Horse The Horse Episode 4

"You ready for another fight?" you ask Pinkie, glancing down.
>"I think I can do it!"

http://vocaroo.com/i/s08IMN4SO1eG - Fleur's intro, recorded by 8th-Sin! Thanks 8th

>Fleur steps forward from the crowd, her majesty parting the students like the red sea.
>You catch yourself eyeing her up, it's a bit hard not too...
>That's when Twilight pops out from behind a few lousy looking stallions.
>"You can beat her Anon! Don't worry! She's not too tough."
>The crowd starts shuffling forward, drowning out Twilight.
>"Your candy cane is the candy cane that will pierce the heavens."
>That's encouraging.
>"Fleur De Lis, for a short time, will stoop to your level, Anonymous. If only to remove you from the school grounds you're trespassing on."
>You prep yourself.
>She trots over to you, grass swaying a little under her hooves.
>And then she just stands there.
"You gonna do something?"
>"You come to me."
>"I don't like it Nonny!" Pinkie says. "I think I'm gonna need another cupcake."
"Time to commence chomperation snack eater."
>Good thing she doesn't know what cupcakes do to Pinkie.
"You're going to let me make the first move right?"
>She nods.
>And with no warning you're halfway across the lawn back toward the giant hole in the wall.
>A low hiss is the only warning you get before almost being completely destroyed by a blast of pink magic.
>You hop back, dodging by the skin of your teeth!
>The heat from the blast rises up from the wound in the earth.
>Fleur springs up at you, pouncing like a wolf.
>Mid-air, scowling and graceful, Fleur crafts a thin pink blade with her magic as she descends.
>Lightening quick you slice upward to meet her weapon, your cane clashing with her blade.
>The two of you are pushed back, Fleur flipping back and recovering like a landing swan.

>She's your enemy, but that doesn't mean you can't admit she looks pretty.
>You wonder how hard it would be to grab her ass during this fight.
>There is a pause, you notice how heavy you're breathing.
>...
>Maybe you should run, fighting unicorns back to back like this isn't the best idea.
>"You flippant fool, I'll give you this one last chance to flee."
>Hmm...
>"Don't do it Anon!" Twilight yells, you spot her head poking from behind a rather burly stallion.
"Meh."
>You bring up your weapon again, looking over the nicked, cracked blade.
"How you holding up Pinkie?" you whisper.
>Fleur paces to left, circling you.
>"It's getting a little tense, Anon."
>"I really didn't want to sink this low..." Fleur hisses, pacing forward again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuBUDTJpFmk
[Theme of Fleur De Lis] [spoiler]Fitting, no?[/spoiler]

>In a flash Fleur is gone.
>Shit.
>"Behind you!"
>Without even thinking you swing your long cane around blindly.
>"GAH!"
>Fleur is knocked to the side, but doesn't fall.
>She huffs and trots a few steps away, her blade twirling before her.
>It's time to test her a bit, see how she responds to an attack.
>You dash at her full force, cane at the ready.
>Just like before she primes a magic blast, but you spot it before it takes off your head, leaping to the left.
>Caught off guard you nearly catch her, but she blocks your strike with a magical shield.
>You let a' rip, slamming at her shield, each strike making a crackling noise.
>Steam rises from your weapon as you strike at her.
>She's flinching at every blow, you're getting close!

