//------------------------------//
// Falling Pieces 
// Story: Guardians of Light: A Shadow Rises 
// by Alphadude007 
//------------------------------//


Guardians of Light: A Shadow Rises

Chapter 7: Falling Pieces


-Former Changeling Hive-

The Shadow looked around the main chamber. His grim visage deepened as he surveyed the collection of love pods that dotted the cave floor, each one of the slime-green pods containing the corpse of a non-converted changeling.

Today has been a day of death. He sucked in a breath and a quick smirk flashed across his muzzle. I did what needed to be done. Each death will serve the greater good once liberation has been achieved.

What of the drones once the plan is completed, Master? Siphon inquired as the gauntlet pulsated a red aura.

Their usefulness will have run its course once this world is freed from the One's will, the Shadow replied. I will not execute them, but they will remain in a state of passivity until they rot. If I am to be imprisoned on this world, then at least I will be in the presence of company.

"Master Shadow!"

The yellow-eyed alicorn looked down to see Brutus trudging up the rocks to where he was standing. "Brutus, my loyal servant," he addressed with a satisfied smile. "I trust that all the pods have been filled?"

"Just finished the last one," Brutus answered with a nod.

"Good." The Shadow began walking down the slanted cave floor, descending towards a cluster of love pods.

Brutus cleared his throat as he walked aside the Shadow. "If I may ask, why exactly are we stuffing the corpses into the love pods?"

"An excellent question, Brutus," the Shadow replied. "Allow me to show you." He walked up to one of the love pods that jutted up from the ground like a stalagmite. As Brutus and the Shadow approached it, the pod's soft green light shone on their faces. "Before today, these pods were made for extracting love from their hosts, correct?"

Brutus nodded. "That's right."

"So if they could take away, then it wouldn't be outlandish to say that they could force change onto the beings that reside inside them," the Shadow presumed.

Brutus furrowed his eyebrows at the statement. "Uh, I suppose. What exactly does that have to do with it?"

The Shadow raised a hoof and pressed it to the bubble-like surface of the pod. The area around the Shadow's hoof faded into a transparent image of the dead changeling inside the pod.

Brutus recognized the changeling through the transparent window. The female changeling I tricked into trying to let me 'escape' first. What was her name…? Aphid, I think. "So what's going to happen to her?"

"Do you recall what happened when my magic affected those that I stabbed during the fighting?"

"Yeah, but I don't see-." Brutus' eyes widened at his conclusion.

The Shadow nodded at the look of realization on Brutus' face. "Now you see what happens." As the Shadow pushed his hoof to the pod shell, pulsating red waves washed over the pod.

Brutus watched Aphid's form change inside the pod. The bright green fluid in the pod began to churn as the Shadow's magic did its work on the corpse. Her body twitched as the magic coursed through her and began to change her features. Her fangs elongated while the bones in her forelegs pierced the ends of her hooves to form shiv-like extremities. The gaps in her wings were filled in with tissue, much like Brutus' when he was transformed. Her muscles bulged under her skin and caused her dark blue carapace to crack. By the time the magic had finished its work, the fluid on the inside had turned from a bright green to a deep shade of crimson.

Brutus stared with mouth agape at the rapid transformation of what was a changeling no more than a minute ago. "And they all will turn into this?"

"Eventually, yes," the Shadow answered, taking his hoof from the pod. "I will see that each of them begins the transformation process."

Brutus raised a hoof in curiosity. "And what would you have me do?"

The Shadow turned to look into the former changeling's red eyes. "Your job is to take out the transformed changelings once the process is over and put a new body in afterwards. Be careful, though. Having one's mind altered can have some adverse side effects." With that, the Shadow began to move on to the next love pod.

A worried look found itself onto Brutus' visage. "Like what?"

The Shadow paused in his walk. "Well, when one's mind is reduced to its basest form, such beings can be quite violent and unpredictable. If it eases your mind, you can order those that are already converted to assist you if you need them."

As the Shadow began his work on the next pod, Brutus looked back at Aphid's pod. He jumped a bit when he found himself staring straight into the reanimated form's glazed red eyes. The creature bared its fangs and growled at him through the pod wall. With a gulp, Brutus flew up to the top of the love pod to open it.

-Canterlot, Equestria-

The light around Celestia's horn fizzled out as she sent the last of her letters. She looked up from her bedside desk and watched the last letter vanish in a flash of yellow. I can only hope that they heed my request.

"Sister."

Celestia turned around to see Luna standing in the doorway of her bedroom. "Yes, Luna?"

"I have convinced Trixie to stay until morning. Whether or not she will actually stay or go remains to be seen. And how was your talk with your former student and her friends?"

Celestia gave Luna a fleeting smile. "They are somewhat shaken by their visions, but they are doing fine. Their words did make me wonder, though. Remember what Starswirl said down in the catacombs?" Luna nodded in reply. "I can't help but think of how Starswirl's prophecy and their visions are intertwined."

Luna thought back to what the wizard's memory spell told them in the catacombs. "He mentioned hoofs to the west and claws to the east-"

"Ponies and griffons do have their roles to play in this," Celestia interjected as she began to pace the floor. "However, Starswirl's words did not imply direct or indirect contact between the two races."

"As the Eight determine this world's fate," Luna recalled absentmindedly.

Celestia spun around to face her. "What was that?"

"Just something that Starswirl's spell said about eight choosing the world's fate."

Celestia's eyes widened at the words. "Now that can't be a coincidence. Rainbow Dash's vision spoke of eight as well. That the Six that would become Eight."

"Surely she speaks of the Elements of Harmony," Luna concluded. "Six elements, six ponies. But what of the other two to make the Eight?"

Celestia rubbed her chin with a hoof. "Spike had visions as well. His spoke of answers lying in the desert sand and the wizard's tomb. Obviously the wizard's tomb means Starswirl's final resting place. But what of the desert sand?"

"We would be throwing darts and hoping to get lucky by guessing which desert the prophecy spoke of. Should we get them and take them to the sarcophagus?" Luna asked urgently. "Maybe Starswirl's memory spell will say something different to them. That they'll provide us another piece to this puzzle."

"While time is of the essence, they have been through a lot in the past few days," Celestia said with a hint of anxiety. "I say give them until after dinner to collect themselves."

"And then to Starswirl's tomb?"

"Yes." Celestia nodded. "To Starswirl's tomb."

"Did they say anything else we can use?"

Celestia thought back. "A combination of what Rainbow Dash and Spike said concerns me."

Luna rose an eyebrow concernedly at her sister. "That being?"

"Rainbow Dash spoke of the sun setting on Canterlot while Spike's vision spoke of the West being shaken to its core." Celestia paused to let the words sink in. "Canterlot is going to get hit. Hard. And I can only pray that all the citizens are out of the city when it happens."

"But we've already asked for reserve troops. Is there any possibility we could ask the griffons if they could spare some troops?" Luna hoped.

Celestia snorted. "I wouldn't dare ask for two opposing nations to send their troops to the same place. Being the flint that sparks a war wouldn't bode well for anyone. We'll have to do with what we have."

Luna eyes darted from side to side while she thought. "If I recall, King Avian has proven to be more receptive to what you have to say in the past. Is there a chance that he could send some soldiers to assist us?"

"Explicitly, no," Celestia replied. "But if he interprets my letter to mean that, then how can I say no to extra reinforcement?"

"Well, with you being the brilliant tactician you are, I think we'll be getting some help," Luna said with a playful nudge towards Celestia who responded with a chuckle.

"Don't hold your breath just yet, sister," Celestia bantered.

Their smiles faded as Luna walked up to Celestia. "Is there anything you need me to do?"

"You can check up on the evacuation process," Celestia said with a gesture towards outside the bedroom window. "I still need to handle a few things around here before dinner."

The two sisters stood quietly for a moment before Luna broke the silence. "All we can do is hope and prepare," she said with a twinge of optimism.

"Agreed," Celestia said. "Hope and prepare."

