//------------------------------//
// Lightning Battle 
// Story: Filly Fluttershy: Uprising 
// by Phazon 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 14: Lightning Battle


Fluttershy galloped through the dark hallway leading to her next mission. She reached the portal, which opened for her as soon as she stopped in front of it. “Moving out,” she said. But before she could jump out, a laser shot at her from the other side of the portal, making her jump back and yelp. The laser shot past and hit the wall behind her, starting a fire inside the hallway.

Stepping back from the fire, she leapt through the doorway and started her mission. Now that she was outside, the power of flight spread through her wings and she flew above the clouds. Dozens of cyclones spun in the skies around her, each one pulling a fraction of the cloud mass into itself with its winds.

“Is the door broken?” Fluttershy asked.

“The door is the least of our concerns,” Celestia said. “Discord has rejoined the fray.”

A few Syrens and Bladers flew around Fluttershy and attacked one another, along with some Monoeyes and Nutskis. In addition, many more monsters from both factions dotted the skies. “Oh, no,” she said.

“Oh, yes,” Celestia said. “Now we have both his and Luna’s forces wreaking havoc.”

Three Monoeyes spotted Fluttershy and flew toward her. Behind them, three Badoots floated in a group, each one still closed. Attached to Fluttershy’s front hooves were the Raptor Claws, a pair of animal-like, three-taloned claws that fit over her hooves. Fluttershy fired a charge shot, consisting of a pair of large, spinning talons at the Monoeyes. She then fired a stream of smaller talons at the Badoots, which were now splitting in half and generating arcs of energy between them.

“The Underworld Army and Forces of Nature are out for blood, each other’s and yours,” Celestia said. “On the Underworld side, Discord has put Thanatos back into play as commander.”

“Thanatos?!” Fluttershy said. “He’s still alive?!”

“Apparently,” Celestia said. “And leading the Forces of Nature is Rarity.”

“Rarity?” Fluttershy said. She noticed two Shrips emerge from the cloud cover and spin toward her. Aiming her Raptor Claws, she fired a charge shot at both of them.

All around her, Bladers and Syrens were flying after one another. Below her, Monoeyes and Nutskis circled around each other while exchanging fire. Fluttershy was deciding which group to attack first, but stopped when she saw a light blue bolt of electricity streak across the sky. The bolt shot through every Underworld soldier nearby, taking them out one by one. Meanwhile, two Monoeyes approached Fluttershy, attempting to attack her while she was distracted. Before either one could fire at her, the bolt of lightning changed direction and flew at them. The bolt came to a stop in front of Fluttershy, who could now see the unicorn mare hovering inside it. The unicorn mare had a white coat, a curled indigo mane, and a light blue magical aura that matched the electricity it produced.

“Yes?” Rarity said. “You called?”

“So you’re commanding the Forces of Nature?” Fluttershy asked.

“We’re in the middle of something here!” Thanatos shouted as he rocketed through the sky. His already serpentine body was wreathed in a much larger field of yellow energy. He barreled into every Nutski and Blader nearby, using the energy that flared around him to incinerate them. “Can this wait?” Thanatos rushed after Rarity, who flew off ahead of Fluttershy.

“So Thanatos was resurrected as… a glowworm?” Fluttershy said.

“I’d say that’s more of a glow dragon,” Celestia said.

Thanatos and Rarity continued to fly ahead, deciding to engage each other one-on-one. Two Nutskis, a Wave Angler, and Two Monoeyes, floated ahead of Fluttershy, apparently too interested in the clash between those two to actually fight each other. Rarity flew around Thanatos with ease as the latter snaked along after her. Eventually, the two combatants turned to face one another and charged at each other head on. The force of their collision spread across the sky, generating a spherical shockwave that tore a hole in the cloud cover below and tossed back every monster within half a mile. Rarity and Thanatos, also knocked back by the blast, fell through the hole they had made in the clouds.

“Wow, this is crazy,” Fluttershy said.

“It’s the Underworld versus Nature, their commanders locked in fierce battle,” Celestia said. She guided Fluttershy toward the location of the collision and sent her down through the hole. “I’m ready to pull you out if it gets out of control.”

