Prickle Berry Tries to Be Careful

by David Silver

First published 2nd of February, 2017

Prickle didn't ask to become so strong, but it just happened. Now, as a growing foal, she's mightier than many grown stallions. What's an earth-filly to do? She tries her best to move forward and not draw attention to her supernatural strength.

Prickle didn't ask to become so strong, but it just happened. Now, as a growing foal, she's mightier than many grown stallions. What's an earth-filly to do? She tries her best to move forward and not draw attention to her supernatural strength.

1 - A Strong Start

Junebug, a pony with chartreuse fur and two-toned mane, gently brushed her daughter's mane. "All set?"

Prickle bobbed her head. "Yes, mom." She pointed back at a saddlebag that hung from her sides. "Lunch is packed, homework is done!"

June smiled. "I'll be at work, but you know how to find me."

Prickle brushed her mother's hoof away, or tried. The light contact sent June's hoof flying and her mother spun with the force. Prickle went a bright red. "I'm sorry!"

June set her hoof down and shook the dizziness from herself. "It's... alright. Just... be careful. You don't want the other foals to say unkind things."

They kissed and hugged, carefully, before they both took off to their daily tasks.

Prickle trotted along energetically until she saw a filly that made her nervous. She cringed and shied away, even if the filly had been nominally forgiven for her past misdeeds.

"Well look who we have here," came Diamond's voice. "The strongest filly in all of Ponyville."

Prickle felt heat growing in her cheeks. Was Diamond making fun of her again? "H-hello, Diamond."

Her constant companion, Silver Spoon, was there. "Don't look so down, Prickle. I hear there's an event today that you should do really well in."

Diamond bobbed her head in agreement. "The colts are having a pee wee weight lifting contest. I bet you'll win without event trying."

Prickle couldn't exactly tell if Diamond was goading her or not. "I'm not a colt," she decided to reply with.

Silver Spoon was on her, brushing on her side. "You have the strength of one--"

"Make that ten," corrected Diamond, coming from the other side. "You could beat them all, combined."

Prickle shook her head quickly, hopping away from the two. "I don' wanna! I'm happy being a regular filly."

Diamond pointed at her. "But... you're not."

Prickle bit her bottom lip before she ran away, fighting the tears she didn't want to be seen shedding.

Diamond shrugged softly. "It's true, isn't it?"

Silver Spoon shrugged in kind. "If I was that strong, I'd show it off to the whole world!"

Diamond laughed softly. "That isn't happening. Come on, let's get to class." The two trotted off together, comfortable with their lots in life.

Prickle bumped right into a pony, not watching where she was going. The poor pony she crashed into was sent right off their hooves and slid on the ground. "Sorry!" she squeaked, rushing to make sure they were alright.

Apple Bloom sat up, head spinning. "S'alright!" Her eyes focused and she smiled. "Oh, hey Prickle. Where'r ya off to in sucha rush? Are we late for class?"

Prickle smiled with relief, both to see Apple was alright, and didn't seem to hold their collision against her at all. "Not yet." She glanced away and back. "Is it true, are they doing a weight-lifting contest?"

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom bounced to her hooves, a bright smile on her face. "Cheerilee's gonna get all the foals together. There'll be a filly and a colt division. Ah'm gonna try mah best. Apples are known for bein' tough!" She flexed a foreleg, showing off her impressive lack of obvious muscles. "Ah'm gonna buck me some apples someday, ya know?"

Prickle perked an ear up. "Oh, it's not just for colts?"

"Who said that?" Apple Bloom cocked a brow. "Nah, just two divisions t' keep it fair. Yer gonna enter, right? Yer sure to win!"

Prickle felt heat gathering quickly. "I'm not sure I want to..."

"Hey!" Scootaloo was rapidly approaching the two. "Morning, Apple Bloom, Prickle Berry. What's up?"

Apple Bloom thrust a hoof at Prickle. "She ain't sure she wants t' do the weight lifting."

Scootaloo blinked softly. "Are you strong?"

"Is she strong?!" Apple Bloom laughed at the very question. "She just sent me flying and she wasn't even tryin'."

Scootaloo grinned. "Then you should totally try! You owe it to yourself to always try your best. If you have a talent, you should put it to work."

Apple Bloom blinked softly. "That was poignant."

Sweetie Belle suddenly popped up out of a bush and hopped free. "Have you been reading my dictionary again?"

It was too much for Prickle. "I'll see you all at school." She gave a quick smile and dashed off towards the relative safety of the classroom.

Cheerilee was there, greeting the students as they came in. She sat behind her desk, organizing some papers. "Good morning, Prickle Berry."

"Good Morning, Miss Cheerilee," she replied, giving the teacher a genuine smile. She liked Cheerilee and her class. She rarely had to be shamed for her strength while she was learning.

Leaving her saddlebags in the proper place, she moved for her desk and carefully slid into place. Soon the class was filled with many foals and colts, and Cheerilee launched into the day's lesson.

As fit her usual teaching style, she was going over the activity they were about to do. She gave advice and tips on how to lift things without straining one's back, how to get a good grip, and, "Most importantly, know your limit. If you can't pick something up, don't force it. It's alright to go to a lighter weight. Today, we'll be having a guest instructor."

"YEAH!" exclaimed the beefy pony as he burst through the door. "We're gonna practice our other brain!"

Cheerilee rolled her eyes. "I think they'll still be using the same brain, Bulk. Say hello to Bulk Biceps, children. He'll be helping you all have a good time."

"Hello Bulk Biceps," said the classroom together, even as Prickle glanced around nervously.

The class began to rise and follow the enthusiastic stallion, but Prickles detoured to Cheerilee's side. "Could I be excused, please?"

Cheerilee blinked down at her. "Are you feeling bad?" She reached a hoof to place on Prickle's forehead. "You don't feel warm..." Honed from years of practice, Cheerilee was not swift to accept casual claims of illness. "What's wrong?"

Prickle swallowed audibly. She knew her secret was safe from Cheerilee, so far. "I..." She had to think fast, and racked her brain for an answer. "I have to go help my mother!"

Cheerilee was less than impressed with the answer. "Your mother didn't tell me to excuse you for that, Prickle Berry. Please join the other students." She pointed out to the yard, then lightly swatted Prickle on the bottom. She walked along, letting Prickle go just a little ahead of her to keep an eye on the filly. "There's nothing to be scared of. This isn't a contest, promise."

Outside, there were all manners of weights, from the tiniest weighted ball to a full bench with a bar that had a collection of massive weights laying beside it. Bulk was cheering on Pipsqueak as he struggled to lift a weight that had '2 lb' written on it. When the colt finally hefted it over his head, the others clopped and cheered for him. Pipsqueak looked quite happy, until he tipped over with it and thumped to the ground.

"Yeah! You did good." Bulk gave him a pat on the back, then pointed to Snails. "Next!"

Cheerilee gathered up the fillies. "I'll be leading the rest of the class. We'll show those colts we mares can pull our weight, hmm?" She was smiling gently at the lot of them. "Let's start with the smaller weights." She pointed to the small barbells.

The Ponies grabbed them up with hoof and mouth and began playing with them. Prickle approached the smallest little ball that Pipsqueak had struggled with and make a great grunt of effort. She was faking, of course, and made all manner of heaving noises as she got it a few inches up. "Phew, that's hard," she declared, letting it come back to the ground.

A sudden crash brought all eyes to the bench, where Sweetie was flailing. The weight bar was down on her neck, and it was loaded with more weights than any pony should have even contemplated. Left as it was, it could hurt Sweetie terribly. It was a miracle that it hadn't already.

Prickle felt a wave of tingles go down her spine in utter dread. Someone had to rescue her, and Bulk Biceps was across the yard, helping Snips struggle with their own weights. Every second counted. Prickle didn't think, she ran. She galloped with all her might to the desperately wheezing unicorn.

She thrust out a hoof and scooped up the impressively weighted bar. Prickle lifted it up high over her head as if it were nothing. "Are you alright?!"

Sweetie fell off the bench, choking for air, crying, but breathing.

The other ponies in the area were too busy staring at Prickle and the titanic weight she bore without effort.

The adrenaline wore off and Prickle realized where she was, what she was doing, and why everypony was gaping at her. She dropped the weight like it was on fire. It crashed into the ground with such force that the weights sank into the earth on either side, only stopping when the bar itself hit the ground.

Her face was on fire. Her heart was beating violently in her chest. She was being stared at. She was a freak. Everypony hated her!

She burst into fresh tears and ran away, deaf to the shouts and cries of those behind her.

She kept running until she didn't hear anyone anymore. She ducked behind a building, curled in a ball, and wept. Her secret that she thought would be ruined by Diamond Tiara some day was instead ruined all by herself. She had messed it all up! She'd never be welcomed at school again!

"Prickle?" It was Scootaloo. "Prickle?" She turned the corner and found Prickle there. "Prickle! There you are!"

Prickle sat up quickly and wiped her eyes. "Here to c-chase me away?"

Scootaloo blinked dumbly. "What? No! I'm here to say thanks. You saved Sweetie! I mean, she shouldn't have taken that bet, but you saved her! You're a hero!"

A hero? "What?" Prickle flopped backwards, confused. "You're not... scared?"

"Scared?" Scootaloo tilted her head, confusion written on her face. "That was almost the awesomest thing I ever saw! I mean, you were no Rainbow Dash, but who can be besides her?" She flashed a big grin, excitement overtaking other emotions. "How'dja do that?!"

Prickle ventured the smallest smile. "I'm just... weird..."

"Weird in an awesome way!" gushed Scootaloo.

"Prickle!" came a distant calling voice.

"She's over here!" replied Scootaloo in a shout. "That's Apple Bloom, she wants to say thanks too. Sweetie's our best friend ever. We couldn't be the Cutie Mark Crusaders without her."

"Ya found her?" Apple Bloom galloped up to join the meeting. "Hey Prickle! Why'dja run off like that?"

There was no time to address her directly, as other ponies began to gather, including Cheerilee.

The teacher pushed past the others and reached out a hoof to Prickle. "Prickle Berry, please don't do that again. Are you alright?"

Prickle felt the tears building in her eyes again. They were all there, whispering about her freakish nature. "I'm sorry..."

"It's alright. Let's get back to school, alright?"

Prickle felt a moment of confusion. Did Cheerilee not know about what happened? "Is Sweetie Belle alright?"

Cheerilee nodded. "I'm told you're to thank for that. What weights was she playing with? The only bar in the area had far too many weights for any foal to lift."

She hadn't heard! Prickle jumped for the chance. "I threw the bar away. I'm sorry!"

Cheerilee smiled gently. "We'll gather all the equipment up, but please, be careful. You could hurt somepony if you throw things.

The teacher led all the foals away. As they returned to the schoolyard, Scootaloo moved in close to Prickle. "You fibbed."

Prickle had, but there was one excuse available. "If she heard how many weights Sweetie Belle was playing with, she'd get in big trouble."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "Good thinkin'! Thanks again."

Author's Notes:

Say hello to Prickle Berry, known in the fandom also as Lily Longsocks. She has great power, but is in no hurry to show it off. She may not always have that choice. Join us as we watch her life and adventures. Some things will be small, some things may be huge. I plan on this being an episodic exploration of her life and exploits.

Done for a loyal patron!

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2 - Gaining Purpose

Prickle tried to hurry home as soon as Cheerilee allowed them to go, but there was a smiling Apple Bloom to stop her. "Hey! Are ya busy?"

Prickle glanced left and right. "I should make sure my mom knows where I am..."

Sweetie popped up beside Prickle. "Scootaloo's already going to tell her you're with us."

Prickle blinked softly. They were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. When they got their eye on something, it was practically impossible to shake them. She pointed at her saddlebag before she moved towards it. "Let me get my things." They didn't stop her as she got it on. "Where are we going?"

Apple Bloom grinned just a little too wide. "That there's a secret, but ya'll find out when ya come wit' us. It'll be fun, promise!"

"Yeah!" gushed Sweetie Belle, clopping her white hooves before the two of them started trotting away.

Prickle followed after them, a little resigned. "Are you gonna make fun of me?" That would be something the old Diamond Tiara would have done without hesitation.

Sweetie looked over her shoulder. "What? No! That'd be just... incorrigible!" She slowed down to let Prickle catch up and threw a leg over her neck. It was quite surprising that when she tried to pull Prickle closer, she was the one that ended up being pulled right off her hooves and hanging there as Prickle walked along, entirely unfazed by the weight.

Apple Bloom quickly noticed her friend being carried along with a shocked expression on her face and giggled at the sight. "Yer amazin', Prickle. Why would anypony make fun of ya fer that?"

Prickle's ears dipped a moment. She wasn't used to ponies being so friendly. Sweetie was even hanging off of her. Were they trying to be... nice? "Aren't you... disgusted? I'm a big terrible freak!" She shouted the words far louder than she intended and went red in the face as she came to a stop.

Taking advantage of the stop, Sweetie let go and flopped to the ground before rolling back upright. "You're a hero!"

"A super hero," added Apple Bloom, her brows waggling suggestively. "Just like in tha comics!"

Prickle had not read many comics, and puzzlement was written clear on her face. "So... you don't think it's icky?"

Apple Bloom waved the way forward. "C'mon! We got lots t'talk about."

Soon they approached the Apple Farm, and the clubhouse of the Crusaders. Prickle looked up at it with a concerned expression. "I'm allowed inside?"

Sweetie Belle threw her hooves wide, sitting on her haunches. "You saved me! Of course you're allowed inside."

Prickle moved for the stairs and put a hoof on it. She pressed down to test it and her hoof burst right through the wood as if it were wet paper, wood splinters flying in a light spray around her. "Sorry..."

Scootaloo peeked over the edge from the top of the stairs. "What was that? Oh, hey girls! Hey Prickle! Come on up!"

Apple Bloom gave an encouraging smile. "Let's try that again, gently this time, please."

Prickle took a slow breath that she held in, her chest bulging with air as she set her hoof back down as gently as she could. Step by tortuous step she ascended the ramp, trembling with the abject terror that she might cause more harm. Only when she brought up the last hoof to the platform above did she let it out with a loud sigh. "Made it."

The others came up behind her much more swiftly. Sweetie was glancing down at the neat hoof-shaped hole that had been made in their ramp. "You really are strong. I mean, not that I doubted you." She raised a hoof to her neck where she had felt the immense weight Prickle had so effortlessly hefted. "We had a question for you."

Prickle winced. She tried to prepare herself for the moment when they'd tell her just how much of a freak she was.

Scootaloo pointed at Prickle's flanks. "What does your cutie mark mean?"

All three of them were looking at Prickle, making her squirm self-consciously. She glanced back at the hedgehog that graced her pelt. Why would anypony ask that question, out of the blue? Then she remembered that she was dealing with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Of course they would ask, if anyone would. "I... got it saving a little hedgehog." She smiled at the memory. "He was trapped under a huge log. That was a very scary day."

"Go on," encouraged Apple Bloom, ushering all the fillies into the club house and arranging a pillow for Prickle to sit on. "We wanna hear all about it!"

So Prickle told them.

I was out walking in the forest. Not the Everfree! Mother taught me better than that. It was nice and sunny where the sun could get through all the leaves and there was a nice little breeze. I was having fun exploring.

I should have been paying more attention where I was going, because I wandered right off the usual path to a dark part of the forest. There were trees knocked over here and there, but not enough to let the sun in. I stepped carefully around and over them and then I heard him.

He was squeaking and crying, and I rushed towards the sound. The noises were coming from under a log, so I just... picked it up. It wasn't that heavy, not for me, but there was a little hedgehog underneath. He had been pinned between the log and the boulder underneath. He squeaked. I couldn't speak hedgehog, but he seemed very happy to not be being squeezed by that log.

The wood must have been old, since as I held it up, it broke in half and the two pieces fell on either side of me with a crash, but I heard something else.

The hedgehog curled into a little ball. He was scared, and so was I, but I wasn't gonna let someone else hurt my new little friend. I turned in place, looking for the source of the faint scratching sounds, and then I found it!

This great big monster rushed at me right out of the dark! I screamed, I was so scared! I turned away and bucked out a hoof, bam! I hit it right between the eyes.

It fell over, its tongue hanging out, knocked dizzy. I felt a little tingle and there it was. That hedgehog was right there on my flank. I wished him, the real one, good luck, and we left each other.

Scootaloo shook her head slowly. "You just... kicked it?"

Prickle bobbed her head. "As hard as I could!"

Sweetie paled a little at the thought. "Wow..."

Apple Bloom was all smiles. "See! That proves it. You're a super hero." She pointed to the hedgehog mark. "Your mark. You got it for your first rescue. That goes an' proves th' whole thin'."

Prickle rubbed a cheek with a hoof. "I'm no hero..."

Sweetie burst into giggles. "Lots of heroes say that."

"Those are the best ones," agreed Scootaloo. "You saved Sweetie Belle, so it's our job to help you out."

"I need help?" Prickle tilted her head faintly.

"Sure ya do." Apple Bloom nodded slowly. "Ya have to realize yer potential, and we're here to make that happen!" She thrust a hoof out and was quickly met by the other two. She looked to Prickle, smiling and waiting.

Prickle was slow on the uptake before she started. "Oh!" She thrust forward her hoof with a terrific clop as they all collided. The other three fillies were sent sprawling. "Sorry..."

Sweetie clambered up to her hooves again. "It's alright." An idea leaped into her head. "Let other people do the touching."

"What?"

"Put out your hoof."

Prickle looked at her right forehoof before she extended it forward.

Sweetie quickly put out her hoof to meet it with a gentle clop. "See? You just let other ponies do the moving and no problem."

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were quick to join in the safer meeting of hooves. Scootaloo smiled at their newest friend. "There're so many things we have to do!"

"Like what?" Prickle pulled back her hoof and set it down. "I mean, thank you, all of you." She dipped her head a little. "I've never been part of a club before."

Apple Bloom tilted her head. "Yer not technically in the Crusaders. Yer a client, and one we're lookin' forward ta helpin'. Yer also a friend, I hope?"

Prickle's smile grew just a little. "I'd like that." She glanced back towards the door. "You're really not mad... about the hole?"

Apple Bloom thumped her chest. "Ya just leave that t'me. Ah'll have it fixed in no time. Jus' haveta get some wood."

Scootaloo bobbed her head. "She's great at fixing things, and making potions too. We all have our talents, and we're not going to give up until you're doing yours and having a good time at it."

Sweetie Belle pointed past Prickle before she moved past and threw open the door. "There are tons of ponies out there that could use a strong hoof just like yours. They desperately need your help, but they don't know it, yet."

Scootaloo seemed to get an idea suddenly. "Hey, now that we're official, have you tried showing what you can do to Bulk Biceps? He'd probably pass out."

Prickle paled faintly. That sounded like just about the worst thing. "No! I... Can we keep this a secret? I don't want to scare ponies."

A sudden huge grin spread over Sweetie's face. "I know precisely what you need. For today, you should head home and relax. We'll call you back when we're ready."

The other two were clearly unsure what idea had come to Sweetie Belle, but they supported her in wishing Prickle a great day and promising to see her the next, at school.

Prickle decided not to take the stairs, scared of hurting them again. She went down just enough to get to the edge, then casually tipped right over and flopped to the ground with a resounding thud from the impact. She was unharmed and soon back on her hooves. "See you all tomorrow!" They all shared waves, and she began her hike home.

She had friends. Those weren't her first friends, no, but they knew she was strong, and didn't seem to mind. She was still a freak, but... "It's alright," she said to herself as she trotted. She would just have to be extra careful not to hurt her new friends, especially since they seemed quite intent on making her act strong.

Prickle hoped it wouldn't be anywhere public. "Regular ponies just aren't this strong..." She had plenty to compare against. Even Bulk Biceps, the pony who's very destiny it was to pick up heavy things... At least he looked like he should be strong, but she had seen him struggling later in the day moving the same bar she had wrenched off of Sweetie Belle.

It was the start of something, maybe something amazing. It was definitely a little scary.

Author's Notes:

Prickle makes some friends who are in on her secret, and only breaks one thing in the process. A good day!

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3 - End Arc 1, The Birth of a Hero

The next day, after school, Prickle moved to trot on her way only for Sweetie Belle to be there in front of her. Prickle blinked. "Hello." She wasn't sad to see Sweetie. They were friends, after all. Still, it confused her a little. "What's going on?"

Sweetie clopped her forehooves loudly. "Our surprise is ready!" She leaned in close. "My sister went all out. You're going to be so amazed!"

Sweetie's sister? Prickle frowned faintly with thought. "The clothes maker?" What on Equestria could Sweetie have that Rarity, famous fashion designer, could have made? She colored faintly. "Did you get me a dress?"

"Close, but no. This way!" She waved eagerly and trotted to the door. "C'mon!" And out she bounced, eager to show Prickle forward.

Prickle trotted after the white unicorn, ears pricked with curiosity. "Is it clothing?"

"You're getting warmer," sang out Sweetie Belle in a musical tone. "This way." She led on unerringly to Rarity's boutique. "Rarity's really proud of it, so we'll show her it after you try it."

She was going to model? The very idea made her shiver softly in renewed dread. "I'm not that pretty."

"You're going to be even better than pretty." Sweetie opened the door with her magic and circled around Prickle. She tried to nudge Prickle in, but no force Sweetie could muster had a chance of moving Prickle against her will. "Don't be scared. You'll like it, I absolutely promise."

"You're sure?" Prickle looked over her shoulder at Sweetie before venturing forward, stepping into the boutique carefully. Her eyes gravitated to the displays of fake ponies wearing very real dresses. "They look nice." She smiled a little. "None of them would fit me though. They're made for mares and we're just fillies."

"Oh don't be ridiculous," came a new voice as a larger white unicorn approached, Rarity. "I make delightful coverings to bring out the springtime charms of foals all the time. Well, maybe not quite as often as grown ponies, but you're far from the first."

Prickle gave a nervous smile. Her mother had taught her to always be polite around grownups and she didn't plan to be a bad filly. "Hello, Miss Rarity." She dipped her head a little before bobbing back up. "Sweetie Belle said you made something for me? You didn't have to, but thank you very much."

Rarity tittered gently. "It's no trouble at all. Once Sweetie Belle told me what it was, I was consumed with the need to see it through to reality. Imagine... It could become its own line, and then I would owe you, dear."

Sweetie bounced past Prickle. "This way!" She led the way to a small changing booth and waved them in. Once Prickle was inside, Sweetie followed her in with a piece of cloth floating beside her. "This will only require a moment." The cloth suddenly folded around Prickle's head, blinding her. "Mustn't ruin the surprise."

Prickle squeaked in surprise and looked around ineffectively.

"No peeking," admonished Sweetie. "Now just relax and we'll have you properly attired in no time."

Prickle could feel her hooves being lifted up one by one. She could feel something being slipped over her. Whatever it was, it clung tight to her fur and felt very smooth. Of course, if she wanted to resist, she probably could. She could use her freakish strength and ruin the whole thing! She didn't want to do that though and tried to be as limp as possible as magic moved her around and did whatever it was doing.

She felt her hooves touch the ground and raised a hoof towards her eyes. "All done?" She felt that smooth material there besides the cloth that was blinding her.

Rarity's voice came confidently. "Oh, yes, behold! I'm sure you'll love it." With a tug of magic, the cloth was whisked away.

Prickle was facing a mirror, but the pony in it she didn't recognize as easily. They were wearing clingy spandex-like material from their ears down to their tail, where it became a shroud of sorts. She could see none of her usual colors besides her eyes that stared back at her with shock.

Her outfit was brown with reddish-orange lines that ran across it, seemingly outlining where her muscles were beneath it. She took a slow step away from the mirror, blinking her masked eyes. "W-what is this?!"

Sweetie clopped her hooves animatedly. "It's your super hero costume! Now you can save ponies without them even knowing who you are. You'll have a secret identity."

Rarity gave a light nod. "Do enjoy yourself, dear." She leaned in as Sweetie was bouncing around with excitement. "Don't get into any real trouble, darling. This is just for pretend, right?"

Prickle quickly nodded. She was not a super hero, and she was quite certain of that. "Thank you... Miss Rarity." She wasn't sure how thankful she felt, glancing at herself in the many mirrors available in the boutique.

"We have to show the others!" gushed Sweetie. "They're gonna love it!" She suddenly hopped and landed right on Prickle's back. "How do you like it?"

Prickle could bear Sweetie's weight easily, but not so much the pressure she felt in her chest. She glanced towards Rarity, then started to walk for the door without replying to Sweetie. She just carried the smaller unicorn along as if she were nothing at all until they made it outside.

Once outside, Prickle burst into a gallop. Sweetie cried in alarm and fell down. She barely had time to grab Prickle around the neck to avoid sliding off the fleeing filly. "Hold on! Stop!" Prickle ignored the words and kept on running until they were at the edge of town.

Sweetie thumped to the ground once they were stopped, panting for breath. "We have to stop doing that... Why'd you run off?" She rolled up to her haunches. "Is something wrong?"

Prickle trembled with a combination of fury and confusion. "This... You... I look like even more of a freak!" The last word was a frantic shout. She covered her eyes with her hooves. "You even made my super weird parts stand out more!"

Sweetie blinked vacantly, lost a moment. "But... you're not weird. You're super... amazing. You're extra special, in a good way." She gave a faint smile. "Don't you wanna try, even a little? If you don't like it, you can put it away and we'll stop bothering you, promise. But! You have to try, honestly try."

Prickle pushed Sweetie. She had meant for it to be a nudge, but Sweetie was knocked flat on her back, breath knocked clear of her. Prickle was too upset to really notice. "What do you want me to try?! Show off to the world how freaky and disgusting I am?" She took a loud step forward, her hoof thudding on the ground. "I'm not a hero, I'm a monster!"

Sweetie felt tears in her eyes, both from the sudden blow and the urge to agree with those equally painful words. "Y-you're not a monster!" She rolled up to her hooves, facing Prickle. "You're not!"

Prickle glared at Sweetie a moment in fury before it all blew out of her. She sank to the ground, sniffling. "I don't want to be, but I am!" She pointed at Sweetie. "Look, I bruised you and I wasn't even trying. I'm no hero."

Sweetie resisted glancing at the sore spot on her chest. "It's alright, Prickle. I'm not mad. We just have to take this one step at a time." She gave a hopeful smile. "While you're in that suit, you don't have to be Prickle. You can be a hero." She sat down slowly on her haunches. "No one has to know who did it, but you can do good things, I promise."

Prickle closed her blue eyes and took a slow breath. The breakdown was passing, slowly. "You're crazy."

Sweetie cracked a queer smile. "I get told that more often than you think. Still, I believe this. I believe in you, Prickle." She approached the powerful filly and put a leg over her. It was quiet, but no more words were needed that moment as the hug was given and received.

Prickle sat up and opened her eyes. "Thanks... Do you... really think this... even has a chance?" She looked down at her smoothly-clad form. "If I'm not Prickle Berry, who am I?"

Sweetie flashed a bright grin. "You need a superhero name!"

"They have names?"

"Of course!" Sweetie hopped up to her hooves. "The Dark Prick!"

Prickle waved that suggestion away where it belonged. "That sounds terrible."

"Titan Filly!"

Prickle shook her head.

"The Masked Smasher!"

Prickle was getting the general idea. "The Irresistible Force."

Sweetie's expression brightened. "Nice! Oh, what about One Kick Mare? Like when you beat up that monster."

Prickle frowned a little. "That feels... taken."

Sweetie tapped her chin. "Miss Buck."

Prickle giggled at that. "That sounds funny."

Sweetie nodded quickly. "There's nothing wrong with that. Do you like it?"

Prickle considered deeply over what name would be the last part of her mask. Her hopes were low, but she still had some. Perhaps things would pick up...

Author's Notes:

So ends the first episode of Prickle Berry!

What name does she pick! Well, now's a good time to weigh in before I pick one and we're stuck with it. Leave comments below!

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4 - Start Episode 2 - The Rise of Tiny Titan

Tiny Titan surveyed the town she called home. Ponyville. A land of good ponies, mostly. But was any place truly safe from the evil of the world?

Prickle glanced to the right where Scootaloo was playing the narrator. "Do you have to say all that? I'm just looking around." She took a little breath and frowned. "I can't see much of the town from here."

Sweetie bounced up and down. "You're super strong, right?"

"Yeah?" said Prickle nervously. "Why?"

Sweetie tapped a hoof on the ground. "Ever try jumping really high?"

Prickle gave a slow blink. "No?"

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes even as she grinned. "Well, now sounds like a mighty time t'do that. Go on!"

Prickle looked down at each of her costumed hooves a moment before she hunkered down. "Alright... Here goes!" She pressed against the world, and it moved. She was suddenly in the air, soaring, and screaming. She could see buildings rushing past her as the wind roared in her ears. The world and sky seemed to be spinning madly and completely out of control, or was it she that was spinning? She couldn't tell. She could only scream and flail, hoping the ride would end soon.

Her shrill wail echoed through the town as she hurtled across it. She came down with a terrific splash as she impacted on the water of the fountain. Her last scream became a gurgling choking of water as she bobbed to the surface, drenched, coughing, but intact.

The crusaders galloped like crazy to catch up with their heroic friend. Scootaloo was cheering wildly. "Woohoo! Look at you! Now that's some superheroics!"

Prickle pulled herself from the water, coughing up some water. "I don't feel heroic..." With the help of her friends, she flopped out of the water and began shaking herself dry. Despite the setback, she gave a nervous smile. "I have to practice."

Apple Bloom poked her in the side. "Now that's some winnin' spirit! Glad t'hear ya ain't givin' up so quick. That was downright amazin' what you just did!"

There were other ponies watching, staring more like.

One of them was very familiar to Prickle. Her mother, Junebug, approached. "Little filly, you really shouldn't do... whatever you just did. What did you just do?"

Prickle tensed a moment, horrified. Her eyes darted wildly until a friendly voice spoke.

"She's practicing to be a superhero," said Sweetie Belle in her place.

"Well her mother must be worried about her," chastised Junebug. "You shouldn't be playing pretend like that."

Prickle spoke, lowering her voice a little to mask it. "My name's... Tiny Titan, and I'm here to help protect Ponyville."

Junebug shook her head a little. "Well... Tiny Titan..." It was clear she didn't believe that was Prickle's true name, doubt dripping from every syllable. "You be careful. You're still a filly, after all, superhero or not." She turned away then, seeming to not see through Prickle's disguise. "Foals these days." She ambled off with a final roll of her eyes, likely glad that she had raised a sensible filly that would never do such a thing.

Prickle watched her go with wide eyes, trembling faintly. Once her mother was out of sight, she spun on the crusaders. "She didn't know who I was!"

Sweetie grinned broadly. "See, just like I told you. Your disguise is... kind of like armor. You're protected."

Prickle gave the most genuine smile of the day. "Like armor..." Her tail wagging, she turned in place. "What's next?" She pointed up a hoof to the top of the city hall. "I bet I could see everything from up there."

Apple Bloom peered up at the tall perch. "Bet it would, but we can't follow ya up there."

Prickle looked from the target back to her friends. "That's true... How am I supposed to, um, superhero and still be with you?"

Apple Bloom threw a leg over Prickle's neck. "Take it from me. Ah had to learn this the hard way. Ya can follow yer dreams without leavin' yer friends. We're still with ya, promise. Ya do you, and we can meet up later to hear all about it."

Scootaloo thrust a hoof at Prickle. "And that's not optional! I want to hear every exciting moment." She bounced into the air, her wings fluttering madly to keep her afloat a moment before she came back down.

Sweetie nodded in agreement with her friends. "Good luck."

With the encouragement of all three behind her, and the water dried in the afternoon sun, Prickle, no, Tiny Titan felt ready to try. "I'll do my best." She turned to face the City Hall and hunkered down. She tried to imagine the hall wasn't so far away, to make the jump like any other.

With a more controlled leap, she left the ground behind and was whistling through the air. She was aimed for the town hall, but her caution made her land on a roof long before she got to the hall. She wobbled where she landed, almost sliding off before she could catch herself with a loud huff of air. "I can do this..." she muttered to herself before she leaped forward.

She just didn't have the bravery to make the long jump to the hall, but small leaps that spanned from rooftop to rooftop, even skipping a house along the way seemed doable, and she bounded across the town with speed that left her giggling with joy. She was doing something amazing, and not a soul around was appalled by it, and even if they were, too bad! She was Tiny Titan, not Prickle Berry. She could be all the weird she wanted!

Wait... She came to an awkward halt just before the city hall. Did she want to be strange? No... But... "I can be a hero..." She licked over her lips and trembled softly, undecided a moment.

Suddenly she was shoved aside. If she had been paying attention, she surely could have resisted, but she hadn't been and just flopped as a pony rushed into the town hall, hollering and shouting. Several ponies emerged from within, looking frantic. Mayor Mare was there, looking nervous, but in charge. "Get the fire brigade mobilized," she commanded, pointing.

Prickle turned to see where she was pointing and saw a house with smoke coming out of it. She gasped and bounced up to her hooves. "Is there a fire?!"

The mayor blinked down at the small voice as if just noticing the vigilante. "Oh, hello there. Don't worry, filly, we have this under control. You just stay away from there." She nodded firmly, then began barking orders at the others.

Now, as far as Prickle saw it, old Prickle would have just agreed and walked away. But she wasn't Prickle. She was Tiny Titan! Superhero! She gritted her teeth and made a terrific bound towards the smoking building. Her aim still wasn't that good. She bounced a few times before realizing her last jump was too strong and she wouldn't land in front of the house. Smoke consumed her entirely before she felt a hidden window try to stop her. She smashed through it with the tinkling of breaking glass and splintering wood. She was inside the burning house! It was hot, she couldn't breathe, and she couldn't see anything!

That had perhaps been a poor idea.

"Help..."

Prickle perked her ears at the tiny voice. "Hello?"

"Help!" The voice was a little louder, perhaps encouraged by the sound of Prickle's voice.

Prickle couldn't see where it came from, but she could hear it over the crackle and roar of the flames that were consuming the building around her. She dashed towards it as quickly as she could, dancing around where she felt intense heat trying to cook her. "I'm coming!"

"Help!"

Prickle bumped into a door her snout and began feeling over it with her hooves. She found the knob and yanked her hoof back. It was hot!

What did Cheerilee say about hot doorknobs? Oh right! That meant there was fire on the other side... But she heard that voice... With frantic determination, Prickle spun around and lashed out her hooves with all the force she had.

The door lifted up out of its hinges and flew away violently, putting a new hole in the side of the burning building. A figure that had been leaning on it toppled backwards and let out a weak little cough.

Prickle rushed for the pony and grabbed the scruff of their neck. She couldn't make out much of the details of the pony, but she needed help, and Prickle was there to do it. She rushed for the hole she had just made and jumped over licking flames, leaving the heat behind for the relative cool of the afternoon. She came down hard, dirt flying from her impact site. The filly she was holding fell from her teeth and flopped to the ground, unmoving.

"She's over here!" came the shout of a pony, then many others came rushing towards them. Nurse Redheart was there and began giving CPR to the limp filly.

