And you can really surprise

by TenRulle

Cave buisness

BAM

Twilight was the first to attack. A blob of magic ripped through shield, sending rancid dust flying in all directions. There was a sprinkle of dust from the ceiling. A soft pink barrier glittered in the dust, and behind it, Flurry Heart's smile doubled over. Zero damage. Twilight took a step back.

"Lucky to have fallen for that fool," the thought flashed. "Okay, chances are not so bad. For starters, the shield can be bypassed-"

BAM

Flurry flunged forward with a lightning bolt, sending right-hooved hook into head.

Twilight created a barrier, blocking the attack. A drop of sweat rolled down her face. Too close, she needed to speed up.

Flurry - kicked with her two hind legs, and in a jump, and into the barrier! The shockwave bellowed in a way that made ears pop. The barrier burst - only splinters flew in all directions.

Twilight used her telekinesis to fling the shards at the enemy.

Flurry - stll falling - flipped through the air, flew up, and with a flick of her wings, blew the magical glass back at Twilight.

She opened a portal in front of her, and the shards flew in, flying out behind Flurrys's back.

She's got Twilight in front of her, and the splinters in the back. So she jumped aside and let them keep flying. Twilight sighed. She should've seen it coming.

Dianys-matiki . allagi! Her horn sowed, distorting the space in front of her, twisting the very fabric of existence into a pipe. Shards flew into one hole, Twilight grabbed the distorted space with her bare hooves, yanked as hard as she could, and pointed the second hole at Florrie. With a screech of wind, splinters flew at her like a machine gun! Did this flip still make tactical sense?

Flurry fell to the ground and smacked it with her hoof. A shock wave rose, stopping shrapnel in midair.

"She's open!" Twilight arched her back, jumped up on her hind hooves, and immediately struck the ground with her front ones, releasing a stream of roaring magic from her horn.

Flurry lunged to her right, but the shot wasn't aimed at her. It flew into a shard hanging in the air, reverberated into another, jumped to a third, and darted to a fourth!

The laser kept flitting around Flurry, going from one deflector shard to the next, casting a bright purple glow over everything. That bought Twilight enough time. She sighed intermittently, sweat dripping from her face. Wasting too much energy.

[Twilight's point of view: I needed to know her fighting style. We haven't faced each other in combat in about twenty years, and the way I see it, her methods haven't changed. She's faster (can we answer that with passive spells? They're harder to cast right in the middle of a fight, but I can hardly block a few more of those lunges with barriers). She's stronger (this can be answered with spells that bypass brute force. Mental, for example. Maybe want-it-need-it? Either that, or try to draw her power). She hits with all her might, trying to finish the fight faster than she needs any tactics. Or does she pretend that she does? Better to overestimate your opponent than underestimate them. I've already spent some of my energy distracting her and catching my breath. If I don't do enough damage, I'll try to make her lose interest in fight.]

[Flurry's point of view: I can't see anything because of this flickering laser. Was that your plan, Aunt Twilight? I didn't come here to fight you, but since you're here, you probably want to stop me from taking the star. I don't know how you found out about it. Note to self: there must be a spy in the castle to deal with. In the meaaaaaantime. I might just go deeper into the caves, but Twilight seems to be serious about this fight. So I won't disappoint her - I'll fight, maybe get her to give up, yeah, that would be nice. Even if she runs away, it'll definitely break her spirit, showing her how much stronger I am. And then it wouldn't be long before she'd have to surrender in the whole war. Yeah, good plan, well done Flurry]

Twilight relaxed her iron-filled muscles a little, and she gritted an "okay," through her teeth, and walked toward Fluryy, and was each step twice as fast as the last, flowing into a run, her horn shone with magic. "Let's freaking go."

---

"Are you afraid of the dark?" the cold, clammy voice made Cozy twitch. All she had was the little light of a match. Lucky to took it.

