> The Shadow That Grows Old
>  by PoetryEmpress
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The First Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stories that have been lost in time,
Long forgotten, stored in rhyme,
Words that have been painted red,
With the blood of missing dead.

We gather 'round the fire now,
Because despite the sweat along your brow,
If I were to let the world grow cold,
You'd consider your soul sold.

We gather 'round the fire tonight,
To lend our voices to the night,
I speak of days now lost in Hell,
Where demons walk and shadows dwell.

The story starts with something new,
Something that may be unfamiliar to you,
A pony, yes, a pony grand,
One that could fly, one that could stand.

I know what you are thinking now,
As the sweat collects along your brow,
Ponies have been lost for an age,
But the story goes on if you turn back a page.

This pony flew fast, this pony stood tall,
For a time this pony ruled over all,
But don't get too caught up by power,
This pony was delicate, as a flower.

This pony was a mare, born to rule,
She had been treated different, ever since school,
School, a word, you haven't heard in a while,
Maybe new, and you may think new is vile.

As I was saying, this mare was true,
High, honest, ready to rule,
It was right about then, at a young age,
Her future was different, her future was changed.

Her sister was born, in the dead of night,
Her coat was dark blue, her eyes were a fright,
The second sister was frightened, of what she could do,
But the sisters were close, not one and one, but two.

Even after, her sister was born,
The old one was ready to rule in good form,
But by then she knew that it would be changed,
A shared rulership had to arranged.

When her sister was older, enough to take charge,
They signed a treaty, long and large,
They would rule over the world, in endless peace,
Bringing both night and day, they would never cease.

Eons went by and things were going well,
Ponies were happy, life was quite swell,
But unknown to them, there were darkness's around,
It was up to the sisters for peace to be found.

The first foe that they were forced to fight,
Was a curious beast, of danger and might,
Though he looked scary, he had endless humor,
He made ponies fly about, or so said the rumors.

The sisters knew that this new chaos was strong,
But they knew in their hearts that rights came from wrongs,
So they left their kingdom, not to return for a while,
It became the time of Discord, a time oh so vile.

The two sisters traveled for ever a time,
Seeking for answers, to solve the chaotic climb,
Of power, to darkness, that Equestria took,
Yes, the name of Equestria you had once forsook.

Now look around you, the shadow is weakening,
Say hello to the dawn and goodbye to the evening,
The sun is rising far east of this place,
Maybe by the fire tomorrow night I will continue the story at this pace.
> The Second Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello once more, to those who implore,
About the past, those who wish to know more,
I insist you gather closer to the flame,
For the darkness around you is to blame.

We left off on the sisters journey,
Over mountains and coves, they both grew quite weary,
Off in the distance ponies were harmed,
By the chaotic figure who by his title was charmed.

The two traveled west towards the sun set,
Where they were headed, neither of them knew yet,
But one thing they did know, right from the start,
They needed more strength to take Discord from home and hearth.

After sunrise and sunsets, an untold amount,
Upon a cave they stumbled, right into its mouth,
It looked like all others, yet felt so strange,
From it aurated the idea of change.

The cave delved so far, into the earth,
But they were not scared, for they longed for mirth,
After what seemed like days the cave came to an end,
A huge abyss where they knew they must descend.

Unfolding the wings they had not used for hours,
They flew down the quarry, taking light from their powers,
Soon enough their weary hooves met the floor,
They were sad to find out they still had much to explore.

Two paths wound their way through the stone,
One made of darkness, one of light tones,
The younger of sisters, though she was afraid,
Took the path of darkness, deeming it her trade.

The eldest of sister, her coat a grand white,
Deemed the light path to be hers, the opposite of night,
The sisters shared briefly some quick goodbyes,
And into their path, or their could-be demise.

The eldest of sisters weaved to and fro,
In her path of light, where she was meant to go,
The path seemed to be safe, at least in the start,
Yet with her sister, she had still had to part.

The younger of sisters crept into her path,
Blindly walking in darkness, into the wrath,
Her magic was useless, there was no light here,
No pony to help her, no one to hold dear.

Yet she kept walking, on into the fray,
Hoping and hoping dark would turn to day,
Soon enough she sped towards a light straight ahead,
But it was just the entrance, for the dark had messed with her head.

The eldest of sisters walked fairly along,
Keeping herself company with the fairest of songs,
At last was a change in the path up ahead,
The tunnel faded out till all the lights were dead.

The younger of the two walked back inside,
Feeling eyes on her back with no place to hide,
She walked and walked on, hitting each and every wall,
Until once again she was back where she came from.

In anguish she felt that darkness was bad,
No light for anypony was their to have,
She thought and she though about what she could do,
But only one conclusion could she come to.

Light was far stronger than darkness by far,
So she turned towards the path, in the dark the only star,
Less scared now she followed the path her sister took,
The eyes on her back now only a simple look.

The path grew far dimmer than she had imagined, 
Until she was in dark once again, so dark that she felt,
A cry of anguish escaped from her throat,
As she bumped into the walls, she continued to emote.

Oh dear, oh no, there is light in the East,
The darkness was short tonight, to say the least,
But the red of the sun shall bring us a storm,
Tomorrow I'm sure you will have more to learn.