Speda, Pinkie and Rainbow were still on their way back home. Pinkie and Rainbow insisted on walking with her to the orphanage.

Speda still hadn't asked the question. She made up a small lie before, but, now she felt she couldn't do it. She was too.... scared to push further. It's only been a few months since she met them. So...

She wouldn't say. Not for a while at least. As they approached the orphanage, Speda felt lonely, thinking about how she'd go to sleep alone. Wake up alone. She's terrified of her nightmares. She thought about how her mother would be able to deflect the nightmares from her. But Luna Moon was busy getting her own sleep. And Speda understood she had to handle this on her own.

"I'll see you two in the morning, okay? Goodnight-", Speda was about to walk in, when Pinkie grabbed her hoof.

"You're doing something on your own again. Aren't you?", Pinkie asked, and was rewarded with a guilty look from Speda. "Tell us what it is, so we can help you, Speda.", Pinkie said with an authouritive tone, and so Speda told them about her dream problem. And even told them about how her mom helped her with them, but didn't say who she was, so they didn't know that at least.

Pinkie thought about it, then came up with a good idea. She talked with Rainbow about it, and they came to an agreement, then Pinkie grabbed Speda, while Rainbow went in and grabbed all of her things, which was a pitiful amount. Speda was about to ask what they were doing, when they started pulling her along to somewhere she knew well.

"Why are you taking me to Sugarcube Corner again? We dont need to eat.", Speda said, and it was when they were heading toward the stairs that led to Pinkie's room she got the hint. "Wait, wait, what? Pinkie, Dashie, what-", Speda was interrupted as she was silenced by Rainbow Dash.

"If you are going to try and control your own dreams, you're going to need a better place to sleep than that cot, and I don't want you hurting yourself in the process, so this was the best possible choice. Pinkie and I agreed on it. Now get in that bed, and get some good sleep!", Rainbow Dash almost yelled, as she practically threw her on Pinkie's bed, and both the mares joined her, cuddling up to her, which made Speda blush, but internally scream out of happiness. She calmed herself, as best she could as she was wrapped in their hooves, and the blanket fell over them.

It took about twenty minutes before Speda woke up in her dream world, and almost immediately was attacked by the rising darkness and blood of the cultists, and all the rejections coming at her all at once, staggering her, as if it was a physical force.

She heard the past screams of her abusers. She heard the constant horrified no's from the ponies of Canterlot, Fillydelphia, and more kept piling up. All this happened in a instant within her mind.

Speda tried to get back up, but the darkness was back on her in an instant, badgering her hard, and as she screamed in agony, a feeling surged up within her very being. The word 'Determination' yelled in her soul, the words Stay Determined! yelled in her mind, and on instinct, Speda pulled at a space on her hips, and a red glowing blade floated next to her. The very air around her swirled, while around the being of darkness, the air was still.

Speda charged forward, even as several of her scars opened up to years of pain and torture, reminding her of everything, she stepped through it all, and slashed at the being, which caused it to stagger backwards, screaming as loud as a hurricane. That might have just been frustration. But Speda didn't care anymore. She would get through this, she WOULD surpass her darkness, she WOULD SURPASS HER FEAR!

Without a glance, Speda was quick as a bullet, her eyes flashed a bright blue, eyes flowing more than they ever did, as several small pentagrams appeared around her body, sending blue, glowing sword-like projectiles into the darkness, even as her own red blade stabbed into the being, and soon the being lashed back at her, this time stabbing it's dark tendrils into Speda's open wounds. Speda screamed louder than she did at the Cultist's hooves. Her throat felt like it tore itself from the inside.

Again, the pain flooded her senses, causing her to stagger to the ground. She struggled against the force of darkness, even as her hooves gave out under her, and more scars opened up, darker slashes appearing in various places.

Speda, in a last ditch effort, summoned all her pentagrams into one, and positioned it above the dark being. It looked up, but it was too late, as it was speared straight through the middle, with a large dark blue blade. Speda defeated it, at least for a while. But she knew this wouldn't be the last of it. It would be stronger the next time, and she was afraid of what it would do to her mind.

She broke down there, letting out her pain, again, but feeling better than she did before, without the burden of her dreams haunting her forever, she'd cherish this time she has before the next attack. The towering blade dissipated, revealing nothing in it's place, except for a small imprint of a pony-like figure.

It took a few moments for Speda to calm herself enough to fall into her dream sleep again, and awaken in the waking world.

It was morning when Speda woke, eyes streaming with tears still, but she kept quiet, not wanting to wake the two below her.

After an hour, with time to clean herself up, the two woke, yawning. They noticed Speda's slumped form, on the edge of Pinkie's bed, and they both leaped at her in an embrace.

"Did you.. beat it?", Rainbow asked. Speda looked at her, and smiled sadly, and when Rainbow was gonna slump down, Speda spoke.

"For now... But I know it will be back. It will be stronger, and it was already strong as it is. I don't know if I'll be able to defeat it next time.... But... Something happened to me while I was fighting it.", Speda said, and explained everything. The two were surprised at what she could do. But Speda couldn't do it in the waking world. Not yet at least.
~

The three cuddled together for a few more hours comforting the wounded pegasus, and soon, they walked down from Pinkie's room, and down into the kitchen. There was a surprised looking couple, the owners of the place, but their looks softened at looking at Speda, and they started whipping up something for her, and the rest to eat.

"Speda, we heard your story. And we just want to say we are so sorry you had to go through that-", the couple were interested as the pegasus hugged the two, and pulled away from them with a happy grin.

"It's okay. As I said before, it was a long time ago, you don't need to pity me. From now on, I will be a new Speda Hooves!", Speda declared, with a determined look on her face that oddly suited her, and the two were so focused on that, that the two didn't notice Speda walking with Pinkie and Rainbow out the door eating what they made them, yelling thank you back their way.

Speda waved hello to the towns-ponies as she passed by them, and they waved in return. The two on either side of her smiled, happy that she is feeling better than she did in a long time. Pinkie was interested in who Speda kept calling mom, cause she remembers Speda saying her biological mother died when she was born.

Pinkie filed that into questions for later, as she was losing pace with Speda and Rainbow, and on her way while following them, she felt a few tugs from her tail, a flinch from her hoof, and her mane shook. A new pony moved to Ponyville.

Author's Note

This should clear up what SOUL Speda has, regarding the Power of the SOUL book.

Can any of you guess who this new pony is? Enter your questions down below in the comments, I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter