//------------------------------//
// First Match Ch03 
// Story: Equestria Girls: Friendship is Chaotic 
// by raven618 
//------------------------------//

Scootaloo's code materialized in Chaotic at the same time as her best friend's, Sweetie Belle, did. They had agreed to meet up with their other best friend, Apple Bloom, for a real breakfast, and not the cold rushed breakfast she had had before school. They found their fellow Crusader sitting at a table in the dining center, watching one of the big screens playing a live Chaotic drome match.

"Morning, Apple Bloom." Scootaloo greeted, "Who's battling?"

"Ya'll are not gonna believe this but, it's Rarity."

"WHAT!" Screamed the pink haired girl, drawing the attention of many of the other Chaotic players, and knocking out Scootaloo's right ear. "You mean my sister, Rarity!?"

"Yup."

"But, HOW? I just helped her set up her online account and Scanner last night."

"Well, according to what the Drome Master said, that Scanner she got, as well as the one her opponent's got, had the Chaotic code already installed. Guess that means she didn't have to wait for it like we did."

"Lucky." The crusaders had all gotten their code Scanners at the same time, and had received their passcodes within days of each other. Scootaloo had been the last of her friends to get her code. But she broke even with that by being the only one of her friends to actually win her first match. Speaking of...

"Now, choose your attacking creature and target creature."

"Lomma attacks, Krekk."

"Touch your creatures."

Rarity and the other girl did, turning into the antelope woman and yellow gargoyle respectively. While the two of them freaked out like most first time players did, the players watching the match began laughing at their antics.

"Man, two newbies facing each other in the drome. This should be fun to watch." one boy with white skin and pink hair said.

"Doubt it." said another boy with red skin and orange hair. "They'll probably be too freaked out to do anything."

"Don't be too sure." Sweetie Belle challenged, "My sister is pretty resourceful. I'm sure she'll figure out the game before too long."

The boys just sneered and continued watching the match.

"Let the battle begin." The drome master declared.

= = =

Rarity looked down into the river. Yup, that was Lomma's face looking back at her. She had technically been turned into an anthro-pony several times before, but that had only been her ears and a tail growing out of her hair. Now she had hooves, ears, antlers, or maybe they were horns? Rarity couldn't tell. Too late did she notice the splash of yellow behind her reflection.

She felt the heat explode on her back. "Now this is awesome!" Her opponent cheered, her yellow hand smoking slightly.

Rarity slowly picked herself up. "How did you do that?"

"You'll have to figure that out yourself." She/he fired another blast of fire at Rarity, knocking her into the river. The churning waters made the already difficult task of swimming in a different body next to impossible. It was sheer luck that she managed to grab onto a rock jutting out from the shore.

She crawled out of the river, coughing up a small amount of water. Overhead she could hear Krekk calling out for her. "Come on out Rarity! Let's finish this game!"

= = =

"Told ya this would be boring." The orange haired boy jeered. His cronies chortling along.

"My sister isn't finished yet!" Sweetie Belle yelled back. 'Come on sis, don't let me down.'

= = =

Rarity closed her eyes and concentrated. She had used magic before, so maybe she could use attacks the same way. She could feel something, some power within her. No, within Lomma. This was her power, her strength.

Lightning was legitimately worried now, she hadn't meant to blast her into the river. What were the rules for injurys not caused by attacks? "Seriously, girl, where are you!? Are you alright!?"

"Just fine."

Lightning turned around and saw a well soaked Lomma finish crawling up onto the rocky ledge overlooking the river. "Riptide." A stream of water gushed out of her hand and snaked into her chest, flinging her back several feet. It felt like she had been hit point blank by a hose on high pressure.

Rarity's hand felt like it had been held up to the shower tap, some resistance but not enough to hurt. Actually, she felt the water from the river still clinging to her body start to evaporate a little, leaving her with a revitalized feeling.

Lightning rose to her feet, "Glad to know that you're alright." She dropped into a fighting stance, "Now let's get chaotic."

= = =

"I told you Rarity could do it!" Sweetie was nearly jumping out of her seat with excitement. The orange haired boy was covering his ears so he didn't have to listen to her cheering. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were smiling, proudly, but still managing to contain their excitement.

Several tables behind them, another figure was watching the match. Her eyes casually watching these new players who managed to figure out the game so quickly.

= = =

Neither of the girls moved for a few seconds. Each one preparing a move and counter-move. A large wave hit the rock ledge.

"Inferno Gust!"

"Steam Rage!"

Scorching winds clashed with boiling water vapor, leaving both girls winded. However, once again, Rarity's attack left her with a revitalized feeling, despite the growing weakness she also felt.

Lightning noticed this about her as well, 'I've been hitting her with a lot stronger attacks.' She internally thought, 'So why does she look so much more energized than me?' She grit her elongated teeth. "Flash Kick!" She threw her right foot forward, a blue-green apperation of the foot continued forward and hit Rarity square in the chest.

"Spirit Gust!" She called out, launching a pale, spirit like gust of wind at the yellow creature. This time, she felt nothing back from the attack. No pain, no calming sensation, nothing.

Lightning Dust saw this as well. 'That's it!' she yelled in her head, 'The Riverlands heals creatures who use water attacks.' Knowing this, she decided to switch strategies, and ran.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Rarity called out.

"Torrent of Flame!" She was answered with a stream of fire blasted into her face.

