Regression: Isekai of Equestria

by JackofEquestria

Chapter 25: Feeling Pinkie Keen (Last Edited: 8/12/2022)

August 15, 2020

Sugar Cube Corner

When Pinkie Pie brought Oni-Hime back to Ponyville, it had taken a lot of explaining to get her settled. First, her records had to be squared away at the Town Hall with Cheerilee and Mayor Mare. Needless to say, she had gotten a stern talking to from both about forgery and going into the forest without supervision.

The Cakes had been surprisingly open to the idea of allowing her to stay. The more hooves, the merrier Carrot Cake had said. It wasn't too hard for Oni-Hime to tell why he was eager to have another pony to help around the shop. She could sense two life forces coming from his wife, Cup Cake. She estimated the foal was about 7 months along and would be due sometime next January.

Today was a Sunday, so she didn't have to worry about classes. In fact, she could have slept in if she wanted. However, she had work to do. She now had Jack's trust, but she would need more than that to please her father. Plus, simple friendship with the human wasn't good enough for her.

Stretching out her wings, she hopped out of her bed and scurried down to the kitchen where Pinkie Pie was making breakfast.

"Good morning, Sakura," Pinkie cheerfully greeted. "Wanna Pop-Tart?"

"Nani?" asked Oni-Hime.

"Pop-Tarts," Pinkie said with her mouth full. Gulping the toaster pastry down, she said, "it's one of the human foods the Navy brought back from their last expedition to the Lowcountry. It's strawberry flavored!"

"That sounds good," Oni-Hime answered.

Grabbing one of the pastries, Oni-Hime sat down at the counter. "Itadakimasu!"

"Good, right?" Pinkie asked as the Oni-Hime took a bite.

Oni-Hime swallowed the Pop-Tart and smiled cutely, "hai!"

"Great!" Pinkie exclaimed. "There are a few things I need to do today. You're welcome to tag along, though."

"Ok," Oni-Hime agreed.

Fluttershy's Cottage

"So, what's on tap for today, Flutters?" Jack asked as he peeled a banana.

"The frogs in the pond have gotten overpopulated," Fluttershy said. "I was thinking about taking some of them down to Froggy Bottom Bog. There, they'll have plenty of space to hop and swim to their heart's content."

"All right, sounds good," Jack said with a shrug.

Hill near Ponyville Town Square

Shining Armor watched as his sister practiced her magic on Spike. The dragon in question stood with his arms resting on a walking stick and a rock balanced on his head. Twilight grunted as her horn glowed, and a suit appeared on Spike, and the walking stick transformed into a cane. Spike briefly looked down to admire his outfit.

"Eyes over here, Spike!" Twilight complained.

"Uh, sorry," Spike replied.

"For this to work..." Twilight started as she transformed the rock into a top hat. "It's crucial we keep our concentration totally on the…"

"Ooh!" said a voice, distracting Spike long enough to break the spell, turning the hat back into a rock.

"Nyuh!" Spike said as the rock slammed into his head, and he collapsed.

"Spike!" Twilight complained again. "This magic needs our full attention to make it happen. There's no other way!"

"I can't help it. Look!" Spike said, pointing to where Pinkie Pie was wearing an umbrella hat and noisily ducking behind any object she could find as she made her way through town, Sakura Blossom closely following an embarrassed blush.

"That is pretty distracting," Shining Armor noted. "I feel kinda bad for that filly."

"Ugh, never mind her," Twilight said as the Pinkie got out from under a rock. "She's just being Pinkie Pie."

"Super-extra Pinkie Pie today," Spike said, scratching his head.

Pinkie's tail began to shake like a cheerleader's palm palm. "Hmm... Twitchy twitcha twitcha twitch," she said as Sakura hid her face.

"This is embarrassing," Sakura thought. "What if Jack-sama or some other foal from class sees me?"

"Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked as she, Spike, and Shining Armor walked over. "What in the wide, wide world of Equestria are you up to?"

"Jibun o bakanisuru," Sakura Blossom muttered.

"Oh! It's my tail! It's my tail!" Pinkie said, lifting her fluffy pink tail. "It's a-twitch a-twitchin'! And you know what that means!"

"You have fleas?" asked Shining Armor.

"No, silly, it means my Pinkie Sense is telling me something's about to fall!" Pinkie exclaimed, jumping in the air. "You guy's should take cover."