Prickle stared at the whole thing, trembling. Had she failed? Had she hit the pony with the door and finished the job the fire started herself? Was she a hero, or... a monster?! She couldn't bare to be there one moment longer. They were asking her questions, but she didn't hear them. She turned away and wished the world would go away.

With a mighty jump, it obliged. She sailed away, reeking of smoke and stinging in countless places that the fire and heat had made tender. She didn't care. Prickle did what never seemed to result in pain. She fled until she could find a quiet place to be alone, where her freakish nature could bring no more harm to the world.

Elsewhere, the crusaders were enjoying a break at Sugarcube Corner when a pony rushed in. "There was a fire!" Everypony turned at the news as he went on the details. "Silver Spoon was caught inside. Her parents made it out before the fire got too bad."

All three gasped dramatically before Scootaloo suddenly grinned. "Was she rescued?"

"What?" The pony looked confused. "Y-yes, actually. They don't know who it was, some little foal in a silly outfit."

Sweetie grumped. "It isn't silly," she muttered hotly.

Scootaloo stepped forward. "What she means is that she was saved by Tiny Titan! Ponyville's newest superhero!"

He gave a slow blink. "Tiny Titan huh? Well, they are a hero, but nopony knows where she went off to. She left before anypony could even ask her name."

The crusaders shared a look before they excused themselves and slipped out onto the street.

Apple Bloom had a little frown. "D'ya figure that meant it went well, or..."

Sweetie shook her head quickly. "We should check and be sure. Worst case is we get to celebrate how great she did!"

Scootaloo's wings fluttered. "I want to hear what happened straight from the horse's mouth. Let's go!"

United, they took off to find their super-heroic friend.

Author's Notes:

Well, that could have gone better... maybe?

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5 - Being Alone

Prickle sniffled softly in the darkness of the alley, laying beside her outfit that she had peeled herself free of. The thought that she had... hurt... maybe worse...

She sat up, shivering. What if it had been so much worse than hurting. What if...

A whimpering noise came from her without her even knowing she was making it before it had already come out.

"Prickle?" An older female stepped into view, her outline visible against the light of the street. "Did something happen?" It was her mother, approaching at a slow pace. "Prickle, come here." She sounded concerned.

Prickle lashed out a hoof, knocking her discarded outfit away in a pile of trash that made quite the racket. "I-I'm here." She stood up, quivering.

Junebug smiled as she closed the distance. "My poor filly, what happened? Was somepony mean to you about... that?"

Prickle winced visibly. "N-n..." She stopped. How could she explain what had really happened? "Yes..."

"It's alright." Junebug put a leg over her daughter and pulled her close, squeezing. "It's alright..."

Prickle felt the comfort of her mother, but it seemed... empty. Did she deserve that comfort if she'd hurt that pony? She really was every bit the horror that Diamond Tiara had drilled into her that she was. She gave a little cry that mixed with a cough and pushed Junebug away.

The act sent Junebug crashing against the far wall, Prickle far from a controlled state of mind. Prickle watched with mounting horror as Junebug slid to the ground, dazed. "I..." She couldn't stay. She fled. She didn't even dare jump. She just ran and ran.

She found herself in a new safe place with fresh things to cry about, which is exactly what she set herself to doing.

"Prickle?"

Prickle didn't hear who it was, and didn't care. "Stay away!" she shouted in a mixture of terror and anger. "Stay away..."

Scootaloo emerged into sight around the corner. "Huh? Everything alright, Prickle? Where's your suit?"

Prickle looked down at herself, teeth clenching. "I don't... I don't need it anymore."

Scootaloo wasn't the swiftest pony in the city when it came to emotions, but even she could see Prickle was a mess. "What's wrong?"

"What's right?!" Prickle bounced to her trembling hooves. "I-- hurt a filly, and my mom, and I'm terrible."

Scootaloo perked an ear. "Hurt? The way I hear it, you saved her from a burning building! If you weren't there, she would be..." She rolled a hoof. "You know, a lot worse than a little hurt. You saved Silver Spoon."

Prickle blinked, sinking to her haunches in shock. "It was Silver Spoon?"

"Yeah? Weren't you there?" Scootaloo came closer. "She's alright, thanks to you."

Prickle gave a distressed laugh. "After all those years... I save her." She looked up at Scootaloo. "She's safe?"

"Uh huh." Scootaloo smiled. "You did it. You really did it, as a hero."

Prickle glanced left and right. "Where... are the others?"

Scootaloo pointed out of the alley. "Looking for you, I bet. Let's go find them."

Prickle lifted a hoof. "N-not so fast. I..." She licked her lips. "I have to find my mom."

"Huh? What for?" Scootaloo sat on her haunches, wings fluttering a moment. "Coming out about the whole super hero thing?"

Prickle winced drastically. "No! I... hurt her. I was a stupid mean monster and shoved her!"

Scootaloo blinked at it. "You were clumsy, but not mean." She smiled and stood back up. "Let's find your mom and apologize. I bet she'll be glad to see you."

"Have you?"

"Huh, have I what?" Scootaloo peered at her new friend with obvious confusion.

"Have you ever hurt your mom, even on accident?"

Scootaloo grinned a lopsided grin. "This one time, I was so sure I could fly if I just started higher... so I climbed up on the roof and ran for the edge and jumped! Wind whistling in my ears, I realized pretty quick I had messed up. My dad caught me, said I came in like a little pony rocket. He had to go to the doctor... I was so sorry! But... he's still my dad. He forgave me, and I promised to not do that again." She left out the many other things she had done with the CMC after that. "That's what family is for."

Prickle winced in time with the impact in the story, but a little smile began to emerge after that. "Let's... go say sorry. I didn't mean to hurt her."

"Of course not! I mean, even Diamond Tiara would never hurt her mom on purpose. C'mon!" She waved to the exit of the alley and they got to walking towards Prickle's house.

On the way, they ran into the other crusaders. Sweetie rushed up beside Prickle. "So what's it like t'be a super hero?!"

Scootaloo thrust out a hoof. "Ix-nay on the uperhero-say."

Sweetie blinked dumbly. "What?"

Prickle shook her head as she walked. "We can... talk about that later. I have to talk to my mother first."

The group quieted as they arrived at Prickle's little comfy house.

Prickle clopped on the door lightly, as timid as Fluttershy might. "Mom?"

The door swung open quickly, revealing Junebug. "Prickle! I thought you... Are you alright?!"

Prickle took half a step back. "You're not mad?"

Junebug reached for Prickle and slowly brought her closer. "You need to be more careful, my little hedgehog, but no, I'm not mad at you. You'll never stop being my daughter."

The hug became a mutual thing, even if Prickle had to be careful about her side of the hug. Junebug gently raised Prickle's chin. "Now who are these little fillies you've brought home?" It seemed unlikely that she, or any pony in Ponyville, didn't know the CMC, but she was being polite.

Apple Bloom waved. "Hey there! M'name's Apple Bloom. This here's Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo." Each pony dipped their head as they were called. "Mighty fine t'meet ya."

Junebug nodded in kind. "The pleasure's mine. It's good to see Prickle's gotten some new friends. Come inside, I'll make some sandwiches for everyone." She turned and headed inside, and soon all were seated at the table.

Sweetie looked around curiously a moment before her eyes fixated on something. "Hey..."

Junebug looked up at the noise and followed Sweetie's eyes. "I had... planned to ask about this later." She pulled Prickle's outfit clear of the cupboard it had been hastily stuffed into. "Is there something you want to tell me about, Prickle Berry?"

Prickle locked right up. "It's not what you think!"

Junebug sniffed at it lightly. "Why does it smell like it was on fire?"

Scootaloo thrust up a hoof. "I can answer that! If it's alright?"

Junebug raised a brow.

"She saved Silver Spoon!" gushed Scootaloo.

Junebug paled. "S-saved?" She sniffed again. "From a fire?!" She spun on Prickle. "My little hedgehog! You... you could... Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!" There were tears building in her eyes. "I don't even know what I'd do... Prickle..."

Prickle hopped down from her chair. "No."

Junebug blinked at the bluntness. "No what?"

Prickle thrust a hoof out the door. "I had to! If... If... I didn't... Silver Spoon would be dead! Dead!" Her voice had turned into a scream as she got towards the end. "I saved her..."

Junebug's mouth worked silently as she tried to find a good response for that specifically. "Some other pony could have--"

"No!" Prickle hopped forward. "They were trying, but by the time they got there..." She looked up at Junebug with wide eyes. "If... I can do something good... shouldn't I?"

The CMC were silent, watching the two debate and not daring to slide in a word edgewise.

Junebug took a slow breath before she laid down on her belly. "Prickle, come here." Prickle did so, defiant, but not so much as to ignore that order. Junebug pulled her closer and half-curled around her. "My precious little Prickle... I just don't want you to be hurt. I love you."

Prickle gave a little smile. "I love you too, mom, but you... you told me. Ponies that can... do good things... should." She nuzzled into her mother's chest, getting tears into the fur. "I'll be careful..."

Junebug suddenly gave the CMC an intense look. "You'll be careful." Her words were in reply to Prickle, but she was looking directly at the other fillies.

Apple Bloom swallowed audibly. "W-we'll try our best, honest!"

Sweetie Belle bobbed her head. "It was my sister's idea to make that suit fire resistant."

Junebug winced. "I'm... glad she thought of that." The horror of imagining her beloved filly in a raging inferno was still terrible. "Prickle." Prickle looked up at her. "I want you to think about this, long and hard. Make sure it's... what you really want to do." She slid up to her hooves and got back to making their snacks. "If it's what you... really want to do, then I will support you, as your mother. Just don't forget how sad I'll be if you get hurt, so please... be careful."

Sandwiches were soon served, filled with delicious flowers that were eagerly chomped up by the crusaders. Prickle ate sedately at first before her body reminded her how much work it had done and insisted with a loud rumble that she get to feeding it. She blushed a little and picked up her pace, abating the hunger that all that labor had produced.

"Now go on and play with your friends," insisted Junebug. "And think about what I asked you to."

"Yes mom..." Prickle stepped outside with the others and the door closed gently behind them.

Sweetie Belle tilted her head. "That could have been worse."

Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. "Ya have permission t'be a super hero now!"

Scootaloo thrust a hoof into the air. "Now you can tell us what happened?! C'mon, please? I've been waiting all day!" She bounced up and down in place. "What was it like?"

Prickle cracked a little smile at Scootaloo's energy. "Well, so I arrived at the town hall." The more she went into the story, the more their eyes were sparkling with awe, the good kind. She felt better with every sentence and began even adding little embellishments that got gasps and cries of joy out of the crusaders. By the end, she was doing a crazy daredevil run through a maze of fire before she escaped just in the nick of time with the limp Silver Spoon. "And that's how I saved the day."

All three of them thunderously stomped their hooves on the ground. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom cheered aloud at the exploit.

Author's Notes:

Who's alone? Not Prickle. Shine on, you lovely little mutant!

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6 - End Episode 2: Tiny Titan Watches

She stood in silent vigil, her keen eyes sweeping over the vista of her beloved town. Bad things happened in Equestria, but while she was around, her community was safe. No matter how huge and vicious the monster--

Prickle perked a costumed ear towards Scootaloo. "I have to fight monsters too?"

Scootaloo nodded in a wise fashion. "Of course. It's no big deal." She flopped on her belly, smiling at her friend. "You already fought one, remember?" She was pointing at Prickle's flank, covered as it was.

"That's true..." It didn't sound like she was eager to fight monsters. "I hope they don't show up at all."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? This is Ponyville. I'm sure one will be around in a moment or three."

Prickle clenched her teeth a little. It was true, monsters did like to roam through once in a while, but usually ponies just ran and hid until they were gone. If it was really bad... "Won't the princess save us from the big ones?"

"Who, Twilight?" Scootaloo rolled onto her side on the roof. "I mean, sure, she'll try, but she's not always here. You're our defender, one who actually lives here full time!" She spread her forehooves wide. "And you have the strength to do it!"

Prickle sank to her haunches. "I'll do my best... What if it's like a cockatrice and being strong won't be enough? You can't kick being turned into a statue."

Scootaloo offered a meek shrug. "That happens."

Prickle raised a brow. "That's all the advice you have for that?"

Scootaloo sat up on her haunches and smiled at her heroic friend. "Being a hero means sometimes you run into things you can't handle directly, so you have to be clever." She tapped a hoof on her head. "Just remember that this is a super weapon too."

Prickle looked up as if she could see her own mind, but that was not to be. "I'll try to remember that." She hopped up to her hooves and approached Scootaloo. "Come on, we should get back to school."

"Race ya there?"

And so they went, one bounding from roof to roof while the other zoomed along on her scooter, both smiling in the shared joy of friendship and athleticism, a joy one of them was only just starting to embrace the concept of existing.

Prickle folded up her outfit and crammed it carefully into her saddlebags for later. She wouldn't need them at school. Besides... "I'm Prickle here. Only Tiny Titan wears this." She gave a little smile and began to trot up towards the school. She shared hoofbumps with her friends on the way inside and took her seat.

"Now, class, as I'm sure many of you are aware," said Cheerilee with a serious tone of voice. "Silver Spoon was injured in a house fire. She's alright, but she won't be joining us for a little while. I think this is a fine time to go over fire safety, including how to avoid having one in the first place, and what to do if one does start. This could save your lives, even if you think you're invincible right now." She rolled her eyes as she turned towards the chalkboard. "It's alright, we all do."

She began giving the lesson, describing different kinds of fires and how they started and could be smothered. Prickle was paying attention, but only half. She looked out the window and hoped Silver Spoon would be alright. She may have bullied Prickle a lot before, but she was a pony, and she had said sorry... Nopony deserved to be roasted up like a cookie.

"Prickle Berry?"

Prickle jumped in place and smiled at Cheerilee. "Sorry!"

She brought her attention back to her teacher, which is where foals in school should have it.

Author's Notes:

And so ends the second episode. Liked it? What shall we explore in the third episode? My apologies for the shortness of it, but it feels like the end of this episode to me, so I won't drag it on.

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7 - Start Episode 3 - I Can't Bear to Watch

Prickle bounded from roof to roof, an activity she was gaining increasing comfort with doing. Sure, she still only skipped one roof at a time when she was trying to be fast, but she didn't feel like she was going to go flying off each roof each time she landed.

"Hey!"

She glanced back behind her to see a pony waving a hoof at her angrily. "Sorry!" She shouted back. Most ponies didn't care about her bouncing on their houses, but once in a while... She tried to remember which place to avoid in the future.

Prickle saw a crowd ahead, a dazzling mix of bright colors of ponies. They looked concerned, so Prickle bounded down to street level and went to investigate, trotting up at a more sedate pace.

Mayor Mare was there. "I understand Princess Twilight and her friends handled it last time, but they're not here."

"So what are you gonna do?!" Demanded a stallion in the crowd.

Mayor Mare looked around nervously before her eyes fell squarely on Prickle. "Ask and the answer arrives."

The entire crowd turned at once to look where the mayor was looking. Confusion raised. Carrot Top pointed at Prickle. "A costumed filly? How is she going to help?"

Prickle took half a step back with discomfort from being stared at so intensely. "W-what seems to... be the problem, Mayor?" She tried to flash a winning smile, but it may have shown more fear than confidence.

"I'm glad you asked." Mayor Mare pulled down a tab that revealed a big picture of a strange mixture of bear and bee. "A bugbear is coming to Ponyville, and this time the Elements of Harmony aren't here to stop it. They were called away on other business. I was going to go over emergency plans, but if you are the hero you claim to be, perhaps you can stop it?"

Prickle trembled faintly, and it was noticed.

Another pony spoke out, "You can't be serious. She's a little foal!"

Mayor Mare's eyes remained solidly on Prickle. "It is up to you."

Prickle swallowed softly before she stood up tall. "R-rest at ease, ponies of Ponyville! I, Tiny Titan, will batt... batt... I will fight the bugbear and make him go away!"

Carrot Top approached close enough to put a hoof on Prickle's head. "Little filly, you don't have to do this. What are you going to d--"

Prickle picked her up. She held the startled mare over her head as she reared up onto her hind legs. The mare blinked, eyes wide with confusion as the little filly held her as if it were nothing. "I will fight the bugbear!"

"O-okay, can you put me down please?"

"Oh, sorry." Prickle gently placed Carrot Top down and gave a sheepish smile.

Another pony stepped forward. "Who are you?" Her eyes sparkled with fear and curiosity. "Can you really do it?"

Mayor Mare suddenly cleared her throat. "Our young hero here has already served the community. It was she that rescued Silver Spoon from the raging inferno that destroyed her home."

Murmurs of astonishment rippled through the crowd.

"And with no request for compensation. She fled before we could even get her name, though now she has given it. Ponyville, I present Tiny Titan." She waved a hoof at Prickle dramatically. "With incredible strength and speed, she should be able to handle things."

Prickle felt nervous, but she was already invested. She tried to rise to the challenge. She stepped towards the mayor. "When is that mean bugbear supposed to get here?"

Mayor Mare nodded as she looked over the crowd. "It's estimated the creature will arrive within two days. Tiny Titan, you have our full support."

Prickle quirked a nervous smile. "Does that include help?"

Never before had Prickle seen the town square empty of all equine life so quickly. She was alone, mostly. Mayor Mare was still there and waved Prickle closer. "I'm afraid most of the citizens are not eager to... deal with these things directly. They will hide and hope it passes them by. Most often, it does."

Prickle reared up and pulled herself up onto the stage with the mayor. "Do you really think I can do it?"

Mayor Mare let out a little sigh. "You know better than I... Are you really a filly, or just a small pony? If you are a filly, then... I can't in good con--"

"I'm Tiny Titan," piped Prickle, bristling as she detected the usual 'you're too young' spiel coming. "I'll... do my best."

"That's all we can ask." Mayor Mare nodded and turned to walk away. "Celestia watch over you."

The ringing of a bell drew Prickle's eyes quickly. Oh no! Class was starting and she was late. She pushed off the stage with a thunderous boom, splintering the wood behind her as she propelled herself towards the school far more quickly than she was comfortable with. She may have screamed, just a little, before she hit the ground with a skid and a great plume of dust.

She hurriedly scrambled into the nearest cubbyhole and emerged as Prickle, the school filly. She hurried off to class, pretending she hadn't just volunteered to fight her first monster.

Cheerilee saw her as she scampered in. "There you are. Class, if you didn't hear, there's a bit of an emergency on the way. The bugbear is coming back and our usual defenders won't be here to fight it off. I'm suspending school until this blows over. I don't want any of you little ponies being hurt by it, so stay inside until you're told it's safe."

There was a chorus of noises, but it was far from in sync. Some ponies looked happy to have class canceled while others trembled in fear. A few pouted at class being canceled at all.

The CMC, on the other hoof, made their way to Prickle.

Scootaloo nudged her with a hoof. "You're gonna beat it up, right?"

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Let's not talk about that right here." She gestured with her head at the rest of the class.

Diamond Tiara approached with a frown "What are you all whispering about?" Her eyes settled on Prickle. "Are you going to use your freakish strength on the bugbear?"

"No!" Prickle squeaked, taking a step back in fear of being found out.

Diamond Tiara blinked softly. "Hmmph, fine." She returned her gaze to the crusaders. "Well, go on. We're supposed to go home until that icky bugbear goes away."

Sweetie tilted her head at Diamond. "What about you? Oh! How's Silver doing?"

Diamond's scowl deepened. "She's fine... She'll be safe from any stupid bugbears at the hospital." She kicked a dropped pencil across the room. "If that stupid costumed pony's so great, why aren't they beating up that bugbear?"

Scootaloo puffed up proudly. "Tiny Titan'll take care of it!"

"Is that their name?" Diamond raised a brow, then returned her attention to Prickle. "See, at least they know how to put their creepy super strength to good use." She huffed and turned away, trotting for the door.

Prickle rubbed her cheek a moment. "Does she... Is she..."

Apple Bloom nudged against Prickle gently. "She's tryin' t' be good, honest. Ah don't even thin' she's tryin' t' mess wit' ya."

Sweetie shrugged at that. "Sometimes it's hard to tell. I don't think she really considers you creepy."

Scootaloo hopped over a desk towards the door. "Who cares what she thinks! Tiny Titan's gonna kick some flank and take some names!"

Prickle gave an unsure smile at that, but followed the rest as they filtered out of the classroom and onto the lawn.

Cheerillee waved the way onward. "Be safe, my students. Go directly home, no detours!"

Prickle let the others go ahead a bit, then ducked to the side. There were many things for her to do. No, things for Tiny Titan to do! She was soon up on the roofs, doing a circuit around the city and considering angles it might approach from and how she could fight it.

She had a dozen ideas. Unfortunately they all boiled down to hit it really hard and hope it would not like it and go away without making a big mess.

Her belly grumbled softly. It had been a few hours of roaming the town, and her body's needs would not remain silent no matter how nervous she was.

She landed lightly in front of her favorite candy shop and trotted inside, or tried. The door was closed and locked. She peeked at the sign. It read 'Open', so she frowned. She gave the door the gentlest knock so as to not harm it. "Hello?"

"Go away," came Bon Bon's voice.

There was some muttering inside, a whispered exchange. Lyra spoke up, "Who is it?"

Prickle almost said her own name, but caught herself. "Tiny Titan! I was hoping to get some candy please."

The door opened so suddenly made Prickle leap back in shock.

Lyra was there with a big smile. "Oh wow, it is you! You're so cute!" She hopped forward at Prickle and grabbed her up in a fierce hug. "Ponyville's littlest defender! Bon Bon! Come take a look!"

A head peeked out of the gloom, barely visible. "Come inside and close the door, Lyra. We've been over this."

"Well fine! But I'm taking her with me." She trotted inside, Prickle levitated along in her magic. The door closed, putting them back in moody dim lighting. "There." Lyra tapped the ground and Prickle landed. "Now what can we do for you?"

Bon Bon raised a brow. "So, you're the one they hope will beat the bugbear?"

Prickle started at the question. "Yes, ma'am. I was looking around and got hungry. Can I get some candy?"

Bon Bon gave a wry smile at that. "Candy is not exactly ideal fighting food."

"What is?" Prickle had no clue, ultimately. "I'll take whatever you have, please. I'm starving."

Bon Bon rose to her hooves and trotted towards the kitchen. "Some town, not even feeding its defenders. You stay here with Lyra..."

Lyra bobbed her head, still grinning. "Hey there, Tiny Titan. That's a great name. It's your super hero name, right? What's your real name? Oh wait, you won't tell me that, duh, nevermind. Nice to meet you though. I'm Lyra Heartstrings! Also, here." A bit of wrapped candy floated out of her pelt and over to Prickle. "I always save some for an emergency."

Prickle eagerly accepted the treat and had it in her snout. She let out a happy sigh as she chewed it up into dust.

Lyra blinked slowly. "You do know that was hard candy, right?"

"What?"

Lyra rolled a hoof. "You're supposed to suck on it, not chew it." She suddenly started clopping her hooves. "You really are strong! I woulda broke my teeth trying that and you didn't even notice!"

"O-oh, sorry."

"Don't be sorry!" Lyra bounced up and glanced around. "Here." She handed Prickle a fire poker she found long unused. "Bend it into a shape. Please!"

Prickle peered at it, and its owner, and back at it. "Really?" Lyra kept nodding. "All...right." She brought her hooves together and the bar bent like cooked pasta under her will. She curled it into a knot even as it began to glow with heat from being so roughly handled. She couldn't quite finish the knot as it became too hot to hold comfortably and she dropped it with a yelp.

"Amazing!" Lyra's magic grabbed it and tossed it right into the sink of water beside Bon Bon where it made a loud fwoosh of steam. "I'm so going to keep that forever!"

Author's Notes:

Tiny Titan meets Lyra and Bon Bon. One of them has a history with the bugbear. This might be relevant...

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8 - Briefing

"Lyra, send in our guest, alone. Close the door."

Lyra glared in the direction the order has come in. "Fine..." She waved ahead. "Go on in. Miss prissy pants wants to chat with you alone." She leaned in and put up a hoof to block the noise as she harshly whispered, "We'll meet later, okay?" She gave a comically dramatic wink to finish it off.

Prickle nodded at Lyra and gave a nervous smile. "Thank you, Miss Heartstrings." She trotted past into the kitchen.

"Close the door."

Prickle jumped and turned in place until she found the door and swung it closed. With a loud thunk, unseen tumblers fell into place.

"There, we have some privacy... Prickle Berry."

Prickle started and turned back to Bon Bon. "How--"

"I'm not as daft as some others." Bon Bon sat down and smiled knowingly. "But I'm on your side, Prickle. The bugbear, do you really intend to fight it?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" Prickle lashed out a hoof at the air. "I'll kick it until it goes away."

"Is that your entire plan?"

Prickle blinked slowly. "Yes?"

Bon Bon let out a deep sigh and covered her face with a fetlock. "You need more than that. One sting and you'll swell up like a balloon, and that's just the start. Don't let its stinger anywhere near you."

"Okay..." She made thrusts and jabs with her hooves as if pretending one were a stinger and the other was dodging away. "No stings."

"Not even one." Bon Bon nodded gravely. "It's a bear. It has powerful arms that can grab and squeeze. It has huge sharp teeth that can rend and tear."

Prickle was looking less and less confident by the moment.

Bon Bon slammed down a hoof beside Prickle's distracted head. "Now is the time to turn around and go home little filly."

Prickle squeaked in surprise and looked at the larger mare, quivering a little. "No."

Bon Bon raised a brow. "Scared of me? What're you going to do when the bugbear is here."

"Kick him."

"Yeah? Alright, show me."

"What?"

"Kick me." Bon Bon turned and displayed her flank. "Go on, show me."

Prickle looked down at her right forehoof, then up at Bon Bon. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't, go on." She sounded so confident.

It annoyed Prickle. "Stop it! I don't want to kick you!"

"Prove you can fight at all." Bon Bon suddenly lashed out and tipped the confused Prickle over.

Prickle rolled with it though and came up to her hooves. She had had enough. She charged at Bon Bon with a mighty war cry. Bon Bon gave a smirk, hunkering down to receive the charge, but that smirk faded away to shock as the filly barreled into her with the force of a runaway train. Bon Bon slammed down her hind hooves and pivoted in place, directing that momentum even as she wheezed for air.

From Prickle's point of view, the room spun wildly a moment, then she was upside down on the floor, confused, but unharmed. "What happened?"

Bon Bon sat beside the filly, struggling to hide her recovering breath. Prickle was far stronger than Bon Bon had given credit for. "You've got the talent, but none of the skill, filly."

Prickle slowly rolled up to her haunches, blinking softly. "Can you show me how to do that?"

"Sure, in a few months." Her expression softened as she saw Prickle's shatter. "Look, it takes time to teach this, and to learn it... Prickle... go home."

"No!" Prickle stomped the floor, shattering the tile she struck. "Somepony has to defend Ponyville."

"Somepony... You're a foal." Bon Bon rose to her full height. "Leave this to the adults."

Prickle turned and began walking for the door. "If you won't help, then I'll just." Something struck the back of her head and she spun around with a glare, just for a sandwich to flop to the ground, falling from her. She blinked at it with confusion.

"I did say I'd make you some food," noted Bon Bon with a faint smile. "Look, if you..." She sighed loudly. "I'll tell your mom."

"She already knows." Prickle picked up the sandwich and gave it a sniff before chomping into it. "S'good..."

"Thank you, but she does?" She raised a brow. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"Nuh uh." Prickle went quiet as she crammed the food down her gullet with glee. "Mmm. Can I have another?"

Bon Bon shook her head with some disbelief. "Are you sure you want it from a meanie like me?"

Prickle thrust a hoof at Bon Bon. "You're worried for me."

Bon Bon's eyes half closed, giving Prickle a deadpan glare. "You're a foal getting ready to take on a beast the whole of the Elements barely controlled."

"It will be hard," agreed Prickle. "But I have to. Who else is gonna do it?" Her eyes fixated on slices of bread and her expression brightened.

Bon Bon saw what she was looking at and rolled her eyes. "I'll make another," she sighed out, coming closer to get to doing that. "Your mother really knows?"

"Uh huh. She's a smart pony and figured it out fast."

"And you didn't think I was smart?" Bon Bon gave a little snort as she prepared then handed over a fresh snack to Prickle. "Look, I don't want you getting hurt."

Prickle took the second and was slower in devouring it, the hard edge of her hunger blunted. "But I have to try. Can you help me? If I can't protect my friends, what good is being a freak?"

"A freak?" Bon Bon's squint returned, but only for a moment. It melted into a concerned look as she reached for the foal and drew her closer. "You're not going to stop no matter how loud or often I say to, I get it. I was your age once too, you know." Prickle gave a doubting look. "I know, I know, I'm not that young anymore." She pat Prickle on the head. "But you are brave. Brave ponies can do great things, or die young." Prickle winced. "So let's avoid one of those, hmm. You done eating?"

Prickle reared up and washed her hooves under the water of the sink before she flopped back to the ground. "All done. Thank you very much, Miss Bon Bon."

"It's not time for thanks." Bon Bon cracked a little smile. "You're not fighting that monster." Prickle immediately puffed up for a fight. "--Alone," Bon Bon addended quickly. "It's probably here for me, and I won't hide this time, not while some filly's out risking herself... I couldn't sleep at night." She focused on Prickle intensely. "Are you ready to train?"

Prickle blinked owlishly. "Train what?"

"You know how I put you on the ground, despite how powerful you were? You need to learn how to do that, and how to avoid having it done to you." Bon Bon rubbed at a sore rib. "You really are strong, but so's that bugbear. You have to be a better fighter if you want a chance."

Prickle brightened. "You'll show me?" She clopped her forehooves with excitement. "Please! I want to be better at not being a clumsy pony."

Bon Bon raised a brow. "If you're half as strong as I think you are, you're anything but clumsy for not bringing this building down already. How much can you lift."

Prickle had no idea, and said as much.

"What's the heaviest thing you ever lifted?"

Prickle frowned a moment, then bobbed her head. "The schoolhouse. That was kind of heavy."

Bon Bon blinked dumbly. "Do you mean a doll house for your toy fillies and colts?"

"What? No." Prickle stuck out her tongue. "The school house." She pointed towards school. "The one Miss Cheerilee teaches."

Bon Bon sank to her haunches. "You picked up the whole thing?" She muttered something under her breath, though it wasn't as quiet as she thought, "I'm lucky she didn't kill me."

Prickle paled, hearing. "I-I'm not a bad pony!"

Bon Bon shook her head quickly. "It would have been entirely my fault. We all make mistakes, asking you to come charging at me was mine." She flashed a smile. "My bruise is a reminder to not repeat it. You may get some of those yourself. Are you ready to learn some lessons?"

"Yes, teacher!" Prickle had snapped to attention and gave a sharp salute before relaxing. "What do I have to do?"

"Are you two done in there?" came Lyra's plaintive voice. "I wanna be part of the cool stuff too..."

Bon Bon rolled her eyes before she smiled. "If we don't let her watch at least, she'll be a constant distraction." She turned to the door and waved. "Come on in."

A muted cheer was heard before the door unlocked with a glow of magic and Lyra stepped inside. "I don't know why you bother locking me out. You know I can undo it whenever I want."

Bon Bon pointed at Lyra. "And I know you won't, because you love and respect me."

Lyra went red in the cheeks. "I... Well, yes. Devious earth pony, using my love against me." She stuck out her tongue a little. "So what's the deal?"

Bon Bon pointed at Lyra. "Subdue her, without hurting her."

"Wait, what?" was all Lyra got out before Prickle was on her.

The efforts to take down the unicorn were a bit meek, afraid of hurting Lyra, and Prickle was snatched in glowing magic, lifted into the air where her strength meant little at all. "Easy there, kiddo."

Bon Bon smiled as she trotted closer. "As you can see, if you have no leverage, your strength means nothing." She reached out and tapped Prickle on the snout. "How do you plan on escaping this predicament?"

Prickle gave the mightiest pout, her eyes glistening with new tears. Lyra took half a step back. "Bonnie, she's found my weakness! I can't stand seeing a filly cry! No no no no, stop that! It'll be alright!"

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. "Don't be a foal. Just hold her steady."

"But... look at her." Lyra's composure broke into pieces as she released Prickle and grabbed for the filly. "I'm sorry!"

Prickle nuzzled into the hug a moment before she grabbed for Lyra's hooves, snapping them together and she held them tight. Lyra let out a squeak as she fell over.

Bon Bon applied her hoof to her forehead. "I have to give that point to Pr... Tiny Titan. Lyra, really?"

"Sorry..."

Author's Notes:

She's training to be the very best. The best there ever was.

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9 - Getting to the Point

Bon Bon was not kind to Prickle, not at all. She flipped her, tossed her, dodged her, and chastised her.

So why was Prickle having such a good time? She had a smile that only seemed to grow with every challenge given. She could be as strong as she wanted and it seemed the candy maker could handle it, dodging and rolling with her motions with uncanny skill. Prickle had no idea why Bon Bon was so amazing, but she was, and Prickle couldn't help but love it.

Lyra, on the other hoof, was kinder and smiled more often, but Prickle had to be careful with the unicorn. One good shove and Lyra would just fall over. She still hadn't managed to get Bon Bon to do that, even when challenged to do just that.

Prickle felt the tug of magic pulling her from the ground and quickly spun in place, becoming a difficult target for unicorn magic. With a powerful kick, she threw off her balance as well and fell free of Lyra's failing grip. She bounced towards Bon Bon with a ready cry and leaped up and forward, hoof coming to give her quite the punch. Then she was poked, right in the ribs.

"Sting," reported Bon Bon. "You're toast."

Prickle flopped to the ground, her momentum gone. "Aw... I'm getting better, right?"

Bon Bon gave a little smile. "You are... I just don't want this to be your first and last rodeo, right? From the top..."

Lyra stuck out her tongue at the two of them. "You're both a bit too fast for me."

Bon Bon put a hoof under Lyra's chin, gazing into her eyes in that sappy way that Prickle found both adorable and a little sickening at once. Kissy stuff. "Thanks for helping."

Lyra glowed at the praise and leaned in to touch snoots before she looked to Prickle. "Alright, ready for more?"

"Yes ma'am!" cried Prickle, bouncing to her hooves and leaping right back into the fray.

Later, as Celestia tucked the sun in for bed, Prickle staggered from the shop. She was tired, but in a good way. "Thanks!" She cried as the door closed, then launched herself into the dimming sky. The beast hadn't come yet, and that was alright. She was ready for dinner, and bed.

"Prickle Berry," came the stern voice of her mother when she arrived home. "Where have you been?!" She quickly closed the distance and hugged her foal tight. "Were you looking for that monster?"

"Yes, mom," admitted Prickle. "But I did something even better."

"Better?" Junebug released her daughter. "Tell me about it while you eat. You must be starving." She quickly set the table and sat across from Prickle. "I'm guessing you didn't run into any horrifying bugbears?"

"No, Mom," assured Prickle before she practically dunked her snout in the food, eating voraciously. The conversation was sedate until she was finished and leaned back, some food still on her muzzle.

