be fried if she wasn't out soon.

"Why are you so evil?!" Twilight shouted at Dark Spark, climbing out of the water just as her evil counterpart blasted the lake with a Lightning Bolt spell. The water's surface surged with deadly electricity, making crossing it impossible. Numerous dead cave fish floated to the surface, emanating the smell of cooked seafood.

"Because my so-called friends made me that way!" Dark Spark growled, "'a true friend stabs you in the front,' to quote the late great Wild Oat! So my friends were never that to begin with. They turned on me at the first opportunity. You can't trust anyone but yourself, Twilight. Remember that. You really think Celestia cares about you? Noooo, she doesn't. You are useful to her...until you're not, and she'll discard you for a better 'student' to manipulate. She's a conniving backstabbing BITCH!"

Dark Spark lowered her horn to cast a dark spell at the Princess, when suddenly the entire cave began shaking. "What the..." the dark Unicorn muttered as she heard the rumble getting louder.

"This cave is unstable!" Twilight cried, "everyone out!" Celestia levitated Twilight onto her back and fled as the cavern began to crumble around them. Dark Spark berated herself for not taking into consideration that this version of the cave was not as sturdy as the one she took up residence in. Dark Spark vanished in a flash of light, teleporting away to safety.

Twilight, Celestia, and the rest of the Royal Guards escaped the cave just as it crumbled, burying the entrance forever. The group paused to rest and catch their breath. "I can't believe she escaped us again!" Twilight groaned. She rested on Celestia's comfortable back, shaken up and mildly burned from the exploding underground lake island, but was otherwise unharmed.

"Don't worry, my faithful student. We'll get her yet!" Celestia said reassuringly, giving Twilight a warm smile.

"I'm sure we will" Twilight groaned again, "right now...I need a bath and a warm bed."

"Well, let's get you home then" Celestia replied. Princess and subjects set off back to her waiting chariot. However it was not there. Only the mangled bodies of four Pegasi guards and one broken-legged mare lay scattered on the ground. Dark Spark had apparently hijacked the chariot and mind-controlled two of the Pegasi Royal Guards to pull it.

Celestia's eyes narrowed as she clenched her teeth and snorted through her nostrils like an angry bull. She was rapidly growing very tired of the troublesome Dark Spark. She summoned a scroll and wrote a letter to Luna in Canterlot, telling her to send a couple of the back-up chariots.

Twenty minutes later, two chariots landed and rolled to a stop. Celestia and her Royal Guards boarded one to return to Canterlot, while Twilight took the other back to Ponyville.

The rest of the citizens were in Ponyville, and were happily surprised to see her alive and unharmed. "Thanks for the ride, boys" Twilight said wearily to the two Pegasi guards who pulled her chariot. She snapped them a respectful salute.

"Thank you, ma'am" the guards replied, bowing their heads and returning the salute. Twilight slowly trotted off to the Golden Oaks Library, looking forward to a long sleep.

Meanwhile, in the Everfree Forest...

Dark Spark opened her eyes and stretched lazily between her two new pets: The Pegasi Guards she had hit with the Want It Need It spell. She was pleased to discover that the old Castle of the Two Sisters was still standing in this universe, and so took up residence in it for the moment. In her own universe, nothing remained of the castle except a massive crater that over time filled with water, becoming Lake Everfree.

Still, she needed a plan to get revenge on the Mane 6 and her teacher. For now though, she had other matters to attend to. First matter was working out a spell to regrow her missing left eye, which she had been forced to pluck out since it no longer functioned.

She looked to one of the Pegasi guards, Sky Chaser. A different idea popped into her head. Using her telekinesis, she ripped out his left eye and altered it to look like her own, then secured it into her own eye socket with some healing magic. Gruesome, but it worked.

