Chapter 3

Potion Nova happily walked the streets of Ponyville. She had no work today so she decided it would be a good idea to explore more trougly the town she had recently moved to. So, she had no real destination in mind. She was just wandering aimlessly.

As she was breathing that fresh air, she was distracted by the sound of angry voices.

Turning her gaze towards a fence made of bricks, she went towards its direction. She knew that behind it was the playground of a nursing home. It was a recent addition to Ponyville because of the growing population. She flattened her ear to the wall and indeed, the angry voices were coming from behind it and what's more, they were children's voices.

From the other side, two foals were arguing between each other while the others encircled them, just watching.

‘’My ball had reached the goal. That's mean the two points belong to me.’’

‘’The ball just touched the line. Not cross it. That means it did not scored.’’

‘’You just had make up that rule.’’

‘’There was no need to spell it out, that how it had always had been.’’

‘’No is it not.’’

‘’Yes it is.’’

‘’No is it not.’’

‘’Yes it is.’’

That fight was escalating, so much that now they were arguing about the score, accusing each other to not have counted it properly.

‘’Come on now. This is not a way to treat friends. It's way more fun to get along.’’

Surprised, all the foals looked at the direction of that newcomer voice. Potion Nova had jumped and was leaning on the top of the brick fence and was smiling at them.

An adult they did not know was looking at them from above.

Say adult jumped from the rampart to meet them.

‘’I know it might seem like the little things that put you in disagreement might seem huge but if you put in retrospect, you might discover that it didn't matter that much. Not worth making your friendship fall apart. So come out, make up, it will be worth it. Trust me.’’

‘’... ... Hum, but our friendship is not falling apart.’’

‘’Huuuh!’’

Nova was surprised. The other colt intervened.

‘’He's right, we are just doing our usual spat about our favorite game. We are always doing that.’’

Another foal, from the encircling entourage decided to speak up too.

‘’Yeah we can confirm, it's a daily occurrence. It has come that seeing them arguing is more fun than the game itself. ... ... Who are you by the way?’’

‘’Me!’’

Nova took a dramatic pose, giving an air of flair and mysticism.

‘’I am Potion Nova. I am a student of the lost art of bringing the forces of the universe into liquid form. I am an entertainer whose sole purpose is to bring the spark of wonder into the eyes of children like you.’’

‘’... ... ... What?’’

‘’I make potions. They very fun.’’

''Aaaah'' They all exclaimed. As for Nova, an idea came to her. She looked at both sideways to make sure no indiscret eyes were looking at them and she opened her saddleback. Inside, there was a section of stuffed compartments protecting the different flasks of potions that were in them. She took one and waved it in a playful manner before the kids.

‘’Say. Do you want to see something cool? Something you had never seen before?’’

The foals looked at each other perplexed, not sure what to make of her. Then one of the foals answers:

‘’Hum... we suppose, yes.’’

‘’Splendid. You will see, this will be the most amazing thing your eyes will ever gazed upon. You will have so much fun that you will understand there is no point in dwelling on resentment.’’

‘’But I say it again, our friendship is not falling apart.’’

‘’Here it come.’’

Potion Nova put the flask on her lips and drank the whole thing. At first, nothing seems to happen. But Nova was snickering under her breath.

‘’Wait for iiit.’’

Something unbelievable happened. Potion Nova's neck was seemingly... to stretch. No. That was exactly what was happening. Her neck was gaining more heights, lifting her head in the sky. The foals, at first, thought she had become a giraffe but it was weirder than that. It was like her white neck had become a noodle. It was even undulating like one. By twisting her now snake-like appendage, she lowered her head to the level of the foals.

‘’So what do you think? Pretty neat, heh? Heh?’’

The foal's eyes were as wide as saucers. They could believe what they were seeing. It was just that unbelievable.

Then they all screamed in terror.

All the little kids were running in all directions in fright of that long-necked unicorn that was dumbfounded at why they were acting that way.

‘’Huh! But why are you screaming? It's supposed to be fun! Nopony find it fun?’’

‘’A monster! It's a monster!’’

‘’What! No I'm not a monster, it is just the magic of my potion. Don't panic please. I, I will change back to normal in a jiffy, I swear.’’

