Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

by Alphadude007

Risky Considerations

Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

Chapter 24-Risky Considerations

-Sweet Apple Acres-

A thumping sound was heard across the apple orchards. Thump. Thump. Thump. Apples and leaves rustled in the branches of the trees as a small yellow filly tried desperately to bring the red fruit down to earth.

"Come on!" Thump "Stupid apples!" Thump "Fall off!" Thump. Applebloom exasperated as she bucked the tree, her red mane falling in her face.

"I think I saw one almost fall off that time." Scootaloo said in an optimistic tone, looking up at the apples above her head.

Applebloom sighed as she slunk to the ground, the grass tickling her face. "It's no use. Ah'm never gonna be good at anything." She groaned, dropping her face onto the dirt.

"Don't give up, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle said, lowering her head to Applebloom's ear. "There are still plenty of things for us to try out."

"But what?" Applebloom asked, taking her head off the ground and looking at her friends. "We've tried everything we can think of and we still haven't gotten our cutie marks." She said, standing back up on her hooves and looking down at her blank flank.

"Maybe it's not what we haven't tried." Sweetie Belle pondered, putting a hoof to her chin in thought.

"What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked, giving her unicorn friend a confused look.

"I mean that maybe we've already tried something we're good at and haven't realized it." Sweetie said.

"Ya think we'd know by now if we were good at something when we tried it." Applebloom countered.

Sweetie took a moment to think this over. "Yeah. I guess you're right." She said, her shoulders sagging in resignation.

"Well wait a minute." Scootaloo said, an idea emerging from her mind. "Everything we tried and failed at are usually things we don't do on a daily basis. I mean, we tried to get a skydiving cutie mark once. How often do we do that?"

Applebloom rubbed her chin. "Ah guess yer right. But what do we do on a daily basis that we haven't gotten our cutie marks for?" She asked.

"Well Scootaloo rides her scooter, you work in the apple fields, and I just spend time with my sister." Sweetie Belle said. "Unless there's a cutie mark for any of those, we just haven't found our special talents yet."

Scootaloo sighed in resignation. "Yeah. Maybe we're just not meant to get our cutie marks." She said despondently.

Applebloom gave her friends a determined look. "Now what kinda talk is that?" She exclaimed. "We just gotta keep trying, girls. Everypony gets a cutie mark eventually, so it's not like we'll never get our cutie marks." She said, her words slightly uplifting her friends' spirits.

"Yeah. If it's going to happen eventually, we'll just have to keep on trying." Scootaloo said, a small smile appearing on her face.

"So what should we do next?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Before any of the fillies could think of something, a deep voice shouted in the distance behind them. "Applebloom! Is that you out there?"

Applebloom recognized the voice immediately. "Yeah, Big Mac. It's me!" She shouted back.

Within a few moments, the Cutie Mark Crusaders could see a large red stallion with a short goldenrod mane walking amidst the apple trees and coming towards them.

Within a minute, Big Mac had gotten to where the girls were. "There y'all are." He said, looking up at the tree behind his sister and her friends. "Y'all tryin' to buck those apples out of the tree?"

"Well Ah was. But none of the apples fell out." Applebloom said in a sad tone.

Big Mac gave an understanding smile and chuckled. "Lemme tell y'all a little something. Did ya know that Ah didn't buck my first apples out of the tree until I was a few years older than y'all are now?"

Sweetie Belle gave the red stallion a surprised look. "You never bucked an apple until you were older than Applebloom?"

"Nope." Big Mac said, walking up to the tree. "I had to learn how to buck trees all by mahself. I didn't have anpony to teach me how, but I kept tryin' and tryin'. One day, I learned a little trick that bucked every last one of those apples out of the tree."

"What's the trick?" Scootaloo asked, just as surprised as her fellow crusaders at what Big Mac was telling them.

Big Mac grinned as he continued. "Ah found that every tree has a 'sweet spot'. Ya gotta look for it, though. Get a feel for the tree before bucking it. Once ya find it, give it a good solid buckin' and you'll have apples rainin' on yer head before ya know it."

"But how do you know where each sweet spot is?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah. Ah've seen you and Applejack just walk up and buck apples out of trees without givin' the tree a second look."

Big Mac looked up at the tree in front of him. "Well apple trees are the same for the most part, so apple trees have a different sweet spot than say pear trees or peach trees."

