Act III - 18 - Journey's End...
Act III:
Naqoyqatsi (Life as War)
Chapter Eighteen:
A Journey’s End...
“Dr. Cheerilee answer the question. Is that blood sample from Fluttershy?” the interrogator asked, holding a notepad aloft in her magic. Cheerilee sighed, rubbing her artificial leg.
“I already told you three times, yes. I don’t see why asking the same question three times is going to change the answer.” She looked over the interrogator’s shoulder to see a snow white pegasus stallion hovering around the laboratory equipment, occasionally picking up a random pipette to inspect it. Cheerilee let out a frustrated sigh. “Excuse me sir, but can you please stay away from that! It’s very sensitive equipment and I don’t want anything to break!” she called out, and the interrogator raised an eyebrow.
“What did you plan to do with the sample Dr. Cheerilee? What’s the laboratory equipment for?” she asked, diverting Cheerilee’s attention away from the stallion. Cheerilee rubbed her temple.
“I’m a biochemist. It’s for my work.” she answered, the interrogator’s constant questioning now getting on her nerves. “And Miss Fluttershy came here for treatment…”
“What sort of treatment?”
Cheerilee let out an involuntary groan, “Medical treatment.”
“What sort of medical treatment?” the interrogator droned once more, jotting down whatever Cheerilee said on the notepad. Cheerilee groaned.
“I can’t say. Mostly because we were kind of interrupted before we started by your little paramilitary fun brigade,” she replied sharply, causing the interrogator to raise an eyebrow, eying her with visible disdain. Cheerilee let her shoulders’ sag and rubbed her forehead.
“Sorry...it’s just...it’s been a good two hours since you began asking me questions, and honestly, I can’t tell you anything more than what I’ve already told you, okay? I guess it’s stress I don’t know…” she trailed off, once more noticing the white stallion, who was now seemingly muttering to himself while eyeing the vial of blood intensely.
“Can you ask your buddy over there to leave that sample alone please. It’s probably useless now and I don’t want him messing around with the medical waste. It’s dangerous,” she said, looking up at the interrogator. The interrogator only rolled her eyes before turning to walk over to the stallion.
“Hey Snowflake cou-”
Cheerilee let out a yelp at the sight of the blow that the pegasus dealt the unicorn. The unicorn was sent tumbling to the floor, where she lay still, apparently unconscious. The stallion turned to look Cheerilee in the eye, his bright red eyes glaring back her with virulent madness.
There was a strange pause between the two as they simply stared at each other, Cheerilee frozen in fear and Snowflake eyeing her like a lion would prey. Cheerilee was first move, making a bolt for the doorway, only to be greeted by a loud bang that sent her prosthetic limb flying off her leg. The gunshot, while not physically harming her, had managed to throw off her prothestic, and the sudden loss of the heavy prosthetic threw off her sense of balance, and she stumbled forwards awkwardly, stumbling to the floor. Next thing she knew, she felt something cold and metallic on the back of her head.
“Alright now don’t try anything like that again, okay doc?” came the voice of Snowflake behind her. “Got it?” he hissed, pushing the gun sharply against her head. Instinctively, Cheerilee raised her good leg in surrender.
“Alright! Alright I swear!” she said, her voice tight with panic. She felt the pressure on the back of her head abate somewhat and then felt a strong hoof pulling her to her hooves. She tried to stand, but was still missing her prosthetic, causing her to stumble awkwardly. She felt the gun against her head again and did her best to remain still.
“L-look...j-just give me th-the prosthetic okay? That’s all I need an-and then I’ll do whatever you wa-want okay?” she said, her voice wavering. There was a pause before Snowflake moved the gun from her head.
“Alright then. Go get your arm…” he said, his voice sounding edgy and prickly. Cheerilee nodded and limped as calmly as possible towards the limb, sitting down to properly apply it. “Now what do you want?” she asked, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
“I want what Fluttershy has!” Snowflake practically barked, his whole body looking like an ultra tightly wound spring. “And I know that you know a way to get it.”
Cheerilee blinked for a moment, trying to figure out what the stallion meant. This also gave her a moment to more carefully study her captor. He seemed stressed. His ears flicked about wildly, and his eyes were constantly shifting to look at some corner of the room, following the path of his ears. Every few seconds, he would either twitch or flinch as if someone had just poked him sharply, only to quickly tightening his body again. His muscle mass looked abnormal, as if enhanced by some sort of steroid.
“Well?!” he barked again, once more forcing the gun to her head. She raised her hooves again, biting her lip tightly in panic. “GIVE ME WHAT I WANT!!!”
