Fluttershy looked down, her mind not wanting to come to grips with what she was seeing.
The trip to Sweet Apple Acres had taken next to no time. That being said, it still did her heart no favors, everything had seemed to rush past her far faster than she was comfortable with.
She had arrived to see Pinkie's pet chewing on a tall Granny Smith tree. He looked approximately fifty hooves in length, and stood about 15 hooves tall. She could just make out Applebloom smacking Gummy's foot with a broom. "Get off there Gummy! Those're our trees!"
Gummy paid no attention to the broom, his scales barely conveyed any real sensation from it. He was far more interested in the taste of this object in his mouth, it was leafy and sweet, very unlike the spongy things the pink one fed him.
Fluttershy was very upset with Pinkie seeing this. She had heard of the pranks Pinkie and Rainbow had pulled on Rarity (She had never experienced them herself) however she was always assured by Rarity they had made a point not to hurt anypony. She could perhaps see how a giant alligator would be deemed funny but this was very unfair to Gummy. He had no idea what was going on and was clearly just acting on instinct, hunting for things to bite. More to the point, despite the lack of teeth, a giant alligator could do real damage just by wandering around!
She dove and hovered before the large lumbering lizard. His eyes swiveled about, but one faced her. She stared, saying nothing. He opened his mouth and stopped gumming the tree.
There, that was one problem solved, for the moment anyway. A bigger problem remained however, how to get him back to Sugarcube Corner. If only he were smaller...She wondered how Pinkie Pie had done this to begin with.
Gummy was surrounded by a soft yellow glow, and within moments he was back to normal size. Having broken eye contact with Fluttershy he was now attempting to eat Applebloom's broom.
Taking this development in stride (it was hardly the oddest thing to happen today and certainly the most welcome) Fluttershy landed beside the foal. Applebloom had gone from staring at the shrinking alligator to staring at the yellow pegasus with the giant wings and the tiny little horn growing from her forehead.
"T-thank you Fluttershy, you stopped him cold! Stare master strahkes agin!" She looked up admiringly.
"You're welcome, I have to get this little one home, he clearly needs a nap. Oh, and Applejack said to tell you she would be late for dinner. You should run to your home now, its getting late for little foals to be out."
"Yes ma'am, tell mah sis dinner will be waitin'." Applebloom ran off.
-------------------------------------------------
Professor Cann arrived at Celestia's private chariot dock. The guards allowed him pass when they were shown the royal summons. He spotted Celestia... and was that really Twilight Sparkle next to her? This was an interesting development...
The other pony he recognized as the Element of Honesty... Applejack he believed her name was. He had not had the pleasure of meeting her in person but had been present at the celebration which had taken place after the "Discord Incident." He had also watched the Elements' excellent performance of the "Tale of Hearth's Warming Eve." He knew for a fact Applejack was an earth pony, but those were clearly wings at her side... It seemed Twilight had acquired the same affliction... Curiouser and curiouser...
So, two of the Element bearers had become alicorns on the same day? It seemed the Elements themselves needed study.
He spoke up in a stentorian voice. "Ms. Sparkle! Name the three components of teleportation!"
Twilight panicked as if she had been caught passing notes. "Compression, Sending, Reconstitution! It's an advanced form of the scrollfire spell developed by Clover the Clever fifty years after the founding!"
The professor chuckled. "Always quick with the answer Twilight! Now let's see if we can't find the right questions to be asking eh?"
-------------------------------------------------
Celestia had brought him up to speed on the way. He asked the occasional pointed question and nodded in satisfaction when the answers were given.
He tapped his hoof to his chin thoughtfully. "This explains so much Celestia!" (The princess had long ago asked him to dispense with titles while investigating Alicornication.) "I do wish you'd been more forthcoming about this when Thisdenns and I were researching it in the first place, at your request I might add."
Celestia winced a bit. "I hardly could have predicted what the Elements would do to ordinary ponies Professor!"
Cann nodded. "True, but we may have been able to study the Elements, see what kind of magic we were dealing with. Then again they were inert at the time Ms. Sparkle retrieved them during the Nightmare Moon incident... I suppose I can forgive you your secrets Celestia. Please, in the future, full disclosure when you wish me to research something? I cannot be expected to find the answers when the best source of information is a closed locked book."
Celestia nodded. "Again, I apologize for the omission. We will be arriving in Ponyville shortly. Three of your remaining tests subjects will be at the party, that leaves only Rainbow Dash to account for."
Just then, a streak of chromatic light could be made out in the distance, the sky tearing open in its path and snapping shut in turbulent waves in it's wake. A sound followed three seconds later.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo!"
Applejack looked annoyed. Twilight seemed excited.
Cann raised one eyebrow. "I believe that's your missing pony?"
Celestia tapped the carriage front, the pegasi guards slowed to a hover. "Excuse me a moment." With that her wings flared up and she streaked after the trail of light.
Sergeant Swift Arrow whispered to Captain Agile Race as both of them watched their charge flying off. "Why does she need us again?"
