//------------------------------// // Clash of shadows // Story: Arctic runner- vol 1 catching shadows // by adaptroug //------------------------------// His red eyes glowed with Hatred as the other four shadows charged at me. I quickly slid under one of them focusing my power yet nothing happened. "Why won't you work," I said breaking out into a cold sweat. Glancing at the sky I saw lance flying in circles, watching me holding onto the gauntlet showing no signs of allowing me access. One of the shadow managed to slip behind me and stabbed me in my right shoulder with his blade like hands. I was bleeding my only good shirt ripped and stained with crimson. I help my wound trying to stop the bleeding to no avail. "You are nothing but trash!!!!!" There leader yelled at me walking calmly towered me, "You could have been all powerful but you tried to stop us," He continued to yell as he picked me up by the neck, "Everything will end in shadow, You are no different." He threw me through a concrete wall. I could feel by bones shatter like glass. "First you then this planet then everything will fall, everything you love will be torchered before they are killed slowly like her!!!" He yelled throwing his dagger allowing it to cut my other arm before recalling to it's master. "You're not even worth killing," He said turning away, "I have bigger fish to fry," he said walking away. I felt myself slipping into darkness. Is this it, Is this how I will die, I thought to myself. "DYLAN!!!" A voice I could not forget rang out, twilight. I could not respond, I didn't want to cause this them seeing me bleed out slowly dying. "Don't go please don't go." The two places where I was cut were starting to turn black and spread. Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow dash, Pinkie pie, And applejack had finally caught up to twilight only for me to see them one last time. This wasn't just them loosing a friend but..... Why should we waist out energy Helping someone that can't get back up after a few cuts, I herd a voice in my head, To think you defeated nightmare and you just are realizing how weak you are without us, pathetic. "I'm not dead yet!!!" I yelled surprising even the shadow that was walking away as I stood up. How is he tapping into our power!!?!?!??! The voice in my head screamed. "Get back now, and stay out of my way," I yelled at the six. "Your alive," I herd twilights voice. "You herd me," I said. Strange, I thought as the sky darkened, Shadow clouds. "Lance!!!" I yelled at the sky walking away from my pool of blood my attire stained crimson as I saw what was causing the shadow clouds, "Quit playing around with your shadow and get your feathered self over here." I watched a blue dot in the clouds glow brightly before growing reviling the blue phoenix coming at me at full speed followed by a black phoenix both accelerating. He seemed to throw a gauntlet that shined brightly. I only had a split second but I was able to catch it before the shadow phoenix and put it on before a sharp pain exploded in my shoulders. "Hey, weakling," I yelled to the shadows that were walking away as my cloths were engulfed in white fire with a blue core, "I'm not dead yet." As he turned his eyes seemed to pop out of his head when he saw the white flames surrounding me. "So this is your power," He said trying to stay monotone, "You'll regret waiting to show this strength." He charged at me, blades drawn. "Bring it!!!" I yelled. As he got in closed ducked under the blade. I was able to form the wraths scythe just in time to block a blow across my back with the shaft. "You don't deserve that power!!" He said grabbing the scythe, "SO I WILL TAKE IT FOR THE SHADOWS!!!!!!!!" "I think you will find that hard to do," I said, the scythe vanishing just as quickly as it had came only to be replaced with a short sword just below his grip. My blade glistened with the little light provided. As I lifted the blade I could faintly hear a voice in my head. 'Give up your heart left broken' That voice I remembered, the embodiment of the pain I felt that day when I broke nightmare. These thoughts were not mine though, for as I gazed at my opponent I could see his pain. Instead of yelling I could hear his voice muffled by the body, "Why did you leave us?" I realized what I should have but my body was fighting off of instinct as I saw clearly something made in a similar image of myself. "Who are you?" I asked as calmly as I could. "Time has seemed to warp your image," He said, "I always thought we looked alike."