Chapter 1: Legend
Come and gather around, both young and old, and let a tale be told about a time long ago. A time where sun and moon rose without control, when Discord still ruled the land, a time of chaos and confusion, where none was safe. During this time there existed a small village in the centre of a deadly forest, filled with monsters and secrets, things hidden away from sight. This village was filled with Pegasus and Unicorns, both races working in tandem to keep their home safe. The Pegasus would make the weather bearable, and the Unicorn's would keep the village safe with magic.
Despite living in a time of turmoil the village was happy, all except one resident that is.
For you see in this village of wings and horn there lived one Earth pony, found in the woods and brought into town rather than be left to the cruel will of nature. However, nopony truly accepted him, for he could not fly or use magic.
Instead of being taught like the others he was forced to do the most basic and painful of chores, harvesting and cleaning. Not a pony in the village to ever pay him a kind word or teach him of things he should know.
One day a terrible illness came upon the town, leaving each and everypony sick and unable to move. The village elder was forced to turn to the only pony that was still standing, the Earth pony, kept safe by his birth from the disease. He was tasked with entering the forest to find a rare herb that would heal the ponies of town.
With a chance to finally prove himself as something more than a beast of burden in his hooves the Earth pony made his way into the forest, seeking the herb needed to save his village.
He journeyed for a day and a half into the forest, avoiding monsters and plants that sought to bring his end, surviving against all odds. Eventually the stallion come to stop in front of a massive tree, the wood was pitch black and each branch held not a single leaf on them. By all rights the tree seemed dead, but the Earth pony felt something else, this tree was alive, and brimming with power he had never felt before.
Before his eyes a door appeared on the front of the tree, and a voice spoke ever so sweetly into his mind.
Enter young one, we have need of you. The voice sounded like that of a mother's voice, calmly calling its young one in during a winter storm.
The pony knew that he should distrust the voice, after all some of the unicorns would trick him with spell like that when they were bored, but this voice felt different from the ones that had aimed to mock him. It felt warm and trustworthy, and he couldn't bring himself to not move forward at its command.
The door opened and the Earth pony entered into the tree, finding himself in its massive trunk. Surrounding him were bookshelves that reached high into the air. Each book looked older than the last, through he couldn't read the words of the titles. One didn't need to know how to read when the only jobs they did involved dirty work.
He's here. The voice from before spoke once more in the sweet and motherly tone.
I told you he would come. A second voice replied, sounding like a proud father who had just seen his youngest child take a step.
You can always trust a pony like him to answer the call when they are needed. The third voice sounded like that of an old man, full of wisdom from a long life.
Welcome.The three voices spoke in tandem inside of the Earth pony's mind.
"W…who are you?" he asked into the darkness of the library.
He didn't understand what was going on and yet, for some strange reason he was not afraid. This place felt welcoming, a place where he rightfully belonged. It was strange how he now felt more at home in a room full of dusty books then he did with a town full of ponies.
Darkness. The first voice cooed.
Chaos. The second voice rumbled.
Disharmony. The third voice rasped.
We are that which came before, we are the keepers of balance. For each light there must be a shadow, for every hope there must be a fear. We are the painful truth nopony wishes to accept. And we have need of you.
As the voices in his mind rang forth, for a moment he felt a pang of fear. The things they spoke of didn't sound quite right, with words such as shadows and fear.
"What would you need with me?" he questioned, his voice almost a whisper.
You were born special. The first voice explained.
Born to be powerful, respected, feared. The second voice added
But that was taken away. However, your misfortune need not continue. The third voice explained with a sage tone to its voice.
The balance is soon to be disturbed, a great light will be cast over the land, and darkness will have no room to cast shadow. In this terrible light all creatures will be blind and destruction will soon follow. We need one to stand above as an example, a pony to rule the darkness and keep balance.
"And you want me to be that pony?" the Earth pony's voice shook as the task they wished for him to do became clear.
They were asking him to become something that he had never dreamed of, some creature of darkness that others would fear. But at the same time if he didn't an even worse fate would befall the world, and he didn't like the idea of more people being hurt by his inaction.
Evil must be done to protect balance. The first voice sighed.
Without sacrifice things fall into ruin. The second voice spoke with a hint of sadness.
Ah, but worry not, for we have plans for the future, and your work will not go without reward. The third voice spoke, authority in its tone.
Serve our needs and we will grant your greatest wishes. Friendship, love, power, respect, all things you desire will be yours. There will be pain but we believe that you are strong enough to survive it. Serve us and we will in turn serve you.
The Earth pony stood in the black tree in utter silence for quite some time, unsure what to say or do when confronted with the words in his mind. If he acted people would be hurt, but if he didn't act more people would be hurt. After what seemed like an eternity he spoke.
"I…I am willing to do what must be done." He bowed into the darkness. "I will rule and keep this balance."
I knew you would. The first voice said, pride and love overflowing with each word.
