And, we're back, ladies and gentlemen. This the seventh and currently longest chapter of Fluttershy's Nuke. I am proud to announce that My finals are over for the first trimester of the school year, and I have survived!
Han-Ko: You and me both, buddy.
Guest: Nuke can't use his slime while he's a pony. Also, the picture came from DeviantArt.
[Outside of the CMC Clubhouse, Outskirts of Ponyville, 3:05 pm SET]
After they pulled Nuke free of the tree's trunk, it had been decided that Sweetie and Scootaloo would go and face Fluttershy's wrath together. In the unicorn filly's mind, this would give Applebloom some alone time with Nuke, should he wake up. In Applebloom's mind, this was Sweetie's way of not-so-subtly saying to give it a go. Scootaloo couldn't care less, as long as she wasn't alone when telling Fluttershy she may have knocked out her adoptive son and given him an extreme headache/concussion.
Applebloom sighed. Her friends had been gone for about three minutes now, and Nuke still hadn't woken up. His breathing was deep and rhythmatic, as though he were asleep and not knocked out. She smiled. Sweetie Bell was right, he was cute, even with that strange, clubbed tail of his. The earth filly sat down next to him, silently pleading him to wake up. Suddenly, her ears twitched at a slight sound. It was in the lower vocal range, so neither her friends or Fluttershy had arrived yet…so what was it? Turning her head towards the source of the sound, Applebloom let out a gasp, and her pupils shrank in fear. Timberwolves.
~~~~Line Break~~~~
[Nuke's dreamscape, Volcano, Unknown time]
A nightmare. When Nuke saw the volcanic area around him, that was his first thought. He looked around, wondering how he had gotten from the forest to here. A rhythmic sound filled his pony ears.
Thud…thud…thud…thud…
He turned, and the faux-pony's jaw dropped. It was a Brachydios. The Brach seemed to take no notice of him, and continued in his direction without even looking at him. It wasn't until the Brach was a few steps away that Nuke realized something. It was about to step on him. He shouted to get the monster's attention, but either it couldn't hear him or was ignoring him. Without anytime to move, Nuke curled up into a ball, praying to whatever deity was listening that he wouldn't be killed. Right before the foot descended, he shut his eyes, waiting for the impact… … … …where was the foot? Nuke opened his eyes and gasped. He was in the foot, as though he were insubstantial. The Brachydios had stopped moving, and was facing the direction it had come from. It let out a low growl as four figures appeared.
N…ke…uke…ke up! W…ke…p!
The faux-pony shook his head at the offending noise. Whatever it was, it was distracting him from what was happening. The Brach was now engaged in combat against the four two-legged figures.
Wak…p! Nu…e!
Again with the noise? Why couldn't it just go away? Nuke kept watching the battle, and went slack-jawed when the Brach, wounded from the four two-legs, set off an explosive chain that sent something flying off the cliff. It was an egg. He knew that he came from a different world; Fluttershy and Discord had told him on his two-month birthday. Discord also told him how he came across his egg. Could this possibly be what had happened?
NUKE! WAKE UP!
The cry tore through his head, and the dreamscape faded to black as he was forcefully pulled from the world his mind had created.
[Outside of the CMC Clubhouse, Outskirts of Ponyville, 3:06 pm]
Applebloom kept one eye on the Timberwolves, making sure they didn't get too close as she did her best to wake Nuke from his unconscious state. Finally, he woke up, looking around in a confused fashion.
"Wha-? What's going-?"
"TIMBERWOLVES!" Whipping his head towards Applebloom, Nuke saw she was shaking with fear and pointing at something. Following her hoof, the faux-pony saw what she was pointing at. Fluttershy had told him about the Timberwolves, but he had never actually seen one before. Nuke fired up his magic, this time focusing on his voice enhancing spell. A mini-Brach wouldn't be enough to scare these bad boys off.
