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Chapter 9

The group continued onward through the Everfree Forest, the path being predictably treacherous, lined with numerous foes and traps. As they ventured onward, however, they noticed that some of the plant life (barring the Piranha Plants and similar vicious flora) seemed atypical, even for the Everfree Forest. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that some plants indigenous to the Mushroom Kingdom had taken root in Equestria, or at least the Everfree Forest.

Twilight was having a bit of fun with this, identifying and explaining the characteristics of the plants with the reference guide she had obtained in Mareshroom Beach (how she was able to keep all these books with her was a mystery, perhaps she had managed to access whatever hammerspace Pinkie Pie used.), and she seemed to think that everyone else was just as interested. Mario and Luigi, however, were already familiar, and everyone else just didn’t care.

Eventually the group came to a clearing, with a large mass of vines littering the ground in the middle of it. Dotting these vines were several red and yellow peppers, which seemed to radiate with intense heat. The group all decided to sit for a moment and catch their breath, leaving Twilight to read on. Mario sat upon a convenient log, while Luigi, not having a place to sit, elected to simply rest on Pinkie’s back. The pink mare didn’t seem to mind, as she was too busy poking at the peppers.

“Now, these are pretty interesting, according to the book, these vegetables are known as “Offendas Piperis”, or more commonly, the “Dash Pepper”,” Twilight began. “They grow in some of the warmer, southern regions of the Mushroom Kingdom, such as the Isle Delfino and the tropical Yoshi’s Island. It says that, unlike most Mushroom Kingdom plant life, they don’t have any extraordinary affects upon consumption by most races, beyond being extremely spicy. This makes it an ingredient in several Delfino dishes. However, when consumed by a Yoshi, the seeds dissolve within their saliva and release large amounts of a caffeine-like substance, which spreads through their system, changing their pigmentation to a vibrant red colour. This causes a sudden burst of energy within them, causing them to dash forward at unbelievable speeds, a reaction which gives the Dash Pepper its name. This burst of energy is short-lived, however, and the Yoshi will tire out quickly, unless of course it consumes another pepper while dashing.”

“Um… does it say what happens if a pony eats one?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

“Hmm…” Twilight scanned the page over a bit. “It doesn’t, though I guess that ponies would fall under “most races”. Why?”

“Well, um… it’s nothing really… but… Pinkie’s about to eat them all right now.” Fluttershy said.

Twilight looked over to her pink friend, and sure enough, she had picked them all off the vine, and was just raising about six or seven of them to her mouth.

“Pinkie, don’t!” Twilight said. “You’re going to kill your tongue eating them all like that!”

“No I won’t!” Pinkie said cheerfully. “I love spicy stuff, and I need to test them before I can figure out whether I can make Dash Pepper Danishes or not!” Before Twilight could object, Pinkie tossed them all into her mouth, and began crunching. Luigi watched with amazement from atop her back as she was seemingly unphased by the intense flavour that was undoubtedly flooding her mouth.

Everybody watched Pinkie Pie closely as she munched and crunched the peppers, a cheerful grin on her face. “Mm!” Pinkie said through a mouthful of pepper. “S’kinda sweet, actuall-“

Pinkie suddenly stopped as her pink coat and mane suddenly turned into a fierce orange and red. She leapt into the air and seemed to float in place for a moment as her legs flailed wildly underneath her. Luigi merely held on to the pony for dear life as everyone looked on in surprise and alarm.

“SPICYYYYYYYY!” Pinkie cried, tears streaming from her eyes due to the intense heat. With that, she suddenly rocketed into the thick of the forest, Luigi still clinging onto her back.

“Oh no!” Twilight said. “Who knows what’ll happen to them in there on their own! We’ve gotta go after them!”

“Leave it to me!” Rainbow Dash said. She landed on the ground, and took a stance not unlike a sprinter, her wings fanning out beside her. Before she took off, Mario leapt onto her back, ready to rescue his brother.

“Good idea!” Dash said. “I’ll keep my eyes on Pinkie, and you keep an eye out for anything that I could run into.”

“Be careful in there, Rainbow!” Applejack said. “That forest is mighty thick.”

“Relax, guys, we got this!” Rainbow Dash replied. Rainbow Dash rocketed into the thick forest after her friend, Mario in tow to watch out for obstacles.

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