An assault is coming
It's been two weeks since the marine rescue and the Psycho Mantis mind games, Fluttershy had trained a lot harder to become stronger, not just physical skill, mental endurance and emotional management.
Raiden was always there for her training rounds, watching her improve as time went on, feeling a sense of pride in being able to help her.
Fluttershy herself was still concerned, those Psycho Mantis mind games really got to her, but she had to be stronger, she knows she has the power to prevent all that.
One day while training, Fluttershy nearly passed out from exhaustion, she had worked herself too hard despite being told sometimes it's not a good thing to do, Raiden quickly got her some water.
"You have to be careful when training", Raiden said.
"Sorry, I just wanna be stronger", Fluttershy responded.
"That's good, but don't do what your body can't handle"
"Ok Raiden"
"On that note, I think you've had enough for now, you need to eat something, you can resume later"
Fluttershy nodded, "I'd like that"
As they headed over to get some food, Fluttershy spoke up, "Am I doing better?"
Raiden nodded, "Much better"
"I'm glad, I've been training really hard, I was worried it wasn't enough though, sometimes I feel like I haven't improved"
"You are, you're doing very well for yourself, you've become a lot stronger since I met you, I honestly can say I would trust you with my life"
Fluttershy gulped, "That's a bit much, I don't think I'm that good"
"Don't drag yourself down, you're very good, a lot more competent than Akiba"
Fluttershy giggled a bit at that.
"What's even great is that you maintained your sweet demeanor, that's one thing I always loved about you Fluttershy", Raiden said.
Fluttershy blushed, Raiden just said 'love', he loved something about her, she wondered if that means he might develop feelings for her.
She decided not to think about it too much, don't raise false hopes.
They each grabbed some food, some Instant Noodles, they sat together to chow down.
While they were eating Otacon ran over to them, "We have some big problems!"
Raiden looked concerned, "What's wrong?"
"It's a war, there are Metal Gears down below terrorizing cities! We need to stop them!" Otacon said.
"Damn, sounds like Liquid's kicking his war into high gear", Raiden said.
Akiba passed by, "More like he's kicking it into Metal Gear", he chuckled a bit, though everyone else just glared.
"Get it, Metal Gear, because there's a bunch of Metal Gears and-"
"Don't make me stare at you", Fluttershy warned.
"Ah! Never again!" Akiba said and ran away.
"Let's just go", Raiden said.
The group met up and discussed battle plans.
Once everything was settled, Snake, Raiden, Meryl, her team & Fluttershy went with Drebin so he can take them to a battlefield.
He dropped them off, each one loaded with some weapons and went to fight some soldiers & Metal Gears, it was gonna be a tough one.
As they walked, they noticed several soldiers, likely Mei Ling's men, they were firing at the enemy, Snake and his allies went near the front line and readied their weapons.
One the enemy soliders came in, it was war, Snake, Meryl & her team shot all the incoming soliders.
Raiden grabbed his sword and used his ninja sword techniques to slash many soliders, spilling blood all over the area, leaving a mess of dead bodies.
Fluttershy as nervous, she didn't want to actually shoot anyone, and she was a bit frightened from all the other shooting, many people were dying around her, blood being splattered with every gunshot, people getting stabbed and slashed, bombs going off and leaving charred bodies.
Fluttershy wanted to just leave, but she can't abandon her friends, she simply stayed near them as they handled all the shooting.
As the enemies started falling back, Snake led his team forward, a few enemies ran in to attack melee wise, but Snake used his CQC to take several down, Meryl & her team also used melee attacks.
Some went for Fluttershy but she was able to handle them with her CQC training, holding her own pretty well.
Raiden alternated between using his sword, his dagger and his Socom handgun, soon leaving the enemies to little.
Things got harder when some Gekko arrived to help the soldiers, the Gekko annihilated the friendlies, shooting them, blasting them or stomping them.
Fluttershy looked a bit bothered by the bloodbath, though when the Gekko approached her, she simply flew up and shot at them with her machine gun, while she had qualms about shooting humans, she had no problem shooting machines.
Raiden was able to handle the Gekko with his sword skills, taking down several of them with little to no issue.
Snake threw a few grenades to take down several soldiers and then used a Grenade Launcher to attack the Gekko, taking them down.
The Gekko started increasing in number, more of them coming to the battle.
"Fall back!" Snake said and continued to fire alongside his team, with Raiden still taking several out with his sword.
As the Gekko were pouring in, soon they spotted Vamp on one, licking a knife, "This should be fun"
"Damn, it's Vamp!" Snake shouted.
