I've awoke in place. I can't tell what kind of place it is. For some reason I can't see anymore. I've been blinded. I raise my hooves to my head to feel. I don't have any blindfold on. I hear a voice. There's static mixed in, so I can tell it isn't in my head. It says to me
"Hello, and welcome. My name is Samaru. You are?"
It proposes this question to me. I am forced to rack my brains. I can't remember what my name is. I tell him this.
"Samaru...I can't remember my name."
"Good. Good. I suppose you can't see either."
"No. Where am I?"
"You'll find out. For now, let's begin. Since you can't see, I'll describe the room to you. The room you are in is a small room with a loudspeaker in the corner. That loudspeaker is me. There are no windows, but there are three doors. A Green door, an Orange door, and a purple door. There is a central light in the room that illuminates this place. There is also a bowl of pudding next to you. You will have to describe to me what you do, because I don't have visuals. in this room."
"Alright."
I thought to play a bit of a trick on the fellow called Samaru. I chuckled to myself before beginning my odd description.
"Pick up the bowl of pudding."
"Yes?"
"And I place it on my head."
I don't actually do such a thing, but he doesn't know this. I reach over and give the pudding a taste. Chocolate.
"Why would you place it on your head?"
"Why not?"
He sighs very loudly, then continues.
"What are you going to do now?"
"I approach the green door."
"Yes?"
"I sniff it."
He sighs again, but allows me to continue.
"I move on to the Orange door."
"Yes?" He begins to sound more eager.
"I lick the orange door."
He sighs again. He sounds a bit frustrated now. "Just pick a door and open it."
"Fine, fine. I approach the purple door and open it." I don't actually open the door just in case there was something malicious behind it.
"You open the purple door, and behind it there are several beady eyes staring back at you and long hairy legs approach you. It's too bad you put the pudding on your head, you were supposed to offer it, now the monster is going to kill you."
"Oh my. I close the purple door and place the bowl as a door jar. Now the monster is trapped."
"Clever."
"I now approach the green door. I open it."
"You are buried in sulphur."
"What does it taste like?"
"W-what? Umm...It tastes like fire."
"Oh thank goodness. I was worried it would taste like sulphur. I eat it. Now I am free."
"Okay...umm. what do you do now?"
"I approach the orange door."
"The orange door grows a mouth and licks you, then it eats the doorknob so you cannot enter."
I feel the door's slimy tongue across my muzzle. Maybe I shouldn't have stood so close to it, but it seems like it was harmless. I quickly think up a reply.
"AWWWWW! IT'S A DOGGY DOOR! I give it a pat and then sit in the middle of the room."
"Okay. What now?"
"Are there any other doors?"
"No. Only the three. By the way, what kind of pony are you?"
"An Earth Pony. Why?"
"I was just wondering. There is a beast coming that feeds off magic. But it probably won't attack you."
I heard the low growling of the beast I was warned of. It gave me a sniff, and then walked away.
"Can I be friends with it?"
"Do you have anything magical with you?"
"No."
"It leaves."
"Aww." I actually feel a bit disappointed that this thing couldn't help me. I ask Samaru a question.
"Where did that thing come from? How did it get into this room?"
"Umm..."
"I think you're lying to me. Where is the other door?" My eyes begin to ache. Samaru speaks once again.
"You feel pain in your eyes, then your vision starts to clear. You now see a Blue door in front of you. Congratulations, you passed the test. Now you may leave."
It is true. I did see a Blue door, now that my vision was back. I also saw everything else that was described to me. I wasn't sure if I trusted Samaru, this door seemed fishy to me.
"Samaru. Where are you?"
"At another location, not accessible by you."
"Where does this Blue door lead."
"Outside."
"Where does it really lead?"
"Clever. It actually leads to a room full of ravenous timberwolves."
"Where do the other rooms really lead?"
"Clever. The purple door leads outside. The Green door contains a five star restaurant. The Orange door can't be opened anyway, so it doesn't matter."
I thought about what Samaru said. A place inaccessible to me, eh? The the Orange door was the way to go. I charged at the Orange door. I crashed through it, splintering wood, and finally getting a major headache, but I didn't care. I now looked upon the blind pony Samaru. He stared at a microphone in front of his face. The room was bare, the stallion was old, and on the opposite wall there was a window that lead out into Celestia's beautiful sun.
Samaru spoke.
"Did you have fun?"
"I did not. I still don't even remember my name."
"Your name? You are Samaru."
"What? But you are-"
"I am Samaru. You are a younger me. I brought you here to take my job. I'm old and blind now. I've brought myself here for years. I've never left this place. I've just watched myself die horribly many, many times. Now it is destined that you kill me and take my place, working here for the rest of your natural life before another Samaru comes along and replaces you."
"I'm not going to kill you."
"It doesn't matter. I'm dying. Goodbye."
Samaru slowly faded. The color went from his coat and the light went from his eyes. I was compelled to push him to the side. I took my seat and pressed a big red button on the console that read "Begin"
A pony spoke on the other side.
"Where am I?"
I cleared my throat and spoke. I felt like I didn't have a choice anymore. I just continued the job. I didn't understand what purpose it served, but it didn't matter to me. I had to do this.
"Hello and welcome. My name is Samaru. You are?"