Chapters View Online
"Can You Feel Ze Schadenfreude?"
Part 1: "Velcome To Ze 'Ve-Lose-Once-Again' Fest"
"I-Is somepony still alive here?" Fluttershy asked, holding her Übersaw trembling.
After a few steps she came across a destroyed Sentry and Pinkie Pie lying on top of her Dispenser.
"P-Pinkie? Are you ok?" she asked, poking her teammate, who didn't moved. She then noticed the hole on Pinkie's hard hat.
"Oh no..."
Splinters flew in front of Fluttershy's face face. She looked left and saw a hole on the wooden wall of the building beside her. The Medic mare felt something grazing on her mane and screamed. Without thinking twice she dropped her Übersaw before running as fast as she could.
"Hold still!" Twilight asked while reloading her rifle, standing on top of a building not too far from where Fluttershy was. She shot again, but missed.
"Nice aim, egghead." Rainbow Dash said sarcastically while reloading her Force-A-Nature.
"It was you who said scope is for foals and forced me to shoot with no scope." the Sniper mare replied.
"Ya shouldn't hear everythin' RD say, Twi." Applejack said, cleaning the blood on her Eyelander on her clothes.
"да." agreed Big Macintosh while eating a Sandvich.
Fluttershy tried going back to the spawn room, but found Derpy's body lying in front of the door, her head a few meters away from her.
"I-I'm not stepping on the blood." she turned around and found Spike's body lying not too far away from Derpy's, blood leaking out of his gas mask. Her eyes widened, her pupils shrank and she ran away once again, only to trip on Rarity's body. There were hole all over it and her hoof was extended toward the Ambassador lying in front of her. "She was probably trying to grab it when she--" her heart skipped a beat as she felt something poking her scruff. Fluttershy slowly turned around and met Rainbow Dash's cocky grin.
"Yo, what's up?" the Scout mare greeted and readied her Sandman. "Diagnosis: you suck!"
Fluttershy closed her eyes. She knew what was about to happen, but didn't wanted to see it coming. She waited. And waited. And waited, but nothing happened. She slowly opened her left eye and saw Rarity wearing a Rainbow Dash disguise, holding a bloody Your Eternal Reward and levitating her Dead Ringer.
"Oh dear, I've made quite a mess." she said while cleaning her Your Eternal Reward with a handkerchief.
"Ra-Rarity!" Fluttershy said and hugged her.
"They won't kill me that--" she looked around and noticed they were surrounded by stickybombs. "...easily."
Fluttershy looked over Rarity's shoulder and saw Applejack holding her Scottish Resistance.
"RD, you had one job. One bloody job!" she said.
Fluttershy wanted to scream, but the explosion was faster.
* * *
"That was an amazing killing spree." Derpy said, her eyes facing both Pinkie and Spike at the same time. "By the other team!" she sighed, sit on the floor, removed her helmet and pulled a muffin from inside it. "I just don't know what went wrong..."
Fluttershy was sitting on a bench, holding her Medi-Gun and looking at it.
"Are you ok, darling?" Rarity asked, taking off her mask and sitting beside her, putting a hoof on her back.
"Yes... It's just that... I... I..." she dropped her Medi-Gun and hugged Rarity, sobbing on her shoulder. Fluttershy's tears were staining Rarity's suit, but the Spy mare could care less about that. her friend needed a shoulder to cry on. Rarity hugged her and started patting her back.
"I can't do anything right." she said between sobs. "I always ruin everything. I can't hurt the REDs, I'm too afraid to follow you guys to the battlefield, I always die before my Übercharge is ready..."
"It's ok, darling. It's ok."
"No, it's not ok! I'm a Medic who can't do anything right. I'm useless!"
"That's not true."
"It is true. Why do you think they agreed in letting our team have me as an extra member? Because I am dead weight. There's no difference in me being here and not here!"
"Fluttershy..."
The Medic mare got up and galloped away, still crying. She entered the infirmary and locked the door. She lied down on the stretcher and cried more.
Somepony knocked on the door, probably Rarity, but she ignored. After she was finished crying she just lied there, looking at the wall. Fluttershy noticed an envelope on her table, got up and grabbed it.
"Oh. That's right." she said, remembering the conversation she had with her instructor and predecessor.
* * *
"And zis is ze infirmary." the BLU Medic said. "Zis is your domain. Your kingdom. Your palace."
"I-Impressive..." she said, looking around.
"Zat cabinet is vhere I keep ze deadly poisons. Dip ze needles of your Crusader's Crossbow on zem at least once a week."
"De-Deadly poisons? I-I thought you could use it to heal your teammates as well."
"Placebo effect, mein little pony. Placebo effect."
"I-I understand." she looked down and noticed she was stepping on a yellow envelope. "What's that?"
"Zis is mein secret project." he grabbed the envelope and placed in on the table. "I'm not sure it vorks, but you can try."
"What does it do?"
"Let's just say it turns you into an Übermensch!"
"A Superman?"
"Ja, mein little pony. I intended on testing it during my retirement from zis team, but now I have a pretty little assistant that vill do zis for me, right?"
"R-Right!"
"Doc, come on, man!" said a young male voice coming from the other room.
"Jawohl!" he answered. "Vell, time to go. Auf wiedersehen, fräulein. Make ze Mediks of ze world proud!" he patted Fluttershy's head, grabbed his luggage and left.
"I'll try." she said quietly.
* * *
"I tried, Medic. I tried. But I failed you. I failed all the Medics of the world." she said and held the yellow envelope in front of her face. "But the Übershy will not fail you. She will not fail anypony else. Because she is the Übermensch! The Überstute!"
"Can You Feel Ze Schadenfreude?"
Part 2: "Another Successful Procedure"
Another day, another mission. But Fluttershy was still locked on the infirmary. In fact, she spent the whole night there. Rarity knocked on the door.
"Fluttershy, darling." she called. "The mission is about to begin."
"Right. Have fun." Fluttershy replied.
"We need you there."
"No, you don't. Without me the teams will be balanced."
"But you're a part of this team."
"No, I'm not. I'm just an extra."
"Mission begins in 60 seconds." said the Announcer's voice.
"Fluttershy, please..."
"I can't. I'm busy."
"But--"
"I SAID I'M BUSY!" she shouted, surprising Rarity.
"I... You..." she sighed. "Alright. See you later, then."
Rarity wore her mask and walked away. Inside the room, Fluttershy looked at the papers and sighed.
"How am I supposed to get those? I don't have access to RED equipment." an idea came to her head and she smiled. Fluttershy unlocked the door and went to Rarity's room, glad her friend only locked the door at night. She opened the nightstand drawer and grabbed her friend's Cloak And Dagger. "This goes agains the rules, but since I'm not joining them this round, I suppose it's ok." Fluttershy put the watch on her left forehoof and cloaked herself.
* * *
Big Macintosh was standing on the Control Point, shooting with his Natascha at the rock where Spike and Derpy were taking cover. Rarity, disguised as Rainbow Dash, backstabbed the Heavy Weapons Pony.
"Surprise." she said, a smug smile on her face.
The real Rainbow Dash pressed her Force-A-Nature against Rarity's back and shot twice.
"Hehey, look, you shapeshifted into a dead mare!"
Rarity uncloaked herself behind the same rock where her teammates were hiding, levitating her still recharging Dead Ringer.
"Derpy, we're counting on you." she said.
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" she saluted, grabbed her Black Box and ran toward the Point.
"Pinkie, place a Dispenser here."
"Erectin' a Dispenser!" she said, placing a blue box on the ground and pressing a button on a controller, making the Dispenser start to build itself.
After the Dispenser was finished being built, Spike used it to reload his Backburner. After a battle cry, he ran toward the Control Point.
