Crumble made his way through the ruins of the base. The story that was told through the damage was one of anger and pain.
Walls were torn to shreds, doors were ripped out of their hinges, the floors were full of cracks, and some had even collapsed to the floor beneath it. Lights flashed on and off uncontrollably.
Crumble only imagined what kind of battle the two beasts were having. It was only moments ago that Crumble had awoken Fluttershy from her drug induced sleep. Only moments ago had she transformed into her other half in an attempt to defeat the newest monster in their lives.
As he traveled throughout the base, the bodies of ponies lied everywhere. Many of them were injured, some of them severely, others were less fortunate. Medical officers were scampering around, passing him and trying to save whom they could. He heard the panicking voices of the doctors, shouting out medical terminology. He could understand it if he was paying attention, but his thoughts weren’t on the ponies around him. His only thought was on Fluttershy.
Crumble could hear the rumbling of the two goliaths as they waged their unstoppable war. The cries of rage the beasts unleashed and the power of their attacks vibrated throughout the entire facility, shaking it like an earthquake. Crumble only imagined what kind of trauma Fluttershy had to endure battling another creature like herself.
Fluttershy, please be okay.
Crumble finally made his way to the top floor of the base. He looked beyond the staircase and saw the ruins of a great battle. Straight ahead, he saw a wall that had been completely torn open to reveal the desert outside.
He made his way to the opening to see the two behemoths. However, Fluttershy was on the ground, motionless, while the other beast was standing proudly over her, as if to declare his dominance.
Crumble’s heart sank into his stomach. If that thing was powerful enough to defeat Fluttershy, what hope did they have? The thought was so distressing, it almost caused him to fall to his knees.
The beast’s lungs then unleashed a powerful cry to the heavens. The sound resonated through the air around them. The creature then looked to the distance and started to dart forward. A second later, it used its powerful legs to lunge into the air, disappearing into the distance.
Crumble made his way to Fluttershy’s side. She wasn’t moving and he couldn’t tell if she was breathing.
Fluttershy, please don’t be dead.
He placed his hoof on her giant head, gently stroking it. All hope he had was slowly drifting away.
Fluttershy, you can’t be dead! You just can’t be! I... I won’t accept it!
Tears started to muster in his eyes as he continued to wait for a sign. Any sign would do. Anything that would tell him that Fluttershy was alive.
Without warning, her eyes slowly started to open and she gave a deep sigh. Crumble smiled as a single tear started to flow down his face.
Fluttershy, thank Celestia you’re alright.
He wiped the tear away with his hoof.
Fluttershy gave a low moan as she moved, attempting to rise to her feet. Her movements were slow and unsteady. She had clearly been in a great battle. One that had taken all of her strength with nothing to show for it but a battered body.
Crumble then heard the shouting of disorganized ponies behind him. He turned around to see a small group of soldiers pointing their weapons at Fluttershy. And standing above them all was General Thunderbolt.
“Step away from her, boy!” the general shouted.
Crumble stood his ground as his eyes met with the general’s. “Fluttershy wasn’t the one who attacked this base, old man! And you know it!”
Fluttershy started to rise to her feet, but then stumbled back to the ground. She moaned in pain as she struggled to move.
“She’s dangerous!”
Crumble grit his teeth. “What about the other one?! Is that one not dangerous?!”
The general was silent at his retort, as if he was unsure what to say.
“Damn it, it tried to kill you! It tried to kill me! How many ponies has that thing killed?! How many ponies is that thing going to kill?!”
The general lowered his head for moment but then raised his head again, facing his son.
“It leapt off in that direction!” Crumble pointed his hoof off to where the creature was seen fleeing.
He noticed the general’s eyes widening a bit, but he quickly collected his composure. Crumble couldn’t help but think about what the beast had said to the general. That thing was going to kill and then lay the bodies at the general’s hooves.
“What was that thing?!” Crumble asked.
The general turned around and started to march back to the facility. “Guam... Pull in soldiers.”
The soldiers turned their heads towards the general, their guns still focused on their target.