We knew you would. The second voice added with the admiration of a proud parent.
Now we shall bless you with our power. The third voice spoke quietly.
Our service to you, Guardian of Darkness.
Suddenly each book in the tree began to glow with a black aura, so dark that even the shadows seemed to flee away from it. These auras slowly became tendrils of energy that reached toward the young stallion and wrapped around him, consuming him with their touch.
For a full minute the shadows wrapped around him like a cocoon around a caterpillar before its rebirth as a butterfly.
The darkness slowly faded, and the stallion was transformed. Where once stood a plain Earth pony now stood a stallion whose fur was pitch black as midnight, and whose eyes glowed deep red. From his head a horn emerged, pure white in contrast to its dark form. A pair of wings also grew from his back, spreading proudly against the sky. Where once stood an Earth pony now stood a pitch black Alicorn, filled with all the powers of darkness the voices had promised him.
Yes, a look most fitting you my lord. The first voice spoke approvingly.
A name will be needed for the new you. The second voice mused.
A name indeed and I think we have the perfect one. The third voice said in its wise manner.
Welcome to the world our lord, Shadowmars the Dark!
Shadowmars stepped out of the tree and found a great number of beasts awaiting him, looking toward him with wonder.
"Bow." Shadowmars spoke his first word, and the monsters of the land, sky, and sea obeyed, kneeling to him in unison, recognizing their master.
From this place Shadowmars returned to what was once his village and used his magic to change and shift it, his revenge for the life of cruelty they had shown him. The ponies of the village were transformed into beings of shadows and darkness, becoming Nightmares. They were tasked with entering into the minds of ponies and spreading evil and chaos.
Once that was done Shadowmars created a massive castle of made of pure black energy, a place that seemed to push away any form of light. From this place Shadowmars ruled over the forest and its creatures, spreading the plague of his darkness around the world. He was the ruler of darkness, the one who kept the scales between utter light and total darkness at bay. If he was to be known only as a monster, than he would make sure that his very name would be the thing of legend.
One day however he was met with a challenger, the creature known as Discord, a being whose rule was chaos and madness. He appeared in the throne room of the dark castle, playing the jester and mocking Shadowmars at playing the part of ruler. The two did battle and Discord was driven away back to his own land, not having the power or will to battle both Shadowmars and the other creatures that sought an end to his reign.
For some time things were at a strange sort of peace. Discord would stay on his own land, and other creatures were too busy with him to try and attack the dark king and his castle. Through eventually others did come to him. Through they did now seek to end his rule, but rather to join him. Five beings who sought out darkness for their own reasons.
The Five Disciples of Shadowmars. The Elements of Disharmony.
The first was a Queen of Changelings, a being that fed of love and desires. She came seeking the one whose power held the entire forest to its will, the being who made even the most vicious monster tame. She came before Shadowmars and attempted to seduce him, but the dark ruler was unmoved. Instead he took her and her people under his domain and offered them protection and food, the ability to cause chaos where they wanted. The Queen accepted the offer in order to fulfil her desire for more driving her to follow this creature. She came to hold domain over Greed, the desire to never stop gaining more even when one had enough.
The second was a creature from a far off land, coming to find magic from which he could feed off of in order to grow more powerful. He came with a brother, but the brother's heart was not filled with the same darkness, and when they came to the castle he left. The creature entered into the castle and attempted to steal the power of Shadowmars, but instead found himself no match for the dark king. His rage at being too weak made Shadowmars stay his hoof and give the creature an offer. If he wished he could become a student of Shadowmars, obtain more power than he could imagine. The creature agreed, and spoke him name, Lord Tirek, the Element of Anger.
The third to visit him did once more to find power. A young unicorn whose desire for power had led her to the dark kingdom. She wished to be the greatest in the land, but when compared to the unicorn known as Starswirl the Bearded she was never anything but second best. She had learned all she could of magic that her people could teach, and believed that true power could be found in that which others feared. She came before Shadowmars, and not even his power could suppress her pride. He took her on as his student, believing her a worthwhile ally to have. She became known as Trixas the Great and Terrible, the holder of the element of Falsehood.
The fourth to seek out the dark kingdom was another unicorn from the Crystal Empire, a land untouched by Discord but also outside of the lands protected by the forces of light. He came seeking the strength to rule over his land, unwilling to accept his lot in life being to serve and protect others. With this one though, Shadowmars hesitated. The dark king did not know if he could trust this creature, one so willing to betray his own land with such ease. Unlike Trixas he did not come seeking power for its own sake, but power to rule over those that called him kin. Against his better judgement however this unicorn became his fourth student, Sombra the Shadow, holder of the element of Treachery.
