Void Palette

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Chapter 1

It felt like sleeping. Moving around felt like a dream and there was nothing to perceive out in the empty open. It was so dark, they could not differentiate if they had their eyes closed or opened. They looked downwards to see their outstretched hooves. Laying on what they assumed was a floor. A red outline around the edges their legs made it easier for them to get familiar to their limbs.

Soon enough, the pony lifted one foreleg up and carefully brought himself up. It was no daunting task but they lost balance after attempting to straighten themselves. A quick hoof caught the floor before they could fall back into a prone position.

This mishap almost made them face plant the floor and got them looking at the ground better. It was not dirt nor stone. It was almost soundless like walking on a rug. They find a white outline all around them, believing that the white outline was the ends of the platform they stood upon.

It was bright and so were they. The outlines looked similar to neon lights that lit up a bar. A bright ruby outline was all over their hooves. It was them. Their mane, tail, barrel, and chest had a similar color outlines. They could feel the fur brush against their hoof as they rubbed their appendage on their chest. The soft feeling reminded them of pillows and a bed. Which got them thinking.

Where were they?

Were they in a dream? They can remember sleeping before ending up in here. They can remember a few things but vague enough to not give them any details or clues. They can't even remember their own name! The pony lifted one leg and examined it with fascination.

"R- red," They look at the hoof "My name is Red"

Red. It felt better than nothing. For now, they looked on at the empty canvas and strode forward. They wanted answers and they won't find any if they stay here.

A pathway lit up in front of them as they got closer to the edge of the white platform. A same neon red flickered in and out before stabilizing to show a wide area. A staircase leading up to nowhere until flying blocks of red appeared out of the shadows. Red looked on at astonishment at the flying platforms. The laws of physics don't apply here at all!

At first, Red thought that the floating blocks were merely decorative until the block path stopped appearing and a sudden elevated platform emerged from the inky space. It appeared to stretch out farther than the area they stood on. There was no way Red could jump that high nor far. There was only one way to get up there and that is through the jumping blocks.

Red gulped but trotted to the staircase anyways. The first jump didn't look that far. A mere quarter of a meter. Only slipping could make them fall to the flat red ground below.

Red skipped over the gap, clearing it easily. The next jump was a little more than half a meter. A bit more challenge but doable. They jumped over the gap with ease. The second to last jump was about a meter long. Red was slightly intimidated by the length that they had to jump but they readied themselves anyways. The neon platform had a lot of room to make a running start. They backed up and ran to leap outwards, letting their rear legs spring them forward.

They landed in the middle but momentum didn't work in their favor. Red's heart sank when they realized that they were about to fly off the platform and quickly latched onto the side of the neon red cube. There was little to grip on to yet Red hanged on, their foreleg being the only thing stopping him from falling back to the ground.

The pony swung left and right, hoping to bring their other leg on the platform. The action made them slip further down but it paid off. With both legs on the platform, it was only a matter of time before their third leg was brought upwards then their whole body.

Back now on the platform, they looked towards the final jump. They didn't have to worry about overshooting it this time as the platform stretched out further and wider. However, the gap was at least more than a meter in length. It was going to be their longest jump yet. The floating island had little space, forcing Red to take a shorter running jump. They used every last centimeter they could rest on before taking off.

The ruby pony slammed into the the edge of the platform, knocking the wind out of their lungs. The edge wasn't sharp but it hurt. Coughing, Red lifted themselves up before lying on the floor breathing heavily.

"I wish I don't have to do that again" Red said to themselves.

Red walked on the same red platform for quarter an hour. Their muscles sore after the sudden jumping exercises that was necessary to go through. The soft thudding of their hoof steps making little noise to fill the empty darkness. They encountered a mini parkour course minutes ago. A bridge that also broke the law of physics. Even after running, jumping across, and kicking the wooden boards of the bridge had no effect. It was as if it was stuck there forever frozen in time.

The red pony was about to rest until they found a change in color in the horizon. The red neon color transitioned to white. After seeing nothing but one hue, they were pleased to see another color in their eyes. With newfound vigor, Red walked forwards into the dark, and at the same time, into the light.

Red walked in a big open space with nothing in it. They stood in confusion at the sight. For a vast area such as this with nothing in it. There has to be at least something in it.

Red walked forwards into the center of the island until a building appeared before him. It looked like a hut. The walls were rectangular and roof triangular. The hue was fully red too. A red fence lifted upwards from the ground around the hut giving Red a sizable amount of land among the empty space. But why?

Curious, Red walked into this mysterious house. A blend of white and shades of red made it easier for their eyes. No inside walls. There were a few furniture in here. Noticeably a table, a few chairs and a bed were here. No sign of electrical appliances nor lights anywhere.

Red looked at the bed with tired eyes.

"I won't say no to a bed" Then promptly slept.

Chapter 2

It is unknown how many hours have passed in the void. No sun nor moon in the sky to tell the time. Not even a single star blinking in space. If there even was an outer space. They aren't sure where they are. All they know is that they are on this island alive. They can breathe, think, move, and talk. But if there aren't any celestial bodies out there, does that mean that they are living in a world without the Princesses?

Red stared out into the empty skies. Looking for anything beyond the island beside the neon red path that they came from that can tell them that they are not alone in this vacant space. Going back to the house to take a break from stargazing was not going to help them at all. There was barely anything in the hut.

The bed was comfortable enough to let him rest. The windows blocking no breeze outside rendering them useless. The table and chair looked sturdy enough and although it was odd at first that there were two chairs instead of just the one, they reasoned with themselves that somepony or someone was coming to meet them. That thought got them to wait in the outside. Hoping that whoever was out there would come eventually.

Now, they were bored out of their mind. Another trip back to the house led them to peer out the window. It was a new perspective but ultimately the same thing. Bare and colorless. On their third trip to the outside, they discovered something new.

An orange path just right of the red path. The two walkways didn't connect with each other but only on the white island. Like leaves sprouting out from a stem. Seeing nothing but red and white got them to sigh in relief at the new hue. They took one last look at the center of the island and trotted forward to begin a new adventure.

It took them minutes on the orange path to notice that they haven't felt hungry nor thirsty at all yet they still require rest from the long walks that they have to take. Did something happen to their body ever since they awoke? Aside from being devoid of color except the reddish hue that they are.

They stopped at a short staircase leading upwards. It was thick and the steps gradually rose upwards. They climbed up and surveyed their surroundings. Eyeing three floating platforms that are separated by half a meter, it looked like another parkour area. Somewhere beyond the three blocks, was a tall rectangle with a flat area on the top.

Red jumped over the three platforms with ease. Then stood in confusion as they gazed at the rectangle. It was obvious enough that somehow they had to scale the wall to get to the top of the elevated area.

Red walked up to the orange rectangle and upon closer inspection, there were bumps and holes that are littered across the wall. They had to wall climb up. There was no safety rope and that worried them. What if they fall?

Regardless, they placed one hoof on a bump and gripped it tightly. They breathed in and out and jumped to the next bump. The gap between the lumps were short and did not require too much power. It was the same with the other bumps he latched onto. Red grabbed the top of the wall, flinging themselves up.

All the climbing made Red wonder. How were they good at wall climbing in the first place? They expected to fail more than once. They don't remember anything before their awakening in the void. Did they climb walls before? Red pondered on this while walking forwards. At least they had something to think about for the time being.

The neon red pony stopped near a drop. Several drops. It was around roughly two ponies tall for each drop. If they jump down, they might not be able to jump back up. Unless they can tap into their mysterious parkour magic and jump higher than they are used to.

Red considered it for a moment before jumping off the first drop, then the second, and third. They were committed now. With luck, they can find a new pony soon. They did not have to wait long.

After jumping off the third drop, Red catches sight of a white square plane and a figure laying on top of it. Like the colored course they had to go through, the pony had an orange outline.

Red walked near the stranger with caution but after seeing the figure asleep, they poked at the barrel of the pony. The stranger groaned at the repeated touching and tried to swat Red's hoof away. Determined to wake the pony up, they used both hooves to shake the orange pony.

