There's something you should know if you ever choose to visit the Starship Mario and explore the galaxies: If you find a Launch Star, don't be afraid of using it; they're actually really fun! It's like flying without wings! You're probably wondering where the Launch Star took me. I'd be happy to tell you.
First, I blasted out of Seaquestria's waters and soared around Mount Aris, where I could see Wing Kirby taking Mario for a ride. Next, I flew towards the Dragon Lands, where I saw Luigi sleeping, with a dream portal above his head. I saluted to him as I flew past, wishing him good luck in the Dream World. For some reason, though, I felt as if I had been emotionally punched as I left the Dragon Lands. Not the blow that makes you sad. The kind that makes you angry for being underestimated. Finally, my flight became smoother and straighter, as if it had made up its mind when it comes to the destination.
I squinted my eyes to get a better look at where I was flying. I was able to make out something bright blue and shaped like a bottom hemisphere. The Lor Starcutter, still without its mast. However, that wasn't my destination. Instead, I flew right past it, towards a tall, gray, tower-like object. Each level was filled with water, which was flowing from the top. I was about to make a splash, so it was a good thing that I was still wearing my Devon Scuba Gear... Splash!
Good thing I was so light from being small, because I almost dove hard enough to hit the floor of what must have been the fountain in Ponyville Square. Rather than transform into a water Pokemon this time, I chose to just swim my way to the surface. It wasn't hard, given my strength, which let me push the water away somewhat easily. When I burst through the surface of the water, I was looking right at the Lor, which seemed titanic to me and my small stature. I got out of the water and took off my Devon Scuba Gear, only to remember that I had no place to put it. In annoyance, I put the gear back on before jumping off the edge of the fountain. I landed hard on my feet, sending a tingling sensation throughout my entire body. I probably should have bent my legs...
Your average pony would see a road made of stone slabs, with several ponies crossing it, but at my size, it was an obstacle course straight from Equestrian Ninja Warrior! In other words, a great place to train! However, training will have to wait. Reaching the Lor and finding a way to contact someone was my priority. That's why I vaulted over the stone slabs and made a beeline for the Lor's mighty side entrance. However, a massive shadow loomed over me as I was running. I risked a glance upwards, and I saw a huge cylindrical thing coming straight for me. I glanced over in the direction it came from, and I saw that it was connected to an entire pony. It didn't even seem to know that it was about to stomp on me.
I muttered to myself, "I don't really like to use my maximum strength due to forgetting to be smart, but it looks like I have no choice. Bulk Up!" I flexed my muscles, making them stronger and bulkier. "Bring it on, giant hoof. I know Counter!" I raised my hands to prepare a counterattack, but I didn't get the chance to. That's because something big, white, and made of cloth scooped me up off the ground.
A familiar voice caught every fiber of my attention: "Careful, Lyra! You about stepped on my tiny pal, yo!" Could it be? I looked to the source of the voice, and I was staring into a blue optical lens. That blue glow, the reckless teenage voice... "Did I surprise you, bro?"
I answered, "You got me big time, Gim. I thought you were destroyed!"
"Yep, I was. I thought it was game over for me! But my optical lens did not lie. It activated to reveal to me, of all ponies, Twilight Sparkle! She seemed pretty happy about me being fixed. From what she told me, she was the one who rebuilt me from my remains. But she did more than just rebuild me." Gim showed me... another hand? "Bam! Check it! I'm got myself TWO arms, yo! Now I can finally do a cat's cradle! And another thing..." Gim moved to his left, revealing another blue lens. "...I've got myself another optical lens, so I have a way better view of stuff! Thanks to these upgrades, I ain't plain old Gim no more: Now, I'm Gim-E!"
I smiled. "That's great to know, my robo-bro! How did you find me when I was so small, though? I mean, you just told me about your second eye, but still!"
"Dude, I'm a robot. All awesome robots can scan for things such as lifeforms, no matter the size. You should know that with Roborygon as your partner. Plus, Button Mash enlisted me to help him with the Lor Starcutter, which alerted me to your location. We were confused, given the fact that you were supposed to be in Seaquestria looking for Energy Spheres, and now you're here, and you're tiny!"
