Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

by Alphadude007

Point of No Return

-Mountain cave, northern Equestrian mountain range-

Raspian gave a displeased huff. Aside from the occasional chat with the shadowy figure sitting in the corner, there was absolutely nothing to do in the cave.

The shadow was quick to pick up on his display. "Bored, Raspian?"

Raspian gave the shadow a suspicious glare. "So what if I am? What would it be to you anyway?"

"Simple curiosity, captain." Lodestar responded coolly. "If you think being stuck in this cave for more than a day is bad, imagine for three years."

Chrysalis perked up. Three years? And he just now sends out a fake love beacon to draw us in? She thought, suspicion rising in her mind. "You've been stuck here for three years? What have you been doing all this time?"

"Well I won't bother with any delusion with you, Chrysalis, but to put it simply, I've been doing a lot of planning." Lodestar calmly responded.

Both Raspian and Chrysalis's eyes narrowed at the swirling mass of shadow before them.

"Planning what exactly?" The changeling queen asked, distrust lacing her words.

"It takes time for a plan to grow to fruition and to wait for the right moment." Lodestar replied.

Chrysalis bared her fangs. "Sun's sake! Is it possible for you to give a straight answer?" She shouted, her voice reverberating around the cave. "What exactly is this plan you've been so elusive about?"

"You want the truth?" Lodestar asked, neither changeling's complexion shifting from their angered expressions. "Very well. The failed attack on Canterlot was a little more than a year ago, correct?" Chrysalis nodded. "After seeing that unfortunate display, I knew there was power to be had with the changelings. Remember how easily you invaded the capital of Equestria. You came so close to bringing the pony nation to its knees with one swift stroke. And then Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's love became to strong for you to suppress, resulting in the expulsion of your kind from the city."

"I am well aware of how we lost that day. What is your point?" Chrysalis interrupted.

"My point is that when I saw how effectively you captured a city like Canterlot, I knew I could invest my powers into such a race. Had it not been for the power Captain Armor and his bride possessed, Equestria would now be yours. That's why I'm offering you my assistance, Chrysalis. I've been in here planning for years on how to break out of this prison. And finally, my saviors have come in the forms of creatures that are in need of my help as much as I am in need of theirs."

"And how can you help us?" Chrysalis asked.

Lodestar's yellow eyes closed as he gave a light chuckle. "My queen, you have no idea the power I possess. With the strength of your hive and my magic, we'll easily conquer Equestria."

Chrysalis looked down at the cave floor in thought as Raspian looked back and forth between the two.

"And should that not be enough for your starving subjects, then there's always the rest of the world to take." Lodestar suggested. Chrysalis looked up to give the shadowy figure a skeptical look.

"A world-wide conquest? You have mentioned such a feat before, but how would we have the numbers to accomplish such a task? My hive can only grow so much." The changeling queen said.

"Such doubts." Lodestar said with a hint of disappointment. "There is another reason I chose the changelings, Chrysalis. It's your ability to subjugate any land and make it compatible for your species to thrive. Throughout the world, changeling hives will be established at every major city we capture. These hives will be outposts in the grand empire we'll create together. Every race will be brought to their knees. Pegasi, unicorns, both earth and crystal ponies, griffons, dragons, and so many more. There is an entire world out there for the taking, my queen." Lodestar paused for a moment. "Or rather, after our conquest, empress would be a better title."

Chrysalis's eyes lit up with ambition. Empress Chrysalis. Certainly has a ring to it. She thought, notions of having the world under her perforated hoof, her changelings having enough love to feed on for generations. She imagined a changeling empire, stretching from the west coast of Equestria to the eastern shores of the Griffon Kingdom, with herself at the helm.

"Set me free, Chrysalis." Lodestar beseeched, putting a grey hoof out of the black cloud surrounding him and reached for her. Suddenly a bright blue force field lit up from floor to ceiling, illuminating the cave in a soft blue. Chrysalis and Raspian backed away in surprise, their eyes glued to the blue magical field separating the shadowy pony from them. Lodestar withdrew his hoof, the magic field fading back into darkness. Both changelings looked back down at Lodestar. "And the world will be ours for the taking."

-Ponyville-

"There it is." Speedy Delievery pointed out ahead of the trio. "Sugarcube Corner."

