//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: Through the soul of friendship // by ShieldStar //------------------------------// Through the soul of friendship Fanfiction by ShieldStar 14 Star watched the vision and recorded it in detail in a gem made for such a purpose. The chants were gone, only the wind and other ambiance existed in the vision for sound. A battle, a chase, a search for her, a shape looming, reaching for her. “Little pony little pony it’s not nice to spy on others. I will devour you and your light. But first for you.” The shadowy shape turned to a figure of Reed. Darkness leaking from the spell reaching for his real body. Star cut the spell and jumped on Reed. “WHAAAAA!” Reed cried out doubling over, “I’m up! I’m up!” “Sorry the… darkness? Was reaching for you. I had to wake you up.” Star apologized, getting off of Reed. “The vision?” “Yes, somehow it reached through the spell, spoke to me and went after you.” Reed looked worried. “What did it say to you?” Star shuttered “That it would devour my light and me along with it.” “Your light!” alarmed Reed got out of the bed, “turn around, quick, I have to check something.” “Check what? What’s wrong?” star turned on the spot, trying to get a look at her own back. “Stop, stop, you won’t be able to see it without at least two mirrors. What I am looking for is a mark at the base of the neck” as star stopped, Reed kneeled down and gently moved her mane away from her neck. There just above her armor was an ashy mark. “Star I need you to be very still.” “Is there a mark?” Star asked worried. “No there isn’t but I need to protect you from one appearing, hold still. I have to get something from my bag.” Reed knew he lied but right now if Star Lance was to live he had to keep her calm. Opening his bag Reed fished out two smaller bags. That contained mint leaves in one and maple leaves in the other. Going back to Star he knelt again, taking one mint leaf out he offered it to Star. “Here suck on this, but don’t swallow it.” Star picked it up with her magic and placed it in her mouth. Reed took a maple leaf out and placed it over the ashen mark, then laid his hand over the leaf. “Sha-que, sha-que, ink-a rue-sec fen say. Dor-rin th-ean!”(Darkness darkness come on to me. Burn In light!) There was a smell of burning maple leaves and a soft glow. Reed took his hand away and pull the leaf off star’s neck. The mark was gone, transferred to the leaf. “Okay you should be protected from the darkness.” “What did you do?” star asked taking the mint leaf out. “Nothing, you had to just suck on the mint leaf for a bit and you are safe.” Reed took the mint leaf and placed it over the mark on the maple there was a flicker of red and the leaves sealed the mark. Star turned around looking confused. “Really that’s it? A mint leaf keeps the darkness away?” “Yep, if you remember the taste of the mint leaf, and then imagine what light would taste like.” “They’re the same!” Star said in awe. “How did you figure this out? I thought this was the first time you dealt with the darkness.” “Well, this kind of darkness it is, but when I was little I was terrified of the dark, and my Grandma told me what I just told you. So now when I am scare of the dark I just think about the taste of mint and light.” “Huh.” “Yeah,” there was a pause, “shouldn’t we report the vision to the princesses?” “Oh, yes. I will wait for you out side.” When star had left, Reed took the sealed leaves and put them in a carved box. He knew he had to lie to Star Lance for her own safety, that didn’t mean that it felt right, in fact he wished he could tell her the truth, but he also knew the consequences if he did. He readied himself for the day quickly, picked up the box, put in his pocket and meet Star in the hall. “Oh, good. I notified the princesses of the vision, they asked to meet as soon as you were ready.” “Good, where are we meeting them?” “In the study, come on.” With that Star trotted towards the study, Reed in tow. ~ “Thank for your report Guardian Star Lance.” Princess Luna looked down fondly at Star Lance, “You are relieved of you duty, get some rest. You will need it for tonight’s shift.” “Thank you Princess.” Star Lance bowed and left the study. After arriving at the study Star Lance had reported the night’s events and delivered the record gem. Once Star had left Princess Celestia turned to Reed, “what all happened? You look concerned.” Reed sigh before he confessed, “I have not been truly honest. When I first had the first dream vision I thought it little more than the regular visions. The darkness has always hunted me but now that I have come to where I suspect the Darkness lives its power is much stronger. As I said before I have only been attack in my dreams and have been given nightmares, but now the darkness can manifest its self through the dreams. I have always been able to an extant see bits of the future, but I never remembered them. When a certain event happened I gained the power to see more and started to remember bits of what I saw.” “What do you mean ‘A Certain Event’?” “There was an event in my world when I was Story Making, the way I go to sleep. Anyway there was a bright flash of light at first, but then more flashes came. Some were colored, most were just light. It was late at night and I was the only one up at the time, I went to my window and multiple flashes of light struck me. When I woke up the next morning, nothing I noticed changed. Slowly over time I learned that I had some form of power and began to teach my self how to control it, or tap into it, as it can have a mind of its own, but there are circumstances that have to be met for me to lose control over it.” “Okay, so is it similar to a unicorns magic?” “A little? I don’t know much about unicorn magic. My magic, I guess you could call it that, is not really direct.  With enough emotion and will I can project and influence the world around me. All that he knows now is from experience. As far as I know no other human has this power normally.” “Influence in what way? And what do you mean by project?” Luna asked. “Project, as in project my will in to something, and occasionally someone, but that is a lot harder to do. Influence is the same but less physical and more physical at the same time. Ugh this is hard explain, may I show you?” the princesses nodded, and Reed relaxed, closed his eyes and focused. Breathing in he raised his arms to his chest, arms crossed. He then exhaled sweeping his arms out smoothly palms up. The Princesses saw a barely visible wave of energy expand from Reed. When it touched them the feeling of contentment and peace washed over them. The sisters turned to each other grinning, Reed then took the carved box from his pocket. “This is the other part of my power.” Reed opened the box to show them the sealed leaves. “These are all enchanted, I think that is the right word. The box contains any negative energy and cycles it back in to the sealing leaves. The mint leaf and the maple leaf have both been enchanted, the mint caused total focus on the leaf and leaves those who suck on it unable to remember what happened during the time they sucked on the leaf. The maple leaf has many uses, but depends on the enchantments placed on it. From a sealing trap, to a shield, however all uses for the maple leaf are defensive. Right now the leaves are sealing the darkness that touched Star Lance when it manifested out of the dream. This is why Star didn’t notice the spell I cast to remove it.” The Princess’s looked at each other then back at Reed. “That is a lot to take in, is there a way to protect the darkness?” “There is Princess Luna-” “That is good, how do we protect ourselves?” Celestia gave her sister a reproachful look. “We are sorry for interrupting you, please continue.” “No worries, there is a way I can shield you from The Darkness. However, the spell is very hard to cast-“the doors to the study banged open and a figure of a pony shrouded in shadow stood there. The darkness pooled on the ground rolling like liquid smoke. “Now, Now, Now, look what I have found.” the figure slow walked in, “twinkle, twinkle, little star how I long to devour you light.” Reed turned to the figure, “Oooo, glimmer little candle, I will snuff you, and-“ “Sec Ren Fa Rey Sen De Doge Sayg Sev En-Gu. Osh La-Ka Sen Kay Do. Ren Kay-Cow. Dor-rum Skay!” (To I Call You froth from shell and false face. Bring away froth in air. I in-take. Burning void!) Reed cried out, an orb of spinning light collected in Reed’s hands. The Darkness flew from the figure and into the light the sound of rapidly evaporating water screaming from the contact, as the Darkness was burn into nothing. Reed collapsed to the floor hands smoking, as blood dripped from his nose. He looked up to see the figure of Twilight Sparkle lying unconscious on the floor.