Fluttershy found herself flying within the clouds, among a cluster of barren islands floating in the sky. Three Nutskis fired upon a single Monoeye ahead of her, only to be killed themselves by tongue lashes from two Miks. “I can’t believe Thanatos is still alive,” Fluttershy said, shooting down the two Miks.

“And quite perky, apparently,” Celestia said.

“But why does he get a second chance?” Fluttershy said. “It’s not fair.” She saw Thanatos flying over one of the floating islands. He maneuvered around the laser fire of five Lethiniums as he searched for Rarity. As soon as he passed over the island and made a right, Rarity streaked across the sky and followed him.

“Hmm” Celestia mused. “Thanatos, Chrysalis, Hewdraw… Discord revived them all from the old days. It must have taken some effort to resurrect them.”

“But this is Thanatos’ third time around,” Fluttershy said. She dove at the five Lethiniums on the island, dodging their lasers while firing a stream of talons at them. Once she reached the end of the island, she made the same right turn that Thanatos had.

“Thanatos is a bit of a… special case,” Discord said.

Fluttershy finally found Thanatos and Rarity fighting ahead of her, but she raised an eyebrow at Discord’s comment. “What kind of ‘special’?” she asked.

“He is the god of death, after all,” Discord said. “So he gets perks like evil powers and health insurance. And free soda.”

“Resurrected from the dead?” Celestia said. “That’s some health insurance!”

Another head-on collision between Thanatos and Rarity sent them crashing through another floating island, splitting it in half. Rarity was the first to recover and slammed into him from the side. She flew off in another direction while the stunned Thanatos kept falling. Fluttershy descended through the sundered island to keep up with them, but Thanatos recovered as well and flew after Rarity, almost barreling into Fluttershy along the way.

“Whoa!” Fluttershy said, pulling back when Thanatos rushed right by her. She watched as he charged at Rarity, only for Rarity to shoot off in another direction. Undeterred, Thanatos flew off after her. “He’s fast. Must be all that free soda.” Led by Celestia’s magic, she continued to follow the two of them as they fought. Rarity slammed into Thanatos again, throwing him into another floating rock. She rose up again, preparing to slam into him. However, Thanatos recovered and flew away from the rock, causing Rarity to crash into it.

“Lovely little Rarity’s no slouch in the fighting department, either,” Discord said.

“Would you stop trying to flatter all the mares, Discord?” Celestia said. “It’s quite revolting.”

“There is nothing wrong with compliments,” Luna said.

“Luna?” Fluttershy said. “Where did you come from?”

“But Commander Rarity must also be respected for her power,” Luna added.

“Anyway, Fluttershy, just keep following Rarity and Thanatos,” Celestia said. “Once they’ve weakened each other, we should be able to eliminate the winner with ease.”

“That seems a little underhooved, doesn’t it?” Fluttershy asked.

“Maybe so, but the alternative would be to fight them both at the same time,” Celestia said.

“And we all know how that would end,” Luna said.

“Almost makes you take pity on our little pegasus,” Discord said.

As Fluttershy passed by another group of floating rocks, a Lurchthorn started to hover alongside her. At the same time, four Paramushes floated down on the other side of the Lurchthorn. The Paramushes opened fire, causing damage to the Lurchthorn’s cannons. Fluttershy used her claws to finish off the cannons and then fired at the head. Once the Lurchthorn was destroyed, Fluttershy flew up through a hole in the cloud cover. Now above the clouds again, she looked around for any sign of Thanatos and Rarity. While she didn’t find Rarity at first, she did notice Thanatos flying a bit sluggishly to her left.

“Thanatos, are you okay?” Discord asked, pretending to be concerned.

“Oh, yes!” Thanatos said. “I’m just peachy!”

“He doesn’t seem peachy,” Celestia said.

“With her exceptional power and speed of lightning, I’d expect nothing less from Commander Rarity,” Luna said.

Suddenly, Rarity rose up out of the clouds and struck Thanatos. Thanatos was thrown back for a moment, but recovered and continued to attack. He lunged at Rarity, but she shot away from him before he could even get close. With her speed and midair agility, Rarity flew around Thanatos with ease, thwarting his attempts to chase after her. Backing up from him for a second, she slammed into him at full speed a second time.