“P-please I’m a biochemist, not a genie! You ha-have to tell me wh-what you wa-want!” she pleaded, hoping the crazed pony would relent.
“Don’t give me that! You saw what that stupid little pegasus is able to do! I want what she has! I want her power damnit!” he shouted, once more forcing Cheerilee to her hooves and practically dragging her over to the laboratory equipment. He violently shoved her into the rolling chair and shoved it up to the vial. “Her blood, her power, hurry up!” he barked, snapping the somewhat shell-shocked Cheerilee back to reality.
“Alright, alright, just give me a second…” she replied shakily, reaching for the vial of blood with a shaky hoof. She placed it gingerly in a slot to hold it steady while she reached for the pipette. She quickly drew a sample, now holding the pipette rather awkwardly.
“What are you waiting for?! Inject me!” Snowflake commanded, shoving her violently. Cheerilee’s eyes widened.
“What?! I can’t just inject you! I haven’t run any tests on this at all and we need to see what’ll happ-”
Snowflake let out a growl and shoved her asides, toppling her out of the chair. Before Cheerilee had a chance to protest, Snowflake had already grabbed an empty syringe, carefully filling it with the blood. Cheerilee shook her head.
“No, wait, you can’t do that!” she protested, only to be greeted by a hoof to the nose.
“SHUT UP!” Snowflake hissed, now looking wildly paranoid. “I’m going to have that power if it’s the last thing I do! Understand?!” he then fell silent for a second, his eyes intensely focusing on a corner of the ceiling. His eyes narrowed before focusing back on Cheerilee. Without looking away, he jammed the syringe into his forearm and violently forced it’s contents into his body. Almost instantly, the area around the syringe began to change from it’s previous snow white to deep blood red. The muscles around the syringe began to bulge grotesquely and Cheerilee backed away fearfully. Snowflake’s entire coat was now the same shade of blood red and his muscle mass had increased so much that the chair he was sitting on collapsed underneath the weight. He let out what sounded like a growl of pain, slamming a hoof down on the ground. The floor underneath visibly cracked under the force of the blow and this only made Cheerilee’s desire for escape increase all the more. She turned and ran as fast as she could, hoping to reach the exit and get downstairs before things became any worse.
She had just reached the elevator and was wildly slamming down on the button when a deafening roar assaulted her ear drums. Against her better judgement, she looked over her shoulder fearfully and froze.
Standing at the other end of the room, and looming a good ten feet tall was a monstrous, blood red creature. His muscles were now ridiculously huge, with his wings having grown equally massive in proportion. His eyes burned bright gold and his mane had changed as well, growing out of it’s blonde buzz cut into a wildly unkempt mess of jet black hair. The monster turned to look at her, his eyes burning with demented glee. He lunged forward, and Cheerilee let out a scream, her hoof going into overdrive as she slammed on the elevator button. Just as the monster was about to slam into her, the elevator door opened and Cheerilee flung herself inside, slamming the down button as hard as she could. The elevator doors slid shut just as the creature impacted with the wall, sending the elevator swaying violently, banging against the elevator shaft walls.
Cheerilee curled into the corner, fearing the worse. Instead of the cable snapping like she expected, she was greeted by the normally mundane but now beautiful sound of the elevator going down. She uncurled her body and let out a massive sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, back in the remains of the laboratory, Snowflake let out an angry growl. The doctor had escaped, that was true, but in the grand scheme of things, that didn’t matter in the slightest. He had what he had come for. He had the power he craved. He could feel it coursing through his veins, filling him to the brim and providing him with energy and strength...superiority. He let out a satisfied sigh, simply taking a moment to allow the sense of triumph to wash over him.
Tisk, tisk, tisk… came his father’s raspy voice and Snowflake froze, his entire body bristling with rage at the sound. Unbeknownst to him, the floor underneath him began to melt as a burning heat emanated from his body.
“Leave me alone…” he growled, his already-deep voice at least five octaves deeper since the transformation. The spectre of his father drifted into his field of vision, his talons crossed and shaking his head.
Oh laddie, laddie, laddie...ya fergot somethin’...somethin’ very important, he chided, which only managed to make Snowflake even angrier.
“What did I forget?!” he asked, his voice a seething cauldron and visible steam rising off his body. “I got what you wanted! I got the power! I’m the best now, aren’t I? Isn’t this good enough for you?!” he roared, swiping a tremendous hoof at the spectre, only to see it go through like smoke.
