• Published 14th Jul 2012
  • 2,851 Views, 97 Comments

The Guardian Shadow - KnightBrony



Hi, my name is Shadow, and I used to be an ordinary, everyday guy. But that all changed when i got a

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Chapter 15: A New Mission

Chapter 15


A New Mission

After arguing with the doctors to release me, we made our way to Sugarcube Corner. I was feeling less pain, which was good but also worried me quite a bit. My little encounter with the Ursa still chilled my blood, and not being able to do anything about it made things even worse. I tried to push those thoughts from my mind as we came upon Sugarcube Corner. Everyone made way for us as we passed since the Princesses were with us. My friends and I got a lot of stares, me and Jade especially. Luckily, she didn't looked scared as usual, actually wearing a smile for once.

As we walked into Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie blasted her party cannon and music started blaring. I have to say, even for Pinkie, she outdid herself. Streamers of all different colors hung from the ceiling. All manner of pastries and sweets were laid out on the tables. A DJ, who was surprisingly not Vinyl Scratch, was playing music on a stage. Pinkie herself was dancing wildly on the dance floor.Ponies began to enter from outside, I'm guessing not wanting to miss out on a party with the Princesses, not to mention thrown by the party mare herself.

“Come on, don't just stand there, this is a party SO HAVE FUN!” she yelled as she did a few more dance moves.

Everyone did as Pinkie asked. Rainbow Dash, Nova and Luna went onto the dance floor while Celestia and Twilight went to the snack tables. Fluttershy,Rarity, and Nebula went to the punch table. Me, Scarlet, and Jade stayed behind.

“You guys gonna dance?” I asked.

“Parties have never really been my thing, too loud,” said Scarlet.

Jade just looked away, obviously nervous about being around so many people.

“What about you?” asked Scarlet.

I extended my foreleg, still wrapped in bandages.

“Oh right, sorry,” she said.

“It's cool besides, I never liked parties either....bad memories,” I said, my face growing sullen.

Before the awkward silence could set in, Pinkie came bouncing up to us.

“Shadow, Shadow, Shadow, why aren't you dancing, or eating, or anything?” she asked.

“I'm still injured, there's not much I can do Pinkie,” I said.

She put her hoof to her chin in thought, then smiled widely and said “I know, I know, how about you sing?”

This caught me completely off guard, but before I had a chance to protest, she was dragging me onto the stage. She motioned for the DJ to stop and grabbed the microphone “Hey everypony, we have a special treat today, my new friend Shadow is gonna sing for all of us!” she said.

I stood there like a moron, trying to comprehend the situation. Now, I've said before that I love music and performing. But that's with instruments. Singing on the other hand absolutely terrifies me. Not to say that I can't, just that singing alone is what scares me. Playing in an orchestra or performing in an ensemble in a musical; no problem. But asking me to sing on a stage alone is like asking me to stick my head into a jar of bees. Frightening and unpleasant.

Anyway, I just stood there on the stage like a deer in the headlights. Pinkie noticed my silence and turned to me.

“Shadow, what's wrong?”

I whispered in her ear “I can't sing in front of people, it scares the crap out of me.”

“Nonsense, singing is as natural as breathing. Come on, you'll do great!” she said, pushing me in front of the microphone.

I froze. Everyone looked at me, waiting for me to sing. I could hear some of them starting to whisper. No doubt wondering why I was up there in the first place.

I looked around trying to find something to take my mind of the crowd. Nothing. Everywhere I looked I saw nothing but stares and heard nothing but whispers. I probably would've passed out right there if not for what happened next.

“Come on Shadow, sing. You can do it!” I heard someone yell. I looked around and saw that Scarlet had her hoof raised in the air and was cheering. Soon, the rest of my friends, the Mane Six, and even the Princesses joined in. I did the only thing I could think to do. I spoke into the microphone.

“Thank you everyone, sorry for the delay. But if you could just wait for just a little while longer,” I said and went up to the DJ.

“Hey, mind helping me out here?” I asked.

“That's what I'm here for bro,” he said. After about an hour and a lot of work, we had gotten the music to sound they way I needed it to sound. I stepped back up to microphone.

“Sorry for the wait everyone, hope you're all ready for a real show,” I said and turned to the DJ “Hit it!” The DJ started up the music and I began to sing.

Maji (Magic) ka! ? Majide! ? Majida! ! ! ! Shō taimu!

Maru de tsuki to taiyō kasanaru toki no shōgeki

Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai

Toki no mama nagareru temoashimodenai...

