A Fizzling Hope

Chapters

Backup Plans
Lost in the Woods
Forgive and Forget
Applebuck Season
Home on the Range
Of Nightmares Discordant
On the Road Again
Viva, Las Pegasus!

Backup Plans

Chapter 1: Backup Plans

“Alright ladies, let’s show him what friendship can do!!”

“Wait, wait, wait!!” Pinkie interrupted. She was standing under a cotton candy cloud, drinking her final fill of chocolate milk rain. She smacked her lips and let out a contended sigh before suddenly jumping back to her friends and facing Discord with an angry snarl.

Discord feigned a bored yawn as the six ponies concentrated, their necklaces starting to glow with magical powers. Discord finally noticed something was happening when the necklaces started to fire colorful projectiles that would loop around him before disappearing in a quick ‘poof.’

“Hm? What’s this?” Discord inquired, worry and doubt beginning to worm at his gut. He was so confident he had spoiled the friends’ relationships in the maze, but could they really have overcome such obstacles already? Had he underestimated the strength of their friendship??

“No!” Discord exclaimed as Twilight and her friends suddenly opened their eyes and a massive rainbow shot up into the sky, slowly arcing its way down towards him. “Noooooooo!!!” Discord screamed in terror as the rainbow slammed into him, immediately beginning to sap his powers. Discord could even feel the familiar sensation of his tail and legs being solidified into stone as the feeling began to spread up his long, winding body. Soon enough, he would be a statue for thousands of years yet again!!

This couldn’t be happening, it just couldn’t!! The fun was only just beginning! Discord’s mind raced as he struggled to come up with something, ANYTHING he could do to prevent yet another agonizingly long imprisonment. Who knew how long it would be before the elements’ magic wears off?

The stone feeling was now at his midsection…he couldn’t feel his wings anymore…his forearms were now locked in place…time was slipping by and Discord was about to be trapped, possibly forever!! Then, at the last possible second, he was struck by an idea. A brilliant idea!! Summoning the final reserves of his magical powers, Discord snapped his fingers, bringing his hastily constructed plan to fruition just moments before his hands and fingers turned into stone. As this happened, the stone feeling traveled up his neck before finally transforming his once beautiful face into a contorted grimace of anger and pain, forever frozen for all to see.

Now completely turned into stone, Discord’s body collapsed backwards onto the ground as the rainbow colored explosion continued to grow outwards, slowly reversing all that he had done and returning Ponyville to normal…

*****

Far, far away, on the very borders of Equestria…

The first thing the pony noticed was the warmth. ‘Aaaaaah, it’s so nice and warm just lying in the sun…’ he thought. The pony knew without opening his eyes that it was a beautiful sunny day, with only a few white puffy clouds drifting slowly across the sky. There would be time to open his eyes, but for now he tuned in to his other senses.

The grass he was lying on was cool and soft, obviously he was lying in some large grassy field. The cool breeze was blowing gently, stirring the grass around him and ruffling his mane and fur. He could hear birds chirping in the distance, as well as the soft trickle of a small stream as it happily gurgled its way along.

As for the pony himself, he was an earth pony colt of fairly average size with bright green fur. His mane and tail were mostly black with streaks of red laced throughout, and were slightly spiky and shaggy due to lack of much attention, but upon closer examination one could see that they had been combed mostly straight. Emblazoned on both of his flanks was a picture of an Erlenmeyer flask with a red liquid bubbling in it, with a trail of dark gray steam drifting out of the mouth of the flask and off to the right.

The pony finally opened his eyes, revealing his golden irises, squinting and raising his hoof to shield his eyes from the sudden bright light. It took a few moments to adjust, but he was finally able to sit up and take stock of his surroundings. Sure enough, he was sitting in a large, grassy field on a beautiful summer day. ‘Just perfect,’ he thought to himself, grinning as he bathed in the sun’s warmth. The pony took a moment or two to appreciate his surroundings once more before he began to get this nagging feeling. A feeling that told him he should be doing something.

The pony frowned and paused to think. Where was he? How did he get here? And what was it that he felt he should be doing right now? The pony closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to remember why he had come here and from where, but he just couldn’t remember. Obviously he had come here to take a nap in the sun. After all, who doesn’t like napping in the sunshine? But when he had gotten here, and where he’d come from were still a complete mystery. Looking up at the sun, the pony suddenly got the distinct notion that it was not quite yet noon, but how he knew that he knew that was also a mystery.

Still frowning in concentration, the pony stood up and walked over to the riverbank. Almost without thinking about what he was doing, he had picked up a few rocks, sticks, and long stalks of river grass and fashioned himself a makeshift stone hatchet. The pony paused and stared at the tool in his hands. How did he know how to make this? It had happened so naturally, almost without thinking. His hooves had been moving of their own accord! And yet, holding this hatchet, everything felt natural. He felt like he was meant to make this tool, and to use it for some greater purpose.

Shrugging aside his feelings of doubt, the pony allowed himself to perform the tasks that just felt right. Soon enough, the pony had chopped down a couple of trees, split the logs into a few rough planks, and pretty soon had built himself a wagon, along with a hammer and saw in the process. A wagon. That’s what this crazy doohickey was called. He didn’t know how he knew this, but it felt so right he just couldn’t dispute it.

Now, if any real craftspony were to see this pony’s makeshift tools and wagon, built so crudely from the bare minimum, he would probably have a good laugh. But to this pony, his rough-and-tumble wagon was something he could be proud of. Before he could even contemplate the enormity of his achievement, he had already strapped on the wagon’s reed harness and was headed off towards the distant mountains in search of….something.

