"You ought to be more careful with that, Fire'. You could kill a pony throwing that stuff around." But the stallion was smiling as he said that. He'd moved back a touch, likely rolling, though the pegasus couldn't tell how much of the blast he'd dodged, if any.
"I figured you could take it," Firecracker replied. "Given what you know, you wouldn't have been taunting me otherwise." Their wings remained tense, sparks shooting across the feathers as more electricity built up in them. "I'm not planning to kill you, if you're worried. Just knock you out so I can take you away from here."
"I don't know if you'd have a cell that can hold me, down there. But it's not a bad plan, all things considered." The stallion was still sitting there, staring at Firecracker. "So, will you come and get me? I'm not moving from here, I think I've made that evident enough already."
Firecracker began to approach the stallion, one step at a time, eyes focused on him and wings ready to strike. Getting too close was not a good idea, but they needed to get closer if they wanted to make sure they could hit him properly. They noticed a slight, almost imperceptible shift in the other's expression, and they stopped. For a moment everything was still. Then, movement.
The pegasus had been preparing for it, and sprung into action as soon as they noticed. They pushed themself to the right, and shot another lightning from their left wing.
The stallion was faster than they had anticipated. He rolled back, away from the pegasus, and the bulk of the straps wrapped around his legs slid off them. The lightning bolt seemed to still hit him, but despite that he finished his roll in a standing position and let the motion carry through one of his front legs. The rein held in it whipped forward and struck one of Firecracker's legs, knocking them slightly off-balance while still in mid-air from their sidestep.
The pegasus still managed to land on all four hooves. They stared at the stallion standing in front of them, holding the ends of the reins into his hooves while their length lay down in front of and around him, like whips ready to strike. They looked almost like ribbons, about as thick as a bit, but almost as wide as a hoof. Firecracker's muscles were tense, waiting for something to react to, their wings building up more energy for a stronger shot.
The stallion's front legs kicked. Firecracker jumped to the left, avoiding the rein that cut through the air and struck where their head had been. Their wings snapped forward, aiming towards the stallion. The second rein hit them right in the chest, feeling heavy like a full grown tree, and their lightnings fired off aimlessly towards the sky as their body was sent rolling back.
They got back to their hooves. The air had been knocked out of their lungs, and it took a moment to get their breath back in order, but there didn't seem to be any other major sign of damage. Firecracker looked towards the stallion again, wings readying another strike. Then, all of a sudden, a metallic taste filled their mouth, their bones began to ache, and a sound like shards of glass grinding against each other filled their head. The Pegasus fell to their knees.
"Ah, there it is." The Charioteer stepped forward. "Seems like we're out of time then. A shame, really, but I did wonder when it would happen." He tilted his head to the side, studying Firecracker. "I should probably explain what's going on right now, I suppose."