Meanwhile, two Miks and two Nutskis floated in front of Fluttershy, not to attack her or each other, but to watch the battle between Rarity and Thanatos. Fluttershy noticed them in her peripheral vision and fired a charge shot at the Nutskis, followed by a stream of talons at the Miks. With the monsters gone, she went back to watching Thanatos’ attempts to attack a constantly moving Rarity. For a moment, the battle between them seemed less like a fight to Fluttershy and more like a hopeless game of tag. It seemed that way until Rarity turned and slammed into Thanatos one last time.

Thanatos remained motionless in the air after the last attack from Rarity. At the same time, Rarity moved back a comfortable distance from him and watched as the yellow energy flaring across his body faded away. Shortly afterward, Thanatos dropped from his position in the sky and plummeted through the clouds.

“Bravo!” Luna said. “Bravo!”

“Oh me oh my,” Discord said. “Now whatever shall I do?”

“That was amazing,” Fluttershy said. She watched as Rarity moved across the sky a few hundred feet at a time and disappeared into one of the larger tornados in the sky. “Also, how do you think she gets her mane and tail styled like that? I mean, with her lightning powers, wouldn’t that be hard?”

“Interesting question,” Celestia said, sending Fluttershy toward the tornado to pursue Rarity. “But I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“Whatever,” Discord said. “We’ll just keep fighting without someone out there giving orders.”

“Are you saying it makes no difference whether your troops have a leader?” Celestia said.

“They’re all idiots,” Discord said. “Seriously, I don’t even know if any of them have actual brains.”

After circling around the tornado and shooting down several Paramushes and Parashooters that were caught in it, Fluttershy flew off and started exploring the skies around her. “Where’s Rarity?” she asked.

“She must be recharging after her battle with Thanatos,” Celestia said. “Now’s your chance. Let’s find her before she fully recovers.” With the power of flight, Celestia led Fluttershy through the skies. Soon, she brought her in front of the largest, most turbulent tornado in the area. Lightning flashed throughout the clouds caught in this tornado, further indicating the power of this particular storm. “Rarity is in the middle of those clouds.”

“Persistent, aren’t we?” Rarity said.

Fluttershy hovered around the tornado for a few seconds. She started wondering how she was going to fly through an extremely violent tornado, but then noticed a channel opening up through it. The channel was being formed with Celestia’s magic, and once it was large enough, Fluttershy flew into it.

The tornado’s winds and cloud matter flowed around the channel, but even with Celestia’s magic holding it open, lightning still arced across it. Fluttershy maneuvered around the electricity as it flowed across, only to find herself dodging Trynamite shrapnel along the way. Two Flages also appeared in front of her, only to receive a charge shot when they startled Fluttershy. However, more Flages started to appear further ahead, as well as over a dozen Bladers and Nutskis.

“Hold on as best as you can,” Celestia said. “Rarity is definitely at the end of this path.”

“Nope,” Rarity said. “There’s nopony here.”

“We can hear you,” Fluttershy said.

“That’s because I’m speaking to you through telepathy,” Rarity said.

“Telepathy that I can trace to the eye of this storm,” Celestia said.

Fluttershy concentrated on the magic stored within her Raptor Claws. Holding her forelegs out to her sides, she performed several aileron rolls in quick succession to trigger her claws’ special attack. As she spun, her claws sliced through the air, producing sharpened air currents that spread throughout the channel. The sharpened currents shredded every Flage, Nutski, and Blader they reached, quickly clearing the channel of enemy monsters. With the path ahead of her clear, Fluttershy kept flying forward. A few seconds later, she reached the end of the channel and flew out of the storm.

On the other side of the channel, Fluttershy found herself flying within the eye of the storm. For the first time in this entire mission, she could see the clear blue sky above her. Even though she had been flying above the clouds for much of this mission, the tempestuous conditions in the skies had still managed to color much of the skies in unpleasant grays and oranges, except for within the eye of this one tornado. A small island, consisting of nothing but a temple complex, floated in the center of the eye.

“This is the Thunder Cloud Temple,” Celestia said. “It’s been abandoned since ancient times.”

“Here already?” Rarity said. “I didn’t even have a chance to take a shower.”

