Prickle Berry Tries to Be Careful

by David Silver

33 - Start Episode 8 - Nemesis

Tiny Titan stood tall and proud, victorious in her endeavors once again!

Prickle glanced to the left at Scootaloo. "You love doing that, don't you?"

Scootaloo shrugged, her hooves extended slightly to either side. "We all have our habits. Good job though."

Prickle ran a costumed sleeve over her nose. "It was just a cat..."

Scootaloo pointed at the relieved Rarity, hugging her cat close. "It's never 'just' a cat. It's never 'just' a pony."

Prickle sank to her haunches. "When you put it like that... Uh, Rarity?"

Rarity glanced over, aborting her feline worship for a moment. "Oh, yes dear? Thank you again for your timely assistance. I was beside myself with worry. Poor little Opal sometimes climbs up higher than she can get back down."

Opal rolled her eyes in disgust at the entire affair.

Prickle was smiling, happy at her work. "Everything's alright now?"

"Yes, darling. I won't let her escape again." Rarity turned back for her shop and got to trotting for it. "Thank you again."

Scootaloo clopped her hooves together. "What wrong are you going to make right now?"

Prickle pointed at Scootaloo. "I'm going to return the favor."

Scootaloo looked confused at the idea. "What?"

"You watch me do my thing all the time, always ready to support and cheer me on. It's time I did the same. What do you like to do? Let's do it!"

Scootaloo rubbed behind her head. "You don't have to... I like riding my scooter and doing crazy tricks! I also like fixing it up so it's a little better each time." The floodgates had been opened and Scootaloo began walking towards her home, rambling animatedly about scootering. "Have you tried before?"

Prickle hadn't, and admitted as much. "I've seen you do it though. You make it look so easy, but I know it isn't. You soar and flip and do all kinds of wild things."

"Yeah..." Scootaloo looked thoughtful a moment. "When I'm riding a really hard course... It's like I'm flying, for real, by myself." She leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. "Even Rainbow can't pull off all the moves I've done."

Prickle's smile widened almost painfully. "I don't doubt it! It's your thing, and you're really good at it! Can you show me how to do some?" She had no intention of becoming an amazing scooterist, but had the idea that if she tried and looked silly, it would only bolster Scootaloo.

Scootaloo tilted her head. "You really wanna? The girls chickened out the moment I tried to teach them about it."

"We can start small, right?"

Scootaloo blinked. "Oh, yeah. Maybe I shoulda started... smaller." She was blushing sheepishly. "For today, I'll show you what I have! Then we can get to making you a scooter of your very own." She waggled a hoof in the air as she walked. "Now, remember, strength isn't going to help you. It's more about agility, nerves, and coordination."

Prickle was about to ask for specifics when both of them jumped back from a sudden thump. A figure had landed before them at a surprising speed. They were a pegasus clad in a suit much like Prickle's, but in bold purples. "Stop right there!"

Prickle tilted her head a little. "Did Twilight send you? I thought she wasn't going to do that again."

The costumed pony blinked softly. "What? No! I'm here to challenge you!"

Prickle's eyes half-closed. "Are you sure Twilight didn't send you?"

The unknown mare put a hoof to her chest. "I hear you have the strength to do anything, but you can't move me!"

Prickle looked over the pegasus slowly. "I don't see why I couldn't, but why would I?"

"Because I am the Immovable! It was destiny that we should clash, Tiny Titan!" She sounded quite eager about it, almost bouncing in place. "If you don't, I'll be forced to take out my displeasure on your little town."

Prickle threw out her forehooves wide. "How does that even make a little sense? Why would you hurt anyone, especially just to pick a fight?"

"Well, since you asked, you see..."

Scootaloo thrust a hoof in front of her friend. "Are you about to give us your life story?"

Immovable blinked. "She did just ask."

Prickle shrugged. "I kinda did. You were saying?"

"It all started..."

---

I never was the fastest pegasus around. All the other fillies and colts made fun of me for how slow I was.

After being picked on and bullied for years, I decided to do something about it! I sat down right in front of one of their stupid races, and I didn't move.

Scootaloo's voice echoed over the flashback, "So they flew around you?"

The racers were glaring at me, but they refused to fly around me. That would have been admitting I had won.

"Get out of the way!" shouted one of them.

"Yeah," said the other, sneering with anger. "Move or we'll make you!"

But I didn't move. I stared at them, challenging them silently to do something about it.

They tried. Oh how they tried. They shoved and pushed at first, but I didn't move. Then they tried more... extreme measures.

---

Prickle rolled a hoof in the air. "I don't mean to be rude, but how did this make you want to hurt random ponies? They didn't hurt you."