"Go away!" he shouted. The Timberwolves glanced at one another with a mixture of confusion and amusement. This strange little colt was telling them what to do? They continued their advance. Nuke took a deep breath. "I said…GO AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" The faux-pony felt the voice enhancing spell flow through his vocal cords, strengthening them to first withstand the volume and then to be able to use that volume. An Ursa Minor was simply turned away by the force from the sound waves. The Timberwolves were sent flying, and some were even reduced to twigs on the spot. Nuke cut the scream off, panting both from the need for oxygen and the drain of the spell. He looked to Applebloom, whose jaw had just about hit the ground. He spoke, voice a little rough from the strain put on it. "See why…I had you stay back *cough* on the playground?" Next thing he knew, the filly had tackled him in a bone-crushing hug, as though she were stranded in the ocean and he were floating debris to latch onto.
"Nuke! Yer okay!" A strange feeling went across Nuke's face and inside his belly. When Applebloom wrapped her forelegs around him, warmth, tingly in a pleasant way, spread across his face and the inside of his stomach. He gingerly hugged her back, and Applebloom, who was already beginning to blush from the realization that she was hugging the colt she liked, nearly turned the same color as Big Mac.
"Of course I am. Are you?" Applebloom nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "Good." Nuke pulled out of the hug, looking around for the other two, which gave Applebloom time to try and get her body under control. "Where are Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell?"
"They went to go get Fluttershy after ya slammed inta th' tree." The faux-pony took a glance at the tree, which now had a Nuke-shaped hole in the trunk. "Ah know Scootaloo is a fast runner, but still, that's just ridiculous."
"It's a good thing I have a hard head then." Applebloom giggled, which caused the warmth to make its rounds about his body again. To his credit, his coat had some of the protective qualities his scales had, including hiding most colorations in the face, so Applebloom didn't notice the red that dusted itself across Nuke's face.
"Well, Ah'm glad yer all right, Nuke. Scootaloo was shakin' with fear when she and Sweetie went to go get yer mom."
"I can't imagine why." The faux-pony's words were dripping with sarcasm, and soon both foals were laughing their heads off. The warmth inside Nuke intensified, and his stomach lurched. What was wrong with him? Was he sick? He shrugged it off. Fluttershy could tell him.
~~~~Line Break~~~~
[Fluttershy's Cottage, Outskirts of Ponyville, 3:06 pm SET]
"You WHAT?" Scootaloo flinched, praying to Celestia that she wouldn't die before she got her cutie mark.
"It was an accident, Fluttershy. Scootaloo was just going too fast, that's all." Fluttershy closed her eyes and put a hoof to her forehead, feeling a migraine coming on. Foals will be foals, after all.
"You managed to pull him out of the tree?" The two fillies nodded. "You left Applebloom with him?" They nodded again. "Well, as long as he isn't hurt too badly, then you're off the hook. Just make sure it doesn't happen again." Scootaloo let out the breath she had been holding. That would be easy. No more dragging Nuke. Fluttershy spread her wings, preparing to go and get Nuke. "You two stay here. I'll be back with Nuke and Applebloom, and then you can all-" She was cut off as a screech filled the air, but it didn't come from anything at her cottage. Scootaloo's eyes widened as a realization hit her.
"That's coming from where we left Applebloom and Nuke!" Fluttershy was gone before Sweetie could form a response. The yellow Pegasus tore across the sky at speeds Rainbow Dash would've been proud of, screaming the name of the one she cherished the most.
"NUUUKE!" Discord poked his head out of the cottage.
"What's going on? Can't a draconequus get any sleep around here?"
"Two things! First, it's the middle of the afternoon! Second, we think Nuke and Applebloom are in trouble! Fluttershy just now flew off like she was shot from a cannon!" Discord's face hardened. Though he wouldn't admit it, Fluttershy was dear to him, and he would protect her to the best of his abilities.
"Where are they?"
~~~~Line Break~~~~
[Outside of the CMC Clubhouse, Outskirts of Ponyville, 3:07 pm SET]
Nuke's ears twitched. He immediately stopped laughing, waving at Applebloom to do the same. "What is it, Nuke?"
"Shh!" Nuke stared at the treeline, ears shoved forwards, certain he had heard something akin to heavy breathing. At first he thought he had been hearing things. Then the eyes appeared. They were a Timberwolves' eyes, no doubt. But why were they so big and so high up? The creature stepped out of the treeline, glaring at the two fillies. Nuke gulped as his eyes widened. It was an Alpha Timberwolf. Applebloom instantly appeared by his side, pressing into him for comfort.
