Fighting is Magic: The Equestrian Grand Tournament

by Lance Skyes

9: Tag-Team Battle - Colton Takes Revenge

Nightfall came, and morning followed sooner than most ponies in Canterlot were prepared for. Nonetheless, the Mane 7 had to be ready for the day ahead, and ready themselves they tried as they made their way to the town square to see who was fighting that day.

“I'm guessing about half or so of the stage 1 fights took place yesterday,” Twilight said to the others as they walked. “So that means Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and I will definitely be fighting today.”

“Hopefully Ah'll be fightin' first,” Applejack commented. “Ah'm ready and rarin' to kick some villain's flank.”

It was at about this time that the six ponies and one Pokemon had made it to where the day's bracket was posted. Keldeo was the first to point something out. “Looks like Colton's fighting in the first round,” he said with a huff. “And he's up against...” Keldeo stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the bracket wide-eyed, the others quickly following suit.

“M-m-me?” Fluttershy asked with a whimper as she saw that it was her pit against Colton for the first fight. “O-oh my...”

“Don't let your nerves get the best of you now, Shy,” Rainbow Dash said. “He's not even that good of a fighter, and the Pokemon he uses for fights aren't that good either.”

“Don't be so sure, Rainbow Dash,” Keldeo said with an ominous tone in his voice. “Colton has a bit of a reputation back on Earth, so most of the lesser Legendaries like me are familiar with him. We've all seen how he handles his Pokemon, but he has yet to use his Ace, his strongest Pokemon.”

“You mean... he has a stronger Pokemon that I could have fought?!” Rainbow Dash asked. “Aw man. I knew that Zebstrika wasn't the tip of the iceberg.”

“Um... does that mean... I'll have to fight his Ace?” Fluttershy asked while trying to disappear behind her mane.

“With a little luck, he won't see you as enough of a threat to pull something like that,” Keldeo replied. “He can tend to underestimate his foes at times. You might be able to use that to your advantage. Then again…” Keldeo brought his hoof up to his chin, “so far, Colton hasn't used any of the Pokemon he normally uses. I've hardly ever heard of him using a Sawsbuck or a Zebstrika.”

“Does that mean he's got rental Pokemon?” Pinkie inquired.

“It's unlikely, but I wouldn't rule it out,” Keldeo replied with a shake of his head.

“So, um... what does that mean?” Fluttershy asked at an almost inaudible volume.

“It means you should have at least one advantage,” Keldeo replied. “But don't underestimate whoever he sends out.” The Colt Pokemon then grit his teeth. “Sombra's obviously used his dark magic on those Pokemon in Colton's possession. And I'll make sure he pays for that...”

“Are you okay, Keldeo?” Twilight asked, noticing the Pokemon's stress.

Keldeo sighed. “To be honest, no. As a Sword of Justice, it's my duty to protect any and all Pokemon in need, and those Pokemon Colton has are crying out desperately for help. I can feel it. But whatever Sombra's done to them, it's keeping them from actually doing anything but Colton's bidding.” Keldeo looked up at the bracket again. “As soon as I get my chance, I will save those Pokemon, and I'll make both Colton and Sombra sorry for what they did to them.”

“Well, you're gonna have to get to them first,” Rainbow commented. “But… I think we all know this whole tournament's wrapped around my hoof, so why don't you go ahead and handle Colton, and leave King Sombrero to me.”

“Don't underestimate my resolve, Rainbow Dash,” Keldeo warned. “We may be allies in this fight, but I won't be afraid to take you down if you happen to get in my way.”

“Ditto,” Rainbow replied, flying down and getting right in Keldeo's face. “I lost last year's Equestria Battle Tournament, so I don't plan on losing this one.”

“Hey, can we calm down for a minute here?” Twilight said, breaking Rainbow and Keldeo up. “Our enemy is Sombra, not each other. Let's try not to forget that.”

Keldeo sighed once again. “She's right, Rainbow Dash. Let's try not to be at each other's throats unless we actually get pit against each other sometime down the road. We stand a better chance against Sombra if we stay together.”

“Eh… yeah, you're right,” Rainbow replied. “But like you said, if we ever wind up fighting each other, don't expect me to hold back.”

“Everypony, can we please get back to the more pressing matter at hoof?” Pinkie asked. “Fluttershy's still gotta get to the arena, don't forget.” The first response to this was a quiet terrified “Eep!” from Fluttershy. “Hurry up and make up so we can get going.”

Rainbow and Keldeo exchanged glances. “Rivals?” Rainbow asked.

“Rivals,” Keldeo replied with a smile and a nod. The two then hoof-bumped, and the group was on their way to the arena.

Despite the fact that it was a bit early in the morning, the spectators were still excited and cheering. King Sombra smiled as he noticed this while approaching his podium. Right as he got to the top, he noticed that the Mane 7 sans Fluttershy had just taken their seats. “Fillies and gentlecolts, welcome to the second day of the Equestria Battle Tournament,” he announced. “As you know, six battles took place yesterday. As such, we know for a fact at this point that six little ponies will be advancing to round 2 tomorrow. Today, we shall determine the last five ponies who will move on to tomorrow.”