The three disguised changelings looked ahead to see a building that seemed to be designed after an off-balance cake. Above the wooden beams and pink-framed windows of the first floor, the roof looked like the top of a chocolate cake with white frosting surrounding the surface. A stack of purple chimney stacks rose up from the left side of the building, a pony holding a candy cane stood atop an overhanging beam next to the stacks. Sitting on top of the building's cake surface was a rising tower was what looked appeared to be a cupcake, a trio of candles burning bright at the peak.

All three ponies stood at the foot of the building, their mouths agape at the sugary confection shop before them.

Silver Star was the first to speak up. "I'm getting a stomach ache just looking at this place."

"I hate to say it but I agree with you." Speedy Delivery said, regaining his composure. "Well let's get to it. We've got a unicorn to find." Palm Spring said as she began to walk towards the welcoming pink door.

The trio walked up to the sugary structure and approached the door. Upon reaching the door, Palm Spring reached up with her hoof and knocked on the door.

"Come on in!" A cheery voice inside replied from behind the door.

Palm cast a glance at her partners before slowly opening the door. The three entered the confections bakery, walking into a pitch-black room. Silver closed the door behind the trio as they tried figure out where they were.

Suddenly the lights came on in a bright flash.

"SURPRISE!" A collection of voices shouted. All three disguised changelings jumped when a group of ponies burst from the furniture they were hiding behind.

"Surprise!" A pink one shot up from behind a column a few seconds later. "Aw dangit! Why do I keep messing that up?"

Speedy was the first to recover from the shock. "Uh, hello, everypony. Wasn't expecting this big of a turnout." He said, giving a smile to the multicolored group of ponies.

"Well duh!" The pink one exclaimed, approaching the new party guests. "When I throw a party, I want everypony in Ponyville to enjoy it." She said, murmurs of concurrence running through the crowd behind her. "And now that you three have arrived, it's time to get this party started!"

Whoops and cheers erupted behind the pink pony as a record player began playing music.

As other ponies began dancing or blindfolding each other to pin what looked like a string on a picture of a pony, the pink one came over to the group of newcomers.

"Hiya! My name's Pinkie Pie! What's yours?" She asked enthusiastically.

"My name's Speedy Delivery." Speedy said, extending a light blue hoof for Pinkie to shake. "And these are Silver Star and Palm Spring."

Pinkie shook Speedy's hoof. "So great to meet you! I'm so happy because now we're friends and since we're friends that means we can do super fun things together like going swimming and playing games and having parties together and eating cupcakes and-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Pinkie." Speedy said, almost dizzy from the mare's talking. "But who all did you invite to this party?"

"Ooh! Wanting to make some more friends by introducing yourself?" Pinkie asked with a smile.

"Something like that." Speedy said with a shrug.

Pinkie giggled. "You act as if this is the first party you've ever been to."

Speedy rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish look finding its way onto his face. "Well…"

Pinkie put a hoof to her mouth and let out a gasp. "You've never been to a party before?" She asked, trying to make sense of his words in her mind.

"Yeah. I've never been to a party before." Speedy said. "In fact neither have my-" He said, looking behind him to mention his partners, but found they had already gone to other parts of the party. "…friends."

Pinkie reached for Speedy's chin and turned his face towards hers. "You poor thing. Lemme go get you a cupcake! That'll cheer both of us up!" She said, bouncing off towards a table with various sweets on it.

Speedy took this time to look around the party. Many colors of streamers hung from the rafters. Confetti littered the floor, the paper bits sticking to the bottoms of his hooves. His red eyes turned up at a large pink banner stretching across the entry with blue lettering that read Welcome to Ponyville!

Speedy felt a grin tug at his face. So much happiness in one place. He thought as he looked at all the ponies having the time of their lives. They enjoyed one another's company and that's all they needed to have for a fun time.

A slight knocking on the bottom of Speedy's hoof caused him to look down at what was causing the sensation. To his surprise, Speedy found that he'd been tapping his hoof to the party music. Music was seldom heard in the hive, so whenever Fang heard it, he'd relish in its delightful melodies. Letting the music take more control, Speedy's body began swaying to the tune of the music. With a wide smile was now fully spread across his face and his eyes aglow with enjoyment, Speedy took it all in. The music, the atmosphere, the décor all of it culminated into a thing Fang had rarely experienced: fun.

Speedy's eyes glowed with excitement as he leapt into the air and cried, "WOOO! PARTY!"

Across the room at the confections stand, Pinkie looked back to see the her partying guest. She a self-satisfied smirk crawled its way onto her face as she saw the sky blue pony dancing to the music. Ah, Pinkie. Ya done it again.

