The Mystery of Pinkie
Another day dawned for Nova and Starburst, the two had their breakfast and Starburst took off for school. “Bye Nova, see you after school!” Starburst called as he headed out.
“Bye Starburst, have a good day!” Nova called after his little brother. He hadn’t had an order to take care of for Rarity so he had the day to himself. “I Might as well see what the others are up to.” He put on his disguise and headed out.
Nova made his way to a part of the town where he saw Twilight and Spike facing each other, Spike had a few leaves around his neck, a rock on his head, and he was holding a stick. Nova was curious about this so he made his way over to them. “Hey there Twilight, what’s going on?”
“Oh, hey Nova, me and Spike are practicing a spell that requires focus, your more than welcome to watch, just try to be quiet while we do this, it requires our full attention.” Twilight answered.
“Um, sure ok.” Nova stood there and watched as Twilight focused her magic. The leaves around Spikes neck turned into a black tuxedo. Twilight took a quick glance with one eye then went right back to focus. The stick Spike was holding then turned into a cane. “Whoa.” Nova said quietly.
Spike looked himself over real quick before Twilight spoke up. “Eyes over here Spike.”
Spike looked back at Twilight. “Uh, sorry.” Spike closed his eyes in concentration.
“For this to work, It’s crucial we keep our concentration on the….” As she was talking, the rock lifted up in the air and turned into a top hat.
“OOH.”
The mysterious voice caught Spike’s attention and he looked away. The hat turned back into a rock and fell on Spike’s head, knocking him down and turning the tuxedo and cane back into leaves and a stick. “Spike, this magic needs our full attention to make it happen.”
Nova looked to Twilight. “Twilight, he just got hit in the head with a rock, he might be hurt.” He went up to Spike and helped him up. “You ok Spike?”
“Yeah, I’m okay, sorry Twilight, but you gotta see this.” Spike ushered for Twilight to come over and see what he was seeing. Nova looked too. Pinkie was seen dashing about wearing an umbrella hat as she hid behind and under things.
Twilight shook her head. “Uh, never mind her, she’s just being Pinkie Pie.”
“Super extra Pinkie Pie today.” Spike commented.
Nova looked at Pinkie curiously. He noticed Pinkie’s tail started to twitch. “Hmmm, twitchy, twitchy, twitcha, twitch.” Nova heard her say.
Nova decided to go see what was going on. “I’m gonna go ask her what’s going on.”
Twilight agreed. “I can’t help but wonder too.” Twilight followed Nova over to Pinkie.
“Pinkie, are you feeling ok, what’s going on with you?” Nova asked concerned.
Pinkie answered as she shoved her tail in his face. “Oh, it’s my tail, it’s my tail, it’s a twitcha twitchin, and you know what that means.”
The three looked at her with confusion. Twilight cocked an eyebrow in response. “Actually Pinkie, we haven’t the slightest idea.”
Pinkie started to explain. “The twitching means that my Pinkie sense tells me that stuffs gonna start falling, you should duck for cover.”
Twilight smiled at her. “Oh Pinkie, it’s not going to rain, why there isn’t even a cloud in the….” *SMACK* Her sentence was cut off by a frog landing right on her face. It pushed back a little and looked at her as it gave a croak.
“Whoa, what the stars?” Nova said quietly to himself.
Pinkie came up to Twilight. “He just said, nice catch in frog.”
“Oh, I’m so, so sorry.” Fluttershy’s voice was heard from overhead. The group looked up to see Fluttershy carrying a basket and saddle bags with frogs and hauling a cart full of more frogs. “You okay Twilight Sparkle? I just couldn’t stand to see the pond getting so over populated, what with the frogs hopping into each other and all. So I decided to fly as many as I can over to Froggy Bottom bog.”
Twilight had her eyes slightly narrowed. “Of course you did.” By this time, the frog on her face was now on the side of her head. She answered in an annoyed tone.
Fluttershy then put the handle of the basket in her mouth. “Bye bye.” She said through the handle and flew on.
Pinkie then turned to Twilight. “Um, Twilight, you got a little something on your face there.”
“No, really? Did your pinkie sense tell you that too?” She responded sarcastically with a smile. Nova cocked an eyebrow at this.
Pinkie kept her jolly attitude as she responded. “Nah, I could just see it.” She then happily trotted away. “La la la la la la.”
The frog finally jumped off Twilight’s head causing it to shake a little. “Come on Spike, lets continue our practice session where there’s a little less commotion.” Nova decided to follow, Twilight seemed like she was in a bit of a fowl mood and decided to see if he could cheer her up.
Spike excitedly jumped onto Twilight’s back. “WOWZA, that was amazing! Pinkie Pie predicted something would fall and it did.”
Twilight was not amused. “Oh come on, Pinkie said something was going to fall and a frog just happen to fall right around the same time, a coincidence, nothing else to it.”
Nova decided to share his thoughts. “I don’t know Twilight, what are the odds of something like that happening?”
Before she could answer, Pinkie came rushing back to them, she jumped up and exclaimed as her tail was twitching again. “My tail, my tail, twitcha twitch, twitcha twitch! Something else is gonna fall.”
