//------------------------------// // Multi Team Deathmatch // Story: Ponies Go Paintballing // by Trials //------------------------------// Ponies Go Paintballing Chapter 2: Multi Team Deathmatch By Trials For the second time that day, the whistle blew. Rarity galloped over the sandy ground, kicking up small granules of dirt as she went. In her two hooves she held a large, cumbersome machine gun, full to the brim with hundreds of paintballs. Despite its heavy weight and her own relatively weak structure, Rarity found it rather easy to carry. She sought revenge – an irrefutable need to claim vengeance on the one who shot her first - Fluttershy. The unicorn indicated to her team mate, Twilight Sparkle, to follow her on the path of retribution. When she remained motionless on the battlefield, however, Rarity released a sigh through her protective helmet. She repeated the motion, pointing forwards several times with her free hoof. “Twilight, darling, what are you doing? Let us go and...get some, I believe is the correct terminology.” But the mare did not go and 'get some.' She said nothing and simply got into cover behind several strange crates, lying her regular gun across the top. Of course - Twilight was nothing more than a dirty camper. Rarity gave up with the excuse of a soldier and began running off in the opposite direction. There were three teams in this round. One pegasus team, one unicorn team and one earth pony team. Seems unfair, right? Wrong! No one was allowed to use their powers, regardless of situation. Any use of said abilities would result in immediate disqualification. Aside from this strict rule, there were no others. All is fair in ponies and war. The objective was obvious – to defeat, maim, mutilate or even destroy the enemy teams by any means necessary. And so, Rarity did just that as she scoured the village. The surviving team or pony would be victorious. Of rather odd design, the map was very reminiscent of a simple desert town. It had small, inaccessible houses and huts, forcing each pony to remain on the streets of the battlefield. The only forms of cover were dusty walls and dusty crates, corresponding to the dusty dust below Rarity's feet. All that dirty dust and dusty dirt - Rarity couldn't stand such a map! As the unicorn attempted to remove the sand in her precious mane and coat, she failed to notice the enemy lurking behind her. The attacker raised her suppressed pistol, a cruel smile on her face. Closing her left eye, she looked down the iron sight of her small weapon before pulling the trigger multiple times. The poor, defenceless enemy could do nothing as the yellow paint covered her once more. “Fluttershy, you fiend! Have you no pride?” Rarity yelled in the general direction of her target. In response, another couple of shots hit the unicorn, directly spraying her mane. In utter outrage, the victim threw her heavy gun to the dust below, raising her hooves for a fight. “Have at you, Fluttershy! Let's see how well you cope without hiding behind your weapon!” She bounced around on her hind legs, waiting for the pegasus to come into view. The only thing that did appear certainly wasn't Fluttershy. The same colour, definitely, but no pony to be seen. More paintballs shot at Rarity – this time actually causing pain. Instead of continuing to provoke her nemesis, the pony gave up and began moving back. Now more yellow than white, Rarity ran off the sandy battlegrounds before yelling further insults and curses for the second time that day. One down, three to go. Rainbow Dash had given up trying to assist Fluttershy. Her undoubtedly nooby team mate would surely slow her down significantly, and if there was one thing Dash hated, it was things slowing her down. She moved from wall to wall quickly, trying to conceal her body as much as possible from enemy view while making her way through the battlefield. Constantly on the look for not only herself but other ponies as well, the mare was frequently searching her surroundings. Stealth was key in this map – there was plainly no place for sloppiness. Looking down the sights of her automatic shotgun, she surveyed the area for enemies. Nothing, until a blur of orange appeared several metres away, quickly forcing Dash back into cover. She quietened her own breath, attempting to retain the stealth she previously had. When she looked around the wall once more after a couple of seconds, it was clear that her attempt had failed. Small, orange capsules landed around the pegasus, exploding with the same coloured paint. It splattered the ground and walls alike, turning the dull yellow into a vivid orange. Dash held her hooves across her body to shield herself from the blasts, but to no avail. She could feel it as it completely drenched her fur. After the barrage of grenades had ceased, the pegasus looked down on herself. There was literally no other colour than orange. Every other colour previously on her coat had been eradicated and overtaken with the paint of her attacker, even her multi-coloured mane and tail. Dash simply slumped against the now orange crates, essentially giving up. All fires of possible victory burning in her heart had been extinguished, leaving her demoralised and broken. Before long, the familiar enemy stood above her. The pegasus spoke mockingly, in a weak attempt to retain what little dignity she had left. “'Tis but a splatter...” “Uh, Ah'm sorry, sugar cube - Ah think you're out.” “No, I'm not.” “Well, what's all that paint?” “I've had worse.” “Don't lie to me, sugarcube!” “Come on, you pansy!” Dash raised her automatic shotgun one last time in defiance. Her mask was stifling, it narrowed her vision. And she must see close. Her gun was heavy, it threw her off balance. And her target is relatively nearby. In spite of the sudden boldness, Applejack wasn't in the mood to get shot. She simply squeezed the trigger on her paint grenade launcher, sending another capsule directly into Dash's plot. It burst upon impact, adding to the layers upon layers of paint. The pegasus winced in pain before dropping her gun and galloping off in the direction of the 'dead' area. The earth pony laughed heartily at the sight. This hadn't been the first time she'd