Rising to her hooves, Dark Spark decided to explore this version of the Castle of the Two Sisters, since the one from her universe was destroyed a thousand years before her birth. She set off through the old stone halls. The castle was very similar to the artistic depictions of it in her reality, down to the design of the tapestries hanging on the walls. It would appear that the battle between Nightmare Moon and Celestia here, had not done nearly as much damage as it did in her own reality. Having barely survived the old castle exploding with the force of a small thaumonuclear bomb, her Celestia sported a prosthetic leg, wing, and eye, and a wicked scar on her chest, the result of taking a Scorching Ray from Nightmare Moon, that was usually hidden by her golden barding and occasionally a robe.

Dark Spark found the old library and browsed the countless dusty tomes for anything useful. Though utterly evil, she still possessed the love of books and reading that her counterpart did, though her own literary interests were of a darker and more sinister nature nowadays.

She found an old spell book among the more questionable volumes, and began to read through it. The writing was difficult for her to understand at times, but she persevered. She was just as stubborn and determined to learn new things as her good counterpart of this reality.

And so she read, and read, and read, absorbing the words on each page like a sponge. It was not long before she came across something she found interesting: a spell to summon a demon.

Dark Spark did not trust any-creature but herself. She was betrayed once, and never again would she allow herself to be stabbed in the back! Demons were tricky and treacherous creatures. She would bide her time, gather as much information as possible and then strike when the time was right.

That time was not now.

For now she tracked down the royal quarters Celestia and Luna used when they resided in this castle. Cleaning the dust and debris from the room with a quick spell, Dark Spark got a fire going in the hearth and flopped down on the circular black cushion bed to get some sleep. A thousand years had not made it any less luxurious and comfortable.

In the middle of the bed, a sheet of what appeared to be old papyrus popped out from under the sheets. Dark Spark lifted her head and stared at the old papyrus for a moment before unrolling it. Cleaning the dust off it, she found the last few lines of a journal scrawled across it.

It appeared that the writer had once used a quill, as the last few lines were written with purple ink. So this was probably written by Luna,who, if she was anything like her counterpart, preferred to use purple ink in her writings.

Dark Spark decided to read through Luna's old journals. Perhaps it would be of some use to her plans? It was a good read, giving some insight to the life of a princess in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Luna had quite an interesting life. From what it sounded like, she mostly had fun. When the world didn’t need saving.

Dark Spark rolled up the old journal and set it aside. She closed her eyes to sleep. Perhaps, she would continue reading it tomorrow...

The next morning, Dark Spark continued reading through the journal. She came across a few more interesting entries. One in particular caught her eye:

‘A certain potion that makes ponies go into a trance. They say it's made from several plants, but only one is required. I must have the berries of the nightshade plant.’

"Hmm. A trance potion?" Dark Spark said to herself, "I'll keep it in mind." Setting the journals aside, Dark Spark looked for somewhere she could have a bath. Her coat has accumulated a healthy coating of dust, dirt, grime, and blood. She would need to get it cleaned before she could move forward with her plans. After a quick search she found the Royal Baths.

She entered and began to fill a large tub. Once the water was steaming and scattered with some nice-smelling dried herbs from a nearby pot, Dark Spark sank into the hot water, letting out a sigh of relief.

She did some simple math in her head. Simple to her would baffle the average pony. Dark Spark found running calculations in her head was a good way to relax and ease her mind, on the rare occasions that it was troubled by a pesky conscience.

A couple of hours later, she left the baths with a clean and shiny coat. Now there was a new problem: her stomach was snarling at her to fill it. She had not properly eaten since arriving on this Faust-forsaken alternate Equestria.

Time to go seek out sustenance. Throwing on a cloak she found in the castle, Dark Spark left it to find a meal. She trotted along the trails winding through the Everfree Forest. She feared nothing that lived in these trees.

Well...nothing other than a hunter with a crossbow trying to kill her. She was only momentarily startled before her focus returned. Realizing that perhaps she had a bounty on her head by this point, Dark Spark immediately fired a Lightning Bolt spell at the crossbow-wielding pony bounty hunter.

