Chapter 5: Shell We Fight?
Reporters from all over Ponyville had heard of the three fillies with unknown super-powers and had made it their mission to get an interview with them. While they had been promised not to be bothered with what their secret identities were, the public still wanted to know anything they could about their new favorite heroes. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, having just come back from training, were a bit bothered by how these new super heroes had the press clamoring for them while they never bothered even once to interview them even after saving Ponyville several times. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight, who had just come back from Canterlot, didn’t mind them getting the attention, and were actually happy that there were other ponies to help protect Ponyville while they were away.
To finally get the press off their tails, the Fighter Filly Girls organized a press conference where they would answer some questions for the press on the condition that they wouldn’t bother them anymore. The press agreed and set up a date for the big interview. When that day came, the three girls were in their private room, nervous about how it would all go down.
“So, what do you think they’ll ask us?” Apple Bloom wondered.
“I bet they wanna ask how awesome we are. I’m trying to think of something greater than infinity,” Apple Bloom had to use all her strength to keep her smartie-pants comments to herself with Scootaloo’s statement.
“My sister had an interview like this once. She told me that they usually ask personal questions, such as likes or dislikes. Oh, and they ALWAYS ask about if there’s a special pony in your life,” Sweetie Belle giggled at that thought. “Any of you have somepony?”
“Ugh, no way! I’m too awesome for somepony else to be shared with,” Scootaloo said pointing a hoof at her open mouth to imitate gagging.
“Yeah, and I’m too young. Why, Applejack would probably have mah hide for something as silly as a crush at my age,” the yellow filly responded. “How ‘bout you, Sweetie Belle? Any secret crushes you may have, hmm?” Sweetie Belle merely shifter her eyes back and forth for about thirty seconds before one of the ponies organizing the event entered their room.
“Miss Chill, Strong Song, Danger Dash, we’re ready,” he told them. The three girls looked at each other and braced themselves for what to expect. They walked out of their rooms through the hallway and onto the stage. Immediately there were camera flashes and incomprehensible questions coming from everypony in the crowd. The girls took their seats at their tables and waited for everypony to quiet themselves down before responding. Silence took place, and hands were raised in the air as if it were a classroom full of eager students.
“Alrighty, as leader, I’ll choose who gets to ask first. You, in the pink fedora,” Apple Bloom pointed out, indicating she could ask.
“Merry Mink, Ponyville Times,” she indicated. “You call yourself leader of the group, but what actual skills make you qualified for such a position?”
“Well, my friends chose me because I’m actually the smartest in the group, so I guess that’s why. You, with the giant mustache,” she pointed to.
“Manny Ink, The Galloping Gazette. Do any of you fillies have a reason for why Ponyville is the place you’ve decided to protect?”
“That’s easy!” Scootlaoo decided to answer this one. “This place has SO many weird things happening to it with dragons and parasprites coming up, so we thought that this would be the place we’re needed the most. Good timing though, seeing as we got here just in time to take out that hydra.” The press chuckled nervously, knowing that the girls were actually correct with how close they had come to oblivion had it not been for their intervention. “You two! You both seem like you’re with the same paper, so I’ll let you each ask a question. Fire away!”
The first pony to ask a question had a yellow mane and red coat. “Seth Isto, Equestria Daily. Do any of you girls consider going into show business?”
“Not really. Doing that might distract us from helping other ponies,” Sweetie Belle responded.
“Quick Brunch, Equestria Daily as well. Do any of you have a special pony in mind when you fight?” Oh boy, they actually asked it. Before either Scootaloo or Apple Bloom could think of something, Sweetie Belle had already answered the question.
“Yes we do. We keep in mind all the ponies that we’re saving each time we go out and fight. We remember that without us out there that they would be in harm’s way, and we cannot let that be. We love each and every pony we save, and that’s why we do what we do.” Sweetie Belle’s answer made jaws drop, including her friends. She was obviously the best one for doing interviews. “Any other questions?”
The interview went on for about another hour, each question becoming more like a topic for a celebrity tween magazine. Actually, the more they thought about it, that’s probably what it was supposed to be. The girls were more exhausted from the interview than either of the two fights they’d been in so far.
“I can’t wait to just plop down and relax,” Scootaloo said as she trotted over to a nearby chair and plopped down on it.
“We can’t relax now, remember? We have to be at school in about an hour,” Apple Bloom reminded the group.
“Oh yeah. Too bad being a superhero couldn’t be just a weekend thing for us to worry about, you know?” Scootaloo remarked before realizing that doing so would mean her weekend would then be taken up by superhero duties. “On second thought, this isn’t so bad.”
“Right. Now let’s head off before something happens that keeps us from getting to class on time.” Apple Bloom and her friends flew out of their dressing rooms and decided that they’d change right after they landed at the school to save themselves time. They had all started to really enjoy flying and all the freedom it had offered them, the cool breeze surrounding them when they flew softly as well. It was peaceful.
And then a laser blast hit them.
