Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

by Alphadude007

Crystalline Causation

Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

Chapter 32-Crystalline Causation

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

Sadness hung over the Crystal Empire. The joy that had once flowed through its streets was gone, replaced by a sense of moroseness. The winding roads of the city were barren, each crystal pony grieving in their own household. It had been a week since King Malachite had died of a heart attack and four days since the burial, yet the pain of seeing the king in his casket remained fresh in the minds of the crystal ponies. Even the newest resident of the Crystal Empire felt sadness towards the king's death. King Malachite was the one that allowed Prodigal to live in the Crystal Empire, the one that provided the unicorn the chance at a new life. Now he was dead.

The Crystal Council had gathered in the council chamber, the head chair in their circle lay unoccupied. Silence filled the room, the morose atmosphere prevailing over the mood of the council members.

With a heavy sigh, one of the council members spoke up, a light yellow stallion with an unkempt green mane and tail. "Now that King Malachite is no longer with us and since he produced no heir to carry on his royal line, we are charged with providing the next ruler for the Crystal Empire." Said council member Spring Forward.

The other councilors nodded.

"Agreed. We cannot let an empty throne rule over us. One must be chosen to wear the crown upon his brow." Said a light blue mare with a flowing ruby-red mane.

"And who wouldst thou suggest, Blazing Sapphire?" A pink mare with a short deep red mane by the name of Rose Quartz asked.

Silence returned into the council chamber as the councilors tried to think of a pony that could rule.

"Should it be one that shares in our political experience? Perhaps the new king could be one of us." Spring suggested, earning a mixed reaction based on the looks he saw around the room.

"While having a politician on the throne would make the law-making process easier, it would be too easy to claim the power as their own and disregard our suggestions." Rose Quarts said.

"I suggest that the new king be one of the people." Said a light green stallion with a mane colored with a deeper tone of green that hung at his shoulders. "The new ruler should be one who can represent the citizens of the Empire, rather than some politician who wants a chance at power."

"Art thou insinuating anything, Emerald?" Spring asked, narrowing his eyes at his fellow council member.

"Nothing at all, councilor Spring. I'm simply thinking from the peoples' perspective. What would it look like to them if one of the councilors took the throne after the passing of King Malachite." He said, several of the council members exchanging looks. "To them, it would seem like we merely took advantage of an opportunity. In this time of grief, that's not something we would like to happen."

"So then who wouldst be worthy of the crown, Emerald?" Rose asked. "Out of the hundreds of ponies that live here, what one citizen can thou think of that can rule the Empire?"

Emerald tapped his chin, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "I can think of one."

"And who might that be?" Spring wondered.

"He may be new here, but I think Prodigal should become the next ruler." He said, earning surprised looks around the room. "I know it may seem outlandish to put him on the throne after being here for no more than a week, but think about it. The last unicorn that walked among us was our creator. Had he been given the chance to rule over what we have now, it would lead us to a glorious new age. Who is to say Prodigal cannot do the same?"

The council members let the idea simmer in their minds for a few moments. True, Crystal Soul was the reason they even existed and he was a unicorn. How could anyone say no to letting another unicorn rule over them.

"Well I for one can concur with the idea." Rose Quartz agreed. A small murmur of concurrence rose up from the other council members.

"So we are in agreement?" Emerald asked, his eyes scanning the chamber for any objections.

Spring Forward spoke up. "While having a unicorn on the throne sounds like a good idea, we will have to instruct him in all the ways of being a king. Being a wanderer, he more than likely has no idea how to stay in one place much less rule an empire."

"Then we shall teach him and help him to understand his duties. All in favor of making Prodigal the new king?" Emerald asked, raising his right hoof to call a vote.

Slowly, the other council members raised their hooves in agreement.

"Excellent." Emerald beamed. "Tomorrow we will notify Prodigal of his new position and schedule the coronation ceremony." He paused to look around the room. "Until then, this meeting is adjourned."

