Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

by Alphadude007

A Tempting Offer

Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

Chapter 25-A Tempting Offer

-North Equestrian Mountain Range-

"So, Queen Chrysalis, how has it been since I saw you last?" The Shadow asked, a soft smile stretched across his visage.

The changeling queen gave the shady pony a suspicious look. "Everything has been according to plan, if that is what you are asking." She said warily.

"I didn't ask how the plan was proceeding. I have full confidence in this plan you formulated, Chrysalis. I was asking how you were doing." The Shadow asked, putting the emphasis on the changeling's condition.

Chrysalis cast an indignant look at her shadowy ally. "My condition is of no concern to you." She spat.

The Shadow gave Chrysalis a pouty face. "Oh come on, Chrissy." He pleaded in a mocking tone. "Even after everything you've been through to try to set up this operation, you won't let me in on how you yourself are doing?"

Before Chrysalis could open her mouth, Raspian spoke up. "Her Majesty is doing fine, Lodestar." He said with a glare. "Despite the pressure she is getting from her subjects and the weight of this operation, she has been handling the pressure rather well."

The Shadow's visage turned to one of displeasure. "While your protecting of your queen is noble, Raspian, it was unnecessary." He said in a somewhat threatening tone.

Raspian shrank back as Chrysalis spoke up. "My captain expresses my current condition, Lodestar. And might I ask how you have been doing in our absence? Tricked any more creatures into coming here?" She asked sarcastically.

The Shadow chuckled at the queen's jab. "No I cannot say I have had the need to. But it's been comforting knowing you two would come back."

"How did you know we would? What if we just abandoned you to this cave and let you be?" Raspian asked, giving the shadowy pony a glare.

"You really underestimate my abilities, don't you, Raspian?" The Shadow asked, a smile stretching across his face. "I know your queen better than you do and I've only been in the same room with her twice. I know she wouldn't dare turn down such an opportunity to help her subjects."

"And how exactly will you help us?" Chrysalis asked, trying to hide her thoughts from the creature before her. What is this thing that he knows what I know is best for my hive?

"I am what I said earlier, my queen. A friend." The Shadow said in a reassuring tone. Chrysalis backed off as he continued. "If it helps you believe me, I swear upon the first meal that will be had once I'm free that I will help you. Does that satisfy your skepticism?" He asked, almost in a challenging tone.

Both changeling shook their heads without saying a word. Despite not showing it, Chrysalis and Raspian felt a great feeling of uncertainty towards their shadowy ally.

-Streets of Ponyville-

You can have it all, you know. A whispery voice rang in Chassis's mind.

"What? Who said that?" Chassis asked, suddenly alert to see if somepony spoke to him.

Nopony around you said anything to you, Chassis. The voice said.

Chassis nervously looked around him, trying to find a secluded place where somepony might not see him talking to himself. Chassis looked to his right and saw an alley between a pair of shops where nopony was hanging around in. Perfect. He thought, trotting over to the alley while trying to not look suspicious. Upon entering the alleyway, Chassis cancelled out his pony disguise, becoming his changeling self again.

Chassis looked upward, trying to speak with himself. "Okay, voice in my head. How do I know that I'm not insane by hearing you?" He asked, hoping for some reassurance.

You're not insane, Chassis. The voice said. This is not your mind you are talking to.

Chassis's eyebrows rose. "Well who are you and how do you know my name?" he asked.

I am one who has been locked away for far too long. The voice said with a hint of sadness. As for how I know who you are, let's just say that there is not a living creature I do not know the name of.

Upon hearing this, Chassis didn't know if he was supposed to be frightened or be intrigued. "Okay. So what do you want with me?" Chassis asked.

You are special, Chassis. The voice said.

"Well I guess I am kind of special." Chassis said, a smug grin growing on his face.

Yes, my talented changeling. You are willing to do anything possible to achieve your goals, are you not? The voice asked.

"Of course I am." Chassis said confidently.

Then listen closely because what I am about to tell you cannot be repeated to anypony. The voice said.

After checking that nopoony was coming towards the alley, Chassis responded. "I'm listening."

