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// 10 - Call to Action 
// Story: Prickle Berry Tries to Be Careful 
// by David Silver 
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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.