The seed of the Shadows

by Arcden Haiser

Chapter 1 - The Tempest Night

Author's Note:

Well, I hope you guys like this story, I am trying really hard not to make a mistake, but if I do, please tell me. Thanks for reading.

It was a dark night at equestria, darker then the day Nightmare Moon break free from it's prison.

The weather factory had suffered an accident and a super storm was released all over equestria. All the menbers of the weather patrol, including the wonderbolts and the pegasus from the royal army were sent to try and stop it, but all enforces were useless.

Back at Ponyville, to protect the citizens, princess Twilight Sparkle ordered to all citizens to seek shelter inside her castle, and so was done. After 15 minutes, all the rooms of the castle were filled with ponies, with exception of the library and the Cutie Map's room.

"Do you think this storm will end soon?", asked the mayor to princess Twilight and Starlight Glimmer.

"I don't know, we need to wait and see what happens," said Starlight, looking for Twilight.

"We need to wait Raimbow Dash come back with news" Twilight said, right before they heard a BOOM from the front door of the castle. Twilight, the mayor and Starlight runned to the front door. When they got there, they found a blue pegasus breathing heavily and sweating.

"RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight shouted,"What happened? Are you alright? Is the storm contained?", she asked.

The blue pegasus raised it's head "the mission....failed, we couldn't stop it.
All the units were ordered to retreat and look for shelter. I came as fast as possible," she said panting while trying to stand. Twilight rushed to help her friend.

"Thanks," Raimbow said, still panting.

"You must be exhausted, come, I will let you in the same room as the others," Twilight said, then turned her face to Starlight "I will let Rainbow in the room with the others and then I will come back," having said that she lit her horn, but right before she could, all the other menbers of the main six appeared.

"I think I should go see if everypony is alright" the mayor said. With a nod from Twilight, she departed.

"Darling, you look terribly exhausted, what happened?" Rarity asked, as all the others gathered around them.

"It looks like the storm is still coming," answered Starlight.

"Oh no, what about the poor animals back in my house?" asked Fluttershy, from behind Rarity.

"They will be fine Shy," said Applejack,"they know how to take care of themselves, ain't Ah right?" she asked.

"Anyway, I will let Rainbow in the same room as you girls, and I will be right back," but right after Twilight said that an enormous Thunder falled in the Everfree forest, along with a bliding light and a defeaning sound that made everyone cover their ears and close their eyes.

---

The Everfree forest was dark and gloomy, with a frightening aura all around her, but that night it was nothing but a leaf in the wind, compared to the monstrous storm that was approaching. The storm looked wilder than anything that existed back in the forest. In the middle of the trees were the ruins of what was once the castle of the Two Sisters. Without warning, a thunder falled in the middle of the ruins, causing the earth itself to tremble.

The thunder had fallen in the middle of what had been the throne room, but instead of a burnt mark there was a round object that resembled an all-black bubble, as black as the night. Gradually, the bubble began to fall apart, until she revealed an unconscious unicorn.

His coat was black as charcoal, just like his tail. His mane was white with some small black lines. As he started to awake his eyes openned slowly, revealing emerald green eyes, but it's pupils resembled the ones of a snake. As he fully wake up, he tried to stand.

After being in all fours, he quickly scanned the area around him and asked, almost like a whisper "Where am I?"

He started to walk, being carefull not to fall, when he heard a growl. As he raised his head, his eyes went wide with the image he saw.

Right there, in his front was standing an wolf, bigger than anyother, which appeared to be made of sticks and wood. Their gazes locked with eachother.
The black unicorn tried to step back, but when he tried to, the wolf striked. The unicorn tried to dodge to the right, but the wolf managed to strike a blow with its claws right at his side.

He fell to his knees, but without time to think of the pain, he stood up and turned back to where the wolf had jumped. His knees trembled as he saw the wolf standing besides him, looking directly to him, ready to strike again. Once again their gazes locked with eachother, but this time the unicorn's eyes were filled with fear, his heartbeat increased just as a race car.

The wolf jumped once again, and at inchs from the unicorn, another thunder falled, filling the entire room with an blinding light.

