Twilight's eyes fluttered open. Her head ached with a throbbing pain that she couldn't point out, but strangely, she could remember nothing but her own name. Her hooves were numb, and she had one small bruise on her hoof. Suddenly, she heard a voice that echoed through the darkness.
" Welcome! You are now listening to the sound of your disembodied voice! " Twilight flinched. It sounded like her, but she was sure that than her mouth was shut. The voice sounded almost... cheerful. " It will serve no purpose to look for me, for this is a voice from the past. I bid you welcome to my Cabinet of perturbation! It is my study of the Equestrain pysch, specifically Yours. A set of recordings have been prepared to chaperone you through the chambers ahead. There are few parts to this study, and it is up to you, not only to pass, but to figure out which elements are important. Please, go on, move into the next chamber. And just remember ; they can all be saved. There is always a way. " The voice stopped suddenly. Now, Twilight looked at her surroundings. The walls were stony, almost slimy-looking, and she noticed one small rotting table, that had a lantern sat on it. The light from the lantern bounced off the dark walls, just barely letting enough light escape for Twilight to scan the area. Before now, she hadn't realized how cold the floor was, or that she could barely lift herself from it. She let out a shaky grunt as she hauled herself to her hooves, wobbling a bit. She quickly slid to the side, leaning on the icy wall with a huff of breath. She stared at the Lantern. It seemed to be made of shining metal, with a small latch on the bottom, most likely to take out the candle that made light flutter out of the lantern. Twilight began to fire up her horn to pick up the lantern, but let out a light groan of pain as a shock ran through her skull. She stood dazed for a few moments, before leaning down and gripping the handle between her jaws, picking it up with ease. She turned her head shakily. It was now clear that there was only two hallways that lead away from her spot. But which was she supposed to choose? Her voice had never told her which was the correct path. Did that mean either was the right choice? With this in mind, Twilight turned to her left. It looked the same as the right hall, dark, cold, the edges cracked and withered. Still leaning against the wall, she slowly made her way down the corridor, the flame in the lantern making the shadows retreat. As she walked, she began to regain her strength, and no longer needed to lean up against the side of the hall. Was she really part of some sick and twisted experiment? An all the worse, an experiment that was created by her former self? She was surprised to see that the light from her lantern was beginning to open up a room. Though it was just as dark in the room as it was in the hall, she now felt that she had more choices. She ran her hoof against the grimy, crimson carpet that was draped over the floor. She could just make out the shape of a boarded window, and she quickly trotted closer, tipping her chin to raise the light to the boards. There were three planks, which, though they were nailed into the stone, looked weak and rotted. Without another thought, she quickly turned around, bucking her back legs against them a few times, before rays of cold blue light began to creep into the room. It didn't make much come to life, and her lantern was still much more bright, but it helped to see the areas ahead. As she trotted about the room, she found herself repeating her name in fear of forgetting. " My name is Twilight Sparkle. My name... is.... my name is Twilight Sparkle. " She breathed the words out like they were bitter bits of snow. She bit her tongue as she stopped in front a long slope of stares that broke off onto a door. The one thing that made her hesitate, was the long, black chains that hung at either side of the door. The chains glinted off of the light of the lantern, and she could clearly see some of the chains were broken and cracked, scattered about the floor as if they were chewed and spit out onto the stone. She gulped down the lump in her throat. If she was to find her way out of this dark, scary place, she had to go forward. The sound of her hooves echoed down the stairs as she made her way towards the looming wooden door. As she stopped on the last step, ready to open the door with a purple grasp, she stopped. She recalled the pain that had met her when she had tried to use her aura. She turned, setting the lantern down on the last step. She awkwardly dipped her head to the side, biting down on the bitter, cold handle. With some difficulty, she tugged like a dog would on a rope, her hooves scraping fruitlessly on the ground. She swiftly turned, grabbing the lantern and fixing her gaze on the room presented to her.
Unlike the rest of the building she had seen, candles were scattered about the room, giving it a gentle orange light. Twilight grit her teeth as she stepped into the room, the lantern accompanying the shafts of light that the candles gave. She stopped abruptly when she felt someone on the underside of her hoof. Fearing for the worst, she quickly lifted her hoof, shaking it and lowering the lantern to better see what she had stepped on. A soft, red rose petal fluttered from her hoof to the ground. She squinted in confusion. She stepped around the small scatter of rose petals, moving deeper into the room. Boxes were piled up around the room, like a storage room, she thought. Her attention was fixed onto one of the piles of boxes, when the sound of skittering made her jump. A flash of pale yellow flew past one of the gaps, and Twilight quickly felt her heart all but stop.