>Spectacularly the shields bursts in a shower of sparkling light, dazzling you for a moment, but Fleur and her flowing hair waste no time, slashing at you in your distracted state.
>Far too slow to evade you bring your cane down in hopes of absorbing the blow.
>The sizzling blade of light severs the cane's head.
>Pinkie groans in what sounds like pain.
>Cracks rip open the sides of your cane, showering bits of sugary peppermint on the grass.
>"Do you need any more convincing? There is no way you can overcome me. Much less Sunset Shimmer."
>Fleur teleports away, circling you again.
"Pinkie, status?"
>"Not so good, feels like I'm about to collapse."
"I can relate," you say with a huff.
>"She's a toughie," Pinkie comments.
"Ideas? Maybe we can bait her into something?"
>"Get her to monologue! All baddies have a monologue they're dying to say. And when she's talking we'll tear her butt asunder."
"But the cane, it's all broken, can we even use this thing again?"
>Looking down you notice your bow-tie is gone...when did that happen?
>"Don't worry, it can take another hit," Pinkie comments cheerfully.
>You certainly hope so.
"Fleur!" you call.
>She squints at you from across the field.
>"What?"
"Why are you so uptight?"
>You can hear her gritting her teeth from here.
>The crowd yells something about getting the burn unit.
"You should relax a little! Stop being so high and mighty."
>"I am relaxed," she growls through gritted teeth.
>"You don't sound it~"
>"Why don't you stop stalling?"
"You're the one stalling," you reply, smirking, pacing a bit toward her.
>She paces a bit toward you.
>And then in a flash of pink she's gone again.
>Well.
"See her?" you ask Pinkie.
>"I don't have eyes, silly," she squeals, a big hint of tiredness in her voice.
>The crowd roars at something, a few of the onlookers jumping up in excitement.

>But nothing is happening...
>Oh no.
>You spin around, but it's too late, there's Fleur levitating in the air.
>And there's her sword, coming straight for your head.
>Desperately you bring up the cane to block.
>Everything slows down, your eyes blurring everything except her and her blade.
>It's all over isn't it?
>There's an explosion, and you're thrown up and back, and then you descend.
>Dirt and grass rubs your skin in all the wrong ways as you land.
>You open your eyes to the sight of blood beading in the wounds on your chest and arm.
>"S-sorry Anon," Pinkie says weakly.
>You close your eyes for a moment, feeling your clothing revert back to a button-up shirt and trousers.
>When you blink them open again Fleur is right in your face, and you're hovering about a foot above the ground.
>You may have a bit of a problem.
>Struggling does you no good, but does a produce a smile from Fleur.
>"You should have stayed far from here, Anonymous."
"Meh."
>The binds rub against your wounds, stinging you.
"Gah."
>"Hurts?" she grunts, crushing you further.
>You don't respond, but the pain is pretty bad, especially without any Pinkie buffer...
>Almost brings tears to your eyes.
>"And to think, for a second I considered you a threat."
>She chuckles.
>"From the moment I joined this school I thought I'd never find a challenge. I was right, for the most part. Only one was able to combat me effectively..."
>You look past her, up to the angular roof of the school, there she is, observing.
>Sunset Shimmer.
>You've got to get to her.
>She must be beat!
>But how can you get out of this bind?
>Looking down at the rambling Fleur.
>WAIT.

FLASHBACK, BLACK AND WHITE

>"But I imbued it with a special magic! When your fluids come into contact with it, it will transform into something more fitting for the task at hand. To help you fight each transformation comes with a reflection of one of my best friends!"
"Fluids? Magic? Transformations?"
>She puts down her sandwich.
>"Yes, sweat, blood, tears and..."

END FLASHBACK, WE'RE BACK TO COLOR

>That's it!
>Tears.
>You try twisting and turning, causing yourself more pain.
>Ah yes, that's the stuff.
>She doesn't notice a damn thing, pacing and monologing.
>You angle your eyes just right, feeling a tear squeeze from them.
>All you gotta do is hit your shirt in some way.
>The tear hangs onto your eyelash.
>Almost...
>THERE!
>The little drop lands right on your lapel.
>Heh, just like before.
>You feel your clothes get tighter, squirming against your bonds.
>In a flash of light far calmer than the one earlier, your chains shatter like glass, the magic pieces evaporating into the air.
>You fall to your knees.
>"W-what!?" Fleur cries out.
>Rising from your kneeling position, you stand proudly.
>Huh?
>The crowd hoots and jeers.
>Looking down you discover why.