"We have captured the Control Point."
"Perfect!" Rarity said. "Dead Ringer recharged, time to take Twilight down before--" they heard a loud bang, followed by Spike's muffled pain scream. "Merde!" she facehoofed. "Pinkie, place a Sentry near the Point. We can't afford to lose it."
"Okie Dokie Lokie!" she said, saluting her.
Rarity smiled and ran toward the building where Twilight was taking cover. She didn't noticed the blue silhouette following her. Fluttershy noticed she was half-visible and eeped before stopping.
"It's hard being sneaky..." she whispered to herself.
Twilight was using her Scope this time and aiming at Pinkie Pie's head, who was looking around, completely oblivious to the red dot on her hard hat. The unicorn pulled the trigger. Headshot.
"Thanks for standing still, wanker!" she shouted happily and waved, but her smiled disappeared as soon as she felt a cold metal gun barrel pressed against her cheek. Rarity was standing there, pressing her Ambassador against her face.
"Are you really going to kill a fellow unicorn?" Twilight asked nervously.
"I never really was on your side." she answered and pulled the trigger.
* * *
Fluttershy entered team RED's deposit, where dozens of weapons were scattered all over the place.
"I'll assume that Twilight never stepped a hoof in here..." she said, uncloaking herself. "Finding what I need won't be easy." she sighed and started looking around for the necessary items.
* * *
Derpy, Spike and Pinkie Pie were standing on the Point. Applejack tried shooting pipe bombs, but Spike repelled them with his compression blast
"Five. Four. Three. Two. One."
"Victory!"
Spike raised his Backburner above his head, laughing. Pinkie pulled her Party Cannon and shot confetti and streamers. Derpy took off her helmet, stepped on it with her right hindleg and saluted. Applejack ran away, but tripped on invisible Rarity's hoof.
"Bonjour." she said, uncloaking herself and reloading her Ambassador. "Sorry to 'pop-in' unannounced."
"Bloody hay!" the Demomare tried getting up, but Rarity was faster and headshot her.
"Fluttershy is not here and we won." she sighed and took off her mask. "Her self-esteem will go down to zero."
* * *
"I told you." Fluttershy said, wiping her tears with her hoof. "The reason why we always lose is because I'm there to slow the team down. I'm not only dead weight. I'm also a hindrance."
"Don't say that, Fluttershy. It's not true." Rarity said.
"Then explain this: how come the BLU team never won a round before and when we achieve our first victory I wasn't there?"
"Um... Luck?"
"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Rarity. But it's no use." she slowly walked toward the infirmary and locked herself inside again. "Don't worry, though. Überstute is on her way!" she placed a crate on her table and opened it. The content was a BLU Medi-Gun, a RED Medi-Gun, a BLU Kritzkrieg and a RED Kritzkrieg. "Now, let's go practice medicine!"
* * *
Second and last round of the day. Rarity, Spike, Pinkie and Derpy were standing in front of the Intelligence.
"Let's do this way: Pinkie, place a Dispenser, a Sentry and the exit of the Teleporter here. Then place the entrance near their base's entrance."
"Okie Dokie Lokie! Erectin' a Sentrispenseporter." the Engineer mare placed three boxes on the ground and pressed a button on a controller, making her gadgets start to build themselves.
"Spikey-Wikey, follow Pinkie to the battlefield. Once she place the Teleporter, protect it with your life. Got it?"
Spike nodded, blushing inside his mask. He loved when his crush called him his favorite nickname.
"And Derpy, you distract them while I sneak in their midst."
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" she said, saluting.
"Gentlemares, Spike, shall we?"
They all cheered and ran.
* * *
Fluttershy drew with blue paint a target on the wall and pointed the Medi-Guns and the Kritzkriegs at it. She then stood in front of the target, holding a controller. She took a deep breath and pointed the controller at the weapons.
"For science."
She closed her eyes, took another deep breath and pressed a button on the controller. Two red energy rays and two blue energy rays hit her. Fluttershy turned glowing blue, as if she was being Übercharged, and screamed in pain. She suddenly turned glowing red, her scream of pain turning into a maniac laughter.
She turned blue again and the scream of pain returned. The excruciating pain subsided as the left side of her body turned glowing red, while the red half remained glowing blue.
The Medi-Guns, Kritzkriegs and all the machinery they were connected to exploded.
* * *
"Alright, Rainbow. Ya know the plan." Applejack said, holding her Grenade Launcher.
"Yeah, I got it, I got it." the Scout mare said, grabbed a can of Bonk! Atomic Punch (Cherry Fission, now with Isotopes!) and drank it. As soon as she finished drinking it, her pupils widened and the world around her seemed to be in slow motion. Rainbow Dash grinned and entered the BLU Intelligence Room. Pinkie's Sentry started shooting at her, but she easily dodged all the bullets and rockets.
"Un-freakin'-touchable!" she said.
Applejack rolled her eyes and threw pipe bombs at the distracted Sentry, destroying it. Rainbow Dash approached the Intelligence.
"I'm not even winded."
She was about to pick it up when she heard a shot and fell to the floor, her right hind leg bleeding. She rolled to see who shot her and saw Rarity standing on the Teleporter, the RED Briefcase on a hoof, her Ambassador on the other.
"Weren't you supposed to be good at dodging?" the Spy mare asked, grinning.
"You shapeshifting rat..." Rainbow Dash said, grabbing her Force-A-Nature and pointing at her. She was about to pull the trigger, but Rarity was faster and planted a bullet in her skull.
"Here lies Rainbow Dash. She flew fast and died a virgin!"
She laughed evilly, ocasionally snorting, but her moment of happiness was cut short when her head flew to the other side of the room.
"Dominated, ya alley-skulking backstabber." Applejack said, holding a bloody Eyelander.
"The enemy has dropped our intelligence."
The Demomare looked at her dead teammate and shook her head.
"And ya should spend less time braggin' and more time actin'." she then destroyed the Teleporter and grabbed the briefcase.
"We have taken the enemy Intelligence."
"Ah know, miss." Applejack said, equipped her Splendid Screen and ran.
* * *
"Alert! The enemy has taken our Intelligence."
"Merde, merde, merde, merde, merde!" Rarity cursed and she galloped at full speed toward the Intelligence Room.
"Heads up!" a female voice said.
"What?" Rarity turned around and saw a glass bottle flying toward her, hitting her face and covering her in a suspicious yellow liquid. "Is this...? Mon Dieu! " she then smelled herself. "EWWWWEUGH!"
Twilight pointed at her, laughing.
"Ew! Ew! Ew! It got in my mouth! Ew! Ew!"
"Stop whining, ya two-faced mongrel."
Rarity growled and levitated her Knife.
"Take that back, you ruffian."
Twilight smirked and levitated her Bushwacka.
"Now this is a knife."
Rarity's eyes widened and she tried running away, but Twilight followed her, eventually catching up and hitting her with it.
"Spies, bloody useless."
"Success! We have secured the enemy Intelligence."
"There ya go!" Twilight shouted, smiling and waving at nopony.
* * *
"We did it, mate." Applejack said, hig-fiving Big Macintosh.
"да."
She then grabbed a bottle of hard cider and drank it.
"But remember who's the one who made this victory possible." Rainbow Dash said, pointing at her own chest.
Applejack was still drinking her cider and Big Macintosh was now eating a Sandvich.
"Is-Is anypony even paying attention to me?"
Still no reaction. She turned red in anger and stomped her hoof angrily.
"Look at me!" she shouted demandingly.
"See? That's why we almost lost the round." Applejack said, pointing at Rainbow Dash. "Ya want everypony to pay attention on ya, to praise ya for everythin' ya do, to worship ya. Ah'll be veeeery honest now, Rainbow, and honesty hurts sometimes. Yer nothing, Ah repeat, nothing until ya learn how to be a little more humble. The world doesn't spin around ya, ya know!"
