Author's Note

For those of you that got this famous reference, you rock!

(The gold text that is conjoined with the rest of the regular text is bugged and no matter how hard I tried to fix it, it ignores every attempt I made, so you'll have to deal with it.)

The three lines I did was the best I could do to fix it.

Chapter one: It all begins with a dream.

"I feel like I'm falling... falling through an expansive black ocean... What is this place? Where am I?"

As Hero opens his eyes, he realizes he is no longer in his bedroom. He is now in a strange and mysterious place he cannot identify. However, he decides to gather his bearings and explore this unknown realm. As he walks further, the ground beneath him fades away, revealing a beautiful, colorful glass flooring with images of ponies, dragons, and other creatures. Although he has no idea who they are, he feels he will soon find out.

"—Hero... Every journey ahead begins with a single step forward. Can you do it?..."

"What?! Who said that? Who are you, and how do you know my name?" Hero's confusion was palpable. The source of the voice was a luminous orb that seemed to be orbiting around him. Although it was an unfamiliar entity, Hero felt a strange sense of comfort emanating from it. Listening to the sphere's voice seemed like the right thing to do, almost as if it were a divine messenger.

"—In time, my identity will become clear to you. But you must remember that you're special. As you proceed further, you'll find your road ahead difficult; always remember to keep your light burning strong, little one..."

"I see. T-Thanks for that, I guess," Hero said, uncertain what to do next. In front of him, a set of stained glass stairs appeared, leading into the darkness. They seemed to guide him towards a destination as if the place was alive and had a purpose. Hero wondered where they would lead him.

He decided to climb the stairs and reached a new platform made of yellow-stained glass. The platform depicted two alicorns, whom Hero recognized as the rulers of Equestria—Princesses Celestia and Luna. "Oh, I know them! These are Princess Celestia and Luna," he exclaimed.

"—Throughout your journey, you will encounter both friends and foes alike. Friends will always be there for you when you need them most; friendship is essential, especially during tough battles you cannot win alone."

Three transparent figures suddenly appeared before Hero, standing to his left; they looked friendly and dependable, like they would make great friends.

One of them was a light-blue pegasus with a mane and tail styled like a rainbow. Another was a Changeling with periwinkle-colored chitin, pink wings, and blue compound eyes. The third figure was a blue Griffon, appearing confident and stalwart. However, Hero felt like he knew these figures from somewhere, even though he couldn't recall ever meeting them before.

"—However... Not everyone you meet will be friendly to you at first; some may require more time than others, and many would only wish to see that you're defeated."---

To Hero's right, three more phantom figures appeared. They looked quite menacing, the kind that one would usually try to avoid.

Among them were a taller gremlin-like yeti, an insectoid changeling female with swampy-green hair, and some shadowy equine creature. "Yeah, because those three don't look evil at all, not in the slightest," Hero joked as they vanished after he noticed the holograms and a glass staircase that revealed the way forward.

Hero advanced towards the next platform. This time, it was a heart-shaped platform made of pink-stained glass. In the center were a pink alicorn and a white unicorn stallion, with a smaller alicorn between them. They appeared to be a happy family.

"—Power slumbers within you... If you give it a form... It will give you strength... Choose wisely, little one..."

Before Hero stands three towering obelisks, each adorned with a weapon of its own. The leftmost obelisk grasps a gleaming sword, beckoning to Hero. Overwhelmed by curiosity, he approaches the sword and takes hold of its hilt. Suddenly, the orb of light begins to speak to him, its voice echoing in his mind.

"—The power of the warrior... Infinite strength... Incredible valor... The ability to crush your foes..."

"This sword feels like it's made out of nothing at all. It weighs lighter than a feather," Hero then inspects the center obelisk with a shield on it.

"—The power of the Knight... Stalwart courage... Fortified resistance... The shield that repels all..."

"This shield looks way too big for me to use," Hero concluded as he approached the obelisk on the far right. As Hero inspects it, he sees that it has a wand on it.

"—The power of the Mystic... Endless potential... Abundant curiosity... A desire to lend aid to others."

"Wow, holding onto this stuff makes me feel powerful. It's just incredible. So this is what magic feels like," Hero said as he pondered his options. He could either become a healer and defender, preferring a more supportive role, or he could embrace the traditional 'might makes right' approach.

After careful consideration, he decided to pursue the path of the Mystic. "It was a tough choice, but I choose to be supportive," he declared, "I choose the path of the Mystic," then, feeling a horn appear on his forehead. As magic flowed through his veins, he couldn't vividly describe his incredible feeling.

"—Now that you have chosen, which power will you give up in exchange?"

"Well... I guess I didn't think about that. Hmm..." Hero noticed both the shield and the sword and weighed his options. "Well, I’d rather be able to exercise might in a pinch. I guess I'll give up the power of the Knight." All three obelisks collapsed, sank to the floor, and disappeared. "Wow!? They’re gone..." Then, Hero followed another glass stairway that guided him through the inky black darkness.

Finally, Hero reached a turquoise-stained glass platform. On the left was a blue dragon, on the right was a purple one, and in the center was a lime-yellow changeling with orange horns.

"—Throughout your journey, you'll be expected to interact with every creature you encounter, both the good and the bad; your choices can and will affect the world around you. Pay heed to your words, little one."

The three figures standing on the stained glass matched perfectly with the images. Hero approached the blue dragon first. To his confusion, she asked him, "So then, what do you fear most?"

