Not to make things sound too dire, but Fluttershy was fucking PANICKING.

Her small group that she had been leading on a rescue mission to save Tree Hugger had all been defeated and rendered helpless in one fell swoop, leaving Fluttershy as the sole remaining active member of their band in a village full of vicious Lightning Knights.

Fluttershy needed to do something, but she had no idea what she even could do at this point. She needed someone to tell her what to do… she wished Zecora were here.

She was hiding inside the water that had spilled on the ground from her water bottle; she was able to see and hear the world around the puddle, but she was safe from retaliation as long as she was able to focus her magic, and it wasn’t a very difficult spell to keep up unless she was distracted by something painful.

Point was, she had time to think.

Apparently the leader of this company of the Lightning Knights was a fury that Fluttershy had heard referred to by her soldiers as Lightning Dust. Said fury returned from inside the village, pacing just on the outskirts too close to Fluttershy’s puddle for comfort.

The fury looked around, this way and that, even up above. She was clearly searching for something, and Fluttershy wondered if it was her. No, she was certain that Lightning Dust was looking for her, the fury said as much herself before, that they were targeting ‘the siren’.

Lightning Dust kept looking around, and it concerned Fluttershy that while her eyes darted in many directions, they mostly kept to the ground. Fluttershy had a bad feeling that Lightning Dust knew what she was looking for.

Fluttershy tried to keep calm. There was no way Lightning could know where she was, and no way to find one puddle in the grass even if she did know what she was looking for. Fluttershy would just have to bide her time and wait… even as Lightning walked over and stared down at Fluttershy’s puddle, a grim one-way window looking up at a woman who terrified Fluttershy.

The fury pointed her fingers toward the puddle, Fluttershy curious what she was doing and only realizing too late; she was firing an attack, an electrical beam from her hand that shocked Fluttershy’s puddle and even ‘safe’ as she was inside it, fried Fluttershy to her very bones, disrupting her concentration enough to break the spell and throw her back onto the land in front of the fury.

“You didn’t think we’d leave without you, did you?” Lightning cackled as she fired another bolt of electricity into Fluttershy’s body, the siren writhing in agony on the ground and letting out a strangled scream. “You’re the whole reason we came out to this godforsaken neck of the woods, and I’m putting important business on hold to deal with you.”

“How did you know—” Fluttershy gasped for breath, her chest heaving with each. “How did you know we would be here?”

“You’re not the only one with spies,” Lightning shrugged, and Fluttershy’s blood ran cold. Not only were there spies in the Family leaking information to the Lightning Knights, but they were aware of the Family’s spies. This wasn’t good at all.

“I’m not—” Fluttershy groaned and struggled to her hooves. “I’m not going to let you take me.”

“Ha! ‘Let’,” Lightning put her hands on her hips and chuckled. “That’s a good one, like you have a choice.”

Lightning fired another jolt of electricity through Fluttershy’s body and the siren screamed bloody murder; it was torture having the fury’s magic tearing through her body, and it made it near impossible to focus. But she needed to get her head in the game if she was going to rescue Tree Hugger, and now Windy Whistles, and everyone else!

Fluttershy attempted to summon a tendril, but the puddle she thought was still there must have been evaporated by Lightning’s magic, so Fluttershy just gestured helplessly at the air.

“Trying to summon something?” Lightning laughed. “Nice try, but I know you’re at your best when you can prepare the battlefield to your liking, so I’m not gonna let you!”

“I’ll never be defeated by scum from the Lightning Knights!” Fluttershy screamed, and they were incredibly bold words coming from a woman who ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction right after.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t run far, as Lightning was much faster and got in front of her to block her progress immediately. Fluttershy started to panic as Lightning advanced on her slowly, her fingers crackling with electricity, Lightning flicking them at Fluttershy and giving her painful shocks.

Fluttershy spit, and used her magic to enhance the water into a sphere that she could try and drown Lightning Dust in, but the fury was far faster than the siren, and Fluttershy found Lightning’s fist colliding painfully with her stomach, forcing her to drop the sphere as she stumbled back, Lightning kicking Fluttershy’s leg out from under her and causing her to fall to the ground.

Lightning Dust grabbed Fluttershy’s mane and yanked her up to her knees, punching her in the face before electrocuting her again. At this point Fluttershy’s scream had been reduced to a strained wheeze and she tried to fall onto her face, but Lightning wouldn’t let go of her hair.

Fluttershy was dragged to her feet and pushed up against one of the tree houses, Lightning electrocuting her, then punching her in the face, then electrocuting her again, and punching her in the stomach, over and over, Lightning constantly finding new targets to punch as Fluttershy sputtered helplessly, blood dripping down her lips.