Rainbow Dash glared at Applejack, but didn't said anything. She only turned around and left the room.
"Good work, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said, raising her hoof. "Okay, mate!"
Rainbow Dash ignored Twilight, still walking toward the exit.
"Dash?"
The Scout mare left the building, took off and landed on the top of the RED base. It was her favorite place, since nopony could go up there and see her crying.
"Can You Feel Ze Schadenfreude?"
Part 3: "I Am Ze Übermensch"
Fluttershy woke up on the infirmary's floor. The left side of her body ached. She looked around and sighed.
"I failed..."
She got up with difficult. It was hard to control her left side, as if it wasn't responding to her commands or, at least, being stubborn. Fluttershy walked with difficult toward the sink, where she washed her face. She looked up at her reflection on the mirror and screamed.
Her right eye was normal, still the usual moderate cyan, but the left eyes was not. Every part of it was a different tone of red; the sclera, the iris and the pupil.
"Oh, dear!"
"Fluttershy, are you alright?" asked Rarity, knocking on the door.
"Um... I... I-I... Yes! Yes, I am!"
"Are you sure? I heard you scream."
"I... Um... Fell?"
"Are you hurt?"
"N-No."
"Good. If you need anything, just ask."
"R-Right."
"What do I do?" she thought.
* * *
Fluttershy unlocked the door and left the infirmary, her mane covering the left side of her face.
"Loved the new style, Fluttershy!" said Pinkie Pie, bouncing beside her.
Fluttershy took a step back. "Tha-Thank you, Pinkie."
"Wish I could comb my mane like that."
"Yes. Maybe if you stop diving your face in candies your mane wouldn't be all sticky and hard to comb. And you would lose a few pounds."
Pinkie Pie tilted her head, confused. "What was that?"
Fluttershy's eyes widened upon realizing what she just said.
"O-Oh my! I'm sorry, Pinkie. I-I didn't meant to... Sorry!" she galloped away as fast as she could.
"Am I fat? Oh, well." she then bounced away smiling and humming one of her songs.
Not paying attention on where she was going, Fluttershy ended up hitting Spike and landing on her flank.
"I'm sorry, Spike."
The Pyro dragon mumbled something, waving his arms apologetically.
"Next time you see me running toward you, move. You're a mute Schweinehund, not a blind Dumm--" she covered her mouth with her hooves. "I-I-I'm so sorry, Spike. I-It wasn't..."
She galloped away again, leaving behind a confused Spike.
"Nice seeing you again, soldier." Derpy said, waving.
"With which eye, cross-eyed freak? I-I'm sorry, Derpy." she apologized while running.
"Wh-What did she called me?" Derpy said, tears appearing on the corner of her eyes.
Fluttershy entered her room and bucked the door close before jumping on her bed. A white pigeon landed on her nightstand, looking at her.
"What's wrong with me, Archimedes? You stupid winged rat." she covered her head with a pillow and started sobbing. "I-I'm so-so-sorry!"
"There's nothing wrong with you. "
"Wh-Who said that?" she looked around and then at the bird, cocking an eyebrow. "Was it you, Archimedes?"
"Birds don't talk, dummkopf. "
"Wh-Who are you? Where are you?"
"Inside your head. And I'm you. Vell, ze you you've repressed zis whole time. "
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"Are you a hypocrite medik with no empathy for ze hurt ponies and an insatiable desire for hurting, who feels pleasure upon seing blood? "
"N-N-No!"
"Exactly. Because zat's me. I'm ze one supposed to be out there, hurting those dummkopfs, not you. I'm a real doktor, you're just ze sexy caring nurse who assists ze real doktor. "
Fluttershy blushed, both of shame and flattery.
"Fluttershy, are you there?" Rarity asked, knocking on the door again. "The others told me you're acting... Differently."
"Oh, it's ze sneaky snake. "
"She's not that. She's my friend."
"Your friend and a coward who can't fight anypony face-to-face. "
"Stop calling her names!"
"Is anypony in there with you, darling?"
"N-No."
"Anyway, I don't know what made you say those things, but you should apologize. Even though Pinkie doesn't seem to mind and Spike... Well, I'm not sure about him, but Derpy was crying, you really hurt her feelings."
"C-C-Crying? Did ze Fräulein have her Mittelschmerz? SH-SHUT UP!"
"Are you sure you're ok, darling?"
"Yes. Please, leave me alone. I-I need some space. A space without you dummkopfs in it. P-Please just go away, Rarity."
"A-As you wish, darling."
Rarity pretended to walk away and approached her ear to the door.
"Why are you doing this?" Fluttershy said. "Yes, you said that. Still no excuse. S-S-Sorry! Yes. Yes, I know."
"There's something wrong with Fluttershy." she thought.
* * *
"Are you joining us today, Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked.
Fluttershy nodded. "I also want to apologize. I'm sorry, Pinkie. Spike and specially Derpy too. Sorry about yesterday. I wasn't... Myself."
"It's okay, silly!" Pinkie said, smiling.
Spike mumbled something and patted her back.
Derpy faced Fluttershy, her helmet covering her eyes. "You promise it won't happen again?"
"I do!"
"I don't. "
"Quiet." she whispered to herself.
Derpy took off her helmet, revealing her eyes. She smiled and hugged Fluttershy.
"Then I forgive you."
"Mission begins in 30 seconds."
"Sound off if you're ready." Derpy said, wearing her helmet again.
"I'm ready!" Pinkie said, reloading her Frontier Justice.
Spike grabbed his Axtinguisher and mumbled something.
"I cannot vait, hah!"
They all looked at Fluttershy, puzzled.
"I-I mean... Ready."
"Five. Four. Three. Two. One."
The gates were open and Derpy, Spike and Pinkie left. Fluttershy looked at Rarity.
"After you." the Spy mare said, smiling before cloaking herself.
Fluttershy nodded, tightened the grip on her Medi-Gun and followed her teammates.
"I'll keep an eye on you, Fluttershy." Rarity thought. "There's something wrong with you, I can feel it."
* * *
"I'm not going." Rainbow Dash said, crossing her forelegs. "You guys can handle this without me."
"Please, Rainbow Dash." Twilight begged.
"Just leave her, Twi." Applejack said. "Her pride would probably get on our way. Let's go, Big Mac."
"да." the Heavy Weapons Pony said before both left the room.
"Rainbow Dash..."
"Just go, Twilight. You want to win that round, don't ya?"
"Not without you. You're my friend and part of the team. The whole team goes or I'm not going."
"Look, a book."
"Where?" she turned around and Rainbow Dash pushed her out of the room, closing the door.
"Just go." she said, sitting on the floor.
* * *
Derpy was hiding in a corner while Fluttershy healed her. She watched carefully as Spike blasted Big Macintosh away from the Point with his Compression Blast.
Fluttershy eeped as she felt her Medi-Gun vibrate. She never felt it before, but the Medic explained it very well, so she knew what it was.
"I am fully charged." she whispered.
"Go go go! Charge!" she said as Big Macintosh killed Spike with his Natascha. "You will help me capture my Point." she ran toward the Point, Fluttershy following her.
"Ready for that charge, Doc!" Derpy shouted.
Fluttershy gulped and activated her Übercharge. Both Fluttershy and Derpy turned glowing blue with eyes glowing yellow. Big Macintosh tried shooting at them, but the bullets were all deflected by the invulnerable protection. Derpy shot a rocket, blowing Big Macintosh up, his pieces flying all over the Control Point. The Übercharge discherged the moment they stepped on the Point.
