Where the Sun is Silent

by Cynewulf

Labyrinth

Twilight rose on unsteady hooves.

Everything was dark, but light from wall lamps illuminated enough of the floor to tell her that the others weren’t close by. Twilight stood in a corridor, smooth and featureless stone for both floor and wall. No time for confusion quite yet, Twilight. We’ll ask ourselves where we are later.

“Fluttershy? Rarity? Pinkie?”

No answers. She frowned into the darkness, and decided to illuminate her surroundings—perhaps there would a door somewhere, or some sort of sign as to her whereabouts. She summoned light.

Before her, the light revealed a corridor stretching onwards. The walls were featureless and unnaturally smooth. Somehow, it seemed as if the floor and the walls were not quite level, but she chalked it up to nerves to avoid thinking about it.

Behind her was nothing. She sent her little ball of light towards it and like a sheet, the darkness rippled but did not retreat. The illumination was simply wasted.

Twilight backed up, sweat trickling down her forehead. “Rainbow? Rarity? Applejack?”

There was still no answer and Twilight began to retreat from the solid darkness behind. Something warned her not to run yet, not to back away like the void before her was some sort of animal waiting to give chase.

Twilight bit her lip, and swallowed. Don’t excite it. Whatever you do, don’t excite it.

“Fluttershy?” Somepony had to be here with her. Fluttershy had fallen in first, after all.

She began to notice that her voice echoed in strange ways. She heard her voice, and then she heard her voice. As if there were a whole crowd of Twilights whispering in the solid dark. It had to be nerves, it simply had to be.

“Fluttershy brought this with her. This is the dream.”

“Big Mac? Macintosh, where are you?”

She couldn’t keep staring into the void. She turned and set off at a brisk trot, and around her she heard voices whisper. Some of them were her own, calling for her friends and her teacher. She heard Macintosh’s voice calling for her, asking her to come back. She heard him out there, somewhere, and it took all of her will to keep from calling out. To keep from running. It was an illusion. A trick.

Nothing around her changed. The walls and the floor were all the same. The ceiling above was shrouded in complete darkness. The voices were getting louder and louder, and now they almost seemed real.

“Princess, ya gotta let me come. I need her. I gotta go through.” That was Big Mac. He sounded like he was right in front of her.

All around her, she felt something. It was like the air wasn’t air at all. Like it was a heavy blanket, wet and cold and all it wanted was to fall upon her so she would be still and so she wouldn’t run when the dark came.

“Yes, I could use an extra pair of eyes. Are you ready? Good, then we’ll go.” Celestia.

She heard a roaring wind, but did not feel it pulling at her like it had before. Celestia and Big Mac were shouting over it as she stumbled ever faster.

“Macintosh, do you see her? We’re high up here, I know. I can’t get any higher!”

“No, yer highness, nothin’. I can hardly see at all!”

They were coming! Her beloved was coming! She could almost feel his warm, safe hooves around her as he wrapped her up in one of his best hugs. She could almost smell him. Her coat felt electric. The walls around her seemed to swim, and the gale somewhere in the darkness intensified.

Stars. Twilight, you have to get ahold of yourself. This is so obviously a trick of... of something! Where is this place? Where am I?

“Macintosh? Macintosh! I think… I need to get closer. Can you stand it?”

Yes! He had to; Twilight needed him. It would all be like a bad dream that he’d kiss away, or a quick walk in the winter dark. He’d chase away the chill in her bones.

“I… It’s Twilight, so I’m game. But it’s so cold.”

Divided. In her mind Twilight was screaming, It’s not real! It’s so obviously not real! It doesn’t sound like Mac at all! It’s not how he would talk. It’s a trap! It’s a game! But her hooves were moving on. Mind and body had parted ways. She felt like the corridor was small, like she barely fit and it was squeezing in on her as she picked up speed.

“It’s so cold, Princess.”

She was in a dead sprint now, and she knew that she was going mad in this long hall. “Macintosh!” She was bawling now. How could he be cold? He was always warm. Somehow it drove her mad, the strange twist in his voice. Stars,it sounds so real though! So real. Just like him.

“Too fast! Macintosh, Macintosh! Luna, pull me up! Luna, He knows! He’s in here, he’s left Canterlot, he’s here! Pull—“

“Cold...” Macintosh’s low, rumbling voice whimpered in the dark somewhere above her head.

She screamed and tripped. The stone that had once seemed so smooth now seemed like sandpaper; she could feel it tearing at her as she slid. Twilight picked herself back up. It was all fake. It had to be. There was no way she’d hear them, if the Princess and her fiance had truly tried to rescue her. It had to be some sort of sick enchantment.

Macintosh murmured but she tried not to listen. It felt like she ran for hours.