Filly Fluttershy: Resurgence

Chapter 2: In the Eye of the Storm

Once again, the sound of hoofbeats reverberated through the marble and stone of a narrow, dimly lit hallway, the same hallway that Twilight Sparkle had galloped through the day before on her way to her mission. The hoofbeats were heavier this time, as the pony galloping through the hallway was a white unicorn stallion clad in purple barding with gold trim. His mane, which alternated in shades of light and dark blue, rose up through the top of his helmet in a mohawk-like crest, while a purple six-pointed star adorned the center of his peytral. The rest of his armor was completed by a set of four greaves on his legs and a croupiere to protect his flanks.

The stallion slowed down at the set of double doors at the end of the hallway, which opened at his approach. “Captain Shining Armor, reporting for duty!” he said as he turned to face the open portal. A rose-colored aura enveloped his horn, as well as each of his hooves, and he galloped through the portal.

A path of hard light the same color as his magic lay before him as he ran through the air, extending forward with each step he took. A thick white blanket of clouds stretched above him as far as he could see, with the occasional ray of sunlight peeking through the gaps in the cloud cover. A mountain range lay below him on his right, while sparse patches of grass grew amidst the flat, rocky terrain at the base of the mountains.

“Captain, can you hear me?” Celestia’s voice echoed in Shining Armor’s ear.

“Loud and clear, princess,” Shining Armor said. “What's this mission about? You were pretty scarce with the details.”

“I'm afraid there was little time for a briefing,” Celestia said. “Luna has launched another attack on the Earth ponies.”

Shining Armor reached for his left side with his magic, pulling out an ornate weapon that was magically affixed to his side. The weapon resembled a single-edged sword, but with the handle bent at an angle to the blade not unlike the grip of a firearm. The body of the blade was gold in color, with its base flaring out toward the grip like rays of sunlight, while the tip of the blade formed the muzzle of a gun. The blade's edge was a light blue, while the metal grip was a dark blue with a pommel that tapered to a point. Shining Armor brought the weapon, the Palutena Blade, in front of him as he galloped through the sky.

“This is the second attack in as many days,” he said. “Luna must be serious about this.”

“Very serious,” Celestia said. “She’s launching an attack on Fort Rockhoof.”

“At least this time it’s a military target,” Shining Armor said. He spotted several Nutskis and Bladers in the distance. He kept the Palutena Blade at the ready, waiting to get within range before firing.

“It’s more than just a military target,” Celestia said. “Fort Rockhoof is a joint military installation among several Earth pony nations. After the wars against Nightmare Moon, Luna, and Discord, many Earth pony towns and cities agreed to put aside their differences and forge new alliances against any future attacks by the gods. That fort is a key part of their cooperation.”

“Then the loss of Fort Rockhoof would cripple their ability to coordinate with each other,” Shining Armor said.

“And deal a blow to each nation all at once,” Celestia said. “We cannot allow it to fall. Rainbow Dash is already fighting off Luna’s troops from the skies. Your mission is to assist her.”

“Oooh boy,” Shining Armor said. “I have a feeling I know what assisting her means.”

As soon as he got within range, he fired the Palutena Blade. A cyan orb of light with what resembled three pairs of fairy-like wings shot out of the weapon’s muzzle, searing through the body of one Nutski and hitting two more behind it. He sidestepped as the Nutskis and Bladers fired back at him, then aimed his weapon and shot a stream of bluish-white shots from the blade’s muzzle. One Blader dove at him, as if trying to slash at him with its bladed wings, but he swung the Palutena Blade, cutting it in half when it got close.

Shining Armor could see the next group of Nature enemies in the distance, and he galloped after them. A wisp of green caught his attention to his side, only to vanish when he glanced in its direction. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked from side to side. Before he could react, a thin green slime creature appeared in front of him, its bladed arms raised up. A rose-colored barrier flickered in front of Shining Armor, and the slime creature’s body splattered against it before it had a chance to swing its arms down on him. Shining Armor’s eyes widened in surprise, then he frowned. His magic aura swelled in one spot on his barrier, then slid from side to side across the shield, wiping away the gooey remains of the creature like a washcloth.

“What was that?” he asked.

“They’re called Flages,” Celestia said. “Luna deploys them as stealth units. Be on the lookout for them.”

“I’ll settle for not letting any more of them crash into my barrier,” Shining Armor said. He fired an orb of light from his blade at a group of Nutskis, followed by a stream of shots at a group of Parashooters. “Twilight’s not here to burn away anything that gets stuck on it with her magic. I can’t even remember the last time she and I went on a mission together.”