“Hold on a second...” Twilight said to her group. “Unless my math is off, that means there's going to be 11 fighters left tomorrow. Won't that mean one fighter will be left out from fighting?”

“Sombra could pull a fast one on us,” Keldeo replied. “Odds are he's going to give one of his minions a freebie.”

“Maybe he'll give Colton an extra Pokemon?” Pinkie asked. “Or maybe he'll let Colton fight on his own once next stage.” Pinkie then giggled to herself. “Now THAT will be fun to watch.”

Meanwhile, King Sombra was continuing his announcements. “Now then, without further ado, let's get this day's battles started. For our first match-up, we have for you the champion of the second Equestria Battle Tournament. Or rather, the champions. A normally shy pony who usually shies away from violence if at all possible, and her most trusted companion in battle, the bunny who sought to join the tournament himself but needed to join along with his owner to be accepted, please put your hooves together for Fluttershy and Angel Bunny!”

At this announcement, the spectators began cheering, and a spotlight shone on the eastern entrance, out of which Fluttershy was walking timidly with Angel keeping close but looking a little more than impatient with his owner. Once she noticed that the spotlight was on her, Fluttershy froze, took a deep breath to regain her posture, and began walking forward at a slightly faster pace while trying to keep her head high, although her friends could still sense the nervousness in her movement.

“No offense, but she doesn't really act like she could do all that much in a battle,” Keldeo commented.

“She doesn't do much, actually,” Rarity replied. “But it was Angel who wanted to join the tournament on his own. Fluttershy is just there to be there so that Angel can do almost all of the fighting while still staying within the Equestria Battle Tournament rules. Though from the second tournament on, for the sake of putting her and Angel on par with the other fighters, Fluttershy was allowed to summon more assistance from her other animal friends, citing it as her “Magic Ability,” which every combatant in the tournament has one of. Like how Rainbow Dash can fly and control the weather, or how you can use your water blasts and Secret Sword.”

“Really?” Keldeo asked. “Fascinating...”

“And her opponent,” King Sombra continued, “the fighter with more tricks up his sleeve than you could count on four hooves, back from two defeats in round 1, Pokemon Hunter Colton!”

The crowd was quick to begin their boos and jeers at how Colton was able to slip by the rules so easily, but Colton shrugged these off as he walked calmly into the arena from the west gate, hands in his pockets and a sinister expression on his face as he focused his gaze on Fluttershy from under his cap. “This one shouldn't be as much trouble as Rainbow Dash,” he said to himself as he took his position just outside the edge of the arena, took his hands out of his pockets, and grabbed one of his Dark Balls. “So you're this Fluttershy character I keep hearing about?” Colton asked the shy pegasus as he tossed the ball in his hand up and down.

To say Fluttershy was intimidated by Colton's demeanor was an understatement. However, Angel caught on to his owner's distress and gave her leg a consoling rub to try to comfort her. Fluttershy was a little bit reassured by her bunny's consolation, and she took a deep breath before facing Colton once again. “Yes, I am,” Fluttershy said in the surest voice she could manage. “And what you've heard about me is true. I might seem very timid and out of place here, but even I know when it's time to buck up and face my foes. So don't think you can play my personality against me, or your Pokemon is going to be sorry, and you'll follow suit.”

Colton chuckled at this and raised the brim of his cap so that Fluttershy could see his face better. “My my, such big words from such a little pony,” he said. “Well, once the battle starts, we'll just see how much truth is behind your words.”

“Hey, I just realized something,” Pinkie commented to her friends. “Fluttershy and Angel work together like a tag-team, Colton works with his Pokemon sort of like a tag team… does that mean this will be an actual 2-v-2 battle?”

“Ya know what, Pinkie Pie?” Applejack asked. “Ah do believe yer right.”

“Now then, I think it's time you met your real opponent for today,” Colton said to Fluttershy. He then tossed the Dark Ball outward. “Prepare for battle, Girafarig!”

Out of the ball came what looked like a small giraffe, except there was something drastically strange about it. Namely the fact that only its front half looked even remotely normal, with a yellow body, brown markings, and a white face, while the back half of the Pokemon looked like a demon version of the front half, with brown fur that had yellow markings, and a similar brown neck and head where the tail was supposed to be, except the head was just a sphere with empty eyes and a mouth full of terrifying sharp teeth. “RIIIIIIIG!” both heads roared.

“A Girafarig?!” Pinkie shouted as she pulled out her Pokedex. “Sombra's really giving a whole new definition to the word 'loophole'!”

Girafarig, the Long Neck Pokemon

The head on its tail contains a small brain. It can instinctively fight even while facing backward.

“So that ugly head on the tail isn't just for show,” Rarity commented.

