The Amazing Superfilly

"Now children, remember to behave."

"Yes Miss Cheerilee!"

Sweetie Belle suppressed a groan, trying her best to diminish the soreness of her throat. Her scarf helped while on the trip, but now that they were inside, it was just a bother. But a useless scarf didn't compare to the bigger, current bother she was having to deal with. When she said she wanted to go somewhere fun, she had only said it half heartedly. It seemed the universe heard her, but in the way she wanted.

An alchemy research plant was not on her list of fun places.

"At least in the chalk mines we got to do stuff..." she complained.

"Look at it in the bright side. At least we're not going to the royal library." Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah, I mean, I would have liked to go to the rainbow factory, but this isn't that bad." Scootaloo added.

Cheerilee, being the ever-optimistic teacher she was, had decided to make a trip to the plant plant near Canterlot. The class had been rather lacking in science lately, and so she hoped to entice them with something more interactive. So far, reception had been mostly good. The kids seemed slightly interested by the plant and everything was in control.

"Check this out!"

"No no no, check this out!"

Except for those two colts. Always causing trouble. She had already caught them attempting to touch a few of the materials and creations of the labs. While she always encouraged curiosity and desire to learn, Snips and Snails seemed more interested in the curiosity part than the desire to learn. It wasn't the first time, and probably wouldn't be the last. Why couldn't they behave every once in a while?

"Here we got the gem collection. We use for magical experiments which require special properties." the tour guide explained.

"Are diamonds included?" A certain haughty voice asked.

"Why yes little lady. Diamonds are used here as stabilizing agents. Without them, the whole place would blow up!"

Diamond Tiara grinned smugly, making sure to be noticed. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"What's the matter blank-flank? Ashamed that your name doesn't show up? Reminds you of something?" Diamond Tiara said with a smirk. Silver Spoon snickered besides her.

"Oh no. After hearing that, Ah' was just wondering how somepony could be so distanced from her name like you." Apple Bloom retorted dryly.

The tour went on, passing from section to section. From a cloud researching lab to a sound testing field, the alchemy research plant, or ARP as they called themselves, seemed to have everything of every field possible. Of course, Apple Bloom would have liked if they had some architecture or building section, but was disappointed. It wasn't long before they entered a large green house, filled with large plants, vats and containers of chemicals and fertilizers. It was moist and hot, even when outside was almost winter.

"And here we are the experimental green house, where we grow and manipulate different plants and bugs."

"Manipulate in which way?" Cheerilee asked.

"Oh, here we make things like healing creams, sized veggies and bugs, stuff like that."

"Oh! You can make giant bugs here?" Snips asked, Cheerilee sighed quietly. Here we go again.

"As in big enough to eat a pony?" Snails added.

"Well, we certainly could do it. See that vat?" the guide explained, pointing a hoof to a rather large vat of chemicals that was connected to a container. A stingy smell came from it." We use a specially modified serum that makes bugs grow. It makes it easier to study them, particularly the little ones. Now if we walk this way, we'll see the new rose we've been working on for a while..."

The group carried on behind the guide, ready to see more wonders of science. All but two little colts, who stayed behind, right besides the vat. Snips and Snails stared at vat, which was as twice as big as Big Macintosh. A small stair was besides it, passing over the tube that connected the vat to the container and leading right to the edge of the vat.

"It makes bugs grow...wow" Snails said in his usual slow manner.

"Yeah, wow... are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Snips asked.

"Why is it called a vat if it isn't in a cave?"

"No you idiot! Help me find a bug. Any bug!"

Meanwhile, the rest of the group was in front of a large, beautiful yellow flower, easily as big as the school bell. A sweet tantalizing smell surrounded it.

"This is the celestia. We call it like that in honor of our princess. We have managed to-hey! You two! What are you doing?!" the guide called. The entire group turned back, finding Snails carefully lifting a snail with his front hooves, while Snips bit his tail to keep him balanced. All this over the greenish content of the vat.

"Snips! Snails! Get down from there right now!" Cheerilee said as she ran to them. The sudden call of attention caught both colts by surprise, leading to Snips letting go of Snails, who completely fell into the liquid. Snips backed up to avoid the splash, only to tumble of the stairs and and fall on the tube, disconnecting it from the vat. Green chemical started flushing out, quickly absorbed from the ground.

"Snips get out of there!" Apple Bloom called, already hearing a light rumbling.

As Snips scampered to Cheerilee, the ground trembled. A large ant the size of Winona crawled to the surface, followed by another two. A large, thorny vine grew out of the dirt, dangerously lashing around. Using the confusion, Apple Bloom slipped into a large patch of grass.

"This looks like a job for Superfilly." she said as she pulled out the disguise.

Cheerilee hoisted Snips in her back and tried to run away, but another vine appeared around her, slowly growing in size. They were trapped!

