Total silence dominated Lily's chamber, her children watching in awe as their mother worked. From her throne she sat with her hand out in front of her, nine jagged black crystals slowly forming in her palm. It became apparent from Algantha's and Lugara's battles that she greatly underestimated her opponent's strength. While they still paled in comparison to her own power, she never truly relied on power alone to win her battles. It was thanks to her cautious tactics that she was able to hold her own against beings as strong as Hearths Warming in the past. A practice that she was more than willing to repeat with her latest targets.
"Mama, what are those?" Applebloom asked, staring at the gems.
"Just a little something to help the others out a bit," Lily smirked. "Watch."
As she said that, the gems floated out of her hand and shot through the portals.
"What did you do?" Sweetie asked. Staring at the portals.
"Watch and see," the elder Wraith chuckled as she leaned back in her seat.
No sooner had the words left her mouth did a figure step into one to the nine remaining arenas in the maze. Her smile grew as she saw the young girl look around cautiously, her ivory complexion and violet braid showing nicely in the chamber's bright light.
"It's the faker!" Sweetie growled, her teeth turning into fangs as she glared at the image of her sister. "That jerk! Can I kill her if Alura can't?"
"Maybe," Lily mused, tapping her chin in thought. "Let us see what kind of powers she has first."
"But-" Sweetie started only to be cut off by a raised hand from her mother.
"Sweetie, what is the first rule of direct hunting?" she asked, face hard as she stared down at the younger Wraith.
"Observe and exploit," she sighed, staring dejectedly at the ground.
"That's right," Lily nodded, her features softening as she patted the girl on the head. "Only a fool charges blindly into a hunt without a plan. If you really want to kill this girl, watch her every move. Take note of how she moves and how her power operates. Study her reactions to what is told to her. Take in every little advantage she can give you, then strike with everything you have. Do you understand?"
"Yes mother," Sweetie nodded, a small smile growing on her face.
"Good," she smiled. "Now let's see what this girl has at her disposal."
As they turned their attention towards the relevant portal, a proud smirk spread across the elder Wraith's face.
This should be interesting. Show me child. Show me how well you'll fair against Alura.
***
Rarity scanned the massive room with intense scrutiny as she walked towards the center. Aside from flowers and herself, the room was completely empty of life. If it wasn't for the toxic energy prickling her horn, she would've thought that there was nothing worth noting about the chamber. Her ears twitched as she searched for any sign of danger beyond what her instincts were telling her.
Something is here, she thought, her horn tingling as she primed her magic. Where is it?
A soft click echoed through the room, freezing her in place as her ears swiveled to find its source. Another click made her jump into a fighting stance as she gave the room a quick once over. A high-pitched giggle filled the room as more clicks could be heard, the sound sending a chill down her spine as she frantically tried to find the source. She heard a faint whistling as a gray mass of threads descended upon her from above. She let out a surprised yelp as the threads tightly wrapped around her. In a matter of seconds she was trapped in a gray cocoon with only her eyes and nose exposed.
Another high pitched giggling filled the room as something dropped down onto the ground from the ceiling. Rarity mentally kicked herself for not thinking to look up as the creature scuttled into her line of sight. The creature resembled a centaur, only instead of a horse the bottom half of the creature was the body of a jet black spider. the top half of the creature was the slim form of a woman, her only article of clothing being a tattered strip of black fabric covering her slightly above average bust and a matching masquerade mask on her face. Her straight gray hair was cut short in a manor that was a charming mix of messy and classy. Long, elegantly manicured claws decorated her hands with the same gray threads wrapped around her prey coiled lightly around her fingers. The creature giggled impishly, long and deliberate steps allowing her to circle the bound girl.
"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" the seed cooed. "A little girl, far from home? A sweet little fly looking for a comfy web to snuggle into? A gutless traitor trying to make amends?"
Rarity's eyes widened at that, the silk around her mouth muffling her words. The seed giggled as she settled in front of Rarity, a wide grin plastered across her lips as she leaned in close with licked lips. A sick chill shot down Rarity's spine as she felt her enemy's claws trail across her body through her bindings.
