//------------------------------// // Turning It Up A Notch // Story: Utaan // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// "Now Tim... just simmer down," Bard started— "Shut yer beard-hole!" Tim snorted, marching towards the group as the windigoes thundered and howled outside. "Or I swear I'll rip yer bucking heart out!" "He's... uh..." Applejack gulped. "Telling the truth." "Yeah, I gathered that!" Rainbow Dash snarled aside before approaching the muscular stallion. "Look. Chillax. This is all a big misunderstanding. Verlax's death isn't what caused those windigoes—Ulp!" Her eyes bulged. Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy gasped. "Rainbow Dash!" Whump! Rainbow felt herself being lifted up and slammed against a metal shelf by a single meaty fetlock. "Okay... grkkk..." She wheezed. "...you're a strong one... holy frig..." "So you admit it?!" Tim snarled into her face. "You done killed our Queen?! I should pluck every feather off you and shove 'em in your eyeballs, ya good-for-nothing murderer!" "Not t-true..." Rainbow Dash sputtered, quivering. "I'm pr-pretty good for cuddles..." "Hey!" Ariel flew up. "Let her go!" "And you!" Tim glared aside without flinching. "Shut up! You and the rest of y'all Herald bums are goin' outside! Dun care for nothin' if y'all freeze to death! It's your bed! Best you slept in it—" "Do as she says, Tim..." Bard marched up, frowning. "Let Rainbow go." "Or what?!" Tim spat. He took a brief opportunity to smirk. "This ain't yer home no more, Johnny. So you ain't got a say in—" CLANGGG! A metal bo-staff suddenly flew across his face. He stumbled back, dropping Rainbow in a blink. Several foster siblings gasped. "Timothy!" Blue shouted in horror. "Grfff... hckkk..." Rainbow shuddered on the cellar's floor, surrounded by her ghostly friends. She looked up, eyes thin. "Holy smokes..." Bard stood before Tim, his metal staff extended. "Well..." He took a bow. "That ain't my muzzle neither... but t'ain't stoppin' me from takin' away a good share of teeth." Tim rubbed his bleeding mouth, then turned to sneer at the smaller stallion. "Friggin' coward... after all these years, you finally have the balls to take me on... and you can't even settle for yer own hooves." "Oh, I dun need my weapons to take you to the woodshed." Bard twirled the staff and tossed it behind him. "That was just to get yer attention." Clap! Wildcard caught the metal pole in his metal talon and stood patiently at a distance. "Wasn't smart, boy..." Tim paced across from Bard. "You done made me mad." "What can I say?" Bard bowed once more. "I lurve a challenge." "Rrrrrrghhh..." Tim galloped towards him at full speed. Stomp!-Stomp!-Stomp! "RAAAAAAAUGH!" Bard held his hooves straight and tensed his muscles— Wham! Tim slammed into him at full speed. A few ponies' ears popped from the sheer concussion of the contact. The two went sliding together across the cellar. Flynn and Kepler had to hop out of the way at the last second as—Claaaaang! Tim ended with shoving Bard into a series of open barrels loaded with metal equipment. The musician fell amidst a pile of rusted debris, causing smoke to ripple across the already sparse manalight from the unicorns in hiding. "Ooooooh..." Pinkie Pie winced. "That had to hurt." "Is..." Fluttershy whimpered. "...is he alright?" "Shhhh!" Rainbow insisted. "Hrmmmf..." Tim brushed dirt from his fetlocks and spat bloodily onto the pile of metal clutter. "Dayum fool." He turned to glare at the Herald once more. "Now. Like I said—" A bucket flew across his skull. Clank! "OW!" "Grffff..." Bard stood up, bruised and hatless... but smirking. "That one was for free." He rubbed blood off his gruffy chin. "Now it's my turn." FWOOOSH! With one flap of his wings, he was sailing straight towards his brother with a massive elbow. "Haaaaaa!" Whud! The two collided, sliding the opposite direction from which they came. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me—" Flynn dove again, tripping into Kepler. The manalight bent and shook as the two stallions fought, wrestled, and threw themselves against a wall. Tim got the upper hoof—but not for long. Bard savagely uppercutted him, then barreled into the larger pony head-first, throwing the fight against the opposite end of the cellar. Soon, all was sweat and grunts and wince-inducing thuds in the claustrophobic darkness. "Get 'em, Tim!" Blue hollered, standing beside Marie and pumping his bony forelimb. "Teach 'em some manners!" "Buck that!" Logan spat, grinning from ear to ear as he kicked at the dirt below. "Kick his ass, Bard! Job Squad represent! Hah! Cleanup on aisle jerkoff!" "Johnny! Tim!" Nicole stomped her hoof as her foster siblings were too stunned to produce words. "Stop it! What are you, children?!" "Rnnngh!" Bard shoved Tim off him and took a moment to catch his breath. "Sorry, darlin'..." He dragged a hoof across the ground, glaring at his opponent. "But I've put this off for far too dayum long." "You mean you bein' skinned like a cat?!" Tim raved, charging again. "Have it yer way!" "Nnnngh!" Bard could only wince as the hulking mountain of muscle descended upon him. Whammmm! The two's charge sent them reeling into the first of many racks. One by one, the shelves tipped into one another with thunderous clatter, sending bags and containers of supplies spilling all over the cellar. As