Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

by Alphadude007

Aftershock

Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

Chapter 6-Aftershock

-Ponyville Library-

"AHH!" Spike shouted as his eyes shot open. Sweat beaded his brow and his breath came in short pants. Spike trembled as he sat up in his basket bed. What kind of nightmare was that? He thought as he shook his head. He looked around him to see that he was still in the upper level bedroom of the library. A quick look out the window confirmed that it was morning as Celestia's sun was high in the sky by now. He sighed in relief and lay back down. He stared at the ceiling as he tried to contemplate the terror he had experienced in his sleep. What did it mean? Was it some sort of test? To prove how greedy I could get? Wait, what? No! That was not me! Spike shouted internally. I mean, it was me. But it wasn't. So what does that-?

"Gah!" Spike shouted in exasperation. Spike clutched his head with his clawed hands and shook it. Whatever that dream had meant, he was unsure of.

Wow. Is Twilight still asleep? Spike thought, noticing a lack of reaction from the new alicorn at his outburst. He looked up from his bed and noticed that she was still out of bed. The covers were wrinkled as if she had just gotten out of them, but no Twilight was present. She did go downstairs last night. Maybe she just dozed off or something while reading. He thought, getting out of his bed with half-lidded eyes. He walked sleepily over to the stairs to go to the lower level of the library to see if Twilight was there.

While descending the wooden staircase, Spike noticed Twilight lying on the ground with a white book open in front of her. Wow. She must have been really knocked out to just be sleeping on the floor like that. He thought as he carefully tiptoed down the stairs, trying not to make a loud sound.

He looked over Twilight as he stepped down the stairs. Her back was turned to him and she was lying on her left side, the wing on the respective side splayed out on the ground while the other one was hanging limply off the side of her body. Her deep purple mane and tail were a mess, strands flying off in all directions and the usually clean-cut mane was a tangled array of purple and pink hair.

Spike finally reached the bottom of the staircase and walked over to his alicorn guardian. Well I guess I should see if she's okay. Spike thought as he gently tapped her shoulder, trying to wake her up. Twilight didn't stir. Spike's eyebrows rose. Normally she was a very light sleeper. Descending that staircase without waking her was something Spike considered to be a miracle. Spike rubbed the same shoulder, still attempting to wake Twilight.

"Hey, Twilight. You alright?" Spike asked in a whisper. He put an ear close to her to try to hear if she had a reaction. All he heard was breathing. Spike began to get concerned.

"Twilight? You okay?" Spike asked more loudly this time. Still no response. "Come on, Twilight. There's no way you're this heavy a-" Spike paused at hearing Twilight mumble something incoherent.

"What? What was that, Twilight?" Spike asked, hope filling his voice. At least she's not dead. Spike partially joked.

"No. No, no, no. No." Twilight said quietly, sounding scared. Concern found its way into Spike's mind once more.

"No about what?" Spike asked. "No more seven hour bubble baths? I can stop doing those, I swear I won't do it anymore." He said, folding his hands together.

"Stop it. Just stop it." Twilight said in a whisper, her head turning slightly towards Spike, but not giving Spike enough to see her face.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop with the seven hour bubble baths. I'll cut them back two hours. Does that sound good?" Spike asked, happy it was something as trivial as his bubble bath routine that was causing the trouble.

"No. Stop, please." Twilight mumbled.

"Just stop the baths completely? Is that what you want me to do?" Spike asked, getting confused at his guardian's request.

"What do you want?" Twilight asked, her wings twitching while she spoke.

"What do I want?" Spike said in a questioning tone. Well a lot of things. Having a gem stash for only myself to eat is a good start, but that's beside the point. He thought as he put his hand on Twilight's shoulder to turn her to face him. "What are you talking about, Twili- WHAT THE HAY HAPPENED TO YOU?" Spike shouted in alarm.

Twilight's eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming from them and staining the lavender fur beneath them. Clearly she was upset about something, but what it was. Spike didn't know. What terrified Spike wasn't that she was sad, but it was her eyes. Instead of their usual purple, they were bright yellow.

-Sweet Apple Acres-

"NO!" Applejack shouted as she shot up from her bed. Sweat stained the sheets on her bed where her back was, drops of the same liquid dotted her forehead. Hyperventilating, the orange cowpony swiveled her head to get a sense of her surroundings. She was back in her bedroom. Seeing that she was safe and sound under her covers and the sun out her window warmly welcoming her to a new day, Applejack gave a relieved sigh.