"It all doesn't matter to me," she purred wickedly as she planted a kiss on the bound girl's cheek. "Alura will make your death beautiful regardless."
Pain shot through Rarity as Alura punched her in the chest, knocking what little air left in her lungs right out of them as she flew across the room into a wall. More pain ran through her as she made contact with the hard stone, a wide crater surrounding her in the wall before she flopped to the ground. Alura laughed sadistically as she scuttled to the girl's side, said girl barely conscious as the monster propped her back up. Laughing cruelly, she slammed a fist into Rarity's stomach, the blow forcing a pained squeak out of the girl.
"I know all about it you know?" Alura taunted, her fist repeatedly pounding into the girl's gut every few seconds. "The way you abandoned your friend. The way you pushed her into ending her life. I'm really impressed! I never knew someone so beautiful could be so ruthless! Well, other then the Mistress of course, but that's different."
Pained coughs were the only things Rarity could manage as her enemy continued her assault, memories of the past few days running through her head against her will. The dead look in Sunset's eyes that night at The Sugarcube Corner Café. The revelation that Sunset had been homeless the whole time. The knowledge that her sister was responsible for the school turning against Sunset. All of it came back to her at once with each plow her opponent landed.
Tears started to slide down her face as the weight of her crimes bored down on her, her body going limp from grief and the damage it was sustaining. Alura laughed maniacally as she backed away from the weeping girl, more thread forming between her fingers as she admired her handy work.
"Yes, that's it," she purred. "A filthy traitor like you deserves to suffer like this. Besides, you humans are always more beautiful when soaked in despair. Let it fill you and give in to it!"
As she said that, she lashed her hand at the bound girl and wrapped the thread coiled around her fingers onto Rarity's cocoon. with a wide smile, the seed grabbed the extended threads and swung Rarity through the air like a flail. A loud crack filled the air as the poor girl was slammed into the ground, the stone beneath her cracking like glass before the seed heaved her into the air to repeat the process. Rarity was numb to the pain as her most hated memories ran through her mind, the world blurring behind her tears.
Then, a different memory made itself know. An open field, the first breeze of spring turning the snow into irritating slush under her boots. Two equally guilty girls standing at her sides as they each confessed their sins to the one they used to call friend. Then a warm embrace as she was forgiven along with her friends.
Her vision instantly cleared, the fugue that held her back this whole time shattering like a stone through a window she glared at her enemy. Alura noticed and for the first time since the two beings crossed paths, her smile faded away.
"I don't like that look," she growled. "That ugly glare doesn't suit you."
As she said that, again propped Rarity up, now at the heart the chamber as she continued to glare at the seed.
"You look so much better in pain. Let me show you!"
As she said that, she straightened out her claws on her right hand and plunged it towards her. At the last second, Rarity's magic activated and a loud metallic clang echoed through the room. Alura blinked, confusion evident on her face as she stared at the point her claws should've penetrated the girl. Instead of blood, she saw what looked like a small shifting prismatic light peeking out through the stab wound.
"What the-," she muttered, then screamed and covered her face as the cocoon surrounding Rarity exploded in a rainbow flash of color.
When she looked again, what she saw made her jaw drop in awe. Rarity was now dressed in an ornate gothic lolita dress with long gloves that came up to her exposed shoulders. Draped over her shoulders was a long hooded cloak that trailed behind her like a wedding train. While the outfit was beautiful, this was not what captivated the seed about her opponent. It was the fact that the outfit continuously changed colors. It was as if it was made from the northern lights themselves as it shifted seamlessly from one color to the other before her eyes.
"W-What are-" Alura started only to be cut off by her opponent.
"You are right about one thing," Rarity said coldly. "I am a traitor, but that doesn't matter right now. What does is that there is a monster running around and that my sister is in danger."