"You were good, son. Real good." Derpy said, placing a forehoof on Fluttershy's soldier. "Maybe even the be--"
She never finished the sentence, as her head flew away.
"I'll notify yer next o' kin... that ya sucked!" Applejack said, sounding completely drunk. She looked at Fluttershy as she cleaned her Eyelander. "How's that 'doing no harm' workin' out for ya?"
Fluttershy looked at the headless body lying in front of her, terrified. She looked up at the Demomare. Her left eye's iris turned red and she smirked as she grabbed her Übersaw.
"I'm going to saw zrough your bones!" she shouted before burying the saw on Applejack's chest.
"We have captured the Control Point."
"Forward!" she shouted, pointing her Übersaw at the next Point's direction and running toward it.
Pinkie Pie, who had just built a Sentry, nodded and packed up her Sentry.
"Heavy load coming through." the Engineer mare said as she followed Fluttershy.
* * *
She woke up in the spawnroom with the worst headache of her life. Even though she already respawned, she could still feel the pain in her chest.
"Ah'm never drinkin' again." she said, getting up and grabbing her Scottish Resistance.
"You say that every time." Rainbow Dash said, lying on the spawnroom's bench.
"But Ah'm serious this time. Ah was so drunk Ah could've sworn by my pa's hat that it was Fluttershy who killed me."
"Hah! Fluttershy? You really should stop drinking, AJ. Fluttershy would never do something like that. She's too kind and coward for that. Now get out of here, drunkard."
"Whatever."
Applejack left the spawnroom, leaving Rainbow Dash alone with her baseball.
"Hope you die again." she tightened the grip on her ball. "Hope you die so many times that the respawn device will malfunction and you never respawn again."
* * *
Applejack was standing on the first RED Point, drinking from her bottle of cider.
"Hahahah! Oktoberfest!"
She looked at the source of the cheer and saw Fluttershy running toward her, holding her Übersaw.
"Here she comes." Applejack smiled and waved before detonating the Stickybombs buried on the dirt right in front of her attacker.
"Ya appear to have trodden on a mine." she teased. Her smiled disappeared as the dust settled and she saw Fluttershy standing there, a single step away from the explosion's range.
"Try again." she said, then ran toward the defender.
Applejack dodged the attack and smashed the bottle on Fluttershy's head.
"Mah cider!" she said, regretting her reckless move.
Fluttershy shook her head, snapping out of her dizziness.
"Vhat was zat for, you drunk hillbilly?" she tried attacking with her Übersaw, but Applejack dodged again.
"You are making me very cross." Applejack was going to hit fluttershy with her broken bottle, but slipped on the cider and fell.
Fluttershy laughed evilly and pointed her Syringe Gun at the Demomare's face.
"Auf wiedersehen, Schweinehund!"
"Stop speakin' fancy."
* * *
Rainbow Dash heard the sound of somepony respawning and looked at the pony, smiling once she saw it was Applejack.
"Died again, chucklehead?"
"Ah was sober this time. It was Fluttershy. Ah swear it was her!"
"I doubt it."
"Believe me, RD. Would Ah ever lie to you? Would Ah ever lie to anypony?"
"Well... Still hard to believe, though."
"We have lost the Control Point."
"AW CRIPE!" Applejack shouted before running.
* * *
"Alert! Our final Control Point is being captured."
"Bloody hay!" Applejack said as she arrived at the Point and saw Fluttershy standing on it, holding her Medi-Gun. She launched a pipe bomb at her.
The grenade was inches away from Fluttershy's face when she activated her Übercharge. The pipe bomb exploded, but the Medic mare suffered no damage. Fluttershy laughed and Applejack slowly walked toward her.
"Having fun, ya great lactating wet nurse? That charge of yours will be over in a few seconds and Ah'll be the one lau--" she heard a whistle and looked right. There was a Sentry on the corner and Pinkie was standing on top of it, holding her Wrangler.
"This thing ain't on auto-pilot, son!" she said, then pushed the Wrangler's joystick forward.
Applejack screamed in pain as the bullets trespassed her body, blood splashing in Fluttershy's face.
"Hahah! Vhat a bloodbasz!"
"We have captured the Control Point."
"Victory."
Fluttershy dropped her Medi-Gun and bowed. Rarity was looking at her from the distance, cleaning her bloody Big Earner on dead Twilight's shirt.
"Can You Feel Ze Schadenfreude?"
Part 4: "My Skill Is Vasted On Zis Team"
Fluttershy's right eye was normal once again. Her left eye was still covered by her mane. She was cleaning her bloody Übersaw in the infirmary's sink.
"How does it feel? "
"Killing ponies?"
"No. Winning. How does it feel? "
"Awful."
"Why? That vas your first victory since you joined zis team. You should feel great. "
"Yes, I won. But at what cost? I killed ponies. I also assisted kills. I'm a murderer."
"Ja, zat's vhat you're supposed to do. "
"No, I'm supposed to heal ponies, not kill."
"Heal, kill, zey sound ze same. Just pretend zey are. "
"But I can't."
"Pony up, dummkopf! Zis is war against your nemesis, not a valk in ze park vith your kamerads. "
"They're not my nemesis, they're my friends."
"Oh, for ze love of... Zey killed you many times, called you names and you still consider zem your friends? Zere are no friends in ze RED team! "
"But Twilight--"
"After all ze headshots? "
"Applejack--"
"She blew you up more times zen I can count. "
"Big Mac--"
"He punched you in ze face. ZE FACE! "
"What about Rain--"
"Rainbow Dash? Don't even get me started. She insulted you, taunted you, threw things at you... Do you want me to keep going? "
"N-No..."
"Wunderbar. "
"But what am I supposed to do?"
"I'm glad you asked. "
* * *
"Have you seen Fluttershy?" Rarity asked.
"Nope!" Pinkie said.
Spike shook his head.
"No, ma'am." Derpy said.
"Right. Thanks, anyway." she said, then trotted toward the Medic mare's room and knocked on the door, which swung open. "Strange. Fluttershy always close the door. Are you here, darling?"
The room was empty, nopony there. She was about to leave when a white spot on the blue blanket caught her attention. Rarity levitated it toward her; it was a letter with the words "To BLU Team" written on it.
"What's that?" she opened it and proceeded to read it. She gasped and let it fall on the ground. "A-A goodbye letter?"
* * *
Fluttershy walked down a road, pulling a small cart with her stuff in it; her Medi-Gun, Kritzkrieg, Übersaw, Syringe Gun, Crusader's Crossbow and her BLU Medic uniform. Her mane was still covering the left side of her face.
"I hope you know what you're doing."
"Trust me, Fluttershy. What I'm doing is ze best for both of us. "
"Will I ever see them again?"
"Vell, I will."
"Wh-What do you mean with--" she closed her eyes and fell to the ground with her hooves on her head, screaming in pain. "W-What are you doing?"
"Subjugating you. Claiming vhat's mine. Vhy do you think I separated you from your kamerads? Nopony to stop me, nopony to save you! Hahahahahahahah! "
"No, please! No! NO!"
"Too late to stop. Auf wiedersehen, nurse! "
Fluttershy screamed louder before fainting. A few moments later she got up again, panting. She opened her right eye and it looked exactly like the left one. She smiled and uncovered the left side of her face.
"Let's go practice medicine!"
* * *
"Fluttershy... Fled?" Rainbow Dash asked, shocked.
"Yes, I just got this letter from Redmond Mann, telling us the BLU Medic resignated." Twilight said, levitating the letter. "And unless there's another BLU Medic, we're talking about Fluttershy."
"But why would she flee?" Applejack asked.
"Maybe she took everythin' to a personal level." Big Macintosh said.
