The Sword and the Spirit within/BOOK 2

After they won the battle, screams of victory were heard from all directions of the land. With Nightmare Moon and the dark ones defeated, the sun had returned and the land once again shined like it did before. But that mattered little to most.

The smiles on their faces all turned to sadness. They began to mourn for their fallen friends and loved ones. The soldiers and locals lifted the corpses and moved them back to Canterlot for a mass funeral.

***Scene Break to Canterlot***

Syrus, Red, and Tana were at only one coffin. Syrus and Red stood there while Tana sat next to the coffin with her sister contained within and cried. Both Syrus and Red came up to her, he gently set his left hand on her back while Red set his right wing on her back too. Tana grabbed his left hand and held onto it, he had to lean a bit but he didn’t care.

After all the ponies were done mourning their dead. They all formed a line and waited for Celestia to come back for a speech. When she did, they all stood firmly and set their eyes on her. Celestia lowered her head before she spoke and turned her gaze to all of them.

“Today… We have all lost ponies we care about most… We were all blind to think we could not be threatened… But we were wrong… I was wrong… My sister allowed herself to be consumed with Hate and jealousy, and it turned her into something she was not…”

Celestia began to cry inside and shed tears. “She left me no choice but to use the Elements of Harmony against her… She left all of us no choice to fight in a war she created… And because of that, we’ve lost so much. Our homes, and our loved ones… As we start to rebuild, everypony that died will be remembered as heroes who fought on till the end… They ennobled all of us, and they will not be forgotten…

After she was done, she turned to Syrus. “I also believe the Guardian has something to say too.”

Surprised to hear she wanted him to say something too, he slowly come up in front of all the ponies that wanted to hear what Celestia wanted him to say. A little nervous but he didn’t fall, he stood on the stand firmly and tried to give a speech.

“Well... This is a bit too sudden, I don’t really have anything prepared…”

He scratched the back of his head with his right hand and looked down at the floor for a second.

“Among these coffins was once a good friend and a good sister to Tana Coruscare. During the battle, she gave her life to save me and our friend Red Scale. Now not a day will go by, I will always remember what she did for me and him. But for our friend Tana, it will take time for her to get used to a life without her. That’s all I got to say…”

He left the stand and returned to Red and Tana. “Let’s go home…”

They said nothing back and followed him back home, Celestia and other ponies noticed they were leaving but none of them didn’t bother to ask them why. But Celestia had a clue why they left without waiting for the funeral to end. She decided to wait till it ends too asked them later.

(At the guest tower where Syrus was living while training. Sun going down)

Syrus opened the door to let in Tana and Red. After they got in, he noticed there wasn’t any damage done to the inside, but it didn’t matter to them. With grief and sadness in their minds, they decided to rest and hope it will go away. He sat on a chair while Red and Tana got on to bed. He looked at them and noticed they the tears on their faces. He knows it’s been hard on both of them including himself. These past days while the sun was eclipsed was a very tragic event for the three of them and a sad one for all of them.

So he decided to shut his eyes while sitting on the chair. Before he knew it, his head dropped and was out instantly. While all of their eyes had shut, something opened the front door without them even knowing. A strange energy force slowly entered the room while Syrus, Tana, and Red are asleep. It had no form of body and no way of telling if it was seeable. At first it had its gaze set on Tana and Red but turn its gaze to Syrus. It slowly went up close to him and began to whisper at him.

“Syrus…”

It began to circle him while still sleeping on the chair.

“Syrus…”

Still continuing to circle him, it stopped on his right side and came up close to his head.

“Syrus.”

He flinched and woke up with his eyes widely opened. He turned to the sound and saw nothing but what seemed to be a floating see through spirit. “Who- What are you?”

It finally showed itself to him while Tana and Red were still sleeping. When it fully showed its image. His jaw dropped and was stunned by what he was seeing. “No… Mosa?”

“Syrus… My love…”

“What..?”

She came closer to his face, Syrus had the weird feeling like she was about to kiss him. And he was right, she was about ready to give him something she had never tried to do before. That’s when he realized something.

“Don’t… Touch me...”