"Don't worry everypony, here Ah' am!" Superfilly said as she jumped in front of the approaching ants. Grabbing one, she threw it away from the group, doing her best to not gag at the smell of the giant bug. A small cream was heard as another ant was approaching Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. With a small run, Superfilly smashed into the mutant insect, sending bouncing into the third ant, both of them disappearing into the foliage.

"Superfiily! You saved us!" Diamont Tiara exclaimed.

"Yeah, don't count on it..." Superfilly grumbled.

"Help us!" Cheerilee called as she did her best to protect Snips from the encroaching thorns. Superfilly jumped over the vines, barely missing the thorns and landing right in front of Cheerilee and Snips.

"Need a lift?" she said as she grabbed Cheerilee, who held the colt tight. With a mighty jump, she pulled them free just as the thorns impaled the their previous spot. After making sure both of them were safe with the rest, Superfilly turned her attention to the plant. How could she stop it?

"What can Ah'...there!" she thought as she spotted a shovel. Not wasting a second, she grabbed. The vines stood no chance as she hacked them away one by one, the thorns merely snapping as they tried to pierce her skin. Soon, all that laid on the ground were dead pieces of plant.

"That'll do it.." Superfilly said as she dropped the shovel. Turning her attention to the empty vat, she jumped in it, pulling the unconscious Snails out and dropping him with Cheerilee.

"Oh my Celestia, Snails, are you alright?!" Cheerilee asked franticaly as she shook the colt. Superfillly waited for a few seconds before Snails started coughing green liquid while the rest of the class surrounded him and Cheerilee. Using the distraction she jumped into the foliage.

"I can't thank you enough Superfilly, you saved our...lives?" Cheerilee thanked, but was surprised when she found nopony waiting. Apple Bloom quietly walked out of grass, placing herself besides Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

"Well class, I think it's time we end the tour. Shall we?" she motioned to the tour guide.

Back in Ponyville, Cheerilee decided to give the class the rest of the day as she took Snails to the hospital.

"Can't believe they actually did something like that. Ah' wanted them to learn sometime, but not like this!" Apple Bloom said as she paced through the clubhouse. They had retreated there as soon as they arrived.

"Well, maybe now they'll think twice about doing something stupid. I mean, did you see the size of those ants? Nasty." Scootaloo added.

"I hope Snails is ok. That thing seemed dangerous." Sweetie Belle said.

"Ah' hope so too Sweetie Belle. Ah' hope so too..." Apple Bloom said as she looked out the window.

"Well then. Let's go crusading! Let's forget about for now." Scootaloo proposed.

"What do you got in mind?" Apple Bloom asked, her mood improving already. Crusading with her friends always put her in a better mood.

A few hours later, in the hospital, Snails laid on a bed, slowly recovering from his dip in the growth chemical. He had been left to sleep it off. Or at least, that was the plan. The afternoon was ending, the sun slowly approaching the horizon. Snail grumbled uncomfortably, twitching and sweating. His eyes shot open as intense pain shot from his hoofs. Sitting up, he raised them up.

And he tried to scream.

His hoofs were swelling. But that wasn't the problem. They were changing. Hair receded and disappeared as the skin became soft and shiny with slime, the color changing from orange to a dark grey. The transformation didn't stop there, climbing all the way through his arm and body. He tried to scream, but only a loud gurgle came out as his entire body changed. Falling to the side of the bed, he puked, a sizzling sound appeared as the floor tiles started melting. His hind legs slowly fused together while his eyes slowly grew in the form of antennae.

And he kept growing and swelling.

Apple Bloom waved a hoof in goodbye as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle speeded away from Sweet Apple Acres. The sun had started to set, and she could already smell Granny's delicious pie.

"Oh, Ah' can already feel mah' mouth watering. Ah' swear, those are best-"

Her ear twitched.

"Aw, you can't be serious..." she said as she turned around. Something had crumbled. A wall perhaps? She could just wait till tomorrow if nopony was hurt. Her eyes darted from the house to town and back to the house.

"Pie can wait. Ah' gotta at least take a look." she said.

Soon enough, she was jumping across town, using the roofs as platforms. A few ponies waved their hoofs when they saw her. It felt goo that they warmed up to her so quickly. Made this whole hero business worth it. But thanks came later. Now she had a job to be do. After a couple of minutes, she arrived at her destination: Ponyville's hospital. Superfilly's reaction was simple.

"What the crud happened here?"

A wall had crumbled, making a large hole. A few nurses and doctors inspected the damage or tried to calm each other down, though luckily, nopony seemed to be hurt. But that wasn't what caught her attention. It was the wall. It was cracked alright. But not completely. A few of the rocks didn't seemed to be broken, but melt, along with a trail of burnt grass. A stingy smell was in the air. A very familiar smell.