"—Being different... Getting old... Losing my friends forever..."

"Okay, so those are my choices?" Hero took a moment to consider what the angel had said about friendship before. Losing his friends would be devastating, and he knew that everyone is different, which makes them unique. Even though he was aware that everything would become old and he would eventually pass away, he couldn't bear the thought of losing his friends forever, "I would fear losing my friends forever," Hero replied.

"So losing your friends forever scares you so much, then?" The blue dragon asks him.

"Y-Yeah.. it would." The blue dragon seemed... satisfied with his answer. Then came the lime-yellow changeling.

"What do you think you'll get most out of life?" The changeling asked him.

"—The best that life has to offer... Trials through adversity... Acknowledgement for my deeds..."

"I believe that trials through adversity will teach me the importance of hope, even in the darkest of situations. Additionally, I do not want to let my ego get in the way of my personal growth," said Hero.

The changeling appeared satisfied with his answer, "So, is that what you think you'll get most out of life?"

Then came the purple dragon as Hero approached him, "What are your hopes and dreams?" The purple dragon asks.

"—To be number one... To have the power within myself... To be with my friends forever..."

"Being number one isn't everything in life," thought Hero. He realized that he didn't want any more power than he already had because his current strength alone seemed almost too much. Therefore, Hero decided that if he had to depend on anyone, he would choose to be with his friends forever. "I choose to be with my friends forever," he said. The purple dragon also seemed pleased with his response.

"Is that how you truly feel?" Just then, those three figures disappeared, and a strange ornate set of double doors had manifested from the darkness to Hero.

"—Don't be afraid, little one... Take your time... One step at a time... Pass through this door to proceed..."

As he entered, the door vanished. On the other side, he found himself on an orange-stained glass platform. Looking at the glass floor, he noticed that it depicted Celestia and Luna, but they appeared different. They looked frightening, and he started feeling as if something terrible was about to happen.

Suddenly, he observed some strange black creatures emerging from the floor; they matched the appearance of that lithe equine shadow that he had seen earlier surrounding him. He exclaimed, "Woah! What are these things?"

"—Verily, little one... There will be times when you will have to fight... Always remember that you must keep your light burning strong..."

They began to rush at him, ready to fight. "No choice; I gotta fight through them," Hero had his magic and the sword he chose to keep in his magical grip. Hero jumped over the first two that rushed him, and then he did a backward slash on them, knocking them away as they fumbled to the ground.

He moved in to finish them off with a three-hit thrust combo. The other shadows briefly looked at their fallen brethren before they fixed their beady-yellow gazes on Hero and charged, "Oh no, you don't!" He dashed between them, deftly dodging their swipes as he fired a blast of magic at them from behind to defeat them in one shot. Then, more emerged from the ground behind him.

"—Behind you, little one. Always be aware of your surroundings..."

Hero exclaimed, "Oh snap!" and jumped to the right to create some distance between him and his opponents. He was relieved and grateful as he said, "Phew. I would have been in trouble if that voice didn't warn me." As he moved in to attack them with his sword, he saw them getting torn into black and misty shreds.

After defeating them, Hero wondered what would come next. He noticed another set of glass stairs leading to a black and lime-green stained glass floor. The way he came from was engulfed in darkness, so he proceeded to move forward. The floor's design had the same changeling female with long, swampy-green hair.

Suddenly, Hero saw a stray shadow in the middle of the floor ahead of him. It took its shape and grew into a massive, giant, and dark version vaguely resembling himself. It towered over him, bearing its large yellow eyes at Hero as he exclaimed, "Woah! What in Equestria? This thing is huge."

"—But beware, little one... The more you step into the light... The bigger your shadow becomes... But don't be afraid... Keep moving forward... And remember that you hold the greatest power of all..."

Hero was trying to distance himself from the monster, but he soon realized that confronting the beast was the only way to escape. "Alright then... bring it on!" he exclaimed with determination. The monster raised its left forehoof to attack, but Hero dodged it and climbed onto the monster's left arm, using it as a platform to reach its head. He slashed at the monster's face with his sword, causing the beast to become enraged and let out a deafening roar that knocked Hero off and onto the floor.

"Oh yeah, he certainly wasn't a fan of that," Hero discovered the monster's weakness, a dark sphere in the cavity in its chest, and used his magic blast to aim right at it. The monster shrieked in pain as it was mortally wounded and stumbled down onto its front hooves. "Sorry, big guy, but you gave me no other choice here," said Hero. With all his might, he lunged at the monster's face, stabbing it with his blade. However, as the monster started to collapse, it fell onto Hero. He exclaimed in surprise, "What!? Oh crap."

As a colossal shadow descended upon him, Hero attempted to shield his face with his hooves. It soon transformed into a black, tar-like substance and engulfed him entirely. The all-consuming darkness was cold and relentless, and Hero struggled to break free, but his efforts were futile. The darkness had complete control over him, and he was trapped. Soon, everything faded to black, and he felt as if he couldn't breathe as he began to panic.

"—It's time for you to wake up now... But always remember... Keep your light burning strong, little one... Keep your light burning strong, and the darkness will never have you..."

The inky blackness spread like a thick, viscous substance, swallowing Hero whole. His body was consumed by the shadow, leaving behind only a look of terror and uncertainty in his eyes. As he faded away, a chill ran down his spine, leaving him with a sense of unease and foreboding.

"—Verily... You're Equestria's last hope, little one... My end is nigh... But your story has only just begun..."