//------------------------------// // Origins // Story: Shrouded in Fear // by TinnyPiano26 //------------------------------// Note: this chapter contains the backstory to the Dark One and is heavily influenced by Tom Marvolo Riddle's diary from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Making her way to the center of the Everfree Forest, Twilight kept thinking about her dream. About how it had seemed so real and how the Dark One could still possibly be here after she and Luna had banished him to the void. It didn't seem possible, yet a small part of her mind kept telling her that she was forgetting something important. She shrugged it off and continued through the forest, using her magic to study the surroundings and avoid any living thing near her. When she arrived at the heart of the forest, she found it as it was before, a giant crater surrounded by mangled and uprooted trees. She used her magic to carefully observe the area, checking for any signs of the Dark One or anything that seemed odd to her. As she was finishing her search, she sensed a small hint of a magic unknown to her a couple of meters into the forest. She went to the source and found the brown book the Dark One had burned lying open next to a quill and an inkwell. On the visible page was a single sentence: Write in this book. Twilight levitated the book over to her and studied it with her magic. This was definitely the source of the unknown magic, but the writing on the page intrigued her. She levitated the quill and inkwell over to her and began writing. Hello? As soon as she finished writing, a response immediately appeared underneath it. Hello. She stared at the book for a minute then continued writing. Who are you? Ladies first. She hesitated for a moment. I'm Twilight Sparkle. Pleasure to meet you, Twilight Sparkle. You may call me Bright Day. Nice to meet you, too. Bright Day remained silent for a while before it finally responded. Please ask me a question. Twilight thought about what she was going to say carefully and wrote back. What are you? I'm afraid I can't answer that. Why not? It's not time for you to know yet. Twilight frowned and wrote down another question. Did you know I was coming here? Yes. How? I sensed it. That seems to be rather vague. It's supposed to be. Twilight thought about choosing her next words carefully, but decided to simply ask Bright Day. What do you know about the Dark One? Bright Day hesitated for a moment before responding. Everything. Twilight's eyes went wide and she froze in place. For a moment, she couldn't think. When she could, she thought that this might be a great opportunity for her to learn the Dark One's weaknesses. She wrote back to Bright Day. What can you tell me? What do you want to know? Does the Dark One have any weaknesses? Yes. Twilight's smile was so wide, she thought her head might split in two. What are they? I'm afraid I can only tell you of one. The purple mare's smile faltered but immediately shot back up as she continued writing. What is it? Bright Day took a minute to respond. When it finally did, Twilight's smile turned into a look of confusion. Pure beings. She sat there for a moment, studying Bright Day's words. She didn't know what "pure beings" meant, but she had a hunch. She continued writing. What are those? That, I'm afraid, you'll have to discover on your own. Twilight grunted in frustration and considered simply leaving the book, but she still had one question left to ask. She wrote it down and waited for a response. What is the Dark One? The Dark One is an evil being that wants nothing more than for the whole of reality to live in fear of him. He was born from the void, which he grew up in, at the beginning of existence, along with his two brothers. He was originally going to watch over the universe and make sure everything remained in perfect harmony, but living in the void for that long has driven him insane and has led him to think that nothing cares enough about him to even learn what he is. Finally, he stopped caring for the universe and simply watched it descend into madness, chaos, and death. His brothers frowned upon his actions and created a god-like race, known as the alicorns, to watch over and protect the universe in his place. This infuriated him and led him to lock his brothers away and watch him travel out of the void to destroy this new race so that the universe would destroy itself. However, one of his brothers was slightly more powerful than him, which allowed him to send a message to the alicorns warning of his coming arrival. They gathered in defense and began fighting the Dark One in a collected effort to keep their kingdom safe. The writing continued on the other page. He was stronger than them, however, and he killed most of the race easily. Those that remained went into hiding and began asking the Dark One's brothers if there was any way to stop him. They responded and told them that their only hope was to banish him to the void and lock him there. They faced the Dark One once more and tried to lock him away, but this kind of magic was unknown to them and it would take them a while to cast the spell. Plus, the Dark One was quick to understand their intentions and quickly killed all but two of them, the ones you know as Celestia and Luna. However, as he was about to kill the last alicorns, they had completed the spell and had banished him to the void. The eldest of the two alicorns infused the spirit of one of the Dark One's brothers inside this book so that the Dark One couldn't return to this universe without being faced by a being more powerful than him. Since then, the universe remained untouched by the Dark One for over three thousand years and his younger brother watched over him, while the other watched over this universe. However, he finally found a way to return to this universe without endangering himself. He took refuge within your body and hid there, waiting to acquire the book his brother was residing within. It continued on the other side of the page. When he finally did, he took it into the void and, without his other brother knowing, began draining the book of it's power. Finally, it was weak enough to be destroyed, so he sent it back into your universe with you and continued hiding within you. When you arrived in a place that once held so much death and destruction, he left your body and began seeking the book. As soon as he found it, he began destroying your world until he found the right time to travel to a secluded location to destroy the book. Then you confronted him and banished him into the void once more, however not before he destroyed the book and his brother along with it. With his brother gone, he could easily return to your world any time he wanted, but not while his younger brother still existed. He disposed of his younger brother and returned to this world, waiting for a time when your mind was weak enough that he could tell you that he wasn't gone. The rest is history. As Twilight finished reading, she leaned back and stopped to take all of the information in. When she returned to the book, all of the writing was gone and a single sentence had replaced it all. You can't stop him now. There is no hope anymore.