Chapter 20 Light in the Darkness

Dark Iggy was so frightened that he felt his stomach churn like butter. He did not want to pushed deep within Iggy's unconscious again. It truly was a miserable place, and it served to create a miserable existence for a personality trait. No, this was not how Dark Iggy wanted his story to end.

So he ran. Up the stairs of the east wing, through the spiraling corridors. He was going at a marvelous speed, a speed that would make a marathon runner blush with a crimson complexion. That was until he tripped.

When he tripped, he saw the personality splitter fly out of his hands. It sailed over the hallway and landed with a dull thud on the plush red carpet. Dark Iggy tried to get up, but before he could scramble to his feet he heard the the footsteps of light Iggy, scurrying like a squirrel. Light Iggy bounced over Dark Iggy's fallen form like they were playing a game of leap frog, and he managed to grab the personality splitter off the floor.

"Yes!" he cried triumphantly. He turned to Dark Iggy with a happy, glowing smile of determination. It was in that moment that Dark Iggy officially gave up. He hung his head on the carpet.

"Fine. You win," he said miserably.

Dark Iggy braced himself for what was coming next. Of course, he was aware of the backup button, he was half of the person who had designed the device after all. Dark Iggy squeezed his eyes tightly, fully prepared to fade out of existence. Then, he felt something that he had not expected himself to; a hand being placed on his shoulder.

"You're crying," came Light Iggy's voice.

Dark Iggy opened his eyes and put his hand to his cheek. It was warm, wet.

"Are you okay?" Light Iggy asked.

Light Iggy helped Dark Iggy get to his feet. Once he was standing upright, Dark Iggy stared at Light Iggy. Light Iggy was frowning at him with his mouth, but smiling at him with his eyes. He looked so friendly. He looked at Dark Iggy like he was an old friend who had done something heinous. For an instant, Dark Iggy felt a surge of endorphins run through his veins. Then he snarled.

It's a trick, Dark Iggy thought. It is all a trick!

Dark Iggy tried to lunge for the personality splitter. Light Iggy moved out of the way just in the nick of time.

"Give me the device!" Dark Iggy screeched.

"No!" Light Iggy screamed back. Dark Iggy growled and tackled Light Iggy to the floor. He was like a rabid dog; a wild beast ready to tear his prey to shreds.

"You don't know what you are doing!" Dark Iggy said. "If you reset the device, then my life is over!"

"That is a fallacy!" Light Iggy said. "You will still exist! You'll just be a part of another person!"

Dark Iggy felt a surge of fury flare up, and his body reacted automatically. He sent a punch flailing toward Light Iggy's face. He hit him directly on the snout. Dark Iggy let out a satisfied smirk run across his face like a bandit when he made impact. Unfortunately, the satisfaction did not stay there for long, as Light Iggy kicked Dark Iggy off of him. He was flung to the floor, and he saw Light Iggy towering over him like a fierce warrior.

"Dark Iggy," he said sternly, "stop."

Dark Iggy tried to keep the anger on his face, but failed. As he stood up, he could feel fear course through his body. He could practically feel his arteries contracting, and his hands were shaking like crazy.

"Please don't do this," he said weakly.

"Why not?" Light Iggy asked.

Dark Iggy took in a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs:

"BECAUSE I DON"T WANT TO BE PUSHED TO THE SIDE ANYMORE!"

Now it was Light Iggy who looked angry.

"Being pushed to the side?" he asked. Dark Iggy nodded.

"Yes! Look, I…" Dark Iggy sighed. "I am sick and tired of always being pushed to the sidelines. I know that you don't like me, but that is not at all how I feel about you. Iggy, I love you. I only want what is best for you"

Light Iggy glared at his dark side.

"You only want what is best for me? I'm sorry, but how is splitting up my siblings in a ploy to obtain power doing what is best for me?"

"That wasn't what I was doing," Dark Iggy said. "I did not want power. All I wanted was to be expressed. All I wanted was to find a way for our siblings to be able to express themselves too. That's why I said I was doing this for your own good."

Light Iggy's facial features softened.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes," Dark Iggy said. "Iggy, I am trying to help you, that's all. That is all I wanted for you, was for you to be happy."

Light Iggy looked at Dark Iggy in wonder. Then he looked down at the personality splitter resting in his palms.

"Well, I am not happy right now," he said. "I wish I could be, but I am not. And I don't think I can be knowing that I am only half a person."

Dark Iggy hung his head. Of course, this was true. He himself had felt the void that was left when he got severed from his light half. It felt empty, hollow. It was one of the nastiest feelings he had ever experienced. It was a shame he hadn't realized that was what it was until now.

"Well then," he said solemnly. He took the personality splitter out of Iggy's hands. "Let's fix that, shall we?"

With that, he pressed the button.