---

From his view on the cloud above the council chamber, a certain grey alicorn looked down at the city below, an eager look in his yellow eyes.

"That worked even better than I thought." The Shadow said with a grin.

You managed to convince the crystal pony to push for Prodigal to be king? Siphon's whispery voice asked.

The Shadow lifted the black hoof blade to his face. "Yes, I did. The first phase of the plan has been completed. Now we wait to enact the second part."

How long are we going to wait? Siphon asked, excitement in his voice.

The Shadow's eyes narrowed at the metal vambrace. "I know you are eager for blood, Siphon. But tame your enthusiasm. We still have many years to look forward to the long night."

Very well, mal'akh, I shall wait. Siphon replied, the Shadow wincing at what the name his companion had called him.

"Allow Prodigal time to adjust to being ruler of the Crystal Empire, and once he's ready, we'll begin phase two." The Shadow said, his horn glowing a bright gold. With a quick yellow burst of light, the shadowy alicorn disappeared from the skies of the Crystal Empire.

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

Shooting Star listened intently as her crystal pony host told the story of how a unicorn named Prodigal became ruler of the Crystal Empire, enthralled by the untold history this pony was telling her.

As Shining began to go into how he summoned Prodigal to the council, a small voice peeped from above a staircase on the other side of the crystal house's atrium.

"Daddy? The voice called. Shooting and Shining both looked towards the staircase. At the top was a small blue crystal filly with a short light grey mane. Her orchid eyes looked curiously at the winged guest her daddy was standing next to. "Who is that thou art talking to?"

"Lapis Lazuli." Shining addressed the filly in a fatherly tone. "Why art thou out of bed?"

Lapis's curious look didn't waver. "I heard voices downstairs. And who is that standing next to thee?" She asked, her light purple eyes looking at the orange pegasus whose bright blue eyes reflected the same examining look the filly was giving her.

Shooting gave the filly a warm smile. "My name's Shooting Star. And thy name is Lapis Lazuli?"

Lapis shyly nodded in reply.

Shining turned back to Shooting. "I'm sorry about this. She should've been asleep by now." He said, glancing at his daughter. Lapis shrinking onto the staircase under her father's authoritative gaze.

"No, no. It's fine." Shooting said, the smile on her face staying strong. "I don't have a problem with kids."

"Even so." Shining said, turning to Lapis. "Head back upstairs, Lapis. I'll tuck thee in in a few minutes."

"Okay. It was nice to meet thee, Shooting Star." Lapis said, trotting back up the stairs and into her bedroom.

Shining sighed. "I'll be with thee again in a moment. Let me go say goodnight to her." He said, walking towards the staircase.

"Take thy time. I'm in no hurry." Shooting said, her eyes scanning the atrium as her host ascended the stairs. A red couch sat against the wall opposite of her, a table standing just in front of it. Two wooden chairs stood side by side to the right of the table. To the right of the chairs was the staircase that led to the second story of the house. And beneath the stairs was a three-rowed wooden cabinet.

How quaint. This is the kind of house I'd like to be living in when I retire. Shooting thought, a row of small paintings catching her eye on the cabinet. The pegasus trotted over to the paintings to get a better view. There were three paintings. The one on the left was of Shining Star against a faded blue background, the middle was a picture of Lapis Lazuli, a smile gracing Shooting's lips as she looked at the filly's picture. Such innocence. She thought, her eyes moving to the final portrait. It was of a white crystal mare with a smoothly brushed sapphire blue mane and bright green eyes. A light red background stood behind the white mare. And who is this?

"My wife, Pearl." Shining's voice said behind her. Shooting slightly jumped at hearing him behind her. She turned around to see a wearied look in his eyes.

Shooting shot a glance at Pearl's painting. "And where is she now?"

Shining looked at the floor, a sadness filling his eyes. Shooting's ears drooped as she realized the unspoken answer.

Shooting looked back at Shining with a mournful look of her own. "I'm sorry. I should not have asked."

