Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

by Alphadude007

Discoveries

Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

Chapter 27-Discoveries

-North Equestrian mountain range: 1,000 years before Nightmare Moon's return-

It had been a silent first leg of the trip to the Crystal Empire. Neither sister had spoken to the other ever since taking off in Canterlot. The only sounds they'd heard were birds calling to one another below and the wind rushing past their ears as they flew. Luna's wings were sore. She hadn't flown for that long a continuous time in quite a while.

Celestia took note of her sister's condition as they soared over the clouds. "Getting a tad tired, are we, Luna?" She asked in a slightly teasing tone, breaking the silence between them.

Luna looked over at her sister. "Maybe just a little bit, Tia. It's fine, though." She replied, turning her head back to look forward.

Celestia gave Luna an inquisitive look. "Art thou sure?" She called.

"As long as I have strength to raise the moon, then I still have the strength to fly." Luna said almost defiantly.

Celestia nodded in return. "Very well, then."

The silence resumed.

What if I can't do it. Luna questioned herself. I know that what he's doing to the civilians in the Empire is terrible, but he can't be all bad, can he?

Well thou hast met him once before, have thou not? Her mind countered.

Luna recalled the dream she had a couple nights before, the dream where she'd met Sombra and the grey alicorn with the yellow eyes. Sombra had seemed like an upstanding gentlecolt during their transaction with the alicorn stallion. But something that alicorn said had stuck with her.

"One shall be banished from this world, and the other shall be banished into this world." Luna recalled the dream.

There were only three present in that dream, Luna herself included. Two banishments would occur, but surely one of them wouldn't be her! And Sombra... while Luna didn't know the unicorn very well, she assumed that he was simply concerned for the power he held over his kingdom. As a co-ruler of Equestria, Luna understood that concern better than most.

But what of the alicorn? Luna thought as a cumulus passed underneath her. What if he's one of the banishments? If so, what would he be banished for?

Luna gritted her teeth at the many questions in her mind and the lack of answers to be had at the present time. All she could do was continue guessing until the predicted events unfolded.

Her mind travelled back to the tired condition of her wings. With all these thoughts buzzing in her mind, she forgot about her need for a rest. "Tia?" Luna spoke up, the silence shattering once more.

Celestia looked over at her sister. "Yes, Luna?" She asked with a look of concern in her eyes.

"Maybe we should land. We've been flying for a good quarter of the day and I think we should have a break." She suggested.

Celestia nodded. "Excellent idea, Luna. Let's go try to find a spot to land." She said, diving beneath the clouds, Luna soon following.

Upon breaking through the cloud cover, both sisters found themselves flying just above the first of many snow-capped peaks in the mountain range before them.

The wind whistled between the mountains as it chilled the celestial princesses to the bone.

"We must find some place to land! We can't stay in this condition for long!" Celestia shouted over the howling wind.

Luna's eyes scanned the snow-covered surfaces below, seeking a good landing spot. She almost missed it, but it looked like a snow-covered mesa amidst the mountains, a cave on the front side of the rocky hill. Snow banks covered the flat surface. It looked like a good place to land, but they'd still be exposed to the cold weather. The cave was decided to be the better option.

"In that cave! Hurry!" Luna cried, shooting for the cave in the side of the cliff. Celestia followed her sister towards the cave as they shot into the cave entrance. Both sisters shook the snow off their coats and lit their horns up, casting a blue and yellow light on the cave walls.

"Good spotting, sister." Celestia complimented. "This place would surely make a good resting spot for the journey later." She said, venturing down the tunnel.

Luna looked around at the cave walls. She noticed something jutting out of the walls that were reflecting the light of her horn. Curious as to what the reflective surfaces were, Luna took a closer look at the objects. Luna's eyes widened upon getting a better look.

"Emeralds." She concluded, noting the green shade of the stones.

"What?" Celestia asked from farther down the tunnel.

"Tia, I found emeralds in the cave wall. Look." Luna said, gesturing to the green little gems that stuck out of the walls. Celestia was soon next to her sister and gazed at the rocks.