Junebug shook her head and grabbed a napkin in her mouth to get to cleaning Prickle off. "You really were starving."

"Not anymore," cheerfully replied Prickle. "I found a super nice pony that was teaching me how to use my strength better."

Junebug started at that, cloth dropping to the floor. "Bulk Biceps?"

Prickle shook her head. "Not him. They're a mare."

"What's her name?"

Prickle held up a hoof in front of her lips. "That's a secret, mom. I wouldn't want anypony to tell who I am."

Junebug gave a little smile. "My daughter, already making super secret friends." She pulled Prickle in for a gentle hug. "Just be safe, alright? I won't be sad if you decide not to fight that monster."

"I have to..." Prickle pouted up at her mother. "Who else is going to make it go away?"

"An--" She cut herself off and took a slow breath. "I understand. I don't like it... but I won't stop you." She kissed Prickle's nose. "Just know you can always run home."

Prickle bobbed her head and bounced up to her hooves. She peeled herself free of her suit and tossed it aside in the laundry before she went off to bed. The next day promised more patrolling and practice. Maybe the bugbear would even show up! She wasn't entirely sure how excited or scared she was.

While she slept, Junebug washed her suit and had it dried and pressed by the time Prickle awoke for breakfast. "Good morning, my brave warrior." She kissed the top of Prickle's head. "Breakfast is ready. Eat up, and be safe."

"Love you mom!" She gave a careful hug and got right to eating, then dressing, and she was off.

The air was crisp and clean, but the town was quiet, so very quiet. Everypony was hiding, hoping the bugbear would pass them by. It had worked for many other monsters before. Just stay low, never go by a window, and wait for the all clear.

"Aw yeah!" came a cry.

Prickle looked towards the source and saw Rainbow Dash grinning like a fool at Mayor Mare. "I'll kick that thing's flank right back to Tartarus, again!"

Prickle landed right beside the element with a powerful jump. "Rainbow Dash, you're back?"

Mayor Mare nodded at Prickle. "Oh, yes. Isn't it wonderful? She came back ahead of the other girls and I've appraised her of the situation. You won't have to fight it after all."

Rainbow blinked softly as she looked between Mayor Mare and the costumed filly. "Are you serious? She was gonna go fight it?" She reached out and poked Prickle. "No offense, but aren't you a little young for this?"

Prickle puffed up. "Says who?"

"Says me," replied Rainbow Dash as if it were obvious. "Go home."

"Stop telling me to go home!" Prickle slammed a hoof down, cracking the cement of the step they were standing on. "I am Tiny Titan, and I plan to fight that bugbear."

"Tiny Titan, huh?" Her eyes wandered down over the broken ground. "So, what, you some kinda superhero, like the Power Ponies?" She leaned in, wings keeping her in the air easily. "Ya know, I was a Power Pony once."

Prickle blinked. "You were?"

"But it was just magic and pretend." Rainbow shrugged.

"Well I'm for real." Prickle thumped her own chest lightly. She glanced for Mayor Mare, but it seemed the official had fled quickly. "I'm going to fight that bugbear."

"Not alone you aren't." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You're a foal, you shouldn't be fighting it at all."

"Too bad," declared Prickle with certainty. "I'm fighting. Are you with me?"

Rainbow blinked before laughter peeled from her. "This is too good. I'm being bossed around by a foal that thinks she's hot stuff. Alright, let's give you a chance. This way." She gave a toss of her head and streaked away in a flash of rainbows.

Was that a test? Prickle decided to assume it was and jumped into the air faster than she normally would be comfortable with. In the air, she could see Rainbow retreating into the distance, headed towards Sweet Apple Acres. Prickle landed on the dirt road and pushed even harder. Dirt and dust flew in all directions, but mostly behind her as she was sent soaring through the air like a bullet that she had fired herself. With the wind roaring in her ears, she could see she was approaching Rainbow, who had pulled over a barrel.

She landed with a soft grunt and shook herself out. "What's the barrel for?"

"Huh, you're faster than I thought." Rainbow nodded appreciatively. "But let's see if you're half as strong as you claim to be." She slammed a foreleg down on the barrel. "Time for hoof wrastlin'!"

Prickle blinked as she approached. The barrel was tall. Too tall for her to easily match Rainbow's pose. "Do you have a shorter one?"

Rainbow snickered softly. "Already beat? Fine." She knocked the barrel over and got her leg down on its side. "Here we go."

That was much easier to get to and Prickle locked hooves with Rainbow. "How hard should I push?"

Rainbow blinked. "How hard? As hard as you can."

"Really?"

"Of course, duh. How do you plan to beat me? On the count of three. One... Two... Three!"

Rainbow pushed against Prickle with all her might, but Prickle was not moving. She was holding her leg perfectly still. She wanted to win, but she didn't want to hurt Rainbow. "Am I winning?"

"No!" blurted Rainbow, her face red with effort and a bit of shame. "Not until you pin my leg against the barrel!"

"Like this?" Slowly she began tilting Rainbow's leg towards the barrel.

Rainbow began sweating buckets. The foal really was powerful! She clenched her teeth hard and pushed with all her might, but she was still being pushed without delay towards defeat. Desperate, she put her other hoof in to help pull against Prickle, but nothing stopped the march towards the wood.

With a ragged sigh, Rainbow's hooves, both of them, touched the wood. "How..."

Prickle withdrew her hoof. "Are you hurt?"

Rainbow went quiet a moment, then laughed. "You just schooled me, and you ask if I'm hurt." She suddenly tossed a leg over Prickle. "Yer alright, kid. Seriously, how'd you do that? Some kinda crazy magic spell?"

Prickle shook her head quickly. "I eat what my mother gives me and not too many sweets."

Rainbow laughed all the more, but it was a friendly laugh. "I wish it was that easy. C'mon, serious though... You're still a foal."

Prickle thrust a hoof out and knocked Rainbow over with a squawk. "So?"

Rainbow picked herself up off the ground and shook out. "Alright, I get the idea..." She put a hoof against her head. "I was not planning on having a sidekick, but alright, fine, we'll beat the tar out of that bugbear, together."

Prickle's expression lightened into joy. Two days in a row she'd found an amazing adult mare willing to work with her. "I'll patrol the west side."

"Then I got the east," finished Rainbow. "Either of us see that lousy bear, we give a shout and we'll pummel him into paste for messing with Ponyville!"

Elsewhere, Bon Bon peeked out a window and saw Rainbow Dash streak overhead. "Huh, looks like we're gonna be alright."

"Yea?" Lyra nudged her head in to peek, but Rainbow was long since past. "Why?"

"The Elements are back, from the look of it." Bon Bon let out a sigh of relief. "Good thing too. I didn't want that foal getting hurt."

"Tiny Titan?"

"That's the one." Bon Bon nodded. "She has talent, but we need months, not a day."

"Good thing they're back then. She won't have to fight at all."

Author's Notes:

The chapter title was a lie. We didn't get to any points! Was this a typo?

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10 - Call to Action

Prickle came down on one of the taller houses around and considered it a moment. It was Diamond Tiara's house, and her family was rich enough that, of course, they'd have one of the bigger houses, unless you counted Twilight's, which no one did.

She heard a window being opened and turned in time to see Diamond shoving her head out through one at about her height. The haughty filly flipped her hair lightly. "What are you doing on my roof?"

Prickle cringed faintly. She'd almost made peace with facing the bugbear, but she hadn't prepared for Diamond... "I'm..." That's when she realized she wasn't Prickle Berry. She was Tiny Titan, defender of Ponyville! She rose up to her full height. "I'm here to defend Ponyville from the bugbear!"

Diamond cocked a brow at the costumed hero. "Well, good luck with that..." Just as Prickle was about to leap away, Diamond thrust out a hoof. "Wait! Uh..." Diamond glanced away nervously. "Look... Thanks." She raised a hoof to rub behind her head. "For saving Silver Spoon, that is. Thanks."

Prickle felt a smile spreading on her face. To be thanked by her longtime tormentor felt much better than it had any right to. "I would do the same for any pony that was in danger."

"Even me?"

Prickle blinked softly. "Of course. You're a pony. If you were in danger, I would try to help you."

Diamond cocked her head faintly. "Huh... You really are a goodie." She flashed a bright smile. "Well, better go catch that bugbear, right?"

"Right!"

Diamond slipped back inside and closed the window as Prickle bounded off to continue her patrol, feeling lighter than before.

Thinking about Diamond made Prickle think about Silver Spoon. The two took up basically the same mental real estate in her mind. Was she alright? Prickle spotted the hospital and came down just in front of it, kicking up dirt from her landing. "I'm getting better at this," she said to herself with a little smile. Jumping didn't feel like barely-controlled falling so much as it had at first, and she really did enjoy using it to get around.

"Shh," said Nurse Redheart, peeking out the door. Her eyes widened as she saw who it was. "You! You ran away before I could talk to you."

Oops. Prickle put a hoof behind her head. "I wasn't trying to be rude."

"Rude? You saved her." Redheart smiled, warmth behind the expression as she opened the door the rest of the way and trot closer. "Are you here to visit? She was hoping you would."

She was? Prickle took half a step back in surprise before she bobbed her head. "Y-yes, please. If that's alright?"

Redheart turned back to the hospital. "Of course, this way. What are you doing outside, by the way? The bugbear's lurking around, I hear."

Prickle tensed. "Oh! Right... I should be looking for it... Can you tell Silver Spoon I came by, and that I'll stop in once the bugbear's taken care of?"

Redheart looked over her shoulder. "You..." She had an argument ready to go, but it died a quiet death. "I'll tell her. Please, be careful. I don't want to see you in here except to visit other ponies."

"I'll be careful." She dipped her head, then launched herself away.

Sailing through the air in a lazy arc, she could see the rainbow streaks of her partner on the other side of town. Ponyville was safe with the two of them on duty.

She heard a shriek, loud and piercing. Prickle staggered in surprise, looking around in a moment of panic before she saw the wall of a building burst from the inside. There it was! Striped, claws, fanged, and all the other deadly parts to a predator one could find. In one of its terrible claws, it held Carrot Top, and was shaking the poor farmer around mercilessly as it roared and snarled at the world in general.

Prickles licked her lips. It was even more terrible than she had heard, but she wasn't going to run away, no. But she could get help! She bounded towards Rainbow as quickly as she could, shouting, "Rainbow! It's here!"

It didn't take long to get her attention, and she saw the rainbow streak heading towards her, but Carrot was still held, and that bear looked like it may go for a snack. With dread filling her heart, Prickle knew she had to act or there wouldn't be a pony to save.

She hit the ground, her hooves absorbing the impact, legs bending just so as to redirect that power. She pushed the world away, and it moved. She was sent hurtling directly at the great insect-beast as it lifted its hostage towards its great mouth.

Prickle was screaming, not in fear, but in desperation. She was the only one close enough to have a hope of saving Carrot Top, and she reached out with her hooves as she flew towards them. "Stoooooo--"

It did stop. It stopped and brought a paw across as she came into range, swatting her right out of the air like some insect. The paw collided with her and sent her flying off to the side abruptly, crashing through a wall to land on somepony's couch, dizzy and hurting. "Ow..."

An instant later, she was hit by a hurled Carrot Top, thrown by the beast through the same hole she had just made. Prickle wheezed and wriggled, confused and disoriented from the situation.

The pony whose house it was screamed and ran down the stairs and out the door, galloping in a wild panic.

Carrot moaned. It wasn't a happy sound, but it meant she was still there. Prickle carefully twisted, bringing Carrot with her and setting her on the ground. "You stay here." Not that she expected the mare to suddenly show more motion. Prickle hopped down to the ground and saw the bear was swatting at the air. Rainbow was just a bit faster than it could swing and was keeping it off balance, but not much damage was being done to it.

Neither of them, alone, had a chance. "Good thing we're not alone," she said with a smile, trotting up to the edge of the building and leaping out of the hole. Could the bugbear speak? She didn't dare risk it, so she just crept in quietly.

"Take that!" shouted Rainbow as she delivered a kick on its head, then rebounded away to avoid the swing of claws and gnashing of teeth. "You're gonna have to be way faster than that!"

Prickle bound up to a roof not far from the action. Rainbow saw her and Prickle was fast to bring up a hoof in a 'shhh' motion. Rainbow nodded and darted around the bear to keep it facing as far away from Prickle as possible. "Come on, can't you even hit me once?"

Slower than Rainbow did not mean slow. It got lucky, or perhaps it was learning her patterns, but as she came to deliver a quick blow, its teeth clamped down one one of her legs and with a toss of its head, send her flying to the ground to crash with a painful thud against the dirt. Even as she groaned and moved blearily to stand, it was diving down on top of her.

It was time to act. Prickle lined up the shot, then threw the best weapon she had, herself. Wind roared in her ears for just a moment before she crashed into the bear like a bullet. It roared in pain and defiance and swiped at her side with claws that were even sharper than they looked. They tore right through her suit, leaving jagged marks. Pain exploded through her, but she was not giving up.

She raised a hoof. "Go--" She brought it down with all the strength she had. "Away!"

Suddenly she was falling. The blow had sent the bear crashing into the ground beside Rainbow Dash with a titanic crash, dirt exploding from the impact site. Rainbow Dash had scrambled out of the way just in time. "Oh yeah, now that's the stuff!" She darted up and caught Prickle from the air, snatching her from gravity's grip. "That was awesome!"

The bugbear had a differing opinion and rose with a snarl. It was wobbling though and its wings didn't flap quite in sync. The crushing blow clearly had an effect on it, but it wasn't willing to quit yet.

"Throw me."

Rainbow perked an ear at her friend. "Ya sure? I got a better idea." She could toss Prickle, possibly, or... She flew directly at the bear, streaking at it. "You know what to do," she said through clenched teeth, the air growing thick around them as they accelerate towards a limit.

It took Prickle an instant to realize what was going on, but then she knew, and she was ready. She brought her hoof back as things grew more and more tense.

Even the bear seemed to know something was up. Instead of coming to fight them, it was fleeing as fast as it could, which was nowhere near fast enough to get away from Rainbow Dash.

Everything became colors. Colors and noise. Prickle heard screaming. Was it hers? Was it Rainbows? It could even have been the bear's, she didn't know. What she did know it when the rainbows faded, there was a new deep and long trench leading away from them. At the end of it laid the bugbear, unmoving.

Rainbow was cheering and celebrating, dancing in air while holding Prickle up. "Ya shoulda seen it! Wait, you did see it, you were there. We were so awesome!" She tossed Prickle up and caught her, but stopped when Prickle made a yelp of genuine pain. "What?" That's when she saw the ripped suit and the wounds she had suffered. "O-oh! Hang in there little buddy!"

Prickle wanted to hang in there, but she couldn't. She'd done her part. She needed to sleep. Everything went dark in the embrace of Rainbow Dash.

Author's Notes:

Victory! Though not flawless. A rainboom-fueled titanic punch? I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that.

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11 - Hospital Mates

Prickle opened her eyes with a soft groan, only to start up as she realized she was not in her usual bed, or anywhere she normally would visit.

She was in the hospital. What had put her there filtered through her mind and her eyes snapped down to where she had met the bugbear's claws. There were bandages covering the spot, but her suit was still on, despite all the odds in her head telling her it shouldn't be.

What was going on?

She started to rise from the bed, only to hear a soft gasp from the next bed over. Its curtain wrenched to the side, revealing her roommate to be Silver Spoon. "You're awake!"

Prickle toppled over with surprise, flopping onto the soft bedding. Pain ran through her. She was still hurt. Not terribly, she decided, but hurt enough to not want to go flopping around. "Hello..."

Silver Spoon smiled from her bed, a gentle smile. "Nurse Redheart said you'd come... after you beat up that nasty bugbear. Did you do it?"

Prickle sat up on her haunches, facing Silver Spoon. She gave a single firm nod. "Me and Rainbow Dash, I mean, Rainbow Dash and I did. She was amazing!"

Silver spoon leaned forward, or tried, but it seemed she was still hurt as well. She had bandages along her barrel, but, like Prickle, seemed far from critically put down. "You were more amazing... Like... I'm glad you're here."

Prickle felt confused heat build in her cheeks. Hearing kind words from one half of the terrible duo that once had tormented her was a disorienting achievement. "I... just did what I thought I had to do..."

Silver Spoon nodded softly. "That's what makes you... a real hero." She patted her bed lightly. "Can you come closer?"

Prickle tilted her head a little before she looked around. She didn't see any adults to chastise her, so she hopped down carefully and made a slow walk to Silver's side. "Are you alright?"

"Yes... thanks to you." Once Prickle was close enough, Silver darted in despite the obvious pain such an action brought her and planted a kiss right on the end of Prickle's snout. "I owe you everything. I thought I was... gone. There was fire everywhere. I couldn't even see anymore. I kept calling for help... Then... Then..." Tears were welling in her eyes as she told the story. "I laid down. I was ready to just die..."

Prickle cringed at the image of it. "Nopony deserves to be... cooked."

"Deserve it or not, like... I was going to." A smile touched her lips. "Then you came, my angel through the flames. You didn't let anything stand in your way. I heard wood exploding all around me, then the heat went away... Then I was here, in the hospital." She reached a hoof to Prickle's cheek and slowly felt across it. "I owe you everything..."

Prickle felt her insides growing warm. "N-no you don't."

Silver just giggles, more of a titter really. "I knew you'd say that. You're a hero, a real hero." She let out a little sigh. "If I could get up, I would give you the biggest hug. They said your name was Tiny Titan?"

Prickle started. Silver Spoon didn't know her real name?!

"You remind me of somepony." Silver gazed at Prickle through half-closed eyes. "You have her eyes. She's a nice pony too, but she'd never have the courage to do what you did."

Prickle's tension only grew worse. Was Silver Spoon talking about her, to her? "Oh, um... Well she's probably doing the best she can..."

"Yeah... We used to make fun of her, for being different." She reached out a hoof again and rested it right on the bridge of Prickle's snout. "Sometimes difference can be amazing..."

Prickle was flailing internally. There were a thousand things she wanted to say, but none of them wanted to form an orderly line to get out of her. "Are you... alright?"

"Thanks to you." Silver sat up a precious inch, though her face showed the pain of the motion. "They actually said I should be alright in about a week. How do you feel, my angel of the flames?"

Prickle's ears went down and back. That title was just a bit too much. "T-Tiny Titan will do," she assured with a nervous smile. "I'm glad you're alright... For... I... I thought I hurt you, when I was trying to help you."

Silver frowned a little. "If you didn't help me, I wouldn't be here to hurt." She seemed to think back to that time. "The door flew past me when you kicked it... I think it might have bonked me on the way past. I felt even more dizzy, but here I am. I'm alright." She bopped Prickle on the nose. "You saved me. That's, like, the bottom line."

A soft knock came from the door just an instant before a nurse poked her nose in. Redheart smiled as she came closer. "I see you two found each other. I hope you're getting along?" There wasn't much actual question or doubt there. "Tiny Titan?"

Prickle snapped to attention, which hurt and she winced. "Y-yes?"

"Take it easy. You're still hurt. Thankfully not too badly. You two should get out around the same time." She moved over Prickle and reached, snatching up the filly by her costumed scruff and carrying her to her bed without too much effort. She was still a filly. Without resisting, she was not that heavy to move around. "We're going to have to give you a bath later, and launder your suit, but, until then, your secret's safe with us." She put up a hoof in a 'shh' motion once Prickle was set down. "And I don't want to hear anypony is pressuring our patients."

Prickle felt a tension drifting away. They did know. They were just being kind about it. She gave a warm smile to Redheart. "Thank you."

"Thank us?" Redheart ran a hoof gently across the top of Prickle's head. "Little hero, we heard all about your daring deeds from Rainbow Dash. She was quite insistent on going over the blow by blow with us. That was very brave, and foolish, as brave things often are. Ponyville owes you a debt of thanks."

Silver tittered softly. "Guess I owe you two thanks."

Prickle suddenly remembered something. "Is Carrot Top alright?" She asked with wide eyes. "That mean bugbear was attacking her."

"She was more shocked than hurt." Redheart gave a gentle nod. "She's already home, cleaning up the mess the bugbear left behind, thanks to you." The smile turned to a frown. "That came out wrong. Thanks to you she can go home. You didn't make that monster make a mess." She pulled up the cover over Prickle to her head. "If you're feeling up for it, I'm going to get you both some food." Neither filly denied the idea, and off she went at a leisurely trot.

When the door closed behind Redheart, Silver Spoon looked to Prickle. "So, are you going to tell me?" She smiled, full of hope. "I'm your biggest fan. I can keep a secret, promise. Like, forever and ever!"

Prickle's left ear twitched back. The more ponies knew, the less secret it was. What good was a secret identity that half the town knew? Besides... It was Silver Spoon... If she knew, there was no way Diamond Tiara wouldn't learn, and then... And then... Prickle took a shuddering breath. "Tiny Titan is my name."

Silver sighed softly. "Well... You're not tiny, not in my book." She reached out to point at Prickle. "You're anything but small."

Redheart returned, pushing a tray, handle in her mouth. "Here we are. An extra hearty meal for an extra hearty hero."

Rather than being jealous, Silver giggled and looked delighted as a larger plate was set out for Prickle. She accepted her own plate with a demure nod.

Prickle took it less gracefully, smiling nervously and sitting up to pull the plate closer and give it all a sniff. It wasn't as good at her mother's cooking, but what could be? It smelled nice enough, and her belly reminded her that she was quite hungry. She was soon gobbling up the food just about as quickly as she could get it into her snout.

Silver watched the somewhat messy devouring with wide eyes. "You really are... hearty." She nudged her own plate a little. "I want to go home..."

Prickle paused her meal to look at Silver, food dripping from her snout. "O-oh, me too. Oh..." She cringed. "Oh no..."

"What's wrong?" Silver tilted her head at Prickle.

"My mother doesn't even know where I am! She's going to be so upset, then mad, then upset again." Prickle clopped her hooves to either side of her head. "I'm the worst daughter ever!" Then it struck her. If her mother came, her identity would be plain to all. It wasn't like her mother had any other foals she could be.

Acting, rather than thinking, Prickle pushed her plate away, then slid out of bed, aches and pains be darned. "Gotta go!"

"Wait!"

Silver's cry went unheard as Prickle shoved a window open, backed up a step, then leaped right through the avenue to freedom.

That's when Prickle discovered she was on the second floor of the hospital. She squealed as she fell the unexpected distance, but managed to get her legs in proper position to cushion most of the fall in a dynamic, and painful, thud. Ponies turned to the sounds she had made.

"Isn't that the filly that fought the bugbear?" asked one.

"It's Tiny Titan!" proclaimed another.

A crowd was rapidly forming to greet the community's newest hero, but Prickle was in no mood for adoration of any kind. "I have to go!" She squeaked, then she left it all behind with a powerful bound. She didn't dare go straight home. Somepony could spy which way she was going. She went across town and landed in an alley where she peeled off her suit as quickly as she could, balled it up and let out a sigh of relief. She was Prickle Berry again. Tiny Titan could just relax.

She walked home from there, at least until she ran into a familiar mare who gave a dramatic gasp. "Darling! Whatever happened to you?"

It was Rarity. Prickle smiled up at her. "You're back?"

"I am, and I must say it's just in time." Her horn glowed and snatched the balled up outfit from Prickle. "You simply must be more careful, dear." Her eyes wandered past the outfit to Prickle's bandages. "What did happen? Were you getting into trouble, little filly?"

"She was busy kicking flank!" proclaimed a suddenly-present Rainbow Dash.

Prickle went red. That was another pony that knew. She was terrible at being a superhero. "Don't tell ponies!"

"Yeah yeah." Rainbow rolled a hoof. "She already knows. She's holding your costume."

Rarity nodded uncertainly, then paused. "Wait, is this the filly that you mentioned was fighting that horrible bugbear?!" She put a hoof to her snout. A couch slid in from clear across town, then she fainted onto it. "She's such a small and innocent thing! I had no idea I would be encouraging quite this level of drama."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah, drama. You wouldn't know a thing about that, huh Rarity?"

Rarity shot her a dirty look, then sat up. "Well, I'm going to fix this outfit right up. You--" She pointed at Prickle. "--should go home and let your mother know you're alright. Honestly, she's probably a nervous wreck."

Rainbow flew at Prickle suddenly, plucking her up and flying off with her. "I figure you deserve one ride at least," she explained as they went. "Good job, kid. That finishing move, oh wow. We gotta do that again! It was super awesome!"

Prickle gingerly hopped free of Rainbow once they were back on the ground. "Thank you for the ride, but, please, remember... I'm Prickle Berry unless I have the suit on."

"Right." Rainbow snapped a sharp salute. "Then I'll just have to look forward to spotting the up and coming Tiny Titan on her patrols, huh?" She snickered as she rose to fly off. "Spike is gonna be soooo jealous."

Prickle turned away from Rainbow and faced her house, and the mother within. With a deep breath, she approached the door.

Author's Notes:

Prickle has a #1 fan! And has to face her mother.

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12 - End Episode 3 - I'm Home

Prickle glanced left and right as she went before reaching up for the handle and slowly pulling the door open. "Mom?"

She didn't get to do much more than that before a shape emerged from the shadows of the house and tackled her to the ground in a mess of tears and a joyful squeal. When she cried out in pain, her mother recoiled like she had just touched something hot. "What happened?" Her eyes traveled to Prickle's bandages before she picked Prickle up, carefully, and took her inside while standing on her hind legs awkwardly.

"It's alright, mom," assured Prickle as she was carried. "I won..."

"I know you did." Junebug placed a little kiss on Prickle's forehead. "Everpony was talking about it. They're all gasping and gushing about Tiny Titan." She carefully crouched and let Prickle half-slide from her forelegs onto her bed before she began tucking her in and pulling up the comforter over her. It was, as its name demanded, comforting.

Prickle felt guilt simmering. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting."

Junebug sat beside the bed. "Forget that, for now. Tell me what happened, exactly. I want...I'm your mother, but I'm also your #1 fan." She gave a gentle smile, haunted as it was a little. "Tell me everything."

So Prickle did, explaining how the bugbear arrived. "There was this huge crash, and it had Carrot Top!" She went on through how she and Rainbow Dash fought against it. "She was keeping it busy while I snuck up on it, then bang!" And it all came to a head with rainbows. "I never thought it was so bright and colorful, but it's different from seeing it on the ground. I threw a punch just as it started and I felt the bugbear, but just for a moment. I felt it then it was gone. It made a huge ditch in the ground, and we won."

Junebug leaned in and kissed each cheek. "You are a very brave filly." She smiled a little. "Then what?"

Prickle blinked. "Huh? I won."

Junebug rolled a hoof. "The bugbear didn't give you those bandages. Then what?"

Prickle tried to sit up, but her mother gently pressed down on her. It wasn't as if Prickle couldn't just get up anyway, but she didn't defy her mother and settled back on her bed. "Rainbow, um, Miss Dash took me to the hospital. They were very nice there. Once I thought of you, I came running to let you know I was alright."

Junebug raised a brow. "I don't imagine that was their idea."

Prickle warmed in her cheeks. "N-no mom..."

"I'll go tell them what happened."

Prickle paled. "B-but, the secret!"

Junebug rested a hoof on Prickle's lips. "I will be discreet. I'll just talk to your nurse. Which was it?"

"R-redheart," mumbled out Prickle. "She really was nice..."

Junebug smiled. "Then I'll be sure to thank her. I'm not angry at anypony that helped take care of my precious Prickle." She rose to her hooves. "Now you just relax here. Do you want a drink before I go?"

"Yes please..."

All too soon, Junebug had left for the hospital, and Prickle sat up with her glass of water, considering her life. Was her mother really alright, or was she... Prickle didn't know. "I don't deserve you," she sighed to herself with a smile. She had the best mom ever, she decided. She would have to get the biggest besterest mother's day card...

A knocking came from a window and Prickle's eyes darted to see Scootaloo peeking in through it with a huge grin.

Prickle felt the urge to smile in return. "Come in!"

Permission given, Scootaloo dropped from the window and soon the door opened to admit all three of the crusaders.

Sweetie was the first to Prickle's bedside, but only because Apple Bloom was holding Scootaloo back. "That was quite the engagement if I heard correctly. Are you alright?"

Scootaloo burst free of Apple Bloom's embrace. "Is she alright?! She got to kick flank with Rainbow Dash! I'm so jealous right now I could explode!" She jumped right on Prickle, hugging her.

It would have been a nice thing, if not for Prickle's injuries singing out in a symphony of pain. Her own throat raised to join the chorus before Apple Bloom pulled Scootaloo free. "Sorry 'bout that. Ya hurt bad?"

Prickle shook her head. "It just hurts. The nurse said it should be fine in a week." She put a hoof behind her head. "Sorry to bother, but could you bring home my work from school for me while I'm stuck in bed?"

Sweetie gave a firm nod. "I'll be sure to do that. I'm glad you're alright though. Was it scary?"

"Yes," admitted Prickle. "I was sure it was gonna get me a few times..." She reached out a hoof. "But I did what I had to, and I think it's all of your fault... Thank you."

Her outstretched hoof was met by three others in a communal hoofbump.

Apple Bloom, smiling radiantly, nodded. "Well, yer officially a hero now. Are ya gonna keep it a secret still?"

Prickle's eyes went wide. "I have to!"

Apple Bloom rolled a hoof. "Not that we're arguin' any, but ah'm curious, why?"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Because superheros do that, and she's super, and a hero."

Sweetie Belle tapped her hooves together. "We all know. Rarity knows, Rainbow knows." She tilted her head at Prickle. "Do the nurses and doctors know?"

Prickle's ears fell. "Yes..." They snapped back up. "But Diamond Tiara doesn't know, and neither does Silver Spoon." Her eyes shone with hope. "They can't know!"

Apple Bloom squinted one eye shut. "Lemme get this straight. Yer hidin' from jus' those two?" Prickle bobbed her head. "Why?"

Sweetie Belle threw her hooves wide. "They're not that bad. They've become much nicer since the whole election thing when we got our marks."

Prickle's lips peeled back in a display of fear. "They still think I'm a creepy freak with weird strength."

Scootaloo prodded Prickle carefully. "Yeah, sure, but you're our creepy freak with awesome strength! You're a hero, Prickle."

Apple Bloom nodded. "Now, we ain't here ta force ya, right girls?" She gave Scootaloo a pointed look. "So ya can make yer own decisions. We're behind ya, 110%!"

"Is that possible?" Sweetie Belle looked uncertain. "For now, you should rest and get better. I'll bring you your work every day." Her horn began to glow and a notebook was produced from in her fur. "I have yesterday's notes!"

Scootaloo blinked. "We didn't even have class yesterday..."

Sweetie stuck out her tongue. "That doesn't mean all of us did nothing."

Apple Bloom pricked an ear. "If we don't get movin', girls, we're not gonna get any notes fer today either. C'mon. We'll see ya later, Prickle."

They fled with a chorus of bye, leaving Prickle alone, with Sweetie's notebook.

She reached for it and flipped it open. Inside were dense notes from the start of the year going forward through it. But there was more than that. It was also her diary! There were musings and thoughts about her life in general. It was as if Sweetie Belle just wrote things out in one unending stream of thought, whether it was about a school project or what she thought of that colt in the third row.

Prickle's cheeks went a bright red and she tossed it away onto her belly as if it were on fire. She shouldn't read that!

But then time passed, and she had nothing to do... She timidly reached for the notebook/journal. If she focused on the schoolwork part of things, that shouldn't cause any problems, right?

She flipped through quickly, trying to not read any more than she had to to get an idea of where she was in the year's lessons.

Then she found it.

They picked on her again today. I don't know what Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have against Prickle Berry. She's a very nice filly, so far as I can tell. I don't even know what they think is so strange about her, and they won't say. They just have some secret they hold over her and they laugh and poke fun and even threaten her. I can't stand it! I wish I could do something about it...

Prickle didn't know tears had escaped her until one splattered on the page. She squeaked and quickly brushed it away before she flopped back on her pillow, taking a break from trying to find those notes.

The front door opened while prickle lay there. It was her mother. Junebug smiled at her daughter. "What's that?" She was looking at the notebook. "Are you studying, my clever little porcupine?"

That seemed a fine excuse. Besides, that had been her goal. "Sweetie Belle dropped off her notes before school."

"That was very kind of her." Junebug set her saddlebaskets aside. "Redheart was relieved to hear you were alright. She mentioned something about leaping out of a second story window..." Prickle wilted with shame. "She's just glad to know that didn't hurt you, but she was quite insistent you rest up until it stops hurting completely." She moved over to kiss Prickle's forehead. "I love you."

Prickle smiled at that, relief flooding her. "I love you too, mom. They, the crusaders that is, promised to drop off my work after school each day so I don't fall behind. Being a superhero doesn't get me out of school."

"I'm glad you see it that way." She ran a hoof slowly through Prickle's mane. "Some ponies, once they start on their career, abandon school entirely. I don't want you to. This... This is obviously what you want, and need on some level, but I hope there's more ahead of you than risking yourself for other ponies."

Prickle sat up a little. "What... else would I do?"

Junebug tilted her head at her daughter. "Whatever you wanted. You have a sharp little brain in that head of yours. You could do all sorts of things. I don't want you to feel you have to do this... I mean, even if you did want to use your strength, there are plenty of jobs where you could do that without being a fighter."

"Like?"

Junebug paused a moment before it came to her. "You could work in construction. A mare as strong as you? You'd be highly valued and save a lot of time and effort compared to how they'd do it without you. You're fast enough that you could be a courier. A mailmare is a perfectly acceptable position." She leaned down and pressed her forehead to Prickle's. "You can be so many things. I'm not telling you to stop. I just want you to keep your eyes open."

She trotted away and Prickle watched her quietly. It was clear to her that her mother would rather she put down her shiny suit and find another job, any other job... "Why aren't you telling me to stop?"

Junebug froze like a statue a moment before she turned back to Prickle. "Stop what, dear?"

Prickle smiled a little. "You know what. You don't want me to be Tiny Titan."

"I..." She raised a hoof to her chin. "I... want you to be happy, Prickle. I want to be a good mother. If being... this... is what you are, then I won't... stop you. That doesn't mean I have to... like it specifically, but I love you and I will be a good mother."

Author's Notes:

Junebug doubles down on her convictions. Is she aiming for #1 mom, or is she the worst?

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13 - Start Episode 4 - Back to School

Prickle did as her mother told her, and performed well on the work she was given by Sweetie every day. Each time the unicorn came around, Prickle would swap notebooks with her answers and homework in it with what Sweetie had from the day before.

At last, she was well again and could return to school. Things seemed to be normal enough.

"The heroine walked with renewed vigor. She had shaken off her injuries with the determination that made her who she was. Tiny Titan would stalk the streets of Ponyville, and bad guys had better watch out!"

Prickle smiled over at Scootaloo. "You're very silly when you're doing the narrating thing."

"You know you like it," assured Scootaloo with a returned grin. The other girls giggled at her antics.

