Them's Fightin Friends #2 : Heart Of Darkness
“How come did thay jump ye?” The pink ewe spoke in a gentle tone, wrapping the hoof of her new friend softly with some bandages from the many ‘Pup Packs’ her doggies carried with them on this journey.
“I was once not a very good pony, I made many choices that hurt others.” Fizzlepop gave a distant reply, her pale colored hues gazing out into the distance of an orange colored sky.
The two had found a nice open meadow to graze at for a while, to allow Pom to patch up her friend’s wounds before possibly having a small meal as well. The day was passing quickly for the sky had become lazy, oranges and golden streaks filling the canvas above beautifully.
Many a puppy were racing through the tall grass barking or playing around in groups, the two creatures resting their hooves from a wild morning of battle. Fizzlepop was very cold with her words, as if trying to distant the world away from her by any way possible.
“Bit they days ur over?” Pom spoke up nipping off the last piece of bandage, firmly casting the last bruise on the hoof of the mare.
“Yes. Though actions are ever lasting, my choices will never truly fade”
“Is that how come ye run?”
“How?” Fizzlepop spoke up with a slight bit of confusion, as if being caught off guard.
“Under yer hooves, ah cuid see blisters. One’s gained fae constant running, fae a lack o' rest fae yer feet.” Pom slowly gazed down in a bit of shame for prying.
“I can’t stop running, I don’t have a place to be.”
“But ye shouldn't fear yer choices o' th' bygane, focus oan th' ones 'ere in th' noo.” Pom gave a sweet shake of her bell, a puppy running over with a picnic bag around his waist.
“Like how?” Fizzlepop asked with a raised brow.
“I’m nae sure tae be honest, bit ah ken yin thing tae be true.” Pom unzipped the bag at her hooves, taking out two dandelion sandwiches.
“...”
“We ur, wha we wale tae be.” The ewe placed the sandwich in Fizzlepop’s hooves, a soft silence filling the air.
Yet for the first time in a long while, The mare could feel a small smile form across her muzzle.
The night sky had fallen quickly within the forest of the Everfree, a pitch black abyss covered all in eternal night. A small wagon with a caged back side was weakly being dragged along a dirty path, a single Royal Guard pulling the tiny frame with an annoyed look.
He stood tall with a light orange coat and dark blue mane that stood towards the sky proudly, golden armor held to his powerful frame while pale blue eyes kept locked on the road ahead.
His cargo though small was highly dangerous, within the shadows of the cage stood a mere small pegasus filly with a pale pink coat. Her pastel blue and white streaked mane in wild tangles from months of neglect, her soft brown eyes glowing an almost red hue in the night.
“I said I was sworry! May I please just go home, I miss mommy ever so much.” The filly gave a sweet plea for mercy to the stallion, who in reply just rolled his eyes.
“What was it you told the ‘Parole Mare’ today?” The stallion spoke in a stern manner, voice cold and distant.
“I said ‘I’d love to see the sunshine again, plus your mane is oh so pretty!’ Mr.Flash Sentry sir.” The filly flashed a bright beaming smile to the guard, only to feel a strong kick to her cage from his hind hoof.
“As if Cozy Glow!” Flash snorted aloud holding back a laugh.
“I might have also said a bad word, sworry…” Cozy folded her ears down in shame.
“More threatened to kill her children if you ever were free, I swear by the fires of Tartarus!” Flash gave a swift kick to the cage, the filly falling muzzle first into the dusty floor of the wagon.
“When I get out and I will, I’m going to love tearing you apart.” Cozy poked her muzzle out through the cage bars, eyes glaring off into the darkness.
It was a long trip back to her cell, anything could happen.
She just needed a chance.
Arizona galloped at full speed ahead through the large forest path while the sky glowed a pale blue from the moon high in the sky, her beige hide contrast to the eerie blue glow basking the world.
Her brown air flowing back in the brisk cool air of the night, emerald green hues glowing much like embers in the darkness. The small calf bravely facing all that would confront her in the abyss, she was one with ‘Cattlekind’ and a cow never backed down from a challenge.
She was home a single day when the call for help rang out, the champion’s once more being called upon to end a crisis. Her father Texas explaining that some kind of sickness was engulfing the land of Foenum, causing all types of a rukus around the many herds.
Though she didn’t see any change among her cattle brothers and sisters, she wasted no time heading back out onto the open road. Knowing the sooner she solved this ‘Disharmony’ mumbo jumbo, the sooner she could return home to enjoy her reward.
Taking a week off to spend with her Ma and Pa, it was far overdue for them to graze in the wide open fields or simply feel the tender hug from her mother. A champion had to be true and honest, strong and brave but above all.