Demo sore ja iki mo tsuma~tsu chaukara

Kitto hitsuyō fukaketsu no enajī kokoro no tame

Yume to yosō yoi imi de Uragitte kureru mono

(3 2 1 Shō taimu! )

MAGIC taimu torikku janai

Mahō hirō hanpane~e ze! (Maruto hareruya!)

Kioku no rūto mogurikonde kibō sukuidasou (Shō taimu!)

Raifu is shō taimu tobikiri no

Unmei no life mucha shite mo (Maruto hareruya!)

Kinōkyōashita mirai subete no namida o (Shō taimu!)

Hōseki ni kaete yaru ze

Maji (Magic) ka!? Majide!? Majida!!!! Shō taimu!

Utagatte miru yori mo

Chū ni tobikonde mita nochi

Dekiru koto kangaete mireba ī sa

Kekkyoku uraomote hikari abi teru dake

Fuan to iu na no kage to

Tatakai tsudzukeru no sa (3 2 1 Shō taimu! )

MAGIC taimu konkyo mo naku Hattari OK!

Kakko tsuke re (Maruto hareruya!)

Zettai mō akiramezu ni kibō todokeru yo (Shō taimu! )

Raifu is shō taimu nigedasanai

Kakugo no ue mucha shiyou (Maruto hareruya! )

Yari-sugi toka iwa reyouga sekai no zetsubō (Shō taimu! )

Isshun de buttobasou ze

Maji (Magic) ka! ? Majide! ? Majida! ! ! ! Shō taimu!

Risō wa tsuneni takaku menomaede todokanai

Dakedo shō wa matte kurenai

Maku ga agareba yami ni ○○ owari made (3 2 1 Shō taimu! )

MAGIC taimu torikku janaku

Mahō hirō hanpane~e ze! (Maruto hareruya!)

Kioku no rūto mogurikonde kibō sukuidasou (Shō taimu!)

Raifu is shō taimu tobikiri no

Unmei no life mucha shite mo (Maruto hareruya!)

Kinōkyōashita mirai subete no namida o (Shō taimu!)

Hōseki ni kaete yaru ze

Maji (Magic) ka! ? Majide! ? Majida! ! ! ! Shō taimu!

Maji (Magic) ka! ? Majide! ? Majida! ! ! ! Shō taimu!


My performance was met with thunderous applause. I put the microphone back and stepped off the stage. I walked back to my friends, who all had their mouths hanging open in shock. The Mane Six and the Princesses surprisingly were not as surprised.

“Come one, I wasn't that bad was I?” I asked.

“Shadow..that was....” Scarlet began.

“AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yeah Shadow, where'd you learn to sing like that. I couldn't understand a word of it, but it was so awesome!” Nova said.

“Yeah, what language was that?” asked Nebula.

“It's called Japanese, it's a language from my world. Just something I picked up,” I said with a shrug.

“Well, it was great Shadow. I didn't know you could sing,” Scarlet said.

“You should hear me play. I'm a much better musician than I am a singer,” I said, bragging a bit.


After my performance, I started to enjoy the party. My injuries didn't barely hurt at all, so I even managed what some could call a dance. I got into a cake eating contest with Celestia and Pinkie, which I lost quickly. It was fun seeing the faces of the ponies watching as their illustrious leader stuffed her face with enough cake to feed an army. Luna and Twilight asked me a lot of questions about Earth. I tried to answer their questions as best I could, but when the Internet came up, I changed the subject immediately. Some things are better left unanswered.

After a while, the party started to dwindle down until it was just Luna and Celestia, the Mane Six, and my friends.

“Wow, this was a blast Pinkie, I haven't had this much fun since Comic-Con,” I said.

“What's that?” she asked.

“Not important,” I said.

“Yes this was..” Celestia started, but suddenly a guard burst through the door, panting.

“I apologize for my intrusion your Highnesses, but an urgent matter has arisen,” the guard said trying to catch his breath.

“What has happened Iron Spear?” Celestia asked.

“It is Bridleburg my Lady, it appears there have even more disappearances as of late. Ten in the last week alone. The mayor has requested a squad of guards be sent immediately to investigate,” Iron Spear reported. Jade gasped from behind us.

“What's wrong Jade?” I asked.

“Bridleburg is town close to warren I was slave in. First place I come to after I escape,” she said.

“How close is it?” I asked.

“I do not remember. Memory is fuzzy, ran for long time before I came there though,” she said, looking sadly at the claw around her neck.

“At any rate, this is a very serious matter,” Celestia said.

Luna and Celestia both turned serious. I never really thought about it much, but looking at them now really struck me much weight they both had on their shoulders. Not only were they immortal, which I would consider more of a curse than a blessing, but they raised the sun and the moon, and had to run a whole kingdom. Not to mention Celestia had been going solo for a thousand years. Seeing them now really made me think about just how often situations like this come up, and they have to deal with them.

“We can't spare an entire squad, many of them are out helping with the new colonies,” Celestia said.

“Agreed sister. We've had to take on many new recruits as it is, and many are not fully trained yet,” Luna said.

“I would send Shining Armor, but he's busy with other matters,” Celestia said.

“Then what shall we do Sister,” Luna said. Luna and Celestia hung their heads, trying to think of what to do.

“Send me,” I said. Everyone turned to look at me.

“Pardon?” Celestia said.

“You heard me. Send me, I'll help any way I can,” I said.

“Shadow, are you certain of this. You are still in bad condition,” Celestia said, a confused and slightly worried look on her face.

“Whether I'm fine or not is not what matters here. People are in trouble, and I will not stand idly by and do nothing,” I said with confidence in my voice. Everyone stared at me with a mixture of admiration and disbelief.

“But what about the Ursa inside thy mind. We think you should be more concerned about that."

“I'm not worried about him. Besides,I have more than a couple reasons for wanting to do this.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow “And what would those be?” she asked.

“With all due respect Princess, it's none of your business. I'm offering you my help, you can either take it or I'll handle it on my own,” I said.

Everyone went silent. I had to admit, I was very nervous. It's never wise to back talk to people who can make you a grease spot instantly if you piss them off.

Celestia and Luna spoke for a few moments in hushed tones. Scarlet pulled me aside.

“Shadow, what do you think you're doing. This has nothing to do with you,” she said.

“As a matter of fact it does. I promised to help find Chrono for Jade, and right now, this is the best lead I've got,” I looked into her eyes “and I DO NOT go back on my word. If nothing else, I have that,” I said.

“You know it's really hard to talk you out of doing stupid things when you say things like that,” she said.

“Good, so I can assume you're coming with me then. I wouldn't feel comfortable unless my Medic was there with me,” I said winking.

This elicited a blush from Scarlet “Shut..Shut up!” she said

I laughed and said “Come on, I'm only teasing.”

Scarlet was about to say something when Celestia said “Shadow, could you come here please?”

I walked over to the Princesses. They both had serious yet nervous looks on their faces.

“Shadow, we have agreed to let you handle this matter,” Celestia said.

“Thank you Princess, I...” I started.

“However, because this is a matter of the safety of my subjects, we will be sending a guard with you to help oversee the investigation,” she said. I thought about this for a moment. While they seemed perfectly reasonable, I couldn't help but sense that doubt in her voice. Then again, I can understand why she is doing it. I'm basically an unknown wielding immense power and a strange science they know nothing about. Being monitored didn't make me feel any better, but I understand why it's needed.

“Alright, sounds reasonable. But just one guard. Me and my friends can handle the rest on our own,” I said.

“Of course. Please be in Canterlot in two days for your transport to Bridleburg,” she said.

“Understood,” I said.

“Well, now that all that is taken care of, Luna and I must be returning to Canterlot. Excellent party Pinkie Pie, give my regards to the Cakes if you would,” she said walking to the chariot.

“Okie-dokie-lokey Princess,” Pinkie said.

“We agree, the festivities were most enjoyable. We greatly enjoyed spending time with our loyal subjects,” Luna said following her sister. Soon they were flying away until they were a speck on the horizon.




After the party, my friends and I returned to the hospital to discuss our mission.

“Shadow, doesn't this seem a little crazy, we barely know a thing about what's going on,” Nova said.

“I'm sure the Princesses will brief us when we get to Canterlot. If not, we can just ask the mayor,” I said.

“Shadow, do you really think we find Chrono?” Jade asked. I turned to Jade, who was still fiddling with the claw around her neck.

“It's a long shot, but it's definitely a possibility,” I said. Jade looked down dejected. I walked up to her and lifted her chin “Hey, don't get so down. The second you lose your hope, you lose everything,” I said. Jade stared at me.

“Don't ever lose hope, I will find him,” I said. Jade smiled.

“Thank you Shadow,” she said

“Well, if you're done with your little moment, we still have a problem Shadow. Apart from you, me and Jade, we're barely trained in combat. What if this situation turns ugly?” Scarlet asked.

“Worry not my dear Scarlet, for I have a plan. I do realize that we're barely trained, myself included, but all e have to do is play to our strengths. For example, Nova what would you do if you were surrounded by a group of, let's say twenty and only had a stick of dynamite on you?” I asked the pegasus.

Nova thought for a moment, scratching his head in frustration. Finally, he smiled and said “I got it. Wasting my only stick of dynamite would be foolish, but if I lit it without the enemy knowing, I could surprise them, and escape in the confusion,” he said beaming with pride.

“What if you have no means to light it?”

“Not a problem,” he said and grabbed a candle off the bedside table. Before I could say anything, he bit the candle at the wick, which lit instantly. He set the candle back on the table.

“See, I've learned how to light a wick with just my teeth. I prefer a match, but that works just as well in a pinch,” he said.

“I must admit Nova, I'm impressed,” I stood up and looked at them all “And that's what I'm talking about. If we play to our strengths in a battle, while also being able to fight outside of our element, we can win,” I said. Everyone nodded, but Scarlet was still apprehensive.

“It sounds good in theory, but will it work in a real combat situation?” she asked.

“Won't know until we try, which I pray doesn't happen,” I said. Scarlet stared at me. Finally, she shrugged and said “Whatever, as long as I have my bow, I'll be.....” she paused “Right, my bow got snapped in half,” she said hanging her head.

“That may not be entirely true,” I said and went over to my bed. From under it, I pulled out Scarlet's bow, put back together with a little help from my alchemy.

“My bow!” she said, running up and grabbing her bow, nuzzling it against her face.

“Where'd you find it, I thought I lost it when the Timberwolf threw me,” she said.

“Thankfully, Twilight picked it up after all the fuss. When I saw it, I fixed it up no problem, though you will have to re-string it,” I said. Scarlet looked at me, then set her bow down. Then she wrapped me in the biggest bear hug ever.

“Thank you Shadow, you don't how how much this means to me,” she said.

“No thanks necessary. Think of it as a gift, for all you've done for me,” I said with a smile. Scarlet smiled back at me. Then she frowned.

“By the way, shouldn't you change your bandages, they're pretty filthy,” she said. I looked at my bandages. Scarlet was right. They were covered in dirt, some blood stains, and oddly enough a little cake frosting.

“Huh, guess you're right, would you mind Scarlet,” I said. Scarlet shrugged and helped me get my bandages. When she was done, everyone gasped.

“Let me guess, I'm healed right?” I inquired.

“More than that Shadow, look,” Nebula said, pointing at my flank. I followed her hoof and saw a big surprise. My cutie mark (or emblem I guess since I'm a guy). It was a stylized bear paw inside of a transmutation circle. My jaw dropped.

“When did that get there?” I asked.

“Must've appeared when you were passed out. Guess the nurses didn't bother to notice,” Scarlet said.

I was still shocked. Partly because I now had my mark, but mostly because of the nature of it. The alchemy part was obvious, but the bear paw worried me. I knew it was related to the Ursa, but how exactly I'm unsure.

“Well, that's a nice surprise,” I said.

“I'll say,” Nova said. I shook my head and regained my focus.

“Well, now that that little excitement is over, we should all get some rest. We have a lot to do if we're gonna be heading to Canterlot soon,” I said. Everyone complied.

“We'll be in the hotel across the street if you need us Shadow,” Scarlet said.

“Ok, sleep well,” I said. Scarlet smiled. She hesitated a second, looked at me one more time, and left.

“Well, looks like someone's having fun,” Silver Thorn said.

“I have no idea what you mean,” I protested.

“Oh come now Shadow, surely you've noticed how that mare feels toward you,” He said.

“I.....Ok, I've noticed. But I'm trying to be careful. I can tell Scarlet has had some trouble with trust in the past. Exactly what I don't know,” I said.

“Regardless, you should pursue her. She definitely likes you, and I can tell you like her back,” He mused.

“That's none of your business Silver Thorn, besides, I'll let Scarlet reveal her feelings when she's ready.”

“You've obviously put some thought into this matter.”

“Let's just say I've had some bad experiences in the past and leave it at that,” I said.

“You keep saying things like that, what kinds of things have happened to you in your past Shadow?”

I went silent.

“Shadow?”

“I'll tell you some other time. There's a lot to tell, and now is not the time,” I said.

“Ok, Shadow, I understand. I won't pry further, but I'm here if you need me,” he said.

"Thank you," I said. With that, I settled into bed. My mind still raced with what was going to happen, and other things. My past was something I never liked to think about. One of the things I was happiest about when I came here was being able to leave my past behind me. But after my encounter with the Ursa inside my mind, I realized something. My past is something I can't run away from. At least not for long.

Author's Note:

Hey guys. First off, I'm going to try and come out with new chapters more quickly, probably on a bi-weekly basis. Second, I'm looking for a pre-reader and editor. If you're interested, just PM me. That will be all. Thank you for reading.