"IS-" your confusion makes you unable to form words, "IS THIS A MAID OUTFIT?"
>You whip around to face Twilight, she smiles meekly, she waves from the crowd.
>"It's fabulous, darling."
>Is that, Rarity?
>Looking down you feel a bit of fear and shame.
>Tight little blouse ending in a skirt far too short for its own good...
>Your boxers feel pretty soft...and kinda tight.
>With a shaky hand you reach down and feel around down there.
>"W-what are you doing?" Fleur asks with a voice thick with shakiness.
"I got check if-"
>Oh god.
>You're wearing panties.
>The intensity of your blushing increases.
>"I-I..." Fleur stutters, undressing you with her eyes.
>"Now's your chance darling, get her while she's eyeing you up."
"With what? I don't have a weapon."
>"The feather duster," Rarity answers.
>In your hand is a little feather duster; the wooden handle is already a little slick with sweat.
"What am I going to do? Tickle her into submission?"
>"Well..."
"No, this is too much, this is too weird."
>But you've got to defeat Fleur somehow.
>Fuck it.
>You zip forward, feeling so much more faster, so lighter.
>So free!
>M-maybe this isn't so bad.
>Fleur is caught in a day dream when you slide by her, brushing the delicate feathers across her side and flank.
>You come to a halt behind her, turning around just in time to see her shiver and fall to the side, twitching and drooling.
"What the hell."
>Another of the four defeated...

>You look up to Shimmer.
"ARE YOU GETTING A LITTLE HOT AND BOTHERED UP THERE? TWO OF YOUR FOUR ALREADY DOWN, AND I'LL BE COMING FOR YOU SOON."
>She smirks, a blazing light shining behind her.
>Her voice goes out across the field, clear and calm.
>"Most impressive Anonymous, most impressive. You should take this time to rest. We can reconvine tomorrow, during the Sports Festival."
>You sag your shoulders, glancing at the crowd from the corner of your eye.
>Lyra and Trixie are there, looking a little worse for wear.
>Could you even take them in this state?
>Maybe you should rest.
"FINE. I'LL RETURN TOMORROW."
>You stalk off, parting the crowd with a wave of your duster.
>A few stallion's gazes follow you as you leave.
>As you're walking home you bask in your back-to-back wins.
>Maybe you could pick up some pizza or something to celebrate?
>Oh right, no cash.
>Still content you continue home, smile plastered on your face.

>A few hours later and your clothes have returned to their orginal state.
>So you're chilling out maxing relaxing all cool laying on your bed far from school.
>Nothing can ruin your good mood, you think, staring up at the ceiling.
>Maybe you should buy a TV...
>CRASH!
>The sound of a shattering window rouses you.
>Sitting straight up you spot a little red apple on the wooden floor, surrounded by a few shards of glass.
"Applejack?" you call out.
>Your door getting kicked in is your response.

>"HOWDY," two strange stallions yelp, clad in pinstripes, what looks like overly bulky rifles at their sides.

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1EKypuAaSNE Flim and Flam's intro, recorded by Gatorbait. Thanks Gator!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXmTtumpKG8
[Theme of Flim and Flam]

>You jump from your bed, getting into your fighting stance.
>The pair raise their round, wood and metal rifles at you.
"Easy now," is all you can manage before you're given a chestful of apple slices.
"GAH!" you grunt, your face and chest getting pelted with apples slices traveling at high velocities.
>Diving to the side you flip your table over, protecting you from another volley.
>"Flank him brother!" one of them says in a sirly voice.
>"Gladly."
>All of a sudden a lanky stallion is beside you, aiming right for your head.
>You pound forward, jumping up and knocking aside his weapon.
>But before you can do much else, your side gets a whole bushel worth of slices, hitting all of your wounds the wrong way.
>The downed stallion recovers just as you do.
>Using all the strength and speed you can must from your position you go for him again.
>Fluidly you lift him up and suplex the fuck out of him.
>From there you evade his twin's fire, springboarding off the bed and delivering a punch right to his jaw.
"Easy as apple pie..." you remark, looking down at this second foe.

