The Sword and the Spirit within/BOOK 2

(Tana and Fury battle)

Tana was firing at one dark pony at a time, but she was attacked by a powerful blast. She raised her shield and blocked it. “Impressive!” Fury complimented.

“Fury! Don’t do this!” Tana pleaded.

“Don’t do this?! Do you know what it’s like to live in stone?!!”

“Celestia did warn you! It’s your fault that many ponies died by your hooves! You deserved it for betraying her trust and not knowing the consequences!!”

“I did it to prove to her that I could overcome anything! And what do you do?! You do nothing but play it safe!”

Fury lit his horn and fired a beam straight at Tana. Tana did the same and fired a purple beam right at Fury, their attacks meeting in the middle. She struggled to keep her balance when her body started to shake. Fury also had to struggle, but his years of experience controlling his magic allowed him to stay focused.

Before Tana knew it, Fury’s blast cut right through Tanas. She saw she had no choice but to let go and was able to redirect his attack her decision causing the soldiers and their opponents to receive the blast instead. Tana saw as ponies from both sides fell to the ground, and turned to glare towards Fury, who threw a fireball from his horn. Tana lit her horn using a levitation spell to redirect it back at him.

Fury jumped to the left to move out of it’s way, and smiled. “I’m impressed. You’re just like me.”

“I’m not like you, you’re a murderer!”

“Maybe, but you have quite the talent. Let’s see you try this!!!”

Fury fired what looked like sparks of electricity. Tana raised her shield and tried to protect herself, but the sparks somehow broke through her shield and pushed her to the ground. Fury ran right at her and jumped on her to keep her down. He pressed down on her head to keep her down and lit his horn.

“It’s been fun, now I have to kill you!”

Tana closed her eyes and waited for the final blow, but for some odd reason his attack just stopped. Tana felt some strange liquid hitting her face while she still had her eyes close. She opened them and saw something frightening that caused her to gasp.

(Red and Randar battle)

Red used his speed to help out the pegasi fighting the dark pegasi in the air. Even though he and a bunch of others had the upper hand, Randar came in and tries to kill Red with a sword spin in the air. Thanks to his speed, Red was able to evade him.

“Time to finish what I should have done that night in the forest. You ready to rejoin your mommy and daddy?”

Red began to shed tears, he felt angry and remembered what Thunder Wave told him. “I have to be brave… and find the courage to fight…”

Randar didn’t hear what he said. “What?”

Red wiped his tears from his face and looked at Randar with an angry face.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH” Red screamed as loud as he could and flew right at him with all his might. He headbutted Randar right in the chest and just kept pushing him in one direction.

Red got off Randar and distanced himself. After Randar balanced himself in the air, he was holding his chest and looked at Red with a surprised expression. “I’m… That was very interesting from a little colt like you.”

Red didn’t answer back and continued to glare at Randar. He was breathing hard because of the anger he had against him. Randar flew right at Red who kept his distance.

Randar kept chasing Red in the air, Red performing various stunts to shake him off his tail. Loop-de-loops and dive bombing all to dislodge his pursuer, finally failing when Randar caught him and pinned him to the ground. Red struggled to get him off, but Randar used his blades to stop him from moving too hard. Randar pressed his left winged blade to Red’s right wing and slowly penetrated his skin. Red was feeling the pain, he ground his teeth and started to cry. “It hurts! Stop it please!!!”

Randar laughed. “This is just how your mommy and daddy were!”

A pony soldier heard Reds cry and rushed to save him, however Randar knew he was coming and quickly cut the rushing soldier’s throat open. Randar looked back down at Red and shifted his other blade to kill Red. “You should be happy, at least you’re going to be reunited with your family.”

Red closed his eyes and screamed out a name. “Syrus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Red thought he was going to die. For some reason though, Randar was off him. Red opened his eyes and saw not somepony but someone standing over him.

