//------------------------------// // bonus chapter: Alternative Rarity vs Toph // Story: My Little Pony vs... : The nightmare continues (unauthorized) // by Braininthejar //------------------------------// Rarity shook her head to clear the confusion of a sudden teleport spell. She felt sun on her face and opened her eyes; she was now outdoors, a picturesque, rocky canyon stretching in front of her. For a moment the unicorn just stood there, taking in the landscape: the canyon walls, with stripes of layers changing gradually from grey at the top down to deep red, wind sculpted pillars of rock dotting the bottom of the canyon, their tips sparkling in the sun, the wind whispering gently between them, caressing the fashionista’s flowing mane. Curious, she cast her gem seeking spell and instantly got a reading – the ground was littered with crystals. Just then, a female voice sounded from above her, bringing her back to harsh reality. “Hey, you! Are you my enemy here!?” Rarity looked up. A small biped stood on the edge of the cliff above her. She was about the size of a diamond dog, slightly taller due to standing completely straight, but differently proportioned – her arms looked too short to allow quadruped locomotion. She was wearing a green shirt and pants with matching wristbands, headband and anklets, a khaki tunic on top completing the getup – a very simple, but pleasing design. Rarity’s fashion analysis was interrupted when she looked at the creature’s head. Below the black mane, tied into a ball with the fringe sticking from under the headband, was a face like nothing the mare had seen; almost flat, with a line for a mouth, a tiny nose and grey, lifeless eyes staring forward, as if completely indifferent to her existence. She took a couple steps back, keeping her own eyes on the newcomer. “I am Rarity. I don’t know about enemies. And who might you be, darling?” The creature smirked, a smile that didn’t reach the eyes. “I am Toph Beifong, the greatest earthbender in the world! And you must be the unicorn I have to squash to get out of here. Nothing personal, princess.” Then she leapt, jumping down the cliff. Rarity shrieked in fright, once as she watched the girl plummet to the bottom, then again when the ground under Toph inexplicably bent like a rubber band, cushioning her fall while sending a wave of dirt and rock at the fashionista. She barely had the time to get back on her hooves when the girl attacked again; stomping her foot into the ground, she made a chunk of rock pop up to her shoulder level, then punched it at Rarity, missing her head by inches. What kind of magic is this... What am I thinking! She really is trying to squash me! Rarity jumped to the side as another small boulder flew at her face. She could dodge the flying rocks, but was kept completely on the defense. Toph kept summoning bigger and bigger projectiles, using her powers to slide along the ground at surprising speed whenever Rarity tried to gain some distance. “Hey, stop dodging around! I don’t have all day!” “I’d rather keep dodging, thank you very much.”- Rarity kept running. However, she knew that it was not the way out. She had to find a way to strike back and soon. Just then Toph cut a corner, punching one of the large rock pillars and making it topple towards Rarity. It missed and shattered, filling the air with swirling red dust. Now is my chance! Dashing through the cloud, too focused to even think of the dust ruining her mane, Rarity got around the pile of rubble, emerging behind her opponent. Despite being a lady, she did have a vicious kick and for all her magic Toph didn’t look very strong. If she could land a single hit... Without turning around, Toph stomped with her foot. A shaft of rock shot from the ground underneath the charging Rarity, launching her into the air, the momentum sending her flying over Toph’s head. She landed painfully on her back. “What was that supposed to be? I’m blind, not deaf.” Toph swung her arms in a circular motion, causing the biggest chunk of the collapsed pillar to rise from the rubble. Rotating slowly it floated over the sprawled unicorn before the earthbender sent it crashing down. Rarity looked up in mortal terror, fully aware that she wouldn’t be able to get up in time. Squeezing her eyes shut she did the only thing she could think of, pushing all the magic she could into her horn... The spell hit the rock just before it connected. It struck the ground with a heavy thud, but it was no longer a boulder. Instead, Rarity’s magic had sculpted it into a statue – two unicorns standing on hind legs, their forelegs entwined in a lovers’ embrace. The fashionista was huddling in the small free space underneath. “Ooh, nice trick!” Toph sounded genuinely impressed. On reflex, Rarity almost thanked for the compliment. She was interrupted by a sharp stab of pain in her chest, turning a “thank you” into a painful gasp. The blow that had sent her flying must have broken something. As quickly as she could, she crawled back from under the statue. However, Toph was already moving around to flank her. She stomped the ground repeatedly, almost a kind of dance, summoning small rocks to chuck at Rarity. Smaller, faster projectiles proved too fast to dodge. Rarity moved out of the way, once, twice... her chest protested against sudden movement and the third rock connected with her left cheek. Half of her face went numb with pain. “I told you to stop dodging, princess. It would have been over already.” Toph