"Hmm. Intriguing. Usually emeralds are in the southern caverns, but I've never seen any this far north." Celestia noted.

Luna's eyebrow rose. "Could it mean something?"

Celestia shook her head. "Not likely. It's probably just some sort of geological phenomenon. Now come, we need to find a good resting place in this cave." She said, gesturing for Luna to follow her. Luna complied after taking a last look at the gems, her horn's glow fading from the rocks behind her.

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

Starswirl was upset. No, not upset. Enraged.

He'd been reading and rereading different passages of multiple texts for the past six hours and still nothing about black crystals springing up from the ground. Was his library not comprehensive enough that he didn't have a book on the subject?

Pah! My library is one of the largest, if not the largest in Equestria. If there weren't a book about it, it wouldn't be here. Starswirl thought indignantly towards his book collection.

"Still nothing, Master?" A young stallion's voice asked from behind the crystal.

Starswirl let out a groan. "Nothing yet, Clover." He said in an annoyed tone.

On the opposite side of the crystal sat Clover the Clever, his back pressed against the black rock and a book about the usage of magical crystals in his face. This written work only explained the proper usage on how to conduct magical experiments and procedures via crystal energy manipulation.

"Gah!" Clover exclaimed in resignation. "By this point, this search is getting rather frustrating and is turning up nothing."

Starswirl sighed. "That is no attitude to maintain while working, my student." He said, his mind jumping on that statement immediately. And maybe thou should take some of thy own medicine.

Clover turned his head to look at the crystal that towered over him. We can't find the answer in any books that deal in magic. Maybe there's another genre of works that covers this subject. Clover scratched his chin. "Maybe we're going about this the wrong way." He murmured.

"What was that?" Starswirl asked from the opposite side of the crystal.

Clover leaned over the crystal to face his teacher. "I said maybe we are going about this in the wrong way." He repeated.

Starswirl's eyes narrowed in thought. "And how dost thou figure that?" He inquired.

"Maybe instead of just trying to find a magical answer, maybe we can take a sample of the gem, do some tests on it, and see if it matches any kind of crystal found in geological studies." Clover suggested.

Starswirl thought over his student's idea. Well a direct study could yield more results than just reading about the crystal. He thought, turning his head.

"Sounds like a reasonable approach. Since thou thought of the idea, thou will take the sample whilst I gather a few works on geological surveys." He said, getting up with a grunt from his position over the books he'd been devouring over for the past few hours.

"I'll go get my knife to mark where to cut the samples." Clover said, the clopping of his hooves fading from the library.

Starswirl looked back at the crystal, letting out a 'hmm' in contemplation. There was no mention of such crystals in magical studies, so they weren't utilized for arcane purposes. If not, then what purpose did this crystal provide?

"Got it." Clover's voice returned. Starswirl turned to see his apprentice levitating a small knife in the air, a green magical field surrounding it.

"Excellent. Now mark a small sample at the top of the crystal for me to take off." Starswirl ordered.

Clover nodded in reply as he raised the knife to the jagged tip of the crystal. Carefully maneuvering the knife, Clover traced a line around the tip of the crystal.

"Good. Now a concentrated beam of magic should be enough to cut the crystal." Starswirl said, his horn glowing a dark blue as he climbed a small ladder to reach the top of the crystal. A blue line of light shot from the wizard's horn, striking the line Clover had marked with his knife. Slowly, Starswirl felt the laser beginning to penetrate the crystal, slowly cutting it off. Then the unexpected happened.

A swirling black mass started bleeding out of the crystal from where Starswirl's magic had cut it. The magician's eyes narrowed at the swirling blackness, stopping the magic to his horn to observe what was happening.

"Master? What's going on?" Clover asked below.

Just as the words exited his mouth, a swirling purple smoke cloud billowed out of the place Starswirl's magic had cut. The purple smoke immediately enveloped Starsiwrl's face as it leaked out, then headed straight for Clover.