"Growth serum..." she murmured. But that was impossible. The growth serum had been swallowed by the ground of the ARP garden, and even then, the only creatures in contact of if were the bugs, the plant and...

"Oh no..."

As if on cue, a scream pierced the air, coming right from the residential zone. Since it was near, all it took was a single bound. Landing right in front of a house, she sniffed around. The stingy smell was stronger here. A lot stronger. A fizzling sound sound caught her attention. Following the scent, she arrived at the edge of the zone. Ponies were running away in fear and disgust. Superfilly cringed at the sight.

"What is that?"

A large, mollusk like creature dragged itself across the street, as fast as a trotting pony. It was as a little bigger than Princess Celestia. It's front legs were thick and flappy, connected to a grotesque head presenting the basic snout of a pony, but the eyes and mouth of a snail. It didn't have hind legs, instead being one huge slug-like body. Acid dripped from it's mouth, while his trail visibly burnt the patches of grass that it crossed over.

"Ew...Snails?" Superfilly said. The monster started sliding towards her fast, acid drops falling on fences and walls, making small indentations.

"Okay buddy, stop right there." Superfilly said. The mollusk monster didn't even slow down. Passing over a fallen lamp post, the metal structure melted as the acid covered it.

"Ah' said stop!" Superfilly ordered. The mollusk slowed down as he reached her. Superfilly sighed, happy that it would end quickly. But not quite so, as the mollusk reared back a slimy leg. Distracted by the sigh, Superfilly received the punch head on, sending her tumbling against a wall.

"Ouch...alright then. Let's do it you way..." she growled as she lunged forwards. The mollusk tried another punch, but the hero simply swatted the leg away, following it up with a strong punch to what she hoped was the stomach. Her efforts were met with a rain of acid that she barely dodged, a few drops falling on her flank. She cringed a little at the pain. It was like concentrated hot water dripping on her leg. The mollusk didn't seem fazed at all, protected by a soft body.

"Great, what now?" she thought as she backed away a little.

The mollusk started approaching her again, acid dropping from it's mouth. Liquid acid. Liquids could be frozen. An idea started forming in her head. Jumping over the monster, she started to walk out of the zone, slow enough so that the creature followed her.

"That's it Snails...follow the blue treat.." she tempted as she lead the mollusk out of the residential zone. It took a few long minutes, but soon enough, both of them were far enough from the populated areas. Superfilly planted her hooves firmly on the ground.

"Time to put this lung muscles to work..." she said just as the mollusk was upon her. Taking a deep breath, she blew. And blew, and blew, and blew. With her strength, the wind went from a slight current to a small typhoon, with enough force to create a small tornado. The mollusk kept getting closer, but it was slowing down as the acid slowly froze in different parts of its body. Soon, the monster could not keep with the cold wind, and collapsed, the low temperature and ice around it's body putting it to sleep.

"Wow..Ah' can't believe it worked..." she murmured.

A grumble was heard, putting Superfilly on alert. The mollusk started shrinking, vapor and acid evaporating. The slug section soon turned into the normal pony body of a colt, while the eyes and mouth returned to their original form. After a minute or so, a sleeping Snails laid there, completely normal, though covered in slime.

Deciding to take no chances, Superfilly, took Snails to the smartest pony she knew.

"You...you are..." Twilight said as she opened the door. Bystanders gave odd looks a Superfilly, who carried Snails on her back, and since he was bigger, his legs dragged on the ground.

"Yes, I'm Mare-do-Well, can we go inside? We need to talk." Superfilly said hastily.

Once inside, Apple Bloom removed the head of the suit and proceeded to explain what had happened, sparing no details, going from the earlier incident at the ARP to the current events, while Twilight prepared a makeshift bed for Snails.. She wasn't worried about revealing her identity, since Applejack had probably told her earlier.

"That is troubling indeed. I'll see what I can do for him. I'll have patched up by tomorrow. Does anypony know it was him?" Twilight asked as she stood from her seat and skimmed through the books.

"Ah' don't think so...Ah'm the only one who was there both times." Apple Bloom answered.

"The lets keep it that way. No need to tag him as a monster."

"Thanks Twilight. Ah didn't know if to take him back to the hospital, with all the commotion..."

"No need to thank. Snails should be thanking you! If you hand't appeared, who knows what could have happened?" Twilight joked. Apple Bloom gulped, remembering how she almost didn't come over a slice of pie.

"Well. Ah' think a better be going now. Applejack's gonna kill me if Ah' get home late." Apple Bloom excused herself. Putting her mask back on, Superfilly walked to the door.

"Oh Apple Bloom?"

Superfilly turned around for a second.

"Meet me after school ok? I would like to talk to you about something..." Twilight said before busying herself with a medical book. Superfilly nodded in agreement before leaving, jumping away to the orchid, happy to have saved the day once more.