Twilight looked to each of her friends, who nodded accent. "We agree."
"Good, good, now first, I think a change of venue."
With a snap of his fingers, everypony found themselves in the Cloudsdale Coliseum. Discord and Nightmare took up residence in Celestia's private viewing box.
The twelve alicorns were lined up in two opposing lines. Each faced their progenitor Element.
"So then, which of you wishes to go first? I have decided the location, you may decide the order." Discord grinned from his box, a cheap looking t-shirt proclaiming "Go Team Chaos" with each letter in a different style of writing. Nightmare merely looked bored.
Of all the ponies he expected to respond, Fluttershy was the least likely. "I'll go first, if that's alright with everypony else...."
Dash was quick to protest. "Fluttershy, no! Let me go first! I couldn't stand watching you get hurt!"
Fluttershy nodded, she had expected this. "Dash, you can't be expected to protect my honor every time somepony tries to bully me. I can do this."
Dash still looked anxious and would have insisted again but Applejack laid a hoof on her shoulder. Quietly, she spoke. "Dash, she needs to do this, don't take it away from her."
Fluttershy nodded thanks to Applejack, and flew forward. She pointed to Shimmer. "We're going to fight now, if that's okay with you."
Shimmer looked bemused, but she flew forward.
A gong rang out from no place in particular, and Discord's voice rang out. "FIGHT!"
Fluttershy struck the first blow, a small slap to the cheek. Shimmer looked at her, wounded, and returned an equally weak slap... this went on for some time. After about five minutes of this Discord yawned. "Sweet Faust this is going to be the wussiest fight of good versus evil ever! Somepony do something or I am just calling this farce a draw if only to spare the remainder of our dignity."
Pinkie Pie flew forward, a Cheshire-like grin on her face. She faced both ponies. "Staring contest! Go!"
Fluttershy looked startled. "Wha-" Then Shimmer began to Stare.
-------------------------------------------------
"What was that just now?" Thissdens had been eating salad when a small annoyed-looking rabbit had kicked him in the shins.
Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Thissdens were having lunch together. Angel Bunny had been watching this nonsense go on for weeks now, and frankly, it was getting to be too much. Fluttershy needed to be in the kitchen making him a damned sandwich right about now or some shit was going down. That meant these two needed to stop being around so much.
"Angel Bunny! Stop that!" The unrepentant rodent glared at her meaningfully and made motions for her guests to get the buck out.
"I'm warning you..." Fluttershy poked one eye out out of its socket somehow. Thissdens looked upon the scene, bemused... Was she trying to give the bunny a stink eye? Rather unusual but if it worked...
Angel Bunny kicked the table, unsettling everypony's bowls and spilling drinks. He glared at Fluttershy and pointed to the kitchen.
Fluttershy's whole stance shifted. Her eyes centered on the troublesome cony and suddenly, the air was charged with potential energy. Fluttershy, in a small voice that somehow carried well beyond the confines of the cottage, spoke four words. "GO TO YOUR HUTCH!"
The rabbit lasted all of three seconds before curling into a ball and scampering off to any place most distant from the irritated filly with the pink hair.
Fluttershy relaxed visibly, and looked sheepish. "Sorry everypony, he gets like that-"
Thissdens had been in some sort of reverie up to this point, and finally came out of it as she spoke. "What... the buck... was that?"
Rainbow Dash chuckled. "That's the Stare Prof, I watched her back down a dragon with it once. I hear she took on a basilisk and made it turn Twilight back from stone."
"Cockatrice." Fluttershy said absently.
"I see... and that whisper? The one I could somehow hear pound into the back of my skull?" Thissdens rubbed his ears at this.
Fluttershy looked startled. "You could hear that?"
Thissdens nodded. "I dare say a few of your friends in Ponyville might have heard that."
Dash looked impressed. "Yeah 'Shy, you been practicing your volume? I'd love to hear you cheer me on now!"
Thissdens tapped a hoof to his chin. "Sight based mental manipulation, and what seems to be magic enhanced sonic suggestion. It doesn't fall under our normal guidelines... but I think we should study it. Have you had any practice controlling this phenomenon?"
"No, it just happens when I am frightened or angry." Fluttershy rubbed a hoof over the side of her mane sheepishly.
"To the lab then, let's research."
-------------------------------------------------
Fluttershy returned it, equal intensity. Both ponies were focused, the air around them began to crackle.
The rest of the ponies looked about nervously, the building was beginning to shake, cracks appeared in the walls of the Coliseum. Random bolts of lightning appeared as the two ponies fought for dominance.
Fluttershy could not believe this, was the Stare a gift of her element? She had spent months after that incident practicing its use. Nevertheless, it appeared it was not her gift alone.