(Syrus and Mena fight)

Syrus and Mena ran right at each other, Mena firing a red beam at him. Syrus used his sword to block it and flew in the air slamming his sword down on her. She teleported out of the way and appeared behind him, firing again. He quickly noticed and held out his left arm in her direction creating a shield to block her attack.

Syrus and Mena began circling one another, Syrus readying his sword for anything she could throw at him.

Mena and Syrus looked at their surroundings and saw the battle raging around them. “You know it’s funny, how Nightmare Moon’s plan was to get you to join her.”

“So you’re saying Luna was the one calling all the shots?” He asked.

“She has been long before you arrived.”

“Why did she want me to join her?”

“At first yes, it was my plan originally.”

“But I thought she was the one calling the shots?”

“You’re missing the point. At first me and her needed you, till she decided you were to great a risk.”

Syrus raised his left eyebrow, and realized what she meant. “Your brother... And you couldn’t get her to do it?”

“I didn’t trust her, she may have promised us everything but I always thought it was a ruse to lead us out of hiding.” She explained.

It then became clear to him. “So you hid the information about your brother?”

“She knew what he did, I couldn’t allow her to know yet.” She explained.

“But then I came, and she told you what I was and had inside me.”

“I knew you would be the one to help me, but somehow she discovered my plan and freed him for me. After that she didn’t even care what he had done.”

“Really, but tell me one thing. Is she the dark creature that haunts me in my nightmares?”

Mena smiled and narrowed her eyes. “Luna not only moves the moon, she reaches into pony’s dreams. She must have really given you nightmares to blind you of what’s really happening.”

His eyes glowed and he put both hands on his sword. “I’ve heard just enough, either you stop this or I’ll have no choice but to put you down.”

Mena smiled. “You really don’t know how strong I am.”

“I know how strong you were. I’ll just have to take that amulet off of you.” He said.

She pressed her front left hoof to the amulet. “This? It can only be taken off by me, your plan is doomed to fail.”

“We’ll see about that!” Syrus swung his sword at her, which she ducked and quickly turned around firing magical energy.Which was blocked by a shield created by Syrus. Behind Mena he saw Fury pinning Tana to the ground and even saw Randar slamming Red to the ground too.

Syrus had to act quickly or they would both die. Then he heard Reds cry, he couldn’t ignore their fights anymore, and so devised a plan. One that would maybe haunt him forever. Mena attacked him again, but instead of creating a shield, he flew in the air and used his wings and speed to reach Red in time. Before crashing into Randar, he threw his sword right at Fury before he could make the final blow.

“Syrus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Syrus slammed right into Randar. Red looked up and saw that Syrus standing over him. With Randar on the ground, Syrus put both his knees on his wings to make sure he didn’t try anything and started to punch him pretty hard. “Don’t! (punch) You! (Punch) Dare! (Punch) Hurt! (Punch) Him! (Punch)”

Syrus quickly got off him and stretched both his arms to levitate him in the air and slam him back to the ground. He did it so roughly he caused Randar to spit out blood.

“NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Mena screamed out to her brother, who was now laying on the ground with Syrus’s sword right through his chest.

He looked and saw that the battle for some odd reason had stopped and the dark ones ceased moving. The soldiers were confused and didn’t know why they had stopped.

Syrus decided to walk over to Mena and her dying brother, Tana ran over by Syrus and looked at him with an inkling of fear. Red got up and tried to ignore the pain that Radar inflicted on him following Syrus over to Mena. He stopped right in front of Mena and her dying brother, and she looked up at him shedding tears.

“I can save him…” Syrus said, offering to help her brother.

“What?...”

“I said, I can save him, isn’t that what you want?” He asked, showing mercy for her brother.

She wiped her tears off her face. “Yes... please…”

Syrus held out his hand and brought his sword back to him. “If I’m to do this, it’s going to require something.”

Mena nodded quickly, in hoping to save Fury. “Yes, anything. What do you want?”