Fluttershy circled around the Thunder Cloud Temple, surveying the grounds as she began her approach. “I supposed you’d like us to give you a few minutes then?” Fluttershy asked.

Though no one could see her within the temple, a tiny smirk formed on Rarity’s face. A spire towered above the roof of the temple, and Rarity began to feed her magic into it. “Well, if I’m going to take a shower…” she said. “I also need to restyle my mane and tail, apply some eyeshadow, get my hooves done…”

Suddenly, lightning shot across the sky from the temple spire. “Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked, swerving away as the electrical current swept at her.

“I guess she’s not completely exhausted after her fight with Thanatos,” Celestia said.

“It’s just one fight after another,” Rarity said. She continued to feed her magic to the temple spire, which then continued to sweep an electric current after Fluttershy. “Today is not my day.”

Seven Zerts floated from the temple and started to approach Fluttershy. Fluttershy ascended to dodge another sweep from Rarity’s attack and fired a charge at one of the Zerts. She then fired a stream of talons at three more Zerts and slashed at two of them with her claws when they came close. After taking out the last two with a charge shot, Fluttershy flew directly over the Thunder Cloud Temple. The temple spire’s electric current started chasing her across the sky, but by this point, Celestia had found a suitable landing spot and started leading her down.


* * * * * * * * * *


Fluttershy landed in a courtyard near the edge of the temple grounds. A path extended from the courtyard to the main building at the center of the complex.

“Rarity is using her magic to supply power to this temple,” Celestia said. “Some of the walls and pillars are electrified, so tread carefully and cut off the supply wherever you can.”

As Fluttershy made her way through the courtyard, she realized what Celestia meant about the nearby structures being electrified. Electricity was visibly coursing through four lone pillars in the ground. She passed by them, taking out three Nutskis and a Pew Pew along the way, and reached a narrow alleyway. An electric current ran through the walls on both sides of the alley, forcing Fluttershy to stay in between them. Making sure that no part of her body so much as grazed the walls, she eventually made it through the alley and reached the entrance of the main temple.

Once inside the main temple, Fluttershy found an elevator leading up to the second floor. She stepped onto the elevator, but as soon as it began to ascend, the edges of the elevator became electrified. “This mission would be much easier if everything here had better insulation,” she said, stepping as close to the middle of the elevator as possible.

“It’s not my fault you conduct electricity so well,” Rarity said.

On another side of the room, Fluttershy noticed a second elevator moving level to the one she was on. Two large, four-legged beetles scurried around the other elevator. Fluttershy fired a charge shot at one of these Skreetles, allowing it to home in on its target, and fired a stream of talons at the second enemy. Meanwhile, the elevator reached the second floor, and current stopped running through its edges. Fluttershy stepped off the elevator and saw a blue orb sitting in the center of the room. High-voltage electricity coursed through the orb, as well as through a metal door that stood behind the orb.

“That orb is supplying power to certain areas of the temple,” Celestia said. “Destroying it should allow you to move around more freely.”

“Sure, go right on ahead,” Rarity said.

Fluttershy fired at the orb with her Raptor Claws, first cracking it with a charge shot, then breaking it apart with her continuous fire. Before long, the orb had been shattered to pieces, its fragments littering the floor and the door behind it no longer charged. “Aren’t you going to put up a fight?” Fluttershy asked as she continued through the temple.

“What do I care?” Rarity said. “This isn’t my home. Although if it was, I would definitely do something about the décor.”

“So you’re basically squatting in this abandoned temple,” Celestia said. “Dignified.”

“Not squatting,” Rarity insisted. “Repurposing! Besides, I shan’t be staying here too long.”

“Why’s that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Because the refined and elegant Rarity isn’t one to overstay her welcome,” Luna said. “Like some vagrant. Nevertheless, I’m currently busy with the Underworld Army, so I’ve ordered her to defeat thee.”

“Why would somepony like Rarity take orders from you anyway?” Fluttershy said. “What sort of awful things have you ordered her to do?”

“Oh, you mean like slaying the god of death and second-in-command of the Underworld Army?” Rarity scoffed. “Oh no, how awful! Somepony should stop me!”

“If that’s how you’re going to act about, then fine,” Fluttershy muttered.