"Kill him!" Meryl shouted and shot at Vamp with her team, but he simply traveled across the tops of the Metal Gears, avoiding all the bullets and tossing his knives l, luckily the team dodged.
Vamp rushed across the Gekko to get close to the others but Raiden ran and slashed Vamp with his sword, but Vamp blocked the sword strikes with his knife and then kicked Raiden back.
Snake opened fire at Vamp but he jumped in the air and threw the knives at Snake's gun to disarm him.
Vamp landed before the group, Fluttershy was the most terrified, she didn't like the cold dead look of Vamp.
Raiden ran in to attack and managed to impale Vamp from behind, Vamp then back handed Raiden and removed the sword, while he was distracted, Snake took the opportunity to shoot him a few times.
Vamp fell over and then tossed a knife at Snake's leg, causing him to stumble.
Meryl & her team went to attack Vamp, but he managed to run in and cut their guns and slash them a bit, injuring them.
Vamp was gonna finish them off but other soldiers shot at him.
Vamp quickly went in and started cutting and stabbing the soldiers, slashing their heads, chests, necks, the battlefield became a blood back.
One guy he grabbed and slashed hard across his chest, making the blood squirt out, Vamp drinking the blood as if it were a water fountain, which really disturbed Fluttershy.
"That man's a monster!"
One guy he stabbed in the neck and then drained the blood from his body as well, which startled Fluttershy, that wasn't natural.
Vamp then looked menacingly at Fluttershy and approached her while licking some blood off his knife, "Here little pony"
Fluttershy decided to simply shoot Vamp but he moved quickly out the way and knocked the gun out of her hand and then slashed across her chest, drawing some blood, he went to stab down but Snake shot the knife out of Vamp's hand and then shot him a few more times.
Raiden ran in and slashed at Vamp, and then stabbed him in the chest and twisted the sword.
"You need to die!"
Snake checked on Fluttershy, "You doing ok?"
Fluttershy was nodding, then held her head, "No...get out of my head!"
Snake grew concerned, "Dammit!" he turned to Raiden, "Psycho Mantis is attacking her mind again!'
Raiden kicked Vamp off the sword, making him fall, then stabbed down on him, "What's going on with Psycho Mantis!?"
Vamp grinned, "He has his ways", he then kicked Raiden back and removed the sword.
Fluttershy held her head, "Get out my mind!"
Snake spoke to her head, "Mantis! Get out of there!"
Soon a piece of Gekko levitated and was sent at Snake, luckily Snake rolled out the way and looked around, "Mantis is here!"
Vamp rushed in to attack Snake but Snake retaliated with a knife of his own to Vamp's chest.
Vamp growled and kicked Snake back, then dealt with gunfire from Meryl, Akiba, Jonathan & Edward.
Snake had then contacted Otacon, "Vamp's here, as is Mantis, I can't find Mantis but he's really fucking around with Fluttershy's mind, they make one hell of an alliance though"
"Yes, they do, but remember the Nano-machines, you still have that syringe?" Otacon asked.
Snake remembered, "Yeah, I always kept it with me just in case"
"Good, take Vamp down!"
Snake nodded, but he was still concerned with Fluttershy.
"Kid, you need to be strong! Fight it, you have the will power!"
Fluttershy nodded and struggled.
Snake noticed that Vamp was still trying to attack his allies, he shot Vamp from behind.
Vamp turned around and went to attack Snake but Raiden took the opportunity to throw his sword through Vamp's back.
Vamp managed to get the sword out of his chest when Snake stabbed him in the neck with the Syringe, causing his quick healing nano-machines to deplete.
Vamp struggled to get away, he knew if he got attacked now, he would not heal.
Before they can attack him, they were shot at by Fluttershy.
"N...no...Not my friends!" she continued to shoot them, causing them to take cover.
"Damn, Mantis is controlling her!" Snake said.
Meryl groaned, "Damn Psycho Mantis"
"There's gotta be a way to find him", Raiden said.
Fluttershy continued to shoot while she struggled in her mind.
Then suddenly she and Mantis felt a strange interference, "You must fight it..."
Mantis wasn't happy, "Sorrow!? Be gone!"
Fluttershy continued to struggle in her mind, Vamp turned to her, "Hurry up and kill them! They are becoming a nuisance!"
Sorrow's voice continued to speak through Fluttershy's mind.
Mantis tried showing her frightening images, but The Sorrow managed to bring up pleasant images, those of her friends of Equestria, her friends here, those who need her, she continued to fight.
Vamp noticed that Fluttershy stopped shooting, when her friends popped out he tossed knives at them, he needed to bide time before his nanos kicked in again.