“You and Twilight’s Lightning Chariot days are long behind you,” Celestia said. “And though you work well together, you two are more efficient when you can tackle separate missions.”

Bladers circled around Shining Armor from a distance as he approached, while several Nutskis flitted toward him. Behind the Nutskis, Shining Armor noticed two of a new enemy, one that resembled a shriveled blue root with a leaf resting on top of it. The Bladers fired their eye beams at him from the sides, while a few of the Nutskis spat large seeds at him from ahead. Shining Armor’s hard light path dipped downward, and he ducked under the enemy fire as he went. Aiming the Palutena Blade, he shot through two Nutskis with an orb of light, then fired a stream of shots at the rest of them.

The two blue root enemies, called Dibble Dops, seemed to inflate as he galloped underneath them. What once resembled shriveled blue roots now looked like translucent pitcher plants filled with water. The Dibble Dops each spat out a burst of water from their mouths. Shining Armor swerved to dodge the first one, but the second one struck his barrier and exploded in a rushing torrent. Shining Armor gritted his teeth, but his barrier held and he fired back at the Dibble Dops with his blade.

On the ground, a stone wall began to come into view in the distance, with paved roads branching from it in several directions. If Shining Armor squinted, he could make out a number of buildings and fortifications within the walls. But what caught his eye was the swarm of Nature enemies flying in the skies above, less than half a mile away from the fort, and a rainbow streak weaving its way through the swarm. The Bladers began to circle back around him, but the aura around his horn flared, and he picked up speed. He fired at one Blader with the Palutena Blade and slashed another in two, then sped away as he rushed toward the swarm.

“Rainbow Dash,” Celestia said. “Shining Armor has arrived.”

“What took you so long?” Rainbow asked, her voice carrying through Celestia’s telepathic spell.

“I was getting ready,” Shining Armor said.

“Dude, most mares don’t take that long getting dressed,” Rainbow said with a light chuckle.

“Hey, preparedness over punctuality,” Shining Armor shot back. “It’s better to be prepared for the worst, especially when working with you.”

“Yeah, yeah, save the Colt Scout lines for the cadets,” Rainbow said. She flew out to the edge of the swarm of Nature forces and began to circle around them. “We’re short one cowpony today, so we’d better make this count.”

The aura around Shining Armor’s horn and hooves fluctuated as he eyed Rainbow Dash’s circuit around the swarm, and his galloping speed adjusted. If this was going to work, they would have to coordinate. “I don't know how helpful she would’ve been here,” he said. “She’s just an Earth pony, and we’re pretty high up.”

“You’d be surprised,” Rainbow said. “She's pretty resourceful.”

“Unfortunately, Applejack told us she will be unavailable for the next few days,” Celestia said.

“Some sort of family thing, right?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes,” Celestia said. “Regardless, the two of you will have to make do without her.”

“No problem,” Rainbow said. “We’ve got this!”

Shining Armor reached the outer edge of the swarm just as Rainbow Dash reached the other side of it, and the aura of his magic fluctuated once more as he began to make the circuit. When he first arrived, he could just make her out from the rainbow contrail she left in her wake when flying. And while he could still barely see her on the other side of the swarm of Nature enemies, there was no mistaking her. Her sky blue coat was mostly covered by a tunic similar to Twilight’s, only hers was black with blue trim instead of Twilight’s white with gold, and her mane and tail were in all the colors of the rainbow.

Attached to Rainbow’s front hooves were a pair of metallic crimson braces, each with a set of retractable gold claws that roared with flames every time she slashed or fired with them. She aimed her weapon, the Wolf Claws, and shot a stream of fiery talons at a group of Parashooters and Nutskis. A pair of Bladers flew at her, each firing a beam from their eyes, but she dove under their beams, lunged at them, and slashed through their bodies with her claws.

Further along, Rainbow caught sight of a Lurchthorn and several Dibble Dops floating through the sky. She smirked, angled herself toward a long stretch of cloud, and folded her wings at her sides as her hooves caught the side of the cloud. She galloped along, running sideways until she reached the end of the cloud, and then bounded off, unfurling her wings again and propelling herself toward the Lurchthorn. With her weapon hooves outstretched, she corkscrewed past the Lurchthorn, slashing through its calcified segments with the Wolf Claws’ talons. She then glanced back, aimed one of her claws back at the Lurchthorn’s head, and fired. Three thick ropes of fire issued forth, slicing through the air for a split second before hurtling toward the creature. The Lurchthorn’s head piece broke apart, and the creature’s body broke apart along with it as it fell from the sky. Rainbow turned her head forward again, aimed at the Dibble Dops, and fired a stream of talons.