As the light faded away, the wolf was nowhere to be seen, but, in it's place, the ground around the black unicorn was filled with sticks and peaces of wood. The sight of the unicorn began to blur, he began to scold and fell to the ground. A few centimeters from the floor, all the shadows that were in the room became one just below him, and wrapped him like a blanket, until it formed a black bubble around him.

---

After the light faded, everyone opened their eyes and uncovered their ears.

"Is everyone all right?" asked Twilight.

"Ah'm allright sugarcube, it will need more than a little thunder to scary mahself" Applejack responded.

"TWILIGHT!!" someone screamed. Applejack jumped so high that she nearly hit her head on the ceiling.

Everyone turned their heads to their backs, seing a little purple dragon running right into their direction yelling "Twilight!Twilight!Twilight!"

Applejack, that had just recovered from the fright she had, put a hoof in front of the little dragon, stopping him, and said "hold on lil one, where is the fire?"

The purple dragon stopped and as he caught his breath, Twilight asked "Spike, what happened?"

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash turned to face Applejack and said "'more than a little thunder', uhn?", a little grin in her face.

"Shut up Dash," Applejack said, a little blush in her face. Rainbow Dash started to laugh as crazy only to be cutted by Twilight that was wainting for spike to catch his breath, "Rainbow!"

As Rainbow stopped laughing, Spike answered "It's the Cutie Map, after that great thunder it started to glow like crazy, and it's showing many cutie marks, all at the same time, and all in the same place."

"Well, this already happened before," interjected Applejack.

"But never like this, besides there are some cutie marks that you should see for yourself, come on," Spike gestured to all 7 ponies to go with him.

Shortly after, they arrived at the room of the Cutie Map, and it was just like Spike described. The map was glowing, and all 7 cutie marks from Starlighg and the main 6 were being showed, together with another 4. The ponies' eyes went wide as they recognized the cutie marks as being the ones of Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Prince Shining armor.

"Spike," said Twilight "sent a message to the princesses and to Cadance and Shining Armor, tell them what is happening and ask them to come as quick as possible."

Spike made a sign of continence as he picked two scrolls and wrote in them as fast as he could. He wrapped them up and, with a breath of green fire, sent the two letters. Only a few seconds later two flashes of light appeared in the room. As the light faded, it revealed 3 alicorns and 1 unicorn.

"Twilight, we came as fast as we got your letter", said Princess Celestia as she got closer to the map. At the same time another thunder falled.

"Where exactly the marks are?" asked the princess, turning her face to Twilight.

"They seem to be in the everfree forest right in the..." Twilight said right before the glow of the map vanished, and the cutie marks disapeared.

"What happened?" Princess Luna asked as she got closer to her sister.

"I don't know, it just stopped," answered Twilight, a look of confusion in her face.

"Maybe the storm influenced it," Rarity said.

"I don't think so. This map is made of pure magic. A storm wouldn't do that, even one of this magnitude", Twilight said.

"I don't think it was a mistake too, but it started right after that big thunder fall" Spike added.

"You don't think that...." Fluttershy started, but then shook her head with fear of what she had thought.

"We don't think....what, darling?" asked Rarity, as she turned to face Fluttershy.

"No it's too horrible for me to say" Fluttershy said, almost like a whisper.

"What is too horrible for you to say Fluttershy?" Celestia asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, the Cutie Map only glow when somepony needs help, right," Fluttershy stopped, looked at everyone as they nodded, then restarted, "and it started to glow right after that big thunder fall," she stopped once again, gathering courage,"and stopped right after this last one. You don't think that somepony needed our help, but now...." she stopped once more shooking her head as the worst case scenario appeared right in her mind.

When everyone realised what Fluttershy was trying to say, their eyes went wide with fear. Somepony needed help, and it could be barely alive, Twilight thought to herself.

"We have to go," Celestia said snapping everyone from the horrible image. "Twilight, where the cutie marks where gathered?" Celestia said, as she turned to Twilight, a tone of authority in her voice.

Twilight imediately turned to the princess and nodded. "Spike, you were the one that better saw where the cutie marks where, could you show to us?" Twilight asked, turning to Spike.

The little dragon made an nod with the head and pointed to a spot in the map, "They were all gattered right here" he said.

