Shadow of the Pony

**SHADOW OF THE PONY

Author: Digit

Twilight (Part One)**

Twilight carefully skimmed the book of ancient myths, as if she felt she was low on time. As she reached the end of the book, she groaned in defeat, a feeling that she had felt for quite some time. She wasn't exactly comfortable with allowing two of her best friends to go to a forbidden land, one of which they don't even know what's inside. Twilight had looked through all of the myths and legends book in her whole library twice over and found nothing that had to do with forbidden lands. Twilight had even went as far as Fillydalphia just to look through bookstores and ask about the unknown land. But nopony knew anything whatsoever. For all she knew, they could've died on the way there.

Twilight shook her head, pushing the thoughts of death away from her mind. She knew they weren't dead. They couldn't be. She put her mind set on other things, such as possibly going to the land to see if she could help... No, Spike had the map. Maybe find more books? No, nopony knows anything about that land. Twilight groaned in annoyance as she smashed her hoof into her head over and over. Until she got something.

The library in Canterlot has a huge expanse of books... I could look there! Twilight thought to herself. Then she facehoofed. "Why didn't I have that idea before?" She asked herself. Nonetheless, she charged her teleportation spell and strained at the amount of magic used. Teleportation spells can easily drain your magic, and strength. But still, Twilight arrived at the front of the library in the castle. She rushed into the library and got a concerned look from the guards before looking around at all the book sections, trying to find a certain category.

Twilight looked around the massive library for about five minutes before coming across the well hidden Mythology section. She grabbed the first book and flipped through it, with nothing to be found. Twilight put the book away and took out the next book, labeled with ancient lands. However, it didn't have pictures, and Twilight didn't want to waste any time.

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Twilight looked through at least half of the whole Mythology section, but was still determined to keep going. She even flipped back through books she didn't remember opening. Finally, she saw a small, old and dusted book. Strange. Twilight thought, reaching for the book. When she pulled it out, it seemed to be smaller than the other books, and it looked a bit torn and old. There were little scraps of letters on the front cover, but it was worn away so Twilight couldn't read it.

Twilight sighed with relief when she opened the book to see that the pages weren't affected too much. She flipped through the book, not stopping to read it, and found a few pictures. They were a bit dull and had no colors, but they were pictures. Twilight stopped at a particular picture with the picture of a bridge coming off the side of a cliff and leading to the top of a Building built on sunken land below the cliff. There was nothing else, no buildings, no ponies, not anything except for trees here and there, and a goofy rock formation.

Twilight looked to the back and found a map... It looked to be a map of the picture she found, with a symbol indicating the large building she saw in the other picture. But Twilight barely noticed it, because at three different spots, symbols of the faces of different animals stared at her with blue eyes. Twilight found it a little creepy, but nonetheless, kept flipping through the pages. Twilight came across a bigger map, one with a large view of the countries around them and saw what looked like a vague version of Equestria. The same building symbol was located far north of Equestria. Twilight, having noticed this, got wide eyes from her sudden realization.

Later, at the library...

"Uh, so what did ya gather us here for anyway?" Applejack asked the pacing Twilight. She turned to Applejack for a second, but continued pacing.

"Uh, Twilight? What's the big news anyway?" Pinkie questioned the worried unicorn. In response she opened her saddlebag and slid a book across the floor at Pinkie's feet. She examined the worn-out book and made out the title.

"What's 'he Act Ld?'" Pinkie asked. Twilight walked over to her and opened up the book to a certain page, the one that held the small images of creatures staring back at Pinkie's confused face.

"What does that look like to you?" Twilight pointed at the symbol in the middle of the map.

"A... building?" Pinkie responded. Twilight flipped many more pages and stopped on a map of Equestria and the land around it.

"What does THAT look like to you?" Twilight asked, pointed to a large chunk of the continent.

"It looks like Equestria! But without the label." Pinkie replied. Twilight pointed to the symbol to the left of Equestria.

"What is that?" She asked Pinkie.

"It looks like the building from before." Twilight stood back.

"... I don't get it." Pinkie finally finished. Twilight sighed and pointed back to the book.

"If that's Equestria, and that's the building from before, it may just be the location that Spike is at!" Twilight announced. Applejack walked over and looked down at the book.

"Sugarcube, are ya really sure that's where Spike is? It could be a mistake." Applejack told the worried unicorn.

"Well, we can clarify that. I can send him a message! Well, if he is at that location..." Twilight thought for a second. "We could try! Maybe he's there!"

"Um, Twilight?" A soft voice hiding at the back of the room spoke up. "You should really stop worrying about Spike. you're being a little...paranoid." Fluttershy half-whispered across the room.

"Paranoid?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy gave a squeak in response. "I'm not paranoid! It's just..." She sighed, and walked upstairs, holding the book in her hooves.

"Fine. The meeting is over." She walked into her room, closing the door behind her. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy exchanged looks, until they all left the house.

"Paranoid? I'm not paranoid. They're just jealous because I found out where Spike was before they did. I'm not paranoid. I'm just... concerned. What if Spike got sick? Or what if Rainbow Dash lost her way there? What if they starved to- No. I have the book. I know where they are. I'm not paranoid."

The book. Twilight stared at the book resting on her bed with a hard glare, as if it'll tell her what all of its secrets are. She flipped through the old pages, skimming through yet again, until she came across a black and white image. Stone pillars including a wrecked bridge towered up over a lake. There was an excerpt below it, and Twilight carefully made out the faded words on the page.

Isolated far away

Built by ponies not dwelling this day

The serpent swims

To fulfill His whims

Of a long lost debt to pay.

Heed this warning noble one

For underneath the sky and sun

In waters deep

It does not sleep

Relic Lake thunders on.

Twilight blinked. Glancing back at the image, something caught her eye. At the corner of the image, basically a spark in the ink. The ink separated at one particular area, with a circle directly setting into it. It sent shivers down her spine. She flipped again and caught sight of another image of a large cave with an opening in the ceiling. The same ink spread lay near the ground, beside a rock. Another consisted of a desert with various stone structures scattered around it. Above near the sky. It showed a pair of them, along with an object holding them. Another. Large lake with small building held up by pillars floating in the water. A spiked ink separation underneath the water. Another.

Twilight gasped. On the next image was a lake, with many pillars rising around it. But clear in the middle was a large bird. The ink separation appeared to be its eyes. She closed the book with a thud. She grasped a quill and parchment with her magic and hastily wrote a message down. After doing so, she sent it with a new spell she started to learn recently and ran towards the Carousel Bouti-

Twilight stopped. The reminder of her best friend dead was petrifying, and she remembered why Spike wanted to embark in the first place. How he sat in the library all day, going through book after book, hour after hour. And what of the things showed in the book? Will he encounter them? Has he already?

Twilight shook these thoughts from her immediate concentration and bolted out of the house. She needed to find somepony who can help.