His father meanwhile, remained unfazed, shaking his head slowly. Not until you’ve finished the job...she’s still around ya know...ready to challenge your hard earned victory…
Snowflake raised an eyebrow. “Who…?”
Fluttershy, his father’s voice hissed. Snowflake’s eyes widened. That’s right. You forgot about her. Sure you have all this power, but as long as that little pegasus is scurrying about, well, you’ll have someone who bested you. Who's to say that she won’t try and knock ya off yer hard earned throne? You don’t want ta have yer flank kicked by that silly little mare wouldja? Oh wait! the ghost paused, chuckling slightly. She already has...remember? She flicked ya away like ya was a bug. Yer not gonna let her get away with that are ya? You’re the best right? Now you have the advantage….find her and win.
Snowflake narrowed his eyes. He had already been defeated once before. But now, he had the advantage. And this time...he was going to win.
//////////////////////////
Fluttershy’s eyes opened slowly. She felt a sharp stinging sensation in the back of her neck and her head felt as if she had been hit with a baseball bat. Oh no! she thought, her energy slowly returning as her eyes darted fearfully around the car.
“Wh-where am I?” she whimpered, not having the slightest idea why she was in what looked like a padded cell. Had she lost control again? The last thing she remembered was feeling angry and then the sharp pain in the back of her neck. Then...nothing else.
“That son of a bitch!” came a completely unexpected second voice and Fluttershy turned to see her mother, hooves cuffed together, sitting across from her. She looked as if she’d been crying for quite some time, if the tear stains on her cheeks were any indication.
“Mother, what are you doing here?” Fluttershy asked, attempting to scoot a little bit closer to her mother. Her mother turned to face her, an intense look of relief replacing the previous anger.
“Oh, Fluttershy, thank Celestia you’re alright!” Tree Flower said, and she also attempted to scoot a little bit closer, only to be foiled by the chains that held her to the chair. Fluttershy looked down to see that she was tied down as well, but this time, instead of a simple pair of leg cuffs and hoofcuffs, she was completely bound in a straight jacket. There was a good five feet of room between them, and it was obvious that whomever had placed them here was sure that they couldn’t make any physical contact.
“Mother what happened?” Fluttershy asked fearfully, only to be greeted by the sound of a door opening. Both Fluttershy and Tree Flower turned to see a pony that Fluttershy couldn’t recognize. He held himself with a self righteous air and sat down across from Tree Flower and Fluttershy.
“Well,” he said, reaching into his front shirt pocket to take a gulp of what looked like a bottle of whiskey. “This is actually kind of underwhelming…” he said, his voice sounding vaguely disappointed.
“Who the hay are you?” Tree Flower asked, her voice sounding tight. The dark green earth pony sighed, leaning back in his chair.
“That’s none of your business,” he answered, looking at Tree Flower with disregard. He looked back at Fluttershy, who was now looking away in shame. “So you’re the big mean monster everypony was talking about huh? Because I think you look pretty damn wimpy if you ask me. I mean seriously where’s the monster? Where’s the freak-”
“You stop that right now,” Tree Flower said so sharply that the soldier across from them stopped mid-sentence. There was a tense pause between the three before the soldier rolled his eyes and stood up.
“Whatever…” as he turned out to leave, Fluttershy could still hear him muttering under his breath, “Now I owe Stalwart twenty bits…”
Now she had been reduced to nothing more than some sort of sideshow attraction, waiting for the next pony to pay to gawk at her and mock her.
As if to drive the point home, the door to the car opened again and in strode the dark, looming form of Iron Will. He seemed quite happy with himself, if the smug and self-assured grin on his face was any indication.
“Evening Ms. Flower...Miss Fluttershy…” Iron Will said, walking over to put a hoof under Fluttershy’s chin, “Look at me…” he said. Fluttershy continued to look at the floor, tears streaming from her eyes.
“Look. At. Me!” Iron Will commanded, now forcefully making Fluttershy look up. Fluttershy looked into Iron Will’s face, fear overtaking her body as she feared what might come next.
“You leave my daughter alone, you bastard!” her mother shouted from her seat, only to be greeted by Iron Will staring at her hatefully.
“I would advise you stop protesting Ms. Flower. You’re lucky I haven’t separated you two.”
"Do you seriously think you can just treat my daughter like some kind of animal to abuse?!" Tree Flower protested, leaning towards Iron Will angrily.