"N-nuke? Please tell me ya can do that screamin' thing again." Nuke shook his head. "Then what can we do?" Nuke opened his mouth to reply, but before he got the chance, the Alpha pounced. Right as it was about to get them, a flash of white light sparked in between the ponies and the Alpha, blinding and deafening the wolf. Nuke whipped his head around.
"Discord! Where are you? Help us!"
"I can only do one more thing, little Nuke. Your true form."
"B-but what about-"
"We'll worry about that when we get to it. If necessary, I'll wipe her memory of the event!"
"I-I-"
"Good luck, little Nuke." Nuke looked at Applebloom, who was slowly backing away from the Alpha as it began to regain its senses.
"Applebloom." She turned to look at him, and was stunned by the fear in his eyes. But the fear wasn't directed at the Alpha Timberwolf. It was directed at rejection. She had seen that look in her own eyes when she looked in the mirror before she had met her filly friends. Every day before school, when she went to brush her teeth, she would do her best to not look in the mirror. Now that she had friends, that look was gone. But now…
"What is it, Nuke?" He opened his mouth to respond, but never got the chance. Once again, Discord's chaos magic flashed, reverting Nuke back to the form he first knew. He was, once again, a true Brachydios. Applebloom nearly fainted. This was different from Nuke's illusion, she could tell. Nuke looked back at her, eyes filled with emotional pain. The Alpha Timberwolf roared, grabbing Nuke's attention. His eyes cleared, and this time filled up with rage. Things would have been just fine if this stupid wolf hadn't decided to try and get them. Now one of his only friends was going to stay as far away as she possibly could, and it was all this stupid. Wolf's. Fault! As Nuke's rage filled him, he roared back at the Alpha, challenging it despite the size difference. Once again, a warmth spread across Nuke's body, except this time, it was not a pleasant warmth, oh no. It was the fury of someone who believed he had just lost something he considered close to him. As with the pleasant warmth, pigmentation spread across him, this time a poisonous yellow, turning his horn, forearms, spikes, and part of his body to the color. He charged at the Alpha and at the last moment, leapt towards the wolf. Nuke's forearms plowed into the wooden beast, and when contact was made, the slime mold on his forearms sparked a chemical reaction, sending a message to spontaneously combust on whatever it was it made contact with. The force of the explosions rocked the Alpha Timberwolf, who fell back whimpering, its body smoking and on fire in various places. Nuke roared again, and remembering what he had seen the Brach do in his dream, thrust his horn into the ground only to rip it out of the ground in the direction of the Alpha. The Alpha was close enough that the chain of explosions tore it to shreds, incinerating the wooden wolf to ashes. Nuke snorted, and turned his body so that he could kick dust over the remains of the beast. Satisfied with his victory, he slowly exhaled, knowing what was coming next. Discord's chaos magic washed over him, and he was a pony once more. "N-nuke? What was-?"
"My true form." Applebloom blinked.
"B-but Ah thought i-it was just an il-llusion."
"…"
"N-nuke?" Without warning, he ran off, surprising Applebloom. "Nuke! Wait!" She ran after him, wondering why he had run. Not six seconds later, Fluttershy alighted in the clearing, praying Nuke was alright. Neither Nuke nor Applebloom were in sight. The only thing that stood out was the line of charred and blackened grasses, ash, and a few small pieces of Timberwolf wood.
"Nuke? Applebloom?"
"They aren't here, Fluttershy." The yellow pegasus turned at the sound of Discord's voice. The draconequus was not looking very happy. He seemed upset, almost. "I…may have made a mistake."
The italics in Nuke's dream was Applebloom trying to wake him up. The italics during the Alpha scene was Discord talking to Nuke via telepathy. Please don't kill me for this cliffhanger. Now that a new tri is starting, my time on a computer is going to be significantly less since I have no computer-oriented classes. I promise I will do my best to update this fanfiction. Feel free to ask any questions about this story. Thank you.
jsun25, logging off
