Title: Creeping Darkness
Author: Pen Stroke
Genre: [Horror] [Crossover]
Word Count: 63k
Synopsis: There is a shadow to all of existence, a place that all worlds are shielded from by a thin veil. A Dark Place, where a single presence plots and struggles to consume all creation with its darkness. The author Alan Wake is one who has defeated this Dark Presence, but to save his wife and his world Alan had to remain trapped in the darkness.

Now, through his struggles to return to his wife, Alan has unintentionally released the Darkness and an old villain upon Equestria. To fix the mistake, Alan starts a new story with Twilight Sparkle as the protagonist. Can the unicorn find the strength to face the darkness, or is all of Equestria doomed to be the victim in the dreadful horror story?

[Link to Story]

There are two criteria by which I define a "good" crossover: firstly, it should of course and above all else, be a good story. It has a plot, a conflict, well defined characters, and thoroughly engages its readers. And secondly, someone with absolutely no knowledge of the derived-from IP should be able to read--and enjoy--the story.

I've never played the video game Alan Wake; in fact, before I read Creeping Darkness, I had never even heard of the video game Alan Wake. But going into this, I can honestly say I never felt like I needed to. And I enjoyed the hell out of this.

The story begins with Alan Wake sitting at his typewriter in the enigmatic “Dark Place:” a shadow world that he has found himself trapped in. The Dark Place is ruled by the equally enigmatic Dark Presence, which has either taken on or been taken over by Nightmare Moon. And Nightmare Moon wants out, she tricks Alan into releasing her and off she heads to Equestria with all the powers of the Dark Place at her disposal.

In order to defeat her, Alan Wake does the only thing that the Dark Place allows him to do: he write a horror story.

And this is where things get interesting.

How the Dark Place works, is that basically, nothing happens randomly. Everything has to be written in the form of a story. But you can’t just write "and then the bad guy dies," because apparently, for a sentient shadow world, the Dark Place is a bit of a book snob.

From there on the plot's pretty standard: The Mane Six take a vacation to a small town surrounded by a forest. It gets dark, all the people disappear, and all the shit hits all the fans.

Creeping Darkness is a horror story, and doesn't try to be anything else but a horror story. It's a wildly fun mashup of many common horror tropes.

Pen Stroke is best known for Past Sins, but Creeping Darkness is an amazing story. Give it a read next time you're looking for something on the scary side.

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