Iron Will simply glared at her again. "Ms Flower, I regret to inform you that you are, quite frankly, living in a complete and total illusion. Your daughter is nothing more than your husband's sorry excuse of a lab experiment. She has caused the deaths of many innocent ponies and she is not about to escape justice again, understand? I am taking her back to Canterlot, where she will be dealt with in the manner I best see fit!" He roared before diverting his attention back to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy simply looked down at the floor, desperately trying to hold back her own sobs. Is that what she really was? Was she nothing more than a freak, a science experiment gone wrong? Something that could just be thrown away and destroyed? Any hopes she might have had for a life where she wouldn’t be judged by the actions of a monster she couldn’t control were now completely shattered. She felt herself begin to sob, unable to fathom what could possibly be lying ahead for her. They’d probably take her back to wherever they came from to cut her open and use her for testing. She could hear her mother trying to comfort her from across the car, but it was no use. No amount of comforting could prevent the inevitable.
“And what pray tell would that accomplish? Oh master of military blunders?” came an unexpected third voice, which caught the attention of the others.
"Agent Hoofcuff..." Iron Will grumbled, and Fluttershy looked up to see a familiar grey unicorn walk into the car, wearing a weathered looking windbreaker. Her dark red mane was rustled and unkempt, and her eyes looked tired, as if she had been awake for days.
"General," she replied, seeming to notice Iron Will's displeasure, as she arched an eyebrow, glancing over at Fluttershy. "What? Aren't you happy that you got your 'white whale'?" She asked.
Iron Will looked noticeably angered by this, and he made a point of standing more erect. “I’ll have you know I am a decorated officer..”
"Oh don't give me that ‘decorated officer’ crap!" Hoofcuff snapped. "You obviously can’t just up and fire me, since it’s obvious that nopony besides you, me and Snowflake has any idea what’s gone on here. And all because you are obsessively keeping all the facts from everypony.”
“The reason I did not tell you all the facts is because you didn’t need to know them. The only reason Snowflake received that information is because he needed it to complete his mission,” Iron Will replied sternly, which only made Hoofcuff blink in apparent shock.
“What do you mean I didn’t need to know?! If anypony needed the info, it was me! I’m the fugitive hunter, not Snowflake. Do you know how many ponies ended up injured, in the hospital or worse because of your obsessive need to hide the facts? Did you even think it might have been better to let everypony know all the facts so we’re all properly prepared.”
“Careful Marshall,” Iron will said through his teeth ”You’re on thin enough ice as it is, you don’t want me to-”
“To do what?” she said, cutting off the general. “You and I both know that taking Fluttershy back to Canterlot is just going to be another complete snafu! And all because you were too stubborn to admit when you’re wrong!” she continued, pointing a hoof towards Fluttershy. “Every time you’ve gotten close to capturing her, it always ends up with her going green and destroying everything. Have you ever just taking a second to think that you, oh great and mighty Iron Will, might actually be wrong in doing this and maybe should have left the mare that can throw a tank like a rubber ball alone?! ”
General Iron Will simply stared at Hoofcuff, and Fluttershy could have sworn that he was trying to burn a hole through her skull. She looked over to the much shorter unicorn, who glared back at him. Finally, the general spoke, his voice a low rumble.
“Agent Hoofcuff...you’re fired. Leave now.”
“Fire me?” Hoofcuff replied incredulously. “Screw firing me, I’m quitting! I’ve been standing around, letting you run around and waste my time, just so that you can stroke your Celestia-damned ego!” She stomped a hoof on the ground violently, letting out a sharp snort. Iron Will was about to respond when a loud burst of static came from his earpiece, causing him to wince slightly. Without taking his eyes off Hoofcuff, he put a hoof up to the earpiece.
“What?” he barked, holding a hoof to his ear. His eyes narrowed slightly, apparently concerned by whatever was coming through his earpiece. Without saying a word, Iron Will unexpectedly started towards the door, leaving a very confused Fluttershy, Tree Flower and Hoofcuff standing there. Hoofcuff was first to move, trying to beat Iron Will to the door, only to be blocked.
“You stay here. I’ve had enough of you and your constant insubordination!” Iron Will growled, slamming the door behind him, leaving Hoofcuff with an incredibly angry expression on her face.
“Insubordination?!” she shouted aloud. “I’m the only freaking pony on this whole trip who shows any sense and he imprisons me?! What the buck?!” she sat down in one of chairs, now looking more baffled than angry.
Fluttershy simply stared, unsure of what to do. For the first time, someone besides her mother had really stood up for her. She swallowed, still trying to wrap her head around the events of the last few minutes.
“Th-thanks for standing up for my daughter” Tree Flower all of a sudden said, her voice frail. The unicorn and Fluttershy glanced towards her, a slightly surprised look on their faces.