Cozy looked around. Everything beyond half a meter was covered in a blind dusk. Her eyes narrowed as the monumental shadow, cast by something that could be mistaken for something slightly looking like stalactites of unconverted caves, rippled, twisted inward at murky angles, grew a multitude of columns with a sonorous chuckle. Cozy stepped back frightened as the mass tilted as if its legs had been chopped off, and fell with a matte slap, spreading oily peat across the floor. And that peat, smelling of ruined sublunar kingdoms, looked, it seemed, not at herself, but somewhere behind her, into forgotten thoughts, with its white eyes. God, how bright they were. The eyes curved upward, the peat mass dripping upward, forming a body upward. A vaguely elongated, half-shapely muzzle, you'd think, to the point of ridiculously bad, unsophisticated imitation of a pony head, emerged from the puddle of slime, planted on a fat neck that flowed into a heavy belly on broad, powerful legs. This mass was perishing and enormous, as if something that should not be described had cast a shadow from beyond the borders of the interstellar void, stretching it through hundreds of thicknesses of earth. It spread bony, vein-filled wings that had no webbing or feathers. The mass opened its mouth, ranting, or babbling, or growling something crumpled, like words that Cozy seemed to understand when she heard the painfully clear repetition.

"Are you afraid of the dark?"

She pressed her tongue to her palate, seemingly trying to swallow her saliva, but her constricted throat pushed out even air.

[Cozy thought: I'm alone, in an incomprehensible cave, in front of me is this, whatever it is. It looks like the Pony of Shadows we were told about in school, but too deformed. Perhaps something of a similar nature. This creature is clearly trying to look threatening-and it's succeeding. I have two choices, depending on what it wants. The first is for me to be the victim, and beg for mercy. Then, if it wants something from me, it will tell me what, and I'll probably survive - take that as a 100% success rate. And if he's just some monster who likes to scare kids, I'm dead, 0%. Second - I'll act defiantly without showing fear, and then at worst he'll get angry and kill me, 0%, or just get angry and I'll have less chance, 50%. Either way, playing the victim is more effective as a percentage].

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Screamed Cozy, covering her face with her tiny hooves and wings. "Please don't touch me!!!"

[Pony of Shadows thought: thank the blessed other gods, that scared her! God, I can barely hold this huge body, it's about to fall apart. Ok, ok, OK. Whoever this girl is, she must be connected to Twilight. Why else would she be here. Her new apprentice, perhaps? But she's a peg-oh my Grogar my face is melting!
.
.
.
Whew... Uh... I held it in. I need to find out everything I can from this girl before she realizes I'm weaker than a fly right now, and before this inflatable body falls apart].

A mass of liquid malice approached Cozy, oozing oil slick. The monster continued:

"Girls like you shouldn't be left alone."

[Cozy's thoughts: does he know who I am? Even with this disguise? If so -> change the plan. Or by "girls like me" he just means little girls]

"You came here with Twilight, didn't you? Decided to get the star before we did?"

[Cozy's thoughts: new macguffin: star. I don't know what it is, but he has a different opinion. It's worth playing along with him to get more information]

Cozy babbled frightenedly: "A star? How w-would you know?!"

[Pony of Shadow thoughts: I was bluffing about the star, and they really came for it! Hell, I need to warn Flu-]

BAM. The murmur of battle coursed through the cavernous veins, alerting Pony of Shadows and Cozy Glow to the battle.

[Pony of Shadow thoughts: it's definitely Flurry and Twilight! I have to
.
.
.
Do I have to? I may be dragging myself around with Fluryy, but it's only because I'm too weak. She underestimates me, the strongest monster Equestria has ever seen! My goal of plunging the world into darkness hasn't evaporated, and I seem to have a potential key to it]

"We have our methods" said the monster, grinning a skewed smile "but you know, I can turn a blind eye to our meeting, in exchange for something."

The Pony of Shadows moved closer to Cozy's face.

[Cozy's thoughts: I need an adult.]

"I need to get into your lovely capital, Canterlot. And plunge it into chaos."

