Like an animal, Trixie had licked her bowl absolutely clean of the oat paste that was her meal.  Twilight, having caught her doing this, decided to treat her like an animal, and had dragged her by the neck with a telekinetic leash over to a far corner of her earthen cell.  Once again Twilight was indulging in a bestial enjoyment of simply beating down a weaker member of her species.  Trixie's face was half buried in the dirt, Twilight's hoof was grinding down on her collar bone, and her other hoof was repeatedly bashing into the pale blue unicorn's fair cheek.  Tears, blood, a little mucus, sweat, and various other fluids had mixed with the dirt, making a running filth that served only to enrage Twilight even further.  She wasn't mad at Trixie, she was just simply mad, and Trixie was the nearest and easiest victim to direct that rage toward.  She couldn't get back at Iago, in fact she suppressed any thoughts of such things immediately as they came up for fear that he was listening in, but she could simply refract all of that pent up rage that had built from her own mental beating into something as worthless as her prisoner.  

Twilight had lost track of time, (she'd been beating Trixie for a good five minutes straight) and her victim was unconscious with her eye swollen completely shut and stained a much darker blue than it should have been.  She was gasping for air, struggling to breathe through a bruised and bleeding mouth, as well as having a half crushed windpipe to boot.  Twilight stood up, staring down at the pathetic sight and scorning it as the very body of weakness.  Throughout that time, Trixie had only once asked 'why?' and Twilight couldn't give an honest answer, she simply bashed against her muzzle over and over until she couldn't speak anymore.  In Twilight's head, she didn't need a reason, she did as she pleased and nothing could stop her.  Nothing except Iago, but he didn't care about the lives of ponies so he wouldn't stop her.  Twilight had to fight her instinct to leave Trixie to drown in the slowly deepening pool of muck around her face, thinking it a truly fitting end to her bleak little life.  Instead Twilight pulled her up by her shoulders and propped her up against the wall.  Slowly, she allowed primal energy to pulse through her hooves and into her victim's body, bringing her back from the brink of death and into the bitter, dusty world of the living once more.  Trixie remained unconscious, but Twilight knew that was a good thing; for all Trixie knew that had all just been a bad dream.  

As soon as Twilight stepped out from behind the bookcase she felt the ambient temperature change; it was almost like walking into an air-conditioned room from outside on a summer's day.  She took a deep breath, calmed her mind, and set about toward her staircase, hoping for a little peace and quiet at least for just a while.  To say Twilight had a short fuse at that instant would be an understatement, so it's no surprise that her teeth instinctively started grinding the instant she heard Spike shuffling around outside the door.  She pushed the heavy oak slab open with her telekinesis and stepped out, glancing around the entryway for any sign of other ponies, though all she could see was Spike in the middle of reorganizing some books on the lower shelves.

"What're you doing, Spike?"  Twilight's voice caught the little dragon off guard, but he'd started to get used to her sneaking up on him like that.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that..."  Spike caught his breath and turned around, still holding a book in his claws.  "I'm just putting these where they should be, they're not in alphabetical order."

Twilight realized that Spike was holding one of the few books she used to hide her quill, stationary and inkwell back when she kept her mental journal; she had an incomplete page back there.  "I'll take care of it, just go... take a nap or something."

"You sure?  I'm almost done and really don't mind at all."  Spike didn't really wait for a response, but went straight back to his job of reorganizing.  Deep down he just wanted to make Twilight happy, but as he pulled a book away from the shelf and knocked out a stack of papers, only the opposite happened.

"Spike, get out.  Now."  Twilight tried to keep herself from blowing up, but a menacing sternness easily came out with her voice.

"Oops, I'll get that, sorry Twi--"  As Spike bent down to pick up the papers, Twilight grabbed him and slammed his body against the wall.  She didn't need him to read that journal entry, and certainly wasn't about to let him ruin anything that she'd worked so hard to bury.  

"I said, get out!"  Twilight dropped Spike and let his body weight slowly pry his spines out of the wall, dropping him bewildered onto the floor.  For a second he stood there absolutely confused, not quite knowing how to take what just happened, but the fear and inner pain of being physically struck (something that had never happened before) by the one pony he felt he could trust eventually set in.  His eyes welled up with tears and the little dragon stepped off toward his room, trying to stave off the imminent sobbing.  

Twilight watched her assistant walk up the stairs and toward their mutual bedroom, rubbing his eyes and refusing to look down at the unicorn.  She brought her gaze down to the floor, scanning over the incomplete journal entry and picking it up with her telekinesis.  

"So this was Twilight Sparkle, hmm?"   Twilight said aloud, reading over the meaningless and ignorant words that she had once scribbled down onto the page.  She was so naive back then, and had definitely come a long way from such idiotic ramblings.  "You died a long time ago.  It just took you a few good lessons to realize it..."  She finished her sentence by magically lighting the corner of the page on fire, letting the flames consume the parchment from bottom up in a single swell.  Soon, all that was left of the page was ash and smoke, and what a wonderful smell that was.

