The History of Crimson Shadow and the Origins of the Pastby Crimson_ShadowbaneChaptersPrologue 1Prologue 2Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6EpilogueThe Amulet of the EmperorPrologue 1All ponies dream - but not equally it seems. For those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was simply vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous ponies, for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible. This I did. And I destroyed the world. I am a pony who is without a talent and furthermore searching for my name. Will I ever find it? I may never know, but until that day, I am always searching for myself, my name, and my destiny. Equestria has a darker past than anypony truly knows. Many millennia ago, the world was more evil and corrupt than one could possibly imagine. With the help of 6 pony heroins, the land was made peaceful. However, this peace would not last forever. For the evil they they defeated was only temporarily imprisoned and was doomed to return. It was only a matter of time. It all started many millenia before I was born. There was once a great kingdom with no name that was ruled by a mare who was considered to be the greatest ruler known to ponydom: Empress. She ruled the land with a kind and compassionate heart, much like Princess Celestia does today. She was loved by everypony and hated by nopony. There was however one sad thing about her. She could not conceive an offspring. She had tried many times without any results which drove her into a deep depression. This was when her court adviser suggested she try and create a pony artificially with magic to be her successor. At first Empress was against it saying that life was precious and should not go against nature. But as time passed and Empress grew older, she started to see that it was the only way she would ever have a filly to call her own. How was she going to do this? A spell was never created to acquire such a feat as to create life in this manner. She was determined to have a little one to call her own, so she decided to try and create one. After many years of trial and error, she finally perfected the spell and used it to create herself a child. However for some reason the spell went awry and instead of one young pony being created, two were. Twins to be exact. One a stallion, the other a mare and bother were of alicornian decent much like Empress. The stallion had a black color to his coat that slowly faded to white near his hooves, nose, feather tips and ears and his mane and tail were a fiery green while his eyes were a scarlet red. She promptly named him Chinters Will. The mare was the opposite of the stallion, having the brightest white coat that faded to a soft sky blue near her hooves, nose, feather tips and ears with beautifully flowing prism of a mane and tail going from orange at her head and flank, fading to a nebulan pink, then to a deep astral-lunarian blue. Then there were her eyes. They were the most beautiful silvery-blue eyes that Empress had ever seen. She was named Morning Star. What Empress didn't know at first was not only did they differ in gender, but also in personality. The mare's was that of Empress herself: kind, loving, compassionate, and willing to put others before herself. But the stallion was a different story. He was pure evil. Wanted only to torment and destroy everything just to get what he wanted. He despised everypony that didn't share his evil views, especially Empress and Morning Star. He found kindness a plague to all ponies and sought to rid the world of it. As the two fillies grew older, their personalities really showed. Morning Star reflected Empress's love and compassionate personality while Chinters acted more and more like a tyrant every year. Eventually as all things do in time, Empress passed on and left the kingdom all to Morning Star. This angered Chinters greatly, believing that the stallion should run the kingdom and that mares were foals and weak. He then left the kingdom and created his own kingdom, separating the land in half, North and South. The North was then dubbed as the Crystal Empire by Morning Star and her subjects while the south was claimed as the Shadow Realm by Chinters. Out of spite, Chinters changed his name to Shadowbane as to be the bane of all things kind and good, and began to title himself as Emperor as an insult to Empress, his mother. As his mother was a symbol for kindness and love, he would tarnish that title and bring it to ruin. Morning Star was forced to create a bordering wall to her kingdom so as no pony with impure hearts could enter her kingdom. As time went on, the recently self crowned Emperor Shadowbane gathered an army of followers who shared his dark desires and went to attack his sister's kingdom in the north. He failed, each and every time and grew angry. Many years go by and Shadowbane and Morning Star both grew older and mature. Shadowbane decided to finish the fight once and for all and decide who would be the true ruler of the entire land, and to save her people, Morning star agreed to this fight. But it was a trap. Shadowbane had created a secret spell and when they both met on the neutral fighting ground. Shadowbane was losing horribly and when he was about to be defeated he used his secret spell on them both and they both vanished. This dumbfounded all the ponies who witnessed the event. What had actually happened was that the spell turned the two ponies into spirits. From there two new species of ponies were created. The Stallions of Shadow species were created from Shadowbane's spirit, while the Mares of Magic were created from the spirit of Morning Star. These two species were able to be possessed by the spirits of the Emperor and Princess but there was a catch. They had to enter the pony upon conception and they could not leave until that pony passed away, forcing them to only exist every other generation. Also, they could not take control of the ponies until the pony reached the age of twenty one. On top of that, the biggest catch was that Shadowbane could only possess colts of the Stallions of Shadows and Morning Star, mares of the Mares of Magic. Despite the actual names, both genders existed in each race. Many millennia have now passed and new countries have been created. Saddle Arabia, Equestria, and many others while the Crystal Empire and Shadow Realm remained untouched for that whole time, each country living their lives their own ways. Since that time the lives of all the ponies everywhere seemed peaceful. And the rest is, well, history. Author's Note This Prologue is set to set the history of the characters of my story. This is not based on cannon, but is setting up for my storyline IN the cannon universe Prologue 2Once upon a time in the middle of a great forrest. There existed a kingdom where the ponies known as the Shadow Ponies lived. Their very existence was a mystery to the rest of the world, obscured as it was by great trees. Here they played out their peaceful lives, innocent of the litany of excess and violence that was growing in the world outside. To live in harmony against the spirit of the race called Shadowbane was enough. Then one day, an evil monster named Discord arrived in the town. He came in camouflage, hidden behind a kind visage, but nopony noticed him. They only saw shadows. You see, without the Truth of the Eyes, the Shadow Ponies were blind. Falling out of sight and hiding in plain view, waiting for the sunset to come and for the ponies to go home and rest, he would jump out from behind them and make them disappear. Now everypony is dancing the dance of the forgotten. In time, Discord found his way into the deeper recesses of the city, and it was there that he found caves of unimaginable Sincerity and Beauty. By chance he came upon the Place Where All Good Souls Come To Rest. Discord coveted the jewels he found in these caves above all things, and soon he began to mine them, its rich seam fueling the chaos of his own world. Meanwhile the Shadow Ponies slept restlessly, their dreams invaded by a shadowy figure that began digging away at their souls. Every day the ponies would awaken and stare into the forrest. Why was it bringing darkness into their lives now after all these years of peace? As Discord mined deeper and deeper into the caves, holes began to appear, bringing with them cold and bitter wind that chilled the very soul of the Emperor. For the first time, the Shadow Ponies felt fearful for they knew that soon the Emperor would stir from his deep sleep. And then it came: a sound. Distant at first, it grew into catastrophe so immense it could be heard far away in space. There were no screams. There was no time. The emperor, Shadowbane had finally spoken. There was only darkness. And then...Nothingness. Oh forgotten kingdom in the forrest, your time has come to see there's nothing you believe you want; but where were you when it all came down on me? Is it now, after so many years, that you finally call upon somepony to save the kingdoms from certain destruction and genocide? If you do not mind, I wish to tell you the story about my past. It is not only my past, but it is also part of Equestria's history. This story is that of Equestria's true beginnings, the discovery of the Elements of Harmony by Princess Celestia and Luna, and the secrets that were hidden for so many years by the very pony you all look up to today. I ask you though: Do you believe it is worth telling this story at all? Will you even believe the things I will tell you? And with what Celestia has knowingly told you, would you even be able to see the truth that is hidden in plain sight; the secrets she has hidden away for so long? All I ask is that you keep an open mind, for what I am about to tell you may change your opinions forever. There are many sides to every story. History is the fiction we invent to persuade ourselves that events are knowable and that life has order and direction. And as always, history is always doomed to repeat itself. What I am telling you is my side of the events that unfolded a thousand years ago. I have not told this story to anypony in quite a long time. Truth be told, it feels good to finally tell it. My name is Crimson Shadow and this is my story. Author's Note This is the second prologue on a narrative based level that my character reads. So this is based on him telling the story of his past when he was a filly. Chapter 1I was once the prince of a race of ponies that were said to be born of the shadows and be descendants of the evil spirit emperor, Shadowbane. My racelived in a place that is known today as the Everfree Forrest. But back when I was around, it was called the Shadow Realm. That is why it is assumed to not be a part of Equestria to begin with. It was the capital of my family's kingdom and race. We lived there because it was a place filled with the energy we ponies needed to live on: pure darkness. Some ponies believe that it was actually a portal into the realm of darkness itself. We were a proud race that housed all species; unicorn, pegasi, and even earth ponies. But the royal family consisted of mystical alicorns; a combination of both unicorn and pegasus. When it came to things like violence or sadness or anger, my race tried to avoid it as much as possible. I will explain why later. If anything, we were more pacifistic. My race was more well known for forging than fighting; even to defend our own borders. We could forge practically anything from armors and weapons to enchanted amulets that helped control one's magic more efficiently or boosted one's magical prowess to unimaginable levels. Our only limit was our imaginations. I even had my own amulet that my parents had given me as a gift when I was a little filly. They told me it would help me control my powers when I grew up. How wrong they were. I lost it long ago and have no clue what happened to it. I hear whispers and rumors that it is now being called the 'Alicorn Amulet' by some of the Equestrians, though I do not know if it is my own amulet until I see it for myself. If it is Shadowbane must have cast it away before we....Sorry. I am getting a bit ahead of