Spike started looking around nervously above his head. Nova was looking up as well for anything. Twilight kept walking with a smug smile. “Oh Pinkie please, nothing else is gonna fallAAAAHHH!” Twilight was cut off as she fell in a ditch, Spike managed to land just on the edge of it.
“Oh no, Twilight fell.” Spike exclaimed.
Nova rushed over and looked down. It was a small ditch. “Twilight, you okay?”
Twilight was on her back with stars in her eyes. She managed to pick herself up. “I’m ok.” She answered.
Spike turned to Pinkie. “Is it….safe to go help her?”
“It’s ok, my tail stopped twitching.” Pinkie gave her head a toss and flung her umbrella hat off before hopping off again.
Nova was helping Twilight out of the ditch as Spike came up to her. “Ha ha, that was amazing!” he exclaimed happily.
Twilight was still un-amused. “Oh pu-lease.”
Applejack came up to the group. “Uh Twilight, why is nova helping you out of a ditch?”
Spike answered. “Because Pinkie Pie predicted she would fall.”
Twilight objected. “Honestly Spike she did not. Two coincedences in a row may be unlikely, but still easier to believe that twitchy tails that predict the future.”
Applejack became worried at this. “Twitchy tail, Pinkie sense?” Applejack then rushed to hide under a nearby stand.
Spike came up to Applejack to let her know it was clear. “Don’t worry, it’s safe. The prediction already came true.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow to Applejack's reaction. “Oh wait, don’t tell me you believe in this stuff too?”
Applejack came out from under the cart and stood up. “I know it don’t make much sense, but fer those of us that have been in Ponyville a while have learned overtime that if Pinkies a twitchin, you’d better listen.”
Pinkie rushed back over with her ears flopping up and down. “My ears are floppy, my ears are floppy!” She exclaimed.
Spike shielded himself with his arms in fear. “GAH, what does that mean?”
Pinkie looked over to Nova. “I’ll draw you a bath.”
Nova was confused by this. “Excuse me?”
Twilight laughed at this. “Huh, a bath, this thing keeps getting more ridiculous by the min….”
*SPLASH* Before Twilight could finish her sentence, an old stallion hauling a cart rushed by and splashed mud all over Nova. “Ugh, *PAH* what the hay?” Nova looked at himself covered in mud.
Twilight was surprised by this. “Nova?”
“Ugh, I’m fine, just a little muddy.” He then turned to Pinkie. “Pinkie, you saw this coming didn’t you?”
Pinkie smiled. “I sure did, come on, I’ll let you use my bathroom to get cleaned up.”
Later on, Nova was in a bath tub with Pinkie and Twilight nearby, the tub was full of bubbles. “Good thing I had the forsight to make the holo-emitters water proof.” Nova thought to himself. “Thanks for letting me get cleaned up here Pinkie.”
“You’re welcome.”
“So how does this Pinkie sense thing work anyway?” Nova asked.
Twilight had the same un-amused look on her face as Pinkie explained. “So basically, it works like this. I get different little nickly feelings and they mean different things, like when my back is itchy, it means it’s my lucky day, and when my knee gets pinchy, it means something scary is about to happen.”
Twilight then interjected. “Is your knee pinchy now?”
“No, but my shoulders achy, that means there’s an alligator in the tub.”
Nova cocked an eyebrow at this. “A what now?”
Pinkie came over to the tub, dunked her head in and pulled out a little green alligator. Nova quickly jumped out and stood on the edge of the tub. “AH, RAZOR BEAST, RUN!”
Twilight was freaking out too as she backed away. “Pinkie, why didn’t your knee get pinchy, that’s not only scary, that’s downright dangerous!” Pinkie set it down on the floor.
“KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!” Nova cried out.
Pinkie just giggled. “Heh heh heh, no it’s not sillies, this is my pet alligator gummy, he’s got no teeth.” The gator opened its mouth to show it did indeed have no teeth at all. It then proceeded to chomp down on Pinkie playfully and repeatedly till it reached her tail.
Twilight relaxed a little. “So I see.” But then the two girls remembered what Nova cried out. “Nova, what’s a razor beast?”
Nova had gotten down to the floor and was starting to sweat nervously. “Oh great, way to go genious, you freaked out over a harmless creature thinking it was a monster from your old planet, and now they want to know what it is. Come on think think THINK…….AHA” “Well, you see, a…..razor beast is similar in appearance to that alligator there, but they’re much more fierce and dangerous, but thankfully rare creatures.”
“But we don’t have anything like that in Equestria, where in Equestria did you encounter such a thing?”
“It was…….somewhere outside of Equestria, very rare creatures, and very dangerous.”
“So you’re from another country?” Twilight widened her eyes in curiosity.
“No, I just did a lot of traveling and got to see other countries outside of Equestria.” “It’s probably best you let them think you’re from this country.” The two accepted this answer and let it go to Nova’s relief.
Once Nova was dried off, the three headed outside. Twilight was still skeptical about Pinkie’s Pinkie sense. “Well, I still don’t believe in this….special power stuff, it’s just a bunch of mumbo jumbo.”
Pinkie tried to defend. “What’s not to believe, you do magic, what’s the difference?”
Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Huge, for one thing….” Twilight paused when she saw a box with a few soap products on it, she pushed them aside and got on top of the box, then cleared her throat and began a little speech. “Magic is something you study and practice, it only happens when you decide to do it and it’s meant to make something specific that you choose to happen happen. With you……It makes no sense at all.”
Pinkie narrowed her eyes at Twilight. “That’s so not true Twilight.” She smiled again. “Sometimes it’s a bunch of random things happening to my body at random times that supposedly predict the future, I call em combos.”
Nova responded to this. “Combos?”
Pinkie responded. “Sure, you know, like ear flop, then knee twitch, then eye flutter. That means the sky is about to be graced by a beautiful rainbow.”
“Yeah, sure.” Twilight deadpanned.
“I believe.” Nova said aloud.
Twilight turned to him. “What, you believe this too? Nova, tell me you aren’t serious.”
Nova came up to her. “Twilight, in my travels, I have seen far stranger things in this uni….ah, I mean….world, that you wouldn’t believe. A pony that gets twitches that predict the future is nothing.”
Twilight just rolled her eyes as she made her way up to her library. Pinkie called out. “Uh oh, I feel a combo coming on. Ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch.” Pinkie said as each one happened.
Just as Twilight was about to open the door, it flew open and slammed her against the wall, Spike was just casually backing out carrying a stack of books in his arms, unaware of what he did. Nova winced at the sight as he closed one eye and raised a hoof. The door slowly moved back and Twilight fell to the ground. Nova rushed over to help her again. Twilight spoke with weariness. “I though you said that combo meant beautiful rainbows?”
“You okay Twilight, that looked painful.” Nova asked.
Twilight slowly got up. “I’m fine, just a headache now. Thanks Nova.” She gave him a smile.
Nova smiled back, they just looked at each other before Nova realized what was going on, he quickly lost his smile and turned to Pinkie. “*AHEM* So pinkie, what happened, you know, with the twitching. I thought that combo you just had you said would mean a beautiful rainbow.”
Twilight looked a little down but looked back to Pinkie for an explanation. Pinkie corrected. “Oh nonononono. Your thinking of an ear flop, then knee twitch, then eye flutter. This was an ear flop, then eye flutter, then knee twitch, that usually means look out for opening doors.”
“I don’t believe this.” Twilight commented.
Pinkie came up to her face. “You don’t believe because you don’t understand.” Twilight looked in thought for a moment.
A little later, Pinkie, Twilight, and Nova had gathered in Twilight’s basement of the library. Nova came along because, even though he believed Pinkie was capable of what she was doing, he was curious as to how. Twilight had Pinkie’s forelegs resting on a machine with shackles and wearing a funny looking metal helmet with lights. Twilight plugged a few wires into it and it lit up. Twilight then used her magic to close the shackles, securing Pinkie in the machine. The wires were connected to another machine that was spewing out paper with lines.
“Ok, now when you get another twitch, we’ll have all kinds of scientific information.” Twilight informed.
Pinkie just smiled as usual as she responded. “Okie, dokie, lokie.” She then took on a serious face as if in concentration.
To help out, Nova took to monitoring the machine and the information it was giving while Twilight just kept her eyes on Pinkie. “Anything yet Pinkie?” Nova asked.
“Nopey, dopey.” Pinkie answered happily.
There were no changes in the data the machine was making. “Anything now?” Twilight asked after a few more seconds.
“Wait, hold on………uh, no.”
Twilight was starting to get frustrated. “Are you kidding me, after a whole day of non-stop twitching, now that I got you hooked up you’re not getting a single one?”
“I don’t control it, they just come and go.” Pinkie responded with a bit of worry.
Twilight came back with a glare. “That makes no sense!”
“Sometimes you just have to believe in things, even when you can’t figure them out.”
Twilight got in Pinkie’s face. “I will not believe in anything I cannot explain.”
Nova got a little worried at her statement. “Twilight, don’t you think that’s a little close minded of you?”
Twilight turned to him. She was about to say something in response but Pinkie interrupted. “Wait, hold on, I’m feeling something.” She looked in concentration.
Twilight perked up. “Oh my gosh, what, what is it?”
A low grumbling was heard coming from Pinkie’s stomach. “It’s my tummy, that usually means I’m hungry, let’s eat.”
Twilight growled in aggravation. “GRRRR, you know what…” She grabbed the wires with her teeth and yanked them off, shutting down the machines. “Just forget it, I don’t need to know if this is real or not, I don’t need to understand it, I don’t even care.” Twilight just started walking off.
Pinkie slipped her forelegs out of the shackles and caused the metal helmet to fall off. “Okie dokie lokie.” She then hopped to the stairs past Nova and Twilight. They reached the top and Pinkie was about to reach the door before she started twitching again which caused her to back up while Twilight kept going.
Nova recognized it as the twitching for opening doors. “Twilight wait!” *SLAM* The door flung open and Spike walked in.
“Pinkie, have you seen Twilight?”
Pinkie just hopped passed him happily as she answered. “Uh huh.”
Nova came up to him. “Spike you really need to start being more careful about how you open doors.” Nova used his magic to open the door to reveal a squished Twilight.
