Prickle discovered a new dimension of difficulty. When she tried to lift weights, Immovable was there, wings extending over the bar and refusing to let her move them very quickly at all. When she did pushups, Immovable put a hoof on her back to slow the progress. Every bit of her regimen was turned into a challenge with Immovable's presence.

The strangest part to Prickle was that it looked like it was hard work for Immovable, at least as hard as it was for her, if not moreso. Immovable was breathing raggedly as she went about things and her face was strained and drawn even through her mask.

Prickle couldn't bare the curiosity, and with some concern for her friend, she paused the training. "One moment. You look a little rough."

"What?" Immovable wiped some sweat free. "I can keep up with training with a filly, no problem."

Prickle shook her head slowly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." She looked away.

"Immovable, I'm your mentor. I want to help, please tell me. If you're embarrassed, I swear to not laugh." She made the motions of the sacred swear, poking her eye to complete it.

Immovable suddenly let out a giggle. Prickle blinked. "I just... C'mon!"

Immovable shook a hoof lightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything, but what was that? That looked very silly."

Prickle pointed off and away, but it was Bon Bon that cut in, "That was a Pinkie Promise, the highest swear in this town. It means she's serious." She walked past the two. "I'll be over here, you two have your private moment."

Immovable blushed through her mask. "Oh, sorry. I never saw that before." Her eyes darted restlessly. "You're sure?"

"Super sure." Prickle bobbed her head. "What's wrong?"

"It's just... Being perfectly still is easy." Immovable smiled. "That's what I do. Being half-still is a lot harder. Going slow instead of just not going. You know? Is this making any sense?" A hoof raised to her forehead. "I must sound like an idiot."

"No!" Prickle hopped on her hooves. "The same thing works for me. I can do any of the things you helped with easily, but you made it hard, really hard."

Bon Bon put a weight on the rack it belonged on. "That's why I paired you two together. You match each other so well, you make the workout much more intense." She approached the two at a casual walk. "You both need to learn how to move when it's not easy to move, or you won't get to the next level. Struggle is a large part of growing." Her eyes went to Immovable. "That includes not moving when it's hard too." She pointed a hoof at Immovable. "I knew it, you've never really been challenged."

Immovable tilted her head a little. "I had plenty of challenges!"

Bon Bon rolled her hoof. "Sure sure, emotional ones, but not physical ones. At least, not ones that took any real physical effort to deal with. You put your haunches on the ground, then stop. You're good at that, but you could be better."

The workout proceeded, ending with some one-on-one sparring. Bon Bon faced off with the newer student. "No standing still."

Immovable nodded stiffly before she came at Bon Bon in a wild rush that was easily turned aside, getting herself thrown into a dirt wall with a low grunt of annoyance. She wasn't hurt, moving or not, she was tough. Immovable pulled herself free of the dent she made and came back at Bon Bon with an angry scowl, only to have the agile earth pony swing under her, grab a leg, and send Immovable to the turf.

Immovable picked herself up, unharmed physically. "This isn't fair!"

"Fights aren't fair." Bon Bon moved with practiced grace. "Make it fair. You have to move to attack me. I won't attack you. That doesn't mean you can't ever stop. Do it like you learned with Prickle, move slowly when I'm trying to make you go where you don't want to go."

Prickle sat on the side, watching the conflict with curious eyes. "You can do it, Immovable!" She called out, cheering her student on.

Bon Bon laughed at that. "You have a fan. Not fair, where's my support?" She reared up onto her hind legs. "C'mon, we don't have all day."

Immovable lunged forward, aiming to catch Bon Bon at her exposed and hopefully vulnerable belly. She felt her nose brush the soft fur as legs came down on her and tried to redirect her motion. She froze solid.

Bon Bon backed away easily from the petrified pegasus. "Closer, but you can't attack me standing still." She fell back to all fours. "You have to do what's hard, move slowly, but the way you want to move."

"Take her down!" Shouted Prickle, Forehooves waving in the air. "C'mon, Immovable, show your stuff!"

Immovable smiled with a blush at the encouraging words and took slow steps forward, sizing up Bon Bon. "For not being a super pony, you fight really well."

"Practice."

Immovable huffed softly. "I doubt it's just that."

Bon Bon raised a brow. "Learning to move well is more important than any crazy magic or super power. Now, are you ready to learn how to move better?"

With a frustrated battle cry, Immovable surged at her target, reaching to give Bon Bon a great big hug. Bon Bon was surprised by the attack. A bear hug was not what she expected from Immovable. She could get out of a bear hug easily, or so she assumed. She let it happen.

Then Immovable froze in a tight embrace.