“I've come face to face with Girafarig in the past,” Keldeo said. “Take my words as slightly biased since I've got a type disadvantage against it, but Girafarig are fairly dangerous when angry. The human organization called 'Smogen' might call Girafarig low-tier in tournaments, but if Fluttershy and Angel don't know what they're doing, that thing will tear them apart, the tail with its teeth and the head with its psychic abilities.”

“Talk about two-faced,” Pinkie added.

Meanwhile, Girafarig was staring down Fluttershy and Angel. The bunny didn't even seem fazed, but the pony couldn't help but let out a small whimper before trying to compose herself. Fluttershy took a deep breath before readying herself for battle. “I'm… I'm not afraid,” she said as stoically as she could manage.

“Good,” Colton said. “Girafarig isn't either.”

“Rig,” Girafarig confirmed with a nod.

“Are the combatants ready?” King Sombra announced.

“We'll give it all we've got,” Fluttershy said as she and Angel assumed battle-ready stances.

“It's showtime, Girafarig,” Colton called to his Pokemon.

“Girafarig,” the Pokemon replied, readying himself for battle.

“Then let's get started!” Sombra continued. “Round 1, FIGHT!”

(Battle! Trainer Battle! (SSB4 version))

“Girafarig, start this battle with Stomp!” Colton called. Upon command, Girafarig charged forward right at Fluttershy, who was quick to scoop Angel up and roll out of the way of the Pokemon's charge. Taking his opportunity, Angel grabbed onto the edge of Fluttershy's mane and leapt forward to deliver a kick right to Girafarig's midsection, which caused the Pokemon to stumble a little. Fluttershy then got up and flew forward to deliver a full-body tackle, followed by Angel delivering a sweep that knocked Girafarig off his hooves and onto his side.

“They work flawlessly together,” Keldeo commented.

“Fluttershy has been able to communicate with animals on a level unlike any other ponies could manage since she was very young,” Twilight replied. “And when it comes to fighting alongside Angel, the two can practically read each other's minds.” The princess then looked down. “I should know. I got my flank handed to them two tournaments ago...”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy and Angel had backed off to allow Girafarig to get back to his hooves. “Okay, so these two are a little better than I gave them credit for,” Colton said to himself. “They're not the only duo on the battlefield, though. Girafarig, use Shadow Ball and then get in close for Bite!”

“Rig,” Girafarig replied with a nod before raising his head upward and forming a ball of a sinister-looking sticky substance which seemed to be concentrated shadows. With a shout, Girafarig launched the Shadow Ball forward. Fluttershy tried to dodge out of the way, but the radius of the blast that occurred when the Shadow Ball hit the ground in front of her was still enough to knock the pony off her hooves just long enough for Girafarig to charge forward and turn around, where the rear head opened its mouth and clamped down hard on Fluttershy's arm, causing her to shriek in pain.

“GNAHH!” Fluttershy shouted as she felt the head lift her into the air and throw her forward several feet. Angel wanted to attack Girafarig while he was distracted, but the conditions of her and Fluttershy being in the tournament together stated that they couldn't be separated for greater than seven seconds or they would face disqualification, and neither were allowed to attack unless they were together. Despite the urge to get Girafarig back for harming his owner, Angel rushed back over to where Fluttershy lay and attempted to encourage her back to her hooves. “I'm okay, Angel,” Fluttershy said as she got up. Her leg hurt where Girafarig bit her, but it wasn't as bad as she was afraid it would be. The teeth looked sharp, but they didn't puncture her skin for some reason. The pony and bunny then re-assumed their stances. “Alright then… let's get back in this battle.” Fluttershy then galloped forward with Angel following closely at her side.

“Girafarig, use Bite once again!” Colton shouted.

“Giraf!” the Pokemon shouted as he charged forward. Once the two combatants neared each other, Girafarig quickly whirled around and attempted to use Bite on Fluttershy once again. However, Fluttershy was prepared for this attack. She thrust her arm right into the tail's mouth, stunning Girafarig, although the mouth still clamped down. Still, Fluttershy had Girafarig right where she wanted him. She used her free hoof to deliver a blow to the tail's neck, which was followed by Angel sweeping the Pokemon's legs powerfully, causing it to fall over. Fluttershy then concluded the attack by grabbing onto Girafarig, flying into the air with him, and then bringing him back down to the ground powerfully.

“This pony's good...” Colton said to himself. “I've gotten out of worse situations before, though. Girafarig, spin as you get up and then use Psybeam!”

“Rig!” Girafarig responded. The Pokemon then placed one of his forehooves firmly on the ground before hurling the back half of his body around in a circle, using the head on his tail to knock Fluttershy away before finally returning to his hooves. Girafarig then took aim at Fluttershy, who was just then getting back up. The Pokemon's eyes began to glow blue and his antennae pink before a blast of psychic energy not dissimilar to a blast of Twilight's magic was fired from between the Pokemon's two antennae right at Fluttershy. The pegasus was unable to get out of the way before the attack connected with her and she was blown further back, Angel struggling to keep up with his owner.