"But this is...." princess Luna interjected as she got sight of the place where Spike's claw was pointing at.

"The castle of the Two Sisters" Cadance completed.

"Wherever it is, somepony can be hurt, or worse" Celestia statted. "Luna, give me a hoof here".

"Yes sister", Luna replied.

"We will teleport everyone to the castle, so be ready for anything" Celestia said to everypony, as her and Luna's horns lighten up. In a flash of light, all the ponies disappeared.

---

Right at the outside of the ruins, a flash of light appeared, making every animal close to it runaway. As the light fadded, it revealed twelve figures.

"Is everyone ok?" Twlight asked.

"We are alright sugarcube," Applejack answered.

"We don't have time to lost," princess Celestia said while lighting her horn and entering the ruins, "we need to go."

With an collective nod, they all entered the ruins. Twilight, Rarity, Shinig, Cadance and Luna's horns lit as they started to walk. Only a few seconds later they entered the throne room.

As she stepped in, Applejack noticed something wrong.

"Wait," she said.

"What happened, darling?" Rarity asked as she and all the others turned to face Applejack.

"What all those sticks are doing here?", she asked as her hoof pointed to the ground where many sticks layed.

As she said that, everyone started to look to the ground, seeing sticks all over it. Some were broken and others had burn marks.

"What happened here?" Luna asked as she walked forward.

"I think this is what's left of a Timber wolf," Twilight statted.

"But what could do that to a Timber wolf," Applejack started, "it would need to be extremely strong".

"Or know how to use magic," Starlight stated.

Meanwhile, Luna continued to walk, looking at the place where she tried to conquer Equestria a thousand years ago. Without noticing, she walked over something sticky. Stopping, she ducked her head to see what it was, but when she got sight of it, she screamed and runned back to where the others were.

"Luna what happened?" asked Celestia, a look of concern in her face.

Almost like a whisper Luna said "blood"

"What did you say?" Celestia asked as she got closer to her sister.

Again, Luna said almost like a whisper "blood"

"Sister I can't understand you," Celestia said, "could you repeat what hap-"

"BLOOD!" Luna yelled, "I saw blood! Right there" she said as she pointed a shaking hoof to where she was standing before.

Twilight walked to where the princess pointed, and with the light of her horn she saw what Luna said. Right there was a pool of fresh blood. Twilight stepped back with horror, but shooked it out quickly.

As she raised her head, she created a small ball of light, that floated and lit up the front of the room, where the throne should be, but in it's place was some kind of black bubble floating in the middle of the room. As Twilight caught sight of that she turned her head back and said "guys".

Hearing Twilight all the ponies turned to face her. As they did they saw the round object floating right behind her.

"What is that", Starlight said as she started to walk, but was interrupted by Pinkie Pie bouncing.

"Uh-uh, I know, it's a piñata" Pinkie said, while everyone shook their heads ", or some kind of super dooper complex spell to protect somepony." Everyone looked in disbelief of what the pinkie pony had said.

"What?" she asked while shrugging.

"Well, she can be right," Twilight said, this time everyone looking at her "maybe whoever needed help casted this spell to protect itself from the timber wolf", she continued as she stepped towards the bubble, in that moment she heard her brother yell, "Twilight! Jump!"

Whitout thinking Twilight jumped, while some sort of black spike stroke the ground where she was standing. Suddenly, a white bubble involved her, and took her back to the others.

"Thanks" she said, turning to her brother wich horn was lit.

"You need to be more careful" he said as his horn's light faded away.

At that moment the spike started to change it's form to one that ressembled water, and then disappeared as it became one with the bubble.

"What was that?" Cadance asked as she got closer to Twilight.

"I think it is what Pinkie said. Some kind of self-defence spell, but I never saw anyone like that", Twilight explained.

"But where is the pony that casted the spell?" Starlight statted, while looking around, searching for any sign of an unicorn, "I can't find anyone here".

As she said that anothe thunder falled, and filled the throne room with it's light. The light let the ponies see what was inside the bubble, and what they saw shocked everyone. Right inside of it was a pony, in fetal position. As she stared, Fluttershy got sight of something right at the pony's side.