Again, the pony was being dragged around by his body subconsciously following some set of tasks that he could not remember agreeing to perform. Walking toward the mountain range, he felt sure of two things. It felt right to be walking this direction, and he knew that he was looking for something. As the miles swam by the pony pondered the nature of his mysterious quarry, staring at the swirls of dust his hooves kicked up as he walked. Before he even knew it, the ground beneath his hooves began to slope sharply upwards.

The pony looked up to see that he was now trekking along a twisting path up into the mountains. He followed it for another few moments, his breathing beginning to become a bit more winded as he exerted himself. Then, as suddenly as he began his set of tasks, the pony stopped in the middle of the road, unhitched himself from the wagon, and began to walk away from the trail. If anypony had been there to ask him why he had just done what he did, he would have no answer for them except to say, ‘because it feels right.’

The pony followed his hooves into a small cave in the side of a sheer cliff face. Actually it was more of an alcove than a cave, he thought to himself. He trotted to the back of the indentation and inexplicably began to paw at the ground. Sure enough, his digging unearthed a pocket of glittering yellowish crystals which he began to carefully collect and place in a bag woven from the reeds he found by the river. Soon enough his bag was full and he trotted back to the wagon, placed the bag carefully inside, hitched himself up and started off again.

As the hours dragged by, the pony collected more and more odd materials, storing them in several more reed sacks. More yellowish crystals, bags of a fine black powder, and various other multicolored rocks and powders. He had even managed to find a few rocks loaded with gemstones, and he took those too. As dusk began to fall the pony contemplated his day’s achievements as he carefully guided his load down the mountain side. He had no idea what he had just collected, or why, or what he was going to do with it but once again he just had that good feeling.

As he reached the base of the mountain he was startled by a sudden growling noise. Was it a wolf? A bear? A tiger?? Oh, no it was just his stomach growling. The pony rolled his eyes as he recalled he hadn’t eaten anything that day. He stopped to think for a moment before remembering how he thought he had seen a berry bush on his way from the field. A quick five minutes’ walk back the way he came confirmed his memory.

The berry bush was full of blueberries, ripe for the picking. The pony unhitched his wagon, picked as many berries as he could hold, and washed them in a nearby creek before eating his fill. He also took a few moments to crop some of the luscious green grass growing by the water, and then downed a few mouthfuls of cool mountain spring water. Sighing contentedly, the pony decided he would figure out what he was meant to do with all this stuff he had collected tomorrow.

As the sun finally finished setting and the sky changed from pink and orange to a deep purple, the pony crawled underneath his wagon and curled up on the soft green grass. Exhausted from the day’s efforts, the pony quickly drifted off to sleep. But although sleep found him quickly, it did not do so restfully. The pony tossed and turned and moaned in his sleep as his dreams became darker and more confusing. He saw images of places he had never seen and ponies he had never met, all flitting through his mind’s eye faster than he could blink.

Suddenly there was a bright flash, and he was consumed by a rainbow-colored explosion. He screamed soundlessly as he was engulfed by the explosion, but there was no pain. No nothing. He cautiously opened his eyes and could see nothing but pitch black darkness. Hear nothing but silence. And then, as suddenly as the explosion had appeared, a deep echoing laugh rang out, chilling the pony’s spine with its evil sound. “W-who’s there??” he called bravely. “Show yourself!!” The voice echoed out again, but this time chanting in rhyme:

“The ponies think that they can win,

Although I know their chance is thin;

But just in case they do succeed,

I have something else up my sleeve;

A backup plan, a failsafe if you will,

I’ll make a new pony and bring him to Ponyville;

And there he’ll befriend them, sun or drizzle,

But thanks to him, their hopes will Fizzle…”

And then there was nothing but that terrible, evil laugh, filling up the poor frightened pony’s consciousness and ringing in his head. “Yyaaaaaaaagggh!!!” The pony shot up from his sleep screaming, and accidentally whacked his head against the bottom of his wagon. The pony collapsed in pain, grabbing the top of his head and muttering curses to himself. Crawling out from under his wagon, the pony continued to rub his head and grumble as he took stock of his surroundings.

It was early dawn, and the sun’s morning rays were just starting to peek out from over the distant horizon. The pony sat down to watch the sunrise for a few moments before finally speaking to himself. “Whew, what a dream. I wonder what that was all about…” he said thoughtfully. Suddenly he was struck by a thought. It came out of nowhere, but it felt so correct he simply had to accept it. His name was Fizzle of course, just like in the rhyme. Fizzle played the rhyme over in his head again, but could make no sense of it. He shrugged it off and trotted back towards the berry bush for some breakfast.

If anypony were around to ask him how he suddenly knew his name, Fizzle would have no answer for them.

It just felt so right.

Lost in the Woods

Chapter 2: Lost in the Woods

Fizzle didn’t know where he was going. Fizzle didn’t care where he was going. It just felt so good to be walking around on this beautiful day that he didn’t mind whatsoever where his hooves were taking him. He pretty much just picked a direction at random and started walking. He didn’t even have those gut feelings that he needed to be doing something anymore. He was just so happy to know his name and to be walking around in this beautiful weather.

It was getting hot out though, and Fizzle was starting to get rather thirsty. He thought longingly of the cool, bubbling creek he had left behind this morning and began to listen closely for any sounds of running water. Although he didn’t hear any running water, Fizzle certainly did hear some strange sounds off in the distance, and they were coming…closer?? Fizzle closed his eyes and strained to make out the noises. It was kind of a clanking….whirring…buzzing sound, and…was that humming? Yes, surely there were two voices humming a catchy tune in unison.