I chuckled. "I think Discord pulled this prank on me. I don't know why, maybe to turn Equestria into a huge obstacle course for me to conquer. As for me getting here, I found a tiny Launch Star and used it to soar somewhere predetermined. Since I'm here, you think you can take me into the Lor so I can contact someone? Discord somehow made a Mini Mushroom appear in my throat, and consuming it made me small. However, it did not affect my bag or its contents at all, so I had to leave them with my group. Without my bag, I don't have an Xtransceiver or a Pokegear to call someone."
"You got it!" Gim-E turned to Lyra. "I know you really like hands and all, but Pummel and I are busy. We'll see you later." The two of us went into the Lor's side door and entered the room.
Inside, Button was working the computer. "You sure someone hasn't hacked into your radar or something? I'm sure Pummel should be in Seaquestria."
The computer replied, "I am 100% certain that Pummel Fist is in Ponyville, and my radar has not been hacked into."
Gim-E set me down on the left star on the keyboard. I called out to Button, saying, "The computer's right! I'm right down here! Can you hear me?!"
Button's ears twitched. "That's weird. I thought I heard some squeaking. Maybe Fluttershy's in here with some small animals and I don't know it?"
As if in response, a camera emerged from the keyboard and aimed at me, with a small microphone attached to it. The footage from the camera displayed on the monitor. "Hey, can you hear me now?"
"Yeah, but where exactly are you?"
"I'm down here, on the keyboard." Button looked towards the center of the keyboard. "No, on your left." His eyes shot left a few inches. "I'm on the left star shape, with the tiny camera."
"Oh, how did I miss that? Didn't see you there. But why are you here? And why are you so small?"
"The short answer? Discord. The simple one? Discord, Mini Mushroom, Launch Star. The detailed one? Discord made a Mini Mushroom appear in my mouth. I swallowed, making it take its toll and shrink me, but not my bag. I found a way to tell my group that I was okay, and I found a small Launch Star that sent me into the fountain outside. I came here to find a way to contact my friends to see how they're doing, and hopefully to return to my normal size. Not that I don't like being small, because now the world is an obstacle course for me to tackle, which is good training."
Button laughed. "Well, I'm glad to know you're okay. I'll send messages to the others to notify them of your situation. We'll let you know when they reply. While we try to find a solution to your problem, you'll have to get used to your size."
Suddenly, Gim-E jumped in shock, rocking my world. "Aw, snap! It's already 7:00 p.m., yo!"
Button gasped, almost inhaling me. "Yikes! That means it's almost bedtime for me!" Button took off his beanie and scooped me up with it before putting it back on. "Pummel, we're going to my home to sleep so I don't miss school."
Gim-E said, "See you tomorrow, bros!"
I hung onto one of Button's mane hairs so as to keep from bouncing around as he ran. It was like both an earthquake and a tornado at the same time, but I wasn't too flustered; I had dealt with Earthquake, and I had dealt with Hurricane. This wasn't too different. In reality, it was just a few seconds, but to a small guy like me, it was about a minute long.
Button stopped. "If you need to use the bathroom, tell me now."
I chuckled nervously, "Nah, I'm good. Do you know about a shark Pokemon that's shaped like a torpedo?"
"You mean Torpedorsal?" I guess that's the Equestrian version of Sharpedo.
"Apparently. I had to take on that form to increase my speed when I went to Seaquestria... Do you know how it goes so fast?"
"Of course I do! Torpedorsal takes in water before shooting it out of its--oh. Ohhhhh. So you mean that you already... Okay, I cannot get that image out of my head."
"Need me to become a Psychic-type so I can remove that memory from your mind?"
"That would be nice, but can it wait until I'm asleep? I don't want to feel weird stuff, and being unconscious will make me immune to what's going on around me."
"No problem, Button. Have a good night's rest."
Button took off his hat, me inside of it, and put it on the floor, upside-down. "Here, use my hat as a bed. It's just your size."
I rolled onto my back. "Thanks. Good night, Button Mash."
"Good night, Pummel..."
