Prickle Berry Tries to Be Careful

by David Silver

53 - End Episode 12 - And the Winner Is...

Rolling Thunder returned to the back, heaving but grinning. "Nothing like a good workout to get the blood moving! I've crushed all your attempts."

Big Momma crossed her forelegs. "They haven't told any of us that. You'll have to wait for the announcements with the rest of us."

"Small Packages!"

Small bounced in place, soaring over Prickle easily and bounding towards the stage. "My turn, finally! Wish me luck, not that I'll need it, Titan."

Fulcrum raised a hoof before twirling it in a circle. "So, how did you actually do?"

"Fifteen," was all his reply as if that was enough. Rolling settled beside his mare accessory and gave her a peck on the cheek.

Big inclined her head. "Lifts? Lost points? Seconds on the fortitude? Fifteen is not helpful, colt. Stop sassing us." Her eyes fell to Prickle. "Now you, young one. I imagine you might not have done so well in the fortitude contest, and that's alright. Growing muscles can often fail there. You will improve."

Prickle let out a strained laugh. "Oh, yeah... I didn't last any time at all..." Knowing they had opted to not even administer the test on her, that much was true. "I'll... get better..." She wasn't sure how much better she wanted to be right that moment.

She gave a kindly smile. "Young heroes often push too hard, and they played a dirty trick. If you went for the ultimate lift, it cost you in fortitude. Was that it, went as hard as you could in the first?"

"O-oh, yeah... actually, yeah..." Prickle rubbed her hooves together in a fidget. "It messed up the fortitude."

"We learn from our mistakes," she assured. "Now let's wait for Miss Packages to finish and we'll see what will come of our competition."

Prickle tried to calm herself, listening to the crowd cheering and calling for Small Packages. Maybe they would just disqualify her. Would that be better, or worse? She fidgeted all the more, awaiting her sentence.

Small returned, panting like a little dog, but with a triumphant beaming smile. "Ha ha! Let's see if any of you topped that!"

Big Momma gestured to the stage. "I imagine they're figuring that out right now. Aside from the lifts, most of the others require some judging from the panel to determine how well we did."

Rolling gave a snort, sitting up. "They better not give extra points for being cute."

Small stuck out her tongue. "If they do, Titan here automatically wins."

Big tapped Small on the noggin. "But they do not. Let's try to be calm a moment."

Prickle's cheeks warmed. "I think Momma's cuter..."

Big Momma burst into merry laughter. "You've just made my day, win or lose." She rose up to stand, sides quaking with her mirth. "It was a grand time, no matter what the results say."

"Everyone!" came Bulk's holler.

All the contestants made for the stage, some more eagerly than others. Prickle let the others go in front of her, taking small hesitant steps.

The crowd cheered as each hero stepped into view, but the volume clearly rose as Prickle stepped into view. Her cheeks burned and her eyes remained glued to the stage, unwilling to look up at all.

Small nudged her peer in size. "Hey, listen to that. They sure seem to think ya did fine."

Fleur was already on the stage, smiling and holding a scroll in her magic beside her head. "It seems the judges have made a unique decision. Well, perhaps unique is a strong word, it's happened once before, I'm told." She tapped at the scroll. "One of the contestants must be removed from the roster. Titan, come here please."

Titan's world shrank. Darkness clouded her vision. She took tiny steps towards Fleur, everything shaking as she did so. Her panic built to such a level that the act of walking proved too much and she tripped and collapsed a short distance ahead of Fleur.

The elegant unicorn tilted her head and her horn shone, pulling Titan the rest of the way across the smooth floor. "There we are. Tiny Titan, you have won a very special medal." From the center of the roll came a pin. "Awarded only once before. This is the Atlas Avatar pin. You are no weight lifter. The world is on your shoulders, and you can lift it." She lowered the pin of a pony with a lovingly rendered globe of Equestria held on its withers between outreached arms and affixed it beside Titan's entry pin.

The crowd went wild with cheering and stomping, shaking the room with the force of it. Fleur smiled at the dishevelled Prickle. "Now let's see here, ah..." She was reading directly from the scroll. "We would like to encourage great care be practiced with such immense power. As the pin shows, the world is in your hooves, treat it with love."

Rolling thumped his chest. "That's all fine and whatever, but what did I win?"

Fleur gently nudged Prickle aside to approach the other competitors. "Winner of the lifts, Rolling Thunder!" She gestured at the laureled stallion. "Master of the course, Fulcrum Shift! Queen of Endurance and mistress of explosive power, Big Momma!" She did not include Prickle's performances at all. She was simply not in the counting. "And, winner of best overall showing, she may not have won any of the single events, but she scored the most cumulative points, Small Packages!" To each victor came a pin for each category they won. Big Momma scoring two such pins. "You were all fantastic, let's hear a round of applause for our terrific competition!"

The crowd was happy to deliver that, stomping on the ground, clopping their hooves together and calling out in wild cheers.

Prickle sat, watching everyone else stand together. She was not part of them. She was a freak. She was alone. On quivering legs she stood and burst away in a sudden gallop, fleeing the stage.

