Finding a Key in the Dark

-<>O<>-

She was drowning...

...

Falling...

...

In complete nothingness...

…

Then she stopped.

-<>O<>-

Light appeared from beneath her hooves, slowly becoming larger in a circular form, numerous birds escaping from the steadily growing circumference of the forming platform.

Twilight had to shield her eyes from the light being emitted from the glass-like floor beneath her as a strong wind rushed through her body. The lavender mare removed her right hoof from her eyes and looked around. She saw birds flying away from her into the never ending darkness surrounding her, their feathers slowly and gently falling down to the emerald green floor.

Twilight looked down curiously and noticed that the once growing circular platform she had been standing on had formed a picture of sorts. It seemed to be a picture of some sort of creature standing on two legs instead of four. The creature also did not have a coat, which puzzled Twilight. Instead of hooves, the creature had hands and feet. The creature's structure seemed familiar to Twilight, but she just couldn't put her hoof on what it was.

That's when it clicked in the librarians head. She was looking at a human. The librarian didn't believe in humans since she was certain that they were just part of an old pony's tale. The creature seemed to be in a deep sleep, dressed in a blue and yellow ensemble, gently holding a bitten red apple close to her mouth. The platform was a bright green with round portraits running across the circumference of the platform, each holding pictures of animals and seven short bearded men with pointed hats.

Twilight walked to the glass-like platform’s edge and took a glance downwards. She saw that the platform she had been standing on stretched down endlessly into a dark abyss. It was just complete nothingness.

Twilight looked up as, out of nowhere, a strange voice spoke.

"So much to do, so little time... "

"...but take your time."

"Don't be afraid."

"The door is still shut."

"Now step forward."

"Can you do it?"

Twilight slowly approached the middle of the bright green platform, still oblivious as to what was going on around her.

She was interrupted as a grey stone pedestal rose out from the ground behind her, emitting a mystical light which slowly dissipated afterwards. An orb of light emerged from above the pedestal, leaving as quickly as it came, uncovering what seemed to be a shield with an image emblazoned on its surface. The image being a red circle with two smaller circles connected upwards diagonally. It looked like the head of a mouse.

"Power sleeps within you," the voice spoke as a similar pedestal emerged from the opposite side of the platform, and in a similar fashion, a staff with its top being a shape similar to the one on the face of the shield, except blue, materialized above the stone pedestal.

"If you give it form..."

Another pedestal appeared the same way as the previous two pedestals. What appeared with it was a sharp and powerful looking sword.

"...it will give you strength."

Now there were three pedestals each holding a different weapon: a staff, a shield, and a sword.

"Choose well."

By instinct, Twilight walked up to the pedestal with the blue tipped staff floating above it. The purple unicorn's horn glowed a purplish red as she lifted the staff with her magic, eyeing the strange tool intently.

"The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin."

"Is this the power you seek?"

Twilight nodded.

As soon as she did, the staff she was levitating quickly disappeared with a flash of golden white light, leaving tiny sparkles behind.

"Your path is set."

"What will you give up in exchange?" the voice asked as Twilight turned around to look at the two remaining choices. The librarian quickly thought about which she should give up and decided that the sword would have to go. She quickly trotted over to the pedestal with the sword gingerly floating above the pedestal. Twilight gripped the sword's golden yellow handle tightly in her mouth, and waited for the voice to speak again.

"The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction."

"Do you choose to give up this power?"

Twilight nodded again.

The sword she was holding vanished with a flash of golden white light leaving behind tiny sparkles again.

"You have chosen the power of the mystic," the voice stated as if to confirm Twilight's decision, "...and have given up have the power of the warrior."

"Is this the form you choose?"

Twilight nodded a third time, and at that moment, the three stone pedestals surrounding her began to bury themselves back into the platform, startling Twilight. The lavender unicorn got even more alarmed as the bright green platform she was standing on began crumbling like glass. Eventually, there was no more floor for the lavender pony to stand on, and she fell.

-<>O<>-

Twilight closed her eyes and prepared for any kind of impact... but it never came. Instead, she felt her hooves steadily planted on solid ground. The material of the floor felt similar to the platform she had been on previously. Twilight opened her eyes and saw that her hunch was right. She was standing on another circular platform, but instead of green, it was purple. Instead of a young lady dressed in yellow and blue, the girl on this platform looked more of a princess than anything else. The princess-like girl was dressed in a simple yet elegant lavender dress which somebody would wear at a formal dance. Instead of animals inside the round frames, the frames held different pictures of two people dancing. One Twilight believed to be a man, and the other, a woman.

After a few seconds of analyzing the platform, Twilight felt something materializing inside her mouth. With a flash of bright lavender light, the staff she had previously chosen suddenly appeared, its handle tightly held by Twilight’s teeth.

"You've gained the power to fight," the voice said, beginning to speak again.

"Use this power to protect yourself and others."

"For there will be times you have to fight."

"But always remember...to keep your light burning strong."

Without warning, black bug-like creatures appeared from beneath the ground  and rushed towards Twilight, ready to attack her. The unicorn clenched the staff tightly between her teeth and swung it wildly against one of the creatures, knocking it back and making it disappear in a puff of black smoke. The librarian glanced to her right, spotting another one charging right towards her. Twilight concentrated her magic through the staff, her horn glowing a purplish red. The creature made a leap, making an effort to hurt the pony, but failed as Twilight quickly shot the creature with a blast of raw magic.

The remaining creatures stopped moving and merged with the ground, turning into mere shadows, eventually heading back into the darkness.

Suddenly, the violet glass platform began to start getting swallowed by darkness. Soon, the platform was no more, and darkness started to envelop the lavender unicorn. Twilight struggled against the mysterious force hoping to break free, but to no avail. There was nothing she could do but accept it.

-<>O<>-

Twilight was breathing heavily, gasping for air, as she slowly regained consciousness. She stood up and staggered a bit, but quickly regained balance as she shook her head in an attempt to shake of the grogginess she had been feeling. She was yet on another circular platform, similar to the the other two she had previously been on. This time, the platform was red, numerous hearts emblazoned on its surface.

What was in front of her appeared to be a framed wooden double door. As she slowly trotted towards it, the doors opened, temporarily emitting a blinding light which made Twilight look away from the doors. As the temporary brightness died down, the mare ventured into the doors, no longer fearing what lay through it.

-<>O<>-

“Your adventure begins at twilight.”

“The road won’t be easy, but a rising sun and a rising moon awaits your journey’s end.”

“The day you will find the key is both far off and very near.”

-<>O<>-

Similar to the other platforms, the one Twilight was currently on depicted another human girl. Not similar to the other platforms, the girl was dressed in an elegant yellow dress, dancing with some sort of beast. Twilight pondered what the beast was but drew a complete blank. It had been the first time she'd seen something like that, even if it was just a picture. Inside the round framed around the main picture were what appeared to be different kinds of furniture ranging from clocks to dressers.

At the center of the platform was a beam of light. Twilight felt scared to go near it, but at the same time, she felt she had to. The mare curiously but cautiously approached said beam of light and stopped right at the center.

The voice spoke again.

"The closer you get to the light..."

"...the greater your shadow becomes."

Twilight was perplexed by this statement. She asked herself what it had to do with her present situation.

That's when she realized what it meant.

She turned back and looked at her shadow, now realizing what the voice meant. Her shadow had grown in size, the effect of going near the beam of light, and continued to expand and grow until it was huge, gigantic. It had become one of the largest creatures she had ever seen. It was one of the things she had fought off before, except it was larger, more menacing. It instilled fear into her causing the librarian to take a few steps back.

"But don't be afraid..."

The creature slowly worked its way towards Twilight.

"And don't forget..."

The creature looked at her.

That's when Twilight straight up went into full gallop, hoping to find some way, any way to escape the creature that was after her. She reached the edge of the platform, realizing that there was no running from the creature. She summoned the staff she had earlier and prepared to fight... but before she could do anything, the creature threw its arm at her and missed, causing the ground to shake violently. The mare lost her balance at this and fell.

Darkness began to swallow her.

""-But do not be afraid..."

Half of her body was engulfed by the darkness.

"-For you hold the mightiest weapon of all."

She struggled to break free.

"So don't forget:"

Twilight was swallowed by the darkness.

"You are the one who will find the key."

-<>O<>-