Guardians of Light: A Shadow Forms

by Alphadude007

Farewells and Forewarnings

-Changeling Hive-

I can't believe they all showed up. Chrysalis thought in wonder as she looked out at the gathering of changelings below her chamber balcony. She had Raspian and the guards call together all the changelings and didn't expect a huge turnout. However, her expectations would shot down when she saw how many had arrived. Below Chrysalis was hundreds, no, thousands of changelings. All of whom were ready to hear what she had to say. Well. Here it goes. Chrysalis thought, clearing her throat.

"Drones, sentries, and harvesters! Lend me your ear! For what I am about to tell you is of the utmost importance!" Chrysalis shouted to the masses of the changeling hive before her. From her balcony, there appeared to be thousands of changelings gathered at the foot of cliff on which her chambers resided. Chrysalis smiled at the changelings that she had called together. The time to unveil her plan had come. She'd kept her subjects in the dark for long enough.

"When do we get our food?!" One indignant drone shouted from below. This caused multiple changelings to begin voicing their concerns to the queen as well.

"Yeah! How many more of us must die before we eat?!" Another cried.

"Are we finally getting something to eat?!" A third asked.

Chrysalis raised her hoof, silencing the murmurs. "What I have to tell you all has been a secret for the past couple days." She said, watching as changelings began to look at each other with confused looks on their faces. Chrysalis resumed her announcement. "During an encounter with a very powerful being, Captain Raspian and myself had struck a deal. We free this being, he gives us all of Equestria to feed on."

This stirred up both happiness and skepticism from the crowd below. Voices began to be heard amongst the crowd.

"All of Equestria? We couldn't take one city for ourselves. How can we take the whole country?" One skeptic asked.

"What does it matter?" Another responded. "We can have our food!"

"At what cost? Surely it can't be that easy!" A third objected.

"Would you want to take that chance? Starve to death or make a deal with this creature? What would you choose?" A fourth changeling said.

Again, Chrysalis held up a hoof to dispel the voices. "It was a risk worth taking, my children. You will have your food." She said in a motherly tone. "Raspian and I will depart later this morning to the location of this creature's prison. Once there, I will signal three of our scouts to bring in a unicorn that they had managed to trick into following them."

"A unicorn? What would they need it for?" A voice below shouted.

"It is used as a method for freeing the creature. Our scouts will bring it to us by the second day. In the days following, a revolution will sweep across Equestria, as the tyrannical Princess Celestia will not know what to do in the wake of our wrath." Chrysalis said, earning almost deafening cheers from the crowd below. Hooves stomped, cries of joy were heard, and calls for conquest rang in the hive's atrium. As Chrysalis put up a hoof, the applause was silenced once more. "Wait for me until two days from today. Until then, farewell, my subjects." Chrysalis said, turning back into her chambers.

As she walked through the doors of her chambers, Chrysalis heard something that hadn't been heard throughout the hive in months. Elated cheers echoed throughout the hive as the queen ended her speech. As she listened to the shouts of joy from her people, Chrysalis smiled. Even though they had faced tough times before, they would make it through this time of despair.

Now to prepare for the journey. She thought.

Three hours later, Chrysalis stood at the edge of the Changeling Hive, ready to fulfill her mission as the sun began to rise, its yellow rays shining through the hive entrance tunnel. The past few days had been torturous for her and the hive alike. With the creature freed, they'd finally be able to eat freely.

This is it. Chrysalis thought, her mind set on the events that were to occur in the next twenty four hours. Everything in the past couple days had gone according to the plan she made with Lodestar. Her scouts had infiltrated Ponyville successfully and were awaiting her command to bring the unicorn to free Lodestar. She had won back the favor of the hive with promises of food and conquest. Immediately afterwards, Chrysalis and Rapsian had created their own false identities to further convince said unicorn of the lie they were presenting him or her. All the arrangements had been set up. Now all that was needed was to carry out the deed.

Chrysalis could feel her objective coming closer to completion as she looked over her new form. She had taken the form of a pegasus with the name Sunshine Ray. Her coat was a vibrant orange while her long yellow mane flourished over her shoulders. Her red eyes almost glowed in the sunlight that came through the tunnel entrance. A smile graced her lips as she prepared herself for what was to come.

"Are we ready to go?" A voice behind Chrysalis asked. She turned her head to see Raspian walking up behind her.

Raspian had taken the form of a pegasus by the name of Timber Pile. His mahogany brown coat accented with his evergreen leaf green mane and tail almost made him look like tree in the form of a pony. His deep green eyes sharply contrasted the sun's rays that came through the tunnel as he squinted against the light. Chrysalis nodded as she reverted to her original form as green energy scanned over her body, transforming her back into the changeling queen of the hive.

