Chapter One: Childhood Ends
It had been thirteen years since young Tamashii was born, and the now teenaged shade was getting ready for training. Near him was the current King of Monsters and his childhood friend, Fang. The young shade was currently wearing a cotton shirt and black shorts. He buckled his worn leather boots with his hands and grabbed his training sword and shield. The sword was a wooden replica of a regular sword, a simple double edge that knights were known to use.
Tamashii was going to try and become a guardian shade, the ones that made up the majority of the Nexian Guard. The young friends walked over to where the parents of the two were going to watch Tamashii's entrance exam. "Good luck Soul you’re going to need it!" Said Fang as he walked over to join his mother.
Tamashii smirked in in response. "Thanks Fang! I just hope Discord doesn't think of attacking…" Said the young shade. Earlier that day the young teen heard reports that Discord had been sighted in the forest close to where the ponies, and the rest of Discord's creations, had settled down. The shade soon stood before the current captain of the guard. A guardian shade named Brave Shadow. Also watching were Tamashii's god parents, Starswirl and Spell Weaver. The teen gripped his wooden sword as the examiner gripped his training blade.
Fang stood at the sidelines. "Okay… Let the examination of Prince Tamashii Souto no Nexus begin!" shouted Fang. Scarlet smirked with pride. Her son was going to be a fine king. Now if only that time traveler would tell her when her son's soul-mate was going to be born. She was sure that his soul mate did not walk the earth at this moment in time.
The teenaged shade sighed as he charged, first he swung his blade over his head and towards the captain’s, only for it to be blocked when the captain moved his sword into the path of Soul’s blade. Or at least that is what the captain thought he had done. To the shock of the older shade his opponent was stronger than his lean frame suggested. But considering who his parents were the strength might not have been that farfetched. The captain would have grinned, if he had the face of a normal humanoid, which he, sadly, did not.
The match had been even so far and right now it was clear to the spectators that Soul had speed and strength on his side, while the captain had more experience and better technique. It was then that Soul displayed something the other shades had never seen outside of the castor ranks.
He manifested his shadow into spikes that gave his opponent the options of jump back, or get impaled. He smiled at the wide eyed looks his family gave. Spell Weaver had noticed that Tamashii could use pony magic and had secretly trained him about how to correctly use it. She had been doing so for three full years. And now it was time to stop holding back.
"Gather and unleash the potential of my soul, create for me the guise I was meant to wear and bear my origins for all to see. Unlock and release, my awakened soul" Soul’s voice rang clear through the air and his family and friends watched as his shadow started rippling as if it was naught but water. "Henge no Kage, Tamashii!” As the young shade’s voice rang out the eyes of all those gathered fell to his shadow. It rose and covered Soul, forming what would become his true form in the future. It took the shape of the lean, black, armor of the guardian class, trimmed in ghostly blue, with the helmet missing the mouth guard, and had a visor that showed his blue eyes.
He didn't have the plume that the regular knight helmets all bore, instead he had what seemed to be a crest that resembled an upside down triangle etched into the forehead. A lone horn rested above the crest showing his grandfather’s unicorn heritage. The spell he used was designed to temporally transform the caster into what they would become later in life. In the future Celestia would invent a more permanent version of the spell, but that is a tale for later. The newly, knight like teen charged and slashed at his opponent who was now going all out and holding nothing back.
The teen had impressed the captain and the older shade was now giving it a hundred percent, he wanted to see how far the prince's potential went. Over with the spectators Fang was confused, along with King Nox and Queen Crescent, while Fang's mother, Scarlet just giggled. "Shadow transformation of the soul? That's quite a spell, difficult, but not impossible." The vampony said with a fanged grin.
"Soul developed it himself, after he discovered his unicorn magic, it's designed to transform the user into what he or she would look like later in life and this is why Soul wants to be a guardian. He said that the spell takes into account the personality of the user, and creates a form based on the traits in the personality." Spell Weaver explained this as they watched the match.
Soul gave a quick powerful, sideways, strike, disarming his opponent, and catching the other sword to hold both at the captain's neck in a scissor position. "I win." Soul grinned as his spell wore off.
"Okay. I concede. You have potential Prince Tamashii, but be warned, the other trainees will not be as good willed around you as I." The captain would have given a smile if it had been physically possible. The teen nodded and handed back the training blade he took from the captain. "Be over at the barracks at six in the morning for training. When I am done you shall be the better than you are now. You have a lot to learn about being one of this kingdom's protectors, but that comes with experience, so train hard. I want to see how far that potential goes." The captain spoke with a calm, confident tone at this point.
Soul saluted and was handed a training uniform, which consisted of a black jacket and white pants, with the emblem of the guardian rank's royal guards etched in the cuffs. Soul bowed and walked back to his family and friend. Soul was given a hand/hoofshake and a slap on the back by Fang, while his family asked him what other magic he knew and told him what he should expect as a knight. The young prince just smiled at the encouragement he was given. The next few years would be the most taxing for young Soul, but with his friend helping him out, he was sure that he would be alright.