On the other side of the swarm, Shining Armor fired at a group of Parashooters and Dibble Dops. Three Trynamites detonated from a distance, too far for his Palutena Blade’s fire to reach them, and the fragments of their cores hurtled toward him. He sidestepped to dodge, then swung his weapon at a Nutski as he galloped past. He spotted a Lurchthorn floating up ahead, and his eyes narrowed in a look of determination. Focusing his magic into his barrier spell, he charged forward, ramming into the side of the Lurchthorn’s head and smashing the creature to bits. His barrier flickered for a second, but held strong, and he continued on.

Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor raced around the perimeter of the Nature enemy swarm, staying at opposite ends in perfect sync as they fought Luna’s troops. While some of the creatures tried to follow either pony in pursuit as they rushed past, others tried to break out of the perimeter, only for the other pony to come rushing by and either slash or shoot them down. If anything, the swarm began to contract in size as its numbers thinned. The two ponies tightened their circuit around the creatures, shrinking the swarm even more, bit by bit. Several of the Nature enemies descended from the swarm instead, toward the Earth ponies down below and the intended target of their attack. Both ponies noticed, but neither paid it any mind.

It was all part of the plan.

“The Forces of Nature are condensed enough, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia said. “It’s time.”

“Awesome!” Rainbow said. She broke out of the circuit and angled downward, picking up speed as she made her descent. She then soared upward, picking up even more speed as she flew toward the swarm of Nature enemies from below. As she went, the Wolf Claws retracted, and she reached for a pair of bladed bow limbs that were magically affixed to her right foreleg. The bow limbs were nearly identical to Twilight’s Palutena Bow, except the bladed edges of Rainbow’s weapon were colored silver instead of gold, and her bow lacked the little shield emblem on its leather grip. Rainbow combined the two limbs of her weapon—the Silver Bow—together, and held it in her right hoof.

“Wait!” Shining Armor said. “Give me time to get out of the way!” He broke out of the circuit as well and galloped away from the swarm. By then, the vapor cone was already forming around Rainbow Dash. Before he could get out of the way, a rainbow shockwave erupted from the center of the Nature enemy swarm, vaporizing Luna’s troops and barreling into Shining Armor as it expanded. In that same moment, Rainbow fired her Silver Bow up at the air. The magic in her weapon’s shot diffused throughout the inside of the shockwave, and hundreds of tiny iridescent points of light twinkled within the shockwave’s circle. The points of light then rained down, each one turning into a multicolored magic arrow that fell toward the creatures below the shockwave.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor crashed through a mountaintop as he hurtled through the air, the force of the rainbow shockwave catapulting him across the sky. He tumbled for what felt like a minute, unable to right himself or channel his magic into his hooves, before his body crashed into the ground and rebounded. He hit the ground again, rolling on the hard dirt for several seconds before finally coming to a stop on his belly.

“Captain, are you alright?” Celestia asked.

Shining Armor grunted—more out of frustration than out of any pain or discomfort—as he rose back to his hooves. “My armor’s a bit scuffed,” he said, looking over the scratches, dents, and scrapes left on his barding, “but nothing’s bruised or broken. But that means I have to reapply all of my protection spells!” His magic flared through his horn again, and its rose-colored aura spread over his armor, enveloping it at first but then condensing over each individual piece. “I swear, Rainbow, you do this every time! Would it kill you to wait for me to get to a safe distance?”

“Hey, if I waited too long to pull off that Sonic Rainboom, Luna’s army would’ve had time to get away,” Rainbow said. “Besides, you said it yourself. We’ve done this before, and you always come out of it okay.”

“Be that as it may,” Celestia said, “some of Luna’s troops survived your attack. But their numbers are low, so you should be able to force them into a retreat.”

Shining Armor looked out across the horizon. Though the shockwave of the Sonic Rainboom was beginning to fade, it left behind a massive hole in the cloud cover above Fort Rockhoof and the surrounding mountains. The sun’s rays shone through the gap, casting their warm light over the fort and its surroundings. The sunlight also illuminated a scattering of tiny dots as they flitted through the skies, the last of Luna’s deployed troops, while a rainbow streak chased after each of them.

“Then we can call this one a success!” Rainbow said. “Let’s clean up here and head h—”

A neon blue bolt of lightning struck the leading end of the rainbow streak. The streak vanished in an instant, and a thin plume of smoke wafted away from the point of the lightning strike.

“Rainbow Dash!” Celestia said.

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “That was odd,” he said. “That lightning bolt didn't come from one of the clouds.”