He dropped the weapon with a scream of pain, twitching and convulsing after falling out of the tree he had been perched in.

"No mere bounty hunter can bring me down" she hissed at the unconscious Earth Pony stallion. She levitated him into the air and conjured ropes, tying him to a tree for the creatures of the forest to eat. Taking up the dropped crossbow, she appraised it for a moment before shrinking it down and storing it in her saddlebags. That done, she continued on along the forest trail.

As she traveled, she came across a small cottage in the middle of the forest. Casting an invisibility spell to hide her presence, Dark Spark crept up to one of the cottage's windows to peer inside.

She saw a couple of Earth Ponies sitting at a table with their heads close together. They looked like they were having some sort of conversation in hushed tones. Dark Spark used her keen hearing to listen in on the conversation.

"Yes...they're real," the first pony said.

"Are you sure?" the second pony asked.

What was real? Dark Spark hoped perhaps diamonds or something else of value. She had not a single Bit to her name.

"I'm certain. I saw them with my own two eyes!" the first pony declared.

Dark Spark, never a patient mare, hoped the first pony would reveal just what he had seen that was so interesting.

"...you don't believe me?" the first pony asked.

"No, I believe you. I just…” the second pony replied.

Snorting in annoyance, Dark Spark burst through the front door and charged up her horn. "Tell me what you found, or I'll rip the information from your brains!" she demanded.

The two Ponies looked up at her in terror. "Oh no! We didn't find anything! Please don't hurt us!" the first pony cried. Dark Spark took out her new crossbow and aimed it.

"Don't lie to me. I overheard your conversation” Dark Spark hissed, “You were talking as if you had seen something of great value. Tell me what it is, and you will have something far more valuable: your life."

"Please, we didn't find anything of any value!" the second pony cried.

"LIAR!" Dark Spark snarled, firing a crossbow bolt into the thigh of the second pony, uncomfortably close to his balls. He screamed and clutched at his injury.

"Tell me what you saw, or I will make you wish that you never were born!" Dark Spark demanded, never lowering her crossbow. She merely loaded a new bolt into it with ease. The first pony started to sob.

"No tears, please" Dark Spark grumbled at the first pony, annoyed, "it's a waste of good suffering."

"There was a large hole in the ground. It led down into..." the second pony stuttered, his courage wavering as Dark Spark prepared to fire again. "And?" she prompted, magic aura preparing to release the crossbow bolt into the second pony's forehead if he annoyed her any further. "I don't want to die..." the second pony whimpered.

"Tell me what you saw, or I'll kill you myself!" Dark Spark snarled, "you can live and mend your wound, but not if I penetrate your skull with another crossbow bolt! TALK!"

The second pony gulped, as he whispered in a low voice, "There was something down there. It... it moved..."

Dark Spark raised an eyebrow. "You sure it wasn't an animal?" she asked flatly.

"It moved!" he cried, trembling.

"Tell me what it looked like,” Dark Spark asked.

The second pony shook his head.

"Talk!" Dark Spark ordered, her magical aura beginning to charge the crossbow bolt.

"It... it looked like a... a monster!" the second pony cried.

"Be more specific than that" Dark Spark slowly growled, about ready to end this pony's pathetic life and be on her way. She was hungry, and that made her cranky. Equicidal and cranky were a very dangerous combo.

"It was big and green. It had lots of sharp teeth and..." the second pony began.

"Yeah, I've heard enough!" Dark Spark yelled, preparing to fire her bolt. Then it clicked in her expansive brain. "Did you perhaps see a dragon?" Dark Spark asked the second pony, "big, green, sharp teeth, lives in caves and holes?"

The second pony began whimpering uncontrollably. "N-n-no! It was nothing like that! It was... so big! So big and green!"