Fizzle’s jaw dropped as he crested the slight hill he was climbing and saw the source of the noise. It was a gigantic machine, painted bright red and gold, lumbering its way down the road. What on earth was that?? He’d never seen anything like it! Upon catching sight of him, the humming stopped and the machine increased its pace towards him. Instinctively, Fizzle edged to the side of the road to let it pass, but the machine instead ground to a halt next to him.

“Why, hello down there! How are you doing on this absolutely gorgeous day my good sir?” Fizzle started as the machine spoke to him.

“Huh? You can talk? What are you? Why are you here??” Fizzle was so shocked by this talking…thing that he began to babble off questions. However, his confusion was soon placated by a unicorn’s face popping over the balcony and looking down questioningly at him.

“Why, of course I can talk, m’boy! Why wouldn’t I? As for this piece of delightful modern engineering, it is the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000!! Designed by yours truly, the Flim-Flam brothers!!” As the first unicorn spoke their names another unicorn appeared, this one sporting a mustache, who joined the first in unison.

At that moment, Fizzle looked just like a little filly lost in a foreign country. “You’re the who??”

“The Flim-Flam brothers, m’boy! He’s Flim, I’m Flam, and we’re the world famous Flim-Flam brothers! Surely you’ve heard of us?” The second pony, Flam, questioned.

Fizzle shook his head. “Uhh, no.” The twins looked a little put out at that response but maintained their professionalism.

“Well, that’s fine, we haven’t yet been everywhere in Equestria, after all,” Flim said consolingly, more to Flam than Fizzle.

Flam nodded his consent before turning his attention back to Fizzle. “Well, since you’ve never heard of us I don’t suppose you know what our fabulous invention does, now do you?” Fizzle once again shook his head. “Of course not!” Flam continued. “What our fantastic mode of locomotion does for us is produce the finest apple cider ever to be tasted in all of Equestria!! And all that the machine requires is a little bit of magic, courtesy of yours truly,” Flam said, gesturing to his horn.

At the mention of drink, Fizzle’s attention was suddenly piqued. “Did you say apple cider??”

“He sure did, m’boy, he sure did!!” Flim said excitedly. “Would you like a mug now?” he inquired, innocently holding out a mug of ice cold apple cider.

“Would I ever!!” Fizzle said excitedly, grabbing the mug and gulping it down greedily. Upon finishing, Fizzle let out a contented sigh and made a face of extreme pleasure. “Woooowwwie, that stuff is good!! Could I have another please??” Fizzle asked, handing Flim back the empty mug.

“Well, of course you can lad, just so long as you can pay for it,” Flim said, looking meaningfully at Fizzle. For his part, Fizzle just looked confused again.

“Pay?” he inquired innocently.

Flim glanced nervously at Flam before responding. “Yeees, pay, as in with money.”

“Money?”

Flim and Flam exchanged an exasperated look before Flam spoke up. “Come now boy, surely you know how money works?? Whenever one pony gives a good or service to another pony, that pony returns the favor by giving them some money. You know, shiny gold coins? And then that pony gives money to other ponies for goods and services, and so on and so forth. That’s how modern civilization works, after all. You honestly expect us to believe that you don’t know this??”

Fizzle wasn’t paying attention to their angry glances however, he was deep in thought. “Ohhh, so you’re saying that ponies give each other things that the other pony doesn’t have. I get it!”

“Erm, yes, well I suppose you could think of it like that…” Flim said uncertainly.

“Well, sure! I got all sorts of stuff in my wagon here! Just lemme look around…” Fizzle unhooked himself from his wagon and jumped into it, digging through the piles of stuff. “How about these?” Fizzle asked, tossing the brothers a bag of the yellowish crystals.

Flim and Flam examined the crystals curiously before Flam floated it back to Fizzle. “I’m sorry lad, but we have no idea what those are, and they certainly don’t look particularly valuable or useful. Surely you have some shiny gold coins, don’t you??”

Fizzle looked thoughtful again. “Ohhh, you like shiny things do you? Well, I got some of these shiny rocks,” Fizzle said as he hefted up a pile of glimmering gemstones. Flim and Flam’s jaws dropped at the sight of the weighty pile of gems. This guy has no idea what money is yet is loaded with gemstones?? Before they could even say anything Fizzle was already dumping the pile of stones into their laps. “One glass of apple cider, please!!” Fizzle said, beaming.

Flim and Flam stared some more at the stones before Flim finally managed to stutter out a response. “My good sir, I’m afraid you’ve given us far more than is necessary for…ouch!” Flim was interrupted by a sharp elbow from Flam, and the two of them engaged in a hushed, but very forceful, discussion. Fizzle wasn’t paying attention, but if he was he would have been able to hear snippets of what they were saying.

“…not worth that much…we can’t do that…just good business? Preposterous…at least a barrel…still a good deal for us…” Flim and Flam straightened up and addressed Fizzle after a few moments. “My good sir,” Flim continued, “the amount that you have given us is far more than what two glasses of cider are worth, so we have decided to give you an entire barrel of apple cider for all of these gemstones.”

Now, any pony who’s worth her salt would know that was a ridiculous rip-off, but to Fizzle this was great news. “Really?? An entire barrel? Wow, thank you so much Flim-Flam brothers! I’ll never be thirsty again!!” Fizzle proclaimed excitedly, beaming up at them. Flim and Flam exchanged a sheepish glance before helping Fizzle load a barrel of cider into his wagon, handing him an empty mug as well.

“Well, my good sir, it’s been an absolute pleasure doing business with you. Please do enjoy every last drop of Equestria’s finest cider!!” Flam called as they revved up their machine.

“Thanks so much! I certainly will!! See you around!” Fizzle shouted as they began to drive off.

