//------------------------------// // Foes Once Forgone // Story: Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms // by Alphadude007 //------------------------------// Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms Chapter 7-Foes Once Foregone -Ponyville- Spike stood over his alicorn guardian with a frightened look on his face as he looked her over. Her eyes were the same shade of yellow that he'd seen on Shimmering Jewel from his dream. The areas around her irises were bloodshot and tears streaked from them and stained her lavender fur. She looked like she'd been crying for several hours. How long has she been like this? Spike thought, remembering back to when he saw Twilight walk down the stairs. He'd assumed she was doing some late night reading, but he didn't expect anything like this. He needed help, and he knew exactly where to get it. "Hang on, Twilight. Help's on the way." Spike said in an assuring tone, but his concern fell on deaf ears as Twilight began mumbling more incoherent sentences. Spike ran from Twilight to a wooden desk near the window of the library. He opened a drawer and took out a piece of parchment and took a quill from a mug on the desk. Grabbing an ink container that lay on the right side of the desktop, he dipped the quill in the container and began writing hastily. Dear Princess Celestia, Something has happened to Twilight! I don't know how to explain it, but I saw her go downstairs to do some reading and when I woke up I saw her lying on the ground and mumbling things. That's not even the strangest of what's going on right now. Weird thing is, her eyes are yellow! I don't know what's causing this or how, but I'd like to request your assistance in this dilemma. Your loyal subject, Spike Spike rolled up the parchment and opened the same drawer he got the parchment from. Taking a red ribbon out of the drawer, he tied the parchment into a scroll. Taking a golden seal, he placed it on the ribbon and took a deep breath. As Spike exhaled, he felt a heat rise in his throat and up through his mouth. Being immune to extreme heat, it felt like nothing to him as the green fire escaped his maw and consumed the letter he held before him. The letter disintegrated and began travelling out the window and into the air, going towards Canterlot. Just hurry, Princess. Spike thought, looking back at Twilight. She was still shivering and mumbling quietly to herself. Spike knelt next to Twilight and looked gave the disconnected alicorn a mournful look. He didn't know what to do, how to solve this problem, or how the problem even got here. All he knew was that Twilight needed help. A bright flash of yellow light shone through the library as Spike looked up from Twilight to see Princess Celestia standing tall above him. "What is the problem, Spike?" Celestia asked, glancing at Twilight and back at Spike. "What happened to her?" Spike bowed to his princess, then stood up. "I don't know, Princess. I saw her go downstairs last night, but when I got up, she was like this on the floor!" Spike said in a fearful voice. Celestia looked over her student. There was nothing physically wrong with Twilight as far as she could tell. However, physical wellness could mask many problems underneath. Celestia then looked at Twilight's face. Her eyes widened to see her pupil's eyes were bright yellow instead of the deep purple they usually were. She saw the area around Twilight's irises were bloodshot. She must have been like this for at least several hours. The princess thought. "Spike, when did-" Princess Celestia started to say, but was cut off by a bright flash of blue light from behind her. The solar princess turned her head to see Luna standing in the center of the library. "What appears to be the trouble with Twilight, Spike?" Luna asked the dragon in a concerned tone. Before Spike could respond, Celestia spoke up. "I was asking him the same thing, sister. Why did you come here?" "I needed to tell you about a dream I… had." Luna said, her sentence trailing off after getting a look at Twilight. She seemed physically fine, but what caused her blood to freeze was the fact that Twilight's eyes were a very specific bright yellow. "What is this dream you had, Luna?" Celestia asked, but Luna wasn't paying attention. The moon goddess slowly walked over to Twilight and knelt next to her, keeping her eyes on Twilight the whole time. "Luna? What dream?" Celestia asked again, this time in a more worried voice. Luna stared at Twilight's yellow eyes. The last time I saw those