Dark Spark froze. A green dragon. "The only gigantic green monsters with sharp teeth that are known to ponykind are dragons" she hissed again, her eyes narrowed to glowing red-and-yellow slivers, "you have wasted my time." She took aim and fired her crossbow at the two Earth Ponies.

One bolt hit the first pony in the neck, the other bolt hit the second one in the forehead. Dark Spark didn't even need to check to see if she killed them or not. After looting the cabin for Bits or other valuables (there wasn't much), Dark Spark continued along the forest trail towards Buckston.

She found the trail again easily enough, and followed it as it wound further into the hills and eventually led her to a small, old looking wooden sign that read 'Buckston' on it.

Dark Spark trotted onward to the small town of Buckston, looking forward to a hearty meal. She overpowered a pony traveling on the road and stole his sunglasses, using them to hide her malevolent red eyes.

As she entered the town, she passed a small grocery store and remembered that she was desperately in need of some more food. Dark Spark did not feel like cooking at the moment, and so looked for a restaurant or café.

As she passed by a small mom-and-pop type diner, a bell above the door tinkled as she entered. Recalling the mare she used to be, she affected a jovial and pleasant demeanor as she walked in and took a seat in a corner booth. She picked up the menu and perused the breakfast section.

It was at this moment, a large stallion with a large gut and a missing tooth sat down across from her. "Hey sugar, fancy seeing you here?"

"I'm not interested" Dark Spark said flatly, not looking up from her menu, "go away."

"Oh come on, you can't say you don't want to try me out" the stallion replied, "I'm really good!"

"I sincerely doubt that with every fiber of my being" Dark Spark said with growing annoyance, "leave me be...or there will be consequences."

The stallion just gave a toothy smile. Dark Spark glanced up from her menu, slightly lowering her shades to reveal slightly glowing red eyes surrounded by yellow sclera. "I am far more than a fat pustule like you could ever handle."

The stallion's smile turned to a look of shock as his mouth fell open. He shoved his menu back onto the table and quickly got up, knocking over his chair in the process.

Dark Spark smiled evilly, but quickly adopted a more pleasant expression. She continued reading through the breakfast list on her menu.

The stallion just stood there for a moment, as if he wasn't quite sure what to do. Finally he stumbled out the door without a word, leaving Dark Spark to finish her meal in peace.

She ordered a sausage and cheese omelette (ponies were omnivores, contrary to popular belief) and some coffee from the waitress.

The meal was absolutely delicious, and the coffee energized her. In the future she would certainly be eating at this diner again. Paying for her meal, Dark Spark set off along the dirt road to do some sight-seeing. She wanted to know how this Equestria differed from her own.

The town was quite small, which didn’t surprise her. There didn't seem to be too many big homes in the area. Most of the residents seemed to be living in simple, single-story homes.

So the houses were largely the same, though where she came from they were trimmed in a darker wood and more often had two stories.

There were a lot of trees in the area, making the scenery very green. The roads were likewise dirt, though they were better paved and more smooth than the stones of her own land.

Gravel never was fun to walk on or pry from her horseshoes. She strolled along and observed the goings-on of the ponies native to this Equestria. Just like in her own reality, they were friendly and warm. Weak. Pitiful.

Slaves to a golden... thing. She walked on, not wishing to tarry too long in this pathetic place. Her goal was to get to Ponyville and spy on the Twilight and Co. of this Equestria. It might help work out the best plan of action to kill them all. Perhaps she might also learn where Celestia had hidden the Book of Cataclysms?

Soon, she came to a fork in the road. One road went on to a lookout and the town's dam. The other road led to a bridge over a river. So tempting to just burst the dam and wipe out every living thing in the valley below. But she turned her head until her inner monster quieted down. She took the other road to cross the river bridge.

It was a sturdy bridge, though only one lane wide. Many ponies were crossing it, all going to the dam and celebration that apparently took place there. Grand re-opening perhaps? Dark Spark ignored the ponies and continued on her way.