Twilight looked at Spike with a bit of malice. “Oooh, did you two plan this?”
“Plan what?” Spike asked cluelessly.
Nova helped Twilight off the door and onto her hooves. “Twilight, are you sure you’re not ready to believe yet, given Pinkie’s track record, I’d say it’s about time to.”
Twilight stood firm on her position. “Of course not, this can’t be happening, it makes no sense. I have to figure this out.”
“I don’t know Twilight, it seems whenever Pinkie gets a twitch and you don’t listen, it ends up in you getting hurt. I don’t think this is such a good idea.”
Twilight looked to him with determination. “I just have to figure this out Nova, it just doesn’t make any sense. I will figure this out.”
Nova gave a defeated sigh. “*Sigh* All right, but I’m coming along, there’s not telling what else may happen to you if Pinkie starts twitching again.”
Twilight gave a light smile. “Really?”
“Well, yes, I just can’t stand to see you hurt.”
Twilight gave a light blush. “Thank you Nova.”
Nova smiled back, once again, they just looked at each other for a bit before Nova realized what was going on and cleared his throat. “*AHEM* So, um, lets….get to it shall we, where do we begin?”
Later in the day, Twilight and Nova were sneaking around in a bush following Pinkie as she happily hopped around the park. Twilight was wearing a pith helmet and had a pair of binoculars, Nova was taking notes for her as he held a notepad in his magical grasp. Twilight poked the binoculars out of the bush and was looking at Pinkie as she went about her business.
“Twilight, Nova?”
Spike’s sudden appearance caused Twilight to jump up in fright. “AH!”
Nova just gave a bit of a surprised shout. “WHOA!” Nova turned to him and spoke in a whisper. “Spike, don’t sneak up on us like that.”
Twilight pulled Spike behind the bush with them. She started scolding him too. “Honestly Spike, don’t you know better than to sneak up on ponies?”
Spike responded. “Oh, sorry, but…..um, isn’t that what you two are doing?”
Twilight was looking over the bush as Spike talked, Spike looked over the bush too and Twilight freaked a little as she jumped past Nova and tackled Spike to the ground. “No.” She looked through the bush again at Pinkie. “We’re doing scientific research, we’re observing Pinkie Pie, scientific name, Pinkious Piacous in its natural habitat.”
Nova was confused with that. “Pinkeous what now? And since when is a park Pinkie’s natural habitat?”
Twilight ignored the question as she informed Spike. “There’s something going on with the whole twitchy tail prediction thing, and we’re getting to the bottom of it. So shhh.” Twilight looked out from behind the bush again to see Pinkie hopping away. “Come on, Pinkious Piecous is on the move.” The three moved and took the bush with them.
They followed Pinkie to the school playground and Twilight watched as Pinkie just rolled around. Twilight started watching her through the binoculars. She spoke as she saw Pinkie scratch at her nose. “Hmm, itchy nose.” Nova wrote that down. Nova then looked out and saw Pinkie begin to look worried, she rushed over and hid under a large standing horseshoe structure.
Twilight lowered the binoculars with a smile. “Aha, that makes no sense, see, she’s hiding like something’s about to fall from the sky, but a twitchy tail means something’s going to fall, not an itchy nose.”
“Maybe it means something else and we should hide like her.” Nova suggested.
Twilight was about to respond, but Spike ran off in fear. “YAHH!”
Nova got worried and looked where he was looking. Twilight called after him. “Spike where are you going?”
Nova answered. “ANGRY SWARM!” He called out in fear. Nova thought fast and quickly put up a barrier around Twilight so she’d be safe, he was thinking too quickly to think to encompass himself in the barrier. Twilight looked and saw the swarm begin to buzz around Nova and sting him mercilessly. He was able to keep the barrier up to protect Twilight, but it was still hurting. “Ow, OH, AH, OOOH, OW, OW, OW!”
Twilight just watched helplessly and with worry as Nova was being repeatedly stung on her behalf. “NOVA!”
Eventually, the swarm left and Nova finally dropped his shield around Twilight. He dropped to the ground in pain. “Oww.”
Twilight got to his side. “Nova, are you all right?”
“Mental note, itchy nose means angry swarm of bugs.” Nova said as he lay there. His body was covered with bumps from the stings.
Twilight helped him up. “Come on Nova, let’s get you some bandages. Thank you for protecting me from those bugs.” She gave him a warm smile.
“Oh, no problem Twilight, ow, oh, I think I’m gonna be sore for a week.”
Nova was now covered in bandages. Spike had rejoined the two as they watched Pinkie and had followed her to Applejack’s farm. They were hiding behind a stack of hay next to a barn. Twilight was watching Pinkie through her binoculars but looked back to Nova as he held a notepad in his magic grasp. “Nova, are you sure your ok?”
Nova just gave a smile. “I’ll be fine, no problem.”
Twilight smiled at him again. “Thanks again for protecting me.” She continued to watch Pinkie through the binoculars.
“What’s she doing now?” Spike asked quietly.
“Smelling a flower.”
“Holly guacamole, I wonder what that means.” Spike said a little more excited than neccasary.
“Probably that the flower smells good.” Twilight simply answered. “Hold on, I’m getting something. Ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch.”
