//------------------------------// // Battleroom Blitz // Story: PONYVERSE // by TopWanted //------------------------------// Battleroom Blitz Pinkie sped over to the giantess and easily jumped on her head as she swung her mace. From there she jumped to the nearest pegademon and grabbed their neck like a set of reins. She laughed gleefully as she smashed them into each other and then jumped from one to the next, distracting most of them. After Pinkie’s jump off the giantess’ head, Applejack made her move and charged head first into the giantess’ chest. She didn’t succeed in knocking her over but she didn’t intend to. Instead she moved her right in the way for Mare Do-Well to flip over her, planting a small bomb behind her head. It blinked and detonated a moment later making the giantess’ eyes cross and fall flat on her face. Rainbow struggled with the little yellow one as they zigzagged to avoid each other’s attacks. The yellow mare growled and then lunged herself at Rainbow with a burst of speed only for her to shoot up into the air and Flutterbat to jump out from behind her and tackle the mare. Rainbow grinned as the two kicked and clawed at each other but stopped when something grabbed onto her leg. A pull sent her flying down from the air and slamming into Rarity. She struggled to her hooves and just barely grabbed Rarity out of harm’s way before another white ribbon-like whip came slamming down on where they stood. The black mare gritted her teeth and began to whip her tails wildly at them. Mare Do-Well landed after delivering the bomb on the giantess only for a double attack to come from both sides. The new enemies, the toad and robed figure, shot from either side. She narrowly dodged the robed figure as he slashed with his arm, not surprised to see a cornucopia of cutting implements fly from his robes. They buried in the ground at her feet as she flipped back but it led her to the toad who grinned maliciously and tried to grab her in a bear hug. Suddenly, Applejack was behind her and did the same to the toad, grabbing her around the chest and lifting her up and over her head. The toad was so surprised she didn’t even fight as Applejack suplexed her head into the ground behind her making a small crater. Applejack let go and took a breath but then was pulled by a rope that shot out and grabbed her chest. She was flung backward as a combination of ice and sharp knives fell on where she stood. She landed next to Mare Do-Well who quickly respun her rope and snapped it tight against her hooves. Matterhorn and the robed figure approached menacingly. “I take the left you take the right?” Mare Do-Well suggested. “Sounds good.” They darted off in opposite directions as the robed figure ran after Mare Do-Well and Matterhorn ran after Applejack. Pinkie still jumped from pegademon to pegademon slamming them together, but was halted when the whips from the black mare flayed in front of her flight path and slapped both the pegademon she was riding and he flew away. She jumped from the creature and spotted a creative way to land. Immediately she tucked her body and began to spin profusely until she was like a razor blade. Her momentum rocketed her down just as Flutterbat and the yellow mare tore from each other. She collided with the yellow mare’s back and drove her into the ground with a big crunch making another crater. She sped out of the hole, just a little dizzy and rejoined Flutterbat. The black mare flashed her whip-like tails faster and faster as Rainbow and Rarity tried to dodge. Already Rarity was getting hit more and more, red welts and even some blood appearing on her skin. Rainbow simply listened to her gut and yelled as she charged forward into the fray. However, the whips were too strong and sent her flying away. The black mare set her eyes on Rarity with a vicious smile. “Oh, that was some good payback for last time. Now its your turn!” She drew all her whips back and prepared to slam them down on her. Rarity simply gritted her teeth and pulled the talisman from her mane, preparing to rip it. Then there was a thump. The black mare stopped grinning and her eyes rolled back in her head, falling over. Behind her stood Pinkie and Flutterbat, the previous had her hoof up like she just did some kind of karate chop. Rarity smiled but quickly tucked the talisman back in her mane. “You alright?” Pinkie asked, not noticing anything. “Just a little bruised,” Rarity muttered with a pained laugh. However, Flutterbat gave her a raised eyebrow. Applejack and Matterhorn ran alongside each other down the enormous room. Matterhorn shooting blasts of ice at her and Applejack deflecting them with her sword. She knew she couldn’t keep this up, however. Already she was beginning to feel the ice start to encroach on her blade. Anymore and it might become frail and shatter. After another attack, she made the first move and jumped toward Matterhorn, doing a flip over her. This caught the mare off guard so she was lucky enough to spin and slash the hoses to her ice machine as she landed. After that. Applejack took off running again. But she had to duck as something flew past her. Matterhorn looked at the sliced hoses and shouted in anger once more before turning to pursue. But just as she did a rainbow blur plowed into her and slammed into the ground. Applejack skidded to a halt and turned back to see Rainbow rubbing her head as she lay on top of Matterhorn. “That was a pretty nice save!” “Huh?” Rainbow shook her head to clear it and saw Matterhorn beneath her. “Um, yeah! I totally meant to do that.” Mare Do-Well flared her cape to stave off the barrage of knives the robed figure shot at her. She grit her teeth in frustration as they quickly approached a wall. She had to think of some kind of retaliation and fast, but this guy wasn’t giving her any openings. Maybe a shot to his ego might work? She slid to a halt in front of the wall and faced him, the figure also stopping in front of her brandishing his sharp teeth