"She's crazy," Sakura said, moving her left hoof in circular motions next to her ear.

"Oh, Pinkie, it's not gonna rain. Why there's barely even a cloud in the-ugh!" Twilight said as a frog landed on her face.

"Ribbit."

"He just said, "nice catch" in frog," Pinkie giggled.

"You all right, Twi?" chuckled Jack as he pulled up on a bicycle, pulling a small wagon full of frogs.

"Oh, I'm so, so sorry. You ok, Twilight Sparkle?" asked Fluttershy, who was flying above them with her own cart of frogs and several baskets. "I just couldn't stand to see the pond getting so over-populated, what with the frogs all hopping into each other and all, so I decided to fly as many as I can on over to Froggy Bottom Bog," she explained to Twilight, who continued to glare as the frog crawled down her neck.

"Of course you did," Twilight muttered.

"Bye-bye!" Fluttershy said as she flew off.

"See you later," Jack said as he followed.

"Um... Twilight? You gotta little something on your face there," Pinkie pointed out.

"Oh, really? Did your Pinkie Sense tell you that, too?" Twilight asked sarcastically.

"Nah! I could just see it," Pinkie said before leaving with Sakura. "La-la-la-la-la..."

"This Pinkie sense could be problematic," Sakura thought to herself as she and Pinkie walked down the street. "If it's even real. But how would I test this?"

"Twitchy Tail!" Pinkie exclaimed before running back to where Twilight, Spike, and Shining Armor were.

"My tail! My tail!" Pinkie shouted upon reaching Twilight. "Twitch-a-twitch! Twitch-a-twitch! Somethin else is gonna fall!"

"I suppose if she ends up being correct this time, it may be worth looking into," Sakura thought.

"Oh, Pinkie, please," Twilight said, continuing on her way. "Nothing else is gonna fa-aaah!" Twilight screamed as she fell into a ditch.

"Twilight!" Shining Armor shouted, running over to the ditch. "Are you all right?"

"Is it safe to go help her?" Spike nervously asked Pinkie.

"It's ok. My tail stopped twitching," Pinkie said before walking away. "La-la-la-la-la, la-la-la..."

"You didn't hurt your legs, did you?" Shining Armor asked as he helped his sister up.

"I'm fine," Twilight said as she got up.

"Pinkie-sama?" asked Sakura once the pink pony returned.

"Yes?"

"Would it be ok if I played with some friends from school?" Sakura asked.

"Absolutely!" Pinkie said as her ears started to flop. "FLOPPY EARS! I HAVE TO WARN TWILIGHT!" Pinkie shouted before rushing off.

Town Square

Oni-Hime wasted no time gathering up her cronies and enquiring about her guardian's strange abilities.

"You didn't know about Pinkie Sense?" asked Rumble.

"What's Pinkie Sense?" asked Pip.

"Hey!" Snips angrily exclaimed. "It's not Sakura's fault she doesn't know!"

"That's right, she only got here a month ago," Featherweight agreed.

"What's Pinkie Sense?" Pip asked again.

"How does it work?" Sakura asked.

"Nopony knows," Snips answered.

"We just don't question it, eh" Snails added.

"Seriously guys, what the hay is Pinkie Sense?" Pip asked louder than before.

"You know that pink mare that works at Sugarcube Corner?" Rumble asked.

Pip nodded.

"She has some kind of weird psychic power that warns her when bad things are about to happen," Rumble explained.

"That's so cool!" Pip shouted in excitement. "Like a superhero!"

"Alright," Sakura sighed. "If none of you know how it works, then I can still count on you all to help me find out!" she exclaimed with a wink. "Follow me and do exactly as I say."

"You bet!" the five colts agreed with gusto.

Outside Sugarcube Corner

Pinkie Pie had arrived just in time to warn Twilight of the danger. Unfortunately, Twilight was unwilling to listen and wound up covered with mud after a carriage rolled through a nearby puddle. Shining Armor and Spike went back to the Library, and Pinkie offered to let Twilight use her bath.

As Twilight washed off, Pinkie explained how she got various ticks when certain things were about to happen, which Twilight was extremely skeptical of.

Once Twilight was clean, they left the shop and began discussing the pink mare's powers further.

"Well, I still don't believe all this... 'special power" stuff,'" Twilight said, shaking her head. "It's just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo."

"What's not to believe?" Pinkie asked with a raised brow. "You do magic; what's the difference?"

"Huge! For one thing…" Twilight cleared her throat. "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, uh, it makes no sense at all!"

Pinkie glared. "That's so not true, Twilight!" her face brightened into a smile. "Sometimes it's a bunch of random things happening to my body at random times that supposedly predict the future. I call 'em combos."

"Combos?" Twilight asked as she approached the library.

"Sure!" Pinkie answered, skipping after Twilight. "You know, like, ear flop, then knee twitch, then eye flutter," she exclaimed, making the motions for emphasis. "That means the sky is about to be graced with a beautiful rainbow!"

"Yeah, sure," Twilight said sarcastically.

"Uh-oh, I feel a combo coming on," Pinkie noted as her body began to shudder. "Ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch!"

There was a crash as Spike slammed the door open, pinning Twilight to the library wall.

"Ugh!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Ughhh... You said that combo meant 'beautiful rainbow,'" Twilight complained dizzily.

"Oh, no-no-no-no-no," Pinkie said. "You're thinking of an ear flop, then knee twitch, then eye flutter. This was an ear flop, then eye flutter, then knee twitch," she explained, making the motions. "That usually means lookout for opening doors. You ok?"

"I don't believe this," Twilight muttered.

"You don't believe because you don't understand," Pinkie said, getting up in Twilight's face.

"Hmm..." Twilight pondered Pinkie's statement.

Twilight's Lab

Twilight strapped Pinkie to a machine as Shining Armor watched with skepticism.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Twily?" Shining Armor asked.

"Everything in my lab is perfectly safe," Twilight assured. "Besides, this way, when she starts to twitch again, I can measure her brain waves."

"If you say so," Shining Armor shrugged before walking upstairs to make himself a snack.

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie said as the machine began taking readings.

"Any twitches yet?" Twilight asked after a few seconds.

"Nopey-dopey!" Pinky answered.

Twilight continued her readings with no results until she got fed up, and they both went upstairs. Just as they reached the top of the stairs, Pinkie had another combo, and the door slammed open, squishing Twilight against the wall as Spike walked through. In a daze, Twilight asked if Spike and Pinkie had planned this, which the two promptly denied.

"Urgh! This is ridiculous," Twilight said angrily. "This can't be happening. This makes no sense. I have to figure this out."

Froggy Bottom Bog

As Jack followed Fluttershy on his bike, he noticed the ground beneath his wheels becoming increasingly soggy as he approached a tree line. The air was thick with swamp gas and the sounds of insects and birds resonated between the trees.

"This is it!" Fluttershy called, pointing ahead.

Jack gave her a thumbs up, indicating he understood.

Ponyville

Twilight had made good on her vow and had been observing Pinkie for the better part of the morning. First, she witnessed Pinkies tail twitching before the pink mare skillfully avoided being drenched in paint. The ponies responsible were Snips and Snails, who were, strangely enough, painting the sign on a new shop. Later at the park, she saw Pinkies' ears flop before narrowly avoiding getting covered in mud when Rumble came by on a scooter. At the school, Twilight thought for a moment that she had found proof that Pinkie Sense was a fraud. Pinkie Pie had gotten an itchy nose and then hid under a bench as if something were about to fall. Remembering that it was a twitching tail that meant something falling, Twilight cockily declared victory. Unfortunately, she soon found herself under attack from a swarm of angry bees. At Sweet Apple Acres, she and Spike observed Pinkie give an ear flop, an eye flutter, and then a knee Twitch, and soon after, she found herself falling into Applejack's cellar. (Luckily, the front half of her body took the brunt of the fall and her injured muscle and tissue were unharmed.) Her observations finally lead her back to the park, where another twitchy tail from Pinkie was followed by an entire mail shipment being dumped on her.

Twilight continued watching Pinkie's strange behavior as Applejack walked by with a shipment of apples on her back.

"Hey, Applejack. Whatcha doin'?" Pinkie asked.

"Takin' more apples to mah new apple cellar," Applejack answered. "How 'bout you, Pinkie? Whatchu doin'?"

"Oh, letting Twilight and Sakura secretly follow me all day without me knowing," Pinkie answered.

"You mean you knew all along?!" both Twilight and Sakura asked as they emerged from separate bushes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Twilight (who was covered in bruises and had a black eye) asked.

"Silly, that would've spoiled the secret!" Pinkie giggled.

"Urgh!" Twilight glared and gritted her teeth.

"I better call off Rumble-chan and the others," Sakura thought. "The risk of Pinkie-san figuring me out is too great."

"Tail... still twitching?" Spike cautiously asked, hiding behind Twilight.

"All done, clear skies from here on in, as far as I can tell…" Pinkie began before her entire body started shaking. "Hu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu!"

"Oh, no! What does that one mean?" Spike asked worriedly.

"Dunno, the only time I've ever gotten anything like this was before I found Sakura, but whatever that shudder's about, it's a doozy," Pinkie explained as Twilight gave a skeptical look. "Something you'd never expect to happen is gonna happen!" she began to shake violently again. "Hu-bu-bu-bu-bu hu-bu-bu-bu! And it's gonna happen... at Froggy Bottom Bogg!"

"That's where Fluttershy and Jack are headed!" Applejack gasped.

"Oh, no! Is it about them?" Spike asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure," Pinkie admitted.

"We better go and make sure they're ok!" Applejack said, rushing off.

"Calm down, everypony," Twilight said as the others followed Applejack. "All we know right now is that Pinkie Pie just got a case of the shivers. That's all."

Seeing that her friends had already left, Twilight rushed after them.

"Twilight!?" Spike asked when the unicorn caught up. "Are you sure it's alright for you to be running so fast? What about your legs?"

"I'll be fine, Spike," Twilight said, with a pained grunt. "This Pinkie Sense stuff is nonsense, and I'm going to be there to prove it."

Froggy Bottom Bog

Jack looked out at the bubbling green water in front of him. "This it?" he asked Fluttershy.

"That's right," Fluttershy answered as she opened her wagon. "Don't you think this is the perfect place for these little guys to live? Plenty of bugs, plenty of space, and plenty of places to hide from predators too."

"I guess," Jack said as he nervously glanced around. "But I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched."

Elsewhere in the Bog, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Spike, and Sakura ran as fast as they could down a trail they hoped Jack and Fluttershy had taken.

"Hu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu!" Pinkie shuddered.

"Cold?" Twilight asked smugly. "Need a jacket or something?"

"No thanks, I'm fine," Pinkie said before shuddering again.

"So... Whaddaya think happened to them?" Spike asked Applejack.

"I hope nothin'," Applejack answered.

"I know, but, whaddya think happened?" Spike asked.

"I think they'll be fine," Sakura said. "Jack-sama is very strong. I'm sure he'll protect Fluttershy if something happens."

"Besides, this Pinkie Sense business is nothing more than a bunch of coincidences," Twilight said. "There's no reason for any of us to believe they're in danger."

"Ah hope yer right, fer Fluttershy and Jack's sake," Applejack said as they approached their destination. "Look! There's Froggy Bottom Bog!"

As they walked further into the bog, they began calling out for their friends.

"Fluttershy!?" Applejack called.

"Jack-sama?!" called Sakura Blossom.

They continued looking for a few minutes until they spotted Jack taking a picture of an alligator with his phone.

"Jack!" they shouted.

As the alligator slid into the murky water, Jack looked up to see who was calling for him.

"Oh, hey guys," Jack said, scratching his head. "What are you doing here?"

"Where's Fluttershy?" asked Pinkie.

"Over there on that rock," Jack said, pointing to where Fluttershy was letting a few frogs out of a basket. "She said she wanted to spread them out so they wouldn't fight over territory."

"Fluttershy!" Spike exclaimed in relief. "You're ok!"

"Of course," Fluttershy said, uncertain why Spike thought she might not be.

"Phew, what a relief," Applejack sighed.

"I'm so glad everything's all right," Pinkie said.

"Sorry, I know it's not nice to gloat, but... Aha! I told you there was nothing to worry about, and I was right," Twilight said smugly.

As Twilight continued gloating, the others backed up in horror as four snake-like creatures, each the size of a tree, rose from the murky water behind her, and bubbles of foul gas were released from the detritus at the bottom of the bog.

"Um... Twilight?" Applejack called softly.

"Pinkie's made a lot of predictions today, but…" Twilight coughed after inhaling some of the gas. "Ugh, what is that smell? But what we've shown here is that there's no point in believing…" she coughed again. "In anything you can't see for yourself."

"W-Well t-then, s-see what's b-b-behind you, Twilight!" Spike stammered.

Twilight turned to see the four snakes which were attached to a single body behind her. The four heads each let out a low growl.

"I see it... but I don't believe it!" Twilight explained before they each gave a deafening roar.

"Is that a hydra?!" Pinkie asked in shock.

"Who cares? Run!" Applejack said as she took off in the opposite direction.

As the others ran away, Pinkie only backed up a few paces before stopping to stare in shock.

"Pinkie! Come on!" Twilight shouted to no effect.

Seeing Pinkie wasn't moving anywhere, Twilight rushed in and grabbed her friend by the tail. The two just barely escaped one of the hydra's heads. The ponies and Jack ran for about two minutes before disaster struck. After a full day of abuse, Twilight's hind legs could take no more. As her muscles failed, she collapsed onto the ground.

"Twilight!" everyone yelled.

To his companions' shock, Jack ran straight toward the hydra with his hands glowing emerald, shouting, "I'm ready this time!"

Getting between Twilight and the beast, he unleashed a bright beam of emerald magic at the nearest head as it prepared for a strike. Pinkie and Applejack rushed to Twilight's side, helping her to safety. Once they had completed their task, they turned to see Jack still holding off the head with his magic. However, much to their horror, one of the other four heads was positioning itself to strike from behind him.

"LOOK OUT!!!" they screamed.

Too late. The head lunged and swallowed Jack whole as Spike and the ponies stared in horror.

"He's… gone," Fluttershy barely managed to choke out.

"This is all my fault," Twilight sobbed.

"I have to do something," Sakura thought. "If I don't, he'll die. That would ruin Otō-san's plans. But if I use mahō now…", she looked at the others around her.

"Look!" Spike shouted, pointing at the hydra.

The ponies looked to where Spike was pointing. A bright emerald glow emanated from one of the hydra's necks.

"What in tarnation?" asked Applejack.

The glow grew brighter and brighter until, in a gory explosion, the neck ripped apart, launching the head half a mile into the swamp.

"It's Jack!" shouted Pinkie.

Sure, enough where the hydra's neck once stood tall, Jack was floating in the sky, covered in hydra blood, his eyes glowing emerald.

"Thank Celestia!" Fluttershy joyfully sobbed.

Glaring fiercely, Jack launched several green volleys at the hydra's remaining heads. Initially caught off guard, the hydra slowly regained its composure and waited for an opening. Soon it found one. In a lightning flash movement, it grabbed Jack in one of its jaws and flung him to the bog like a ragdoll.

After a few seconds, Jack burst from the water to find two new heads rapidly growing from the neck he'd severed.

"Why ain't he runnin away?" asked Applejack as Jack rushed in for another attack.

Jack's Mind

Everything around Jack was dark apart from two eye-shaped windows and an emerald figure beside him. "Who are you?" Jack called.

The figure turned, and Jack got a look at its face. To his shock, the face he was looking at was his own.

"Ah, you can see me now," the figure said. "You're starting to gain control then." It cleared its throat. "Well, I guess some introductions are in order. Hello, I'm you. Or, to be more accurate, I'm a combination of your ego and your conscience."

When Jack had first arrived in Equestria, an answer like this would only have served to bring up more questions, but at this point, he'd accepted weirder.

"Where are we?" Jack asked.

"In your mind," Emerald Jack answered.

"I never thought it'd be so empty," Jack said, looking around.

"This is just one compartment," Emerald Jack chuckled. "I need it to be empty, so I can do my job."

"You're job?" Jack questioned.

"Yes, my job," Emerald Jack repeated. "I control your body when you enter chaos mode. if it weren't for me, you'd go insane."

"How long have you been here?" Jack asked.

"Since you were born," Emerald Jack answered as if born. "I was a gift, given to your species as part of your evolution."

"Given?" Jack questioned. "By who?"

"I think you'll find it's whom," Emerald Jack smirked.

Jack stared blankly, not really in the mood for his counterpart's wit.

"You'll find out eventually, I'm sure," Emerald Jack sighed. "Your kind are far too clever for your own good after all."

Realizing he wouldn't be getting any real answer to that particular question Jack changed the subject. "Those are my eyes, right?" he asked, pointing to the two windows.