Spike got scared. “Hold on, you said that’s the combo that says look out for opening doors.” Spike started to walk away from the barn door they were close too. Nova got a little worried too.
Twilight just looked at Spike. “Ah ha, you really, really believe this stuff don’t you. Here let me show you that there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Nova tried to warn Twilight as she walked up to the barn door and leaned on it. “Twilight, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
After a second, nothing happened. “Ya see.” Twilight started trotting away. “I promise you there’s nothing to….” A lot of things happened as Twilight spoke.
First, Nova saw a door open up from the ground, he quickly moved and pushed Twilight away and back towards the hay bail with his front hooves, but he moved and did it so fast, he ended up standing on his hind legs and tried to regain his balance as his front legs waved around and one of his hind legs were raised up. He lost his balance and fell down a series of stairs. “OW, OW, OW, OW!” *CRASH*
“Why Nova, you came to visit my new apple cellar, how nice.” Applejack said to Nova who was lying on his back in pain and near unconsciousness.
Twilight rushed to the top of the stairs and called down to him. “Nova, are you all right?”
“APPLES!” He called out from the cellar.
Later on, Spike took over the note taking as Nova was now in a wheel chair with casts on his front legs. Twilight just looked at him worriedly as they followed Pinkie back to the park. “Oh Nova, I’m so sorry, this is all my fault.”
Nova looked to her with a light smile. “Hey now, don’t go blaming yourself, this was an accident, I’ll be fine.”
“But this happened to you because you were protecting me. I’m so sorry Nova.”
“Twilight, this was an accident, there was no way you could have known about that door being there, it’s best this happened to me than you.”
Twilight smiled at him and nuzzled him. “Thanks Nova.”
Nova blushed a little at the contact. “What are you doing, you can’t get cozy with her, what if it leads to a relationship, you can’t risk her finding out. But……would it really be so bad, I mean……she is so nice and caring……great galaxies, I suppose it wouldn’t be too bad to see if this could lead to something, I’ll just have to be careful.” “*HE AHEM* So, what is Pinkie doing now?”
Twilight picked up her binoculars and looked through them at Pinkie. “Ok, take this down. Twitchy tail.”
Spike looked at the notes. “Twitchy tail?” He then got real panicked. “TWITCHY TAIL!”
Twilight turned to Spike as Nova looked up in the sky worriedly. “Hush Spike, we can’t let Pinkie know we’re here.”
“Something’s gonna fall, run for your life!”
Nova saw what was coming. “Oh quasars.” Nova quickly focused his magic and used it to toss Twilgiht to the side and out of harm’s way.
“Whoa!” Twilight called as she was suddenly tossed. “Nova, what are you….” She looked at him just in time to see him get hit in the head with a flower pot, then a large anvil, followed by a cart full of bails of hay, and finally a piano. “NOVA!” Twilight ran to the pile and started frantically using her magic to dig through it. “Nova, Nova, can you hear me?” She managed to get most of the stuff off him and saw him lying there on top of a ruined wheel chair. “Nova, come on, speak to me.”
Stars were all he could see as he lay there. “I’ll have my oats now mama.” He then passed out.
“Nova, come on Nova wake up.” Twilight tried to slap him lightly on the cheek to wake him.
Spike came back and saw the situation. “Oh man, is he okay?”
Spike was answered with a groan from Nova as he stirred. “Ooohhh, my head, what hit me?”
Twilight smiled seeing him wake up. “Nova, oh thank Celestia your awake, is anything broken, where do you hurt?”
“Uh, relax Twilight, I’m ok, other than one killer headache.” He started to stand.
Twilight helped him up. “Nova, thank you again, you saved me from getting hurt again.”
“Hey, no problem, this is just turning into one of those days where I should have stayed in bed.” He said jokingly.
Twilight let out a little giggle. Pinkie’s voice was heard nearby. “Hey Applejack, whatcha doin?”
Applejack’s voice answered back. “Takin more apples to my new apple cellar, how bout you Pinkie, what are you doin?”
Twilight and Nova looked over to the sources and saw Applejack with a bucket of apples on her back. Pinkie answered. “Oh, letting Twilight and Nova secretly follow me around all day without me knowing.”
This got their attention. Nova narrowed his eyes and walked up to her. Twilight was the first to comment. “You mean you knew all along?”
Nova then started. “Why didn’t you say anything Pinkie?”
Pinkie giggled. “Oh silly, that would have ruined the surprise.”
Nova’s face started to take on different looks, he seemed like he was about to have a mental breakdown.
Twilight looked at him worriedly and put a hoof on his back to try and calm him down. She probably would have had the same reaction if she had been through the pain Nova went through today.
Spike poked his head out from behind Twilight. “Tail still twitching?”
Pinkie answered cheerfully. “All done, clear skies from hear on in as far as I can tell.” Pinkie’s entire body started shuddering greatly.
Spike immediately freaked out and hid behind Twilight again. “Oh no, what does that one mean?”
“Don’t know, I never got any like it before, but whatever that shudder is about, it’s a doozy. Something you never expect to happen is going to happen.” Pinkie shuddered again. “And it’s going to happen…..at froggy bottom bog!”