“Oh, are you bleeding?” Lightning smeared her thumb across Fluttershy’s chin, trailing blood. She stuck her fingers in Fluttershy’s mouth and shocked the inside of it, eliciting a muffled shriek from the siren. “I saw what you were trying to do with your spit, I’m not giving you a chance to bleed.

“In fact,” Lightning took a step back, her hand still firmly gripping Fluttershy’s hair, “let’s wrap this up.”

Lightning wound up her fist, really reeling back as electricity exploded around it until it was in the shape of a drill, then she released her punch and that drill found itself right into Fluttershy’s stomach, tearing a hole inside her with a ferocious intensity, her screams drowned out by the sounds of crackling lightning and tearing flesh.

Fluttershy slid down the tree and onto her back. There was a hole in her chest, she knew that. She didn’t know much else. She was so tired. So cold too. She was looking up at the canopy of trees above, and her eyes were blurring. She wished she had been able to see the sky. Just once.

Just once.

Lightning Dust stomped on the hole in her chest, and the pain wracked Fluttershy’s entire body, the siren gasping for air as electricity once again found itself coursing through her veins.

“Don’t just think I’m gonna let you die,” Lightning said coldly. “You’re way more valuable to me alive. Though I guess I did end up letting you bleed a bit, so wasn’t that nice of me? What’re you gonna do, Fluttershy?” Lightning twisted her hoof and ground it against Fluttershy’s wound, the siren whimpering and crying. “You gonna turn your blood into some kinda weapon? That’d be sick to see. Lay it on me, Fluttershy! Do your worst!”

Fluttershy spat blood and used her magic to turn it into needles, but Lightning just swatted them away, sparks of electricity flickering off of her hands and evaporating the needles, but the real trick was getting Lightning to focus on them.

Lightning Dust looked down as her leg, still stuck in Fluttershy’s gaping wound, was beginning to freeze over. Lightning scoffed and tore her leg away— emphasis on ‘tore’, as much of the skin on her leg did not come with her as she placed her bloodied hoof on the ground.

“Okay,” Lightning growled, “that wasn’t bad.”

“I’m not done yet,” Fluttershy reached out her hand and started pulling blood from Lightning’s open wound like tugging a string out of a yarn ball, Lightning flying into the air and away from Fluttershy’s reach, but the fury had lost so much blood that it was clearly making her woozy, and Fluttershy had all of that blood in her possession.

Enough for two puddles.

Fluttershy dropped the first puddle nearby, it really didn’t matter where at the moment, and the other right next to her, diving into it immediately and trying not to think about what it was made of.

Lightning Dust of course shot a bolt of lightning down and tried to electrocute the puddle of blood, but Fluttershy just jumped to the other one, before quickly hopping out of it and holding three blood marbles in her hand as Lightning, too woozy from blood loss to fly, touched the ground.

“Do you know what these are?” Fluttershy asked, showing the marbles off by making them hover slightly in the air with her magic.

“Do I care?” Lightning scoffed.

“You should,” Fluttershy smiled devilishly. “This is my blood and yours mixed. Do you have any idea what I can do with these?”

“Nothing!” Lightning spat. “Cuz I’m gonna destroy them!”

Lightning’s aim and her speed were thrown off by the blood loss, so dodging her clumsy bolt attack was easy enough. Lightning decided to close the distance instead and Fluttershy just jumped back into the puddle of blood, before quickly popping back out of the other. But Lightning wasn’t going to fall for the same trick twice, and aimed her jolt of lightning for the puddle Fluttershy was coming out of.

Fluttershy grunted and screamed as the electricity wracked her body; she wasn’t getting used to it. She held out her palm and visibly sighed in relief as the blood marbles had been unaffected by Lightning’s attack and were safe inside her hand.

Lightning Dust appeared in front of Fluttershy in an instant, clapping her hands over Fluttershy’s and zapping it; not enough to seriously hurt her, but enough to evaporate the marbles.

“Now what?” Lightning panted, a sadistic gleam in her eye. But Fluttershy just laughed, Lightning grabbing her by the collar of her dress and snarling. “What’s so funny?!”

“You fell for my bluff,” Fluttershy hummed, “and into my trap.”

Fluttershy began singing a haunting melody— not the siren song, as Fluttershy was hesitant to try and charm someone as despicable as Lightning Dust— but Lightning’s eyes widened in recognition and panic all the same.

The fury tried to get away, but Fluttershy dragged her underneath the blood puddle, throwing her into the depths of Fluttershy’s blood red pocket dimension as a trio of tendrils appeared from the deep to have their fun with Lightning Dust.

