Guardian

CHAPTER 19 –  PROTECTOR

The large double doors flew open with a kick. The shadow guards inside, those in the form of unicorns, pegasi, and changelings looked towards the door in surprise as Eiza stepped into the midst of the massive spire. With a smirk, the Emata took a readied stance in the middle of the large group that charged at him. Spinning under a blast of magic that missed and hit a shadow behind him, Eiza lunged forth and punched the shadow changeling, dispersing it into the air.

From behind, a pegasus latched onto Eiza and began choking him. The silver-haired man retaliated by throwing the shadow over his head and to the floor where it dispersed upon impact. He then turned and headed for the spiral steps along the wall of the tower. Racing up the staircase, Eiza dodged and recoiled against multiple shadows before reaching a platform that ran along the side of the tower. There, five more shadows rushed forth at him.

The Emata grabbed a punch from a shadow pegasus, spinning and slamming the shade into an oncoming blast of green magic. He then rushed forward and kicked through the shadow unicorn that had fired the beam, turned and blocked a kick from a nearby unicorn, and recoiled with a tackle that charged into the unicorn and two changelings behind them, sending them toppling over the edge of the railing and crashing to the floor below.

Eiza continued up the next set of steps to the next platform, where two changeling shadows merged together into a large diamond dog that rushed forth at him. Using his Geokinesis, Eiza gripped a nearby stone pillar, broke it off, spun, and slammed the pillar through the spectral diamond dog, then aimed and threw the pillar up at the level above him across the room where it hit and dispersed three more shadows.

Heading past the next level and reaching the level above that, Eiza was attacked by a large mob of pegasi that slammed him through the wall and out into the open air high above Canterlot. They then released him, dispersing as they did so so that he could not grab onto them, but Eiza used his Geokinesis to catch himself by jutting a rock out of the wall below him. He then used the rock to launch himself up to where the next level was, then slammed through the wall and rolled onto the floor.

Dodging a quick attack from a shadowy minotaur, Eiza jumped backwards and prepped himself.

“What is this?” Eiza chuckled, “A minotaur? Really?”

“If you laugh at me,” The shadowy minotaur lowered himself, “Then I wrath at you!” The beast rushed forward at Eiza, who caught the monster's horns in his hands and stopped it in it's tacks, holding it in place. “When somepony tries to block, show them that you rock!” The minotaur threw its head upward, tossing Eiza in the air. The silver-haired man caught himself against the ceiling on his feet, then rocketed downward and punched through the shadowy minotaur before catching himself in a handstand and rolling back to his feet.

Running up the next flight of stairs, Eiza came face to face with a shadowy griffon that smirked at Eiza.

“Come on, dweeb. Do you really think you stand a chance?”

“Dweeb? What are you, twelve?”

“Shut it!” The griffon lunged forth at Eiza, who quickly retaliated with a spinning kick that dispersed the cloud. However, it quickly reformed into three pegasi in lightning-adorned uniforms that shot forth at Eiza from three angles.

Rolling out of the way, Eiza used his Geokinesis to bind the three Shadowbolts to the floor and send the entire section of floor falling to the floor below that, and the floor below that, and the floor below that. Eiza then turned and rushed up the next set of steps.

Stepping up onto the next platform, a large machine faced Eiza with two shadowy figures beside it wearing straw boater hats.

“Well lookie what we've got here, brother of mine!”

“Looks like we're gonna go from crushing apples into cider-” The mustached figure began, flipping a switch on the machine, “-To crushing bodies into 'whine!'” The two began laughing manically as the machine, with immense vacuum suction, began slowly pulling Eiza into it.

Grimacing, Eiza looked at the machine and realized that it wasn't composed of metal. He then looked over at the stone railing and used his Geokinesis to break off a large chunk of the rock and throw it into the machine, jamming it and causing it to explode, dispersing the shadows.

“By the way,” he stated to the dispersing shadows as they slowly scattered into the air, “That pun really 'sucked.'”

The Emata rushed up the staircase and was met by three dragons about his height, who, upon looking at him, began laughing.

“Looks like we got ourselves a new pee-wee!” The dragon in the front stated.

The two dragons beside him both breathed fire at Eiza, who created a shield from the floor that blocked the flames. He then launched the rock forward at the three dragons, dispersing their forms into the air. He jumped the gap and continued up the steps to the next floor.

A bizarre sight met him, one of a pony that looked like Pinkie Pie but with her hair straightened, surrounded by various random objects from a stack of rocks to a sack of flour.

“'Ey! Get outta 'ere, you! Pinkie don't need no friends, got it?” The rocks shouted at Eiza.

“I... What?”

“You heard him!” The sack of flour shouted with a distinct french accent, “Turn around and go away!”

“Get outta here!” Pinkie shouted, jumping forward at Eiza. In an attempt to peacefully pacify Pinkie, Eiza tried to knock her out with a blow to the back of the neck, but was instead met by her exploding into a cloud of shadow alongside the rocks and other inanimate objects.

“Should've known that was fake.” Eiza sighed as he headed to the next level.

Upon stepping onto the final platform, he heard maniacal laughter. A shadowy unicorn with a wizard's hat and star-pocked cloak stood before him with a red amulet around her neck.

“Well, well!” She shouted, “Looks like we have a new challenger against the greatest equine who's ever lived! Bow down to the Great and Powerful Trixie!” A blast of red magic surged towards Eiza, who jumped out of the way and rushed forward at the shadow.

Smirking, Trixie teleported behind Eiza in a flash of red and blasted him directly from behind with magic, sending him falling on his face. Rolling over, Eiza jumped up and out of the way of a second surge of red magic, running in a semi-circle around Trixie before jumping off of the ledge and onto the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling, causing it to spin.

“Ha!” the Shadow Trixie scoffed, “You make this too easy!” Another red blast of magic surged at the chandelier and hit it at the connector on the ceiling, causing the entire object to disconnect from the ceiling and fly forward due to momentum, straight at Trixie. “Uh oh...”

The chandelier crashed into the shadow violently, causing Trixie to erupt into a cloud of shadow and reform into the shape of an Alicorn with a flowing mane.

“Eiza Borealis!” the Shadow Celestia roared with glowing red eyes, “You have failed to complete your duties, and so shall be sent back to kindergarten!”

“No! I didn't... Wait...” The Alicorn fired a red beam at Eiza, who caught the blast in his hand and spun, throwing the magic at the ceiling and causing it to collapse on the shadow princess.

Eiza cracked his neck and stretched before opening the door ahead and rushing into the top level of the tower.