Island of the Changelings

I am suffocated by darkness on all sides. I can’t move, see, or breathe. Oddly enough, it doesn’t really matter to me. But then, like an explosion, I’m struggling for air, trying to get out of this trap. I need air! My lungs are imploding. I frantically scrabble at the walls around me, squirming and screaming. Then, when I’m sure I’m going to die, one hand breaks through into open air. Somehow, I break my head through that tiny hole and take deep, gulps of air. But for some reason, everything is still pitch-black. Why? Then, I realize my eyes are still squeezed shut. I open them quickly, and they practically burst into flames.

The light is so bright, that I have to close my eyes again. I don’t know which is better, or the darkness. Slowly, I open one eye a tiny little crack, then the other. There. They still burn, but it’s bearable. I look down. I see sand instead of my hooves. I struggle, and eventually break my limbs out into open air. Apparently, it wasn’t a trap. I was buried underground.

I look at the world around me. I am on a beach somewhere. Behind me is a plain. I stand up on my four hooves to get a better view. Far away, I can see the outline of a humongous mountain. I suppose I shouldn’t waste time looking at the scenery. As far as I know, I don’t have any survival supplies, or companions. No weapons, no food, and the clothes I'm wearing are in tatters.

I walk across the plain. I see some small animals, and though they run away on sight, I'm comforted by the fact that there are other living creatures here. I trot for hours, and eventually I come to a steep cliff. The mountain! I look up, and the cliff goes as high as I can see. No use wasting my energy climbing. However, there are two paths to go. The right way is a deep, lush forest. The left way is still part of the cliff, but it’s less steep and rockier, so it will be easy to traverse. Obviously, the right way would be the ideal choice. Forests supply wood, shelter, and more animals. There would probably be a clean water source there, too, like a lake or stream. Yet, somehow I feel the need to go the left way, like there’s something hidden there, something no one would expect. So I listen to my heart instead of my brain, and turn left.

I begin to climb the rocky slope. Just like I thought, it’s no challenge at all, except that the hot sun is beating down on me. I guess it’s summertime. In fact, I could just walk up, but I feel climbing is safer. After a very long time of climbing, it starts to get dark. I look up to the sky, and confirm that it is becoming nighttime. I need to find shelter soon, and water. I’m starting to get thirsty. Should I turn back, and go to the forest? No, I’ve already gone too far this way. When I would get to the forest, it would be in the middle of the night. I keep climbing.

Eventually, in the darkness I can make out another fork in the path. The left way leads higher up the mountain, and if I squint, I can see that the slope gets a lot steeper. But to the right, there is a large cave. Caves make perfect shelters, don’t they? The cave it is, then. But then, I start to get the same feeling as before, that I should go to the left. This time, however, I put my foot down. I am not going to listen to my instincts. A cave is what I need to survive. I head into the cave, even though my heart is practically screaming at me not to.

I start to explore the inside, but the deeper I get, the darker it gets, until it’s pitch-black and I can’t see a single thing. I travel back to the mouth of the cave and catch the end of the sunset.  It’s incredibly beautiful, with tendrils of orange light streaking across the sky as the sun sinks below the rippling water. Up here I can get a great view all around this place. I trace the shoreline, around beaches and forests and cliffs, to come back to where I started. An island, then. I begin to realize that everything about this island is amazing--the scenery, the structure, just everything.

Then, I start to wonder the name of this island. I can’t think of anything, so I guess that means this is an unpopulated place. But if this is something like that, there would be no other ponies, would there be? I don’t want to believe that, but deep inside I do. I am completely alone. I start to think of ways to survive, and get out of this place. Maybe if I find enough resources, I can build a boat and drift away. Yet, the best thing I could build would just be a raft, and rafts aren’t particularly fast. I would probably starve just waiting for land. Then, something confuses me. How did I get to this island in the first place?