She stopped moving close to him and began to move back a little.

“What’s wrong? It’s me.”

He quickly got up and grabbed his sword. “No it’s not, I saw you die. You can’t be here!”

She gasped after hearing him say that. “Look at me, It’s me.”

“Stop saying that, the Mosa I knew would never try to kiss me!”

He looked over where Tana and Red were sleeping and saw they were not there.

“It’s just me and you here.” She giggled, starting to walk over to him again.

“No… You can’t be here! You’re not her!!!”

He closed his eyes so tightly and hoped it was all just a dream. He opened them and saw he was back in one place he was hoping never to return to. He’s back at the dark area in his mind, the place where the false Mosa was at was replaced by the dark creature that continue to haunts him in his dreams.

“Hello Guardian.”

“You… What do you want?”

“I mainly came here to congratulate you on your success in defeating Nightmare Moon, but I thought your grief would be gone if I sent in a shadow of the pony you fell for.”

“That was a dirty trick, you fiend.”

“Fiend? I come here to cheer you up and all you can say is that?”

“I don’t know who you are or what you want from me but-”

“What I want from you has already happened, you became the weapon.”

What was said began to confuse him. “What?”

The dark creature smiled. “You became the Guardian, that is the weapon.”

His eyes widen and became a bit stunned. “Wait… Everything that happened… You planned all of it…”

“Well I can only say you’re 10% correct. But yes, I triggered Luna’s hatred and her jealousy long before you came here. The rest she did herself.”

“Your actions condemned innocent lives and had my friend killed!”

He charged his sword and fired at the dark creature, before he could hit her. She faded away and left the area. After his attack was a miss, she started to laugh throughout the dark area.

“No weapon can hurt me while I’m in your dreams, but since you’ve saved us all. There’s no need for me to stay. Enjoy your victory but this won’t be the last time you see me. I still have other plans in store for you...”

“I will not be part of your plan! I will not help you!!!”

“Syrus?”

He awoke from his encounter with the dark creature and saw Tana standing in front of him with Tears on her face. He was breathing like he was just in one crazy dream, and he was. “Tana? What’s wrong?”

“Could you please sleep with me?”

Surprised to what he heard, he began to wonder if he was still in a dream. “Why do you want me to sleep with you?

“I can’t stop thinking about my sister…”

He could tell from the tears coming from her eyes the she needed someone to hold on to get through the night. He sighed and decided to sleep with her. "Alright, alright..."

Tana was the first to get under the covers but in order for Syrus to be polite, he decided to sleep over them. “Why aren’t you under the covers?”

“Because I choose not to be. I’m male and you’re female.”

She knew he had a point but she wanted somepony to at least hold her during the night so she could try to calm down. He grabbed a pillow and tried to make himself comfy. “Goodnight Tana…”

“Goodnight Syrus…”

Red was sleeping on another bed across from them, from Syrus’s angle he seemed fine but he felt Tana still wasn't doing so well while sleeping. She shook and breathed slowly while sleeping. He thought it was just her still thinking about her sister. He decided to ignore what he said before and go under the covers. He came up close to her and wrapped his left arm around her to try and calm her down.

He didn’t like the fact he was holding her while they both were in the same bed together, it even gave him chill knowing he was holding a pony while sleeping. But he wanted her to have a good night sleep. “I”m gonna regret this I swear…” He sighed.

(Morning, on the tower balcony)

Syrus woke up 5 minutes before the sun rose in the distance, "What’s going to happen now?" He wondered. "Or what use will I be?" All that really mattered was keeping his friends and the land of Equestria safe from further danger. “I thought you might be up this early.”

Celestia came down and landed on the balcony to speak to him. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine, just trying to get that battle out of my head.”

Syrus was looking at the damage Nightmare Moon did to Canterlot Castle, he even set his site on the city and they both were pretty trashed. “It’s a mess…”

“We can fix all of it.”

“That might take us a long while.”

“Maybe, too bad magic won’t be very helpful during it’s rebuild.”

“Magic... can’t help us with all of this?”

“Magic can help but it can’t fix all of this. Everything else must be done the way they were made to begin with.”

