Through a slew of events, Fluttershy now found herself in the middle of a fight between the armor clad masked samurai, Hakumen, and animated collection of putrid sludge, Arakune. The two went on trading blow after blow but it was becoming clear that Arakune was at a disadvantage.
Hakumen caught him off guard and now had Arakune pinned to the floor by his blade. Pulling it up, he quickly plunged it down once more, piercing the formless thing which hollered in pain.
With the scene unfolding before her eyes, Fluttershy looked way. But with Arakune’s screams echoing all around her, she could no long ignore it and decided to take action. “Stop…” Softly uttered, her voice was drowned out by Arakune's screams as Hakumen stabbed him again and again. Unable to bear seeing the poor thing suffer any longer, Fluttershy felt the urge to help push her forwards. "Please stop." Rising to her feet, she ran in between them. "That's enough!"
"Hmm?" Acknowledging her at last, Hakumen stopped his blade mere inches above Arakune’s mask. "You wish for me to show mercy upon this abomination?" he asked, staying focused on his foe as he kept his blade in place.
Feeling an intense pressure coming off him with each word he spoke, Fluttery mustered whatever courage she had and answered him. "Yes."
"You realize this creature would have devoured you without hesitation had I given him the chance."
"Yes."
"Yet still you wish for me to show him mercy?"
His words were as sharp as his blade, ready to cut down any argument thrown at him. Even so, Fluttershy could not betray her feelings. "Yes."
Just about to explain herself, Fluttershy saw Hakumen pulled back his weapon and stare at her. While that mask of his hid his face completely, she still felt as though he was glaring right at her.
"Hmph, very well, I shall leave that one to his fate." Hakumen turned and faced Fluttershy, grasping his sword firmly. "After all..." He directed its edge to her now. "He is not the one that drew me here." The tip of his extensive blade now loomed before Fluttershy who stood rigidly still. "You are not of this world. Your very existence threatens the balance of power. Return from whence you came."
Practically paralyzed with fear, Fluttershy managed to reply. "I-I, I can't. I don't know how I got here." Reflecting on what happened, she shut her eyes, furrowing her brow as if she was struggling with her memories. "I don't even know where I am."
Hakumen stood there, finally understanding the girl’s situation. "So you have no means to return then…" Though he stood silent with his blade still drawn, Fluttershy overheard a sorrowful sigh escape him. “I see. Them I'm left with no alternatives.” His stance tightened as he spoke once more. “I am the white void. I am the cold steel. I am the just sword. With blade in hand shall I reap the sins of this world and cleanse it in the fires of destruction.” Flutter could feel an immense pressure surging from him as he stood ready to fight. If it weren’t for its intensity weighing her down, she would have already been fleeing. “I am Hakumen. The end has come!" He charged, prepared to do what he must.
“Stop!" a voice called out as a large insect suddenly stuck against Hakumen’s back.
The bug bounced off against his armor and Hakumen turned to slice it apart. As the pieces burst into mush and dropped to the floor, Hakumen looked to it source where Arakune slowly rose back up.
"Accursed pest, you shall not interfere!" He lunged, ready to stop the creature for good.
With strength unbeknownst to her, Fluttershy moved like lightning and stood in his way. "No!" Instead of stopping like she really hoped he would, prepared to thrust through the two of them. The sword was closing in, about to connect. All Fluttershy could think to do now was throw up her arms.
A blinding light flashed around Fluttershy, briefly blinding Hakumen but he kept his aim straight and thrust his blade forwards.
"Nnngh!" Hakumen grunted, feeling the other end of his blade connect against something hard. Staring into the light before him, he made out the image of a shield with a trio of butterflies as an emblem in its center. Behind the sturdy looking guard, Fluttershy, with her arms raised and eyes tightly shut, wondering what had become of her.
Curious why nothing seemed to have happened, she opened her eyes. "Huh?" A large metal dish was connected to her by a group of straps tightly warped around her right arm. "What is this?" As she flipped it over to examine the other side, she noticed how remarkably light it felt despite sturdy appearance. She then recognized the emblem. "My, cutie ma--" Before she finished, Hakumen swooped in to attack, but Fluttershy, flinching reflexively, inadvertently shielded herself again and he was flung back by the recoil as a result.