“Let’s go, Flam! Fabulous Las Pegasus awaits us!!” Flim said, and with that the machine started off again, sputtering and clanking as it went.

“Hey, you two! Hold on a second!” Fizzle called, chasing after them. But Flim and Flam, thinking that the pony had finally caught on to the fact that he’d been ripped off, pretended they couldn’t hear him and continued to drive off. Fizzle eventually stopped running, panting with exertion and looking saddened. “Awww, guess they didn’t want to give me a lift after all. Oh, well.”

Fizzle paused for a moment to think. “Hmm, Las Pegasus they said? That sounds like a cool place. I think I’d like to go there too!” Fizzle said happily, and began to head off at a steady trot in the direction the Flim-Flam brothers were going. He didn’t care that he was backtracking.

Fizzle was just happy to be going somewhere, especially some place he knew the name of. He was happy to be out walking in this beautiful weather.

*****

Fizzle happily trotted along the road with a spring in his step. Despite the fact that Celestia’s sun was now high in the sky and beating down on him with its fierce rays, Fizzle was still enjoying the beautiful weather. Besides, whenever he got thirsty he could just pour himself a delicious glass of apple cider!! “Boy, it sure was nice of those fellas to give me a whole barrel of cider. And to think! All I gave them were a bunch of those dumb rocks!! Hah! Hmm, what was it they called them? Gemstones, was it? Yeah, those! I could find more of those in my sleep!!”

Chuckling to himself over the sweet deal he had just cut, Fizzle continued to follow the road in pursuit of the Flim-Flam brothers, day-dreaming about the wonders of Las Pegasus. Was it big?? Probably. Were there lots of other ponies? Almost certainly. Was there more apple cider?? Maybe not, but if there was he had plenty more gemstones to trade! “Hmm, maybe I should try to find some more before I get there, if I have enough I’ll bet I can get all kinds of stuff!!”

Suddenly, Fizzle came to a stop, confused. In front of him now was nothing but a big forest. The road split to the left and to the right, and there was a sign in the road that read:

Las Pegasus

2 mi

< - -

Baltimare

3 mi

Fizzle glanced left, looking down the endless road that led off into the horizon. Fizzle glanced right, seeing once again a long and winding path going nowhere fast. Finally he faced forward, considering the mass of dense trees and green shrubbery. “Hmm, this sure doesn’t look like Las Pegasus…at least, it’s not what I imagined.” Fizzle rubbed his chin thoughtfully before making up his mind.

“Enough standing around! If those guys will trade a barrel of cider for some lame rocks out of the kindness of their hearts, then I bet they’d know which direction Las Pegasus is in! I trust them! Forward it is!!” And with that, Fizzle happily skipped off into the woods, expertly navigating his cart through the dense trees as he forged deeper and deeper into the gloom.

*****

Three hours later…

Fizzle groaned tiredly. How long had he been walking? How far had he traveled? Was he there yet? How many times had he been forced to unstrap himself and untangle his cart from a mass of vines or dense bushes? Too many, that was for certain. As for the other questions, Fizzle really had no clue. The trees were so thickly clumped that he couldn’t even see the sun properly. But based on how bright it was, Fizzle estimated that it was sometime in the afternoon, but not quite dinnertime yet.

Speaking of food, Fizzle’s stomach lurched and moaned angrily. Oops. He had been so caught up with getting to Las Pegasus he had forgotten to stop for lunch!! Sure, several glasses of cider had helped but by now he was simply ravenous. Ok, new objective. ‘Las Pegasus can wait, but right now I have to find something to eat!’ Fizzle thought to himself. ‘I’m sure there’s SOMETHING in here that’s edible…’

Oh how wrong he was.

*****

It had been several more hours, and Fizzle had done nothing but continue to stumble blindly forward, deeper into the forest. He was pretty good with directions though, and had held roughly the same course since entering, so surely Las Pegasus wasn’t too far away?? But Las Pegasus was the last thing on the poor pony’s mind. The last few hours had been simply miserable, as his stomach’s protests continued to grow louder and more insistent. “Oh, for pony’s sake!! Isn’t there ANYTHING to eat in this forest!!” Fizzle shouted angrily.

As if in response, Fizzle suddenly caught a hoof on a large tree root and pivoted forward, slamming his face into the ground with an undignified “oof!!” His fall caused his wagon to tip forward, dumping a few items on top of him in a final mocking blow. Fizzle groaned in irritation as he righted himself and proceeded to place the items he had dropped back into his cart. “Stupid tree root… I wouldn’t have tripped if I could have just seen where I was…going??” He stopped in confusion and glanced around.

When did it get so dark? He had been so distracted by his hunger he had failed to notice that the sun was setting. The forest was now getting quite gloomy, with long shadows throwing the ground into a confusing pattern of light and dark, effectively obscuring potential hazards. ‘Oh dear, yet another problem. It’s about to be nighttime, and I’m lost in the woods. With no food. Or shelter. And there might be dangerous creatures.’ Oh boy, it was going to be a looong night.

‘Wait, over there!! What’s that??’ Fizzle hurried forward hopefully, praying to Celestia that what he thought he saw wasn’t an illusion brought on by the lengthening shadows. But sure enough, Fizzle exited the thick trees to find himself in a small, grassy clearing, large enough to hold him and his wagon very comfortably. “Well, I guess I’ll be spending the night here…” Fizzle said uncertainly, glancing around before beginning to set up camp, all the while trying to ignore the gnawing hunger in his gullet.

