It was a dark and stormy night in Ponyville. My family and I were hunkered down in our small shelter we called home. We were all gathered around our warm, comforting fireplace. The heat was radiating from the fireplace, filling my senses with happiness and ease. My wife looked at me with concern as she noticed my dazed state. Looking back at her, I returned to a normal state of being, and embraced my family. Because of our union, We have two eager, young colts looking up to us as parents. I have everything I could ever desire: a beautiful mare as a wife, two colts that will someday become life-changing ponies, and a wonderful home built for us. It seems that my life is too good to be true. What if...this was an illusion? What if I was in a...dream?
It couldn't be. It seemed to real; too true to be a dream. My wife looked at me with those lovely green-apple tinted eyes. She was beautiful, her mane drooped down with the color I admired most: cyan. Her mane was the same color as her coat, which always drove me wild. Her tail was a mix of cyan and green-apple coloring. The two colors almost seemed like a couple, dancing as if it was their last night together. Returning to reality, I gave her a kiss on the forehead to show my appreciation for her concern. She blushed and eagerly returned my kiss with one of her own. We stayed there, too engrossed in our embrace to let go. I wondered what would it be like without this mare in my life. The weirdest thing is that I couldn't see anything. All I saw was a utterly dark void; showing nothing but the emptiness of life. It floated there like a portal which lead to a new world; however, that world was nothing; nothing but a abyss of death and darkness. This concept was something I didn't want to grasp on.
Still in our embrace, I decided to lead her to our room. Our children knew what was required of them, so they did what they were going to be told. The two young colts went up to their respective rooms, and slept in their beds. For my wife and I, We went and dove right into our bed, kissing away at each other as if it was our last day alive. As we finished our love-making, we cuddled together and waited for sleep to gather us. Once it did, we fell asleep, together in each others hooves. Life is good...
I 'woke' up in cold sweat and realized...That was a dream and I was still floating in this accursed void. This void was so dark, I could never realize if I was truly awake. Everything in this void was dull. I wish I could go the place they call Ponyville, but I'm the bearer of the void. The void is mine to grasp, even though I can never fully grasp it. Princess Celestia told me I could never fully grasp the void. Her words replayed in my head like it was yesterday...
My pony, whatever you do, do not grasp the void. If you grasp the void, it will tear you apart from the inside. Once it tears you from the inside, It will expose itself to you, so you can turn yourself over to it. There is a standard procedure to escape the void and it is only to be used if you are captured by its essence.
The first step in the procedure is to remove your thoughts of the void that surrounds you. Think of a place that you would rather be and then take the place into your imagination. If the place is a town or city, make that town your new home. Imagine life on it and what you would do. Once the life has been established, you must take care of step two.
Step two is utilize your senses. Never let the void grasp at one of them, or you will become his bait. To deviate from his grasp, you need to occupy your senses with a task. The task should be so great; even the ponies of Canterlot would be jealous. Once your tasks have been established, you are ready for the final step.
The last step is to learn from your past mistakes. Past mistakes harm the soul and body, but one without a mistake is powerless. The soul must be in part with the body, or life as we know it would crumble.
What struck me odd about this was the second step. The first step works for me like a charm, but I couldn't seem to get past the second step. It seems rather unlikely for me to pass the second step. Why is that? Well, I love the first step and I never want to deviate from it. I can't return to the thought of being stuck in a void forever. I want to be free, able to roam the landscapes of Equestria with my own free will. I want to go get a home and settle down for a while. I want to go see and fall in love with a mare. I want to start a family with the mare, so I can see life in its true form. The only thing stopping me from achieving this is the void of imprisonment, of darkness, of death, of shame, of loneliness, and most importantly; of rejection. The rejection is love, the love which I must seek.
With the task seeming almost impossible, I feel disheartened; however, I will not give up. I still have the motivation to achieve the goal. Why do I have this motivation? This motivation is unable to be broken and is unable to be grasped upon by the void. This motivation is a gift; a gift of peace. This void can never tamper with the gift I have in my possession. The gift that I possess will make the void fade away and will always return to the mare I seek. This very gift I speak highly of is: my dreams. Dreams are something that gives me a sense of hope, happiness, and ease. If this damned void wants to tamper with my dreams, then bring it on. Otherwise, I will always cling to my dreams as an escape, so I could see that mare once again. Even though we will never see each other, I have the undying hope that embers in my soul. And if I know one thing that I've learned from this empty place; I learned the value of my gift. This gift will never leave me...never.