“Ooh, what bluster, what bravado,” Rarity said. “I guess I can’t back down now.”

Fluttershy walked into a tower within the main temple structure. A walkway spiraled around the interior of the tower, leading up to a higher floor. As soon as Fluttershy started to climb up the tower, a Bumpety Bomb dropped in from above. She fired at the enemy, eventually throwing it off the walkway and causing it to explode, but a second Bumpety Bomb dropped in at a later part of the walkway. Fluttershy continued to ascend the tower, taking out Bumpety Bombs as they appeared one by one.

“Even though she’s supplying power to this temple, Rarity is also recharging at the temple’s center,” Celestia said. “You need to reach her before she fully recovers.”

“Absolutely, Princess Celestia,” Fluttershy said, already halfway up the tower and firing at a pair of Dibble Dops.

“Ugh, you’re such a yes-mare, Fluttershy,” Rarity said. “It’s a good thing you’re so cute.”

Fluttershy cheeks turned a shade of pink, and she stopped firing at the second Dibble Dop. “You’re… you’re not just making fun of me, are you?” she stammered. The Dibble Dop tossed a high-pressure water grenade at her, which she managed to avoid before it landed near her.

“Aw, you’re turning red,” Rarity said. “That’s just adorable!”

“She embarrasses easily,” Celestia said. “Don’t mind her.”

“Oh, don’t give it a second thought… ma’am,” Rarity scoffed.

“Did you just call me ‘ma’am’?” Celestia said with an amused smirk on her face. “Are you trying to start something?”

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Rarity continued to scoff. “You’re much too young to be called ‘ma’am’.”

“You know as well as I do the lifespan of gods,” Celestia said. “And how about you? What’s your age?”

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me you tell me yours!” said both Rarity and Celestia.

“Um, I don’t mind being called ‘Miss’,” Fluttershy murmured. “If that’s okay with anypony.”

“Yes, well, as much as I’d like to continue this delightful chat, I have things to do,” Rarity said.

“I know it’s difficult when she’s teasing you,” Celestia said, “but remember that she’s the enemy.”

“R-Right,” Fluttershy said. As soon as she reached the next floor, she entered through a door at the end of the walkway and proceeded to the next room. Fluttershy stood at the edge of the room, which was semicircular in shape. Two platforms rose above her and divided the room into three levels, each one raised higher the closer it was to the center. A set of stairs led up to each platform and a door stood at the top level, leading to another room.

Two Lethiniums were stationed on the second level while two Nutskis floated above the ground. However, what Fluttershy took note of most of all were three electrical currents, one on each level. Each current was aligned with the door at the center of the upper level and slowly swept across the semicircular arc of the room. “Pay attention to the movement of those electric currents,” Celestia said.

“I think it’s fine to touch them,” Rarity said. “Trust me, they’re perfectly safe.”

Fluttershy shot down the two Nutskis above her and turned to look at the current that moved along her level. This current was moving toward her from the right, while the stairs to the next platform were on her left. She ran toward the stairs and walked halfway up, making sure that the currents on neither level could touch her. One Lethinium stood at the far left end of the second level, and Fluttershy fired a charge shot at it, allowing her shot to home in on its target. After that, she waited for the electrical current on the second level to sweep past the stairs and move toward the left end of the platform. Once it did, she climbed to the second level and moved right toward the next set of stairs.

After taking out the second Lethinium, Fluttershy climbed halfway up the stairs to the topmost platform. With less space to cover, the third electrical current moved back and forth across the platform more quickly. A single Dibble Dop floated above the platform, and Fluttershy aimed at it. However, when she fired a charge shot, it struck a Flage that had been moving toward her instead. A second Flage moved past it and lunged at her, losing its stealth ability as it prepared to attack. Fluttershy, startled after seeing a bisected Flage suddenly pop up in front of her, jumped backwards, managing to dodge the second Flage’s attack.

After missing Fluttershy, the Flage reactivated its stealth ability. Fluttershy jumped back again, this time firing a few talons in the direction that the Flage had been in earlier. The three talons spread out from each other after being launched, and the one that moved right took out the Flage. Fluttershy dodged a water grenade from the remaining Dibble Dop and returned fire, taking it out as well. Now that the path was clear, she moved toward the door and to the next room.