Lightning tried to electrocute herself to maybe fry the entire puddle? It didn’t do anything but make her look silly. Although, her ability to out-speed and out-maneuver Fluttershy’s tendrils was nothing to joke about, and even in Fluttershy’s own realm, Lightning Dust quickly started running circles around an increasingly desperate Fluttershy…

…until finally, Lightning positioned herself directly behind the siren’s body, Fluttershy looking behind her just as Lightning was cocking back her fist.

Lightning’s fist was surrounded by a very familiar drill-shaped cone of electricity as Lightning pounded it into Fluttershy’s back, tearing flesh and searing bone, Fluttershy screaming in agony yet again until finally she couldn’t stand it anymore and the puddle’s pocket plane disappeared, ejecting the two monsters back onto land.

“My goons can heal you if you surrender now,” Lightning cracked her knuckles and stomped her hoof onto Fluttershy’s back, eliciting a pained and mournful squeak. “Otherwise? You’re gonna be looking at some pretty long-term injuries.”

“Never,” Fluttershy wheezed, and Lightning Dust just shrugged.

Instead of stomping on Fluttershy, or electrocuting her, Lightning Dust grabbed her mane and dragged her to a nearby tree, where she then propped Fluttershy up with her back against the tree, and sat down next to her.

“Y’know,” Lightning said, and looking at her this close made it clear how exhausted she was by their battle, “we could be allies. No reason we gotta be enemies. Your hypnosis power is so good, I want that on my side.”

“I could never align myself with you,” Fluttershy said firmly. “All you stand for is conquest and violence, and I want nothing to do with you.”

“Okay fine,” Lightning shrugged and stood up with a groan. “Guess that means it’s time to tie you up.”

Lightning put her fingers to her mouth and let out a piercing whistle, a small group of Lightning Knights coming out of the village soon after with ropes and cloths. They must’ve been prepared already. Luckily, this was good news to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy did not want to use her siren song on Lightning Dust; she detested the woman, and the thought of sharing her song with her made Fluttershy sick. But these random soldiers? Well, desperate times and all that, so they could be blessed with Fluttershy’s music.

The siren began to sing, and Lightning looked over to her with rage painted all over her face. It took no convincing at all to get this group of weak-willed soldiers to turn on Lightning Dust, attempting to tie her up instead of Fluttershy as the siren slowly but surely skulked away.

She heard a painful tearing of lightning as she was almost away from the village, and she looked back to see that Lightning Dust had torn through the bodies of the enchanted soldiers, Fluttershy staring in pure horror at how Lightning treated her own comrades.

Fluttershy wasn’t so horrified though that she was above using the blood pouring from the fresh bodies and fashioning it into a cage to hold Lightning Dust in while the siren made her escape. She knew it wouldn’t hold Lightning for long, but if Fluttershy could make a break for it and disappear into the trees, she might be able to get her second wind at least.

The siren ran and ran, deeper into the forest and away from Lightning Dust, though away from her friends as well. It had certainly crossed Fluttershy’s mind that Lightning Dust might kill them simply out of spite for Fluttershy, so she needed to return to the village as quickly as possible once she had regained a bit of her magic.

She sang a song and was able to create a light sprinkling of rain; it wasn’t much, but it was a breath of fresh air regardless. Literally actually, as the smell of rain wafted into Fluttershy’s nostrils.

But Lightning Dust was hot on her trail, Fluttershy could feel it.

“Fluttershyyyy,” Lightning called out as she combed through the forest, covered in blood as Fluttershy hid amongst the trees, similarly caked in mostly dried blood. “Where are you, Fluttershy?”

Lightning Dust fired a bolt of lightning at a tree, knocking it down. She repeated with another tree, and then another, and another. She was panting and sweating, eyes bloodshot as they scanned the forest for a siren whose tentacle was creeping right up behind her.

It didn’t reach her. She must have seen it in her peripherals, as she spun around and slashed right through it with a blade of lightning, Fluttershy feeling the tendril get severed in half like it were her own body, reeling in silent shock.

Fluttershy ran again, but she knew she couldn’t keep running. She needed to defeat Lightning Dust if she wanted to survive. The light rainfall had finally given her enough water to make a few puddles, and Lightning Dust groaned as she reached them, while Fluttershy hid inside one and waited for the right moment to strike.

Lightning Dust took off into the air, blood still trailing from her shredded leg, and then dived back into the ground with a fierce shockwave of electricity that tore the puddles asunder, including the one Fluttershy had been hiding in, painfully ejecting her onto the ground, helpless before Lightning Dust.

Or maybe not so helpless, as she had one more desperate ploy in store, standing up and conjuring a puddle in her own stomach, a single tendril poking out of her own body.