The air began to smell of ozone as the two continued. Somehow their eyes seemed to have gotten larger than the physical constraints of their head would in theory allow. Chunks of the stadium began to rain down to the ground below. Further below, a rift began to form in the ground.
Shimmer continued to Stare, she would not let up. She felt her will slip for a second or two, she began to wish to accede to this pony before her. Then, she redoubled her efforts. Above them, the sky was beginning to boil, the clouds parted way in a dramatic fashion, lightning arched between the two ponies locked in ocular combat.
Fluttershy sang out, in a loud, overpowering, yet soothing voice.
Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to go to bed.
Driftin' off to sleep,
The exciting day behind you.
Driftin' off to sleep,
Let the joy of dream land find you.
Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to go to bed.
Shimmer seemed startled, then relaxed. Her eyes grew heavy, her wings began to feel weighted. By the third verse, she collapsed, only to be caught gently by Fluttershy, who set her gently down in the stands.
"There, there, now... You're just grumpy because you need a nice nap."
Nightmare nudged Discord, who had seemed to freeze up. "Ahem, well... that was fairly decisive wasn't it. Match to Fluttershy, via technical knock out due to naptime..." The gong rang.
"The next match will be tomorrow. Get some rest everypony." Discord snapped his fingers, and eight flashes blinked away their opponents.
308026
Thats the game! Thanks for reminding me.
So was that a friendship KO?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjmN_GdVt4w
NOW YOU SLEEP...
please?
Hilarious. Especially since a staring contest sounds as wussy as a slap fight until you remember it's 'shy doing it.
...naptality?
NARCOLEPTALITY
Soo... the Stare vs the Stare results in Falcon Punch/Roundhouse Kick combination damage?
308969 if you've seen fighting is magic, you know fluttershy is OP lol
308976 She is the world champion you know. she has a trophy right next to the shhh international finals trophy.
I love Discord's lines in this.
when FlutterShy was singing "hush, now, quiet now", all i could think of was Sweetie Belle's version... the jazz/pop thing.
... staring contest with lightning, too. impressive. waiting on the next chapter.
308972
Yes I did see the Fighting is Magic livestream..... and OP against all but HER.....
309115 yep, and as you saw, no damage done to fluttershy, it was evenly matched.
309161 yes. yes you do. authors need things to read after all.
309069 Fluttershy's Lullaby
That. Was awesome.
Almost as OP as the Fighting is Magic version.
Fluttershy rocks! (Well, figuratively, anyway.) You just keep on turning out excellent product for this story. I'll be looking forward to the next installment.
Was the fight DBZ much or is it me?. Regardless, hilarious as always, also making Fluttershy win in an unexpected nice way...awesome. I say, let the next battle...ENSUE.
with each letter in different a different......hummmmmm =_=
469196 good lord, where were you weeks ago when I published that?
SPOILER ALERT!!!
Kindness vs Cruelty
-Right, so I am seeing this come down to two things: Can Fluttershy get off The Stare, and can
-Also, it occurs to me that a willingness to use lethal force (or at least "cursed wounds" that can't be healed in time for the grand melee) on the part of The Elements of Discord MIGHT be Discord's real plan if he forsees a tie in the matches. With even one kill the match up would go to 7 on 8... not as stacked a deck as Discord would like... probably wants at least two kills/significant impairments. He might also control WHO gets matched with WHOM for the last 2 or three matches, throwing off the Mane Sixes training since it ISN'T going to be the one they were expecting to fight, their direct opposite.
I have decided the location, you may decide the order.
-Setting precedence for that "Oh, I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, were you expecting to fight The Element of Betrayal*, sorry dear, you get the Element of Greed."
*Who, of course, might not be trustworthy in the grand melee.
"Dash, she needs to do this, don't take it away from her."
-So she is just trying to act before she has time to lose her nerve? Thinks of herself as "weak and helpless" and thus the best for probing the enemy's abilities since she "knows" she is going to lose?
She pointed to Shimmer. "We're going to fight now, if that's okay with you."
-This makes my guess about how Discord will cheat like a lawyer like he did with the Elemental Harmony Regalia not being in the maze seem less likely. I still expect him to cheat SOMEHOW, just not in that specific way.
Shimmer looked at her, wounded, and returned an equally weak slap... this went on for some time.
-Shimmer is fighting like Fluttershy rather than like Fluttercruel? That is weird. And no Stare? Tempted to say you should re-write this part, but let's see what you do with it. It also occurs to me to wonder if they are doing "weak slaps" for how the feel to an ALICORN, or how they would feel to, say your average earth-pony. Because I suspect there is a difference. It also occurs to me that in allowing them enough latitude to fight well(or for some other reason), Discord may have only made them follow his orders, and/or want revenge on the Sisters WITHOUT reversing their elemental virtues. IE Shimmer is still very kind, she just wants to punish mean ol' Celly and mean ol' Lulu.