Clover's eyes widened as his horn glowed a bright green, a bright green force field surrounding the magic trainee before the smoke could reach him. Clover grinned in satisfaction as the smoke seemed to be halted by the field he'd put up. His victory was short lived, however, as the fog instantly shot through the force field and covered the startled unicorn in its thick haze.

---

Starswirl opened his eyes and shook his head. Ugh. What was that? He wondered as he got a grasp of his surroundings. To his surprise, he was sitting in the middle of the throne room. He looked up and saw the two gold thrones before him, neither princess occupying them. There seemed to be something… empty about the room. It lacked the familiarity Starswirl always felt when he was here.

"Starswirl the Bearded." A regal voice behind him said.

Starswirl slowly turned around to see who spoke to him. Upon seeing who called his name, he fell flat as he bowed and addressed his speaker. "Princess Celestia."

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

"Quick! Inside!" Shining Star exclaimed, gesturing for the pegasus mare that followed him to come into his abode.

Shooting Star galloped towards the crystal pony's home, taking a quick glance at the strangely modeled house before entering. The structure of the house was made to resemble a house cut out of crystal. Two openings, which Shooting assumed were windows, gave the house's front a view, one on the bottom floor and one on the second, each having white shades covering them. One large opening, the doorway, sat on the ground at the base of the building, in which Shining was beckoning the racing pegasus to come into his house.

Shooting galloped into the house, Shining immediately shutting the door as soon as his guest had entered. He slammed the wooden door and turned the lock with a clik.

"Phew." He said with a sigh. "That was close. Somepony could've seen thee."

"I don't understand. What's so bad about me being here?" Shooting asked with one eyebrow raised..

Shining's head snapped her direction as he gave her a shocked look. "Dost thou really not know what is going on in this place?" he asked, hoping for her to say yes.

To Shining's disappointment, Shooting shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I do not know what is happening in the Crystal Empire. That's why I was sent here." She said, deciding to take a gamble with this pony.

"Sent here? From where?" Shining asked, his eyes lighting up with intrigue.

Shooting gritted her teeth. Should I tell him? I can, but then I'd be running the risk of being exposed. She thought.

"Well first off, how do I know I can trust thee?" Shooting asked, narrowing her eyes at the crystal pony.

Shining's visage emitted a sense of confusion. "Trust me?" he asked, gesturing his hoof around his house. "I brought thee into my home to protect thee, even though the bringing of an outsider could be punishable with exile by order of the Crown under the impression that thou could help us!" Shining exclaimed, his voice rising with every word.

"Okay, okay, I understand that thou art taking a risk with me. But why just pick me up off the street? Thou could have turned me into the authorities upon seeing me." Shooting pointed out.

"I could have, but I did not." Shining said, his tone becoming a bit too dangerous for Shooting's liking. "Do thou wish to question my trust further?"

"I think I am finished with the questions for now." Shooting said, hoping to not provoke her host anymore.

Shining's expression softened as he apologized. "Forgive me for my yelling. I'd be more hospitable if the circumstances were better, but I am afraid thou hast come at a bad time."

"What happened here? Why is everything so…" Shooting said, her voice trailing off as she looked towards the door. "Somber?"

Shining sighed. "It's a long story." He said, wanting to dismiss her question.

"No, no. Don't brush me off like that." Shooting warned. "I have travelled hundreds of miles to figure out what is going on here and thou will not ignore my inquisitions. Now answer me, Shining. Who is responsible for this and how did this all happen?"

Shining looked from side to side, looking for some sort of escape. He knew of what he was about to speak of would spell treason against the crown.

Sighing in surrender, Shining spoke up. "Fine. The way this place is… it wasn't always like this."

Well no kidding. Shooting thought, wanting to say something snarky, but held her tongue.

"Our ruler is named Sombra but he used to go by another name. I do not know what happened to him, but a few days ago, he just…" Shining said, trying to find the right word to use. "…Changed."

"Changed how?" Shooting asked as her curiosity became aroused.