Stand up for the little creatures of this world.
“Tarnation! This here Everfree should be a Neverfree, feelin like I’ve been poundin this trail fer days!” The small heifer blew her bangs away from her eyes, taking deep breaths of air as she came to a walk down the forest path.
This new land was a bit more narrow than ‘The Prairie’ which she found annoying, instead of large open fields of grass these ponies built cities of stone and wood any chance they got. The whole land simply felt tight and close quarters, as if it were caught in a vice grip.
“Woe is I!” A small helpless voice yelled out of the darkness, the heifer snorting loudly at attention her ears perched high.
“Hello!? Something needin a bit of a hoof?” Arizona gave a loud moo out into the abyss, holding her posture straight with her chest pushed out powerfully.
“Is that a cow!?” The voice spoke back from the left in confusion, the small calf rushing forward to the rescue at high speed.
The ground seemed to quake with each mighty step of the hoof, the small calf exploding out of the nearby thorn covered brush. Landing with a loud thud smack center in what seemed to be a campsite, a warm bonfire set up in the center blazing a wild red hue while a tent had been pitched to the right under a large tree.
Though the oddest sight to behold this night was a caged wagon beside the large blaze, within a small pathetic filly sat alone in a bundle of tangles and knots. Arizona galloping over in confusion swiftly, smushing her muzzle against the cold steel bars firmly wanting a explanation.
“I’ll be a donkey’s uncle, yer just a small spitfire!?” Arizona spoke in a loud dumbstruck tone, huffing a wave of stale breath over the tiny pegasus.
“Bleck! Yes my stinky friend, I was locked away for...oh it’s too horrible!” Cozy held back a gag building inside her throat, turning on the charm with a single bat of the lashes.
“You can tell me darlin, I won’t hurt you hon.” Arizona slid a small hoof inside the cage, placing a firm but somewhat gentle pat atop the child’s head.
“I didn’t clean my room!” Cozy winced from the pet yet shook it off, flashing large eyes full of tears to the small calf.
“I’ll be! That be why you all caged up, like some common thief?”
“Uh-huh! Please tons of fun, free me!” Cozy gave a small plea so helpless, tears flowing down her cheeks wildly.
“Who are you!?” A stallion pegasus suddenly yelled across the bonfire, dropping a small stack of sticks under his large wing.
Arizona gave a loud snort into the air, steam escaping her nostrils as she spun around to face this large bully of the night. Green eyes locking onto his dark blue ones, her small stout frame tensing up ready for a throwdown of a showdown.
“Did you lock up this poor darlin?”
“She’s not a darling, she’s a dirty little…” Flash stood up proudly, buckling his knees a bit getting ready to rush this weird little cow.
“Just cause she didn’t clean her room, ain’t no reason to cage the hon up!” Arizona slammed her hoof onto the dirt, Flash gasping as the ground seemed to shake a bit under his hooves.
“What!? No she’s caged because…”
“Cause bullies like you think they can put down the little creature, this world is wide open and free!”
“Uhhh…”
“After I pound some sense into you, maybe you’ll see that!’ The calf gave a loud proud moo, rushing ahead to save the day once more.
Flash had no idea who this child was, yet she seemed to be some sort of friend to his prisoner and that alone made her a threat. The calf was surprisingly fast for her size, darting off to the side of the blaze before pouncing into the air swiftly.
Flash could barely jump out of the way before the heifer came crashing down, a light blue shock wave pushing the stallion off to the right with a skid. He was quick to tackle forward in a spark of light, flipping the calf over his shoulder and into the distance.
Arizona smashed into a large tree with a crash, plopping onto the ground in a cloud of dust before wildly shaking it off with a loud snort. The heifer speeding ahead at full force doing a three sixty spin in place, hind hooves lifting up in a bronco like buck to the stallion.
He simply did a swift dodge to such a hasty move swinging a front hoof that popped her jaw loudly, spreading wings proudly while blasting a cloud of dust forward to blind the small calf.
“MAAOOOOO! You fight like a dairy farmer!” Arizona shook her head side to side, eyes burning like a wildfire.
“Well you fight like a angry child.” Flash dashed high into the sky on open wings, chuckling down to the child with a smug smirk.
With a sudden glare of anger at the mere word child, Arizona swiftly reached behind her burgundy bandana around her neck. To the surprise of Flash she somehow produced a long dusty lasso, the rope flinging high as it wrapped around his neck like a snake.
One firm pull had the stallion come crashing down with a thunderous blast, he tried to get to his hooves only to have the lasso snatch his neck again. Swung to the side like a ragdoll as he went smashing into the side of the wagon in a firm crash, the calf galloping over to him like the wind popping her skull into his own with a sickening headbuck.