Pinkie Pie flew forward, a Cheshire-like grin on her face. She faced both ponies. "Staring contest! Go!"
Fluttershy looked startled. "Wha-" Then Shimmer began to Stare.
-Well, there come out the big guns... hope Fluttershy can pull her's at will now. Also, I suspect Pinkie Pie didn't do it with any idea of who she expects to WIN, she is just trying to avoid a draw.
Thissdens had been eating salad when a small annoyed-looking rabbit had kicked him in the shins.
-Huh... interesting place to cut away. Doesn't actually feel very dramatic, so there must be some plot-based reason for it... can Angel feel it whenever Fluttershy activates her Stare now?
Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Thissdens were having lunch together.
-Ah, a flashback... still weird... I guess the most likely possibility is that this is where Fluttershy will have learned to do The Stare at will.
The unrepentant rodent glared at her meaningfully and made motions for her guests to get the buck out.
-Rabbits are lagomorphs, not rodents. Common mistake.
Was she trying to give the bunny a stink eye? Rather unusual but if it worked...
-Ah... so maybe she already CAN use it at will in this scene and discovered such on her own... or maybe when Cann got a little too harsh with her in the training. In which case this scene is to just establish that fact, or maybe even show it to have been upgraded in some fashion.
scampering off to any place most distant from the irritated filly with the pink hair.
-Which technically wouldn't be following her directions.
Yeah 'Shy, you been practicing your volume? I'd love to hear you cheer me on now!"
-Except that I got the feeling that her volume actually went DOWN from the Cockatrice and the Dragon, it is just that her alicornication makes it travel supernaturally well.
"To the lab then, let's research."
-Ah, implied off-screen training.
The rest of the ponies looked about nervously, the building was beginning to shake, cracks appeared in the walls of the Coliseum. Random bolts of lightning appeared as the two ponies fought for dominance.
-Nice upgrade to the asthetics of the maneuver.
Nevertheless, it appeared it was not her gift alone.
-Hmmm it occurs to me that these may be dopplegangers, not the actual Elements. The actual Elements may turn out to be inside the Mane Six, with the idea that they really are the original Elements rather than magical clones of the Mane Six with altered appearance is Discord's big trick this time around.
Chunks of the stadium began to rain down to the ground below. Further below, a rift began to form in the ground.
-This must be hell on Rainbow Dash, since this is basically what Discord used to induce the moment of doubt that let him discord her via his preferred method (rather than the brute-force he used on Fluttershy) the first time around.
Hush now, quiet now,
-Does the song qualify as the specific command she is trying to enforce via The Stare, rather than waiting until she has actual dominance to start the verbal portion, or is it an additional attack from a separate psychic angle? The second seems the most likely.
By the third verse, she collapsed, only to be caught gently by Fluttershy, who set her gently down in the stands.
-Well, that doesn't actually provide any additional information, but that hardly matters to the plot of the story.
-Coming back to edit in two final thoughts before I move on to the next chapter. First, were you inspired by Alex Warlorn's "POV" series for a certain part of this? Secondly, it occurs to me that Pinkie Pie may not have thought that Shimmer HAD a stare... which in turn makes me wonder if the Elements of Discord can break the fourth wall too, and if the big show down will breech that or other dimensional barriers.
OOOOOOOOOOOOHhhhhhhhhh! That explains how!
Hahahahaha! Discord's right. A slap fight is among the more silly fights of the gods I've ever seen.
That said, how does the fabric of reality warp to a staring contest? It makes little sense, other than cosmic forces are flowing through their eyes. Fun stuff.
Anyhow, technicality victory for team Celestia.
I read the lulaby in Sweetie Belle's voice
I lost it right around the time the link started playing that theme for the "fight" between Fluttershy and Shimmer... Of all ponies to have that as their fight music... not enough Rainbowlaugh icons in the entire internet for that one, so let's just call it a Crowning Moment of Funny and leave it at that, shall we? ROFL
310254 if we want to be technical, Fluttershy Trees.
assent
Did you just link to tvtropes without warning?
...That's just evil.
Wow, the second-best staring contest I ever read!
Nothing can beat Granny Weatherwax vs. the sun though.
(The sun lost. It eclipsed. To the utter confusion of all the astronomers.)
915437
Same.
5055243
Where was this?! I have asked, and you will tell me!!!!
8370413
I believe Lords and Ladies.
The opponent was another witch, who was also staring at the sun.
The contest was terminated prematurely because a small child wandered into the spell circle they were using to contain the contest; the other witch forgot/never learned that being a witch, in Lancre where the book was set, means helping people, healing them magically, and rescuing them from magical danger, and thus was discredited as a witch (even though she did not lose, and in fact believed that she had won).