About two hours later, Fizzle wiped the sweat from his forehead and examined his work with a grin. The first thing he had done was dig a small pit and line it with some stones he had found a little ways away. Next he had collected a bunch of small sticks, some bark, and other dry plant matter and started a fire. He wasn’t really sure how he knew it would work, but he had simply smeared some of the black powder he found in the mountains on a pair of sticks and rubbed them together briskly. The whole setup was blazing in seconds!

Once he could see, and also had something to ward off potential predators, Fizzle had taken up his hatchet and chopped down a couple of trees, hacking them into rough boards like he had before. He built himself a small structure in the clearing, more reminiscent of a dog house than anything else, and stored most of his stuff in it. Placing a final board in front of his things to shield them from unfriendly eyes, Fizzle finally overturned his wagon and crawled under it, taking shelter there along with his precious barrel of cider and pile of “gemstones,” as he was calling them now.

With the fire dying down and his body aching from exertion and hunger, Fizzle quickly dozed off, hoping desperately he could find some food in the morning.

*****

Fizzle awoke after a fitful sleep. He groaned and began to stretch out his limbs, but as they touched the walls of his wagon he suddenly remembered where he had slept last night. He was also immediately reminded of the gnawing, ravenous hunger that seemed to be even worse than it had been last night, and had woken him up several times. In general, it had made last night the most miserable night in Fizzle’s recent memory.

Deciding that his hunger finally outweighed his exhaustion, Fizzle crawled out from under the wagon to find that the sun was just beginning to rise, its pale gray light slowly filtering through the light cloud cover above. Fizzle looked around his camp, making sure everything was in order. The firepit held a small pile of blackened matter that had long since ceased to smolder. His little shack was intact, and as far as Fizzle could tell everything that he had stored in it still seemed to be there.

Fizzle began to ponder which direction he should head in search of food, before remembering that he had marked the tree that he had walked past upon initially entering the clearing. It had been a quick, simple movement, and he couldn’t really explain what exactly had driven him to do it, but he was thankful now. He located the mark quickly and prepared to pack up and head in the opposite direction before something on the ground caught his attention.

The dirt around his hooves was disturbed by a series of marks and grooves. He could easily distinguish his own hoofmarks and the ruts made by his wagon’s wheels, but there was also a multitude of…rabbit tracks?? And they were all headed in the same direction?? Fizzle was no tracker or woodlands expert, but a collection of animal tracks all leading in the same direction could only mean one thing…food!!

His stomach growling hungrily, Fizzle quickly set out after the tracks, deciding he would return to his things after eating. He had to get there soon, before it was all eaten! Besides, his stuff would be safe. Who in their right mind would be out here in these woods at this time of day?? Oh right, him. Ignoring that little detail, Fizzle continued his tracking, marking trees in his path just in case.

The tracks continued for a good ten minutes before Fizzle began to get the notion that the trees were starting to thin out. Could it be?? The edge of the forest, and beyond that… FOOD?? As Fizzle walked past the final tree of the forest’s edge, he glanced around…and his jaw dropped nearly to the ground.

Standing on the edge of an enormous field, Fizzle’s eyes took in the absolutely magnificent sight…of APPLE TREES. He gawked at the sheer number of trees that lay before him, planted in neat little rows and extending as far as he could see. He’d never seen so many apple trees before in his life!!

Fizzle stood and gaped a few seconds longer before his stomach violently wrenched him back into reality, reminding him that a had a VERY important job to attend to. “FFFOOOOODDD!!!” Fizzle screamed at the top of his lungs as he barreled, flat out, towards the nearest tree. Although he’d never properly bucked a tree before, instinct took over as he firmly planted his front hooves on the ground, twisted his body around, and slammed his back hooves into the tree trunk with a very satisfying *CRACK*.

His efforts were rewarded by a collection of bright red apples detaching themselves from the tree and falling daintily to the ground. Wasting not a moment more, Fizzle scooped up every apple he could find and crunched it down greedily. After consuming an entire tree’s worth of fruit, Fizzle lay on his back, reveling in the wonders of a full stomach. “Aaaahh…finally, a decent meal,” he commented happily to himself, letting out a soft burp of contentment.

After enjoying the lovely sensation of fullness for a few moments more, Fizzle stood up and decided to collect a few more apples to take back to camp with him. Bucking two more trees, Fizzle scooped up all the fruit he could carry in his forelegs and headed back into the forest. No sooner had he disappeared then another pony entered the scene, and a disembodied voice could be heard floating across the fields.

“Now don’ y’all be ignorin’ me fer TOO long out there, honeybunch! Yer mid-day brunch be a-waitin’ fer ya RIGHT NOW!!” a female voice sounded out. The new pony called out in a gruff response.

“I hear ya, sugercube! Just lemme finish harvestin’ this here last row o’ trees and ah’ll be over inna jiffy!” The pony in question was an earth pony like Fizzle, but of a considerably stockier build hardened by many years of physical labor. He had a light cream-colored coat, bleached bright by the many hours of sunlight it had seen. His mane and tail were dark brown, but there were a few gray hairs starting to show. Indeed, his mustache was already entirely dark gray. The pony wore a large straw hat and had a hoe slung over his shoulder, the end gleaming in the sun next to his plain cutie mark of a halved green apple. His bright green eyes studied the trees in question with an approving eye before widening in surprise.

“Honey! Somepony’s been bucking our trees! Git a hold of the sheriff, we’ve been robbed!!”

*****

Fizzle’s Clearing; two days later…

If anypony had been around to see the clearing before Fizzle arrived, they would have hardly recognized it now. Fizzle had been busy. With his trusty hatchet, he had cleared several trees on the perimeter of the clearing, and used the wood to build himself an actual house. Him! With a house! Well, a house by his standards. Yet again, any professional craftsponies within ten miles would be feeling a most troubling disturbance in the force right about now.