The three girls were instantly stuck down and plummeted to the ground, landing with a big boom on arrival. The three got up from their crash to hear a maniacal laughter coming from behind several houses. In an instant the buildings were blown to bits by whatever had attacked them, smoke from the debris keeping them from seeing it clearly.
“SO! You Fighter Filly Girls think that you can save Ponyville from being conquered, correct? WRONG! For I shall demonstrate to you how you are wrong by defeating the three of you, rendering the town indefensible and vulnerable, by which making it conquerable. Then, I shall conquer your pathetic town, and then, THE WORLD!” the creature then stopped its fast, monotone speech pattern and performed its maniacal laugh once more.
“Oh yeah! Why don’t you come out of the smoke, whatever you are!” taunted Sweetie Belle.
“Gladly,” he responded moving slowly at first, but then dashing towards them unexpectedly, almost hitting them if it had not been for their extreme dexterity. What the girls saw shocked and surprised them; a giant metal tortoise with weapons of different varieties on its back. Several of the metal plates folded away for a moment to reveal the mastermind behind this mechanical nightmare. In what appeared to be in the control panel for the robot was a turtle, a second smaller shell on top of its head at an unusual angle.
“What the-?!” the three of them responded at once when seeing this.
“I assume that you did not expect that such a small creature like myself could be so menacing. That would be wrong though, seeing as I am incredibly menacing. I also assume that you are wondering why I am currently wearing a second shell on top of my head. My answer to that is that my brain is so massive that it actually came out of my skull and required additional protection, thus the development of this shell shaped helmet.”
“Eww!” was their response.
“SILENCE! As I was saying, the last thing I suppose that you must all be wondering is ‘What is this marvelous being’s name?’ and ‘Who is this genius that should rule us?’ The answer is simple; my name is Torchel Chelchel, and on this day, I shall DESTROY YOU!” Torchel then had his control station be covered in the plating once again and continued his laser onslaught of the girls. They continually dodged each of the large-backed machine’s assault lasers until they were each hit, unable to avoid the storm of fire being delivered. They decided to group up under cover, trying to come up with a plan.
“Wow! This is tough! You girls have any idea how to take this guy down?” Apple Bloom was met by blank stares as they tried to come up with a way to fight it.
“Stop right there!” a familiar voice yelled out. It was Twilight, appearing out of nowhere as if she were their savior. You’re reign of destruction is over, turtle!”
“Tortoise,” corrected Fluttershy, her head pooping out of a nearby barrel before hiding again.
“Whatever. You don’t stand a chance against my magic!” Twilight then readied her horn, glowing brighter as she began to cast her spell. Suddenly the mechanical beast was surrounded by a glow of purple and started to be lifted off the ground slowly. The girls saw Twilight in action and realized that with her back, they were probably out of the job. They actually felt sad about the idea of being replaced so suddenly. That idea didn’t last long though.
“Oh no! Magic! What ever shall I do?” Torchel said mockingly. A bleep was heard, followed by the appearance of an orange shield surrounding the mechanical tortoise. It suddenly returned to the ground with a plop, leaving the magic mare surprised.
“Wha- what just happened?” she asked. The CMC were wondering the exact same thing.
“Did you really think I would create a juggernaut of a machine such as this and not consider finding a way to defend from magic? I have a force field that prevents myself from being affected from all magical spells, and the firepower to absolutely CRUSH those who would dare use it. Oh, that reminds me,” and with another beep, Torchel opened his creation’s mouth to unleash a wall of flames that spewed forth. Twilight was caught by surprise and couldn’t cast any spells to protect herself in time, only being saved by Apple Bloom’s Ice Breath. She blew as hard as she could against the raging fire that spewed forth from the mouth. The evil Torchel once again let out his laugh, believing that victory would soon be at hand (or paw, whatever).
“Not so fast, Torchel Chelchel!”Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo yelled out, using their super strength to rip off the weapons attached to the robotic tortoise’s back while it was focused on Twilight and Apple Bloom. After pulling the last laser off of it they both landed a punch on the fire-breathing face, stopping its fiery onslaught. Twilight quickly found a safe hiding place understanding that she wouldn’t be able to do much in this fight without her magic. The yellow filly used this opportunity to fully use her Ice Breath to cover the robot in ice, freezing it still.
“Alright!” the three of them yelled, seeing their foe stuck in ice. They all high-fived each other at the prospect of another foe defeated thanks to Ice Breath.
“So, do we bring him in, or just let the guards take care of it?” Apple Bloom asked, wondering how they should do this. She only just realized that they never bothered to do the same with Furry, so she hoped that the authorities could handle him.
“I think they’ll take him away for us. Let’s head to class now that- OH COME ON!” Scootaloo exclaimed, seeing that the ice containing Torchel Chelchel was starting to crack. The cracks were getting larger and larger until it shattered, sending ice shards in all directions.