-Canterlot-

Luna sat at the large dining table, her dinner practically untouched. Celestia, on the other hand, was cleaning off her plate of any edibles. The solar princess looked up from her feast and noticed her sister's full plate.

"Luna." She said, her sister looking up at her. "You need to eat. The journey to Starswirl's tomb isn't going to be an easy one."

"I'm sure." Luna said dismissively.

Celestia gave Luna a stern look. "I'm serious, Luna. It won't be until tomorrow morning when we'll be outside again. You need your strength."

"I know, Celestia." Luna spat. "I'm just not very hungry right now."

Celestia gave her sister an understanding look. "I'm sorry, Luna. I didn't mean to come across in a negative way."

Luna gave a weak smile. "Thanks, Tia."

"But you have to conserve your strength. Who knows what lies down in those catacombs and I don't want you to be exhausted before we reach the tomb." Celestia advised, her horn glowing as she lifted her cup and took a sip.

Luna took a glance at her food and magically levitated a cluster of green grapes. To Celestia's satisfaction, she plucked off one of the green pieces of fruit and popped it in her mouth. After chewing the slightly sour fruit and swallowing it, Luna looked across the table at her sister.

"What do you think we'll find in his journal?" She asked.

Celestia stopped eating for a moment. "Hopefully an answer to defeating the Shadow when he comes back."

"I'd like to think so too." Luna said, trying to be optimistic. However, the niggling thoughts in Luna's mind wouldn't let her. "But Discord was the one that told us where it was. Do you think he would trick us?"

I wouldn't put it past that conniving serpent. Celestia thought. "You make a good point, but what choice do we have?"

"Wait." Luna said, an idea taking form in her mind. "You were still here when Starswirl died. Surely you'd know where he was buried."

The solar princess shook her head. "Unfortunately no. Starswirl explicitly ordered that his student, Clover, would bury him. I had to respect his wishes."

"Such a pity really." A familiar voice sounded overhead. The two sisters looked upwards and frowned at the trickster they saw above them.

"Discord. Come down from there." Celestia said in an annoyed tone.

"Oh why?" Discord pouted. "You two look simply stunning from this angle."

Luna's eyes narrowed at the draconequus. "Now is not a good time, Discord." She griped. "Besides can't you go be a pain somewhere else?"

Discord gave Luna a wounded look. "No need for the hostility, Luna. I was just playing around." He said, disappearing in a white flash.

Celestia sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if we can put him back in stone again."

"You wouldn't dare." Discord's voice growled.

Now what? Celestia sighed in irritation and looking around the room. After not seeing the trickster, her magenta eyes then sunk down at her dinner. A pair of yellow eyes with red irises was staring back at her.

Luna jumped when her sister shrieked. "Celestia! What is it?"

The sound of laughter followed Luna's cry of concern.

"You should have seen the look on your face, Celestia!" Discord said amidst his fits of laughter. The biscuit hopped off Celestia's plate and disappeared in a bright white flash, Discord standing in its place.

"Okay. Now I know we can put you back in stone." The solar princess said with a sneer.

Discord's smile faded. "Oh don't be like that. Besides, why would you turn me back to stone when I'm here to help you?" He said.

"As in showing the way to Starswirl's tomb, I assume. And how would you help us?" Luna asked skeptically.

Discord put an elbow on Celestia's chair, much to her displeasure. "Well seeing as I'm the only one that's been down there, I would know how to help you get there unharmed."

Celestia gave Discord a skeptical look. "You've been to Starswirl's tomb?"

"Oh yes. When I was released from my stony prison the second time, I did some exploring and found something I hadn't seen before I was encased the first time. To my surprise, it was the tomb of Canterlot's most prestigious magician." Discord replied. "Quite stuffy down there, I must say."

"How long is the travel to his tomb?" Luna asked, now anxious for answers.

Discord tapped his chin. "Hmm. Well for me, it only took a few minutes. For you, however, I'd guess a couple hours."

"And how exactly can you help us down there?" Celestia asked.

Discord shrugged. "Oh I dunno. Tell you how to avoid traps, which turns to take, and the like."

Luna turned to Celestia. "I think we should use his help." She said, Celestia casting Discord a glare and huffing in response. "Now I know you might not like it, Tia. But we could use any assistance we can get down there."

Discord gave Luna a smile. "Ya see, Celestia? Luna's on board with this idea. That's two against one." He said, putting up his clawed fingers in the respective numbers.

