//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: Stories of a Shade 
// by ConfettiColored 
//------------------------------//

	It all started when Twilight Sparkle was searching for the Crystal Heart. The Door of Fear was in front of her, trying to keep her from getting through. She was getting frustrated with it, and that is what caused me to be born. Me and my siblings are Shades, the creatures responsible for the power dark magic holds, and its uncanny ability to corrupt the wielder. You see, when a dark magic spell is charged, it's not just the power of the unicorn who cast it, but the power of the Shade that gets created when  a spell is charged. As the spell is being charged, the Shade whispers to the user, often trying to convince them to become evil, and after a while, the user is corrupted. Upon the spell being cast, the Shade is released and goes off to live its own life. That's why Dark magic has such an addictive quality, over time it just builds up, and you're left with a lust for more.  I was born of the spell used by Twilight Sparkle to stop and open the Door of Fear. I was charged, cast, and released. But it doesn't stop there. The unicorn that casts the spell has an impact on the Shade's life. If the being was using the spell for good, the Shade was good; the same is true if the spell was used for evil. Now, I think we can all agree that Twilight has a good soul. You might be able to see where this is going. Dark magic being used for good isn't heard of commonly. And as such, my family and I were outcasts. My not being evil and agreeing with the sadistic ways of my species caused them to not want me around, and ponies thought we were going to trick and murder them. As Twilight's magic is so powerful, the one dark magic spell she cast separated into three Shades, that being me, my brother, and my sister. We wandered the world, traveling, thinking of ways to show these people that we mean no harm to them. I often wondered if I could find my maker again, and if she would help me. She had to, for she knew what it was like to be alone; she was alone before she made her friends. I was fine with my family, I loved them, but I wanted to be able to walk around populated areas without having to stick to shadow travel. This is the story of how we found the true magic of friendship, and how our lives took a turn for the better.