Applejack clutched her throat. There was no cut. What in tarnation was that? She thought as her memory was flooded with the nightmare she experienced the night before. It felt so real. She thought as she surveyed the rest of her body. No cuts and bruises were to be found either. What were those things? Why did they have mah family tied up? Applejack's head swam with questions, some of which she feared the answer to. Soon, the image of the gray pony came back to her mind. She shuddered in fear at the memory of that pony. There wasn't anything natural about that thing. He couldn't have been a pony. He was too evil to be considered to be one of us. Applejack thought angrily. What he did to mah family in that dream… nopony that does that sort of thing isn't worthy of mercy. What he did to Applebloom- Applebloom!

Fear gripped her heart as Applejack jumped out of bed. She has to be okay! She just has to! Applejack's mind screamed as yanked her bedroom door open and rushed into the hallway. She didn't have time to react before slamming into somepony that happened to be trotting down the hall, a certain yellow pony with a red mane and a hot pink bow in her mane.

"Applebloom! You're okay!" Applejack cried with glee as she embraced her sister. Applebloom rose an eyebrow as she got pulled into a big hug.

"Good mornin' to you too, sis." Applebloom said warmly, then squirmed out of the hug. "Why wouldn't Ah be okay?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah just had the worst dream. But it's okay now, though." Applejack said, smiling at the yellow filly.

"Well great! I've got a Crusaders meetin' to go to and I just wanted to say good mornin' before Ah took off." Applebloom said, turning her back to Applejack and began trotting down the hallway towards the stairs that led to the atrium of the farmhouse.

"Well see ya, Applebloom! Applejack hollered back in a cheerful tone.

"Bye, sis!" The little yellow filly shouted back gleefully as she bounded down the stairs, her hot pink bow the last thing Applejack saw before she disappeared down the stairs.

Applejack's smile faded as she saw her sister go from her view. "Be safe." She said in a whisper as memories of her dream came back to her.

-Sugarcube Corner-

Pinkie's eyes shot open, her mind trying to recover from the shock she just experienced. Her breath came and went in short pants and her bright blue life-filled eyes were bloodshot and showed an inner sorrow. What was that? That wasn't me, but it was. But how could that have been me if I was the one doing those things to myself? Her mind rapid-fired the questions as Pinkie failed to have a definitive answer to them. She looked around her surroundings to find that she was in her room in the attic of Sugarcube Corner.

One chilling quote kept calling out to her from the dream. "I am you, and you are me." The voice would say tauntingly, Pinkie holding her head in her hooves as she tried to force the voice from her mind. Get out of my head, you meanie voice! I would never do those nasty things to anypony! Pinkie shouted back at the voice. She knew she spoke the truth, but she felt an internal voice saying differently, saying that her happiness was a façade to mask the darkness inside her. Pinkie clenched her teeth as she fought the whisper in the back of her mind, telling her that her joy was a lie.

Pinkie struggled against the voice until she heard a familiar tune coming from downstairs. Pinkie had taught Mrs. Cake the lyrics for whenever the foals had gotten restless. The tune rang crystal clear in her mind as she sang.

"When I was just a little filly and the sun was going dooowwwn,"

"The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frooowwwn."

"I'd hide under my pillow from what I thought I saw."

"But Granny Cake said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at all."

The words brought joyful tears to Pinkie's eyes as the voice in her mind was put to rest as she began to pick up the lyrics. Pinkie began whispering that timeless song that her Granny Pie had taught her as Mrs. Cake continued beneath her.

"Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall,"

"Learn to face your fears."

"You'll see that they can't hurt you,"

"Just laugh to make them disappeeeaar."

At the last word, Pinkie began to chuckle to herself. The chuckling she was doing slowly became laughing. Soon her laughter filled the attic with joyous sound as any darkness inside her vanished as quickly as it had come. Pinkie's eyes were tearing up with happiness that the voice in her head was gone.

Soon, there was a knocking at her door. "Pinkie, is everything alright?" Mr. Cake's voice asked through the door.

Pinkie tried to stop laughing, but couldn't out of sheer joy. She managed to answer between laughs. "It's hahahaha! Alright, hahahaha! Mr. Cake! It's all right!" the pink party pony cried happily.