“Sir?” one of them asked.
“We’ve got more immediate problems right now!” Thunderbolt ordered as he turned to face them. “I want you to gather every able body and every available weapon to head straight for the Molhoofend Dam.” His soldiers followed his lead and headed straight for base, leaving the general in the desert. “We need to order an evacuation for everypony in Las Pegasus.”
Crumble’s eyebrows rose.
Las Pegasus was a huge city, filled with ponies of all sizes. Sure, there were a lot of Pegasi in the city, but for every citizen that could fly, there was a least six or seven that couldn’t. Even then, less than half of the population of Pegasi were either children or the elderly. Some couldn’t possibly get away on their own. Only a portion of the population would be safe. And even with an evacuation order, Guam had a head start and if he was large enough to take down Fluttershy, he could tear that dam apart without breaking a sweat.
“How?” Crumble asked. “We can’t evacuate the entire city!”
“You would have me do nothing?!” Thunderbolt retorted.
Crumble took a step towards his father. “By the time you get your ponies organized, that city could be underwater!”
“And what do you want me to do?!”
Crumble was hesitant for a moment. What more could the general do? There was no weapon, no power, and no force in all of Equestria, in all the world, that could stop Guam’s unstoppable rampage. None that could stop him in time.
But his hesitation disappeared with the thought of one being. One pony that could face him.
He turned his head to Fluttershy, who had just barely risen to her feet.
“Fluttershy!” he called.
Fluttershy turned her head towards Crumble. She was breathing heavily and looked as if she was worn out.
“Fluttershy, listen to me,” Crumble started. “You have to go after him.”
Fluttershy gave a deep sigh and raised her eyebrow towards him, tilting her head.
Crumble pointed his hoof to the horizon, towards the dam. “Fluttershy, if he gets to that dam, those ponies... in the city... they’ll die.” He took a step forward towards her, his eyes begging her to take this task.
Fluttershy lowered her gazed to the ground. It was as if she knew she couldn’t defeat her opponent. As if she knew she wasn’t going to win.
“Fluttershy, you have to stop him. You’re the only one who can.”
Fluttershy raised her head towards the horizon Crumble pointed towards. She took several steps forward, releasing heavy sighs as she moved. She then bent her knees and sprung into the air with a mighty leap, a cloud of dust erupting at the force of her bound. Within moments, she had disappeared into the desert.
“What are you doing?!” Crumble heard his father call out to him.
Crumble turned his head, glaring at the general. “For once in my life, cleaning up your mess.”
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The Molhoofend dam was built before Guam was even born, but he knew its history. It was built as a testament of the new world that was arising. A world where magic was slowly fading, being replaced by technology.
However, his mind wasn’t on the history of the dam, magic or any of that. His mind was only on Thunderbolt. The pony who lied to him. Who tricked him into taking a serum that was going to cripple him. His thoughts were only on taking his revenge against the general.
He knew that taking the general’s life would be too easy and not very satisfying. He wanted to see the general’s name go down in flames. To see the world blame him for the atrocities HE committed.
As he approached the dam, he began to see shapes of ponies, most likely workers, around it. Unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies alike all looked up to the sky as he descended onto the platform.
His body crashed into the platform with a thunderous thud, the entire stage rumbling by such tremendous force. A smoke cloud burst from the ground, concealing Guam’s presence. Several screams of terror were heard coming from the ponies around him. This made him grin. He enjoyed hearing the terror in their voices.
A single pony braved the irrefutable terror that was in his heart. He slowly approached the crater, daring to see what had fallen from the heavens.
Guam reached his hoof towards the single pony and grabbed him by his face. The pony unleashed a scream, but it was muffled by Guam’s enormous hoof. Screams of terror filled the air all around them as the single pony was pulled into the creator. Smoke engulfed the mysterious hoof and its helpless victim. The screaming was so overpowering, Guam couldn’t even hear the cracking of the pony’s neck as he twisted the victim’s head between his hooves.
Guam rose to his feet and gave a mighty bellow.
The smoke began to clear to reveal Guam’s large monstrous figure. The ponies around him started to panic and scattered away from him.
Guam started to chuckle as they fled for their lives.
“Not gonna matter,” he thought to himself. “Most of them are going to be underwater in a minute.”
Guam directed his eyes towards a large truck to his right. It was packed with all sorts of construction beams and equipment. It was probably over 30 tons of weight. Which was nothing to Guam now.
He made his way to the vehicle’s front and wrapped its hooves around the front of the truck. The metal sides of the truck started to crunch towards each other as he tightly grabbed hold of it. He started to lift it was all his might. He then spun his body quickly and tossed the truck towards the great wall before him.
The metallic beams slid from their containment and fell to the ground below as the truck soared wildly to the dam was it was destined for. Ponies dove out of the way as the heavy beams that slammed into the ground below.
The vehicle slammed into the wall causing a fiery explosion. The remains of the truck smashed into the ground below. The wall of the dam had a large crack in it and it was growing.
Guam looked down the gorge and noticed that the mountains split in the direction of the town. The canyon walls stood high above him and that would prevent any of the water from escaping down another path. The water would pour, non-stop, to the city below them. Those ponies would drown and it would be all Thunderbolt’s fault.
Guam smiled at convenience. It was if the heavens themselves wanted him to succeed. He leaped to the side of the wall, digging his hooves in the foundation for support and slammed one of his hooves right into the wall, causing a huge rumble that shook the entire dam.
Guam gave a cruel chuckle as the walls began to crack even further. A pillar collapsed and fell to the base of the dam, breaking into several pieces as it collided with the ground.
“A little more of this and it’s bye-bye Las Pegasus!”
Just as Guam prepared his next assault against the dam, a loud, thunderous roar echoed throughout the canyon. Guam turned his gaze towards the distance to see a large being with giant wings heading straight for him. The creature, despite its large wings, was leaping towards him, as if it couldn’t fly.
Guam knew whom it was, even with the distance making her indistinguishable. He knew only one pony that could cover as much distance as he had in the short amount of time. Fluttershy.
A moment later, Fluttershy landed on the base platform of the dam. After the smoke cleared, she unleashed a powerful and threatening cry against her opponent as she stared him down.
Guam leaped down from his position on the wall, slamming into the stand below him. He gazed fiercely at his polar opposite, a cruel smile growing on his face.
“Looking for a rematch?” Guam taunted as he slowly approached Fluttershy, whose only response was a threatening growl.
“Alright then. Let’s go!” Using his mighty legs, Guam burst straight for the only pony that might stop him. But he knew in the back of his mind, Fluttershy would only die.
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There was no time to move, no time to attack, no time for anything. Fluttershy was powerless to stop Guam’s body from smashing into her’s, sending them both into the river. A huge tower of water was created as the titanic bodies plunged beneath it.
Deeper and deeper they sank. Guam unleashed a powerful blow to Fluttershy’s jaw, sending her down to the bottom of the river. Despite the water slowing her descent, though not by much, the crash caused a large crater where solid land once was. Dust covered Fluttershy’s eyes, but she knew where her opponent was. She knew where to find her target.
With her powerful legs, she forced herself off the floor of the river and flew up towards Guam. She braced herself as she rammed into the beast sending them both upwards. Though the water, they flew.
Eventually, they burst from the waterway. Cries of rage and anger filled his lungs as Guam was tossed back onto the platform by Fluttershy’s attack.
Fluttershy followed shortly after, landing firmly on the ground. She growled as she stared at her opponent, who was slow to move. Fluttershy took the opportunity to begin a charging tackle against her opponent. Speed built as she aimed for her helpless target.
However, just before Fluttershy could reach him, Guam turned around quickly with his hoof connecting with Fluttershy jaw, breaking her momentum and throwing her off course. Guam had faked his weakness and Fluttershy fell for his trap too easily.
The force of the assault sent Fluttershy skidding across the floor, her body digging up the ground beneath her. Fluttershy slowly rose to her feet and looked to the sky. Guam was coming down for her.
