Ch10: Back to Normal
“I AM NOT A TOY!” Arvak yelled as he ran from the large mob of mares. He was recently able to break free from their grasps, and is being chased by ponies with hungry looks.
“Get back here!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she dove for him. He dodged to the side, making her face plant into the ground.
“Sorry!” he yelled. Another mare jumped for him from the side, and almost got him before he swerved around a market stall, making her jump into it. “Sorry again, just running for my life!”
He ran towards a stack of crates and used them to climb on the room of a nearby building. He kicked the stack down, stopping the mares from getting up to him.
“Aha! My plan worked!” a Pegasus almost grabbed him as she swooped over his head. “I guess I forgot you could fly and… run!” he darted along the rooftops.
“Follow him! He’s bound to run out of roofs!” somepony yelled as the mob went after him from below.
“I hope Luna gets back soon, I'm running out of air…” he ducked under another pony and then jumped onto another roof. He was about to make another, but skidded to a halt. “crud.” A pair of pegasi swooped towards him. “To oblivion with this!” he shouted as he jumped off the roof, away from the mares grasps.
He sailed over the waiting hooves of the other mares as he started running again, back into town. The unicorns must have been getting desperate, either that or they just remembered they had magic, because bolts of it whizzed by him. He turned around a corner and into an alleyway. He put on a burst of speed, but stopped yet again as half the mob appeared on one side, and half on the other.
“Hmm, horny ground ponies I can’t outfight, or pegasi I can outmaneuver if I can get on the roofs again… choices choices.” The mares were getting closer. “EEP!” he yelled, wall jumping onto the roofs. “Sick!” he yelled as he dodged under another Pegasus.
“Gotcha!” rainbow yelled as she grabbed him when he wasn’t looking. “Your all mine now!” she giggled and sped away from the other ponies.
“Did I mention that I didn’t like this!” he yelled. He got cloud in his mouth and started choking on it. “Blech! Cloud does not taste like marshmallows!” he yelled.
“Oh we are going to have so much fun! This is going to be awesome!” she yelled. Her house is coming into view, and Arvak’s mind immediately went elsewhere.
“Forgive me.” he said. Rainbow looked at him confused, and he bit onto her foreleg.
“GAH!” she yelled, letting him fall towards Equestria. “Oh drat.” She cursed and flew after him.
She inched closer and closer until….
“Nope!” Luna yelled and teleported him away from Rainbow. A look of panic stretched across her face as she fell towards the ground. She splatted comically onto the earth with her legs and wings spread out.
“Oooowwww.” She groaned.
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One bright flash later and they joined Twilight at Applejacks barn. Luna had Arvak floating in her telekinesis; he looked relieved to be out of that situation.
“Hi Twilight.” He chirped, startling Luna, making her drop him. “Ow.”
“Great job Luna.” Twilight congratulated.
“Ya might wanna hurry sugarcube, ah don’t know how much longer Mac an I can hold ‘em off!” Applejack yelled.
“Right, Luna, the potion!” Twilight said.
Luna hoofed over the vial to Twilight, who with her telekinesis forced Arvak to drink every last drop.
“Blech! That’s disgusting!” he shouted.
“I hear him in here!” a voice yelled from outside.
“Move Applejack!” another sounded.
“EEP! Gotta hide!” he yelped as he jumped into a bale of hay.
The door burst open and mares poured in, prowling hungrily towards Luna and Twilight.
“This is the end isn’t it?” Twilight asked.
“Maybe for you, but I still got three lives left.” Luna replied. Twilight gulped nervously. A bright purple light flashed behind them, and then a wave of magic pulsed from behind the bushel of hay, knocking everypony out of the barn.
“Everypony okay?” Twilight asked.
“Whoa, how’d I get here?” Rainbow dash asked. “What is everypony doing lying around?” she asked while looking around.
“Amnesia. Luna, do you think we should tell them all?” Twilight asked. “Luna?” the alicorn in question was lying a few feet away in a tree.
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“Okay, note to self, avoid flowers at all costs.” Arvak said as he got out of his hiding place. He felt better, he felt… well… dead is how he felt. He formed a flame claw in his hoof, “it’s good to be undead again.” He sighed.
He walked through the busted down barn door and saw ponies with expressions ranging from shock, confusion, and horrified.
“Hi everypony!” he chirped as he walked next to Twilight and Luna.
“Arvak, we were just talking about you.” Twilight said.
“Yes we were, and the mares of Ponyville would like to extend a combined apology for their actions while you were afflicted by Poison Joke.” Luna added.
“Yea, what’s up with what happened, I thought it was only supposed to play one joke on me?” Arvak asked.
“Well, it seems that with one still in your system, it built up magic and afflicted the mares you met, sort of like Estrus, and the mares all only want to get off by you. It released said magic when it left your system, explaining why Rainbow had such bad timing when she took you.” she explained.
“Well… um… I don’t even know how to respond to that… what a joke to play if you ask me.”
“Yes well, it is very good to see that you are unharmed and unmolested. If you require anything else, I shall be available during the Gala tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!?!?” Twilight yelled. “Oh my gosh I need to get ready!” she said in a Pinkie-like manner and ran off.
“Okay moving on!” Arvak said.
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The rest of the day was spent with Arvak listening and accepting the apologies of almost every mare in Ponyville, all except a few. Fluttershy (who was found strapped to a chair in her home), Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Luna and Twilight, who were not affected by the Poison Joke's effects.
Arvak plopped down on the couch in the library, and looked lazily to his right. He saw Twilight passed out with her head snoozing on the circular table, drooling slightly. He got up, walked over to her, and brought her to her bed upstairs. He walked back to his couch, plopped back down, and fell asleep for the night, excited for what the next day might bring.
A/N: Poison joke arc is done, and now to work on the gala. like always, tell me what you think of the chapter.