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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Dull Light
Twilight scampered through her basement laboratory with giddy excitement. All around her, flasks and bottles bubbled with concoctions of various colors. A quill mindlessly scribbled on a clipboard levitating next to her as she peered at her work.
Twilight stopped at a series of potted plants kept inside a glass cabinet. One could never be too careful with poison joke, after all, but she needed to keep a supply readily available.
Twilight marveled at the strange plants. Her eyes passed over the classic blue strains to the more exotic teal and purple varieties. Each pony responded to poison joke differently, but different types of poison joke also had their own unique effects. Zecora described it to her as each type having their own sense of humor.
If she could find a way to isolate and replicate these unique effects, poison joke could serve as the basis for entirely new fields of medicine. The way blue poison joke effected Rarity could be the key to curing baldness! And that was just the beginning. Once Twilight had managed to convince her friends to part with a few hairs in the name of science, she had everything she needed to begin her experiments.
Twilight turned to examine the progress of one of her potions. It was a distillation of aqua poison joke, a strain that would turn the normally hard-working Applejack so lazy she couldn’t even be bothered to wake up from a nap. If she could reproduce that, she could potentially invent a new type of anesthetic, or at least some sort of sleep aid. She levitated the flask closer and squinted at it, as if that might help unravel its secrets.
There was a crash upstairs, followed by a splash in the basement.
“Owie.”
Derpy rubbed her muzzle as she pushed open the door.
“Miss Twilight?” she called, her eyes drifting all over the library. “Are you here?” An odd noise from the open door across the room drew her over. “Miss Twilight?”
“Yoo-hoo!”
Derpy blinked in surprise but took it as an invitation to go into the basement. She shrugged off her mailbag before gliding downstairs and saw Twilight sitting in the middle of the floor among some broken glass. Twilight was dripping wet but simply watched quietly as she flew closer.
With one of her eyes, at least.
Her other eye slowly drifted around the room until Derpy landed in front of her.
“Hiya, Derpy!” Twilight chirped, her eyes jumping to the ceiling and floor. “What’re you doing here?”
“I was gonna give you some mail,” Derpy said, “but then I got an owie from your door.”
“Aww, poor Derpy,” Twilight spread her forelimbs wide and pulled Derpy into a hug. “It’s okay. Doors give me owies, too.”
Derpy pulled back and tried to look Twilight in the eye, a task she had enough difficulty with under normal circumstances.
“Twilight,” Derpy said with a tilt of her head, “are you okay?”
“Yep!” Twilight smiled as her eyes crossed. “I was just down here doing… something…” Twilight looked around curiously and kicked aside some broken glass as she walked to her work station. “Oh, yeah—look at all the pretty potions I made!”
Derpy watched as Twilight awkwardly walked down the length of the table, as if the floor was shifting beneath her.
Twilight giggled as she caught her distorted reflection in a beaker. “I look funny.”
“What are these?” Derpy asked as she stepped up to her.
Twilight shrugged to the ceiling. “I made them with that stuff.”
Derpy followed her hoof to the cabinet full of poison joke.
“They like to make jokes,” Twilight continued. “They made me all dizzy and clumsy, and they made my eyes go all wonky, like you!”
Derpy turned to look at her. “Like… me?”
“Just like you!” Twilight giggled and threw her forelimbs around Derpy.
Derpy narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think it’s very funny.”
“Aww.” Twilight’s ears fell as she pouted.
Derpy’s right eye noticed a bucket in its own glass cabinet next to the poison joke and walked over to it.
“‘In case of emergency’,” Derpy read aloud. She opened the cabinet and was overcome by a powerful herbal scent. “Twilight?”
Twilight smiled. “Yes, Derpy?”
Derpy dumped the bucket on her head.
“Huh? What?” Twilight quickly shook herself and managed a smile. “Oh, hello, Derpy. What are you doing here?”
Derpy let the bucket fall from her hooves with a sigh. “Just delivering some mail.”
Twilight stopped at a series of potted plants kept inside a glass cabinet. One could never be too careful with poison joke, after all, but she needed to keep a supply readily available.
Twilight marveled at the strange plants. Her eyes passed over the classic blue strains to the more exotic teal and purple varieties. Each pony responded to poison joke differently, but different types of poison joke also had their own unique effects. Zecora described it to her as each type having their own sense of humor.
If she could find a way to isolate and replicate these unique effects, poison joke could serve as the basis for entirely new fields of medicine. The way blue poison joke effected Rarity could be the key to curing baldness! And that was just the beginning. Once Twilight had managed to convince her friends to part with a few hairs in the name of science, she had everything she needed to begin her experiments.
Twilight turned to examine the progress of one of her potions. It was a distillation of aqua poison joke, a strain that would turn the normally hard-working Applejack so lazy she couldn’t even be bothered to wake up from a nap. If she could reproduce that, she could potentially invent a new type of anesthetic, or at least some sort of sleep aid. She levitated the flask closer and squinted at it, as if that might help unravel its secrets.
There was a crash upstairs, followed by a splash in the basement.
“Owie.”
Derpy rubbed her muzzle as she pushed open the door.
“Miss Twilight?” she called, her eyes drifting all over the library. “Are you here?” An odd noise from the open door across the room drew her over. “Miss Twilight?”
“Yoo-hoo!”
Derpy blinked in surprise but took it as an invitation to go into the basement. She shrugged off her mailbag before gliding downstairs and saw Twilight sitting in the middle of the floor among some broken glass. Twilight was dripping wet but simply watched quietly as she flew closer.
With one of her eyes, at least.
Her other eye slowly drifted around the room until Derpy landed in front of her.
“Hiya, Derpy!” Twilight chirped, her eyes jumping to the ceiling and floor. “What’re you doing here?”
“I was gonna give you some mail,” Derpy said, “but then I got an owie from your door.”
“Aww, poor Derpy,” Twilight spread her forelimbs wide and pulled Derpy into a hug. “It’s okay. Doors give me owies, too.”
Derpy pulled back and tried to look Twilight in the eye, a task she had enough difficulty with under normal circumstances.
“Twilight,” Derpy said with a tilt of her head, “are you okay?”
“Yep!” Twilight smiled as her eyes crossed. “I was just down here doing… something…” Twilight looked around curiously and kicked aside some broken glass as she walked to her work station. “Oh, yeah—look at all the pretty potions I made!”
Derpy watched as Twilight awkwardly walked down the length of the table, as if the floor was shifting beneath her.
Twilight giggled as she caught her distorted reflection in a beaker. “I look funny.”
“What are these?” Derpy asked as she stepped up to her.
Twilight shrugged to the ceiling. “I made them with that stuff.”
Derpy followed her hoof to the cabinet full of poison joke.
“They like to make jokes,” Twilight continued. “They made me all dizzy and clumsy, and they made my eyes go all wonky, like you!”
Derpy turned to look at her. “Like… me?”
“Just like you!” Twilight giggled and threw her forelimbs around Derpy.
Derpy narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think it’s very funny.”
“Aww.” Twilight’s ears fell as she pouted.
Derpy’s right eye noticed a bucket in its own glass cabinet next to the poison joke and walked over to it.
“‘In case of emergency’,” Derpy read aloud. She opened the cabinet and was overcome by a powerful herbal scent. “Twilight?”
Twilight smiled. “Yes, Derpy?”
Derpy dumped the bucket on her head.
“Huh? What?” Twilight quickly shook herself and managed a smile. “Oh, hello, Derpy. What are you doing here?”
Derpy let the bucket fall from her hooves with a sigh. “Just delivering some mail.”