//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Saving the world // Story: The Odyssey of Sunlight Blaze-Rise of a hero- Volume 6: Rise against Darkness, Heroes!! // by Justafanfictioner //------------------------------// Sunlight and the two girls reappeared in their world, in the middle of Canterlot. The siblings looked for Fluttershy and Applejack, then called the rest of the group for a reunion at the army’s military base. “Me and Twilight have discovered the cause of all that magic problem, said Sunset. The magic is leaping out from portals that i’m pretty sure Moonlight opened himself. When i’ll close those portals, the magic should stop flowing in our world.” “Okay, said Wind Rider. So, we know what’s causing this, and we have the mean to deal with it. Only thing that’s left is locate those portals, and thank to a bit of Twilight’s help, our technology is now able to locate them” “Sir!!! Said a soldier. Our satellites are done pinpointing all the magic portals.” “How many portal do we have to deal with?” asked Rider. “At least 50, Sir!!” he answered. “Think you can manage it, Sis?” asked Sunlight. “Yes, she answered. No problem! But since those portals were opened by either Moonlight or his team, someone need to deal with it, so they don’t open more!!” “I’m dealing with Moonlight myself, said Sunlight. You girls just chill out and be ready to intervene if a city needs you. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay against Moonlight? Asked Twilight. I mean, with all the magic he’s absorbed by now...” “His magic aura didn’t change since he started stealing magic, said Sunlight. Which lead me to believe he used a magic artifact instead of a magic spell. There is only one artifact i know of who can steal magic: Grogar’s Bell!!” “Grogar’s Bell?” asked Sunset. “An artifact that belonged once to Grogar, the Father of all Monsters, answered Sunlight. His bell had the power to steal the magic of a living being, no matter how much power it has. One day, a brave unicorn stole the bell from him and used it against Grogar, stealing his magic. The magic bell was then brought at the summit of the highest mountain in Equestria, Mount Everhoof, protected by a barrier to prevent anyone from taking it. But way later, Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow got their hands on it, and used it to fulfill their plans of ruling Equestria. They were ultimately defeated and the bell was locked up once again, protected by Cerberus in the Tartarus.” “Are you sure? Asked Sunset. Are you sure that Moonlight have this artifact in his possession?” “Let’s ask Twilight! Answered Sunlight. She’s the one who hid the bell after that fateful battle. Take your book and write to her to look if Grogar’s bell is still in the Tartarus” Sunset made her magic book appear in her hands and wrote the message in it. A few moment later, she received her answer. “She claims that the bell indeed have disappeared from Tartarus” said Sunset. “No doubt about it, then, said Sunlight. Moonlight does have it in his possession. Tell Twilight that i know who have the bell and that i intend on taking it back.” Sunset wrote the message in the book. Twilight replied almost immediately. “So, what did she wrote?” asked Sunlight. “She told us to be careful, answered Sunset. That’s all” Sunlight took off and went to look for Moonlight. Sunset also took off as well, heading to the magic portals to close them for good. Sunlight quickly located his nemesis and intercepted it as he was standing on a building. “Give that bell back, would you?” asked Sunlight, politely. “I’m afraid i can’t do that, answered Moonlight. Although i’m done stealing magic with it, i still need it for the second phase of my plan. Grogar’s bell is already hidden somewhere in my lair.” “Those portals, were they your doing?” asked Sunlight. “Yes, answered Moonlight. I gave my Legion of Darkness the task to open those portals. It was meant to distract you and your friends from interfering with my plan and to give me plenty of magic energy to steal. Now that i’m done stealing magic, i have no need to have them open portals anymore” “You stole ton of magic with the bell, said Sunlight. What are you intending to do with it?” “As if i was going to tell you, said Moonlight. But i can say that this magic isn’t for myself. While you’re here, let’s fight! If you beat me, i’ll give you an amazing prize.” “I accept the challenge, said Sunlight. I’ll beat your sorry ass into next week!!” Sunlight punched Moonlight with a magic fist and sent him flying into an empty building. He smiled and waited for him to come back. Moonlight reappeared behind him and tried to stab Sunlight with a shadow blade. Sunlight blocked it by creating an air barrier behind him. Moonlight stepped back and smiled, Sunlight created two clones of himself and sent them attacking Moonlight. The two clones combined air and fire magic to create a powerful flame that Moonlight tried to block with an ice barrier. The fire attack pierced it and injured Moonlight badly and he fell on his knees. Sunlight called back his magic clones. Moonlight was already exhausted, despite barely fighting. “You are already down with two attacks? Asked Sunlight. You have to be kidding!” Moonlight laughed and took down a spell he used to mask his weak magic aura. “Feel this magic aura of mine? Asked Moonlight. It’s weak, ain’t it? The truth is that i always had been weak...During our first confrontation, i had to resort to a magic ice gem to take on you and your friends. In our second battle, i’ve been fighting on the defensive, hoping my teammates would beat you before i ran out of energy. On our third fight, i took advantage of you and your sister being away to attack your friends.” “So, why don’t you absorb all the magic you stole with the bell? Asked Sunlight. With all the magic you’ve gathered, you could easily match my current power!” “It would make sense for me to do that, said Moonlight. But my body wouldn’t support all that power. You see, when you destroyed the ice gem that was embedded to my body during our very first battle, my body sustained irreversible damages that fragilized it. There is also the fact that i’m still linked to you.” “Are you slowly dying because you dissociated with me?” asked Sunlight. “Yes, i do, answered Moonlight. And i’m afraid to be at my terminal phase.” “How long?” asked Sunlight. “4 days at best, he answered. The plan i’ve come up with those last months is my final one. This plan will be my greatest masterpiece and it will succeed for sure!! If i’m going to disappear, i’m doing it with a bang!!” “What is it going to be this time?” asked Sunlight. “If i told you, it would spoil the suspense, answered Moonlight. And since i’m fair, i’m willing to give you a chance to survive the next battle that await you all.” Moonlight touched Sunlight’s chest with his hand. “Since i stole from you the ability to cast ice and shadow magic, said Moonlight. It’s common courtesy to give it back to you. And you won’t have to master them, simply due to the fact i’m also lending you my Ice and Shadow magic knowledge.” The magic transfer lasted for a few minutes. Moonlight removed his hands from Sunlight and disappeared. Sunlight felt the power of ice and shadow magic flowing in his body. “If he gave my back my ice and shadow magic, said Sunlight. That mean what he told me must be true. But what did he meant by giving us a chance to survive the upcoming battle? Is the enemy we’re going to face that powerful? Whatever, now that i can use ice and shadow magic again, and already master them as well, it’s time to merge with the Ice and Shadow gems” Sunset was heading toward the biggest magic portal as fast as she could. When she got in front of it a few minutes laters, she was surprised by it’s size. She transformed into her Daydream form and used her magic to close it. It took her a few minutes, but she was able to shut it down. She then used more of her magic to repair the damages caused by the portal. “One shut, she said, alright, next one!!” She headed to the closest portal from her location at blinding speed. After she arrived, she immediately closed the portal and cleaned the area from it’s corruptive magic. She continued to close portals for an hour and a half and was almost done shutting all of them. There was only one left, and Sunset was struggling to stay transformed. She closed the last portal with difficulty and immediately turned back to normal. She was falling head first in the ocean, when Rainbow Dash showed up and caught her in her arms. “Got you, sis!! She said. I had the feeling you would be completely exhausted after shutting down all those portals. So i flew as fast as i could when you were heading toward the last of them. It’s all over, now.” The two girls headed for the White house, to announce the President that the crisis was over. When they arrived there, Rainbow saw her friends waiting for her and Sunset. The President Gladmane was also there, along with thousands of people gathered at the gates. “There is so much people! Said Rainbow Dash, who landed in front of her friends. Are they all here for us?” “Of course, they are!! Said Gladmane. You saved the world after all, didn’t you?! They are there to see their heroes, who so valiantly fought to defend them. Oh my, i see that your friend is exhausted! Who wouldn’t be after closing so many portals? Bring her to my guest chamber and let her rest a little. The ceremony to celebrate the end of this crisis, and your brilliant victory is only going to take place in a few hours” “Where is Sunlight?” asked Rainbow Dash. Twilight pointed at a buffet table, full of spicy delicacies, and Sunlight was downing them like crazy. “Oh” she said. Sunlight saw Sunset Shimmer in Rainbow Dash’s arms and headed for her. He took her off Rainbow’s arm and hold her against him. He transfered some of his energy to her, and Sunset woke up, suddenly full of energy and hit Sunlight in the face. “Oops, sorry, she said. Are you okay?!” “I’m fine, he said, putting her down. Great job closing the portals, by the way!” “So, did you get the bell back?” she asked. “No, answered Sunlight. He already got rid of it when i faced him. But i still kicked his ass, though, and he gave me something for doing it” Sunlight crafted in one palm a sword made of ice and in the other, a sword made of shadow. Sunset and the others were surprised. “No way!! Said Twilight. You can use Ice and Shadow magic?” “Pretty neat, uh? Said Sunlight. And i don’t even have to train to master both, because he also gave me his knowledge on ice and shadow magic along with it.” “Why would he do that?” asked Sunset. “Beat me! Answered Sunlight. He told me i would need it when we’ll face our next enemy, that’s all i know.” “It is only a supposition, said Sunset. But maybe Moonlight is fading away, dying. He’s not his own individual, after all, he’s the manifestation of Sunlight’s darkness.” Sunlight slowly walked away, heading for the buffet. Sunset pulled him back to her. “Well, said Sunlight. I know that he use a spell to maintain a physical form. I guess if the spell wears off, Moonlight will become a ghost, without a physical body. If he’s dying, like you said, it might be because he got separated from me for too long. There might be a spell that could merge us together again...Let me check in my grimoire.” Sunlight pulled from his magic snatchel his grimoire, opened it and looked for the page about fusion and fission magic. “Found the page!! He said. Let’s see. Hum...Not that, not this one either...Ah, there it is!!” Sunlight’s mood changed from joy to disappointment. “The spell is simple, he said before Sunset asked him about his change of mood. Only problem, for it to work, Moonlight need to be willing to do so, since the spell require the target’s consent to operate.” “Yeah, said Twilight. That is definitively going to be a problem. I doubt Moonlight will accept to merge back with you, since you’re his enemy.” “At this point, said Sunlight. His life goal is to kill me, or see me die. We need to somehow get him to have a change of heart...And furthermore, a new enemy is going to show up in the next days, one that will beat us for sure, from what Moonlight said.” “If he’s going to show up in the next days, asked Applejack, we won’t have enough time to get stronger.” “You 6 don’t need training, said Sunlight. You can power up by drawing into your Element of Harmony. Same goes for you, sis. You can do the same to boost your magic power, plus having reality-breaking magic at your disposal...” “And what about you?” asked Pinkie Pie. “Well, he answered. Once i’ll merge with the Ice and Shadow gems, i’ll have merged with all 9 element beasts. That will allow me to summon the Elemental God, which i suppose i’d have to convince to lend me his power. If i can convince him to do so, i’ll reach the peak of my power and will become more powerful than ever before. But for now, let’s celebrate our victory!”