Fluttershy quickly moved out of Guam’s path, causing the giant to slam into the concrete instead. Fluttershy raised her front hoof and smashed it into her opponent’s jaw. Guam growled in pain as her hoof made contact, but he was still undeterred.
Instead, Guam counterattacked with a blow of his own, sending Fluttershy to the ground. The ground beneath them shook violently as she was pounded into the pavement.
Fluttershy growled in anger as she quickly placed her two front hooves together, swinging them wildly at Guam. The blow caused Gaum to stumble, if only for a few moments. But those moments might have been an eternity to Fluttershy, for in those moments, she unleashed the power in her legs to tackle her opponent to the ground.
As she stood over him, she let loose a flurry of blows to her opponent’s body. Hoof after hoof flew at Guam with incredible speed and force. Fluttershy grunted with each attack she threw, the land around them slowly sinking with each blow.
Finally, Guam caught one of Fluttershy’s hooves, stopping her attack. She attacked with her other hoof, but it was also stopped by Guam. Guam leaned his head back and thrust forward with tremendous force right into Fluttershy’s skull.
Fluttershy stumbled backwards, crying out in pain. Her vision started to blur a little and it was only for a moment, but that moment was all Guam needed to rise to his feet.
Guam gave a cruel smirk at Fluttershy, almost as if he was expecting more from her.
Fluttershy growled in anger and threw another blow at the seemingly unstoppable Guam before her.
However, Guam was quickly to react and stopped her attack by grabbing her hoof with his own.
Guam then took advantage of Fluttershy’s delayed reflexes and delivered a powerful blow to her gut with his free front hoof. Fluttershy cried out in agony as blood shot from her mouth by the sheer force of the blow. As she refocused her gaze on her opponent’s face, Guam’s hoof came straight for her.
The blow sent Fluttershy straight threw a gasoline truck, which ignited in a fiery explosion as she passed through it. She flew until she slammed into the wall of the dam. The wall shook violently as her massive body collided with the great structure. Cracks formed where she had hit. She toppled to the floor below with a thud.
She struggled to her feet. Her body ached. Her breathing became more rapid and her nose was gushing blood. She growled as she once again focused her gaze on Guam. The beast was coming straight for her in a mad rampage.
Fluttershy looked to her left to see a gasoline truck, only a few feet from her. She wrapped her hooves around the front of it and started to slowly lift it. At the moment Guam came within striking range, Fluttershy swung the gasoline truck like a baseball bat, slamming into Guam’s body.
The gas tank ignited as it collided with Guam, causing a burst of flames. Guam was sent soaring to the ground, sliding across the foundation.
Fluttershy took the opportunity to strike at her stunned opponent by initiating a relentless charge. Using her powerful legs right before the last second, she hurled herself towards Guam dragging him to the ground.
As the two collided with the ground, Guam quickly grabbed hold of Fluttershy’s hooves. His movements were so fast Fluttershy didn’t have time to react. He then tossed her behind him, straight on her back. She moaned in pain as she crashed into the foundation.
Fluttershy slowly rolled back to her belly and started to rise back to her feet. It was a slow and uneasy motion. She started to wobble as she moved. She raised her head to see Guam, readying his approach.
Fluttershy quickly stood on her hind legs and gave a mighty bellow. At the same time, she spread her mighty wings out as far as she could. Guam, as if sensing Fluttershy’s next move, began an uncontrollable rush towards her.
In that instant, Fluttershy began to flap her wings with vigorous force. The gusts of wind that came from them were like the mightiest hurricane blowing straight at Guamadillius. Again and again, her wings would unleash wave after wave of powerful bursts of air. The tempest unleashed from Fluttershy slowed and eventually stopped Guam’s advancement.
Trucks and other pieces of equipment were forced against the back wall of the dam by the gale force winds. Items that were bolted down slowly began to rise from its foundation. The storm shook the entire dam with a thunderous rumble.
Guam pushed with all his might against the windstorm, but he could advance no further than a single step. He growled, as it seemed that Fluttershy had finally stopped his attack. Fluttershy continued the assault, her indomitable stamina keeping her body from wearing out from overexertion.