myself. Where was I? Ah yes! I lived in the royal castle with my father, mother, and older sister and had many friends, especially the royal adviser named Anpu Ra. To this day I still do not know how to pronounce it properly. It was his job to make sure that everything went smoothly around the kingdom whenever my parents were unavailable to do so. He was a great alicorn stallion, standing tall. He looked so large to me at my small size. If I remember correctly his special talent was the ability to bring life. I do not remember the full extent of his abilities but he was just as powerful as my parents. I was glad to call him my friend. He was also my teacher, teaching me basic reading and writing and some general magic such as levitation and teleportation. He had an old saying. Lets see if I can remember it. Hmmmm.... Ah Right!: "There are always four directions through time. You can take take two steps North into the unsettled future, South into the unquiet past, East into the present day, or West into the great unknown." Despite me being a prince and all, every pony treated me so nicely and welcomed me without fear. I had this one particular friend who I played with as often as I could. His name was Willow Freemane. He was my best friend and a unicorn. But during one time that we played together, he accidentally fell on his head and his horn broke in half. After that he styled his mane to cover what was left of his horn and a flower blooms from the tip. This makes him look like just any other earth pony, but he was far from it. His magic, from what I remember, was earth based in nature. He could make flowers bloom anywhere, even in the most non-fertile soil. I even had a little dragon friend. His name was Blacktail. He was a small purple dragon with well....a black tail. He was awesome and the greatest friend anypony could ever ask for. My family knew him since he was a little hatchling. He was also extremely smart. Smarter than me. His only real draw back, though, was that his eating habits were...well...a bit excessive. He ate every jewel he came in contact with. It was a surprise the guy was not the size of a house with how much he consumed. Either way, he was a great companion to have and he went with me everywhere I went. All in all I had a fairly good start to my life. Even though this one only lasted for five years. On my fifth birthday, while the kingdom celebrated, a major tragedy entered, not only my life, but the lives of all the ponies in the kingdom and Equestria. A beast, known as a dragonequus entered our lands. He called himself Discord, The Lord of Chaos, and without even a simple warning he started wiping out my race right in front of our eyes, laughing as he did so. I found out later that he was scared of the shadow ponies; of what our species was capable of. I still do not know what we were truly capable of, but if this monster had to wipe them out because of it, it must have been powerful. With my parent's orders, the captain of the royal guard, Sombra, was told to help me escape. Blacktail, of course, was right behind, not wanting to leave my side. I do not know what happened to my sister or Willow as they were lost in the commotion. I never saw what happened to them. Sombra brought us to my parent's royal chambers and activated a secret entrance that led to a passage out of the kingdom. I said that we should wait for my parents, to make sure that they got out with us. He fought me on this, but I had to use my royal position to force him to stay put. He reluctantly did as he was ordered and we hid, waiting for my parents to arrive and escape with us. As we hid, we saw my parents enter the room, Discord right behind them. I witnessed Discord snuff my parent's lives out of existence. To this day I have been unable to remove that scene from my memories. Discord heard my screams and cries and Sombra pushed us into the secret passage, staying behind to try and fight Discord. I never saw him again. Blacktail helped us escape by leading us out of the secret passage and outside the kingdom into Equestria. To this day I do not know if anypony survived the attack other than myself and Blacktail, but... I am always hoping. Especially for my sister and my friend Willow. Just for a moment, imagine if somewhere there was a group dedicated to hate you for what you do, that otherwise wouldn't be trying to offend anyone. A fine paranoia fuel right there, no? Author's Note Here we go. Chapter one to my storyline. Here we are at the beginning of my character Crimson Shadow. I hope you all enjoy it and please feel free to leave some criticism. I'm trying my hardest to make a great story and I want to turn it into an actual series. Chapter 2Wandering around for hours, we were finally come across by one of the ruler's of Equestria, Princess Luna. I do not remember much during that time because the whole situation of having my parents and race wiped out in front of my eyes put me in a state of madness and shock. Blacktail later told me that I was mumbling and incoherent most of the time. With him doing all the talking, he explained what had just happened to us, to the princess. She then brought us back to her home in Canterlot. It was there we met her older sister, Celestia, and a powerful royal adviser: a unicorn named Starswirl the Bearded. With some discussion between the three of them, they all agreed to take us in and help us out. According to more of what I was told by Blacktail, my madness lasted for quite some time. Almost a whole year, in fact. I did not interact with many ponies, did not eat much, and when I slept, I had nightmares of watching my family and friends die over and over again. I suppose sometimes you just can't help but feel like things are slipping, things that were once cherished start to crumble and fall apart. With some help from Luna, whom I later learned was the princess of the night, Blacktail was able to snap me out of my madness. This is when my memories restarted for me. I'll say this: losing memories is not easy. Amnesia is a terrible thing. I had forgotten all my old friends like Willow and my teacher Ra. I even forgot about my parents and my sister. I made new friends and family from this experience though, especially Princess Luna. I felt closer to her because she and I had more in common than I had with anypony else. I was a shadow pony after all and she was the princess of the night. She practically took me under her wing, treating me so nice and helping me along in my early years. Things were going so well for me. Around the age thirteen, I think, I started hearing rumors about somepony calling himself King Sombra trying to conquer a kingdom in the north called the Crystal Empire. It could not be the same Sombra that helped me escape, could it? At that time I did not remember who he was, but I was the adventurous sort, much like many other ponies are at that age. I had to go see for myself. I was told not to go because it was too dangerous for me at such a young and magically undeveloped age. I called shenanigans on that. Oddly enough....a rather strange pony came to the castle saying he was summoned by me. Huh...weird. I tried sneaking out a few times, never making it past the city walls. I was caught every single time. Eventually Starswirl had enough and put a spell around my room, preventing me from leaving until the situation was resolved. He said that I had to study and be educated for the future. He may have been an old coot...but he took care of me. Chapter 3A couple more years go by and my life is struck with repeated catastrophe. Discord, the Lord of Chaos, came waltzing into Canterlot, much like he did my old home. This was when all my repressed memories come flooding back like a ton of bricks slapping me in the face all at once. And if you do not know how heavy that is....it hurts...a lot! Accompanying those memories came my old state of madness. In this state again, I was locked in my room and kept guarded. Starswirl even put a spell around it so only He, Luna, Celestia and Blacktail could enter. Celestia and Luna both tried confronting this monster, but they both lost and were forced to flee from Canterlot along with me, Starswirl and Blacktail. The closest spot to Canterlot that we could use as a safe haven were the ruins of the old Shadow Pony kingdom in the Shadow Realm. Seeing no other real option, they all agreed. This was where Luna was able to snap me out of my madness once again. After this, our bond grew ever more powerful and closer. With my madness lifted, the five of us all went to the public library and started to do some research into something that could possibly help boost our powers and give us an edge in our future fight against Discord. As I said earlier, the Shadow Pony race was synonymous for making powerful enchanted items. We unfortunately found nothing in the library, so we searched the rest of the city. No such luck. It was so hard to look upon the destroyed homes. This used to be a grand kingdom. And now it is in ruins. I began to cry. My home....my friends...my family....all gone, never to return. To this day I still miss everypony. Blacktail finally suggested that we try looking in the royal chambers; the place where my parents were killed. It was a tough decision for me to go there, but I had to face my dark past eventually, and overcome it. We all proceeded to the royal chambers and found a bunch of books, all useless. We almost gave up hope, that is...until I slumped against a bookshelf and suddenly a latch broke, opening a secret room that I fell into, down a long stair case (Not as fun as you'd think just so ya know). Apparently this special passage could only be opened with the presence of a shadow pony. Such as myself. Once inside this room, I saw that it was filled with thousands of untouched books, some centuries old, that covered hundreds of feet of walls. I called to the group and they all came in after me. We all started looking through as many as we could. Each of us taking a section. Celestia took Armors. Luna, Amulets. Starswirl, Weapons. And Blacktail and I took the biggest section: Experimental Enchantments. We must have spent hours searching through all the books. Almost giving up hope once again, Blacktail suddenly shouts out to us, saying he may have found something. We all go over to him and he starts reading a passage he found about something the book called the Elements of Harmony. It was the most powerful enchanted item to date that ever existed. But there was a catch. They were never found. The book stated that many years ago the 6 original founders of Equestria had to bond together to defeat an evil force, which I assume now was Shadowbane, though I still do not know fully. To defeat this evil they had to sacrifice their bodies to become these Elements themselves. And finally were able to defeat this evil. For a time at least. Blacktail read on that the Elements were found after the evil was banished from the land. They were said to be scattered across the lands to be discovered when they were needed. The main issue was that only the shadow pony race knew where they were. This must have been why Discord attacked my race without warning. If he knew we had the Elements, then he must have wanted to try and destroy them himself so they could not be used against him. These Elements better be worth the heartache I went through. But, the problem was their location was not written down. How were we to find these so-called Elements of Harmony when they have not been seen in hundreds of years. Dead end after dead end. This was starting to get ridiculous. I was getting angry. When this happened, the books started to bounce like there was an earthquake. I did not know at the time that it was my dark spirit feeding off that anger. As I became more angered, the room quaked even more. It scared the rest as they had never seen this side of me. Suddenly at the back of the chamber, the wall broke down, revealing an anti-chamber. In the middle of it were the Elements. None of us could believe it. The shadow ponies had them the whole time. But upon discovery only five elements were there. And the book said there was supposed to be six. Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, and a sixth. Though the book did not say what that final Element was. I guess even the shadow ponies did not know how to find it. Upon examining the Elements closely, they began to glow brightly. So bright in fact that they blinded me more than the others for some reason. The light was even intense enough to hurt me. I did not know why at the time, but it was because of Shadowbane, the dark spirit that resided within me. And the simple fact was that as I said before: my species was said to be born and descended from Shadowbane himself. And seeing how the Elements were made of all things light and good, I can see how they were my weakness. After the bright glow dissipated, the elements each surrounded the sisters, But something odd happened. The sixth element was created from the imprinting process. To this day I am still unsure of what the heck happened that day. There is a lot that eludes me. Probably because my memories have slowly deteriorated away over the last thousand years. Sorry. I seem to be trailing off again. Anyways, The sisters did not know exactly what to do. Blacktail read on that the Elements imprint on the ones who most show the attributes they belonged to. Researching more into it we discovered that the Elements of Honesty, Loyalty, and Laughter had imprinted on Luna and the Elements of Generosity, Kindness, and that mysterious sixth Element went to Celestia. Trying to wrap my head around this made me dizzy. The sisters then tried magic that they could not do before. Just some basic but impossible spells, like making flowers grow on the cave walls and even creating some items in the books that were not created yet, mainly armors and amulets. They worked! The Elements actually worked! Though to be honest, I hated that I could not do anything with them. See, The Elements have somewhat of a mind of their own and they only imprint on those with purest of hearts. And again, being that my heart was good but my spirit was evil, the Elements never imprinted on me nor allowed me to use them. It stank, but I lived with this fact. Celestia and Luna, once getting the hang of this new power, teleported all five of us back to Canterlot, only to find it in chaotic shambles. The things we saw there were just (Shudders). Do not get me wrong, they were not...horrible looking, necessarily, just....really, really strange. The kinds of things one wishes they could unsee. Using all their concentration and the help of the Elements, the two sisters put everything back to normal, to the best they could do, and they called out to Discord for one final battle. Discord, being the cocky thing he was, went to battle against them without even noticing that they had these new enchantments. The battle that ensued lasted for what seemed like hours, but the Elements gave the sisters a slight edge over him. Finally, with exhaustion seeping over him, Discord made a mistake and the sisters caught him in a blast of magical energy that turned him to stone. We contemplated what we could do with him and I suggested we use his en-stoned body as a statue in the royal garden for all to see and seal his shame forever more. The sisters found this to be a fitting punishment for him and did just that. Chapter 4Fast forwarding the mainly uneventful parts of the next five years, and my life was going along great. Luna was even noticing my love for her and we hit it off pretty well...until I turned twenty. That is when the horseapples really hit the fan. You see...When a shadow pony is born, they are born with a dark spirit inside each of them. Once a shadow pony reaches the age of twenty-one, this dark spirit emerges. Before it does, however, it is up to the host pony to find a life partner to love so they can suppress this spirit before it gets too strong. Love suppresses the emotions of sadness, anger and hate that these spirits feed on to get stronger. If the spirit gets strong enough, it can latch onto the host pony's very soul and take over their body. And each spirit is pure evil. There is no good dark spirit as far as what I know. And the most powerful of all these dark spirits is their leader and ruler: Emperor Shadowbane. He was said to be the very pony that brought evil to this land of good. It was said that his sole goal for existing was to take over this land. And not only is it true, but it was unfortunate that I was born with this dark spirit inside me. Its not easy living with this fact, mind you. Sorry. Trailing off a bit again. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. Where was I..,Oh yes...Shadowbane. Shadowbane only inhabits the members of the royal family of the shadow pony race and always skips a generation. I do not know exactly how this whole situation works, but from what I know, there can be no more than two royal family members at once. No more. No less. For example, For me to even be conceived, my grandfather had to die because he hosted the spirit. It skipped my father, because he was already alive, and therefore went to me. The dark spirits, even the Emperor, cannot inhabit a living pony. They must latch on to a pony upon conception, when they are most vulnerable. Back then I did not know any of this information, so I was oblivious to him existing. When he emerged on my twenty first birthday, Canterlot was celebrating my birthday with a kingdom wide celebration. Geesh...why do bad things always happen to me on my birthdays. Am I cursed or something!? Oh...right... Anyways, his emergence was so subtle. I did not even realize that it happened when it did. I never knew until it was too late. I assumed that no one knew any information about this at the time. Nor did I find anything in the books I read. And if Blacktail knew, he forgot to tell me. It's obviously too late now. But I digress... Once he awoke, Shadowbane knew that the emotions I felt towards Luna were a threat to his powers reaching full strength. He then proceeded to plant a piece of his dark essence onto Luna's soul (Do not ask how cause I still do not know and I sure as hay will not ask). Slowly after this happened, Luna started to act bitter and resentful to her subjects, her friends, her sister, and even me. At the time we did not know why. We tried to reason with her, but her madness only grew worse until eventually the shard of evil that was planted within her soul fed off enough negative emotion and turned her into a wicked mare of darkness that called herself Nightmare Moon. Once Nightmare Moon came to be, she threatened to make the night last forever. This was a serious threat to the land as she solely controlled the night itself. If night lasted forever, then crops would never grow and everything would eventually wither away and die. She did not care, she was angry that all the ponies worked and played during Celestia's day time, and slept through her beautiful night. Nightmare Moon could not be reasoned with, no matter what we tried to say. I went back to my family's castle, back to the hidden room with Blacktail. There, he and I researched ways on how to change her back or at least remove the darkness that was within her. But this did not make sense to me. Through our perseverance, we found a secret page of the book that told of other effects that the Elements could have on a pony if they were taken over by a dark spirit, like Nightmare Moon. One of them being able to destroy any darkness in one's heart, leaving them only good. If it did not work, then the only other option was imprisonment. I did not want imprisonment for the mare that I loved so much. But the big question for me after reading that passage was....Was Luna a shadow pony, like me? Was I truly not the last one? But she could not be. Naught but a few years earlier she was imprinted on by the Elements. One needed a pure heart of good to do that. Something must have corrupted her? But what...and why? I had to find out! I teleported myself back to Canterlot, with the knowledge I gained, leaving Blacktail behind to do more research. I was feeling weak for some reason and only got as far as the city gates. I could not even fly. But with all the strength I had left, I galloped up the city and into the castle. As soon as I entered the throne room, I found Celestia suddenly casting a spell at Nightmare Moon, the Elements floating around her. The light that came from the spell blinded me and I had to cover my eyes. I felt this power before. It was when the Elements imprinted on the sisters. What was going on now? Chapter 5Once the light settled and the smoke cleared where Nightmare Moon was...She was gone. The only thing left was Luna's crown that fell to the ground with a loud clanging noise. To me, the realization of the events played out in slow motion. Celestia stood there, tears running down her face repeatedly saying 'I am sorry'. Something even happened to her hair. It was not that bright pink hue it was before. It was now a bright prism of colors. It seemed that this is what happens when one gets the full power of the Elements. I shouted at Celestia out of blind rage. Celestia only stood there, crying, saying there was no other option. I screamed back at her and told her about the research that Blacktail uncovered. She said it was too late, that she used the Elements to imprison Nightmare Moon in the moon itself for all eternity. Starswirl taught me a valuable lesson: 'Mercy is a pony luxury and responsibility.' I guess Celestia forgot it. Hearing that was the straw that broke the pony's back. I lost it. I was just so angry that I remember blacking out and once that happened, Emperor Shadowbane, my own dark spirit, seized his moment and took over my body, latching onto my very soul. I was just along for the ride. Once he took me over, I felt so groggy for a short time. When I came to I was only able to watch events play out like a moving picture that I could not control. I remember hearing in my head, 'The winds are getting stronger, the sky is falling through and you do not have much longer till your rage rips apart the barrier to your soul. I am a tornado and I'm coming after you. You're stepping closer to the cloud of Darkness. Inch by mile-long inch. Each breath you take brings you closer to that sea of black. There's a faint glow, do not be fooled; 'Tis not a candle but the glow of my ivory skull swallowing your soul. Be warned and wary, for my darkness consumes all.' Emperor Shadowbane. Even the name sounds evil, right? Well he was. He was named for being the bane of all things light and good. His laugh would frighten even the most battle hardened general. He is evil. Pure and simple. He wants to destroy the land using the powers of darkness and remake it in his image. I remember very little after he first took us over but what I remember is him testing out my joints to see if he had full control, which he did. He then cracks my neck and takes a deep breath before opening my eyes and looking directly at Celestia. The fear I saw in her eyes as she gazed upon him... It was like staring at a child who was looking strait into the eyes of the most horrible monster that only the most terrible nightmares could produce. I do not know exactly what she saw but all I remember was that I was looking down upon her. Shadowbane must have been massive to look down upon Celestia, the tallest pony I knew. I remember hearing him mention something like it was good to see her again. What exactly did that mean? Did Celestia and Shadowbane know each other? It was confusing to me. With a maniacal laugh, Shadowbane jumps out the window and flies us off towards the old castle where Blacktail was. I could not have even dreamed the horrors this sick and twisted stallion had in store for my friend, nor could I stop it. Flying through the air at a quicker pace than I thought any pegasus could ever fly. Reaching the castle in record flight time, Shadowbane went right to where the hidden bookcase was like he knew it was there all along. He then walked inside and snuck up behind Blacktail and...and...