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// 32 - End Episode 7 - In Your Own Flesh 
// Story: Prickle Berry Tries to Be Careful 
// by David Silver 
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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.