//------------------------------//
// Knights and Pawns 
// Story: Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms 
// by Alphadude007 
//------------------------------//


Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

Chapter 41-Knights and Pawns


-Canterlot catacomb system: Present day-

Celestia gave a tired sigh. She, Luna, and Discord had been wandering through the stone-lined passageways for hours. It certainly didn't help that every corridor looked exactly the same, despite Discord pointing out that the moss between the stones was a different shade of greenish-yellow.

"How much farther, Discord?" Celestia asked, trying to hide her fatigue.

Discord's head spun all the way around to face her, surprising the weary alicorn. "Oh poor Celestia. Is she feeling tired?" He mocked, giving the solar princess a pout.

Celestia's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. "No, it is that we have been gallivanting around these hallways for a long time and I am curious as to how much more we have to go."

Discord tapped his chin, spinning around the rest of his body to match his head's direction. "So let's see. We passed the four thousand eighty fourth torch a few seconds ago, the moss in that part of the catacomb was a little on the puce side… about five minutes away."

Luna arched an eyebrow at the draconequus. "You've counted how many torches there are in these tunnels?"

"But of course!" Discord exclaimed, his voice bouncing off the walls. "Don't you?"

"I think Tia and I have had more important things on our minds than just the number of torches down here." Luna replied, continuing her pace down the hallway.

"Au contraire, my dear." Discord was quick to rebut as he caught up to her. "By knowing the number of torches along the way, I know how close we are to Starswirl's final resting place. Funny how such insignificant details like that can actually mean something in the larger picture, wouldn't you agree?"

Luna cast her eyes at the sullen flooring in thought. "I suppose you are right, Discord. But I don't think that now is the best time for a lecture on some life lesson."

Discord crossed his arms and harrumphed. "Well. I can see why Celestia had a student in the study of friendship and you didn't."

"Speaking of which, how is Twilight?" Luna piped up, turning her head back to see her sister.

A fleeting smirk crossed Celestia's visage. "Oh you know Twilight. Probably has her face buried in some book for some late-night reading. Given recent circumstances, though, I doubt she's doing any of that tonight."

The catacomb fell silent as the trio continued their walking, the clopping of hoofsteps resounding in the tunnels.

I hope Twilight is okay. Celestia thought. She has no idea what she and her friends have been thrust into.

"Ah, ah, ah. We can't go down the right way this time." Discord warned as they reached a fork in the path. On the right side appeared to be a light glowing at the far end, beckoning for someone to enter it. The left, however, was more dimly lit. The torches on the wall looked older and more used than the torches before them.

"Why? What's down the right hall?" Luna asked, her mind aroused by curiosity.

Discord pointed a clawed finger at the light. "Light beacon spell. Fools somepony into going down that way, causing them to fall into a pit and be impaled by a bunch of pikes." Discord said, smashing his hands together for emphasis.

Both the sisters gulped. "So… left way then." Celestia piped up.

"Lead on, my dear. Starswirl's keep should be just ahead." Discord pointed as both princesses turned towards the left hallway and began their final leg of the trip through the underground maze.

Celestia looked back at the draconequus and gave him a grateful grin. "Thanks for showing us the way, Discord. We wouldn't have had any idea where to go down here if it weren't for your directions."

Discrod waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Don't think anything of it, Celestia. The amount of times I've explored down here certainly contributed."

Celestia nodded. "All the same, thanks for helping us o-AH!"

Instantly the stone floor gave way, revealing a large smooth-walled pit ready to swallow up the solar princess, had it not been for her wings, of course. Celestia flapped her wings to stay above the pit, her eyes wide with surprise. Luna and Discord looked down the pit to see a trio of spikes arranged in a triangular pattern, a few white objects surrounding the iron pikes.

Luna mouth went dry as she realized what the white objects were. Bones. Pony bones.

"DISCORD!" Celestia bellowed, her voice echoing down the tunnel. "I thought you said the other way had the trap!"

The chaos lord scratched his chin, his eyes lighting up a few moments later. "Oh, that's right. The other way had Starswirl's door. I always get those two mixed up." He said, giving himself a facepalm.

Luna looked up from the pit as Celestia hovered her way back to a safe distance from the artificial death chasm. "So… I take it some tried to get into Starswirl's tomb?" She asked, casting a quick glance down at the pit.

Discord shrugged. "Must've been pretty lucky to get this far. Shame too. They were so close."

Celestia cast Discord an irritable look. "So back down the other hallway?"

"But what about that light trap you said there was?" Luna asked.

Discord's eyes shot up in thought. "Well keep in mind that it's been a while since I have been down here, so that whole light trap thing was more of a guess. So there's a fifty-forty chance I'm right."

"You mean fifty-fifty?" Celestia suggested as the trio made their way back down the hallway they'd come from.

Discord shook his head. "Nope. I meant fifty-forty. The other ten is the off chance that it's something else entirely."

Celestia grunted in response. "Well at least we're close to the tomb." She said as they rounded the fork they'd come to before and continued down the correct corridor.