“What?” the unicorn asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I said thank you.” Tree Flower repeated, her voice gaining some strength. “You’re the first pony to jump to Fluttershy’s defense like that. Thank you.”
Hoofcuff simply rolled her eyes. “Oh don’t get sappy. I didn’t do it out of sympathy or anything. I did it because I’m sick of all this bullsh-lying and dishonesty. I’ve been on this trip for what feels like forever and I just want it to end. I just wanna go back home,” she sighed, shoulders sagging.
Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for the mare sitting across from her. The tired, world weary look in the unicorn’s eyes was one that Fluttershy knew intimately, having long become accustomed to it’s heavy, oppressive weight on her shoulders.
“Hey...I know how you feel…” she said, despite her own shyness. The unicorn gave her a bemused look.
“Really? That’s great...not like it’ll change anything though. My job’s probably completely bucked,” she sighed, shifting her weight. Fluttershy bit her lip, shifting slightly herself. The straight jacket was quite tight, and she could feel her wings being squished against her body rather uncomfortably. There was a moment of silence, punctuated by faint, undefinable rumblings. At first, the rumblings were spaced a good distance apart, and Fluttershy had assumed that it was a thunderstorm or some other weather phenomena. However, as time went on, the rumblings became louder and more frequent, punctuated by sharp popping noises and what sounded like muffled shouts.
“What’s that noise?” Tree Flower asked aloud, her ears swiveling to catch the noise. Hoofcuff seemed to notice it as well, as her ears perked up and she leaned against the wall of the car.
“Is that...gunfire?” she said aloud, a suspicious look on her face. Before any of them had a chance to answer, there was a deafening metallic bang and the car was thrown violently on it’s side, sending the three of them sprawling up against the wall, the chains holding Fluttershy in place snapping in the process. Before anyone of them had a chance to regain any sense of balance or even comprehend what could have possibly have caused such a sudden event, there was another, even louder clang, coupled with the opposite wall denting inward as if someone had stepped on it.
“What’s going on?!” Fluttershy cried, her heart rate spiking again as she looked around the car frantically. Another loud clang and the car shook again, it’s metal walls buckling under the weight of whatever was coming down on it.
“OH FLUTTERSHY! COME OUT TO PLAY!!!” came a monstrous voice from outside the car. Fluttershy let out a whimper of fear, her heart rate climbing again, and Tree Flower struggled to get closer to her. Another clang, and the voice roared again.
“COME OUT LITTLE MARE!!!! SNOWFLAKE WANTS TO TALK WITH YOU!!!” it repeated, punctuating it’s words with stronger and stronger slams against the wall, causing it to buckle and bend under it’s weight. Fluttershy tried to curl into a ball in an effort to block out the horrible sounds, when a loud explosion reverberated through the car, an enraged roar mingling with the chaotic cauldron of noise. Next thing Fluttershy knew, the door to the car opened to reveal the same soldier from before, which beckoned them to move.
“Come on, before he recovers!” he barked, and Hoofcuff started towards the exit, while Tree Flower instantly set about undoing the straight jacket. Hoofcuff paused in the doorway, looking behind her with a baffled look on her face.
“Damnit Ms. Flower we’ve gotta go!” she barked, only to have Tree Flower shake her head.
“Not without Fluttershy!” she shouted in return, still trying to undo the complicated straps holding Fluttershy’s legs to her body. Before Hoofcuff had a chance to come back with a reply, there was another deafening explosion, and all three turned to see a gigantic, blood red monster of a pegasus crouched over what looked like the remains of a tank, his massive wings tucked around his body like a vulture. His head whipped around, his eyes practically glowing with venomous hatred. Fluttershy felt her body seized in horror at the sight.
“THERE YOU ARE FLUTTERSHY.” he growled, and he hunched down, looking as if he was about to spring towards the three again. He leapt towards them, and before any of them had a chance to avoid him, he slammed into the car, sending them all flying wildly in different directions. Fluttershy landed hard on the ground, letting out a cry of pain as she felt a leg snap. Her eyes watered with pain and fear as she looked around, trying to find where her mother had landed. She caught sight of the red beast with his arm caught inside the remains of the mobile lab, having apparently punched clean through it. Fluttershy spun her head around, searching for her mother. She spotted the coral mare a good two dozen feet away, looking quite disheveled, but otherwise fine.
“Mother!” she cried out, and her mother waved wildly for her.
