//------------------------------//
// The Lab 
// Story: The Light Between Bars 
// by DatsmallBrightBean 
//------------------------------//

Blackness became a sort of dim gray as I opened my eyes. What had happened? My head felt sort of foggy and weighted. I blinked away a film of wetness over my eyes, the features of this unknown place were still blurry. It was cold. Very cold, like the pit of fear in my stomach. I blinked again. Stone. Stone walls, stone floor. A small cell, completely empty except for the two plain mattresses sitting on the floor. I could feel the cold through the mattress. It was thin. 

Where am I? What happened? My mind sullenly repeated. I was alone. That was not new. Ever since I was orphaned at a young age I had felt, if not been, alone.
Light glinted through the iron bars set into a thick wooden door. Truly a prison. Where am I!? My mind panicked. What had happened? No matter how hard I thought it just slipped away. Many of my memories are spotty like this, just...fuzzy. I can remember orphanages, prisons? Doctors telling me...telling me I’m unstable.

I’m not unstable. I...I….I’m fine....I’m as fine as anyone else…
I unfurled my wings and leaped into the air. The ground was cold. Hard. Often...dangerous. Blood spills across the ground...you can fall...get hurt....die..? 
My constant flapping added sound to the still air. I could hear....farther off...screams of...screams...what are screams...I can’t remember...some expression of emotion...have I made others scream? I can’t remember. A voice called out, breaking the silence, like the tolling of a death bell. 
“Name and species.”
It was not a question, more of a command really. Sweat rolled down my face. I don’t like commands, they...they sometimes hurt. Telling me to do bad things...I didn’t do bad things....they’re wrong about me...please…
“Name and species.”
The voice was clearly vexed this time. Fear...so cold….so hard...like a rock buried in the pit of my stomach weighing my mind down so I can’t trust anyone...nobody....Where am I? How did I get here!? PLEASE!
“Name and species!” The voice shouted in anger. I quaked, shaking in the air, dipping towards the stone, just keeping in the air. “Brightspice!” I shouted back in terror, “Brightspice…”
Was I still Bright? Maybe Bright had died long ago...like her parents...gone. Just gone. After all the fuzziness in my head. After all the things that I dare not remember doing...Am I still me?
“Species…?”
“Pegasus. Just...an ordinary...pegasus.” A deep ache went like a wave through my chest. Tears formed in my eyes. “Where am I!?” I cried. “Who are you!? Why am I here - what happened to me!?”
“Welcome to the lab. Brightspice.”