Ant Troopers. The unstoppable marching ants in purple. They were walking all around me. They were led by an Ant Trooper with a spike hat. "Ten, hut! Forward, march!" We marched to and fro, doing whatever the leader ordered. "About face!" We stopped and turned around. The leader looked at every single one of us... until he stopped and looked me over fiercely. "And what are you doing in our ranks?"
I replied, "Me? I don't have anything to do, so I decided to join the troop."
"You ain't got what it takes to be an Ant Trooper. You gotta have strength! Endurance! And the ability to adhere to any surface, including upside-down surfaces!"
"You don't know me, do you?" I grabbed the leader by the legs before throwing him up into the air. I followed through by doing the same with the other troopers. I continued to throw them into the air until every single one was tossed. Pretty soon, I was juggling Ant Troopers twice my size. I finished up by setting them down on the ceiling, one by one. "Now do I have what it takes?"
The leader stared at me. "You... you do got what it takes. You're worthy of being one of us Ant Troopers! Heck, you're even worthy of taking over as the leader!"
I grinned. "You're kidding! I don't deserve to be the leader!"
The leader laughed. "...'Course I'm kidding! And you're right; you DON'T deserve to be the leader! You outright attacked the leader and the troops!" The leader turned to the other Ant Troopers. "Ant Troopers, we got a rogue on our antennae! Attack!"
All right, time to take my training to the next--
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Whoa!" The oversized alarm clock almost threw me out of my beanie bed with its sounding. "I'll get it!" I threw a Focus Blast at the off button, hitting it hard enough to turn the alarm clock off.
Button yawned as he got out of bed. "Morning, Pummel!"
"Good morning, Button! Ready to save the world?"
"Not yet, pal. I still have to eat breakfast, brush my teeth, and wash my face before heading off to school." I got out of Button's beanie as he put it on. "You can just chill out here or do whatever. It doesn't matter to me, as long as you have fun!" With that, Button left his room.
I took the chance to look around his room. The blue door to his room was pretty neat, and the blue treasure chest with the yellow lining was cool. Not that I'm into home decor or anything like that, but I must admit that he's got good taste. I mean, I had no idea Button liked stuff such as Space Battles (Equestrian version of Star Wars?). I thought he was just into video games, but that's about all I knew about him. He even had a TV set in his room! Wonder what's on TV... I leapt off of a video game controller to reach the--wait, video game controller?
I observed the controller to see what console it was for, but I didn't see a brand. However, it did have a red bar and a green bar inserted into a Gamecube-style controller accessory. Maybe the console would have the brand name. The console read 'Pontendo Swap.' Nice, an Equestrian Nintendo Switch player! I knew I was really small, but maybe I could still play it. First, I tested the controller... I couldn't reach both edges of the two sides, even if my arms were on one side while my legs were going for the other. Not even Tangrowth's vine-like appendages could reach all the buttons and joysticks.
I would need a clever approach to this problem. When I think of clever, I think of Psychic-type. When I think of Psychic-type and Machop, I think of Meditate. When I Meditate, I find a way to solve problems... Bingo! I needed people to bounce ideas off of. And those people... were all me, thanks to Double Team! With that move, I can create illusory copies of myself, each one with the original's strength, intelligence, and all the other capabilities, as well as the inability to be hurt; instead of taking damage, they disappear! For this scenario, I created 6 clones.
I told the clones, "All right, guys. Here's the game plan: Mach 1, go for the power button. Mach 2, 3, and 4, you're in charge of the left side. Mach 5 and 6 and I will get the other side. Got that?"
My clones nodded. "Yes, Pummel!"
"Alright, game on!" Mach 1 promptly jumped up to the console and hit the power button before turning on the television screen. Mach 2 got the right and down buttons, as well as the left joystick. Mach 3 got the up and left buttons, and Mach 4 got the L and Shoulder L buttons. Mach 5 took care of the X and Y buttons, and Mach 6 got the R and Shoulder R buttons, and I got A and B and the right joystick.