The light at the end of the hallway was becoming brighter, almost to where the trio had to squint to see ahead of them.

Discord suddenly whipped out a pair of lime green sunglasses and held out his hand. "Take it, princesses! You don't want to wander into something in this bright light!" He warned.

Seeing as they didn't have another option, Celestia and Luna placed a hoof in Discord's paw as he led them into the light.

After a few moments of walking, Luna piped up. "We almost there?"

"Just a few more yards!" Discord assured.

Face thyself, Luna. A voice whispered in her mind.

Who is this? Luna demanded, not too happy to be hearing voices again.

The brightness around Luna faded, the sense of uncertainty going with it. I am one that once was. One that was not as great as the one that lies behind the door, and yet my deeds have lasted for hundreds of years.

Luna gritted her teeth in frustration. Enough with the riddles, stranger! Reveal yourself!

I had forgotten how beautiful you were before you were consumed by jealousy. The voice said, Luna's eyes widening. That day when you became the Nightmare, my master told me 'Behold, my young pupil, today we shall experience the darkest of all days.'

Clover the Clever. Luna realized. You have been keeping watch over your master's tomb for all these years?

Aye, thy Majesty. And it is a great honor to see thee again. I will lift the protection spell for the three of thee to enter the tomb. But be warned. Clover said. In the coming days, it is not merely the Shadow thou will have to face, but thyself as well.

"Luna! The door to Starswirl's tomb." Celestia pointed out, snapping Luna out of her vision. Ahead of her was a simple wooden door, a faded gold star etched into the wood planks of the door.

"Then let's not keep Starswirl waiting!" Discord exclaimed as Celestia pushed the door open.

Face thyself.

-Sky-Shield Residence, Western Griffon Kingdom: Present day-

Blackness. Calm, silent, blissful nothingness. That's all Hawkeye dreamed. His body and mind were simply at rest, recharging for what the upcoming day had in store for him. While he slept, a slight smile was on his beak as he enjoyed the solitude that only sleep could offer him. No countries teetering on war, no worries of getting forcefully recruited into the military, no major life choices to be decided upon. Hawkeye was in a state of perfect contentment.

Until a sudden thumping shattered that peace. Thump-thump-thump.

Hawkeye's eyelids scrunched themselves shut as the young griffon tries to regain the calmness of his sleep.

"Hawkeye, get up." A stern voice ordered, completely destroying any attempt for Hawkeye to get his slumbering state back.

Hawkeye's eyes cracked open, some sleep clouding his vision. With a quick rubbing of his eyes, Hawkeye could easily make out the silhouette of his father's figure in the open doorway of his bedroom. Uneasiness crept into his mind as Hawkeye noticed the faint gleam of steel armor on his father's body in the moonlight that came in through the window next to his bed.

"Dad? What's… going on?" the not-fully awake griffon croaked, noting that the sun wasn't even up yet. Are we about to be attacked or something? He wondered.

"Your training, Hawk. It begins today." Cloudius stated.

Turning his head to get a good look at what the sky looked like out his window, Hawkeye could see that the moon wasn't even touching the horizon yet. His head twisted back towards Cloudius as Hawkeye voiced his concern. "But it's… not even… morning."

"You think a band of raiders wouldn't attack a camp just because the sun isn't up yet? Meet me on the ground beneath the house in less than half an hour. Your armor is waiting for you in the foyer." With that, Cloudius turned around and exited the doorway.

With a smack of his beak and a stretch of his arms, Hawkeye sat up in his bed, a sleepy groan escaping his throat. Kicking his hind legs over the side of the bed, Hawkeye slid off and onto the floor. The young griffon drowsily made his way out the door of his bedroom and down the staircase to the atrium. The quiet of night still had the household in its grip as only the sound of Hawkeye's steps reached his ears.

Hawkeye cast a look down the stairs at the large room, his eyes widening at what he saw. Against the dying embers of the fireplace, Hawkeye could make out a set of steel armor that sat on a wooden mannequin, the fading red remainders of the fire tingeing the reflective armor a light crimson. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Hawkeye slowly made his way over to the armor set.

Is this my armor? Hawkeye wondered as he beheld the set of metal pieces. Scanning the armor set, he found a set of bracers adorning the lower front legs and wrists of the wooden model. Hawkeye reached out and unclasped the buckles on one of the bracers, removing it from the foreleg of the mannequin and setting it upon his own. Pulling the leather straps and buckling them in place, Hawkeye sucked in a breath at finding it was a perfect fit. His eyes rose to the remainders of the armor set.

"You won't be needing that today." Cloudius's voice said behind him.

Hawkeye turned around to see his father, a pair of swords in their scabbards hanging at his sides.

"Why not?" Hawkeye asked, casting a glance at the armor.

Cloudius reached down and unsheathed one of the swords. Hawkeye's eyebrows furrowed at seeing the sword was wood and not metal.

"We will be practicing sword technique today." He said, putting the wooden weapon back in its scabbard. "You won't be wearing your armor today. That will come later."

"So do I… get a… sword?" Hawkeye fought to ask.