eyes… it can't be. Luna thought. Suddenly, Twilight moved her head to look straight into Luna's eyes. Spike jumped and Celestia tensed at the sudden movement, but Luna couldn't tear her gaze from Twilight's. "Miss me Luna?" Twilight asked, but it wasn't in her voice. The voice was dark, guttural, and came from a creature that Luna dreaded to hear. It can't be him! It just can't be! Luna's mind screamed as the bright yellow eyes stared into hers. After saying this, Twilight shut her eyes, breaking Luna's gaze with hers. Luna blinked and shook her head as she stood up. Celestia cast Luna a worried look as Luna watched Twilight awaken. Twilight opened her eyes to show that her eyes were purple once again. The princesses and Spike didn't look at her eyes for long before Twilight shut them again, got into a fetal position, and began sobbing uncontrollably. "I couldn't save them. No matter what I tried, I couldn't do anything. So much death! Just… so…. much!" Twilight cried between sobs. Celestia knelt next to her student and draped a large white wing over Twilight's body. "It's okay, Twilight. It's okay." She said in a comforting tone. Twilight's sobs steadied a little, but the tears kept flowing nonetheless. Spike walked over to the purple alicorn and warmly embraced her. "It's alright, Twilight. You're here with us. There's nothing to worry about." He said softly. His words helped Twilight regain some composure as her sobs became less and less frequent. Luna stood by and watched as Twilight recovered from her ordeal. There's no denying it now. It has to be him. Luna thought, frowning as the thought came to mind. I need to act fast. If he has returned, then the entire world is at stake. She thought, her horn lighting up bright blue. Celestia looked up from Twilight to see her sister disappear in a flash in blue light. Where has she gone to this time? She thought as she felt Twilight relax under her wing. Celestia looked down at the alicorn under her wing. "Doing better, Twilight?" Celestia asked warmly. Twilight nodded. "Much better." She said, giving Celestia a tentative smile. "Well it's alright now. You're here with us." Spike said, still hugging his guardian. Celestia smiled at Spike's sentiment. What a kind hearted dragon. She noted, turning her attention back to her student. "I know you don't want to revisit what happened while you slumbered Twilight, but what happened?" the princess asked. Twilight's smile faded quickly, her eyes turned to the wooden floor beneath them. "Do I have to?" She asked pleadingly. Celestia gave Twilight a sad look. "I am sorry, Twilight. But I have to know what was wrong." She said gravely. Twilight nodded. "Okay. It first started when I-" Twilight began to speak but was cut off by a familiar voice. "Twilight! You gotta help me!" A tomboyish voice filled the library as a cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane flew through the library's window. Rainbow Dash hovered above the two alicorns and dragon, staring straight at Twilight. "What's the matter, Rainbow?" Twilight asked with a concerned look. Rainbow rarely asked for help, so whatever her problem was, it must have been something big. "You can get rid of this stupid voice in my head!" Rainbow shouted, then turning her head to the left and whispered, "She can help me, and she will." She said, pausing for a few moments almost as if listening to a reply. "Would you just shut up!" Rainbow shouted, grabbing her head with her hooves and pinched her eyes shut. "We weren't saying anything, Dash." Spike said from below. Rainbow opened her eyes again to look down at the baby dragon. "I'm not talking about you guys. It's this voice that's been in my head ever since last night." The cyan pegasus said. "Wait, what happened last night?" Celestia asked, now curious at the situation. Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash seemed to be suffering from something that occurred the previous night. Coincidence? Hardly. Celestia thought, her mind searching for answers. "It was this dream I had. It was about you, Rarity, Pinkie and the others." Rainbow said, pointing a hoof at Twilight. "A dream?" Celestia said, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah." Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her head and looked down at the floor. "Last night… I didn't dare sleep after I woke up from it." She said, floating to the floor. As her hooves touched the ground, Celestia leaned her head closer to Rainbow's. "Care to explain what happened in your dream?" Celestia asked. "I know it wouldn't be pleasant to retell, but I have to know." She said, casting a glance at Twilight. "From both of you." Rainbow hesitated for a moment. Go ahead. Tell them every bloody detail. The voice in Rainbow Dash's head taunted, using her hesitation as it spoke. Tell them how they were murdered because of what you did. It antagonized. Rainbow put a stern look on her face. "Yes, Princess. This is what happened in my dream." Rainbow told the princess of her terror the previous night. How she had been in a desolate Ponyville. How she had heard a voice calling itself Morning Star. How Morning showed her where her friends would be. How she saw her friends lying dead in the town square, their bodies as fresh in her memory as they were in the dream. Then she told of how she met Morning Star. "Can you describe this Morning Star for me?" Celestia asked. Rainbow nodded. "He was almost as tall as you, Princess. His fur and wings were some grayish color-" "Wings? So this Morning Star is a pegasus?" Celestia questioned further. "No, Princess. He was an alicorn. He had wings and a sharp horn on his head." Rainbow responded. Celestia's eyebrows rose at this. Rainbow continued her description. "He had a short black mane and tail, he had a cutie mark that looked like…" Rainbow said, tapping her forehead with her hoof, trying to remember. "A… dark sun." Celestia's eyes narrowed at this description. "A dark sun? You mean a solar eclipse?" She asked. Dash's head shot up to see Celestia. "Yeah! That's what it was!" She said. This deeply concerned the princess of the sun. The last time there was a solar eclipse was a thousand years ago. But that was when… Celestia's thought as her mind trailed off while Rainbow continued her tale. "But that isn't all. He had some sort of metal thingy on his hoof. He'd shove his hoof out and some sort of sharp blade would stick out of it." Rainbow said. This snapped her out of her deep thoughts as Celestia's ears perked at what Dash had said. "You mean he'd thrust it out like this?" Celestia said, holding up her right hoof and swiftly extended her arm to its full length. "Just like that. How'd you know?" Rainbow asked, furrowing her eyebrows together. "It's called a-" Celestia began to say, but Twilight cut her off. "A hoof blade." Twilight said grimly. Celestia turned to face her student. "Yes, Twilight. That is correct." "But that kind of weapon hasn't been used in a thousand years." Twilight said, remembering what she read in a book on ancient pony history. During the few conflicts that Equestria had in the past couple millennia, the hoof blade was a rare weapon. Only the nobility or elite soldiers often used it. "Again you are correct, my student. The fact that a veiled edge was in her dream could mean several things." Celestia said, tapping her chin with her gold-plated hoof. "Anything else, Rainbow?" Celestia asked, turning her attention back to the cyan pegasus. "Yeah. There was one more thing." She said shakily. "It was his eyes. They were bright yellow." Twilight's eyes widened at this. "My dream started by seeing yellow eyes too." She said in a surprised tone. Spike looked at Twilight. "So what exactly happened when you went downstairs?" Twilight told them of how she went downstairs for a midnight snack, but then started hearing voices. She said that she followed the voices until she found their origin. "They came from a white book. I took it out and began to read it. There weren't any words, just pictures." Twilight said, narrowing her eyes and looked at the ground. "Can you tell us where this book is?" Celestia asked. "I think it's right… here?" Twilight said, her voice trailing off as she failed to find the white book. "So were you dreaming when you saw it?" Rainbow asked. "No… at least not that I know of." Twilight said, getting up on her hooves and began to search the library. "Spike, do we have a white book with gold trim and a pearl in the center?" Spike gave Twilight a blank stare. "I guess not." Twilight said, turning to her teacher. "I'm sorry, Princess. I don't know where it is." Celestia was lost in thought. That book. It couldn't be. "Twilight, you said it was solid white, had gold trim, and had a pearl embedded in the cover?" "Exactly. What does it mean, Princess?" Twilight asked nervously, but the solar princess gave no response. "Princess?" Twilight tried to get her teacher's attention but her efforts were in vain. Suddenly, Princess Celestia's horn lit up a bright yellow. "We will discuss this later." She said flatly, disappearing in a flash of yellow light, leaving a confused dragon and nervous two ponies in the library. "Yes, we'd like to rent a house here in town for a few days." A cinnamon brown pegasus mare asked told the old mayor. The two colts next to the pegasus were looking around the mayor's office in Town Hall. It was a fairly large space. The stone walls were painted white, the floor was wooden, and the ceiling was made of plaster. There sat a desk where the mayor sat, her desk littered with random paperwork. There were a few seats in front of the desk where the three ponies sat, a table to the right of them were a few purple lilies sat in a ceramic vase, and a portrait of some old looking pony sat on the wall behind the mayor. "Just the three of you?" Mayor Mare asked, raising an eyebrow. The black stallion next to the pegasus mare responded. "Yes ma'am. Just the three of us for no more than five days." He said boldly. The colt opposite from him gave the stallion a stern look. "Alright, now do you want to do a down payment and pay the rest later or pay all of it now?" The mayor asked, holding up a hoof to adjust her glasses. The light blue colt on the other side of the pegasus answered before the black one could. "Depends. How much will it be?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. The mayor held a hoof to her chin as she calculated the cost. "So let's see. Three of you for five days in a rent house." She whispered to herself, tapping her chin. Her head shot up when she had the answer. "That'll be ninety bits." The pegasus mare's jaw dropped at hearing the price. "How is it that expensive?" She asked, shocked at the price. "Well it's five bits per pony and fifteen bits per day." She said, not happy with the looks she was receiving from the black stallion and the pegasus. "Hey, don't get mad at me. It's the stupid worker's union that makes the prices." She said with a grimace. The light blue colt smiled and pulled out a bag full of bits. "Is this enough?" he asked, tossing the bag onto the mayor's desk. The sound of myriads of bits hitting the desk and each other rang in the office. The three other ponies stared incredulously at the sky blue colt who looked at the mayor with a relaxed smile. The mayor opened the bag and began counting the bits. After a few moments, the mayor looked up from the gold pieces. "I think this will do it." The mayor said, sliding the bits back into the sack and took it off her desk. "Well, then. I hope you will enjoy your stay here in Ponyville. Now if you could fill these out, you'll be on your way." Mayor Mare said, taking out three pieces of paper, an inkbottle and three quills. The three ponies took their quills and dipped them in the ink. One by one, they signed the housing agreement that lay before them. The sky blue earth pony signed, Speedy Delivery The pegasus mare signed, Palm Spring And the bulky black stallion signed, Silver Star "That should do it. Your house is down Hoofington Road. It is to one right across the street from the Ponyville Library. If you see a giant tree with windows and a door, you're on the right street." Mayor Mare said with a smile, taking the housing agreement back and took out a key from her desk. Palm Spring took the key and thanked the mayor. Together, the three ponies walked out of the office and into the atrium of Town Hall. "Where did you get that money?" Palm asked, narrowing her eyes at Speedy. "Well let's just say that a certain rich gentlecolt won't be missing it any time soon." Speed said with closed eyes as the three exited Town Hall. They soon began walking through the town, going to their rental home. "Diamond Tiara! I'm home from work!" Filthy Rich said, walking through the front door of his large house. Hanging his top hat on a rack next to the door, he saw his daughter galloping up to see him. "Hi, Daddy! Did you get the bits I need for the new bracelet I wanted?" A light purple filly with similarly colored hair with streaks of white asked in a snobbish tone. On her head was her trademark tiara with a diamond embedded in the center. "Sure did, sweetie. Let me get it." He said warmly, turning his head to grab his sack of bits, but to his dismay, couldn't find them. His face paled as he came to the conclusion that he'd lost them. "Uh… hehe." Filthy gave a nervous laugh as Diamond's face turned from one of enthusiasm to irritation. I think I'll be going to the salt lick with the guys tonight after all. He thought as he tried think of an explanation to give his daughter.