"So where's the spot on apple trees?" Applebloom asked, her hopes rising for an apple-bucking cutie mark.

"Now that, lil' sis, is just something y'all will have to find out for yourself." Big Mac said in a teasing tone. The trio of fillies gave a resounding "Awww!" in disappointment. "But just think for a second. Compare this apple tree to say… getting a cutie mark."

"How?" Scootaloo asked.

"Imagine getting apples of the tree is your goal, like how getting a cutie mark is y'all's. You gotta keep buckin' the tree until you hit that sweet spot. Only then will you achieve your goal."

"So what yer sayin' is to keep trying?" Applebloom asked. Big Mac replied with a nod.

"Eeyup. Every tree has a sweet spot like how every pony gets a cutie mark. Ya just have to keep tryin' and lookin' for it to get it." He said with a smile.

Smiles lit up on the crusaders' faces.

"I guess you're right, Big Mac." Sweetie Belle said, the other two nodding in agreement.

"Well great. Now who's ready for some lunch?" the stallion asked, getting excited cheers in reply. "Well hop on, then." He said, each of the fillies jumping onto his back. With the three happy little fillies on his back, Big Mac began the walk to the farmhouse.

-Outskirts of Ponyville-

All was well in Ponyville. Birds flew and chirped in the air and trees, ponies exchanged goods and conversed in the streets, fillies and colts were in school, and the mood was generally positive. Well, save for two disguised changelings that were simply watching ponies go about their daily lives. Speedy Delivery and Palm Spring had decided to observe the town from a nearby hilltop during the last few hours they had there, each of them having their own thoughts in regards to their situation.

"So today's the last day, huh?" Fang asked despondently. Over the past couple of days, the changeling had really come to like this quaint little pony village. Compared to life back in the hive, this 'Ponyville' was leaps and bounds ahead of it in practically every aspect. The ponies were nicer to each other than drones were to each other, there wasn't the risk of being cannibalized every day, and at the end of the day, Fang had felt a lightness in his chest he'd never felt before in the hive. It was a carefree feeling that he seldom felt. And to think that he'd have to trade in this happiness he felt to return to the hive. I want to be loyal to the hive, but at the same time, I absolutely hate it there. He thought.

"Yep." Cipha said, her voice carrying the same attitude that Fang's did. "Any idea where Chassis went off to?" She asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Probably just looking around town, scouting out which ponies to feed off of first when he gets back." Fang said with a grimace. "You know something, Cipha?" He asked.

Cipha looked at her accomplice. "What's that?"

"After seeing what pony life is really like, I don't think this place deserves to be attacked." Fang said, watching a pair of chatting unicorn mares walk into the spa.

Cipha stopped and put a hoof to her chin. "But since when do they deserve anything? Our hive didn't deserve to fall into ruin after the Canterlot attack, but look where we are now."

Fang looked at Cipha and gave her a serious look. "But look around you." He said, gesturing around him. "How can we justify a conquest on these ponies by attacking them? And for what? Revenge? Food?"

"We need to survive by feeding off love, Fang." Cipha said sternly. "After seeing this place, I'd love to coexist with these ponies as much as you, but the fact is we need to feed to survive."

Fang looked at the ground and sighed exasperatingly. "But isn't there some other way? I'd hate to leave and destroy this pony village because of a simple need."

Cipha gave her fellow changeling an empathetic look. She put a perforated hoof on Fang's shoulder, making him look up from the ground and into her eyes. "Fang, listen to me." She urged, giving Fang a pained look. "It hurts me just as much as it hurts you to even think about attacking these peaceful ponies. But it's something we have to do. We're changelings. We have to feed to survive. If there was a way out, I'd take it in a heartbeat. But as of right now, there's just no other alternative."

Fang considered her words. After a few moments, a thought appeared in his mind. A thought, had he thought of it a few days ago, would have seemed insane. But now, it seemed like a plausible option. "What if we desert?" He asked, earning a shocked look from Cipha. "I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. What if we don't go back to the hive? What if we decide to stay here and blend with the populace? The hive doesn't have a chance in Tartarus of recovering and our queen is putting a blind faith in some thing, that may or may not be good, to help us."