"Look," she said pointing a hoof "there is something on his side".

And in fact there was something, a cut of the size of a knife was visible right at his side.

"Well, that explain the blood." Rainbow said.

"Rainbow!" Rarity shouted.

"What?" she shrugged.

"She is right Rarity," Twilight started "now we know from where the blood came and who we came to help. Now we only need to figure out how to get him out of that bubble" she said as her horn lit up, her eyes closing as a purple aura started to spread all over the bubble.

When it involved a little more than half of it, Twilight felt something growing inside of her heart. It was fear. A fear that was growing bigger and bigger each second that passed. She yelled as her eyes shot open and she falled to her knees, the purple aura vanishing together with her horn's light.

"TWILIGHT!" the girls yelled as they runned to where she was.

Gradually Twilight regained consciousness. As she tried to stand she felt a pair of hoofs at both her sides helping her. "Thanks", she said as she tried to regain her balance.

"Are y'all alright sugarcube?" Applejack asked

"Yeah, I'm fine" Twilight aswered as she finally recovered ballance.

"What happende back there Twilight?" Celestia asked

"I don't know how to explain, at first it was alright, but then..." she stopped.

" 'Then...', what Twilight?" Shining Armor interjected.

"Then I started to feel fear, but not like when you do something wrong and is scared that when someone found, they will punish you. No. It was like it was growing inside of me, like it was feeding of me" Twilight said as her friends and family looked with concern to her.

"It's alright Twilight, we are here," Celestia said with an smooth voice, then changed it to one of authority, "but we still need to find out how to get this pony out of that bubble"

"I could do some research back at the castle, but I would need the bubble together to do it," Twilight said.

"Very well" Celestia said as she turned to face Luna. With a nod from both of them, their horns lit and in a flash of light they all vanished together with the bubble.

---

In the blink of an eye Twilight saw herself, together with her friends, the princesses and the black bubble back at her castle, but not in the Cutie Map's room. The princesses had teleported them to the library of the castle.

"I thought that it would be better if we teleported us to the library, since it has more space and you can do the research more easily," Celestia speaked.

"Thank you, princesses," Twilight said, "now I will start searching-"

"No, you won't," Shining interjected "you won't do anything until you have some rest. What if the same thing happens again, or worse. And there is no one around to help you?" Shining said, concern in his face and in his voice.

Twilight openned her mouth to reply when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. As she turned her face to the side she saw Celestia besides her.

"Your brother is right Twilight," she started "if anything happens to you we won't be able to help, besides, I think you should go have some rest, just as everypony here" she looked to all the other ponies in the room.

"Tomorrow me and my sister will be back to help you to deal with this problem, but now I think we all need to rest", with that said everypony nodded. Twilight ducked her head, a frown on her face, but nodded too.

"Now if you will allow us, we have to take care of some matters back at Canterlot so that we can come back tomorrow" Celestia and Luna said as they started to walk away of the group and into the middle of the library.

"We have to go too Twilight, but we will come back tomorrow" Cadance said as she hugged Twilight.

With that being said both four ponies lined up in pairs, and in two flashes of light they vanished.

"I am exhausted" Rainbow said, as she started to fly towards her room.

"Me too" Pinkie said, shortly before speeding in the direction of the room and shouting back to her friends, "the first bed is mine!"

The others chuckled as they heard that. They waved good night to each other and went to their rooms.

---

The monstrous storm had finally came to an end as the night sky started to clear. The stars were shining as a box full of jewels. At the castle, everypony was sleeping, as if nothing had happened.

Back at the library, the black bubble stayed, without showing any sign of change since it was taken there by the princesses. As the time passed, the moon appeared in the sky, shining as a disco ball. One of it's beams of light struck the bubble, which began to disappear showing once again the black unicorn.

Slowly, he started to regain consciousness, and started to stand up. He then asked, almost like a whisper "where am I ?"

He looked around and, in the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of the enormous bookshelves behind him. He trotted forward to them, stopping in front of the first one. His horn lit as the first book of the shelf was involved by a dark aura and floated to him. He read the title "Equestria's History - Vol. I". Slowly the book openned and he started to read it, without noticing a pair of green eyes looking at him from the shadows.