Story by Pegabronicorn
Written by TheAvalonCode
Pain. It was the only thing that coursed through my body as thousands of tiny droplets of water splashed upon my body. So many times I wanted to stop. So many times I just wanted to drop down and let the world fade before my eyes. But I had to get as far away from them. I had to leave behind my blood as a trail. They were following me. I needed to keep them safe. It was my fault they were attacked. Now all I could to protect them, was to stay away from them.
Gone. Something was gone. I didn't realize the missing entity until I sat up. The pain was gone, but it felt as though something else had left my body. Wait, where am I? I looked around to see that I was in a four-poster bed. The curtains were of a sort of fuchsia colour. Upon further investigation I saw that I was in a room, and not just any room, a room that seemed to belong to royalty, considering the largeness of the room and how every piece of furniture had an intricate design. It didn't take long before I had to further explore my whereabouts. I got out of the bed, from which I had awaken, and slowly walked towards one of the doors. I opened the door and shielded my eyes from the blinding sun. When my eye readjusted, I was in deep shock of where I was. I stood on top of a tower overlooking a city of beautiful buildings of purple, white, and gold. I also saw that the city was filled with ponies in fashionable clothing, all of them in a variety of hues. Where am I?!
"Canterlot. Such a beautiful city don't you think?" said a voice from behind me, which startled me. I quickly turned around to see a magnificent white Alicorn looking down at me.
"What?" I asked in respond to her seemingly irrelevant statement.
"I just said that Canterlot is beautiful." She replied. But I was still confused as to what this Canterlot was. The Alicorn must've seen my confusion because she continued by saying, "Canterlot. Outside, that's Canterlot." I looked outside again, taking in the wonders of the city.
"Yeah. It's really something." I said, still looking over the city. "So tell me my little pony, do you know what your name is?" the Alicorn asked. "My name is...is...now that I think about it, I don't know. I...I can't remember anything. Who am I? What am I doing here? What..." I was really starting to panic but then the Alicorn put her hoof on my head. "Calm down Spark."
"Spark...?" I paused and brushed the hoof off my head. The Alicorn seemed startled at this, but I was surprised by the sudden contact. "Is that my name?"
She looked down at me and smiled kindly. "Almost. Your name, as far as I am aware, is Shadow Spark."
"Shadow Spark huh?" I liked it. The name felt right for some reason, it... fit.
"You are likely confused. Here." The Alicorn's horn glowed a shimmering gold and the air in front of me began to grow opaque. As I watched, an oval between me and her had appeared which showed my reflection. I was a colt, roughly... ten years of age, slim but muscled, wings on either side, black mane and tail, dark grey coat, and green eyes. I did a small turn and noticed the absence of a cutie mark.
The Alicorn had apparently also noticed this, "it appears you have not yet discovered your special talent. Uncommon for a colt of your age, but not unheard of" I gave her a closer look. She had the characteristic wings and horn, a bright white coat, and a multi-coloured mane that seemed to be constantly flowing in some hidden breeze. "You may have no recollection of me. I am Princess Celestia of Equestria, the ruler of the land. If I may be frank, I know incredibly little of you Spark."
I sat on my haunches for a few moments and tried to recall some details, perhaps how I came to be in this regaled room. But nothing came. No realization availed me. Meeting the Princesses eyes, I asked, "Why am I here? How did I get here?"
She smiled again and drew her attention back to the window. "I am surprised you hadn't asked sooner. I found you down there;" She tipped her muzzle toward the streets below "you were unconscious in one of the alleys. I was making a trip around the city, as I do now and then, to pay homage to my little ponies."
She looked over to a wider road "that's the main road in Canterlot. I was returning down it with my entourage when I saw you, just lying there. I asked one of my guards to carry you and we rushed you here." The Princess trotted around to me once more, meeting my gaze.
"I believed I had lost you. I waited alongside you for some time, in the hopes that you would awake. And you did, rather suddenly too. You seemed agitated, panicked even. You turned to me and insisted I help you."
I drew my eyes away and considered this information. It certainly seemed possible, but I had no recollection of the events the Princess was describing. I met her eyes again and she continued her story.
"You were begging me, because you were being chased. By what or whom, you did not say. I offered to establish a guard around you but you rejected this idea. Instead you asked me to erase your memories, as you seemed to think it would aid in your escape."
The Princess half-turned away and you saw her eyes dip.
"Normally, I would refuse such requests, as our memories make up who we are as ponies... even the bad ones... but I could sense a feeling of urgency and danger and as such... I agreed."
