The Shadowbolts costume was in tatters and blood was dripping from her wounds like rain. All around her the shards of broken gems fell like hail, embedding themselves in the ground, an invisible magic shield spread over her keeping her safe from the gem shards that were still falling.
She groggily got to her feet and looked her opponent in the eye. "So this is it huh? You're just going to unmask me now?"
Mare Do Well nodded as she trotted slowly forward, the shards pouring around her,leaving a straight path toward Shadowbolt.
Shadowbolt began to laugh. Not a happy laugh. "You... you are such a Lunadamned idiot!" She cackled. "You think that just by unmasking me you'll learn who I am?"
Mare Do Well tilted her head in confusion.
"Oh for... Talk you dumb pile of shit!"
The last gem shard floated down in front of Mare Do Well and pivoted, pointing at Shadobolt before lurching forward, jamming into something on her throat.
"What did you-" She stopped, her voice sounded weird. Like it had amalgafied from two seperate ponies. "No... no! What did you do? You clumsy... What did you do? Did you hit my vocal modifier?" Shadowbolt rocketed forward.
... before suddenly finding herself flying backwards, dragging her hooves along the ground. "Back to old tricks huh Mystery Mare?"
Rarity's eyes darted about behind her mask, looking for the source of her opponents sudden reversal of momentum. "All right Rarity... Just a few more seconds and I'll be able to do it again!" Her ear piece buzzed. "Just keep focused and get into a low stance."
Rarity kept looking around but lowered herself like she was told keeping Shadowbolt in her peripheral vision at all times.
"So, you're ready to get serious huh?" Shadowbolt smirked as she pulled a small white ball from her costume. "I'll beat you here the same way I beat you in the castle!" She yelled, her vocal modifier still on the fritz, making her sound possessed.
She slammed the ball into the ground, releasing a huge black, angry thundercloud that encompassed the ground.
"Dammit." Rarity's earpiece buzzed. "I know you know a soundproofing spell, use it on your mask, quick!"
She nodded, her horn starting to glow a pale blue, the same glow forming a barrier around the inside of her mask.
Not a moment to soon as an ear splitting thundercrack burst from the cloud, destroying windows all along the street the two were in and collapsing the walls of the closest buildings.
"Get out of the cloud! Now, before-"
Rarity felt something hit her costume, her earpiece shorted out and she collapsed to the ground, convulsing due to the lightning that had hit her.
The soundproofing spell failed as she lost her focus and began to scream.
Shadowbolt was cackling madly. "Got you again Mare Do Well." She smirked as the cloud lifted off the ground again, begininng to drop it's liquid payload. The rain caused smoke to rise off Mare Do Well's motionless form.
She winced as the rain struck her wounds. "And now Mystery Mare. Your mask is mine!"
The world flashed negative and Mare Do Well vanished from her prone position on the ground as Shadowbolt felt like she had been hoofed in the stomach.
She looked at the spot where her opponent had been and screamed in frustration before taking to the skies and looking around.
Twilight Sparkle pulled the mask off of Rarity and checked her pulse. "She's alive. But the shock knocked her out."
She pulled the mask back over Rarity's face and put her in the hay pily next to her, hiding in the shadows as Shadowbolt passed over head.
"Where are you?!?" She screamed. "I'll tear this whole damn town apart if I have to!"
Shadowbolt scanned the alleyways, spotting only scared ponies and a hay pile. "Fine! Don't come out! You'll see what happens to your beloved town Mystery Mare!" She yelled before flying towards Everfree forest.
Twilight trotted out from the shadows and grabbed Rarity from the hay pile, teleporting them both somewhere safe.
---
Shadowbolt touched down in frony of a small hut about half an hour later. "Guh... that took twenty minuters too long. Guess those gems did more damage than I thought." She groaned as she folded her sore wings against her body.
She frowned. Her voice still sounded like an amalgamation of two ponies.
By pulling her mask off she managed to dislodge the gem shard and the broken part of her voice changing necklace. "Crap..." She muttered under her breath as her voice returned to normal. She knocked on the door of the hut. "Unless Zecora has something she can give me I'm going to have to go silent."
Voices could be heard on the other side of the door before a pale yellow earth filly with a rose coloured mane and a pink bow opened the door.
"Do you have business with Zecora?" She asked.
"Yes I do. I'm here to pick up an order."
"Name?"
"No name, just initials. RD."
"Looks like ah'm owed ten bits." Applebloom remarked. "HAY ZECORA. PICK UP FOR THE RD ORDER!"
The zebra in question stepped into view. "So I see I was wrong about you. For my apprentice, some bits are due." She smiled. "Please come in, make yourself at home. If there is anything you need, please consult my tome."
---
"Shh. They're comin' to."
"Everypony quiet down, we don't want them to be scared."
"O-okay."
Voices... there were voices dancing through her head. A flash of light to her left as she pushed herself up, her vision blurry as she opened her eyes.
"Take it easy there sugahcube. You were hit with quite the blast."
"Uhhh. My head." She groaned. "It feels like there was a party in my head and the place was trashed."
"That's what ah'd imagine a blast of lightning strong enough to knock you out would feel like." The orange blob of fuzzyness dancing in front of her said.
"I guess so..." She responded, her vision going black again as she suddenly felt the sensation of falling.
"Pinkie!" She heard the voice call out.
But she was out cold by the time her head hit the floor.