"Well whatever you're laughing about I'm sure is hilarious, but we open in five minutes." Mr. Cake said.

Pinkie's laughter stopped instantly at hearing this. Oh that's right! I need to help get ready for the early morning rush! She thought, bouncing off her bed and opening the door. She poked her pink poofy maned head out the door to see Carrot Cake standing in the doorway.

"I'll be right down, Mr. Cake!" Pinkie said enthusiastically, closing the door in her boss's face.

"Sure thing, Pinkie. We've got some cinnamon buns ready for you to bake when you come down." Mr. Cake said through the door then began trotting down the stairs and back out onto the store floor.

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie said cheerfully. With a smile on her face, Pinkie felt ready to face the day. You aren't me, mister meanie voice. And I am definitely not you. Pinkie thought confidently, opening her door to go downstairs.

-Rainbow Dash's home-

Rainbow Dash was sitting in a corner, hugging her knees close to her chest. Her magenta eyes shrunk and sweat beaded her forehead. The dream had been so real. She could see her friends lying dead in the street. She saw Morning Star with that weapon, ready to take her life. She shivered in her corner as her eyes darted around at any sound that was made. I am loyal to my friends! I'd never split loyalties with anypony else! The rainbow-maned mare thought to herself.

A voice in the back of her head told her other wise. Loyalty is so easy to misplace, Rainbow. You could betray your closest friends to death and you wouldn't even know it!

"No! You're wrong! I'd never betray my friends!" Rainbow shouted at the voice.

But how could you be sure you are loyal to the right ponies? How do you know that they aren't the enemy?

"Enemy? What enemy are we facing that I could betray them to?" Rainbow asked, turning her head to face the window in her cloud wall. She could see the village of Ponyville coming to life as ponies got out of their homes and began to do the day's work.

Exactly. Obscurity is always something to fear, Rainbow. A supposed hug from a friend could become a cloak-and-dagger tactic used by a "friend".

"Get out of my bucking head!" Rainbow shouted, holding her head and shaking it. The voice in her head just laughed at her feeble efforts. Tears came to Rainbow's eyes as she began to feel like what the voice was saying was true. How loyal have her friends been to her? How many things have they done that they wanted to do without her?

You feel that, Rainbow? Notice how lonely it is. Loneliness. That was the one thing Rainbow hated feeling. She began to recall all the times when she did things by herself and failed. She remembered the race against her would-be pets to see which would be the best. She ended up getting trapped under a fallen rock from an avalanche. She remembered the time when she tried to be the hero of Ponyville, but alienated every pony near her in the process. She recalled the feeling that came over her as Discord corrupted her in the Canterlot garden maze. All her times of failure… were because she did it on her own.

"I can't fight this on my own. I can't fight you by myself." Rainbow admitted, bowing her head.

What are you getting at, Dash? The voice asked, growing suspicious.

"I can't fight you on my own, but I can do it with my friends! And they've been much more loyal than you've been making them out to be!" Rainbow said with a determined look on her face.

But they don't care about you. How could disturbing whatever they're doing to help solve your problems possibly help?

"Because they are my friends. And I need them how they need me." Rainbow said, extending her wings and flying out of her cloud house. She had to get to Twilight's. Her egghead friend would know how to help get that voice out of her head. Rainbow flew ahead to Ponyville, despite the protests from inside her mind.

-Fluttershy's Cottage-

Fluttershy woke up with a start, shivering and scared. What did I just wake from? Fluttershy thought as she began to remember the terror she had just experienced in that dream. That nightmare was so real… so lifelike. The thought of seeing a forest fire and animals dying around her made her stomach churn. The animals burning, the fear she saw in their eyes, the blazing inferno that consumed the forest and everything in it… it was too much for the yellow pegasus as she broke down sobbing in her bed.

How could such a beautiful thing be destroyed so cruelly? Fluttershy thought to herself as the tears flowed from her teal eyes. Those animals didn't deserve that. What did they do to earn such a painful experience? Fluttershy thought, bringing the covers up to her eyes to weep into them.

Fluttershy could feel a tapping on her belly as she looked at what was the cause of the disturbance. She looked to see her pet bunny, Angel, tapping at her with a concerned look on his face.

"Oh Angel. I just had the worst dream." Fluttershy said, grabbing the rabbit and holding him close to her.

