//------------------------------// // Chapter 21 // Story: Through the soul of friendship // by ShieldStar //------------------------------// Through the soul of friendship Fanfication by Shield Star 21 Star Lance had left that night the chariot being pulled by the two fastest guards Princess Luna could find. At first Star had declined the chariot, “I insist, two of the fastest guards shall pull it, and should there be battle upon your arrival you shan’t be exhausted from your travels. A unicorn couldn’t teleport you because they would be unable to maintain the level of magic to teleport you and themselves that distance without causing magical burn out or worse.”The two guards were preparing to land in the square of Tall Tail. Below in the square was another guard waiting for he to land. The chariot touched down with a slight bump. Star hopped off and cantered over to the waiting guard. “Star Lance, I was told you have an important package.” “I do, we would have sent it by magic but there was a counter spell on the box.” The guard nodded. “Then we must be quick, when I left the thing had just started its assault.” With that Star followed the guard out of the town. The two guards that had pulled the chariot through the air, pulled the chariot out of the way, and went to the inn for a much needed rest. Reed leaned over the table studying the maps of the ruins that had been collected by the recon groups before Steadfast’s ambush. A murmur hummed through the tent, the Elements of Harmony had just arrived. Reed left the tent and greeted them, before they were all lead to the edge of the camp to use the elements themselves. As they approached the hill overlooking the ruins of whitetail town reed noticed the movement of many shadows. The storm made it hard to see but, the shadows seemed to be massing in the center of the town square. Red lightning continuously struck the roiling mass of darkness. The concussive rolls of thunder could be felt with each impact. The shadows twisted and merged, a single shadow grow upwards, forming a towering bipedal figure. The shadows moved, the darkness its-self shifting. Two eyes, the color of a burning night, opened. "Harmony." Said a voice that sounded like a mountain rumble but was as quiet as the summer breeze. It drew a blade the color of burnt crimson and the shadow moved like a thick miasma slowly towards Reed and his friends. Colorless except for the occasional sparkle of deepest blue and purple, and Red lightning crashing down around it.Where the lightning struck figures of the shadow nightmares clawing from the ground. “Solus.” Reed grimly confirmed what they all feared. This ancient foe had followed him here. As if the world it infected wasn’t enough. As if the torture and pain it thrived on couldn’t fill its thirst. “I Told You Would Be Mine. And You Refused Me. I Told You To Give In, And You Refused Me. Now I Will Take Everything You Hold Dear And Take You By Force. You Are Mine.” The very air rippled, the stones cracking under the power of the voice. Many of the ponies knelt covering their sensitive ears. Fluttershy was shaking so bad behind Applejack that the farm-pony struggled to stay in one spot. The rest of the elements weren’t much better, but they stood their ground. Reed stepped forward, “you will never win,” “Spare me the heroic speeches, you and I both know I very well could win.” “Then why do you hesitate?” “Um, Reed maybe we shouldn’t antagonize the big scary shadow?” Rarity called. “Oh, don’t you play the naive card on me, we know how powerful you are.” Star followed the guard down the road at a gallop. “Where are we going? Surely the threat hasn’t gotten this close to Tall Tail.” “No we would have evacuated the town if it had.No we are going to our base of operations. From there the designated unicorns will teleport us to our forward base of operations the elements only when through this morning and the human moved up a day before that.” Has there been any word on the situation?” “No word yet, all reconnaissance stopped after the ambushes.” The two soon arrive in the large camp ponies in guard armor practicing drills and doing equipment checks. They cantered to a stop outside a command tent, just in time for the lead of the Magical transportation division to exit. “Captain Portal, we have arrive with a top priority package to be delivered to the forward base of operations. Can you arrange transport?” “Under who’s orders?” Star stepped forward, “I am under the orders of Princess Luna herself, to deliver a key asset to combating the entity known as Solus.” Star Lance took out the scroll The Princess had given her before she had left. The captain read over the orders and gave them back to star. “Right this way, I will have my unicorn ready for transport via teleportation.” ~ “Oh, don’t you play the naive card on me, we know how powerful you are.” Star stubble for the teleport, but quickly regain her footing and galloped off to find Reed. “It only depends on if you are willing to use that power,” Reed shrank back, “Use it Reed, Let me in, let your true power show, Un-“ “No.” Solus stopped, “I will never lose control and ravage the world with my power. I won’t be you.” Solus lunged forward at Reed. The mass of shadow crash down like a tsunami if darkness. “Girls now!” the other five jumped into position at twilight’s words. The elements around their necks glowing with power. A shield formed in front of the cascading wall of darkness. The immense mass slammed into the shield, the darkness rippling and writhing like smoke and water. Twilight opened glowing her eyes, as the rays of a rainbow shot forth from the element of magic. The rainbow struck the darkness burning it away, cracks of light began to form with in the darkness.The cracks grew and expanded pure light pouring forth from them. The form of Solus stumbled back falling to its knees, the light of the rainbow unrelenting. Solus lifted its head a silence scream as the light consumed it, the shadows crumbling like sand filtering through an hour glass. As the light of harmony receded, the element bearers returned to the ground. Reed squinted hard into the swirling dust, eyes still dazzled from the light of harmony.