“Fluttershy! I’m coming!” she cried, and Fluttershy could see the older mare begin to limp towards her, her own leg looking as if it had been strained. But before Tree Flower had even managed to get a good five feet, she was violently slammed away by the red beast, who was now free from his trap and had crossed the couple dozen feet in mere seconds. Fluttershy felt a scream die in her throat at the sight of her mother being tossed aside like a toy, landing quite roughly into a nearby bush.
Fluttershy instinctively began to drag herself towards the bush, her mind completely focused on seeing if her mother survived. She only managed to make it a few feet before she felt a crushing pain in her hind legs. She let out a scream, before being violently flipped onto her back by her assailant. It was revealed to be the same demonic creature, who now loomed over her, his right arm pinning her down.
“I FINALLY GOT YOU!” he cackled, sounding completely and utterly demented as he leaned closer to her quivering form. “IT’S JUST YOU AND ME NOW!” he said, grabbing her head violently, and bringing her limp body close to his face. His yellow eyes seemed to be searching for something, as they scanned her body wildly. His grip felt as if it were a hot iron, and Fluttershy weakly squirmed against it, her broken legs only adding to her pain.
“P-please…” she wept, her voice now completely shattered and overcome with her own sobbing. “J-just le-leave me al-alone….p-plea-”
“WHERE IS IT?!” the monster shrieked, causing Fluttershy’s weak protests to die in her throat. “WHERE’S THE REAL YOU?! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!!!” he threw her to the ground again violently, and she cried out, only to be pinned again. Fluttershy felt her heart rate, which was already at an all time high go even higher. She could already feel New Fluttershy violently struggling against her already sorely weakened defenses, screaming for release. “SHOW ME THE MONSTER!” he roared. Fluttershy simply whimpered, holding her arms in front of her face in a futile attempt to shield herself from the heat ebbing off the stallion’s body. He lifted his arm and seemed to be readying himself to crush her with a massive hoof when a voice cried out.
“LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE YOU MONSTER!” Both Fluttershy and Snowflake looked in shock towards the bedraggled form of Tree Flower, who had dragged herself out of the bush, doing her best to stand on her hooves.
“M-Mother go! Ju-just le-leave me!” Fluttershy cried, weakly waving her away.
“Never! I’m not going to abandon you again!” Tree flower shouted, picking up a fallen soldiers pistol and taking aim at the beast. In spite of this show of bravery, her hooves could still be seen to shake and she bit her bottom lip tightly.
Snowflake simply blinked before an evil grin spread across his face. “Oh look at that! Isn’t it precious!” he chuckled, looking back at Fluttershy. “If hurting you doesn’t wake her up...well, I guess I’ll have to hurt somepony close to you.” he growled, tossing the blooded Fluttershy aside and walking slowly, deliberately towards Tree Flower, who still stood her ground. The hollow click of an empty gun greeted their ears and Snowflake smiled. The image of her mother, completely defenseless, Snowflake’s hoof ready to crush her proved to be the final straw, and with a final defeated whimper from the blooded yellow pegasus, New Fluttershy broke free.
Flutterhulk, her mind completely dominated by pure, unbridled fury, began to shift and change color, her bloodied and soiled yellow coat once more morphing into a deep green. Her tattered pink mane almost instantly began to grow out, turning into a deep, dark red, and her hind legs, both of which were previously broken, visibly healed themselves. Any cuts and bruises the mare might have suffered healed almost instantly, and when she opened her eyes again, they shined a brilliant emerald, and burned with unbridled fury.
Snowflake let out a cry of triumph, which was greeted by a deafening roar from the green pegasus beneath him, her body expanding and growing extreme amounts of new, perfectly formed and sculpted muscle mass.
However, Snowflake’s triumph was interrupted by a tremendous crack as the now equally monstrous mare slammed her hoof into his lower jaw, sending him violently flying across Celestial Park, with him landing in a small lake a good two hundred feet away. He looked up to see Flutterhulk now standing at full height, letting out another defiant roar. Her roar was cut short, however, by an explosion of gunfire from a nearby tank, which quickly met it’s end at her hooves, crushed underneath like a soda can. Next thing Snowflake knew, Flutterhulk had flung the tank towards him like a spear, and Snowflake rolled aside, the tank landing with a thunderous crash just inches from him.
“FLUTTERHULK SMASH RED PONY!” he heard her roar, and he felt his adrenaline spike with excitement as the monster lunged towards him at full gallop, the normally well-kept ground beneath her being turned to mush beneath the sheer force of her hoofsteps. Snowflake answered her charge by one of his own, flying towards her, wings pumping.