Another orb sat at the end of the next room, and just like the one before it, this one was supplying power to parts of the temple. Fluttershy stepped within range of the orb and fired at it. As soon as the orb was destroyed, a trapdoor opened up in the middle of the floor. A pair of blue rails materialized in front of the trapdoor and led down into it.

“I placed a set of grind rails for you to use,” Celestia said.

“Grind rails, hmm?” Rarity said. “… I wish we had the budget for something like grind rails.”

“It’s not too late to switch sides,” Celestia said. Fluttershy hopped onto the grind rails and rode them down the trapdoor. The rails took her outside and carried her underneath the temple. After a short trip, they dropped her off at the bottom of a walkway that spiraled underneath the island. “This path leads to the center of the temple,” Celestia said. “Be careful. The route looks treacherous.”

Up ahead, Fluttershy found a Megonta, a giant creature resembling a pill bug, crawling on the platform. Since most of its body was protected by a spherical shell, she aimed and fired at its unprotected legs and eyes beneath the shell. The Megonta retracted into its shell, protecting itself while attempting to roll down the walkway and into Fluttershy. However, instead of rolling down the path toward her, it wound up rolling off the edge and fell toward the ground far below. 

As she went further along the walkway, Fluttershy saw a Lurchthorn flying toward her from the other direction. The creature’s side cannons wouldn’t have a clear shot until it came closer, and since its head was facing her, she fired at it with her Raptor Claws. Within a few seconds, she defeated the Lurchthorn, only for a second one to pull up behind her.

“What do you think of those claws, Fluttershy?” Celestia asked.

Fluttershy shot at the second Lurchthorn’s cannons and quickly destroyed the first one. “I think I like these,” she said. The three remaining cannons fired their own projectiles at her, but she galloped back to evade. She jumped and did a side roll to dodge the last few shots, launching three talons at the cannons before going into the roll. “It’s almost like they bring out a whole other side of me. Like I’m part pegasus, part animal.”

“But then what kind of animal would you be?” Celestia asked. “Perhaps a squirrel… or maybe you’re more like a little kitten.”

“Um… what?”

“Wait, I know,” Celestia said. “Since you’re flightless, you’re like a penguin.”

“Um… penguins don’t have claws,” Fluttershy said. She had already defeated the second Lurchthorn, and now resumed walking up the spiraling pathway.

“As a pegasus, thou art already an animal,” Luna interjected. “BUT THOSE CLAWS ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO OUR HOOVES! OUR HOOVES CAN DISPLACE ENTIRE RIVERS AND LEVEL MOUNTAIN RANGES!”

“Okay…” Fluttershy said.

“OUR HOOVES CAN EVISCERATE THE ENTIRE CORE OF THE EARTH!”

“Okay, okay!” Fluttershy said. “Stop… stroking yourself.”

“WE ARE NOT STROKING OURSELVES!” Luna shouted.

“WITH HER HOOVES…” Celestia bellowed. “That would be painful.”

“Oh, silence thyself, troll,” Luna muttered.

Fluttershy entered the temple again through a door at the top of the walkway. A jump pad lay in the middle of the floor, and above it, there was a hole in the ceiling. The jump pad sent Fluttershy through the hole and into another room.

“Rarity is just ahead,” Celestia said, noting a door on one side of the room.

“Here so soon?” Rarity said.

“You did have plenty of time to take that shower,” Fluttershy said.

“Actually, I already did, and I even started on a hooficure,” Rarity said. “But I still need to finish my back hooves.”

Looking around, Fluttershy noticed a doorway on the other side of the room. Electricity ran through the doorway, seemingly forming a curtain over it, but she could still make out the entrance to a Zodiac Chamber on the other side. “Princess Celestia?”

“Yes, I see it too,” Celestia said. “Which means Rarity gets an extra minute to finish her personal grooming.” Fluttershy started to approach the entrance, but stopped in front of the electrified doorway. “Now we need to figure out how to pass through this doorway.”