“That was no ordinary bolt of lightning,” Celestia said.

“What do you mean, princess?” Shining Armor asked.

“Brace yourself, captain,” Celestia said. “You have an enemy incoming.”

An arc of bright blue lightning slammed into Shining Armor, throwing him off his hooves. His barrier spell came to life around him the moment the lightning hit, but electricity crackled across every square inch of the shield as he was tossed backward through the air. The aura around his horn flared, and he gritted his teeth as he fed more of his magic into the barrier, both reinforcing it and pushing back against the lightning. His hooves finally caught the ground, each one digging a trench in the dirt before coming to a stop, and with another push from his magic, he shoved the lightning back.

Shining Armor took a few heavy breaths, then quickly surveyed the small cracks in his barrier. He then looked at the mass of crackling blue electricity floating before him, and could see what looked like a white pony in the center. The pony lowered its head, and a beam of blue electricity shot at Shining Armor. Shining Armor rolled out of the way, raised his Palutena Blade with his magic, and fired, but the mass of lightning disappeared before his shot could hit, leaving behind only a few sparks. He turned his head, looking for where the pony had gone, but had barely a second before another blast of lightning shattered his barrier. He stumbled for a moment, then turned toward the source of the blast, where the pony in the lightning hovered over him, its head raised and a massive electrical charge gathering above it. The pony flung its head down, and the electricity split into three arcing beams that converged on him.

“Reflect Barrier!” Shining Armor shouted.

A tiny 6x6 grid flickered along the Palutena Blade’s edge, and the three electrical beams collided with a screen of light that quickly materialized in front of him. The beams rebounded, striking the white pony and sending its body sliding on the ground. Lightning surged through the pony’s body as it lay on its front hooves and haunches, glaring at Shining Armor. The electricity focused around the pony’s head again, and then a multitude of lightning bolts scattered from it, flanking around the light screen before converging on Shining Armor once again. Shining Armor leapt back, dodging as the numerous lightning bolts crashed into each other. Even without a direct hit, the energy still tingled, if not stung against his fur, flesh, and armor, and he winced at the almost blinding light in front of him. Even so, he raised the Palutena Blade and fired.

The orb of light struck the white pony, sending it sliding back on its belly. The electrical aura around its body shuddered and then shrank, revealing a unicorn mare with an elegantly coiffed indigo mane and a set of three diamonds for a cutie mark. She wore a long blue scarf that matched her eyes and flowed with the excess electricity that radiated from her horn.

“How rude!” the mare said. “That is no way to treat a lady!”

“Maybe not,” Shining Armor said with a shrug. “But you’re more than just a lady, aren’t you? You’re one of Luna’s top commanders. It’s been a while, Rarity.”

Rarity gave a short chuckle, then looked back at Shining Armor with a half-smirk and lidded eyes. “First you fight me, then you flatter me,” she said, rising to her hooves. “You should learn to make up your mind, captain.”

“Pretty sure you attacked first,” Shining Armor said.

“Don’t take it too personally, dear,” Rarity said. “I’m just following Mistress Luna’s orders.”

“I can relate to that,” Shining Armor said with a smug grin. “A mare after my own heart.”

“Darling, you really must stop,” Rarity said. The blue electrical aura surged through her, crackled through her scarf, and enveloped her body as her hooves hovered off the ground. She reached into her scarf and pulled out a small orb. Pink thorns and heart-shaped rose petals swirled around the orb, which strangely seemed to depict the image of a young, blonde girl. Rarity pressed the orb into the sole of her hoof, and the thorns and heart-shaped petals swirled down the length of her foreleg. She aimed her hoof—now equipped with the Viridi Palm and adorned with a red, heart-shaped tattoo—at Shining Armor. “You might look the part of a brave, noble knight. But I am hardly your damsel.”

Shining Armor levitated the Palutena Blade to his side, letting its own magic affix itself. Then, without channeling his own magic, he closed his eyes and focused for a second, and a pair of ornaments dislodged themselves from his shoulders. The ornaments were in the shape of cherubs, each one wearing leather armor and a bronze cap and holding a golden bow and arrow twice their size. The ornaments, called the Centurion Orbitars, hovered in place above Shining Armor’s shoulders as he gazed up at Rarity.

“Adorable,” Rarity sneered.

A rush of swirling pink energy and rose petals issued forth from the Viridi Palm. Shining Armor leapt to the side to dodge while willing the Centurion Orbitars to fire a pair of arrows, but the Viridi Palm’s blast veered toward him, buffeting him with its energy. Rarity swerved away from the Centurion Orbitars’ fire, but while the farther arrow continued on course, the closer one angled and struck her side.

