Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

by Alphadude007

Investigations and Dooms Foretold

Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

Chapter 13-Investigations and Dooms Foretold

-Canterlot Castle: 1,000 years before Nightmare Moon's return-

There must be at least a thousand books in this one room. Luna wondered in bewilderment. Princess Luna looked around the interior of Starswirl the Bearded's private study. Shelves lined the walls of the circular room, books and tomes of every subject filling every square inch of the shelves. In the center of the room was a large oak desk that had clearly seen years of usage. On the old desk were stacks of papers and books that were based on various case studies and histories. Standing around the desk were two unicorns and two alicorns, all of whom seeking answers.

Starswirl turned to Clover. "Clover, fetch me Ancient Kingdoms and Civilizations." The dark blue unicorn ordered. With a quick nod of his head, Clover trotted to a bookshelf to his left and began searching for the requested work.

"Starswirl, thou speakest of a Crystal Empire." Princess Celesia asked in a concerned tone. "Where and what is this place?"

Starswirl turned back to the princess. "The Crystal Empire is a kingdom that lies past the northern mountains, Your Majesty. It is a land shrouded in mystery and secrecy." He replied as Clover pulled out a large grey book using his magic. A light green magical aura surrounded the book as Clover brought it over to his teacher and set it on the desk.

"Ancient Kingdoms and Civilizations, just as thou requested." Clover said, cancelling his levitation spell.

"Thank you, my pupil." Starswirl said as he opened the book and began flipping pages. The other ponies leaned in to get a closer look at the pages until their noses almost touched the old pages. Now I cannot see what I am supposed to be reading. Starswirl thought as he gave the others an annoyed look. Clover and the princesses backed away under Starswirl's gaze. That's better. The old mage thought, resuming his search for a particular passage.

"Master, should I search for other works on the subject?" Clover offered, seeing that his teacher was having trouble locating the passage he was looking for.

"Nay, Clover. I've almost- ah ha!" Starswirl exclaimed with a smile as he found the section on the Crystal Empire. Above a few paragraphs of information was a depiction of a blue heart-shaped crystal.

"Thou found it? What does it say?" Luna asked, both her and Celestia's faces showing surprise at Starswirl's outburst.

"These texts give a brief description of the Empire itself. There is a paragraph dedicated to each aspect. There is one on its magic, one on its history, and one on its culture. Should I read all of them or just one?" Starswirl asked the princesses.

"Read the passage on magic. I'm sure that section can shed some light on what has occurred today." Celestia said, thinking back to the earthquakes.

"Very well." Starswirl said, clearing his throat as he began to read. "What is known of the Crystal Empire's magic is very limited, but what has been recorded shows that the effects of its magic can be felt throughout the world." He said, earning a concerned look from the Celestia, but a curious look from Luna. Starswirl continued. "While normal crystal ponies cannot produce magic like unicorns do, they instead channel their magic into a collective pool of sorts where it is projected by a very powerful crystal known as the Crystal Heart."

"Is that the Crystal Heart?" Luna asked, pointing a hoof at the depiction of a blue heart in the page.

"It appears to be." Clover chimed in. "The book describes it as 'a torso-sized blue crystal that has been cut into the shape of a heart'."

"Yes, Clover. The book does say that, but it is what the crystal does that makes it interesting." Starswirl said, resuming his reading. "The next sentence reads, 'When the Empire is full of happiness and prosperity, the joy that is felt by the crystal ponies is projected all across the Empire and the lands to the south'."

"And these lands to the south would be Equestria. Intriguing." Celestia thought, bringing a hoof to her chin.

"Quite so, Princess. However, what this book says next may not bring such good news." Starswirl said, turning his eyes to the book again. "It reads, 'However, if fear and sadness take control of the populace, then those negative emotions are reflected across the lands in the same manner'."

"That still does not explain why black crystals shot up from under the ground. The book says emotions and feelings are spread out from the Empire, not rocks." Celestia said, narrowing her eyes. "I mean, how does one nation determine the mood of half the world? It would take a considerably large amount of magic to even try to do such a thing."

"Which is why we need to investigate further." Luna said in a determined tone.

"I concur with Princess Luna." Clover chimed in. "Princesses, are any of thy scouts available to look into these strange occurrences?"