Your queen is threatening to betray me. The voice said. She is using me as a stepping-stone to expand her rule.

A confused look came over Chassis's visage. "Wait? What do you mean?"

I have overheard her plans. The voice continued. The unicorn you are meant to bring to her will set me free. Upon doing so, your queen will order you to attack me and subdue me, then she'll feast on my energy, giving her more power than any love could provide. Then she'll use my energy to wage war on Equestria and bring it under hoof.

"Okay. So how is that a bad thing? We changelings get to rule Equestria and feed on all its inhabitants." Chassis said, trying to find a downside to Chrysalis's plan.

Yes, but where are you in that grand scheme? The voice pointed out. You'd be nothing but a lowly scout or soldier whose only reward for helping your queen would be getting the first bite of a feast that thousands will be having. You could be so much more with the potential you possess.

"Well I would like something more than just the first bite. But what would you be able to give me?" Chassis asked, his mind now starting to slide towards this voice's side.

I can give you power that no other changeling before you has had the privilege of experiencing. Why simply be a face in a crowd of changelings when you can be at the head of said crowd, leading them into battle and having all the spoils of conquest to yourself. The voice tempted.

A greedy smirk grew soon appeared on the changelings' visage. "I'd like that very much. But how do I know you're not just pulling my leg here?"

I swear it upon the first meal you will have upon my freedom. Now run along, my little changeling. You have a big day tomorrow and you need to rejoin your comrades. The voice reminded.

"Yeah I probably should. Until next time, voice." Chassis said, turning back outside and with a bright green wave of magic across his body, became Silver Star once again.

It won't be a long wait, but until next time, Chassis. The voice said, disappearing from his mind.

"Now where are Cipha and Fang at?" Chassis asked as donned his disguise again and walked out of the alley and back into Ponyville's streets.

-Ponyville Marketplace-

"Get yer delicious apples here!" An enthusiastic Applejack called out into the crowd of passing ponies that wandered the streets. "Fresh off the trees! We got the best apples y'all will ever taste!"

"Ooh! Apples!" A young voice exclaimed. Applejack turned to see a young chocolate brown colt with a propeller beanie on his head. He began to trot over to the apple cart when something grabbed his two-tone brown tail.

"No, Button. We have enough food for the week. Now we need to get home so I can cook dinner." A sandy brown mare with a caramel brown mane and a leather saddlebag strapped on her back had the colt's tail in her hoof, holding him back from the apples.

"But Mom! Apples give me a plus nine eyesight bonus so I can save the world from the evil-" the colt, Button, began to say.

"Yes, yes, Button. But we need to get home." Button's mother interrupted.

"It wouldn't be any trouble, miss. Y'all can have an apple if ya want, sugarcube." Applejack said, offering the colt a smile.

Button's face lit up. "Yay!" He shouted, zipping over to the apple cart and began trying to find the best looking one.

Button's mother sighed as she walked over to the apple selling cowpony. "I'm sorry to bother you with this."

Applejack smiled and shook her head. "Ain't nothin' to apologize for, ma'am."

Button's mother smiled and looked down at her eager son. "You may pick one apple, Button. And then we're going home."

"Okay." Button replied, continuing his apple inspection. After a few moments, he picked out a big red delicious apple.

"Mighty fine choice, there young 'un." Applejack said, giving the colt a smile. "That'll be three bits, please."

Button's mother reached down with her mouth and grabbed the said amount of bits out of her saddlebag. Applejack extended her hoof to receive the bits and Button's mother complied, dropping the gold pieces into her hoof.

"Thank ya kindly for yer purchase, ma'am." Applejack said, stuffing the bits into the pouch in the apron she had on.

"Okay, Button. Let's go home." The colt's mother said, her son in tow.

"Thanks, Mom." Applejack heard Button say before he began to chow down on the apple as they trotted down the street.

Applejack sighed in contentment at seeing another satisfied customer. Well the moment's passed. Back to advertisin'. She thought, waving her hoof.

"Apples! Get yer apples here!" She shouted.