Immovable's eyes never left Prickle. She saw her dash off and tilted her head. "They're not done--" she spoke to herself as she stepped, started weaving through the crowd. "Wait up!"

She did not find Prickle in the back. She did not find Prickle out in the main hall. "Where are you..."

"Hey," came Small Package's voice as she emerged from the crowd. "Did you see where Tiny Titan went?"

"That's who I'm looking for!" Immovable snorted softly. "She just ran off. Did you see which way she went?"

Small shook her head. "'Fraid not. She ran off while we were being pinned and I didn't get a chance to see much but her tail as she dashed off stage. You're her sidekick, what's got her so down? She won the biggest prize they have!"

Prickle's issues were not Immovable's, and she lifted her shoulders. "I'd be pretty happy about it. I mean, look." She put a hoof to her invulnerable pin. "I won this and like almost no one wins this! I'm super pumped!"

Small leaned in to get a look at it. "Wow, good going girl. S Class, that isn't a joke... But really, we should find Tiny. Shoot, I just wanted to tell her I ain't even mad about her winning the whole thing."

Immovable beamed at that. "I have the best mentor! You shoulda seen her. She was so strong they didn't even know what to do."

Small burst into laughter. "I hope they recorded that. I want to see what she did."

Immovable's grin spread wider. "She just kept lifting! Lift, lift, liiift! She wasn't even slowing down. They had to stop her! She coulda kept going maybe forever."

Small sank to her haunches. "How... many did she do before they stopped her?"

Immovable bobbed her head in time with her internal counting. "She was just pumping it, not even knowing how amazing she was being. Mmm... I lost track..."

"How... did... Look, that's not important." Small waved a hoof. "We should find her. I don't know what's eating her, but we won't find out here."

"Right." Immovable spread her wings. "Want to get a bird's eye view?"

Small bounced up onto Immovable and soon they were above the hall, gazing down on it. "Dang pegasi, cheating!"

"Don't be jealous." Immovable stuck out her tongue as she banked to the left. "You did good too."

"I didn't get one of the elite pins! Shoot. I ain't afraid to admit I'm a little jealous..." She squeezed Immovable from above. "And a team! Two elites in a team?! There should be a law against that..."

"We are Opposing Forces," spoke Immovable with swelling pride. "Of course we're an equal match, or it wouldn't work. My Tiny Titan can move anything, but with me she has to get clever. I can take anything... but Tiny Titan can move me." She glanced over her shoulder at Small. "I hope she's alright..."

"We'll find her, promise." Small had nothing to validate her claim but a willingness to keep looking. "We're heroes, right? Let's get to saving a pony."

Author's Note:

I feel like this is the end of this episode. Prickle needs to face her issues. The convention has little more to offer her at the moment. What do you think? Lemme know.

You could have your story written by joining the atreon!

Join my discord to chat!

Comments

[badninja]

We need Pinkie stat!!! She would help cheer up Prickle fast and find a way help with her with her self confidence.

[Alzrius]

Congratulations on having this story featured on the front page! You earned it!

[StormDancer]

I am definitely starting to agree that Fluer needs a bit more training for her role. Not that she's bad, just that she could be better.

But dang! Nice work Titan! I rather wonder who the other one was.
And, by the end of this, Immovable should be awfully proud of herself; both for her accomplishment as well as for going after (and caring about) Titan.

[David Silver]

8308565
Hee, update features are nice features. Your story is well worth the reading as well, good sir. I am up to date on that. I feel guilty for not saying more! Nice twist on the last chapter, I can say that with confidence.

[RadicalDishonesty]

If it's the end of the episode, it's a two parter...

I'd say that unless Prickle gets away and there is no talk, then it's not really the end of this story branch.

[Alzrius]

8308586 Aw, thanks!

[Seether00]

Prickle needs to start listening to what others are telling her and get over it.

[Booster Spice]

Big difference between a mature adult super hero and a fresh child whos been bullied so much.

Such are villains made.

[Daremo]

side quaking - sides quaking

volume clearly raised - volume clearly rose

not even know - not even knowing

---

This self esteem issue is starting to feel more in need of professional intervention in addition to the love and support from friends and family. Poor Prickle... I hope she hasn't done anything foolish.

[tsaukpaetra]

After all the excitement Prickle needs to Zen out for a bit.
Still, she's just a filly, she'll grow eventually...
Keep going! ;)

[Greenhorn]

Prickle is a reluctant hero who thought becoming a hero would let her be less of a freak she thought she is. So far, she still could not find confident and pride in her path of hero. She need someone/something that would inspire her.

[Majk]

Awwww nuts, crushing insecurity sucks. Also nuts: catching up with the story.
Prickle is awesome because she tickles all my super hero fantasies when i was widdle. So good.

[Lancerlot]

"Awarded only once before. This is the Atlas Avatar pin. You are no weight lifter. The world is on your shoulders, and you can lift it."

Prickle Berry should meet the other winner. She needs a peer group, even if it's just the two of them.

[Divine Path]

Yeah, this is pretty mortifying for Prickle for good reason. At least she has positive reinforcement coming her way.