Don’t forget... some things musn’t be forgotten. The shadow hunting me... I must hurry.
My name is Twilight, I live in Equestria at... at... Ponyville...
What have I done? This is crazy. Don’t forget, don’t forget. I must stop her. Focus!
My name is... is... I am Twilight.
She opened her eyes, recovering from her recent black out. Twilight’s body shook, her vision nearly fading again. Weakly, she attempted to stand, barely managing to get on her hooves. Her legs trembled, and she nearly collapsed to the cobblestone floor again. Stumbling, she slowly looked around.
”Where am I..?”
She was surrounded by the cobblestone walls, nothing there to greet her but two suits of dull armor on the other side of the hall. A large window took up the space of the wall behind her. The sound of rain and thunder could be heard coming from outside. Eeriness loomed over the dimly lit corridor.
Twilight looked at the ground, noticing a pink liquid leading through a doorway on the other side of the hall. Without any visible exits, Twilight knew she did not have any choice but to follow the liquid trail, hoping only that it may lead to a way out. Hesitantly, she began walking towards the doorway. Her legs, still weak, were having trouble supporting her, and she once again nearly fell to the ground, her vision leaving her. She attempted to regain her composure, pushing on through the doorway.
”Another corridor?”
Entering the aisle, she investigated her surroundings. To her left stood a closet, and to her right she noticed a door. At the end of the passage was yet another door. Twilight investigated the closet. Her horn began to glow, the closet doors being gripped by magic. Slowly, she opened the doors, revealing what looked like a leather satchel, hung by a peg. A tinderbox also occupied the closet.
Twilight clasped the satchel with her hoof, moving her head through the strap, adjusting it until it was properly over her shoulder. She magically clasped the tinderbox, opening the satchel to set it inside. Closing the satchel, her attention now turned towards the nearby door. Cautiously, she approached the door. A sudden wind passed her, the door being flung open. She stepped back quickly, dread overtaking her. She began taking small steps towards the door until she was able to peek into the room.
The room looked rather inviting, a change from the cold stone that she had already developed animosity towards. She stepped inside. Red tapestries lined the walls, and a couch lied on the opposite side of the room. Also within the small room were two ornamental chairs, a finely carved wooden table, and a lit stone fireplace.
”The fireplace is lit.. I’m not alone..”
Twilight became paranoid, guardedly stepping further into the room. On the table lie another tinderbox. Stepping up to the table, she looked around, making sure she was the only inhabitant of the room. She quietly put the tinderbox into her satchel, listening for even the slightest noise that would cause alarm. Closing her satchel, she headed back through the doorway, making sure to be as silent as possible.
She now faced the adverse side of the hall, an arched wooden door occupying the wall. She began walking towards the door, making sure not to collide with anything that may make noise. Slowly, she opened the door, peeking her head around the corner. A staircase lied in front of her, heading up into yet another corridor. The flight was lit by a large chandelier.
”How many corridors are there?”
She falteringly began ascending the steps, her own breathing being the only sound audible. Reaching the top of stairwell, she noticed that the corridor took a sharp turn to the right, a blind corner being the only thing visible. She filled with anxiety, knowing this was the only chance out she would get. She began advancing towards the corner. She stopped, her ears erecting.
She heard the steps of leather boots hitting the cobblestone ground. Something around the corner was walking.
”What is that..?”
The footsteps stopped, fading from existence. She peaked around the corner, only to be greeted by another sharp turn and more of the pink liquid she had been originally following. She collected herself, stepping out from the wall she hid behind. She inched across the chilling stonework, listening for any other signs of possible occupants. She once again stopped at the corner, preparing herself for the worst. She glanced around the corner, her eyes only noticing another large chandelier that lit the next part of this maze. Twilight traipsed out from behind the bend, warily walking down towards the next dogleg.
About to make the next turn, Twilight abruptly felt feeble, her body weakening. She succumbed to the ground, her consciousness fading. On the inimical side of the hallway came a sudden howling, its noise filling the halls. Twilight stiffened, still unable to move. The sound only drew closer, threatening to be right on top of her. Whatever was making the howling was intangible, obscured by the next bend in the passage. Twilight, barely conscious, vainly attempted to drag herself back around the corner, hoping to only get out of view of whatever was producing this horrible noise.
At last, the noise stopped, the halls settling in serenity. Twilight’s vision began to return to her, and her body gained barely enough strength to allow her to push herself up from the ground. She sighed, knowing that she still did not have any choice of where to go. Plodding around the next corner, she sighed in relief.
“Finally, a door. A way out of this wretched hall.”