The fifth and final student to come under Shadowmars' teachings was different from the rest, as he did not come seeking darkness, but instead found it as the only place that any peace could be found. The fifth was a Pegasus known as Somber Grey, a pony who only felt sorrow no matter what he did. Everything he touched lost its joy, and the world around him seemed less colorful and full of life. Each place he went he was cast out for this curse, until he found the only home for him was within the darkness. Shadowmars took pity on this creature and took him as a student, finding some relation from before he was ruler. And so the final element of disharmony was brought into the fold, the element of Sorrow.
For a time things were normal, Shadowmars taught his students and kept the balance of darkness against the light of the world. But everything changed when two Alicorns found the only weapons powerful enough to defeat Discord, bringing an end to his kingdom and freezing him in solid stone. This was the first time the balance was thrown into flux.
Discord's defeat brought in a new era of light, one which pushed back all creatures of darkness.
It was during this time the first two of Shadowmars' disciples left the fold. Sombra was the first, believing he had gained enough power to rule over the Crystal Empire. He was correct, and subjugated each and every pony within to his will. However when his powers faced those of the two Alicorns he fell, weak and defeated, forced to become a shadow in order to survive.
The second was Trixas, whose goal was to defeat Starswirl, now an old mare. She thought that by herself she could slay a powerful force for good and bring balance back herself. The two duelled and battled, but in the end Trixas was defeated, cast into nothingness. The battle took its toll on Starswirl through, and within a year the great wizard went into an eternal sleep.
With the loss of two of his forces, and the Princesses continuing their strike against all evil Shadowmars was forced to work fast to keep the collapse of all that he had worked for from occurring. He sent Tirek into the land in order to spread chaos while he began to work on more plans. The distraction did not last long however, for his brother had given the secrets to his defeat to the two Alicorns, who banished Tirek into Tartarus for his attacks.
With only two of his students left Shadowmars came up with a final plan to protect the balance. He cast a spell into the minds of Somber Gray and the Queen of Changelings and sent them away. Once they were gone the dark king gathered together his Nightmares and sent them into the mind of the Alicorn who controlled the moon, playing with her fears and jealousy until she was consumed by them. He hoped that by destroying the two of them he could buy time to rebuild, but the Alicorn who controlled the sun defeated her sister with the elements that had caused him so much trouble.
With all of his plans dashed Shadowmars simply waited in his castle, knowing what was to come next. On the day when the sun was closest to the planet, the day when the star would provide the greatest amount of heat into the world the Alicorn of the Sun, Celestia as she was called, came to his castle to challenge him.
"So you are the foul creature responsible for so much darkness in this land?" Celestia glared down the dark king. "Hmm, you reek of dark magic."
Shadowmars rose from his throne and let out a laugh. "So you are the breaker of balance, tell me Celestia, does your sister enjoy her new throne on the moon?"
The mention of her sister was enough to drive Celestia to attack, and thus the two did battle. Shadowmars summoned terrible beasts and twisted spells, reaching into the bottom of his dark heart to find the power.
His mental assault on Luna had left him weak, and he was in no way ready to fight the Princess of Sun at full power. Despite his darkest attempts Shadowmars was finally forced to the ground in defeat.
"You are defeated." Celestia said, landing next to him. "Do you yield?"
Shadowmars let out a haunting laugh. "Oh naïve Princess of Sun, you know not what you do" slowly the dark king stood and glared into the other Alicorns eyes. "I have cast a spell on myself, so long as one pony knows my name and fears it I shall arise again, no matter how I am defeated." With those final words spoke Shadowmars fell to his side and faded into darkness.
"If that is so, then let your name be known no more" Celestia rose high into the sky, above the land and drew energy directly from the star she controlled, casting a spell the likes of which no one had ever seen. A memory spell that erased every hint of Shadowmars, and in turn banishing his kingdom. Her spell reached the moon and her sister, and even the depths of Tartarus, and finally herself.
Celestia knew she had defeated a great evil, but couldn't remember what it truly was.
With the knowledge of victory however she was unconcerned by it, and flew off back to her kingdom to ensure things were in proper order.
Thus ends the tale of Shadowmars. His creatures still wander beings that serve his will by spreading chaos without knowing who their true master is. However no matter how deep this memory is buried he will one day return.
And on that day the land of Equestria will know what it means to face true darkness.
"Huh, what an odd story" the sheriff stallion turned to his deputy and shook his head.
"Can't image it was worth all the fuss through"
The deputy bobbed his head in agreement. "Yeah, breaking into a pony's house just to put a story on their bed, just odd is what it is… through you got to admit it ain't half bad. Had me a bit spooked."
"You are spooked by your own shadow" the sheriff shook his head and sighed. "Well we can start looking for suspects in the morning, doesn't seem like anything was stolen and the window got fixed easily enough."
"Back to patrol then." the deputy stepped outside and blinked into the darkness, swearing he could see something, but just thinking it was his imagination.
A figured covered in a black robe watched the two police ponies from the sky, a small smile on its face.
"I have done as you asked, my king." The figure took off into the sky, awaiting the return of its king.