//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Confront the Darkness // Story: Shadows // by Dusty //------------------------------// Lucent's magic opened the door to the abandoned caslte he built long ago. It was here that he expected to find his darker half looking for him. When he possessed Luna, he knew to come here to break the seal that held Lucent captive so that he himself may be free again as well. Therefore Lucent realized that his darker half must of known he'd be here. Lucent was the first to enter the dark room. Before he could even fully enter the room, dark tendrils wrapped around him and took hold of the unicorn. "Oh there you are brother. You had me worried to DEATH!" The dark alicorn squeezed Lucent tighter with a wild and evil smile carving itself across its face. Lucent let out a loud yell of pain. "Lucent!" Celestia called as she entered the room. She instantly used her magic to cut the tendrils and free Lucent. "Are you OK?" She asked him. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said between breaths. He struggled to get back to his feet. "Brother, I can't believe this! You went and made some friends without me. Oh I am so very disappointed brother." The alicorn let out a maniacal laughter. Twilight and her friends were the next to enter, along with Luna. "Oh you are just FULL of surprises!" The alicorn said between laughs. Lucent was standing steadily now after shaking off the death grip Acerbus put on him. "Accerbus, this is between you and me." Lucent said, stepping forward. Acerbus only laughed, "Oh, are you the one calling the shots now?" "No, it's between us." Celestia said, stepping forward with Lucent. "I created you, albeit without knowing I did. Therefore you are my responsibility." "I helped as well. So this is also between us." Luna said, also stepping forward. "As long as you threaten Equestria, we will be there to stop you as well. If you have a quarrel with Ponyville, then you have a quarrel with us." Twilight and her friends also stepped forward, creating a grand line that stood against Acerbus. Acerbus began snickering and then burst back out into full laughter, "As if I am to be impressed?" "If that doesn't impress you then try this!" Lucent shouted, rearing his head back. His horn began to glow with a bright light. "Hm?" Acerbus tilted his head to the side. Lucent pointed his horn straight to Acerbus and shot a grand ray of light at him. Acerbus' horn began to emit a dark aura, "Instead of investing time into friends and helping people, perhaps you should of been investing time into controlling your magic!" Acerbus shouted. With minimal effort, Acerbus deflected the beam, sending it into the sky. Lucent was breathing heavily, he had put a lot of himself into that attack. "Lucent, allow us to try." Celestia said. Her and Luna moved forward in front of Lucent. "Celestia, and Luna too? My where have the years gone? You two look so much older now." A smile began to appear on Acerbus' face. "Silence, this is the end for you. I've never took such actions against any pony, but you are to be judged for your several murders all those years ago!" Celestia began to glow with an intense light. "Hm? OH! Those, right. I had almost forgotten about them." Acerbus snickered again. Celestia grew angry as Acerbus dismissed his killings as if they were nothing. A great heat began to surge from her body. Acerbus' eyes widened and a slight "Ooh!" was heard from him. Her mighty wings expanded and then pushed down with great might. The force propelled her off the ground in the direction of Acerbus. Celestia seemed to turn into a glowing fireball heading straight towards him. Acerbus made a tutting noise before beginning to glow himself. The aura around him expanded and met with Celestia's stopping her in her tracks. Sparks and lightning shot through the air. Snaps and crackles filled any gaps of silence that were left in the room. Celestia was grunting, having a hard time against the dark powers that Acerbus was unleashing. "Oh come now. This is all the ruler of Equestria has to offer? You may be the god of the sun, but even the sun sets!" With that, Acerbus let out a powerful blast that knocked Celestia away. Luna quickly galloped to her sisters side and assured she was alright. Twilight sparkle and her friends then took point. "We are the Elements of Harmony," Twilight spoke with great bravery, "Which, as you may know, is the most powerful magic known to Ponykind!" Acerbus looked at the six with a bored expression. A grand tiara appeared on Twilight's head and began to glow with great intensity. Gold and diamond necklaces began to adorn the neck of the other elements, all bearing a very close resemblance to their respective cutie marks. Together, the six ponies light glowed together making a bright beacon in the night. Acerbus still had a bored look, but rose from a sitting position to stand. The light grew so intense that the ponies were no longer seen, it was ll just one big ball of light. Then , a rainbow shot out of it, into the air. The beam then redirected itself and began heading straight for Arcebus. "You do realize that even though you are the Elements of Harmony, I was born from them, right? That makes me their opposite. Foals." Acerbus began glowing again. He then shot a beam out of his horn that connected with the rainbow one. The beams struggled against each other, seemingly matched. Acerbus smiled, with a might roar his beam over took the other beam and pushed it back. Acerbus' black beam was heading straight for Twilight and her friends. Lucent got up and began channeling his magic again, drawing from all he could, trying to use every ounce of magic he had to save the ponies. With a grand flash, Lucent teleported in front of the black beam with a golden forcefield surrounding him. The beam hit the shield and then divided, shooting left and right. After the beam was fully countered, Luncent's shield drop, as well as well as Lucent himself. He collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. "Lucent..." Twilight said, laying down to get closer to the alicorn. Celestia also approached, "He's bested all of us." She said with a sorrowful look. "Finally, I can be rid of you Lucent. I will destroy you and absorb that precious soul of yours!" Acerbus said with a maniacal laughter, dark energy began to swirl all around him. Lucent could only brace himself for what felt like the end. He closed his eyes tight, and readied himself.