"Mmm... five more minutes" the pony murmured.

Red was tempted to slap the orange pony awake but thought against it. What's five minutes in this void? Red laid beside the orange outlined pony and waited until they woke up. They needed one anyways after the wall climbing.

Red stared at the orange path for what felt like half an hour before they got bored again. Their curiosity for the orange outlined pony was getting bigger and bigger the more they looked at them. Red looked at the sleeping figure and only begin to notice a few things. The orange pony's mane was unkempt and long. Their muzzle was curved and the orange pony possessed a more slim figure.

Although the lack of colors, they can identify the pony in front of them was a mare.

Red was suddenly conscious about attempting to wake the mare up. They can't do their original plan of slapping anymore. It would be immodest! They had to find another way.

They could wait until the mare woke up, however, that would take an unknown amount of time. While it did take a long time for them to wait until this orange path appeared and connected to the main island, it would be better if they were in the main island to be ready for it.

"Hello?" Red poked at the mare's head. "Wake up. It's been more than 5 minutes"

The orange mare stirred from her sleep. She blew her mane out of her face in a futile attempt to push it away. She sat up to use her forelegs to part her mane.

She first met the void that surrounded her. The eternal darkness. Red could see her blink with her eyes. She is likely confused like they were when they first awoke. She looked down to see the orange path ahead of them and the white platform that she stood on. Then looked at her limbs to see that they are the same like the road. Orange outlines, dark insides.

Red chuckled softly and the sight. It was almost like seeing a foal look at themselves in the mirror. It was enough to catch the attention of the orange pony and they were both locked in an awkward gaze.

"Uh... hi?" Red greeted.

"Hello?" The orange pony looked around her, "Where... am I?"

"I wondered the same thing myself. Do you have a name?"

"Name?" The mare placed a hoof under her chin, "I remember having a name before but now I don't. Does that make any sense?"

"I think so. It's almost like, we we're living a life some place else before waking up here"

"Yeah... I remember doing something. Can't remember what it was then passing out"

"Huh. That is coincidental" Red can vaguely remember sleeping on their bed, looking at their alarm clock periodically. Were they waiting for something?

"Do you remember your name?"

"I don't, but I call myself Red" Red lifted one hoof up, "Because I'm red"

"Then, I guess I'm Orange" Orange looked down at her chest to see her colored outlines.

"Nice to meet you, Orange. You're the first pony I've seen in... a long time. I'm not sure how long "a long time" is. There's no sense of time here at all"

"Nice to meet you too, Red"

Red brought their hoof up and Orange bumped it.

"So... How do we get out of here?"

"I know where to go. Follow me"

Red led Orange out of the white platform and down the orange walkway. Not long after, they reach the drops. Red thought for a bit before walking to the wall. They stood next to the wall, facing to the void.

"Climb on my back. You should be able to reach the ledge"

Orange hesitated and climbed onto Red. It was hard to differentiate what is pony and what is air. Red wobbled a bit yet stood still until Orange pulled herself up. Orange peered over the edge and reached out to Red.

"Grab my hoof"

This time, it was hard for Red to know what was not pony and what was pony. A few near misses then a firm grab onto each other's hooves. Orange pulled Red up the ledge. The mare was heaving already.

"One down, two to go"

"There's two more?"

"Tired already?" Red pats on Orange's shoulder, "Here, you stand near the wall while I climb up"

After a short rest, Orange did as she was told and stood next to the wall. Red was arguing with themselves on how to execute this plan. Either they run up and use Orange's body as a boost or they do the slow style. Granted, being fast will get them back home quicker at the cost the back of the only other pony in the void.

Slow style it is.

Red climbed on Orange's back and lifted themselves up with simplicity. In a quick motion, they turned around and reached out for Orange. The carrot colored pony rubbed her flank for bit and climbed upwards. The last drop was similarly easy for them both as well.

"Now that's done we just have to... oh no" Red gazed out the orange pathway with concern.

"What? What is it?"

"I had to wall climb to get up here. With the handles jutting out and everything" Red inhaled then exhaled sharply, "How are we supposed to get down?"

