The Element of Light

Contemplation - Part 1.

Falling...

Light found himself falling into nothingness, surrounded by nothing but an infinite blackness. Trying to open his eyes, he finally noticed that he was slowly descending towards some sort of structure, emanating a bright white light. As he reached it, his hooves softly tapped the glass surface. He looked down and noticed that he was standing on a circular, enlightened platform in the middle of an infinite sea of blackness, peering into its surface, he saw that there was something depicted upon the surface of the glass. In the middle he saw a picture of a white unicorn stallion with a golden mane, staring back at him. The unicorn appeared to be surrounded by six portraits of mares, he simply couldn’t shake the feeling that he had seen them before. He lifted his head in an attempt to view his surroundings,only to be greeted by the thick darkness that surrounded him.

“Your Element has reacted...” A mysterious voice said, shaking the air, sending ripples of bright lights through the dark smoke that surrounded him.

He frantically moved his gaze across the room in an attempt to find the source of the voice, but to no avail. “Who’s there!?” he yelled into the sky. “Show yourself!” he shouted in the hope that the voice would speak again.

“You know so little of the actual power that lies within you.. there is a realm of power so far beyond your own, you cannot even imagine it..”

Light was starting to get frustrated, causing him to run to the very edge of the platform, nearly falling off. “Tell me what’s going on! I want answers!” he shouted into the darkness, only to be met with silence.

“There is so much to learn, yet so little time...”

Light put his hoof down, lightly tapping the glass. Immediately, the glass cracked in response; the sound sent a shiver down the pony’s spine as he looked down at the floor, his eyes opened wide. The crack traveled across the platform, piercing the pristine figures that stood upon it; once it reached the edge, the ground underneath Light’s hooves shattered, causing him to fall into the dark unknown as subtle white shards filled his vision, now blurred and unfocused. Everything went black for a second as he felt his body hit the floor.

When he opened his eyes once more, he found himself on another glass stage. He gathered himself, struggling to get back up on his hooves, his hair hanging over his head, obscuring his view. He wiped his golden mane out of his sight, staring down at the floor below him. This platform, much the last, was covered with illustrious colours, yet these were different, more playful, more childish, it brought a certain sense of cheeriness to the wandering unicorn. He stepped back in order to get a better view of the figures that were depicted upon the floor. A sincere smile grew across his muzzle as he saw the three little fillies that he had met just a few weeks ago, smiling back at him. Suddenly, a sparkling wooden doorway standing on the edge, flashed into his view. He examined the door closely, tapping its wooden surface with his hoof. He stared attentively at the scenes that appeared to be carved into the wood, but the images were too blurred for Light to make any sense of them. He grasped the golden handle with his hoof, which proved to be surprisingly easy despite his obvious lack of fingers; he pulled back but the door didn’t seem to budge. He got up on his back legs, using his weight to force the door open. He narrowed his eyes in sheer hatred for the inanimate object that stood before him. Light pushed his hooves against the wooden surface, pushing back with all of his not so terrible strength.

The mysterious voice spoke once again, leaving a trail of blissful lights, flowing through the sky before disappearing into the dark. “The path is still blocked... The door is still sealed... You are not ready for it... It is still closed, like your mind”. Slightly shocked, Light quickly scanned the area, only to be greeted by the same shadows and shades, the eerie sound of silence only amplified the lonesome feeling that hung in the air.

The only sign of life that he could see was the fading yellow glow that hung in the otherwise black, empty sky. “What do you mean ‘my mind is closed?” he yelled to nowhere in particular, hoping to elicitate a response from the mysterious presence.

“So naive...” it said in its monotone voice. “You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding... The darkest days are still ahead... Your importance is beyond your comprehension...”

“I’m tired of your mind games!” he said in an aggravated tone. “Just tell me what I need to know, how do I open this thing!?” he yelled, bucking the door’s frame with his hind legs.

“So much to learn... The door will not open simply because you demand it... Simply because desire it to be so... Your rage blinds you of your path...” Nothing the voice said made sense to him, and frankly, it started to annoy him. He simply stared dully at the seemingly ancient door for a while before giving it another swift buck of his legs, growling in annoyance.

“An angry pony opens his mouth but shuts his eyes... He is a fool who acts without thinking...” Light wished that the voice would make sense for once as he looked at the obstruction before him, which seemed to be unharmed by his punishment. “Wise ponies wonder while strong ponies die...”

With those words the glass underneath Light’s hooves started to shake violently. Stumbling over his hooves, he watched as tiny cracks started to form in the floor. He ran towards the door as fast as he could, motivated by the fear of falling, but just before his hoof grasped the handle, the floor shattered into countless pieces.