The world started to spin like a hurricane to the royal guard, his hooves unable to catch his balance while he stumbled side to side dazed. The calf taking this chance to headbuck the lock on the cage, the bars swinging open with ease afterwards.
“Don’ta doos that, she’ssss a really bad porky…” Flash slowed to a stop stunned in place, his whole body locking up as Arizona gave a simple eye roll.
“I’ll make sure to watch mah back!” Arizona gave a wide grin, lifting onto her hind hooves proudly the force of the prairie gathering into her hooves.
With a smash into the ground more powerful than a clap of thunder, a powerful blue shockwave shattered cracks among the ground wickedly. Flash lifted with ease into the air, flying off into the abyss while rolling on the side of his body.
The bones inside his body quivering as he rolled across dirt and thorns, smashing into a large oak tree in a limp thud. His power spent and body bruised, the stallion could see the world around him fading to black.
“Yay, my chunky hero! Hurry we must be off, before he summons other bullies!” Cozy gave a small pounce out of the cage, the calf nodding in agreement dashing away into the darkness.
Cozy giving a devious smirk of delight, cantering over to the weak guard on the ground in a tangled mess of bruises and cuts. Kneeling down to his eye level giggling, her small hoof gently caressing his swollen cheek.
“I told you.” Cozy smashed her hoof into the back of his head hard, the world vanishing into darkness completely.
“Spitfire, where are you!?” The sound of a moo echoed from the distance, the small pegasus fluttering into the air before vanishing into the dead of night.
“Ah'ament a wee lamb, a'm a an aberdonian`s burd…” Pom spoke in a annoyed tone of voice, flaunting a hoof in the air sweetly.
Fizzlepop slowly made her own way around the small campfire heading off into the night, her hoof placing pressure on a small twig as it snapped aloud. Pom softly opening her eyes to see the mare sighing in place, an uneasy silence filling the air around them both.
“Please dinnae lea.” The ewe spoke with a gentle quiver to her voice, quickly jumping up to her hooves as puppies in the background yawned sleepily.
“Just go back to sleep, I’ll be fine on my own.”
“Bit…”
“I can’t be around others, this is my way Pom. I follow my path on the open road, where it leads other creatures wouldn’t like.” Fizzlepop spun around walking to the small ewe, gently lifting a hoof up cupping her cheek.
“...”
“You did show me though that kindness is not yet gone from the world, to place one’s self before others is indeed a rare gift.”
“You’re keekin fur yer end, aren’t ye?” Pom felt the soft trickle of tears rolling down her cheek slowly.
“Never change Pom, thank you.” The unicorn gave a genuine smile to her friend, turning away with a saddlebag upon her backside walking into the shadows of the night.
“Stoap!” Pom gave a loud bleat from within her soul, rushing away from the safety of the light and into the abyss.
Pale turquoise eyes searching the empty countryside franticly for Fizzlepop, though among the inky black land all she could make out was emptiness. The mare had vanished back from whence she came, leaving only a somber melody wafting through the air.
“So you’re searching for harmony?” Cozy spoke in a intrigued tone of voice, her tiny hoof tapping the side of her chin gently.
“Darn tootin! I need to find this here magic, so that a curse spreading in my land can be lifted!” The calf gave a loud smack of the lips, the small pegasus riding on her backside lazily.
Both girls traveling through the winding paths of the forest, many an odd creature hissing or howling in their direction. Yet both did care less about that and more about the business at hoof, the moon beginning to lower in the sky as day break would soon be near.
“What if I said, I knew where to find harmony?” Cozy gave a cute giggle, gently tapping the calf atop the head like a pet.
“I’d say yer mah new best friend.”
“Well lucky you Swiss Miss, I know where to find such power…” Cozy gently looked off to the side, trying her best to fight off tears from forming.
“But what is wrong?” Arizona asked as her ears lowered down, a sense of pity taking root deep in her belly.
“The magic is guarded by big meanies, they push everypony around and hoard power for themselves…”
“Shhh!” The calf did a small buck, rolling the child off her backside and into her hooves.
“You don’t want to help?” Tears soaked the cheeks of Cozy, her small frame shivering in fear.
“Opposite darlin! Don’t cry, cause I’m goin help you pound those meanies into dust!” Arizona gave a sly wink to her new friend, the pegasus quick to wrap hooves around her neck in a tight hug.
“Thank you, thank you!”
“Dawww!” The calf closed her eyes returning the embrace.
“You’re my hero!” Cozy opened her eyes while hugging, hues glowing a dark red before a wicked smile crossed her muzzle.