She stepped on the bridge with confidence that she wouldn't fall through. It was only a few minutes after that she came to a fork in the road once again. Dark Spark opened a small portal back to her own Equestria, pulling out a map of the land there. Unrolling it, she found a high vantage point and studied the surrounding lands to make comparisons and mark things off on the map.

She could see Cloudsdale slowly floating in the distance, hovering over a large lake. The original Pegasi city was gone in her native Equestria, destroyed in a devastating accident at the cloud production factory. But in this new place, it was intact and inhabited.

She marked Cloudsdale on her map as still existing and looked out over the rest of the verdant land for any differences to her own Equestria. She looked over the mountains first, finding only rocky, barren land beyond. The San Palomino Desert. On her Equestria it was the San Palomino Sea, dotted with inhabited islands. There were no inhabited islands in this new place, just more mountains and a barren desert. Far off in the distance could be seen the faint gleam of buildings. A city perhaps?

It looked nothing like her native Equestria. There was far more industrialization than back home. This new Equestria had more of a frontier feel to it. A new place, an old question... did this new land have anything her own Equestria did?

She looked out over the river. It ran deep blue and clear, the water gliding silently over the rocks. The forest on the other side was lively with animal and plant life, seemingly endless. Though her heart was long ago cast into cold shadow, Dark Spark could still appreciate natural beauty. The influence of Fluttershy no doubt. Some small part of her didn't want to hunt down and kill the butter-yellow Pegasi upon returning home with the Book of Cataclysms.

Dark Spark remembered when she first set eyes upon Fluttershy. She was admiring a butterfly, in awe of its beauty and harmless ways. The fearful Pegasi had been too nervous to return a greeting, but she was immediately enraptured by the red-scaled female dragon walking alongside Twilight.

This was Garnet, #1 Accomplice and her adoptive sister. Garnet, unlike everyone else in her life, stuck by her side to the bitter end even after witnessing the murders of Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. She was still back home in their native Equestria, acting as a spy and reporting information back as needed.

Fluttershy truly was a pure soul, and Dark Spark strongly considered just letting her live the remainder of her life unharmed. However, Rainbow Dash was not so fortunate. The cocky bitch was still going to be blasted into a pile of colorful feathers when next their paths crossed.

She watched the river flow past, wondering how far it went. The water didn't look that deep, though it was a pleasant sight. Dark Spark refocused her thoughts. Her goal was to find the Book of Cataclysms. Find where Celestia had hidden it. Get it back and all the spells and powerful within would be at her disposal.

Taking one last glance around, Dark Spark navigated the steep hill and made it back to the road. She continued on her way back to Ponyville.

She soon found herself on the outskirts of the small town in the center of Apple Valley, just like back home in her native Equestria. Adjusting her sunglasses to make sure her menacing eyes were hidden, Dark Spark trotted onward.

Unlike before, there were now Royal Guards patrolling the streets of Ponyville. Clearly security had been amped up due to her attack on Rarity's boutique. Understandable. Dark Spark secured her cloak tighter around herself to further conceal her identity as she walked along the cobblestone streets.

She wasn't recognized. Nobody paid her any mind. She was just another pony. The bell above the entrance to Ponyville chimed as she approached, ringing its happy tune. Just like back home.

Dark Spark sat down at a table outside the Café Hay, listening to the conversations of the Royal Guards to determine what had been going on since she last set hoof in Ponyville.

Nothing new. The guards were still searching for Dark Spark as she apparently came to be known. She was a wanted mare and would need to come up with an alias to use. The more she thought about it, the more she decided that "Blackwing" had a nice ring to it. The bell chimed as the door to the café opened. 'Blackwing' looked up to see who was exiting Café Hay.

She instantly recognized the mare as none other than her counterpart of this universe, Twilight Sparkle. Some breakfast boxes hovered alongside the Unicorn mare via magic aura. The purple-maned mare seemed to notice her, smiled and waved. 'Blackwing' smiled and briefly waved back before raising a menu from the table.