[Cozy's thoughts: Phew, it's better than I thought. We're on the same page. I'll give him what I know, he'll cause a commotion and I can escape. But problem: if I start telling him the minimum that Twilight gave me, he might get suspicious. He probably knows who I am, and he won't believe that Twilight would tell a lot of interesting things to the villain who almost destroyed Equestria. Twice. Only if he does know that I became her general. But with that level of knowledge, he'd know why I'm here and wouldn't start talking about some star. The pattern would be that he either doesn't know who I am (+1) or he does (-1). If he knows, then-]

"I won't wait!" bellowed the Pony of Shadows, making Cozy shriek.

[Cozy's thoughts: (speed boost) he interrupted me. I'd forgotten what logic I was using. Playing off the fact that I'm afraid of him and don't know much, and he knows who I am but doesn't know I've become a general]

Cozy yelled: "excuse me please! I-I don't know much! I've only recently been freed!"

The Pony of Shadows wobbled slightly. "Fre...? KHM-tell everything you know, as if your life depended on it. For it does."

[Pony of Shadowes thoughts: Freed from where? I... а... ah, lost a thought! Apparently she meant that she had recently graduated from magic school, and was only now a student of Twilight, and got her words mixed up with fear. But why would Sparkle drag a trifle on such a dangerous mission?]

"I-I..." began Cozy, seemingly ready to cry "there are statues of Tirek and Chrysalis in the royal castle, that's all I know!"

[Pony of Shadows thoughts: Tirek and Chrysalis? Who's that, and why would I want their statues?]

"And why should I care?" replied the Pony of Shadows.

[Cozy's thoughts: He can't get enough of Tirek and Chrysalis. I almost took over the world with those two. Raise the degree]

"P-because these are the strongest villains in Equestria, and if released from the stone, they'll wreak havoc on the whole town! I can help too!"

[Pony of Shadow thoughts: oh how! And it's not just statues, but the villains themselves turned into them?!]

The monstrous shadow swelled and rippled, and from its nasty belly, through its neck, a rasping cackle crawled to its throat. "You interest me. Just remember for the rest of your life, unless you want to shorten it - the strongest villain in Equestria is me." With those words, the monster blurted out into the darkness, leaving Cozy alone.

[Pony of Shadows thoughts: Stupid Girl. She even offered her help at the end. How could an ordinary pony, not even a unicorn, help? But these Tirek and Chrysalis ones got me interested. Wait, Flurry Heart, my turn is about to begin]

[Cosy Glow thoughts: Stupid Monster, or what it was. Now I have someone powerful enough to know about my return, and willing to free my team. True, I had to offer my help in creating chaos. Anyway, once I meet up with Tirek and Chrysalis, it won't be hard to escape there. Wait, Twilight Sparkle, my turn is about to begin. Whell, not the turn, more like I'm fiding the pices, to send them on board, and reading the roolbook and...

Author's Note:

Aga, I'm back after... ooofff. Yeah, it was a lot of time. But now I'w done with some problems and ready to go!

Comments

[Bread-Kun]

Look who's alive ay.

[Starlight Nova]

11427262
What war? This user hasn't written any other stories.

[TenRulle]

11557412
There are other 6 chapters of this story

[TenRulle]

11557210
Alive like a ghoul!

[hmaf43]

It’s alive!
Let’s see how far larping skill from decades of role playing will get her

[Cheroneng]

Very nice story and Hello from Russia!

[TenRulle]

11557564
Ohey this sounded waaaay edgier than I intended

[TenRulle]

11562283
Ну дарова, так сказать

[Cheroneng]

11563585
Ничего себе, ты тоже русский или ты использовал переводчик?/Wow, are you Russian too or did you use a translator?

[TenRulle]

11564176
Скажем так, у всех есть свои секреты.

[Cheroneng]

11565958
Судя по написанию, я больше склоняюсь к первому варианту. Что же, весьма интересная история. Коузи Глоу - мой любимый персонаж. Надеюсь, скоро выйдет продолжения. И да, последний вопрос: Что слышно в Gorky Park - Moscow calling?

[TenRulle]

11567049
Невер (nikogda)