“I see…”

Syrus stood up straight and turned to Celestia. “What can I do now?”

“What do you want to do?”

Syrus has been thinking of one thing for quite sometime but he was also wanting to know something no pony has told him yet. “I know what I want to do but I must ask, am I immortal?”

After he said those words, Celestia smiled and nodded yes. “You will find that it’s a gift to have immortality.”

At first immortality began to scare him, the thought of living forever and losing his friends began to go through his head. But he gave a thought to understand that everything dies and now knows he won't any time soon. "Is it hard to live with at first?"

“At first yes, but you will understand. Immortality is what Alicorns must go through, except for the ones we choose to make."

Syrus turned back to her, concerned with what she was talking about. "Ones we choose to make?"

"Some ponies in the past have been chosen to govern parts of the land. Some had to become Alicorns, But that hasn't been done for thousands of years. Well, till now..."

"I'm not an Alicorn, I'm just a human that has wings and Alicorn magic."

"You've been given a wonderful gift, aren't you grateful?”

“I’m grateful for this, I am. But…”

Celestia saw something was still bothering him. "What's wrong."

"Nothing... It doesn't matter... But what really matters is that we're not out of danger yet."

“What do you mean? She asked.

“Mena… She’s still out there… and that dark creature that haunts me in my dreams. She said becoming Guardian fulfilled what she foresaw.”

“I told you this once and I’ll say it again, you are the one who decides your own destiny. She does not decided it for you.”

“I know… But right now, the only thing on my mind is being with Red and Tana for as long as I can…”

“And you will, as long as peace always stays in this land. You three will never be apart from one another. Now get some rest, you deserve it. And don't think this war changed anything, we still have your training to finish.”

He smiled and felt grateful that Celestia would help him overcome anything and continue to train him. She spread her wings and began to fly away. “Remember! Your destiny is your own! Do what you were chosen to do, protect this land from the dark and keep your friends safe!”

“I will!”

After that she left to attend other matters, after the damage that the land had taken. He wasn’t surprised she had to make sure other ponies were alright. He returned inside of the guest tower and got himself ready to walk out. He grabbed his Sword and used his magic to appear new clothing on him. Instead of all white clothing, he created blue pants and a black shirt.

He wanted to wake up Red and Tana but thought perhaps it was best to let them sleep through the morning. He was going to walk out of the tower but decided to head out of the balcony to use his wings to fly out of it. After that he flapped his wings to get a better view of the land. Despite the smoke and some flames that were seen, it felt wonderful to at least know peace was returning to Equestria.

(Scene change, 1000’s years later. Canterlot castle library)

Celestia was telling the story of the Guardian to Princess Twilight Sparkle and her 5 friends. The six of them were sitting quietly while Celestia was telling the story but even though she told them most of it. She left out important details like the Nightmare Moon battle and also left out that he wasn’t an Alicorn and changed the story a little bit. “And that is the story of the Guardian.”

“That was some story, kinda sad but a very interesting one.” Twilight said.

“Interesting?! This Guardian guy, was he a pony or an Alicorn? Cause I sure don’t see a pony doing most of the things you said in this story.” Rainbow Dash said.

“I think it was a wonderful story.” Fluttershy said.

Pinkie quickly dashed to Rainbow Dash. “Oh come on Dashie, if the princess knew what he was she would have told us already. Don’t be silly…”

“I for one think it was a tad strange but interesting at the same time.” Said Rarity.

“Ya think everythings a tad strange Rarity, ah think it was quite the adventure the Guardian went through.” Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash flew in the air. “I like the part where the Guardian took down the evil dark one leader with just one strike.”

Twilight turned her sight to Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow Dash, he didn’t take her out with one strike, he let her live and freed the dark ones from her spell. Who ever he was, he must have been some hero.”

Twilight returned her gaze to Celestia. “Also I’d like to know, how come there’s no written history about him. I’ve heard of other Guardians but not this one you speak of.”

Celestia closed her eyes and smiled while opening them. “That’s a story for another time Princess Twilight. And I’m afraid we’ve run out of time for today.”

She got up on her hooves. “We’ll continue this next week, now go on back to your guest tower.”