"Oooh... that is a problem"

"That's a long drop..."

Orange was prone on the ground. She peeked over the edge of the wall and gulped. The wall was 20 ponies tall. Falling from that height has a slight probability for surviving however, none of them wanted to take chances. They both agreed on scaling the wall until they're down.

"Ready?"

"I'm not so sure anymore"

"It'll be fine. If you fall, I'll catch you"

"But if you catch me, who will catch you?"

"Well... I hope that doesn't happen"

The ruby colored pony goes down first. Slowly descending down the wall in the most safe route. Orange started following, taking the same path Red took.

Red looked up at Orange. The mare was in the middle of the wall, trying to extend her rear leg for a hump that was inches away from grabbing.

"Jump! I'll catch you" Red shouted from below.

"What?"

"I'll catch you. Don't worry"

Orange stopped reaching for the step and focused on staying on the wall. How she was able to get to here without falling was a feat. Her heart was racing, thinking of anything but falling down from roughly ten ponies tall. She glanced over her shoulder to see the scarlet-colored pony with outstretched arms below her.

She wasn't sure about this but let go of her grip.

Red, who was expecting the pony to jump from her position, rushed forward to save Orange from the drop. Red miscalculated in their speed and instead of their forelegs waiting below the mare, it was their forehead instead. Pony collided with pony then then two were entangled with each other at the base of the wall.

"Oww..." Red rubbed their head with their free hoof.

"I'll catch you this time"

Red and Orange were at the three jumps. Red dropped down to the flat platform with ease. Their legs reaching out to Orange. To the orange mare, she was doubting heavily.

"It's not going to work!"

"It's gonna work now. You just have to jump to me"

Orange turned her head to the right then to the left searching for another way to get down. Finding nothing, she drops down to the floor and inched herself over. She used one foreleg to grip the edge as tight as she can and looked to Red. Seeing this, Red moved below Orange and nodded at her. She nodded back and released her grip.

The catch was smoother this time. The ruby outlined pony grasped onto Orange as she fell a much shorter distance. In no time, the mare was on her hooves.

"Thank you" Orange says.

"No problem"

"Do we have to do any more of those trust falls?"

"Not anymore, we just have to walk a long way back home"

"Home?"

"Well... something like that. It's more like a big island with a house in the middle"

Both neon tracings walked into the long walkway. The travel is long and empty. However, Red is comforted that they are no longer alone in this vast dull world.

Chapter 3

Red and Orange stared at the hut that emerged from the ground with intrigue and confusion respectively. The hut was similar in shape with Red's house. Possibly the same furniture inside Red too. The only noticeable difference was the shade of the building.

Red house for red pony, orange house for orange pony. If any other ponies showed up with a different color, no doubt a new home will be made for them. How many buildings are even under this island?

Both outlined ponies went into their households to take a rest. Without clocks or watches, they have nothing to reference the time between waiting and adventuring. They simply have to wait it out and hope it's closer than they think.

Red pondered on their vague memory of sleeping in their house before awakening in the void. However, since they had no other ideas or memories to piece together with, they came up with nothing. No correlation of anything that could have made them pop into this bleak existence where the land is empty and the skies are dark and dull.

The ruby-outlined pony gazed out the window, seeing the neon red and orange pathways go far into the void. So far that they cannot see the parkour course that they had to go through. They thumped their head on the window frame. Impatiently waiting for a new path to open up.

They exhaled loudly. They wanted to see adventure. Wanting to be out there and live their life. Then they remembered their wall climbing abilities. That couldn't have been learned immediately in the void. They had to have some kind of training before. But when?

They didn't want to be stuck in their color assigned hut for long. They opened the front door and leapt outside for a quick jog.

Silence. After the door shut quietly on the door frame, all that surrounded them was complete silence. No wind nor the chirping of the birds in the air. It was surreal.

Their hooves came in contact with the solid island sounding like a big block of carpet and began to trot to the edge of the island. They planned to jog all around the island with a small part of them hoping to find the next walkway soon.

