//------------------------------// // Prolouge: The Corrupter Arises // Story: My Little Pony Equestria Girls 3: Twilight's Shadow // by Revan //------------------------------// It was the middle of the night in Ponyville - a night that seemed peaceful and ordinary, a night that, while cold, was crisp and clear, with not a cloud to obscure the light of the full moon. But this was not an ordinary night - for deep within the Everfree Forest, something stirred from its slumber. It arose, and at first all that one could see - or would have seen, if anypony had been awake at that hour to see it - was a darkness, without definitive shape or form, hovering over the trees of the Everfree Forest. However, in scarcely a moment, twin beacons of red ignited, and the shadow coalesed into a smoky outline of a pony, with the two blazing spots of red being where its eyes should have been. The darkness looked up at the sky. It was a cunning creature, a being with no space - or desire - in its mind for things as frail as emotions. It quickly came to the conclusion, based on the positions of the stars, that it had been ten thousand years since it had last walked upon the land of Equestria. Although it did not have emotions, it did have a need, an ingrained drive to make more of its own kind. However, there were no others of its kind left - not that it would have mattered. For its kind had never created new ones in partnership, nor had its kind ever needed to do so. But before a new one of its kind could be created, it needed to find a suitable... target, for lack of a better word. The only kind of target, that it could... use, however, was an Alicorn pony - and, it quickly determined from the incredibly faint scents in the air, there was only one nearby. No matter. One would do just as well as a thousand - probably better, in fact. It sprouted smoky black wings and a horn as black as obsidian, and silently flew towards Ponyville - and Twilight Sparkle's castle. It flew through the walls - after all, it had no tangible body to speak of - and found itself in a bedroom, with a sleeping pony that- it quickly checked - had both horns and wings. It felt a sense of satisfaction, and quickly entered the pony's mind. It found what it was searching for, and, quietly dodging the alicorn's sleeping consciousness (which was engaged in a weird dream involving a pink earth pony, muffins, and an immature dragon), broke down the barriers that contained it. Then it departed, flying back to the Evergreen Forest to sleep for ten thousand more years. And the thing that it had unleased started to fester within Twilight Sparkle's mind... Spike awakened, yawning quietly. He lay there for a moment, quietly savoring the feeling of warmth that permeated his body. He felt like he could stay in his curled-up position forever - but he couldn't, since Twilight would drag him out of there sooner or later. He sighed, and for the first time since he had moved with Twilight to Ponyville, gave in to the inevitable and got out of the bed. Only then did he realize that Twilight was still asleep. He checked the window, and saw that the sun was already a quarter of the way across the sky. He frowned. Twilight should be up by now, Spike thought to himself. She's always awake before I am. Spike climbed onto Twilight's bed, and crawled towards her. He shook her. "Twilight? It's time to be up and about." There was no response. He frowned again, starting to worry. He shook her again, harder this time. "Twilight?" Suddenly, Twilight bolted upright in the bed, causing Spike to tumble off. He picked himself up, and said, "Well, your trusty dragon assistant actually got up before you this fine morn-" Spike was cut off as Twilight's appearance registered on him. Something was very wrong. She shouldn't have gray eyes, nor had she had a black horn last night. And why was her cutie mark ringed in red? "Twilight? What's happening to you?" She answered, but her voice came in gasps. "I'm...not certain...Spike. But...send a message...to Princess...Celestia...immediately!" "Okay, I'm on it!" He grabbed a scroll and wrote down her condition hurriedly. He sent it via dragon-breath, and three minutes later he received a response. He opened it and handed it to Twilight. As she read it, her eyes widened. Then she magically lifted her quil pen and started hurriedly writing on another scroll. She handed it to Spike, and said, "Spike, follow...the directions here, but first...knock me out." Spike's eyes widened. "But Twilight-" he began. "NOW, Spike!" "Okay, okay! Just give me a second!" He grabbed the first thing that came to hand - the book Twilight had been reading last night - and whacked her hard across the head. She slumped to the floor, clearly out of it. He grabbed the scroll, grimly certain that whatever was going on, it was not good. He opened it , and saw one sentence, which said: "Take me to Canterlot and contact Princess Celestia." Spike shook his head sadly. Today, he was supposed to be assisting Rarity by taking delivery of three rare rolls of crystal silk at the train station and bringing them to her. Well, that was going to have to wait. He had a mission now, and no pony - or dragon - or griffon - or, heck, any swarm of changlings - was going to stop him from completing it. If there was any pony whom he would give his life for - besides Rarity, of course - it would be Twilight Sparkle. He looked at Twilight's body, and sighed. "Well, I hope that Princess Celestia knows what's happening to Twilight, because I certainly don't!" Spike grabbed Twilight's front left leg, and began to drag her towards the bedroom door - and the cure for whatever had afflicted Twilight Sparkle. He hoped.