Fleeting Shadows

by SkyHighFlyer

Chapter 3, Nightmare

Twilight Sparkle walked alone, the darkness surrounding her granting no respite. Yet still, she walked forward, slowly, certainly, and blinded by the darkness that surrounded her. Her destination, whatever it might have been, drew her in without pause or question. The shadows on the edge of her vision gave no challenge to her steady movement. The otherworldly voices lingering in her ears did little to slow her steps. She felt confidence.

The path before her, though black as night, seemed bright and luminescent, carefully guiding her steps. Towards what, she could not know. It twisted and turned, invisible in the darkness that surrounded her, giving no contrast to the blackness all around her. Yet Twilight knew where to step, knew every corner, every turn, every step with exact precision and certain confidence. Her mind was quiet, her path defined by instinct and instinct alone, invisible to the conscious mind. She felt determination.

The path changed. Every step felt like a slope, a hill to be overcome. For all her mind knew, it may have been. The path she followed had no form, no shape, nothing to give indication to its elevation. The voices in her ears grew louder, more distinct. The shadows in the corner of her vision grew more frantic. Twilight Sparkle grew more aware of her surroundings. She felt uncertainty.

Without warning, the slope became a mountain, an impassible obstacle. Yet she was only slowed for a moment. Her awareness grew, her mind asking questions without definite answers. The voices become clear, and yet no words came from them. They tried to convince her from her path, to draw her sight and movement from the course she followed. They were familiar. Her curiosity drew her vision to the sides, yet her subconscious would not let her listen. It followed the path without question. The shadows grew restless. She felt fearful.

The path ended, and Twilight Sparkle walked forward. Words formed in her mind, questions she wanted to ask, and yet she could not. Her body was unresponsive, walking in a straight line, ignoring the shadows that stalked her closing in from the sides with ever step and every breath, or the voices growing louder with each passing moment. The familiarity became recognition, and she heard the voices of those she knew, of the princess, her brother, her parents. She desperately wanted to stop, to look around and see what the shadows surrounding her really were, and yet her body would not respond to her rebellion, her subconscious still driving her movements, even as her mind grew more awake. She felt confusion.

A light formed in the center of her vision, and hope flooded her mind without reason or explanation. The voices grew louder, more impatient, demanding that she step from her path. The shadows dances around her faster and faster, and yet she saw it. Alone among the blackness around her, her mentor stood out like a beacon of light amidst the darkness. The voices called out to her, but she didn't listen, and she wouldn't. She wanted answers, and she would get them. Her silent rebellion ended, and her conscious mind began listing questions, ignoring the voices, ignoring the shadows. She felt certainty.

She approached her mentor with questions and doubts. She stopped, and sat down. The voices went silent in an instant. Her mentor smiled down at her. She felt calm.

“My faithful student. It brightens my heart to see you safe and sound,” Princess Celestia said calmly. The voices did not interrupt. The shadows were still.

Her mind was entirely clear. Her body was her own. All of her questions came to her mind at once. Twilight asked the only one that made sense, “Princess, where are we?”

The white alicorn sat down in front of her and pulled Twilight into her embrace, wrapping her wings and forelegs around her protectively. “We are safe here my student. I shall let no harm come to you.”

“Where is here? Where are we?” asked Twilight, desperately trying to sort through the confusion of the situation.

“A place where nothing can bring you harm if you do not let it.”

Twilight shook off the sense of safety and security. She was aware now, and her mind was unclouded. The voices whispered again, and fleeting shadows danced around her. She was aware that whatever force had kept her following her path unwavering was gone, and she was free to look around whenever she was ready. Princess Celestia's words echoed in her mind, but she paid no attention to them. She had to know. She turned her head.

In a startled panic, Twilight Sparkle woke up.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Does King Sombra and/or the Pony of Shadows appear in this story?

[SkyHighFlyer]

8443093 Neither of them, no.