"Well before the Crystal Empire became what thou see today, our king ruled with a fair hoof and guided us in everything we did. It wasn't up until a few days ago when this all happened. Something about him became corrupted. I could see the look in his eyes when I was in the palace the other day. They weren't the same benevolent eyes I was used to looking at. They were instead filled with… with darkness and greed." Shining said, shivering at the reminder of seeing all his worst memories coming back to his mind when looking into his king's eyes.

"So thou hast no idea what did this to him?" Shooting asked.

Shining looked at the pegasus, then at the ground as if contemplating something. "If it wasn't of his own accord that he changed, then I would not wish to behold what evil did what it did to our king."

A determined look found itself on Shooting's face. "Well I want to find out. I must learn as much as possible for my report."

Shining's eyes narrowed. "That's just it. Who art thou reporting for? I have never seen the likes of your kind here. How do I know that thou are not a spy seeking to undercut our empire?"

"If my commander wanted to send a spy, then they would not have been caught so easily." Shooting said, a leer developing on her face, challenging the crystal pony to question her motives again.

'Fair enough." Shining replied flatly. "But the question stands. Who sent thee, stranger?"

Shooting Star's figure straightened, almost as if reporting to an authority figure. "I am Shooting Star and I am from Las Pegasus of Equestria. I serve princesses Celestia and Luna, protectors of the heavenly bodies and rulers of the Equestrian nation."

Shining gave the pegasus mare an odd look. "Thou didn't have to recite a play for me to introduce thyself. But Equestria? I have never heard of such a place."

Now it was Shooting's turn to give Shining a weird look. "Never heard of it? Hast thou been living under a rock? Equestria is a thriving nation to the south of the mountains you reside in."

An understanding look found itself in Shining's eyes. "Well that would explain it. We crystal ponies do not have much understanding of the outside world. Now our King Sombra would have a much more expansive knowledge of other nations besides our own.

Shooting's eyebrow rose. "What dost thou mean? Is he not a crystal pony like thyself?

Shining shook his head. "Nay, my dear. He is of another race. A race that looks like us, but he can use magic with a horn that juts from his forehead." He said, using his hoof to illustrate the position of his king's horn on his head.

Shooting's eyes widened. "He's a unicorn. But all unicorns come from Equestria. How did he come here?"

A questioning look fell upon Shining's visage. "I do not know the exact origins of our king, but I do know of his arrival."

Shooting perked up. "Thou do? Tell me! Tell me!" She exclaimed, like a filly wanting to know some secret her parents were keeping.

Shining put a hoof to his face as he spoke, the memories coming to the front of his mind. "Well it began about twenty years ago. I was but an apprentice to one of the councilcolts that was present at Sombra's trial."

-Crystal Palace keep: 1,020 years before Nightmare Moon's return-

Prodigal looked out the window in his cell. The Crystal Empire was sprawled out before his eyes. Houses and other buildings rose up from the ground, their shapes akin to crystal formations, making the ground look covered with crystals that were inhabited by ponies inside. Even the keep that Prodigal was held in was much better than most rooms he'd slept in during his travels. The crystalline berries and sparkling corn the guards gave him were the most succulent things that the unicorn had the pleasure of tasting. The interior of the keep wasn't that bad either. The grey stone walls of the cell surrounding him didn't provide the most cozy atmosphere, seeing as they were the only dull-colored things he'd seen in the kingdom. But aside from that, the view from his cell window was nothing shy of magnificent, the keep was very well cleaned and sanitized, almost as if they'd never had a prisoner in here before.

'Tis a shame that so many ponies going about their daily lives and not knowing this beautiful place existed. Prodigal pondered, his ice blue eyes surveying the city below him.

Prodigal thought back to his entry to the city, his sides flanked by the crystal guards. He recalled the both appalled and intrigued looks cast his way by the local populace. For all they knew, he was some sort of alien disguised as a unicorn. Do they really not know of the world surrounding them? Prodigal wondered. It wouldn't be much of a surprise to him if the locals didn't know what Equestria was or who ruled it, but at the same time, how could they not? Well being in the state of isolation they're in, it would explain a few things.

A trio of knocks at the iron keep door snapped Prodigal out of his thoughts. A gruff voice shouted from the other side of the door. "Prisoner! Get up and get ready to move."

Prodigal stood up as the door flung open to reveal a small orange crystal pony flanked by two more crystal guards.

"The Crystal Council will now be reviewing thy case, mister Prodigal. Please follow us to the council chamber." The pony said in an almost drone-like tone.

Prodigal's eyebrow rose slightly at the small orange pony as one of the guards walked over to his cell. Pulling a key out of a saddlebag on his back, the guard inserted it into the keyhole and turned the key. A clack was heard and the barred cell door was pulled open. Prodigal slowly walked out of the cell and towards where the orange pony stood.

"Before we depart, why am I being reviewed by a council?" Sombra asked.

The orange pony's eyes never blinked as he addressed the unicorn. "The Crystal Council has convened to discuss whether or not to allow thee to stay in our kingdom. Thou will say why thou hast come to us, then the council will discuss it amongst themselves, and then their verdict will be reached. Thou will stay or depart depending on what their verdict is." The pony responded in the same robotic tone. "Do thou have any more questions?"

"No. I do not." Prodigal replied, shaking his head.

The orange pony nodded. "Very well. Shall we be on our way?" He said, gesturing down the hallway that led away from the keep.

Prodigal nodded in reply as the orange pony began to walk down the corridor. Both guards immediately assumed positions on either side of the unicorn as he followed the cantaloupe-colored crystal pony.

Prodigal looked around him as he strode down the corridor. The interior decorating of the building was nothing short of incredible. Sky blue crystals covered the walls, or perhaps were the walls themselves, causing a light blue hue to shine on everything in the room. Oil portraits of noble figures and past kings lined the walls, their regal expressions frozen for any passers-by to see. Exotic plants in semitransparent crystal pots lined the floors, every plant being of its own flora. Eventually the group of ponies reached a large purple crystal door. The orange pony stopped at the door handle, Prodigal and the two guards doing the same.

"Beyond this door is the Crystal Council. Thou will be completely open about thy case and should thou be lying, the Crystal Empire will no longer accommodate you." The pony warned.

Prodigal rolled his eyes, no intention of lying found in his mind. "I swear that I will be completely honest with the council."

The orange pony slowly nodded. "Excellent. Guards." He said, the two guards immediately going to either side of the doorway. "Let us enter." The pony said, the guards complying.

The door was pulled open, revealing a council of seven crystal ponies sitting in a circle. The mares sat in the seats on the left, and three stallions took the right. In the center was an elderly light green stallion, the hairs in his mane streaking his blue mane silver. On the floor was a design of a crystal blue seven-pointed star, each tip pointing to each of the councilors' seats.

"Thou and the prisoner may enter, Carnelian." The older stallion said, his age apparent in his voice.

"Yes, Head Councilor." Carnelian said, motioning for Sombra to be brought forth. One of the guards nudged Prodigal forward, despite earning a glare from the white unicorn. Prodigal walked into the middle of the circle of councilors.

"Thou art dismissed, Carnelian." The stallion said dismissively.

Carnelian gave a quick bow and exited the room, the two guards close behind him as the door to closed, leaving Sombra with the council.

Silence fell over the room for a few more minutes than Prodigal was comfortable with. Prodigal could feel their eyes scanning him, checking every minute detail about him.

Finally, a lime green crystal stallion with a short brown mane and tail spoke up from Sombra's right. "So. Thou art the pony named Prodigal?"

The unicorn in question nodded. "Yes. That is my name." he said flatly.

"And what are thy reasons for coming to our empire, Prodigal?" A light purple mare with a flowing blue mane asked.

Prodigal turned to her. "I am simply seeking a place that I can call home."

"Why not back in your own homeland?" The first stallion inquired. "Why come to us seeking an abode?"