The main six all got on their hooves and started to walk out of the room “Later Princess” Applejack said.

“Bye!” Rainbow Dash said while leaving the room in a rush.

Pinkie was jumping while leaving the room. “Have a good day!”

“Farewell Princess, till next time.” Rarity said.

“Goodby…” Fluttershy said.

“Take care… Celestia…” Twilight said.

After they all left, Celestia left the library too and teleported back to her room. She decided to settle herself in for a while and rest in her bed. She also remembered something that Syrus did before she ended the story. But decided it was best they didn't know the truth yet. She decided to fall asleep but was interrupted by an unexpected strike from lightning. It hit her window and caused her to get pushed back a little.

She quickly regain her balance and saw there was a dark cloud coming  from a distance and slowly landed in Celestia's room.

The dark cloud began to form into a Alicorn shaped being. When it was fully formed, Celestia widened her eyes and knew who it was. The creature that haunted Syrus in his dreams was now confronting her.

“Dream Shade!”

“I am please you remember me after thousands of years, how have you been?”

“I’m the same as always.”

“Yes I can see that, and don’t worry. I won’t stay long, I’m just here to cause I wish to know something.”

“What?”

“Did you tell them?”

“Tell who?”

Dream shade took a few steps forward. “Did you tell the new princess and her five friends the real truth about the Guardian?”

Celestia narrowed her eyes and prepared herself for any possible strike. “No…”

“I see. Where is he? I’ve been searching for him for years now.”

“He’s safe, as long as he stays hidden you can’t hurt him.”

Dream Shade smiled and laughed at the same time. “Really? Alright, if you won't tell me. What to stop me from not going through your new princesses dreams at night?”

Celestia had her horn charged and gave Dream Shade a grin. “If you hurt her…”

“Celestia!”

Twilight voice was heard, she and her friends ran into her room and saw what attacked Celestia. “Whoa! Who’s that?!”

“Oh my…” Fluttershy said, hiding behind Rarity.

“I don’t know but she doesn’t seem friendly.” Twilight stated.

Dream Shade saw Twilight and few of her friends getting ready to strike but instead of defending she kept her gaze at Celestia and told her one more thing. “I’ll leave you and this land alone for a while, but if Syrus refuses to show himself, there will be dire consequences for your subjects and you favorite student. You have one month to find him!”

Without a blink, Dream Shade transformed herself into the dark cloud and faded into thin air. Twilight and her friends were both shocked and were also wondering who she was talking about. She and her friends both approached Celestia and wanted some answers.

“Who was that?” Twilight asked.

"And who is this Syrus she spoke of?” Rarity asked while putting her left hoof to her chin.

Celestia closed her eyes and thought perhaps it was best that they know since Dream Shade, the creature that haunted Syrus in his dreams was searching for him. “That was Dream Shade, an Alicorn that can create nightmares in you dreams. And Syrus, is the Guardian in the story I told you all about.”

“Hold on here! Are ya saying this dark Alicorn wants fine the last Guardian that was around a thousand years ago?” Applejack said.

“That sounds like a desperate Alicorn if you ask me.” Rainbow Dash stated.

“But why is she after him? What did he ever do that compels her to search for him?” Twilight asked.

“That is a question I’ve never been able to solve. Dream Shade went missing after the events of Nightmare Moon. And why she has returned now is beyond me.”

“Celestia, please. Don’t keep us in the dark, tell us everything you know.”

What Twilight asked was something Celestia promised to keep secret, but now that Dream Shade has returned, she had no choice but to come clean. Twilight and her friends both sat on the floor and readied themselves for an untold story. “Very well.”

(Authors notes: I’d like to thank all of you for reading my story, I will continue the story with a 2nd book when season 4 is over. And let me know if I should make this story for you tube. Like or follow, your choice... Thank you all and have a wonderful New Years.)

(Editor’s Notes: Hey guys, IkioStar here. It was a blast working on this story, and your support for it was wonderful. I’m sure all of you will be looking forward to more, except those who don’t. If you can help Greg get around and get his  summary art, I’m sure he’ll be really appreciative too.)