“Alright Girafarig, let's finish this,” Colton said with a sinister smile. “Get in close with Stomp, send her airborne with Bite, and then finish with Shadow Ball!”

“Girafarig,” the Pokemon replied before charging forward.

“Fluttershy needs to get out of there fast!” Keldeo said. “She and Angel can't take a combo like that!”

“She'll get out of there,” Twilight said. But then she added “I hope...”

Unfortunately, Twilight's hopes were shattered as Girafarig got close to Fluttershy just as the pegasus was regaining her footing. Without wasting a second, Girafarig reared up and brought both his hooves down hard on the ground in front of Fluttershy, creating enough force to knock her off balance so that Girafarig could whirl around, grab the pegasus with Bite, throw her into the air, and then, seamlessly, the tail head began forming a Shadow Ball before firing it right at Fluttershy. She did her best to recover out of the way using her wings, but it was no use as Girafarig's attack connected, creating an explosion of smoke and shadow that hung in the air for a moment before Fluttershy fell out of the bottom of the cloud and into the ground, where she lay on her back with all four of her legs in the air, a stunned expression on her face, and for some reason, the sound of a goat's bleat could be heard. Angel went over to his owner to check on her, but the bunny simply shook his head when he confirmed what King Sombra already knew.

“KO!” Sombra announced. “The winner of round 1 is Girafarig!” The crowd was quick to erupt into their chorus of boos and jeers, but Girafarig played this off as he walked over to Colton, who patted the Pokemon on his head.

“Excellent work,” Colton commented. “But you've only won one round, as Zebstrika did. Do not make the mistake he made.”

“Girafarig,” the Pokemon replied with a nod.

Meanwhile, Angel was dragging the stunned Fluttershy over to her friends. “Shall I?” Keldeo asked while raising his hoof.

In response to this, Angel shook his head and instead moved to slap Fluttershy awake. Fortunately, the bunny's slap was strong enough to bring Fluttershy back to reality. “Angel, that hurt,” Fluttershy said with a frown and in a calm tone while rubbing her cheek. “I'm sorry I messed up your battle.”

“You'll have to shake it off, Shy,” Rainbow Dash said. “You only lost because Colton got cheap with his combos. There's only one thing you can do in the face of something like that.”

“What's that?” Keldeo asked.

“Get cheap back at him, of course,” Rainbow replied. “Fluttershy, you barely worked with Angel to pull of combos, and you didn't use any animal assistance at all! You aren't going to beat this guy playing nice. Remember how you won the second tournament?”

“I… had all my animal friends to help me,” Fluttershy replied.

“Exactly,” Rainbow said. “Make use of those animals we all know you snuck onto the train with you and beat this guy.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said with a nod. It was at this moment that she felt herself being healed by Sombra's magic.

“Good luck, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “We believe you'll be able to make this comeback.”

“Thanks everypony,” Fluttershy said with a slight smile. She and Angel then exchanged nods before returning to the center of the arena.

“Girafarig and I really hope you put up more of a fight this next round,” Colton said to Fluttershy as she and his Pokemon returned to their positions.

“Oh don't worry about that, Colton,” Fluttershy said with a tone of slight confidence. “I've got more tricks up my sleeve than I let onto last round.”

“Do you now?” Colton asked with a laugh. “Well, color me curious. Show us what you've got, little pony.”

“Girafarig,” Girafarig added with a determined expression.

“Are the combatants ready?” Sombra announced. “Round 2, FIGHT!”

“Let's see what these two have in store for us this time,” Colton said. “Girafarig, get in close with Stomp!”

“Rig!” Girafarig shouted with a nod as he began galloping forward at Fluttershy.

“Alright Angel, it's time to get serious,” Fluttershy said. The bunny nodded in reply and the two charged forward at Girafarig.

“A little more apt to go on the offensive than last round…” Colton observed while rubbing his chin. “I'm almost excited to see what this pony has up her sleeve.”

“Now, Angel!” Fluttershy shouted as she and Angel got close to Girafarig. Right as the Pokemon reared up to use Stomp, Angel quickly leapt upwards and delivered a solid kick right to Girafarig's midsection, causing the Pokemon to stumble a little on its hind legs. Seizing her opportunity, Fluttershy ran up and delivered a solid mule kick that sent Girafarig onto his back. Angel followed this attack up with a powerful uppercut that sent Girafarig into the air. “Now I need assistance!” Fluttershy called as Girafarig began coming back down to the ground. Out of nowhere, a loud screeching sound was heard, and before anypony knew it, a falcon had flown through the arena at top speed, clipping Girafarig powerfully with its wing as the Pokemon fell. As quickly as the falcon appeared, it suddenly flew off without a trace. Fluttershy took advantage of the stunned state Girafarig was in thanks to the hit from the falcon to fly up with Angel and deliver two powerful hits that sent Girafarig straight down into the ground.