Apple Bloom threw a leg over her powerful friend. "Ah'm mighty happy ta see ya up n' around again. It'll be a treat ta be at school wit ya insteada jus' bringin' home notes fer ya."

Sweetie bobbed her head as they approached the class. "Not that I minded taking notes for you, Prickle. It's the least I could do!"

They exchanged a communal hoofbump before they split up for their seats.

Cheerilee gave her a sympathetic look when Prickle first entered the classroom. "Prickle Berry, it's so good to have you back." She let out a worried sigh. "To think, you were caught by that terrible Bugbear while trying to get your mother her groceries, really. She should have known better than to send you out at a time like that."

Prickle froze a moment and glanced off to see the crusaders were bobbing their heads at her. That was the excuse they had given for her. "O-oh, yeah, ha... That was a bit silly, but I'm alright." She smiled brightly at her teacher. "I'll be extra careful in the future."

She found her way to her desk and settled in. There were murmurs of consolation, but it seemed ponies were happy that she was alright, which was nice.

Until she heard a voice. "Hello, Prickle." She glanced to the right to see Silver Spoon standing there with a broad smile. "Nice to see you today."

What was she aiming at? "Uh, hello, um, Silver Spoon."

"Silver will do," she assured with a flutter of her lashes. "We really need to talk more."

"Settle down class," came Cheerilee's commanding voice. Silver trotted away without any further words and settled beside Diamond Tiara.

Prickle let out a near-silent sigh of relief that Silver Spoon had been banished, but glances showed that Silver was giving furtive looks right back at her. She was in that prissy filly's sights and there was nothing Prickle could think of to shake it.

Unless... She raised a hoof into the air. "Miss Cheerilee?"

Cheerilee paused her lesson, focusing on Prickle. "What is it, Prickle? Is everything alright?"

"I'm really sorry but it hurts a little. Can I go get a drink?"

Asking to take a break to get a drink was normally something a foal would have to wait for lunch for, but Prickle hoped, and was rewarded. "Of course you can. Go on. Now class--"

Prickle slid from her chair and trot from the room, giddy with freedom once she turned the corner and slipped out of the schoolhouse. The water fountain was outside, beside the playground. As she walked towards it, she looked towards the sky, as bright blue as it was. Part of her wanted to run away, but she couldn't do that... "Why not?" she asked herself out loud.

She dipped her snout in the way of the water and stepped on the pedal to get it to start flowing. As she drank, she thought of why not. For one, she was at school. Running away would get her in trouble. For another, she wasn't just Prickle Berry anymore. She was Tiny Titan. Heroes didn't run, and she was one of those, right?

"Hello."

Prickle jumped and swallowed the water wrong, sending herself into a coughing fit. A hoof came down and gently pat her back until the coughing subsided. Silver Spoon smiled gently. "Are you alright?"

Prickle looked around wildly, but there was no way to escape other than outright fleeing, again... "H-hello Silver Spoon. What are you doing here?"

"I was worried." She pulled a cloth from her fur and held it in her snout as she leaned in and rubbed it against Prickle's face, nuzzling her as she cleaned away the spilled water. "I volunteered to make sure you were alright."

Prickle blinked with dumbfounded confusion mixing with the blush of the other filly's invasion of her personal space. "Wait, Miss Cheerilee wouldn't let a pony out for that."

Silver suddenly looked guilty. "N-no, I guess not... I said I was thirsty too." Her smile returned. "We're both hurt, remember. But only one of us got hurt fighting that big terrible bugbear." She tucked her cloth away. "Can we talk?"

Prickle gestured at the schoolhouse with a flick of her head. "Cheerilee will be mad at us if we--"

Silver put a hoof to Prickle's snout. "Just a moment, please... I swear."

Prickle shivered faintly before she nodded. "Alright..." She glanced away and back. "You're..." She was almost certain Silver Spoon knew. "You're here to make fun of me, aren't you?"

Silver recoiled. "I said sorry!"

"So what!" Prickle suddenly shouted before going red. She hadn't meant to shout like that. "I..."

Silver had wilted under the sudden scream. "I'm... sorry to bother you." She spun in place and galloped back for the schoolhouse, leaving Prickle behind.

She hung her head with newfound guilt. Had Silver been trying to be nice to her? Was it right for her to shove Silver away like that? There wasn't much she could do about it right that moment, so she walked back to class and tried to pay attention to the lesson being given.

During lunch, Prickle was happily sitting by herself and chewing the sandwich her mother had prepared for her. It was her favorite kind and each bite reminded her of how lucky she was to have a perfect mom.

A sudden lashing hoof knocked it free of her grip and sent it to the dirty ground. Diamond Tiara was there with a huge scowl. "Where do you get off talking to Silver Spoon that way!" She leaned in, her hind legs lifting off the ground in the motion. "Nopony treats Silver Spoon like that! Nopony!"

"W-what? I didn't--"

Diamond moved in all the further, shoving Prickle back. It wasn't that she couldn't resist, just that she wasn't.

The fact that she wasn't, and Diamond's scathing tongue rubbed the wrong way through the heroic filly. Wold Tiny Titan accept this? She didn't have to be bullied anymore! But if she showed her strength, she might blow everything...

"I heard it from inside the classroom. You shouted at her and she came back ready..." Diamond Tiara cut herself out with a low seething growl. "Nopony treats my friend that way!" She gave Prickle a terrific shove that sent her tumbling over her back to land on her belly with an oof. "You mutant freak! You don't belong in this school! You don't belong in this town! Go away and never come back!"

It was too much. Prickle was beyond thinking. She had to defend herself. Never had the bullying become so physical before, had she been so directly attacked. She scrambled up to her trembling hooves, her entire body shaking like a leaf in a strong wind. "Stop. Stop right now. You leave--"

"Go away!" shrilly cried Diamond Tiara, rushing with a raised hoof. She swung in a mighty punch, but Prickle did not allow it. The hoof landed, a deep thud heard, but Prickle's snout did not move a millimeter. It was as if she were made of stone.

The noise of the conflict had started drawing eyes, but Prickle was not paying attention to them. Her eyes were on Diamond, who was heaving and pushing, trying to get her hoof to move Prickle, which wasn't happening, not even a little. "Stop," she repeated. "Last warning."

A third party suddenly threw herself between them. Silver Spoon hugged Diamond Tiara tight and pulled her away. "Stop! Please stop!"

"Silver!" Diamond backed up in a sudden recoiling. "I was just..." She looked around nervously. "She..." Her voice lowered to a whisper, "She made you cry! I'm defending you, you big dummy. Let me handle this."

Silver Spoon leaned forward and kissed Diamond Tiara on the nose. "Parsnip."

Prickle blinked. What did parsnips have to do with anything? Despite her confusion, Diamond sat on her haunches like a well-trained dog.

Tiara gave a slow blink. "Are you... sure?"

"Yes." Silver Spoon nodded. "I'll explain later, I promise."

Diamond looked to Prickle, frown returning swiftly. "You're off the hook, this time. You better watch yourself!" She thrust a hoof at Prickle. "I'm watching you!" With a mighty huff, she stormed away.

Cheerilee approached with a concerned expression. "Is everything alright over here? I heard some sh--Prickle!" She reached down and turned Prickle's head gently to reveal the swelling bruise that Diamond Tiara's hoof had left. She was powerful enough to resist moving at all, but she could bruise as well as anypony else. "What happened?! Who did this? Tell me right now."

Silver Spoon looked stricken, and Prickle hesitated. She wanted to get Diamond in trouble, but... "I fell. That's what all the noise was about..."

Cheerilee tilted her head a little. "It's... Are you sure?" Prickle nodded. "Alright... Come with me. You really must be careful while you're healing."

The teacher took Prickle away to get a new bandage and her face gently dabbed off. "Now, you know, if somepony is picking on you, you should tell me," she said as she worked. "I know you're probably scared, but it won't be better for you to be quiet about it. It will be between you and me."

Prickle knew that wasn't true. Other ponies had told on Diamond before, and it rarely worked out for the better for them in the long run. Sure, Diamond Tiara would be punished in the short term, but in the long run... "I just fell," she repeated. "Thank you."

"You run along and play, but, please, don't hesitate to talk to me." Cheerilee gave a smile she hoped was reassuring. "I'm always here."

Prickle gave one final nod and rushed out back outside. Her sandwich was right where she left it, all dirty and mildly trampled on. Her mother's love, ruined. Another thing to add to the tally-sheet of Diamond Tiara's wrongdoings. With a muted grunt, Prickle slammed the ground, making a little crater. She was so angry right at that moment, at herself for failing to stand up for herself, and Diamond for being a bully.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the late chapter, but it's a good one, I hope.

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14 - Wait

Prickle tried to pay attention for the rest of the day even as her thoughts kept looping back around to how the new injury she had, and the pony that had caused it. Just as pressing, and perhaps more confusing, was her friend. Silver was not acting like her usual self. She defended Prickle, to start, and was nice to her.

Prickle tried to set the pieces down in her mind to examine rationally. If Silver was acting that way, there had to be a reason.

She knew.

She had to know. If she didn't know, there was no good reason for her to not suddenly do a 180. But then, what about Diamond? If Silver knew, surely Diamond had to, right?

"Prickle Berry." Cheerilee was looking at her with some concern. "Please focus on what I'm saying." She had admonished foals much more sternly than she was at that moment. Her tone was more caring than angry.

Prickle sat up a little, nodding. "Sorry!"

School passed without much more dramatics involved, and Prickle slid from her seat thankfully.

"Hey Prickle," came Apple Bloom's cheerful voice. "Ah heard ya done got picked on. Sorry we weren't there ta stop it."

Scootaloo nodded with a frown. "If I was there, I woulda--"

"Done mostly nothing," finished Sweetie Belle, nudging Scootaloo. "But maybe we could have calmed her down. Sorry."

Prickle sat on her haunches and spread her hooves wide. "I'm not angry at you three." And she wasn't. They were her friends, and had done nothing wrong.

They came in for her and she wrapped them up in a hug, squeezing them carefully. It was nice to have friends, especially ones that understood who she was. "I'm going to head home and do my own homework that I took with my own lips for a chance."

Sweetie Belle was giggling as she slipped free of the embrace. "You give great hugs."

Apple Bloom snorted at that. "She ain't wrong, but that there's a funny compliment ta be givin' a pony."

The three trotted off to their various duties and calls. School was over, so there was no reason to stay there.

Prickle walked sedately towards her own home, thinking about the day.

"Hey." Silver Spoon was beside her. When had she even gotten there? "We really need to talk, please... Nopony else is around."

Prickle's eyes darted as she made sure that statement was true. They were on a quiet road and there wasn't anypony else in view, just Silver Spoon... who almost certainly knew all about her. "H-hello, Silver Spoon."

She gave a half smile. "We've all... done things we're not proud of, at one point or another." She pointed a hoof at Prickle. "What will it take to convince you I'm sorry?"

Prickle felt a wave of heat flow through her. A small, angry, part of her insisted that being sorry wasn't good enough. But then she remembered herself and looked at Silver with a more neutral expression. "You're happy that I saved you."

"Yes?" Silver tilted her head a little. "Thank you--"

"I didn't know who you were," spat out Prickle with a bit more venom than she realized.

Silver Spoon took half a step back, her careful demeanor fracturing. "Would... you have left me?"

Prickle felt an icy chill grip her heart. "No! No no no!" She shook her head violent. "Celestia, no..."

Silver Spoon brushed a small rock aside. "Maybe I would have deserved it... I'm really sorry. We... Look, that... There isn't a good way to say this." She sat down on her haunches. "What do I have to do? Do you... want to hit me?"

Prickle's insides clenched all the harder. If she struck Silver Spoon, she couldn't even be sure she wouldn't send the filly right back to the hospital... or worse. "Your friend did enough hitting."

Silver cringed at that. "She was trying to protect... me... She's a good friend, most of the time. She... saw how... Look, this is between us." She waved a hoof between herself and Prickle. "I'll do anything, please... I'm not the pony who made fun of you."

Prickle felt her jaw clench before she let out a thunderous snort. "I... don't know." She didn't, and admitted it as her head hung a little. "I really don't know..."

"Do you hate me?"

Prickle went quiet a moment. "I don't know..." She sat down on her haunches, regarding her former tormentor. "Do you hate me?"

"No!" Silver had little doubt. "You're a hero! By, like, every definition I can think of. You're my hero." She tapped her own chest. "You're Ponyville's hero."

Prickle looked away at the mention of the town. "They like Tiny Titan. Prickle the mutant is still creepy and scary."

While Prickle was looking crestfallen and had her eyes away, Silver approached and slid a leg over her, making Prickle jump in surprise. She drew Prickle against herself. "You are not creepy..."

"You're... just saying that because I helped you."

Silver frowned softly. "Look... I... There's som--"

"Get away from her!" Diamond Tiara was rushing towards them. "You leave Silver Spoon alone!" She easily knocked Silver Spoon back and put herself between the two fillies. "Didn't I warn you before? Miss Cheerilee's not here to protect you this time!"

"Stop it!" shouted Silver as she picked herself off the ground. "Leave her alone."

"When she leaves you alone." Diamond thrust a hoof at Silver. "I read about this. You have stockenhome sickness. I'm here to protect you, Silver, just stay back."

Prickles hopped up to all fours, glaring at Diamond. Was she in on it? Who wasn't? It felt like everypony knew... Her attempt to hide was going poorly, as an understatement. "Silver Spoon wanted to talk to me."

"I bet she did." Diamond turned her full attention on Prickle. "Did you threaten her?" Prickle shook her head quickly. "Then why would she want to talk to a freak like you?"

Silver's leg slid in front of Diamond as she came around to face her friend. "I did, Diamond. Please... Can we just talk?"

Diamond flashed her teeth in a seething growl, but settled slowly to her haunches. "Fine, we're talking. Here we are." She glared at Prickle. "Freaks and all."

Silver sat down to the side between Diamond and Prickle. "I know we've had a very... problematic... past."

Prickle blinked at that. "That's saying it mildly."

Diamond rolled her eyes. "Get to the point, Silver."

Silver pointed at Prickle, then at Diamond. "You are both my friends."

Diamond recoiled like she was burned. "F-friends, with her?! What does she have on you? You know I have your back, Silver. Just tell me and I'll take care of it."

Silver looked directly at Prickle. "I actually have something on her, but I don't plan to ever, like, take advantage of that."

Diamond's furious mask seemed to break, ebbing into a calculating one. "Ohhhh... Now I see." She smiled at Prickle, tail swishing left and right. "You better watch out. Silver Spoon may look like a creampuff, but when she has a pony, she has a grip that's even stronger than yours." A laugh escaped her. "Oh, now I feel silly. You're the one pulling the strings, Silver." She went over and hugged her friend eagerly.

Prickle looked between the two, her confusion mounting. Still, Diamond Tiara had calmed down. That was good, right? "I'll be careful." She rose to her hooves. "I should get going home, alright?"

Silver nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, kay?"

Diamond nodded in support. "You better do what Silver asks, or you'll answer to me instead."

Prickle had no idea what was really going on anymore. "Tomorrow." She almost super jumped away, but caught herself at the last second and instead trotted away from the dynamic duo.

She felt some of the tension flow out of her once both were out of sight. She still wasn't sure what exactly was going on. Still... "She doesn't know..." She couldn't know. If Diamond Tiara knew she saved Silver, half the things she said wouldn't make any sense. Silver Spoon had kept that secret, for some reason.

Prickle opened the door to her house and was greeted with a warm hug and questions about her day. She was home, and she was with her mother. Everything was alr--

"What happened?" Junebug gently gave Prickle's bruise a light nudge, feeling over it. "Did you get into a fight?"

Prickle flinched back, both in pain and otherwise. "I didn't fight anypony."

Junebug took a slow breath. "I suppose... that's probably true." She wasn't daft enough to think she could fight any of the other foals and it not be over very quickly. "But did somepony fight you? What happened?" She leaned in close. "It's like you have a hoofprint right on your pretty little face, poor dear."

"I just... fell..."

Junebug cocked a brow. "Right onto a horseshoe?"

"Y-yeah!"

"You know I don't believe that... My little porcupine, I love you very much, but I don't appreciate lies. Whatever happened, tell me honestly. I've forgiven you for worse things than a black eye." Junebug reached out and Prickle didn't resist as her mother pulled her right in for a firm hug. "You're safe here."

Prickle nuzzled into the warm comfort of her mother a quiet moment. She just wanted to be safe and secure, and she was getting just that. Her mother didn't pry further as the moments ticked by with one another cuddling in the silence.

She looked up and backed away an inch. "A filly thought I hurt her friend."

Junebug tilted her head at Prickle. "Did you?"

"Sorta..." Prickle squirmed in place. "I said maybe not nice things. I was confused and... I... I really didn't mean to... But..."

"Shh." Junebug ran a hoof through Prickle's mane gently. "Did you apologize, to the filly you hurt, not that one that hurt you?"

Had she? Prickle ran back through her memories of the day. "Sort of... we talked a little... She wants to talk again tomorrow... I guess she's not too hurt." A little smile came to her snout.

Junebug echoed the smile and nuzzled her filly. "And the filly that hurt you?"

"She, uh, didn't apologize... but I think she's alright." Visions of Diamond Tiara apologizing ran through her head. They were so obviously fantasy that she tossed them aside. "She knows I'm not hurting her friend."

"This is good then. Prickle, I'm proud you didn't hurt her. I know you could have. It takes a big pony to stand your ground and not just hit things that bother you." She rose and trotted away. "Now go ahead and start your homework. Dinner will be ready at the usual time. If you need any help, you call me."

Author's Notes:

Junebug doesn't try to extract Diamond's name. Folly?

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15 - #1 Fan

The next day, after school had let out, Prickle went to fetch her things and spotted something new tucked in beside the container she held her lunch in. It was a card. A soft sweet scent came from it that only roused her curiosity higher. She flipped it open to reveal an invitation.

Dear Prickle Berry,

You are cordially invited to a meeting of like-minded admirers. Please come to the following address at your earliest convenience.

Signed,
An Admirer

Prickle tilted her head at the letter. The address pointed to the small well-to-do portion of town. What would she be wanted for... there... She dropped the letter. Was it Diamond, or Silver? Maybe both?

She crashed to her haunches.

"What's wrong?" asked Scootaloo as she trotted up beside Prickle. "It's time to go, or Miss Cheerilee'll get mad at us."

Ah ha! An out, sort of. "Scootaloo!"

"Yeah?"

"Can you come with me?" She snatched the letter off the ground in her teeth and held it up for Scootaloo to see.

Scootaloo blinked at it as she leaned in. "Huh, sure? Anything for a friend, right?"

Prickle felt relief surge through her. She wouldn't be going alone. Whatever was planned, it wouldn't be nearly as bad with a friend, and one who already knew her secret. "Let's go."

Scootaloo's wings buzzed on her back. "To adventure!"

Together, they made their way quickly across town to the address. Scootaloo recognized it easily. "Silver Spoon's place. Huh, never actually been inside before."

Prickle's ears fell. She didn't know how it would turn out, for the better or worse. "Thank you for being here." She walked up and pressed the button by the gate, just to have it swing open a moment later quietly.

"Guess we go in?" Scootaloo gestured inside, then began to walk easily. "Nice place."

Prickle rushed to catch up. "Y-yeah, I guess."

On reaching the door, it swung open as if by magic, but the source of the locomotion became clear quickly. Silver Spoon was standing there. "This way, please." Her eyes darted to Scootaloo, but didn't question her. With a spin, she walked away at a sedate pace. "I'm glad you could make it. This couldn't happen without you here."

None of those words made Prickle feel better, but she pressed on, taking comfort in the fact that she had Scootaloo at least to help. "What couldn't happen?" she dared to ask. "Oh, um... Scootaloo knows."

"Oh, I know," sang Silver Spoon. "If she didn't, she wouldn't be here." She arrived by a fancy double door and waved at it. "Please, enter."

Prickle glanced to Scootaloo who grinned and waved at the same doors. "Go on."

They were in it together?! She was alone... Prickle hung her head low a moment before she walked up to the door and took its handle in her mouth. With a little twist, she pulled it open to reveal a room full of ponies.

"Surprise," they yelled in concert.

Apple Bloom was there at the front, hooves spread wide. "Welcome to the first meeting of the Tiny Titan fanclub!"

Prickle blinked dumbly.

Rarity emerged from the crowd, floating over a repaired costume. "As promised, a mighty costume for a mighty hero." The crowd clopped and stomped with appreciation as she floated it over to Prickle. "One she rightly deserves."

Bon Bon stepped out, glancing around. "We, uh, have to talk later. Good job on that bugbear. Such a little filly like you, doing all that... It's remarkable."

"Remarkable nothing." Rainbow Dash landed in front of Prickle. "It was downright amazing, and she made my moves even more awesome!" She paused a moment, thinking of a synonym. "We were fantastic together." She threw a leg over Prickle and hugged her close. "You're welcome to monster bashing any time, little squirt."

Redheart gave a soft cough. "Which I hope will not result in another hospital visit, and if it does, you will stay put long enough to properly heal. We don't want you being hurt."

Silver Spoon bumped into Prickle, side to side. "We're all here to celebrate you, Prickle Berry, Tiny Titan. You're an amazing filly that's made our lives better."

Prickle made a sudden observation, looking at who was present and not. "Didn't bring Lyra?"

"She's not in the secret," promised Bon Bon. "I left her at home."

Sweetie Belle suddenly popped free of the crowd, hovering two cups, one of which she brought over to Prickle. "Try some, it's really nice."

Prickle accepted it with a trembling hoof. Were all those ponies that happy about her? Part of her struggled to accept the idea. "Silver Spoon, how did you know all these ponies knew who I was?"

Silver fluttered her lashes. "I have my ways, and a proper mare never reveals her secrets. Please, enjoy yourself. Today is your day." She approached and planted a smooch on Prickle's cheek. "My hero," she breathed on the paralyzed filly's cheek and walked away into the crowd.

So Prickle learned that she had fans, good fans. They were all happy to be there, and talk to her. Most of them seemed to care about her wellbeing, especially the more mature adults. Redheart tried to gently caution her away from superheroing, but let it drop in favor of advice and tips to keep safe. "I don't mind seeing you, Tiny Titan, but let's avoid doing it on a, shall we say it, professional level, too often."

As the party was winding down, Prickle was nibbling on some cake when the world suddenly darted away. She was in a small, cramped, dark place.

"Shh," hissed Bon Bon. "I wanted to talk to you privately." They were in a crowded closet, buried under jackets and other things. "I'm really sorry I wasn't there, for the bugbear. That was entirely my fault." Prickle opened her mouth to object but Bon Bon put a hoof over Prickle's snouts. "I know what you're going to say, save it. Starting Tomorrow we're doing weekly lessons. You come to the shop, as Tiny Titan, and I'll make you sweat." She moved to shove Prickle back into the main room.

Prickle was not a pony that could be shoved when she didn't want to be. She did not move an inch. "You have a secret identity, right?"

Bon Bon raised a brow. "Who said that?"

Prickle grinned lopsidedly. "Takes one to know one. Candy makers don't fight like that."

Bon Bon frowned. "You'll have to earn that. Show up tomorrow, and be ready to work."

Prickle reached up and hugged Bon Bon firmly. "Thank you. I will, promise."

Bon Bon's stern expression melted in the hug and she sighed. She put one leg around Prickle, returning the embrace. "Please, be careful."

Prickle slipped back into the room to come face-to-face with the host. Silver Spoon's tail was swaying behind her as she smiled. "Did you enjoy yourself, Tiny Titan?"

Prickle's ears fell a moment. "Are..."

Silver put her hoof to Prickle's lips, a habit of ponies that day it seemed. "Your secret is safe with me. You're my hero, and I mean that."

Prickle's eyes wandered. "Where's Diamond Tiara?"

Silver shrugged. "I told her my parents needed me to do boring housework. I don't have to tell her every little thing, now do I? This is our secret." She reached out with that same hoof to rest it on Prickle's chest, then brought it back to her own. "Maybe I can't ever say enough sorries, but I mean it. You are not a freak, Prickle Berry. You're a miracle."

Prickle felt a new wave of numbness sweep over her. "A miracle?" she barely breathed out.

"You are," confirmed Silver. "Now... the sneaky stuff." Her smile deepened. "In front of Diamond Tiara, I own you. I have something on you so salacious--"

"What?"

Silver giggled softly. "Something so dirty and horrible that you'll do anything to keep me quiet. Just act like that and there's no reason for me to not come and speak to you once in a while, right at school." She leaned in closer. "I am your tormentor, but... this time it's just pretend. Understand?"

She didn't not entirely, but some parts were clear. "You really want to be my friend?"

"I do." Silver gave a firm nod. "May I?"

Prickle squirmed fitfully, unsure what to say. "I don't know you." It was true. She only knew Silver Spoon as Diamond Tiara's +1 of bullying.

"We can fix that," promised Silver in her gentle tones. "I want to know you better too. I'm sorry I did that before, but we can fix it. Prickle Berry, will you be my friend?"

The blunt question sent Prickle down lightly to her haunches. "I... we... can try?" The urge to say no outright wasn't there. She was lost and confused. "So... what do you... like to do?"

Silver frowned faintly. "I like being with my friends and doing what they like to do."

That made almost too much sense to Prickle. The next question felt obvious. "Who are your friends, besides Diamond Tiara?"

Silver opened her mouth to reply, but it slowly closed for an awkward moment before she ruffled up. "All the foals at school! Except maybe Snips and Snails!"

Prickle reached out and echoed Silver's motion, placing her hoof on the rich filly's chest. "Your secret is safe with me."

Silver blinked, at first with confusion, then it turned to anger, face turning red and trembling, just for it to break. Big tears welled in her eyes. "Will you be my friend? A for real friend?"

Her former tormentor reduced to tears, laid naked and bare before her, Prickle saw a filly that was so very alone, even when surrounded by ponies that looked up to her. Prickle spread her hooves wide and Silver stepped forward. With the utmost of care, she embraced the rich filly. "I'm ready to try."

"Aw, that's the sweetest thing I've seen all day and that's saying something seeing as--"

Both fillies turned with confused and shocked expressions. There was Pinkie Pie, rambling away. "This calls for a party! Wait, we just had one of those..."

Prickle twitched an ear at the pink pony, then at her new silver friend. "Did you invite her?"

Silver sat back with a little laugh. "Invite her? She's the one that helped put it all together."

Pinkie bobbed her head. "A-huh. I'm Ponyville's #1 party planner, so it shouldn't be a surprise she'd come to me to help plan things." She leaned in towards both fillies. "How was it? Ya both had a really good great time?"

Prickle felt a chill down her spine. "Does that mean she knows?"

"Know what?" Pinkie tilted her head. "That you're Tiny Titan, Ponyville's newest, smallest, hero?! Of course, silly. This is your party! Well, I guess it's technically Silver Spoon's party, but she threw it for you."

Silver began to look increasingly guilty. "But you knew that ahead of time, right?"

"I figured it out," said Pinkie with a nod. "I'm good at that. So, how was it?!"

Author's Notes:

Pinkie... I don't think I need more words.

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16 - End Episode 4 - Rivalry

In the end, Pinkie made one of her oaths to keep Prickle's identity to herself, and she giddily joined the fan club as a result. "It's really nice what you did while we were away. It's kind of a relief, knowing Ponyville isn't all alone out here."

Prickle moved to head home. She had a mother to greet and homework to do. Before she went, she stopped by Silver Spoon. "Thank you."

Silver smiled. "You enjoyed the function?"

Prickle nodded. "And I'm... glad we worked it out. I'll see you in school, alright?"

Silver looked guilty then. "Maybe a little, but we have to pretend, remember?"

"Yeah..." Prickle didn't like it, but she was not ready to face Diamond yet, queen matriarch of her suffering. "Why does she have to be so mean?"

Silver blinked. "She's not trying to be, honest."

"Easy for you to say, being her best friend." Prickle turned away. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Silver waved as Prickle walked away, then settled on her haunches. "That went better than it could have gone..." She shook her head a little and turned back to the used room. There was a mess to clean.

Prickle walked home under the evening sun. It was growing dim as she went, but it was Ponyville. Outside of huge angry monsters, one was usually pretty safe in its streets. It was home, and just about everypony knew everypony else, or Pinkie would fix it. She whistled as she went to break the silence.

It was quite surprising to have a whistle returned to her. She darted her head around, looking for the source when it came to her. A pony dropped from the sky in a dynamic pose. "Little girl!"

Prickle squeaked and fell back, eyes wide. "H-hello?" The pony was dressed much like she was as Tiny Titan, though they had bright blues and reds.

"Be at ease. I am the Manehatten Mauler, protector of Manehatten, and I hear Ponyville's gotten a new hero. It's important that I find them. Tell me." She, it sounded like a she, leaned towards Prickle. "Do you know where I can find one Tiny Titan?"

Prickle shook her head violently. She didn't know that pony! And what a name, a mauler?! Were they a hero or a villain? "N-nope, sorry."

"That is quite the pity..." Mauler tapped her chin. "The search continues." She launched into the air. Unlike Prickle, there was no jump, she simply ignored gravity and soared away with a glow. Prickle focused on that glow and realized Mauler was a unicorn. How had she missed that detail? She had been more surprised than at first she realized.

Prickle hastened to a trot to get home. It seemed her exploits had drawn attention, and she wan't sure if it was the good kind or the bad kind. "Maybe Bon Bon knows," she said to herself hopefully as she reached her comfy house and the embrace of her mother.

She would find out the next day, she decided to herself. It was time for homework.

Author's Notes:

It's a little one, but it ends out the episode and leaves a hook for the next.

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17 - Start Episode 5: Titanic Training

Prickle slammed face-first into the earthen wall, making a dent in it. Not because she was hurled so violently, but because it was soft. She pulled herself free and shook herself out. "Lucky."

Bon Bon smirked at her pupil. "You really think so?"

"No..." Prickle looked sheepish a moment before she bounced in place. "I'll get you this time."

She hurled herself at Bon Bon eagerly. The training sessions were hard, and hurt sometimes, but they were a time she could cut loose and be what she was without reservation. She didn't have to hold her punches or walk on eggshells. Bon Bon knew how to fight her and handle her and Prickle adored every moment of it.

They had arrived in that little dug out bunker and Bon Bon had declared it to be their training grounds. "It's out of the way, the walls and ground are relatively soft packed. The biggest threat we have is being buried alive, and I have a feeling you wouldn't be stuck for long if that did happen."

She was a harsh teacher, but always attentive. She told Prickle exactly how she foiled each attack. Sure, being told was not the same as learning, but Prickle felt she was getting closer to success with every attack.

"One thing," Bon Bon said as she circled Prickle. "In a real fight, there are no rules. You win, or the other guy does, and the one that wants to win, will find a way. The same goes between us. There are no rules. Beat me."

"No rules..." Prickle glanced around for something to give her an edge just before a hoof came at her and slapped her across the snout.

"Think faster," Bon Bon cautioned. "Your enemy won't give you time to size up the field in the middle of a fight."

Prickle smiled, confidence blooming. "Alright, no more thinking." She jumped powerfully over the next swing at her and slammed her right forehoof into the ceiling above. "Catch!" She came down across the room as the roof began to collapse with a roar of falling earth.

Bon Bon said something quite unfitting for the presence of a young mare as she tried to scramble out of the way of the collapse, only to have it catch her at the hips and knock her down.

Prickle trotted up and put a hoof on Bon Bon's momentarily stunned head. "I win."

Bon Bon looked mighty sore a moment before it melted away into gales of laughter. "You did. Oh, you did." She pulled herself free of the dirt and began to shake herself free of the debris. "Now you get to help me fix our training area, but good job."

Their work was long and hard, until a soft knocking came from above.

Bon Bon squinted at the hatch that led to freedom. Her voice changed completely as she called, "who is it?"

"O-oh," came the muffled reply. "I thought my little porcupine was here? I brought lunch."

Bon Bon swatted Prickle. "You told your mom?" Prickle looked sheepish. Bon Bon sighed and put a hoof between her eyes. "Go on, you earned lunch."

With a renewed smile, Prickle shot up the ladder and vanished above-ground. Junebug was waiting there with a smile. "There you are." She reached out and began brushing dust and dirt off Prickle. "Having fun?"

"Yes, mom." Prickle bobbed her head quickly. "What did you make?" Her nose danced, but she mostly smelled dirt and earth instead of any food that had been brought for her. Whatever it was, she was sure it'd be good.

"I asked around for food that was good for growing foals and weightlifters and that mister Biceps pointed me on the right path." She produced a small wrapped package. "Enjoy."

Prickle wasn't sure she liked the sound of that. It obviously wasn't going to be one of her favorites. She did accept the package though, to not be rude. "Thanks!" She wasn't sure how thankful she was. "I'll see you later, alright."

Junebug leaned in and kissed Prickle between her dirty ears. "When you're done, come home and get a good shower in. You'll need it."

Prickle gave her mother a careful hug as she promised to do just that, then scurried back underground where Bon Bon was seated and eating her own snack.

"What's that?" Prickle asked, pointing as she held her mother's gift in her teeth.

Bon Bon gave a soft hmm. "This? Just a sandwich Lyra made before I left." She sank her teeth into it. "Nothing fancy, but Lyra doesn't do fancy food. Still nice."

Prickle nodded slowly. "Yeah..." She liked her mother's sandwiches. So what did she get instead? She put the package down and quickly unwrapped its bright red and white checkerboard fabric to reveal a thermos and a little ceramic container that held something that smelled of cheese and herbs. It wasn't bad smelling, just new.

Bon Bon seemed to notice the hesitation. "Not the usual?" Prickle shook her head. "Your mother really cares about you. It's nice... I wish I could tell mine about what I do."

"What do you do?" Prickle nibbled at her chewy food and quickly decided it was in fact not only not bad, but actually kinda good.

Bon Bon smirked at that and gave Prickle a prod on the shoulder. "You haven't earned that, my student. Thank you, by the way."

Prickle blinked at her. "For what?" She undid the top of the thermos and sniffed at it. Ugh, it was like... she didn't know. It smelled odd.

Bon Bon reached out and took the thermos away to sniff it herself. "Oh, wow, a real muscle builder drink." She set it to the side. "I don't think you need that. Just keep eating well, and keep them in use, and you'll be fine. Most of the 'bulking' stuff is only good if you want to look like Biceps, exactly like him. All muscle, no grace. That's not your look."

Prickle was in no hurry to try what was in the thermos anyway, and happily polished that casserole-like dish, leaving the container sparkling clean by the time she was done. "What are you thankful for?"

Bon Bon lifted her shoulders. "If you had come and got me while Rainbow was there, that would have been... awkward. I'm glad you didn't."

Prickle went warm and red quickly. "I... forgot."

Bon Bon tapped her on the nose lightly. "Wisdom is knowing when to accept thanks as given."

"Sorry!" squeaked the young hero as she got to putting her things away to take home later. "Rainbow Dash doesn't know?"

"She doesn't." Bon Bon pat Prickle on the shoulder. "You're already closer than she might ever be. Let's let the food settle before we resume. In the meanwhile, we can go over some of the things we've learned."