"They didn't help either!" spat out Immovable with a snarl. "Ponies were gathering around, watching them try to move me, some of them even cheering them on! Our teacher just laughed at the whole thing. Ponies are terrible." She frowned. "They deserve every misery they get, and I plan to deliver it to them, but first, we have a test."

Prickle put a hoof behind her head. "Did you study?"

"Not that kind of test!" She suddenly sat down, the ground quivering beneath her rump. "I'm not moving until you make me!"

Prickle glanced at Scootaloo, who just shrugged a little. "Well, uh..." Prickle slowly stepped forward. "If that's what you really want, but I'm not doing this to be mean, I just want that to be clear. I don't even know you."

Immovable winced. "But... I just told you my tragic backstory."

"It was kinda sad, and I empathize with you. Being bullied is no fun at all." She gave a firm nod. "But it doesn't excuse you bullying other ponies, no matter how bad you might feel."

"You wouldn't know," spat Immovable, looking to the side.

Prickle huffed. "Now that's where you're wrong! I've been picked on plenty! Now... this is because you asked for it, literally." She raised a hoof and rested it on Immovable's shoulder. "How hard should I push?"

"Push as hard as you want. I won't move! You'll be stuck here forever!"

"Couldn't we just walk around her?" asked Scootaloo, watching the drama unfold with confused eyes.

Prickle saw before her a pony that was feeling the same pains she felt. She couldn't just ignore Immovable. She'd be just as bad, in different ways. "Alright." She gave the tiniest little nudge, but Immovable was like stone, and nothing happened, not even a swaying. "Huh..."

"Is that the best you have? I expected more from you, Tiny Titan. Ponies talk about you as if you could move anything, but I could barely even feel that!"

Prickle's nose wrinkled. "I can push harder!" So she did, putting in the effort she'd use to pick up a pony.

Nothing happened.

Immovable hadn't so much as flinched against her will. Prickle blinked slowly. "You're good at this."

Scootaloo walked around Immovable and sat down on the other side. "She can't stop anypony, just get in their way. C'mon!"

Prickle shook her head quickly. "Nuh uh. I'm going to push harder." She set her hooves on the ground. "I'm going to really push."

"That's more like it!" cried Immovable with a sudden happy grin. "I'm glad you're finally taking me--this seriously!"

Prickle took a slow cleansing breath before she set both her forehooves on both of Immovable's shoulders. "Let me know if it hurts, alright?"

Immovable's right ear quirked to the side. "Why do you care so much?"

"I don't like hurting friends." Prickle gave a little smile, then leaned into the push. Scootaloo barely had time to dive out of the way as a tremendous shockwave of force ripped up the ground around and behind Immovable, but Immovable wasn't herself budged an inch. Where her body directly touched the ground was unharmed and she was unmoved.

"You'll have to try harder than that," mocked Immovable. "At least I can feel you trying now. Is that your best?"

Prickle grunted with mounting frustration. The idea that there was something she couldn't move rubbed her in all the wrong ways. She redoubled her efforts, the earth exploding out behind her as she dug in her hindhooves and pressed all the more firmly against Immovable, who was living up to her name quite well.

Suddenly, Prickle fell forward. The ground beneath her had given way completely and she flopped gracelessly against Immovable.

Immovable grabbed Prickle, holding her up from falling into the hole of her own making. "Nice try, TT, but even you can't move me."

Scootaloo rubbed behind her head. "Uh, alright, so... are we done now?"

Prickle gave a little nervous laugh. "Well, uh, you beat me?"

Immovable let Prickle drop, looking stunned. "You're not mad?"

Prickle picked herself up from the dirt and shook herself out. "Why should I be? Nopony was hurt." She hopped easily up to the lip of the crater she had made. "That was... fun in a way. I usually can't let go like that without hurting something."

Immovable finally moved. She stood up on the little column of earth that had survived due to her presence. "That's not how this is supposed to work! Your failure should gnaw on your psyche and you should be fuming and cursing the fates for not being strong enough!"

Scootaloo rolled a hoof lightly. "Actually, I planned to show her how to ride a scooter. Do you mind if we get back to that?"

"Silence!" Immovable thrust a hoof at Scootaloo. "Super ponies are talking right now."

Prickle frowned. "She is super! You shouldn't pick on her, or you're just as bad as your bullies."

Immovable flinched back in surprise. "Oh, there's a little anger. Very well then. I accept this victory of the battle, but the war has not yet ended! When the war is over, we will know what happens with an unstoppable force meets an unmovable object!" She spread her wings wide and took off into the air, flapping away while cackling wildly.

