The Element of Balance

by Luminous Lapis

Prologue

There was only darkness. It overtook everything almost immediately and with terrifying ease. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't hear, I couldn't see, I could only fear it. It burrowed deep inside and froze me inside and out. Everything became colder by the second. It was unbearable but somehow I just kept getting worse and worse and worse. I became numb. There was nothing I could do against such an overwhelming force and I gave in, unable to fight the unfeeling cold and dark. It spoke softly to me, promising me comfort and release from the pain.

...There's no more need to fight...
...No more need for pain or suffering...
....Just let it go...
...Let somepony else take control...
...Let it all end...
...You have to trust us...

Faintly, there was a warmth. It touched the ends of my hooves, slowly burning away the cold. I heard a hiss of pain and the warmth spread even further. The cold dug deeper and deeper, unwilling to let go. Both forces burned me and I couldn't do anything to stop them. For a time, they fought over me, and for the first time in a while, I felt something. I felt pain.

But it was a good pain. It gave me something to focus on, something to fight against. My eyes opened and though it was extremely bright I saw two figures on either side of me. One was dark, cold, and unfeeling. The other couldn't be more opposite. It didn't take long for me to know which one to fight for. It seemed the two beings were at a standstill.

I opened my mouth and again, for the first time in a while, yelled with conviction. I struggled toward the light and immediately heard an earth-shaking roar behind me, prompting me to move faster. A form in the light appeared but something gripped my hoof and yanked it out from beneath me. I looked backward and saw a shadowy tendril pulling me into the dark. In a panic, I scrambled forward but kept being pulled away from the light. I reached towards it.

"HELP! Please!"

Immediately, what seemed to be a beam of pure light shot toward me and wrapped painfully tight around my hoof. It burned, but the pain gave me something to focus on, something to feel. Several more tendrils of dark stretched towards me but the light responded by sending out several blasts of energy and more tendrils as well. The closer I got to it, the harder the darkness seemed to fight but thankfully, the light seemed to be able to hold it back.

It loomed closer and closer before it released me and I stood before it. "W-Why did you save me?" The vague form in the middle of the light said nothing but seemed to beckon me closer. I hesitated for a moment before hearing a muffled crash behind me. It was the darkness, clawing and fighting its way inside a barrier I had previously unnoticed. I looked forward again and saw the figure much more franticly gesture towards me, than itself. In a shocking moment of clarity, I realized I had a choice. Light or dark.

Everything faded as I stared at my hoof unable to understand why I was here or why I had to make such a choice. I closed my eyes as faintly I heard the barrier break and a roar that faded quickly. For me, there was no choice. I was doomed no matter what I chose and that I was sure of. It didn't matter how much I wanted to change things, I just... couldn't.

I felt numb.

Comments

[Luminous Lapis]

So good news and to summarize a lot of things that have happened in my life I am revisiting and reviewing my story. I will try to be as consistent as I can in publishing chapters. Well just have to see how long it takes me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the revised prologue and make sure to mark my story as watched so you get a notification whenever I post a new chapter. Most of you probably already know that don’t you? I realized that as I was writing it. Oh well.