"One thing." Prickle bounced to her hooves. "Lyra knows, right?"

Bon Bon let out a long and low sigh as a smile spread over her snout. "If you pressure her, then we're officially not friends, ever."

Prickle went pale. "No! I wouldn't ever! I was just curious, honest."

"Curiosity is a two-edged sword, be careful with it." Bon Bon rose to her own hooves and stretched out. "I had to tell her, the last time the Bugbear came through the town. She's been very responsible about it since. You'll make her very sad if you make her break her promises, and I know you could, if you wanted."

Prickle backed up, bumping into the wall tail-first. "I wouldn't! Lyra's a good pony. I would never hurt her."

"Good, keep that in mind." Bon Bon gestured to the center of the room. "Now let's get back to work. Next time, there might be another hero there to back you up."

"Another?"

"Rainbow Dash? If she doesn't qualify, I'm not sure how many other ponies do." Bon Bon walked to where she wanted to resume. "Equestria is kept safe by a number of such heroes. Most of them act locally, but some, like Miss Dash, cover a wider area. Ponies are so used to it, we don't even bat an eye these days. How often do you see a news article about what Princess Twilight and her friends have saved us from recently?"

Prickle didn't read the newspaper often, and said as much as she rubbed her cheek sheepishly. "Should I?"

"Yes," replied Bon Bon without hesitation. "Your new profession requires it. You need to know what's going on. If a monster is seen coming, you should be one of the first to know about it. If some villain busted out of jail or Tartarus or anywhere else, you should be ready." She lashed out a hoof at Prickle.

Prickle squeaked in surprise, but brought up a hoof just in time to throw it to the side. Her strength was such that she deflected all of Bon Bon, sending her into a spin before she could right herself.

Bon Bon laughed it off and the training resumed.

By the time Bon Bon called it, Prickle was sore in countless places, panting and ragged, but there was a smile on her face. The ache was a good ache. Her body felt... used, in all the right ways. "Thank you, Bon Bon. Thank you so much for teaching me." She dipped her head low, ears spread to the sides. "See you next week?"

"Next week," agreed Bon Bon with a smile. "That doesn't mean you get to spend the time between just sitting around. You keep training. Just remember most other ponies aren't ready for this kind of roughhousing, so be careful around your other friends." She reached out and gently ruffled the top of Prickle's head. "By the way, you may want to look into getting that suit armored."

"Wha?" Prickle looked quite perplexed.

Bon Bon shrugged. "Rarity knows her way around clothing options. Ask her to work in something tougher between the layers of fabric. I know it's more than one thick, and I know she can do it if she wants to. It'll slow you down a little, but I think you need some durability. You have all this strength, but your body's just as delicate as anypony else."

Prickle felt ready to argue that. She got hurt, sure, but she wasn't a wimp! Still, if her teacher said so... "I'll ask Miss Rarity next time I see her."

"Great. Take care of yourself." Bon Bon ascended the ladder and was gone.

Prickle clambered up and out to find Bon Bon had managed to scurry away without a trace. There were still things to learn... She began trotting for home.

As she went, her mind buzzed with what she had learned. Her thoughts drifted back to that other hero that had come looking for her. She would have to face them, eventually. But it was not that day.

It had been a productive day.

Author's Notes:

Training montage!

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18 - Schoolyard Hijinks

Prickle sat obediently in her chair, eyes on the chalkboard as Miss Cheerilee gave a lesson on math. Prickle was alright at math. Far from the top, far from the bottom. She was average. That was, in some strange way, comforting to her. She was average at something, and that was perfectly fine.

When Cheerilee let them out for lunch, Prickle grabbed her package out of her bag. She could smell the delightful aromas coming from within. Her mother had not let her down! With a smile, she trotted outside. She saw the crusaders were at a table, gabbing among one another. Sweetie Belle spotted her coming out and waved her over.

Prickle accepted the invitation and soon hopped up beside Scootaloo and set her lunch down. "Hello!" She started unwrapping her food. "How are you all doing?"

Apple Bloom pricked an ear. "Huh, being, uh, you know, it's workin' for ya."

Scootaloo clopped her forehooves together. "Of course it is. So, hey, how do you get, you know, hero powers?" She grinned hopefully.

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. "I don't think she did anything specific."

Prickle nodded quickly. "It just happened. I didn't ask for it."

"Figures." Scootaloo stuck out her tongue. "But if you ever find anything that does that, you'll let me know, right?"

Prickle considered her lame friend. Not lame as in, uh, lame. Scootaloo was amazing! But she couldn't fly. She was literally lame, as far as pegasi went. She was painfully below par for what she was, and there Prickle was, being stupendously above the mark. Prickle felt a wince coming on. "You're not... angry, are you? I mean..."

Scootaloo blinked and shook her head quickly. "No way! Maybe a little jealous a little... But we're the ones that got you where you were." She threw a leg over Prickle and hugged her close. "You're a friend!" That got the other two giving a little cheer of agreement.

With that aside, Prickle got to chowing down on the delightful repast her mother had prepared. There was some of that muscle-building juice also in there, which she put aside and proceeded to ignore.

Sweetie's horn began to glow as she lifted the forgotten thermos over, unscrewed the top, and gave a sniff before her face scrunched right up. "Uck! What is this?"

"Lemme see!" demanded Apple Bloom before it was passed to her for her to get a whiff. "Whooee! Smells right powerful whatever it is."

Scootaloo wanted her turn and reached across the table to snag it. "Wow! What is this stuff, Prickle?"

Prickle flushed lightly in her cheeks. "Mom made it for me. She's trying to help, but I don't need muscle juice like Mister Biceps uses."

Scootaloo blinked softly. "Huh..." She sniffed it again as if seriously considering it.

Apple Bloom knocked it out of Scoot's hooves, splashing on the floor. "Don't even think about it."

"Aw..."

Two fillies approached the table, both familiar. Silver Spoon smiled lightly. "Hello, girls. Prickle, nice to see you."

Diamond Tiara glanced aside at her companion. "Afternoon, girls." Her eyes focused back on Prickle. "So, she one of you now?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "If you mean a crusader, nah. She had her cutie mark before we got there."

Sweetie smiled sweetly. "But she's still our friend."

Apple Bloom's brow creased. "Which means ya shouldn' mess wit' her."

Diamond waved it off. "I'm not here to cause trouble. Besides, we're friends, right?"

Prickle pointed at herself, uncertain.

"Not you, the others." Diamond rolled her eyes. "Silver wanted to talk to you though."

Silver stepped closer with a nod. "I was thinking..." Silver fidgeted a little on her hooves. "Due to our previous arrangement, maybe..."

Diamond nudged her friend lightly. "Go on. Be assertive." She seemed to enjoy encouraging Silver.

Silver nodded firmly. "Right. Prickle Berry, you will meet with me after school, alone." She pointed to a hill outside of town. "There."

Prickle looked off towards the lonely hill and back. Silver was a friend, right? No harm in meeting with a friend, in... theory? "Al--"

"--Don't you go bossin' her around like that!" chastised Apple Bloom.

"Yeah!" chorused the other two.

Prickle sat up straight. "N-no, it's alright..."

Sweetie Belle blinked with renewed confusion. "Are you certain?"

"Yes." Prickle bobbed her head, then looked to Silver Spoon. "I'll be there."

Diamond pointed at Prickle. "You'd better! C'mon." She walked away with Silver, saying something quiet and laughing as she went.

Prickle started when she felt a hoof come down on one of hers lightly. Sweetie was reaching across the table, looking at her pointedly. "It's probably nothing." Her voice lowered, "I mean, she is in your fan club."

Scootaloo blinked. "Oh yeah. I forgot that a moment there."

Prickle put her other hoof on Sweetie's. "I think she's a friend. It's probably nothing at all."

With lunch time over, everyone gathered their things and headed back inside to finish the day. When it was over, Prickle trotted out and turned to the hill. What had Silver wanted from her so badly? There was only one way to know for certain, so she got to hiking up there. It was half an hour out of the way, but compared to sparring with Bon Bon, it was an easy task.

When she got there, Silver Spoon was already there, panting and wheezing. Prickle hurried towards her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm... fine..." she assured before she stood up with an explosive sigh. "Sorry. I didn't think this hill was that tall." She smiled at Prickle warmly. "Sorry if Diamond bothered you."

Prickle shook her head resolutely. "No! It's alright. What's wrong?" She looked left and right, trying to spot anything besides Silver Spoon. "Something's wrong, right? Why are we here?"

Unseen by either of them, the crusaders were gathered in a bush, watching the two intently.

Apple Bloom had binoculars out and was peering through them. "They're just talkin' so far."

Scootaloo grabbed them, yanking Apple Bloom with the strap, not that she paid much attention to that and took her turn to stare. "What do you think they're talking about?"

Sweetie Belle had a one-hoofed spyglass she clearly borrowed from her sister, floating in her magic as she watched with one eye closed. "They don't look upset, so I guess it's alright..."

Across from them, all the way on the other side of the clearing, sat Diamond Tiara in her own bush. "If that Prickle so much as touches a hair on her..." she grumbled to herself, glaring at the two from her hiding place. "Don't worry, Silver. I have your back!"

Silver ran a hoof through her mane, gently undoing some of the frayed edges from her gallop. "Thank you for coming. It's about that other pony that's looking for, you know, you. The Mauler."

Prickle went tense a moment. "Is she a good or bad pony?"

Silver produced an envelope from within her fur and held it out towards Prickle. "I did some digging around. She's a good pony, works out of Manehatten."

Apple Bloom wrenched her binoculars back from Scootaloo and blinked through them. "What's in that envelope?!"

Sweetie Belle leaned forward. "Whatever it is, Prickle seems interested in it."

In her own bush, Diamond snickered softly. "Oh, that's bold, Silver. Is that what you have on her? Very bold. Don't-- Dang it!" She swore as the envelope was clearly snatched away by Prickle, at least in her eyes. "Rookie mistake, Silver..." Then she sat back. "Unless that's just a copy, just to prove to her what you have... Yes! You are better at this than I gave you credit for."

Prickle took the envelope and curiously pulled the tab open in her lips. "Thank you. You didn't have to."

"But I did." Silver smiled gently. "That's what friends do for each other, and fans..." She glanced away and back. "Please don't be angry at Diamond."

Prickle was distracted from opening. "Huh?"

"I know you're super angry at her, and, like, you have every right to be, really..." Silver Spoon rubbed one foreleg with the other. "She's really trying to change, really... I'm trying to help, can you... Can you help too? She's a good pony, really she is."

Sweetie blinked and withdrew her spyglass a moment. "I know I'm no scholar on the matter, but the way Silver is acting..."

Apple Bloom leaned forward with her binoculars, only to have them snatched away by an eager Scootaloo.

Scootaloo gasped dramatically. "Are they about to kiss?! Can fillies do that?" She let go of the binoculars and looked to her friends. Both shrugged.

"Don't see why not," admitted Apple Bloom. She shrugged before she pulled her binoculars back into place. "That's quite a way to go from where they were, let's not assume nothin'."

Prickle reached and placed a hoof on Silver's shoulder. "I'm not trying to fight with her."

Silver reached up, putting a hoof on Prickle's. "I know that. You're too... You're nice. You wouldn't fight her." She took off her glasses and polished them with a clean fabric. "But it's more than that. She needs friends... Real friends, not ponies who are scared of her. You aren't scared of her."

Not scared of her?! Prickle cringed visibly.

Diamond snickered softly, watching Prickle cringe and fall back a step. "Oh what I wouldn't give to hear what she just said... Go on, Silver, you can do it!"

Sweetie tilted her head faintly, watching the exchange. "Whatever she just said, Prickle looks upset."

Silver's expression faltered. "Are you?"

Prickle danced from hoof to hoof, struggling to find the right words. "She... terrifies me," she finally got out in barely a whisper. "When she looks at me, I feel all weak and helpless."

Silver gave Prickle a skeptical look. "You could pound her without even trying. She's... loud... but she isn't strong, like, not even close to where you are."

All of those words made perfect sense, in her head, but the rest of her wasn't so eager to agree. Prickle sank to her haunches. "What do you want me to do?"

Diamond rubbed her forehooves together, watching Prickle sag to the ground with that defeated expression. Clearly Silver had proven victorious, just like her friend should. "I was silly to even worry about you. You got this in the bag, girl."

Sweetie shook her head. "Whatever they're talking about, they both look consumed."

Apple Bloom wobbled a hoof, the other holding up her binoculars. "Whatever ya call it, somethin's clearly up!"

Author's Notes:

A completely private conversation is had.

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19 - Wearing a Tiara

Prickle approached the duo that had formed so much of her school life up to that point. One of them, she had forgiven, the other...

She took a slow breath, trying to calm herself down. She wasn't just Prickle Berry, no! She was Tiny Titan! And was Tiny Titan scared of some little bully?

Maybe a little...

Prickle sagged in place a little before gathering herself back up and trotting forward, towards destiny. "H-hello, Diamond, Silver."

Silver looked up with a smile.

Diamond's expression was far less cordial. "Hello, Prickle... What do you want?"

Prickle felt dread run through her as if somepony had replaced her blood with icy water. "N-nothing. I just... came to say hello."

"Hello," she repeated. "Now?"

"Now... How's your day?"

Diamond rose from where she had been sitting. "I don't know what you're--"

Silver put a hoof on Diamond's shoulder. "Why don't you answer?"

Diamond blinked softly. "Did you ask her to be here?" She flashed a big smile. "Of course you did." She turned to Prickle. "I'm just fine, thanks for asking." She stepped towards the stunned Prickle. "She must really have you over a barrel. Oh, what I wouldn't give to know that secret."

Prickle thought she was already at maximum tension, but she was proven wrong as worry about Diamond learning her secret identity made her head throb a little with a forming headache. "I... just wanted to be friendly."

"Why?" Diamond looked back at Silver. "I don't get it. Why is she here?"

Silver flashed the most brilliant smile. "I know a secret."

Diamond threw up her forehooves, crashing down on her haunches. "I know that! You've been parading around the fact, and I'm happy for you, Silver, but you're not sharing so it's getting a little annoying."

Silver leaned forward. "Do you want me to share it?"

Prickle felt like she was sweating buckets. Was Silver about to give away her secret? Was their friendship really one big cruel joke?!

Diamond glanced at Prickle, but her attention was mostly on Silver. "Is that an offer? Go on, do share. You know I want to know."

Silver gave a firm nod. "Very well, since you ask... Prickle is--"

Prickle trembled from her ears to her tail. She had to stop Silver, but how?! Attacking her would be wrong, even for that. She screamed internally so loudly, she could barely hear what Silver said.

"--in love with you."

Wait what?

"What?" asked Diamond Tiara out loud.

"It's true. She confessed it all to me yesterday." Silver pointed at Prickle. "She admires your strength and determination, but you scare her. Like a moth attracted to a fire, she can't help herself but dancing closer, but she fears it all the same."

Prickle's mouth moved, but no words came out. She couldn't even parse what had just been said.

Diamond looked almost as shocked. "You... she..." She turned back to Prickle and stepped towards her. "You should hate me!"

That woke Prickle up, blinking. "I don't... hate you." She didn't. She was terrified of Diamond, but she didn't hate her. Hay, she didn't even want bad things to happen to her, just...

"You should!" Diamond thrust a hoof forward, thudding it painfully into Prickle's chest. "We've been enemies forever! Why don't you hate me?!"

Prickle staggered back a step before she inclined an ear towards Diamond. "Do you want me to hate you?"

"I..." That caught Diamond off guard a little. "I mean... no?" She sank back down to her haunches. "Why don't you hate me?" Her eyes looked a little misty. She really was confused.

Silver had the sense to be entirely quiet, watching the two but speaking not a word.

Prickle felt that was a vital moment, a pivotal one. One wrong move could undo whatever little progress had been made. "Diamond Tiara, I do not hate you." She spoke in slow and clear words, trying her best to get it right, "do you hate me?"

Diamond was quiet. Everything was quiet. Prickle could hear nothing but her own heart, thumping wildly in her chest as she waited for a reply. Then it came. "No." Diamond glared at her. "You're... still a freak... But... no... No I don't! Happy?"

Prickle felt some of that painful tension leave and she sagged in place a little. "A little," she said with a smile. "I'm not a freak."

Diamond blinked at that bit of defiance."You're the strongest pony I know."

"And that's a good thing," countered Prickle, sitting up tall. "A freak is a bad thing. Please stop calling me that. Please..." The last bit wavered. She was still a filly. She was still facing her tormentor. That last little word came out trembling and begging.

Diamond suddenly stood up. "I'll think about it. Silver, let's go." She marched off without looking back.

Silver made an apologetic shrug before she chased after her friend.

Prickle was left alone, sinking to her belly. Had that gone well? She honestly wasn't sure if it had or not.

"Why the long face?"

Prickle looked up. It was Lyra. She sat up to face the adult mare. "Nothing," she lied. "Nice to see you."

"Nice to see you too." She flipped over a candy with her magic. "You staying out of trouble?"

"I'm trying," Prickle said more honestly before she unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth. It was a little sour, but sweet too. She liked it. "How's Bon Bon?"

"You know her. She's all great and secretive." Lyra grinned at Prickle. "Like another mare I know, huh? Guess I'm lucky, being surrounded by amazing ponies. You know, I was friends with Twilight long before she became a princess."

Prickle did not know that and blinked with awe. "You knew her when she came to the town?"

"Before that!" declared Lyra with confidence. "When we both lived up in Canterlot. Oh boy was she a hot mess of a filly, but we loved her anyway. One day, pfft, off she goes, moving out of Canterlot without a word." She leaned in close. "Guess when you get the call to save the world, goodbyes aren't always #1 priority, ya know? I'm not even mad at her."

Prickle felt a smile coming on her. "You're a very special pony."

Lyra looked confused at that. "Who, me? I just play a lyre. That's not that special." She waved it off.

"It's true! You're right at the center of so many ponies. You're super special and you don't even know it."

Lyra crouched down a little and put a hoof on Prickle's head, mussing up her mane a little. "You're the sweetest thing outside of one of Bon Bon's candies. You just keep being you." With a magical pop, Lyra's lyre appeared beside her and began to play a jaunty little tune. "I'll be cheering you on from the background, alright?"

The pain and confusion she had felt before felt banished beside Lyra's friendly presence, and her music wasn't bad either. "I'm glad to have you, Lyra, as a friend."

"That's Miss Heartstrings," corrected Lyra before she burst into laughter, unable to hold up the ruse for longer than a moment. "The feeling goes both way, little porcupine."

Prickle felt her cheeks warm. "Only my mother calls me that."

Lyra blinked in surprise. "Oh! Well, it's a good name. Will she be mad if I borrow it?"

Prickle shook her head, and Lyra gave a happy nod before she trotted off, playing her joyful song as she went.

The school bell began to ring loudly, reminding Prickle that she was late. She scurried off with all due haste and slid onto her chair just before Cheerillee got to calling out pony's names. She didn't always do that. She knew all the filly and colts. It was a subtle lesson. If Prickle was any later, she would be in big trouble! She quietly let out a sigh of relief that she had avoided that fate.

In the middle of class, something lightly bounced off her head. Prickle jumped a little in surprise and looked over to spot a crumpled bit of paper. She reached down and plucked it up to find a letter written on the creased paper.

Hello, Muscle-Bound Filly,

Don't look, but I'm watching you. If this is some kind of crazy scheme to get me to lower my guard, I won't be.

Do you really love me? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Please check one and throw it back,
DT

Prickle felt a shiver run through her, not for the first time that day. Silver's lie was catching up with her. What was the right answer?

A sudden grin spread on her face. She had an out. A sneaky way out.

She checked yes, crumpled the paper up, then hurled it. She hurled it with all her might.

The paper did not survive. It caught on fire almost instantly. A second later a faint field of dust and ash blew past a surprised Diamond Tiara's face. She was left blinking in shock. She would not be getting that answer, at least that day.

"Prickle Berry!"

Prickle jumped and turned her head back to a very angry Cheerilee. "We have a very strict rule about fireworks in the schoolhouse." She thrust a hoof into the corner. "Half an hour. What has gotten into you..."

She hopped down from her chair, her ears sagging. She couldn't think of any good excuses that wouldn't ultimately make it worse. She had been a naughty filly, so she went to the time out stool, sat on it, and slumped when the cone of shame was placed on her head between her fuzzy ears.

She had avoided answering, but not trouble in general.

During lunch, she hurried to join the CMC, but another figure stepped in her way. It was Diamond, smiling. "Interesting trick, Prickle." She stepped towards Prickle on confident hooves. "If you didn't want to answer, you could have just, you know, not answered." She reached up and put a hoof on Prickle's shaking snout. "It's alright. I'm not even angry. You'll tell me when you want to." Then she just walked away.

Prickle almost fell forward. She was off the hook?! Diamond wasn't going to yell at her?

Then it hit her. Did Diamond think she was a lovesick little filly having a hard time admitting her feelings? With a muted little yelp, she hurried over to the crusaders and hopped up beside Sweetie Belle. "Help!"

Sweetie turned her head at Prickle. "What's wrong?"

Apple Bloom set her hooves down on the table. "We're here for ya, Prickle. Ya know that."

Scootaloo clopped her hooves together. "Is Diamond picking on you?!"

The truth was worse...

Author's Notes:

Then things take a sudden turn straight into emotional typo land.

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20 - Shiver Me Timbers

They had laughed. Sure, it was lighthearted and they were quick to express comfort and solidarity, but they assured Prickle that it would blow over if they just let it lie.

Prickle did not feel nearly as certain as they were.

When school was over, she grabbed her saddlebags and got to trotting. She wasn't aiming to go any specific place, she just wanted to move her legs and think. The trotting helped calm her. Was it really that awful? She just had to be a good pony, and things would work out on their own, right?

A shriek interrupted her thoughts. Ponies ran past her in a wild gallop. One helpfully shouted as he ran, "Timber wolf!"

Prickle had heard about those, but she had never seen one before. She knew what she had to do and ducked in a hurry between two buildings, just to emerge out the other end, garbed as the town's defender. "Don't worry, everypony!" She shouted, springing into the air. "Tiny Titan is here to protect you!"

From her vantage point in the sky, she could see the beast. It was made of wood, just like she had heard. It was all jagged parts and sharp teeth and claws and it was chasing Berry Punch. The worst part was that Berry wasn't running very well. Was she sick? The poor mare was staggering wildly as the wolf stalked her.

Prickle came down just long enough to push off towards the scene of the future crime, watching the world spin beneath her rapidly as she closed in. She spun herself in mid air, bringing a hind hoof to bear, ready to kick as she came in. "You leave her alone!" she roared.

It proved to be a good thing she did. The beast was just about to snap at the swaying pony when it heard her and looked up with confusion.

Prickle landed, hoof first directly into the thing's wooden face. Timber splintered and shattered as Prickle let out a mighty war cry. She didn't even slow as she powered through it hoof first, emerging through the other end in a shower of splinters and dust.

The wolf turned back to her, wobbled, and collapsed to countless twigs and logs.

"Wow!" said Berry Punch as she threw a leg over Prickle. "You really took care of that thing." She sounded off. Maybe it was shock? She slurred her words. "Thanks a lot, foal."

"I'm Tiny Titan," corrected Prickle. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Thanks to--" she suddenly hiccuped. "--you. All that runnin' made me thirsty somethin' fierce. Wanna come with?"

Prickle jumped as another hoof tapped her on the shoulder. Pinkie Pie was standing on her other side. "Hi there! Nice job, but big mean timber wolves need more than that to make them go away."

"What?"

Even as Prickle asked, the wood began to reform, producing two, smaller, timber wolves. Pinkie pointed at the wooden terrors. "See? I'll lead one out of town, you get the other one." She waggled her rump at one, tail swaying. When the wolf bit at her, she jumped away and got to pronking as if it was a fun day. "Meet you by the Everfree!" she called out as she went.

Prickle blinked slowly at the retreating pink pony, almost missing when the other wolf lunged for her. She brought up a hoof in a sharp uppercut, knocking its head clear off its body. The rest of it simply stopped a moment, then fell apart. She had won, again, but it would reform.

She looked around quickly and grabbed the tarp off a stand. "I'll bring this back, promise," she said to nopony in particular. She gathered up the bits of wolf as quickly as she could onto the tarp, folded it up, and launched into the air with a mighty jump. She could see Pinkie and bounced after her. With three mighty leaps, she arrived at the edge of the Everfree.

Her passenger was just gathering itself together and Prickle squeaked, giving the tarp a mighty heave that send the newly-forged timber creature flying off into the forest.

"Huh, nice idea. I shoulda thought of that," complimented Pinkie as she danced around the other wolf. "Can ya take care of this one? You seem good at this."

Prickle nodded quickly and rushed for it. The movement got its attention and it turned to snarl at her. It thrust its head forward and Prickle gave a small leap just to come down on its back and drive powerfully through its body, reducing it to new splinters.

Pinkie pronked in with a broom and dustpan she hadn't had before and cleaned up the mess before tossing it all into the forest to join its friend. "Great job! Hey, you're Tiny Titan, right?" She winked at Prickle dramatically. "Nice to see you again."

Prickle smiled. Pinkie already knew who she was, so she could relax a little. "Hello Pinkie. Thanks for the help. I'll know how to handle them better next time."

"You sure will, but you don't have to do it alone." She tapped her own chest with a hoof. "We're a big family! That's what a community is after all. We can work together to keep things safe."

"What if you're not around?" asked Prickle with an uncertain voice.

Pinkie shrugged. "You already know how to handle that, but when we are around, expect one of us girls to give a hoof if we can."

"About that..." Prickle peered at the pink party planner suspiciously. "Did you talk to your friends about me?"

"Uh huh."

Prickle slumped. "I appreciate your honesty, but why?!"

"How couldn't I?" Pinkie shrugged. "Rainbow Dash and Rarity won't be quiet about it. Twilight super curious about how you work. Applejack keeps teasing Rainbow about her losing that hoof wrestling contest. I think Fluttershy's the only one not directly involved." She leaned in close to Prickle. "She says it sounds dangerous for a foal."

Prickle had not seen the princess around, so... "Does Twilight know who I am?"

"I didn't tell her! I swore I wouldn't."

Prickle pointed back into town. "What about Rarity or Rainbow Dash?"

Pinkie made a non-committal noise. "Dunno, maybe? She never said your name when I was around. Your mom's alright with this, right?" Prickle quickly nodded. "That's good. This would fall in the 'better to say' category and I'd have to tell her, but since she knows, I'm in the clear. Your secret's safe with me."

Prickle let out a long sigh of relief. "We should get back to town."

Pinkie poked Prickle. "You might want to change out of your costume. See you later!" She began pronking back to town with her usual smile.

She reached to start pulling off her suit when a soft thud stopped her. Another pony had arrived, the Mauler.

"Tiny Titan, I presume?" asked the costumed unicorn mare.

Prickle swallowed thickly, but did not retreat. "That's my name. D-did you need something?"

The Mauler nodded. "I wanted to test my mettle against Ponyville's newest, youngest, hero. Do you accept my challenge?"

"W-what?!" Prickle took a step back. "I don't even know you!"

"We will fix that." The mauler leaned her head in. "On the field of battle. The goal will be to prove supremacy, not hurt one another. The first to pin the other wins, simple at that. I'm told you have exceptional physical strength."

Prickle shook her head quickly. "I can't, not today!"

"When?"

Shoot. Prickle frowned with thought. "How about tomorrow? Just when the sun touches the horizon."

"Dramatic." The Mauler stood tall. "I like it. You have good style, Titan. Tomorrow, come with your fire for battle!" She rose into the air, horn glowing. "I look forward to getting to know you better. We will meet there." She pointed to the tall hill Prickle had met Silver Spoon on. "Are there any questions?"

"One, please." Prickle dared show her teeth in an awkward smile. "Can't we just talk, like normal ponies? We both want to help ponies out by beating up monsters and rescuing things, right?"

"A pacifist?" asked the Mauler. "I wouldn't think anyone brave enough to don a suit and battle the horrors would be at all a stranger to conflict." She clopped her forehooves together. She slowly settled back on the ground. "Are you that new?"

"Um... yes?" Prickle admitted. "I've fought two monsters." She raised a hoof. "A bugbear." She set the hoof down. "And a timber wolf."

"Such an innocent mask." She reached out a hoof to Prickle, running it along her clothed snout. "This fight will be good for you. Be prepared for it. Win or lose, you will learn. If I am lucky, you will have a lesson for me as well. Until then..." With a bright flash, she was gone.

Prickle let out a weary sigh before she slipped free of her suit and tucked it away. She got to trotting back into town, happy to be back to just plain Prickle Berry.

There was somepony waiting for her. Silver adjusted her glasses a little as Prickle came closer, then stood up tall. "I watched the whole thing, like, from the start."

Prickle blinked. "I didn't see you."

"I have a telescope." Silver waved the idea off. "You were so strong and brave! Thank you, Prickle."

Prickle's cheeks warmed. "They weren't that big of a deal. Pinkie knew how to take care of them."

"I don't care about Pinkie," stated Silver bluntly. "Like, you're the amazing one. Besides, she's an adult and she's fought dozens of monsters. You're an amazing foal!" Without a pause, Silver hugged Prickle tightly a moment. "Thank you."

Prickle gave an unsure smile. "I'm glad to help. I mean, if I wasn't... I just wouldn't do it. Did you see Berry Punch? Is she alright?"

"That lush? She's fine, last I saw." Silver turned to face the town and started walking with Prickle. "I'll walk you home!"

"Lush?" Prickle hadn't heard that word before.

Silver seemed amused by Prickle's ignorance. "Don't worry about it, TT." She saw Prickle's concerned look. "Just a nickname, like, I'll stick with Prickle if you prefer." She smiled brightly. "So... What's your absolute favorite candy?"

Prickle blinked. That was a sudden topic shift. "Bon Bon makes some really good ones. I haven't had one of hers that I didn't like."

"Bon Bon's, got it." Silver looked satisfied. "Now, I know Diamond is being a bit... odd."

"A bit?!" Prickle felt her fur fluffing up at the idea. "Is she... in love with me now?!"

"Oh no," assured Silver. "She's hoping you are though."

Prickle paled a little. "This is your fault, you did it! What do I do now?!"

Silver put a hoof on Prickle's nose. "You could go with it. Diamond Tiara would forgive everything and you'd be friends."

Author's Notes:

There are so many relationship-related typos in this chapter...

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21 - End Episode 5: Facing Issues

"No," stated Prickle firmly, clopping a hoof on the ground. "If you're trying to help, you aren't. We have enough lies."

Silver gave a soft 'hmm'. "Are you going to tell her the truth then? Tell her about being a superhero?"

"N-no." Prickle shrank back a little. "But I can be honest about the rest of it. We can be... friends."

Silver sat on her haunches. "That's very brave of you, just like I'd expect from my hero." She rose a hoof to adjust her glasses. "Like, if there's anything I can do, you just have to let me know."

Prickle wasn't sure what to do with Silver Spoon. Silver was a confusing pony that made her feel confused in return. It was a bit of a mess. "I have to take responsibility myself." She tapped her own chest with a hoof. "Now I should go, I have a fight to be ready for."

"A fight?!" Silver squeaked. "Is another monster coming?"

"No." Prickle glanced back at the Everfree. "Another hero wants to test me."

Silver's eyes widened. "We'll be there!"

Prickle blinked rapidly. "Who'll be there?"

"Your fan-club, of course, to like, cheer you on." Silver bounced to her hooves. "Don't you worry." And off she went, trotting purposefully.

Prickle applied her hoof to her face a moment before she got to her own trotting. She had homework to do, and a fight to prepare for.

The work of a superhero wasn't easy.

She didn't even get home before running into one of those fans. Scootaloo was bouncing up and down, wings fluttering. "Who's challenging you?!"

Prickle recoiled a little, glancing around to make sure that question wasn't overheard. "Silver told you already?"

"Nah, Sweetie Belle, but I bet she heard from Silver Spoon." Scootaloo shrugged. "Small town. So who're ya fighting?"

Prickle sighed with a little sag. "The Manehattan Mauler."

"Huh, with a name like that, I bet they love grabbing ponies. You better watch out for that."

"They're a unicorn," pointed out Prickle. "Does that change things?"

Scootaloo reached up to tap her own head where a horn was not. "That means she likes grabbing ponies with her magic, probably. Have you seen her use it so far?"

"She can fly, with her horn." Prickle bobbed her head. "She must like using that."

Scootaloo flashed a grin. "So there's your target. Don't, you know, hurt her bad. It's a spar, right?"

Prickle gave a slower nod. "I think so? Why does she want to fight other heroes?"

"To test herself, or practice, or a bunch of other reasons." Scootaloo shrugged. "It's kinda cool! I'll be there, promise. We'll be cheering you on." She made an energetic pump with a foreleg. "You'll show that out of town hero what Ponyville's like."

Prickle began to color faintly. She hadn't thought she would be representing the town like that. "I'm still new at this..."

Scootaloo pat Prickle on the shoulder. "We know that. Relax. You do what you can do and we'll be cheering either way. And if she acts mean about it, well, we'll just have to gang up on her." She stuck out her tongue a little. "Like Ponyville's full of helpless ponies."

Prickle blinked at that. "But it kinda is...?"

Scootaloo waved it away. "We'll handle it! You just focus on being you, Prickle. Leave the fangirling to the fangirls." She tapped at Prickle's hoof until it raised just high enough for Scootaloo to clop her hoof against it. "We have your back."

Prickle smiled at that, feeling better about the whole spar. "Thanks, Scootaloo. I'll see you all tomorrow." She pointed up at the hill where it would happen. "Just when the sun's about to go down."

Scootaloo looked where directed. "Alright! I'll be sure everypony else know when and where to be. You better rest up and be ready." She trotted off, making a few fake swats at the air with martial-arts noises as she went.

When Prickle arrived at home, her mother greeted her with a warm hug. "You're a bit late. Did something happen?"

Prickle flicked an ear back. "A timberwolf almost ate Berry Punch."

"Oh dear." Junebug put a hoof at her mouth. "You stopped that from happening, I imagine?"

"Uh huh. Pinkie helped." Prickle moved to start her homework. "Then another hero showed up and challenged me to a pretend fight."

"What?!" Junebug moved to sit beside her daughter. "It's bad enough you have to deal with monsters, now other ponies are trying to hurt my little porcupine?"

Prickle went warm and red. It was at once both comforting and embarrassing to have such a loving mother. "It's just... for fun." She hoped. "Like a hoof wrestling contest... with super powers."

Junebug shook her head slowly before she perked up towards the stove and hurried towards it. "Dinner's about ready. You just be careful, and finish your homework."

Prickle might have been a superhero, but she was still a filly. She did her homework, enjoyed dinner with her mom, and got some sleep. There would be plenty to deal with, but that was tomorrow's problem.

In the shadows, the Manehattan Mauler landed lightly. "She doesn't suspect a thing."

The other form already in the shade nodded. "Good, now we can test her properly. You know exactly what I want you to do, right?"