“One thing." He pointed his left hand at her amulet. "Give me the alicorn amulet.”

Mena grinned in despair.She lowered her head and sighed. She lit her horn, unhooking the amulet and presented it to Syrus. Syrus took the amulet and held it up in the air with his left hand. Three rings span around it, flashing like lightning as the amulet vanished. It was no where to be seen. “What have you done to it?” Mena asked.

He returned his gaze to her. “I sent the amulet somewhere no pony will find it for a long time.”

“Syrus, look!” Tana said.

“The dark ones!” Mosa said.

Syrus saw something he couldn’t believe, the dark ones were shedding. Their black fur was coming off them and showing colors of green, blue, red, white, brown, you name it. It’s as if they were under the amulets magic the whole time, only now they were freed and falling to the ground.

Mena saw too, but that mattered little to her. “Now... please help him...”

Syrus closed his eyes and experienced a sense of regret. “I’m sorry, I lied.”

Mena gasped. “But you said you could save him!!!”

Syrus opened his eyes. “He was beyond saving from the start." Syrus smiled at her, and felt something insode him he never felt before. "And it was the only way to get that thing off you.”

Mena was overcome by rage. She got up and ran right at Syrus. “I’ll destroy you!!!!!!!!!”

When she came close, Syrus took a step and punched her right in the face. She fell pretty roughly on the ground and didn’t move much after that. She just laid there and started to cry,  Fury breathing his last breath, his blood spreading over the ground.

Tana slowly walked to his side and couldn't believe what he just did. “Syrus... What have you done?” Tana asked, looking at him with fear in her eyes.

He looked down at Tana, understanding that she was afraid of him. “I did what needed to be done, it seemed to be the only way to save you and Red.”

Tana said nothing else and let him walk to Red while his wing was still bleeding. “Hey buddy, let me help you with this.” He put his right hand over his bleeding wing and used his magic to heal it.  “There you go buddy.”

Still doubting if this was the heman friend he know. “Why did you lie to her?”

Syrus closed his eyes and lowered his head, he opened his eyes and told him. “Because it was the only way to stop this fight. Look around you. I’ve freed these ponies from their torment.”

Red looked at all the freed ponies who were laying on the ground. He returned his gaze to Syrus and hugged him. “I understand, but promise me you won’t make anymore decisions like that.”

He hugged him back. “I can’t promise that... but I’ll try...”

“Interesting. Are you sure you’re on the side of light?!” A female voice was heard. A dark light appeared in the center of the clearing with Syrus. A dark sphere was formed and out of it came a dark alicorn. Mena trembled in fear and tried to flee while crawling.

Syrus and his friends didn’t recognize the new pony. It laughed and looked around to all the ponies. “My subjects, your queen has come!”

Syrus heard her voice and knew who it was. “Luna?!”

She turned to him. “Ah, the human.”

The last thing Syrus wants to do is fight a friend. “Why? Why have you done this?!”

“For a better and darker future.” Nightmare Moon spoke grimly.

“What the hell are you talking about?!" He stretched out his left hand to all directions. "You call this better?!" Then pointed his left hand at her. "You’ve instigated chaos and turn this land into nothing but a battlefield!!!”

All the ponies backed away from the two combatants. Syrus stood his ground and brought his sword around to face her. She carefully watched her only challenger. “Stop this now, I don’t want to hurt you!”

She raised her head up to the sky and laughed. “Hurt me?! You foolish human, I am the queen of the night! The ruler of the moon! I am Nightmare Moon!”

“I don’t care what you are!” Syrus stepped forward and his entire body glowed. “This ends tonight Luna…”

She smiled. “Yes… For you, that is…”

Mosa looked at Syrus, and closed her eyes hoping not to see any bloodshed. “Be careful…” she whispered.

Tana looked at Luna feeling fear anywhere close to her. “What has she become…” She whispered.

Red looked at Syrus, rooting for him, cheering in his head. “You can do it, bro…” He whispered.