Bon Bon wriggled and squirmed, but her motions only let Immovable tighten her grip. She would only hug more and more securely. Not a single millimeter was given towards her escape.

Prickle exploded in wild cheering, stomping the ground. Immovable had a huge grin. "I win."

Bon Bon huffed indignantly. "That was my fault, but a good move on your part. Remember it."

Immovable let Bon Bon go and she danced back a few steps.

"You can immobilize an opponent, and that's good, but it means you're all tied up doing it." Bon Bon shook a hoof. "If you're fighting more than one at a time, that might not be the best tactic."

The sparring continued until Immovable was worn down from her new slow movements. She laid on the floor, breathing thickly as her tongue poked free a bit in a pant.

Bon Bon tapped Prickle on the nose. "Your lucky day. Your student wore me out. Next time, we start with you. Nopony said training two super ponies was easy, but, Celestia damn it, I'm not giving up either." Despite claiming to be worn out, she was breathing smoothly and looked just as fresh as when she started.

Prickle raised a brow. "I don't get it. You don't look tired at all. What's your secret?"

Bon Bon gave a kind smile as she settled on her haunches. "No secret, just knowing my limits. That's why you don't get sparring today, or I'd end up just as tired as Immovable over there." She lightly gestured towards the fallen and tired pony. "Where did you find her?"

"Find her?" Prickle sat up, eyes darting to Immovable's prone form. "She found me. She wanted a..." She trailed off. "She needed to find me."

"It's complicated, huh? Does she know?"

"Know what?" Immovable was slowly sitting up.

Bon Bon shook her head. "Nevermind. I want you two to keep practicing like I showed you today. You both need practice, and that's not an insult." She rolled reach shoulder in turn. "I need it too, but you're providing some of that with these spars. When you get better, you'll give me a better workout, so let's get to that."

Prickle was nodding, but Immovable was not easy to move. "Know what?!"

Prickle set a hoof on Immovable's shoulder. "Some things are secrets. If you respect me, you'll let me have it."

Immovable lifted an ear at Prickle. "I'm trusting you with everything. What don't you trust me with?"

Prickle pointed up at Immovable's face. "Your secret identity is yours. Mine is mine. It doesn't mean we don't trust each other. It's a, uh, respect thing. You are Immovable. I am Tiny Titan."

Immovable tilted her head. "But that's my name... Is yours not Tiny Titan?"

Prickle blinked. She had not expected that... "That's my super hero name," she admitted.

"You have a superhero name!?" She reached for Prickle. "Should I get a superhero name?"

"I really though Immovable was one! It matches your powers so well."

Immovable tilted her head. "I guess it was destiny... Just like Miss Bon Bon was meant to make sweets. So, what's your real name?"

Prickle applied her right forehoof to her head. "That's the secret, Immovable."

"I can keep a secret!"

"If I say it, it's not a secret."

"But Bon Bon already knows it!" Immovable tapped her hooves together. "So it's already not a secret."

Prickle's ears began to burn as she thought of all the ponies that did already know her identity. It wasn't a very good secret... "It's still a secret."

"If you say so..." Immovable walked towards the ladder that led out of their training den. "I would keep that secret so hard though..." She began ascending the ladder. "If you trusted me."

"That's not what I mean!" Immovable slipped free of the hole and trotted away from Prickle. She sighed and frowned. It was her secret to keep! She didn't have to tell Immovable who she really was.

Her angry thoughts ended with a sighed grunt. She bounced up from the bottom of the stairs right out of the hole and looked around. Immovable wasn't in sight. "Did she fly away?" It felt likely to Prickle.

She headed home at a walk, vanishing when convenient to cease being Tiny Titan and just be little Prickle, the unusually strong school filly. She smiled a little as she went. She really didn't need Immovable watching her come and go from school. Their relationship worked just fine in the scope of her super hero life.

"Like, hello there, Prickle." It was Silver Spoon, smiling at her. "How's my favorite strongmare doing?"

Prickle glanced around nervously in case Immovable was in sight. "I'm doing alright, just finishing some training."

"Training?" Silver leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Can I see, next time you go?"

Prickle shook her head quickly. "I would, but that would be telling on somepony else's secret, and I'm not allowed to do that."

Silver pouted, but didn't try to pry farther. They made some small talk as Prickle went. "My new sidekick is quite a challenge."

The cultured earth filly inclined her head a little. "Do you want her to go away?"

"No! No, she's cool, just learning the ropes, and I'm... happy to teach her. She's helping me grow too."

"That's good then." Silver nodded once before leaning in, shoulder's brushing. "I can meet her at least, right?"

Author's Notes:

Silver Spoon, #1 fanfilly!

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