He fell into the dark abyss lying beneath him. He tried to scream but there was no sound at all. Opening his eyes, he found himself on another platform. This one was marked with gloomier colors. Dark purple trees marked its edge, shadows crawled over the glass, in the middle of the floor he could see a rather large image of the zebra that he knew as Zecora.

The shadows, silently creeping across the glass, gathered in the middle of the floor. They spiraled around each other, becoming one. The amalgamation of shades rose from the floor, changing its shape into a rather familiar zebra. Soon Light stood face to face with what appeared to be his caretaker, cloaked in black, looking at him with expectant eyes.

“Mom!” he shouted as he ran towards her. But before he could reach her, shadows embraced his legs, freezing him in place. No matter how hard he tried to get closer to his beacon of safety, he just couldn’t get himself to move forward. “Wha-” he uttered as he looked at the cloak of shades that enveloped him up to his knees. “What’s going on here?”

Zecora simply stood there, looking into the distance,she seemed to be unaware of his presence. Suddenly, she turned her head, looking straight into his fearful eyes. “Why did you choose to help us so willingly?” she said. Something was off about her, she wasn’t speaking in rhymes as she normally did, and her voice sounded so.. empty, void of any emotion.

“What do you mean?” he asked, still frozen in place by the creeping darkness. He could hear the wind rustling past the leaves of the sinister trees that spotted the edge of the platform. “Who are you? What do you want from me?”

Zecora wore a displeased look on her face, one that soon turned into a sly smile as she stepped closer to the helpless stallion. “An answer for an answer.” a deviant smile grew across her face.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“That is not how it works.” she said bluntly.

Light wore a look on his face that one could only describe as ‘are you bucking kidding me?’ Still frozen in place with nowhere to go, he decided to just play along with her games. “So...” he said awkwardly. “Do you want to ask me a question?”

“A question already spoken.. Why did you choose to help us so willingly?” As the words left Zecora’s muzzle, the trees that spotted the place suddenly caught fire, large flames danced in the darkness, leaving a strong orange glow on the two. “Why did you give your old life up so easily? What about those that cared for you? What about the life you left behind?”

Doubt and distrust clouded his mind as he searched for the answer. “I came to help because they needed me, at least that’s what I thought. I couldn’t simply say no.” he said, trying to justify his means. “Now will you tell me how I get out of here already?”

“No” she said, Light’s eye twitching in response.

“Why the hay not!?” he said, his dialogue having adjusted to that of the people of Ponyville. “I gave you an answer!”

“An answer to the wrong question. Your lies will not serve you here. I watched with dismay as you grew into a weapon of deceit, lying to the ponies of Ponyville, those that welcomed you so warmly. Now, answer my question.”

Her words stung him deep, he was never one to lie so why did he lie now? Self preservation? A change to be what he always wanted to be? He snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed Zecora, still staring at him.

He sighed heavily. “Okay.. maybe.. maybe I didn’t want to be.. Anthony anymore. He had an empty life.. He was never important, He was never needed for something. This was.. a chance. A chance to be who I never could be... I just didn’t want to be alone anymore...” He was slightly baffled by his own words, but truer words were never spoken.

Zecora shot him an honest smile, the orange light emanating from the flames still marking their faces. “Very well, now I believe it is your turn to ask.”

“Very well.” he said with a new found feeling of confidence. There were so many questions that were still left unanswered, and he wasn’t sure if the mysterious zebra has any answers, but it was worth a try at least. “Why me?”

The moment he spoke those words a powerful gust of wind blew past their heads, extinguishing the burning trees, leaving them black and tarnished, their leaves turned to ashes. It was a question that still burned in the back of his head.

“Because a weak man knows the value of strength, knows the value of power.. Your failure will give you strength, your pain will be your motivation.” Before he could answer, he could hear the familiar cracks forming underneath his feet.

“Oh buck, not again..” he thought to himself as he fell through, leaving Zecora and the forest behind. The air around him started to shake as he continued to fall into the unknown.

“Patience.. there is still so much left to learn before you can face him.” The words still chimed in his ears as his world went black.

Light found himself lying on the floor once more, but as he opened his eyes, he realized that was surrounded by a complete and utter darkness, he could not the usual shadowy shapes in the distance, just blackness. Wondering where he was, the unicorn stumbled up on his hooves. The darkness was.. unnerving to say the least. Carefully, he took his first step forward.

