Brightspawn

The Canterlot Royal Guard had gone through a more rigorous training regiment since the Changeling Invasion. By the time the force field was up, at least a hundred armed guards were waiting outside, ready to defend the city.

Shining Armor stopped at the edge and addressed his little sister.“I know you probably won’t listen to me, but please, stay inside the force field.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Remember who defeated King Sombra? Discord? Nightmare moon?”

Shining Armor blocked her way with a hoof. “This is different. This is war. Those ponies out there are trained to destroy you, not just hold the night forever or make chocolate rain. The Canterlot Royal Guard is strong. We have trained for this all our lives. I’m not going to let my little sister follow me into a battlefield, especially when we don’t know what the enemy’s capable of.”

“According to Celestia, you need all the help you can get,” Rainbow Dash flew up to the siblings, wearing a suit of guard armor. “Equestria is our land too.”

“Darn tootin’,” Applejack joined them, similary dressed. Fluttershy approached with a medical bag.

Shining Armor sighed. “If you girls go out there, you might not come back.”

“Don’t you think we know that? Don’t you think we’ve been in situations like this before? We can handle it.” Twilight Sparkle insisted.

“Alright… But please. Be careful.” Shining Armor stared straight into his sister’s eyes. “We’ll all meet up again after the battle’s over.”

Pinkie Pie approached wheeling her party cannon. “Pinkie Promise.”

Rarity joined Fluttershy in a very clean looking nurse’s outfit. “A circle of friends we’ll be ‘til the very end,” she smiled grimly, holding her friends close.

Celestia approached from the sky. Her crown had been replaced with a silvery helmet. Her wings were coated with golden scales, and the rest of her body was covered in silver plating. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold. “Shall we?” She said grimly, heading out of the force field. The rest followed.

Celestia flew back and forth between the lines of guards. “The Solemn Guards have threatened your homes, your families, and your very existence. As I speak, hoards of them are infecting innocents with a sinister light, erasing them from this world. Now a battalion of them attacks our nation’s very heart. I know in each and every one of you there lies something special, a fighting spirit that caused you to join the Canterlot Royal Guard, a fighting spirit that caused you to endure the many hours of rigorous training so you can stand today, ready to fight for what’s yours. Now is the time, the trial by fire. Let us show Tranquility that Equestria will not bow down and disappear!” A resounding war cry rose from the hundred guards, banging their weapons and hooves against the ground.

The air suddenly became deathly quiet. The nearby river, the surrounding wildlife, and even the wind itself seemed to have become muted. A cold chill rippled through the soldiers. An enormous stream of armored ponies was rapidly approaching from the horizon, a cloud so thick it looked like a massive serpent ready to swallow the sun.

“Here they come!” Shining Armor called. The guards split off into formation, the unicorns firing bolts of magical energy into the incoming battalion. The twenty or so Solemn Guard that fell made no noticeable dent in the swarm. The Canterlot Royal Guard charged forth, letting loose a resounding war cry. The Solemn Guard approached, eyes shining brightly, without making a sound.

“They all look the same,” Twilight gasped. Indeed, each Solemn Guard was a carbon copy of the other, a white pegasus with a white mane and black eyes. They had no cutie marks, but wore a glowing Mark of Tranquility on their armor. Each of them carried a spear with a diamond tip that glistened with traces of magic. The two armies clashed.

Shining Armor dodged blasts of white magic coming from the enemy spears and firing back several blasts of his own. They were concentrated force fields that locked up the wings of several enemies, causing them to plummet to the earth, temporarily disabled by the impact.

“On your left,” Celestia called, blasting a spear out of a Solemn Guard’s hooves with a ray of golden light, an instant before it would have struck Shining Armor’s side. She then charged forward, scattering groups of Guards in her path, protected from the blasts by her armor. At least twenty Solemn Guards fell to the ground.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack rushed into a group of Solemn Guards together. “I’ll get the three on the ground, you-” Applejack started, but Rainbow Dash had already flow forward, kicking an airborne Guard into two of his companions. They fell down in a clump.

“Too slow, AJ. I’m already three ahead.” Rainbow Dash bragged. A Solemn Guard leveled his spear at her from behind and fired.

“Look out!” Applejack called, but she was too late. Rainbow Dash took a shot to the wing and started falling.

“Whoa there, I got you,” Applejack caught her friend on her back. “Are you okay?”