"Darn it!" Rainbow Dash said, throwing her Shortstop at the wall. "It's my fault. I never gave her a break." Rainbow Dash sighed and sit on the floor. "I know her since we were foals, so obviously I know when something is hurting her feelings. And I was hurting her feelings. But I was having... Fun! So I just ignored."
"Congratulations, Rainbow." Applejack said, opening a bottle of hard cider. "Yer a terrible friend."
"Gimme a break, AJ! I'm already feeling bad anough without you throwing my flaws at my face."
"Ah'm just pointin' a fact."
"Oh, so you chucklenut knows what 'fact' means?"
"Yes, Ah do. And ya know why? 'cuz Ah wasn't kicked out of school!"
"Alright, alright. No need to be offensive." Twilight said, but they ignored her completely.
After a few more insults, Rainbow Dash lost her temper, grabbed her Sandman and hit Applejack in the face.
"RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight shouted.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to hitcha. Oh, wait. Yeah, I did!"
Applejack cleaned her bloody muzzle and chuckled before grabbing her Eyelander. "Oh, Ah'm gonna beat ya so hard ya'll have a twitch."
"Big Mac, stop them!"
"да." the Heavy Weapons Pony said, then lifted both mares by the collar.
"If you order now, I'll throw in a second beating, absolutely free."
"Go to Tartarus and tell Hades Ah'm comin' for him next."
"Alright, I've had enough! You two better stop and apologize to each other before I report you to Celestia. And I'll make sure to suggest her to fire both of you. What do you mongrels want? Apologize and keep your bloody jobs or be fired and thrown in a filthy alley and keep arguing there?"
Big Mac dropped both mares, who landed on their rumps.
"Ah'm... Ah'm sorry, RD." Applejack said, looking down. "Ah let mah anger get the best of me."
Rainbow Dash, still with anger in her eyes, only turned around and entered her room. "Whatever!" she said before slamming the door.
"She will apologize. Eventually." Twilight sighed. "I hope."
* * *
Fluttershy stopped in front of a big building's gate. The building had "Gray Gravel Co." written on it. She smirked. "Knock knock, Gray Mann." she whispered, picked her Crusader's Crossbow and Übersaw up and flew over the gate. AS she landed, an alarm rang and dozens of robot ponies based on her friends and her surrounded her. She laughed maniacally. "IT'S JUST YOU AND ME, ROBOTS !"
* * *
"We don't need another member!" Rainbow Dash said. "The four of us are enough. And now that Fluttershy is gone the teams are finally balanced."
"First, there are nine classes." Twilight said. "We can't leave one class out, it's part of the rules. Second, Celestia already hired a Medic. Third, I wouldn't say the teams are 'balanced' since you're not fighting anymore."
"So, you mean I'm just staying around, being useless?"
"That's not what I said."
"You know what? I'll join you in the next mission, just so I can rub in your face that I'm not useless." she looked at Applejack. "In your face too!"
The door swung open, revealing their new Medic, a blue unicorn. She was holding her Medi-Gun and posing. There was light coming from behind her and an epic music playing somewhere. Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack gasped.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie is pleased to work with the Famous and Wealthy Redmond Mann and his-- YOU!"
"YOU!" the three mares said at the same time.
"Trixie changed her mind. Trixie refuses to work with you."
Twilight facehoofed. "Look, Trixie. We're not looking after working with you either, but once you're in, you're in until the contract expires. And that's a long, LONG time. Well, unless you flee. And since we already had an escape recently, I doubt the security wasn't redoubled. There is only one way out: being fired. And believe me, that's hard!"
"But-- Trixie--" she sighed. "No way back then, right?"
Twilight smiled and held Trixie's hoof. "Since we're stuck together now, let's do our best to forget the past and try to get along, ok?"
Trixie slapped Twilight's hoof away, grunted and walked toward one of the empty rooms.
"What's Redmond's problem?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Why would he hire her ?"
"Give her a chance, Dash." Twilight said. "I bet that if we give her a chance, she'll change."
"Says you, egghead. I find it hard to believe that she will ever change."
View Online
"Can You Feel Ze Schadenfreude?"
Part 5: "I Am Prepared To Do Vhatever It Takes"
ONE WEEK LATER
"Ready to charge!" Trixie said.
"Charge now, doctor." Big Mac said.
Both mercs turned bright red with glowing yellow eyes.
"I am bulletproof!" the Heavy Weapons Pony shouted while laughing.
Big Macintosh fired his Tomislav, destroying Pinkie's Sentry and Dispenser and killing Pinkie and Derpy.
Trixie screamed in pain the moment the Übercharge was over. Big Mac turned around and saw her lying on the ground, an Axtinguisher buried in her back. Standing right beside her was Spike, holding his Phlogistinator.
* * *
Big Mac respawned just a moment after Trixie.
"The Sentry is destroyed." Trixie said. "Good to go!"
Applejack nodded and left the Spawnroom.
"We have taken the enemy Intelligence."
"That was quick." she said. "Maybe Rainbow Dash--"
"Alert! The enemy has taken our Intelligence."
"What?"
"Stalemate!"
"What? "
She ran toward the Intelligence Room and found it with no briefcase lying on the table. Instead, there was a paper with a crudely drawn BLU Medic symbol in it. She levitated it in front of her face and turned it around. There was a message on the other side.
"What the...?"
* * *
Rarity entered the Intelligence Room. The briefcase wasn't there. Instead, she found a letter. There was a pink butterfly pinned to it. Pinkie, Spike and Derpy joined her. She cleaned her throat and started reading aloud:
"How embarrassing! To let a mare of science escape with the papers. If you want them back, meet me in Dustbowl and we will talk."
"Who's 'a mare of science'?" Pinkie asked. "A new class?"
"No. 'A mare of science' is clearly somepony who works with scientific stuff, like medicine. It's either Trixie or..."
"Let me guess." said Derpy. "Somepony related to pink butterflies, like that one pinned to the letter."
"Touché, my dear friend."
* * *
"But why would she steal our Intelligence?" Twilight asked.
"Revenge, maybe?" Rainbow Dash suggested.
"Fluttershy? Revenge?" Applejack chuckled. "No way!"
"Remember the way she killed you? Twice? She's changed, Applejack."
"Are we going to Dustbowl?" Trixie asked.
"It's not like we have a choice." Twilight answered.
* * *
Rarity, Spike, Pinkie Pie and Derpy were standing on Dustbowl's slope, looking down at the gate. They heard a gate opening behind them and turned around. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh, Applejack and Trixie were there.
"Oh. It's you." Rarity said.
"So it really was Trixie who stole our papers?" Pinkie asked.
"How dare you!" the RED Medic mare said. "Trixie is many things, but 'thief' is not one of them. She was on her base when your Intelligence was stolen. Heavy and Demomare can confirm that."
"Hey!" Appleack angrily said. "Ah am not 'Demomare'. Ah have a name. And it's Applejack."
"Whatever."
"No fights, please." Rarity said. "We are here to solve some serious affair, not--"
She fell to the ground before finishing that sentence. There was a syringe buried in the back of her head.
"RARITY!" her teammates screamed.
She uncloaked herself next to her false body, holding her still recharging Dead Ringer.
"Whew. I'm so glad I decided to bring my Dead Ringer just in case."
They all turned around toward the direction where that syringe came from: the gate in the end of the slope. An yellow pegasus mare with pink mane wearing the BLU Medic uniform and a Blighted Beak mask was standing in front of it, holding a Crusader's Crossbow.
"Flu... Fluttershy?" Rarity asked.
The masked mare spread her wings and shouted:
"Raus, raus!"
All the gates opened and from them several blue robot ponies (and dragons) entered the area. They all look exactly like Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Derpy, Big Macintosh, Spike, Applejack and Fluttershy.
"No Trixie robot?" the RED Medic mare asked angrily.