Fizzle stood nearby, marveling at his creation. It wasn’t much, but it had a main room, a bedroom, and most importantly a roof that didn’t LEAK. As miserable as his first night had been, when it rained all through the second night it was even worse. Sleeping in the rain was definitely no fun. So far, his bed consisted of a few leaves, grasses, and mosses that he found in the woods. Altogether, they made quite the soft and comfortable surface to sleep on. His main room was pretty much a kitchen now, although it was pretty pathetic by kitchen standards. Basically, its only purpose right now was to store his apples. Which were running quite low.

“Hmm, I guess I’ll have these last two for breakfast and then head out for more!” Fizzle said happily. Although, it would be nice if he could find something besides apples out here, and Celestia knows he had tried. Fizzle had struck out from camp in every direction imaginable, traveling for an hour or so and marking the trees in his path before heading back. But no matter which direction he tried, only the one that led to the apple fields went anywhere besides deeper into the forest. At this point, he was really truly lost.

Resigning himself to that fact, Fizzle temporarily gave up his quest for Las Pegasus and proceeded to build himself a shelter in the clearing. After all, this was the way to Las Pegasus wasn’t it? Eventually somepony would come along and tell him which way he needed to go. But until that moment arrived, he intended to stay right here. At least he wouldn’t starve now.

Grabbing a few baskets woven from grass and twigs, Fizzle headed out to the fields to collect more apples.

*****

The farming pony was beside himself in anger. Three times in one week!! THREE!! In the thirty-odd years he could remember working his apple farm, just like any hard-working Apple family member (even if he was a few times removed), he had never been stolen from!! Ever! The pony paced around his living room, muttering angrily to himself and gnashing his teeth around his pipe. “Dear, please jest calm down fer a spell, all this pacin’ and stewin’ ain’t good fer ya health.”

The farmer’s wife, a lavender-colored pony with a curly purple mane, silver eyes, and a simple flower cutie mark sat in an armchair, doing some knitting. Her eyes followed her husband’s eyes with concern, and she spoke up again. “Honey, think rational-like fer a moment. We’ve ALWAYS lived right next door ta that big ol’ forest, an’ it’s jest natural fer a few woodland critters ta sneak on over an’ grab a bite ta eat. Ain’t nothin’ ta get yer tail in a knot fer.”

“Dearest, ah already TOLD ya. Them tree trunks had hoofmarks all over ‘em! Saw ‘em with mah own eyes!”

“Ah KNOW that dear, but ah too looked at ‘em mahself! Them marks were jest the same size as yer own hooves! Now ah know that yer all riled up ‘n all, but jest have some sense! We ain’t ever been robbed by nopony afore, and ah doubt it would start now fer no good reason. Seriously hun, ah think yer a few too many years down the road ta be makin’ wild accusations like so.”

The farmer pony lifted an eyebrow in amusement at his wife. “That so, eh? Well, by my great-grandaddy’s…” his speech trailed off into jumbled muttering as he resumed his pacing, his wife relaxing after seeing him smile a bit. Suddenly, he spoke up. “Honey, what day did the first o’ them apples disappear?”

His wife’s face scrunched up in thought. “Ehhh, let’s see here…’twas a Monday weren’t it?”

“So it was, so it was…” More pacing. “An’ then another batch went missing on Thursday dinnit?”

“Ah reckon so. Dear, whatever are you gettin’ at?”

More muttering. Another loop around the rug. “An’ then this fine Sunday mornin’ a few more trees are stripped bare. Now ah ain’t no scientist or nuttin’, but even ah kin see that we’ve been a few apples short of a bushel every three days this week! Hehe, so ta speak.” His wife chuckled at his joke. “Now dear, don’t ya find it jest a tad ODD that a handful o’ woodland varmints be takin’ our apples on a regular schedule?? It’s jest too strange!!”

His wife looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. “Well, ah s’pose it’s rather odd ‘n all, but ah still think it’s jest a coincidence. Ah think ya need ta…”

“No!” he cut in. “No more waitin’! Come this Wednesday morn, ah’ll be up at the crack o’ dawn, git out in them fields, an’ try ‘n catch whatever’s responsible firsthoof! An’ then ah’ll beat the livin’ tar out o’ whatever comes walkin’ out o’ them woods!”

His wife looked at him, alarmed. “Dear! Please DO refrain from such brutish ways! It ain’t right ta go ‘bout walloping ponies ‘n whatnot. If this really DOES turn out ta be somepony, ah trust that y’all will go about handlin’ the situation with grace.”

Her husband looked chagrined. “Oh, yer right dearest. O’ course yer right. Ah promise ah won’t harm nopony…but ah’m still gonna give ‘em a piece o’ mah mind!”

“We both will, ah reckon.”

*****

It was the morning of the third day since he had last gone to that wonderful apple field. Yup, that’s how Fizzle was keeping track of time now. He could hold about two trees’ worth of fruit in his baskets and that was enough to last him for the rest of that day and the next two as well, so every third morning he returned to collect more fruit.

At first he had been slightly surprised to find that some of the fruit was disappearing between his visits, but that was only natural he supposed. After all, those rabbits and squirrels that led him to the field in the first place had to eat too, didn’t they? Of course they did. Mystery solved.

But boy was Fizzle getting sick of apples. Despite his repeated attempts to find other sources of food, he was simply out of luck no matter what he tried. This was starting to get hopeless!! Seriously, when is somepony going to show up heading for Las Pegasus?? It sounds like such an awesome place, how could nopony want to go there right now? Fizzle didn’t have the answers to these questions, and it grated on him more and more with every passing day.