The mare was met with a sweet, yet sharp smell of cinnamon. The scent of fresh baked goods wafted under her nostrils. Glancing over the menu, 'Blackwing' stopped a passing waiter and ordered some cinnamon rolls and coffee.

As she waited for her order, she looked around. The town had a nice atmosphere about it. The shops were quaint, and the citizens seemed happy. Just like back home...before the dark times. Before she became Dark Spark.

She forced those thoughts from her mind and refocused on the task at hand. She had to find the Book of Cataclysms one way or another. The problem was...where the hell was that blasted book? Where did Celestia hide it?

She walked around the village a bit, taking in the sights and...discovering that she was completely lost. Though there were similarities, Dark Spark's version of Ponyville had a markedly different layout than this one. She went to find a store where she could purchase a map of the town.

No such luck. The only place she could find was the Sheriff's Department and it was closed. 'Blackwing' sat down on a park bench to think. She did have one likely way of obtaining a map. She reluctantly set off towards Golden Oaks Library.

The library was located in the center of town. Just like back home, it was magically built inside a massive oak tree. 'Blackwing' knocked on the wooden door.

"Hold on, I'm coming, I'm coming!" a slightly raspy, child-like voice called out with a hint of annoyance. A moment later the front door opened, to reveal a small purple-and-green dragon. "Yeah?" he asked, “you need something?”

"I need a map of this town" 'Blackwing' stated in her best polite voice.

"What's your name?" the little dragon asked.

"Blackwing" was the reply.

"My name's Spike. Come on in and I'll see if I can't dig out a map for you." The dragon led her into the library.

Spike flitted around the library, collecting various books. Soon he had a large atlas gripped in his small but strong hands.

"Thank you, Spike" 'Blackwing' said politely. She sat down and opened the book to find a full map of Ponyville. Snagging a large empty scroll in her magic, she cast some spells and copied the map of Ponyville onto it. She snapped the atlas closed, sending up a small cloud of dust into her face. She sneezed and her sunglasses flew off onto the floor. Crap.

Spike coughed a couple times before recovering. "You've got quite the cold, do you know that?"

"It's not a cold, it's the dust" Blackwing replied, sniffling and wiping her nose with her cloak, "sensitive nose. Can you hand me my shades there? I have a condition where my eyes are very sensitive to light, which is why I wear them."

Spike grabbed the pair of shades from the floor. And handed them to Blackwing. "I have a couple other books that could help you too?"

"Thanks" Blackwing replied, taking the shades. However her cowl slipped and Spike would see a pair of glowing red eyes with yellow sclera in the middle of a very familiar face. Crap.

"You're Dark Spark!" Spike angrily exclaimed, flapping his wings and flying back away from her, "you're the evil version of Twilight that's been wreaking havoc. YOU HURT RARITY!" The dragon let out an impressively ferocious growl for his size.

"I did what?" Blackwing said, taken aback. She raised her hooves into the air in a show of defense, "I'm not Dark Spark! I'm just..."

Spike bravely charged at Dark Spark with a powerful flap of his wings, ramming his head into the dark Unicorn and sending her tumbling to the floor.

She quickly rose to her hooves and stared down the enraged little dragon. "You're the evil Unicorn from another dimension! I knew it!" Spike snarled, "I knew there was a reason why you were wearing a cloak and shades even though it's like ninety-eight degrees outside!"

"Guilty as charged you little handbag" Dark Spark sing-songed, "and now I have to kill you. I wish I could stick around and see Twilight's heart shatter when she finds what's left of her #1 Accomplice!"

"That #1 Assistant!" Spike roared, sucking in a deep breath before spitting a jet of green flame at Dark Spark. The fire sputters out before it could hit Dark Spark, who teleported away from the flame.

