Prologue: A Dark Horse Rises
~BlackRoseRaven
Two Years Ago...
He was in darkness... but not for much longer.
Yes, he could feel it: light and warmth above. He longed to feel light and warmth again after so many years sealed away... trapped by Celestia's magic, in a terrible place below even Tartarus. But a place where he had learned the truth of the world... that this world had been shaped by a secret Celestia kept hidden away.
He pushed towards the surface, kicking and fighting, using every ounce of the dark magic that had originally gotten him banished here in the first place. Sealed away, thrown in prison, and for what? For daring to practice the dark magic he had a natural talent for! For daring to be better than the other unicorns at the academy had been! For daring to be different, for daring to ask to help Celestia as a 'Prince of the Night!'
And she had refused him and driven him away. And when he'd come back, more powerful than any unicorn in Equestria, they had fought. And he had lost, because of overconfidence and inexperience. So she had called him a villain, and sealed him away, beneath the world, beneath muck and mire and grime, beneath Tartarus itself.
Oh, but he had survived, and the experiences in the darkness had made him stronger and better. And more than that, he had met other ponies who had shared secrets with him, told him about a past he'd barely believed, revealed Celestia's weaknesses and even more importantly, the sources of her strength. He had learned a lot from them... and he had found a way out of this den of torment and suffering.
He had crawled, up and up and up, through darkness made solid, the energy stinging his body the entire time. He had forced his way forwards by thinking of the past, of how they'd judged him for being different. But who was laughing now? It wasn't them. Or at least, it wouldn't be them for much longer. They had driven him to this, after all: they had always called him evil. Well, if they wanted evil, if they wanted bad, he would be the most bad evil villain of them all!
He reached the surface, and tore through with a gasp into the warmth and light of the day, roaring his victory... and then promptly howling and covering his eyes, falling over and writhing painfully on the ground as he rolled back and forth in pain. The sun continued to shine mercilessly down, and he swore under his breath as he crawled quickly back into the tunnel in the earth, pushing up a bit of dirt and wincing away from the painfully, scorching bright light of day, far too much to bear after five hundred years in darkness.
Well. He'd waited five hundred years. He would wait until tonight.
But then, after tonight, true evil would return to Equestria. And even if it would have to wear sunglasses for a while, it would bring a cascade of darkness over the entire country, blotting out Celestia's light and their precious sun. Which felt very warm even from the safety of his dark little tunnel in the earth.
The evil that had escaped Tartarus grumbled a bit under his breath, then curled up and covered his head with one wing, swearing that he'd start making his move and he would take his revenge and gather a great army of darkness... but first he was going to have a nap. And then after nightfall, well. Then he'd start gathering the forces of evil together and take his revenge. And a shower. Probably not in that order.
Revenge, after all, was a dish best prepared when evil was well-rested and clean.
Two Days Ago...
The mare was surprised when she received the first letter, but the moment she'd read it, she'd immediately rushed to make preparations to leave for Canterlot before she'd run out the door to gather up her friends. When she'd returned to the library to get the last of her things some forty minutes later, she'd found a second letter waiting for her. The dragonlet she considered a little brother wanted to come with her, but she had already decided to keep him out of this: a decision confirmed to be for the best by the second letter.
She hurried off, leaving her assistant and adopted sibling behind, and now alone, he couldn't help but look at the two letters that had driven the mare into such a panic. But he regretted it almost immediately as his fear for the mare only increased with what he read...
Twilight Sparkle,
I require your presence at Canterlot immediately. You must gather your friends and come speak with me as soon as possible, although I fear the Elements of Harmony alone will not be enough to stop the rising threat to our nation.
I hope that you are already on your way. But as an extra precaution and because I know the trip to Canterlot even by train will take some time and you must already have many questions, I will do my best to tell you what is going on through a second letter that will arrive within the hour.
Be careful.
Princess Celestia
Twilight Sparkle,
I had hoped that Equestria would never see this day. As you know, our nation has many enemies that were defeated or banished long ago. But as the years have worn on, these enemies have begun to return as their prisons have weakened and Equestria has forgotten the past.
Among these many enemies, there is one great evil who stands out above all others. He was perhaps the most dangerous foe that Equestria has ever faced, and now he has escaped the dark prison I sealed him, more than five hundred years ago. I do not know how, but I know what he plans to do. He will try and destroy Equestria, by using an ancient artifact that I will not write of. We will speak of it, in private, after you arrive.
I will not write his name, but I will tell you a little about him: when we first met six hundred years ago, he claimed to be a 'Prince of the Night,' and desired to take a place at my side, as a ruler of Equestria. Of course, I would not give up that position to any stallion so easily, especially not to a unicorn who tried to impress me with dark magic that, even back then, was forbidden in Equestria.
He believed himself to be high above all other ponies: he did not desire just to rule the night, but to eventually take over my position and rule all of Equestria. I told him that I would not have it, and he challenged me to a battle.
I won the duel, but with difficulty: he had great power, and used evil magic, meant to harm and kill. But eventually I overwhelmed him, although he managed to escape. The Royal Guard searched high and low for him, but he had fled the nation.
A hundred years later, he returned, now claiming to be an alicorn. But his wings were earned by deceit and selfish magic, and in the process of gaining more power, he had lost the little conscience and morals he had once possessed. He came back, only wanting to kill me and destroy Equestria. And somehow, he had discovered many of Canterlot's secrets.
There was a great battle. Many unicorns were killed: you have seen their pictures in the hall of heroes, and statues of them in the stone garden. But eventually, we managed to suppress him between our powers, and I bound him to what I thought would be eternal punishment, below the pits of Tartarus, locked away in the very heart of darkness.
He is very powerful, and very dangerous. But he is also arrogant: he has not made any efforts to hide his return. As a matter of fact, he has announced his intentions by building a fortress of evil to the west of Canterlot. He has set his hoof in a wild place, much like the Everfree Forest, and he has already begun transforming it with his evil magic. But we must be cautious all the same: he will attract other evil-hearted ponies and likely already has many dark and terrible allies. He may try and use the greed of the dragons to turn them against us, and he will call up monsters and beasts to serve him and his interests.
When you arrive, I will take you aside, and I will teach you the magic you will need to help me fight him. Your friends will also be prepared, each in their own way, to deal with the great evil that he will undoubtedly bring.
One last thing, my student, in case something happens on the way to Canterlot: do not trust him, or his lies. Do not believe anything he says, or that he wants anything but darkness. When he finds out that you are my student, he will undoubtedly try and lure you away, to do great harm to you. Keep yourself safe: put your faith in me and in your friends.
Shining Armor will be waiting for you when you arrive, and he will tell you a special memory when you see him. Do not trust anyone else, and do not trust him unless he is able to tell you a secret about you that he has already assured me no other pony could possibly know. He will bring you and your friends directly to me.
Stay safe, Twilight Sparkle.
Yours in confidence,
Princess Celestia