The Captain muttered something that made the Sergeant's ears burn.
D: But...but... BUT WHAT DID THE CAPTAIN SAAAYYY?!?! D:
Kudos for the title, and that last bit cracked me up.
"Why does she need us again?"
Brilliant.
I do believe Rainbow has just set the all time speed record ... again.
I really like the professors. They always have something funny to say.
Oh god Molestia reference.
243702 I know! I want to know that as well
244045 Eeyup
243713 Dat Pic
Oh lordy, I hope Celestia isn't too heavy hooved with RD.
I see a mistake. You called her "Mrs. Sparkle" a few times. She is supposed to be "Miss Sparkle" or "Ms. Sparkle". The title "Mrs." is only used for those who are married.
Please Celestia, let Rainbow Dash believe that she's still the best flier in Equestria.
244802 so I did. good catch, fixed.
244045 This is not a clopfic in any way shape or form. While I did find Molestia hilarious I don't feel I have to resort to that to be funny.
244935 belief in yourself is a wonderful thing, but only a fool tries to escape the sun.
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljtkagbt9t1qj4uijo1_500.png
That's all I have to say.
245456 I always got the feeling it was a formality the Public insisted upon, rather than the other way around.
Very Australian chapter. Aussie Title and the tree Gummy is chewing on is an Australian Strain. Whether the tree was coincidental or not, kudos to you anyway
"Twilight panicked as if had been caught passing notes." - Y U MISS WORD
245456
You win!
I wish I knew where Thissdens got his name. I'd much rather deal with a pony called Thissbee, to go with Howe Cann.
258992 Hugh B. Thissdens / Who be this, then?
284289 Howe Cann Hugh B. Thiss dens
Phonetically, How Can h-you bee. this dense
their names are horrible horrible puns that I stuck with because I had already named the pony but hey, I made them work damnit, both of them have names related to their special talent, Howe has a question mark because he likes solving things, and Thissdens... well I explain that in chapter 16.
284474 Yeah, I realized it a few chapters later when somepony else pointed it out... proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that, yes, I am that dense.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
Gummy was surrounded by a soft yellow glow, and within moments he was back to normal size.
-The obvious solution... I also note that Alicorn magic seems much more instinctual than unicorn magic... or maybe it is just the same reason why they can fly instinctively... although so far, of the non-pegasi, I think only Pinkie has done that, and goodness knows she had enough ways of getting into the air before she had wings (there is a fan theory that the writing on Gryphon the Brush-Off started before they had finalized the decision to move Surprise's/Pinkie's wings over to Posey/Fluttershy).
Having broken eye contact with Fluttershy he was now attempting to eat Applebloom's broom.
-Oh, was that The Stare, or something much more mild? Probably something mild.
Stare master strahkes agin!
-I still say she just attracted his short-attention span...
This was an interesting development...
-VERY dry academian... a more excitable academian would have sprouted a grin to rival Pinkie's on seeing the Rainboom, and started poking her with a hoof while quizzing her on the details. Someone who was actually SANE, would, of course, have sought verification from Celestia that panicking was not, in fact, the correct option, or have avoided wasting time on speaking and simply galloped away at maximum speed.
"Compression, Sending, Reconstitution! It's an advanced form of the scrollfire spell developed by Clover the Clever fifty years after the founding!"
-Is he just asserting his academic superiority, or is he verifying her mental functions? Regardless, it wouldn't surprise me if she turned him into a encyclopedia of magic in a fit of pique once she recovers.
"Always quick with the answer Twilight!
-And with that he saves himself from becoming a 35 volume set...
Now let's see if we can't find the right questions to be asking eh?"
-And with that he saves himself from a worse fate... a gentle reprimand from Celestia.
With that her wings flared up and she streaked after the trail of light.
-Right... will be interesting to see how hard a time she has catching her...
"Why does she need us again?"
-The PR benefits for the public peace of mind of looking even more majestic than she already does...
Something tells me Rainbow dash is breaking more than the sound barrier.
596476
Lets see. A strwak of light followed by a delay in sound? She had already broken the sound barrier and is rapidly approaching Lightspeed. After that... Only Twilight knows!
243702
i think i remeber it about the fact that twilight was sent over to ponyvile in that chariot, that she was able to look at the nutt sacks off the guards >.> how ever!... i dont know what story it was
This title has given me an idea for a fic, you should all be afraid, very afraid... Australian Pinkie Pie incoming!
1682553 do it. commit.
491962
I think he's just simultaneously trolling her and verifying her identity.
Seeing as the response made his ears burn... I'm gonna go with eye-candy.
*sniff*
699446
After that FTL travel if in space continium or backward time travel in space-time continium
699446
No no no, light speed is too slow!
6608000
We have to go right to ludacris speed! NOW HEAR THIS! LUDCRIS SPEED, GO!
6009070
Eff you stingray, he was still young!
8240561
Only one person would use strawberry jam... LONE STAR.
10193041
Actually, he dared to give them the Raspberry.