in a homicidal grin. “From your skill I’m guessing you’re some kind of higher up, huh?” He shrugged. “I do enjoy a bit of freedom with my work.” He held up a serrated knife from his robe and a snake like tongue licked it. “And I do love my work.” “Not enough to keep your boss safe, though.” The figure froze and cocked his head to the side. She wasn’t expecting an immediate reaction, just something to throw him off his game. But his mannerisms didn’t portray angry, just confused. Then he jerked back in realization. “Now I know who you are! No wonder the master desires you!” A low gurgle came from within his blackened hood and it turned into a cackle. He threw back his head in raucous laughter. It sickened Mare Do-Well to hear, but she knew an opportunity when it presented itself. She drew two shuriken and ran at the wall, jumping off it and flying above the figure’s head. When she flew behind him she tossed the two shuriken at the base of his neck. However, with great surprise, his magenta robe erupted from the back and three spiderlike robotic appendages shot out. They easily batted away the shuriken while also snatching her cape out of the air and quickly wrapping around her midsection. She felt the air cut off from her lungs and thrashed around but to no avail. The robed figure turned to face her and she now hung in the air close enough to see his whole face from within the hood. Skin hung off his cheeks and forehead like he was melting and scar tissue covered every inch of his exposed flesh. “Darkclyde has been waiting to meet you again, young one.” Her eyes widened and her blood ran cold. ~`(\/)’~ “Everypony okay?” Applejack asked as they all gathered again. All around them, their foes lay in unconscious piles, some in craters and some with their heads in the ground. Rarity stumbled back, grasping her left hoof as that had sustained the most damage. She clutched her leg harder as something stung worse than the pain. Just what have I been able to do? I said I could help but I just keep getting saved. And then… She felt the talisman tucked away in her mane. She knew that it was inevitable. She had to use it at some point. So what was the point of waiting on it? If she truly wanted to make a difference, then she needed to be more than she was. Flutterbat approached her from the side and bumped her, looking concerned. “Rarity all right?” Rarity smiled wanly. “I’m fine, really. I…” Flutterbat closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Don’t let anything scare you. You can accomplish miracles with just a little bravery.” Rarity smiled slightly at her words. “You said that before. It’s from your special pony, right?” Flutterbat nodded and smiled back. “It words I want to live by. Maybe same with you?” Rarity’s smile faded as she looked around at their defeated opponents. “I… honestly don’t know.” “Yeah!” Rainbow shouted in victory and pumped her hoof. “Did you guys see that? We came, we saw, we kicked their flank!” Pinkie was dragging Matterhorn from the crater she’d made and bringing her over. She smiled at them all as she approached. “Now if we can just get Suntrix we can get out of here.” Applejack frowned as she cast her head back and forth looking for something. “What is it?” Rarity asked. “Where’s Twilight?” It took them a moment to realize what she was talking about but they all jerked in response. “Twilight!” The sounds must have awoken Matterhorn as her eyes shot open and she jumped to her hooves. She cast her gaze over the five before seeing all the enemies fallen before them. With wide eyes she began to hyperventilate. “N-N-No, this c-can’t happen! Not ag-g-gain!” Pinkie approached her calmly with a raised hoof. “Twilight, I need you to stay calm. Please, can you tell us where they might have taken Mare Do-Well? Do you know anything?” Matterhorn grimaced and didn’t seem to notice her as her eyes shook with fear. “Even Nanny. Nonononononono! They’ll… They’ll hand me over to Detraad this time. I can’t… I don’t want that!” “Twilight, we’ll keep you safe. Please, can you help us?” Pinkie reached out and touched her arm. Matterhorn slapped it and stepped back. “You have no idea what you’ve done! You can’t escape this. Nanny said so. No escape. No escape. No escape.” She continued to repeat those two words as she began to curl in on herself and shake. “She’s been broken pretty badly,” Applejack lamented. Pinkie hung her head sadly and she placed a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her. “Don’t worry. We can help her.” Rarity looked at the two before her eyes were drawn to Matterhorn. The mare suddenly stopped shaking and pulled a small syringe with strange black fluid from her pocket. Before she knew what she was doing, the mare plunged it into her own arm and pushed the plunger. “Stop!” Pinkie rushed over to Matterhorn as she dropped the empty needle and it shattered against the ground. She grabbed her friend by the shoulders and tried to steady her as she spasmed and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. “Twilight, what was that!? What did you take?” Rarity approached the shattered syringe and saw a small drop of the dark fluid fall from the glass and hiss on the floor. She felt a familiar wave of nausea creep up her spine. “Pinkie!” she shouted. “Get away from her!” Pinkie turned just as Matterhorn stopped spasming. She looked up in a smooth fast motion and her eyes were smoky white. With a swift swing of her hoof she threw Pinkie away from her and cried out in pain. Her cries turned into the roars of a wild beast and smoke erupted from every orifice in her body obscuring her. Everypony took a few steps back as something giant seemed to be moving in the massive smoke cloud eneveloping the room. Pinkie struggled to her hooves and looked on in wide eyed horror. “Twilight?” Another roar cut the air, this one far more primal and full of anger. It swept away the smoke to reveal a freakishly tall slender purple Wyrm. “Twilight, what have you done?”