"It's okay." Shining replied, a tear staining his facial fur. "She died about two years ago. She couldn't hold the sickness back any longer and her body gave in." Shining closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "All I can do now is wait until it's my turn to go. Then I can see her again." He said, a small smile flickering on his face.

Silence hung in the room, neither pony wanting to say anything.

Shining broke the silence. "If thou wish to stay the night, the couch is all thine own tonight."

"Thanks, Shining." Shooting said, strolling towards the couch and lay down on it. "Tomorrow can thou tell me the remainder of thy story?"

Shining nodded. "Of course. And should thou need anything, my bedroom is the first door on the right above the stairs."

"I will remember that. Goodnight, Shining." Shooting said as her host headed towards the stairs.

"Goodnight, Shooting." Shining's voice replied, the thumps of his hooves against the staircase reaching Shooting's ears.

Shooting closed her eyes and let the lateness of the day take over.

-Northern mountain cave: 1,000 years before Nightmare Moon's return-

Luna woke from her slumber to find herself on the same hard cave floor she'd gone to sleep on the previous night. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the cave as she looked to where her sister had fallen asleep last night. To her surprise, the white alicorn wasn't there. Luna scanned the cave, hoping to find her sister. Concern began to creep into her mind as she couldn't locate her sister.

Maybe she went on to the Crystal Empire without me. Luna thought, immediately shooing the notion from her mind. No, no. She wouldn't do that. Luna rose to her hooves and looked to the opening of the tunnel that led back to the entrance of the cave.

Extending her wings, she flew up to the tunnel, landing softly onto the rocky ground. Well there's only this tunnel and the cavern behind me. If she's still here, she would be in this tunnel. Luna began walking ahead, her horn lighting up. The horn's magical glow illuminated the tunnel, casting a faint blue light on the walls as Luna strode down the rocky corridor.

The quiet of the cave tunnel was deafening as only Luna's hoof steps provided the only sounds she heard. Her mind began to travel back to the dream she'd had the previous night. She recalled how that grey alicorn could know what was in the vision that the other entity had shown her. Could they both be the same? She wondered. He knew that the sun was coming up behind me before the fight. Was he telling the truth? Would I really take Celestia's power away from her? Luna would be lying if she said the thought of becoming so powerful was not to be desired, but Celestia was her sister. What could happen that would cause the two to have such a fight? Whatever it is, it's going to happen soon.

After walking down the tunnel for several minutes with only her thoughts to keep her company, Luna approached the mouth of the cave entrance. Outside, the sky was still dark, only stars poking bright holes through the cover of night. Luna's eyes turned to a white figure that stood at the mouth of the tunnel. She held back a sigh of relief as she watched Celestia's horn glow bright yellow, its light reflecting off the rocky walls. The light of her horn soon grew to a crescendo as Luna's eyes turned to what was going on outside the cave.

A faint orange glow began to appear in the east. Luna eyes squinted as the sun began to peak over the mountains in the distance, bathing the craggy landscape in bright orange.

Luna's eyes darted back to her sister at hearing Celestia give a satisfactory sigh at her work. She'd successfully raised the sun once again.

Celestia turned around, making a quick gasp at seeing Luna in front of her. "Oh sorry, Luna. I did not hear thee behind me."

Luna shook her head. "Forgive me if I startled thee. So when shall we depart for the Crystal Empire?" She asked.

Celestia cocked her head. A bit eager, is she? She wondered, resuming her former position. "Whenever thou art ready to leave, sister."

Luna nodded. "Well I am ready to go." She stated, her navy blue wings extending.

"And art thou sure that thou art ready to face Sombra? We may have the element of surprise, but anything can happen that might cause us to lose that advantage." Celestia warned, giving her younger sister a stern look.

Luna replied with a confident smirk. "Aren't thee forgetting that we have the elements that really matter?" She asked glancing down at the Elements of Harmony that hung around her neck.