Lightning ducked behind a rock, if she was going to do this, she needed time to concentrate. She went back into Krekk's mind. Images and scrapes of memory came running into her head; Gothos Tower, facing Drakness in the Coliseum, spying on- there! She felt a weight around her neck that hadn't been there before. 'Rule number one: Always play on your terms.'

Rarity chased after her opponent, when suddenly the whole world shifted. Unlike when she was deposited here from the drome and when she first ported into Chaotic, there was no flash of light or feeling of being transported. It was more like the location itself changed, instead of her changing location. And what a location.

She was underground in some sort of cave. All around her were cells, with crude looking bars in front of them. A large column rose up into the ceiling, it to was pocketed by cells.

A large sphere of energy exploded just a few feet to her left. She turned around and saw Krekk in front of one of the cells. "Welcome to the Underworld prison. But most people just call it The Pits." He launched another sphere of energy at her. This one exploded right at her hooves, throwing her back a good distance.

= = =

"What in the hay jus' happened?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Don't know, I've gone up against Krekk before, and that never happened." Scootaloo responded.

The figure in the back was now devoting her full attention to the battle.

= = =

Rarity used the cell door to pull herself up. She knew one more attack would finish her. She looked up at her opponent. But with the only light being from the candles and torches on the walls, it was difficult to see anything. 'Wait, the shadows. That might work.'

"Game over, Rarity. Ember Sw-"

"Shadow Strike!" Lomma's shadow suddenly gained a red outline and began crawling up the wall. The ledge Lightning was standing on suddenly crumbled and broke, sending her falling to the bottom of the pit. When she landed, Krekk's body exploded into a frenzy of letters and numbers.

Lightning was once again standing in the drome, with Lomma standing across from her. "The winner of the match: Lady Lomma." The drome master said before Lomma was once again wrapped in the white coded energy and she was once again Rarity.

Both girls removed their scanners from the slots they had been sitting in. Lightning walked over to Rarity with a very sour look on her face. "You." She grabbed the pearl skinned girl's shoulders. "You are unbelievable!" A wide grin spread on her face. "I totally didn't see that last attack coming."

Rarity wrapped her arm around the lime girl's shoulder and the two of them walked out of the drome, "Hey, don't sell yourself short... Lightning Dust was it?" Lightning nodded. "You had me on the ropes for most of the battle. Especially when you changed the location. That was you, right?"

"Guilty as charged."

Both girls returned to the building where Rarity had first arrived, and found a number of other players applauding them.

"That was incredible!"

"You two were smoking in there."

"You got to tell me how you changed the location."

"Okay people, lets let the new girls have some space." The crowd dispersed to let the Cutie Mark Crusaders through. "So," Scootaloo continued, "How does your first drome battle feel?"

"It was awesome!" Lightning exclaimed. "I can't believe I was actually able to shoot fire out of my hands. Well Krekk's hands, but it was still awesome."

Sweetie Belle smiled, "How 'bout you Sis? How does it feel to be a winner?"

"It feels pretty good." She realized she hadn't yet introduced her sister to her new friend. "Sweetie, this is Lightning Dust. Lightning, this is my little sister Sweetie Belle," Sweetie did a small curtsy, "And her friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo." Apple Bloom also curtsied while Scootaloo gave a small salute.

"Wait a minute. Aren't you all supposed to be in school right now? Oh dear, I'M supposed to be in school right now. Ms. Harshwhinny is going to be so-"

"Woah! Calm down Sis. Here, I'll take you back." The sisters walked to the circular floor design that Rarity had first been standing on when she arrived. "Stand on one of the red circles, and push the red button on your Scanner."

= = =

Sunset walked to her locker with Rarity, both thoroughly exhausted from their first hour Novel class. "The least she could do is have us read something at least partially uplifting." Rarity complained.

"Don't like Of Mice and Men?"

"It's not that I don't like it. It just leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth."

Sunset opened her locker and swapped out her books. Then she heard a sound that was halfway between a beeping and a ringing coming from Rarity's locker. "What is that?"

Rarity pulled out the Scanner she bought yesterday. The red button on the top of the Scanner was flashing. "I don't know. I only finished the set up this morning." She pushed the button, and her eyes began to glaze over. Two seconds later she looked around her in confusion. "But how- I was just- how could I have-"

"Rarity! Are you okay?"

Rarity looked at Sunset as if just seeing her. "Yes. Sorry, just a little, disoriented." She put the scanner back in the locker and shut the door. "I'll see you later Sunset." With that she left.

Sunset watched her leave then looked back at the closed locker. She then shut her own locker, her mind's internal gears beginning to turn.

= = =

Watching the Belle sister's codes disappear, Lightning Dust gave a short whistle. "From holodecks to transporters. What's next?"

"So," The orange skinned girl, Scootaloo, asked, "you going to head back to your school?"

She shook her head, "Teachers are having some sort of conference today, so I got the day off."

"Want to hang out with us?" Lightning just shrugged and joined the two at one of the tables.

Apple Bloom waved one of the robots over, "Three plates of pancakes and a bottle of hot maple syrup."

"No butter on mine." Scootaloo added. The robot hovered away. "Okay, we have a couple of questions for you."

"Fire away."

"First, how did'ya change the location like that?"

Lightning crossed her arms, "Sorry kids, that's a trade secret."

"Fair enough. Second question, why didn't you fly at all during your match?"

Lighting froze, then promptly facepalmed hard enough to move her chair back.