Celestia's eyes darted from side to side before shutting them in frustration. "Fine." She said. "But one sign of mischief on your part and you're gone, Discord."

Discord began jumping up and down, clapping with a gleeful look on his face. "Ooh thank you thank you thank you! You won't regret this, Celestia." He said, disappearing in a bright white flash.

"Luna." Celestia said, her sister turning to face her. "Whatever we find in that tomb had better be worth it."

Luna nodded. "I certainly hope so, Celestia." She said, looking at her reflection in her drink. I certainly hope so.

-The Great Hall, sky above disputed West/East Griffon Kingdom territory-

Cloudius Sky-Shield looked around the grand table where delegates from all over both kingdoms had gathered, each side murmuring to its own on how to gain a political advantage over the other, their voices providing an ambient sound for the general to think with. Of all the ways to spend my evening, this would not be one of them I would have picked. He thought, his eyes scanning the room. There were the usual suspects. Golden Claw, Senator Aeris, Sharp Beak, Strong Wings, et cetera. However the addition of the golden-armored Eastern commander of the army, General Soaring Wings, caused Cloudius's eyebrows to rise.

Griffons of many different levels of prestige in their own lands had come together once again to participate in the grand mud-slinging game of politics. Even amidst the multiple crises the two kingdoms faced, the threat of war being the foremost, politicians still had to maintain appearances of confidence and superiority even if they were hated for it.

What was this surprise meeting called for anyway? He thought, looking around the room with a bored look on his visage. It's not like the slandering of each other's names and honors will be any different from what we usually do.

"Excuse me, General." A stern voice said next to him. Cloudius turned to see a griffon with black feathers, red speckles dotting his head, and a caramel brown torso. On the griffon's body was a set of iron armor, his helmet the only piece missing from his set, and a sword in its scabbard at his side.

"Captain Falco." Cloudius addressed. "What news do you bring?"

Captain Falco leaned closer to Cloudius's side and whispered, "His Majesty is here. He is waiting for you."

Cloudius's eyes widened as his head snapped to face the captain's. "The king is here?" He asked in a shocked whisper.

"Yes sir. He is waiting for you in the commons room." Falco replied, stepping back from Cloudius and returned to his post at the door."

Cloudius's mind raced. The king is here? He wondered, his eyes looking to the Eastern side of the table. To his shock, the General Soaring Wings got up from the table with a surprised look on his face similar to Cloudius's. Cloudius watched as the Eastern general began walking towards his side's respective door to let someone in. That must mean their king is here too. And if both kings are present, then that means- Cloudius gulped, hoping that his line of thought was incorrect.

The western general calmly rose from the table and turned towards the door on the Western side of the room, sweat beginning to bead his brow. Thoughts zipped back and forth in his mind, none of them optimistic for what the presence of both kings meant.

Cloudius reached the door and reached out to turn the handle with a shaky claw. Get it together, Cloudius. Maybe its to discuss peaceful terms. He thought, trying to stay calm.

Cloudius slowly opened the door and walked through the opening. The general kept his composure as he looked up to behold the king of the Western Griffon Kingdom. King Avian stood tall before Cloudius, his regal blue eyes regarding his general with a sorrowful look. The king bowed his brown-feathered head and sighed.

"General Cloudius." Avian addressed.

"Sire." Cloudius responded, bowing before his king.

"Rise, my faithful servant. In a time such as these one does not have time for such pleasantries." Avian said, motioning with his claw for Cloudius to stand back up.

Cloudius nodded as he resumed his position. "Unfortunately I agree with you, Majesty."

"So you know why I am here?" King Avian asked.

"I have an idea, Highness." Cloudius answered, giving the king a worried look. "The Eastern king is here as well, correct?"

"Yes, Cloudius. It is true." Avian said grimly.

"But surely there can be another way." Cloudius pleaded. "Our nations aren't going to war are they?"

King Avian shook his head. "Not yet, they're not." He said, much to Cloudius's relief. "But depending on what kind of mood the Eastern delegates and their king are during this emergency meeting, war may come sooner than we thought."

Cloudius nodded. "Gods be with you, Majesty." He said, turning towards the door to open it.

"Thank you, general. I'm going to need their help tonight." Avian said, putting on a confident look.

Cloudius pulled the door aside and watched as King Avian gracefully entered the Grand Hall.

"Please rise for King Avian of the Western Kingdom." Cloudius heard the Western delegation overseer said from inside the room. The sound of the western side of the room standing up was heard soon after.