“Astounding…” Colton said to himself. “She is able to control these creatures like a trainer can control their Pokemon. But in a tournament like this, surely she cannot be allowed to use this power very often.”

“Wait, she's allowed to do that?” Keldeo asked. “And how did that Staraptor-looking thing even get into the arena?”

“Since Fluttershy has such limited combat ability, she's allowed to call for assistance from her animal friends a certain number of times per battle,” Twilight explained. “I think Princess Celestia just didn't want any fighters in the tournament that other combatants would feel they'd be able to get a free win on. Also, it's called a falcon.”

“I see...” Keldeo said.

Meanwhile, Girafarig had just gotten back to his hooves. “Rig...” the Pokemon growled.

“Gotta say, that little trick you pulled was pretty impressive,” Colton complimented. “Never would've seen something like that coming.”

“Like I said, I'm full of surprises,” Fluttershy replied. “Just you wait, though. I'm far from done with the extra combos.”

“Good,” Colton said with a sinister smile. “For a moment there, I was afraid that was all you had!” The trainer then tipped his hat upwards. “Now, it's our turn! Girafarig, let's show her some of our own combos! Shadow Fake!”

“Girafarig!” the Pokemon shouted in reply as he readied and fired another Shadow Ball at Fluttershy. She and Angel both guarded, but rather than hit them, the Shadow Ball impacted in front of the two and created a huge thick cloud of shadow and dust that neither pony nor bunny were able to see through. After a second of the cloud just hanging there, Girafarig suddenly leapt out of the cloud and towards his foes, where the Pokemon proceeded to attack with a powerful Stomp that knocked Fluttershy off balance. Girafarig took his opportunity and grabbed the pony with Bite before throwing her into the air and firing another Shadow Ball that knocked Fluttershy further back and into the barrier. The pegasus fell to the ground, but she was able to recover before she landed and used her wings to guide herself gently to the ground, where Angel quickly rejoined her.

“Okay, so maybe I was wrong in my assumption before…” Keldeo said. “Maybe these Pokemon did belong to Colton back on Earth. There's no way a rental Pokemon would be able to pull off a combo like that.” The Colt Pokemon then rubbed his chin. “Though that still wouldn't explain why he's never been seen with these Pokemon before…”

“Puzzling indeed,” Pinkie added. “This guy just gets more and more mysterious as the story goes on. Or should I say 'as the game goes on' since this story is based off a game? Hmm…”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy and Angel were charging forward to deliver another attack to Girafarig. “You'll have to do better than that,” Colton said. “We're serious now! Throw that pony some Shade!”

“Rig!” Girafarig shouted in reply before firing a Shadow Ball straight downwards, instantly cloaking the Pokemon in a shadowy cloud that Fluttershy wasn't able to get through. Right as Fluttershy and Angel stopped in their tracks, Girafarig fired a Psybeam from inside of the cloud, which dealt its own attack plus flying forward with enough force to drag some of the remnants of the Shadow Ball along with it, making for a powerful attack that sent Fluttershy flying backwards, Angel struggling to keep up with her.

“Now let's finish her off!” Colton shouted. “PsyShade!”

“Girafarig!” the Pokemon shouted as both of its heads began charging attacks. The front head a Psybeam, and the rear head a Shadow Ball.

“That doesn't look good...” Fluttershy said to herself. “Aha! I just need to break its concentration.” The pony then tapped her hoof on the ground twice.

Right as Girafarig was about to fire his dual attacks, he felt the ground beneath one of his forehooves suddenly tremble before rising, knocking the Pokemon off balance and causing him to lose focus, dropping both attacks. “What?” Colton asked as he looked to where Girafarig was backing up to find a small tunneling squirrel that Fluttershy had summoned. However, this squirrel stuck around to look up at Girafarig curiously for only a second before retreating back into the ground, his job finished. Colton was confused for a moment, and Fluttershy took advantage of this opportunity to rush in and deliver a finishing combo to Girafarig. She started her attack with a powerful flying tackle, which Angel followed up with a strong uppercut, followed by Fluttershy flying up and striking with a flying kick that was followed by a weak downward strike that caused Girafarig to fall (but not crash) into the ground. Fluttershy quickly descended and, right as Girafarig was getting up, delivered her signature move: The Stare. Fluttershy managed to make eye-contact with Girafarig, and the Pokemon was paralyzed by Fluttershy's glare, just like any other critter.

“This can't be,” Colton said as he noticed that Girafarig was immobilized. “I have to think of something fast.”

“No chance!” Fluttershy shouted. She then brought her hoof up to her mouth and whistled loudly. Suddenly, the entire arena began trembling. Before anyone knew it, a huge stampede of woodland critters had run in through the east entrance to the arena and was headed towards Girafarig. Still under the effects of The Stare, the Pokemon could do nothing as he suddenly found himself getting trampled by all manner of animals, from deer to rabbits to birds, and then the charge ended with a powerful body blow from a huge bear that sent Girafarig flying backwards and into the barrier. Meanwhile, the stampede of animals exited from the west entrance.