They were tired but pleased. While they haven't spotted the next path, they had a neat jog around the island. There wasn't much to see but in doing so, they realized how big of an island they were on. The two little houses that they always see in the center of the island looked so distant. At one point, they could barely see Orange come out of her hut to do something that wasn't visible to them.

Once Red completed one loop, they jogged back to the center of the land. Visiting Orange sounded like a good idea. Their hooves were sore and they were sweating. At least, they felt like they should be sweating. The air around them was not cold nor hot and there was no sun to increase the temperature.

It took Red a long time to notice the lack of plants. They initially thought that they were walking on grass but with how solid and carpet-like the ground was, was it really grass? What were they breathing? Were they still breathing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide? So many questions with no answers.

Red stood in front of Orange's door to knock. The door swung open and behind it was the only other pony in the void.

"Hi Red"

"Hey Orange. Can I come in?"

"Yes, I would like some company" Orange opened the door wider and Red walked in her house. The furniture was the same like theirs. Two chairs, one table, a window, and a bed except with an orange hue.

"We are the only ponies here. You don't need to knock"

"It's only polite"

Both ponies sat on the chairs. For a moment it was quiet.

"Who do you think will come next?" Orange asked.

"Well, I'm thinking of somepony yellow. Because if the next pony we meet is yellow then..." Red trailed off.

"Wait, do you think it's a rainbow pattern?"

"It's the only idea I have. Red, orange, yellow, then green, then blue, and violet"

"Blue, Indigo, and violet" Orange corrected.

"Right. Forgot about that one"

"So... seven colors. Seven ponies?"

"Pretty much" Red shrugged.

Silence again. The red earth pony looked anywhere but avoiding any eye contact with the mare in front of them. They didn't need to make it more awkward along with the silence. They could not tell if the pony was also doing the same thing or she was staring at them stare off into the distance.

Being the only source of red in this orange shaded household made them stand out so much, they began to feel conscious with themselves.

"Do you remember anything from before you got here. Anything besides sleeping?" They heard Orange ask. Red internally sighed in relief.

"I don't. But it's weird that I know a lot about wall climbing before I got here despite me not recalling a single time of me wall climbing. I think it's all muscle memory at play here, not mental"

"It is kind of weird. Like, we have no recollection of who we were before but we still know a bit of it somehow"

"Who do you think you were before?"

"I think I was a... designer of sorts. Artist? Sculptor?" Orange laid a hoof on the table. It made a thunk sound, "This is wood and I can tell this wood is mahogany. The chairs are mahogany as well. The walls, concrete. The ceiling and floor, oak wood. I can't tell what the roof is made of. I'm... I can't reach that high"

"So you can feel the material and know what it is already by texture?"

"Yep. I just found this out" Orange smiled.

"Can you check what my furniture is?"

"Sure we can but aren't we supposed to be we waiting for this next path to open?"

"I don't think the path is gonna pop up anytime soon. Can you check mine, please?"

The next walkway appeared minutes later much to Red's chagrin. Red and Orange stood at the edge of the white island. Similar to Red's theory, the next path was yellow. Two lines of yellow stretched far into the horizon, warning the two ponies to stay within the lines lest they fall into the limitless void below.

The neon yellow reminded them of the sun. Something that they haven't seen for a long time. Will the new pony be the Princess herself to save the two of them? That's a thought. To them, it was more likely that the next pony will be like them. Awaking from their last slumber in a world of color to this bleak place. Confusion, panic, whatever will go through their minds when their minds start working again.

All they had to do was walk an unmeasurable distance until they find something. Red sighed, wishing they had a watch or something to tell the time.

Chapter 4

"What is this?"

"It looks like a wall"

A tall obstacle obstructs the path forward. It did not look like there was a top, structure's height rose to the sky and out of view. Unlike the course in the orange path, there were no grips to hold on to. Near the base of the wall, there were two white outlined squares on opposite sides of the pathway. They stood out the most out of the yellow traced barrier.

"Why's this one white unlike the rest of this thing?" Orange thought out loud, gazing over to Red.