“HA! You thought that your pathetic ice attack could stop me, Torchel Chelchel, from destroying you? I think not, for I am your superior in every possible way. No matter what abilities you may have, my invention shall surely be able to deal with them. Let us see how you deal with THIS!” Torchel yelled out into his intercom, bleeps and bloops being heard as the robot began to shake. Soon the robot tortoise was standing on its two hind legs, taking a fighting stance.
“Come on Torchel!” Scootaloo said, annoyed at what she was seeing. “You’re controlling a slow moving robot that looks like a slow moving animal. If you think that thing can fight us, then-“ her taunting was quickly cut off as the robot dashed and elbowed straight into her, sending the little filly flying off before crashing into several trees.
“Actually, you two removing my weapons actually aided in my robot losing just enough weight to fully operate in fighter mode. In this mode my robot will be more than a match for your speed, agility, and strength. However, in the spirit of not letting my inventions not meet their full potential, I will give you three exactly fifteen seconds to attempt to damage my creation without fighting back. It will start just about….NOW!” The girls met Torchel’s challenge, using all the abilities they could think of on him. Laser Vision was absorbed if not reflected by the thick, reflective armor, almost causing a nearby pony to lose their eye. Their punches made soft pounding sounds, leading to the girls to feel sore once again from punching something that was just too hard. It was at ten seconds that the three decided to try and use their special abilities. Scootaloo took up to the air and prepared her Doom Dash while Sweetie Belle started her Sonic Scream. Fifteen seconds passed, and the girls heard a light giggle come from inside the robot.
The metal tortoise turned its back towards Sweetie Belle while she was still screaming and adjusted several of the plates on its shell back into a crude satellite dish that reflected the Sonic Scream straight back at her. The little filly had to hold her ears as the ringing continued. Scoots went in for her attack while Torchel was busy with her friend, attempting to end it right there. She was surprised when her opponent turned around, put the two legs together, and then hammered down right on top of the speeding pony the very second she had come into range. Both ponies were effectively downed with their leader nowhere to be found.
“So, this is all the great and powerful Fighter Filly Girls can do it seems. Pathetic! Not even your leader bothered to stay and witness your defeat. Now, Ponyville shall be mine! MWUAHAHAHA!” Little did Torchel know, Apple Bloom had actually snuck away in those last five seconds of Torchel allowing the three to attack to locate Fluttershy. Under the guise of Miss Chill, she was able to ask the scared pegasus about what she knew about tortoises and several of their weaknesses. After ten seconds of talking, the red-bowed pony knew just what to do.
“Excuse me, Mr. Chelchel sir,” Mayor Mare called out to the villain, “but I’m afraid you simply cannot rule Ponyville by taking out superheroes. Our town has a democratic system after all, so you must be properly elected in the first place,” she told him smugly. “So, what do ya say about that?” Torchel’s response was punching a hole straight through to the other side of the building, annihilating it entirely when the arms was pulled out of the hole. Her smug was quickly replaced with worry and the terrible tortoise laughed in victory. The laugh was cut short, as he started hearing a strange rumbling coming from
the ground.
“What is this strange noise that interrupts my jolly cheer?” he asked, leaning his death machine closer to the ground. The rumbling got louder and louder until it stopped. Suddenly, a pink light burst straight out of the ground, hitting the robotic head straight in the middle, knocking the head back. Apple Bloom continued by grappling onto the head and pulling it backwards, using all the strength and speed she could muster. With the last of her push, the metal foe was pushed on its back, its limbs flailing helplessly around in an attempt to get up.
“Thanks Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom called out, thanking her friend for pointing out that a turtle or tortoise that was on its back would have a near-impossible time getting back on its feet.
“No problem, Miss Chill!” she responded, blushing from the excitement of helping to take out that big meanie. A buzzing was heard coming from the robot, followed by a rocket pod with a cockpit on it zooming out.
“I’m on it!” Scootaloo yelled out, finally coming out of her daze. She managed to reach the rocket and redirect its path straight into the ground. The cockpit opened to reveal their true nemesis in all his tiny glory.
“Grah!” he bellowed out as the two girls grabbed him out of his escape pod.
“I’m sure we won’t have to worry about you getting away anytime soon,” Scootaloo told their newly defeated foe as she placed him on his back for the authorities to come and arrest. “Now let’s get going! You ready, Strong Song?”
“WHAT?! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” she replied, her ears still affected by the concentrated scream redirected at her.
“Whatever. Just follow us,” she replied, and the three zoomed off leaving the town once again in their debt.
“Wow! Only one minute left” Apple Bloom and her friends had just gotten out of their costumes and were ready for the school day. Scoots was still dizzy from her pounding and had almost flown into several trees when landing while Sweetie Belle was still yelling out all her responses whenever she thought. This was going to be one awkward day. At least it would be if the doors to the school would open. “What the….oh. Oh. OH!” With all her intelligence, the super smart mare had mixed up what days were and had actually rushed to classes on Saturday. Her friends seem to realize this as well, unifying in a single “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”
While the three girls may have had their issues with school, once can certainly say that the day was saved, thanks to
the Fighter Filly Girls!