Afterglow

by Shadowysilence

First published 18th of January, 2012

We are the silent guardians of Equestria, waiting at constant vigil to hold back the darkness.

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.

Introduction

Hello fellow studier of the lost histories of Equestria, my name is Afterglow. Like you, I too am on a quest to find what dark recesses of our fair land hide. Whether in plain sight or hidden from our eyes, they are all around us. From the depths of the Everfree forest to the forgotten swamps, canyons, and the like we must search. We search for the grain of truth hidden in the urban legends, ghost stories, tall tales, and myths of our land.

We archivists, as many call us, know there is another layer hidden beneath our peaceful world. One of death, despair, loss, and fear. A place where souls wander, curses are cast, and dark demons hunt the unwary. Where the madness locked within all of us takes hold, showing its true face in horrible detail. You may ask what of the light and kindly places we see everyday, do they not exist as truly as any else? To that I give you this, do not let the quaint appearances of seemingly less dark locales deceive you, under every meadow lies secret bones and untold stories.

This is not a profession for the faint of heart or the weak of will, know this well. The trials we face are many, for what we seek to learn is what should never be known.
We must be sound in our beliefs, and uphold our sanity lest we join that dark world we are so fascinated with. As a famous pony once said "Battle not with monsters,
lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." We are the ones who must do battle with the monsters, and gaze ever into the abyss.

Many see us merely as collectors of tales and trinkets, but ask any archivist worth his salt and they will tell you otherwise. We are a vital, if small, portion of the Equestrian Historical Society (EHS). We handle the history that most ponies never see, the invisible history of Equestria. With this knowledge we protect the rest of pony-kind. We know the truth, and make sure that other ponies who would rather remain in the happy world they know can stay there.

We are the silent guardians of Equestria, waiting at constant vigil to hold back the tides of darkness seeking to destroy what we love.

Introduction to The Archivist's Handbook