"I don't know" Red felt the shape all around, "but they do seem out of place"

Red put some force into their hoof and the white block unexpectedly went in the wall further. The ruby colored pony immediately caught themselves before they could crash to the structure in front of them. Orange was alerted for a moment then relaxed. She trotted up to Red.

"Are you alright?"

"I just fell. I'm okay," Red shook off the shock and cleared their throat. "Well then... we know what those things are now"

Red came up to the second white button and pushed it in the wall. The tall yellow gate phased off ahead of them until there was nothing colored in their path. The two continued walking forward. Awaiting for the next puzzle to obstruct their way.

The path was split into three. To their left, a red switch was behind a portcullis but it was unreachable by any means. What was probably a complete bridge, were now these huge blocks of red that floated above and below that was impossible to grab onto by the mountain climber and impossible to climb back out of. To their right, an orange switch was behind another portcullis but instead of an obstacle in between switch and starting point, there was a straight white path with spaced out chalky blocks jutting out the road.

To their middle, a different yellow gate stood. It was a puzzle and the two ponies knew it.

Without speaking, Orange moved to the weird milky blocks sticking out the white path. She inspected it first before pushing a hoof down on the block. The block moved downwards but it wasn't the only thing that moved. A neon red floating block shifted upwards next to Red.

The two gazed at the red block moving higher and leveled itself to the broken off path. Red looked at Orange from the middle path then trotted up to the broken pathway. Red went up to the edge to survey the small gap in the middle of the two blocks before leaping to the levitating red shape.

The mare stepped on the switch on her right and the floating polygon in front of Red shifted upwards. The rose pony watched the hovering piece of pavement moved to connect to the main road. Red hopped over to the new part and studied the next few blocks around them. There was only three levitating shapes in their near vicinity.

Orange turned to the next switch and hit the button. She intensely stared at the third platform lift up to meet with the rest of main pathway but now the second platform was nowhere near the main path. Confusion hit her until she saw Red fell off from the sky and onto the third part of the path.

Up above, she saw it, the second block was somehow sent upwards along with the fourth block. Knowing that each switch can move not only one block but up to three- maybe four more, she became more alert and made a mental note of what switch moves what. She had gotten too focused on seeing the rectangles across the void that she wasn't able to see the effects of the past buttons.

She pressed the first switch again, now making sure she could see every block. The first and third moved up and last block moved down. She pressed the second switch again and the second and last polygon moved up. The third switch moved the second, third, and fourth upwards or at least tried to move the second and fourth. The two shapes vibrated but stayed in the same place.

The orange pony stepped on the fourth button and then the first and fourth moved downwards while the last pathway went up but instead vibrated. For the last switch, almost everything moved with the first block moving up and the second, third, and last moved down. Orange sat down on the floor, overseeing the five buttons.

The mare put a hoof under her chin, thinking of a way to solve this clearly and efficiently. The orange mare went on to push the first button again but hesitated. She moved to the third then retracted again. The amount of information that the mare tried to cram into her mind was all over the place and she wasn't sure what to do. Finally, she stood up and walked over to press the fifth button but her eyes caught Red already inspecting the portcullis on the other side and pressing switches.

The path was already straight when she looked back at the five floating blocks again. The platforms were too high for Orange to monitor where Red was.

"They must have jumped down when I was thinking," Orange said then slapped a hoof on her forehead "Oh... I feel stupid"

The gate beside her opened with a clank and the button behind it was now fully in the open. Orange walked up to it and pushed the button, disregarding her feeling of stupidity for a moment.

The yellow gate in the middle of the two ponies opened with a rumble before fading away into the darkness. Not only that, a new path formed from their position to the gate for an easy shortcut. Once to two ponies reunited, Red spoke up.

"That was awesome! How did you know what buttons to press?"

"I uh... I didn't. I just pressed random buttons and guessed" Orange scratched the back of her head.

"You must have some crazy intuition for guessing" Red smiled and patted her shoulders. "Come on, the gate's open"

"Thank you..." Orange trailed off when she saw the pony already way ahead of her. She ran off after them in glee from the compliment.

