Chapter 1: Liquid Darkness

Darkest Dreams didn't know where to hide. His sister had already reached 15 which left him 5 seconds to find a good spot and get comfortably hidden away. He couldn't go in the bedrooms, despite their many hiding places they are the rooms checked most often. The kitchen cupboards might be good, but they were the other side of his hunter, as was the bathroom and the living room. She was counting in the hallway and it didn't have any good hiding spots so there was no point staying here for long. She'd hear him open the broom cupboard door just to his left as the hinges were starting to rust.

As soon as that thought entered his mind the colt formulated a cunning plan. It would be risky and he'd probably get into trouble but he knew it was the only viable option. He had only three seconds left in which to execute his devious strategy so he got straight to it. He concentrated and used his magic to open and shut the broom cupboard door as quickly and loudly as possible, then he sped down the other end of the corridor and dived into his father's study.

Shutting the door as quietly as possible behind him, Darkest took in the forbidden sights of his farther's study. The walls were covered in maps and diagrams all pinned up haphazardly and there were books and bits of parchment strewn across the floor. There was a sturdy wooden desk against the far wall and a large cabinet to the left, filled with jars of dead bugs and snakes. On the other side was a large chest which contained assorted memorabilia his dad had collected in his travels.

If his father caught him in here he knew he'd be banned from having jam on his toast for at least a week, so he had to find a hiding spot that nopony would look in. He assessed his options, under the desk was too obvious, the cabinet was glass fronted so offered no cover and the chest was too full of stuff to be able to fit him in. He heard a loud creak from the hallway which signified his sister had looked in the broom cupboard and fallen for his earlier trick but he knew if he didn't find somewhere in the study to hide soon she'd get him as soon as she opened the door.

He looked around the room in desperation but nothing caught his eye. As a last ditch effort he glanced up and that's when he saw the hatch to the attic. Darkest used his magic to push the hatch up and out of the way, then he opened the cabinet door and started climbing up the shelves. As he reached the halfway point he heard his sister call out his name from the bedroom opposite the study and knew his time was running out. He climbed up a few more shelves but as he reached for the top one his hoof slipped and he almost fell back down to the floor.

Luckily he not only managed to keep his other hooves in place but do so without making any noticeable noise. He tried again to swing his hoof up to the top of the cabinet and this time got a solid grip. He pulled the rest of his body up to the top and lay low to keep balance. Now at the top he realised he'd overlooked a major detail. The hatch was in the centre of the room and he hadn't noticed in his panic to locate a good a hiding spot. He knew there was only one way to get up there.

The young colt took a deep breath and pushed himself off the cabinet towards the hatch. As he flew across the room time seemed to slow down to a standstill. He screwed his eyes shut in concentration and tried his utmost to cast a teleportation spell up through the hatch. He felt himself hit into a floor with a dull thud and hoped his sister hadn't heard it.

After what felt like hours, he opened his eyes. He could see small white spots swimming around in the dark and realised he'd probably end up with a headache after casting advanced magic without cautious preparation first. As the white spots faded and his senses returned he soon realised he wasn't in the attic anymore. He was surrounded by a thick, inky darkness that made him feel like he was swimming in something the same consistency as custard. He tried to hold his breath so he wouldn't drown then, as best he could in the thick fluid, swam in the direction he hoped was up in the hopes he'd find a surface. It wasn't long before he was forced to take a breath and then, to his surprise, discovered he was perfectly capable of doing so and that his panic had been for nothing.

Darkest moved around a little to see if he could find his way back home and upon turning around saw his house far off in the distance. Pushing his body through the viscous void he swam to get home although he didn't seem to get any closer to his home no matter how many strokes he made. After a lot of effort and a what felt like a substantial amount of time, the little colt managed to come close to the blue front door of his family's home.

He pulled against the door which resisted the darkness at first but soon eased open revealing the well lit hallway beyond. It appeared the black fluid didn't penetrate into his house so the colt pushed forward through the opening. He soon fell through the invisible barrier stopping the fluid entering his home and landed onto his hallway floor. He was relieved to find his fur, mane and tail were completely dry and absent of any blackness.

"Sis! Where are you?" He called into the eerily silent house, getting no reply. He slowly creeped his way to the living room and called out again, "Dad? Mum? I'm scared." Realising that he was completely alone, the terrified colt climbed onto his father's favourite armchair, curled up into a little ball and attempted to wish his family back into existence.

Then without warning, ear splitting screams pierced through the house causing the colt to jump up and go wide eyed with fear. Soon after, a maniacal laughter began to echo throughout the house while the inky darkness from outside started to seep through the large window and fill up the living room. As Darkest struggled with the blackness, the laughter reached a terrifying crescendo and he felt the last shreds of confidence flee his mind.

Suddenly the door to the room burst open and a blinding light shone through. A voice infinitely more welcoming yet equally terrifying, bellowed into the room. "That's enough!" In response the laughter ceased and a chilling hiss retreated along with the pooling darkness. Darkest Dreams suddenly found himself feeling extremely dizzy and the last thing he saw before blacking out entirely was the silhouette of an Alicorn standing over him, wings held high.

Then Darkest Dreams woke up.

Author's Note:

This story has been a couple of years in the making. A culmination of forgetfulness, business, laziness and the dreaded Writer's Block have delayed this too long. My previous story does involve the same character Darkest Dreams, but I'm not yet sure whether it'll be canon to the story or take its own path. We shall see.

Make sure to let me know what you thought, drop a like if the mood takes you and feel free to royally slaughter my grammar, punctuation and spelling. Make me cry. I dare you!

Yes, I did the 'it was all a dream' cliche. So sue me!

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