The TV screen lit up to show a home page with three games: First, a game with someone similar to Kirby, but with red lines for blush and smaller eyes. In the background were several creatures, including a peach-colored Earth pony holding a parasol, and a cerulean dragon with a watery hat. The game was called Kirbay's Stellar Friends. Next, there was a game that depicted a stocky, red Earth pony with a brown mane and tail and a star with eyes for a cutie mark. He was walking alongside a red hat with eyes. The background was made of pictures of different places. The name was Super Mare-io Globetrotter. Last was a colorful game that depicted pony creatures firing at each other with paint guns, some of the ponies looking like octopi. The game was called Octopaint 2.
"Which one should we play?" asked Mach 2.
I replied, "Let's do Kirbay's Stellar Friends. After all, I only adventured through the final boss portion of the Kirby Star Allies arc. Besides, there's a pony Gim! The Yo-Yo Ability is back!"
"Alright, Kirbay's Stellar Friends are coming right back at ya!" Mach 2 pressed a button to activate the left bar, and I followed suit to activate the right. I hit the A button to confirm the game I wanted to play.
The intro was pretty neat. It showed Kirbay (as he was supposedly called in Equestria) encountering several enemy characters before throwing Friend Hearts to befriend them. Next, it showed some cool powers, like a pony with a fiery mane lighting Sword Kirbay's sword, making it a Sizzle Sword, or a living snowpony breathing ice on Stone Kirbay, turning him into a curling stone. At the end, many of the Helpers tossed Kirbay up into the air while cheering him on, before the screen went to the title screen.
I hit A, and I learned that Button already had a save file. Wow, he's already finished it to 90%! This colt is either really good or plays video games a whole bunch. I asked my clones, "What do you think? Should we load Button's save file?"
Mach 2 replied, "Sure. I want to see just how good this kid is."
We opened the save file and were brought to a menu with several modes: Story Mode; Starring ???, Taking the Spotlight!; League of Loggers; Super Swing Stars; and The Daring Decision. Of those modes, two had stars: Story Mode and Starring ???, Taking the Spotlight! That meant he beat both of those modes to 100%! But I wondered about The Daring Decision. How much of it did he--?
"BUTTON MASH!" a female voice boomed. "YOUR ROOM'S INFESTED!" To the normal ear, she was just yelling at a normal scared volume, but to me and my small size, it was like a Tyrantrum using Roar. We turned and saw a huge female Earth pony with a cream-colored coat and a tan mane and tail. Her mane was neatly bound at the end by a red hairband. If I wasn't about to be the victim of being smacked by a flyswatter and wasn't immune to infatuation, then I would have been affected by her Cute Charm Ability.
I turned to my clones. "Guys, abort the mission!" My clones dissipated in response.
"OH, NEVER MIND. IT'S JUST ONE. I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT." Flyswatter in her teeth, the mare brought it up high, ready to slam it down upon me.
I deftly dodged the swings, thanks to my training with the Evasion Master Pokemon, Greninja. However, I saw the consequences of the swatting on the television screen. Button Mash would be in tears if this kept up, and I did not want that! I leapt off the controller and ran to an open space. The next time she tried to smack me, I jumped backwards before pulling off a trick I learned from a certain cartoon about a cat and mouse: I held the flyswatter down with one hand. Of course, I knew what would happen next, but it wasn't what you would expect. Rather than me letting go of the flyswatter and causing it to hit the mare in the face, she was the first to react. She brought her right hoof down and tried to squash me, and I attempted to endure it with Bulk Up and Counter. However...
"Wait, Mom!" Button Mash rushed into the room before the pony could crush me, and he pointed straight at me. "That isn't a pest! It's a friend of mine who accidentally got shrunk!"
I took off my Scuba Gear and waved. The mare leaned in close and squinted her cyan eyes. "...Oh, sorry," she lowered her voice to a more tolerable volume. "What's your name, little one?"
Since the mare was close enough to hear me better than when I was underwater with my friends, I was sure she would at least be able to hear my voice, so I said, "My name is Pummel Fist!"
The mare shook my hand. "I am Cream Heart, Button Mash's mother. Nice to meet you, Pummel. Say, weren't there more of you just a little while ago?"
I nodded. "That was a special technique where I move fast enough to make clones of myself. It's called Double Team! And I didn't mean to scare you into thinking there was an infestation."
"And I'm sorry for almost squishing you."
"It's in the past, and besides, I know that several ponies will come close to squishing me, accidental or otherwise. Just one of the downsides of being tiny. But I'm sure there are many more upsides! For instance, I can crawl into hard-to-reach areas to find things, and that might even help me find Energy Spheres!"
Cream Heart raised an eyebrow. "What's an Energy Sphere?"
Button explained, "Energy Spheres are these glowing blue orbs with a gear inside. Some of them were ejected from that cool ship outside, and now my friends are searching for them so they can return home! Oh, and the mast was also ejected. Basically, it's Kirbay's Back in Dream Land all over--OH NO!"
Button's gaze turned to the TV screen, and ours soon followed. It displayed a bomb, as well as the words 'Warning! This data cannot be restored once you delete it. Are you sure you want to delete the data?' Under the warning were the phrases 'Yes already!' and 'Oh, maybe not.' 'Yes already!' was highlighted. "I got it!" I ran over and hit the B button, cancelling the deletion.
Button sighed with relief. "You're a lifesaver, Pummel. Or in this case, a game saver."
I smiled. "I'd be upset if someone accidentally deleted my own save data. I probably shouldn't have been playing the game with my Double Team clones, because we did kind of look like bugs."
"Maybe you should visit Fluttershy," suggested Cream Heart. "She wouldn't hurt a fly."
"That's a good idea. I'll head there right away. Button Mash, you're heading to school, right? Think you can give me a boost while you're at it?"
"Sure, hop in!" I jumped under Button's hat once again, and we set off. Some more bouncing later, and Button took off his hat. "Ever ride the spinning cups before?"
I replied, "Yep, am I going to do something similar to that?"
"That's right! See the propeller on my hat? I want you to hang on to it with your life!" I set my eyes on the propeller, which was light green and looked like a windmill pointing skywards from my small point of view. I grabbed onto one of the wings, enhancing my grip with electricity from Thunder Punch. Button put his hat back on. "Be sure to get the timing just right, or you'll fly the wrong way! Now, get ready!" Before I knew it, the propeller was spinning at great speeds.
My destination showed itself at specific intervals, so I tried to get the timing down. One... two... three! I let go, launching myself into the distance.
I landed in a small bush. For me, it was really uncomfortable, because shrubs tend to be itchy. I hastily made my way out of the bush, and I found myself in front of a bridge next to a tree that had several birdhouses in it. Rather than speed across the bridge with Agility, I tested my endurance by walking up its steep incline. It was a good workout for my legs, that's for sure. When I reached the top, I saw a grassy cottage, not unlike those in the Hobbit trilogy. Yeah, I was in the right place. I ran down the other side of the bridge, allowing gravity to increase my speed. I went along the winding path before ending up at the gargantuan door to the home of the shy Pegasus. I used Power-Up Punch three times on the door, hoping it would create a loud enough knock.
Fluttershy opened the top half of the door before looking to her left and her right. "Hello? Did somepony knock?"
I exclaimed, "Down here! Can you hear me?!"
To my surprise, she seemed to hear me, for she looked downwards. "Oh, dear. What happened to you?"
I replied, "Discord happened to me. Made me small by making a Mini Mushroom appear in my throat, prompting me to swallow it. I made it back to Ponyville from Seaquestria using a small Launch Star. Button Mash let me sleep at his place, but this morning, I got mistaken for a bug and almost got squashed. When Button warned his mother that I wasn't a bug, his mom suggested I come here to your place. She knew you wouldn't hurt a fly. Not only that, but maybe you could find a way to return me to my normal size."
"Okay, I'll do my best. While I myself don't know the cure for a Mini Mushroom, maybe Zecora knows. I mean, unless a Mini Mushroom is from your world."
"Sadly, they are from my world. Normally, the best way to recover from the effects of a Mini Mushroom is to use another power-up, such as a Fire Flower or a Super Mushroom. Mario and Luigi are the only ones who have any."