Dark Spark charged up her horn and fired a bluish-white orb of energy at Spike. It exploded in a burst of subzero cold. The dragon struggled to keep flying, but he plummeted to the floor as the frigid cold seeped into his reptilian body.

Dark Spark looked up when the front door of the library burst open. Twilight stood there, horn charged with powerful magic as she stared down her evil counterpart.

"GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!" she roared, firing a beam of raw magic at Dark Spark, who teleported away, reappearing on the second floor, peering down at Twilight. "Ah, ah! Don't want to burn your library down, do we?"

Twilight chased after her evil doppelganger, who dodged several magic blasts by rapidly teleporting around the room.

"Oooh, too slow!" Dark Spark taunted, summoning a spectral Grasping Hoof to smack Twilight around with.

"You shut your mouth!" Spike yelled, struggling to stand once again. The cold had made him weaker and unable to fly. He was really starting to feel the painful effects of the arcane cold now.

"You've got some hefty dragon balls on you, little drake, talking to me like that!" Dark Spark responded, casting a shield as Twilight fired another spell at her, "they'll make excellent potion ingredients."

"You're not getting away with this!" Spike yelled. He summoned all his strength and flew forward, ramming into Dark Spark and causing them both to fly out the door and into the street.

The wicked Unicorn lay in the dirt, stunned from the impact. Right...dragons had very hard heads. Spike tried to stand, but found himself too weak. Yet Spike was a stubborn and resilient dragon. He summoned all his remaining strength and took to the air, hovering over Dark Spark, charging at her for another attack.

Dark Spark proved faster however, firing a small orb from her horn. It quickly expanded into a portal that Spike was barreling right towards. He could only stare in horror as he was sent screaming into a barren world of red sand and rocks, pain tearing through his body as the hostile atmosphere surrounded him.

Twilight stood in the doorway of her library, her heart dropping into her chest as her #1 Assistant, her brother, her family, was sent tumbling into some unknown red world beyond the portal, which snapped close with a fizzle of finality.

"Good luck finding your little dragon" Dark Spark taunted through a groan, "it's a biiiiiiiig multiverse out there, and I have no idea where exactly I sent him. Ha, ha!"

Dark Spark cackled madly, staring down Twilight with her piercing red eyes. "Losing a friend sure hurts, doesn't it?" she asked, taunted, "try losing everything and see how that feels, you spoiled bitch!"

"You...!" Twilight's growing rage took out much of her vocabulary. Her mane started to flare up and flicker a fiery red, yellow, and orange, her coat started shifting to a creamy tan, and her eyes burned a hellish red. Only one other time in Twilight’s life did this transformation occur.

"Ah, ah, banned words" Dark Spark warned in taunting fashion, shaking a hoof, "now, let's put your remaining friends out of their misery. How's Rarity doing by the way? I busted her up good last we met. I ruined those vaunted good looks of hers! Narcissistic bitch!"

Rage filled every fiber of Twilight's being. How DARE this monster insult her friends! Bursting completely into flames, Twilight started firing spell after spell into Dark Spark's body, completely blinded by her outrage at the insults, the attacks on her friends, the potential loss of spike.

"Ha...haaaa...kill me then" Dark Spark shouted through grunts of pain as she was blasted repeatedly by Twilight’s spells, "give in to your anger. You'll be just like me. A murderer. We're not so different, you and I."

Twilight felt a pang of guilt. Dark Spark was right. She truly did want nothing more than to blast her evil counterpart again and again until she was a lifeless husk.

Dark Spark's taunts had broken her concentration. She rolled to her hooves to attack, but a great weight and four hooves slammed into her back, sending the air out of her lungs in a long wheeze.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT MY FRIENDS!" bellowed a familiar voice. That was Pinkie Pie, but her voice had that creepy demonic double-echo the party pony affected when she was truly outraged. A lasso found its way around Dark Spark’s neck and a rainbow blur swooped by, planting an anti-magic ring around her horn. Damn. Caught.