Celestia stepped forward. "I have a scout that has just returned from patrolling the eastern borders. She can be ready to depart at first light tomorrow morning."

"Excellent, Princess." Clover said enthusiastically. "Does this book say how far away the Crystal Empire is?" He asked, leaning his head to look at the book's text.

Starswirl nudged his student away from the book to read it again. After a brief scanning of the text, Starswirl spoke up. "Not specifically. All the book says is that the Empire lies beyond the northern mountains. It does not give any specific distances or travelling routes to get there. However, I'm sure that Her Majesty's scout can find a way there."

Princess Celestia smiled at the compliment. "She can. Shooting Star is one of the most effective and resourceful scouts that has stepped hoof in the barracks."

"Very well." Starswirl said to the princess and then turned to his student. "Clover, we shall see what we can find out about the Empire amidst the ruined archives of the library." He said, turning back to the princesses. "We will report to you when we have found anything of importance."

"Very good, Starswirl." Celestia said, turning to her sister. "Come, Luna. We have work to do." She said, turning to walk out the door with Luna close in tow.

Once the princesses were gone, Starswirl turned to Clover. "Go into the archives and try to find anything and everything on the Crystal Empire. I will be with thee shortly." He said, his horn glowing a dark blue.

"Thou art not coming, Master?" Clover asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I will, but I need to conduct my own research first." Starswirl replied, a burst of blue emanating from Starswirl's horn. A split second later the light died down and Clover saw that Starswirl had just teleported a book of some kind into the room.

"I have not seen that book before. Is it a new addition?" Clover asked, leaning closer to get a good look at it. He noticed the white color of the book, the gold trim, and a pearl embedded in the center of the front cover.

"Somewhat. Like I said, I will be with thee shortly, Clover. Now go." Starswirl ordered.

Clover turned to leave and started walking out. As soon as Clover closed the rectangular wooden door behind him, Starswirl placed the white book on the desk and flipped it open.

"Book, can thou hearest me?" Starswirl asked in a nervous tone. His heart leapt when black ink began to scribble itself on the pages.

Yes. Read the book's first page.

Starswirl gave a sigh of relief. "Good. I need your help. Something has happened today and I do not know how to explain it."

The great Starswirl the Bearded can't explain something? This must be serious indeed. The book read. Even though it couldn't talk, Starswirl could feel the sarcasm dripping from the page.

Starswirl narrowed his eyes and gave the book a stern look. "I'm serious. Something catastrophic has happened and I believe the Crystal Empire is involved."

Well thy suspicions are correct. I know exactly what's happening in that northern empire.

Starswirl's facial expression went from nervous to relieved. "You do? Thank Celestia. So what is happening in the Empire?"

Starswirl leaned in as the book's response was scribbled in. For me to tell you exactly what is happening would be detrimental to your research. It would be like reading the end of a book. You don't know how the ending got there and it leaves you confused. In order to have the whole truth, you must have the whole story. And while telling you would be easy, it would be more effective to simply show you what this story entails.

Starswirl shifted in his seat to get comfortable. He let out a heavy sigh and gave the book a determined look. "Show me."

---

Celestia and Luna watched from the castle's balcony as the sun began to set. The setting sun cast an orange-red tint on everything, bathing Canterlot in a light sanguine.

"Where is Shooting Star right now?" Luna asked Celestia, not taking her eyes off the setting sun.

"She should be in the barracks. I'll have one of the guards notify her and brief her on her next mission." Celestia responded.

Both sisters watched as the sun slowly sank into the horizon, reflecting on what had occurred in the past couple hours. Both sisters silently watched the sun, taking in the silence of the end of the day.

After a couple minutes, Celestia spoke up. "Luna, art thou ready to raise the moon?"

Luna shook her head as if she snapped out of a trance. "Hmm? Oh. Yes, I am." She said, walking to the balcony's railing. Luna closed her eyes and began to concentrate.

Luna's horn glowed a deep blue as she felt a magical surge course throughout her body. The sights, sounds, and smells of Canterlot were drowned out as the image of the moon rising from the eastern horizon filled her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused as hard as she could on the moon.

Her horn's blue light intensified until the blue light was almost blinding. Celestia looked to the east and saw the moon beginning to peek out from behind the eastern horizon. The hardest part was over. Now the moon could rise by itself now that the magical push Luna gave had propelled it into the sky.