But the foals were seemely deaf to her voice and were continuing to run like headless chickens. Nova levitated another flask from her saddleback. This one contained yellow liquid. The antidote. She tried to put it into her mouth but she was always missing her shot because she was not used to her now unnatural elevated head.

‘’There, it is over, oh shoot, I missed! There, huh, what! Come here! No here huh! Here. Here! Oh shot come on! Oh damn spatial awareness.’’

As for the kids, they went towards the gate and smashed it open to run away outside. Potion Nova had at last managed to drink the antidote and her body changed back to normal. Not aware that they were all gone.

‘’There. Good as old. See, there's no reason to be scared... ... huh! But where are they?!’’

Even on the street, the foals ran like no tomorrow, making the passersby very perplexed.

‘’A monster! A scary monster! Run for your lives.’’

Potion Nova also went into the street. She stretched her hoof in a desperate plea towards the foals running away from her.

‘’No, please come back. Potion Nova is not scary.’’

She had said. She galloped after them but they were already far too ahead.

‘’Hurry, I need my 'quick on your feet' potion.’’

She took another flask and drank it.

‘’There. Now I must... wait... a minute. I had just drank the ‘long neck’ potion a few moments ago! What I have done!’’

Potion Nova could feel that something was happening to her four hooves. they were shaking and distorting in an unnatural way.

‘’Oh no. No no no no nooo. This not good.’’

‘’Not good, unfortunately.’’

Had say Twilight as she shut the book before her. Today, the alicorn was at the local bookstore of Ponyville. She is always on the lookout for more books to add into her collection so she wanted to see what were the most recent volumes. Once again, she was wearing no regalia. She considers her week at Ponyville the week when she can be casual.

The young mare at the counter spoke to the princess.

‘’Oh! So this book was not to your liking?’’

That mare in question was an earth pony with a mane of a crimson color arranged as a braid dangling from the side of her head. Despite tending a bookstore, she had a sunflower as a cutie mark. Twilight put the book back to its place on the shelf and trotted towards her.

‘’Oh hello Floral. What are you doing here? Is it not your brother who usually takes care of this place.’’

‘’Yes but my big brother is in a... inconvenience so I am taking his place at the moment. But don't worry. He never stops chattering all the time about his love of literature, with me forced to learn all that. So, I feel I am more than qualify to advice on what is true quality reading.’’

‘’Oho, here one who feels confident.’’

‘’How can I help you princess? You did not like that one. Why?’’

‘’It's not as if I did not like it, no. I don't know, I feel the story was... too light.’’

‘’Light?’’

‘’Or that it lack deep and does not really make you think that much.’’

‘’You mean it's superficial?’’

‘’No no, I don't mean that. Just that it's simple and feels good. Well, I am not saying it is a bad thing, far from it. Sometimes you need to decompress your brain by reading something lightheart. Take from me, life can be very stressful.’’

From beyond the display glass, a young filly galloped on the road while screaming like no tomorrow until she was out of sight from the two mares in the bookstore.

‘’Yes, that pony seems to agree with me. Anyway, as I was saying, it is nice but life is more complex than a feel good narrative. Under its surface there are... complex things that gnaw at us. Subtle pain and sorrow that affect you more than you think. Existential dread that affects you more than you think. Those are just a few examples and very often, they are well hidden under layers. It is important to always be alerted and to know how to treat them seriously.’’

Once again, the two mares were distracted by the sound of screaming. They turned their heads towards the display window. Now, it was not just one pony but many that were running in all directions as if they were fearing for their life.

‘’Oh my. A Ponyville mass panic. How long has it been since I last saw one? Now where was I? Ah yes. Back on the topic, that is the reason why I think it is important to explore those themes. So that we can better understand them and be better prepared for when they will be dropped on us. And I think that stories are the best medium for that because we can use the power of our imagination to create scenarios that can help us to explore those themes more easily. And now, I feel I changed that conversation into a literature debate. Sorry. I have the bad habit to chat endlessly when book are involve.’’

‘’That's alright, I am used to it. In fact, I think I have the perfect one for you.’’

She kneeled down to rummage in her counter and came back with a book in her hooves.

‘’You should love that one. It's new. It is about an epic adventure that is both exalting and visceral, full of tension and philosophical moments of reflection.’’