A few moments later, the Eastern overseer's voice was heard. "Please rise for King Midas of the Eastern Griffon Kingdom." The sound of the eastern half of the room rising for their king was heard a few seconds later.

Well. Here it goes. Cloudius took a deep breath as he entered the room behind the king.

-Hall of the Guardians, beneath Saddle Arabia-

The Keeper sat in the inner sanctum of the Hall, his glowing purple eyes gazing at the holding chambers where the spirits of the Guardians were held. Eight glass orbs sat in a neat row before the Keeper. Inside each one was a glowing ball of energy, each a different color.

The Keeper smiled as he looked upon the pieces of raw Creational magic. Such small parts of a large creation. He thought in awe. And yet they rival the Elements in power.

Suddenly a chilled wind blew through the chamber. The Keeper's eyes narrowed as he recognized the unwelcome presence that entered the room. It wasn't the full power of his presence, but it was him nonetheless.

"Should you continue on your current path, the day when these will be used against you will soon be here once again." The Keeper said, his cloaked serpentine body turning around to see a faded form of the grey alicorn before him.

"This time will be different." The Shadow growled.

The Keeper shook his head. "How many more failures must it take?" He asked in a pained voice. "Why not come back to us? Make things the way they were before you rebelled?"

The Shadow's yellow eyes narrowed at the serpentine spirit. "Because this world is still in need of my help."

"What help can you offer?" The Keeper exclaimed, his voice reverberating off the ancient walls. "Corrupting this world won't accomplish what you set out to do. All it will cause is nothing but suffering and death."

"Oh?" The Shadow asked slyly. "And what would you call 'corruption', Keeper? Anything that goes against what you and the Ancients enslaved all of creation with?"

In an instant the Keeper's snout was mere inches from the Shadow's. "Do not speak such blasphemy here." He hissed.

The Shadow rolled his eyes. "You Ancients and your sacred truths." He said dismissively, his semi-faded image walking up to the eight orbs. "The spirits of the Guardians." He said in an almost revering tone. "There are few ways that power presented as purely as these."

The Keeper gave the Shadow a sad look. "You had such a noble purpose. Such purity. Why would you throw such things away? To pursue some lost cause?"

The Shadow whipped around to face the Keeper. "You call it a lost cause. I call it a righteous crusade. Tell me you've had doubts about the Ancients as I did. You know they only want to keep everything under their thumbs, not letting anything have its own way. Everything has to work according to their plan, but not according to the wills of those that are forced to live in what they've created." He said barely above a whisper.

"Do not tempt me, Shadow. Lesser beings may be more gullible, but you know better than to try to convert me." The Keeper warned, the Shadow turning back around to face the spirits of the Guardians, their multiple colors casting a multihued light onto his dark grey muzzle.

"Do you know that they grieved for you when you embraced the darkness?" The Keeper asked. "On the day you left, no feasts were held. Drinks weren't served. No smiles were found. Only sadness. It was weeks before everything returned to the status quo and even then daily life still felt empty without you. And in all my years of existing, I'd never seen the One more pained than on that day. He wept for you, Shadow. When you left, we lost a carrier of light, a friend, and a brother." He said, trying to hold back silver tears in his purple eyes.

"I am aware of that, Keeper!" the Shadow shouted, tears of his own beginning to form. "Do you think that I don't wish to return to Paradise? Do you think that I don't miss the plentiful orchards and gardens? And the delicious food and drink? And the satisfaction I felt in my duties?" He asked, a tear rolling down his cheek as he looked up into the Keeper's doleful eyes. "I miss Paradise with all my heart and soul, Keeper."

"Then come back." The Keeper said, extending a clawed hand out of his robe to the alicorn. "Come back to Paradise and abandon this meaningless battle."

The Shadow gave the Keeper a sorrowful look. "As much as I want to return, Keeper, I can't."

The Keeper's hand slowly retracted back into his robes. "Should you continue on this path, Morning Light," He said, the Shadow flinching at the use of his real name. "It will only lead you to suffering and failure." He warned.

The Shadow gave a conceding sigh. "I'm sorry, Keeper. But as long as the peoples on this world remain in slavery, I will continue my mission."

The Keeper gave the alicorn a mournful look. "Then until we meet again, Shadow, I bid you farewell."

The Shadow nodded in reply. "Until next time, old friend." He said, his image fading out of the Hall.

The Keeper turned to face the orbs holding the Guardians again. As he looked into the multicolored light of the spirits we was assigned to protect, a lone silver tear fell from his eye.