She turned back to face me once more. "I hope you bear no ill will for these actions."
I looked up at the royal figure and shook my head "I don't. If I asked, then I had a reason to. So don't sweat it."
The Princess smiled at this, obviously relieved. "Excellent. Now, there are a few things I shall need you to know." She indicated that I follow as she trotted towards a large pair of doors and walked out. On the outside was a long hallway, with four Royal Guards dotted along at regular intervals. The floor seemed to be made of marble, with a strip of red carpet lining the centre. The wall that faced Canterlot had a number of arch-shaped windows, giving a view on the city.
"Firstly, I cannot allow you to leave the city for some time, as I am sure whatever you were running from is still looking for you." Looking back, she saw me wince at this restriction. "Please do not worry. The household shall care to you, and you are safe here."
The two of us rounded a corner and began to go down a flight of stairs into some sort of grand atrium "Secondly, I need to discover exactly why you were being hunted. I like to think that myself and... my sister... had brought peace to this land, and knowing that there is something out there that is hunting my subjects is troubling at best."
She led me through the atrium, and into one of the off shooting rooms. Unlocking the door with a quick spell, she strode in and I followed. The room was certainly odd. It was a pure white, with black strips connecting the panels that made up the floor, ceiling and walls. She pointed me towards a door that led into another of these rooms. Stepping inside, I turned and saw her observing me through a thin window. "What's going on?" I asked.
"This is really quite simple Spark. I'm going to run some cognitive and physical tests to see if they may be the reason for you being pursued. First, something cognitive."
Her horn glowed once again, and the air became opaque. Only this time, the air had become a blank screen. "In a few moments you will see a sequence of shapes in various colours. Once the sequence has ended, you have to re-make the sequence by touching the tiles at your hooves."
Looking down I noticed one of the floor panels had flipped to reveal a number of tiles, each with a glowing shape in a different colour. I looked back to the Princess, nodded, and watched the screen.
We ran through the test multiple times. Each time, the sequence got faster and longer. Each time, I replicated it perfectly. As I finished off the final sequence, I couldn't help but feel proud of what I had achieved. Celestia nodded, the screen disappeared, and a door on the far side of the room had opened. I entered this one and was met with a much darker room. The only light came from Celestia's window and the glowing tiles on the floor.
"This test is a little bit more intricate, Spark. The tiles you see have a pattern, and this pattern will let you follow and exit. Touch the wrong tile and you'll get a rather terrible shock. This will test your thought process, endurance and your dexterity."
I scrutinized the tiles. They had a number of different icons. One for Alicorns, Pegasi, Changelings, Griffons and Earth Ponies. It took a few short moments to eliminate the correct pattern. "Earth ponies right? They're the only ones here who can't fly." I stepped on one of the Earth Pony tiles, and braced just in case. Nothing. I sighed in relief. In order to get across to the other side, I had to jump, sidestep, twist and stretch across the tiles but I made it in good time.
I exited the chamber and before me stood a rather pleased princess. "Just to make you aware, there was no risk of a shock."
I paused, "What do you mean?"
"Well I naturally would not want to bring harm to one of my ponies. I merely said it so that you would perform as you would in a pressured situation. Critical thinking is an important skill young one." She turned her back to me and motioned that I follow. "It has been many, many years since someone managed to complete those tasks with your level of agility."
We were walking down a windowless hallway, lit by torches that burned a magical gold. They seemed to only be present for the light they expelled, as I could feel no heat from them. At the end of this hallway were two doors, completely identical.
Celestia pointed a hoof at the door on the right. "For as far back as you have lived, many ponies have taken those same tests. They all left through this door. On this day, we enter the other." With no more ado, she opened the door with a quick shot of magical energy and we began to trot along the dark, old passage. I could feel the dirt and occasional stone beneath my hooves, and in the gloom I could barely make out the mossed-over cobble walls. The floor began to incline, going from slight to steep in a few moments. We were heading into the very depths of Canterlot Castle. And then, we came to a halt.
I gaped. Before me was the grandest door I had yet seen. The wood was fine and well polished, with beautiful gold and silver tooling. Like some plant, the gold and silver wires coalesced in the centre, around a small hole, a few inches wide. Celestia closed her eyes and charged magic into her horn, which she then loosed into the hole. The metallic strands began to glow magnificent colours and then the door just began to fold away into the wall. Celestia met my gaze. "It has been longer than I remember since anypony but myself and its inhabitant has set hoof in this chamber. Tread carefully Shadow Spark."