The Mauler rolled her eyes. "We've been over this enough times, yes."

"It never hurts to be sure." An ornate scroll came free of the obscured figure. "I have a list if you'd like to refer--"

"No, thanks. I have this. You just watch us and get all the information you've been dying to get."

The Mauler lifted to the air, shimmering with her own magic. "I have this entirely under control."

She zipped off, leaving the other figure there in the dark.

"Exactly why are we meeting in an alleyway?" asked a third, male, voice. "We could just do this at home, ya know."

"Oh shush." The female turned to the male, regarding him. "We don't want ponies knowing what we're doing."

"Why, exactly?"

"Prickle is very sensitive about her privacy and knowing I'm poking around about her would make her upset. It's for her sake, really."

"Yeah..." He didn't sound very convinced. "Can we go home now?"

"Sure thing." They began to walk off together. "This is going to be so exciting!"

Author's Notes:

Mysterious shadowy ponies?! So concludes this issue of Tiny Titan. Stay tuned for the next exciting issue!

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22 - Start Episode 6: For Science

All the other foals were very supportive, at least the ones that knew what was coming up. Even Diamond pat Prickle on the back. "I heard you're doing something today. Silver refused to say what, exactly."

Prickle's ears went back, then sprung back up. "Diamond, we need to talk."

"We are," she pointed out with a roll of her eyes. "What's up?"

Prickle pointed at Diamond, then herself. "I don't love you, but!" Her heart was starting to race. "I would... like to be closer. Friend closer?"

Diamond frowned sharply at Prickle. "You don't like me, do you?"

Well... "N-no, but I don't know you." She gave an uncertain smile. "We can fix that, maybe?" She could see a thousand ways it could all go wrong, explode in an angry berating and leave her sad and destroyed, but better that than trying to live a lie, or so she decided.

Diamond stared at her evenly an uncomfortably long moment before the littlest smirk touched her lips. "After all that, you finally grow a spine. The way I see it, you have me at a disadvantage now. Don't think I don't see how you've gotten Silver Spoon's attention. If I say no, well..." She rolled a hoof a little lamely. "At a disadvantage," she repeated, sounding upset, but curiously not angry. "Is this your game?"

Prickle was quick to shake her head. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

"As if you could!" She spat, but then went quiet and sank to her haunches. With a hoof she gently nudged a rock. "Guess I was a bit silly..."

"Huh?"

Diamond smiled. "Thinking somepony might... think that way about me. Sure, I was confused it was you of all ponies... but it... It was a little nice. I thought..." She was going red and having difficulty getting the words out.

Prickle took the step forward and hugged her tormentor. She hugged her tight, but not too tight. "How can ponies love you if you don't let them?"

"Let them?!" She squawked, frowning. "What do you mean by that?" She pushed at Prickle, though she had no hope of forcing Prickle to let go. Fortunately, Prickle did not mean to hold Diamond captive and released Diamond to scramble just out of reach. "I give ponies plenty of chance. I'm always where they can see me, and I'm super important. What do you mean 'let them'?"

Prickle pointed up, far up, to the city on the mountain, Canterlot. "You know Princess Celestia, right?"

"Duh." Her brows furrowed. "What about her?"

"She's always in public, and super important. I bet she doesn't have a coltfriend at all."

Diamond's frown eased away. She went from angry to confused to pondering to confused again. "What would you know?" she spat defensively. "You don't have one either."

"I do have friends," said Prickle with a smile. "Good friend who care about me."

"I..." Diamond trembled. She really only had one friend. "Are you making fun of me?!"

"No!" Squeaked out Prickle. "You have friends too." Diamond stared. "You do! Besides Silver Spoon, the crusaders are ready to forgive too."

"Forgive what, exactly?"

Prickle felt ice wash down her back. "For... picking on them?"

"I told them they don't have cutie marks, and it was through that, through us." She made an odd gesture, pointing at something that wasn't there and herself. "I got them their marks. I made them. Why should they be angry at me?"

Was that how Silver Spoon saw it? Prickle tilted her head a little. "And me?"

Diamond sat up tall. "You're not very scared anymore. You were when I first met you. Good job."

Prickle's head swam. Diamond saw herself as a dispenser of the toughest love? "Why?"

"Why?"

Prickle nodded. "It's not nice, making ponies sad."

"Don't get carried away." Diamond shoved at Prickle, though it only made her sway a little before she caught herself. "Don't question my destiny." She pointed back at her cutie mark. "Somepony has to take charge around here, and that somepony is me. I may not have become the... whatever, that was for foals anyway. I'll still be in charge. I have to be!"

"Why?" Prickle asked. "Why you?"

Diamond stomped her forehooves on the ground. "Because that's what I was raised to do!" she almost screamed.

Heads turned as other foals got curious about the yelling.

Diamond quieted. "We'll... talk later." She rose up to her hooves and walked away, nose turned up.

Prickle was quietly glad to escape the conversation. Still... She had stuck to her guns and no longer had to deal with the idea of somepony thinking she was in love with them. The only pony she had love for was her mother, as daughters should. Then again, there were different kinds of love. "I love Ponyville," she said to herself just before a pony tackled her. It was Apple Bloom.

Prickle rolled with the tackle and sent Apple Bloom soaring, but she never let go and set the launched filly on the ground as if that were the plan the entire time.

Apple Bloom blinked softly. "What jus' happened?"

Sweetie Belle approached at a less hazaroud walk. "I think she just used one of her moves on you. It was quite spectacular."

Apple Bloom nodded. "It was kinda fun, now that I'm not s' dizzy 'bout it. Can ya show me how to do that?"

Prickle smiled at that. "It's more about technique than strength. My, uh, teacher." She had promised to never say who that was. "She told me how you move is way more important than how strong you are, though being strong helps."

"That's mighty swell! Ah'll look forward to a lesson or three, after ya finish with that other pony. We'll be there, promise."

Sweetie Belle bobbed her head in agreement. "We'll be there," she echoed. "Are you prepared?"

Prickle lifted her shoulders. "I hope so. I'll do my best."

"All anypony kin ask fer," assured Apple Bloom. "We trust in ya."

The rest of the school day passed without too much fuss. "Now class," spoke Cheerilee at the end of the day, "Please be careful. There's been a timberwolf sighting in the town. Hopefully that was a one time thing, but I don't want my students being harmed."

Apple Bloom thrust up a hoof. "Even if there were a dumb timberwolf, we have a super hero to beat them into splinters."

Cheerilee shook her head. "Be that as it may, having a masked vigilante is no excuse to forget how to be careful and take care of ourselves. That's how trouble starts in the first place. Let's be our own heroes, alright? And that means not getting into trouble in the first place." She waved out the door. "You're dismissed. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Most foals dispersed to their homes, but not all. The crusaders were quick to find Prickle and crowd around her. "We can walk with you up to the hill," declared Scootaloo, excitement easily heard in her voice.

Prickle wasn't sure that was a good idea. "This is going to look a bit odd, besides, I have to get dressed before I show up. We don't need to show her who I am when I'm not Tiny Titan."

Sweetie nodded with a sage look about her. "She's right. We shouldn't be going together. Prickle, we'll see you there."

Apple Bloom nodded. "The whole club'll be there."

Off they galloped, excitedly gabbing about something Prickle couldn't make out. That was alright. She went to change, pulling on her lightly-armored suit. It felt a bit odd, with little sheets of stiff protective something between the fabric, but if it meant she wouldn't be chomped as easily, it was a good thing. She'd have to work harder with Bon Bon to make sure she could do moves properly with it.

Donned for action, Prickle, AKA Tiny Titan, gave a powerful jump into the air. Out of habit, she scanned for anything out of place, but the town looked peaceful enough. She saw lots of ponies just walking here and there. They looked happy and peaceful. She landed on a roof and bounced off towards the hill.

Alone and bounding, she could eat up the distance swiftly. She saw the crusaders below and gave them a little wave before she hit the ground again. She wasn't sure if they had seen her bouncing back them, but there wasn't time for that. She had to focus. Jumping was a lot harder than it looked. If you let yourself get distracted, you could slip and fall instead of bouncing. Prickle didn't want that, but she was getting better at it.

She landed at the very top of the hill with a soft thud, dust wafting out in all directions.

With a mighty shower of sparks, the Mauler appears from out of nowhere. "You're early," she noted. "Are we to begin now?"

"Wait!" came the shrill cry of a filly. Silver Spoon was hurrying towards them. "That's not the real Manehatten Mauler!"

Prickle blinked dumbly before it turned into a scowl at the suddenly nervous costumed mare. "Who are you?!"

The Mauler thrust a hoof at Prickle. "No matter who I am, nothing has changed. We have a spar to do." She clopped her hooves together roughly. "Or are you giving up before we even begin?"

Silver Spoon got in easier speaking distance, panting and heaving from the panicked gallop. "The... real... Mauler isn't a unicorn!"

"Go away, little filly. I have business with Tiny Titan."

Prickle moved between the two. "Don't talk that way to Silver. She's a good filly, and my friend."

"If she's your friend, tell her to go. Fillies should not be in the way while we're fighting."

Prickle sighed as she turned to Silver. "I'm still going to fight them. Thank you for telling me, but please get back. I don't want you to be hurt."

Silver smiled, her lashes fluttering. "Of course, my hero. Good luck." She blew a kiss and walked away back towards where other ponies had started gathering.

Prickle's fanclub had assembled and already had begun to cheer and stomp for her. Prickle felt a blush coming on, though it wasn't visible under her outfit. "I-I'm ready," she declared, turning back to the not-Mauler. "What should I call you?"

She shrugged softly. "IF you win, you can ask that. Until then, may as well stick to Mauler." She hovered in the air a few inches, glowing softly with unicorn magic. "Shall we begin?"

Author's Notes:

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

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23 - Mind vs Matter

It began.

She conjured a flyswatter of sparkling energy and tried to get rid of Prickle like an insect. Prickle dove out of the way as dust and debris was kicked up from where it landed and bounced up into the sky. The swatter followed after her unerringly, its wielder smiling confidently. "You're like a flea, Tiny Titan. Trying to hop away from danger?"

Prickle spun in mid-air and brought her hooves down just as the swatter came for her. Magic exploded brilliantly and she was sent flying, but the swatter was gone, and the Mauler looked stunned a moment, eyes wide with shock. "You... think that... will stop me?" She said as she recovered.

Prickle had to recover herself, coming to her senses as she flew through the air. She got her hooves into position and smashed into the ground roughly before she launched herself back at her enemy. It was time to attack.

The Mauler picked herself up from where she had staggered and darted up away from the ground, glowing brightly as she came to meet Prickle directly. Great gripping hands came from the ether at her sides, reaching forward to grab her opponent.

Prickle could see them. She saw them and she smiled. As the first hand reached for her, she dove around it, just the lash out with her powerful hind legs. The hand spasmed in a shower of sparks, but the Mauler wasn't as surprised. She let go of the control of it, avoiding the shock and bringing the other in quickly to snatch Prickle right out of the air.

Even as the first faded away in a shower of magic, the Mauler brought the pinned Prickle close. "Not so tough now, are we?"

Prickle scowled at her enemy. "You didn't win yet."

"I didn't?" asked the Mauler. "You sure look pinned to me."

"Nope," said Prickle with a smile. "You brought me too close." She thrust all four of her hooves out in different directions violently. The hand unfurled from her, falling apart as if it were made of torn cloth. Even as gravity begin to pull her down, she threw a quick punch at her enemy.

The Mauler's eyes went wide as a shield was brought to bear against the incoming hoof. They impacted with a thunderous bang and a blinding flash that had the onlookers gasping with amazement.

Prickle fell to the ground, hooves ready to absorb the impact. The Mauler soared away and down, blown clear by the impact and clearly knocked dizzy a moment.

She recovered before she could strike the earth and the glow returned to her, slowing her descent and putting her upright just before she landed. If one hadn't seen how she had been sent there, they might have thought she had intended the landing. "You're tougher than you look." She shook herself out. "But I will not be bested by some little filly!"

Bon Bon stood up from the crowd of watchers. "She's no 'little filly!'" she called in yet a new voice. "She's Tiny Titan, and she's gonna clean your clock!"

Prickle giggled a little at what sounded like a funny threat to her. Deciding against her power bounces, she instead focused on pushing the world away to the side instead of down. She ran for the Mauler speedily enough to hear the wind rushing by her.

The Mauler abandoned her original idea of simply grabbing her small opponent. She lowered her horn and began firing a barrage of magical bolts as if she were an emplaced machine gun, spraying the entire area around Prickle.

Prickle only had to be hit by one to learn she didn't want to be hit by any others. Even as she hissed in pain, she began to swat at them. She reared up and kept running on her hind legs as her forelegs beat at each bolt that came close to her. With a strike of a powerful hoof, they were destroyed, turning to so much magic ash.

As Prickle drew uncomfortably close, the Mauler's teeth were exposed in a grimace of fear that turned cocky at the last moment. Prickle's mighty punch impacted nothing but air as the Mauler blinked out of existence and appeared behind the charging little hero.

Prickle tried to catch herself, her momentum all wrong with the lack of her target. The Mauler didn't let her. Even as the crowd booed wildly, she shoved Prickle from behind and sent her crashing to the ground in a plume of dust. "Nice try, but simple brute force isn't going to work on me, Titan."

Prickle rolled onto her belly and bounced up to her hooves almost instantly, glaring at the Mauler. "That's cheating!"

"Cheating?" The Mauler lifted into the air a few inches. "In a fight, there is no such thing. You win or you lose, and the winner gets to decide if they 'cheated' or not."

Prickle trembled with fury. "So if I just break that horn of yours off, that's fair."

All the unicorns that watched winced at once at the very idea of it.

The Mauler wasn't confident enough to not join them. "This is a spar, Tiny Titan. No need to dismember each other."

"Oh... right." Prickle went red under her suit. She had gotten carried away. She sat down, peering at her foe. "So how am I supposed to stop you from doing that?"

The Mauler blinked at Prickle. "Are you asking me?"

"Yes?"

She laughed. "You are a funny one. Well, since you ask so nicely, you could try to tire me out, but I'm doing the same to you. It would be an endurance match."

Endurance? Maybe. Prickle approached, trotting lightly. "Or I could just punch you."

"If you think you can," taunted the Mauler confidently. "Show me what you have."

Prickle made a swing, but she had no confidence it would land. It didn't, but she slammed that hoof down and bucked out her hind legs. That didn't hit either. She looked around a moment before a hoof reached down and tapped her on the head. "Looking for me?"

Prickle scurried out from underneath the Mauler.

"Clever, but not clever enough," she taunted.

Prickle scowled at her tricky enemy. "You give up on fighting back?"

"I wouldn't say that..." She lowered her horn at Prickle. "Say cheese!" She let loose a new bolt of magic. It looked different, not that Prickle cared what it was exactly. She bounced to the side, bounced off the ground where she landed and came soaring at the Mauler with an angry cry.

But the Mauler wasn't there. She came down on Prickle's back, driving her into the ground with a yelp of surprise and pain. "Is that better?"

Prickle twisted quickly, too quickly. A flying hoof caught the Mauler and knocked her to the earth roughly. Prickle bounced up to her hooves, huffing angrily. "Stay still!" she shouted as if she could command the Mauler.

The Mauler was back on her own footing. "Nice, but you haven't even come close, and I won't let you." She stood tall. "No more close quarters dancing for you, Tiny Titan."

"You're still touching me." Prickle raised a hoof high then slammed it down into the ground. The earth bulged dangerously and flowed away from her in all directions in a mighty shockwave. The Mauler was not expecting that and got out little more than a surprised yelp before she was tossed right back to the ground in a rough heap.

Before she could rise, Prickle was on her, slamming a hoof down beside her head. "You lose!"

The Mauler vanished. She called out from a good distance above. "Lose? We've barely begun!" She laughed as she hovered there. "I can see you coming from up here, Tiny Titan. Give up. You tried."

Prickle would not have it. If it worked in the ground, why not the air? She sat on her haunches, brought up her forehooves and drove them together with all her might. Her own bones protested the act when they crashed, but it was the world itself that screamed in pain. A tremendous bang exploded outwards from the impact site.

The onlookers barely had time to duck behind trees and rocks as it washed over them.

The Mauler had no such time. She was too close. It came too fast. Her magic winked out as she was forced to ride with the wave, being torn apart by the powerful wave of sound and force.

She came crashing to the ground several yards away, smoke rising from her battered form. Prickle stood up and winced. Her legs hurt, but not too much to hobble closer to her downed enemy. "I... win..." She put a hoof on the Mauler's barrel. "Are you alright?"

The mauler's suit had been damaged in the violent wave, revealing a pink snout. That snout was laughing painfully. "You... you got me." She climbed to her hooves slowly, in clear discomfort. "You win..."

Prickle couldn't feel her aches for a moment, a huge smile overtaking her features. "You were tough," she complimented.

The onlookers came rushing on them. Among them, Nurse Redheart had a small first-aid kit on hoof. "Are either of you hurt?"

The others were busy cheering and stomping wildly. Prickle flopped onto her haunches. "My legs hurt, but I think they're alright."

The Mauler sat up the same way, barrel heaving to regain her breath. "My ego took the biggest beating today."

Bon Bon pointed at the Mauler. "Alright, who are you?"

She winced. "Professional etiquette!" She blinked away, hovering back in the air. "Don't be rude. I said Prickle could ask, but we'll save that for later." With one more pop, she was gone.

Prickle was in a happy place. Her fans cheered and hugged her tired form. If she had been more coherent, she would have been more embarrassed about the attention, but she was tired and achey and the hugs actually seemed kind of nice. At least until the kiss.

Her attention went into sharp focus when she felt it, lips to lips. She was being smooched!

Silver drew back with a smile. "My hero..."

Prickle went red enough to be faintly seen through her suit. "Silver!" she blurted in almost a spit. "No! Stop! No!"

"No?" Silver looked baffled at the idea.

"No kisses." Prickle tapped a hoof on the ground and winced, any pressure on her forelegs was cause for pain. "We're friends, not friend friends. Only mom gets to give me kisses like that."

Sweetie Belle whispered to her friends, "They really were kissing!"

Scootaloo shrugged. "She just shot her down. Guess they're not special someponies."

Redheart was more focused on Prickle. "You should come with me. Let's have a good look inside those legs and make sure everything's alright. If it's just a bruise, I'll send you home with a note."

Bon Bon nodded. "This isn't something you should just assume is alright. Redheart will take care of you. Good job though."

Author's Notes:

Action scenes. They make me nervous every time. How'd I do?

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24 - Friends in Medical Places

Prickle was being carried, by Redheart, if one wanted to be specific. She was laying along the nurse's back as the town went by at a sedate pace.

Redheart kept a smooth walk as to not jostle her rider. "Hopefully we'll find nothing at all and you can go on home, but better safe than sorry," she assured with a caring smile.

Walking alongside them through the darkening streets were the crusaders. Scootaloo whispered conspiratorially, "What if she did break something?"

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Then ah guess we'll have ta find a doctor, like at the place we're goin'?"

Scootaloo looked a little sheepish. "Oh yeah." In a louder voice she called up to Prickle. "Don't worry! We're with ya every step!"

"Not every step," corrected Redheart. "You girls should head home once we reach the hospital. We don't let friends and family in during treatment. She's in good hooves, I promise."

Prickle put on a brave face. She really hoped nothing was too wrong with her, but how could she know. "I'll be fine," she lied, not feeling certain of the fact. "You all have homework and parents waiting for you."

Apple Bloom thrust a hoof at Prickle as she went. "Ah don't think Applejack'd get mad if I told her the truth, that ah was being loyal to a good friend who got hurt."

Sweetie looked pensive, but broke her silence. "How did the Mauler know Tiny Titan's real name?"

The other girls looked over. Scootaloo blinked. "I didn't even notice that with everything going on. She did say it, didn't she..."

Prickle considered the fur she had seen. It was pink. Not Pinkie Pie pink, off... She didn't recognize it. If it had been Pinkie, that would have been a thousand new questions without answers. Pinkie was known for being odd at times, but flying around and using full on unicorn magic? No...

"Here we are." They had arrived at the hospital. Redheart turned to the girls that had followed with them. "Now go on home. You don't have to stay."

Scootaloo thumped a hoof on the ground. "What kind of fan would I be if I left before we knew for sure?"

Apple Bloom thumped her chest. "What kind of friend would ah be?"

Sweetie smiled wide. "I'm afraid they're not going to be dissuaded."

Redheart let out a long sigh. "And you?" she was looking at Sweetie.

"I... actually should go." Her ears fell. "I'm with Rarity right now and she's probably already nervous that I didn't check in. You two remain here and keep an eye on things, alright?"

Apple Bloom gave a soft laugh as she threw a leg over Sweetie and pulled her tight. "We don't want Rarity blowin' something. Ya go on ahead. If she lets ya, come on back, but it's all good, promise."

Those remaining trotted inside as Sweetie took off in a hurried gallop towards home. Redheart strode past the front desk. "We have a possible deep-tissue bruise, maybe worse, maybe less. What doctor is available for a clear picture of the situation?"

The other nurse, a pinkish mare that Prickle knew as Nurse Sweetheart, pulled over a clipboard and scanned it quickly. "Doctor Horse is in his office."

"Keep these two occupied." Redheart was pointing at the remaining crusaders.

Apple Bloom perked an ear. "What? We ain't no foals. We kin wait." She trotted with Scootaloo at her side and both hopped up into chairs to do just that. "Good luck, P--Titan!"

Redheart strode down the hallway to some stairs and began to ascend them carefully. "Now don't be nervous. Doctor Horse is good at what he does, and he'll have you back in one piece in no time at all. If luck's on our side, you already are and don't need anything more than taking it easy for a day or two."

A silly question came to Prickle as she went. "I never noticed before, but all the nurses have heart in their name."

Redheart swiveled an ear back at Prickle. "That's intentional."

"Did you have another name before you knew you were going to be a nurse."

"I did," she said in a patient tone, still walking. "That's private, I'm afraid, even to amazing little heroes like you."

Prickle mused over what the name could be, and soon they were at a particular door that Redheart clopped a hoof against.

"Doctor? I have a patient in need of examination."

"This is highly irregular." The door swung open and the light brown doctor frowned at the both of them before realizing who Prickle was. "You! The maniac that fled before completing her last treatment."

Redheart frowned in kind. "This is Tiny Titan. She was injured in a fight, in her forelegs. Can you have a look, please?"

Prickle grimaced a little. "I'm sorry if I made you angry."

"Angry?" The doctor backed away to let Redheart come in. "You made the nurses far more upset than I. They thought something might have happened to you until your mother arrived to assure them you were alright. Me? I think you're crazy, and I doubt this is the last time we'll meet if you continue doing what you're doing."

Prickle wasn't sure what she felt as the doctor's horn glowed as a screen floated over. She was a hero, which meant that, yeah... she'd probably get hurt again, but... "It's better I get hurt a little, if it means a lot of other ponies aren't."

The doctor paused. "That's a noble outlook," he finally decided. "If it doesn't get you killed, of course." She held the screen up against Prickle's left foreleg and with a sudden flash, Prickle's bones were visible, and so were Redheart's behind them, as she was still on her back.

The doctor smiled. "Well, no broken bones that I can see, we can rule that out. Let's have a look at the other side." He trot around Redheart and with a bright flash, confirmed that no bones appeared to be broken. He set the screen aside and sat beside Redheart. "This may hurt a little." The glow of his magic wrapped around Prickle's right foreleg and began to gently touch and feel at the area. She winced as he worked and he seemed to take notice of when she winced or made little noises of pain.

"You definitely have some bruising. I would put you in a bed to rest, but I doubt you'd stay there." Prickle opened her mouth to object, only to have the doctor's hoof casually inserted, silencing her. "It's alright. This isn't too serious. Just take it easy. I'd like to put you on a cart, if you're willing?"

A cart?! Prickle blinked at the very idea of it. "What would that look like?"

Redheart moved for the examination table and carefully slid Prickle onto it. "You stay here and I'll get one. Foreleg, obviously?" The doctor nodded, and off she trotted.

Doctor Horse looked over Prickle's costumed form. "You know, it was her that forbade us from taking this off of you. That was against regulations, but she was adamant. Is your 'secret identity' more important than your health?"

Prickle sat up slowly. It hurt to push up on her forehooves, but not too badly to sit up. "Thank you, for letting me have my secret."

"You're very welcome, little filly, but if you're hurt too badly, we're going to have to peel you free of that. Your safety rates higher than your privacy."

The door swung open. Redheart was back, pushing an odd cart along with her. "Let's get you onto this. It will help you keep pressure off your legs."

Prickle didn't like the look of it, but hardly had time to voice that. She was plucked up by Doctor Horse's magic carefully and moved over to it. Her forelegs were strapped into place with big padded lashes that kept her secured.

Redheart nodded. "There you are. You can move with your hindlegs."

Prickle grimaced, unsure it would work well, but she was willing to try. She walked with her hindlegs and her body slid along. The cart wheeled along beneath her. It felt a little like she was scooting on her belly, without rubbing against her fur. Still, she was moving, and her legs weren't being hurt... "That other ponies are going to make fun of me..." She looked silly, or so she had decided.

Redheart gave a knowing smile. "Let's go see what your friends think. Thank you, Doctor." She dipped her head and escorted Prickle out into the hallway and out of the doctor's way. "The hardest part will be stairs. You should avoid them when possible." She led the way to the elevator. "Fortunately, we have this." She waved inside. "After you."

Prickle walked along in her new, awkward, way. Even the quiet murmur of the rolling wheel bothered her a little. Still... it was to make her better, right? "Oh, um... tell the doctor I said thank you."

"I will dear." She pushed the big button for the lobby.

Soon they were emerging.

Two fillies looked up at the ding of the elevator's arrival. They both bounced up as one and raced over.

Redheart smiled at that. She had a feeling her patient would be in good hooves. "Thank you both for being patient. Here she is, even better than before."

Prickle's nose scrunched. "I'm not sure about better... Hello." She took an uncertain step forward. "I'm... going to need some help."

Scootaloo snapped a sharp salute. "You can count on us!"

Apple Bloom bobbed. "Look, Ah know ya feel funny, but we done got hurt before. Heck, there was that time, around Hearth's Warming."

Scootaloo blushed bright. "Let's not go over that!"

Prickle was curious. "Can you tell me, please? I'd feel better."

Scootaloo huffed. "It's a long story, but we can skip to the worst part." She reached out and tapped the wagon. "I had one of these, and casts on my hindlegs to go with." She looked up at Redheart. "How long does she have to have it?"

"There's no permanent damage that we could see. She just needs to keep pressure off of them and she should be right as rain in no time. Maybe a week?"

Apple Bloom bobbed her head. "That ain't so bad. We done worse before." She tapped a wheel. "And that's what we're tellin' Cheerilee."

"Huh?"

"Well, we can't tell her you were having a superhero fight, now kin we?"

That made sense... "So we were doing something silly and stupid and got what fillies get when they're silly and stupid."

"That's about the size of it." Apple Bloom gave a firm nod. "Hay, I reckon we just say we challenged you to show off how strong ya were. Everyone knows that, no secrets there."

Prickle's ears went down. "T-they do?" She had tried so hard to be subtle! Wait... "Why weren't they scared of me, or making fun of me, if they knew how... weird I was?"

Scootaloo leaned in. "You're sharing a town with the fastest pegasus everywhere, and Pinkie Pie. You have competition for being amazing. You're a friend, why should anyone make fun of you?" She turned for the exit. "We'll help her get home. Thanks again, Nurse Redheart!"

Author's Notes:

That went well, I think?

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25 - End Episode 6: Everyone Knows

Prickle walked along on her hindlegs, her forebody resting on the platform she was strapped to snugly. It felt odd, but she was moving well. Apple Bloom was on one side, Scootaloo was on the other. She looked back and forth between them as she went. "So... I have a question."

"Yeah?" Scootaloo glanced at her. "Sounds heavy, what's wrong?"

"Does... I mean..."

Apple Bloom suddenly stopped her, throwing a leg around her neck and pulling her close. "Ah think ah know what yer about t' ask and it don't matter not one bit."

Prickle backpedaled, and there was little Apple Bloom could do to stop her. "You say that! You're... not the freak."

Apple Bloom pointed at her as she sank to her haunches. "Neither are you. Ah mean, ya could say that, but it ain't the right word to use. Freaks are bad, ya ain't bad. Yer good, real good. Yer special in all the right ways."

Scootaloo gave a big grin. "You think anypony in town is unhappy when you're around? You don't even notice, but I do. Wherever you go, ponies are happy to have you around. They know you'll help them however you can. No big bad monster can bother them with you around. No criminal has a chance! I mean, sure, it's a little... odd... having that be a filly, but they're not complaining." Scootaloo extended a tiny wing. "Now you want to talk about freaks?!" Her voice hitched. "I'm a pegasus that can't even fly. How useless is that?!" Her voice was getting a little shrill. "There isn't anything good about that. That doesn't make a single pony smile."

Prickle could see Scootaloo was veering down a dark path and suddenly felt bad for her own troubles. She pressed forward on her cart towards Scoot. "Stop that! You're an amazing pony."

"Yeah," agreed Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo shook her head violently, coming out of the funk even as she sniffed loudly. "Funny thing... I can thank the same pony for reminding me of that. I mean, the bad part that is."

Prickle frowned. "Diamond picked on you?"

Scootaloo shrugged. "She did. I mean, we're alright now, but she did."

Prickle huffed indignantly. Diamond seemed to be the source of too much pain and misery. "I should... teach her a lesson." For herself she couldn't dream of facing Diamond Tiara, but for Scootaloo, who had been nothing but a friend, it seemed less impossible. "She's a real monster! I can take her down just like the bugbear."

Apple Bloom shook her forehooves wildly. "Don't even think about that! No hurting ponies, especially not some filly, no matter how much she annoys us."

Prickle turned her cart to Apple Bloom. "She's done a lot more than annoy Scootaloo!" Whatever slights she had suffered were forgotten for the moment. "I should... She should know what it feels like."

Scootaloo rest a hoof on the cart. "Hey, thanks. I mean it, but don't go hitting ponies for me. That isn't right, even for Diamond Tiara." She had her goofy grin back. "Now if you wanna play a prank on her..."

Prickle's ears perked right up. "Huh?"

Scootaloo's grin widened. "With your skills and our ingenuity, I bet we could come up with something satisfying, and doesn't involve punching a pony."

Apple Bloom burst into soft laughter. "Let's just make sure we don't break anything along the way." She hopped up to her hooves and started trotting towards Prickle's house. "Let's get you home. Everyone alright?"

"Yeah." Prickle smiled a little. Diamond Tiara or not, she had friends, good ones. Even confusing ones... She thought to Silver Spoon giving her an adult kiss. "Hey, why'd Silver do that?"

"Do what?" Scootaloo asked with an ear perked at Prickle. "Oh, the kiss? I thought you two might have been... special someponies, but you shot her down pretty hard."

Prickle paled faintly in her quivering nose. "I didn't mean to! Did I hurt her?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. "Ah think she was jus' tryin' ta be a damsel in distress. Ah think she likes being that, an' damsels in distress give their heroes big ole' smooches when they're done heroin' fer the day. Ah read it in Spike's comics. 'Course, sometimes the hero and the damsel are either or. Ah mean, a girl hero gets smooches from boy damsels. Girl heroes and girl damsels. Heck, ah saw boy heroes and boy damsels. Don't matter none. Smooches. Heroes get smooches."

Prickle's ears dances as she walked along under the dark sky. "Huh, so it doesn't mean anything? It's just... a thank you?"

Apple Bloom shrugged as she went. "That's what ah figure, but yer gonna have to go and ask Silver for yerself to be sure one way or the otha."

Scootaloo bumped into Apple Bloom from the side after dashing around to be on her side of the cart. "How do you know so much stuff?"

Apple Bloom looked mighty proud of herself. "Ah read, and pay attention. Gotta do that if ya want to do alchemy good, n' ah love doin' that. Don't be puttin' me up on any pedestals now. Yer awful good at mechanics more than I ever was."

Prickle felt suddenly awkward. "I can... I'm strong?"

Scootaloo snorted at that. "You can jump through the air faster than some pegasi can fly. You can fight it out better than I'd ever want to try. You aren't scared of any monster!" She suddenly jumped and came down on Prickle's wagon, her hooves on either side of Prickle. "You are 100% awesome!"

Apple Bloom pointed. "Here we are. You get some rest and we'll see you tomorrow at school, kay?"

Scootaloo quickly dismounted the pinned Prickle. "Good night!"

Prickle wanted to wave, but that was impossible. She settled for saying it, "Bye! Thanks for staying with me."

She headed inside, to explain what happened to her worried mother, get some dinner, and prepare for the next day.

Author's Notes:

End episode. So, hey, how are they, the episodes, the story, etc. Let me know! And where should we explore next. So much fertile ground...

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26 - Start Episode 7 - A Serious Case

Prickle sat down at her desk at school. She had healed up nicely from the incident with the duel, and had even gotten some delightful training with her mentor, even if some of it involved more boring work to avoid such injuries in the future.

Snails stepped up in front of the class. Why was he there? "Hello class," he said, but that was not his voice. That was Cheerilee's voice. "I'm sure you're a little surprised, but this is me." He... she? They pointed to the back of the class.

Prickle craned her neck to see Cheerilee crammed into a seat.

She waved at the class and squeaked with Snail's voice. "Hi..."

Snails... Cheerilee? cleared his/her voice. "We've been attacked, but it's not going to get in the way of our lesson today. Let's get started..."

Prickle sat up, but she was far from the only one. The entire class erupted into speculation and concern.

"Students!" demanded their diminutive teacher with her usual voice. "Calm down. Quiet, please!"

Snips was looking up at at his friend, who had become a fully grown mare. "Whoa..."

"It's not such a big deal," replied Snails in Cheerilee's body, shrugging a bit. "The chair fits awful though."

Apple Bloom clopped her hooves down on her desk. "Who did this to you, Miss Cheerilee?!"

Cheerilee let out a sigh before sinking to her coltish haunches. Continuing class seemed to be a fever dream at best. "If everypony would kindly settle down, I'll explain." She gave the best glare her colt face could manage and waited. Fortunately, the class did start to settle down, looking at her expectantly. "It was just this morning, on the way to school..."

Cheerilee trotted along with a smile on her face. She was ready to face a new day with no educational challenges. They'd be going over crop rotation and other related agricultural innovations. She reached and pulled out the little sapling she'd be using as a demonstration for part of the lesson.

"Is that lunch?" Cheerilee looked over to see Snails following alongside her with his usual placid expression. "Looks tasty."

"No, Snails." She gave a patient smile. "It's part of today's lesson. Are you ready to learn?"

"Um, no ma'am."

Cheerilee could appreciate his honesty at least. "Try your best, please. You have potential in you, but you have to reach for it."

Snails looked a bit befuddled at the idea. "Are you sure?"

Their conversation was interrupted as a brightly dressed figure jumped in front of them with hooves thrown wide. "You two look like you're having trouble!"