Luna's spell faded as she opened her eyes and looked to her left to see the sun going down completely. Strangely, she felt a twist of happiness of seeing the sun go down while her moon rose behind her. She felt a sort of… power.

"Good job, sister. The moon has risen and it is nighttime once again." Celestia said with a weak smile as the sun's light completely faded, bringing Equestria into night.

Luna kept her back to Celestia as she stared at the horizon where the sun had sunk. "Indeed. The night has come again." Luna said with a slightly twisted grin on her face.

"Well, 'tis time to go to bed. I shall see thee in the morning, Luna." Celestia said, turning from the balcony edge and walking back into the castle.

Luna turned to see Celestia walking back into the castle and go towards her bedchambers. Yes, sister. Nighttime has come once again. Luna thought, her twisted grin becoming a smile. And soon, the night will never end. She thought, suddenly shaking her head. Wait. Where did these thoughts come from? Luna thought, a look of shock and confusion finding itself on her face. Since when did she develop a rebellious streak? Where did this feeling of resentment come from?

"I need some sleep." She muttered to herself, rubbing her muzzle with her hoof. She trotted back inside and headed to her bedchambers, her mind troubling her at what she had thought about on the balcony.

-Crystal Castle: 1,000 years before Nightmare Moon's return-

Sombra looked out the windows of the throne room. The moon had just risen and the Crystal Empire was going to sleep. Well, almost all the empire was sleeping.

"Why haven't they returned?!" Sombra roared angrily from his throne as the messenger beneath quaked in fear.

"I-I do not know, sire." Said a timid silver crystal pony with a straight light blue mane.

Sombra growled as he brought his tone to a dangerous low. "It has almost half a day." He said menacingly, narrowing his eyes at the nervous pony beneath him.

"I understand that, sire. I-It's just that they may have been f-frightened by your new a-appearance." The pink pony said, trying to soothe the king's anger.

Sombra's anger seemed to vanish for a moment as he looked himself over. "Yes, my new image certainly is intimidating." He said proudly, but then his pride turned to anger once more. "But feeling cowardice towards my recently changed visage is no excuse for deserting the empire!" Sombra exclaimed, slamming his hoof on the throne's arm in frustration. The silver pony recoiled at the sound of Sombra's hoof hitting the crystal throne.

"D-deserting, sire? I d-doubt any pony would do such a thing. Maybe they ran into an i-impediment along one of the empire's roads on the way b-back." The crystal pony said shakily.

"If there was an impediment along the roads, I would have heard of it. Nay, they deserted. There can be no other explanation for the missing messengers." Sombra said in a low tone. The pony at the foot of the throne could only imagine what Sombra would do to them if they were found and brought back to him.

Sombra's eyes narrowed at the pony at the foot of his throne. "Thou art the only one to return. What is thy name, pony?" He asked.

This perplexed the pony at the foot of the throne. "Sh-shining Star, sire."

"And why did thee not flee with the others and thyself had the chance?" Sombra asked, raising an eyebrow at Shining.

Shining looked up at the dark king. "B-because I swore an oath of loyalty to the throne of the Empire, and I intend to keep it."

This response brought a smile to Sombra's face. "Hmm. Thou art loyal even when thy peers are not, Shining. I admire that. How would thou likest to become one of my advisors?"

Shining gave Sombra a look of bewilderment, excitement, and fear. "An advisor, sire?"

"Yes, Shining. An advisor. Thou wouldst be a member of the royal court, giving me advice on daily matters with some of the noblest ponies in the land. Dost thou accept this position?" The king asked with a fanged grin.

Shining bowed as he responded. "I accept this position, King Sombra." He said nervously.

Sombra's grin turned to a smile. "Good. Depart back to thy quarters, Counselor Star. I will have need of you at first light tomorrow."

"Yes, sire." Shining responded, immediately heading out the door of the throne room.

I only wish that there were more ponies in this kingdom that are as loyal as my newest advisor. Sombra thought with a smile. Sombra looked out the window again to see the moon rising into the night sky. So now the night begins, and the day's duties end. He thought, his horn glowing a swirling black and purple. With a bright purple flash, Sombra left for his bedchambers. The throne room, normally bustling with activity, was now empty, save for the newly recolored black crystal throne.