finished her attack with a salvo of three rocks, launching them all at once. None of them hit the target. Instead, the rocks slowed down, losing momentum as they approached Rarity. They stopped right in front of her face before floating to her side. Rarity’s horn glowed with a blue aura. She didn’t have enough power to stop a boulder, but rocks were a different matter. With a pulse of blue, she sent one of the projectiles back, catching Toph straight in the face. “Heu... how ded eu...” Toph swayed, spitting out a tooth, blood oozing from her broken nose. Another rock hit her in the chest, knocking the breath out of her. Rarity smiled despite the pain, a sudden realisation dawning on her. She really IS blind! I can still do this! However, her smile waned when the young earthbender’s bloodied face turned into a mask of cold fury. Toph spread her arms wide before crossing them in front of her chest. From all around her, specks of dust and pieces of rock flew towards her body, coalescing into a rocky armour until she looked like a rough statue hewn out of red stone, only her blank grey eyes visible from underneath the shell. The third projectile hit her forehead and bounced off harmlessly. Waving her arms around her, she slid forward with the finality of an avalanche. Rarity kept moving back, her magic lashing frantically around her, pelting the incoming earthbender with pieces of rubble. All of them hit, the girl barely bothering to block them as they failed to even chip her armour. Toph ended her slide with a wide swing of her arms, bringing her hands together in a loud clap. In response, the rock bottom of the canyon rose up, two heavy slabs slamming together around Rarity. The unicorn jumped back, but her battered and bruised body wasn’t quite fast enough. The rocks caught the tip of her right front leg. She fell to the ground wailing loudly as her hoof exploded with pain. Toph spread her arms again, sending the two slabs flying to the sides, giving her a free path to her target. Rarity sat down helpless, turning her head aside, away from the sight of her incoming killer, or her crushed leg. She heard a rumbling sound, a clear indication that Toph was lifting something heavy again. Suddenly the unicorn’s eye caught a glint of something shiny. Through the haze of pain, she saw a shard of crystal buried in the surrounding rubble, its beauty almost hidden beneath the red dust. It must have been dug up by all that... Suddenly an idea appeared in her head. Pushing her magic into a desperate effort, she picked the shard up, channelling her power into another sculpting spell. There was a soft puff of magic as the dust and pieces of crystal fell off. What remained was a Neighponese style hairpin, a pink crystal needle, five inches in length, glistening beautifully in the sun as it slowly turned in Rarity’s magical grasp. The fashionista turned once again towards her enemy. Toph stood with her arms above her head, half turned, a large boulder slowly flowing towards her, ready to strike a killing blow. Rarity knew she would not be able to dodge and she was in too much pain to focus on sculpting something this big. But perhaps she wouldn’t need to. She waited until the very last moment, forcing herself to control her magic until Toph faced her again. Then, looking into the blank, grey eyes, she pushed one last time. The needle spun like a spindle, then shot forward faster than an eye could follow. There was a soft sound of impact and a surprised gasp, then a heavy thud as the boulder fell to the ground, mere feet away from the unicorn.Toph Beifong shed a single, red tear and then moved no more. *** As the dust settled, Rarity took a moment to gather her thoughts. She was red all over, the red dust covering her fur and mane caked into a moist mess where it mixed with blood. Her vision was slightly out of focus and her face was already horribly swollen. Her every breath was like a stab to the chest. Her stomach squeezed and turned from the accumulated stress. She wanted to vomit, then roll up and just stay there on the ground until the pain goes away. But it was not to be. Rarity was no soldier, but she knew her injuries could well prove fatal if she gave them the time. She needed help. With a soft hum, a white portal sprung into existence on the wall of the canyon. The fashionista remembered what she was told; upon crossing to the next area, she would be completely healed. But that meant walking straight into another fight. She would be healed, but would get no rest. Not a moment to relax and recover. I may not need sleep, but at this rate... I’ll go crazy... perhaps this is what these villains want... Pushing herself up, Rarity limped towards the portal, very careful to keep her crushed leg from touching the ground. As she struggled to stay on her feet, a thought struck her. She could rest after the next battle, before entering the portal, as long as she finished the fight without any serious injury. She just needed to be a more efficient killer. She nearly laughed hysterically at the thought. Behind her, the earthbender kept standing right where she died, the rocky shell keeping her upright. With no magic to animate it, it became both her tomb and a monument. Rarity looked back at it for a moment, thinking who her first victim might have been. She had been so aggressive and yet seemed so young... But there was no time to speculate now. With a painful sigh, Rarity stepped through the portal, leaving the battlefield behind her.