Cheerilee recoiled in surprise. "What? Who are you?"

"That's not important. You two." The stranger, a mare, pointed between them with a hoof. "Can't see the other's side of things. I'll fix that." She threw her hooves out as wide as they could go and a blinding flash overtook them.

When they could see again, she was gone, and they were changed.

Cheerilee looked up at... herself. "Snails?"

"Yeah, that's me," replied Cheerilee's body before they looked down at Snail's body. "Whoa, that's... me too. How can I be in two places at the same time?"

Cheerilee saw herself, or her body, waving a hoof energetically. "Yes, Snails?"

"I have to go to the little foal's room. Which one do I use?"

Cheerilee clopped a hoof to her face. "Pick the one you like, just be sure to lock it behind you."

"Alright." He wriggled free of the desk and walked off at his usual sedate pace, eyes half-lidded.

Cheerilee winced at seeing it all played out with her own body, but at least she felt safe in the laid back colt's grasp. "Now, are there any other questions?"

Prickle shook her head. "We have to get you back to normal!"

Cheerilee smiled at Prickle. "I appreciate your concern, but I've already told Princess Twilight. Hopefully they'll have it sorted out soon. Meanwhile, you're here to learn, so we should get to that." She reached for a pointer and found it floating up to her. "Oh right, unicorn..." Well, some small advantages at least... "Now let's begin..."

A paper bounced off of Prickle's head. She blinked before she saw it laying on her desk and unfolded it.

This is a case for Tiny Titan!

Prickle looked around, but none of the ponies were taking credit in any obvious way.

Still... was it? It was. That was what she was supposed to do! She raised a hoof.

Cheerilee looked up at Prickle. "Yes?"

Oh, right. She needed an excuse... "I... need to use the little foal's room too."

Cheerilee's eyes narrowed. She was not fooled. "Sit down, Prickle. The lessons begins now. Class..." She began giving her sermon despite her new body, doing her best to pretend nothing odd was happening at all.

Prickle softly huffed. She wanted to go find the bad mare that dared to mess with her teacher, but was being stopped... by her teacher. She bided her time and took notes about the plants and stuff as best she could. She guessed that Cheerilee would totally give a surprise quiz considering how distracted everyone was.

But when lunch came along, she raced out. It was time to go! She looked around for a good spot to dash off to and get changed when a hoof tapped her on the shoulder. She span in surprise to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

Diamond hiked a brow. "Where are you trying to get in such a hurry? Don't you normally eat lunch with them?" She pointed at the crusaders at their usual table.

"Um, not today." Prickle stepped back slowly. "I forgot my lunch at home. I have to go get it real fast." She smiled, so proud of her excuse.

Silver pulled a small box out. "I'll share mine with you, Prickle."

Oops. Prickle didn't want to shoot down Silver twice so soon. She may start thinking Prickle really didn't like her. "Oh, um... thanks." Her attempt to get away was thwarted as she walked over with the two over to another table and they began to eat.

Diamond rolled a hoof as she ate. "Can you believe this?!" She pointed at Snails, seated with Snips. Despite the colt currently being a mare, he ate his food sedately. "Look at him! I bet he's doing terrible things."

Prickle blinked at the sight and back to Diamond. "Are we talking about the same Snails?"

"The same Snails that is a colt in a mare's body." She snorted loudly. "I can only imagine the things he's done and plans to do."

Silver shrugged softly. "I'd be more worried if it was Snips. I doubt Snails is even thinking about it."

"I try not to," came Snail's voice suddenly. "Thinking, that is." He was standing near them. "Hey."

Prickles jumped. Snails could be real sneaky when he wanted to be. "Oh, hi Snails. So... are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he assured with a dopey smile. "I miss having my horn though." He sank a moment before he perked back up. "It's kinda nice being so tall though." He pointed a hoof at the table in general. "Hey, you better be doing your homework." He chuckled at his own joke.

Prickle took a little bite of the fancy food Silver was sharing with her. "Don't you want to go back to normal?"

"Uh huh," he placidly agreed. "But I don't know how. I bet Twilight'll figure it out. I should get going, eh. See you all later." He gave a parting wave before wandering away.

Diamond rolled her eyes. "Alright, maybe he is too stupid to think of anything." She snickered softly. "So, what do you think, Prickle?" She hiked a brow at her. "Did that description match any mare you know of?"

Prickle quickly shook her head. "Not anypony I know. That was mean of them! They can't just... do that."

Silver shrugged a little. "Some unicorns think they can. Us earth ponies have to stick together or they might, like, do other strange magic and think they can get away with it." She smiled at Prickle brightly. "Do you like it?"

"Huh?"

"The food." Silver nudged the box she was sharing. "Does it taste nice?"

It did, and Prickle had no issue saying as much. "What is it?" She took up another morsel and popped it into her snout. It really was tasty.

Silver smiled joyfully. "It's, like, genuine Neighponese food. Sushi."

"What's sushi?" Prickle had never heard of the food before, tasty as it was.

Diamond suddenly laughed. "Raw fish, rice, seaweed, some other things too."

Prickle paled. Fish? Raw? "Is... that... even safe?" She eyed the box with sudden suspicion.

Silver nodded quickly. "Uh huh. I've had it, like, forever. You don't see me getting sick." She took another bundle and popped it into her snout. "S'good."

Part of her wailed at the idea. Another part gently nudged the first part and reminded her she's already had plenty, and liked it. "I guess it is..." She reached and took another morsel, then noticed a little plate of green stuff. "What's this?"

Diamond leaned in. "Dip the sushi in it, I dare you."

Silver quickly slapped a hoof over the box. "You don't have to!"

Prickle looked between the two. "What... is it?"

Diamond shrugged softly. "It's really spicy. Can you handle it?"

Silver nodded in agreement. "You really don't have to." She withdrew her hoof.

Prickle reached with her sushi. "I'll try a little tiny bit..." She didn't want to be scared off by Diamond Tiara. She touched the sushi to it and a dollop of green stuff came off onto it. She opened her snout wide and chomped down onto the mix. At first it was fine. Then, the heat came... Tears leapt up into her eyes, but she tried to keep a brave face as she ran her tongue across the top of her mouth, trying to bear it past the flames.

Silver offered her sippy box. "Here, it'll help."

Diamond looked thoroughly amused and reached over to pat Prickle on the back. "I didn't think you'd have the guts. You surprised me."

Prickle smiled. Despite the pain, she felt good. She had impressed Diamond. She took a deep draw of sweet goodness from Silver's box and the flames ebbed down to a bearable point. She let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Do you use that a lot?"

Silver shrugged. "Only once in a, like, while, but they always put it there."

Prickle had failed to go find the bad pony, but she had shared lunch with the two greatest menaces of her life, and it wasn't that bad.

She put it down as a success.

Author's Notes:

A new case has begun! No one told me Prickle would be fighting elemental benders! Especially not the dreaded gender benders!

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27 - On Patrol

Prickle had finally escaped school. With her suit guarding her identity, she felt ready to pound any pony that would do such a thing to her teacher. She landed from an athletic bound.

"Hey TT." It was Scootaloo, smiling. "Looking for the jerk that messed with Cheerilee?"

"Uh huh," she quickly replied as she looked around for any signs of bad ponies. "Have you seen them? 'Brightly dressed unicorn mare' only goes so far." Prickle sighed softly.

Scootaloo gave a helpless shrug, then smiled. "I'll help you look though, then I can see you show her what's what."

Prickle didn't like the idea, but Scootaloo looked so excited to come with her, she didn't have the heart to turn her down. "Alright. I'll go north." She pointed. "You go south. If you see her, shout." Scootaloo bobbed her head quickly and hopped up onto her scooted gracefully, taking off on her own patrol.

Prickle watched her go a moment before she sprang from the ground. A streak of rainbows zipped just in front of her nose, stopped, and came back. Rainbow was there, grinning. "Hey champ." She was following Prickle as she arced in her jump. "Are you looking for who I think you're looking for?"

Prickle waited until she touched down on a roof before replying, "The pony that switched Cheerilee and Snails. Are you looking for her too?"

"You bet! Twilight said we should look separately, so she can't switch us around. If there's only one pony coming to beat her up, then she's out of luck."

That made sense to Prickle and she bobbed her head. "We should split up then."

"If I find her first, I'll give her something for ya, promise." Rainbow grinned, then sped off into the distance.

Prickle peeked into alleys, searched rooftops and even a few bells, but there just didn't seem to be any sign of the scoundrel anywhere.

Until she saw two confused ponies, two familiar ones. She hopped down beside Lyra and Bon Bon. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," said one of Bon Bon's many voices from Lyra.

"This is awesome," reported Lyra from Bon Bon's body. "I always wondered what being Bon Bon was like. I'm gonna bake so hard!"

Bon Bon arched Lyra's brow. "And you expect me to start playing an instrument I never tried before?"

"And we'll both fail dramatically," said Lyra as if it were the best thing ever. "Then we can laugh and show each other how we messed up. It'll be great fun. C'mon!"

Prickle shook her head slowly at her mixed up friends. "Which way did she go?"

They both pointed, and Prickle took off in a gallop. When she wanted more speed and less upwards mobility, she could run faster than she could jump, though it took more out of her. She was determined to catch up with that criminal! First her teacher, than her fighting mentor? It was inexcusable.

A loud yelp caught her attention and Prickle veered a hard right, kicking up dirt before she took off in the new direction. As she emerged past a set of buildings, she saw the brightly-dressed mare leering at Scootaloo. "Poor little thing. I've heard so much about you. You're so sad, stuck in a body that doesn't work right."

Prickle surged without thought. That wasn't true, she was thinking a lot of things, mostly about not letting Scootaloo down. She had started screaming without noticing, rushing at the masked pony.

The pony turned towards her. "What perfect timing! You'll do nicely." She reared up and threw her forehooves wide. "Have a change of perspective!"

White light filled the square. Prickle's body gave a surprised yelp before flopping to the ground in a tumble.

Scootaloo's form jumped at the mare without a pause, swinging a hoof with a loud scream of battle. It bounced off the mare's chest with a light thud.

She laughed softly. "Nice try. You run along now." She made a dismissive wave, then she just trotted away as if nothing important had happened.

Prickle jumped after her, and didn't go anywhere important. Her new wings buzzed wildly, trying to get her further, but she accomplished little more than hovering in place a moment before she came back to the ground. The villain was getting away!

Scootaloo stood up. "I got her!" She made a super jump. Too super. Prickle winced as she watched it, following Scootaloo's scream until it passed far beyond sight.

Prickle sighed softly. "I remember doing that..."

"Hey squirt." It was Rainbow Dash, zipping in speedily. "You alright? You should be careful. There's a magic jerk around here and we don't want you getting zapped."

"Too late," sighed out Prickle.

Rainbow blinked softly. "Pr--uh, Tiny Titan? Wait, that means? Oh wow..."

Prickle shrank in place. None of that went according to plan. "We have to stop her. She went that way." She thrust out a hoof.

"I'm on it!" Rainbow took off in a streak of light.

Prickle was left alone to take stock of the situation. She circled on herself, looking at her pegasus filly body as best she could. She tried spreading one wing, then the other before she bounced up and down a little. She had none of her strength, but that made sense. She was Scootaloo.

She let out a little nervous laugh. She got what she wanted, sorta. She wasn't a freak. Instead she was in her friend's body. That was... less than ideal.

"Everything alright?" asked Sweetie Belle. "I heard you from the boutique," she squeaked, voice hitching with worry.

Prickle gave a nervous smile. "Not really..."

"P-Prickle?" Sweetie blinked with wide eyes. "Oh no! This is terrible! Where's Scootaloo?"

Prickle pointed off in the direction Scootaloo had launched herself, but needn't have. A loud whooping laughter came from the same direction as Tiny Titan bounced back into view.

Sweetie sat beside Prickle. "She's... having fun, I think?"

Prickle applied her new hoof to her new face. "This can't end well."

Sweetie let out a little concerned noise. "Are you going to go to your house or her's?"

Prickle blinked at Sweetie. That was a big question, but... "We have to switch back!" She looked around. "We just have to find that unicorn and get her to flip us rightside up."

"I'm on the way!" echoed Scootaloo's voice. A bright flash erupted from elsewhere in the city.

Prickle sank right back to her haunches. "I think it just got more complicated."

Sweetie squinted in the direction of the flash. "Who do you think she was switched with this time?"

Prickle felt jaw tense. There weren't a lot of other ponies she could hope for and still come out of it reasonably.

A bright band of rainbows arced up over the town with the maddest of cackles. "Woooohoooo!"

Sweetie blinked softly. "Oh..."

"Oh," echoed Prickle, at once relieved and worried. Rainbow could be trusted with things, but...

Prickle, or her body, landed with a heavy crash beside them. "Did you see, uh, me?" she asked with Rainbow Dash's voice.

Prickle and Sweetie both pointed up into the sky where wild patterns were being drawn with rainbows.

Rainbow, the real one, let out a little chuckle. "I always knew she had it in her. She'd make a great flyer... But not in my body!" She pointed up to the berserk Scootaloo. "How do I get her down from there? You can't jump that high... Can you?"

Prickle hadn't ever tried quite that high. "Maybe, but landing is going to be rough if you can."

"Only one way to know for sure!" Rainbow wiggled her little filly rump in the air then pounced into the air with all the strength Prickle's body had to offer.

That was a lot of strength.

Rainbow Dash was gone from sight almost instantly, barely a speck in the sky. The ground she had been standing on was a sizable crater from the pressure, smoke rising lazily from the compression heat generated from the motion.

Sweetie squinted up in the sky, trying to see Rainbow, wherever she had gone. "I hope she's alright..."

"Me too," sighed out Prickle before turning her eyes to the much-more visible Scootaloo. She waved wildly at her. "Scootaloo!" Shouting at her seemed as valid a tactic as any.

To her surprise, it worked. Scootaloo turned in mid-air and came zooming towards them.

As eager as she was to fly, that didn't give her much grace. She crashed gracelessly about ten feet from them, laughing the entire time. "Oh wow, that was great!" she cried as she clambered back up to her hooves. "You have no idea how amazing this feels." She bounced from hoof to hoof, blind to any pain caused by the crash. "I'm strong, and fast, and look at these." She spread her wings as wide as they could go. "They're so big and perfect!"

Sweetie Belle gave an uncertain nod. "But they're not yours."

Prickle bobbed in agreement. "Rainbow needs them. How is she going to be in the Wonderbolts in my body?"

A trailing scream that grew in pitch as it approached drew all three of their heads upwards. There was Rainbow, descending like a meteor, flame trail included. She was blazing a path at a sharp angle. There was no way she'd land in Ponyville.

Prickle rose to her hooves. "We have to help her."

Scootaloo set a hoof on Prickle's shoulder. "Woah woah, hold on there. Let me handle this." She flapped her borrowed wings and lifted from the ground easily. "I'm a lot faster."

"It doesn't matter." Prickle stomped an impotent hoof. "She's all of our friend, and I didn't quit my job just because some bad mare hit me with some magic. I'm going to help her." She glanced around. "Where do you keep your scooters?"

"Huh? Oh yeah!" Scootaloo was gone, only to return a few instants later with the scooter in hoof. "Here you go." She set it down on the ground.

Sweetie clopped her hooves softly. "You can give Prickle a ride, just like you used to get from Rainbow."

"Oh yeah, great idea!" Scootaloo soon had herself tied to the front of the scooter. "I'll fly there, and you just have to hold on. Have you ever ridden a scooter before?"

"No..." admitted Prickle as she stepped aboard and clutched at the bars as best as her hooves could manage. "But we have to go."

"Well, alright then." Scootaloo took off in a streak towards her downed hero and Prickle found the world blurring past her. It was all she could do just holding on and hoping they wouldn't run into anything along the way.

Sweetie waved at the two as they took off. "Good luck... You're going to need it." Shaking her head, she returned home. She was quite sure she'd hear about how it went at school the next day.

Author's Notes:

That went about as well as it could have, I think. Scoot's having fun at least?

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28 - To The Rescue

Rainbow crossed her costumed legs across her face as a tree came zooming at her. It was far from the first time a tree had done so. What had she ever done to trees to make them so mad? Or maybe she was looking at it the wrong way. Maybe trees really liked her flying and wanted to help catch her when things went wrong? Yeah, that was a better view.

Neither perspective softened the landing as she crashed through branches and came to a halt in the embrace of the tree. She let out a pained groan, but nothing felt busted or bent out of place, just banged up. As the stars fled her vision, she slowly slid to her hooves on the heavy branch she had landed on and carefully balanced on her way to the trunk. "Prickle's way stronger than I thought," she said to herself. She slowly began to climb down as a very familiar sound reached her ears. She peeked up to see her body coming in fast with a squealing Scootaloo clinging to her scooter with her entire body.

"Uh, hey guys." Rainbow waved a costumed hoof.

Scootaloo pulled to a stop. Prickle zipped past her, but Rainbow caught her easily and brought her to a stop. "Woah there. Let me guess, you're not Scootaloo."

Prickle took a shaking step off the scooter. "You have my body."

"And I'm guessing I wasn't hearing things before, so that makes you..." Rainbow looked at her body, which was blushing and looking awkward. "Scoots?"

Scootaloo landed, flapping her wings perhaps more than required. "Rainbow, your body is amazing!"

Rainbow puffed out her little chest. "Well, duh. I work hard to make sure it stays that way. I hope you had fun, now give it back. Being a mighty bouncing super hero is not my style."

Prickle poked Rainbow in the flank. "I don't think she can just... give it back."

"Has she tried?" retorted Rainbow. "Until she does, it doesn't count."

Prickle flashed a bright smile. "You have my body, why don't you try giving that back first?"

"Well fine then!" Rainbow glared at Prickle before thinking how to do that act she requested. She approached Prickle in Prickle's body and gave Prickle in Scootaloo's body a big hug.

A painful hug. "Easy! Super strength!" squeaked out prickle as she was compressed.

Rainbow released Prickle. "Your body is tricky. I can't do anything without overdoing it. I'm used to dialing it to 110%!"

Prickle held her hooves close together. "I aim for maybe 1 to 5 percent?" She had paid attention in math and felt proud of herself. "

Rainbow shook her head. "You are scary, but in all the good ways, seeing as you're a hero."

Scootaloo, not being paid attention to, lifted into the air higher and higher. She did slow spins, looking around for trouble. With a thrust hoof, she pointed at a flash in the city. "Our troublemaker is busy making more trouble. If we don't do something, the whole town'll be swapped around."

Rainbow grunted. "If Twilight finds her, this'll be over fast. Magic is one thing she barely ever loses at."

"Except today," spoke... Big Mac? No, that voice was certainly Twilight's, walking towards them. "She took my magic away."

Rainbow let out a little cough, then fell over, hooves in the air and cycling as she laughed.

Twilight scowled with Big Mac's face. "That means you're not getting your wings back, Rainbow."

"Oh, right." Rainbow rolled upright, laughter dying ignobly. "So where's Big Mac if you're borrowing his body?"

Twilight pointed to where a smiling and distant figure that was herself flew through the air. "He's enjoying the experience. Our rogue wizard seems to get a real kick out of swaps that leaves at least one pony happy about it."

Prickle shrugged. "The first one I learned about was Cheerilee and Snails. Cheerilee was annoyed and Snails was busy being Snails and wasn't thinking about it."

Twilight nodded. "Right, but she thought he'd like being an adult, one he knew was in a position of authority. Simply, she made a mistake."

Rainbow rolled a hoof at Twilight. "Yeah yeah, that's fascinating and all, but how do we start fixing all of this?"

Twilight's eyes darted between Rainbow, Prickle, and Scootaloo. "Just so we're on the same page, can I get a roll call?"

All three stated their true name in a chorus.

"Right. I know I said to come at her seperately, but that clearly isn't working. There's always somepony around for her to work her magic with. I have a new proposal."

Scootaloo flew down to easier conversation level. "What's your idea, Twilight?"

She swung a red-furred hoof at each of them. "We go in pairs, preferably with ponies we're alright with switching back with, so that when she tries to zap us, we know where we're going. Also, sunglasses." She pulled out a bouquet of them, spread out in a fan. "We can't afford to let that flash disorient us."

"Good idea!" Rainbow snatched her glasses and popped them on. "Looking stylish too."

Prickle and Scootaloo took their own, and Twilight put on the last to cover her enlarged snout. "Alright, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, you two seem like a natural fit."

Prickle pouted at that. That didn't set her up to be in her right body at all. "Who am I with?"

Twilight perked her ears. "Are you sure you even want to be involved? We'll get everyone's body's back once this is over, and we find yours."

Prickle blinked with confusion. "Find it?"

Twilight got a smile on her face. "Are you saying it's nearby?"

Prickle realized what she was about to do and shut up about it. "I still want to help! This is my town too. She's a bad pony and needs to be taken care of."

Twilight reached and grabbed Prickle by the nape of the neck. With a toss of her bulked neck, she sent Prickle soaring to land on Twilight's back. "We'll go together then. Everyone ready?"

"Just one question," asked Scootaloo, hovering in place. "What's going on with the others? I mean, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy? You know."

Twilight heaved a sigh. "At a guess, they're just as mixed up as the rest of us, or are about to be. Stick to your partner, and let's play this smart."

They split up then. Twilight and Prickle in Big Mac and Scootaloo's body. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo in Rainbow and Prickle's body.

As they went, Scootaloo came in real low to fly just beside Rainbow. "I bet you're real worried."

"I trust you," Rainbow replied with a smile. "My Scootaloo would do the right thing. It's part of what makes her awesome."

"Yeah..." Scootaloo grabbed Rainbow Dash from above and lifted her from the ground. "I'm not going to steal you away from you. That would be a pretty uncool thing to do. Still, you can't blame me for enjoying it while I have it."

Rainbow snickered from Scootaloo's grip. "I would too, so, no, no hard feelings or anything. We're still sisters, right?" She offered a hoof, and it was met with a solid clop. "Together forever."

Scootaloo bobbed her head. "Forever. Let's find that jerk and fix all of this." She ascended higher into the sky, carrying Rainbow along as she went.

Twilight trotted along into the town. "Ugh, this body feels so... heavy."

Prickle sat up on Twilight's back. "And no magic."

"That too." She looked over her shoulder. "What do you miss?"

Prickle opened her mouth to reply, then shut it, realizing almost everything she said would incriminate her. "It's kind of neat having wings." She fluttered the little limbs. "I never had those before."

A familiar mare stepped out in front of them. "I'm so glad you're enjoying it," she said, a happy smile on her face. "A little change of perspective is good for a pony. We get stuck in ruts too easily."

Prickle pointed at Twilight. "But you haven't tried it yet. You keep doing the same thing over and over and over again. You're in the deepest rut."

The mare's expression wavered. "W-what?! But... I'm freeing ponies from their habitual lives!"

Twilight was no dim bulb and caught on quick where Prickle was going. "Oh, she has a point. How can you tell us to do something if you aren't willing to try? Have you ever been an earth pony before?"

"Or a stallion?" posited Prickle. "I bet it would be entirely new."

"Oh, I see where you're going." She shook her head. "Being an earth pony, that's silly. I mean, no offense, but they have the least going for them. Nope. I think I'll try a pegasus instead." She threw her hooves wide.

Prickle was suddenly a mare, a unicorn mare. She fell to all fours, dazed.

The mare laughed wildly and flew away! Or at least, that was her plan, but Scoot's wings were not up to the task, and she just succeeded at falling off of Twilight with style. Twilight brought a hoof down on the filly's body. "You stay right there."

Prickle shook her head clear. "We did it!" She stepped towards the squirming foal. "Alright, time to start putting ponies back."

"I... can't." She pushed impotently at Twilight's massive stallion hoof. "You're the unicorn, you do it."

Prickle reached up and tapped at her new horn. She was a unicorn... She tried to make something happen. To her credit, she made her horn glow.

Twilight shook her head. "You don't have her talent... And she doesn't have her horn." She let out an exasperated sigh. "This is going to be complicated."

"I should have taken the larger body," grumbled the captured villain.

"Didja find her, huh huh huh," asked a very pink sounding Applejack as she pronked closer.

Twilight nodded. "Can you help tie her up? I have her pinned but I'm used to having a horn."

"Ya don't need a horn to tie ponies up, silly." Pinkie bounced in, pulled a rope out that Applejack likely always had and got right to work, securing the bad guy. "Why does she look like Scootaloo?"

The villain smiled. "I am Scootaloo. The bad guy switched with him!" She pointed with her snout at Twilight.

Prickle stomped a hoof. "That's Twilight! I'm Prickle Berry, and she is... What is your name?"

"I don't have to say..."

Prickle could argue, but it felt wrong somehow. "I'll call you Switcheroo for now."

"I like that."

Author's Notes:

Well, they caught her... But how do we start fixing this mess? This typo in the voice casting is going to get some ponies fired!

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29 - All Mixed Up

The entire town gathered in a confused mob before the stage. On that stage were Twilight, who had Big Mac's body, Pinkie in Applejack, Rarity in Filthy Rich, Applejack in Octavia, Spike in Spike. "I still don't get why she skipped me." Rainbow Dash in Prickle, and Prickle as the villain. There was also the villain herself, currently appearing as Scootaloo.

Applejack glanced about with cultured eyes. "Where'd Fluttershy run offta?"

Twilight grunted as only a stallion could. "She refuses to be seen. Let's get this underway." She stepped up towards the microphone. "Citizens of Ponyville, I know you're all very confused and worried right now, but we have things under control. The perpetrator has been apprehended and we're working as hard as we can to get things put right."

Big Mac suddenly came down from the sky, landing just before the stage. "Ah'm an alicorn princess. Ah'll fix everything with magic!"

Twilight blinked at the sudden interruption. "If you think... you can?" She had no confidence that Big Mac suddenly knew enough magic to do much worth talking about. Then again, he was flying capably enough.

The crowd turned its eyes to the grinning form of their neighborhood princess, though few were fooled by the smooth deep notes that issued from... his... throat. "Ayup!" He closed his eyes and concentrated, his horn starting to glow, dim at first but quickly escalating. With a loud set of cries, Carrot Top and Junebug lifted into the air.

To Prickle's combination of relief and disappointment, that was not Junebug's yelp. She had heard that before.

Twilight began to get nervous. "Be careful, Big Mac. Magic isn't a toy."

"Nope."

With a sudden nova of power, Big Mac struck both of the mares. Sparkles danced and whorled, and both ponies were set down with flowers sprouting in every direction.

Junebug, or whoever had her body, blinked softly, confused but seemingly unharmed.

Twilight applied her larger hoof to her face. "Thank you for trying. I'm afraid to say this... but we're going to have to call in outside help. Spike, I'm glad you're still you. Would you come here? I need you to take a letter."

"Ahem. Dear Princess Celestia, Ponyville's hit a bit of a problem that requires your direct intervention. Magic has been used irresponsibly." She turned red, hard as it was to see through her red fur. "It wasn't me. I am unable to address this matter personally. Please come at your earliest convenience. Thank you, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"So do we simply wait until then?" came Mayor Mare's voice from one of the secretary pony's snout.

Spike puffed on the paper he had drafted and the sparkles danced away towards the castle up on the mountain. "We can't force Celestia to go faster than she wants."

The crowd murmured dejectedly, but nopony was hysterical about it.

The changed mayor hopped up onto the stage. "I forward that we all just pretend we are who we really are. Everypony in town knows what's happened, so let's just pretend it's not happening, for now. Go to your usual homes, do your usual jobs as best you can, and hopefully this situation will be resolved soon."

Rainbow Dash raised a hoof and waved it wildly.

"Um, yes... Tiny Titan?"

"That's Rainbow Dash," she corrected. "How can I do any of my jobs without my awesome wings?"

Similar statements rippled through the crowd.

"Ah'll use magic ta farm!"

Applejack squinted down at her brother. "No ya won't! Ah'm gonna tell Granny what you just said."

That cowed him sheepishly.

Mayor Mare tapped the microphone lightly. "Ponies and gentlecolts, let's try to keep a level head. We'll work together to get through this as we have so many times before. Rainbow Dash, who has your body?"

"Me!" Scootaloo waved a hoof wildly. "I'll take over weather duty!" She sounded quite excited to do it. "I always wanted to try..."

Snails, er, Cheerilee gave Scootaloo a prod. "Only outside of school hours, young filly."

The conversation remained as loud, but was changing subtly. Ponies were swapping duties where required as best they could. It seemed some ponies would just have to oversee or take a day off.

"Time to make sweet sweet candy," sang out Lyra in Bon Bon's body. "You'll help me, right?"

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. "Of course I will, but I'm not playing the lyre, sorry."

The two wandered off, arguing about the merits of at least trying out the instrument.

Prickle put a hoof behind her head. She supposed that being a mare wouldn't really stop her from going to school, but... "Rainbow Dash, can we talk?"

"What's up?"

"Privately?"

They wandered away from the crowd, only to hear a familiar voice right behind them, "Going somewhere, darlings?"

There was Filthy Rich, er, Rarity. "If you want some privacy, you can visit the boutique. I'm heading back there now to do some good crying." She heaved a sigh. "I'm not going to get much seamstress work done like this. Working by mouth is such a chore and takes the fun out of it." She waved a hoof in a fashion Filthy Rich would never do. "I know I could use the machines, and I will! But it's not the same."

She walked alongside the others. "And don't even get me started on the whole stallion thing! Filthy, darling, you really need to update your fashion. You've been wearing this same suit for most of your life." She rambled as she went, and soon they arrived at her home.

Prickle used her newly-gifted magic to tug the door open, even if she only managed a precious half an inch. Rarity smiled at the effort and easily got it the rest of the way with a casual swing of a hoof. "Thank you dear. It's good to see these recent events haven't worn on your manners."

Once they were inside, Rainbow turned to face Prickle. "So, why are we here again?"

Prickle pointed at Rainbow. "You can't do the weather right now, but if there's other trouble, you're Tiny Titan."

Rainbow blinked softly and looked down at her little body. "Huh, guess I am. So ya want me to pound some monsters if they show their ugly mugs?"

Prickle bobbed her head. "Exactly."

"As if you needed to ask me." Rainbow took a proud stance. "I'll show them a thing or two!" She punched into the air, bouncing on her hind hooves a moment before she came back down. "Besides, I did that before. I'll just be doing it a little different now. Hey, since we're asking favors, keep an eye on Scoots for me, alright? You two are in school together and all."

That seemed a fair request and Prickle bobbed her head. "I'll do that."

"I'm glad you two are getting along." Rarity was smiling at the two of them. "But if you're done with the clandestine little meeting, I'd like to get to my crying now, thank you."

So they left Rarity to do her scheduled sobbing and split up. Rainbow headed towards Twilight's castle. "I can't reach my house, but I know Twi'll put me up until this gets straightened out."

Prickle waved goodbye and headed to her own house which was thankfully on the ground.

She opened the door to find a pony she had seen once or twice but didn't know the name of.

The unknown mare smiled at Prickle. "Prickle?"

Prickle knew that voice and hurried forward to hug her mom tightly, regardless of what she looked like at the moment. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Look at you, my little porcupine went and grew up overnight." She was smirking with obvious jest. "Dinner's already ready. Eat up. Did you finish your homework?"

Prickle rolled her eyes as she settled by the table. "Only you would ask that right this moment."

Her mother stuck out her tongue. "I haven't heard a thing about Cheerilee cancelling class, so I expect you to remain a model student." She trotted up and set a plate of food before Prickle. "Hopefully Princess Celestia comes and puts everything back to normal."

"Or Luna?" posited Prickle as she began to eat. "I guess any good magic-using pony would do."

"What are they doing with the pony that did this?" asked Junebug as she sat across from her at the table. "She's still a filly, right?"

"Scootaloo." Prickle bobbed her head. "I'm her right now." She pointed at herself.

Junebug raised a brow at that. "Why don't you take that mask off and we'll see who she is? Maybe it's somepony we know."

Prickle felt a chill run up her spine. "N-no! No... I won't take a pony's mask off..."

Junebug looked at Prickle quietly a moment before she nodded. "Very well, but you do need to take a bath, and you can't do that with that outfit on."

Prickle glanced around nervously. "You won't peek, right? I just won't look in any mirrors."

Junebug smiled gently. "I was raised better than to go peeping on ponies enjoying a shower. Finish your food for now. Her secret is safe with me."

Prickle devoured the food gratefully. Her mother's cooking has not been diminished her her bodyswap. She produced her homewor-- "Oh."

"What's wrong?"

Prickle pointed where Twilight's castle would be. "Rainbow has my homework."

Junebug applied a hoof to her face. "Get it back in the morning on the way to school, leave early. You'll just have to explain to Cheerilee what happened. Go on and take that shower."

Prickle let out a little sigh, mixed feelings of relief and annoyance showing. "Sorry," she mumbled as she got to her hooves and trotted off to the bathroom.

Her eyes moved to the mirror and she jumped at seeing not-her looking at her with equal surprise. She reached up and flipped the mirror over. She couldn't reach the mirror before. Being tall had perks. She closed the door behind herself, twisted the lock, and got to washing away the troubles of the day.

"Hey."

Prickle blinked out of her funk and looked towards the tiny bathroom window where the voice had come from. There was Rainb--Scootaloo, hovering in sight. "Prickle?"

Prickle blinked softly. "Scootaloo? Why are you spying on me taking a shower?" Were things getting more complicated?

"I brought your stuff. Can I open the window?"

Prickle broke into a smile. "Oh, thanks! But why not just go through the front door?"

"Oh yeah... I just liked flying so I'm kinda doing it all I can while it lasts and then I saw you in here and I thought I'd say hi, and here we are!"

Prickle reached up and could get to the window, another feat that was impossible as a filly. "There are perks to this," she said, shaking her mane a little.

"T... Trixie?" Scootaloo was staring at Prickle with wide eyes.

Prickle only then realized she wasn't disguised. She was a big fat hypocrite! "No! You didn't see anything!" She slapped the window shut, bonking Scootaloo on the nose. "No!"

Author's Notes:

Is it really Trixie? Why would she go and do all that? What's going on?! Someone fix these typos!

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30 - From On High

When Prickle emerged from her bath, dressed and disguised, she saw her mother looking at her oddly. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head. "Your friend came by. I was confused at first, but nopony is what they seem to be right now." She pointed. "Your books and homework are here. Do you have time to finish it before bed?"

Prickle brightened and hurried to the table. She grabbed her notebook in her mouth and had it flipped open an instant later. Quill in mouth, she got to writing industriously. Homework seemed like a welcome relief from anything else bothering her at the moment, and she threw herself at it.

Junebug shook her head a little. "That is a workable answer. Thank you, Prickle. Your teacher will be grateful as well. I can't imagine every colt and filly is going to be equally as industrious right now."

Prickle glanced up a moment before resuming her work. It was math, and not even especially hard math. Math was nice and predictable. It was much like her life had not been. Still, she didn't have a had time imagining some foals were busy being distracted by whatever new body they found themselves in.