-Concordia, Eastern Griffon Kingdom-

King Midas carefully looked over the schematics for the redesigned crossbow the Royal Corps of Engineers had created for him. Gastrapheta and her partner had been handsomely paid, but such a cost was nothing in comparison to the advantage the weapons would give them in battle.

"Sire! Sire!"

King Midas looked up from the blueprints to see a chainmail-clad griffon guard running up to him with a scroll in his claws.

The guard approached the throne and knelt before it while presenting the scroll. "A message from Canterlot."

Midas took the scroll from the guard and inspected it. Sure enough, the wax seal on the fold was stamped with Princess Celestia's seal. He looked back down to the guard. "Thank you. Was this all?"

The guard looked up at his king. "Yes, sire. It was sent via magical teleportation. Whatever it is, I wager that it is quite urgent."

The king nodded in reply. "Thank you. You may return to your post."

Upon hearing the king's words, the guard saluted and quickly marched out of the throne room.

Using his claw, Midas cut the seal and opened the scroll. He looked down and read the first lines of the letter.

For the eyes of this message's recipients only.

To Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire, King Avian of the Western Griffon Kingdom, and King Midas of the Eastern Griffon Kindgom:

I apologize for the abruptness of my request with this letter, but recent circumstances have forced me to take drastic action. A monster has been freed, one that wishes doom upon Equestria and, most likely, this world's inhabitants. With the safety of my subjects in mind, I have enacted the Citadel Initiative as a result. My request to you all is that if Canterlot is besieged, you open your borders and provide safety for the refugees. I understand that this is a tall order, but I must ask this of you all if I am to preserve the wellbeing of my citizens. If there were another way, then I would not be sending you this message. Please, for the sake of my little ponies, be ready to accept them should the situation demand it.

Her Royal Highness of Equestria,

Princess Celestia

Midas' eyebrows furrowed together as he read the letter. Two nations on the brink of conflict was bad enough, but throwing foreign refugees into the mix? Unacceptable.

And why did she send me a message in the first place? The Eastern Griffon Kingdom does not share a border with Equestria. King Midas paused and thought over the princess' request. Perhaps to get sympathy for her plight, thus indirectly asking for troops to protect Canterlot. He shook his head. No, Celestia's not that stupid. She is as aware of the situation between the Griffon kingdoms as anyone else. It would be like poking a sleeping manticore with a stick to ask for aid from rivaling nations.

Midas sighed and rolled the scroll back up before returning his attention to the crossbow blueprints before him. Whatever Celestia thinks will happen hasn't happened yet. Until then, Equestria is not my problem.

-King's Talon, Western Griffon Kingdom-

King Avian set down the letter and ran his claws through his head feathers. "Well… that changes things." He rolled up the scroll and placed it in an inside pocket in his robe. He thought over his options before settling on a particular answer to his ally's dilemma.

Doing such a thing would look pretty bad to the citizens. Avian clasped his hands together and tapped the tip of his beak. If they knew about it, that is.

"Sergeant!" he called.

The throne room door promptly opened to reveal an armored griffon with yellow tassels on the trim of the plating to signify the soldier's rank. "Yes, your Highness?" the griffon asked with a bow.

"Make haste and find General Sky-Shield. I have a request I wish to make of him," the king ordered.

"And what would your message be, sir?"

Avian's gaze hardened at the sergeant. "Before I do so, swear that you will not breathe a word of this message to anyone other than the general."

The griffon grasped the hilt of the sword at his side and yanked it from its scabbard. While holding the sword aloft, the griffon kneeled. "Surely as I serve you, my king, may this sword pierce my chest should your words leave my lips before they are given to the right recipient."

King Avian nodded in approval. "The message is this: Equestria is under threat of attack and I fear Princess Celestia is in need of assistance. Send a platoon of some of our best soldiers to help with the defense of Canterlot." The king finished his message and pointed a claw at the sergeant. "And remember, maintain the utmost secrecy."

The griffon stood back up and saluted him. "It will be done."

King Avian gritted his teeth in contemplation while the guard hastily left the throne room. The timetable is advancing faster than anticipated. Better prepare the kingdom for what is to come.