"That's right," Emerald Jack answered. "Figure that out all by yourself?" he smirked again.

"I don' see us gettin' along," Jack glared.

"Your kind never do," Emerald Jack shrugged. "Wanna take a look?" he asked, gesturing to the eyes.

Jack was already walking toward them. Upon arriving, he was taken aback by the view. There below him was the hydra he was fighting earlier, angrily snapping at the air, trying to reach him.

"Why aren't I moving?" Jack asked.

"Because you're distracting me," Emerald Jack said.

With a lurch, they zipped toward the beast.

Froggy Bottom Bog

"Is he?" Applejack asked as she watched Jack rushing the beast.

"He is!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"IS HE INSANE?!" Twilight asked.

The moment Jack was in range, the hydra grabbed him in one of its mouths and flung him face-first into a tree, which was reduced to mulch on impact cushioning his fall.

Jack's Mind

"Wait, did you do that?" Jack asked his counterpart as the tree shattered.

"Yeah," Emerald Jack said as if it was obvious. "Hello, Chaos of Nature! We can control plants, duh!"

"Can you do anything else with the trees?"

"Obviously," Emerald Jack scoffed. "Why? Have something in mind?"

"Yeah," Jack said before whispering into his emerald counterpart's ears.

"Oh, that's a good idea," Emerald Jack said. "But you do know we're the only ones here, right? You don't have to whisper."

"Touché." Jack blushed.

Froggy Bottom Bog

Jack jumped back a few yards before touching the ground with his palms. Five nearby trees exploded into splinters, forming a giant chakram. The hydra roared before lunging at the human. However, it was caught off guard by the wooden death wheel lobbing off three of its five heads.

Jack's Mind

"Moron!" Jack shouted at his green counterpart. "Ya only got three of 'em! Now we have to deal with eight heads!"

"It was your dumb idea, smartass!" Emerald Jack spat.

Jack breathed in and out slowly. "It's not a bad idea. We're just going to need a lot more wood and a little help."

"You're right," Emerald Jack said. "We have an entire forest at our disposal. We can do this!"

Froggy Bottom Bog

"Wow!" Spike said as he watched the three heads go flying.

"So, this is the power of the Chaos of Nature," Twilight gasped as she looked on in awe.

"Twilight!" Jack shouted. "I need you to cast a binding spell! When I say now, hold the hydra's necks in place so I can deliver the final blow!"

"Is he going to kill it?" Fluttershy asked in dismay.

"Ah reckon he don't have much of a choice," Applejack said. "We can't exactly outrun it, 'specially with Twilight's leg how it is."

Once the hydra's heads had fully regenerated, it spat a green substance at its human opponent. Narrowly avoiding it by jumping to the side, Jack looked back to see several rocks dissolving into nothing.

Jack's Mind

"It's spittin' acid!" Jack warned his green counterpart.

"I can see that!" Emerald Jack responded.

"The fuck do ya plan on doin' about it?!" Jack asked.

"Avoid getting hit," Emerald Jack grunted. "Don't distract me. I'm starting to lose control!"

Froggy Bottom Bog

Jack hopped from tree to tree, shattering each as he leaped to the next and narrowly avoided streams of acid. When he had enough for three chakrams shouted, "NOW, TWILIGHT!"

"Alright, I can do this," Twilight said to herself as she charged her horn.

A giant rope of purple glowing energy materialized out of Twilight's horn, tightly restraining seven of the necks. Still, the eighth remained free and continued to spit acid at Jack, who was rapidly running out of energy.

"I'm not gonna make it!" Jack shouted.

"Hold on, partner!" Applejack shouted, taking out her lasso and tossing it hard as she could, nabbing the last neck and holding it down. "Hurry up," she grunted. "Ah can' do this fer long."

Feeling his strength fading, Jack flung the wooden chakrams with what remained of his power. The first one lobbed off three heads to the left, the second took the two in the center, and the third took the final three to the right. The fully decapitate hydra fell into the murky water creating cartoonishly massive, tsunami-like ripples.

Jack's eyes flickered from emerald back to blue as he fell from the air. Before he could hit the ground, Fluttershy swooped in and carried him to safety.

Jack's Mind

"Before you go, let me ask you something," Jack asked his green counterpart.

