• Published 2nd Feb 2017
  • 5,079 Views, 888 Comments

Prickle Berry Tries to Be Careful - David Silver



Prickle didn't ask to become so strong, but it just happened. Now, as a growing foal, she's mightier than many grown stallions. What's an earth-filly to do? She tries her best to move forward and not draw attention to her supernatural strength.

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5 - Being Alone

Prickle sniffled softly in the darkness of the alley, laying beside her outfit that she had peeled herself free of. The thought that she had... hurt... maybe worse...

She sat up, shivering. What if it had been so much worse than hurting. What if...

A whimpering noise came from her without her even knowing she was making it before it had already come out.

"Prickle?" An older female stepped into view, her outline visible against the light of the street. "Did something happen?" It was her mother, approaching at a slow pace. "Prickle, come here." She sounded concerned.

Prickle lashed out a hoof, knocking her discarded outfit away in a pile of trash that made quite the racket. "I-I'm here." She stood up, quivering.

Junebug smiled as she closed the distance. "My poor filly, what happened? Was somepony mean to you about... that?"

Prickle winced visibly. "N-n..." She stopped. How could she explain what had really happened? "Yes..."

"It's alright." Junebug put a leg over her daughter and pulled her close, squeezing. "It's alright..."

Prickle felt the comfort of her mother, but it seemed... empty. Did she deserve that comfort if she'd hurt that pony? She really was every bit the horror that Diamond Tiara had drilled into her that she was. She gave a little cry that mixed with a cough and pushed Junebug away.

The act sent Junebug crashing against the far wall, Prickle far from a controlled state of mind. Prickle watched with mounting horror as Junebug slid to the ground, dazed. "I..." She couldn't stay. She fled. She didn't even dare jump. She just ran and ran.

She found herself in a new safe place with fresh things to cry about, which is exactly what she set herself to doing.

"Prickle?"

Prickle didn't hear who it was, and didn't care. "Stay away!" she shouted in a mixture of terror and anger. "Stay away..."

Scootaloo emerged into sight around the corner. "Huh? Everything alright, Prickle? Where's your suit?"

Prickle looked down at herself, teeth clenching. "I don't... I don't need it anymore."

Scootaloo wasn't the swiftest pony in the city when it came to emotions, but even she could see Prickle was a mess. "What's wrong?"

"What's right?!" Prickle bounced to her trembling hooves. "I-- hurt a filly, and my mom, and I'm terrible."

Scootaloo perked an ear. "Hurt? The way I hear it, you saved her from a burning building! If you weren't there, she would be..." She rolled a hoof. "You know, a lot worse than a little hurt. You saved Silver Spoon."

Prickle blinked, sinking to her haunches in shock. "It was Silver Spoon?"

"Yeah? Weren't you there?" Scootaloo came closer. "She's alright, thanks to you."

Prickle gave a distressed laugh. "After all those years... I save her." She looked up at Scootaloo. "She's safe?"

"Uh huh." Scootaloo smiled. "You did it. You really did it, as a hero."

Prickle glanced left and right. "Where... are the others?"

Scootaloo pointed out of the alley. "Looking for you, I bet. Let's go find them."

Prickle lifted a hoof. "N-not so fast. I..." She licked her lips. "I have to find my mom."

"Huh? What for?" Scootaloo sat on her haunches, wings fluttering a moment. "Coming out about the whole super hero thing?"

Prickle winced drastically. "No! I... hurt her. I was a stupid mean monster and shoved her!"

Scootaloo blinked at it. "You were clumsy, but not mean." She smiled and stood back up. "Let's find your mom and apologize. I bet she'll be glad to see you."

"Have you?"

"Huh, have I what?" Scootaloo peered at her new friend with obvious confusion.

"Have you ever hurt your mom, even on accident?"

Scootaloo grinned a lopsided grin. "This one time, I was so sure I could fly if I just started higher... so I climbed up on the roof and ran for the edge and jumped! Wind whistling in my ears, I realized pretty quick I had messed up. My dad caught me, said I came in like a little pony rocket. He had to go to the doctor... I was so sorry! But... he's still my dad. He forgave me, and I promised to not do that again." She left out the many other things she had done with the CMC after that. "That's what family is for."

Prickle winced in time with the impact in the story, but a little smile began to emerge after that. "Let's... go say sorry. I didn't mean to hurt her."

"Of course not! I mean, even Diamond Tiara would never hurt her mom on purpose. C'mon!" She waved to the exit of the alley and they got to walking towards Prickle's house.

On the way, they ran into the other crusaders. Sweetie rushed up beside Prickle. "So what's it like t'be a super hero?!"

Scootaloo thrust out a hoof. "Ix-nay on the uperhero-say."

Sweetie blinked dumbly. "What?"

Prickle shook her head as she walked. "We can... talk about that later. I have to talk to my mother first."

The group quieted as they arrived at Prickle's little comfy house.