Celestia's eyes shifted her own Elements and chuckled. "Thou art right, Luna. I should not be so worrisome."

"Then shall we go to the Crystal Empire and rid it of the evil that inhabits it?"

Celestia put on a determined look. "We shall." She said, extending her wings and leapt out of the cave entrance. Flapping her wings, Celestia turned north and began to fly towards the Empire.

Luna looked as her sister flew. Whatever happens, everything will be different after today. Luna thought, flapping her own wings and taking off after her sister, the cave and its mountain fading in the distance as the two royal sisters made haste for the Crystal Empire.

-Sugar Cube Corner, Ponyville: Present Day-

"WOOO! PARTY!"

Palm Spring's head snapped in the direction of the shout. To her surprise, she saw Speedy Delivery jumping in the air and having the time of his life.

Palm tilted her head at the disguised changeling as a slight grin appeared on her face. Wow. This party's really getting to his head isn't it? She thought, taking a sip of the punch she'd gotten from the table.

Palm's eyes turned to a pink mare that had trotted over to the table to get refreshments as well, until she heard Speedy's outburst.

"That's the spirit!" She cheered the sky blue pony on.

"This is a pretty sweet party. And you put all this together?" Palm asked the pink pony.

The pink mare turned to give Palm a smile. "Yepperdoodle! It was the least I could do to welcome the three of you to Ponyville." She said modestly.

Palm returned the smile. "Well thanks for the festivities. What's your name?"

"Pinkamina Diane Pie, but everybody calls me Pinkie." She replied, putting a hoof on her chest. "And your name is…"

"Palm Spring." Palm replied, extending her hoof for a shake. Pinkie met Palm's hoof with her own, giving it a quick shake. Palm took a swig of the purple punch, the fruity beverage tickling her taste buds. "Hey Pinkie, can I ask you something?"

"Anything." Pinkie responded cheerily.

"How did you know there were three of us that were new to Ponyville?" Palm asked, giving the party pony skeptical look.

Pinkie giggled. "My Pinkie Sense told me." She replied, earning a confused look from Palm. "It's what I call these feelings I get that something's happening or about to happen. Like when I get an achy shoulder, it means my pet alligator Gummy is in the bathtub." She explained, the innocent smile still plastered on her face.

Wait, a pet alligator? Palm thought, not sure what to make of that. "So uh… what's the feeling you get when there are newcomers in town?"

"Easy. When I get a twitch in the side of my neck, it means somepony new is coming to Ponyville. I woke up this morning and got out of bed like usual, then suddenly I felt my neck twitch three times in a row!" She exclaimed, sharply tilting her head to the side as an example. "At first I didn't believe it, but when I saw your black stallion friend here earlier and then I knew that my Pinkie Senses were right again!" Pinkie concluded.

Words failed Palm Spring, unable to come up with a response. How does that-? Can she-? THAT MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL! Palm thought, her mind feeling like it was about to explode.

Shaking her head, Palm collected her thoughts. "So then you figured to throw a party for the three of us on a whim?"

Pinkie nodded. "Yep! It's what my special talent is, so why not? And who doesn't love a party, right?"

A smile tugged at Palm's face. It didn't make sense, but she'll just go with it. And while she didn't have much experience with parties, she was certainly enjoying herself.

"Well I for one sure do." Palm said, her party host grinning with satisfaction.

"Careful with that!" A voice shouted from across the room. Both Palm and Pinkie looked to see a cornflower blue unicorn mare with a silvery mane and tail, her horn glowing a light purple as she levitated a large piñata onto a hook that hung from the rafters. "If it's unbalanced it could spill everywhere."

Pinkie perked up. "Ooh. Trixie needs some help with the piñata. I gotta go help her."

Palm stared at the unicorn that handled the piñata. Trixie. The name repeated in Cipha's mind as she watched the unicorn let the piñata's top hook connect with the one that hung from the roof. I think we've found our unicorn.