Rarity gritted her teeth as she clutched her side. Both their weapons had some homing to them, it seemed. It didn’t matter. She aimed her hoof and fired the Viridi Palm again. Shining Armor galloped forward, then ducked under the Viridi Palm’s blast, outpacing its homing ability. He then fired back with a pair of arrows from the Centurion Orbitars. Rarity zipped out of the way with her lightning magic, charged her horn, and let loose a bolt of electricity. Shining Armor’s own magic flared through his horn, and a new barrier formed around him. Rarity surged forward, diving at him with her weapon hoof outstretched. Shining Armor leapt back, willing the Centurion Orbitars to fire. But instead of a pair of arrows, the orbitars produced a pair of large, bronze shields that hovered in front of him.

Rarity’s body crashed into the two floating shields. Her Viridi Palm slammed into Shining Armor’s barrier, spreading cracks along its surface, but she crumpled to the ground. Groaning in pain, she lit her horn, and a discharge of lightning magic enveloped the two ponies and shattered Shining Armor’s barrier. Shining Armor stumbled, first from the feedback from his shield spell breaking, then from the voltage that coursed through his body. He struggled to remain on his hooves, while Rarity struggled to rise to hers. They both stared at each other, both taking the moment to recover.

Rarity moved first. She aimed her weapon hoof and fired a blast from the Viridi Palm. The Centurion Orbitars moved in front of Shining Armor and swiped through the Viridi Palm’s attack, dispersing the gust of pink energy and rose petals. The orbitars then fired a pair of arrows. Rarity’s horn lit with electricity again, and she surged forward, her body flying under the twin arrows as she charged at Shining Armor. She swung her weapon hoof, but one of the orbitars blocked her hoof. The other orbitar swung down, but Rarity zipped to the side before it could strike her. She swung her hoof again, but the first orbitar blocked her hoof a second time. The second orbitar moved to swing at her, but Rarity let loose a bolt of lightning from her horn, hitting Shining Armor and throwing him back several feet. Shining Armor grunted in pain, then narrowed his eyes at Rarity.

“Mega Laser!” he shouted.

A tiny 6x6 grid on the left Centurion Orbitar’s bow lit up, and a massive pink beam of energy shot forth from the orbitars and plowed into Rarity. Rarity’s body slid against the ground, finally coming to a stop on her stomach when the Mega Laser dissipated. She struggled to her hooves again, and with a surge of lightning magic running through her horn, she lifted off the ground and hovered in the air. She gazed down at Shining Armor, who had risen to his hooves as well and stared back at her.

“Not bad, captain,” Rarity said. Then her ear twitched, and a smirk appeared on her face. “But I’m afraid that you and I are done here.” The electricity ran from her horn throughout the rest of her body for a brief second, and then she vanished with a flash of lightning.

Shining Armor blinked at the leftover sparks that crackled where Rarity had just been, then glanced up at the sky, where he could swear he saw a thin bolt of lightning run beneath the cloud cover. “Wait, what do you mean?!” he shouted. “Get back here!”

“I’m afraid she’s right, captain,” Celestia said. “Return home. The mission is a failure.”

“What?” Shining Armor asked. “No, that’s impossible. We saved Fort Rockhoof. We took out Luna’s forces with that Sonic Rain…” He paused when he looked out in the direction of Fort Rockhoof. Plumes of smoke billowed from behind the walls, and he could see buildings and sections of wall that had crumbled. “… boom.”

“Not all of them,” Celestia said. “Enough of them survived to carry out their attack, while you were busy fighting their commander. Rainbow Dash is still unconscious. You’ll have to retrieve her before you return.”

A rose-colored aura enveloped Shining Armor’s horn, followed by his hooves. He had taken a few good hits from the fight against Rarity, but he could still manage the spell for a hard light path through the air, as well as a decent gallop. He ran up into the air, heading toward the direction of the fallen fort, and came to a stop near a stray cloud hanging low in the sky. Rainbow Dash lay on her back on top of the cloud, a thin wisp of smoke still rising from her chest and a scorch mark burned into her tunic.

“Knocked out by one attack,” Shining Armor said. “She is not going to be happy when she wakes up.”

A ray of yellow light shone down on Rainbow from above, and her body lifted off of the cloud. Shining Armor noticed another ray of light shine down on him, and the light path under his hooves faded away as he hovered in the air.

“Something to keep in mind during her debriefing,” Celestia said. “For now, I have to plan our next move.”

Both ponies disappeared from the skies, and the shafts of light faded away with them.