Prickle clopped on the door lightly, as timid as Fluttershy might. "Mom?"

The door swung open quickly, revealing Junebug. "Prickle! I thought you... Are you alright?!"

Prickle took half a step back. "You're not mad?"

Junebug reached for Prickle and slowly brought her closer. "You need to be more careful, my little hedgehog, but no, I'm not mad at you. You'll never stop being my daughter."

The hug became a mutual thing, even if Prickle had to be careful about her side of the hug. Junebug gently raised Prickle's chin. "Now who are these little fillies you've brought home?" It seemed unlikely that she, or any pony in Ponyville, didn't know the CMC, but she was being polite.

Apple Bloom waved. "Hey there! M'name's Apple Bloom. This here's Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo." Each pony dipped their head as they were called. "Mighty fine t'meet ya."

Junebug nodded in kind. "The pleasure's mine. It's good to see Prickle's gotten some new friends. Come inside, I'll make some sandwiches for everyone." She turned and headed inside, and soon all were seated at the table.

Sweetie looked around curiously a moment before her eyes fixated on something. "Hey..."

Junebug looked up at the noise and followed Sweetie's eyes. "I had... planned to ask about this later." She pulled Prickle's outfit clear of the cupboard it had been hastily stuffed into. "Is there something you want to tell me about, Prickle Berry?"

Prickle locked right up. "It's not what you think!"

Junebug sniffed at it lightly. "Why does it smell like it was on fire?"

Scootaloo thrust up a hoof. "I can answer that! If it's alright?"

Junebug raised a brow.

"She saved Silver Spoon!" gushed Scootaloo.

Junebug paled. "S-saved?" She sniffed again. "From a fire?!" She spun on Prickle. "My little hedgehog! You... you could... Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!" There were tears building in her eyes. "I don't even know what I'd do... Prickle..."

Prickle hopped down from her chair. "No."

Junebug blinked at the bluntness. "No what?"

Prickle thrust a hoof out the door. "I had to! If... If... I didn't... Silver Spoon would be dead! Dead!" Her voice had turned into a scream as she got towards the end. "I saved her..."

Junebug's mouth worked silently as she tried to find a good response for that specifically. "Some other pony could have--"

"No!" Prickle hopped forward. "They were trying, but by the time they got there..." She looked up at Junebug with wide eyes. "If... I can do something good... shouldn't I?"

The CMC were silent, watching the two debate and not daring to slide in a word edgewise.

Junebug took a slow breath before she laid down on her belly. "Prickle, come here." Prickle did so, defiant, but not so much as to ignore that order. Junebug pulled her closer and half-curled around her. "My precious little Prickle... I just don't want you to be hurt. I love you."

Prickle gave a little smile. "I love you too, mom, but you... you told me. Ponies that can... do good things... should." She nuzzled into her mother's chest, getting tears into the fur. "I'll be careful..."

Junebug suddenly gave the CMC an intense look. "You'll be careful." Her words were in reply to Prickle, but she was looking directly at the other fillies.

Apple Bloom swallowed audibly. "W-we'll try our best, honest!"

Sweetie Belle bobbed her head. "It was my sister's idea to make that suit fire resistant."

Junebug winced. "I'm... glad she thought of that." The horror of imagining her beloved filly in a raging inferno was still terrible. "Prickle." Prickle looked up at her. "I want you to think about this, long and hard. Make sure it's... what you really want to do." She slid up to her hooves and got back to making their snacks. "If it's what you... really want to do, then I will support you, as your mother. Just don't forget how sad I'll be if you get hurt, so please... be careful."

Sandwiches were soon served, filled with delicious flowers that were eagerly chomped up by the crusaders. Prickle ate sedately at first before her body reminded her how much work it had done and insisted with a loud rumble that she get to feeding it. She blushed a little and picked up her pace, abating the hunger that all that labor had produced.

"Now go on and play with your friends," insisted Junebug. "And think about what I asked you to."

"Yes mom..." Prickle stepped outside with the others and the door closed gently behind them.

Sweetie Belle tilted her head. "That could have been worse."

Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. "Ya have permission t'be a super hero now!"

Scootaloo thrust a hoof into the air. "Now you can tell us what happened?! C'mon, please? I've been waiting all day!" She bounced up and down in place. "What was it like?"

Prickle cracked a little smile at Scootaloo's energy. "Well, so I arrived at the town hall." The more she went into the story, the more their eyes were sparkling with awe, the good kind. She felt better with every sentence and began even adding little embellishments that got gasps and cries of joy out of the crusaders. By the end, she was doing a crazy daredevil run through a maze of fire before she escaped just in the nick of time with the limp Silver Spoon. "And that's how I saved the day."

All three of them thunderously stomped their hooves on the ground. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom cheered aloud at the exploit.

Author's Note:

Who's alone? Not Prickle. Shine on, you lovely little mutant!

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