“Oh, I know!” Fluttershy said. “Brief Invincibility.” Green light shone around Fluttershy’s body, either as sparks of magic that radiated from her or rings that rose from her hooves and encircled her. She harmlessly walked through the electrified doorway and entered the Zodiac Chamber behind it. Once she was inside the chamber, the protective magic faded from around her. “Hmm, it only lasts three seconds. Oh well, I get two uses out of it, so I’ll just use it again when I get back.”

When Fluttershy reached the other end of the Zodiac Chamber, a thin yellow box with rounded white edges materialized in front of her. The capital letter omega appeared to be written on the box’s lid, right above a solid line. Grasping the box with her teeth, Fluttershy realized that the Zodiac treasure inside it wasn’t a weapon but a power, the Libra Sponge. Fluttershy left the chamber as soon as Celestia took the item off of her hooves. She used the Brief Invincibility power a second time to get past the electrified doorway and headed toward Rarity.


* * * * * * * * * *


Fluttershy stepped onto a large circular platform in the center of the Thunder Cloud Temple. Rarity stood in the middle of the platform, smiling at her while holding a spark with her horn. “Hello there!” Rarity said.

Fluttershy tried to take a step forward, but stopped when she felt static electricity rush through her foreleg. “M-My coat feels all tingly!” she stammered. Sparks started running through her mane, her tail, and even through her wing feathers.

“The air in here is electrif…” Rarity started to say, until she took a second look at Fluttershy. “Oh dear!” Fluttershy was standing petrified in the same spot she was in before. The electrically charged air inside the room was causing every single hair on her body to stand on end. Her coat, and especially her mane and tail, had blown up as a result. She realized that Rarity and Celestia could see her right now. She could even hear some snickering from Luna and Discord, and she wished more than anything that she had a place to hide.

Even Celestia felt embarrassed at the moment, both for her sake and Fluttershy’s. “Something tells me that I should have anticipated this,” she said.

“Oh you poor, poor dear,” Rarity said. She stepped toward Fluttershy, making her feel even more uncomfortable. “We need to fix this right away. Come on Fluttershy, I’m treating us both to an impromptu spa date!”

“Rarity, thou hast her right where we want her!” Luna said. “I order thee to kill her immediately!”

“Luna, please,” Rarity said. “Have a heart.”

Rarity spent nearly half-an-hour treating herself and Fluttershy to an improvised spa session. During that time, she was able to finish the other half of her hooficure, among other things. By the end of it, Fluttershy was looking like her usual self, if not a bit more radiant. More importantly, her mane and tail had returned to their usual flowing style, and the hairs in her coat were kept down as well.

“Feeling better, Fluttershy?” Rarity said.

“Yes, a lot better,” Fluttershy said. “I’m not sure how you did it.”

“All it takes is the right conditioner, darling.”

“Wow, I… I really don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Rarity said. “After all, a lady must always look her best.”

“Eep!” Fluttershy jumped back, just barely avoiding three bolts of lightning that struck near her hooves. She looked back at Rarity and saw light blue electricity running through her horn.

“And now that you’re looking marvelous again, I can kill you with a clean conscience,” Rarity said. She sent three electrically charged spheres in a spread pattern at Fluttershy. Fluttershy jumped to her left to dodge and fired a charge shot, but Rarity shot across the platform before she could get hit. She looked around to find Rarity again, but before she could, she was shocked from behind by several electrical shots.

“Just look at them go!” Luna said.

“And I thought the fighting outside was exciting,” Discord said. “But it looks like the real action is in here.”

“Fluttershy doesn’t stand a chance!” Luna added.

“Glad you’re enjoying the show, oh divine peanut gallery,” Celestia said.

“I, for one, am honored to have you all in the audience,” Rarity said. She launched a slow-moving ball of electricity toward Fluttershy before moving to another part of the arena.

“Who’s the yes-mare now?” Fluttershy said. “Kissing up to management won’t help you, Rarity!” She sidestepped the ball of electricity and started galloping toward Rarity. Rarity fired several shots directly at her, but Fluttershy sidestepped them and kept running. Now close enough, Fluttershy tried to slash at Rarity with her claws, but Rarity jumped back very quickly. Instead, Fluttershy fired a charge shot at her. The two large, spinning talons hit Rarity before she could attack again, leaving a gash that extended from her left shoulder down her barrel. Fluttershy galloped toward her again, this time successfully executing a melee dash attack that slashed the right side of Rarity’s body.