Cloudius nodded and unstrapped the sword on his right side. Pulling the sheathed weapon away from him, he held it out for Hawkeye to take hold of. "You remember how to put it on?"

Hawkeye gripped the scabbard, the straps hanging down on the floor. Pulling the leather sheath to his side, he looped the straps over his torso and across his chest. Finding the right slits in the leather, Hawkeye fit the straps through them and tightened them around his body. Now the scabbard rested perfectly at his side. "Living with you… has taught me… a few things." Hawkeye replied with a smirk.

Cloudius gave his son a proud smile. "I try. Now come, we have some work to do." With that, he spun around towards the front door of the house, Hawkeye close behind. Grasping the handle and turning it, Cloudius pulled the door open as the pair of griffons exited the house.

Hawkeye closed his eyes as the cool early morning breeze blew through his feathers. Not a sound but the wind reached his ears. It was as if the world itself were still asleep as father and son made their way to the edge of the cloud on which the house stood upon.

Spreading his wings, Cloudius looked to his son. "You ready to go?"

Hawkeye responded by extending his own wings with a nod.

"Then let's go. We have a good couple hours before Princess Celestia is supposed to raise the sun." Cloudius said, leaping off the cloud and shooting into the early morning sky.

With a mighty flap of his wings, Hawkeye took after his father. The pair of griffons soared through the air, the training grounds of Dayguard waiting for them in the distance.

-Ponyville: Present day-

"Where is she?" Silver Star grumbled, a yawn quickly escaping as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Patience, Chassis." Palm Spring tried to say in the most soothing way she could, but at this time in the morning, her mind hadn't quite caught up with her body. "Trixie said she'd be here and I have no reason to doubt her on that."

Speedy Delivery cast a glance at the air balloon that towered over them. The purple balloon stood tall as a soft flame gushed hot air into it, the yellow frills fluttering in the air current. "You sure this is the best way to get to where we're going?" His mind went back to the meeting they had with Chrysalis, showing where to rendezvous with her and Raspian. "Doesn't look very fast." And a bit girlish at that.

"Well it's better than carrying the unicorn with nothing but our hooves and wings." Palm pointed out. "And besides why would it have to be fast? Depending on the wind direction up there, we could be in the Crystal Empire by midafternoon with this baby."

"And if the wind isn't with us?" Silver objected. "We won't even make it to the mountains by nightfall."

"No need to be such a pessimist, Chassis."

Speedy's mouth opened wide in a yawn. "Well I, for one, am going to enjoy catching up on the sleep I lost last night when this is all over."

"I hear ya." Silver groaned. "And maybe some breakfast would be nice too. Think we could get some at the mayor's office before heading out?" He asked, turning to Palm.

Palm Spring shook her head. "Nope. Sorry, Chassis, but we need to stay here for when Trixie arrives."

"So… do we know what we're going to do with Trixie after she's helped us out with Chrysalis?" Speedy asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Silver replied with a drowsy chuckle. "We finally get some good eating after she's done what she needs to do."

"Did I hear something about good eating over here?" A familiar voice piped up down the road. The trio of disguised changelings turned their heads to see a haggard Trixie slowly making her way down the dirt road toward them.

"Didn't get enough sleep last night either, eh?" Speedy asked, noting the bags under the magician's eyes.

Trixie gave the concerned stallion a fleeting grin. "Well a bench on the side of the road isn't exactly a five-star hotel room." She replied as she approached the group.

"You slept on a bench last night?" Palm exclaimed in disbelief. "You don't have a home or place to stay?"

Trixie's eyes fell to the dirt beneath her hooves. "I used to have a cart that I'd travel with, but it got destroyed during an incident with an Ursa Minor."

Palm and Speedy exchanged looks. "Well you could have stayed with us. We had space in our rental house."

Trixie shrugged. "It's okay. So, are we going to be taking off soon?"

"We were waiting for whenever you got here." Silver replied, turning towards the large wicker basket at the bottom of the balloon. "And now that you have arrived, we can be on our way."

Speedy stepped aside and gestured for Trixie and Palm to enter the basket first, both of them giving him an appreciative smile as they entered the balloon. He pretended to not notice the eye roll that Silver was giving him as the pair of undercover changelings walked into the basket.

As soon as the four had gotten into the wicker basket, Palm reached up to a rope connected to the burners at the base of the balloon. Giving them a hard pull, flames shot up into the balloon with a mighty whoosh. Moments later the balloon began to float off the ground. Trixie looked down from the balloon at Ponyville, smiling at how everything was getting smaller and smaller with each passing second.

"So you ever been in a hot air balloon, Trixie?" Speedy asked, noticing the unicorn's glee.

Trixie looked back at Speedy, the smile still on her face. "No I haven't. This is incredible!" She exclaimed in wonder as she looked back down.

Speedy turned to Palm as she maneuvered the balloon towards the north. "We're on our way?"

Palm nodded, her eyes turning to the silhouettes of snow-capped peaks that lay beyond the mountain-dwelling city of Canterlot. The final phase of the changelings' mission was upon them. "We're on our way."