“*Gasp* That’s where Fluttershy’s headed.” Applejack informed.
“Oh no, is it about her?” Spike asked.
Pinkie wasn’t positive. “I…I’m not sure.”
“Well, what are we waiting for, let’s head there now and make sure she’s fine.” Nova said to the group.
Twilight was still reluctant to believe in Pinkie’s abilities. “Calm down every pony, all we know is that Pinkie got a case of the shivers, that’s all.” She looked around and saw the others had already taken off. She galloped to catch up to them. She ran up behind Spike and tossed him on her back.
“Hey, I thought you didn’t believe in this stuff?” Spike asked after landing on Twilight’s back.
“I don’t, I just want to be there to see the look on Pinkie’s face when we find out there’s nothing wrong.”
Nova just rolled his eyes at Twilight’s statement.
Pinkie responded in her usual happy tune. “Okey dokey.” They made their way into the forest to reach froggy bottom bog.
After a while, they slowed their pace a bit. Pinkie shuddered again. “Cold, need a jacket or something?” Twilight asked Pinkie smugly.
Pinkie kept her smile as she responded. “No thanks, I’m fine.” She shuddered again.
Nova was walking just behind Applejack and Spike. “So, what do you think happened to Fluttershy?” Spike asked Applejack.
“I hope nothin.” She responded.
“I know but, what do you think happened?”
“I’m tryin not to think about it.”
Spike straightened his face. “Me too.” He looked worried again. “But, I’m thinking about it anyway, like, what if…..she exploded.”
Applejack and Nova raised an eyebrow to this. Nova was the one to respond. “Exploded, just like that?”
Spike answered back. “Yeah, like…boom.”
“Spike, what your talking about is spontaneous combustion, it’s a scientific impossibility, Fluttershy didn’t explode.”
“Whoa.” Pinkie said.
“I know.” Spike responded.
“What if, what if she exploded, and then exploded again!”
Nova interjected. “Pinkie, that is impossible, just exploding once is impossible as it is, there is no way she exploded twice, you two are being ridiculous.”
“Look, there’s froggy bottom bog.” Applejack pointed out.
Once they found it, they all spread out to find it. Applejack tried calling out to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy!”
Pinkie called out too. “Fluttershy?!”
Nova gave a shout as well. “Fluttershy, where are you?!”
They looked around for a while, Pinkie even thought to look under a lily pad, a frog jumped on it, then Spike jumped on her head. “Fluttershy, your ok.” Spike said as he leapt out and gave Fluttershy a hug after spotting her just in front of Pinkie.
Fluttershy gave him a quizzical look as she responded. “Of course.”
“Whew, what a relief.” Applejack expressed.
“I’m so glad everything’s all right.” Pinkie expressed.
Twilight took on a smug smile. “Sorry, I know it’s not nice to gloat but…..AHA!” Her exclamation caused Spike to fall off Fluttershy’s back. “I told you there was nothing to worry about and I was right.” Nova was standing next to Twilight and Applejack. As Twilight started talking, a fowl odor and gas filled the air. “Pinkie Pie said that whatever she was shuddering about was a *Cough, cough* Doozy and *cough, cough* the only doozy here is how right I am.”
Nova was coughing too from the stench, he noticed applejack was making her way over to Fluttershy, Spike, and Pinkie. “Um, Twilight?” Applejack and the others were looking scared, they seemed to be staring at something behind them. Nova got worried about this and slowly turned his head around.
Twilight kept going with her speech. “Pinkie’s made a lot of predictions today but, *cough, cough* Uh, what is that smell?”
Nova tried to get her attention as he spoke with fear. “Twilight?”
She kept going. “But what we’ve shown here is that there is no point in believing *cough, cough* in anything you can’t see for yourself.”
Nova tried again. “Twilight!”
Twilight finally turned to him. “What is it Nova?”
Nova grabbed her head and turned it back and upwards to look at what the others were, there were four long necks with heads towering over them. “Do you see that?” He asked.
“I see it, but I don’t believe it.” Twilight was scared now. Three of the heads gave a loud roar, the fourth was a little slow and joined in the others.
“Is that a hydra?!” Fluttershy asked.
“Who carres, RUN!” Applejack yelled, the ponies did just that. They all ran for their lives. Pinkie was frozen in terror.
Twilight saw this. “Pinkie, come on!” One of the heads lunged for Pinkie, Twilight managed to reach her in time and pulled her away by the tail.
Fluttershy looked to a frog hopping for his life next to her. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
The four heads rose out of the muck to reveal that the four necks connected to one body with a tail and two legs. The massive beast gave chase to the ponies. One lunged for Twilight but just missed, slamming into the ground. Another tried to get Applejack but only managed to get a branch in its mouth. A third lunged for Fluttershy as she climbed over a rock, she jumped off in time for the head to chomp down on the rock instead of her. The fourth head just laughed at the others.
The group ran as fast as they could, soon coming to a dead end, Twilight looked to the right and saw a hill. “Everypony up that hill.”
As soon as she said that, Spike’s voice cried out. “HEEEEEELLLLP!” They looked back to see he was stuck in mud.
