“What a fascinating creature you are, Nick! Bipedal but not like a minotaur, relatively furless…” Arca clambered over Nick like a deranged spider along a wall while the human tried to understand the wacky pony he just met.
“Uh, I appreciate the interest, but I'm KINDA on the run for a prank here! If you aren't gonna help, then we'll have to talk later!”
The mystery unicorn hopped off and sat on his haunches, pondering something. Nick took the moment to take a better look at his new acquaintance. Bright orange fur, a vibrant but unkempt purple mane with orangish-yellowish tips, and the majority of his body was hidden beneath a lab coat. It even covered his cutiemark, so remembering him by it was out for now.
“Hmmm… well, how about we make a deal, then? I came to Canterlot hoping to meet this… human? Was that right?” Nick nodded. “Excellent! Er… to meet this human, as I was saying, and hopefully gather some samples for experimenting. A creature from another world… the possible applications for things such as human fur or other replenishable materials in my potions are so unknown I can't even give you an estimate! So let me take a fur sample from that fur on your head and I'm in.”
“Just some hair? Go ahead then, I- OW!” Nick didn't finish as twenty hairs were plucked from his scalp.
“Excellent! That should be more than enough, Mr. Abernathy.”
“I don't remember telling you my last name, Arca.”
“Oh please. I remember all my customers, bartering, cash payment, or otherwise! That... and Celestia wrote to me about you. Now, down to business. Thanks to my genius potion making skills, I have here the Ultimate Disguise Potion!” He yanked a vial of glowing green liquid from his coat pocket. “Drink this and other ponies will see you as what they most expect to see in whatever scenario you're in. Walk into the castle and the guards might see you as a noble, or head to my town in a lab coat like mine and folks might think you're me! You just have to fully immerse yourself in water to make it wear off. Oh, and shake well before using. With this, escaping will be a piece of cookie!”
“Don't you mean cake?”
“Eh, doesn't matter. Same concept.”
Nick took the potion, shook it vigorously, and chugged it, feeling the magic coursing through his body. “Well, that felt funny. Like static, but inside me. You better drink yours before the princesses show up.”
Arca's eyes widened for a moment. “Oops! I forgot to pack more than one! Not to worry, as long as you stick by me, Celestia will likely see you as my apprentice, Juniper Berry, unless she figures out there's an illusion. Anypony who recognizes there is an illusion can see through it. But that's not all the tricks I have up my sleeve. I am also a master of disguise! Behold!”
“That is a fake mustache.”
“It is a high-quality fake mustache! I even removed the tag this time! Now, let's get to work. Grab those cardboard boxes and wooden crates and I'll make us a disguise so perfect even a truesight spell can't break it!”
Celestia and Luna had split up, hoping to catch Nick before he managed to escape the city and head to Ponyville. Celestia was racing down the streets, looking left and right, when she saw something that made her stop and approach. At the very least, she might be able to get some magical solvent and finally get the last bits of the bench unglued from her flank. It didn't exactly look ‘princessy’.
“Why hello, Cel- I mean, Princess Celestia, your royal majestyness! How may I help you?”
Celestia didn't have an amused expression. “Hello, Arca.” she turned to face Nick, but looked down as though he was pony height. The potion must be working, Nick thought. “Hello, Juniper. Did Arca drag you into this?”
Arcane stepped back in indignation. “How dare you assume who we are? I know nothing of this ‘Arca’! My name is Catalyst Arcane, street alchemist!”
Celestia ripped the fake mustache off of Arca's face.
“Curses! My disguise was foolproof!”
“Nice try, Arca. Now, what are you doing selling potions in a stall that looks like it was assembled out of junk in ten minutes? Although knowing you, those potions on the shelves are genuine. You usually don't just set up shop so hastily unless it's a distraction, and that would mean...” Realization seemed to hit her at that moment, and before her eyes the illusion of Juniper became translucent, revealing who was really there. “Ah, there you are, Nick. Ready to surrender?”
“Quickly, assistant, use the smoke cloud potion! We must escape!”
Nick pulled a flask out of of the impromptu stall they had set up and shook it. “On it! Shake well, right?”
“No, wait, don't shake that one-”
“Hey, Twilight?”
“Yeah, Spike? I'm kinda busy with all these lesson plans for the school.”
“I think the magical map is broken. It looks like there's a giant cloud covering Canterlot.”
“I think that sounds like you're just making excuses to get out of doing your chores, buster.”
It's just a good thing the princesses found them before anypony else did. They might have sold something. Say, how is Rainbow doing after that sticker incident? From the sound of it, she was in dire need of a hair-growth potion.
This definitely plays well on the whole shake well and don’t shake instructions on bottles. Hopefully those two make it out of this, but I can imagine both getting thrown into the moat soon unless Nick mentions a hair-growth formula, much to the horror of all parties involved
But at least he took the tag off the fake mustache this time
Fun times now will Acra be tossed into the moat as well
I’m pretty sure there was a label that said ‘do not shake well’ on the side, but I digress.
9397389
I highly doubt Arca puts labels on his personal use potions besides what they are, since he's been making them for so long. He could probably take one look at one of his unlabeled potions and tell you its effects, instructions, and side effects, and have a 99% chance of being right.
9397400
But that 1% time he's wrong, wooooo!
Next day, Celestia edicted a restraining order for both Nick and Arca from eachother.
3-parter prank, with no moat in sight? This’ll be good...
9397413
The 1% is the fun%
Hmmm... what would happen if discord met arca? Assuming that they haven't met already...
I think I see where this is going... This war is spreading far beyond Nick and the princesses.
9397852
Actually, the war will never spread to rainbow falls. Mainly because the potion shop does not have a human tag and was designed to give the bronies who dislike humans in equestria stories just as much of a laugh. Why discriminate? Everyone gets laughs!
9397943
I was just talking about other characters and OCs. I know Nick and the princesses are the main focus.
So if the stories are mergeing, does that mean one of them stops?
9399405
No. This is a short crossover event. By Monday Arca will be back home.
9399489
Works for me. Will they ever see each other again?
9399495
Arca might visit from time to time. Not a regular thing, but he'd be a fool to not keep in contact with the only source if human potion ingredients in the world. I figure they'd set up a trade system: Nick supplies some human hair, or other easily obtainable nonessential parts... and Arca sends potions to use for pranks.
so wait........ we have a new prank team?????
9399941
Arca is here TEMPORARILY. He will not be playing a major role in this story. You all were begging for a crossover episode, here it is. Split into a few parts.
9399960
I .... don't remember asking for it but cool.
9399960 It was actually just me. But invented a potion that works OVER THE INTERNET which made you THINK 10,000 followers were planning on rioting and burning down your house if you didn't do the crossover!
Aren't I a clever one?
Brava! I finally remembered to give you my favorite!
Yay!
9397385
Horror of all parties?
Area would be ecstatic.
Looks like one way or another, the Pink Cloud will consume Canterlot.
9676143
Clever reference
That backfired spectacular