Twilight looked to the wall where she had thrown Spike, checking on the damage that his body had caused.  Spikes spines had definitely split through some of the wood, but Twilight immediately spotted a few smaller cuts in the wall somewhat to the left and definitely much further than where the dragon had been.  It took a second, but she recognized them as older graduations: Spike was interested in how much he was growing for a little while, and so had convinced Twilight to help him measure by leaving small cuts in the wall.  What a happy little memory of vandalism and pointless time-wasting: Twilight exhaled an exasperated huff and pulled her hoof back, slamming it into the area of the wall with the small cuts.  She only expected to make a resounding noise, or at absolute worst a dent, but the wood paneling splintered and the carved tree trunk behind it gave way to her forceful punch.  Twilight stood there and examined the hole she made in her wall, amazed that such a seemingly light attack had left such an effect; she wasn't used to using her body as a weapon, only her mind.

Well, that was certainly pointless.  Once again, though this time in a much more cheerful demeanor, Iago invaded Twilight's mind.

Most of the things I've done today have been pointless, Iago.  Twilight was still angry and, while she could certainly hold her tongue, her thoughts went more or less freely based on that passion.

Very true.  Now then, is there something you'd like to say to me?  

Yes there is, actually.  I'm absolutely not sorry for telling you off like I did.  I do, however, know when I've been beat, and I can tell when deference is the better choice, so you can be sure I'll pay closer attention to what you have to say.

Devotion based on power that you've experienced first hand, but no trust or blind idolatry...  I knew there was a reason I kept you, Twilight Sparkle.

I do request that you don't push me, though.

No no, that won't be necessary.  I'll admit that I was perhaps...  Somewhat at fault there.  We are working together, after all.  Isn't that right?  There was a bit of a 'snakey' undertone to this last portion, but Twilight was willing to take the bone that Iago had thrown her.

We are, and learning from one's mistakes is how one makes progress, isn't it?

Indubitably.  You're a fast learner, Twilight, just be sure to pick out the important subjects first.

I'm still not going to go bullrush Canterlot just yet.

Oh no, I wasn't trying to say you should.  As a matter of fact, I've been doing a little bit of thinking and have come to the conclusion that, perhaps, you're right to wait a little longer.  The changeling invasion weakened their guard, yes, but as a retaliation they've got every single remaining soldier on high alert all hours of the day.  You could easily kill them all anyway, but it would strike far deeper into their hearts if you waited until they were at full strength, maybe toyed with them a bit and then made a dazzling display.

I have to admit, Iago, you never did strike me as one for showmanship.

Symbols are important to these creatures, and a severed head is certainly a powerful one.  The heads of every single one of their enforcers as well as their royalty would be world shattering.  I'm not ignorant to these things, Twilight, I just simply refuse to accept the point unless it's actually practical.

Then you'll understand why I'm waiting until sundown before I go out and find a few new bodies.

Yes, Twilight, subtlety.  You don't want to be caught so early, so you play behind the persona of the psychopathic child: cutting the legs off of grasshoppers just to watch how they react, ultimately resulting in the killing of your parents.

Speaking from experience?

I didn't kill my parents, Twilight, Celestia did.

So the personal vendetta finally comes out...  The voice in Twilight's mind had grown to be more capable of displaying emotion than her projected voice, and the snarky, sarcastic nature certainly rang through here.

No love lost there, they contributed little to my eventual transcendence, but the fact that she trots around, refusing to acknowledge her enemies even as they stare her in the face, refusing to accept weakness, to realize the state of ignorance that she has shoved her subjects into...  Her very existence is an insult to all things intellectual; you of all creatures should realize that.

While I do understand where you come from, she was my teacher.  It's hard to think of her as destructive to intellect.  She's not exactly stupid.

Of course she isn't stupid, a stupid mind couldn't have caused the genocide of dozens of races, built castles upon their bones, staked land that once marked their graves as a place for commerce, or built an empire and sat at its head for two thousand years.  She's very intelligent, but being so she understands the danger behind knowledge: she controlled you, Twilight, by controlling what you could learn.  She held back the magics that I've taught you, she held back the history that you've come to learn, and above all she held back the crimes that she committed to rise to power.  Celestia fed you truths, yes, but she filtered them out and kept the ones she didn't like for herself, she's kept secrets that could have saved nations, forged alliances amongst grave enemies, and sparked wars between the truly just and unjust.  She poisoned your mind with ignorance, Twilight, and you should count yourself fortunate that I'm here and willing to teach you.

Oh but fortune isn't all there is to it, Iago.  You've got an agenda, that much I can see plain as the body you built for me.