Scootaloo watched her go a moment. "She has earth pony blood."

"You think?"

"It's so obvious." She snorted softly, then waved for Prickle to follow her. They had scooters to ride.

Author's Note:

Best showdown ever, right?

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Comments

[Alzrius]

Opal rolled her eyes in disgust at the entire affair.

Oh, Opal. Never stop being you.

What do you like to do.

Replace that period with a question mark.

Scootaloo barely had time to dive out of the way as a tremendous shockwave of force ripped up the ground around and behind Immovable, but she wasn't herself budged an inch.

There are two spaces between "time" and "to."

I'm also not sure you need "of force" after "shockwave"; isn't it assumed to be force unless you tell us otherwise?

Also, I'm not sure that there's anything grammatically wrong with "but her wasn't herself budged an inch," but it sounds a bit awkward. I'd make it "but she herself hadn't moved an inch."

[Revan]

And now a new chapter unfolds...

[David Silver]

8126789 Typos forced to get through Immovable. They shouldn't bother us again.

[Booster Spice]

Intresting. Says is Immovable, and there is a stand of ground surviving, suggesting a tie to the core of Equus itself, which means is using Geocentric Magic. Intresting get out since my first reaction to someone claiming to be Immovable, is to see what happens when you try and move the planet away from them. Either they are immovable relative to spacetime, where they get left behind and move, or they stay with the planet and so move, or they stay with the planet, which is locked to spacetime, and the universe bends.

Sort of like the Hur'rikku device that Alan Dean Foster uses in one story?

[tsaukpaetra]

They could make a good team! A living Thor's hammer and one to wield her!
Keep going! ;)

[Chris Kingsley]

8127194 This a very sensible suggestion, right up until the point I realized you suggested moving the planet to test a hypothesis. I've listened to way too much Vogon poetry to even think about submitting orbital body adjustment permits 1 through 50, let alone doing it again to move everything back...

[Booster Spice]

8127221

If you want how to deal with Vogon beur, bur, bow, all that paperwork, theres a story on here somewhere where the antagonist deliberately missapplies with a wrongly coded form. Causes a paradox cascade through the whole system.

Form filled in Kung Fu,
Goes wrong.
Paperwork eats itself.

[Rhulain]

If she can't be pushed, what would happen if Prickle tried to lift her? Does her power tie her to the ground, or is it she just subconsciously exerts an equal opposing force against anything.

Also her 'tragic backstory' is that she sat in a road and let ponies hit her. Real Spider-Man stuff there

[Morphy]

8127390

So if Prickle just digs under and shoves the ground Immovable is sitting on, does that count or is it a cheating loophole?

Still not really sure how not being moved is a super power, mmm, kinda like that one fellow, Balloon Boy.

[Chrome Masquerade]

It was a clash of immovable object and nearly irresistible force.
I guess you could say that Immovable was something of a... block-head!

[Greenhorn]

Does this mean she is invincible in hoof wrestling?

[Daremo]

So they flied around - So they flew around (Please disregard if this is simply how Scootaloo speaks.)

---

I was expecting friendship hugs between kindred souls, but maybe in the next chapter.

[David Silver]

8127665 Not moving would stop you from losing, but how do you win?

[Matoal]

8127961 wait them out until they're tired. Then move.

[zalla661]

I like how Scoots just associates stubborn and unmovable to earth ponies. Way to play the race card scoots.

[FnordBear]

This story is a delight to read.

No criticism, just stream of consciousness after binging the whole thing during a slow day at work.

Who is Prickle's father?

So she has super strength but not the durability to go with it...I hope she knows to hold something back or she could tear her own body apart.

The Twilight treats an extraordinary pony as a science project instead of a person pony trope is alive and well!

Starlight and Twilight should be brought up on charges of reckless endangerment for that duel. Spike as an accessory.

I ship Prickle and Silver.

Really curious as to how the immovable pegasus works...does he become a fixed point in spacetime? If so would't the normal rotation of the planet jack him up big time (assuming a non-geocentric universe).

Who did Fluttershy body swap with? Inquiring Equine Minds want to know?!

When you fight monsters you have to be careful not to become the monster...I hope Prickle can handle it if she ever has to put down an opponent for good. That's heavy stuff for a filly.

A training montage where Prickle learns to do tricks with her powers (like the ground stomp, hoof clap, paperfireballs, etc.)

What is Junebug on and where can I get some?

I took my nightly meds and am rambling.Please keep up this fun story! Also on a side note totally picked up a copy of Ponyfinder and plan to incorporate elements in to my campaign

[Truthseeker]

Not much of a power, but it was amusing.