From the gate behind Fluttershy appeared a red Rarity robot carrying the RED Intelligence and a red Rainbow Dash robot, carrying the BLU Intelligence.
"So it really was Fluttershy..." Rainbow Dash said and looked down, her ears flat against her head.
"Where did she got all those robots?" Derpy asked, lifting her helmet so she could see them better.
"Probably from Gray Gravel Co." Pinkie said.
They all looked at her, surprised.
"What? It's written on them. 'Made in Gray Gravel Co.'"
"What's 'Shy doin'?" Applejack asked.
They all looked at Fluttershy, who had a raised hoof. She then lowered her hoof, pointing it at the mercs.
"Forward!" she shouted.
All the blue robots ran toward the group, attacking them.
"Retreat!" Derpy shouted.
They all ran away, scared. But Rainbow Dash. She stood there, looking at the masked mare.
"Fluttershy..."
A Rainbow Dash robot hit her with her Bat.
"Man, your skull's so soft you're making this easy!" she said with her robotic voice.
* * *
Rainbow Dash respawned in the RED Team spawnroom, looking down. Soon Trixie respawned.
"The flesh is weak..." she said.
The next was Twilight.
"Now that's downright embarrassing."
Applejack soon followed her.
"We're a sorry bunch a' losers."
Big Macintosh was the next.
"I hate robots!" he said, angrily stomping his hoof on the floor.
"Are you ok, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.
"It's my fault..." she said.
* * *
Pinkie Pie was the last merc to respawn on the BLU Team spawnroom.
"Dagit, nagit, nabit, dagit!" she said, standing on her hindlegs, stomping her right hindhoof several times.
"We failed, men." Derpy said.
"Mon Dieu..." Rarity whispered, sitting on the floor.
Spike whimpered.
"You know what that means?" Derpy asked, pumping her Righteous Bison. "War against the metal ponies!"
"Heck yes!" Pinkie said, raising her Jag above her head.
Spike cheered and raised his Axtinguisher.
"But we can't do that alone." Rarity said. "Naither can the RED Team."
"What are you suggesting, soldier?" Derpy asked.
Rarity smiled, magically spinning her Your Eternal Reward on her horn.
* * *
"No! No way! Nein! Trixie refuses!" the Medic mare said.
"Think about it, Trixie." Twilight said. "Alone we can't do much damage, for we all have flaws. Flaws that the BLU mercs can cover."
"It's already hard enough working with Sparkle and half of her friends. Work with both halfs AND Sparkle would be too much for Trixie to handle."
"Forget about her!" Rainbow Dash said. "We can handle this without a Medic. I mean, we could before, why can't we now? I mean, we have my Mad Milk and Big Mac's Sandvich, right? Derpy has her Black Box, Rarity has her Dead Ringer..."
"Don't forget about Dispenser." Pinkie said happily.
"Yes, Pinkie's Dispenser too. And, in case of fire, we have Spike's compression blast and Twilight's--"
"Don't you dare to say 'Jarate'!" Rarity angrily said, pointing her Your Eternal Reward at Rainbow Dash. "That thing is disgusting and completely unnecessary."
"Alright, alright. No Jarate, then."
"But Trixie's Übercharges are extremely useful." Twilight said.
"We won dozens of missions since we joined this team without a single Übercharge. Why would it be different this time?"
"Trixie already got it." Trixie said, dropping her Medi-Gun. "She is useless. You don't need Trixie."
"No, Trixie." the Sniper mare said, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "It's not that--"
Trixie slapped Twilight's hoof away from her shoulder. "Enough, Sparkle." she walked toward her room. "I wanted to leave since the very beginning, anyway..." she closed the door and locked it.
"I think you hurt her feelings, Dashie."
"Feelings?" Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Isn't feelings for 'blokes what bludgeon their wife to death with a golf trophy', as you mentor used to say?"
"I am not my mentor, Rainbow Dash. He is a cold-blooded assassin. I'm--"
"And you're no different from him. You have more kills here than almost every serial killers out there."
"It's... It's not the same! The ponies I kill can respawn, so it doesn't count as a real kill."
"Yeah, yeah, try to avoid the truth. That's it, if you can."
"Calm down, y'all." Applejack said. "We're all friends here."
"I doubt it, Applejack!"
The Demomare sighed. "Look, RD, if that's about that time when Ah called ya 'nothing until ya learn how to be humble', Ah'm sorry, ok? Ah shouldn't have called you that. Yer an important member of this team, and nopony is perfect."
Rainbow Dash looked down.
"Now please, stop being so mean to everypony. Ah want the old RD, mah friend RD back."
Rainbow Dash sighed. "I don't know, AJ. You really hurt my feeling that day."
"Look who's talking about feelings now." Twilight said, crossing her forelegs.
"Twi, please." Applejack said looking at Twilight, then looked back at Rainbow Dash. "Please, continue."
"I forgive you, but under one condition."
"Ah'll do anything to have mah old friend back."
"Promise that it will never happen again."
"Ah... Ah can't promise that, RD. As Ah said, nopony is perfect. But Ah can promise that Ah'll be more tolerant from now on."
"Hm... I'll take it!" she smiled and hugged Applejack. "And sorry, Twi and Big Mac. Sorry about everything."
Twilight joined the hug. "We forgave you long ago."
"да!"
"Sorry for ruining the moment." Rarity said. "But there's an army of robots out there that we need to defeat."
"Yes, you're right." Rainbow Dash said. "I just need to do one thing before we can start." she knocked on Trixie's door.
"Go away! " Trixie shouted, startling them all.
"I wanted to--"
"I don't care! Leave me alone!"
She sighed. "I'll apologize later. Right now we have robot flanks to kick. Who's with me?"
They all cheered and left the RED base. Everything left was the sound of sobbing coming from Trixie's room.
"Can You Feel Ze Schadenfreude?"
Part 6 (FINAL): "Zis Is Unacceptable"
"Vhere are your precious papers now, dummkopfs?" Fluttershy asked. "Right here. And if you vant zem back, you'll have to fight for zem."
"This accent is getting on my nerves!" Rarity said.
"Ya have problems with accents, 'darlin'?" Applejack asked, holding her Eyelander.
Big Macintosh stomped a hoof on the ground. Rarity's forehead was dripping with cold sweat.
"N-N-No! Of course not, darlin'." she said, smiling nervously and wearing her mask. "I have an accent too. It's just that I know her for quite some time and she never said a single word with that accent. And hearing her speaking like that sounds odd, so it's hard to accustom."
"Wait, she never told you she is from Germane?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Germane?" they all said at the same time.
"Yes, she moved to Cloudsdale after attending the Summer Flight Camp. I thought you all knew."
"Well, that explains the accent." Twilight said. "But doesn't explain why. I mean, she never--"
"Enough chit-chat, ladies." Derpy said, adjusting her Black Box on her shoulder. "Here they come."
They all looked toward the army of robots, they wre indeed moving toward them. Fast.
"Pinkie Pie, if you please." Rarity said.
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie said, placing a box on the ground. "Erecting a Dispenser."
Big Macintosh started rotating his Natascha.
Derpy loaded her Black Box.
Applejack shot a few stickybombs with her Scottish Resistance.
Spike aimed his Detonator.
Twilight pointed her Huntsman at them.
Rarity cloaked herself.
Rainbow Dash threw her ball up.
"Catch this!" she said before hitting the ball with her Sandman.
The ball flew at high speed and his a Rainbow Dash Bot's head, stunning her.
"ATTACK! " Derpy shouted.
Big Macintosh shouted as he started shooting. Applejack started shooting pipe bombs and Twilight shot an arrow, which trespassed three robots. Rainbow Dash started shooting her Soda Popper. Derpy started shooting rockets. Spike started shooting flares.
Everything went just fine until a Critical rocket hit the ground near them. Most of the mercs took small damage, but Rainbow Dash and Applejack took a lot of damage. The explosion also threw them several feet away from the group.
"AJ's a goner!" Pinkie shouted.
"Dash down!" Derpy shouted.
"RD, are ya ok?" Applejack asked, trying to get up.
"I can't feel my everything..." the Scout mare answered.
Applejack chuckled, then groaned in pain. "Can't Ah just die and respawn already?"
"I know how you feel, pal."
Rarity uncloaked herself behing the red robots, holding two sappers.
"Gentlebots!" she said.
The robots and Fluttershy turned around. Rarity pressed the Sappers against the chest of the robots. They turned off instantly, dropping the briefcases.
"Surprise!" she said, then pointed her Ambassador at Fluttershy. "Why are you doing this, Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy started laughing as smoke surrounded her body, revealing her true identity: a Rarity Bot. The true Rarity headshot her. The moment the robot fell to the ground, all the others did as well. The other mercs joined Rarity, Big Macintosh carrying Applejack and Rainbow Dash on his back.
"What happened?" Twilight asked.
"We were deceived."
"If that was not Fluttershy..." Applejack started.
"Where is she?" Rainbow Dash finished.
"Pinkie sense!" Pinkie Pie said. "Pinkie sense working!" she then lifted her right forehoof. "itchy hoof." her tail started spinning. "Spinny tail." she rubbed her forehead. "Sweaty forehead." she gasped.
"What does that mean, Pinkie?" Applejack asked.
"Sabotage!"
"But yer Dispenser and yer Sentry are still there. What in tarnation 'Shy may be--"
"The respawn device!" Twilight shouted.
* * *
Pinkie opened a panel in the spawnroom. A cloud of smoke and sparks came out of it, making her cough. She looked inside. All the wires were cut and screens were smashed.
"Oh, no." Rarity said.
"Boys, we have a traitor!" Derpy said.
Spike mumbled something.
"What are her intentions in doing this?" asked Pinkie.
"No idea, Pinkie, darling. No idea."
* * *
Rainbow Dash opened the spawnroom door. There she found Fluttershy looking down at wires scattered all over the floor.
"Oops! Zat vas not medicine."
"HEY!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
Fluttershy turned around and groaned.
"What the hay do you think you're doing, pally?"
She didn't answered, only dashed toward Dash, knocking her aside and leaving the spawnroom, flying away.
"You won't get away this time!" Rainbow shouted, flying after her.
"Was that...?" Twilight asked.
"да." Big Mac answered.
* * *
Fluttershy was flying faster than ever. Even Rainbow Dash was surprised. She was even more surprised when Fluttershy suddenly turned around and shot a syringe with her Crusader's Crossbow, hitting her pursuer's left wing.
The Scout mare grunted. She couldn't flap her wing because it felt numb. She soon fell. Fluttershy landed a few feet away from her, holding her Übersaw. Rainbow Dash quickly got up and shook her head.
"You and me!" She then galloped at full speed toward the Medic mare.
Rainbow Dash tackled Fluttershy, making her drop her Übersaw. When she hit the ground, her Blighted Beak mask fell. She got up, shook her head and opened her eyes. Rainbow Dash gasped.
"Fl-Fluttershy! Wha-What happened to your eyes?"
She grabbed her mask and threw it away. "Guess zhere's no reason in hiding it now. A while ago I did an experiment. Ze experiment vent vrong and I ended up like zat."
"Is that experiment related to your... New personality?"
"New? Zhere's nothing new here. Vell, ze mask vas new, but it's useless now." she pointed her Crusader's Crossbow at Rainbow Dash. "Ze hole in your chest will be new as vell."
Rainbow Dash smirked, grabbed a can of BONK! Atomic Punch (Cherry Fission) from her backpack and drank it in a single gulp. Fluttershy shot a syringe, but BONK!'s effect had already kicked in and she quickly dodged it.
"You can't hit what ain't there!" she said, then ran in circles. "I'm running in circles around ya."
Fluttershy grabbed her Übersaw and closed her eyes.
"Not so tough now, are ya? Are ya? "
"Drei, zwei, eins..." Fluttershy mumbled.
Fluttershy attacked the exact moment BONK!'s effect wore off. Dash's pupils shrinked to small dots and she felt to the ground, pressing her hooves to her stomach, trying to keep herself from bleeding out. The pain was unbearable.
"You have 30 seconds to live." Fluttershy said, poiting her Crusader's Crossbow at Rainbow Dash's face.
"This sucks on ice..." Dash said, closing her eyes.
A loud bang. Fluttershy's crossbow flew from her hoof, landing meters away from her. She turned around and saw Twilight standing on the top of a building.
"Here's some advice!" she shouted, waving her hoof. "Next time, shoot first!"
Pinkie Pie, Big Macintosh, Derpy, Applejack and Spike appeared from behind the building and Rarity uncloaked herself beside Rainbow Dash, pointing her Ambassador at Fluttershy's head.
"Just lay your weapons down and walk away."
The medic mare smirked, dropped her Übersaw and raised her forelegs. Rarity looked down at Rainbow Dash, still pointing her gun at Fluttershy.
"Are you ok, darling?"
"I don't know. How bad is the wound?"
"Pretty bad."
"Then I'm not ok. Trixie, can you fix that?"
"Trixie is not here, darling."
She smiled. "Oh. Yes. Right. She hates me. I should have treated her better. She's part of the team too."
"Please, don't talk, darling. Save your energy. We're gonna--"
Fluttershy headbutted Rarity and grabbed the Spy mare's Ambassador. Twilight quickly pointed her Sniper Rifle back at her.
"Bloody piker!"
A bullet trespassed Twilight's skull before she could pull the trigger. She dropped the Rifle and fell, dead.
"Danke for ze advice, 'mate'." she said.
"How dare you!" Rarity shouted, grabbing her Knife.
Fluttershy put the Ambassador's barrel in Rarity's mouth. "Stop whining." she said before pulling the trigger. Rarity's body fell to the ground. Fluttershy quickly turned around. Derpy was pointing her Reserve Shooter at her, Pinkie Pie was pointing her Frontier Justice and Spike was pointing his Detonator. Applejack and Big Macintosh were running toward her, Applejack wielding her Eyelander and her Splendid Screen.
Fluttershy didn't thought twice; she headshot both Apple siblings and flew toward Spike. He shot a flare, but Fluttershy dodged. The Pyro dragon ran away. Fluttershy shot once, but missed.
"Hold still, Schweinehund!" she shouted. "Zis vill only sting for a moment!" Spike tripped. Fluttershy landed on top of him. She could feel a few bones cracking under her hooves. She chuckled. "Dummkopf." he pointed the revolver at his head. Headshot.
The Medic mare looked at where Derpy and Pinkie were. The Engineer mare was cowering behind her Dispenser and the Soldier mare was still pointing her Reserve Shooter at her. She was trembling.
"W-We have you surrounded!" Derpy said, then gulped. "A-At least from this side."
Fluttershy smirked and slowly walked toward them. Derpy dropped her shotgun. She and Pinkie hugged each other.
"I-I-I can't giggle her away!" Pinkie said. "Sh-She's not a ghostie."
Fluttershy smirked and pulled the trigger. And again. And again. But nothing happened. She groaned.
"Out of ammo." she said, then threw the Ambassador away and picked Derpy's Reserve Shooter up. "Look at you. So veak. So scared. Just like... Like..." she looked down at the Reserve Shooter. "Just like me." she shook her head. "No! Zat's not me anymore. I'm strong. I'm powerful. I'm fearless. I'm unstoppable. No, I'm not. I'm a gentle Medic mare who cares about everypony. The embodiment of kindness. I'm Fluttershy. No! Shut up! I'm Übershy! And Übershy cares not about anything and anypony but herself! And winning. Winning is good, isn't it? Only when you win nicely and fairly."