“KO!” King Sombra called as Girafarig slumped to the floor. “The winners of round 2 are Fluttershy, Angel Bunny, and the dozen or so animals that assisted her!” The crowd burst into cheers and applause at this announcement.

“Grr… how is this even fair?” Colton growled as he looked between the downed Girafarig and Fluttershy, who was returning to her friends. “Perhaps I've underestimated this little pony and what she can get away with… but I still refuse to take a third loss.”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy and Angel had returned to their friends. “I knew you could do it, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said. “You see where just a little bit of confidence can get ya?”

“But you mustn’t be careless,” Keldeo warned. “Whatever that PsyShade move your friend interrupted was going to be, it looked like it was gonna cause some serious pain. Watch out if he tries that move again.”

“Alright,” Fluttershy said with a nod as she felt Sombra heal her.

“You've got one more round, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “Make this fight count.”

Fluttershy nodded silently and Angel saluted before the two returned to the arena.

“To say Girafarig and I are displeased with that performance last round would be an understatement,” Colton said to Fluttershy as Girafarig glared at the pony. “Don't think we're going to let you get away with that little display of foul play.”

“Call it what you want,” Fluttershy said with a serious expression. “But I, for one, plan to do everything in my power to make sure evil doesn't win this tournament.”

“That's good for you, because we're through playing around,” Colton replied. “Are you ready, Girafarig?”

“Rig,” the Pokemon replied with a nod.

“Alright then,” Sombra announced. “In that case, final round! FIGHT!”

“We won't give you any space this time around,” Colton said. “Girafarig, use Psybeam!”

“Girafarig!” the Pokemon shouted as he unleashed his blast of psychic energy towards Fluttershy. The pegasus was able to move herself and Angel out of the way of the attack.

“Keep hitting her with Psybeam!” Colton shouted. “We'll tire her out before anything else!”

Girafarig complied with his trainer's orders and delivered Psybeam after Psybeam, all of which Fluttershy was able to dodge. “We need to get in close,” Fluttershy said to Angel. “Hold on, Angel. Things are gonna get bumpy.” She picked up the bunny and began flying towards Girafarig, doing her best to dodge any Psybeams that got thrown her way.

“If this keeps up, Girafarig will be the one who tires out first,” Colton said. “Girafarig, stop using Psybeam and let her get close to you!”

“Rig?” Girafarig asked. Although unsure of his trainer's decision, he complied.

“Now's our chance,” Fluttershy said to Angel. The bunny nodded, and Fluttershy began diving right towards Girafarig.

“Let her get a little closer...” Colton said, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. ”If I'm not perfect on this call, I just might wind up throwing the whole match,” the hunter thought. ”I've got confidence Girafarig can react fast enough, though.”

Being a Psychic-type, Girafarig was able to pick up on his trainer's thoughts and readied himself for anything, be it from Fluttershy or from Colton.

“Now, Angel!” Fluttershy shouted as she got close to Girafarig. Angel quickly nodded and leapt out of the pegasus' forelegs, quickly grabbing onto her mane and using it like a rope to swing downwards to deliver a kick right to Girafarig's face.

“Let that hit knock you backwards, Girafarig!” Colton called. Girafarig once more seemed unsure of Colton's decision, but on the other hand, he could tell Colton had something planned. Girafarig readied himself, and Angel's attack made contact directly with Girafarig's snout, flipping the Pokemon just about heads-over-hooves. “Now use Bite to get that pegasus out of the sky!” Colton called quickly. It was here that Girafarig finally figured out what Colton had planned. The Pokemon reached up with his rear head and clamped down on Fluttershy's tail. Since Girafarig was still in the process of falling, as he hit the ground, he yanked Fluttershy out of the air and down with him. “Now get up and use Bite again to throw her in front of you, then hit her with Shadow Ball!”

Girafarig quickly got back to his hooves, which Fluttershy was still in the process of doing, before reaching down with his rear head and Biting down on Fluttershy's hind leg. He then spun himself around and threw Fluttershy in front of him, where his front head fired a powerful Shadow Ball that Fluttershy took the full force of and was knocked further back by.

“Looks like Colton's decided to start playing dirty,” Rainbow Dash observed. “Fluttershy starts to lose focus when her foes aren't playing nice.”

“I know she can still do this, though,” Twilight said. “Girafarig took the full force of Angel's kick, so he can't be far behind Fluttershy in terms of damage.”

“The question is in the difference between their damage tolerances, though…” Keldeo said.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was just getting back to her hooves. “Oh no you don't,” Colton said. “Shadow Fake, but surround her with Shadow Balls this time!”

“Girafarig!” the Pokemon shouted as he began firing about half a dozen Shadow Balls around Fluttershy, completely cloaking where she was. Girafarig then began galloping towards the cloud.