Slowly, she shifted into a combat stance and added, "And I will do whatever it takes to change both of those things for the better."
https://youtu.be/sdIeZikX_5c
Alura jumped back, claws bared as she matched her opponent's glare. Something had changed about the girl beyond her outfit, though that did raise a lot of questions in the seed. While not as many as Algantha, Alura faced her fair share of magic wielders. Slowly, she circled the girl, carefully studying her form from every available angle. Rarity tracked her with her eyes, body unmoving as she refused to lower her guard. Alura maintained her slow orbit for several long minutes, threads forming around her fingers as she considered her options. All the while, Rarity continued to patently track her progress. For what felt like an hour, the two continued their little dance, neither willing to be the first to break first. Eventually, Alura cracked and struck with her claws as soon as she got behind the girl. Sparks flew as the nails raked across the cloak's surface, a few of them snapping from the attempt. She screamed in agonized fury as she jumped back, her damaged hand clutched tightly in her other as she glared at the girl's back.
Rarity sighed, then slowly turned to face the monster and said, "I'm afraid an attack like that won't work, darling. Ineffigiatus is quite durable in this state after all."
"Ineffigiatus?" Alura hissed, confusion mixing with her rage and pain.
"It means fashionless," she said with an empty chuckle. "Quite fitting, all things considered. Anyway, that's what my outfit is called. As it is, not even armor-piercing rounds can harm me. The catch, as it were, is that I can't move very fast, nor hit any harder then I would normally."
"Impressive," Alura grumbled, her claws regenerating back to their full glory as she brought her other hand away from it. "Though I suppose that does explain how my claws didn't pierce you earlier."
"Indeed," Rarity nodded.
"However," Alura added, a cocky smiled spreading across her lips. "Do you think it was wise telling me how your powers work? I know that an armor like that could make anyone cocky, but knowing that you can't hurt me doesn't really help you all that much."
"Whatever do you mean, darling?" she asked, a faint smile coloring her tone.
Before Alura could respond, another flash of light briefly blinded her and pain exploded throughout her entire body. When she finally managed to blink the spots out of her eyes she came to several shocking discoveries. The first was that she had been slammed deep into a wall on the other side of the chamber, blood pouring out of her chest where her ribs had torn through her skin. The next one was that Rarity was wearing a completely different outfit. Now she wore a partially ripped T-shirt under what appeared to be a biker-style vest jacket. A matching pair of ripped jeans covered her legs while a pair of thick combat boots replaced her stylish tennis shoes. Spike-knuckled open-fingered gloves covered her hands, on of them still pointing forward from when she punched the seed across the room. Like her previous outfit, her new one shined in a continuous aurora-like pattern.
The seed wheezed as she pried herself out of the wall. Wet coughs and hacks fell out of her mouth as her chest snapped back into shape, her eyes wide as she tried to make sense of what just happened. Rarity stared at the creature before her with cold eyes as she quickly shifted into a fighting stance. Alura hissed as she assumed a stance of her own, her back arched as she scuttled towards her with her arms wide and ready to strike with web covered claws. She swiped at her human prey only for her to duck under the blow and deliver a powerful punch to the seed's gut. Prepared this time, she forced her way past the pain to grab Rarity's arm. She opened her mouth, ready to sink her fangs into the girl's open flesh only for another flash to fill the room and her fangs bounced harmlessly off of the sleeve-covered arm as Rarity's outfit shifted back into its previous form. Alura hissed furiously as she let go of the limb and fired a stream of threads at her from her hands. A flash of light signaled another outfit change, but instead of seeing the teen in her biker attire, only empty space occupied the girl's original position. Frantically, the seed looked around for her prey, only to suddenly feel a fist slam into her face for her trouble. While nowhere near as powerful as the attack that sent her flying, it still forced a pained snarl out of her as she tried to find her prey as she ignored the blood pooling from her now broken nose.
"Impressive, no?" Rarity smirked from behind the monster.
Alura snarled as she turned around and thrusted her hand forward. As she suspected, the girl's outfit changed again. Now she wore a skimpy tank top and shorts that left nearly nothing to the imagination that shined in the same manner as the previous outfits. In spite of the claw currently plunged into her gut, the girl looked happy with her current position. That is, she did before she vanished before Alura's eyes.