All the other soldiers believed he could win. They started to take a few steps forward and make sure he had all the support he needed. Nightmare Moon noticed they were trying to not be afraid but she decided to change all that. She lit her horn and created a massive dark sphere around her and Syrus.

Syrus felt no fear within him, the sphere he was in showed nothing but her and the ponies outside it.

Tana looked at what Nightmare Moon created and she knew what she was now trying to do. Her hopes for Syrus washed away and she knew he could lose.

Syrus made the first move, firing a beam of light at Nightmare. She didn’t even try to move out of the way and let the beam hit her. Syrus widened his eyes and saw that the beam just went through her. “What?! B-b-but how?!”

“Look around you, did you really think this barrier I created was an attempt to keep them out of our way?! Dark puddles appeared and rose up like a plague, forming copies of herself. Syrus couldn’t tell which one was the real Nightmare Moon. “You’re in my world now and this will be a Nightmare you’ll never forget!!!”

Syrus raised his sword and created light to see things clearly in the ball of shadow he found himself in. “The Sword of Light, one of the most powerful weapons made. But I remember it to be more... bright…”

Syrus looked around, not finding the source of her voice inside the sphere. “If you’re trying to catch me off guard, you’re wasting your time.”

She laughed calmly, still invisible in the sphere of shadow. “Look around you… I have conquered Equestria. I have taken your princess. And my moon will forever remain in the sky.”

He began thinking she completely lost it. “What you are doing is killing everybody.”

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“A world like this needs the heat of the sun to survive. This world will freeze if you don’t give them their light.” He explained.

“I know this. Do you really think I’d stop because of that?” She said,

“I was kinda hoping… But, I have one question.”

“And what might that be?”

“Why didn’t you kill your sister?!” He asked.

Syrus heard nothing after that, he continued to keep his guard up and look for her. He finally found her and fired a light beam. But it was a copy, and his attack went right through it and caused it to vanish. “Damn it…”

Syrus turned around and readied his sword once more. “Say something…”

“Behind you…” He quickly did a turn around slash attack, but all he hit was the air. “Not knowing where your enemy is will kill you.”

“You didn’t answer my question, and the silence confirms you have no intention to kill her.”

“I don’t exactly have to answer you.”

“Really… Maybe this means you didn’t want to, or you have other plans. Either way, not doing it makes you weak!” He said.

“What?!!” She yelled.

“Think about it, she’s your sister and you still care for her. I know there’s good in you, that’s why you didn’t kill her…”

She appeared behind him again. “Don’t be so sure, human!!!”

She fired at him again, he quickly stretched out his left hand and created another shield. But the shield he created couldn’t couldn’t hold against her magic. Her attack went right through his shield and hit him right in the chest, pushing him into the air. He flew right out of the barrier and landed on the ground pretty roughly.

Tana, Mosa, and Red saw him beaten and ran over to aid him. “Syrus, are you alright?!” Mosa asked.

Syrus pointed his right hand back at the barrier. “Look out!!”

Another dark beam came out of the barrier and hit Tana, and she was pushed back into Mosa. They both slammed into the ground. Tana was knocked out but Mosa got back up and tried to wake Tana, while some of the soldier ponies came to their aid to help her.  Syrus watched the barrier come down. Nightmare Moon came out of it and walked over to Syrus.

He tried to get up but the attack she hit him with was too much, his chest painfully throbbing. He let go of his sword and held onto his hurting chest. Red saw Nightmare and flew over in front of Syrus to try and stop her. She started to laugh at Reds bravery and looked down at him. “I don’t want to hurt you, get out of my way.”

“No!!!” Red screamed, trying to protect Syrus.

Syrus tried getting back up screaming at Red to get out of the way. “Red! Get out of here! Run!”

“I’m giving you this one last chance to flee.” She said.

Red nodded. “I won’t!!!”

Nightmare Moon saw something there, but then she wanted to know if what she was seeing true. “Hmm, tell me. What is he to you?”