Twilight levitated that book before her face.

‘’Hum, let me see. Spellbinding and sublime tales of Hurt. Written by... hey, wait a minute! It is your brother that wrote this! Floral, are you trying to use that discussion as a shameless attempt to self-promote!’’

‘’Guilty as charged. Don't look at me like that, pony literature is a cutthroat market.’’

Once again, their conversations were interrupted by the screams of panicking ponies. This mass panic outside had intensified. They looked as afraid as if the apocalypse had come.

‘’Hummm, you know what, this does sound serious. Maybe it will be best if I take a look. Sorry Flo, my shopping should have to wait. Ciao.’’

Twilight disappeared in a flash of teleportation, leaving the bookseller alone.

‘’Goodbye Princess. See you soon. Alright. Since I am alone, I guess it's a better time as ever for me to end The Cameo.’’

Floral took a book and read the few last pages that were left to finish. The title of the book was ''The Cameo'' by the way.

Back outside, it was true pandemonium. The ground was shaking by the stampede of afraid ponies with dust following their tracks. Twilight reappeared right in the middle of that stampede.

‘’Never fear ponies. I, Twilight, your princess of Friendship is here to protect you all.’’

But everypony was too focused on running away from what was scaring them to even take notice of her presence. They just went past her.

‘’Alright, orrr you could just all go being me. That's good too. ... What is going on?’’

With her horn, she levitated the whole body of a random stallion and brought him before her.

‘’Could you please tell me what is the cause of this madness?’’

‘’A monster. There is a monster in Ponyville. It is a nightmarish vision.’’

‘’A monster you say!’’

She let go of the stallion who went away without a word. Twilight fearlessly moved forward, her wings widely spread in defiance.

‘’No matter who they are, I won't let them scare my ponies. I will deal with it and give them a piece of... of... ... what in Celestia name I am looking at?!’’

The one who had said it was a nightmarish vision was not far from the truth. Before the princess was a pony with long legs. Very, unnatural, long legs. Making that pony higher than a house. Their length and the way these four legs were bending was making them look more like spider legs than pony ones. And to make this picture more unsettling, the mare on top of those legs had normal proportions compared to her lower limbs.

That mare, by the way, was Potion Nova.

And she was trying her best to properly walk with those new legs, legs not fit at all for walking, while begging the ponies galloping under her to not run away from her.

‘’No please, don't be scared, I will not hurt you. The effect will soon wear off, I swear.’’

As for Twilight. She was bewildered. She was just standing there because her brain had stopped working. Her first thought was that her glasses were dirty and were making her see things. So she tried to grab the pair on her muzzle and then remembered that she never had any glasses in the first place and had to accept that what she was seeing was real.

After shaking her head for a bit, she decided to take action and teleported. She reappeared above that poor potion maker that was on the verge of crying.

‘’Why am I always messing up? I was sure that nightmare would never happen again but//

‘’Potion Nova?’’

‘’Huh! Princess Twilight! It's you!’’

‘’Okay, how in Celestia name did you end up like this? Is it a prank from Discord?’’

‘’I was in the middle of galloping after children that were running away from me//

‘’Hum, should I really want to know the rest?’’

‘’No, it's not like that. Anyway, I decided to drink a potion that would make me faster but I messed up and I forgot than I just recently drank my long neck potion, messing the effect and I end up like this and I don't know what to do.’’

‘’Alright alright, first Nova, do not panic. Calm down. I don't really get it but I think I should be able to fix this.’’

‘’Really!’’

‘’Yes, I think I should be able to cast a spell or two that should dissipate the magic altering your body and turn you back normal.’’

‘’Oh thanks you, thanks you. You're a lifesaver.’’

‘’Now do you feel more reassured?

‘’Yes. Yes I think I am.’’

‘’Good to hear. Now I will teleport the two of us in a quiet spot so I can better work on those spells. How do you even manage to stay upward? Those legs should anatomical not make it possible.’’

‘’Oh about that. They are not. I had suffered a martyr until now.’’

