Refusal

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony, nor am I profiting off this literary venture.

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Dusk was falling, clouds filled the skies and most of the students had fallen oddly silent.

Except for the ones singing, but Spike had learned to tune that out years ago.

He could spit fire, but his vocal range was just a bit too narrow. Give some, get some and all that.

From his spot in the stands he could see Twilight hesitantly walking forward, across from Sunset Shimmer.

She was doing something, holding something out in front of her.

In hindsight, he should have found a spot over to the side.

There was a jolt, something in the air had moved and Spike sat up straight, looking around, his head swinging left and right.

The wind had shifted, there was pressure in the air.

Finally he zeroed in on the disturbance.

Which, being Twilight Sparkle being dragged into the air by an orb of light would have been particularly hard to miss.

By the time she was a foot off the ground, he was up and rushing through the onlookers. Almost two meters up, he was on the ground and running to her.

"Ugh! Help m-me" Cinch was backing away as Twilight screamed. One hand reaching out as the glow encompassed her.

Spikes world went red. Pain exploded down his spine as he reached out and moved, grabbing on to Twilight's hand.

She bobbed, but didn't break free.

He couldn't focus, he didn't have time to try and reorient himself. He couldn't picture anything, any place to go.

He tried anyway.

His limp grip on the magic broke, the teleportation fizzled out when the light pushed away his fingers. Something had reached in then. Or maybe something had reached out? Whatever it was, it felt like it had grabbed a hold of something in his gut and ripped it out.

Distantly, he was aware that he was falling. He could hear voices around him.

He just couldn't make sense of the words.

Panic.

His wits were staring to come back around.

There was panic, students were panicking.

He tried to sit up and his vision was filled with black.

"Just rest, alright Spike?" Soft lips were pressed against his forehead. "We'll get you home and I'll make everything better. I promise."

It sounded like Twilight. Except it didn't. Her voice was too deep, full of something Twilight had never had.

Power.

Control.

His vision finally cleared and most of the cobwebs swept from his mind, he took in what was happening.

Chaos.

Discord would be proud, or maybe not?

It was hard to tell with him.

There were tears hanging in the air, windows into Equestria as Twilight, bearing great raven wings and a spiraling horn, ascended into the air.

He struggled to his feet, ignoring the sticky feeling going down his back and tried to take stock of what was happening.

Twilight going mad with power?

Check.

Better double check that, the portals were growing bigger. And she had taken to laughing maniacally.

Elements of harmony coming in to save the day?

They were pulling people out of the unstable rifts, not ponying up or whatever the girls had taken to calling it.

He'd call that a half check.

No, belay that. Sunset was doing something with the pendant.

Mark that up to a full check and wonder how in blazes Sunset Shimmer took on the avatar of an Alicorn.

This should be just about over then.

He really wasn't looking forward to trying to help Twilight get over this...

Sunset fell down at Spike's feet.

"What's wrong?!" Twilight laughed from overhead. "Isn't your magic strong enough? Is your resolve so pitiful? The stories I'd heard paint you as heroes, not simpering children!"

Spike was dumbfounded.

The elements hadn't worked.

The elements always worked!

"Twilight!" He shouted. He didn't want her seeing how weak he felt. Unfortunately, the waver in his voice gave it away. "This is enough! What's going to happen if the portals keep growing? What's going to happen to this world?!"

Her wings folded over herself, before she reappeared directly in front of him and spread them once more.

She looked even more frightening as black stripes slowly began to cross over her skin.

"Spike..." One gloved hand pressed against his face, softly trailing down his cheek. "Twilight's not here at the moment!"

He was sent sprawling to the ground when the back of her hand slammed against his face.

He picked himself up, keeping an eye on her, on the portal behind her as she walked closer.

Something was wrong...

More wrong than he thought.

"So who is here, then?"

She smiled, madness glinting in fire ringed eyes.

"Midnight Sparkle, the true form of Twilight Spa-"

"You're lying!" He could see it, he could see what didn't fit with the picture in front of him.

Her shadow.

"Who are you! What have you done with Twilight!?" Her shadow didn't have wings. Didn't have the magic-borne dress.

It was Twilight, still in a skirt and her hair in a bun.

It was his Twilight.

"You know. How do you know?! You've been a thorn in my side since you found me! You broke my curse and bound me under the flames of your soul! Still you would deny me? Very well, you may know my name, you may know the name of your demise!" She raised one hand overhead, fire coalescing into a great orb. "I am Zeb! Greatest of the war shamans, wisest of the enchanters! And you? You are nothing!"

Orange reflected off emerald eyes as flames roared.

Smoke obscured everything for just a moment before a breeze cleared the air.

Spike stood, though not unharmed, his claws covering his face.

And Twilight stood opposite, breathing heavily.

"You said... I had you bound beneath my own soul?" The magic that he'd used to lift things or move himself was gone, a void in their place. He reached deeper, calling for anything, whatever he could find in his desperation.

Far beneath magic, buried below scales, something stirred.

"I'd think I would remember doing something like that. I know I never met a Zeb." Spike could almost swear he felt it, some hidden part of him, blink groggily.

"You've forgotten? A sin beyond terrible and you've forgotten!" Twilight was screaming at him, her magic ripping at the air.

'Spike... Want.'

'No! Greed won't help this. It has Twilight!' Of course, that had to be it. Absolutely wonderful.

"You devoured me! You shattered the link I'd forged with that unicorn and kept me hidden away inside of you so I could not find a new host!" That did sound kind of familiar, but he knew he'd never eaten anybody. Or anypony.

'Twilight? Has... Twilight?' Spike pointedly glanced down, confirming what he already knew.

The shadow was crying.

'Let us out. Let us out! Let Us Out!'

'...Alright.' It wasn't quite the same as having two voices in his head. Both were parts of him, and deep down both wanted the same thing.

And right now they agreed completely.

"You won't stop me again! Your 'Elements of Harmony' don't measure up and you're nothing compared to them. Nothing!" Twilight floated into the air, both hands up and charging an ever-increasing fireball.

Spike, on the other hand, was not. He didn't know what he was doing, but it needed magic.

A lot of it.

And he was tapped out.

His eyes glanced over the scales which had steadily been growing along his arms, that he could feel crawling down his back and up his neck.

The scales began turning grey, growing brittle.

It would have to be enough.

With a scream, Twilight flung the fire at her friend.

Mad glee spread across her face when she watched him doing nothing.

And morphed to fear when green fire in the shape of a claw swatted the flames out of the air.