Rainbow Dash stared at her smoking wing. “It stings a little, and I can’t move my wing…what’s that?” As the smoke cleared, a glowing winged horseshoe had appeared on the spot she was struck.

Applejack tried to get a closer look, only to jump back as three more Solemn Guards fired at her, narrowly missing. “I’ll get you to the medical tent. They’ll take care of you there.” She started pushing back towards the force field, dragging her injured friend. They were cut off by a group of five Solemn Guards, approaching with their spears glowing. “Oh for crying out loud.”

“Over here!” Pinkie pie threw a rock at the Solemn Guards from a bush surrounded by trees. One of the guards turned and disintegrated it before it hit anything. She ducked back into the bush.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Yeah that sure helped a lot, Pinkie. Now excuse me as Dashie and I get wiped off the face of…” She stopped as the group of trees behind Pinkie’s hiding spot collapsed, revealing an enormous party cannon. The trees had been cardboard cutouts all along.

“Party time.” Pinkie said cooly, blasting all five Guards away with a massive storm of confetti. “You want some help with that?” She nodded towards the partially paralyzed Rainbow Dash.

Twilight Sparkle was firing spells in all directions. One unlucky Solemn Guard grew an extra set of wings on the side of his body and flew sideways, bowling into his team. Another was knocked back by a telekinetically flung rock. A third turned into an orange and fell to the ground, sprouting a moustache on the way down.

A group of five Royal Guards broke free from the battle and surrounded her. “Your brother commanded us to keep you safe.” One shouted against the noise of the battlefield.

“Tell my brother I can take care of myself!” Twilight shouted back, raising a force field to deflect a beam of white energy back towards the Solemn Guard that fired it, knocking his weapon out of his hands. Twilight smiled, panting a little from all the rapid spellcasts. She had enough magic for a couple more spells, might as well make use of it. Her smile was wiped off her face when four beams of energy were fired at once, shattering her shield and knocking her back. The Royal Guards beside her raised a shield of their own while carrying her to the medical tent.

In the medical tent beside the battlefield, Fluttershy was tending to Rainbow Dash. “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, but I’m not sure how to treat a magical wound like that. The last time something like this happened, Discord had to remove-”

She was cut off as Discord appeared in the tent in a puff of purple smoke. “You called?” He smiled. “I was just busy setting the table for dinner, my place, the six of you, after this fight? Oh and I suppose the dragon can come too.” The ponies stared at him. “What, fix Rainbow Dash’s wing?” They nodded. He snapped a finger and the mark stayed. “Huh. That’s weird.” He touched the mark this time, and his paw lit up. The mark vanished. “Pretty strong magic, that I’d need to actually touch it. Ugh, I suppose I’ll have to wash my hands now.” A teapot materialized and poured chocolate syrup all over his paws. “Much better.”

A guard burst into the tent. “Twilight’s been injured!” A moaning Twilight Sparkle was carried in and placed on a cot. She looked very weak.

“Twilight! What happened?” Fluttershy asked, placing a warm cloth on Twilight’s forehead.

“I was fighting, and they caught me off guard. They broke my shield and I was knocked away.” Twilight said. “Is that Discord?”

Discord banished the chocolate syrup teapot and bowed. “At your service. I don’t suppose you want me to make this battle end?”

Twilight nodded. “I don’t think we can win without your help. Just be careful not to hurt any of the Royal Guards.”

“So I have permission to use my magic in any way I want, as long as I end the battle without hurting the Royal Guards?” Discord mused, heading out before Twilight could respond.

“This I have to see,” a fully cured Rainbow Dash raced outside, followed shortly by the rest of the Mane Six, bar Twilight, who was resting on the cot.

“Make sure you say something cool when you beat them!” Pinkie Pie yelled after Discord as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The battle was raging on in its full intensity and Discord was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, everything froze, Royal Guards and Solemn Guards alike. Storm clouds gathered overhead and an enormous Discord came down from the sky, laughing maniacally. The battle resumed and every Solemn Guard fired their spear at Discord at once, lighting up the sky. Discord showed no signs of injury. The Royal Guards fell back, partly on orders from Shining Armor and partly basic pony instinct not to be anywhere near Discord when he was in full power. Princess Celestia finished off a Solemn Guard with a blast from her horn and joined the Mane Six on the ground. “I knew he was powerful, but I had no idea…” She whispered.