She found herself daydreaming as she worked a little, wondering what other forms she could have ended up in. She could be an old wobbly pony, that would have been awkward. She coulda been a stallion! No thanks. She coulda been a pegasus and tried flying, though she lacked the practice even Scootaloo had and imagined it would involve a lot of crashing and false starts and not a lot of actual flight.

Instead, she was a unicorn.

Then it hit her and she smiled. She imagined the quill floating. It took a few tries, but she soon had the quill bobbing beside her snout instead of in it. With a little giggle, she imagined the words she wanted to write and the quill set itself to the task, sort of. The words were being written, but her mouth was far more trained than her mental grip. It was sloppy, though it was also working, and that was kind of exciting. She clopped her larger hooves as she watched the quill obey her will.

"Little Porcupine." Junebug was peering at her skeptically. "I know you're curious, but you're an earth pony." The expression turned to a warm smile. "You are... Everything an earth pony should be, come to think. You're incredibly strong, and willing to help others. Gentle giants, that's what an earth pony is." She rest a hoof on Prickle's head. "We'll get this sorted quickly, I hope."

Prickle tilted her head at her mom. What was she worried for? "I like... being me, but I'm not me right now." It was only after she said it that she realized what she had said and the quill flopped to the tabletop. "I like being me," she echoed breathlessly. She was certain that wasn't true just a few weeks prior. She hated being a freak and outcast, but... Everypony liked her... Everypony... wanted to see her. She was still strong, but everypony liked that too.

She sat up, squirming as she did so. "I like being me," she whispered.

Junebug sat down behind her and reached her forehooves forward. She hugged her oversized foal gently. They sat there in silence. Prickle wasn't sure when she had started, but a tear had fallen free of her snout, splashing on her homework.

They were quiet the rest of the evening, and Prickle eventually went to bed, barely fitting with her considerably larger mare body.

The next morning, Prickle trot to school. She had her homework and her supplies and she felt ready to tackle the day!

Then she arrived at the schoolhouse. She delayed in the doorway, pace slowing to a hesitant walk. Half the class were adults, squeezed uncomfortable into their desks. She could only imagine most of the rest were scrambled among themselves.

"Move it," came a familiar authoritative voice. Prickle spun around to see Diamond's butler peering at her. "You're not the only one here." It was clearly Diamond, and she walked past with her aged snout upturned.

"She's a little mad," came Silver Spoon's voice from the body of Diamond Tiara just after her. "Can you blame her?"

Prickle glanced at the old form Diamond had been given then quickly shook her head. "I'd be mad too."

Silver gave a friendly smile, which looked very out of place on Diamond's face. "You got a nice one, wait... Isn't that the pony that did this?"

Other foals looked towards Prickle with renewed interest.

It was exactly the sort of attention that Prickle didn't work and her jaw clenched a little.

She was saved by the arrival of Snails, er, Cheerilee. "Alright class, everyone into their seat." But then she noticed Prickle and winced a moment. "Which foal are you?"

"Prickle Berry," she quickly identified herself, then dashed to her desk to awkwardly cram herself into it. "Ready!"

Cheerilee nodded. "Very good. Now kindly pass your homework to the front of the class. I understand this is a very... trying time, but school must go on. I won't be counting today's homework against anypony that missed it, but those who did do it are getting extra credit."

Prickle beamed proudly even as she heard soft groans from ponies who had undoubtedly missed the chance for extra points. She accepted the papers passed from behind her and added hers to the pile.

Cheerilee began her lesson. "Today seems like a fine day to go over this, since some of you are undoubtedly confused and concerned." She pulled down a sheet of paper that had an anatomical drawing of a pony on it, two of them, mare and stallion. "Let's go over the difference between a mare and a stallion."

There were a few titters and chuckles through the room, but many were blushing and looking awkward. Prickle was a little curious, but had no vested interest. She thanked Destiny for that.

Cheerilee broke it all down for her class. She didn't get into how foals were made 'That's for later,' she had admonished. She had gone over basically everything else there was to know.

At lunch, Prickle spied Rainbow Dash as a clear hint of where the CMC were, and Silver and Diamond were not hard to spot. Sweetie Belle was there, just beside Scootaloo. Prickle became curious and trotted over. "Sweetie, are you still you?"

"Yep," she said with a grin. "I stayed inside like my sister told me and I didn't get zapped. I mean, beside that one moment when I came to see what the shouting was about, but the zapper wasn't around, lucky me." She pointed a hoof at Prickle. "You're all grown up."

Scootaloo put a hoof behind her head, clearly wanting to say something, but she didn't.

Featherweight shook his head. "Well, the way ah see it, the sooner this is fixed, the better." Oh, it was Apple Bloom. "Why's featherweight have to be so... small?"

Scootaloo shrugged her enlarged shoulders then looked to Prickle. "Hey, uh, your secret's safe with me."

That got Apple Bloom and Sweetie's attention, and confusion. Sweetie tilted her head one way and the other. "It's safe with all of us, isn't it?"

Apple Bloom nodded her coltish head. "What brings that up all of ah sudden?"

Prickle knew. She knew and she smiled. "Thank you." She hopped up to join them and got out her lunch pail.

Sweetie pointed up at Prickle's new horn. "Can you use it?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." She opened the package that held her food easily, unveiling a large apple and a glass container of something her mother had prepared. "I think my horn's already big and strong, magicly, from its, you know, original owner. I'm clumsy, but it works."

Sweetie stuck out her tongue. "Do you have any idea how much I had to practice before I could do anything? Cheater!" She didn't sound as angry as her words implied, and she got back to smiling and eating.

Apple Bloom snorted. "You two got lucky. Ah can barely help around the farm at all like this." She pointed at Scootaloo in her rainbow-hinted body. "You got one of the top athletes in town." She pointed at Prickle. "And you got to try being a unicorn, even if ah think yer better off as an earth pony."

Sweetie cocked a brow at that. "What's wrong with being a unicorn?"

"Nuthin'," Apple Bloom quickly assured. "Nuthin' at all, but that ain't what Prickle is, now is it? Ya want to be strong again, right?"

Prickle didn't immediately reply. She was stuck facing her previous doubts. She would have been so grateful to be not-strong just a short time ago, but then everything changed. She clopped her hooves slowly, tapping them. "Do you like it when I'm strong?"

Scootaloo leaned forward. "Don't you? You're a literal super hero! It's awesome! Of course we like it, but we like you, super hero or not. I mean--" She suddenly cut herself off as another pony approached.

It was Diamond Tiara, who hopped up right beside Prickle. "You're Prickle, right?"

"Yeah?" Prickle felt a cold sweat form. She wasn't sure how to interpret Diamond's tone.

"Huh, so you're her. Let's see who she is." She reached up for Prickle's face. Prickle fell backwards in sudden panic, falling right off the bench to the ground in a mess of hooves. "What are you freaking out about? We know it isn't you. Let's just see who messed us all up." Diamond slid her old body down, walking around towards Prickle.

Apple Bloom raised a hoof and took on the look of a clever filly, er, colt. "Actually, we don't have no proof that was the pony that did done anything. They coulda switched tons of times, from unicorn ta unicorn 'till they were caught."

Diamond furrowed her wrinkly brow. "Huh... You have a point there... How will we know who she, or he, was in the first place?"

Sweetie shrugged softly. "Princess Celestia will figure it out, or at least help Twilight get back to normal, then she can figure it out. She's a very smart pony. I bet she'll have it all calculated in no time at all."

Prickle gathered herself back to her new hooves. "Even if it wasn't, um, her, I don't want to take away her secret for her. It's not mine to give away."

Diamond rolled her eyes. "What would you know about that anyway?" The table grew quiet. "What? Anyway, anypony get word about when they're fixing this? I don't want to be like this longer than I have to be."

Apple Bloom gave a bucked smile. "Ah'm sure they're workin' on it right now. 'fact ah wouldn't be surprised none if Celestia came ridin' down right now on her chariot."

All eyes turned towards Canterlot, but no such chariot greeted them.

Author's Notes:

Answers? Solutions? Nah, just typos.

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31 - She Arrives

It wouldn't be for another day that any help arrived, but it did. It was not in the form of Celestia. It was another unicorn that Twilight greeted with a big hug, which confused her.

"Um, do I know you?" asked Moondancer with a quirked shaggy brow.

"Oh, right." Twilight backed off and pointed at herself. "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Twilight?!" Moondancer shook her head quickly. "The Princess said there were scrambled ponies to handle, but didn't mention you were... this." She waved a hoof up and down at Twilight's big red form.

Twilight blushed, which showed despite her red fur. "Well let's put that aside for the moment. We have to start putting ponies back in their natural bodies."

"Can't argue that." Moondancer's horn glowed as she drew out a book. "Celestia authorized the use of this, with some caveats and warnings. Do you know where the pony is with your body?"

Twilight pointed out of the town. "Big Mac is probably at the farm, unless he's at the market."

"Let's check the market first then, that's closer, right?"

"Right."

They got to trotting, both set to fixing the mess, mostly. Moondancer's eyes kept darting at her scrambled friend. "It must be rough."

"Hmm?"

"Not having a horn, to start, being a stallion, for another. How are you even functional?"

Twilight thrust a hoof at a passing pony. "What were you a week ago?"

The pegasus blinked in surprise. "Earth pony."

Twilight pointed at another, a filly. "And you?"

The filly replied with a mature male voice, "I helped around the post office."

Moondancer shook her head. "I suppose misery really does love company. It's impressive that you're all sticking together through all this."

"Ponyville's seen worse," assured Twilight as she gestured broadly to the town as a whole. "But we are eager to get this sorted out. If you fix me, we can then get to fixing everypony else twice as fast."

"Precisely my thinking. Oh, there you are." She could see Twilight, not the red stallion beside her, but a purple princess offering apples in the market. She wore both her tiara and an apron in an interesting mix of fashions. "Is that the original? And did you let him... her? Them. Did you let them borrow your tiara?"

Twilight's eyes rolled. "He seems to like it, and I didn't see any point worrying about it until we had our bodies back."

They came close enough for Big Mac to notice them. "Howdy, Twilight. Who's yer friend?"

Twilight was caught by surprise. That was more verbiage than normal. Moondancer didn't know better and replied, "Moondancer, nice to meet you. Let's get you two back in your proper bodies." She drew out that magic book.

Big Mac winced, but his smile returned. "Done figured it was just a little while."

Twilight became curious. "You like being a mare?"

"Nope."

Twilight tapped her red chin softly. "You like being a unicorn?"

"Nope."

Twilight pointed at Big Mac. "Well, what is it then? We're friends. I'll keep it secret if you prefer."

Big Mac glanced between the unicorn that was studying her book and Twilight in his body. "Ah..." He leaned in close to Twilight, voice dropping to a whisper. "Ah like bein' important." He was a bright red, squirming. He went silent, as was his nature.

"I'm ready," announced Moondancer with confidence. "If you two would stand side by side? Perfect, just like that." Her horn began to glow brightly. "From my eyes to yours, our perspective is changed. Through our bright open doors, let our bodies be rearranged!" Bright motes of magic swept over the two.

Then it faded away. Moondancer adjusted her glasses as she looked from one to the other slowly. "Well?"

"I... think it worked," said Twilight from within her royal form.

"Yep," agreed Big Mac. He held out a hoof. It took Twilight a moment to realize what was being asked for and she surrendered the apron that was around her.

Twilight lifted from the ground, easily taking flight on her returned wings. "It's time to gather up everypony. Moondancer, head to town hall." She pointed the way. "I'll spread the word and we'll all meet you there to get this straightened out. Be sure to bring that book, I'll need it to lend a hoof."

As Twilight soared off to spread the word, Moondancer leveled her gaze on Big Mac as he got his apron back on. "I... am not an expert on these matters, but I bet you are important."

Big Mac blinked at Moondancer.

She gave an unsure smile. "I'm serious. You have friends, don't you?"

"Ayep?"

"You have family?"

"Yup."

"Both would be sad if you weren't there, so..." She trailed a hoof through the dirt. "You're important, to them."

Big Mac was quiet before he nodded a little. "Ah... jus' wish..." He fell to quiet again.

Moondancer put a hoof to her own chest. "Look, I'm... still learning what having friends is like... Treasure that. You are important."

Big Mac could see the courage and pain that came with Moondancer's admission. He reached out a hoof, and they hugged quietly a moment, sharing in their related but different aches. "Yep." His own feelings were not soothed by the platitude, but the effort meant something between the two awkward souls.

"We're getting fixed!" came the excited cry of a colt. The classroom became madness with chatting and rushing to grab one's things.

Cheerilly slapped the board with her pointer. "Class! Calm yourselves. We'll proceed in an orderly fashion." Her eyes settled on the colt that had come with the news. "Where do we need to be?"

"Twilight said to come to the square." He pointed off in the right direction, bouncing with eagerness.

"Then we'll do that, and I'm afraid I do need to report to your mother that you weren't in class."

The foal blinked. "I'm not in your class, Cheerilee."

Cheerliee clopped a hoof to her small face. "I am looking forward to this being fixed."

The class poured free of the schoolhouse and began marching towards salvation.

Silver Spoon in the body of her best friend came up alongside the larger form of Prickle. "Are you looking forward to being yourself again?"

"I... am," agreed Prickle with a little hesitation. "I'm surprised that I am, but I really am."

Diamond's voice joined, "tired of being a freak?"

Silver frowned a little. "She just said she wants to go back to her normal self."

"Oh." Diamond reached up to rub at one of her aged ears. "These don't work as well as they should. I hope you've been taking care of my body, Silver Spoon."

Silver cracked a smile. "I made sure to enjoy extra sweets."

Diamond jumped at her friend, and they went to the ground, wrestling, but Silver was laughing. Prickle smiled a little. It was kind of nice to see them being such good friends.

Rainbow Dash, er, Scootaloo landed beside Prickle. "Hey, so, going back huh?"

Prickle perked an ear at Scootaloo. "Nervous?"

"Yeah... but not that, not exactly."

Prickle bumped against her friend. "You're afraid this will be the last time."

Scootaloo winced. "Am I that obvious?"

"It's alright... I would be too. You're a good friend for giving her her body back."

"Yeah..." Scootaloo kicked a rock away as they walked. "The Rainbow I know would never do that... I couldn't just... be her, if I'd do that. Rainbow isn't like that..."

"You're not Rainbow," Prickle said with a smile. "You're even better. You're Scootaloo, who is my friend, and has helped me so much since I met her." She put a hoof at her own chest. "In fact, if I had to pick my favorite hero, I'd say it was definitely Scootaloo, who helped teach me that... I..."

Scootaloo suddenly grabbed Prickle, hugging her tightly. It became quiet, but volumes were said between them. Eventually they parted. Scootaloo pointed ahead. "We should get going."

"That was mighty sweet ah ya," complimented a coltish Apple Bloom, walking along Prickle. "Let's get this over wit'."

The crowd was growing at the square. Just about everypony that lived in Ponyville was there, which made it quite the gathering indeed.

Sweetie, with the few others who were in the body they started with, were off to one side, watching but not getting mixed up with the ponies that needed help. She glanced to the left and saw DJ-Pon3 beside her, watching everything with a slow bobbing of her head.

"She didn't get you?" asked Sweetie.

Vinyl gave a slow shake somehow in perfect time with her bobbing.

"What about... Octavia? That's her name right?"

Vinyl pointed out into the crowd.

"Oh, she'll be fixed soon, I hope."

In the crowd, Prickle sat and waited for things to get underway. She heard some ponies talking. Well, she heard a lot of ponies talking, but one conversation caught her attention. "I'm done trying to bake."

"I told you it was harder than it looked," came one of Bon Bon's many voices.

"Oh, I'm not worried about that. I just want to play my lyre and doing that with just hooves is extra hard. Not impossible, just... it's more fun with my horn!"

"About that..."

"You're good at it!" came Lyra's excited cry.

"I broke it."

"Well, yeah, but I'll get it fixed. I've broken the strings before, it happens."

"If I can have your attention," came Twilight's call from the stand. "As you can see, I am back in my usual self."

The crowd erupted into cheers and stomps.

"And now, with the assistance of Moondancer, we're going to fix the rest of the town. To make this process easier, find your original body and stay with them. To speed things along, we'll start with ponies who can be matched directly. Ponies who have been swapped more than once will be handled only after that."

"Darn it," came Rainbow's bitter reply, knowing that put her far from the front of the line.

She wasn't the only one. Prickle and some others grumbled a little, but there wasn't much to be done about it.

Ponies broke up into pairs wherever they could find their doppelganger, and those who only had to be in a group of two advanced to the front of the crowd.

"Pardon, but you appear to have been given a Great and Powerful body."

Prickle perked an ear at the new female voice and looked around before it fell down to a small unicorn. They were the size of a foal, but appeared to be an adult mare. "Hello?"

"Yes, hello," agreed the small adult. "You have Trixie's body in a terrible outfit. She would like it back kindly."

Author's Notes:

Oh, hello Trixie. We missed you!

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32 - End Episode 7 - In Your Own Flesh

Twilight and Moondancer were quick about their work, swapping pony after pony and undoing the knot that had been formed with the identities of Ponyville. Happy ponies trotted back to their lives, restored to their original selves.

Rainbow trotted forward. Her name had been called and she clip-clopped her hooves with giddy anticipation. "I can't wait to get back in the air!" She had been swapped with Prickle already, from one alien form to another. "Now gimmie my body back!" She leveled a hoof at Scootaloo, rather, her body.

Twilight glanced aside at the villain they had bound and captured. "I had been saving her for last. Do we even have her original to swap with?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Dunno. Can I go back to normal now please?"

Twilight gave a soft snort. "Right right, hold your ponies. Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo, in Rainbow Dash's body, nodded. "Ready." She glanced aside at Rainbow in Prickle's body. "So, uh, I'll be getting... Tiny Titan's body?"

Twilight nodded quickly. "For now. We'll swap that one later, in private."

Prickle, nearby but not in the conversation, let out a little breath of releif.

With the invocation spoken and a bright explosion of magic, the two were swapped. Rainbow launched herself up into the air with an excited cry, her flight restored. She came back down after a moment, giggling joyfully. "Thanks for taking care of her."

Scootaloo blinked with some confusion. "Taking care of her?"

"My body." She tapped herself on her chest. "Feels like I haven't missed too much exercise, but I'll have to do double regimen for a little while to catch up, still, not nearly as bad as I was worried about. Once they have you back in the right place, I'll show you how thankful I am, alright?"

Scootaloo looked uncertain about what that might be, but agreed with a timid voice. "T-thanks, um, for letting me borrow it."

Rainbow snorted at that and started noting she didn't have much choice in the manner.

While they were talking Twilight went on the next tangled web and started swapping ponies. Spell by spell, the crowd diminished.

"Trixie is ready to get her body back."

Moondancer nodded at Trixie. "Alright." She looked around a moment. "I don't see it."

Trixie pointed up at her costumed body. "It's right there, dressed strangely."

"Ah. Excuse me?"

Prickle Berry looked over as she was spoken to.

"It's time to switch you two."

Prickle didn't want to be a little mini-unicorn, but her current larger unicorn form wasn't hers. She didn't have much a leg to stand on. "Alright."

Trixie stuck out her tongue as Prickle came over. "She has been watching you cast that spell. Trixie bets she could do it herself. Watch!"

Moondancer's horn lit up just as Trixie's did, but instead of casting a spell, she grabbed Trixie's horn in her magic and gave a sudden squeeze.

Trixie yelped in surprise, her spell fizzling harmlessly. "Why did you do that?! Do you doubt Trixie's amazing powers?"

Moondancer waved a hoof at Trixie. "This spell is harder to cast when the caster is one of the two being swapped. For your safety, please allow me to handle this."

Trixie rolled her eyes and huffed. "Fine..."

The two were swapped. Trixie immediately tore off her costume and tossed it aside with a disgusted look. "Trixie is going home to change." She trotted off without another word.

Eventually most of the ponies of the city were restored. All save a precious few. Twilight led those few away. "Let's get some privacy, shall we?"

Prickle was far from swift on some things, but this was becoming too hard to ignore. "You know, don't you?"

Twilight twitched an ear back at Prickle. "Know what? I know we have to get you back in your regular body."

Prickle swallowed. "But you know which body that is."

Twilight was silent as they marched for a time. She broke the silence with a soft sigh. "Your secrets are yours, Prickle Berry. I don't want to impose on you."

Prickle shook her head quickly. "But... you already know."

Twilight nudged open the door to her castle with her magic. "Prickle... I think everypony might know."

Prickle flinched back at that. "Not everypony..."

Twilight pat the small unicorn on the head. "I won't tell a soul. Let's get you back to normal."

Scootaloo nodded quickly. "As cool as it is being a super hero, this is your destiny, not mine."

"What's stopping me from telling?" asked their prisoner suddenly.

Twilight cocked a brow. "A few royal guards and a princess that has questions for you, in Canterlot."

Stepping from seemingly nowhere came three golden-armored ponies. "We're here, Your Majesty."

Twilight smiled. "Very good. One moment, let's get everypony in their right body." There was nothing in the way, so she did just that, clasping the horn blocker on the little unicorn before putting the villain back there. Prickle and Scootaloo were restored. Everyone was looking at their true selves.

Even as the guards moved to escort the villain away, Twilight's horn glowed in a strange strobe that reached out and blasted the bad mare in the head, exploding in a puff of purple sparkles.

Prickle blinked at the display. "What did you just do?"

Twilight raised a hoof to her lips for silence until the guards and the switcher were gone. "I just did a little memory spell. Perhaps that was overkill for the situation, but she'll have a very hard time remembering the specifics of the last day, to safeguard your secret."

Prickle sank to her haunches. "How long? I mean, how long did you... know?"

A new voice called out as she descended the stairs, "She's known for quite a while." It was Starlight. "You really are a remarkable filly."

Prickle wasn't sure what to think. "You know too then?"

"Know?" Starlight quirked a smile. "We fought before. It was quite a show. I'm sorry you got hurt though. That was far from the plan. Forgive me?"

Twilight looked panicked at Starlight's confession, but Starlight just laughed it off. "I think we've had enough secrets. Prickle Berry, is it alright if we're honest?"

Prickle felt the world spinning. Was Diamond Tiara really the only pony in the town that didn't know her secret? "S-sure." She was confused and numb.

Starlight sat in front of Prickle with a smile. "Good! I'd love to do that again sometime, maybe without the theatrics, or the getting hurt part." Her eyes refocused on Scootaloo. "You know too, right?"

Scootaloo nodded. "I was there from the start."

Twilight snorted at that. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."

"What's even the point," sighed out Prickle, sinking to the ground.

Scootaloo hopped on her friend suddenly, hugging her. "You're not the first superhero with other people in the know. Spike!"

"Yeah?" He poked his head out of the kitchen. "What's up?"

"Tell her about some superheroes with public secret identities."

"Well, there's the Dash, and Steel Mare." With each name, he counted it on his claws, going down a list of exposed superheroes. "Some of them, everyone knows, but some just their family or community."

Prickle slowly sat up. Scootaloo slid off, unable to stop Prickle's motions. "And they were still heroes?"

Spike shrugged. "Being a hero has more to do with what you're actually doing, not how cool your secret identity is, uh... so are we not calling you Tiny Titan anymore? That name's pretty cool."

Prickle quirked a smile at that. "T-thanks. Um, yes... please. I still want to be Tiny Titan."

Twilight nodded. "Then Tiny Titan you will be. There's no law saying you can't have a stage name. Trixie is Great and Powerful and nopony is denying her that." Suddenly she clopped her hooves together. "Now that we're out in the open... I have a thousand questions for you!"

Prickle blinked softly at that. "You do?"

Starlight rolled her eyes. "She does. Who do you think put me up for testing you like that?" With a smirk, she hiked a hoof at Twilight. "This mare right here. She gets questions in her head and she wants answers."

Twilight pinkened faintly. "Earth ponies are known for their tremendous strength, but there are limits. These limits seem to have no say where you're concerned. I want to know exactly how strong are you. Have you ever tried to push or pick up something that was too heavy? Is self-control an issue or can you handle delicate objects without issue?"

Scootaloo laughed even as she provided part of the answer, "she's broken stuff on accident before. It's awesome!"

"Awesome?!" squeaked Prickle. "I don't want to break things..."

Scootaloo grinned. "Unless it's a timberwolf."

"That's different," demurred Prickle. "They were trying to hurt ponies."

Spike turned back to the kitchen, hurrying to the meal he had been preparing. "Dinner's on in ten!" he shouted as he vanished.

Twilight's quill and parchment appeared with a pop and began taking notes busily. "About the maximum strength?"

"What?"

Twilight frowned a little. "Have you ever tried to move something and it was too heavy?"

Prickle thought about that. She had lifted buildings, ponies, all kinds of things. She couldn't really think of one she had failed to move before. "Um..."

"It's alright," assured Twilight with a giddy smile. "It just means we have testing to do! I mean, surely you have some limit to your abilities!"

Starlight shook her head. "Just remember that she's still a filly, super powered or not, so be careful."

"Oh, of course." Twilight waved it off. "Proper care and cautions are an important part of scientific rigor. Also, studying Pinkie's earth pony magic taught me no few things about how bad it can get when you don't practice proper precautions."

Prickle was unsure how to handle any of it. "I'm still in school," she pointed out, clinging to one part of her life that seemed stable enough.

"I wouldn't dream of taking you away from a good education," assured Twilight. "You can stop by afterwards though, yes? Please?" She was grinning ever-so-hopefully. "I can pay you for your time. It would be a boon for all Equestria!"

Scootaloo looked uncertain at that. "She's already helping by being a hero." She spread her forehooves wide. "She beats up bad guys and protects Ponyville."

Twilight put a hoof on her chest. "So do I."

"Oh, yeah, guess you do." Scootaloo gave a quirk of a smile. "I should get home. Don't pick on Prickle." She gave the two adults a pointed glare each before she trotted back towards town.

Prickle bounced on her own hooves. "I'll walk her back, bye!" She fled even as Twilight reached for her, escaping the grasp of the curious princess, at least for the moment.

Author's Notes:

Phew, that episode was long! Good thing text episodes don't have to keep themselves within 30 minutes, right?

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33 - Start Episode 8 - Nemesis

Tiny Titan stood tall and proud, victorious in her endeavors once again!

Prickle glanced to the left at Scootaloo. "You love doing that, don't you?"

Scootaloo shrugged, her hooves extended slightly to either side. "We all have our habits. Good job though."

Prickle ran a costumed sleeve over her nose. "It was just a cat..."

Scootaloo pointed at the relieved Rarity, hugging her cat close. "It's never 'just' a cat. It's never 'just' a pony."

Prickle sank to her haunches. "When you put it like that... Uh, Rarity?"

Rarity glanced over, aborting her feline worship for a moment. "Oh, yes dear? Thank you again for your timely assistance. I was beside myself with worry. Poor little Opal sometimes climbs up higher than she can get back down."

Opal rolled her eyes in disgust at the entire affair.

Prickle was smiling, happy at her work. "Everything's alright now?"

"Yes, darling. I won't let her escape again." Rarity turned back for her shop and got to trotting for it. "Thank you again."

Scootaloo clopped her hooves together. "What wrong are you going to make right now?"

Prickle pointed at Scootaloo. "I'm going to return the favor."

Scootaloo looked confused at the idea. "What?"

"You watch me do my thing all the time, always ready to support and cheer me on. It's time I did the same. What do you like to do? Let's do it!"

Scootaloo rubbed behind her head. "You don't have to... I like riding my scooter and doing crazy tricks! I also like fixing it up so it's a little better each time." The floodgates had been opened and Scootaloo began walking towards her home, rambling animatedly about scootering. "Have you tried before?"

Prickle hadn't, and admitted as much. "I've seen you do it though. You make it look so easy, but I know it isn't. You soar and flip and do all kinds of wild things."

"Yeah..." Scootaloo looked thoughtful a moment. "When I'm riding a really hard course... It's like I'm flying, for real, by myself." She leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. "Even Rainbow can't pull off all the moves I've done."

Prickle's smile widened almost painfully. "I don't doubt it! It's your thing, and you're really good at it! Can you show me how to do some?" She had no intention of becoming an amazing scooterist, but had the idea that if she tried and looked silly, it would only bolster Scootaloo.

Scootaloo tilted her head. "You really wanna? The girls chickened out the moment I tried to teach them about it."

"We can start small, right?"

Scootaloo blinked. "Oh, yeah. Maybe I shoulda started... smaller." She was blushing sheepishly. "For today, I'll show you what I have! Then we can get to making you a scooter of your very own." She waggled a hoof in the air as she walked. "Now, remember, strength isn't going to help you. It's more about agility, nerves, and coordination."

Prickle was about to ask for specifics when both of them jumped back from a sudden thump. A figure had landed before them at a surprising speed. They were a pegasus clad in a suit much like Prickle's, but in bold purples. "Stop right there!"

Prickle tilted her head a little. "Did Twilight send you? I thought she wasn't going to do that again."

The costumed pony blinked softly. "What? No! I'm here to challenge you!"

Prickle's eyes half-closed. "Are you sure Twilight didn't send you?"

The unknown mare put a hoof to her chest. "I hear you have the strength to do anything, but you can't move me!"

Prickle looked over the pegasus slowly. "I don't see why I couldn't, but why would I?"

"Because I am the Immovable! It was destiny that we should clash, Tiny Titan!" She sounded quite eager about it, almost bouncing in place. "If you don't, I'll be forced to take out my displeasure on your little town."

Prickle threw out her forehooves wide. "How does that even make a little sense? Why would you hurt anyone, especially just to pick a fight?"

"Well, since you asked, you see..."

Scootaloo thrust a hoof in front of her friend. "Are you about to give us your life story?"

Immovable blinked. "She did just ask."

Prickle shrugged. "I kinda did. You were saying?"

"It all started..."

I never was the fastest pegasus around. All the other fillies and colts made fun of me for how slow I was.

After being picked on and bullied for years, I decided to do something about it! I sat down right in front of one of their stupid races, and I didn't move.

Scootaloo's voice echoed over the flashback, "So they flew around you?"

The racers were glaring at me, but they refused to fly around me. That would have been admitting I had won.

"Get out of the way!" shouted one of them.

"Yeah," said the other, sneering with anger. "Move or we'll make you!"

But I didn't move. I stared at them, challenging them silently to do something about it.

They tried. Oh how they tried. They shoved and pushed at first, but I didn't move. Then they tried more... extreme measures.

Prickle rolled a hoof in the air. "I don't mean to be rude, but how did this make you want to hurt random ponies? They didn't hurt you."

"They didn't help either!" spat out Immovable with a snarl. "Ponies were gathering around, watching them try to move me, some of them even cheering them on! Our teacher just laughed at the whole thing. Ponies are terrible." She frowned. "They deserve every misery they get, and I plan to deliver it to them, but first, we have a test."

Prickle put a hoof behind her head. "Did you study?"

"Not that kind of test!" She suddenly sat down, the ground quivering beneath her rump. "I'm not moving until you make me!"

Prickle glanced at Scootaloo, who just shrugged a little. "Well, uh..." Prickle slowly stepped forward. "If that's what you really want, but I'm not doing this to be mean, I just want that to be clear. I don't even know you."

Immovable winced. "But... I just told you my tragic backstory."

"It was kinda sad, and I empathize with you. Being bullied is no fun at all." She gave a firm nod. "But it doesn't excuse you bullying other ponies, no matter how bad you might feel."

"You wouldn't know," spat Immovable, looking to the side.

Prickle huffed. "Now that's where you're wrong! I've been picked on plenty! Now... this is because you asked for it, literally." She raised a hoof and rested it on Immovable's shoulder. "How hard should I push?"

"Push as hard as you want. I won't move! You'll be stuck here forever!"

"Couldn't we just walk around her?" asked Scootaloo, watching the drama unfold with confused eyes.

Prickle saw before her a pony that was feeling the same pains she felt. She couldn't just ignore Immovable. She'd be just as bad, in different ways. "Alright." She gave the tiniest little nudge, but Immovable was like stone, and nothing happened, not even a swaying. "Huh..."

"Is that the best you have? I expected more from you, Tiny Titan. Ponies talk about you as if you could move anything, but I could barely even feel that!"

Prickle's nose wrinkled. "I can push harder!" So she did, putting in the effort she'd use to pick up a pony.

Nothing happened.

Immovable hadn't so much as flinched against her will. Prickle blinked slowly. "You're good at this."

Scootaloo walked around Immovable and sat down on the other side. "She can't stop anypony, just get in their way. C'mon!"

Prickle shook her head quickly. "Nuh uh. I'm going to push harder." She set her hooves on the ground. "I'm going to really push."

"That's more like it!" cried Immovable with a sudden happy grin. "I'm glad you're finally taking me--this seriously!"

Prickle took a slow cleansing breath before she set both her forehooves on both of Immovable's shoulders. "Let me know if it hurts, alright?"

Immovable's right ear quirked to the side. "Why do you care so much?"

"I don't like hurting friends." Prickle gave a little smile, then leaned into the push. Scootaloo barely had time to dive out of the way as a tremendous shockwave of force ripped up the ground around and behind Immovable, but Immovable wasn't herself budged an inch. Where her body directly touched the ground was unharmed and she was unmoved.

"You'll have to try harder than that," mocked Immovable. "At least I can feel you trying now. Is that your best?"

Prickle grunted with mounting frustration. The idea that there was something she couldn't move rubbed her in all the wrong ways. She redoubled her efforts, the earth exploding out behind her as she dug in her hindhooves and pressed all the more firmly against Immovable, who was living up to her name quite well.

Suddenly, Prickle fell forward. The ground beneath her had given way completely and she flopped gracelessly against Immovable.

Immovable grabbed Prickle, holding her up from falling into the hole of her own making. "Nice try, TT, but even you can't move me."

Scootaloo rubbed behind her head. "Uh, alright, so... are we done now?"

Prickle gave a little nervous laugh. "Well, uh, you beat me?"

Immovable let Prickle drop, looking stunned. "You're not mad?"

Prickle picked herself up from the dirt and shook herself out. "Why should I be? Nopony was hurt." She hopped easily up to the lip of the crater she had made. "That was... fun in a way. I usually can't let go like that without hurting something."

Immovable finally moved. She stood up on the little column of earth that had survived due to her presence. "That's not how this is supposed to work! Your failure should gnaw on your psyche and you should be fuming and cursing the fates for not being strong enough!"

Scootaloo rolled a hoof lightly. "Actually, I planned to show her how to ride a scooter. Do you mind if we get back to that?"

"Silence!" Immovable thrust a hoof at Scootaloo. "Super ponies are talking right now."

Prickle frowned. "She is super! You shouldn't pick on her, or you're just as bad as your bullies."

Immovable flinched back in surprise. "Oh, there's a little anger. Very well then. I accept this victory of the battle, but the war has not yet ended! When the war is over, we will know what happens with an unstoppable force meets an unmovable object!" She spread her wings wide and took off into the air, flapping away while cackling wildly.

Scootaloo watched her go a moment. "She has earth pony blood."

"You think?"

"It's so obvious." She snorted softly, then waved for Prickle to follow her. They had scooters to ride.

Author's Notes:

Best showdown ever, right?

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