However, Guam was still more powerful than she was and he still wasn’t beaten. Far from it. Guam dug his hoof into the pavement below him and started to lift with all his might. Cracks in the foundation trailed far down across the floor as he continued to lift. A large land mass was forming as Guam continued to rip through the earth. And with one mighty cry, he pushed the land mass forward, its path headed towards Fluttershy.
Before Fluttershy could move or react, the piece of pavement crashed on top of her, burying her under its weight. The world around her darkened by the rumble that formed as the earth collided with her body.
She started to hear hoof steps approaching her. The crunching of stone echoed through her prison as the steps came closer and closer. Fluttershy felt the weight of her prison shift towards her as the stride ended. Guam was on top of her.
With all her might and with very little warning to her opponent, she propelled herself forward and out of the rubble. The force was so great and quick, that Guam was unable to react. Instead, he tumbled backwards.
Fluttershy took the opportunity to attack her opponent while he was dazed. She quickly grabbed, in each hoof, two boulders, formerly part of the foundation, and tossed them one after the other. The stones split apart as soon as they made contact with Guam’s body, but they did cause him to stagger, if only for a moment.
Fluttershy rallied all the strength in her legs to give Guam a devastating tackle just as he rose to his hind legs. However, before Fluttershy could drag her opponent to the ground, Guam lifted his front legs and slammed them into Fluttershy’s back. This caused Fluttershy to surrender her grip and collapse to the pavement. Guam, however, was only shoved back a few feet.
Fluttershy struggled to her feet. The moment she tried to rise to her feet, she collapsed again. Her breathing began to slow down. Her movements became slower. She started to slowly rise to her knees when a dark shadow stood over her. She continued to stare at the ground as the foreboding omen overshadowed her. She raised her head and her eyes met with Guam.
Guam’s front legs were raised, as if ready to squash her. Sure enough, Guam’s unleashed his attack and his front legs came straight for Fluttershy.
Fluttershy reacted quickly and managed to catch Guam’s attack, but she was struggling to stay upright.
She fought with all her might to divert Guam’s attack, but it was in vain. It was all she could do just to keep his hooves from reaching her body, but she knew eventually she would give out. Guam was pressing with so much force Fluttershy couldn’t hold out forever.
The ground started to crack and sink beneath her as Guam continued to push against her.
Guam delivered a violent growl. “You think you can save them?! You can’t save any pony! You’re too weak!”
Fluttershy began to think about the ponies in the city below her. The stallions, the mares, the colts, the fillies. Images of thousands of ponies and their smiling faces. She knew almost none of them. She did recognize a few. Monsieur Pabul, the griffin that took her in and became a surrogate father to her. Blackberry, her best friend at the circus. She saw Bertha and Tommy the elephants. She even saw Alex the Lion. But two, above all others, stood out.
A brown mare with a red mane. She didn’t smile much, but she still felt gentleness from her. She was strong, but also kind. She was tough, but also considerate, even if she didn’t always show it. She was the friend who would stand up for her when she couldn’t do it herself.
And then, there was the light green stallion. His smile was like a lighthouse guiding her out of her despair and sorrow. Every time she saw his face, heard his voice, felt his skin, she felt alive. A feeling she hadn’t felt since her parents were alive. She felt... loved.
But in an instant, all of it was wiped away. The ponies screamed in terror as a sea of blood roared from behind them, engulfing the strangers. Cookie and Crumble attempted to outrun it, but it eventually swallowed them too. With their last breath of air, they called out her name.
Her mind raced at the thought of losing the only two ponies she had left. Her mind filled with thoughts of sorrow. And finally rage.
“Flutterhulk not weak,” she uttered in a whisper, silently promising herself she would save them.
“Flutterhulk strong,” she growled louder than before, gathering every ounce of strength she had. Every second she thought about her dearest friends drowning in a sea of blood, it increased her rage.
“FLUTTERHULK IS STRONGEST THERE IS!”