Surprised by her quick reflexes, Hakumen prepared for a serious fight. "So, you do wield such power; all the more reason why I must dispel you from this world." Hakumen moved in, no longer holding back, and began hacking and slashing away. All the while, terrified Fluttershy cringed in fear, placing her arms over her face.
"Eeeek!"
Clang after rattling clang, all Hakumen could connect against was the metal of that shield.
"Waaaah!"
For someone who abhorred violence, Fluttershy was doing incredibly well defensively, even if she was shrieking the whole time.
"Woaaaah!”
Her instincts as a coward were paying off as each flinch positioned her shield perfectly to take the impact and spare her from his wrath.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
"Why don't you fight?" Hakumen shouted after another blocked hit. He found himself getting pushed further back with each deflected blow, with the recoil from them intensifying each time. "So, that's it.” He spoke out, staring at her shield. “Its strength grows each time it deflects a blow so long as its wielder managed to block." He charged her again and swung straight at her. "Let us see then, how you deal with this!"
Fluttershy braced herself for impact but in the end, nothing happened. Hakumen had feinted, sidestepping around her shield. Her eyes widened as he appeared beside her. She quickly moved her shield to face him, but it was too late.
“Uuungh!” A quick hard jab knocked Fluttershy to the ground. She looked at Hakumen, who held his sword overhead. Still shaken from the blow, she couldn’t move in time as he swung his blade at her.
“Heyaah!” The surrounding sewer rumbled. Bits of sludge and gunk dangling off pipes over came loose as the sound of cold steel clanging against the floor echoed throughout the area.
“What?!” To Hakumen’s disbelief, Fluttershy had managed to get away. He looked down at the crater he had made traces of crimson and black sludge. He turned to where he had left Arakune, he was gone as well. “Hmmmph.” Aside from the insects and vermin that call this place home, he alone.
To think the abomination would still have the strength to move after that. Next time he won’t be so fortunate. As for that girl… He sensed something in the distance, an energy source somewhat similar to the girl who escaped. Another… If I bide my time then perhaps this one shall lead me to the other, saving me the effort of searching for her.
With that thought in mind, he made his exit.
A safe distance away, Arakune dispelled Fluttershy from his body and placed her down, quietly watching as she sat up next to him.
Realizing what he had just done, Fluttershy looked at him and smiled. “You saved me didn’t you?” Arakune reacted by timidly moving in place. “Thank you.”
He rose up slightly, his mask bobbing up and down. “You, save… save me… Why… you… Why?”
“Oh, well because you were in trouble.”
Arakune winced at her answer, backing away slightly. “I… going… devour. Yet… save… me. I… devour. Devour, devour, devour…” Flailing wildly, he repeated that word, getting louder each time. “Devour, devour devour, dev—.“ He then collapsed into a puddle and sprang back up, his body stretching and compacting all within an instant. “Uhgaaa. Uaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Watching the poor thing gyrate around, crying out as if in pain, Fluttershy reached out to him. “What’s wrong? Is it you injuries from before.” It all reminded her of a time when she tended to an injured bear she met just outside of Ponyville. The poor creature was thrashing about in pain and nopony wanted to get near in fear of being attacked by it. Without a second though, she dove in and did the same thing she did with the bear that day. “There, there, it’s going to be okay. I’m here for you.”
Arakune felt her arms wrap around him. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Letting out one final scream, he fell silent as something went off in his head. “Why are you being so kind to me?” His tone changed. It was clearer and far calmer then before.
“Because I can tell that’s what you really need right now.”
“But before when I was—” A throbbing pulse in his head called out in a familiar voice. “Guhehehehe—No!” he shouted, fighting to maintain control just a bit longer. “I was going to hurt you. Why did you risk yourself to save me knowing that?”
“Well, you were simply doing what’s in your nature; of course, I wouldn’t have been too happy about that. But when I saw him hurting you and hearing you cry out like that, I knew I had to stop it. I guess you can say that it’s in my nature to help those in need, even if they were just trying to eat me.”
Arakune remained motionless, enjoying the warmth he felt. “Thank you. You know, you remind me of someone. A person from my past. A girl who’s also trying to help me.” Slipping out of Fluttershy’s arms, he pooled himself into a puddle and reformed a few feet away from her. “And because she’s trying to help, she’s only going to hurt herself in the end. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you. So please, leave me. Get way!” Forming an arm, he swatted it to try and scare her away.