Suddenly, he could feel the building shake as an unfamiliar voice filled the darkness “There is a  little lamb lost in the dark woods..” the voice sounded dreadfully sinister to Light, it sounded like it was about to stab him in the back any moment now, echoing slightly. The mysterious, invisible entity was soon accompanied by the familiar voice from before. This one sounded more honest, more noble.

“To help with this fight... you must learn” it spoke in its gentle voice.

“Learn what exactly?” Light asked, peering into the darkness of the room.

“Learn to guide the way... Learn to light the path...”

“Huh?” he said as shook his head in confusion. He was unsure whether he should try and move forward, a fear of what might be hiding in the dark kept him at bay.

“Do not fear, for even in the pitchest of darkness... there is always a light that never dies... A fading shimmer of hope... Believe in yourself... you carry a light so strong...”

He watched with amazement as a tiny dim light appeared at the end of his horn, leaving its glow on his face. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He sensed a strong source of energy at the tip of his horn, flowing down into the rest of his body. The feeling of... power. Somehow, he knew that he could bend it, manipulate it. It came as natural as his first steps. He focused on the shining light, turning it brighter and brighter. He looked down, noticing that he sat upon a hardwood floor, books were scattered on the wood. He forced his eyes shut, trembling slightly as he tried to get all of the energy that was surging through his body to his horn. His eyes suddenly snapped open, shining with the brightest of lights. The light that was still emanating from his horn turned into a powerful, bright flash, enveloping the room in a blinding light. “Is this what unicorns feel like all the time?” he wondered, for a moment, it felt like he was free from reality’s limitations. A jolt of energy coursed through his body for a second, before fading away.

When the fog before his eyes was lifted, a bright light shone at the tip of his horn, revealing the dark corners that were once invisible to him. He appeared to be sitting in a darkened bedroom, books were scattered all over the floor. Looking up, he saw the night sky, filled with thousands of twinkling stars. “I feel like I’ve been here before..” he said to himself as he gathered his courage and started to make his way through the thick darkness, having only the dim light to guide him.

The wood underneath his hooves creaked in response to his every step, only amplifying the unnerving feeling that held his mind. The modest light that he had summoned could only reveal so much, he was still surrounded by darkness from every side. Ever so often, he would nearly collide with one of the many strange objects that stood in the halls of the place. Suddenly, he could see what appeared to be a rather old wooden staircase, leading down into the living room.

The stairs appeared to be even older than the wooden floor, screeching loudly whenever his hooves hit the steps. He sweared that he could hear soft, unrecognizable murmurs and whispers, coming from downstairs. This did not really increase his eagerness to move forward, but his fleeting courage kept him going.

He gulped as he saw the end of the stairs coming into sight. Ever so often, he could see something move in the corner of his eye, causing him to swiftly turn his head, only to be greeted by the same silent shadows. His heart skipped a beat every time he heard a soft, sneaking hoofstep.

“They are coming for you.”

Light’s eyes shot open wide at the sudden words. It was the same sinister voice that he had heard in the bedroom above. He stood frozen in place, too afraid to move an inch as he carefully scanned the room for a sign of life. All of the sudden, a door swung open at the other end of the room, creaking loudly as it did. Light trembled slightly as he kept staring at the darkened door frame, fearing that something would appear.

“It is standing right behind you... Do not move... Do not breathe...” Light gulped in response. He dared not move around, just in case the voice’s words were more than trickery and illusions. “Flee! Screaming into the blackness!” it yelled, causing light to shut his eyes in fear as he ran towards the newly opened door.

Running through the frame, the door slammed shut behind him with a loud thud. His utter fear had caused him to lose his focus, extinguishing the light that shimmered at the end of his horn. Once again, he was enveloped in total darkness, the sound of his heavy, frantic breathing filled his ears as he leaned up against the closed door.

His heart nearly stopped as he heard somepony sniveling softly in the darkness, quite far away. Once his fear had died down, he tried to funnel the energy inside of him towards his horn once more, resulting in a dim light, shining from it. He opened his eyes, only to find out that he was no longer standing in the old, broken library. He found himself in rather large, darkened hallway. The floors appeared to be made of sapphire, shimmering in the dim light that his horn was emitting. Long blue silken tapestries hung from the ceiling, a picture of a crescent moon was depicted upon them.

A quiet clopping sound echoed through the seemingly endless corridor every time his hooves tapped the pristine floor. The sound of the soft sniveling become louder and louder as he made his way through the mysterious building. The walls of the place were spotted with stone bookcases, filled with books, some appeared to be ancient. He noticed a sign, engraved in the wall. He moved closer, allowing the light that shone from his horn to reveal the words. It read: “Canterlot’s academy for gifted unicorns.”