seen her best friend run with her tail tucked between her legs. “Unlucky, Dash! Another one bites de_dust, Ah believe!” Unfortunately, Applejack didn't have quite the same experience of her victim. After hearing the loud laughter and gunfire from around the corner, Twilight Sparkle had managed to locate the enemy. She licked her lips, readying herself for the perfect moment. Deciding that this moment was as good as any other, the unicorn fired several rounds in the direction of Applejack. When she heard the noises and yelps of pain, she knew she hadn't missed. Twilight looked around once more to determine the status of her enemy. Stifling a small giggle, the unicorn watched as the earth pony began moving off the battlefield. Applejack was rubbing her now purple Cutie Mark as she went slowly across the street, searching for her attacker. Before long, she noticed the silently giggling wreck of a pony, squinting her eyes at the unicorn. This only provoked further laughter, forcing Twilight to let out a rather uncouth guffaw. Just another vengeful pony added to the list. Pinkie Pie had the scent. After letting her guard down with the previous interaction, she vowed to claim vengeance. Sniffing the stagnant air, the lone wolf began her search. She gripped her two paintball submachine guns with both hooves as she jumped over the crates. A splatter of vibrant yellow covered the sand below her, further indicating her prey's location. She bent down to taste the paint, ignoring the horrible taste as she determined when it was fired. Only a couple of minutes ago. The pink pony span in a circle on her hind legs, firing in all directions possible. She covered the walls and houses with pink paint in an attempt to hit - or at least frighten - her prey. Nothing moved, perhaps revealing that no enemy was present. Suddenly, a burst of fire erupted from in front of her. With both guns pointing forwards, she ran over to the source of the sound, her mask steaming up as she exhaled hot breath. Turning around a corner, she came face to face with a particularly cheerful purple unicorn, who was currently making hushed noises of laughter through her mask. In response, Twilight Sparkle adjusted her aim slightly. She opened fire on Pinkie Pie, sending more than a couple paintballs in her target's way. However, she didn't account for the earth pony's flexibility. Pinkie Pie ducked down low, avoiding the majority of the shots. When the trail of projectiles began to lower, putting the enemy at risk of getting shot, she jumped up high and dropped her two guns in mid-air. As she landed roughly on her back hooves, Pinkie pulled on the handle of a large slot. Along with it came approximately 6 inches of pinkly paint-coated, pure plastic. She gripped the fake knife tightly in her right hoof as she leapt for her soon-to-be victim. There was simply no time to think of any witty or memorable quotes. Her mouth involuntarily wide open in shock, Twilight Sparkle simply stared at her nimble opponent as she soared through the air. Time seemingly slowed down, allowing the unicorn to take in every extravagant detail of each second as they eventually passed by. She just didn't know what to do – here was a pony leaping at her with a harmless knife dripping with pinkness. This sort of thing didn't exactly happen everyday, you know. Luckily for her, a temporary protector appeared from the shadows. Twilight could only watch on as the weird events unfolded. Fluttershy raised her paint pistol slowly, corresponding to the reduction in time. She fired her gun, sending a paintball through the air in slow motion. Twilight could literally see the ball burst open and cover her attacker's fur in yellow paint. “Never bring a knife to a gunfight, whore!” Suddenly, the normal flow of time resumed before Twilight's eyes. Pinkie's flight changed in direction, no longer moving forwards, but instead spiralling into a nearby wall. The poor, pink, party pony hit the brick arrangement rather hard, dropping the paint-covered, rubber knife as she fell to the yellow dirt below. Thinking quickly, Twilight aimed her paint rifle towards Fluttershy. “Surrender, Fluttershy, or I'll shoot you where you stand!” The unicorn attempted to hide the fear in her voice by making it threatening and gruff. In actuality, Twilight had ran out of ammunition several seconds ago. She silently hoped her would-be victim didn't call the bluff as she continued to stare her down. She had Fluttershy's full attention now. Despite her previous courage, the pegasus didn't want to get hit. Getting shot really hurt, and pain resistance wasn't exactly her forte. Considering that Twilight was mere yards away, the paint would definitely do more than sting. What was that old saying? Live today and fight tomorrow? That was exactly what she would do. With a sigh of defeat, Fluttershy dropped her weapon before raising her tired hooves in the air. “Game over, folks! And what a great game it was! Coming in first place...Team Unicorn! Let's have a round of applause for Team Unicorn!” Again, the happy voice of the announcer echoed through the tiny speakers at both sides of the battlefield. “C'mon, Fluttershy, let's check on Pinkie,” Twilight said worriedly. The well-being of her friend was obviously more important than her victory. She moved over to the still body with Fluttershy beside her. With the help of both ponies, they managed to pick the dazed pony from the dust and lead her away from the battlefield. “H-hey, guys? Since when was the grass y-yellow, guys?” Pinkie Pie spoke confusedly, her voice slurred and rather slow. Her friends couldn't help but laugh at her misfortune and randomness, further confusing the pink, earth pony. Unbeknownst to the enemy, Fluttershy had managed to extract the plastic, pink-coated knife. She grasped it under her gun, hiding it from plain sight. She would get revenge on Twilight Sparkle for that embarrassment, and it would be brutal. A/N: Aw, still no paintball minigun yet? What a shame, eh? I guess you'll have to read all about it next round. Spoilers aside, please leave a comment and such. It's nice to know where I'm going right and where I'm going wrong. Stay tuned for another paint-soaked chapter.