"Well, Zecora told me that Tails offered her some items. I'm not sure if those are what you're talking about, but we can go and see. If you'd like, I can give you a lift."
"That would be really nice. However, I'm still feeling a bit dizzy after riding on Button Mash's head and using the propeller on his hat to fling myself here. Is there a place you can put me that won't be a bumpy ride?"
"Oh, gee, that may be a little tricky... I could get my bag, but it may wobble on the way to Zecora's... Um, I don't really know of any good places I could put you."
"Is there anyplace on your body that I won't get thrown around as you walk or fly?"
"There is, but I'm not sure if you'd like it." Fluttershy lifted me up to her head, where I could see every hair on her coat. "I hope this isn't too icky or anything, but... maybe you could ride in my ear?"
I jumped up to her left (from my point of view) ear, which was incredibly fuzzy and over ten times my height. "Hmm, this sure feels nice and soft, which is good. But I'm not really a fan of..." I risked a glance down into the depths of the ear canal. "...earwax? Oh, your ears are pretty clean. I'm still unsure, though. It's a long way down if I lose my grip, and I don't want to damage your delicate eardrums. I know I have a strong grip with this species, but I would tone it down so as to avoid pulling too hard on the hairs inside your ear. After all, you're my friend. And before you offer an alternative, I will most definitely not ride in your mouth! I hate saliva and the very idea of being eaten and digested, accidental or not."
"Oh! I would never do such a dreadful thing to you! I understand what you mean, but I'm afraid that leaves the worst place to ride in..." Fluttershy brought me back in front of her face, and she looked sad. She closed her eyes in fear as she brought me even closer to her face. "Please, don't hate me for this..."
The poor gentle giant was a nervous wreck. I couldn't stand to see Fluttershy in such a state. Besides, her fearfully quivering nostrils were really distracting, especially for someone that's tiny like me. Due to experience, I figured I knew what to do. "Now, there..." I reached forward and carefully rubbed the soft interior of the cavernous right nostril. Yeah, I found out (the somewhat hard way) that ponies seem to be soothed and calmed when I scratched the inside of their nose.
Just as I had hoped, Fluttershy immediately calmed down. "Oh, my Celestia, that feels so nice!" I guess they like it so much because they can't pick their nose themselves. The Green Isn't Your Color incident would be an exception, if it wasn't by magical means. And I'm sure it wouldn't have felt as good as a finger. "But... why are you doing this for me? I thought you didn't like this."
Continuing to caress the nostril, I replied, "Don't worry, Flutters. I've changed a lot, thanks to some celestial advice and training."
Fluttershy giggled, "It makes me so happy to know that! You know, to be honest, I thought this would feel terrible. But you really proved me wrong!"
I smiled. "I'm glad that I proved you wrong, my little pony. Also, I'm happy to see that you have a really clean nose. This way, I won't be drenched in mucus as I reside in your snout."
"I guess that makes it a win-win. Now, do you want the left nostril or the right?"
"I'll take the one I didn't pick." I leapt off of Fluttershy's hoof and crawled into the left (from my point of view) nostril.
Whoever is reading this is likely green right now. The reason why I'm not green (okay, so my body's natural color is grayish-green, but you know what I mean) was because mucus is the only Gooey bodily material that I am comfortable with making direct contact with, but only in very minuscule amounts, like in a clean nose. I am completely disgusted by anything else, such as waste material, earwax, and vomit. I'll Mega Punch you if you get me started on the material that I refuse to apply the appropriate adjective to out of fear of increasing the rating of this story beyond E for Everyone. And don't even think about it, Ghost-types! I know Foresight, so you spectral bullies won't be untouchable anymore!
Luckily, the nostril wasn't very wet. Far from it. It was more like crawling on velvet.
I was staring right into a furry abyss. "Uh, no offense to your nose, but can you flare your nostrils a bit? I need a little more room to turn." The Pegasus obliged, giving me the foot or two of extra space needed to be able to turn around so I was looking outside from my nasal window. I would have had to use the move Defense Curl (somehow) if the nasal cavity was any smaller. "Whew, now I can see. Alright, let's get going."
