Through the soul of friendship

by ShieldStar

Chapter 11

Through the soul of friendship
Fanfiction by ShieldStar
11

Reed woke from the nightmare with a jolt. He was covered in sweat and the dream still lingered in him mild.

^

A wall of darkness move accost the land in front of him like a great sand storm. Tendrils of darkness reach out and pulled the mass along. Shadow Nightmares weaved in and out of the darkness. Suddenly he was in a village and the wall of shadows charged in in to the streets. A voice like a rock slide boomed in evil laugher and giggled with the voice of the young and the sound of scraping metal dragged on the gravel of the street.

“You will be my own,” a figure emerged from the darkness, twisted and gruesome. A pair of glowing eyes fix on Reed and boar in to his soul. The figure was humanoid, hands of bone broken and jagged, and a rib cage similarly twisted. The shadows weaved and shifted showing and hiding parts of the mangled body. The figure raised a hand and pointed at Reed. “You will be their dearth.” Reed looked at his feet, there broken and beaten were all his friends. Old and new, young and old, human and pony. Reed fell to his knees, “Nooooo!” he looked up and the face of darkness filled is view.

^

There was a knocking on the door causing Reed to jump again.

"All right in ther'?" Reed got to his feet shakily, and went to open the door. “Thought Ah’ heard all cry out.” Reed cracked the door open, a pony with an orange coat and blonde mane and tail stood there a concerned look on her face. “All weren’t still sleepin’?” Reed open the door a little more.

“Um, yeah. Everything okay? Um…” he recognized her from lunch yesterday, ‘what was her name?’ after his confection to Pinkie Twilight had introduce him to the rest of her friends. “Was it Applejack?”

“That’s right partner. Pinkie asked me to check on all, y’all look like you been sick. Y’all okay?”

“Um, I, uh…” he look and the farmponie’s concerned gaze. “I-I, no I am not okay, but nothing a little jog won’t fix. Uh, let me get ready.” Reed left the door partly open and went to get ready.

“Get ready? Aren’t ya’ ready now?”

“Humans are different than ponies, there are a few thing do to wake up and prepare for the day.” He called from farther in the room.

“Like wha’?” Applejack said skeptical.

“Um, just a few personal things.” AJ stopped, she was about to push the door open.

“Ah’ take your work fur’ it.” She sat back and waited for reed to get ready. The guard on duty offered no conversation, choosing to continue to act like a statue.

Thankfully Reed don’t take long and was soon ready. “Ready?”

“Yep, wha’d y’all mean by a jog?”

“I’ll show you.” They made their way down to the training fields and Reed went to the track, there were no guard today so Reed had the track to himself.

“Is a jog some kin’ of combat routine?” Reed looked at her.

“No, just some running.” The sun had been up for an hour or two and Reed felt ready to start the day. He took out his iPod and pick a playlist. He stretched and got into a starting position. Music started hard and fast and he took off. He sprinted down the stretch of track thinking about the dream. In the center of the track was an obstacle course to simulate hand to hand or hoof to hoof combat. Reed glanced at it and then back to the track. The music picked up and he picked up his pace pushing himself to keep pace with the music. He hit the turn hard and fast, he leaned towards the center and kept going. He was thinking so hard about the dream he didn’t notice the rock in his path. He stepped on it and it rolled. He stumbled in to the field and towards the center of the track. He had so much momentum that he crashed in to the combat simulation part of the obstacle course. The course came to life.

Reed was stopped by heavy bag smashing into him. It spun him around and he got his bearings. He ducked, dodged, weaved, and jumped anything and everything to keep from being touched by the whirlwind of simulated combat. He glanced the guard and Applejack standing just on the outside, concerned looks on their faces. The image of Applejack’s broken body burst into his mind. ‘No.’ The combat machine started to change, the hard limbs and heavy sacks became swiping claws and pouncing foes. ‘No.’ he continued to weave, jump, duck and dodge. Darkness shrouded the outside world, and a pair of Glowing eyes floated around him.

“’you will be their death.’”

“NO! I WILL PROTECT THEM!” the sword swung at him, he ducked under the arm and ripped the sword away from The Darkness. He attacked the horde of shadows, braking limbs, cut enemies for the air, until a circle of destruction was all that was left. Shadows faded, bone turned to splintered wood and down terrors turned to spilled sacks of sand.

Reed blinked, the sun glistened of his sweaty skin. His music slowed and stopped. Reed look around at the destruction dazed. He look at what had been a sword, now it was little more than scrap. Where had he gotten it? Then he remembered Applejack and the guard. He looked around to find them outside the combat ring looking stunted.

“Whoa there partner, let’s put down the sword and get a drink of water.”

“Wha-“ Reed felt tired and then he felt nothing and saw only blackness.

Author's Note:

Chapter 11 is up! Let me know if you find any typos!