Just imagine that every horror story you have heard had some grain of truth to it, from mischievous imps to other worldly horrors, and mysterious beings. Now stop imagining, because they aren't just stories. Some are more true than others, but they all pose threats to the safety of our world.

These beings were not created per se, but always existed as a sort of balance to our world. A world that faces so few problems must hide the skeletons somewhere, correct? They exist because happiness, joy, and friendship exist, they cannot be entirely destroyed because they are twisted byproducts of our happier world. Destroying one would destroy the other.

Whenever a pony loses it, goes crazy, they are a conduit for this "hidden layer". Their happy existence is cracked, broken, and out pours all the darkness that hides beneath. That is why it is so crucial that we not let information of the evil be leaked, if all ponies started to go insane then the darkness would surely overrun all of Equestria. Most ponies don't go crazy long enough to actually cause major problems, but if left unchecked the results can be disastrous. Within every pony is locked madness that is kept at bay, it seeks to be free, to consume everything. If not through a pony directly the creatures of the dark use places so marked with negativity that it becomes a natural gateway in itself, the Ever-free forest is a perfect example.

The denizens of this hidden layer are not entirely malicious, some only seek to forget about their pain. None of them are happy, and most of them are constantly in some state of agony or another. Some find pleasure in feeling and causing pain, others seem to act on some unknown agenda, and still others have no discernible reason for doing what they do

To stop these creatures, and hold balance in Equestria we archivists fight on. We do what others cannot so our fellow ponies can lead simpler lives. It is our duty to know what must not be known.

This is the story of but one of us, his name, Afterglow.