Chapter 4 - From Darkness to Light

Author's note: Wow, Matt's back with a new chapter already?! Well, guess what? I am back already! First off, it's response time!

XXCandyLoverXX, thanks for the review! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. As for your question, remember that I wrote this story a very long time ago, so of course I know when a certain blue hedgehog and yellow sea sponge will appear. It'll be a lot sooner than you think. Now, on with the story!

The steel-walled hallway seemed to go on forever and ever. It was just a straight path with no visible end in sight, and when I tried banging on the steel walls with my fists to find out what they felt like, the hollow sound echoed all the way down the corridor.

All I could do while walking was to mentally ask some questions about the purpose of this maze, what was still to come, and when it will end (if ever). I wasn't going to get any of the answers I wanted anytime soon, guaranteed.

I suddenly tripped over a single downwards step, falling flat on my back as the floor began to slope downwards. I was sent down a short slide and into a room that measured exactly ten feet by ten feet. The walls, floor, and ceiling were covered with wallpaper painted in a black-and-white checkered pattern. Suddenly, a lock clicked behind me. Instinctively, I tried to open the door where the slide ended, but the doorknob would not turn whatsoever. I crossed over to the next door, and my attempt to open it was fruitless as well. I couldn't go forwards, and I couldn't go backwards. I was trapped like an insect in an airtight jar.

"What on Earth?" I tried the first door again, then the second. Both were locked. "What do I do now? Maybe there's a code I need to enter…" I murmured, scanning the walls. The room was all walls and floor. I scanned the checkered ceiling above me, but it offered precisely zero hints on how to escape.

"This is so stupid!" I shouted angrily. I stared at the second door, and then a quote came to my mind. "Open sesame." Nothing happened. "Hey, isn't it the same as 'open, says me?'"

A crackling sound shot through the air like thunder. The floor opened up beneath me, sending me spiraling downwards into a vortex.

Down, down, down I went, through this black-and-white swirling vortex, a hurricane of optical illusions you could almost say, before landing on a soft cushion.

Faaaaaarrrrt!

I burst out laughing upon realizing that it was actually a gigantic whoopee cushion!

Once I regained my composure, I stood up and dusted myself off before continuing onward to the next door.


The next room was so dark that I couldn't see anything, that is, until a spotlight shined down from way up above. It revealed a red, car-like robot with four wheels, and at the front was a massive drill! The drill began to spin and the robot drove itself straight towards me! I jumped upwards and landed on top of the robot, and a wheel fell off, rolling across the floor before bumping into a wall, where it tipped onto its side. I jumped onto the robot again, and another wheel fell off. I jumped onto it a third time, and now that three of its four wheels were gone, the robot couldn't drive itself properly. Sparks flew out from underneath as its bare undercarriage scraped across the floor, and the drill came loose. Determined to get this over with, I jumped on top of the robot once again, and it quickly caught fire as it began to self-destruct. I bolted away from the flames. Even at a distance, the heat from the flames was too much to bear, but the sprinklers in the ceiling engaged and successfully put out the fire.

"That last robot reminded me of the boss fight with Dr. Robotnik from Emerald Hill Zone!" I grinned just as I opened the door to the next room.

Inside this area was a front-loading washing machine, and the entire drum was lined with razor-sharp spikes! The Evil Washing Machine slowly moved itself towards me as its drum rotated at an extremely high speed, and I suddenly felt scared because I knew that if I fell in, the spikes would grind me into human hamburger in just a matter of seconds.

I raced around the room, trying to find anything I could use against the out-of-control appliance, and it wasn't long before I spotted a brick lying on the floor. I picked it up and threw it into the drum. The washing machine's center of gravity became displaced as a result, and the appliance literally began to shake itself apart! I smiled with glee as bits and pieces were flying everywhere, and eventually the drum came to a stop while the electric motor continued to whine. I followed the path of the electrical wire, and upon locating the outlet, I yanked the cord out, cutting the power to the Evil Washing Machine. The next door automatically opened, and I entered a small, dark room about the size of a jail cell. To my surprise, there were not one, but two keys floating in front of me this time! There were also two doors ahead of me, and either key would unlock one of them.

The left key began to shimmer.

"This is the Light Key," a voice said to me. "The left door is ready to be unlocked and opened."

The right key also began to shimmer.

"This is the Evil Key. The right door is ready to be unlocked and opened."

"Well, I've had enough with these 'evil' enemies for now, so I'll choose the Light Key," I said, taking it in my hand. I pushed it into the keyhole and rotated the key to unlock the door, before pushing the door open.


Foliage greeted me as I entered the next area, called Sunny Gardens. It was a warm, bright room filled with beautiful flowers and ornate stone fountains that spouted crystal-clear water, and the pleasant scents and sounds gave me a very peaceful feeling inside. For once, a section of this maze that did not threaten to kill me at every turn.

My lips were chapped from thirst, so I walked up to one of the fountains and slurped up as much water as I possibly could. Even though water doesn't usually have any sort of flavor, it seemed to taste really good. Then again, it was doing a wonderful job of quenching my thirst so maybe that was the reason. When I was finished, I licked my lips in satisfaction, and continued down a cobblestone path until I reached a large, octagonal room with wooden Adirondack chairs positioned against each of the walls. I sat down on one of them, to relax. A small section of the floor opened up in front of me, and a glass table that was absolutely loaded with food rose up from it. In addition, a flat screen TV descended from the ceiling!

The first thing I ate looked and smelled exactly like a sandwich from Subway. It was still warm, as if the toaster oven was located right underneath. Flavor exploded in my mouth as I bit into the monstrous sub. I grabbed the remote and changed the channel to Discovery, losing myself in an episode of MythBusters.

While watching the show, I ate the rest of the sub, and then a huge plate of sushi appeared, as well as a pile of crackers, vegetables, boneless fried chicken, deli meat, and many different kinds of cheese. And best of all, as the MythBusters episode neared its end, a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies, fresh out of the oven, was summoned towards me. Each cookie had the perfect, melt-in-your-mouth consistency that you could only get from homemade baking. I then noticed a glass of ice-cold milk nearby, and I dunked my next cookie into the glass before savoring it.

As much as I hated to think about it, all good things have to come to an end. After I finished the last cookie and drank the rest of the milk, the table disappeared back into the floor, and the TV rose back up into the ceiling. A gate that was practically covered with roses creaked open, and after turning a corner, I found myself in a dim room, with a key floating in midair.

"This is the Frog Key," the same voice as always spoke to me. "The door has been unlocked."

"It was nice that I finally had the time to relax for a change," I said with a smile as I took the next key in my hand. "But what a strange name for a key, though. The Frog Key? Is that going to unlock a room with gigantic amphibians who will want to eat me? Better not!"

I steeled myself as I reached the opposite end of this room, where the next door was all that blocked my path. I unlocked the door with the key before crossing the threshold.

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it was on the short side, but the next one will be longer. Feel free to review, and stay tuned for the next chapter, where either SpongeBob or Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles will appear! Who do you think will be introduced first? Leave your answer in the reviews!