“Not so fast, Squiggly!” a cry in the distance called out. Diving at them like a bullet, Taokaka struck with a swipe of her paw,— “Squiggly punch!” –knocking Arakune away. “Tao’s not gonna let you eat anybody, meow. Not while she’s around.”
“You!” Arakune shouted, his voice going back to normal. “Gueheeheehee! You… fight... Energy… devour.”
Watching Arakune clearly regressing to his former state, Fluttershy didn’t want him to lose himself and stood up to face Tao. “Excuse me, I won’t—“
“I won’t let you do that, Tao!” A long red staff dropped from above and stood vertically in between Fluttershy and Tao. Landing right beside it, was Litchi Faye-Ling, who fiercely glared at Tao. “You leave him to me.”
“Boobie Lady?” said Tao, surprised to her. “What are you doing here, meow? More importantly, why are you helping the Black Squiggly?”
“Tao, just do what I said and leave. I’m not going to ask you again.”
Tao defiantly shook her head. “No can do, meow. Tao’s in charge of protecting the Kaka village. And if Tao’s got a chance to get rid of Black Squiggly for good, then nothing’s gonna get in Tao’s way, even if it’s you, Boobie Lady.”
“I see…” Grabbing hold of her bow, Litchi stood ready to fight. “I’m sorry Tao, but you leave me no choice.”
As the two prepared to fight, a voice called out from behind Taokaka. “Hey, Tao! Tao! Where’d you go?!”
“Over here, meow!”
Appearing from the distance, Pinkie pie run up behind her. “We told you not to run off like that!” Looking at the scene before her, Pinkie recognized Arakune standing behind the two girls and saw that Taokaka was about to fight against them. Not about to ask questions, she called out her hammer and joined Tao’s side.
Unable to recognize Pinkie Pie in the hooded Kaka clan outfit, Fluttershy figured they were here to hurt Arakune. With Litchi facing Taokaka, Fluttershy turned her focus on the hammer wielding girl and summoned her shield. Fueled by the urge to protect Arakune, she stood firm and spoke passionately. “I’m not gonna let you get past me!”
“Oh yeah?!” Pinkie shouted back, completely caught up in the moment. “We’ll see about that!”
In the heat of their intense fight, neither side let up for a second. Fluttershy, more confident now with weapon, easily blocked each of Pinkie’s swing. Pinkie meanwhile, unleashing a barrage of swipes, kept clanging away against Fluttershy’s shield and getting pushed back further each time.
Quickly catching on to Fluttershy’s tactics, Pinkie slammed her mallet against the ground. The resulting rumble caused Fluttershy to lose her balance and stumble. Pinkie rushed in, spinning her body round for a full powered swing. With the colossal thing headed for her, Fluttershy thought quickly and flapped her wings hidden underneath her dress. The push back was just enough to avoid getting smashed.
The two stared each other down, gripping their weapons tightly. As they both began charging at each other again, someone new walked in on the four of them.
“Flu-Fluttershy?” an astonished Carl Clover utter, witnessing the usually timid and shy girl knee deep in battle.
Recognizing the boy and doll standing beside him, Fluttershy was relieved to see a friendly face. “Carl!”
There was a large crash where Pinkie stood. Her hammer had fallen to the ground and began to vanish. “Fluttershy?!” She looked to the girl she’d been fighting with and removed her hood.
Overhearing Pinkie, Fluttershy dismissed her shield. Recognizing those long pink curls as the girl removed her hood, Fluttershy’s smile widened immensely as tears began to form. “Pinkie Pie!”
Tao and Litchi had also stopped fighting in recognition of Carl.
Taokaka ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his head. “Shorty!”
“Carl? What are you…”With Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie running to each other for a hug, both Litchi and Tao lost their will to fight.
Meanwhile, standing back the entire time, Arakune, fully regressed to his former state, was unsure what to make of the turn of events. With neither party being a real concern to him, he made his exit, slithering away down a tunnel.
Looking his way, Litchi sped off after him. “Wait!”
Seeing her chase after him, Fluttershy decided to follow them further into the tunnels.