“He’s my friend, but I treat him like a big brother!”

“Well...” She used her magic and lifted a spear from a fallen pony soldier. She brought it close to herself and pointed it at Red. “You and him can die like brothers!!!”

Red retreated to Syrus and hugged him tight. Syrus hugged him back and put his right hand over his eyes. “Close your eyes.”

Mosa saw and started to run over to save them. “No!!!”

She used her magic to throw the spear right at Red and Syrus, their eyes were closed and hoping it would be painless. They heard it pierce through something, but felt no pain. Syrus opened his eyes and gasped hoping that this wasn’t happening.

“S-Syrus, I-I’m sorry…” Mosa said, coughing up blood.

Mosa was right in front of Syrus and Red. The spear that Nightmare Moon threw at him was blocked by her. But she used her body to block it, and the spear stopped right in her chest.

Syrus and Red watched as Mosa coughed up blood. He ignored the pain, got Red off him, and jumped right over to her.

“Mosa!!!” He caught her as she fell to the ground. “NO! NO! NO!!! Mosa!!! Mosa please answer me!!!”

Syrus took the spear out of her and threw it away, Nightmare Moon seeing what she had done and feeling sudden sadness. Mosa looked at Syrus with tears, Syrus put his hand on her opened wound and tried using his magic to heal her.

The damage was too great, she wasn’t healing. Nightmare Moon stood there looking at them, she didn’t even bother to try and attack. “S-Syrus…”

Syrus continued to use his healing magic, but it wouldn’t work. “Mosa, why did you do that?!”

“Because…. We’re friends…. Right?”

“Yes, we’re friends!” He said, shedding tears.

Mosa put her left hoof gently to his face. “I wanted to more than your friend… I wanted to be….. y-your s-s-special….”

Mosa’s left hoof dropped and she stopped breathing. Syrus started to cry a little and put his hand around the back of her head. He held onto her for a while and didn’t let go. Red was crying too, seeing them like that was too much for him to bear. He slowly went up to Syrus and held onto him too.

Nightmare Moon came out of her little sadness and smiled. “How sad it must be for you to lose somepony that had feeling for you.”

Syrus slowly clenched his left hand, overcome with the anger rushing through him. He put Mosa down and took Red off him. He got up on his feet and had his eyes closed while breathing like he was about to kill someone. “You’re. Incapable… of… understanding…”

He turned his head to Nightmare Moon with his eyes glowing and a grin that actually made Nightmare Moon think he was actually going to try and kill her. He ran right at her, yelling so loud at the top of his voice. “I’LL KILL YOU!!!”

She quickly lit her horn and teleported herself, Mena, Randar and Tana away from the battle, Syrus stopped and screamed into the air. “FIGHT ME!!! YOU COWARD!!! FIGHT ME!!!”

“Please stop, she’s gone!!!” Red flew over to Syrus and tried to get him to calm down but Syrus just headed towards the Castle in the Everfree forest. Red flew right in front of his face and pressed both his hooves to his shoulders. “There’s nothing you can do! She’s gone!”

He grabbed Red’s mane and threw him out of the way, Red was able to fly back in front of Syrus and did the same thing to try and stop him. “Syrus please! This won’t bring her back!!!”

He finally stopped and looked at Red, tears rolling down his face and knew they shared this pain. “Don’t go after her. Not yet! We will make her pay but right now-”

Syrus started to lose his balance, he fell right on the ground and didn’t move after that. “Syrus?!”

Red tried to wake him up but he got no response of any kind. “Somepony please help! Please, we need to get them out of here.”

Syrus was knocked out. They took Mosa so she wouldn’t be left behind and living picked up the dead. They got a hay holder and used it to carry both Syrus, Mosa and the the few dead pony soldiers. Red was on the hay carrier, holding onto Syrus. But Red knew that when he woke, he would do whatever it takes to get revenge for her.

Editing done by IkioStar