"The places back in my country were less than… satisfactory for my tastes." Prodigal said, earning surprised looks from a few of the council members.

"So thy coming this far away from home can mean that either thou art a very picky pony or that thou art determined enough to find a place that is to thy liking." A second mare said, a pink one with a short red mane.

"Possibly both." A second stallion commented, a yellow one with a styled green mane and tail. This comment earned a few nods.

"Prodigal, if I may ask, what are the requirements thou have set for thy home?" The pink mare asked.

Prodigal thought for a few moments. "A place that is populous, yet out of the way, so to speak. I wish for a city that is complex, but whose citizens have a simple lifestyle. I wish for a decadent metropolis, but one that is not recognized. I have found these qualities and more in thy fair city. That is why I have chosen the Crystal Empire as the perfect location for my home."

Various murmurings sounded up from the council members, each one discussing their thoughts on Prodigal's statement with another.

Soon the elderly stallion stood up, the council's murmurs dying immediately. The stallions soft voice reverberated around the room as he spoke. "If he so wishes to reside in our city, then let him. The last unicorn that walked among us was our creator. Maybe this unicorn can have just as large an impact as our creator did."

Prodigal's lips stretched into a large smile at hearing this. "Thank thee, council members. There is no way I can thank thee enough." He said, barely able to contain his excitement.

"But there is one requirement on thy part, unicorn." The elder said.

Prodigal's smile faded. "And what might that be, councilor?" he asked.

"Thou must be subservient to none other than the king of this land. Every allegiance thou held in thy old country must be severed. Thou would be a resident of the Crystal Empire, not wherever it is thou hast come from." The old stallion said sternly.

"I agree to abide by thy terms." Prodigal said, giving a small nod in agreement. "And who may I ask is this king?"

"He is before thee now, Prodigal." The stallion said with a grin. "Thy king, thy Head Councilor and thy Commander is here before thee."

Prodigal's eyes widned as he fell flat on his face in a bow. "My liege." He revered.

"Rise, Prodigal. Thou have a house to move into. Emerald, might I ask for Shining Star to escort our newest citizen to his abode?" he asked, turning to the green stallion.

"Thou may use him as thee see fit." Emerald replied, looking down at his side where a young stallion with a silver coat and a straight-falling light blue mane and tail. "Shining, please assist Mr. Prodigal to his living quarters."

The colt stepped away from his mentor and trotted over next to Prodigal. "As thee wish, my lord." Shining chirped.

"Very well. Prodigal, thy escort will take thee to an unclaimed place of residence in the inner city. From there, thou may begin thy new life as a resident of the Empire." The king said, a smile on his face.

Prodigal gave a quick bow. "I give thee thanks, Majesty. I will show thee that this showing of grace was not in vain." He said, a grin growing on his face as he turned to leave the council chamber. Finally, he had a place to call home.

---

A grey alicorn looked down from his position on the cloud that he sat atop, his unkempt black mane and tail billowing behind him in the wind. For years he'd been searching for the perfect catalyst for his plans, but had yet to find one. His sharp yellow eyes scanned the sparkling city, trying to find a dark heart amidst a field of light. His decades-long search had come up fruitless. Until today.

You have looked into this newcomer's heart, Master? A whispery voice from the alicorn's black vambrace asked.

The alicorn brought the piece of armor to his face, a grin spreading across his face as he spoke. "I have. But he is not fully consumed by his desires, or has yet to discover them. He only needs the opportunity."

And how do we arrange this opportunity? The gauntlet asked.

"Well, Siphon, I have a plan but it will take time." The alicorn responded.

What is a little more time to the amount we have waited already? Siphon asked.

"My thoughts precisely, my counterpart. Are you ready to taste blood?" The alicorn asked, his golden eyes glowing with anticipation.

Now you know what my response to that question would be, my lord. Siphon's eager hissing voice replied in the alicorn's mind.

The alicorn's lips stretched into a smile. "Excellent. Tonight the plan is set in motion. Tonight… we prepare the way for the long night."