From the Shadows

From the Shadows is the eighteenth story arc of IDW Publishing's, spanning issues #51-53. In this story, a mysterious new villain named Shadowlock steals and erases Equestria's most important historical records.

Issue #51
The story begins with the Mane Six walking home after seeing The Bridle of Frankenstag in theater; Spike is so frightened by the play that he hides in Twilight Sparkle's mane. Upon returning to the Castle of Friendship, Twilight and Spike find the front doors wide open. With Starlight Glimmer away in Canterlot, they fear an unwanted intruder is inside. Twilight and Spike discover a cloaked unicorn with a scar on his face ransacking the library. His presence detected, the unicorn makes his getaway, taking several books with him.

A short while later, Twilight calls her friends to the library for added security, and they reorganize the library before having a slumber party. Twilight is a little concerned about the books that were stolen, but she tells her friends that they were merely history books with no spells to exploit. The next morning, during breakfast, the ponies discuss the scarred unicorn's break-in the previous evening and wonder if stealing history books was just the first step in a much larger, diabolical plan.

Using a locator spell, Twilight and her friends track the mysterious unicorn to a distant village, but they lose his trail soon after they arrive. Spike finds the history books that the unicorn stole, but all the text inside them has been erased. The ponies decide to split up and see if the unicorn is still somewhere nearby. Applejack and Fluttershy go to the local saloon, Twilight and Rarity visit Cauldron Bubbles' magic shop, and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie visit the nearest candy store. Through their respective investigations, the ponies learn the scarred unicorn is named Shadow Lock and that he has the power to erase the contents of books and remove knowledge in those books from ponies' memories.

Twilight and her friends eventually track Shadow Lock to the village's library, where he uses another pony's library card to acquire more books. Realizing he has been followed, Shadow Lock fends the ponies off by summoning various monsters from the library's vast collection of fantasy texts.

Quotes

 * Twilight Sparkle: Okay, whoever you are—Princess Twilight has returned with her dragon! So I hope you have a good reason for—
 * Spike: There's nopony here.
 * Twilight Sparkle: Yeah. I see that now.
 * Spike: Hey! But on the bright side—that was a great show down voice!
 * Twilight Sparkle: Thanks!


 * Fluttershy: Is something wrong?
 * Twilight Sparkle: Oh, not with this, Fluttershy. It's the books he got away with...
 * Rainbow Dash: What were they? Dangerous spell books?! Should we go after him?!
 * Twilight Sparkle: No... That's just it. They weren't spell books. They were just... histories.


 * Rarity: If that mystery unicorn was willing to break in and steal from the Princess of Friendship—who knows what else he might do?


 * Spike: Books! After all this time with you, I'd know that smell anywhere!


 * Pinkie Pie: I call the candy store!
 * Applejack: Why would a magical thief be in a candy store?
 * Pinkie Pie: Sorry! Can't stop to think! Gotta find a thief!


 * Applejack: Everypony! Hurry up! Our book thief was headed for the library!
 * Spike: Oh... I maybe should have noticed that earlier, huh?


 * Twilight Sparkle: All right, Mister Mysterious—we know you're in here! Surrender and explain yourself or my friends and I will—
 * Librarian: Shhushh! This. Is. A. Library, youngpony!


 * Shadow Lock: You?! You brought friends? Well, you won't be able to stop me—when I can call any monster from these pages to fight back!
 * Rainbow Dash: Ooo-kay. Next time let's not confront a pony with book magic inside a library?