Apparently, I had picked (pardon the pun) a good place to stay in, because the walls of the nostril kept me cushioned and safe from bouncing around. Not that I didn't like bouncing in Button's hat; it was kind of like a miniature roller coaster. The nostril, on the other hand, was like riding in a small airplane with no lights and only one window: the front, and permanently open. Did I mention that it kind of wrapped around me like a sleeping bag of sorts?
"Okay, we're here. You might want to get out."
"Alright." I shimmied my way out of Fluttershy's nostril and onto her upheld hoof, which she used to put me on her head.
We were standing in front of a hut made from natural materials. Fluttershy knocked on the door. "Zecora, are you there?"
Fluttershy's zebra friend opened the door. "Hello, Fluttershy, and welcome back. What compelled you to return to my shack?"
"Um, we have a problem." Fluttershy took me off my perch on her head and showed me to Zecora. "This is Pummel Fist, and we think Discord shrunk him with something called a Mini Mushroom."
"A Mini Mushroom? Of that I have not heard, but Tails gave me an object with the same last word." Zecora picked up a red mushroom with white spots from the table and brought it before me.
I smiled. "A Super Mushroom! That just might work!" I used my Machop strength to lift the Super Mushroom. "With my size, just a mouthful should do the trick. Oh, and you two should stand back. Maybe you could put me down on the table, Fluttershy." After she obliged, I took a bite out of the Super Mushroom and chewed it up, remembering what happened with the Mini Mushroom. I've honestly never eaten a mushroom before, or any kind of fungus for that matter. I expected the Super Mushroom to taste awful, but in fact, it actually kind of tasted good. After I swallowed the last bite, I waited for the results... and waited... and waited... "Something tells me that Discord messed with the Mini Mushroom so its effects wouldn't be reversed except by his will. Also, just so you know, the Super Mushroom is supposed to increase one's size slightly, making them less susceptible to being harmed."
Fluttershy replied, "Oh, dear, what could have gotten into Discord?"
As if on cue, Roborygon came in. "We both knew we couldn't harm each other, so I made a deal with the draconequus: He would give me his Energy Spheres, but only if he was allowed to do a single chaotic thing to one of my friends, said thing being of my choice. You having fun so far, Pummel?" I gave him a thumbs-up.
"Energy Spheres? What are those again?" Fluttershy asked.
"Forty-five of the 120 Energy Spheres were accidentally launched from the Lor Starcutter--that's the ship that landed in Ponyville Square--as well as the mast, and we cannot go back to our home planet without finding them all. Pummel and his friends, including me, set off to find them, and so did Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, because they happened to be involved in the incident. The journey was certainly difficult; for instance, Tails accidentally stepped in some poison joke while he and Lucario fought a chimera for an Energy Sphere, and Rainbow Dash and Meta Knight had to bargain one out of Grandpa Gruff's claws."
I asked, "Have you heard anything from the others?"
"Luckily, I have. Heart Fist and Sonic picked up what you had metaphorically put down, and Queen Novo gave them her five Energy Spheres after they satisfied her ego enough with some seaweed wrap and a massage, as well as other amenities. As for Mario, Keldeo, and Kirby, the hippogriffs were more than happy to give them Energy Spheres, if they would participate in the festival. There's only one group left to find the last Energy Spheres."
40/45 Energy Spheres obtained
Roborygon sadly looked at me. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid that Discord will only return you to your normal size for one of two reasons: Either when we find all the Energy Spheres and the mast so we can get home, or when there's a--" Suddenly, music came from his antenna. "Oh, Helix is calling." Roborygon brought up footage of Helix, who was in some kind of underworld.
Helix said, "We've got a big problem. There's a magi--"
Roborygon interrupted, "That's the kind of thing Discord needs to know about. I'll be right there, as soon as I find Discord once again." He soared away, with an audible Zip-POW!
I looked at Fluttershy and Zecora with a determined face. "I think it's almost time for me to return to my normal size so I can join my colleague and help him beat the Energy Spheres out of whatever dark fiend has them. Until that comes, though, I would be more than happy to tell you about the items given to Zecora. Who knows, they might even prove to be useful."