Dark Spark was helpless as Applejack's older brother, Big Macintosh, (carefully) bashed her in the back of the head with a single swing of his hoof. Dark Spark was out cold faster than a lightweight in a drinking contest.

The Royal Guard swarmed into the area and bound the unconscious Dark Spark, throwing her into a prison cart and thoroughly securing it. After losing several comrades to the malevolent Unicorn, nopony was taking any chances.

Twilight felt an immense sense of relief, and weakly collapsed onto the ground, but was caught in the forelegs of Applejack. Her chest hurt, but she took a breath. Well, several really, but she was alive. "Thanks...thanks everyone," she panted.

But now a new problem had to be resolved: where was Spike? Where had Dark Spark's portal sent the heroic little dragon?

"I'll go look for him!" Pinkie Pie declared, pulling a full travel pack from behind a rock and shrugging it on, "You stay here and rest, Twilight."

"I'll come with ya, Pinkie" Applejack added, and caught another travel pack tossed to her by the party pony.

"Girls...you can't go looking for Spike," Twilight croaked, "Dark Spark's portal...it didn't lead anywhere in this universe, of that I’m sure. It looked like some kind of red-rocked desert, and the sky was all wrong. It was pink!"

Pinkie Pie and Applejack looked at each other, worried. "Come on" Applejack urged, ignoring Twilight’s warning, "we've gotta find him, Pinkie."

"I said you can't" Twilight snapped, her anger not intentionally directed at her friends, "only Dark Spark has any idea where she sent Spike, and right now she's unconscious."

"Yeah, but we could take the Elements of Harmony and try to rainbow bween the mean out of Dark Spark?" Pinkie Pie suggested, "I mean, she used to be super-good like you once, didn't she Twilight?"

"That's...that's true Pinkie" Twilight replied, rubbing her chin, "good idea. But the Elements of Harmony are in Canterlot. We'll need to go and retrieve them from the royal vault."

"I'll come with ya," Big Macintosh offered.

"No you won't" Pinkie Pie said, "I'll go, since I can run way faster than you. No offense Big M!"

“None taken, Ms. Pie” Big Mac replied, “I can move quickly when I have to, but not from here to Canterlot. Ah’d be wheezin’ in the dirt before the halfway mark!”

"Big Macintosh can come with us" Twilight replied, giving the big red Earth Pony a smile. She stood and started walking towards the train station, but collapsed to the dirt after about ten hoofsteps. Her battle with Dark Spark had worn her out 'something fierce' as Applejack would put it.

"You should really get some rest, Twi" the farm pony recommended, “you’ve been through the proverbial grinder.”

"Yeah, you’re right Big Mac" Twilight replied, "you go in my place and get the Elements of Harmony. The Royal Guards will take Dark Spark to Canterlot, so I'll meet you there as soon as I can."

Big Macintosh nodded, before heading towards the train station.

"I'll be back soon, Twily" Applejack said, following in her brother’s wake, "come on Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy."

The slightly-less-elegant-than-usual clop of hooves on the cobblestones caught everypony’s attention. Rarity was steadily limping down the street towards her friends. She was still bandaged yet managed to look as radiant as ever.

"I will go as well" the fashionista said, "I don't care how much pain I'm in. No pain could match losing Spike forever. We shall force that hellion imposter of Twilight to talk, and she will reveal where she sent my friend...even if I have to resort to...less refined methods of interrogation.”

It was not often that Rarity looked so ready to throw down and fight, but with Ophelia hurt, the boutique damaged and Spike sent tumbling into another dimension, it was all clearly sufficient to awaken Rarity's normally dormant fighting spirit. "Let's go to Canterlot and retrieve the Elements of Harmony."

Soon five of the Elements and Big Macintosh took their seats aboard the Friendship Express. The train emanated a long whistle and started moving, gathering speed and steaming towards a shining city in the distance.

Dark Spark's/Ending theme: The Devil You Know by Blues Saraceno