Cipha looked down at the ground. Desertion? She pondered, the very word sounding alien to her. "Okay. Let's say we do desert. We stay here for a while and then the urge to feed comes up. What then? Chomp on some random pony and be found out? We'd be ostracized from this place. We wouldn't be able to go back to the hive and we wouldn't be able to set hoof in an Equestrian-occupied place again. What would we do then? Live off nature? Go live in the wilderness?" She asked.

Fang thought over Cipha's words and conceded with a nod. "I guess you're right. I just hate how we have to trade all this for going back to the hive." He said in an agitated tone, his complexion turning into one of anger.

Cipha nodded understandingly. "I know. But for now, we'd better just stick to our current objective. We find a unicorn, help Chrysalis get whatever's going to help us free, and then we'll see what happens from there."

Fang sighed. We're stuck between a rock and a hard place. He figured. If we desert, we wouldn't be able to stay in one place for very long. But if we continue with the plan, we'd be responsible for everything that will happen to these peaceful ponies. Maybe Cipha's right. The best thing we can do now is wait. "Agreed. We'll go along with the plan for now." He said begrudgingly, looking out at the bustling Ponyville below.

-Sugarcube Corner-

"So how many streamers should I have? Ten? Twenty? Maybe even fifty!" Pinkie's elated voice bounced off the walls of her upper level bedroom. She'd taken the day off from baking with the Cakes to plan for her Welcome to Ponyville party she was throwing for the newcomers.

Pinkie rubbed her chin with a pink hoof as she considered her options for the party. I'll have to bake a cake for them at least. Should I make it vanilla? Or chocolate? Ooh! Maybe red velvet! Or maybe even some whiskey cake if I can get into Mr. Cake's stash! She thought, rubbing her hooves together at the possibilities that presented themselves in her mind. Oh wait, I think I'd get in some trouble for that last one, so that one's out. She thought, her eyes darting to her pet alligator that lazed on the top of her bed.

"What do you think, Gummy?" Pinkie asked as she picked up her pet and held him to her eye level. "Should it be vanilla or red velvet?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at the reptile, daring him to make a decision.

Gummy's eyes darted in opposite directions in reply.

"Red velvet it is!" Pinkie exclaimed in glee, tossing her pet back onto the bouncy bed.

As soon as Gummy landed back on the bed, he contently began gumming the corner of the bedsheets.

"Eee! I'm just so excited for this! I wonder how the guests will enjoy the surprise." Pinkie wondered, the scenario forming in her mind.

The three guests would walk into the ground floor of Sugarcube Corner, surprised to see all the lights off. "Where's the light?" One would wonder. "I dunno." A second would reply. Suddenly all the lights would flash on, revealing all the ponies hiding and waiting to surprise them! "SURPRISE!" All the ponies would shout, both startling and delighting the guests. Cake would be eaten, confetti will be thrown, and it'll be the best party ever! Pinkie thought as she imagined seeing the smiles on everypony's faces at the party, a smile of her own widening on her face.

As Pinkie imagined the celebratory scenario, a sound behind her snapped her out of the daydream. Knock knock. Pinkie turned around to look at her bedroom door. Who could that be? She wondered.

"Hello?" A familiar voice behind the door asked. "Pinkie, are you in there?"

Ooh! It's Twilight! Pinkie thought, hearing her visitor's voice. "Just a minute!" She replied, trotting to the door. Pinkie opened here bedroom door to reveal Twilight standing at the top of the staircase that led from the Sugarcube Corner atrium.

"Hi, Pinkie. Is this a bad time?" the purple alicorn asked.

Pinkie gave her guest a smile and shook her head. "Nopey-dopey. Come on in." She said, pulling the door wider to allow Twilight to come in.

"Thanks, Pinkie. So what are you up to in here?" Twilight asked.

"Just planning a little something for tonight." Pinkie said.

Twilight's eyebrow rose at the vague answer. "Tonight? What's going on tonight?"

"Well a group of new ponies came to town so I got extra excited to see them and invited them to a big, big, big 'Welcome to Ponyville' party tonight." Pinkie responded with a smile.

"Oh." Twilight said. Well she may have to cut that party a bit short. "Well Pinkie I came here because I actually have called for a meeting at the library tonight."

Pinkie's smile faded. "A meeting? What for?" She asked.

"Well I kind of had a vision this morning." Twilight said, Pinkie instantly becoming alert at hearing her.

"A vision? Was it anything like that super scary one you had the other day?" Pinkie asked in a concerned tone.