The next puzzle was intimidating to say the least. They entered a boxy room with no roof and saw a yellow gate in the far side of the room. They needed another button to press to open the gate, they assumed. However, the only problem with that is all the four walls that surrounded them are filled with switches.

In the middle of the room, the two can see a parkour course with moving platforms. Yet, none of any of those platforms move up to a switch. For any switches above their reach, they'll have to climb the course and jump to the wall to push then dropping back to the floor. The amount of buttons above their reach is thankfully only one-third of the whole room. Nonetheless, it would be tedious to climb, push, fall, and repeat over and over.

Wasting little time, Orange began pressing the bottom parts of the switches. Red went to assist in button pushing with her but decided against it. They were the only pony here that can climb and nopony but him can press the top buttons. Bracing themselves, they grabbed onto a nearby ladder and began climbing.

...

Orange was already finished with the lower part of the room when Red only has pushed a quarter of the buttons upwards. The citrus colored mare was already winded by the time she pressed the final button. Retreating to the center of the room to rest. The mountain climber continued on. Beginning to create his own landing techniques to break their fall better.

...

The scarlet neon pony was halfway through the monotonous repeat of climbing and falling but was determined to press every button up here before they can rest. Orange watched them climb and vault off shapes like its nothing but even she can see the pony getting tired. She stood up, ready to press the rest of the buttons, having thought that she had enough rest already.

...

After an indescribable amount of time of dull pushing and strenuous climbing, the ponies look at the last button with tired eyes. Red put a hoof over the rectangular slab and pushed. When the rectangular block didn't budge, the weary pony retracted their hoof a bit then pushed harder. The mare swooped in to assist and finally, the yellow door creaked open and the walls surrounding them faded away. All that was left was the yellow floor. The mountain climber staggered.

"You could have rested, you know?"

"Huff... I just had this feeling of sudden... responsibility" Red wheezed between words.

"To who? Me?" Orange pointed at herself.

"No, it feels like to somepony else. To Yellow perhaps?" Red stood on shaky legs. "Let's... keep going"

"But you need to rest!" Orange protested.

"I- I want to but... the feeling is getting really stronger now. The only thing holding me back from bolting is my legs. Please. Let's just go"

Orange looked at Red. Part of her wanting to hold them down and not letting go until the pony has gotten an ample amount of relaxation on their tired muscles but she relented anyways.

The two walked slowly across the lit up yellow pathway. Red having an occasional limp but determined to travel into the dark with Orange worried about her friend's safety.

The moment Red could see a tiny yellow pony sized dot in the distance, they tried to quicken their pace, only to trip on the roadway. The citrus mare helped the fallen pony up and this time, held them back from running to the pony in the distance. Orange was confused for the second time, what is Red so restless about with Yellow?

Red struggled against the mare's grip but calmed down to a walk. When they were both near the lone pony, Orange let go of her grip and saw the scarlet red pony scoop up the yellow pony. Smaller muzzle, eyelashes, shorter stature, a spiral horn. Yellow was a unicorn mare.

With haste, Red started checking Yellow's body in different spots. Forelegs, hindlegs, and head before relaxing completely. The pony began cradling the yellow mare. This got Orange's complete attention.

"What are you doing?" Orange asked and suddenly, Red became self-aware of their actions.

"I don't- I don't know. It was compulsory. I didn't know what came over me"

"Do you think she's your foal?"

"It's plausible with the memory wipe but I have the feeling that she's only a very dear friend to me" Red hugged the sleeping mare tightly. The pony let out a long drawn out yawn.

"I think I'm going to take a nap here. All that button pushing and running..." Red trailed off. The pony laid Yellow on the floor and took a spot beside her. Within seconds, they were asleep.

"What's a nap here anyway? Not like we have got anywhere else to go" The orange mare shrugged and laid on the opposite side of Yellow. It took a while but the trio of ponies slept away.

Author's Note

For anyone who was confused with the second puzzle section. I'm sorry but it had to be done for the story. I made a visual for me (because I got confused too) and for you.

Here's the visual:
https://derpibooru.org/images/3005928