“I got ya buddy, hang on!” Nova called as he rushed over to him. Nova pulled Spike out of the mud just in time before the hydra came. Nova put Spike on his back as he rejoined the others as they all ran up a hill.
Nova looked back to see one of the hydra’s foot got momentarily stuck in the mud too. “I think we’re going to make it.” Twilight said from the back of the group with Nova.
“But Pinkie’s still shuddering.” Spike pointed out. Pinkie was indeed shuddering.
She then stopped shuddering. “Oh lookey there, it stopped.” It then started up again. “Oh, TtHhEeRrEe IiTt IiSs AAagGaaAiIiNNNnn.” Spike got off Nova’s back and started pushing Pinkie up the hill as her shuddering was causing her to slip down the hill.
The hill ended at a cliff with a series of rock pillars in front of them. A loud stomp got their attention as they looked back to see the hydra making its way up the hill to them.
“Ah, he’ll be up here in no time, quick, one at a time, cross.” Twilight pointed out.
Spike came up to Twilight. “Uh, do you know any spells to turn a hydra into a mouse?”
“No.”
“How about a squirell?”
“No.”
“How about…”
“No small rodents of any kind!” Twilight cut him off.
“That’s too bad.”
Fluttershy took a deep breath. “A hop….skip….and a…..JUMP!” Fluttershy started jumping across.
Twilight then tossed Spike to the first rock pillar. Pinkie shuddered over the cliff side, Applejack managed to grab her by the tail and pull her back before she fell.
Nova noticed something. “He’s too close, you all get across, I’ll hold him off and buy you all some time.”
Twilight tried to object. “But Nova….”
Nova cut her off. “No buts Twilight, you and the others cross, there’s no time to argue.” Twilight reluctantly agreed and joined the others. “Ok Nova, here we go. CHAAAAAAAARRRRRRGE!” Nova galloped away and used his magic to zap in his wings. He flew up to the beast and between the two middle heads. He zipped around to the left and got in front of the hydra. “Come on you four headed freak, come and get me!”
The far right head lunged for Nova, he managed to fly up to avoid it and flew straight for the middle right head, landing an uppercut on it. He flew back and buzzed around the beast a few times. During one pass, he flew and hit the far left head on the side. He flew straight up and came down on top of the middle left head. The middle right head lunged for Nova, but he managed to jump up in time to dodge it. The far left head tried too, but again, Nova was too fast.
Nova buzzed around the beast a few more times to try and make it dizzy. It seemed to work as the eyes seemed to spin in their heads. Nova took this opportunity to see if the girls had made it across the chasm. He smiled to see them all waiting for him, but he could also see they were scared for him too. “NOVA, LOOK OUT!” Twilight called.
Nova looked behind him in time to see the middle right head coming down on him. The head hit him and sent him flying back. Nova crashed into the ground and nearly went over the edge as he skidded to a hault. The beast closed in on him,
Nova looked at it with fear as it licked its lips. Nova took to the air and tried to fly off. Unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough this time. The girls and Spike watched in horror as the middle left head lunged forward with an open mouth and chomped down on Nova. “NOOOOOOO!” They all cried out.
The middle left head swallowed, a lump was seen traveling down its neck to the stomach. “NOVA!” Twilight cried out with tears in her eyes.
Applejack took her hat off as her eyes got teary too and held it to her barrel in respect. “Nova.”
“No, it can’t be, it just can’t.” Fluttershy expressed.
Even Pinkie was about to cry. “Nova, no. YOU BIG MEANIE, GIVE US BACK OUR FRIEND!” Pinkie called out to the hydra.
The beast just gave them a smug smile and one of them gave them a raspberry. Fluttershy was speechless as she wept.
“Nova.” Twilight said quietly to herself. “I can’t believe that just happened. After everything he’s done for us, for me.” She sat on her haunches and lowered her head in remorse. Spike came up to her with teary eyes as well. He placed a claw on her side as they wept.
Suddenly, something caught Spike’s eye. He looked at the hydra and saw bulges erupting from it’s stomach. “Twilight, look, something’s happening.” Twilight looked at Spike, then back at the hydra. The girls came to her side as well and watched. Muffled explosions could be heard coming from inside the beast’s belly.
“What in tarnation is going on?” Applejack asked. The girls and dragon just kept their eyes on the scene, the hydra wasn’t looking too well as looks of pain were being plastered on all four heads. Soon, a single bulge was seen making its way slowly up the neck of the middle right head. The head of that one was looking teary eyed. The bulge reached the mouth and it slowly began to open.
“LOOK!” Pinkie pointed to the mouth and Nova was seen struggling to push it open.
Their faces lit up upon seeing their friend still alive. “NOVA!” Twilight cried out in joy.
Nova struggled to push the jaw open all the way. “YOU…..WON’T…..MAKE….A MEAL…….OUT OF…..ME!” The hydra head looked like it was struggling to close its mouth, not wanting to give up its prey. Nova was then sent flying across the chasm from the jaws of the beast trying to close. “YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” Nova screamed as he flew across. He slammed right into the rock wall behind the girls and left an imprint.
The girls and Spike all winced when Nova hit the wall. They also soon saw that Nova was covered in light green clear hydra slobber. He fell from the rock wall on his back.
