Chapter 1: You Will Fail
A flicker of vibrant flame stemming from a small tower of wax illuminated the barren plane of a simple wooden desk top. Books, pieces of parchment -- both rolled into scrolls, and laid out into typical rectangular sheets -- and a cylinder of wood holding several writing utensils -- all of the same type, this being the quill -- as well as several ink jars that laid to the right of the cylinder, were all in shining view, the light of the flicker splashing the objects in a wave of yellow sheen. There was, however, only one being in that period of existence to have the ability to gander upon the lighted ones. This one being was of equine characteristics; it was a pony, to be spot on. The being was one of the many that resided in the land of Equestria; or, rather, the town of Ponyville. This pony was known as Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight was a female -- a mare, to utilize the correct terminology -- whose qualities were rather abnormal, but abnormal in the best way. She bore a horn upon her head, as well as wings attached to her back. She was known as an alicorn, a creature that possessed the qualities of a unicorn, and a pegasus. This meant that she was a princess in her land. It had not always been this way, however. There was a time when she was simply a student of a princess, rather than a princess herself. She had worked her way up to the glistening reward of social opulence that was known as becoming one of the crown, she having had to learn the magic that laid within the concept of the common relationship that all beings have shared with one another known, this being friendship.
Twilight sat upon a fluffed pillow of crimson, her eyes of the color amethyst gazing into an open work of literature that sat among the illuminated desk, the only light in the vicinity being that one flicker. The illumination even reached her coat of fur, it showing to the lonely air that her fur was that of a wild mulberry, or maybe a light lavender. This flame also gave visible heed to the mare's mane, leaving her tail of the same color scheme in the darkness. Her mane was also abnormal, which might not be too surprising to any that viewed her. The structure of hair follicles oozed organization. It did not flail about as most structures of the same material wished to do. No, this one was in a rectangular, and straightened order, it still obviously being what it was, but it being set in a way that kept it from flowing freely. Its flow was in the control of the beholder, this being Twilight. It's color was that of a midnight blue, with two congenital highlights colored in. The first of these highlights was violet, it being followed by the second -- hot pink -- lying adjacent to it. These two stripes laid directly beside the right of Twilight's horn, them running down the entirety of her mane.
The book being read by Twilight was a novel that went by the name of Disorder in the Kingdom of the Lonely. This was a tale of kingdom that laid in a fantasy land titled Bodom, the land being of complete gray. The beings that resided in it were gray, as well as all of the land, and buildings. Even the princess of the land was infected by the dullness. However, one day, she gains color, and she becomes absolutely overwhelmed with happiness. When the rest of the land notices, she becomes, to some, a beacon of hope, and to others, a pester that should be removed from the throne. Twilight had read the book several times, and she always loved every little word that her eyes came across. As she sat, and read, she bore a smile upon her face, it being the most innocent of them. Twilight knew this book so well, that she could recite every little detail with crystal clarity.
Her location during that time was in her home. Her home -- whether it be considered devotion to a hobby, the only place that was available, or obsession with the works that filled it -- was a library. The establishment itself was literally one with nature. The library was built into a large -- but not massive -- tree. This tree was rather average, the only thing separating it from the rest of the wooded life forms that laid beyond it was the fact that it was converted into not only a location for literature of practically all types, but a home as well. The official name of the library was, "The Golden Oakes Library", but in the town, it was simply known as, "The Library." The home was essentially a gift by the princess that she had studied under before, the princess being the keeper of the solar circle in the day's sky, otherwise known as Princess Celestia.
The desk occupied by Twilight sat a bit away from the bed that she slept on. It was an interesting setup, with her bedroom essentially being the second portion of the library, which sat near the location's balcony. She was surrounded by darkness, with even the light of the moon that laid outside of her window not doing much at all to pierce it. The only thing that did so manage to work through, as previously mentioned, was the candle that sat on the upper left of the desk's top.
Twilight was on the last page of the book, which presented its familiar self with satisfying conclusion. As she read those last few words, she felt that feeling that one gets when a story ends in the appropriate note. As she read these last words, she could not help but recite them vocally, with her voice emitting, and breaking the silence that also shrouded the room.
"And the kingdom was to live in a scale of complete color for all time...." As these words came to audible range, she gave a satisfied sigh of happiness, before she closed the book, leaving the work's bottom to be in her view. She utilized her magical ability to simply flip the book over, letting its black leather covering to present itself onto the world. The title of the book was shown in golden cursive, as if the book itself knew of its grand quality.
Twilight let the location of her fore-legs' joints sit upon the portion of the desk that laid to the front edge, as if they were elbows, as she propped her head upon the hooves of said forelegs. She let out another sigh, this one of uncertainty. She was lost in what her next task was going to be. She was not tired at all. She knew not the time of night, but she really did not care. Her mind reeled with ideas of what to occupy her time with.
She thought that a viable option might be to read another book. She looked to her desk, which had only but one book upon it at that time. She could have sworn that there were more, but she had to of been mistaken. She did not feel up to the task of exiting her comfortable sitting position to retrieve another book, so, the thought was precluded. She then came up with the idea of possibly performing the act of organizing some of her many scrolls, but as she thought of this, a mental reminder stating that she had already completed this task came to her mind, which threw that idea out of the metaphorical window.
A small flash of light came into reality to the right of her, it being near the entrance to the balcony. This snapped her out of her thought process, she looking over to gaze upon what had caused it. However, as she looked over, nothing was there. She looked in that one area for a short time, she bearing a look of confusion upon her face as she stared at the area. There only sat a wall of wood, just as the rest of the walls in her home were crafted of. She simply thought it to be her imagination, even though the thought of what it could have possibly been never fully exited her mind. She looked over to where her bed was located, she questioning whether or not she should retire for the night, and rest. As she did, the flash once again presented itself. However, the flash did not fade away.