Twilight had done what she had said. She teleported both herself and Potion Nova into a deserted back alley. Then, she first probed on a magical level the body of the unicorn and once she found out the problem, casted a spell dissipating the disastrous effect of the potion. Her long legs were shrinking until they came back to their normal lengths. Once the work was done, Twilight disappeared for a moment, leaving Potion Nova the time to breath out and relax a bit until the Princess came back.

‘’Everything is fixed now. I had talked to the citizens of Ponyville. To make short, I told them that there is nothing to fear and that all is back to normal.’’

‘’Was it enough to calm them.’’

‘’Oh yes, their ''the apocalypse has come'' panic went away in an instant and they went back to their daily routine. You'll be surprised how Ponyvillians are used to seeing strange sights.’’

‘’Thanks Celestia. I was so afraid I had traumatized them for life.’’

‘’You should not worry about that. They don't look like it but they are made of tough skin.’’

‘’I don't know how can I repay you.’’

‘’Well, as a good start, why don't you properly tell me how this had happened.’’

It was then Potion Nova told her the whole story. How she met these foals, how she just wanted to make their day more fun and how she just ended up scaring them.

Once she finished her story, Twilight softly spread one of her wings behind Nova and...

Used it to sternly smack the back of the unicorn head.

‘’Ouch.’’

‘’What, were, you, thinking? Seriously Nova, how could you not imagine that just barging in a kindergarten court would not make them suspicious of you. Ponies might think you are a stranger danger.’’

‘’I'm... sorry.’’

‘’Also, for real! A long neck potion! Sorry to tell you that but you cannot blame them for finding that horrifying. I know I would had do.’’

‘’I just wanted them to laugh. To show something fun. I sounded way better in my head.’’

‘’Sheesh Nova. Did you have ever been told that you not very good when it come to common sense.’’

‘’Actually yes, I have been told that often.’’

‘’Urr. This is a big mess you made. Scarring adults is one thing but those were kids. What if they make nightmares?’’

At this mention, Potion Nova body jerked and her eyes shrunk as memories of the past came flooding her.

‘’I will apologize to them. I'm going to tell them I am so, so sorry and promise to never bother them again. Ever.’’

‘’It's good you want to apologize and take responsibility. Still, there is a lot to do.’’

During all that discussion, Twilight had kept a stern face. But she made a sigh and let go of her sternness.

‘’Tell you what. Once that whole debacle will settle down, I will accompany you to that kindergarten. This should make things easier if I am here to explain to the staff beforehoof. I will even be with you to support you when you apologize to those kids. But you will have to do it all on your own and be sincere about it.’’

Potion Nova was feeling grateful. Even if she felt she did not deserve it. A tear was forming in her which she quickly wiped out.

‘’Thank you. Really... thank you Twilight. I feel so ashamed. I only cause trouble and yet you only offer kindness. Even when I am ruining your vacation.’’

‘’Bah, forget that. I can't just abandon a friend in need.’’

‘’Huh???’’

‘’I told you Nova. I consider you my friend.’’

‘’You were sincere!’’

‘’I was. And now, more than ever. You have a bad time, so I will doing my best to help you.’’

‘’I don't//

‘’Nay, don't say you don't deserve it, friendship never works that way. Now come on, cheer up a little.’’

‘’Yes... yes. I will. Thank you Twilight. You are a better friend that I had ever imagined.’’

‘’Ah, that smile is coming back.’’

‘’Yeah I am better now and... I am going to properly fix my mistakes.’’

‘’That's wonderful news. Now, on a other hoof.’’

Twilight suddenly made a face turn and her purple iris were now shining with the sparkle of wild curiosity.

‘’Did you really make a long-neck potion? Is it even possible? I have been dying to ask about it since you told me.’’

And at the realization that her idol was having genuine interest to know more about the potion she made, Potion Nova's smile grew more and more and she was beaming like a child.

Author's Note

Alright, let's be real. Even if the transformation caused by the potions look fun in Pony Life, if it were happening in real life, or even in the main show... that's excalty the kind of reaction it would cause. The major flaw with this Potion Nova is that she is thinking with the overly simplify optimist of that side-show in a world full of ponies that are far more grounded than her. And that often come to bite her. Learning about dealing with this flaw of her would be a major theme of that story.

PS: Yes I indeed put an obvious self-promotion part. That's right, I have no shame.