(softly cries) He ATE Blacktail. Just....Just give me a minute. (Short Pause) After he was done eating my closest friend whole, Shadowbane began to twitch and writhe on the floor. I caught the shadow on the wall as my wings went from feathery and those of a pegasus to leathery and those of a dragon's. I watched as my fur melted away, getting replaced with dragon scales of the same color. Next my vision changed. I was able to see in more detailed view and shiny things seemed more prominent. Then soon my front hooves became clawed and grew long black claws. Finally when it was all over Shadowbane stood up and let out a roar, loud as can be, shooting fire into the sky like a tornado. Dragon scales? Dragon wings? Dragon eyes? Dragon fire? What has he....Have I become? What was it? A fusion of dragon and alicorn. A monster is what he made me become. All because I was stupid and became enraged at Celestia. Now there was no going back. I have lost everything. I guess now there is nothing I can do except just watch the events unfurl. Now here is the part that I hate the most. With this new found power, Shadowbane started to travel around the land and finding ponies and other creatures of evil that want to see this world covered in darkness. Many species followed him. From manticore and dragons, to cockatrice, and many others. But the worst of all. He partnered up with the Queen of the Changelings, Queen Larva. A wicked being she was. How distasteful that species is. They have the natural ability to transform into any pony they wanted. Then, to gain power, they fall in love with a pony and feed off that love. The more powerful the love connection the more powerful the changeling becomes. Once he gathered enough allies, which took him almost a year, He marched on Canterlot. He was going to take over the realms and make evil, instead of good, the dominant powers in the land. He reached Canterlot and came across a barrier. This barrier was cast by Celestia with the help of the Elements, so that only those with the purest hearts may enter. For days he bombarded this barrier but it held strong. Once 'defeated', Shadowbane retreated back into the forrest and there he planned and plotted. This was where he began a war that lasted almost one hundred years. Slowly taking over Equestria one village and city at a time. It was a massacre and all I could do was watch as Shadowbane...in MY body...tarnished MY name and wreaked havoc upon the land that I loved so much. I knew I would no longer be accepted back in the world after his doing. Finally after taking over half the land, Shadowbane set his sights, once again, on Canterlot. Walking up to the barrier, he simply turns around and kicks it, shattering the shield like glass tissue paper. I was scared. This...I do not even know what to call him...other than monster. This monster had enough strength to kick down a barrier that was created by the Elements; the most powerful power known to all ponydom. Screams of terror and sounds of hooves running away were heard as he stormed the city. To this day I am unable to get those screams out or my head. Filly. Colt. Stallion. Mare. It did not matter. He...he killed all those in his way. As the changelings stormed the city they started trapping all the ponies in their homes as if an army declaring martial law. Walking and admiring his work, Shadowbane walks to the main part of the castle and kicks in the door Chapter 6When I saw Celestia, she did not seem as scared as she was before. Something within her changed. And not for the better I assumed as she had a very serious attitude about her. More than usual. She was even clad in special armor that held the Elements in place; most likely created from one of the many books we had brought back from the the old castle. This was truly the fight between a monster and a warrior princess. By all things good, this was going to get intense. Shadowbane made the first move that Celestia blocked, barely. So much happened in such a short amount of time, I can not even tell you everything I saw. It was both amazing and fearful; The sheer power these two ponies held. It was astounding. I recall Shadowbane taunting Celestia with the death of her father. Something along him saying that he killed him. This really got Celestia fumed. This must have been what Shadowbane meant when he said it was good to see her again. Was it really true, though? Did Shadowbane kill Celestia's father? And if so, which of my ancestors did it. I remember not how long the battle ensued but I do remember something horrible that happened during it. Old Starswirl was caught as collateral damage and was severely wounded. I grew angry with Shadowbane now. This anger he fed on and grew even more powerful. I knew now how he was so strong. All that hate I had building up inside me. All that anger I had towards Celestia before, and now him. I tried filling my mind with thoughts of Luna and my love for her, hoping that would do something. And sure enough it did. Shadowbane slowly grew weaker the more I thought of the good times I had with her. This angered him greatly and he told me to stop, but only my anger fed his power, not his own. The more power he lost, the more Shadowbane shrunk in size till he was back to how small I was before he first took me over. This was when Celestia made her move and shot a beam of pure light at us, catching us square in the face and knocking us into a wall. I have never felt more pain than I did that day. In his weakened state Shadowbane could not even stand. He looked upon his defeater and said, "Keep thine eyes upon the moon, for in a thousand years, the stars will help aid the return of thou's sister. When Nightmare Moon returns, that will be the sign for Our return as well. All of those you have imprisoned will return and thou will be too weak to stop any of it from coming to fruition. Be warned...thou are only postponing the inevitable. We will rise again and destroy this land you so sought to protect." We were promptly knocked out by another blast of energy and both locked away in a prison made from solid light so we could not break out. That is where we remain today. I almost do not know who is even listening to this story. Am I telling it to myself simply to make sure I am still sane? No one else is around, so I guess this story was in vain. There was once an old prophecy that I remember reading about. It said, "All seeds sown in the land will be tested when He who is shrouded in Darkness takes the land and drowns everypony in Equestria in complete evil. Only then will She of the Light save the land, but at the cost of a precious life dearest to the princesses." I've aways wondered what exactly that meant. Who exactly is it talking about, and who is it meant for? I can only guess that Shadowbane is the one of darkness....but who is 'She of the Light'? Could it be talking about....No It can't be. I remember reading that her line was broken millenia before I was born. But if my hunch is correct...She may very well still secretly be alive. I just hope Shadowbane does not find out who she is before this poor mare comes of age. Ponydom is it's own worse enemy. Times may have changed but sadly nothing remains consistent. This must be remembered for those nice ones like myself to try and transcend above all the problems thrown in in rapid succession. ALL. THE. PROBLEMS. If you think I am lying, or not telling the whole story, then it is because you do not know the true story yourself. Simply seek out the Journal. It will tell you the whole truth.... EpilogueA thousand years have passed since we were locked away. Shadowbane patiently awaits for his prison to be broken, slowly but surely plotting his revenge against Celestia, a plan that began with Nightmare Moon so long ago. Once Nightmare Moon was released from her imprisonment, the darkness that Shadowbane put within her drew her to the ancient castle in the Everfree Forrest where Celestia had imprisoned us. This is where she battles against the young pony, Twilight Sparkle and her friends. During the battle, the Elements had imprinted themselves on the six new ponies. The strength of the Elements were severely weakened due to them being attached to the weaker ponies in comparison to Celestia. This caused the orb that we were imprisoned in to crack and shatter. Finally free after his own imprisonment, Shadowbane started causing his own havoc by releasing Discord and Commander Sombra from their own imprisonments and sending the changelings to Canterlot for the second time. He did so so that these ponies would need to use the elements more and more, draining away their power so they would be ineffective when he finally attacked Canterlot once again to take his revenge. However, he did not count on the cunning abilities of the these new ponies and his recent plans are falling apart. Shadowbane would need to find a new way to defeat them without them being able to use the Elements of Harmony against him. As of recent, his plans have taken an even more unexpected twist when he finds that the Elements of Harmony have turned the young unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, into an alicorn princess. This threw off his plans greatly, but he only finds it more fun as a challenge. He plans to face all four princesses (Celestia, Luna, Mi Amore Cadensa, and Twilight Sparkle) at once and show them his true power. No longer will the Elements be useful against him. No longer will my love for Luna weaken him. He WILL be the ruler of Equestria one way or another. But...There is something...odd about Twilight Sparkle. Her magic is somehow....familiar. Wait. No! It can not be! She IS still alive! Then maybe there is a chance to save this land after all. I just hope it is not too late. All the pony vices I can begin to accustom myself to once more...except for pride. That I cannot tolerate. I see myself for what I truly am. I have lost a thousand years of my life. And yet....and yet the moments I have had, the marvels I have witnessed the wonderful truths I have seen... You see when night falls and you close your eyes to sleep and dream. I have seen things you can only dream about. I have been there. I have been lost in history for a long time...but I have been there. Every warrior of the light has been afraid to enter combat. Every warrior of the light has betrayed and lied in the past. Every warrior of the light has lost faith in the future. Every warrior of the light has trodden a path which was not her own. Every warrior of the light has suffered because of unimportant things. Every warrior of the light has doubted that she is the warrior of light. Every warrior of the light has failed in her spiritual obligations. Every warrior of the light has said Yes when they meant No. And every warrior of the light has hurt someone they loved. This is why she is warriors of the light. They had endured all this without losing the hope to improve The Amulet of the EmperorFrom the shadows of the dark The evilest form shall rise To lay his waste upon the land To destroy the dawning skies In the night he stakes his claim To tear the light asunder. With blood red eyes that pierce the dark And voice of deepest thunder A hero of light shall arise To face his darkness in his lair And pit the warmth of inner light Against his cold unyeilding stare For only the one of purest heart May face his dark disguise But only one can win the fight While the other simply dies Who will with this mighty fight? No pony could ever say. For it was the deepest darkest night That brought the brightest day. For when the night was over And the break of dawn did sound Neither was left standing His amulet is on the ground His amulet's all that remains Of this great battle never seen. What was the fate of the hero of light And her greatest foe: The Fiend? No pony shall see of even know His amulet was lost from view For history claimed it for its own And reveals it's secrets few. And so time passes, the world forgets As all in time ordain Have we reached the end of our tale Or shall history repeat again Author's Note Here I wrote a little prophecy based poem that I thought would be a great addition to the story but didn't know where to add it in so I decided to make it a separate entity all together.