Vamp went in closer to keep throwing knives, hoping to attack them once he was close enough, unfortunately Fluttershy managed to gain control for a brief moment and she opened fire on Vamp, getting him several times, causing him to fall over.
Snake & the others noticed this and popped out and noticed that Vamp was down.
Fluttershy then grabbed her head and screamed really loudly, as if she's trying to power someone out of her mind, her screams caused some nearby screaming.
"That sounds like Mantis!" Snake said.
They ran to the area where the sound came from, which was behind a collapsed building, he used his powers to knock the group back and then sent some rocks at them, causing them to dodge.
"It's over Mantis, your cover is blown!" Raiden said.
"It's never over"
Raiden went in to attack but Mantis dodged and some more objects at him, only for Raiden to slice through them.
Snake & the others shot at him but he dodged out the way, "You know I can read your minds, you will not be able to stop-" Mantis then got rammed by Fluttershy, catching him by surprise.
"How!" he used his powers to send Fluttershy down, during his distraction, Raiden tossed a dagger at Mantis's leg, which Mantis wasn't quick enough to notice or dodge.
Mantis then sent a few fireball type attacks ate everyone as he tried to fly off.
Fluttershy shot at him, which he dodged, mostly by luck, it's like he was having through reading her mind.
Fluttershy kept shooting until she nailed Mantis on the back and he fell, holding his back in pain.
"Why can't I read her mind?" Mantis asked.
Raiden approached him with his sword, "You've lost Mantis, surrender now"
Mantis grabbed the dagger and tossed it at Raiden, he deflected it with his sword and then approached Mantis and stabbed him through the shoulder.
Mantis saw that coming, however he couldn't prevent it.
"Why are you doing this Mantis, how are you and Vamp alive again!? How is Liquid alive!?" Raiden asked.
"Science and Magic...do lots of wonders"
Snake approached him, "I thought you had no interest in working with Liquid"
"I have already told you Snake, this world deserves to suffer...though from the looks of your Pegasus friend...it sounds like there are other worlds too...perhaps they should suffer too"
Fluttershy glared, "Don't you dare go near my world!"
"He won't", Raiden said and then stabbed down on his chest, causing him to scream in pain, "He won't live long enough too"
Mantis simply chuckled, "I've died once before, who knows how long before I return..."
Raiden turned the sword to finish the job and then looked to Vamp, who was struggling to get up.
Raiden tossed a dagger to Vamp, to hurt him more, then approached him and pulled it out hard.
Vamp turned to them, "Damn you..."
Snake approached Vamp and used the syringe on him again to make sure the nanos were completely gone as he fell over, Fluttershy aimed her Assault Rifle at him.
"I hate to do this, but you are too big ofa meanie, you should never have been a terrorist"
Vamp glared, "You're a fool, soon Liquid will rule this world, then he'll find a way to yours...say good-bye to your friends"
Fluttershy turned away and shot him some more to finish him, she hated having to kill, but Vamp was too dangerous of a monster, besides as a soldier, it was her job to protect the world by any means necessary.
Their victory was cut short when more Gekko arrived.
"Damn, where are these things coming from!?"
Soon Drebin had arrived and tossed them a few Rocket Launchers, "I designed these so that their rockets will go straight for them, have fun!"
The group grabbed the Rocket Launchers and started shooting at the Gekko & all the incoming soldiers, destroying each of them, Fluttershy had a hard time shooting the rocket launcher due to her small size.
After about a few more minutes of fighting, all the Gekko were dead, the group sighed in relief and went back into the van to be taken back to the Cargo plane, Mei Ling's soldiers would handle everything else.
Later on they were back on the plane, having dealt a huge blow to Liquid Snake's army plans, Raiden had changed out of his cyber suit and everyone had gotten some medical treatment.
Fluttershy later laid down on her bed, Raiden went to his room and went on his bed, he looked to her, "You did really well today"
Fluttershy nodded, "Thanks, I can't believe I killed someone, I was hoping I wouldn't have to, but that man was so evil and scary, plus you taught me that sometimes you have to make these sacrifices, and do what's right"
"You know, you could have let one of us shoot him"
Fluttershy glared, "Shut up"
Raiden put his hands up defensively, "I'm just saying"
Fluttershy giggled, then approached Raiden and gave him a kiss, "I still love you"
"You're really serious about this...in that case, I better get used to it"
Fluttershy giggled and started kissing him again, Raiden simply returned the kiss, both were at peace for the moment, but how long would the peace last?
Back at the HQ, Liquid isn't happy that Vamp & Mantis were killed in battle, he had to make new battle plans, he will have his revenge on Snake & his allies.
Fluttershy has really matured in this world, but Raiden still has some prior issues to deal with.