“I have to stay clam here,” Fluttershy told herself as she looked around at the inky blackness that surrounded her. However, judging by her expression and rapid breathing, anypony could tell that she was doing a poor job of this. Angel tried to keep Fluttershy from panicking, but this attempt was short-lived when Girafarig suddenly leapt out at the two from behind the clouds. Quick to respond, (and assuming Sombra couldn't see the three from behind this cloud of darkness), Angel rushed up and delivered a powerful kick that knocked Girafarig back before quickly returning to Fluttershy. “Thank you, Angel,” Fluttershy said. She was then able to move in and deliver a low sweep that hit Girafarig, followed by an axe kick that knocked Girafarig back a little. Fluttershy then whistled, and out of nowhere, a ferret rushed through the stage and tackled Girafarig, knocking him back further. As the ferret returned to the who-knows-where it came from, Fluttershy rushed in and delivered her backpedal attack that hit Girafarig twice before Angel moved in and delivered a powerful uppercut. Fluttershy leapt up and whistled once more, causing the falcon to fly in and strike Girafarig before Fluttershy and Angel delivered their double downward strike, which caused Girafarig to crash into the ground. He was able to get back to his hooves, but not before Fluttershy moved in and paralyzed the Pokemon using The Stare.

“Not again,” Colton said as he clenched his fist. “Wait a second…” The trainer noticed that while Girafarig's front head had a stunned and terrified expression, the back head remained normal. “That's it! Girafarig, snap yourself out of that Stare by using Bite on yourself!”

The rear head snapped to attention right as Fluttershy whistled for her animal stampede to finish Girafarig off. Quickly, he reached down and bit himself on the left hind leg, causing the front head to yelp in pain, though he could endure the pain having now escaped from The Stare. “Now throw some Shade!” Colton called. Quickly, right as the animal stampede entered the arena, Girafarig fired a Shadow Ball straight downward, generating a cloud of shadow that the animal stampede passed right through. However, right as the animals left the arena, Girafarig leapt out from the top of the cloud, completely unharmed by the attack. “Let's finish this! Use Shadow Ball to knock her off balance, Stomp to get in close, Bite to throw her in the air, and then finish her with PsyShade!”

“Girafarig!” the Pokemon shouted as he launched a powerful Shadow Ball right at Fluttershy. She was able to brace herself for the hit and only took slight damage while getting slid backwards, but this left her open to Girafarig descending rapidly and landing right in front of her with a powerful Stomp that was enough to throw her off her hooves. Girafarig then did a full frontflip, grabbing Fluttershy's foreleg using Bite once the rear head was over her, and then hurling Fluttershy forward and into the barrier at full force as the Pokemon landed. Girafarig then turned around so that both his heads were turned to the side to face Fluttershy before the front head began charging a Psybeam and the rear head a Shadow Ball.

“Fluttershy, look out!” Fluttershy's friends all shouted at once. But it was all too late. Right as Fluttershy looked up Girafarig had fired both of his attacks, the two combining in mid-air to form a swirling mass of pink and dark blue energy that was headed right for her. Fluttershy's eyes went wide as the attack neared her, and time seemed to slow to a crawl. At least, that's what it felt like when she saw Angel suddenly leap forwards to try to intercept the attack before it could hit Fluttershy. Instead, the full force of the blast connected with the bunny and he was flung into the barrier right next to Fluttershy's head, where he then fell to the ground, seemingly knocked unconscious. (At least, Fluttershy hoped that was all…)

“ANGEL!” Fluttershy shouted in a panicked tone as she rushed to lean down and check on the downed bunny. Much to her relief, the bunny was still breathing, albeit barely. “Stop the fight! I forfeit!”

“Okay…” Sombra said. “By forfeit, the winners of this round of the Equestria Battle Tournament are Colton and Girafarig.” The crowd would have begun their normal chorus of angry shouts directed at the villainous victor, but the vast majority of them were more concerned with Angel's condition.

“She cares about that bunny very much…” Colton said to himself as Girafarig returned to him. “It wasn't your fault the bunny took the hit he did, Girafarig. He made his own decision.”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy had picked Angel up and flew over to her friends. “Is he ok?” Twilight asked quickly.

“H-he's alive,” Fluttershy said through tears. “But he's really badly hurt a-and the attack knocked him unconscious.”

“He must care about you very much,” Keldeo said. “I haven't seen a bond like that since…” Keldeo trailed off before shaking his head. “No time to reminisce about the past. Is there a hospital we can get Angel to?”

“I-I have my first-aid kit back at the castle,” Fluttershy replied. “I've treated cases like this before, but… but it's never been Angel…” The pegasus was about to start sobbing uncontrollably, but she was stopped by Rainbow Dash flying up into Fluttershy's face.

“Pull yourself together, Fluttershy!” Rainbow shouted. “You see the shape Angel's in. You can't afford to start crying over him, he needs you calm and at the ready right now!”

