Awoken

                                                                                         Introduction

"Darius, you don't have to live this way, you know." Every day, that pony had been there. That light blue pony, who told Darius stories about a castle in the sky, about that palace of dreams, and about his lost mother. "I know I don't have to live this way. I just...this is all so... sudden." Darius muttered, turning away from the light blue pony. Every day, when Darius would bring flowers to his Mom's grave, she would be there. That light blue pony. Darius didn't remember what his Mom looked like, and he didn't know what happened to her, but this blue pony somehow knew about his mother. The pony felt familiar... and Darius kind of trusted her, for some reason. The light blue pony had a rainbow mane and wore a lab coat with crimson blood stains on it. The only thing about her that he didn't love, was her name- she didn't have one. Whenever he asked the pony her name, she would always answer "I don't have one."

"What's so sudden? I've always been here, waiting for you, you know. This is your destiny." The light blue pony said, looking at the grave. "Your mother used to work at the castle. She was pretty happy. Then those sick ponies... they beat her to a pulp for working in the castle, 'cuz they thought she was a witch. They hated your Mom. Bunch of douchebags, if you ask me." she said, spreading out her wings to catch the wind. "If they hated her so much, how did this grave get here?" Darius asked her with kind, blue eyes. "I made this grave. I couldn't find her body, so I don't know what the townspeople did with it. Probably burned it or something." She said, shooting off of the ground and landing on top of the grave. Her wings were big and powerful, and when she flapped them, Darius's blond hair blew into his face.  "So. Think it's time you avenge your Mom?" She said, her wings still open, casting a dark shadow onto Darius's dark blue body. "What?" He asked quietly. "Do I need to spell it out for you? I'm taking you to the castle in the sky, the one I've told you stories about. I'm sure your tired of hearing stories. You want to see it for yourself." She grinned. Darius looked into the pony's purple eyes, knowing that one word could change his life. "Make a decision. You've only got two options, you're finally at a fork in the road. Say no, and I disappear  forever... and you become the prey." Darius's eyes widened. "I become the prey...?" He mouthed. "Say yes, and your life will change forever. For the better, I assure you. Some ponies come across the world for this job, but you get it easy," She grinned, closing her wings.

"Predator or prey?"

Darius squinted at the sun, an looked down. The light blue pony frowned and looked down at him. "No?"

Darius looked up at her and smiled. "Please, take me to the Castle in the sky."

The light blue pony smiled. "That's what I thought. Well, in that case... my name is Dash. Rainbow Dash."