Twilight managed to get a wavering magical grip on the door, scarcely able to open it. She finally managed to pull the door open, a mid-sized room revealing itself to her, lit by a chandelier and four candle-holders, four candles residing in each holder. A doorway presented itself to the left, on the opposite side of the room. Another door stood to her right, past an overturned closet. Twilight then realized something; this room was nothing like the previous one. It was not finely decorated or orderly. It did have the familiar red tapestries, but much of the furniture had been overturned. Chairs lied scattered across the floor, and a couch had been overthrown. It was as if something had been searching through the room.
Slowly, Twilight entered the room, checking every corner, once again to verify she was the only occupant. It was then she noticed another doorway to her right, absent of any actual door. Inside waited for her an almost unnatural darkness. Seeing nothing but the blackness of the room, she carefully advanced into it, her eyes adjusting to the shadows. She unsuccessfully attempted to cause her horn to glow, in hopes it may shed light on the walls of the small area. All she managed was a spark. Carefully moving ahead in the room, Twilight was met by a dead end. A shelf containing two tinderboxes stood alone at the end. Unable to use magic, Twilight opened the satchel with her mouth and pushed the tinderboxes in with her hoof. She closed the satchel, looking around the dark room one last time.
She yelped, stumbling backwards. It was only then that she had noticed a figure that had been standing next to her the entire time. She then observed that the figure had not reacted, standing motionless against the stone wall. Whatever it was was inanimate. Twilight investigated it, fear still gripping her body tightly.
”Oh.. it’s just a rusty suit of armor..”
Twilight chuckled to herself; not so much as in the humor of the situation, but nervously, to fill the void of silence. Backing away from the armor, she exited the room, sighing in relief at the sight of the well lit area. Something then caught her eye. The previously closed door on the right side of the room had opened. Twilight felt on the verge of tears.
”Why is this all happening..?”
Biting her lip, Twilight investigated the now opened door. She peeked around the corner. Nothing was in the small room except for a smaller chandelier, more candlesticks, and a painting. Stepping inside with the intent of examining the painting, the candles blew out from a wind, casting the room in darkness. Twilight screamed in terror, managing to bring her weak body to a full sprint, leaving the room. She slammed the door behind her, making sure whatever was in the room stayed that way. A sob escaped her, a tear running down her cheek. Questions flooded her mind.
”Why am I here..? Why is this all happening to me..?”
Twilight focused on the only area she hadn’t investigated; the doorway on the opposite side of her. She now only had one goal; no longer to find the source of the pink liquid trail, but to escape her imprisonment, to leave the crumbling stone walls of the castle behind her. Wiping the tear from her face, Twilight stepped over to the doorway. A flight of stairs led down to another door, this one more intricately designed than the others. More of the strange liquid was present on the steps. Twilight descended the stairs gradually, stopping at the door. Upon closer examination, this door was in fact heavier than the others. It was metal, but painted red, a copper colored design on it. A sign above it read, “Old Archives”. Twilight knew she had to push forward if she wished to escape this stone prison.
Hesitantly, she pushed open the door.
She closed the heavy, red metal door behind her, making sure that nothing could, or would, follow her. She faced a corridor with a sharp right turn. This corridor was well lit, three torches welcoming her with their light and warmth. Making sure to move quietly, Twilight glanced around the corner. She spotted a door on the right, sharing the same wall as the one she was peeking around. To her left, she only saw two more torches, these ones not lit. She stepped out from her hiding place, a sense of safety coming over her.
It was short lived. A wind forced the door she had previously seen on her right open. The wind moved itself into the corridor, smothering the torches, and any source of light Twilight had. Her horn still refused to glow. Twilight stared in terror. She only had two choices; advance into the room, or turn the next corner to see what lies ahead. She chose the room. Closing the wooden door behind her, Twilight looked up. The stone ceiling had broken open, rays of light shining into the room. A steady stream of rain flowed in from the hole in the roof, forming a puddle on the dirt floor. Twilight shuddered, descending down the small staircase that led into the room. Inside the room lied 4 shelves, one of them overturned. The shelves were barren except for one, which held two tinderboxes. Twilight once again had to open the satchel with her mouth, pushing the tinderboxes in with her hoof. She counted them off.
“Five tinderboxes..”
She made a mental note of this number, remembering that she would need to conserve them. Looking around the dark corners of the room, she made her way back up the small flight of stairs. The sound of thunder loomed above her, the storm outside yet to subside. The old wooden door stood in front of her once again, and strangely, she didn’t want to leave. There was a comfort in knowing that she was alone, this room her only sanctuary from whatever lurked outside. She sighed, knowing a fact that was all too familiar to her.