"What in the-?" she started only to freeze as a dainty giggle could her heard behind her.
"You need to be quicker, darling."
Alura snarled as she turned to strike, only to be met by a lightning fast white blur. A second later, pain wracked her body as it registered the countless punches that were delivered. Another flash and Rarity was back in her biker outfit and delivered another devastating right hook to the creature's chest. As she staggered back, she struggled to make sense of her opponent's magic.
"H-How are you doing all of this?" she gasped painfully, claw resting tenderly on her slowly mending chest. "Y-You said that you can't hit that hard or move fast."
"Correction," Rarity chuckled. "I said I couldn't move fast or hit hard in my previous state."
"What?" Alura croaked.
"Ineffigiatus can take on several different forms based on the wearer's needs," she explained, shifting back into a fighting stance as she glared at her opponent. "But their is a cache. Each form strips away magic from one part of it to another, based on the need. Style One is an incredible suit of armor, but it lacks any form of offense and lowers my mobility. Style Two has almost no protective abilities, but tremendous destructive power. Style Three offers little attack power and no defense, but gives me an amazing boost of speed."
"Impressive," Alura smirked. "And thank you for telling me how your power works. Now that I know, it should make killing you a lot easier."
Rarity sighed, then said, "You misunderstand, darling."
"What?" the seed asked.
"I have no need to keep secrets from someone who's dead."
Alura blinked, then chuckled as she plucked something out of her tattered top.
"You think you can kill me? Fool. I haven't even begun to show you my power!"
As she said that, she held up her prize above her head, a single jagged black crystal about the size of a marble. With a manic grin, she stabbed the gem into her gut. A dark mist quickly formed around her, twisted laughter slowly warping at its heart as a twisted change began to take place. The cloud parted to reveal a monstrosity straight from the mind of a madman. Alura's spider body had been replaced by a heavily armored scorpion's, complete with pincers and gifted with three stingers instead of one. Her human part was noting but a writhing mass of gray thread and jet black spiders trapped in the shape of a beautiful woman as they moved.
"Amazing," Alura groaned breathily, her "hands" trailing sensually across her form. "This power is .....intoxicating! Never have I felt so .......powerful! And this body! I'm so...so....BEAUTIFUL!!!"
"Revolting," Rarity spat. "While you may have been charming before, now you truly are a monster. I really will be doing the world a favor by removing you from it."
Alura giggled wickedly as she turned her head towards her and said, "You can try hag, but I doubt you can manage it."
As she said that the monstrosity charged towards her, claws and pincers ready to tear the girl to shreds. Rarity stared Alura down, her horn and outfit tingling as she channeled her magic. Rarity took a quick step forward and met one of the pincers halfway as she threw a punch into it. A loud metallic clang echoed off of the walls as the deadly limb was knocked back only to be replaced by its twin and countered the same way. This continued for several long minutes, both fighters moving in a blur as they each tried to overpower the other. Eventually, the clank of metal gave way to a loud crack as Alura's pincers finally shattered. With a savage snarl, Alura aimed her deadly stingers at her prey. With three well placed strikes, Rarity knocked the stingers, flashed into her faster form, and then shifted into her attack style as soon as she stood in front of Alura's main body. If her current form had given her eyes, they would've widened as the girl smiled wickedly at her. In another flash, Rarity had returned to her normal clothes only now her entire right arm was covered in the shimmering thread of her magic.
"Let me show you true beauty darling," she beamed, then slammed her fist into the creature's face as she proudly declared, "FINAL SPLENDOR!!!"
A titanic explosion of color and power filled the room, the seed a distant memory as she was completely destroyed by the girl's attack. Rarity fell to her knees, breaths coming out in quick gasps as the shock and strain of using so much magic so quickly took its toll on her.
"P...Perhaps I over did it just a scooch," she panted, wiping some sweat off of her brow. "Maybe Sacrifice had a point when she told me not to be so theatrical."
Her eyes drifted towards an opening further into the maze, a soft smile forming on her lips as she caught her breath.
"Hold on Sweetie. I am on my way."