//------------------------------//
// Hope 
// Story: A Lost Entity 
// by malfarious 
//------------------------------//

An internal clock ticks on inside of me. I look at the outside of the cavern hopefully. My eyes filled with excitement as the outside light pours in little slips in the cavern. My heart jumps a beat as I put my hoof in the light. My mane rustles as a strange sensation of warmth enters my body. This warmth feels so much better than the dark cavern that I live in. It makes me feel pleasant as warmth travels up my body getting colder and colder as it travels up my leg. I then see a shadow move behind me and startled I jump at the sudden movement. I turn to see a huge shadow stand before me and pushes me gently away from the sun. 
“The light hurtsss ussss. Stay away from the light we cannot protect you there our influence liessss in shadowsss and darknesss.”
The huge shadowy figure doesn’t seem to move its move or even have one for that and body seems limitless as it doesn’t seem to begin or end but somehow I can clearly see it as one might see a tree. 
“What are you?” 
“We are your guardian your protectorssss. We live to serve you...”
A sullen silence passes as I just stare at the essence before me. 
“What are you?”
“We are you and you are us. We are the darkness and you are thoughtssss. We the shadowssss and you the consciousssss.”
“I don't understand I must be hearing you wrong. I don't even know who I am. Do you know who I am?”
“We cannot sssay…”
“Wait what!? You know who I am yet you won’t tell me!!!?? I demand that you tell me this instance!!!!”
“We cannot sssay it is forbidden to tell you who you are…”
“Who forbade you!?”
“You…”
An awkward silence crept over the room as I stared in clear disbelief.
“I forbade you from telling me who I am??”
“Yes you were explicit in when you said that you were to figure out who you were and that we were not to tell you of anything including…. Forgive us… We can sssay no more.”
My anger was rising at this point boiling to a teeming point of almost exploding. I quickly regained my calm and mastered my temper. I looked at the figure and then I wondered what to call it. 
“What is your name?”
“We are called Chronic”
“Ok then Chronic what are we doing here in this cave?”
“ I cannot sssay…”
“Hmmm okay then where are we supposed to go??”
“I cannot sssay”
“Okay…Then, what is it I am that trying to accomplish??
“I cannot sssay”
“Fine…is their nopony else to help us??”
“I cannot sssay”
“Your not very helpful are you??”
“ We are sorry that we are not of assistance with your questions.”
“ Humph I bet you are”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“ Say something already!”
“ How did you sleep??”
“ I can’t remember a single thing about myself or what I'm supposed to do and you’re as useless as a doorknob without a door! But I slept fantastic so great that I can’t remember a single damn thing so yes I slept like a dead log!” I turned away my face full of contempt and anger. I can’t be seen breaking down I have to keep my composure. I breathed in and out very slowly regaining my rationality. I had to go over what I knew. “ I know that I am a earth pony and I do not know my name. It seems that my mane is black and I awoke here in this cave. I have no previous memory of anything before I awoke. I am accompanied by a shadow that appears to serve me. Is it a friend or an enemy? He must know something about me before I awoke. I do not think trusting him is a good idea. However I may have very little choice but to trust him. I turn back to him and I look at the outline of him. I can’t see his face but it doesn’t look like he has one. 
“Chronic you say you serve me yet I am you.”
“Yesss we do there are many things left unanswered and many more questionsss growing.”
“So for every question I have there are many more that I have yet to think about?”
“Indeed”
“Then what is it that I need to ask?”
“The right question.”
“What are we?”
“We are the harbingersss of doom the ever living sentient being. We are 
The dark.”
“Where is our next destination then?”
“Remember your dream… The old house isss the place where you will find many of your questionsss answered.”
“The old house how could I forget? We must leave at once and find this place, time is of the essence.”
“It is not advised to trek outwards carelessly when we have a map to guide us to the destination. Do you know where the place is?”
As I close my eyes I try to visualize the entire scene and I recall the dresser and the picture and then I suddenly remember the sign. “Ponyville, that is the place we need to go I am sure of it.”
Chronic grabs the map and puts it on the table and marks where we are and draws a line to our destination. “We are in Murkwood right now. It is a long journey to Ponyville. First we must go through the infamousss Murkwood forest and then we must walk through the Valley of Misfitsss and after that we must go beyond the frozen tundra of Windigosss.  We will rest in the town of Jinx before moving on then we should be fine after that to Ponyville. The last obstacle would be Everfree Forest and that’s, more sssafer then the other placesss we must go through.”
“Hmm we have a long journey in front of us. Well then best to pack now then, the sooner we leave the better.” In my mind I thought. “I’ll trust you for now but I will be aware if you try anything to me.” 
Though I mistrusted Chronic I knew he was my only hope to regain my memories. My only hope...