"We are, Captain. Nice disguise." Chrysalis assured, her perforated wings stretching outwards.

Raspian gave a shy smile. "Thank you, your Majesty. Do you remember Lodestar's location?"

"Yes. We should be there by moonrise." Chrysalis said, the smile disappearing from her face.

"Is something wrong, my Queen?" Raspian asked, noting the shift in his queen's facial expression.

Chrysalis was silent for a few moments, as if she was pondering something. After a few seconds, she spoke up. "Whatever happens in the next day, I just want to say thank you, Raspian."

"Thank you? For what?" Raspian asked.

"Over the past few days, you've been at my side through everything. I'd just like to thank you for being there for me when no one else was." Chrysalis said gratefully, her smile returning.

Raspian smiled and then saluted. "Just doing my duty, your Majesty."

Chrysalis nodded and turned back to the entrance of the cave, her wings beginning to buzz. "Ready?"

Raspian's wings began to buzz as he took the signal. "Ready." He replied.

Leaping off the ground, the changeling queen and her captain took to the skies, the buzzing of their wings getting fainter and fainter as they disappeared into the clouds above the hive.

-Ponyville Library-

"Twilight! Wake up! Wake up!" Spike shouted, grabbing the alicorn by her shoulders and shaking her, frantically trying to snap Twilight out of whatever trance she was in. Spike looked over her prone form. She certainly looked like she had just woken up. Twilight's mane was slightly tussled and she still had some sleep in the corners of her eyes. Her eyes though threw Spike for a loop. Last time they were bright yellow. This time they were a glowing purple.

"This can't be happening again." He told himself as genuine terror gripped his heart. Spike's shoulders sagged and tears began to fill his eyes as he realized that he couldn't do anything to help his guardian. I have to get somepony to help me wake Twilight, but who? Spike thought, his mind racing to find a solution. Suddenly, the answer hit him. I know who to ask for help! Spike rushed to get a quill and a piece of paper. He had a letter to send.

Blackness. That's all Twilight could see. She swiveled her head in every direction and couldn't see anything but the infinite darkness around her. She felt weightless as Twilight floated through the empty space, her wings proving useless with no air to lift her up or descend.

Despite all the dark that was around her, Twilight knew that there was more than met the eye with this place. "Hello? Is anypony out there?" Twilight called out into the blackness.

"Hello, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic." A voice said from all around her, echoing in the void around her. Nervousness and anxiety filled her mind at the sound of the voice.

How does this thing know my name? Twilight thought, her eyes darting left and right to try to find the source of the voice.

"Fear not, my little pony. You are safe here." The voice said again. Although it sounded endearing, Twilight didn't trust it.

"Where am I?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow at the darkness before her.

"You are still in Equestria. The Ponyville Library to be exact." The voice responded.

Twilight's eyebrows rose in surprise. "How? I don't see any semblance of Ponyville anywhere in here."

A low chuckle made Twilight uneasy. "Allow me to explain. Your body is still in the kitchen of your home. Your mind, however, has gone into the book that you opened."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin in thought. Magic that would take a pony's mind from his or her body and put into some other realm? It shouldn't be possible. Yet, here she was.

"How can that be? That kind of magic is virtually unheard of." Twilight protested.

"This magic is but a taste of the power that I can wield. Unfortunately, the same could be said for the previous occupant of this realm." The voice said with a twinge of sympathy at the end.

"Previous occupant?" Twilight asked.

"He has many names, but they all point to one being. That monster is what gave you the illusion you saw that night." The voice said as multiple swirling colors began to materialize in front of Twilight. Twilight narrowed her eyes, trying to make out what the swirling colors were forming. As soon as she realized what they were depicting, she shut her eyes immediately.

The colors formed to make pictures of the dream she had. Ponyville was in flames, the smoke rising into the sky. Dead ponies littered the ground, their blood staining the grass beneath them. Town Hall collapsing, the proud building becoming nothing but rubble and broken wooden beams in a matter of seconds.

"The book you opened is a medium through which the monster and I use for our own purposes. He used it to scare you and to turn your fears into what you perceived as reality." The echoing voice said as the colors began to dissipate back into blackness.

Twilight cautiously opened her eyes again, seeing if the images were still there. To Twilight's relief, they were gone. "So why are you using it?" Twilight asked.