The girls all gathered around him and looked down at him. “Nova, are you ok?” Fluttershy asked.
Nova spoke with a goofy grin and a bit of a slur. “Oh hey Fluttershy, what are you doing here? I’m not feeling good so I’m just going to take a nap now, good night.” He just passed out.
Applejack tried to wake him. “Nova, come now, wake up.” She shook him, and slapped him lightly.
It worked as Nova woke up with a start. “HUH, WHAT, what happened, where’s the hydra, is every pony safe?” He asked hurriedly as he jumped to his hooves.
Twilight came up to him. “We are thanks to you, you had us all worried, we thought you were a goner when that hydra ate you.”
Nova gave a smile. “Hey, I’m not about to let some hydra take me away from my friends and little broth…..eh, what is this stuff?” Nova finally noticed the slime covering his body, he gave it a sniff. “Ewe, great, now I’m going to be bathing for a week just to get this smell off me.”
Pinkie ignored the slime as she latched on to him in a big hug. “Oh Nova, we’re so glad you’re safe.” Pinkie then released him and had some of the slime hanging off her, she just shook herself and it was gone.
“Uh, listen girls, can we keep what just happed between us, I really don’t want to have to relive that…..gross moment.” Nova said to them.
Twilight answered with a smile. “Sure Nova, no problem.” Twilight then turned to Pinkie. “Pinkie, I don’t know how it happened, coincidence, dumb luck or what, but you said there’d be a doozy here and froggy bottom bog, and I’d say we just had ourselves a doozy. I mean that hydra…..” Twilight cut herself off when Pinkie started shuddering. “Pinkie?”
Pinkie stopped shuddering. “That wasn’t it.” She simply stated.
“Huh?”
Spike came up next to her. "What wasn’t what?”
Applejack expressed her confusion as well. “What are you talkin about Pink?”
Pinkie began to explain. “The hydra wasn’t the doozy.” The hydra was seen finally walking off after giving them another raspberry. “I’m still getting the shudders.” Pinkie shuddered again. “Ya see, there it is again. Whatever the doozy was at froggy bottom bog, my pinkie sense says it still hasn’t happened yet.”
Nova’s eyes just shrunk a bit after hearing this. “What?”
Twilight got real upset about this. “Uh, but I, WHAT!? The hydra wasn’t the doozy, how could it not be the doozy, Nova was eaten and spit out by that thing, what could be doozier than that?!”
“Don’t know, but it just wasn’t it.”
Nova looked to Twilight and saw she looked like she was about to explode. Her eyes were narrowed, she jumped up and her coat became hot white while her mane and tail exploded into flames. The others just looked in fear before Twilight reverted back to herself. “Huh, I give up.” She just fell to the ground.
“Give what up Twilight?” Spike asked as he came up to her.
“The fight, I can’t fight it anymore. I don’t understand how or why or what, but Pinkie’s sense somehow…..makes sense.” Pinkie seemed to be shuddering a bit more violently. “I don’t see how it does but it just does. Just because I don’t understand doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
Pinkie was really shuddering now. “YyYOoOUuUu BBbbBEeElLlEiIVvvEeE?”
“Yep, I guess I do.”
Pinkie then went nuts with the shuddering as she shook very violently and her body expanded and shrunk. Finally, she had settled down. She let out a little gasp of realization. “*gasp* That was it, that’s the doozy.”
Nova just shook his head. “Excuse me?”
Twilight walked up to Pinkie. “What, what is?”
Pinkie poked a hoof in Twilight’s barrel. “You believing. I never expected that to happen. THAT was the doozy, Oh and what a doozy of a doozy it was.” Pinkie just happily trotted away.
Nova’s eyes rolled up and he just fell over on his side. The others that were still there looked at him with worry. He looked up at them. “Can we just go, I’d really like to put this day behind me.”
Twilight smiled. “After Everything you’ve been through today, sure, let’s go.” Nova got up and the group made their way back to town.
Once back in town, the girls went their separate ways while Twilight decided to walk Nova back to his house. “Nova, I can’t thank you enough for everything you did for me today, you went through so much just to make sure I wouldn’t get hurt.”
“Yeah, well, uh…….Twilight….um, about…….that date you asked me about a while back?”
Twilight looked to Nova. “Yes?”
“Um, I was thinking…….maybe…..I’d like to……..take you on one, if you still want to go.”
Twilight smiled big. “Really, you mean it? But, what about this secret you’ve been keeping, didn’t you say it might be a problem?”
“Well, I don’t think it would be too much of an issue, so, what do you say? You…..still want to?”
“Yes, I’d love to.”
Nova smiled big. “Shall we say, Saturday night?”
“Sounds good, now why don’t you go get cleaned up, you kind of smell.”
Nova gave a light chuckle. “Heh, yeah, I kind of figured that. I’ll see you later Twilight.”
So the two parted ways and Nova went into his home to clean himself up. “Hey Nova, welcome home……what happened to you?” Starburst greeted happily until he saw his big brother covered in hydra slime and smelling bad. “Ewe, what’s that smell?”
Nova just rolled his eyes with a smile. “It’s a long story little brother, I’ll tell you later, right now, I need a bath and a very long nap, I had a rough day today.”