Is that so?

Of course it is.  If you wanted nothing of me you wouldn't have bothered to come this far with me, how blind do you think I am?  I appreciate the value of your assistance, and I'm perfectly happy to be your pupil, but if you sit there in my head and play pretend that I'm just lucky and all you want is to help me rise to the top because you think I'm special then I'm going to be insulted.

Iago paused, and though his mind didn't reach into Twilight's for a few seconds, she knew he was still scanning hers for weaknesses.  He'd taught her more than he originally intended, and now she knew him nearly as well as he knew her.  Fair enough, Twilight.  I need a conduit, and as Celestia's most valuable and magically potent unicorn, not only do you connect to the Aether better than any other creature on this planet, but you connect to her better.  She rules this land, and I plan to take it back.  You're my vessel, and you'll be duly rewarded for that service, rest assured.

Hmh, just be careful what you choose to keep from me.

My dear, I'll keep whatever I want from you.  That said, to correct you from earlier, no I can't be beaten, certainly not by you.  This phrase would have drained the color from Twilight's cheeks if her body and mind were at all connected.  Just after Iago 'admitted' that he was wrong, Twilight stifled and suppressed a thought that, since he could be wrong he could be defeated.  This wasn't an inner monologue for her, it wasn't a surface thought, but just the act of her acknowledging it by pushing it down had revealed it to Iago.  It would be unwise to start a rivalry with someone who pulls on your strings, little puppet.

Very well, I'll dance for you.  Only for the time being, anyhow.  Twilight almost giggled to herself, feeling a bizarre giddiness arise from this little game of cat and mouse that she was playing.  She was doomed to lose no matter what, and the pervasive surveillance of her own mind had torn her between fighting against Iago or accepting him as her puppet master.  The one thing she hadn't had in quite a while: a challenge, something that seemed impossible, the mountain to climb and the dragon perched up top had not only just stared her in the face, but had added her to its horde as well.

The sudden change in her mood from angry to excitedly manic was accompanied by a desire to go apologize to Spike; she could still use his help if nothing else.  Twilight, happy in her own mind, trotted up the stairs to go find her assistant and glanced out a nearby window to check on the time.  Lately she hadn't been caring about dates or hours, only whether or not that oppressive sun was dangling over her head.  Thankfully, the beaming yellow orb had sunk down toward the mountains, giving Twilight a straining anticipation of when she could go out on the town for some new test subjects.

Spike had shut himself inside their mutual room, so Twilight simply knocked on the door and produced the most motherly voice she could.  "Spike?  Are you okay?"  She received no answer, so she continued the miniature conversation with beautifully orchestrated quasi-regret.  "I know that probably scared you, and I'm really...  Really sorry.  I don't know what came over me and I'd just like a chance to apologize.  I'd really rather it wasn't through a door."  The illusion was flawless, she even included a sniffle in there to feign crying.  It worked, just as anticipated, and Spike opened up the door, letting Twilight step inside (with an indiscernibly peppy bounce in her body language).

"I hope I didn't hurt you, Spike.  I feel so awful about that...  It's just been kind of a long, frustrating day."  Twilight sat down, realizing that her body was betraying her true feelings.  She forced her shoulders to slump and her back to slouch, letting her head hang low enough to be at eye-level with the sitting baby dragon.

"It's alright, Twi.  I forgive you."  Spike looked up from the floor as he finished his statement.  All the while that Twilight was in the room he had simply been drawing imaginary circles in the floor with his claws.  Twilight didn't even respond, but instead forced her face to mimic a pained smile and held her forelegs out for a hug.  Spike happily accepted the embrace.

"I love you, Spike.  I don't ever want to hurt you again..."  Twilight rattled her vocal cords, letting them sound as if she were crying, but really kept her eyes open and dry, staring intently at the razor sharp spines on his back.

"I..."  Spike's emotions, unlike her best friend's, were all too real.  He hadn't heard 'I love you' in quite some time, so it plucked just the right heartstrings to send his eyes deep into Twilight's shoulder.  "I love you too, Twilight."

The unicorn pulled Spike in a little harder, squeezing him like a plush toy and lightly nuzzling against his neck.  She wanted to seem convincing, so she stayed there with him until he was done crying; not once did she shed a tear.  Eventually, she made another appeal to the dragon's sentimental side.  "There's still a little time left in the day, is there anything you wanna go do together?"

"Uhm...  Could we go get pancakes?"  Spike looked up from Twilight's shoulder; she expected he'd want something sweet, though the way he said 'go get' meant he wasn't up for cooking them himself.  She wasn't exactly happy about that, but if all it took was a stack of fluffy dough to buy him off, she could easily provide.  Though there was only one place that Twilight knew of that might serve pancakes that late in the day, and it was a somewhat less-than-desirable place to be.