It was dark, pitch black at the very least as the young man let out a soft grunt, opening his eyes. It took him a few seconds to register this, as he sat up with a sudden jolt, looking around. He saw nothing in this...wherever he was. Planting his right foot on the ground, he slowly pushed himself up, his hand pressed against his knee until he was on his two feet, crossing his arms as he began to wonder where he was. Cautiously taking a step forward, the young man rubbed the back of his head while trying to think of the possibilities.
"So you've finally come to...Welcome, young one." a feminine, welcoming voice echoed in the otherwise empty void. Turning quickly, the young man swallowed as his blue eyes scanned the perimeter. There was nobody to be found, but how could he expect to see anything in this darkness?
"W-Who's there!?" he asked, taking a few steps backwards as he kept his ears open, hoping to figure out where this voice was coming from. He frequently used his hands to feel around, having been rendered as blind as a bat. This isn't a good combo, mysterious voices without any chance of seeing always spells trouble! he thought.
"You have nothing to worry about, I am not going to harm you.." the voice replied in the same soothing tone, but the young human wasn't convinced. "That's about as easy to believe as a description of an elephant in a village of the blind!" he retorted, and quickly spun on his axis to run through the darkness. This little sprint did not last long, as his foot got caught by some sort of vine, or what he thought was a vine by how it tripped him and caused him to face-plant the ground.
"I see...You panic in the face of absolute uncertainty....you don't trust people on their word.." the voice almost taunted the human, who stood back up, stumbling a bit as he shook his head, his hand running through his yellow hair.
"What right do you have to-?!" he went to question before he paused, thinking he just realized what was going on before he smiled in relief. "Oh, I get it...this is all just a crazy dream. Well, all I have to do is close my eyes....count from three....two...one...Open my eyes and-" he trailed off, the feeling of relief from the idea of this being just a dream leaving just as quickly as it came.
"Wake up?" the voice finished for him, and soon chuckled. "Perhaps a more practical environment will help steady your heart." she commented, and with a bright flash of light, the darkness vanished, having been replaced by a lush, green forest. Based on the bluish hue, it was still early dawn, and the human felt the morning dew on his bare feet as he began to wander around.
"Alright, alright. You have my attention..." he finally admitted, placing his hand against a tree. "Now, can you please tell me what in the world is going on here?" he asked, and the voice stayed silent for a few moments. This silence was taunting to the human, who tensed up and went to shout at whoever or whatever it was that was speaking to him.
"I am simply trying to put the pieces together...if you want to speed up the process, follow the sound of my voice, and answer my questions." the voice called, coming from the human's direct left as he pondered this for a few moments.If this isn't a dream...can I really trust this voice? If I don't, I may never get an answer, but...what the heck do I do? he wondered, crossing his arms for a few seconds before nodding, walking to the left of his current position.
"Alright...I'll play along...what do you need to know?" he asked. This question was one the voice wasted no time in answering.
"Alright...what do you remember before you wound up here?" the voice asked, and the young man thought for a moment. He knew he was doing something right before he had arrived in this strange place. He felt some twigs poking against the soles of his feet, but he stopped as he realized that despite him standing on them, he didn't feel anything but the very slight pressure. No pain...this had to be a dream, at least a dream he wouldn't be able to wake up from until he satisfied the voice.
"I....I don't remember anything other then walking with a couple of friends...Maybe having a bag of potato chips or something, but everything else is just a blur.." he replied, but then he started to walk again.
"I see...Can you tell me your name?" the voice asked, and the young man stopped. What kind of dream was this where your name was not known?! After all, if it was your dream, it should be your mind and your knowledge. However, the young man
"My name? I don't see why it matters but...I guess there's no harm in telling.." he started, taking a breath. "My name is.......it is....wait...." he stopped himself, rubbing his head. I know I had a name, I've used it all my life... he thought to himself before thinking harder and harder about it. A name, a reminder, SOMETHING! "Why can't I remember it?" he muttered, apparently audible enough for the mysterious voice to hear it.
"So you do not know it?" the voice asked, but before the young man could respond, she spoke once again. "Not to worry...I won't pry anymore on that subject." she responded, and soon the young man's attention was brought to a soft glow in the distance. By instinct, he began to run towards the glow, slowing down only when he came to a clearing, which was more like a fork in the road with three paths. Each one having an equally vibrant glow further on in the distance.
"If you wish to see the end of this dream, you must make a choice...I will not describe what each path is, but I will say this: Each one will bring you to the same destination. Your journey is your own.." she stated, and the young man looked at each of the three paths. There was no way to differentiate the paths, save for an engraving on a stone just outside the entrance of each one. The one on the right was an engraving of a horse shoe. The one in the middle had a more ornate pattern with a star on it, whilst the right most path had a stone with the engraving of a wing.
A wing....a star...and a horse shoe... he pondered before crossing his arms yet again. "No matter which path I take, it will bring me to the same place...the end of this strange dream..." he repeated, looking at the three entrances again. If it didn't truly matter which path he took, why should he even worry about making the wrong choice? Alright...I won't get anywhere just standing here... he thought before nodding, bringing his finger out.
"Eeenie, meenie, meiny, moe.." he muttered, finally pointing at the center, nodding as he walked to the entrance, looking back from where he came, only to notice that the darkness that had filled his surroundings before was slowly creeping up. Naturally, the young man panicked and began to run down the path he chose, hoping to out-pace the encroaching darkness, slowing down to a stop as he came to what looked like the end of his path, a circular clearing, closed off from everywhere else by a dense thicket of trees. Turning to look behind him, he saw the trees close where he came from, preventing him from going back.
"So you have chosen the Path of Magic.." The Voice called to the young man, who looked in-front of him, only to see a white horse with a blue mane that flowed like the cosmos. She had beautiful long wings and a horn, but this served only to shock the young man, who stepped back, only to fall onto his rear end.
"Y-You...You're a..." he stammered, pointing at the alicorn, who only smiled and walked over to him.
"Why are you so surprised? This is a dream, after all." the alicorn joked with a chuckle before placing a hoof down gently on the human's shoulder, pushing him onto his back while maintaining the warm, gentle smile as she brought her horn closer and closer to the human's forehead before it began to glow.
"W-Wait! What's happening?! What are you doing?!" he asked, trying to get back up, only for the alicorn to keep him pinned down.
"You're dreaming, and it's time to wake up." she replied, closing her eyes as a bright flash of light escaped her horn, blinding the human. Nothing more was said or done, but only time would tell what would happen once the young man woke up.
(to be continued)