Ever so often, he would see wooden doors at the side of the hallway, but his fear of what might be inside kept him from opening them. He just continued to move closer towards the nearly  inaudible sound of crying. Until finally, he saw an opened door at the end of the hallway. He stared at it from a distance, but all he could see was utter darkness.

He slowly sneaked closer towards the opened door. Peering inside he saw several beds, standing against the wall of the place. The opposite wall appeared to be spotted with several small bookcases and desks. Light walked through the opened door-frame, the sound sniveling became more apparent, it sounded like a crying filly.. He could see something small, sitting in the middle of the room, but it was too dark to make out what it was.

“Enough of this darkness!” Light said as he focused his newfound feeling of power towards his horn, causing the light to turn brighter, revealing the darkened corners of the room that were once hidden to him, it was still dark, but just light enough to see the shapes of the room.. A mix of fear and sympathy overcame him as he saw a young, blue unicorn filly with a white mane, sitting in the center of the room, rocking back and forth as she wept. She appeared to be looking at a small picture, locked in her hoof.

Light was unsure of what to do, he simply stared at the weeping filly, who appeared to be unaware of his presence. After a while, Light decided to move closer. “Hey..” he whispered quietly. “Are you alright? What’s your name?” he said in  the most comforting tone that he could muster. Tears kept rolling down her cheeks, staining her pristine azure coat.

She turned her gaze towards the picture frame that she held in her hooves, her tears dripping down onto the glass. “Why couldn’t I be like you?” she sobbed. “I just wanted to impress you... To make you see...”

“Hey..” Light said in a comforting tone. “Come on, don’t cry.. I can help you.”

The filly gasped loudly as she turned her gaze from the picture, looking straight at Light. “Wh- Who are you!?” she yelled. Light could clearly hear the fear in her voice, she wore a frightened look on her face. Her cutie mark appeared to be a white wand, standing in front of a crescent moon. Light started to move closer to her, he just wanted to comfort the young foal.

“Stay away from me!” the young unicorn yelled as her horn started to glow with a bright, azure aura. Suddenly, he felt a force, holding him tight around his waist as he started to sparkle all over. “Leave me alone!” she yelled as she pushed her horn forward, causing Light to be thrown back with great force. He flew through the air until his back met one of the large, stained glass windows that stood against the wall. The glass shattered as he flew through it, shards flying all around as his world went black.

When Light regained his consciousness, he found himself lying face-flat on the floor, his legs sprawled out wide. He opened his eyes to see a white hoof, standing just inches away from his face. Looking up, he saw a pony standing before him. The mysterious stranger was cloaked in a robe of pure white with golden stitchings, obscuring his face. Light quickly stumbled up on his hooves, rubbing his eyes as he did. The arcane pony slightly lifted his head, revealing only his pristine white muzzle, bearing a serious frown, they appeared to be standing on the same platform that Light had landed on when he first arrived in the land of the dreaming.

“Who are you?” Light asked, slightly baffled at the sight of a friendly figure in this ever-changing realm of insecurities and fear.

“You have done well... Better than I expected.” the pony said. His voice had a certain sense of.. nobility about it.

“You haven’t answered my question... who are you?” he asked stubbornly.

“This is just the beginning, however... There is still so much to learn..” he said, with a tone of distress in his voice. “He will come. He will try to break you, but you cannot fail as I did. He speaks such consoling words, but you must not believe them. All the beast can do is lie. There is no sharp distinction between the real and the unreal.”

“Who is he!? Why are you telling me all this?”

The cloaked pony lifted his left front hoof to reveal a bracelet encircling it. It appeared to be made of gold, white emeralds studded its edge. “Take this gift, mortal.” The bracelet started to shine with a blinding white light. Light swiftly put his hoof to his head as a searing pain appeared inside it. Hundreds of images flashed through his mind, tales of a time now forgotten enveloped his very being. When the pain subsided, Light opened his eyes only to find that the puzzling pony had vanished.

“Use it wisely..”

A sudden blinding light formed in his vision, surrounding him from all sides. He quickly closed his eyes in an attempt to shield himself them from the sudden blaze of light. He felt his body being lifted upwards as all he could see, all he could think, was the blinding light...

“Remember, Light... There is yet hope...”

A/N: Like to give credit to *Vozzlefox, my friend, editor and fellow brony (Writer of Lately and Co-Writer of Striped Scares) and to **ezio dementay, my friend and fellow brony (Co-Writer of Striped Scars)*