When I try to remember, there is something like a giant wall in my mind, blocking me from the knowledge that I need. That makes me panic a little bit. I decide to ask myself a very simple question. What is my name? It’s the exact same thing as before, a wall. But this time, something comes through the wall. A name.

Suri Polomare.But that's all that comes through.

Now, I’m really panicked. One word runs through my mind…amnesia. Then, I start asking as many questions as I can, even ones that wouldn’t be helpful, just to see if I can break through. What’s my favorite color? Who are my parents? Nothing. Why am I here? Where do I live? That last question is the only one that I know the answer to. I live here now.

I fell asleep without realizing it. I know that because it’s morning now. I don’t know exactly what time it is, but what I do know is that I am parched and a little hungry, too. It would take too long to go all the way down the slope, so I decide to fully explore the cave now and pray there’s water in there. If not, well…I don’t want to think about that. I wander into the cave again. It’s a very long tunnel. After a while, it slowly gets darker and darker, until I can’t see anything. I walk for a couple minutes, and then crash straight on into a wall. I feel around for a while. There are two paths again. This time, there aren’t any crazy urges, so I just go right.

I can feel the corridor getting narrower as I go on. It’s still pitch-black. Eventually, I walk into a wall again. But this time, I can’t feel any other passageways. Now, I’m feeling a little woozy from being so thirsty. I keep feeling around, but it’s definitely a dead end. I can swear that the rough, bumpy cave walls are a little bit damp, though. I turn back. It feels hard to walk now, like my pounding head is weighing me down. My mouth is completely dry, and it feels like a sandstorm hit my throat. My stomach aches from hunger, too. Yet somehow, I’m still walking. I can’t fall down now, because I might not be able to get back up. I need to turn back now. Maybe I can find enough energy to climb back down and find a water source. And if I can’t…well, I’d rather die in the sunlight and fresh air than in some cave.

Dead end after dead end, fork after fork, I finally realize I’m lost. This cave doesn’t even seem like a cave anymore. Now, in my mind, it’s a maze, and I was foolish enough to stumble into it. I can feel the world spinning, even though everything is still completely dark. It’s a pity that I’ll never get to know who I am. I never felt myself falling, but somehow I’m collapsed on the ground, hooves splayed now. I force myself to crawl. I didn’t feel myself falling again, yet now I’ve completely collapsed, with my muzzle on the cold, rough stone. I try to move, but I feel too tired to even breathe. When I take air in, it stings very badly because of my parched throat

I don’t know how long I lay there. I try several times to not breathe, but every time my instincts come in and make me take a gulp of air. The pain and dryness in my throat is unbearable. Why can’t I just die already? If I had any energy, I would be writhing in pain. Part of me wonders how the floor is so cold when the air in here is hot and stuffy. Then, realization hits me with a jolt. The floor is so cold because it’s wet. Not a puddle, or anything I can drink with, but I’m positive that the floor is wet. And, when I listen closely, I can hear the faint sound of rushing water. This invigorates me, motivates me enough to start crawling in the direction of the sound. I might not die here.

I keep on moving towards the sound of the water. But then, I bump into another rough, rocky wall. No…no…how is this possible? I know. Because this is one of the maze’s tricks. I can tell this maze was not made naturally. Nature wouldn’t have thought to be so cruel, to get someone motivated by the sound of water, just to be disappointed again. I turn back and try a different route, but I can’t find the water anywhere. After a long time of crawling desperately, I see a dim light in the distance. It’s almost blinding, after being in the dark for so long. I drag myself towards it.

When I finally get there, I see that the light’s coming from a hole in the ceiling of the maze. This is what I’m looking for. A good place to rest. I collapse on the ground, unable to move. I look through the hole. It seems like it’s getting darker slowly. So I must have been in here for a whole day. The sandstorm in my throat and the aching in my stomach seem even worse, if that’s possible. I lay there, helpless, until the sky goes black and I can see the stars come out. It's breath-taking. A wave of exhaustion sweeps over me. I feel myself sinking into unconsciousness.