It sat in the location where it had first been. The light was in the shape of a ball that laid dormant in its chosen spot. It was that of completely white. There was not form of discoloration within it. A slight mist traveled behind it, it looking to be much like a tail of the same color. Despite its slight mist-like quality, it somehow took the color of its lead.
Twilight looked back to the location of the light, she staring at the ball with both awe, and confusion. It gave off a feeling of cleanliness. Complete, honest good will's shining incarnate. It gave off not typical emotion, rather a combination of all that could be innocently splendid. She wished to speak, but she could not. The sight of it gave her a feeling that she had felt many times before, whilst it being one that she could never truly grasp until this moment, despite her inability to pair it with any type of terminology.
As Twilight gazed upon the true essence of light, she heard it speak. Its words were uttered in the most firm of ways. No evil laid in this being's voice. It was the voice of any character that one might meet, yet it contained the tenor of a god.
"You will fail." It had spoken.
Twilight was completely confused. Her look of awe, and shock, morphed into pure perplexity. She had to question it.
"What..?"
"You will fail."
The reiteration of the previous statement helped none.
"Fail?"
"It has been, and always will be, your duty to fail."
She felt slightly insulted by this being. She had failed before, but she had also succeeded in many things that she wished to do. She was a princess, that being a prime example.
"Fail wha-?"
"It will always be you who fails, no matter the victory count."
Anger slowly engulfed her thought, it taking over the greatness of the previous emotion that occupied her mental state.
"Fail wha-?!"
"The will of life say it to be so, and thus, it will be."
"You aren't making any sen-!"
"Duty contains no logic. Only truth."
She went silent, she bearing a ferocity that she wished to let out, but for some strange reason, she felt not the true desire to unleash it. It was something that she felt would be regretted. Plus, it was not like she would have been able to get a word in. The being was cutting her off in every counter statement.
"Do you wish to know of your purpose, Twilight Sparkle?"
Twilight was not all that surprised when the being to her front spoke of her name. She somehow felt as if it would know of it.
After its last statement, it remained completely silent. It did not move, or speak. It became apart of the scene around it, despite it standing out from the darkness in the largest way possible, and possibly even more. It's placid, laconic composure brought out an anxiety within Twilight. She arose from her crimson pillow, as if the emotion she then currently felt propelled her from the fluffed seat. She took a couple steps towards the center of the room, as she took a quick look around her room. As she stopped in the middle, she saw that the light emitting from the desk had vanished. The desk have vanished. The entirety of her bedroom, and everything around her, fell into black. She still felt the wooden floor beneath her, and she could still see the being of white. The floor, however, was not to be seen. Only felt.
Twilight gazed upon the being of white with another form of confusion. She wondered if it was awaiting an answer from her. It continued its state of stillness, which made Twilight feel an even stronger sense of nervousness come to her. She finally decided to answer the question with what she deemed befitting of the question. She was a creature of curiosity, after all.
"...Yes."
After she stated her answer, the being did nothing. Its dormancy stayed its course. However, after a moment of wait, the being faded into the darkness behind it, leaving Twilight to be engulfed by pitch black.
A feeling of fear crept over her, as she searched for any source of light frantically. Before she could completely panic, though, another light came. This was an even brighter, and larger light, which made Twilight have to squint in order to avoid damaging her eyes. Her eyes adjusted to the sight quickly, however, as the figure of the light came into view.
What was in front of her then was a door of pure white, its color being the same as the being that occupied the area before. It bore no other distinguishing quality. It was a rather average door, in terms of figure, and architecture.
After a brief moment of wait, the door began to slowly open, revealing an entrance of pure white. Its passage shined brighter than the door, but in this case, Twilight, somehow, needed not a change in looking upon the door. She could view the majesty of the passage in complete normality.
As the door completely opened, Twilight felt a wave of confusion come back to her. She could not fathom why this was happening, or why it was happening then. However, as her mind began to wander, it was cut off by the voice of the being.
"Enter, and see the truth of your existence."
Twilight felt the ground underneath her change. It no longer felt of wood, but it felt of nothing. She felt as if she was floating, but she knew that she was not. She tapped her hoof on the ground, as she looked down to it, and while she felt nothing, a sound of marble being tapped upon filled the air. It did not boom, but it was much like a pin dropping upon the ground of an area of pure silence. Completely audible.
Twilight looked back up to the door, her mind's gears once again going into overdrive. She felt as if she should go. She felt the want to go. However, she also felt a slight feeling of future regret come as well. As her emotions mixed, she felt a slight tug on her. Not a physical tug, but a mental one. It was as if the door was truly beckoning her. She decided to finally enter the door. As she stepped towards it, the sound of her hooves echoed throughout the area. It got louder, and louder, up until she stopped at the door, her face greeting the light of it. She heard nothing. It was as if she had went completely deaf. She even looked back to the ground, and tapper her hoof as she had done before, but to her slight dismay, she could hear nothing. Her eyes traveled back to the light, as she took one step back from it.
She felt fear come over her, but quickly dispel, as she stared into the entrance. It beckoned her once more, and as it did, she felt as if she had no choice but to step forward.
With a slight form of reluctance, she stepped into the door's passage. She felt herself be pulled into the door, her entire body going through it. Sound returned to her, but the sound she heard was a loud ringing. It was not a sound of harm, but it was a sound of annoyance. She wished to cover her ears, but she could not. Her entire vision was transformed into pure light, as if she had entered a land of nothing. She found herself turn around, without her control, only to see the door that she had entered close, and remove all sight of black from her view. She was turned away from the door, her eyes seeing another door. It was a door of complete black, unlike the door she had entered. It opened, pulling her into the void of darkness that it did lead to.