Chapter 6: Fighting Lessons

The group of seven stood in shock. Fluttershy had challenged Princess Celestia to a duel. In one week she would have to fight The Sun Goddess herself. If the yellow pegasus won then The Power Ponies would stay but if she lost then she would put herself in exile in the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy did not want to live in that forest but this was a risk that she was willing to take.

"Fluttershy." Twilight Sparkle began. "Why would you do that?"

"I know you guys liked being heroes." Fluttershy said. "I couldn't stand seeing you so upset that we lost that. I want to be heroes with you guys."

"But what if you lose?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You're not really gonna go into the forest right?"

"It's what I agreed to do." Fluttershy said.

The group stayed silent for a moment.

"Then we'll have to make sure that ya win this." Rainbow Dash said fiercely.

"How?" Fluttershy asked.

"I think Gilda can teach you how to fight." Rainbow Dash said.

Fluttershy shivered a bit. While she liked Gilda and didn't have any fear of her, she couldn't deny that the griffon was very intimidating even when she was in a good mood. However this was for her friends and Gilda was easily the best choice for fighting lessons. The group walked towards the gym where Gilda was teaching ponies to fight. They quickly discussed the situation with her and Gilda understood. Fluttershy signed up for one on one classes. They would have their first session in an hour.

An hour later Fluttershy was standing in the gym with Gilda. The griffon taught her every single move that she could. Fluttershy tried her best but she wasn't a fighter. Her attacks were slow and weak.

"Come on Fluttershy." Gilda urged her. "You can do this. It's just like with that roar. You gotta dig deep and find your strength."

Fluttershy concentrated and her attacks started to strengthen. She kept pushing herself to try harder. Gilda started to put effort into the way she blocked, dodged, and countered Fluttershy's attacks. The griffon was definitely pleased with the pegasus' rapid progression. Fluttershy would need all the help she could get if she were to have a chance against Princess Celestia. After a day's worth of training, Fluttershy headed home.

The next day Fluttershy met with Rainbow Dash. The rainbow maned pegasus trained Fluttershy to push herself to her limits. The yellow pegasus was trying to become as fast as she possibly could. Sh'e need to move fast in order to dodge Princess Celestia's attacks. Training was difficult but Fluttershy refused to give up. She kept working hard and then she started to get faster and faster. She wasn't as quick as Rainbow Dash but she was a lot faster than she was before.

The duo kept at it throughout the day. After that, Fluttershy met up with Gilda to continue her fighting classes. The griffon was pleased with how well the yellow pegasus was progressing.

"Next week you'll wipe the floor with Celestia." Gilda said confidently.

Fluttershy kept up her training throughout the week. She might not be a fighter by nature but she was determined to do anything to help her friends. Even if it meant going against her own nature. Fluttershy was going to fight Princess Celestia and she was going to do everything in her power to win that fight.

Meanwhile Princess Celestia was concerned about the situation. She did not want to fight Fluttershy but she had already accepted the duel. The Sun Goddess didn't want to hurt Fluttershy but she knew that she couldn't surrender or take it easy on the yellow pegasus. The rules of Judgement Duels would not allow mercy. Princess Celestia would have to hope that Fluttershy would be able to defeat her. Putting the yellow pegasus in exile was not something that Princess Celestia wanted to do. She liked Fluttershy and she didn't want to cause her any harm.

"Why did I agree to this duel?" she asked herself.

The Sun Goddess was extremely disappointed with herself. She had gotten herself into a very bad situation. Why didn't she just allow Twilight Sparkle and her friends to be superheroes?

Princess Celestia laid down in bed and tried to put her guilt from her mind. She had an extremely uneasy rest that night as she did for every night for the rest of the week.

Back in Ponyville Fluttershy woke up in her cottage. This was it. The day had arrived. She was going to duel against Princess Celestia. The yellow pegasus left her home and walked towards the stadium. Her friends followed behind her and they stayed silent. None of them knew what to say. They hoped that Fluttershy would be able to defeat Princess Celestia. They cared about her and they didn't want to see her go into exile. The Mane Six, Gilda, Lightning Dust, and Spike walked together towards the stadium. Fluttershy waited while the others went into the stands. The duel was approaching rapidly.

Princess Celestia got out of her chariot and headed towards the stadium. Princess Luna walked beside her. The two sisters were completely silent. What could they even say to each other? When they reached the stadium they parted ways. Princess Luna went into the stands while Princess Celestia waited for her time to enter. She and Fluttershy were at opposite ends of the stadium. They would enter when they were told to.

The group of eight found seats together and they sat in silence. They were all there to support Fluttershy. The stands rapidly filled with ponies who were anxious to see how this duel would go. It wasn't clear who was supporting who but they were all excited to see a duel. A section of the stands were reserved for the commentators. The small area was occupied by two adult stallions. They tapped on their microphones and the chatting stopped. The duel would begin very shortly.