"Applejack!" A voice shouted from down the street. Applejack looked through the crowd to see Twilight galloping towards her.

"Twilight!" Applejack replied, waving her hoof in her direction. Twilight found the farmer pony and galloped towards the apple cart, stopping in front of her friend.

"Applejack, thank goodness. I've been looking all over this market for you. Do you have a minute?" Twilight asked, breathing heavily.

"Sure Ah do. Whatcha so worked up about?" Applejack asked, noting Twilight's tired out state. Is she about to miss some sort of deadline again? She thought as Twilight spoke up.

"Can you make it to a meeting at the library tonight?" Twilight asked.

"Uh… sure Ah can. But what exactly are we meetin' about? Does it have to do with those dreams we had the other day?" Applejack asked, secretly hoping it wouldn't be that. She didn't want to relive the memory of that nightmare by retelling it.

"No, it isn't." Twilight said, Applejack sighing in relief. "It's about a vision I had earlier today."

Applejack perked up. "A vision? Was it anything like the dreams we had?"

Twilight shook her head. "Thankfully no. But it was more of a cryptic warning than a terrifying experience."

Applejack's eyebrow rose. "A warnin'? About what?"

"I'm not sure. That's why we're having the meeting tonight. Me, Spike, and the girls will be meeting at the library tonight to discuss it. Are you in?" The purple alicorn asked.

"For you, Twi, of course I'll be there." Applejack said with a reassuring smile.

A smile of her own grew on Twilight's face. "Thanks, AJ. I'll see you tonight, then." She said, turning around and going back towards the library. Now to see how Spike's handling the preparations. She thought.

Applejack watched Twilight trot off into the bustling marketplace. A warning? That can't be good. Or could it? Applejack thought. With only the knowledge that her friend had a vision, she didn't know what to think. The market's gonna be closin' soon. I'll just get work through the last part of the day and then I can worry about Twilight.

Looking back at the crowd of ponies passing through the streets, Applejack resumed her advertising disposition.

"Apples! Finest apples in Ponyville here!"

-Ponyville Library-

Elemental Spells and Incantations? No. Spike thought as he put the book back on the shelf. Ward and Shield Spells? Not that. Several hours had passed and Spike had only found a small group of books that could help find answers to Twilight's vision, one of which was the Reference Guide to the Elements of Harmony. The brown leather-bound book lay on the ground next to several other books, the gold image of a horse head at six crystals surrounding it illuminated by the light of the library.

"Well, that's the last of the books here." Spike said, letting out a huff as he put the incorrect book, Histories of Magic and Potions, back on the shelf. Spike turned around and looked down at the collection of six or seven books he'd picked out. His eyes eventually drew to the Elements of Harmony reference guide. This one will probably help out the most. He thought, his mind going back to Twilight. I can't believe she's had two visions in two days. Spike knew that sometimes dreams had ulterior meanings, but this seemed almost deliberate.

It would probably help to get a bit of an idea on what's in the book before the meeting. Maybe I could point things out I found for the others to see and figure out. Spike figured, walking over to the pile of books. He reached down and took a hold of the large book, his arms straining from the weight. Spike grunted between thoughts as he carried the reference guide to the circular table in the middle of the library, careful to not knock over the horse head statue on top. So this… is why Twilight…. uses her magic… to lift this thing. He thought, noting the book's weight as he set it down in front of him.

"The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide." Spike read the title aloud, opening the cover. I've always seen Twilight and the others use these things. I guess I can finally figure out what it is they do. He thought, flipping the first page to see a colored illustration of the Elements in their stone spherical forms. Spike's eyes moved down to a small amount of text at the bottom.

"There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known. Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said the last known location of the five Elements was in the ancient castle of the Royal Pony Sisters." Spike read. "Well they found the sixth one, so let's skip this part and find something else." He said, flipping the pages. Where does it say what they're used for? Spike wondered as his eyes skimmed the pages, trying to find the desired information. A few page turns later, Spike's eyes came to rest on the title of a chapter.