"Ok, hit me," Emerald Jack agreed.

"When I was about to knock over Svan's grave, a voice stopped me," Jack remembered. "Was that you?"

"As I said, I'm a combination of your ego and your conscience," Emerald Jack answered. "That answer your question?"

"Yeah, I'd say it does," Jack said before he came to.

Froggy Bottom Bog

Fluttershy flew above her friends, Jack resting peacefully on her back. Realizing the bog may be home to more than one hydra, the ponies had chosen to return to Ponyville as soon as possible.

"You know, Pinkie," Twilight sighed as Applejack and Pinkie helped her walk. "I'm not sure if this was a coincident or what, but you said there would be a doozy at Froggy Bottom Bog, and that was definitely a…"

Pinkie interrupted her with a shudder.

"That wasn't it," Pinkie said.

"What wasn't what?" asked Spike.

"What are you talking about, Pink?" asked Applejack.

"The hydra wasn't the doozy," Pinkie answered.

"Nani?" asked Sakura Blossom. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm still getting the shudders," Pinkie said. "Oo-o-oh, oo-o-oh! You see? There it is again. Whatever the doozy was at Froggy Bottom Bogg, my Pinkie Sense says it still hasn't happened."

Twilight was not happy with that response. "Huh? But I— WHAT?! The hydra wasn't the doozy?! How could it not be the doozy?! What could be doozier than that?!"

"Dunno, but it just wasn't it," Pinkie said.

There was a sound like a kettle as Twilight gritted her teeth. Her mane and tail briefly ignited with bright yellow flames that that soon died out. "Ooh... I give up..."

"Give what up, Twi?" asked Spike.

"The fight," Twilight answered. "I can't fight it anymore. I don't understand how, why, or what, but Pinkie Sense somehow... makes sense. I don't see how it does, but it just does. Just because I don't understand doesn't mean it's not true."

"Y-Y-Y-You m-m-mean you b-b-b-believe?" Pinkie asked as she continued to shudder.

"Yup, I guess I do," Twilight answered.

Pinkie continued to shake like a truck with shot suspension, before finally stopping with a gasp. "That was it! That's the doozy!"

"What? What is?" Twilight asked.

"You believing!" Pinkie answered. "I never expected that to happen! That was the doozy, oh and, oh what a doozy of a doozy it was!"

Meanwhile, deeper in the bog.

The fallen hydra lay still. The water around its fallen form had settled to a calm flat. However, dead as it may have seemed, there was activity around the neck. Cell by cell molecule by molecule, sixteen growths sprouted from the eight nubs left from the decapitation.

Author's Note:

With the Semester over, I should have a lot more time to write, at least until January.
I'm not entirely satisfied with the first half of this chapter. Between writing papers and studying for exams, I ended up doing a lot more copy-pasting and a lot less focusing on Oni-Hime/Sakura Blossom than I initially intended. I'll probably rewrite the first half later, but I'm more than satisfied with how the last half turned out.
Next Time: Blutknochen demands to see a demonstration of Jack's powers, and with the help of her cronies, Oni-Hime happily obliges. What will she do? Will Ponyville survive? Will Shining Armor have a more important role? Find out on the next thrilling episode of Dragon Ball Z... er, I mean Regression: Isekai of Equestria.

Comments

[Kichi]

Poor Oni-Hime, after watching Pinkie she should think about just give up

[EnderHooves]

How many heads does it take for a hydra to be too heavy to move or attack? Or does it eventually become a big angry ball of neck and teeth, rolling along like a beautiful katamari, eating everything in its path? It probably would have been easier to bury it in the roots and let it suffocate, which would actually solve the problem rather than delaying it and making it worse.

This is a pretty good fic so far. Rocky start, but the improvement is apparent.

[Truthseeker]

Pinkie continued to shake like a PTSD-ridden veteran before finally stopping with a gasp.

That isn't funny. It's disrespectful to people who were willing to die in service of their country (whether or not we think it was the right thing to do they still deserve respect for the bravery). It also counts for folks who have dealt with some serious shit. I have P.T.S.D. and I never served in the military, I just got shot while guarding a 7-11 late at night.

[JackofEquestria]

11103333
I completely forgot I wrote that. Yeah, you’re right I’ll change that right now. I have no idea what I was thinking. That was completely uncalled for and I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable.