The Search for Light: Finding New Hope.

Chapter 6: The Test.

(Inside the caverns.)

Ok, breath slowly now, Silver. I now just have Princess Luna counting on me to pass. Stupid gambling princess. Now’s not the time to think about that. I just need to. . You know, turn away from this freaking door I have been staring at for the past hmm. . . 15 minutes? yeah about that. Good idea. I finally move myself away from the door, taking a few steps backwards, before turning around to face the deep, dark caves that split off in front of me. “Ok, which way, Silver.” I break the silence in the caves. My voice echoes all around, bouncing here and there. “Huh. Eerie” Four paths now. One directly in front of me, looking to lead downwards. Two that split off to the right, staying about equal it looks. Great Faust, it’s hard to see, though. Then theres the path to the left.

It looks darker than the rest. Like, theres just a wall of shadows that block the already thin amount of light in this place. . . There’s. . There’s something there though. I know I can see it. Just there’s something there, moving slightly. “I’m always there.” The whisper shoots through the quite, echoing around me like it’s a ghost. It might just be a ghost actually.  “Who was that?!” I call out, down the dark pathway. . Nothing. I must be to stressed. I shake myself. “Ok Silver. Time to walk.”  Finally I start moving down the cavern, choosing the darkest path before me.

A chill shots through me. Don’t get nervous now Silver. “What’s the matter? Scared” The whisper speaks again. This time I know it’s not just my mind. “Where are you? Show your self.” I quickly, with one swift movement, swing out my bow, and notch an arrow in it. Skimming the dark cave for any sign of movement. “Oh. . No need to worry about me, Silver. Just. Keep. Walking.”  For some reason, I head it’s words, continuing to move down the hall, but I keep my bow ready. “For what it’s worth, Silver, you're getting closer.”   I glance behind me. I have ventured so far in, that the only thing I see is the cavern stretching far in both directions, no end in sight.

“Close to what?” The whisper gives an echoing chuckle. “You will see. Soon enough, you’ll see.”  Another chill runs through me. I shake lightly as I keep moving down the cavern. Is that? I squint hard. I can see the end of the cavern. It seemingly open into a large clearing. . And it looks like there’s some pond there. Maybe a spring. Could it be? “I see you’ve arrived.”  The whisper echos again. I step into the clearing cautiously. It is a spring. . And floating in the center looks like the orb that Princess Luna sent out. Now. . How do I get to it?

(The Arena)

“Oh, this isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.” A worried sounding princess speaks up, as she open her eyes. “What's wrong, Princess?” She shakes her head. “I can’t see him anymore. He spent along time in the entrance. But the moment he started walking he just. . Disappeared.” She says in a hushed tone. “We have to send sompony in after him then. It’s too dangerous unmonitored.” Astral says, as he glances back at the doors. Up in the stands, hushed whispers start filling the arena. “Double? What’s going on?” Double just shakes his head while he squints down at the council. “I don't know Hat Trick. I don’t think it’s good though.” Next to them, Midnight speaks up. “Well, if it was anything serious, they would have stopped the test. Luna can see everything going on in there. Kinda creepy if you ask me.”

Midnight and double shrug, as the conversations between the council continues. “The problem is. He completely disappeared. Even if he was in a place I couldn't see, I would still be able to sense him. But, he’s just not there. But. . Something is there.” The council goes silent at this, waiting for the princess to continue. “I fear that, poor Silver is own his own for the rest of the test. There is nothing we can do, but wait.”    Astral pounds his hoof on the table. “We can’t just leave him in there Princess.” He says in a harsh whisper. Luna only gives him a solemn nod. “I know that, Astral. I would have pulled him out of there by now. But It is out of our control.” More whispers break out through the arena. Some confused, some concerned.

(The caves)

“Why wont you let me fly over?” I get blasted back by another gust of wind, and met with silence after this failed attempt at trying to fly to the orb. Maybe I could shoot it onto land. . No, to risky, it could break. “Just walk to it, Silver. It’s simple” Ok, that whisper is getting annoying. “I can’t walk on water. I’m only a pegasus.” The whisper gives its echoing chuckle. There is something that has been annoying me about that whisper, and it’s chuckle ever since I started hearing it. . It seems familiar somehow. “Come on Silver. Just give it a shot.” Thats it. It’s Golds voice. . Only it’s not. It sounds more, evil, malicious.

“Oh, I’m not your dear brother. . I am something much more. And I am something much more close to you.”  I give a frustrated sigh. “Can you stop being so cryptic?” I am met with that annoying silence. Well. . The whisper led me this far. Maybe I should listen to it. “Atta’ boy”  You know, I think I prefer that annoying silence. I step towards the spring. I reach a hoof out, and set it upon the surface. Ripples spread out from my hoof, but it does not sink at all. It’s solid? I step farther onto it. Slowly but surely, till all fours are on it. Each step sending out more ripples. I smirk, and step towards the orb. This was simple.

As I get closer to the orb, a looming shadow appears behind me  “Well done, Silver. Now, just touch the orb, and you have passed.” It laughs loudly after this, it’s echo filling the area completely.  I spin around, but the shadow always stays behind me. “Stop toying with me!” I shout and am met with that an eerie silence. Just ignore it now Silver. My goal is the orb. I turn to the orb and reach my hoof up to it. I touch my hoof to it and. . . Nothing. Somethings wrong. Luna said I would be teleported back once I touch it, right? “Oh, my bad. Did you really think I would let it be so simple?”  I give an angry glare, well, to really nothing. “Just show yourself already! Stop playing games, Gold!” It laughs hard. “Silver. I already told you I’m not gold.” It’s voice is so close. Just keep looking. “Hm. I guess, in a sense, I am your brother Gold.”  It says in a toying manner.

“Because, Silver. I am you. Your shadow. Just like you are your brothers.”  I toss the orb as far as I can, breaking it against the caverns walls. “Perfect.”  Shadows spread from the orb, filling the area, and the spring I am standing on, causing the entire ground to turn black. Only for a split second though, all the darkness centers to one point, right under me. I look down at the reflective spring, seeing the shadow take form over my reflection. “W-what’s going on?”  The shadow keeps forming around my reflection. Soon, all of it has consumed my reflection. “I really have to thank you, Silver. For, none of this would have been possible without you.”  The shadow laughs, my shadowed reflection now moving on its own. Stepping away from me slowly. “What are you?”  My voice comes out weak, slightly shaky. The shadow does not respond to me, moving further out. Once a few feet away from me, it shifts upwards, emerging from the solid-like mirror spring.

“Really Silver, thanks. And don’t worry, you’ll know everything soon. If, that is, you can survive long enough.” The shadows voice shifts from the whisper like tone, into. . Well mine, but more darker. “Enough already!”  I shout as I swing out my bow again, sliding an arrow into place. I let go, watching the arrow fly through the air quickly to the shadow. It turns around, facing me, and the incoming arrow. It smirks as the arrow reaches closer. Then, it just stops. The arrow, held in the air by some invisible force. “You’re going to have to try harder Silver.” It’s taunting me now. I shot more arrows at it, quickly. But all of them are stopped midair. “Come on Silver. Stop playing, and actually try.” I watch as the shadow lifts up its hoof. the arrows slowly dissolve into darkness, shredding instantly. The dark flecks spin around the shadow. “I don’t have time to keep playing with you. My master is calling. So I will leave you with his  message, and a gift, for dear Princess Luna.”

One shard of the shadow flecks shoots towards me. I bring my wings forward, shielding my self. But, I feel it just pass through the armor, embedding itself in my wing. I through my wings back, trying to shake off the spreading darkness. It’s useless though. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t. “Farewell Silver. We’ll be seeing each other again, at a later time.”  And with that, the shadow disappears, from my fading vision. Come on Silver, I can’t let this happen. I’m stronger than this. fourteen long years of sheer hard work, determination, and pure will power. There were times I wanted to give up, and go back home. But, I couldn’t. . . I wouldn’t. If I gave up, that would mean Gold was always right about me. That I just wasn’t cut for something as big as the Royal Guard.

I look down, through my blurred, and darkening vision, at my reflection. Slowly being eaten by the darkness. I’m not a shadow, though. I live in one. I’ll admit it. I’ve lived in his shadow, but not any more. Not for the past fourteen years. And, I won’t be dragged back into it so easily. What can I do though? I can’t move any more, I'm completely bound by this darkness. My vision has been completely blocked. “Just fight it, Silver. . . ” I hear a distant voice, fading in and out. It sounds familiar, but I can’t quite place it. “Come on. You have to make it through.” I hear the voice cry out again, this time more clearly.  I start to hear the sobs. I start to feel the tears dripping onto me. Star? Aegis? I can’t tell. I feel her hooves wrap tightly around me. “Wh. . Who?” I try to say through my strained voice. “Shh. Don’t speak. Just fight it.” She mumbles something else, but I can’t make it out.

I feel her hoof slowly run through my mane. “It’s ok. You’ll be safe now.” I feel some more warmth wrap around me. It feels like I'm floating. Flying without the use of my wings. It’s strangely nice. But soon, I feel the cold of the ground fill me again, as I am sat back down. I struggle against the darkness, trying to move something, open my eyes. It’s all in vain. I can still feel the tightness of her embrace wrapped around me.

(The Arena)

“Princess. . Did you?” The princess looks down at Astral. The look on her face could only be described as complete, and absolute terror. Quickly, more and more whisper flooded the arena, everypony wondering what would cause the normally fearless princess to look so terrified. “I felt it too Astral. And I fear, Silver is in far more danger than we thought.” Astral glances back at the iron doors. “What is it? Princess? We all felt it.” Luna looks down at the ground. “I can’t explain it here. What I can say though, is the last time that. . . Presence was here, it’s master almost destroyed Equestria.”

“How do we get him out?” Smokey speaks up, sounding actually concerned for the wellbeing of another pony. “We can’t. It’s blocking everything out. It must have grown in strength, or else I would have been able to have Silver out by now.” The council all sits in silence for a moment. “Wait. . There’s something else there.” Luna speaks again. “A voice. Crying, for help. Crying for. . ” The other judges sit there, closing their eyes, and focusing. “I can't hear anything, princess.” Astral says, met with the nods from the others. Luna’s horn lights up, glowing with its ethereal silver color. “He’s back. I can feel Silver again. The dark presence must have left.” Astral pounds his hoof on the table. “Well? What are you waiting for princess, bring him back.”   Luna shakes her head, glancing back towards the iron doors. “He’s already back.”  With a slight nod from the princess, the doors swing open as quick as they can.

The arena is silent. For, the first thing they see when those doors open. Is a silver pegasus, covered in what could only be described as living shadows, just swirling and spreading all around him. And, clutched tightly around him, is a mysterious, dark purple mare.