Prologue 1All ponies dream - but not equally it seems. For those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was simply vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous ponies, for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible. This I did. And I destroyed the world. I am a pony who is without a talent and furthermore searching for my name. Will I ever find it? I may never know, but until that day, I am always searching for myself, my name, and my destiny. Equestria has a darker past than anypony truly knows. Many millennia ago, the world was more evil and corrupt than one could possibly imagine. With the help of 6 pony heroins, the land was made peaceful. However, this peace would not last forever. For the evil they they defeated was only temporarily imprisoned and was doomed to return. It was only a matter of time. It all started many millenia before I was born. There was once a great kingdom with no name that was ruled by a mare who was considered to be the greatest ruler known to ponydom: Empress. She ruled the land with a kind and compassionate heart, much like Princess Celestia does today. She was loved by everypony and hated by nopony. There was however one sad thing about her. She could not conceive an offspring. She had tried many times without any results which drove her into a deep depression. This was when her court adviser suggested she try and create a pony artificially with magic to be her successor. At first Empress was against it saying that life was precious and should not go against nature. But as time passed and Empress grew older, she started to see that it was the only way she would ever have a filly to call her own. How was she going to do this? A spell was never created to acquire such a feat as to create life in this manner. She was determined to have a little one to call her own, so she decided to try and create one. After many years of trial and error, she finally perfected the spell and used it to create herself a child. However for some reason the spell went awry and instead of one young pony being created, two were. Twins to be exact. One a stallion, the other a mare and bother were of alicornian decent much like Empress. The stallion had a black color to his coat that slowly faded to white near his hooves, nose, feather tips and ears and his mane and tail were a fiery green while his eyes were a scarlet red. She promptly named him Chinters Will. The mare was the opposite of the stallion, having the brightest white coat that faded to a soft sky blue near her hooves, nose, feather tips and ears with beautifully flowing prism of a mane and tail going from orange at her head and flank, fading to a nebulan pink, then to a deep astral-lunarian blue. Then there were her eyes. They were the most beautiful silvery-blue eyes that Empress had ever seen. She was named Morning Star. What Empress didn't know at first was not only did they differ in gender, but also in personality. The mare's was that of Empress herself: kind, loving, compassionate, and willing to put others before herself. But the stallion was a different story. He was pure evil. Wanted only to torment and destroy everything just to get what he wanted. He despised everypony that didn't share his evil views, especially Empress and Morning Star. He found kindness a plague to all ponies and sought to rid the world of it. As the two fillies grew older, their personalities really showed. Morning Star reflected Empress's love and compassionate personality while Chinters acted more and more like a tyrant every year. Eventually as all things do in time, Empress passed on and left the kingdom all to Morning Star. This angered Chinters greatly, believing that the stallion should run the kingdom and that mares were foals and weak. He then left the kingdom and created his own kingdom, separating the land in half, North and South. The North was then dubbed as the Crystal Empire by Morning Star and her subjects while the south was claimed as the Shadow Realm by Chinters. Out of spite, Chinters changed his name to Shadowbane as to be the bane of all things kind and good, and began to title himself as Emperor as an insult to Empress, his mother. As his mother was a symbol for kindness and love, he would tarnish that title and bring it to ruin. Morning Star was forced to create a bordering wall to her kingdom so as no pony with impure hearts could enter her kingdom. As time went on, the recently self crowned Emperor Shadowbane gathered an army of followers who shared his dark desires and went to attack his sister's kingdom in the north. He failed, each and every time and grew angry. Many years go by and Shadowbane and Morning Star both grew older and mature. Shadowbane decided to finish the fight once and for all and decide who would be the true ruler of the entire land, and to save her people, Morning star agreed to this fight. But it was a trap. Shadowbane had created a secret spell and when they both met on the neutral fighting ground. Shadowbane was losing horribly and when he was about to be defeated he used his secret spell on them both and they both vanished. This dumbfounded all the ponies who witnessed the event. What had actually happened was that the spell turned the two ponies into spirits. From there two new species of ponies were created. The Stallions of Shadow species were created from Shadowbane's spirit, while the Mares of Magic were created from the spirit of Morning Star. These two species were able to be possessed by the spirits of the Emperor and Princess but there was a catch. They had to enter the pony upon conception and they could not leave until that pony passed away, forcing them to only exist every other generation. Also, they could not take control of the ponies until the pony reached the age of twenty one. On top of that, the biggest catch was that Shadowbane could only possess colts of the Stallions of Shadows and Morning Star, mares of the Mares of Magic. Despite the actual names, both genders existed in each race. Many millennia have now passed and new countries have been created. Saddle Arabia, Equestria, and many others while the Crystal Empire and Shadow Realm remained untouched for that whole time, each country living their lives their own ways. Since that time the lives of all the ponies everywhere seemed peaceful. And the rest is, well, history. Author's Note This Prologue is set to set the history of the characters of my story. This is not based on cannon, but is setting up for my storyline IN the cannon universe
Prologue 2Once upon a time in the middle of a great forrest. There existed a kingdom where the ponies known as the Shadow Ponies lived. Their very existence was a mystery to the rest of the world, obscured as it was by great trees. Here they played out their peaceful lives, innocent of the litany of excess and violence that was growing in the world outside. To live in harmony against the spirit of the race called Shadowbane was enough. Then one day, an evil monster named Discord arrived in the town. He came in camouflage, hidden behind a kind visage, but nopony noticed him. They only saw shadows. You see, without the Truth of the Eyes, the Shadow Ponies were blind. Falling out of sight and hiding in plain view, waiting for the sunset to come and for the ponies to go home and rest, he would jump out from behind them and make them disappear. Now everypony is dancing the dance of the forgotten. In time, Discord found his way into the deeper recesses of the city, and it was there that he found caves of unimaginable Sincerity and Beauty. By chance he came upon the Place Where All Good Souls Come To Rest. Discord coveted the jewels he found in these caves above all things, and soon he began to mine them, its rich seam fueling the chaos of his own world. Meanwhile the Shadow Ponies slept restlessly, their dreams invaded by a shadowy figure that began digging away at their souls. Every day the ponies would awaken and stare into the forrest. Why was it bringing darkness into their lives now after all these years of peace? As Discord mined deeper and deeper into the caves, holes began to appear, bringing with them cold and bitter wind that chilled the very soul of the Emperor. For the first time, the Shadow Ponies felt fearful for they knew that soon the Emperor would stir from his deep sleep. And then it came: a sound. Distant at first, it grew into catastrophe so immense it could be heard far away in space. There were no screams. There was no time. The emperor, Shadowbane had finally spoken. There was only darkness. And then...Nothingness. Oh forgotten kingdom in the forrest, your time has come to see there's nothing you believe you want; but where were you when it all came down on me? Is it now, after so many years, that you finally call upon somepony to save the kingdoms from certain destruction and genocide? If you do not mind, I wish to tell you the story about my past. It is not only my past, but it is also part of Equestria's history. This story is that of Equestria's true beginnings, the discovery of the Elements of Harmony by Princess Celestia and Luna, and the secrets that were hidden for so many years by the very pony you all look up to today. I ask you though: Do you believe it is worth telling this story at all? Will you even believe the things I will tell you? And with what Celestia has knowingly told you, would you even be able to see the truth that is hidden in plain sight; the secrets she has hidden away for so long? All I ask is that you keep an open mind, for what I am about to tell you may change your opinions forever. There are many sides to every story. History is the fiction we invent to persuade ourselves that events are knowable and that life has order and direction. And as always, history is always doomed to repeat itself. What I am telling you is my side of the events that unfolded a thousand years ago. I have not told this story to anypony in quite a long time. Truth be told, it feels good to finally tell it. My name is Crimson Shadow and this is my story. Author's Note This is the second prologue on a narrative based level that my character reads. So this is based on him telling the story of his past when he was a filly.
Chapter 1I was once the prince of a race of ponies that were said to be born of the shadows and be descendants of the evil spirit emperor, Shadowbane. My racelived in a place that is known today as the Everfree Forrest. But back when I was around, it was called the Shadow Realm. That is why it is assumed to not be a part of Equestria to begin with. It was the capital of my family's kingdom and race. We lived there because it was a place filled with the energy we ponies needed to live on: pure darkness. Some ponies believe that it was actually a portal into the realm of darkness itself. We were a proud race that housed all species; unicorn, pegasi, and even earth ponies. But the royal family consisted of mystical alicorns; a combination of both unicorn and pegasus. When it came to things like violence or sadness or anger, my race tried to avoid it as much as possible. I will explain why later. If anything, we were more pacifistic. My race was more well known for forging than fighting; even to defend our own borders. We could forge practically anything from armors and weapons to enchanted amulets that helped control one's magic more efficiently or boosted one's magical prowess to unimaginable levels. Our only limit was our imaginations. I even had my own amulet that my parents had given me as a gift when I was a little filly. They told me it would help me control my powers when I grew up. How wrong they were. I lost it long ago and have no clue what happened to it. I hear whispers and rumors that it is now being called the 'Alicorn Amulet' by some of the Equestrians, though I do not know if it is my own amulet until I see it for myself. If it is Shadowbane must have cast it away before we....Sorry. I am getting a bit ahead of myself. Where was I? Ah yes! I lived in the royal castle with my father, mother, and older sister and had many friends, especially the royal adviser named Anpu Ra. To this day I still do not know how to pronounce it properly. It was his job to make sure that everything went smoothly around the kingdom whenever my parents were unavailable to do so. He was a great alicorn stallion, standing tall. He looked so large to me at my small size. If I remember correctly his special talent was the ability to bring life. I do not remember the full extent of his abilities but he was just as powerful as my parents. I was glad to call him my friend. He was also my teacher, teaching me basic reading and writing and some general magic such as levitation and teleportation. He had an old saying. Lets see if I can remember it. Hmmmm.... Ah Right!: "There are always four directions through time. You can take take two steps North into the unsettled future, South into the unquiet past, East into the present day, or West into the great unknown." Despite me being a prince and all, every pony treated me so nicely and welcomed me without fear. I had this one particular friend who I played with as often as I could. His name was Willow Freemane. He was my best friend and a unicorn. But during one time that we played together, he accidentally fell on his head and his horn broke in half. After that he styled his mane to cover what was left of his horn and a flower blooms from the tip. This makes him look like just any other earth pony, but he was far from it. His magic, from what I remember, was earth based in nature. He could make flowers bloom anywhere, even in the most non-fertile soil. I even had a little dragon friend. His name was Blacktail. He was a small purple dragon with well....a black tail. He was awesome and the greatest friend anypony could ever ask for. My family knew him since he was a little hatchling. He was also extremely smart. Smarter than me. His only real draw back, though, was that his eating habits were...well...a bit excessive. He ate every jewel he came in contact with. It was a surprise the guy was not the size of a house with how much he consumed. Either way, he was a great companion to have and he went with me everywhere I went. All in all I had a fairly good start to my life. Even though this one only lasted for five years. On my fifth birthday, while the kingdom celebrated, a major tragedy entered, not only my life, but the lives of all the ponies in the kingdom and Equestria. A beast, known as a dragonequus entered our lands. He called himself Discord, The Lord of Chaos, and without even a simple warning he started wiping out my race right in front of our eyes, laughing as he did so. I found out later that he was scared of the shadow ponies; of what our species was capable of. I still do not know what we were truly capable of, but if this monster had to wipe them out because of it, it must have been powerful. With my parent's orders, the captain of the royal guard, Sombra, was told to help me escape. Blacktail, of course, was right behind, not wanting to leave my side. I do not know what happened to my sister or Willow as they were lost in the commotion. I never saw what happened to them. Sombra brought us to my parent's royal chambers and activated a secret entrance that led to a passage out of the kingdom. I said that we should wait for my parents, to make sure that they got out with us. He fought me on this, but I had to use my royal position to force him to stay put. He reluctantly did as he was ordered and we hid, waiting for my parents to arrive and escape with us. As we hid, we saw my parents enter the room, Discord right behind them. I witnessed Discord snuff my parent's lives out of existence. To this day I have been unable to remove that scene from my memories. Discord heard my screams and cries and Sombra pushed us into the secret passage, staying behind to try and fight Discord. I never saw him again. Blacktail helped us escape by leading us out of the secret passage and outside the kingdom into Equestria. To this day I do not know if anypony survived the attack other than myself and Blacktail, but... I am always hoping. Especially for my sister and my friend Willow. Just for a moment, imagine if somewhere there was a group dedicated to hate you for what you do, that otherwise wouldn't be trying to offend anyone. A fine paranoia fuel right there, no? Author's Note Here we go. Chapter one to my storyline. Here we are at the beginning of my character Crimson Shadow. I hope you all enjoy it and please feel free to leave some criticism. I'm trying my hardest to make a great story and I want to turn it into an actual series.
Chapter 2Wandering around for hours, we were finally come across by one of the ruler's of Equestria, Princess Luna. I do not remember much during that time because the whole situation of having my parents and race wiped out in front of my eyes put me in a state of madness and shock. Blacktail later told me that I was mumbling and incoherent most of the time. With him doing all the talking, he explained what had just happened to us, to the princess. She then brought us back to her home in Canterlot. It was there we met her older sister, Celestia, and a powerful royal adviser: a unicorn named Starswirl the Bearded. With some discussion between the three of them, they all agreed to take us in and help us out. According to more of what I was told by Blacktail, my madness lasted for quite some time. Almost a whole year, in fact. I did not interact with many ponies, did not eat much, and when I slept, I had nightmares of watching my family and friends die over and over again. I suppose sometimes you just can't help but feel like things are slipping, things that were once cherished start to crumble and fall apart. With some help from Luna, whom I later learned was the princess of the night, Blacktail was able to snap me out of my madness. This is when my memories restarted for me. I'll say this: losing memories is not easy. Amnesia is a terrible thing. I had forgotten all my old friends like Willow and my teacher Ra. I even forgot about my parents and my sister. I made new friends and family from this experience though, especially Princess Luna. I felt closer to her because she and I had more in common than I had with anypony else. I was a shadow pony after all and she was the princess of the night. She practically took me under her wing, treating me so nice and helping me along in my early years. Things were going so well for me. Around the age thirteen, I think, I started hearing rumors about somepony calling himself King Sombra trying to conquer a kingdom in the north called the Crystal Empire. It could not be the same Sombra that helped me escape, could it? At that time I did not remember who he was, but I was the adventurous sort, much like many other ponies are at that age. I had to go see for myself. I was told not to go because it was too dangerous for me at such a young and magically undeveloped age. I called shenanigans on that. Oddly enough....a rather strange pony came to the castle saying he was summoned by me. Huh...weird. I tried sneaking out a few times, never making it past the city walls. I was caught every single time. Eventually Starswirl had enough and put a spell around my room, preventing me from leaving until the situation was resolved. He said that I had to study and be educated for the future. He may have been an old coot...but he took care of me.
Chapter 3A couple more years go by and my life is struck with repeated catastrophe. Discord, the Lord of Chaos, came waltzing into Canterlot, much like he did my old home. This was when all my repressed memories come flooding back like a ton of bricks slapping me in the face all at once. And if you do not know how heavy that is....it hurts...a lot! Accompanying those memories came my old state of madness. In this state again, I was locked in my room and kept guarded. Starswirl even put a spell around it so only He, Luna, Celestia and Blacktail could enter. Celestia and Luna both tried confronting this monster, but they both lost and were forced to flee from Canterlot along with me, Starswirl and Blacktail. The closest spot to Canterlot that we could use as a safe haven were the ruins of the old Shadow Pony kingdom in the Shadow Realm. Seeing no other real option, they all agreed. This was where Luna was able to snap me out of my madness once again. After this, our bond grew ever more powerful and closer. With my madness lifted, the five of us all went to the public library and started to do some research into something that could possibly help boost our powers and give us an edge in our future fight against Discord. As I said earlier, the Shadow Pony race was synonymous for making powerful enchanted items. We unfortunately found nothing in the library, so we searched the rest of the city. No such luck. It was so hard to look upon the destroyed homes. This used to be a grand kingdom. And now it is in ruins. I began to cry. My home....my friends...my family....all gone, never to return. To this day I still miss everypony. Blacktail finally suggested that we try looking in the royal chambers; the place where my parents were killed. It was a tough decision for me to go there, but I had to face my dark past eventually, and overcome it. We all proceeded to the royal chambers and found a bunch of books, all useless. We almost gave up hope, that is...until I slumped against a bookshelf and suddenly a latch broke, opening a secret room that I fell into, down a long stair case (Not as fun as you'd think just so ya know). Apparently this special passage could only be opened with the presence of a shadow pony. Such as myself. Once inside this room, I saw that it was filled with thousands of untouched books, some centuries old, that covered hundreds of feet of walls. I called to the group and they all came in after me. We all started looking through as many as we could. Each of us taking a section. Celestia took Armors. Luna, Amulets. Starswirl, Weapons. And Blacktail and I took the biggest section: Experimental Enchantments. We must have spent hours searching through all the books. Almost giving up hope once again, Blacktail suddenly shouts out to us, saying he may have found something. We all go over to him and he starts reading a passage he found about something the book called the Elements of Harmony. It was the most powerful enchanted item to date that ever existed. But there was a catch. They were never found. The book stated that many years ago the 6 original founders of Equestria had to bond together to defeat an evil force, which I assume now was Shadowbane, though I still do not know fully. To defeat this evil they had to sacrifice their bodies to become these Elements themselves. And finally were able to defeat this evil. For a time at least. Blacktail read on that the Elements were found after the evil was banished from the land. They were said to be scattered across the lands to be discovered when they were needed. The main issue was that only the shadow pony race knew where they were. This must have been why Discord attacked my race without warning. If he knew we had the Elements, then he must have wanted to try and destroy them himself so they could not be used against him. These Elements better be worth the heartache I went through. But, the problem was their location was not written down. How were we to find these so-called Elements of Harmony when they have not been seen in hundreds of years. Dead end after dead end. This was starting to get ridiculous. I was getting angry. When this happened, the books started to bounce like there was an earthquake. I did not know at the time that it was my dark spirit feeding off that anger. As I became more angered, the room quaked even more. It scared the rest as they had never seen this side of me. Suddenly at the back of the chamber, the wall broke down, revealing an anti-chamber. In the middle of it were the Elements. None of us could believe it. The shadow ponies had them the whole time. But upon discovery only five elements were there. And the book said there was supposed to be six. Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, and a sixth. Though the book did not say what that final Element was. I guess even the shadow ponies did not know how to find it. Upon examining the Elements closely, they began to glow brightly. So bright in fact that they blinded me more than the others for some reason. The light was even intense enough to hurt me. I did not know why at the time, but it was because of Shadowbane, the dark spirit that resided within me. And the simple fact was that as I said before: my species was said to be born and descended from Shadowbane himself. And seeing how the Elements were made of all things light and good, I can see how they were my weakness. After the bright glow dissipated, the elements each surrounded the sisters, But something odd happened. The sixth element was created from the imprinting process. To this day I am still unsure of what the heck happened that day. There is a lot that eludes me. Probably because my memories have slowly deteriorated away over the last thousand years. Sorry. I seem to be trailing off again. Anyways, The sisters did not know exactly what to do. Blacktail read on that the Elements imprint on the ones who most show the attributes they belonged to. Researching more into it we discovered that the Elements of Honesty, Loyalty, and Laughter had imprinted on Luna and the Elements of Generosity, Kindness, and that mysterious sixth Element went to Celestia. Trying to wrap my head around this made me dizzy. The sisters then tried magic that they could not do before. Just some basic but impossible spells, like making flowers grow on the cave walls and even creating some items in the books that were not created yet, mainly armors and amulets. They worked! The Elements actually worked! Though to be honest, I hated that I could not do anything with them. See, The Elements have somewhat of a mind of their own and they only imprint on those with purest of hearts. And again, being that my heart was good but my spirit was evil, the Elements never imprinted on me nor allowed me to use them. It stank, but I lived with this fact. Celestia and Luna, once getting the hang of this new power, teleported all five of us back to Canterlot, only to find it in chaotic shambles. The things we saw there were just (Shudders). Do not get me wrong, they were not...horrible looking, necessarily, just....really, really strange. The kinds of things one wishes they could unsee. Using all their concentration and the help of the Elements, the two sisters put everything back to normal, to the best they could do, and they called out to Discord for one final battle. Discord, being the cocky thing he was, went to battle against them without even noticing that they had these new enchantments. The battle that ensued lasted for what seemed like hours, but the Elements gave the sisters a slight edge over him. Finally, with exhaustion seeping over him, Discord made a mistake and the sisters caught him in a blast of magical energy that turned him to stone. We contemplated what we could do with him and I suggested we use his en-stoned body as a statue in the royal garden for all to see and seal his shame forever more. The sisters found this to be a fitting punishment for him and did just that.
Chapter 4Fast forwarding the mainly uneventful parts of the next five years, and my life was going along great. Luna was even noticing my love for her and we hit it off pretty well...until I turned twenty. That is when the horseapples really hit the fan. You see...When a shadow pony is born, they are born with a dark spirit inside each of them. Once a shadow pony reaches the age of twenty-one, this dark spirit emerges. Before it does, however, it is up to the host pony to find a life partner to love so they can suppress this spirit before it gets too strong. Love suppresses the emotions of sadness, anger and hate that these spirits feed on to get stronger. If the spirit gets strong enough, it can latch onto the host pony's very soul and take over their body. And each spirit is pure evil. There is no good dark spirit as far as what I know. And the most powerful of all these dark spirits is their leader and ruler: Emperor Shadowbane. He was said to be the very pony that brought evil to this land of good. It was said that his sole goal for existing was to take over this land. And not only is it true, but it was unfortunate that I was born with this dark spirit inside me. Its not easy living with this fact, mind you. Sorry. Trailing off a bit again. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. Where was I..,Oh yes...Shadowbane. Shadowbane only inhabits the members of the royal family of the shadow pony race and always skips a generation. I do not know exactly how this whole situation works, but from what I know, there can be no more than two royal family members at once. No more. No less. For example, For me to even be conceived, my grandfather had to die because he hosted the spirit. It skipped my father, because he was already alive, and therefore went to me. The dark spirits, even the Emperor, cannot inhabit a living pony. They must latch on to a pony upon conception, when they are most vulnerable. Back then I did not know any of this information, so I was oblivious to him existing. When he emerged on my twenty first birthday, Canterlot was celebrating my birthday with a kingdom wide celebration. Geesh...why do bad things always happen to me on my birthdays. Am I cursed or something!? Oh...right... Anyways, his emergence was so subtle. I did not even realize that it happened when it did. I never knew until it was too late. I assumed that no one knew any information about this at the time. Nor did I find anything in the books I read. And if Blacktail knew, he forgot to tell me. It's obviously too late now. But I digress... Once he awoke, Shadowbane knew that the emotions I felt towards Luna were a threat to his powers reaching full strength. He then proceeded to plant a piece of his dark essence onto Luna's soul (Do not ask how cause I still do not know and I sure as hay will not ask). Slowly after this happened, Luna started to act bitter and resentful to her subjects, her friends, her sister, and even me. At the time we did not know why. We tried to reason with her, but her madness only grew worse until eventually the shard of evil that was planted within her soul fed off enough negative emotion and turned her into a wicked mare of darkness that called herself Nightmare Moon. Once Nightmare Moon came to be, she threatened to make the night last forever. This was a serious threat to the land as she solely controlled the night itself. If night lasted forever, then crops would never grow and everything would eventually wither away and die. She did not care, she was angry that all the ponies worked and played during Celestia's day time, and slept through her beautiful night. Nightmare Moon could not be reasoned with, no matter what we tried to say. I went back to my family's castle, back to the hidden room with Blacktail. There, he and I researched ways on how to change her back or at least remove the darkness that was within her. But this did not make sense to me. Through our perseverance, we found a secret page of the book that told of other effects that the Elements could have on a pony if they were taken over by a dark spirit, like Nightmare Moon. One of them being able to destroy any darkness in one's heart, leaving them only good. If it did not work, then the only other option was imprisonment. I did not want imprisonment for the mare that I loved so much. But the big question for me after reading that passage was....Was Luna a shadow pony, like me? Was I truly not the last one? But she could not be. Naught but a few years earlier she was imprinted on by the Elements. One needed a pure heart of good to do that. Something must have corrupted her? But what...and why? I had to find out! I teleported myself back to Canterlot, with the knowledge I gained, leaving Blacktail behind to do more research. I was feeling weak for some reason and only got as far as the city gates. I could not even fly. But with all the strength I had left, I galloped up the city and into the castle. As soon as I entered the throne room, I found Celestia suddenly casting a spell at Nightmare Moon, the Elements floating around her. The light that came from the spell blinded me and I had to cover my eyes. I felt this power before. It was when the Elements imprinted on the sisters. What was going on now?
Chapter 5Once the light settled and the smoke cleared where Nightmare Moon was...She was gone. The only thing left was Luna's crown that fell to the ground with a loud clanging noise. To me, the realization of the events played out in slow motion. Celestia stood there, tears running down her face repeatedly saying 'I am sorry'. Something even happened to her hair. It was not that bright pink hue it was before. It was now a bright prism of colors. It seemed that this is what happens when one gets the full power of the Elements. I shouted at Celestia out of blind rage. Celestia only stood there, crying, saying there was no other option. I screamed back at her and told her about the research that Blacktail uncovered. She said it was too late, that she used the Elements to imprison Nightmare Moon in the moon itself for all eternity. Starswirl taught me a valuable lesson: 'Mercy is a pony luxury and responsibility.' I guess Celestia forgot it. Hearing that was the straw that broke the pony's back. I lost it. I was just so angry that I remember blacking out and once that happened, Emperor Shadowbane, my own dark spirit, seized his moment and took over my body, latching onto my very soul. I was just along for the ride. Once he took me over, I felt so groggy for a short time. When I came to I was only able to watch events play out like a moving picture that I could not control. I remember hearing in my head, 'The winds are getting stronger, the sky is falling through and you do not have much longer till your rage rips apart the barrier to your soul. I am a tornado and I'm coming after you. You're stepping closer to the cloud of Darkness. Inch by mile-long inch. Each breath you take brings you closer to that sea of black. There's a faint glow, do not be fooled; 'Tis not a candle but the glow of my ivory skull swallowing your soul. Be warned and wary, for my darkness consumes all.' Emperor Shadowbane. Even the name sounds evil, right? Well he was. He was named for being the bane of all things light and good. His laugh would frighten even the most battle hardened general. He is evil. Pure and simple. He wants to destroy the land using the powers of darkness and remake it in his image. I remember very little after he first took us over but what I remember is him testing out my joints to see if he had full control, which he did. He then cracks my neck and takes a deep breath before opening my eyes and looking directly at Celestia. The fear I saw in her eyes as she gazed upon him... It was like staring at a child who was looking strait into the eyes of the most horrible monster that only the most terrible nightmares could produce. I do not know exactly what she saw but all I remember was that I was looking down upon her. Shadowbane must have been massive to look down upon Celestia, the tallest pony I knew. I remember hearing him mention something like it was good to see her again. What exactly did that mean? Did Celestia and Shadowbane know each other? It was confusing to me. With a maniacal laugh, Shadowbane jumps out the window and flies us off towards the old castle where Blacktail was. I could not have even dreamed the horrors this sick and twisted stallion had in store for my friend, nor could I stop it. Flying through the air at a quicker pace than I thought any pegasus could ever fly. Reaching the castle in record flight time, Shadowbane went right to where the hidden bookcase was like he knew it was there all along. He then walked inside and snuck up behind Blacktail and...and...(softly cries) He ATE Blacktail. Just....Just give me a minute. (Short Pause) After he was done eating my closest friend whole, Shadowbane began to twitch and writhe on the floor. I caught the shadow on the wall as my wings went from feathery and those of a pegasus to leathery and those of a dragon's. I watched as my fur melted away, getting replaced with dragon scales of the same color. Next my vision changed. I was able to see in more detailed view and shiny things seemed more prominent. Then soon my front hooves became clawed and grew long black claws. Finally when it was all over Shadowbane stood up and let out a roar, loud as can be, shooting fire into the sky like a tornado. Dragon scales? Dragon wings? Dragon eyes? Dragon fire? What has he....Have I become? What was it? A fusion of dragon and alicorn. A monster is what he made me become. All because I was stupid and became enraged at Celestia. Now there was no going back. I have lost everything. I guess now there is nothing I can do except just watch the events unfurl. Now here is the part that I hate the most. With this new found power, Shadowbane started to travel around the land and finding ponies and other creatures of evil that want to see this world covered in darkness. Many species followed him. From manticore and dragons, to cockatrice, and many others. But the worst of all. He partnered up with the Queen of the Changelings, Queen Larva. A wicked being she was. How distasteful that species is. They have the natural ability to transform into any pony they wanted. Then, to gain power, they fall in love with a pony and feed off that love. The more powerful the love connection the more powerful the changeling becomes. Once he gathered enough allies, which took him almost a year, He marched on Canterlot. He was going to take over the realms and make evil, instead of good, the dominant powers in the land. He reached Canterlot and came across a barrier. This barrier was cast by Celestia with the help of the Elements, so that only those with the purest hearts may enter. For days he bombarded this barrier but it held strong. Once 'defeated', Shadowbane retreated back into the forrest and there he planned and plotted. This was where he began a war that lasted almost one hundred years. Slowly taking over Equestria one village and city at a time. It was a massacre and all I could do was watch as Shadowbane...in MY body...tarnished MY name and wreaked havoc upon the land that I loved so much. I knew I would no longer be accepted back in the world after his doing. Finally after taking over half the land, Shadowbane set his sights, once again, on Canterlot. Walking up to the barrier, he simply turns around and kicks it, shattering the shield like glass tissue paper. I was scared. This...I do not even know what to call him...other than monster. This monster had enough strength to kick down a barrier that was created by the Elements; the most powerful power known to all ponydom. Screams of terror and sounds of hooves running away were heard as he stormed the city. To this day I am unable to get those screams out or my head. Filly. Colt. Stallion. Mare. It did not matter. He...he killed all those in his way. As the changelings stormed the city they started trapping all the ponies in their homes as if an army declaring martial law. Walking and admiring his work, Shadowbane walks to the main part of the castle and kicks in the door
Chapter 6When I saw Celestia, she did not seem as scared as she was before. Something within her changed. And not for the better I assumed as she had a very serious attitude about her. More than usual. She was even clad in special armor that held the Elements in place; most likely created from one of the many books we had brought back from the the old castle. This was truly the fight between a monster and a warrior princess. By all things good, this was going to get intense. Shadowbane made the first move that Celestia blocked, barely. So much happened in such a short amount of time, I can not even tell you everything I saw. It was both amazing and fearful; The sheer power these two ponies held. It was astounding. I recall Shadowbane taunting Celestia with the death of her father. Something along him saying that he killed him. This really got Celestia fumed. This must have been what Shadowbane meant when he said it was good to see her again. Was it really true, though? Did Shadowbane kill Celestia's father? And if so, which of my ancestors did it. I remember not how long the battle ensued but I do remember something horrible that happened during it. Old Starswirl was caught as collateral damage and was severely wounded. I grew angry with Shadowbane now. This anger he fed on and grew even more powerful. I knew now how he was so strong. All that hate I had building up inside me. All that anger I had towards Celestia before, and now him. I tried filling my mind with thoughts of Luna and my love for her, hoping that would do something. And sure enough it did. Shadowbane slowly grew weaker the more I thought of the good times I had with her. This angered him greatly and he told me to stop, but only my anger fed his power, not his own. The more power he lost, the more Shadowbane shrunk in size till he was back to how small I was before he first took me over. This was when Celestia made her move and shot a beam of pure light at us, catching us square in the face and knocking us into a wall. I have never felt more pain than I did that day. In his weakened state Shadowbane could not even stand. He looked upon his defeater and said, "Keep thine eyes upon the moon, for in a thousand years, the stars will help aid the return of thou's sister. When Nightmare Moon returns, that will be the sign for Our return as well. All of those you have imprisoned will return and thou will be too weak to stop any of it from coming to fruition. Be warned...thou are only postponing the inevitable. We will rise again and destroy this land you so sought to protect." We were promptly knocked out by another blast of energy and both locked away in a prison made from solid light so we could not break out. That is where we remain today. I almost do not know who is even listening to this story. Am I telling it to myself simply to make sure I am still sane? No one else is around, so I guess this story was in vain. There was once an old prophecy that I remember reading about. It said, "All seeds sown in the land will be tested when He who is shrouded in Darkness takes the land and drowns everypony in Equestria in complete evil. Only then will She of the Light save the land, but at the cost of a precious life dearest to the princesses." I've aways wondered what exactly that meant. Who exactly is it talking about, and who is it meant for? I can only guess that Shadowbane is the one of darkness....but who is 'She of the Light'? Could it be talking about....No It can't be. I remember reading that her line was broken millenia before I was born. But if my hunch is correct...She may very well still secretly be alive. I just hope Shadowbane does not find out who she is before this poor mare comes of age. Ponydom is it's own worse enemy. Times may have changed but sadly nothing remains consistent. This must be remembered for those nice ones like myself to try and transcend above all the problems thrown in in rapid succession. ALL. THE. PROBLEMS. If you think I am lying, or not telling the whole story, then it is because you do not know the true story yourself. Simply seek out the Journal. It will tell you the whole truth....
EpilogueA thousand years have passed since we were locked away. Shadowbane patiently awaits for his prison to be broken, slowly but surely plotting his revenge against Celestia, a plan that began with Nightmare Moon so long ago. Once Nightmare Moon was released from her imprisonment, the darkness that Shadowbane put within her drew her to the ancient castle in the Everfree Forrest where Celestia had imprisoned us. This is where she battles against the young pony, Twilight Sparkle and her friends. During the battle, the Elements had imprinted themselves on the six new ponies. The strength of the Elements were severely weakened due to them being attached to the weaker ponies in comparison to Celestia. This caused the orb that we were imprisoned in to crack and shatter. Finally free after his own imprisonment, Shadowbane started causing his own havoc by releasing Discord and Commander Sombra from their own imprisonments and sending the changelings to Canterlot for the second time. He did so so that these ponies would need to use the elements more and more, draining away their power so they would be ineffective when he finally attacked Canterlot once again to take his revenge. However, he did not count on the cunning abilities of the these new ponies and his recent plans are falling apart. Shadowbane would need to find a new way to defeat them without them being able to use the Elements of Harmony against him. As of recent, his plans have taken an even more unexpected twist when he finds that the Elements of Harmony have turned the young unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, into an alicorn princess. This threw off his plans greatly, but he only finds it more fun as a challenge. He plans to face all four princesses (Celestia, Luna, Mi Amore Cadensa, and Twilight Sparkle) at once and show them his true power. No longer will the Elements be useful against him. No longer will my love for Luna weaken him. He WILL be the ruler of Equestria one way or another. But...There is something...odd about Twilight Sparkle. Her magic is somehow....familiar. Wait. No! It can not be! She IS still alive! Then maybe there is a chance to save this land after all. I just hope it is not too late. All the pony vices I can begin to accustom myself to once more...except for pride. That I cannot tolerate. I see myself for what I truly am. I have lost a thousand years of my life. And yet....and yet the moments I have had, the marvels I have witnessed the wonderful truths I have seen... You see when night falls and you close your eyes to sleep and dream. I have seen things you can only dream about. I have been there. I have been lost in history for a long time...but I have been there. Every warrior of the light has been afraid to enter combat. Every warrior of the light has betrayed and lied in the past. Every warrior of the light has lost faith in the future. Every warrior of the light has trodden a path which was not her own. Every warrior of the light has suffered because of unimportant things. Every warrior of the light has doubted that she is the warrior of light. Every warrior of the light has failed in her spiritual obligations. Every warrior of the light has said Yes when they meant No. And every warrior of the light has hurt someone they loved. This is why she is warriors of the light. They had endured all this without losing the hope to improve
The Amulet of the EmperorFrom the shadows of the dark The evilest form shall rise To lay his waste upon the land To destroy the dawning skies In the night he stakes his claim To tear the light asunder. With blood red eyes that pierce the dark And voice of deepest thunder A hero of light shall arise To face his darkness in his lair And pit the warmth of inner light Against his cold unyeilding stare For only the one of purest heart May face his dark disguise But only one can win the fight While the other simply dies Who will with this mighty fight? No pony could ever say. For it was the deepest darkest night That brought the brightest day. For when the night was over And the break of dawn did sound Neither was left standing His amulet is on the ground His amulet's all that remains Of this great battle never seen. What was the fate of the hero of light And her greatest foe: The Fiend? No pony shall see of even know His amulet was lost from view For history claimed it for its own And reveals it's secrets few. And so time passes, the world forgets As all in time ordain Have we reached the end of our tale Or shall history repeat again Author's Note Here I wrote a little prophecy based poem that I thought would be a great addition to the story but didn't know where to add it in so I decided to make it a separate entity all together.