To Pinkie's relief, Twilight shook her head. "No, no. Not at all like the vision I had the day before. This one was different." Twilight said reassuringly.

"Different how?" Pinkie asked, a bit relieved that her friend hadn't undergone another traumatic experience.

"It was more of a warning than a scary vision." Twilight said. Just as Pinkie opened her mouth to ask a question, Twilight resumed. "Now I don't know what the vision was warning me about, but that's why I called a meeting for everypony tonight."

"Tonight?" Pinkie asked in a surprised tone. "But… the party." She said, a despondent look finding its way onto her visage.

"You can still have your party, Pinkie. It'll just be a bit shorter than your usual parties." Twilight said, trying to lighten the situation for her friend.

Pinkie's smile partially returned. "I guess you're right, Twilight. Alrighty then, I'll make sure to be there tonight." She said.

"Good." Twilight said with a smile. "Well I guess I'll be seeing you tonight. Just don't get too crazy from the party, okay?" Twilight said half-jokingly.

Pinkie giggled. "Don't worry your smarty head over me, Twilight. I'll be at the meeting." She said, watching her friend walk back towards the bedroom door.

"Well then I'll see you tonight, Pinkie." Twilight said with a wave before exiting the party pony's room.

"See ya then, Twilight." Pinkie said, waving back. As the door closed, Pinkie's smile slightly faded. "A warning?" Pinkie asked herself, looking over to Gummy, who had stopped gumming at her bed sheets and was now laying flat on his stomach on the floor. "But what could her vision have been about?" She asked both herself and the alligator.

Gummy responded by darting his eyes around again.

"I guess so, Gummy." Pinkie said. "I'll just have to wait until the meeting to find out." She said, her mind soon wandering back to a more pressing matter. "Now what color balloons should I get?"

-Canterlot-

Luna paced back and forth in her bedchambers, her thoughts keeping her busy. While Celestia was taking care of getting the guards on duty, Luna had only her mind to keep herself occupied.

Tomorrow is the big day. She thought, looking out at her window at the sprawling plains below that stretched into the horizon. Tomorrow the moon will be full and Celestia and I can get to Starswirl's tomb. Hopefully the answer to our problems will be down there.

Knock knock knock. A knocking at the door snapped Luna out of her thoughts. "Come in." She said, the pony behind the door opening the door almost immediately after Luna spoke.

"Luna." Celestia's soft voice spoke up as she opened the door wider. "Can I come in?" She asked.

"Of course, Tia." Luna responded, trying to sound upbeat. Celestia entered her sister's bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"How are you, Luna?" Celestia asked, giving her sister a caring look.

Luna turned her head to face her sister and gave a confused look. "I am fine, Tia. My stomach is getting rather restless and I could use some nourishment soon."

Celestia's facial complexion didn't change. "I didn't mean it like that, Luna. I mean how are you really doing?" She urged.

Luna nodded and looked down at her bed and then back out at the window. "Anxious. Nervous. Scared." Luna said, the last word worrying her sun-governing sister. "It's those and a mixture of emotions I can't exactly pinpoint, sister. I'm sorry if I haven't been exactly present the past couple days. Just the thought of having to face that creature again just terrifies me. I'm not asking you to have to stick up for me in this. I can't risk losing everything I love again. I just can't…" Luna said, her voice beginning to falter.

After a few moments of letting Luna's words sink in, Celestia spoke up. "Luna I won't pretend to understand your situation." Celestia said, causing Luna to look back at her. "I will never know what it would be like to be… possessed, for lack of a better term. I'll never know what it is like to have to be utterly alone for a thousand years. I'll never know what it's like to have ridden that thing from myself by the Elements. But just remember this, I'll always be here for you no matter what. Just remember that you are never alone. You have me, Twilight and her friends, and all your loyal subjects. Even when things may seem their bleakest, never forget that there are always ones around you that will never forsake you. The Shadow may still be alive, but that doesn't mean you'll fight this battle alone." She said putting a hoof on Luna's shoulder.

"Thank you, Celestia." Luna said, leaning into her sister and giving her a hug.

Celestia smiled as she returned the hug. After several moments, the sisters broke the hug up. "Enough of these sad thoughts. Let's go get some food." She said, both alicorns standing up and walking together towards the door.

Celestia is right. Luna thought. I'll never be alone in this. A smile spread on Luna's face as the pair of sisters exited the bedroom, ready to get some lunch.