The two collided with a sound like a thunderclap, sending out a shockwave that took the leaves off almost every single nearby tree. Snowflake, using his training, quickly put Flutterhulk into a headlock, twisting her neck and causing her to bellow in pain. Flutterhulk answered with a sharp buck, causing Snowflake’s grip to weaken and him to fly another two hundred feet and land hard in a grove of trees, creating a crater beneath him. He shook his head, letting out a growl before standing back up, his wounds healing rapidly and any leaves rapidly burning away due to the ambient heat.
“IS THAT ALL YOU’VE GOT?!” he shouted back, flaring his wings in defiance and crouching low, preparing for the oncoming attack. Flutterhulk roared, charging towards him at full speed once more, and he reared, the pair colliding again. However, this time, they were sent tumbling backwards, and through the park fence, ending up in the middle of the street. A loud horn blast from an oncoming truck caught Snowflake’s attention, and he pulled Flutterhulk down close to him, and the truck slammed into the pair, the front end completely collapsing inward. Snowflake was the first on his hooves, grabbing a nearby car and slamming it over Flutterhulk’s still recovering body.
Flutterhulk rolled onto her back just as Snowflake lifted the car for a second blow, this time catching the car mere inches in front of her face before tearing it out of Snowflake’s hoof. Snowflake let out a roar as the now jagged metal tore the skin from his hooves, which rapidly grew back, just as red as before. Before he had a chance to return a blow of his own, he was greeted by the twisted wreckage of the car to his face, with Flutterhulk quickly dealing another blow with the impromptu club. Snowflake tumbled backwards, crushing several more cars underfoot, before slamming into a nearby building, going through the brick walls as if they were paper. This caused the building to grow weak and he rolled away just as it collapsed down on him, piles of debris crushing his left wing. He let out a cry of pain and yanked himself free, the broken wing almost instantly resetting itself.
“STOP HOLDING BACK!” he shouted, leaping to land a sharp right hook on the charging Flutterhulk’s muzzle, and successfully pinning her to the ground. He then put his full strength into violently punching her repeatedly, causing a large crater to form around the two.
“I AM THE BETTER PONY! I AM THE SUPERIOR BEING!” he roared, continuing his unrelenting assault on the mare beneath him. However, his assault was interrupted by a sharp jab to his abdomen from Flutterhulk’s hind leg, quickly followed by a left-hook to his face. This caused him to lose any advantage he had, throwing off his balance. Flutterhulk dragged herself out of the hole, before spinning around and violently bucking him through a building. She then grabbed a nearby truck that had been abandoned in the chaos and leapt towards Snowflake, raising it above her head and bringing it down mercilessly on the stallion’s head. The stallion rolled out of the way, with the building collapsing around him and on top of Flutterhulk.
Flutterhulk growled, grabbing Snowflake by the tail and dragging him back to her. However, he was quick to respond with a buck of his own, which sent her tumbling down the street violently and back into the park. She tumbled through the grass, causing a long furrow to form before she came to a stop in the same grove of trees from before. She heard Snowflake roar and saw him leaping towards her and she tore a nearby oak tree out of the ground and socked him with it, sending him straight into the earth head first. She lifted the oak tree, now shattered in half and jabbed the jagged end into his right wing. He let out a roar of pain, his wing completely impaled by the tree. She then grabbed him by his mane, violently pulling his head out of the ground. She quickly slammed him face-first into the ground again.
Snowflake's arms flailed around him, desperately searching for somewhere to grab onto and turn the tide in his favor. Snowflake found it in Flutterhulk's mane, yanking it hard and flipping her over his body, Flutterhulk screaming in pain. He pulled himself to his hooves, quickly yanking the broken tree out of his wing, grunting in pain as he did so. Flutterhulk had recovered in the meantime, and she lunged, only to be greeted by a tree trunk in the shoulder, the oak piercing through her like a spear. She roared in pain again, breaking the tree trunk in half with one blow of her hoof before pulling it out of her shoulder and attempting to return the favor.
Snowflake simply ducked, landing her a punch to the gut. She responded with a crashing blow to his back, before wrapping her arms around his somewhat slimmer body and throwing him to the ground. However, he dragged her down with him and the pair rolled across the park, ending up in a clump of bushes.
Flutterhulk ended up on top and began to violently punch him in the face repeatedly, each punch landing with more and more force and more and more speed, until his entire face was a shattered, blood mess. She briefly paused, her breaths ragged as she looked down at his still barely conscious, but badly blooded form. His eyes still burned with hatred and his skin burned with a near unbearable heat from beneath her, causing the grass around them to actively start scorching, but she still felt strangely hesitant, as if something were holding her back from squashing his skull beneath her hooves in one final strike.
