Everfree Forest, 10:54 PM
The six ponies trotted behind the shadow spawn, each one having their own personal thoughts. The five trusted Twilight, but did not like the spawn that shuffled in front of them.
"Not ta be impatient, but are ya sure ya know to follow this ah spawn?" Applejack asked.
Twilight nodded,"You heard it yourself, the pony told us that the shadow spawn would guide us." To put an emphasis on this, the spawn hissed, which let loose a smell of decay.
"Hmph, I really wish it wouldn't do that." Rarity complained. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. After a few more minutes of trekking through the Everfree, they came to a large cavern opening which led deep underground. The shadow spawn stopped in front and snorted, tilting its head at the entrance.
"We have to go down there? But its so filthy!" Rarity whined, which led to a lot of eye rolling. Fluttershy got back up on her perch on the shadow spawn's back while Twilight and Rarity lit their horns, Then they all entered the cave.
The cavern was pitch black, so Twilight and Rarity's lights only illuminated some of the darkness to reveal stonework walls and iron made bars. The scent of rot filled the air as Twilight shone her light into a room filled with bone fragments.
Fluttershy shrieked,"Eeep!"
Rainbow Dash gasped,"Are those...Pony bone fragments?"
Twilight was stunned, as she hadn't expected to find actual corpses of ponies. She turned towards the group, to find that the shadow spawn was a little ways ahead, waiting for them.
"Um I think we need to move on." Twilight said, still shaken by finding a corpse. Then the voice boomed again, There are many more cells like this, all with only fragments of ponies past. My brothers and sisters...My cell is deeper in this prison. Twilight stopped,
"Um why were you imprisoned?" She asked. Her friends nodded in agreement. There came a dry chuckling I suppose its only natural. Very well, since i am in no place to refuse, i will tell you. I was imprisoned here, because i am different from the rest of ponykind.
"Different? What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked. Have you noticed that there are only the same bone fragments of each pony? That was how we were created, we didn't need as many bones as other ponykind. Also, there are somethings that i will have to show you face to face.
Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing,"Is it like a scar or a horribly disfigured face?" No, its difficult to explain. But i promise all will be revealed when you get here.
Twilight continued following the shadow spawn,"Alright, I will hold you to that promise then." The shadow spawn made a left then stopped, looking down into a shaft that they couldn't see the bottom of. Rarity shined her light down to hole.
"I can't see the bottom, are we supposed to go down there?" She asked. The shadow spawn nodded and leaped down there, its claws sinking into the stone surface as it climbed downward.
"Don't worry everypony, I have a spell to help you nonfliers down." Twilight said reassuringly. She spread her wings, as did Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, but she began to cast her spell, encircling the rest of her friends in a purple aura. Then they all flew down after the shadow spawn.
After a few minutes of flying, they reached the bottom, which was covered in runes.
"Whoa! These runes must be hundreds of years old!" Twilight exclaimed.
"What do they do Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing up and down, despite the confined space.
"Not much, they are just protection runes that activate whenever...Oh-." All six ponies realized that the runes were beginning to glow dangerously bright!
"Whats going on?!" Rainbow Dash screamed as the six ponies were separated by walls of pure white energy.
"My friends!" Twilight cried as she tried to use her magic to break the barrier. Purple light shot from her horn, but dissipated before it even touched the wall. Twilight waited to hear her friends calling to her, but she couldn't hear anything. She looked down the newly formed hallway, where the wall met stone glowing with similar runes.
"I guess i have no choice but to keep going." Twilight muttered to herself sadly. For the first time as an allicorn, Twilight felt truly helpless. Her head drooped down as she walked, until she came to stop before a large room. It was dark, so Twilight shone a light through it, but did not seem to be able to brighten anything. Tentatively she took a step forward, then the voice boomed out again in her head, You know you could always just asked for some help.
"Alright, then how come you didn't warn me and my friends about those protection runes?" She snapped. Think about it, i have been stuck in a single room with no windows for a while. I do not know who has been here and who hasn't. I only really know where i am.
Twilight sighed,"Okay, sorry then. But could you at least help to where my friends or something?" There was a pause then I'm afraid i can't directly lead you to your friends, but i can help you to where they will eventually meet up, which is right outside of where i am..
Twilight nodded,"Alright then, guide me."
Canterlot, Celestia's private sanctum, 12:57 AM
Celestia sighed, staring at an old battle map, one which dated back to a thousand and ten years ago. She studied it, and the little figurines on there, making note of the strange black and red ones. She was too absorbed in her work, she didn't notice the shadows gathering at the edge of the room until they sprouted flames and dark red eyes.
"Y-You!" She gasped, backing up and knocking over the table, figurines and map.
{Yes,...me.} It said it a raspy, yet firm voice. Celestia reacted quickly, blasting at it with the power of the sun- Then watched in horror as her magic blast was just simply absorbed and the creature grew even larger.
{Still using the same old spells Celly?} It taunted, then grew long fangs that made the temperature in the room rise to incredible temperatures.
{I've learned a couple of new tricks since the last time we saw each other. And you are going to be my guinea pig for them now. I have made sure that they would be...extremely painful for one such as you. But don't worry, i'm not going to kill you as that would spoil all-the-FUN!} it lunged and Celestia screamed as the darkness closed in around her and the stabbing pains of sharp teeth over her entire body....
End of Part 1 of Into Darkness