Huffing in frustration, Fizzle grabbed his trusty baskets and headed off. Without hardly thinking, Fizzle’s hooves found the path that he knew would lead him to the field and he trotted off. By now, he was so familiar with the route he could probably walk it in the pitch-black darkness that came with nighttime.

Emerging from the trees, Fizzle couldn’t help but stare in wonder again at just how many apple trees there were here. It was really quite a sight, but Fizzle’s stomach soon reminded him of his true reason for being here and he doggedly headed off towards a grove of unharvested trees. He’d been having to travel farther and farther from his point of entry to get good fruit, but Fizzle really didn’t mind. Besides, maybe he should explore this area? So far it’s the only place he’d found that wasn’t just endless forest for miles and miles. Perhaps there’s something of interest nearby?

Soon after Fizzle decided that yes, he was certainly going to do a bit of exploring next time he came by, he was startled by a loud angry voice:

“Ah-HAH!! Ah’ve got yer now, ya no-good thievin’ varmint!!”

Forgive and Forget

Chapter 3: Forgive and Forget

Fizzle was just about to buck his apple tree when the loud, angry, and rather twangy voice sounded out of nowhere. Surprised to hear another pony’s voice after such a long period of isolation, Fizzle hastily scanned his surroundings in an attempt to discern who had addressed him. There was a rustling in a small bush nearby, and out jumped a cream-colored grey-mustached male earth pony. He was wearing a straw hat on his head and carried a pitchfork in his front hooves. There was a pipe clenched between his teeth, which were drawn back in an angry snarl.

Fizzle didn’t register that though. He was just so surprised to see somepony else that all he could do was stare at the newcomer. His hind legs were still suspended in mid-air even! “Well?? What do ya have ta say fer yerself ya scalawag??” the new pony questioned angrily, leveling the pitchfork in Fizzle’s face.

The farmer’s eyes traced Fizzle’s hindquarters as they slowly sank through the air and touched down with a soft sound. When his eyes returned to Fizzle’s face they widened in surprise to see the green pony’s facial expression creased with a huge grin. “What in tarnation are y’all findin’ so…” he started before being abruptly cut off by Fizzle’s outburst.

“Well, HI THERE!! Oh boy, oh boy is it good to see you! You have no IDEA how long it’s been since I last laid eyes on another pony! Oh man, I thought I was big-time lost for sure, but now you’re here and can tell me where to go and I can get back on the road!! Yay!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I’m Fizzle by the way, great to meet you!” he concluded, holding out a hoof in greeting.

There was a soft clatter as the farmer’s pipe fell to the ground. The farmer couldn’t believe what he had just heard, and as such was now demonstrating the fairly apt response of staring at the thief in slack-jawed disbelief. Why on earth would a thief be so friendly? What did he mean lost? Is he not aware of what he’s done? And why in the hay would he introduce himself?? Everypony has a right to remain silent, and Fizzle had just bucked his to Canterlot and back.

For his part, Fizzle’s grin began to shrink in confusion. What did he do wrong? Why wasn’t this pony answering him? And why was he looking at him like he was the spawn of Discord or something absurd like that? “Uhm, perhaps you didn’t quite hear me. My name is Fizzle,” he said, enunciating his name very clearly. “What is your name??”

The farmer finally reacted by spluttering in anger and indignation. “Of course ah heard yer name ya ruffian! What AH want ta know is what yer doin’ on MAH property stealin’ MAH APPLES!!” The farmer’s voice rose in volume significantly and his face flushed red in anger as Fizzle scooped a decent-looking apple off the ground and crunched into it, giving him that same look of innocent confusion.

“Your apples?? No, no, no silly, I found this one, so it’s mine! But just look around at how many more there are!! You can have plenty! I’ll help you pick some, if you wa-…”

“THAT FRUIT Y’ALL BE EATIN’ RIGHT NOW IS ONE O’ MAH APPLES!!!” the farmer roared in utter frustration. How dense could a pony be?? Fizzle flinched away from the sudden outburst and looked hurt. But before he could open his mouth to protest the farmer interjected, intending to immediately bring this matter to finality. Forcing himself to calm down a bit, he started talking in a more level, albeit still angry, tone:

“Now lookee here, sonny boy. Ah’m gonna lay it out real simple-like for y’all. This here field y’all be standin’ in is part o’ MAH property, and it’s called ‘Acres o’ Apples’ cuz that’s what mah darlin’ wife an’ ah named it when we inherited this here land. It’s a tradition in mah family to rename the field when ya take over. Been like that fer generations! AH rightfully received it, so AH own this land, and mah daddy owned this land afore me, and his daddy afore him, and his daddy afore him, and his…” Fizzle started to doze off and drool from the boring repetition. Oh god, make it stooop…

“Ah think he gets the picture, darlin’,” another voice spoke up, this one a female. Fizzle thanked Celestia as a lavender-colored mare stepped into view, looking slightly out of sorts. Considering the hour, she had probably just roused herself from bed.

“Oh, erm… yes… o’ course he does…” The male looked slightly embarrassed and ran a hoof through his mane, mumbling under his breath.

“Land’s sake Greenie pie! Here ah am, woken up at this unreasonable hour o’ the morn by yer confounded shoutin’ and ‘pon comin’ ta investergate, ah find ya runnin’ yer mouth about our family yet again!” Her husband flushed a deep shade of red at her words, wringing his hat between his hooves. The mare merely chuckled and added “some ponies never change…”

“Look, ah’m terribly sorry ah woke ya from yer slumber, Lilly, but darn it all if ah warn’t right as rain!! Mah ‘confangled plan’ caught our apple thief red-hoofed! Look, e’s right here!!”