“Aren’t you going to finish the job?” he quietly hissed, his deformed, shattered face twisting into a maniacal grin. “Or are you chicken?”
Flutterhulk felt the burning fire inside of her flare up at his words and she growled inarticulately and reached over, grabbing the discarded tree trunk which had landed nearby. She lifted the jagged trunk above her head, being sure to keep the pointed end facing towards her foe.
“STOP!” came the loud, pained cry and Flutterhulk halted, the makeshift spear stopping mere inches away from her enemy’s throat. She whipped her head towards the sound and saw a familiar, coral blue mare leaning against a tree, severely bruised but otherwise perfectly fine. Her left eye was swollen, but her right one seemed to plead with her. Flutterhulk didn’t quite understand why, but a soft, pleading and strangely familiar voice at the back of her mind told her to listen to whatever this random mare had to say.
The coral mare swallowed, tears welling in her eyes, “Fluttershy I know you’re in there! Please just stop! You said that you didn’t want to be a monster, right?!”
Flutterhulk simply blinked, the words of the mare somehow feeling familiar to her. The small, oddly familiar voice inside of her told her that what this mare was saying was true. She wasn’t a monster. She looked back down at the blooded body of Snowflake, who simply looked up at her with weakened eyes, his blood seeping from his decimated muzzle and pooled around his face. Before Flutterhulk even knew it, she had dropped the tree trunk and looked over to the coral mare.
“Flutterhulk not monster…” she rumbled, feeling as if some burning fire inside of her was slowly dying away again. As if on in a daze, she slowly climbed off the blooded stallion’s body, and she walked over to the smaller mare. She reached a hoof out slowly, the smaller flinching slightly before it came to gently stroke the coral mare’s face.
“Flutterhulk like friend.” she said, not really noticing what she had spoken until after she said it. The coral mare seemed to tear up and smile at this, clutching the large hoof tightly.
“Yes Fluttershy...I’m your friend,” she said in a gentle voice, stroking the hoof. The distant sound of approaching vehicles faded into the nighttime, with Fluttershy feeling a strange sense of peace as she collapsed into her mother's arms.
/////////////////////////////
The last thing Snowflake saw as he drifted in and out of consciousness, was the green monster gently shift back to her normal, yellow coated form. Try as he might, however, Snowflake couldn't make himself move to deal the final blow, no matter now much both his and his father's voice screamed in unison for him to do it. He tried to move a leg in a futile attempt to heed his mind's desperate commands, but alas, a sharp, yet fleeting pain in the side of his neck was the only indication that the sedative had set about its work.
But his last cognizant thought, one that burned with a fiery hatred and defiance towards the yellow pegasus was,
I am the best...
And with that last hate filled thought, he fell unconscious.
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Well... that was something
although you might have made a mistake when you have one of Flutterhulk's lines in red instead of green
3291087 Which one so I can go fix it
And didja like it?
3291090
And yes, I did like it. It's always wonderful to see smashing
3291095 YAY I'm so happy!
Wouldja mind reviewing the story?
3291101 When the epilogue is up, I shall
3291135 EXCELLENT!
I'm actually writing it right now. Feel free to drop on by.
I wanna see epilogue NOW!!!
Awesome fight by the way!
3291235 YAY I'M HAPPY
It seems that my hunger for epic fight scenes has been sated ... For now. *begins to stroke cat evilly*
Epic.
All that needs to be said.
Sounds like Hoofcuff was channelin' the Dm there.
.....
Lets see.. the Red Hulk emits intense heat...
His name begins with Snow...
oh god he turned into Snowflame.
Wouldn't his grip have to break before he's sent flying away?
Either way, it was just a small nitpick. I loved the ending and, even though Fluttershy's journey is over, the story is far from over.
As they say, the ride never ends.
In any case, congratulations, I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and I'll look forward to the rest of your Universe.
Does Equestria have a superhero damage control protocol cause I do not want be one who has to clean that destruction.
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Over at last eh? What an ending, very impressive, I'm guessing Red Hulk is the evil version of the Hulk? Very awesome, bucking loved it, this was a very, very great story and I'm honored to be a part of it.
Smashing! (boo)(hiss)
Ah, now we won't get to see Iron Will rulk out! Oh well. And poor Flutterhulk; her wings stay atrophied while Snowflake's get even bigger! I wonder if that little scare will further influence Cheerilee desire to get her leg back? And finally, I have to say, didn't expect the ending to be like that in a Hulk story.