This Is A Bad.....minton Fiction

by Brian Jacko

Rarity Versus Fluttershy

"Oh, darling, I wouldn't be the element of generosity if I didn't allow you to serve first. Please, Fluttershy, the serve is yours," Rarity said.

"And I wouldn't be the element of kindness if I didn't allow you to serve first. I want you to serve first," Fluttershy replied.

Rarity knew that they weren't going to get anywhere because of their conflicting elements that they represented. "Or how about this, Fluttershy. I'll throw the shuttle high into the air, and when it hits the ground, whatever side the cork part of the shuttle is pointing to gets to serve."

Fluttershy nodded her head with understanding and enthusiasm as Rarity tossed the shuttle high into the air.

The shuttle made a soft thud sound when it hit against the gym floor. The cork side of the shuttle ended up pointing towards Rarity.

Rarity scooped up the shuttle and waited for Fluttershy to get into position to receive the serve. Rarity put the shuttle into play and a long trail of sparkling diamonds followed behind it. Fluttershy returned it very gracefully and with such precision that it hit the net.

Rarity stumbled and dived at the shuttle. She managed to hit the shuttle, but it went into the net and landed back on her side of the court. Rarity picked herself up and dusted herself off.

It was now Fluttershy's turn to serve and she grabbed her own shuttle and pushed Rarity's shuttle off to the side so it wouldn't be a distraction. She tapped the shuttle into play and a trail of butterflies that flapped their wings followed closely behind the shuttle.

Because Rarity had the eye for things, she watched the shuttle fall onto her side of the court, and it just barely missed the service box line. The shuttle did not go into Rarity's service box nor did it hit the line. It was just shy, or more like just Fluttershy of a point.

Rarity retrieved her special shuttle. She tried the same serve and got a similar result that made her stumble to the net and she failed to return the shuttle. Rarity picked herself up off of the floor and said, "Oh, it is on!"

It was now Fluttershy's turn to serve and Fluttershy picked her shuttle up and put it back into play.

Rarity watched the shuttle closely. She could have sworn that it was not going to make it into the service box or onto the line, but at the last second she swung her racket and the shuttle went high into the air into Fluttershy's court.

Fluttershy backed up and prepared to hit the shuttle. She had plenty of time since it was a rather sloppy and awkward return from her opponent. Fluttershy was positioned slightly behind the middle of her court. Her heart was fluttering with excitement as she got ready to try her first super mare smash.

Rarity stood in the center of the court and spread her hind legs out further to the sides. She braced herself and prepared to dive to the floor at any moment, because the shuttle wasn't terribly deep into Fluttershy's territory.

Fluttershy inhaled as much air as she possible could. She puffed her cheeks out and her hooves just barely left the ground. She hit the shuttle with all of her might. The second she hit that shuttle, she exhaled and let out what in her mind was a battle cry, but she ended up letting out a soft sounding "yay." Fluttershy was not a very strong pony and jumping into the air threw off her precision.

The shuttle left Fluttershy's racket and hit the net. The shuttle fell back onto her side of the court. She had failed to make a super mare smash return.

Rarity picked up her shuttle and got into serving position. She took notice that Fluttershy was unusually close to the net and decided to take advantage of her positioning. Rarity made like she was going to serve the shuttle gently, but at the last second she lobbed it high into the air and the shuttle went back towards the out of bounds line on Fluttershy's court.

Fluttershy was caught off guard and stood there in shock for a split second. She raced over to the back of her court and just barely managed to return it.

The shuttle came back very high for Rarity and it wasn't even going to land past halfway of her own side of the court.

Fluttershy ran back to the center of the court and prepared herself.

Rarity jumped into the air and unleashed the most powerful smash she could muster up with all of her strength.

Fluttershy let out a loud "Eeeep!" and turned her body to the side. She put her two front hooves over her eyes and cowered low to the ground.

The shuttle came hurling down from the air and hit Fluttershy's flank.

Fluttershy let out another "Eeep!" and looked at her flank. Exactly in the middle of the picture of the three butterflies was a tiny red mark. Fluttershy looked back over to Rarity and had tears in her eyes. "Y-y-you couldn't just gently put it away, Rarity? I'm injured now."

Rarity put her hoof to her chin and said, "I'm terribly sorry that I hurt you, Fluttershy. It's just that I was getting agitated at all of those net shots you were getting and I had to take my aggression out on that shot and to make sure that you wouldn't return it. I guess I should have done the gentlemare's smash and returned it just over the net since you were rather far away. My apologies dear. Come on, let's continue the game."

"I can't," Fluttershy said. I'm injured and I'm a sensitive pony. I need to treat my injury."

Rarity's eyes open wide in disbelief. "Fluttershy, I know you're sensitive and everything, but being hit by a shuttle can't hurt that much. You act like you got hit with a Tennis ball or a Squash ball," she said.

"I-I-I need an ice pack," Fluttershy said.

Rarity sighed and walked over to Princess Luna and explained Fluttershy's terrible injury.

Princess Luna looked over at the fallen yellow mare and face hoofed. She used her magic and summoned an ice pack for Fluttershy.

Rarity came back over with it and gave it to her friend.

"Thank you so much for being kind and generous, Rarity," The yellow Pegasus said. "I may need to ice myself for about an hour and then I'll try to walk it off. If I feel better than maybe we can play again."

Rarity face hoofed and said, "Of course, Fluttershy. Of course."

In the mean time, Rarity would be painting more shuttles and fixing up all of the mangled feathers if they were able to be salvaged, while Fluttershy was tending to her injury. She noticed that before, Rainbow Dash and Soarin' were talking to each other and she decided to make a little something special for them.

When Fluttershy was finished tending to her wound, she went back to playing with Rarity. Fluttershy realized that Rarity was constantly changing shuttles or fixing up their feathers so that they could have that perfect feel for the game. She was even putting away shuttles that were perfectly fine into a bin near by to dispose of them. She also realized that every time a drop of sweat would fall from Rarity's body and hit the ground, Rarity would have to take a special time out and dry the floor with a special broom so that she wouldn't feel like she might slip. She couldn't imagine how much more sweatier Rainbow Dash, Applejack, or the Wonderbolts would get during their games.