The Moon Shall Rise From Hell's Ashes

by TundraStanza

Ch. 13: The Spirit is Mightier Than The Sword

Chapter 13: The Spirit is Mightier Than The Sword

---{Faith Shield, Third-person POV}

Some time passed after the end of his worst possible thing happened. After that, the days proceeded as usual for this particular night guard. Her highness had calmed down. His partner was too serious again. Everything was right with the world.

Well, most everything was right with the world. Her majesty had called in Spirit Sword for a private conversation. Now that in itself wasn't unusual. What was unusual was the topic of discussion that his fuzzy ears picked up through the doors.

"May I confide in thee, Spirit?"

"I presume that you'll speak with a sense of decency."

Faith Shield's face went a bit pale as some invisible timer went off.

"Erm..."

"It was a joke, your highness."

There was a sound of Luna coughing. "Oh, of course."

Sword, you really need to work on altering that tone if you're going to pull that kind of stunt. As he let out a quiet sigh, Faith fought the urge to facehoof.

"Dill Anne Shear," she continued, "What are your thoughts about her?"

"I see the spitting image of Nightmare Moon," he answered, "sans the eternal night."

"No, not the external appearance. I meant other thoughts."

That seemed to halt Spirit's words. "Your highness?"

"What I mean is, have you garnered any sort of bond with her?"

"Not unless you count being possessed by the Overshadow spell that you described."

"I see," said Luna, "In that case, would you be up for a challenge?"

"That would most likely depend on what the challenge is," answered Spirit.

"A just response," she admitted. "Here's what I want you to do."

---{Dilan Shier}

I stood there outside of the door where the princess of everything but the day kept to. She said something about late morning sleepers' dreams. I couldn't remember.

"Hmm," murmured Faith.

"Hm?" I shifted my eyes to look at him.

"Hmm-mm!" He shook his head.

"Hmm." My eyes shifted back to the floor.

"Hmm," he murmured.

I sighed. "Do you have any idea why she wanted me here like this?"

"Not really," he answered, shifting his eyes away.

My gaze went back down to the lavender hoof bracers.

Last I checked, Princess Luna was adamantly against using this power, I thought, Now, she has some test that fully depends on the Overshadow? I don't get her. I reached out Spirit Sword's right wing. I shook it around a little before folding it back up. Besides, she must remember that this is uncomfortable for both the possessor and the host. Yet, she specifically gave the order to stay in for a full twenty-four hours at least. I gave Spirit's left wing a quasi-shoulder roll before resuming the stationary posture.

...

"Urgh," I grunted while tapping Spirit's hoof. "How do the guys in London put up with this?"

Right then, the door nudged open. Princess Luna trotted out of the room. She let out a sigh.

"Why must so many dreams involve food-related depression?" she asked more to herself than anyone else. She then continued on her way. "Come along, boys."

"Yep," answered Faith.

"Uh, right then," I added.

---

"Was this always here?" I wondered.

A sliding glass door somewhere near the end of this hallway opened up to a large, open room. Various equipment was laid out in specific spots. Archery targets lined one wall. Straw-filled dummies set up on polls were in a corner. A bunch of other things were here that I couldn't identify. To top it off, rings of varying size were hanging from the ceiling.

"Gentlecolts," Princess Luna addressed, "who is ready for a little game?"

"It's not another round of Attic Hostage Situation, is it?" I asked half-seriously.

"Oh ho ho, you're funny," she responded before deadpanning. "No. We'll be performing an old, traditional ritual of the dance of the épée." She pointed to a rectangle, lined out of a section of the blue floor. "Also known as 'Fencing'. Have you ever fenced before?"

"Can't say that I have," I said while shaking my head.

"What a shame," she commented.

A long, sword-like object was suddenly flung through the air. Faith Shield let out a surprised exclamation as he scrambled to juggle the unexpected object. He managed to find a grip within the next second and then sighed in relief.

"Then, you'll have to keep your eyes open and learn," Princess Luna decided, "Faith Shield, you and I shall begin post-haste."

"With all due respect, your highness," Faith piped up, "I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't worry." She trotted over to one of the ends of the marked rectangle. One of those thin swords was in her grip already. "You won't."

---

"Ahhhhh!"

In reaction to the sound of wood breaking, I looked away while flinching. Dots spun around Faith's head as he lied there among the debris. A ping-pong ball bounced away from the crash site.

"That table tennis court is coming out of your pay," remarked Princess Luna.

Faith only groaned in response.

"Parrying alone doesn't win you a duel," she added while lowering her épée. "No matter how perfect your defense may be, a lack of offense only prolongs the inevitable." She yanked another of those blades from nearby and tossed it. "Prepare yourself, Dill Anne Shear."

"With all due respect, Princess," I pitched in, "I don't want to hurt Spirit Sword."

"Well then, you'd better not make a misstep," she told me as she stood at her end.

I could just politely refuse and leave, I thought, She didn't exactly order me to fight her. Yeah, I'll just tell her...

*ba-thump*

"Don't worry. I won't."

Wait, what?! Why did I say that?

"Ah, growing a backbone are you?" The princess chuckled. "I'll feel much better about breaking you down."

I trotted over to the position. "Your celebration is premature, your highness."

Mouth, stop it! Why didn't you politely bow out like I told you to?

On the bright side, my hooves were still shaking with the nervousness that I was feeling. Although when I thought about it more, the side wasn't that bright.

"En garde!" cried out Princess Luna as she began her charge.

I tried imitating what I saw from Faith, swinging my weapon in a z-shaped parry. It knocked her sword away briefly, but the next part of her move was coming in too fast.

*ba-thump* *ba-thump*

Suddenly, my vision was filled with an all-encompassing flash of blue. I covered my eyes with one hoof. Though in doing so, I was startled to see my usual blue bracer against my black hoof. I lowered my hoof and was startled again to see my opponent. It wasn't the princess.

"Huh? Spirit Sword?" I quickly looked around, seeing darkness where the open room should have been.

"Yes, your highness," said Spirit, "I've taught you everything you need to know. However, I didn't teach you everything I know."

The tip of the épée he was holding brightly glimmered against the darkness. Quickly, I rushed in to stop whatever he had planned. But before I got the chance, he whacked my blade away. I tried to guard this way and that way, but his full attack was happening faster than I could parry. Within the next instant, his full force struck my chest. I was sent flying, with my back parallel to the ground.

Spirit's voice echoed against the darkness. "Strike-and-Parry Breaker: Thousand Years of Judgment!"

---{Narrator}

"Uwah!"

Princess Luna was flung out of the boundary line. She collapsed against the floor. Her épée bounced along the floor beside her. She strained her neck to look at her opponent. Despite her new cheek bruise, she smiled.

Golden irises stared back at her. "A lack of offense prolongs the inevitable. That's true. But power without focus will miss its mark." Spirit held his sword to the side. "You couldn't defeat me six months ago, your highness. You still can't beat me."

"I suppose not," she admitted in defeat.

The standing stallion winced as his right eyelid shut. When it forced itself open again, a turquoise iris was staring out.

"How is this... possible?" asked the voice of Nightmare Moon as Spirit Sword's body breathed heavily.

"That will be enough Dill Anne," implied Luna, "You can come out now."

The essence poured out like a flowing creek. The armored mare came into solid view, lying on her side while clutching her chest. Her breaths were a bit shaky as she stared at the pony she had just left.

But, I couldn't even sense his presence back when I overshadowed him in the old castle, thought Dilan.

"How did you find a way to resurface?" she asked in between breaths.

"It wasn't enough for me to desire freedom from the Overshadow," stated Spirit, "I bet that in order to truly overcome the binding of my mind, my heart needed to be exposed to something in which I felt true strength."

Luna nodded. "The mind is easy to sway..."

"... but a strong heart is unwavering," finished Dilan as she stood up straight. "You guys know that proverb too?"

"Many know it," answered Luna as she brushed herself of dust. "Few understand it."

"Hmm," hummed Dilan. "Oh, is Faith going to be okay?"

The other guard pony was still amidst the table tennis debris. The only indication of life was his groan every few seconds.

"I've got this," sighed Spirit. "So, Faith! I was just reading book seven. Did you know that...?"

"Augh!" Faith clamped his hooves against his partner's mouth. "No spoilers!"

The not-Nightmare rapidly looked back and forth between the two places in the room. "But... you... there... here... and... but... tennis... what?"

Meanwhile, Luna's thoughts were on something else. "I thought you didn't like the Juvenile Monster series."

Spirit shrugged one wing as he lightly shoved Faith aside. "I don't read it for pleasure. I do so to stay current."

"Ah." Luna nodded in understanding. "Well, I believe you've won my challenge. By the terms I laid out, what would you like more than anything else (within reason)?"

"To be honest..." Spirit looked away in embarrassment. "... there is that one thing I'd like."

---
(5:00 somewhere...)

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" cackled Luna while lying on her stomach, "We are the undefeated champion of the fermented beverages!"

"No -hic- fair, Linpress Pruna," grumbled a blushing Dilan on her back, "W-W-We agreed to split the...the... drinking fifty-fifty. I wanted to be at least -hic- mostly responsible for my own drunkenness."

"Thou shalt show us more respect, Fair Dill Anne!" demanded the first mare, "Don't you know who you're talking to?"

"Of course!" yelled the other, "Presenting her majesty: Queen Lifter of the ball of light that's most likely made of cheese!"

"Oh, shtop it, you two," mumbled Spirit with eyes swimming. "You're both equally royal pains."

All three ponies yucked it up in the back of the open carriage. The driver, however, was rather miffed. He briefly looked back at the bar shrinking in the distance.

Why did I have to be the sober one tonight? grumbled Faith silently. I haven't had a good daiquiri in forever.

---{???}

Soon, the hard work shall be done, carving out the light from sun. They delude themselves to think they've won. But the truth is that it hasn't even begun.

---

Author's Note:

Well, that took a dive.
Though, maybe that's a good thing. Grounding expectations somewhere can help future endeavors look that much better.

Comments

[lolcatsmanseven]

Maybe my reading comprehension is just awful, but I did not follow a lot of this chapter. Does someone want to explain what happened to me?

[TundraStanza]

4453495 , Well, long story short:
Spirit Sword has figured out a workaround against being overshadowed.

[Zaralann]

Nice chapter!

[rikusorasephiroth]

So did Dilanightmare learn Spirit Sword's fencing skills while the Overshadow was in effect?
It would be lightly awesome if he learned at least SOME.

[Kadigan]

"It's not another round of Attic Hostage Situation, is it?"

... GOLD.