The Fury of a Demon! Flash Vs. Fleur!

On the surface of the moon, a battle was raging against two fighters, flashes of plasma fire marking new craters in the moon’s already dotted landscape.

Emerging from a cloud of moondust, a Mobile Suit came charging forward, the thrusters in its calves allowing it to hover several feet above the ground. This particular MS was a variant of the Zaku 2, a favorite of the Zeon forces, painted with a mix of dark grey armor around the legs, torso, and head with purple armor on the arms and chest. A single red mono-eye flitted left and right across the rounded helmet, hoses connected to the mouthplate to run back into the backpack to supply oxygen to the machine. A large shield was attached to the left shoulder and adorned with the image of three black stars, while a smaller, rounder shoulder pad with a row of spikes had been fitted onto the right shoulder. Finally, the Zaku 2 carried in both hands a massive battle axe, the blade glowing a foreboding neon orange as it was swung at the opposing MS, who swiftly leaped out of the way to avoid being cleaved in two.

The other Mobile Suit resembled the more standard Gundam model, possessing the golden V-fin on its forehead that signified its Gundam status. The torso had been painted in a dark blue, with slight hints of yellow around the collar and vents, and red on either side of the waist. Everything else was a solid white, through the suit also possessed several uniquely clear sections along its legs, knees, arms, and shoulders that glowed with a faint blue light. The strangest part of the Gundam, however, was its choice of weaponry. At first glance, the beam rifle and shield combo the MS had been outfitted with didn’t seem too unusual, but a closer inspection would reveal that the rifle had been forged in the shape of an electric guitar, with the shield resembling a guitar case to match.

A shower of blue particles poured from the Gundam’s thrusters as it shot into the air, pointing it's oddly shaped beam rifle at the Zaku and firing a volley of shots at it, only for the Zaku to swerve around the shots with ease as it lunged at the airborne MS, the lower gravity of the moon allowing it to close the distance in an instance.

Gripping its weapon with both hands, the Zaku swung the axe at the Gundam, the latter machine raising its shield to intercept the blow, only for the sheer force of the attack to swat the Gundam out of the air like a softball. Hurtling back towards the ground, the Gundam crashed hard against the moon’s surface, the beam rifle slipping from its hand and skidding across the ground.

Seeing an opportunity to strike, the Zaku gunned its thrusters and dove for the prone Gundam, its single eye glinting as it raised its axe above its head and slammed it down, blowing up a fresh cloud of moondust that obscured both machines from sight. From within the cloud, the Gundam emerged, now missing its right leg from the knee down, as it cartwheeled over to its discarded rifle and scooped it up.

When the Zaku looked up, it found itself staring down the glowing barrel of the Gundam’s rifle.

Pulling the trigger, a beam of blue plasma lanced through the Zaku’s head, causing it to explode in a cloud of purple smoke. As the headless Zaku stumbled back, three more shots were loosed into the Zaku’s chest in quick succession, finally causing the MS to explode in a burst of purple smoke and shrapnel.

[Battle Ended!]

“Man! Total crash and burn!” Neon Lights exclaimed as the holograms faded, the spiky-haired teen fishing his sunglasses out his jacket pocket and popping them back on his face. “Thought I had you there for a minute, Scratch, but what a sick turn-around!”

Vinyl Scratch, Canterlot High’s resident electronic music expert, and aspiring DJ, shot her opponent a grin as she picked up her Gunpla off the projector. Unlike her opponent, Vinyl had elected to keep her signature purple tinted shades on all throughout the match along with the white headphones she was almost never seen without. “Sorry to break it to ya, Neon, but I wasn’t about to let Crystal Prep score another point, even if I had to take ya down to do it. Anytime you want a rematch, though, you know where to find me.”

“Sick! I’m game for another round when you are,” Neon Lights said as he walked over to Vinyl and held out his fist, quickly getting a fist bump in response.

“And Vinyl Scratch moves onto the next round!” Fluttershy proudly announced, earning a round of cheering from the Canterlot High students in the audience as Vinyl gave them a double thumbs up before walking off. “For the next matchup, would Flash Sentry from Canterlot High and Fleur from Crystal Prep please step forward?”

As Flash strolled up to the projector, he smiled and waved at the audience, causing them to go right back to cheering as he gave them a cheeky wink. Turning away from the audience, Flash saw that his opponent was a girl with ivory white skin and pale magenta hair. Grinning, Flash chuckled as he said, “No hard feelings no matter who wins or loses, okay?”

Fleur just turned her nose up at Flash and muttered, “As if…”

[Beginning Plavsky Particle Dispersal…]

In a familiar shower of blue particles, the image of a large canyon riddled with narrow passages appeared on the projector.

[Field 09: Canyon. Please Set Your Gunpla.]

Setting their Gunpla onto their respective bases, Flash’s Gunpla was an almost demonic looking suit painted mostly in white with traces of blue and yellow around the torso and head. This Gunpla’s hands and feet more resembled claws, only adding to the demonic resemblance as it carried a large slab of metal in the shape of a sword in its right hand. Both shoulders had been done up in a red color, an emblem resembling some sort of flower on them.

Unlike Flash’s Gunpla, Fleur’s appeared to be a much more elegant machine, looking almost like a standard Gundam frame painted in a mix of light pinks and reds. Strapped to the Gunpla’s back was a large winged backpack, a pair of shoulder cannons mounted on either side of the Gunpla’s head while the shield it carried also possessed a massive Gatling gun on the front of it.

In the stands, Twilight’s eyes widened at the upcoming matchup. “Oh, that’s not good…” she mumbled as she bit her thumb, a small ball of worry forming in the pit of her stomach.

[Battle Start!]

“Flash Sentry, Barbatos Lupus! Launching!”

Tossing a lock of her hair over her shoulder, Fleur smiled as she took hold of the controls. “Fleur De Lis, Strike Rouge! Launching!”

Launching into the canyon, Flash wasted little time in gunning his thrusters as he zipped through the canyon, leaving a dust cloud in his wake as he scanned the terrain for the smallest glimpse of the opposing Gunpla. A glint out of the corner of his eye was his only warning before a hail of bullets rain down upon him, forcing him to zigzag to avoid the onslaught of gunfire. Spinning around, he spotted the Strike Rouge standing confidently on top of the nearby rock formation.

“Got ya!” Leaping into the air, Flash bounded up the canyon walls until he was high enough to leap over the Strike Rouge, his weapon gripped tightly in both clawed hands and he brought it down to split the opposing Gunpla in two.

Instead of raising her shield to deflect the blow, Fleur just smirked as she stood there and took the blow, only for the large slab of metal to glance off her Gunpla’s shoulder with little more than a small shower of sparks like it was nothing.

“What the-?!” Jumping back, Flash tried charging in again and going for the Strike Rouge’s waist, only for the Gunpla to again the tank the blow as Flash’s sword glanced off the side of the other suit.

“I was afraid of this,” Twilight said, earning a confused glance from her friends. “The Strike Rouge is equipped with Phase Shift Armor, which deflects non-beam attacks and leaves the suit unharmed. Unfortunately for Flash, the Barbatos Lupus has nothing but non-beam attacks in its arsenal.”

“So… you’re saying Flash can’t so much as make a dent in that thing?” Rainbow Dash asked, earning a silent nod from Twilight. “Oh boy, that’s bad...”

“Just give up, boy,” Fleur spoke in a haughty tone. “This battle was decided from the very beginning. Surrender now and I might consider leaving your Gunpla in one piece.”

Flash winced. Things were not looking good for him right now. How am I supposed to fight back if all my attacks can’t even touch her? Tightening his grip on his sword, Flash pointed it at the Strike Rogue. “Sorry, but we at CH are far too stubborn to just give up! You want to win, you’ll have to beat me first!”

Fleur responded with an exasperated sigh. “Your funeral.” Raising her Gatling gun, Fleur unloaded another volley of gunfire at the Barbatos Lupus, who sped out of the way to avoid it before leaping over the gap onto another rock formation and speeding off.

Got to get some distance between us while I try and come up with a plan to fight her!

“Running away won’t save you!” Firing up her thrusters, Fleur took to the sky as she trailed the fleeing Gunpla from above, her eyes scanning back and forth as she tried to calculate its projected path. Both her Gunpla’s shoulder cannons took aim as she fired directly in the Baratos Lupus’s path, sending up a shower of sand and blasted rock.

Unprepared from the attack, the Barbatos Lupus was knocked back and sent sailing over the edge of the canyon wall, slamming into canyon floor with an almost comedic tumble like something straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. Struggling to get back up, Flash spotted his sword lying nearby just as Fleur came floating down to hover in front of him.

“This is boring…” Fleur muttered as she leveled both her shoulder cannons at the downed Gunpla. “Oh, if only I could have had the chance to destroy that dumb Twilight Sparkle as opposed to some pathetic newbie like you…”

As her weapons fired, the Barbatos Lupus lunged with unreal speed and grabbed it’s sword, using it to bat the shits aside and sending them slamming into a nearby rock wall, an avalanche of blasted rock raining down behind the Barbatos Lupus.

“Wha-what?” Fleur stared wide-eyed at how fast the Gunpla had just reacted. “How–”

“Say that again,” Flash said, his tone calm, yet laced with noticeable anger as he looked at Fleur. “What did you just say about Twilight?”

“Oh, have I hit a nerve, pretty boy?” Fleur threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, how cute! Seems she’s managed to fool you too! Since you clearly haven’t figured it out, allow me to clue you in. She may put on this appearance of this cute, yet dorky girl who just wants to do her best, but I can see right through her act! She’s really nothing but a scheming fraud who thinks she’s better than everyone and loves crushing everyone else beneath her heel!”

“...What?” Twilight whispered, honestly taken aback from Fleur’s sudden accusations. “I’m… I’m not…” Sniffling, Twilight felt a comforting hand on her shoulder from Sunset.

“Don’t listen to her, Twilight. We all know you’re nothing like that,” Sunset reassured her friend.

“Yep, that girl’s full of horse apples,” Applejack remarked with a frown. “Who does she think she is, goin’ ‘round spoutin’ such nonsense? Aint her momma ever teach her any manners?”

Flash was in full agreement with Applejack and the others, his grip tightening on his controls as she glared at Fleur. “You’re lying. If you knew Twilight like I do—”

“Ha! It’s funny that you think you know anything about her!” Fleur countered, her face twisting into a scowl. “Everyone at Crystal Prep strives to be the best, and we all work our butts off to accomplish that, no one more than me! I was the top student at Crystal Prep, until ‘Little Miss Perfect’ showed up! She just strolls in, all quiet and such and proceeded to blow all my accomplishments out of the water without any kind of effort! And then just because she knows Dean Cadance she can do whatever the hell she wants and get special privileges that the rest of us can only ever dream of?! What a load!”

“Shut up…”

“I mean, come on! It’s obvious that between the two of us I have both brains and good looks, what with those ugly looking glasses she wears! She must have cheated in order to surpass me, it’s the only explanation! But no one would believe me, even Principal Cinch told me to let it go!”

“Shut. Up!”

Fleur flashed a malevolent smirk. “Watching Starlight tear apart her treasured Gunpla and knock her down a few pegs was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever seen. I would have brought a video camera if I had known—”

“Shut up! Aaaaaah!” Lettingout a roar, Flash charged Fleur, the eyes of his Barbatos Lupus glowing bright red as he slashed his sword across the Strike Rouge’s chest, the blow glancing against the Gunpla’s Phase Shift Armor like before.

“Silly boy,” Fleur mocked as she blasting him with her Gunpla’s cannon’s, sending him sliding back and dropping him onto one knee. Walking towards him, she continued to say, “Even after everything she did at the Friendship Game, you still want to defend her? Turning into that monster was just her way of finally giving up her facade and revealing her true self to the world. Face it, she’s nothing but a—”

“I said…” Curling its fingers into a fist, the Barbatos Lupus pulled back and punched the Strike Rouge hard in the face, actually sending the Gunpla reeling as the hit registered. “...shut up.”

“What the… how…!” Grunting, Fleur trained both her shoulder cannons on the Barbatos Lupus and fired, only for the Gunpla to swerve out of the path of the blasts at the last minute and shoulder check the Strike Rogue.

Before the Rogue could recover, the Lupus was already on it, digging its fingers into the left shoulder as it wrapped its hand around the elbow joint of the opposing Gunpla’s arm. With a guttural yell, Flash pulled with all his might, cracks quickly forming across the Rouge’s arm as it was pulled apart.

“Hey! Let go!” Punching the Lupus with her good arm, the Gunpla brushed off the attacks like they were little more than an annoying fly as it continued to pull. Sparks leaped off the Rogue’s arm as, with one final pull, the limb was yanked off at the elbow, allowing the Strike Rouge to finally pull away as it leaped back to put distance between it and the Barbatos Lupus, the demonic-looking Gundam tossing aside the dismembered arm like little more than useless scrap.

Fleur growled as alarms went off on her left side. “Son of a—” Reaching behind her with her Gunpla’s remaining arm, Fleur unsheathed a sword just as long as the Barbatos Lupus’s weapon and gunned her thrusters as she charged the Barbatos Lupus.

Blue flames spewed from the Lupus’s shoulders as Flash grabbed his weapon back up and met Fleur head-on, meeting in a clash of blades. It was a short contest before the Barbatos Lupus pushed the Strike Rouge back with overwhelming strength, knocking Fleur’s weapon from her Gunpla’s hand with relative ease. Before the Strike Rouge could aim either of its shoulder cannons at the Lupus, Flash dropped his weapon at his feet before grabbing both cannons and yanking them both off.

What… what is he?! Fleur had very little time to question as a clawed hand shot forward like a snake and grabbed her Gunpla by the throat, lifting it up several feet off the ground. Fleur tried to free herself by firing her Gunpla’s head mounted vulcans, but the bullets just seemed to bounce off the Barbatos Lupus as it grabbed the Strike Rouge’s head in its other hand and crushed it like a soda can. Still gripping the Strike Rouge, Flash slammed the heavily damaged machine against the canyon floor, towering menacingly over it.

“Now…” Flash said as he drew panting breaths, beads of sweat rolling down the side of his face. “... you listen. You seem to think so highly of yourself, and yet all I hear is some petty brat running her mouth and throwing a tantrum when she doesn’t get her way. For your information, Twilight is everything you’re not. She’s kind, smart while still being humble, and knows when to take responsibility for her mistakes! The reason it was so easy for her to surpass you was because she truly is better than you in every. Single. Way.”

Raising its other hand, the Barbatos Lupus straighten its fingers and pointed them down at the cockpit section of the Strike Rouge. “So just shut up already.” In a blink, the Barbatos Lupus drove its hand into the Strike Rouge’s chest, the damaged Gunpla convulsing for a moment as the Lupus pulled out the Gunpla’s core and crushed it in its hand.

[Battle Ended! Winner: Barbatos Lupus!]

A hushed silence had settled over the crowd, with many in the audience unsure of how to react to what they had just witnessed. Eventually, a small group of people began to clap, ballooning quickly as the rest of the crowd gradually joined in. Grabbing his Gunpla without a word, Flash turned and headed straight for the gym doors.

Sunset watched him go from her seat, a frown crossing her lips. “Flash…” Getting up, she quickly moved to follow him.

Outside of the gym, Flash rested his head against the hallway wall, clenching his teeth together as he pounded one hand against the wall while gripping his Gunpla tightly in his other hand. Who does that girl think she is?! Flash hissed as he hit the wall again, his hand throbbing slightly from the repeated blows. Still, he ignored them as he took a deep breath. Calm down… I just need to calm down…

“Flash?”

“Hmm?” Turning around at the familiar voice, Flash spotted Sunset walking up to him. “What is it, Sunset?”

“Are you alright?” Sunset asked, worry reflected across her face. “You ran off so suddenly after the fight, I just thought—”

“I’m fine,” Flash quickly replied, perhaps a bit too quickly considering how Sunset flinched back. “It’s nothing. You should be more concerned about your match.” Turning his back to Sunset, Flash began to walk away.

“Wait!” Running up him, Sunset reached out and grabbed him by the wrist.

Flash froze as he felt Sunset’s hand grip his wrist. Sighing, he glanced over his shoulder towards her and asked, “... What did you see?”

"I didn’t see anything, you doofus,” Sunset countered as she released her grip on Flash’s arm, frowning as she pointed at the pendant around her neck. “I don’t need this to know when something’s wrong with you. We were pretty close for some time, after all.”

“If you can even call it that…” The moment the words left his mouth, Flash regretted even thinking them, shame welling up inside him as he watched Sunset lower her head and stare at the floor, her shoulders tense. “Sorry, I didn’t mean–”

“No, you’re right. I used you, Flash, and for that, I am truly sorry. Of all the things I’ve done, using you as little more than a quick stepping stone towards my goals still remains as one of the worst, if not the worst thing I’ve ever done.” Clenching her fist tightly, Sunset sighed as she looked back up at Flash. “Which is why I came to make sure you’re alright, not just to try and correct what I did, but because I really am worried about you.”

Flash was silent for a moment, before slumping against the wall and sliding down it to sit on the floor. “I… I lost my temper…”

“I’ll say…” Sunset said as she sat down next to him. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get that angry before. I know Fleur said some pretty harsh things about Twilight, but you know none of them are tr–”

“It’s not just what she said,” Flash was quick to interrupt, “But also how she said it. I could tell right away that everything she said was little more than some story she worked up not to try and convince others but instead convince herself that there had to be a reason someone else could ever possibly be better than her. It’s obvious she hadn’t once considered getting to know Twilight like we have, despite the fact that they used to go to the same school. Just… what kind of place actually encourages that kind of behavior? Just thinking about Twilight being in that kind of environment, and for so long…” A growl worked its way through Flash’s teeth as he clenched his fists.

Flash blinked, his anger beginning to dissipate as he felt Sunset place her hand on his. “I know how you must feel, Flash. Believe me when I say I doubt I wouldn’t have done the same thing if I were in your place, but Twilight’s with us now, with friends she can trust and who can trust her. Friends like you and for, example.”

Flash sighed, a small smile crossing his lips. “Your right, as usual.”

“Flash! Sunset!”

The pair glanced up to see Twilight running up to them. “Is everything alright? I started to get worried after you two were gone for so long.”

Standing back up, Flash smiled at Twilight. “Yeah, we’re fine. Ain’t that right, Sunset?”

Sunset smiled as she too stood up. “Yep, we’re good now. How’s the match going?”

“Well…”

Twilight was cut off by the sound of loud cheering coming from the gym. “Oh, sounds like the match might be over! That means your match is next, Sunset, so we better head back.” Twilight moved to head back towards the gym but paused for a moment as she glanced at Flash. “Oh… thanks for standing up for me back there, Flash. Even if you did it in a… somewhat violent manner, it was still nice to hear you say all that.”

“Oh… uh…” Flush chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as a small blush began to spread across his cheeks. “It...it was nothing, Twilight.”

As Twilight ran back to the gym, Sunset nudged Flash in the side while wearing a teasing grin on her face. “Easy there, lover boy. You blush anymore and people will start mistaking you for a tomato.”

“H-hey!” Before Flash could retort, Sunset was already running down the hall towards the gym. “Sunset!”

[Battle Ended!]

As Sunset entered the gym, she saw that the fight was indeed over. For this round, Pinkie had been facing off against Sunny Flare, with Sunny Flare having emerged victorious judging from the cheering from the Crystal Prep side of the audience. Still, Pinkie seemed to still be in good spirits as she ran over and pulled Sunny Flare into a bear hug, despite Sunny Flare’s best attempts to wiggle free.

During all this, Sunset was able to spot Sunny Flare’s Gunpla still resting on the projector, an armored SD Gundam that appeared to have a pair of shoulder mounted cannons, plus a samurai sword attached at the hip. An SD user, huh? I’ll have to keep that in mind for when I face her in the next round.

Sunset was determined to win, no matter who her opponent was.

“And with that amazing match, Sunny Flare has moved onto the next round!” Fluttershy announced as Pinkie Pie and Sunny Flare returned to their respective teams. “Now, for the final match of round one, it’s none other than Canterlot High’s very own Sunset Shimmer!”

That’s my cue. Walking towards the projector, Sunset waved to the crowd as they let out a loud cheer, some of them even chanting her name.

“And from Crystal prep we have…” Fluttershy seemed to freeze in place, earning several confused looks from the audience as she scanned the listing in front of her. “This… this can’t be right…”

“Oh, but it is.”

Everyone turned to look at the rear facing doors as a hooded figure stepped into the gymnasium, reaching up and pulling their hood back to reveal themselves. Purple hair with lime green streaks burst outward, a pair of long pigtails now free from the confines of the girl’s hood. Her light purple skin helped to compliment her darker purple eyeshadow and violet eyes, which started with utter hatred directed towards her opponent.

Sunset gasped, not believing what she was seeing. “Ar-Aria Blaze!?”

Next Time: A Siren’s Requiem! Sunset Shimmer Vs Aria Blaze!

Author's Note

A small announcement: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/861875/announcements-regarding-gundam-build-fighters-egs

Vinyl Scratch's Gunpla is the Extreme Gundam from the arcade game, Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. and Neon Light's is Ortega's MS-06R-1A Zaku 2 High Mobility Type from Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin.

Flash's Gunpla is the main MS of Iron-Blooded Orphans S2, ASW-G-08 Barbatos Lupus and Fleur's is the MBF-O2 Strike Rouge from Gundam Seed Destiny, equipped with the P202QX Integrated Weapons Striker Pack (IWSP).