Normally Angel would be annoyed by Fluttershy's sudden emotional outbursts, but this one was different. What could have happened to her? The rabbit thought as he simply accepted the embrace and hugged back. She's the Element of Kindness. How often is it that kindness is shown towards her? Angel thought as he hugged her back.

Fluttershy noticed Angel hugging her back. "Thank you, Angel." She said, taking one of her hooves off him to wipe her eyes. "I needed that." Fluttershy said gratefully.

She looked outside the window above her bed to see the sun shining brightly on the forest behind her cottage. The animals frolicked and carried out their daily duties in her yard. Seeing such innocence brought warmth to Fluttershy's heart. A smile spread on her face as she watched the little fish swimming in a stream, the birds happily chirping in the trees, the squirrels and rabbits picking berries off the bushes, and the many animals blissfully carrying on with their morning. Fluttershy sighed with happiness. It was only a dream. She thought to herself assuredly. She looked back at Angel, who seemed happy to see her return to her normal self.

"Come on, Angel. Let's go make some breakfast." Fluttershy said, sliding out of the bed and landing on the floor. Angel hopped off the bed and landed on her back. Fluttershy giggled at her bunny and trotted off to the kitchen.

-Carousel Boutique-

"Spike, no!" Rarity cried as her eyes shot open. She found herself lying on the floor of her bedroom, her bed standing tall before her. What horror did I just experience? My dear Spikey-wikey couldn't have done something as beastly as that! He just couldn't. Rarity thought as she got up from the hard wood floor. This sorrow would be more comfortable if I had made it to the bed last night. Rarity thought. How could Spike, such an innocent baby dragon, cause such havoc? There was one explanation, but Rarity feared that should the evil inside Spike came to fruition, her dream would become a reality. That evil was his greed.

The greed of a dragon was considered legendary to some, as tales of how much they took and what dragons were willing to do to defend their piles of treasures were widely circulated throughout Equestria.

Greed. It can drive ponies and dragons alike to do desperate things to each other. Rarity thought, eyeing a special gem that lay on a cylindrical wooden bedside table. It was the fire ruby Spike had given her before his birthday a few years ago. The big red stone shone bright red in the morning sun, casting shades of red around the room. Rarity looked at the stone and began to think. Spike could never do something like that, and this stone is the proof. Rarity thought taking the gem in her hooves and stared at it. She could see her reflection in all the fire ruby's faces, her reflection tinted red by the stone. But if Spike's greed is matched by his generosity, how much more greedy could I be? Rarity thought. Being the Element of Generosity, greed was a common temptation. Being exposed to such fancy things as gems and dresses on a daily basis made it very easy to become susceptible to something like avarice.

With a determined look, she gazed into the fire ruby, looking intently at her reflection.

"I will never become anything like that." Rarity said to her reflection. If greed does that to a kind dragon like Spike, I shall never indulge that desire. She thought as she continued. "I shall never be covetous of anything nor of anypony. If something as small as greed can do that to somepony, I will have no part of it." She said confidently. She smiled into the ruby and set it back on the bedside table.

Spike will never be something as beastly as that monster in my nightmare. Wait… Spike! Rarity thought, rushing down the stairs and towards the boutique's atrium to leave. I hope he's all right. She thought nervously as she swung open her shop's door with her magic and shot outside towards the library.

-Canterlot Castle-

Luna woke suddenly. Gasping, she looked around her to find that she was still in her bed chamber, the large moon on her ceiling staring benevolently at her and the stars welcomed her back from her vicious dream. Ponyville… the library… that book. It all seemed so vivid. She could still remember every little detail. From the colors on the fillies' manes to the shape of the buildings, she knew all of it. The part with the book especially stood out in her mind.

That couldn't have been him… but those eyes were unmistakable! Luna thought. She hadn't seen those eyes in over a thousand years and yet she knew exactly whose eyes they belonged to. No. It couldn't have been him. He is dead. I saw him die. He couldn't have come back on his own. It would take more magic than mine and Celestia's put together. Luna thought reassuringly. But something in the back of her mind was nagging at her, telling her that the dream was more than just a simple nightmare.