"Applications." Spike read. "Maybe this will tell me something about them." He wondered, his gaze turning to the text below. "The Elements of Harmony, as explained in Origins, are pure light magic, therefore making them a benign and harmless way of dealing with threats on a major level."

Spike thought back to the times when he'd seen the Elements in action. He remembered seeing Twilight and the others using the Elements against Discord twice. The first time was to turn him back to stone and save Ponyville from chaos and the second time was to get the draconequus out of his petrified state so that they could reform him. The only other time he'd seen their effects was when Twilight was teleported somewhere and coming back as an alicorn.

"While theses magical objects are a useful tool for disposing of evil or dark magic, the do not permanently deal with the threat, only displacing it or imprisoning it." He read, his eyebrow rising in confusion. So wait, the Elements basically delay the problems?

Spike continued. "There are two examples of this tactic the Elements employ. The first is when Discord was imprisoned by the Elements. The Elements, being harmless, did not harm the chaotic spirit, but rather petrified him so that he would not terrorize the land with his anarchic magic. The second example is the most recent use of the Elements at the time of writing. This was Princess Luna's banishment to the Moon. Again, since the Elements are a non-aggressive form of bringing harmony, the princess was locked away on the Moon so that the balance of daylight and nighttime may be maintained."

Well that sounds about right. We shouldn't have to resort to violence to solve our problems. Spike thought as he resumed reading. "While violence must be a last resort, there have been few times when utilizing the Elements would only delay an inevitable evil. This is where the spirits of the Guardians of Light would be used as a final solution to the evil at the present time." Spike said, his eyebrows rising at the words 'Guardians of Light'.

"I've never heard of any Guardians before. Is there anywhere in this book that explains those?" Spike said as he began skimming and flipping through pages. After not finding anything for a minute, Spike flipped straight back to the index of the book. "They've gotta be mentioned somewhere in here." He said, using a purple claw and dragging it across the words on the page. Generosity… Goals… Guardians, aha! Spike found the desired word, a satisfied smile coming onto his face. Page 397. Spike located the page number and immediately flipped the books pages to the appropriate page number.

"Complementary Magic, page 397. Here we go." Spike said, his eyes scanning the page for any mention of Guardians. After a few moments, Spike's eyes landed on the phrase 'Guardians of Light' as a header for a small portion of text in the bottom half of the right page.

"Guardians of Light." Spike read. "While the Elements of Harmony are essentially tools used for containing the spread of evil, the spirits of the Guardians of Light are considered the last resort for dealing with dark forces. The Elements of Harmony are a harmless method for keeping evil in check, while the Guardians of Light take things to a more drastic level. Instead of bottling up or converting the threat to good, the Guardians of Light permanently eliminate the evil they are utilized against."

Spike looked up from the book in surprise. These Guardians sound pretty extreme. He noted as he looked back down and continued reading. "The Guardians of Light have been used in very few instances in recorded history. The origin of these mystical weapons is a mystery." Spike read, his eyebrow arching at the word 'weapons'. "Some scholars believe they were spawned from the same pure light magic as the Elements of Harmony, while others say that due to the drastic methods the Guardians employ that they cannot be regarded as 'purely good'. The current location of the spirits of the Guardians is a mystery. The last user of the Guardians, an earth pony named Sunny Blaze, was laid to rest in the desert kingdom of Saddle Arabia. Some historians can debate that it is there where one may find the answer to the location of the Guardians, but these are suppositions at best." Spike said, concluding the passage.

While reading on the Elements had given Spike an adequate amount of knowledge to know what it is they did, it also presented him more questions. If the Elements have already been found, then why was he involved with the nightmares? Where were these 'Guardians of Light'? How does it all fit together?

Spike shook these confusing thoughts from his mind. They'll be discussed at the meeting tonight. He thought and looked up at a clock that hung on the wall. 3:37? Wow. Time sure flew by. Spike's stomach rumbled at the mention of what time it was.

"Oh man I'm starving. I need some lunch." The dragon said as he turned towards the hallway that led to the kitchen and began walking. He couldn't possibly be having a meeting with the girls on an empty stomach.