"There are things happening in the world that will soon shake the very foundations of civilization. From Equestria to the Crystal Empire to the Griffon Kingdoms and to Saddle Arabia, the world will feel the wrath of a vengeful evil that has been imprisoned for a thousand years." The voice said, images landmarks of each country materializing before Twilight as he listed them off. Before her were images of a few places she recognized like Ponyville, Canterlot, Manehattan, and the Crystal Palace. However, there were a couple locations she wasn't familiar with. There was an image of a bronze pyramid sitting on a cloud in the sky, surrounded on all sides by a large wall. A second image showed a white palace that sat in the middle of an arid desert.

Twilight tried to comprehend what she was seeing and hearing. An ancient monster trapped for a thousand years is returning? To all these places? Surely the Elements can stop this thing, whatever it is. Twilight figured as the images faded into black once more.

"Unfortunately, no. They cannot." The voice said. "The first usage of the Elements on this being only delayed the inevitable."

Twilight's eyes widened and her ears dropped in shock. "What?!" Twilight shouted, bewildered by the very notion of the Elements being incapable of handling the threat. "The Elements of Harmony are the most powerful magical tools in Equestria! How are they not enough to fight this thing?"

"Sometimes evil cannot simply be pushed away only for it to come back later. Sometimes, good must put to death that which is evil." The voice said, only deepening Twilight's confusion.

"Put to death?" Twilight asked in shock, the very word 'death' leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Twilight was willing to do what was necessary to keep Equestria safe, but to kill? That was something else.

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle. There will come a time when good ponies must do bad things to achieve their goals. For now, prepare yourself." The voice said, its sound growing fainter in the darkness.

"Wait!" Twilight shouted into the black. "Prepare for what?"

"Beware, Twilight Sparkle, for the long night approaches." The voice said as it faded into nothingness.

As soon as the voice finished the sentence, the blackness around Twilight began to brighten up, causing her to squint against the sudden brightness. Soon, it felt like she lost feeling in her right hoof. Twilight looked down at her hoof and to her surprise, it wasn't there. Twilight looked over herself and gasped at what she saw. Her body was disappearing before her very eyes.

Twilight's watched as everything below her chest disappeared, leaving only her neck and head. "Wait! What's going on?" Twilight asked frantically, but received no answer as the energy crawled up her neck. Soon, the vanishing energy washed over her head, causing her to disappear from the realm.

Twilight's eyes fluttered open, her vision revealing the floor of her home's kitchen. Groaning, Twilight sat up, her head instantly exploding in pain.

"Gah!" She exclaimed, clutching her head with her hooves. It felt like a thousand nails were being hammered into her skull at once.

"Twilight! You're alright!" a voice shouted happily. Twilight turned to see Spike bounding down the hallway towards her. Twilight had little time to react before being tackled into a big hug from the baby dragon.

"Oof!" Twilight huffed a sudden breath of air as Spike squeezed her in his arms. "Did I miss anything, Spike?"

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Spike said into her chest. Twilight put on a thoughtful look and lifted Spike's face to see hers.

"Of course I'm okay Spike. But I need to get an urgent-" Twilight paused midsentence as another migraine washed over her head. She clenched her teeth and rubbed her head until the pain subsided several moments later. "-message to the Princesses."

"What message?" A voice to Twilight's side asked. Twilight and Spike turned to see a certain princess of the night standing in the doorway.

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

"Is she ready to go, Commander Storm?" Celestia asked the battalion commander as she looked out across the castle courtyard from the balcony.

The guard that stood next to Celestia had a stormy gray coat, a short cut jet-black mane and tail, and deep blue eyes. Commander Storm's silver armor glinted in the sunlight as the purple plume on his helmet waved to and fro in the breeze. On his front left hoof was a hoof blade, a seemingly harmless gauntlet that housed a deadly concealable blade that was used by only the most skilled members of the Royal Guard.

"Yes, Princess. Shooting Star has been briefed on the mission and is ready to fly. She awaits your command." Commander Storm responded gruffly.

"Good. Send her out." Celestia ordered. Commander Storm nodded and walked to the edge of the balcony. His horn's tip began to light up with a bright green pulse of magic. When the pulse reached its brightest, Storm shot the magic pulse up in the air like a flare. After a few moments of the flare hanging in the air, Celestia could see a yellow pegasus begin to take off from the barracks.

"She's away." The commander said, cancelling the flare spell as it dissipated into thin air.

"Excellent. Art thou sure that she is up to the task? The recommendations thou gave me seemed promising." Celestia said to Storm.

The commander gave Celestia a grin. "Milady, I believe that Shooting Star is the best scout this stallion has had the privilege to train and send out. She will not disappoint." Storm said in an assuring tone.

"I will hold thee to those words." Celestia said, returning the smile. They turned back towards the door that led back into the outer castle chambers.