the debris rolled in every direction, the two brothers slipped and fell—taking their wrestling to the floor. The punches and kicks and headbutts dwindled into an awkward, breathless, sweaty melee. Meanwhile, Ariel helped Rainbow Dash up to her hooves, all the while stammering: "This... this is madness..." She grimaced as windigo shrieks intensified up above. "We're all going to die at this rate." "Yeah, I know." Rainbow Dash nodded, gulping. Her eyes remained locked on the fight. "I wonder if they store popcorn down here." Ariel gawked at her. "Rrrrrgh!" Rolling on top of Bard, Tim punched the Desperado several times. Wham! Smack! Thud! "Aaaaugh!" He lifted Bard like a dead weight and flung him across the cellar. Crasssh! Bard landed meatedly in a collapsing series of wooden crates, spilling loose flour all around. "Gaaugh!" He shook all over, writhed, and slumped back. "Mrffnngh... goddess... why did nature even give us tailbones...?" THAP! Tim kicked the stallion in the chest... then held him up by his neck. "...!" Rainbow Dash ran forward. "He's getting his butt kicked—" A metal talon stopped her in her tracks. Gasping, Rainbow looked aside. Wildcard calmly stared at the fight, anchoring Rainbow in place. "But... b-but..." Rainbow grimaced. "Shhhhh..." Hissed a deep voice. It was Remna. The violet mare stood with her forelimbs folded. "If nothing else... he needs to prove the validity of our delay here." For once, Wildcard nodded to the words of his "mentor." Blinking, Rainbow and her friends watched the fight. "Hrmmmmff..." Tim snorted in Bard's bloodied face. "...I knew it. Always did. Yer nothin' against me in a one-on-one fight." His eyes narrowed. "I shoulda kicked yer skull in back when I first learned what ya did to Momma's grave." "Snkktk... shh... shhh..." Bard sputtered. "What?!" Tim's eyes flared—wide and bloodthirsty—as he stared the Desperado down. "Got somethin' to say!" Bard managed a crooked grin. "Shoulda... kept yer eyes shut..." And he hoisted the hoof-full of spilled flour and flung it into Tim's face. Fwoof! "Aaaaaaugh!" Tim howled, dropping Bard so he could grasp his face. Bard stumbled to his hooves, catching a second breath. "Rrrrrgnnh... ghhh..." Tim tossed his mane, clawing at his eyes. "D... dirty...!" "Yeah..." Bard panted. "I fight dirty..." He snarled. "And you live dirty! Always have!" He charged forward. "We're a perfect fit!" WHAM! His punch sent Tim reeling—and he didn't let up. "Aaaaaugh!" Whack! Wham! Thwack! Pow! Left hook after right hook after left hook—and Bard pummeled Tim violently towards the far end of the cellar. The foster siblings winced, clinging to one another as the cellar thundered from two sources—both inside and out. The temperature dropped outside while the heated fight burned hotter and sweatier. "Whoah..." Nicole stammered, eyes twitching. Her head pivoted to follow the fight. "...Johnny..." "Babe..." Echo leaned in, fangs glinting in the manalight. "...your brother's totally getting wrecked." She nodded, droning. "Damn right, he is..." "No... no...!" Blue's jaw fell progressively to the floor. "Tim... ya varmint!" "Sorry!" Bard panted and wheezed between each punch. "Yer precious Tim ain't home right now!" Whack! "But I'd be happy to... rrrggh..." Whap! "...leave a message!" WHAM! At last, Tim stumbled against the base of the earthen stairwell leading down from the blighted farmland above. Flecks of snow and sleet filtered through the narrow gaps in the rattling doorframe. Bracing himself against a wooden support beam, he raised a hoof and sputtered: "Okay... t-time out..." "Time out?! Time out?!" Bard stood before him, shaking and heaving. Both stallions were bruised and bloodied all over. "What do you think this is?! Recess?!" He spat aside and pointed. "I ain't 'bout to let you cast my friends out!" "You coulda just let it all alone," Tim wheezed. "For Nicole's sake—if nopony else—I'd have spared ya, boy..." "You think after takin' Blue's side all these years I would even entertain the crazy-ass thought of trustin' you?!" Bard barked. The air whistled with high-pitched howls. "What..." Rarity flinched, gazing around. "...what is that?" "What do you think?" Twilight clenched her jaw. "They're getting closer." "Oh my goodness..." Fluttershy trembled. "Rainbow! You've gotta stop the fight!" "Bard!" Rainbow hollered, craning her neck. "You've proven your point! The stupid stallion's beat! Now let's calm down before—" "I ain't b-beat..." Tim nevertheless shuddered, his angry eyes glued to Bard. "So long as there's blood in these here veins, I'll be teachin' this varmint a thing or two—" Bard huffed: "That's some damn stupid talk comin' from a pony whose ass I just stomped a mudhole in and walked dry!" He shook. "You wanna get buried?! Be my guest! I'll even do the honors!" A sigh. "It's the least that can be said for what y'all did for Amber..." Tim frowned. "Whores dun get gravestones." Bard's eyes widened. Even Remna blinked at that. "Uh oh." Applejack flashed Rainbow a frightened look. Rainbow gasped. "Bard, don't—" "Raaaaaaugh!" Bard charged into Tim. Tim took the impact and— WHAM! —both stallions smashed through the doors to the cellar. POW! The underground chamber instantly flooded with gray light, grayer snow... ...and the ominous shadows of frozen hooves thrashing through a turbulent sky overhead. SWOOOOOOSH!