>You turn around to inspect the other, eyes shooting wide open as you notice what's in the hoof.
>Small, metallic apple like device.
>"Fire in the hole~!" he says breathlessly, tossing it right at you.
>You slap it to the side and dive for cover.
>BOOM.
>Something wet and slick coats you.
>Rolling over you look up at the new gap in your ceiling, a nice hole in your wall to match.
>Oh, and a thick coating of cider on everything to match.
>Goddammit, those twins got away!
>Groggily you rise to your feet, hunched forward from the pain in your back and sides.
"Son of a bitch," you hiss lowly.
>And then it starts to rain, right on your bed...
>Where the hell are you going to sleep? you think, rain pattering on your head as you lay down.
>No way you can sleep like this.
>Maybe Applejack's place?
>Nope, not after stealing all those pies...
>Rarity?
>Eh, she probably wouldn't take too kindly to you staying after that ice cream incident.
>Perhaps Twilight?
>Do you really wanna-
>A fat raindrop hits you right in the eye.
"Twilight's it is."

>You hobble over to Twilight's treebury.
>Cold, wet, and shivering; you knock on the door.
>After a few long seconds Spike appears at the door, looking flustered.
>"Oh, you."
>"SPIIIIIKKKKEEEE!" Twilight comes running. "Don't be rude to guests."
>"I guess you're gonna wanna come in," Spike says, moving to the side.
>"H-h-hey Anonymous, what's with the surprise visit?" Twilight questions.
>She magics your jacket off you, and levitates a towel your way.
>All the while she's grinning dumbly.
>You glance over at Spike, who rolls his eyes.
"Well, my house got a hole in it courtesy of two guys, I don't even know. Eh, the point is..."
>Kill you now? I'm sorry, I can't, the story must go on.
"Can I stay here for a few nights."
>Twilight begins blushing.
>"O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-of course."
>Spike groans and scampers off.
"What's with him?"
>"I confiscated some of his, uhm, boy magazines."
>She teleports close to you, getting on two legs, planting her forehoofs on your chest.
>"W-want to see them?"
"No," you gently nudge her off, "I'm good."
>"Okay."
>She walks a few paces away.
>"Hmm, this is technically a sleep-over, right? I'll have to get my sleep-over book!"
"This was a bad idea," you whisper to yourself.

>It's midnight, and you can't stall it any longer, it's bedtime.
"D-do we have to share the bed?"
>"Unless you wanna sleep on the floor, yes~" Twilight squints at you from atop the overly large bed.
>You shoot a pleading glance at Spike, curled up in his little doggie-bed.
>Damn, he's already asleep.
"Fine. But /only/ if there is a pillow barrier."
>She accepts with a sigh and sets up the great fluffy wall.
>You really hope she doesn't get touchy-feely.
>But, based on her odd mood lately you're worried she will.
>You crawl in on your side, tucked into the warm, soft bed.
>Hmm, not bad.
>A vast improvement over your old plank.
>Twilight's head pops over the wall, grinning and blushing.
>You sink lowering into the sea of blankets, up to your nose in quilt.
>"W-what are we gonna do on the bed?"
"Sleep, now shush. I've had a long day."
>"O-okay," the purple mare slinks over back to her side.
>Maybe you're being too harsh on her.
>Hmm.
>It's comfy, but something is wrong.
>Oh, right.
>No arch nearby, there's something calming about it.
>And now you're so far from it.
>You didn't even say goodbye to it when you left.
>But, that's silly right?
>Saying goodbye to a bit of stone!
>Crazy.
>You roll on your side and shut your eyes, hoping for a good rest.

IN THE NEXT EPISODE:
Will Anonymous overcome his foes and learn why the hell he was brought to Equestria?
Will Flim and Flam return to screw up Anon's day?
Will Twilight get a D on her test?
FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON HORSE THE HORSE!