“I need to keep moving.”
She knew that whatever was in the castle, whatever was searching for her, would come back here eventually, breaking into her sanctuary. And whatever it was, it would probably bring her with it. Hesitantly, she opened the door, peeking her head out. Nothing was out there except for the pitch-black corridor that lay to her left, and the sharp turn that presented itself to her right. She walked out of the room, leaving her sanctuary behind her. She was out in the open, the coldness of the corridor meeting her once again. She shuddered, out of both fear, and the bitter cold that chilled her bones. She carefully walked around the corner, seeing nothing but a cave-in at the end of the hall. She examined the walls around her, checking for any route of advancement. She spotted a doorway on her left, silently making her way over to it.
Stepping into the room, she noticed this one was even worse than the last. Books lie scattered on the ground, thrown from their shelves. Tables were overturned, and papers were torn and thrown to the wooden floor. Only a single, small window was left to light the dull stone walls. The window cast a dim blue light on the room, easing Twilight slightly, happy to be out of the darkness of the corridor behind her. This feeling of happiness once again vanished as soon as it had come. Another wind picked up, this one much stronger than the others. It picked up books and papers, creating a swirling barricade around itself. Twilight’s mane danced madly in the wind, the room losing any order it once had. At last, the wind stopped, slowing itself down until the books dropped to the ground, and the papers fluttered back onto the wood. Twilight stared, dread circulating through her body.
“Did that really just happen..?”
Her breathing was shallow, and her heart raced. Taking a single step forward, she stopped, making sure she was the only thing audible. She took another step, taking an additional pause. She began to walk, in a sense, normally. She looked over to her right, noticing a doorway. Beyond it lied nothingness, darkness in its purest form. The only thing she had that could cast light was her horn. The tinderboxes could as well, but they had served her no purpose yet, not being able to shed light around her as she constantly moved. She attempted to get her horn to radiate its magical purple glow, lighting the way as she moved. It began to dimly glimmer. Twilight put more force into her magic, and the horn grew brighter, lighting a small area ahead of her.
“How long can I keep this up?”
She decided not to find out, and moved forward with the rest of her strength. The small, dark corridor led to only another door. She nearly ran into it, even with the dim light of her horn. She pushed it open with her body, making her way inside. She closed it behind her with a kick of her hind leg. This room, unlike the hallway behind it, was lit, a window and a couple of candles revealing the area. Many bookshelves stood present in the room, books and scrolls occupying their space. A furnace and a closet were located on the right, on the adjacent side of the room. Also to her right was another door. The furnace was lit, and Twilight felt a familiar feeling of dread creep into her. She walked over to the closet, investigating its contents. It contained 3 rolled up rugs, and a tinderbox. Twilight managed to magically open her satchel, levitating the tinderbox inside.
“What an odd place to put a tinderbox..”
She shrugged it off, feeling she shouldn’t question why it was there, but rather be thankful it was there at all. Turning around, her attention focused on the door. More of the pink liquid trailed under the door. Opening the door, she wasn’t greeted by cold stone, or darkness. Instead, what lied in front of her seemed like safety. The room was not bright, but was lit by a single candle that occupied a desk in the center back. Twilight stepped inside, pulling the door behind her closed. The room was small, but the walls were no longer stone. Instead, they appeared to be covered by a red wallpaper. The desk that stood in front of her was also occupied by a small set of alchemical equipment and a note. A chair sat in front of the desk, inviting her to sit down. Twilight did so, taking a look at the note that inhabited the desk. The date of the note was obscured and unrecognizable. It read:
Twilight’s Note to Self
I wish I could ask you how much you remember. I don’t know if there will be anything left after I consume this drink. Don’t be afraid Twilight. I can’t tell you why, but know this. I choose to forget. Try to find comfort and strength in that fact. There is a purpose. You are my final effort to put things right. Luna willing, the name Celestia of Canterlot still invokes bitter anger in you. If not, this will sound horrible. Go to the Inner Sanctum, find Celestia and end her. Her body is old and weak, and yours, young and strong. She will be no match for you. One last thing, a shadow is following you. It’s a living nightmare, breaking down reality. I have tried everything and there is no way to fight back. You need to escape it as long as you can. Redeem us both Twilight. Descend into the darkness where Celestia waits and end her.
Your former self,
Twilight
Twilight reeled in confusion.
“Why would I want to.. kill Celestia..? Who wrote this..? What is the shadow?”
Twilight didn’t know any of the answers. She knew she had been pulled into something deeper than a mere escape attempt. She had been pulled into her past.