"I'm sure it was nothing. That beast is dead and there is harmony in Equestria. If he was here, then where would he be?" Luna said to herself, getting up from her bed and walked under the archway that led to the hallway. She exited her night-themed room and entered the marble walled corridor that connected the royal bed chambers to the castle's atrium. Tapestries of all shapes, sizes, and designs hung from the wall, adding color to the stark white hallway. Luna heard hoofsteps and turned to find her celestial sister trotting down the hallway.

Princess Celestia looked at Luna and smiled. "How did you sleep, sister?" She asked warmly.

Luna began thinking to herself. Should I tell her? Yes. All I need to say is that-

"It was alright. Nothing major happened in the night, dear sister." She replied.

Really?

"I'm glad to hear that, Luna. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to arrange a meeting with some delegates from the Western Griffon Kingdom. Something about border control issues between them and the Eastern Kingdom and me needing to help negotiate." Celestia said, gracefully walking down the hall.

"Very well. Hope the negotiations go well." Luna said, waving a hoof goodbye to Celestia. Why didn't I say something! Well I'm sure it's nothing huge. It was just a bad dream. How bad could it be?

A crackling caught Luna's hearing as she turned to the source of the sound. Suddenly, a small green flame shot through a window up high in front of Luna and sped over Luna's head, missing by mere inches. Luna turned and looked on in curiosity as the flame travelled down the hallway and caught up to Celestia. Upon arriving in front of the sun goddess, the flame materialized into a small scroll with a seal closing it. Celestia grabbed the letter with her magic and read over the contents.

"Is everything alright, Tia?" Luna asked from down the hall, her voice ricocheting off the walls. Concern filled her mind as Celestia's eyes widened at reading the letter.

Suddenly, Celestia's horn lit up and with a bright yellow flash, she vanished. The letter floated down to the ground as Luna galloped to the spot where her sister had been a second before.

Where did she go in such a hurry? Luna pondered, looking at the letter. It only took her a second to recognize the seal. Luna knew where her sister had gone, and she was going there too.

With a flash of bright blue light, Luna disappeared from the hallway.

-Outskirts of Ponyville-

A group of three ponies had gathered just outside of the Everfree Forest, the trees of the wood looming behind them. They had travelled far and risked much coming this close to Equestrian territory. Their failure would mean the certain doom of their hive. They couldn't fail.

"You sure this is a decent disguise, Fang?" Asked a pegasus mare, looking over her form. She had burnt orange eyes, a spikey cinnamon brown mane and tail, and had a palm tree as a cutie mark.

"You look fine, Cipha." Responded a skinny earth pony colt. He had sky blue fur, a dark red mane and tail that hung loose, and equally deep red eyes. His cutie mark was a spinning tire with a flame coming from the rear of it.

"Anything to get that unicorn. I can't believe we're sneaking in here to not feed. I haven't had a decent meal in months." Complained a large earth pony. He had jet black fur, a shortly cropped silver mane and tail, and lime green eyes. This one's cutie mark was a bright silver star.

"Quit your grumbling, Chassis. You aren't the only one here that hasn't eaten well in weeks." Cipha rebuked, putting on an angry look.

Chassis was unfazed by her disapproving gaze. "Oh please. What the queen doesn't know won't hurt her, right?"

"That's insubordination!" Fang said fiercely, getting up in Chassis's face. "Now I've had it with you complaining all the time, so why don't you buck up and accept the orders our queen gave us."

Chassis sighed. "Ugh. Fine. But as soon as this assignment is over I'm expecting some solid rewards. Preferably something edible." The disguised changeling said grudgingly.

"Look, the sooner we find this unicorn, the sooner we can be rewarded if that makes you feel any better." Cipha said to Chassis as she began to walk towards Ponyville. They could easily see all the buildings and Town Hall from where they were.

"Seems like such a peaceful village." Fang said, a twinge of jealousy in his voice. At the hive, there never was such a peace like the kind they had in Ponyville.

"Yeah, yeah, and all that sentimental baloney. Let's just go already." Chassis said impatiently. Fang fought back an urge to beat the stupid out of his counterpart, but sighed angrily and followed the large earth pony in front of him. Cipha followed behind Fang, giving him a stern look as if to say, 'Don't do anything stupid.'

Fang nodded at her subliminal message and Cipha seemed to lay off of him. Together, the trio of changelings ventured into the town.

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Aftermath of terror! Changlings invading! Twilight possessed! Ancient evils alive and awake! How will our intrepid young heroes handle this situation?! Find out next time on Dragonbal- I mean Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms!