//------------------------------//
// Chapter 20 
// Story: Through the soul of friendship 
// by ShieldStar 
//------------------------------//

Through the soul of friendship
Fanfication by ShieldStar
20

Fluttershy woke with a start as thunder crashed in to the town of Tall Tail. It was raining outside and the sun had only just risen. Fluttershy looked around to see if anyone else was awake. Applejack was just leaving for breakfast and waved at the shy mare before quietly leaving the room. Fluttershy stretched and quietly got out of bed, and move to get ready.

~

Rubbing sleep from her eyes Fluttershy left the room they shared. Quietly shutting the door Fluttershy trotted down the hall and toward the dining room. Where she found Applejack munching on some wheatcakes. Serving herself a few Fluttershy sat next to her friend.

“How’d ya sleep sugar cube?”

“Oh it was nice, there was a…foreboding feeling I had before I fell asleep though. Not that I’m complaining. I just thought I would…” Applejack nodded and finished chewing.

“You too huh? Ah Kept on toss’en and turn’en all night, and this here storm ain’t help’en none either.” They ate in companionable silence for a while. Once they were done they thanked the cooks and sat by the fire, waiting for their friends to wake up.
The train pulled into the wet rainy station, thunder boomed overhead and the group of guards and Reed quietly unloaded from the train. Once they were unloaded the train raced away back the way it had come. The group then loaded their gear into a few carts and headed for the camp to meet up with the commanding authorities.

“Are you sure Star Lance?”

“Yes Princess Luna, I only wish I had noticed it when we left the room.” Star Lance and Princess Luna stood looking at an intricately carved wooden box. It was the box that Reed had forgotten on the bedside table when Star had burst in while he was packing.

“But why is it so important?”

“I think he called it the box of sealing. And that it was used to seal Solus.”

“Then if it truly is this important and if Reed truly is going to face that abomination then we must get this to him post haste. I will have a carriage readied and the fastest guards fly you there with this box.”
“Yes Princess.” Star Lance Bowed and lifting the box into her saddlebag she quietly left to dawn her armor and get ready to depart.

Steadfast waited for the medical pony to finish rewrapping his bandages. That said, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t casualties. Steadfast’s group had been attacked by what he could only describe as Shadow animals. Wolves, bears, ponies, deer, and few smaller creatures, all surrounded by shadow and looking like corpses, bits of bone and glowing red eyes winking in the poor light of the storm. The shadows had seemed to swallow those who had died, a short scream before they fell to the ground. Steadfast shook his head to clear it, out of the ten guards in his squad only four others had survived, in total half his squad was swallowed by the darkness.

“Steadfast sir! Reports of from the recovery recon group have come in.” Steadfast nodded for the guard to continue. “The bodies of Ash Shield, Brisk Wind, Fury Hooves, Hard Light, and Golden Helm could not be found. In addition, Recovery lost two of its own, Blaze Spear and Quick Tourniquet.”

“Will that be all?”

“Yes sir!”
“Dismissed, get some rest.” The guard saluted and left, Steadfast sighed and got up to make his own report and to write letters of condolence. Seven, Seven dead ponies under his command, dead by shadows no less. Steadfast stopped and let the rain run down his face, tears flowing freely. He gazed out to the ruins. Where red lightning flashed and illuminated the figures of shadow clad beasts and ponies alike.

Fluttershy followed the rest of the girls and their escort to the guard camp. It was still raining and despite Rainbow’s attempts to clear some of the weather the clouds simply flowed around the rainbow pegasus. So now they cantered along in relative silence, rain dripped off Rarity’s umbrella, and Twilights shield, which she had stretched over Fluttershy and herself. Applejack had to tip her hat more than once to spill the water from her brim. Pinkie Pie Happily hopped along splashing in puddles, much to Rarity’s chagrin. Rainbow Dash had kept trying to clear the clouds, but finally gave up and joined Twilight and Fluttershy under the shield.

“Twilight, do you think Spike will be alright?” Fluttershy asked.
“Of course Fluttershy, Spike has learned from his passed experiences and is more than capable for taking care of the pets and watching over the library, and Angle bunny is good at taking care of your animal friends.” Fluttershy nodded and they soon arrived at the camp Red lightning flashing over the ruins of Whitetail.

Reed had listened to the reports of what had happened to Steadfast’s group and offered his condolences and praised the guard on doing what he could to save the rest of his squad.Reed was now studying the maps of the ruins that had been collected by the recon groups before Steadfast’s ambush. There was a slight commotion, and Reed looked up. The Elements of harmony had just arrived and were heading for the edge of the camp to use the elements themselves. Reed followed them to the edge and be held the ruins with his own eyes. The shadow seemed to be massing in the center of town square and red lightning continuously struck the roiling mass of darkness. A single shadow started to form and grow upwards, forming a towering human-esk figure. The shadows moved, the darkness its-self shifting. Two eyes, the color of a burning night, opened.

"Harmony." Says the voice that sounded like a mountain rolling and yet is as quiet as the summer wind. It drew a blade the color of blood and the shadow moved like a thick miasma out of the center of the square. Colorless except for the occasional sparkle of deepest blue and purple, and Red lightning crashing down around it.

“Solus.” Reed said with all the finality of a death sentence.