Cloudy with a chance of Floof
The door to Alchemiracles's laboratory creaked open as Juniper poked her head in. She went through her mental checklist before entering: Is anything on fire? Did she have a lab coat and goggles? Was anything capable of becoming a projectile tied down? And did she hear any strange noises?
Deciding that the coast was clear, the pegasus pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped into the room. She was immediately greeted by the common sight of her mentor standing over his cauldron, stirring the mixing rod with his hooves. She'd asked him once why he didn't use his magic, and he told her that his method was how Meadowbrook had taught him, and he just preferred it.
“Oh, hey Juniper!” Arca stepped down from his position and faced his apprentice. “You're just in time! I'm having another go at my famous mane growth potion!” He grinned, only for Juniper to turn around and walk out of the lab, slamming the door in his face. “Oh come on, why is that always your reaction? Juniper!” He rapped on the door with a hoof. “Please? Just this once?” No response. “Fine, I'll just… make something else.” Sighing, Arca lifted the cauldron and the green potion inside it in his magic and went to dump it out the window.
“Quack.”
“Wait, what?!” Arca set the cauldron down and peered out the window, only to touch his muzzle to the bill of his arch nemesis.
“Quack.”
“Potions be damned, it's DUCK HUNT TIME!” Arca leapt out the window to grab The Duck, only to faceplant into the mud. Rain poured down around him from the current storm that was going on, soaking his clothes, but he could care less as his mind was dead set on one purpose. Unfortunately, the splatter of mud startled The Duck, and it flew off into the clouds.
“Hey, get down here and fight me like a real immortal, you coward! Projectile, I need a projectile! Aha!” He reached back inside with his magic, levitating the cauldron outside. “This ought to put a dent in that annoying waterfowl! Take… this!” Without thinking, he launched the cauldron and its contents into the air, missing his target by several dozen yards. It did, however, impact the giant cluster of storm clouds covering the town before falling back to the ground, turning them all the same sickly green color of the mane growth potion that the cauldron contained.
“Uh, oh. That's not good. Juniper is not gonna be happy with me about this…” Taking the cauldron once more in his magic, Arca teleported back inside his home just before the first potion-infused drops of rain began to fall…
Mayor Silver Scroll was walking down market street when he noticed the clouds above him change color from dark gray to green. Odd weather was commonplace with the rainbow liquid occasionally falling from the clouds as rain instead of waterfalls, but this was new. And new phenomena usually meant Arca was in some way responsible, and Arca being involved meant take cover as soon as possible. It was too late, though, as the first of the green raindrops hit the ground so soon only those with teleportation could have dodged it.
Many ponies wandering the street looked up as the colored droplets fell. But their attention soon turned to each other as they began scratching at their heads. Silver felt it too, and a feeling of dread washed over him as he realized that he more likely than not was about to suffer another floofing dose of the most infamous potion in town.
“Oh, no… Arca ‘s gone and done it again. I wish I had an umbrella.”
Suddenly, his old, snowy white mane began to shake and vibrate with energy. His mane shot straight up and extended so he had a massive pillar of hair extending three feet above his head. With a mighty floof, the pillar of hair extended out in a mushroom shape, forming an umbrella of hair above his head. His tail followed a similar suit, poomfing out and creating a second umbrella-like clump of hair. Unfortunately, the wind picked up, and Silver gripped the ground with his earth pony strength to prevent being pulled away.
Other ponies weren't so lucky, being blown backwards or even lifted off the ground a bit before being tossed around by the wind and rain. A few unlucky souls had their new umbrella-manes get turned inside out by strong gusts or being thrown into flower beds and storefronts alike. Some brave pegasi tried to halt the storm, but their attempts were doomed to fail from the start.
Silver was just extracting himself from a table when a familiar pony trotted up. Perched on the back of this pony was The Duck, who was sporting a magnificent head of golden blond hair. “Quack.” Even its voice had changed to sound suave.
“Well, looks like you need some help, Silver. Thank goodness I know a force field spell to keep myself dry from all this,” Arca said. “And look at this cool duck I found! He was just chilling around my lab.” Silver rolled his eyes as he nodded to indicate he needed help. A flash of metal and Arcane had unceremoniously sheared off his mane and tail. He proceeded to do this to the various ponies present, one by one leaving them exposed, before coming back over to Silver. “There! Problem solved! Aren't I smart?” He tossed away the knife he was using to cut everypony's manes off, accidentally shearing off The Duck's impressive new hairdo. This also reset its voice.
“Quack.”
“WAIT, IT WAS YOU IN DISGUISE THE WHOLE TIME!? GET OFF MY BACK, YOU FREELOADER!”
“Quack.”
“HOLD STILL!” Arca rolled to get The Duck off his back, managing to soak himself in the rain. This resulted in him becoming a ball of hair, ensnaring The Duck and tumbling down market street, off a cliff, and into the basin below with a distant thud.
“I'm okay!”
“Quack.”
“Shut up, you damn duck!”
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Another chapter that was just ducky.
Say, what does that mane-growth potion do to the sister's manes? It's not quite hair after all, would they end up with conventional pink and blue manes respectively, or would they look like walking nebulae as the potion spreads the effect to their fur? Either way, I'm sure Nick would be fascinated to find out.
You misspelled ‘with’ in the chapter title.
9502410
I thought I made this pretty clear across both stories, but why do you think thoer manes are like that? They just liked it enough that they had Arca make permanent variants of that 'failed' formula.
That was bad and you should feel horrible about it
9502410
Celetia’s would be cool. Would actually be interested in seeing that.
Luna’s though...
The thought of all those stars, galaxies, black holes, scares me...
9502427
Ah, I suppose we'll just have to chalk that one up to my shoddy memory then.
So what would it do to Nick?
I wonder how Fluttershy would react to an immortal duck
9502443
Considering Fluttershy’s attitude to animals, the fact it’s immortal and how ponies deify immortals, and the destructive tendencies it brings out in certain individuals...
"Ha, you both clearly see it this time around.
I think two of you have something to say to me."
"Sorry for getting angry about at you"
"Same here"
"I should go and check what is going on there. I wouldn't be a good princess if I didn't. I think Rainbow has a day off or two. I'll go ask her real fast."
9502435
On pony Nick, what you would expect.
On human Nick, it would just effect all the hair he does have.... and I just made my self sick. To those who read this comment, sorry for image.
Never mess with Arcane. Seriously. He's nuts.
There's a thought. Has Twilight ever met Arca before?
And Spike and Juniper bonding over having crazy scientist bosses.
9502859
If Twilight would ever meet Arca, then all hell would break loose.
Hm. Twilight could use a floof potion. Also vine:
"Honey, you've got a big storm coming."
Argh
Did you know it's actually raining where I'm at?
9502955
One of the definitions of being alive from what I remember is the ability to reproduce/clone itself. Also, just because something mimics being alive, like fire, does NOT mean that it is in fact alive. I would honestly say that "Fire" does a better job of being a non-standard secret life form IMHO.
I just...what? I don't even think I am 100% sure what I just read o.o;
9504223 Life still has a rather messy definition, and every now and then gets a retooling when we find something that doesn't exactly fit, and yet appears in all other respects very much alive.
Like lawyers.
I believe they were lumped into the Fungi.
yes arca yes!
Don’t you mean shut the duck up!
I have a feeling philosopher's stones give a dose of pinkieness considering that both arcane and the duck have the power of the stones and are impossible
Wait... I just realized something.
Arca made a partial success in this chapter the umbrella manes and it didn't immediately fall out!
Also! Arca's notes about experiment 420 was correct! He had the correct mane growth potion! But it only worked for The Duck!
#MissingThePointOnPurpose
"Juniper, yes. Just... yes."
While Arca does want to take The Duck's power, it can't hold a sword, and... I mean I GUESS Arca probably owns at least one sword, and could probably summon it, and knows how to use it, but it seems very have far down his list of preferred options.
For anyone who doesn't get it: Highlander.
If you still don't get it... Look that movie up. It isn't great IMHO, but it IS a classic... or something.