Fluttershy sniffed and looked up at Rainbow Dash. “You're right, Rainbow,” she said. She then got airborne. “I'm going to fly ahead and get Angel back to Canterlot Castle.”

“We'll be with you as soon as we can,” Twilight said with a nod. With that, Fluttershy took off as fast as she could.

“Hold on, Angel,” Fluttershy said to the injured bunny cradled in her hooves. “You're going to be okay.”

“I'm gonna go with her in case she needs an extra set of hooves,” Rainbow said to the others before taking off after Fluttershy.

“And that leaves us to move by hoof,” Applejack said. “Come on, y'all.” With that, the five remaining ponies began galloping towards the castle.

In the western corridor, Colton was making his way back to Canterlot Royal Hotel where most of the other combatants were staying. However, he stopped when he noticed two Changelings having a conversation. The Pokemon Hunter quickly hid and began eavesdropping.

“…we're not taking Fluttershy down to the caves?” one of the Changelings asked.

“Are you crazy, Gamma?” the other one asked in reply. “It's easy to keep most of the other fighters down there because none of them are here with a group like the Elements of Harmony are. Those ponies will easily recognize a Changeling imitating one of their friends.”

“I'm not too sure about that, Epsilon,” Gamma replied. “I mean, I've been practicing my Fluttershy impression all week for this moment.” Gamma's horn then flashed green before he disappeared in a flash of similar green and was replaced by a perfect copy of Fluttershy. “Fluttershy” then donned a shy look and shuffled her hoof a little. “So, um… what do you think? I'm a pretty good Fluttershy, right? Oh please don't hate my Fluttershy impression.”

Epsilon was silent for a moment before shaking his head and replying. “I think you should have practiced that a little more,” he finally replied. “Besides, what do you plan to do for that bunny?”

“Eh… you're right,” Gamma said before returning to normal. “But dude, did you see that hit the bunny took? That Colton guy has some seriously weird tricks up his sleeve.”

“That's some of the 'special privilege' Sombra gave him,” Epsilon replied. “Sure, don't let a single Changeling fight, but give all this extra power to some weird 'human' who's only in this tournament so that he can capture one of the combatants. I seriously don't get it.”

“Yeah, I'm starting to get the feeling this King Sombra dude doesn't really know what he's doing,” Gamma agreed. “I mean, take over the Equestria Battle Tournament? How's that supposed to help us conquer Equestria?” Gamma then huffed before continuing. “But our Queen seems to want to work with him, so we don't really have a say in it, do we?”

“It's true, there are some seriously messed-up things about this whole ordeal,” Epsilon sighed. “But if the end result is for the greater good of the Changeling Swarm, when we oughta be on board with it.” The Changeling then looked down. “I gotta wonder where those other Changelings took the downed combatants, though. Did you recognize either of them? I know the same two carried off Lyra, Gilda, and Spitfire, but I've never seen them before.”

“Hatchlings, maybe?” Gamma asked.

“No, there was something unnatural about those two,” Epsilon replied with a shake of his head. “Like, 'Colton' unnatural.”

Both the Changelings had a chuckle at this before Colton walked up to the two. “Are you two talking about me?” Colton asked, startling both Changelings.

“Ah! C-Colton!” Epsilon said before composing himself. “We were, uh…”

“Look, I don't want any trouble with anyone who doesn't deserve it,” Colton said. “But I've been listening to your conversation, and I heard some pretty interesting things.” The human then leaned down so he was making eye contact with Gamma. “If there's something going on in this tournament that I should know about, I'd very much like to know.”

Gamma gulped before replying. “O-of course,” the Changeling said. “King Sombra seems to favor you, so if anything were to happen, you'd be the first know. Trust me.”

In response to this, Colton leaned in further, causing Gamma to move back and start sweating a little. “But what if King Sombra doesn't even know?” Colton asked. “You two said yourself that there are weird things going on in this tournament… and I wanna get to the bottom of it just as much as you two do.”

“Ah… we'd be honored?” Epsilon said while scratching his head in confusion. “But out of curiosity, why are you requesting this of us?”

Colton got up and stared down at the two Changelings intensely. “Because I can't find Sawsbuck or Zebstrika,” he replied, “and I've reason to believe that their disappearance, nor those of Lyra and Gilda, are quite normal for the Equestria Battle Tournament, even by this year's standards.”

Author's Note:

Dunno if I did that scene with Colton and the Changelings very well, but oh well. The main focus at the moment should be Angel, who took that attack for Fluttershy. That's true friendship right there. Let's respect that little bunny and hope he'll be ok.
...
Nothing else really to say, except that the Combatant Roster has been updated. Once again, it contains spoilers.

Comments

[Dismay]

UPDATE PLZZZZZZzz

[Windy0]

5596253 Hey, are you open to any OCs? Because there is one literally blowing up a storm in my head.