"Is... Is she ok?" Derpy asked.
"No idea!" Pinkie answered.
"Girls." Fluttershy said. "Please. Kill me!" she screamed in pain, anger and sadness. "SHUT UP, NURSE! I KNOW VHAT'S BEST! " she pointed the Reserve Shooter at them again.
Derpy and Pinkie hugged each other tighter, closed their eyes and waited for the projectiles to trespass them, ending their lives. But nothing happened. They slowly opened their eyes and saw Fluttershy with a pained expression on her face. Behind her was standing Trixie, holding a bloody Amputator. Fluttershy's right wing was half sawn.
"Did that sting?" Trixie asked. "SAW -rry!"
Fluttershy tried hitting Trixie with the shotgun, but Trixie dodged the attack and hit Fluttershy's elbow, making her drop the Reserve Shooter.
"You have amazing bones. I'll enjoy sawing each and every one of them!"
Fluttershy bucked Trixie's stomach, sending her flying. Trixie hit the building, breaking the wooden wall. She grabbed the RED Medic mare's Amputator and slowly walked toward her. Trixie got up with difficult. Her eyes widened when she felt something cold against her neck; it was Fluttershy, pressing the Amputator against it.
"Would you like a second opinion?" she asked. "You are also ugly!"
Fluttershy fell to the ground, disoriented. Trixie turned around and saw Rainbow Dash standing there, one hoof holding her Sandman and the other on the wound in her stomach.
"How's that feel, wimp?"
"Ra... Rain..." She raised the bat and hit Fluttershy's head. Knocking her out.
"What have we learned?" she hit again. "I!" hit. "Always!" hit. "WIN! " Rainbow Dash dropped her bloody Sandman and turned her head, not wanting to look what she just did to her oldest friend. She slowly walked toward Pinkie Pie and Derpy. "Are you two ok?"
They slowly nodded.
"Come over here!" Trixie said, holding her Medi-Gun. "I promise I will heal you."
"It's too late, Trixie." she said. "But thank you. And sorry for..." she fell to the ground before she could finish the sentence.
Trixie pointed the Medi-Gun at Rainbow Dash and pushed the lever.
But it was too late.
* * *
"Much obliged, Engie!" Pinkie said. "And sorry for making you come back here, even though you're retired."
"Nah, not a problem, Pinks." Dell said, cleaning his swaty forehead with a handkerchief. "Life out there is quite calm an' Ah like it, but sometimes Ah catch mahself recallin' the old days Ah spent here, fightin' for Points and Intelligences."
"Your happiness is my happiness! Still, I couldn't fix it because I don't have the schematics, and even if I had I wouldn't touch it, because it has the name Conagher in it, and Pinkie Pie messes with no family business."
Dell chuckled. "Ah still can't believe Flutters did all those things ya told me she did. When Ah met her she didn't looked like that kind of pers-- Sorry. That kind of pony!"
"I am no Applejack, but I never lie!"
"Ah know, Pinks."
The Engineer hit the panel with his Wrench. Many lights in it turned on.
"Whoooowee! Ah'm done. This beauty is ready to go on for a few more decades. As long as nobody and nopony messes with it again."
Pinkie took off Dell's hard hat and kissed his bald head. "Thanks, Engie!"
Dell chuckled and closed the panel. A few seconds later, Twilight respawned.
"I'm... I'm alive?"
"Of course you are, silly!"
"Pinkie? But... Wasn't the respawn device--"
"Engie fixed it, don't worry."
The Sniper mare looked at Dell. He waved at her.
"Long time no see, miss Sparkle."
"Hello, Mr. Conagher. And thanks."
"No problem."
Applejack and Big Mac respawned, soon followed by Rainbow Dash.
The Scout mare looked at Trixie, who was sitting on a bench, looking at her. Rainbow Dash approached her, scratching her scruff.
"Look, I don't know if you heard before I died, but... I'm sorry, Trixie. I said horrible things to and about you. Things that weren't true or unnecessary. We started with the wrong hoof here, so let's try this one more time, ok?"
She extended her hoof, smiling. Trixie looked down at it.
"Trixie agrees." she said, shaking Rainbow Dash's hoof.
"Let's go, Engie." Pinkie said, pushing him with her head. "My team's respawn device needs your help too."
"Alrighty, then."
* * *
Rarity was the first to respawn.
"My mouth tastes like steel and gunpowder..." she said.
Derpy and Pinkie hugged her.
"I... Can't breath... Darlings..."
Spike respawned too. The mares pulled him to the group hug. They all let go of each other when Fluttershy respawned near them. She was lying on the floor and wearing her Blighted Beak mask.
"Is she still...?" Depy asked.
"One way to find out." Rarity said, removing the mask from Fluttershy's face. She was unconscious. The Spy mare opened the Medic mare's eye and smiled. It was back to normal.
"Don't worry. She's back."
* * *
Both RED and BLU mercs, as well as Dell Conagher, were standing outside the BLU base. They were all looking at Fluttershy, who was looking down at her hooves.
"I-I'm sorry. For everything I did. I was a horrible mare. Even worse, a terrible friend. I don't think you'll ever forgive me for what I did, but I beg your pardon. Please, understand that I wasn't doing that on purpose. There was this... Voice in my head, telling me to do things. Until the voice took over and I couldn't even control my body. Please, please, forgive me. Please. I'm really, really, REALLY sorry!"
Rainbow Dash was the first to hug her. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity hugged her too.
"All is forgiven." Rarity said.
Dell looked around, confused. He was surrounded by ponies and a dragon, but now he was alone. All of them suddenly disappeared.
* * *
Fluttershy looked around. She was in the RED respawn room. She looked down and gasped; she was now wearing the RED Medic uniform.
"What...?"
She looked around and saw Rainbow Dash, Spike, Pinkie Pie and Twilight, all of them wearing the RED uniform.
"Teams are being scrambled."
"Well, this explains everything." Rarity said.
"да." Big Macintosh said.
"Since Trixie and Sparkle are no longer teammates, they can settle everything like true unicorn mares." Trixie said.
Applejack drank from her cider bottle and burped. "An' Ah can finally teaach that show-off Scout that Defense classes are as important and strong as Attack classes. Mah bombs are ready!"
"Well, since Pinkie is no longer here..." Rarity said, levitating her Sapper. "...I can finally use this!"
"Five. Four. Three. Two. One."
Trixie pointed her Medi-Gun at Big Macintosh and started overhealing him. When the gates opened they were there first ones to leave.
"Here Ah come!" he shouted.
"The healing is not as rewarding as the hurting." she said.
"Get 'em, boyos!" Applejack shouted before stickyjumping away.
"Give 'em Tartarus, boys!" Derpy shouted before rocketjumping away.
Rarity smiled before cloaking herself.
"Outta my way, outta my way." Pinkie said, carrying a box on her forelegs.
"Ready, Spike?" Twilight asked, nuzzling the baby dragon.
He nodded.
"Then give 'em a gob full!"
Spike cheered and they left.
"Ready, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Ready!" Fluttershy ansered, sounding way more confident than before.
Rainbow Dash smiled. "Playball!"
They took off, Fluttershy followng and overhealing her.
"The Point is now avaliable for capture."
"Let's show them what we're made of, Fluttershy!"
"Right."
Rainbow readied her Soda Popper and landed on the Point, Fluttershy right behind her. Big Mac and Trixie were approaching. Rainbow Dash smiled. Big Mac started rotating his Natascha.
"Let us begin!" he said, smiling.