As they walked down the ornately decorated corridor, Storm gave Celestia a concerned look. "Milady, might I ask a question?"

Celestia looked down at Storm and gave him a thoughtful look. "No need to ask, Commander. Speak what is on thy mind." She responded.

"Thank you, Princess. Forgive me if this is personal, but how is thy sister doing?" He asked, causing Celestia to stop midstride and focus on Storm's question. "She hasn't eaten anything today and barely got any rest the previous night from what I have heard."

Celestia's smile faded at the question. She didn't respond for a few moments, trying to find a way to answer the question without arousing any concern. "My sister is not quite herself right now, but she will come around. Luna has always proven to be resilient in both emotional and physical conditions." Celestia said, seeing if Storm would take the answer and drop it. Celestia hadn't said anything, but over the past couple days she had noticed that Luna was behaving strangely. Dodging questions, staying isolated for most of the day, and only speaking when spoken to. It was quite unlike her to be acting this way.

"Thank you, Princess. Forgive me if it was personal, but I only wish to know about the well-being of those I serve." Storm said, slightly bowing his head in reverence of the princess before him.

Celestia's smile returned. "No need to apologize, commander. Thy question was not intended to be offending so I see no reason to feel guilty." She said kindly, earning a smile from Storm.

"Thank you, Princess." Storm said, bowing once more. "Now I must excuse myself to the barracks. There are some trainees that need attending to." He said, turning around and began walking down the corridor that led to outside the castle.

Celestia smiled as she watched the commander exit her presence. If only all my guards were as loyal as he. She thought. A fast clopping of hooves to her right drew her attention from the departing commander. To her right, she saw Starswirl the Bearded galloping towards her. As he approached her, Celestia noticed something. She saw a look of concern in his eyes that she had rarely seen before.

"Starswirl. What is the meaning of this?" Celestia asked the now panting unicorn before her.

After a quick bow, Starswirl spoke up. "Princess. I have news regarding the Crystal Empire. You haven't sent the scout already have you?" He asked hastily.

"Shooting Star took off a few minutes ago. Why?" Celestia asked, concern beginning to fill her mind. A look of frustration found its way onto Starswirl's face as he heard the news.

"Hmm. If only I had more time." Starswirl muttered. Turning his attention back to Celestia, he resumed. "I will have to discuss this with both thyself and thy sister. Where is she?"

"In her bedchambers. Shall I go and wake her?" Celestia asked.

"With haste. Meet Clover and I in the library. There is not a moment to lose!" Starswirl said as he turned around and began to gallop back to the library.

Not a moment to lose? If it's this urgent, then I must get Luna as quickly as possible. But walking to Luna's chambers will take too long. I will have to teleport. Celestia thought, her horn glowing a bright yellow. With a flash of yellow light, Celestia left the corridor.

Luna lay on her bed, muttering to herself. The past twelve hours had been a mental battle for her. One part of her was saying that Celestia wanted to betray her and take all the power for herself. The other sensible part of her was saying that her sister would never do such a devious thing.

"She wants me gone. Gone. She wants… me..." Luna said to herself.

No! Celestia is my sister. She would never betray me like that! Luna's mind countered.

"That's what she'd want you to think, you fool." Luna responded.

But why? What could she gain from-

"Think of the power she would have if you were out of the picture. She would be in charge of both the sun and the moon. All the citizens would worship her alone. All the power, the glory, and riches would be all hers." Luna said harshly to her mind.

No. Thou art lying! Get out of my head! Luna thought, clutching her head.

Before Luna could rebut herself, a bright flash of yellow light drew her attention. Where the flash appeared, Celestia was there.

"Sister, thou must come with me immediately." Celestia said sternly without so much as a greeting.

"What? Why?" Luna asked in a flummoxed manner.

"Starswirl has requested our presence in the library. From the sound of his request, it seems very urgent." Celestia said, taking a look over her sister's form on the bed. Celestia noted Luna's bloodshot eyes, tussled mane, and the bags under her eyes. All of which were indications of a rough night. "Art thou alright?" She asked, looking concerned.

Luna got up and walked up next to her sister. "I am fine, sister. So shall we depart to see Starswirl then?" She asked, collecting herself from her previous state.

"So we shall." Celestia said, her horn glowing yellow once more. Luna squinted as the yellow light intensified before her. With a flash of yellow light, Celestia disappeared.

Before Luna began her teleportation spell, her mind spoke to her one last time. Remember what I said. She may use this opportunity to be rid of thee. She thought.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Luna began her teleportation spell. With a bright blue flash and with lingering doubts in her mind, Luna disappeared from her bedchamber.