I soon arrived at my intended destination: Sparkle Gleam's home! She wrote the address on a piece of paper, which, I guess wasn't too surprising, was a Canterlot apartment.
When I got to the room, I knocked on the door. The door opened, and a carrot-orange pony with a green mane opened it and looked at me.
"Hi..." I waved a hoof very slightly. "It's... um... me, Prudent."
"SPARKLE!" the mare yelled, bringing me to fold my ears. "FRIEND'S HERE!"
She turned and retreated, and I followed her, ignoring the slight discomfort in my ear.
Sparkle came up.
"Heh... sorry about that," she said. "Anyway... it's not much, but... it's better than nothing."
"I think's its worth the train ride..." I say.
The other mare came out of the kitchen.
"Hey, it's nice to meet you," she said. "Sorry for yelling. Call me Mage."
"She prefers to be called that," Sparkle whispered. "She's not a fan of her real name."
"Anyway, the tea that we promised is almost ready. In the meantime, try to get comfortable."
I nod. I went over to the couch and went on, before letting my body relax. It wasn't a bad couch. It was pretty soft, which obviously played a big role in my physical comfort.
Sparkle sat down.
"Thanks again for the invite," I say.
"Anything for a struggling friend," Sparkle sighed, crossing her hind hooves and putting her forehooves behind her head. She was pretty relaxed as well.
We continued to talk. I told Sparkle about the good things in my life, the ones that faded and the ones that continue to this day... much less of the latter. I tried my best to not seem like such a downer, as I don't like bad impressions.
However, five minutes later, Mage came in with a small teacup on a tiny plate.
"That's the tea?" I asked, slowly extending my hooves. Mage placed the place on my hooves, and I could feel the slight warmth of the plate coming from the cup.
"So here's what you do..." Mage began. "Just drink it, and let your mind do the rest."
I did as I was told. I took a sip, eyes closed. I exhaled a gust of air, and when I opened my eyes...
Everything was dark.
Not pitch-black. It felt like I was in some sort of gray-ish forest, with a very light breeze.
"What the hay..." I whisper.
The sound of the breeze whistled throughout the landscape.
I explored the area, curious as to what was happening. Was this part of it? Or was I going crazy?
I heard a dark whisper, and I quickly turned around. There was nothing there.
"Hello?" I called out.
I heard it again. It sounded like it was a distance away on my right.
I turned right and ran forward a few steps, but once again, nothing was there.
"Who's there?!" I called out again.
"You," said the bitter sound of a whisper.
I turned around.
And a black mist rushed at me.
I had to time to react. The thing rushed at me.
And then we collided.