“That’s it?” Lightning cackled, panting and struggling for each breath. “One lousy tentacle? What’re you gonna do with that?”

If she was asking questions now instead of just punching, that meant Fluttershy was on the right track. Which felt good, even if the siren herself was already on her last legs.

“Come at me,” Fluttershy said semi-confidently, “if you think you can.”

Lightning did not, in fact, come at her. The fury fired a bolt of lightning at Fluttershy’s head but it was so slow and clumsy that Fluttershy was literally able to walk out of its path. So with that failure under her belt, now it was time to come at Fluttershy, Lightning Dust charging as her whole body sparked with erratic jolts of electricity.

It all was channeled into the drill shape around Lightning Dust’s fist, as she prepared to unleash her ultimate attack against Fluttershy for the third time. The siren simply parted her lips, and began to sing; she didn’t warm to charm Lightning Dust, but Fluttershy could still wear her down.

The melody reached Lightning’s ears and slowed her down, Fluttershy using her stomach tentacle to grab Lightning’s shredded leg and drag her to the ground, the tendril disappearing in the process because it outlived its usefulness and at this point every drop of magic mattered.

Fluttershy continued singing her relaxing song, Lightning snarling and growling as she shot another lightning bolt that clumsily missed its mark. Lightning scuttled back and spread her wings, taking off into the air and out of range of Fluttershy’s song.

“You thought you had my number, huh?” Lightning Dust cackled, her body still somehow charged with electricity. “Well I’m just getting warmed up!”

Lightning’s body became overcharged with electricity as she charged toward the ground, and while her aim was still horrendous and Fluttershy was able to draw up a shield of rainwater to protect herself, the massive shockwave of Lightning’s attack still brought Fluttershy painfully to her knees.

The fury, wobbling and barely able to keep herself upright, stumbled over to Fluttershy and grabbed her mane, pushing her into a tree and then punching Fluttershy in the head. They were barely even punches at this point, more like gentle taps from Lightning’s slow-moving fists.

Lightning collapsed, her magic entirely drained.

“Your own worst enemy,” Fluttershy panted, “is yourself.”

“Shut up,” Lightning spat. “I hate you.”

“Eh,” Fluttershy shrugged. She had no words left, so she just left.

She didn’t know which end was up, so she just started walking forward, whichever direction ‘forward’ was, and hoped she could make it back to the village. She walked and walked for… some time. Time meant nothing to a woman as dazed and delirious as Fluttershy was in that moment.

Fluttershy collapsed to the ground, but as she hit the dirt, she saw something in the distance. A village. The one her friends had been captured in? She had no idea, but she kept crawling toward it regardless, digging her fingernails into the rough dirt and dragging her body forward, blood loss and injuries be damned.

Just as she was inching ever closer to the village, through the crowd of trees and so close to the inhabitants that she could vaguely hear them chattering even from here, something grabbed ahold of Fluttershy’s leg, and painfully dug into it. Fluttershy looked back and her eyes widened in horror as she saw it was Lightning Dust, crawling behind Fluttershy and burying her nails in the siren’s skin.

“I’m not,” she panted, “done with you… yet.”

Fluttershy limply tried to kick the fury off, but her own body was so heavy that she could barely move as Lightning Dust slowly dragged herself up Fluttershy’s leg… before being met with a sword implanted into the ground.

Both women looked up and saw a young woman, gray fur and hair with burning violet eyes. She was a monster, Fluttershy could tell by the black sclera and the fangs protruding from her mouth, but what kind eluded Fluttershy as she looked rather like an ordinary pony, albeit with a full circle of stitches around her neck that almost seemed like all that attached her head to her body.

What was more curious, was that this monster was adorned in the armor of Celestia’s Paladins.

Behind the mysterious woman were about a half dozen other monsters, some carrying spears or axes, all looking for a fight. Lightning Dust saw the writing on the wall, scurrying away from Fluttershy before covering her escape with a small flash of electricity and running as fast as her wounded legs would carry her.

“Do we pursue?” one monster asked, looking to the purple-eyed woman as their leader.

“Mm-mm,” the woman shook her head and crouched next to Fluttershy, tilting the siren’s head up and smiling warmly.

“Who are you?” Fluttershy asked weakly, but as she started to lose her grip on consciousness, she realized how little that question mattered. “Are you going to hurt me?”

The woman shook her head.

“Are you with the Lightning Knights?”

The woman shook her head furiously, a frown painting her face.

Fluttershy smiled at that. As she passed out, she decided that would simply have to be good enough.

this was a fight i had in my notes for a rly long time, and i'm honestly rly happy with how it turned out