-The Dreamscape-

Luna opened her eyes to find herself in the dreamscape. However, there was something about the dreamscape that was rather unnerving. Instead of a pleasant and sleepy atmosphere, fog shrouded the ground, preventing Luna from seeing past her own muzzle. She took a tentative step forward and realized that even the ground felt different. Luna looked down and her eyes widened at what she saw. Craggy rock had replaced the normally lush green grass that made up the ground.

What has happened to this place? Luna thought as worry began to creep into her mind. She looked into the fog again, this time seeing a silhouetted figure. From what Luna could see, the figure had a long sharp horn and broad extended wings. An alicorn.

"You there! State your business in this dream realm!" Luna shouted at the figure, trying to sound authoritative. The figure turned its head to see her and Luna took a step back in surprise at what she saw. A pair of bright glowing yellow eyes penetrated the fog and stared at Luna.

Those eyes... it's him. Luna thought, immediately becoming alarmed at the intruding alicorn's presence.

"Ah, thou hast arrived at last. No need to be alarmed, Princess. I bring no ill tidings to thee tonight." The alicorn said warmly as he began walking towards Luna.

Luna didn't know if she should run or wait for the alicorn. Alarms were going off in her mind, yet something stayed her feet. Was it doubt? Was it the faint thought that this alicorn wasn't here to cause trouble? Maybe.

The alicorn finally walked through the fog, allowing Luna a good look at him. It was the same alicorn from the night before. There was the steel grey coat, unkempt raven black mane and tail, and the bright yellow eyes.

Luna mustered what confidence she had and narrowed her eyes at the alicorn. "I believe I told thee to stay out of my sight, alicorn." She said threateningly.

The alicorn gave an amused smile. "What can I say, Princess? When given the opportunity to meet two rulers that have intertwined fates, I cannot simply leave it."

Luna gave the alicorn a questioning look. "Two rulers? Intertwined fates? What madness is this that thou hast spoken?"

"Is it madness? Or is it the truth? Or can it be both?" The alicorn asked with a grin.

Luna's irritation made itself present in her words. "Do not dodge the question, alicorn. What art thou speaking of?"

The alicorn was just about to respond when he looked past Luna's shoulder. "Ah, the second ruler to which I was referring. Princess Luna, meet King Sombra." He said, gesturing to something behind Luna.

Luna turned to see a big white unicorn standing before her. His bright white fur made him stand out against the dull grey fog that surrounded them. The contrast of his white coat and regal black mane made him all the more visible in the fog.

Princess Luna extended her hoof in greeting. "King Sombra, 'tis a pleasure. If I may ask, what kingdom is it that thou rule over?"

Sombra gave a warm smile to the lunar princess and took her hoof in one of his. Lowering his muzzle to her hoof, he delicately kissed the dark blue hoof to return the greeting. "One of the ruling princesses of Equestria. I finally get the chance to meet you. I am King Sombra, ruler the Crystal Empire."

Princess Luna's eyes widened at this. "The Crystal Empire?" She asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes. Dost thou know of it?" Sombra said with a proud grin.

"Know of it? After feeling the quakes that shook all the land, I now know of what the Crystal Empire is." Luna said, remembering what had happened the previous day.

"Ah, yes. That is partially because of the alicorn standing behind thee. He gave me the power to accomplish such a feat." Sombra said, gesturing towards the alicorn behind Luna.

Luna turned to face the alicorn, who still had that warm smile on his face. "You caused the tremors?"

The alicorn shook his head. "Directly? No. I simply imbued Sombra with some of my power to give him more control over his empire. And how has that worked out for thee, Sombra?" He said, looking over at Sombra.

"It has worked out brilliantly. Because of what thou did, I now have complete control over the empire." Sombra beamed.

The alicorn then turned back to Luna. "And Luna, how hast thou been since we talked last? Did the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration go smoothly?"

Luna gave the alicorn a surprised look. "How could thou knowest about that?"

"I can be in many places at once, my dear princess." The alicorn said proudly. "Now, Summer Sun Celebration." He said, almost as if he was testing how the words sounded in his mouth. "Seems like a strange name for such a hoof-kissing occasion."

"I hate to say this, but I half-heartedly agree with thee." Luna said.