The rays of white energy stopped and hundreds of trout began raining from the sky. “He turned their spears into trout?” Rarity asked. “But what about the salmon?!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

Something was forming in Discord’s hand. Swirls of magic and the surrounding clouds slowly converged, merging to form… an enormous ice cream sundae with a banana in it, larger than Canterlot itself. “Time for you Solemn Guards,” the giant Discord boomed, “to split!” He winked at Pinkie Pie while half the Royal Guard slammed their faces into their hooves, and hurled the sundae into the swarm of Solemn Guard. They weren’t fast enough to dodge, and the enormous dessert carried them far away as the sky cleared and Discord shrank down to his normal size, bowing to cheers from the Royal Guard and his friends.

“That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Messy, but impressive,” Rarity added.

“I like how you didn’t have to hurt anypony,” Fluttershy said.

“You sure have one heck of a throwing arm,” Applejack cheered.

“The dessert was a nice touch,” Pinkie pie said.

“I knew I made the right choice with you,” Celestia smiled.

“I dunno, I think you needed a little better delivery on that line there,” a nearby Royal Guard said, inciting glares from the surrounding ponies.

Twilight came out of the tent. “I heard the cheering. Is it safe to come out now?” Her legs buckled and she collapsed. As her friends rushed to her side, a streak of light rapidly descended from the heavens, straight towards Twilight Sparkle.

Crystal Lance flew down, swiping the unconscious Twilight up in a bag and flying away before any pony could respond. “Twilight!” Applejack called.

“He’s fast, but I’m faster,” Rainbow Dash flared her wings, ready to chase after him.

Discord snapped his fingers and Twilight Sparkle materialized in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open. “What just happened?”

Discord grinned toothily. “The oddest thing, one of the Solemn Guard just came down and kidnapped an unusually rude Royal Guard who thought my line needed better delivery. Oh well, I suppose what goes around comes around.” The other ponies were speechless.

Suddenly bright rays of light erupted from where Discord had been struck by the hundreds of Solemn Guard. He screamed as a winged horseshoe mark appeared, then vanished, then reappeared, then vanished. It appeared for a last time, and Discord froze in place, losing color rapidly. Twilight jumped out of his arms and inspected him. “He’s… turned back to stone,” she said quietly.

Meanwhile, the Royal Guard who had dared to criticize Discord was trapped in a dark bag, far away from home. “Master of Chaos and he can’t handle a little constructive criticism,” the kidnapped guard pony mumbled. He could hear voices talking.

“Resistance?” It was a gentle mare’s voice. “Why must they choose the path of pain when the final result will be the same?”

“I wish it were only resistance, but the army you created was defeated,” A stallion’s voice, completely devoid of emotion. “It was a draconequus, my mistress, a being of great chaotic power. He singlehandedly dealt with all of our troops at once. We may need more.”

“You know I cannot be angry with you, Crystal Lance,” the gentle voice said. “For we share the light. But failure will not be tolerated.”

“Understood,” The stallion, presumably named Crystal Lance, answered. “There is… one other issue.” The Royal Guard in the bag felt himself being dragged forward. “I have managed to capture Twilight Sparkle, the pony capable of teleporting troops anywhere in the world, perhaps you could convert her, and…” Crystal Lance stopped as the true contents of the bag were revealed. “My Lady, forgive me. It must have been the draconequus.”

The Royal Guard blinked as his eyes adjusted to an overwhelmingly bright light. “Where am I?” Standing in front of him was an incredibly beautiful alicorn with a pure white body and a golden mane with strands so fine they seemed to float. Beside the alicorn was what looked like a Solemn Guard, except with the same fine golden mane and a cutie mark of a crystal lance.

The alicorn seemed to ignore her companion’s apologies as she slowly approached. “You are in the Shining Lands, foreign one. There is no need to be afraid.” Her presence felt warm and comforting, unlike the cold aura of the Solemn Guard. “I am Tranquility. I hope this will help you see the light.” She blinked once and smiled sweetly, and the Royal Guard felt himself changing.

Crystal Lance watched as the Royal Guard sprouted wings and changed from a dull gray to a pure white. The Guard’s cutie mark faded out and his armor was replaced with that bearing a winged horseshoe, the mark of Tranquility. His eyes darkened to a pitch black. He had become, essentially, a Solemn Guard.

“Please tell me everything you know about Twilight Sparkle.” Tranquility politely requested, smiling kindly at her new Solemn Guard.