Rarity held her hoof against her right side. She looked herself over and saw the blood stains along her white coat, fresh drops of blood falling on the floor, and the slash wounds across both her sides. Finally, she noticed one more thing lying on the ground: a lock of indigo hair. She moved her hoof over to her mane, confirming her suspicions. Her teeth gritted and her hooves shaking, she turned and glared at Fluttershy, who was now firing another charge shot at her.

Rarity shot across the room to avoid the charge shot. She then reappeared next to Fluttershy and, using her magic, unleashed an immense discharge of electricity around her. The discharge knocked Fluttershy off of her hooves and threw her across the room. “Oh, that is it!” Rarity shouted angrily. She moved to the center of her room and charged her horn. Electricity shot from her horn and concentrated around four lampposts above the platform. She then directed the electricity from the lampposts to strike Fluttershy all at once.

“I understand now,” Luna said. “Their ‘spa date’ was neither a kind nor generous gesture. It was a stall tactic. Rarity used the time to recover from her battle with Thanatos. Thou may have underestimated her before, Celestia, but once Fluttershy is gone, nothing shall stop Rarity from leading an attack against you.”

Rarity used her horn to send a current up toward the ceiling. From the ceiling, her attack struck the ground as four separate bolts of lightning that moved across the ground. Three of the lightning bolts went in different directions, but the fourth one passed directly over Fluttershy, electrocuting her as it went by. Once the attack passed over her, Fluttershy’s legs started to feel numb, and she collapsed on the ground. She looked up to see Rarity levitating over her, preparing another attack with her magic.

“Bumblebee,” Fluttershy said. Her body started to glow blue just as Rarity’s horn sent a spark toward the ground in front of her. The spark spread out in three directions when it hit the ground, the center one going toward Fluttershy. But before the attack could reach its target, Fluttershy suddenly disappeared. Rarity stared at the ground, wondering where Fluttershy had gone. She started to look around when a pair of large spinning talons struck her from behind, slashing her just above the flanks. She winced at the pain and spun around to look behind her. Fluttershy was standing there aiming a Raptor Claw at her, now recovered from her earlier numbness and a blue glow still around her body.

Rarity charged up the four surrounding lampposts again, and then sent their current at Fluttershy. Before they could converge on her, the effect of the Bumblebee power brought Fluttershy directly behind Rarity again. It wore off immediately after activating a second time, but that didn’t stop Fluttershy from attacking. She slashed at Rarity’s back with the right claw, then the left, and spun around to buck her with her hind legs. Fluttershy spun around again, slashing with the left claw, and finally swiped with both claws simultaneously. She jumped back and fired another charge shot, slashing Rarity’s left side and causing her to hit the floor. Finally, Fluttershy galloped at Rarity again, dealing one last slash across Rarity’s chest as she passed by.

Rarity lay on the ground, pressing a hoof against her bleeding chest. Blood stains covered much of her white coat, all the result of the many wounds across her flanks, sides, chest, back, and even a few on her legs. She could see Fluttershy across the room, panting, glaring at her, and with blood covering those wretched claws of hers. “I take back what I said before,” Rarity said. “You’re not cute at all!” Electricity coursed through her body, and she let out a pained cry as she levitated in the air.

“This can’t be happening!” Luna said.

Electricity crackled violently throughout Rarity’s body as she rose higher in the air. Eventually, her body was completely obscured by the energy surrounding her, and she smashed through the ceiling to escape.

“I’m coming for you next, Luna!” Fluttershy muttered. “Aah!” She jumped back as a section of the ceiling crumbled, landing right in front of her. The floor beneath her began to shake, and all around her, the room and even the entire temple was falling apart.

“This place is going back to the dogs without lovely little Rarity,” Discord said.

“Smarm while you still can, Discord,” Celestia said. “We’ll be after you soon enough.” She began to extract Fluttershy from the Thunder Cloud Temple. Light shone down on Fluttershy, and even as the rest of the building crumbled and fell around her, she floated in place within Celestia’s magic. Seconds later, the light vanished and she was taken from the area.