Prologue
Pain. That’s all he felt. A stabbing pain that raged across his body. Bending bones, reshaping organs, shifting his skull. The pure agony he was experiencing was unbearable. However, deep within him, something powerful was pushing past the pain. A force. A determination. A hell-bent resolve that seemed to crush the pain. He didn’t know of its origins, nor did he care, he welcomed it. Eventually, after what seemed like hours, the pain subsided, but it left his body fatigued and motionless. However, his mind had remained steeled and strong, with this, he had remained conscious. He tried to open his eyes and make sense of his surroundings, but they resisted him. It seemed even that small movement was near impossible. He laid motionless on the cold ground for a few more moments, regaining what little strength he could. He tried to open his eyes again, but to no avail. He lay still once more, and then fell into a deep slumber.
A sudden crash stirred him from his sleep. He did not know how long he had slept, but he had much more strength now. He slowly began to force his eyes open. Once they were fully opened, he began to franticly search his surroundings for any clues to where he was. His eyes however, were only met with darkness. He blinked a few times, hoping to adjust his eyesight to see beyond the darkness engulfing him. His eyesight slowly adjusted to his environment as he stared straight ahead, still too fatigued to move his head and neck.
Something began to come into view. He began to see a pair of bright, orange eyes staring at him. He stared back at the eyes before him, not sure how to proceed. His eyes continued to adjust, and more of the creature was revealed. It was lying on its right side, and seemed to be as exhausted as he was. Its 4 limbs sticking out from its side didn’t move at all. It was bulky and muscular, and looked like it could pack one hell of a kick, not to mention what it could carry. It had a black coat of fur, which was wet and muddy, and an orange mane with blue specks that was spiked backwards and was also messy. He could see it had a long tail that had the same colors as it’s mane, and was in the same condition as well. He could see the gentle rise and fall of the creature’s stomach. Which brought his attention to its side on which he could see something on it. At first he assumed it was some slanted stones, then he realized they had feathers. Wings. He knew the name of this creature, but he just couldn’t… Pegasus, that’s what its name was.
He continued to stare at the large creature before him, examining it as much as he could from his current angle on the floor. He searched for any wounds that could impair its movement, and found none. Summoning what strength he could, he slowly reached for the winged horse. With its left foreleg, it began to extend its hoof to him as well. He smiled at the Pegasus and it smiled back. When he touched its hoof, it was stone cold. He wondered why.
Another crash startled them both, and he forced his head around to see a light had appeared in the distance. It was a little dim, but it was enough to illuminate the area around them. He could see now the walls of purple crystals surrounding them both, shining brilliantly as if their true beauty had been awakened by the sudden glow. He watched in awe as the light revealed his location to be a cave that seemed to be made out of the brilliant crystals. He grinned at the sight. His mind then came to another subject, the source of the light. He heard something move. Then it was multiple things and more lights began to appear. His grin grew wider and his mind raced with the excitement of being rescued. He turned to his new friend the Pegasus to see it was also smiling with glee. Then he noticed something and his smile faded. The Pegasus had the same glowing orbs behind him. He also noticed that when he frowned, the Pegasus frowned. He moved his arm some more, only to realize that it was covered in a black coat. To confirm his suspicions, he looked up above the Pegasus slowly, what awaited him was the site of the tip of a large crystal.
He stared in shock. He WAS the Pegasus. He began to panic. How could he be the Pegasus?! Then, as if to add to his hysteria, he asked himself something else. Who was HE to begin with? He franticly tried to gather his thoughts, unaware that he was overexerting what very little energy he had. He felt his fatigue growing rapidly. He struggled to stay awake, to cling to his thoughts. But he felt his mind slipping, and soon, darkness enveloped him once more.
