A World of Color

One question. One answer. One way to find out.

The question: What is color?

The answer: To be determined.

The way to find out: Leave the barrier. Leave the grey world. Explore new frontiers.

What would it be like to leave this world and enter a world of color? A world not only of color but of emotion. What would it mean to leave behind the monotony, the blank, emotionless void? Would we finally feel something? Would we understand love, happiness, even sorrow? Would urgency finally stir within us, compelling us to cherish the important moments, or would we remain as we are—void shells of creatures, condemned to indifference?

There’s only one way to know.

I hesitated for a moment, claws trembling as they hovered near the barrier. A thin veil separated the two worlds—this one, bleak and colorless, and the other, alive and unknowable. It pulsed faintly, rippling like water as if responding to my hesitation. I drew in a breath I wasn’t even sure I could feel. Then, finally, I pressed one claw into the barrier. It was cold at first, almost sharp, but then it softened, warm and inviting, pulling me in.

Another claw.

Then my hooves, tentative and careful.

Step by step, I crossed the threshold, until I stood fully on the other side.

I froze.

It hit me all at once. Color. Is that what this was? My senses were overwhelmed. It was vibrant, brilliant, and infinite. Shades I couldn’t name danced before me, weaving into one another like rivers of light. I reached out to touch a tree, its bark rough and solid beneath my claws, and I could feel the texture in ways I’d never experienced before. The bark was dark and rich, but the leaves—they shimmered in hues I had no words for.

And that wasn’t all. There was something else. A strange sensation bloomed in my chest, like a wave rising and crashing against a shoreline. It wasn’t physical pain or discomfort—it was...warmth? Was this an emotion? Was I beginning to feel?

I stepped further, deeper into this world of color and sensation. I listened. I heard. There was music here, not the dull hum of the grey world but a symphony of sounds: the rustle of leaves, the distant chirping of creatures, and something softer, gentler—the breeze itself seemed alive.

For the first time, I felt...alive.

But along with the joy and awe came questions. Could I stay? Would this world accept me, or would I be cast back into the void of grey? And if I stayed, what else would I feel? Would happiness and wonder give way to fear or sadness?

I didn’t know.

But as I stood there, surrounded by light, sound, and sensation, I knew one thing: it was better to feel something—anything—than to return to the emptiness.

And so I walked forward, leaving the grey behind forever.

It felt warm and wonderful, but still, I felt longing—a kind of longing I’d never felt before. The world of color swirled around me, vivid and alive, yet I felt as though I was on the outside, looking in. The golden hues of sunlight, the soft blush of the flowers, and the deep greens of the trees felt like a dream. My heart ached, not from sadness but from an emptiness I couldn’t place.

It was as if something—or someone—was missing. A piece of myself, lost in the swirling cascade of colors. The warmth on my skin was gentle, but it didn’t reach the cold place in my chest. I wanted to reach out, to touch the beauty around me, to feel it fully. But no matter how much I tried, it remained just out of reach, as though the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for something.

Then, in the distance, a faint sound—like the whisper of a melody—drew me forward. It was haunting and beautiful, threading through the kaleidoscope of color, calling to me. My hooves moved on their own, following the sound through the ethereal haze. With every step, the longing grew stronger, and sharper, until it was almost unbearable.

What was I seeking? Who was I waiting for?

My eyes began seeing something familiar—a silhouette. A shape I knew deep in my soul but couldn’t yet place. I didn’t think those existed here, in this realm of swirling colors and boundless light. Silhouettes belonged to the grey world, the place I thought I’d left behind forever. Yet, there it was, standing stark and clear against the vibrant backdrop.

My pulse quickened, and before I realized it, I was running, hooves pounding against the soft, dewy grass. The rhythm echoed in my ears like the heartbeat of the earth itself. The figure didn’t move—didn’t flinch—as if it were waiting for me, rooted in this place. My breath came in hurried bursts, every step carrying me closer to the shape that tugged so fiercely at my heart.

Who was it? Could it be… them? The one I’d been missing? Longing for?

The closer I got, the more the air seemed to shift, crackling with an energy that made my skin tingle. I could see more now—the outline of their shoulders, the gentle tilt of their head. The way they stood, was so familiar, so achingly right, yet I still couldn’t see their face. It was as though the world itself refused to reveal them until the very last moment.

“Who are you?” I called out, my voice trembling with hope and fear. The wind caught my words and carried them away, but the figure remained still, waiting. I stopped in place, my breath catching as I called out again, louder this time, my voice echoing through the endless expanse. “Who are you?” The words trembled as they left my lips, carried by a breeze that seemed to hum with anticipation.

The figure stood motionless for a heartbeat—just long enough for doubt to creep into my chest, tightening it like a vice. But then, they moved. Slowly, deliberately, they turned around.

The world seemed to hold its breath, the colors around me dimming as if to focus all the light on them. My heart thundered in my chest as I watched, desperate for answers yet terrified of what I’d find. Their features began to take shape, the blurred edges sharpening into clarity.

First, I saw their eyes, deep pools of something familiar—too familiar. They were like fragments of a memory I couldn’t fully grasp, but they struck me with such force that my legs almost buckled. Their expression was calm yet tinged with something… something like recognition.

“Do I know you?” My voice cracked, barely above a whisper now.

They stepped closer, the distance between us shrinking. The air seemed heavier with each step they took, charged with something I couldn’t explain. When they finally spoke, their voice was soft, like the sound of a forgotten melody being played again for the first time.

“You do,” they said. "And I know you." The figure wrapped its arms around me, the embrace felt comforting...a comfort I had never known before...this was it...the world of color...