Flutterhulk pushed with all her might against Guam. She growled in anger as her might slowly caused her to rise to her feet. Her body shook as she pushed with all her strength against Guam’s might. Despite the weariness, despite everything that had happened, despite the amount of power Guam was forcing on her, she continued to rise. Her hind hooves had finally found their grip on the earth.
She felt Guam push even harder, but that only made her made her angrier. And the madder she became, the stronger she became. Guam was forced to take a step back at Flutterhulk’s sudden increase of power. Finally, Flutterhulk was standing upright, her eyes peering straight into Guam’s.
She tilted her head back and slammed it into Guam’s skull, causing him to stumble backwards.
Flutterhulk heard her opponent growl in rage as he turned his head, but it was quickly silence by her hoof driving itself into Guam’s jaw.
The force of the blow sent Guam soaring back several yards. He smashed into the pavement, uncontrollably, sending up a thick cloud of dust.
Guam slowly rose to his feet and stared down Flutterhulk. His lungs produced a thunderous cry as he headed straight for her like a train rushing for its destination.
Flutterhulk began a charge of her own, running at full speed. As the two collided, Guam forced Flutterhulk backwards several feet. She skidded across the pavement on her back. Guam quickly took advantage of her position and with great haste, made his way on top of her.
Standing over her, he swung his hooves in a wild frenzy, slamming his hooves into her face.
Flutterhulk, after the third blow, quickly caught Guam’s attack and delivered a massive blow of her own.
Guam tumbled backwards but was quick to rise to his feet. By the time he had, Flutterhulk was also on her feet. She unleashed a powerful roar as her hoof impacted Guam’s face with thunderous force.
Guam retaliated quickly with another blow, but Flutterhulk was still standing strong. Still going. Flutterhulk unleashed another blow to Guam’s body. And then another. And then another. Hoof followed hoof in sync with her growls and grunts.
Guam was unable to stop the onslaught of blows coming towards him. He attempted to raise his hooves to block Flutterhulk’s attacks, but his movements were far too slow and getting slower. His body burned in pain as his chest, his hooves and his face were all pummeled by Flutterhulk’s massive hooves.
Flutterhulk placed her two front hooves together and smashed them against Guam with a fierce uppercut.
Guam was sent into the air and came crashing down. Guam started to move. He was attempting to stand, but as soon as he put his front hoof down, he tumbled back to the ground.
Flutterhulk unleashed a mighty roar as she gazed toward her opponent. He was struggling to even stand. He moaned in pain as his body moved in slow and exhausted motions.
“You... think you’ve... won?” Guam asked. His voice was shaky. It was as unbalanced as his stance. He put his front hoof on the ground, starting to rise up. One after another, his hooves were placed firmly on the ground.
“You ... haven’t won... anything,” Guam continued, his voice still breaking off into heaves of pain and exhaustion.
“Nopony beats Guamadillius.” Guam then smashed his hind leg into the back wall of the dam. A large crack formed around his leg as it embedded itself into the deep wall. Thunderous crackling and rumbling echoes all around them. Flutterhulk growled at her opponent, as if she knew exactly what he was going to do.
“Nopony!” Guam then freed his leg from the dam, causing the only remaining support to crumbled behind him. As the wall began to fail, water burst from the various damages from the battle. A moment later, the entire wall burst with a river of water consuming Guamadillus.
Flutterhulk used her powerful legs to leap off the platform and onto the chasm walls above her, before the water engulfed her.
Flutterhulk looked down towards the ravine. Millions of gallons of water poured out from the dam and started to rush down towards the city. It seemed like all she had done had been for nothing, but she wouldn’t give up.
Flutterhulk leaped across the top of the canyon, rushing herself to keep in front of the river.
In a matter of moments, Flutterhulk was finally able to get in front of the rushing torrent, but she knew it wouldn’t be for long.
As she placed herself firmly on the cliff, she raised her hooves and gave a powerful cry of rage. She then smashed her hooves against the ground, causing the entire side of the cliff to crack and crumble to the gorge below.