"Half-heartedly?" Sombra asked, walking up next to her. "Care to explain why not thy agreement is whole-hearted?"

"Well, during the preparations two children came to me and paid their respects to me. It reminded me of how there are some who still appreciate me as they appreciate my sister." Luna said, a confidence in her subjects rising in her chest.

"But only two children out of how many ponies?" The alicorn asked, mock surprise lacing his words. "And what did they do after thou let them approach thee?

Luna's confidence began to falter. "One of them asked me to help with some nightmares that the other had been having."

"So it was only to ask a favor?" The alicorn asked with a chuckle. "That sounds like they just used you to get a good night's rest. I do not know much about paying respects, but that does not sound like it."

Sombra chimed in. "So other than that, nopony talked to thee? Or even acknowledged that thou wert there?"

Luna's silence surprised even herself.

"My, my. It truly shocks me that thy subjects only need thee for when they are having a rough night's sleep." The alicorn said maliciously, smiling at Luna all the while.

Luna felt an anger curdling inside her. The affection the children had showed her, the love her sister had for her. It felt so genuine, only now it felt like it was all a lie.

The alicorn took notice of her anger and spoke up. "Now, now, Luna. Let's not be too hasty to anger here. Besides, thou are not the only pony here that will be affected by your sister."

This caught Sombra's attention as his smiling expression turned to a concerned one. "What art thou talking about, alicorn?"

"Like I said to Luna earlier, both of your fates are intertwined. Celestia is the one by which thine fates are tied." The alicorn said with a twisted grin.

"Celestia ties our fates together? What does that mean?" Luna asked, momentarily breaking away from her inner rage.

"In the near future, there will be two banishments. One shall be banished from this world, and the other shall be banished into this world. How that shall come about, only time will tell."

Sombra and Luna were at a loss for words.

Banishment? Luna thought, shocked at the very idea of her being sent away. But what did Celestia have to do with it? Could she be the one to banish me? The thought of such a thing made her stomach churn.

Banishment? Sombra thought, suddenly afraid to lose his newfound powers. For most of his rule, the senate had suppressed Sombra's power. And just when his power's limitations were lifted, his rule was to be taken away.

"This cannot be the future. It cannot!" Sombra exclaimed at the alicorn.

The alicorn stomped on the rocky ground. "It can be avoided. But not without my help."

"Tell us how we can avoid this future." Sombra pleaded, fear of the alicorn's prediction showing itself on both his and Luna's faces.

"Sombra, I would advise stepping up thy control over thy subjects. Should any dissenters try to get to Celestia about thy new rule, all thy new power will be lost." The alicorn said to Sombra. Sombra nodded in response.

The alicorn then turned to Luna. "And Princess Luna, consider my words. Be wary of thy sister. This Summer Sun Celebration will only be the beginning of Celestia's bid for complete control. By focusing all the attention on her, no one will bat an eye when thou art removed from the picture."

The alicorn's words seeped into Luna's mind as they strangely rang true for the alicorn princess. "I shall be watchful of my sister. If she wants me gone, she will not be able to without a fight." She said in a malicious tone.

The alicorn smiled. "Good. Well, 'tis time for me to depart. Until next time, Majesties." He said with a small bow of his head. The alicorn's image began to fade until nothing was left.

Almost immediately, the fog was lifted from the dreamscape. The rock beneath Sombra's and Luna's hooves cracked open as full green grass broke through the rocky surface. Silver moonlight shone from a bright gibbous moon, bathing the land in a soft light. The dreamscape had returned to its normal state.

Sombra and Luna exchanged nervous looks.

"Let us pray that the future he spoke of does not come about." Sombra said in a concerned tone.

Luna nodded as a grim look found its way onto her face. Banishment? But how? What will happen that would cause such an atrocity to happen? Or what will the banisher's motive be behind sending me away? She pondered, her mind going back to what the alicorn had said before leaving. If Celestia seeks to remove me from rule, then I will have to be ready for whenever she makes her move.

-Sky above Canterlot Castle: 1,000 years before Nightmare Moon's return-

A dark grey alicorn hovered outside the window to Luna's bedchamber with a malicious grin on his face. The pieces are set. The seeds have been sown. Now all I need to do… is wait. The alicorn thought, his grin growing into a smile. With that thought and a bright flash of yellow light from his horn, he disappeared into the night.