Lilly turned a concerned gaze on Fizzle. “Oh dear, ah were really hopin’ it warn’t nopony stealin’ our apples but if ya caught him in the act, ah s’pose we have no choice but ta turn ‘im in…”

“T’aint no need ta involve the sheriff an’ his folks dearest. We’ll just have our feller Fizzle here hand over the money he owes us an’ we’ll call it square.”

At the mention of money, Fizzle finally spoke up. Or rather, rolled his eyes and groaned. “Oh no, back to that whole money thing again? Alright, alright I get it. You just want some gemstones in exchange for the apples, I understand. I’ll just head out to my…”

“Gemstones??” the mare interrupted, giving Fizzle a confused look.

“Yeah, gemstones. You know, shiny rocks? That’s what I called them when I first found them but those Flim-Flam guys called them gemstones and I thought that sounded a lot better so now I always call them…”

“We know what they are young feller,” the farmer spoke up. “We ain’t dull as a rusty plow, y’know. But our apples t’aint nearly that pricy! Ah reckon fifty bits or so would cover yer debt quite nicely.”

Lilly gaped at her husband. “Fifty bits?? Greenie have ya lost yer wits? It’s jest a hooffull o’ apples!”

“Lilly, see here! This feller’s been takin’ our apples for more ‘n a week, and considering that e’s holed up over yonder in Bramble Brush, ah doubt e’s had much more ta eat. Ah mean jest look! E’s even got a couple o’ baskets with ‘im! Y’all were plannin’ on loadin’ up, warn’cha? Just load up ‘n walk off like the thievin’ varmint that y’all are!!” the farmer accused, becoming angry yet again.

But Fizzle wasn’t paying attention to the angry outburst, he was puzzling over another problem he was having. Fizzle’s face wore that very familiar confused expression yet again as he spoke up. “Bits? What are those? Are they a type of rock? Can I find them around here?”

The farmer’s anger faded and he exchanged a confused glance with his wife before Lilly cautiously spoke up. “Sonny, y’all sound a might confused. Where exactly are ya from again?”

Fizzle hurriedly gushed out his response. “Oh, I’m from the forest right over there! I built myself a little house in a clearing because I got lost while trying to find Las Pegasus and I think I’ve been there about a week or so but I can’t believe nopony else is trying to get to Las Pegasus right now I mean come ON!! It sounds like such a cool place!! But yeah anyways, nopony else is trying to get there right now so I haven’t been able to ask anyone which way it is and then I was getting really hungry and tried to find ANYTHING I could eat in that forest but all I could find was this HUGE field of apple trees and truth be told I’m really starting to get sick of apples do you have anything else to eat? Maybe we could-”

The farmer and his wife stared at Fizzle in shock as he monologued before the farmer finally managed to regain his composure enough to interrupt his incessant ranting. “Woah, woah, woah there boy!! We asked ya where ya came from, not yer life story! So come on now, where are ya from?? Y’know, where y’all were born, where yer parents live, where ya grew up?”

Fizzle pondered the question honestly, rubbing his chin with his hoof as he thought. After a short while, Fizzle looked up at them sadly and answered, “I…I can’t remember…”

Lilly was by his side in an instant, hugging him tightly and crying slightly. “OHHHH you poor, poor dear!! ‘E cain’t even remember ‘is own family ‘n home! Land’s sake, Greenie, ‘e must have amnesia the poor thing! We simply MUST do somethin’ ta help the dear! Y’all remember Cousin Juniper don’cha?”

“O’ course ah do! Ah also remember how much time it took ter finally git her ta come ‘round and remember us all at the reunion. She was in a bad spot, tha’s fer sure. Listen, Fizzle, ah’m awfully sorry about yer accident ‘n all, an’ ah s’pose it gives yer a might good reason ta not understand how the world works too well. So, we’re gonna let ya off a li’l easy and not turn ya in or nothin’. But ya has ta understand that takin’ our apples without payin’ fer ‘em is stealin’, and ah expect ya ter find a way ter make it up ta us cuz tha’s what any decent ponyfolk would do.”

“Stealing??” Fizzle’s eyes went wide as some latent part of his brain recognized the word as one of evil. “What’s that??”

“Stealin’ is when one pony takes goods or services from another pony without givin’ ‘em any money or whatnot. It’s how dishonest folks take advantage of the good-Samaritan, hard-workin’ ponies like us,” the farmer explained proudly, swelling with pride and hugging his wife close. “We here on Acres o’ Apples get up early every morn ta take care o’ our trees, and when the time is right we come out an’ buck all them apples down afore takin’ ‘em into town ta sell.”

Lilly spoke up. “Tha’s right, dear. We been working our flanks off fer ‘bout thirty years now but we don’ ever complain or nuttin’. Tha’s why we get our tails in a real knot ‘pon seein’ somepony else tryin’ ta take advantage of others by stealin’ an’ whatnot. If ponies like us don’ get the money we need from our hard work, why, we wouldn’t even be able ta buy our own food!”

What happened next was quite unexpected. Bursting suddenly into tears, Fizzle threw himself onto the ground before the older couple and sobbed uncontrollably. “I’M SOOO S-S-SORRY!!! How could I have been so p-pea-brained as to not think that these fields b-belonged to somepony else?? It was all too p-perfect! And here I’ve b-been, stealing YOUR apples for more than a week, p-potentially RUINING your lives just because I’m too S-STUPID to see the TRUTH!! I’m so s-sorry, please f-forgive me!! I promise never to s-steal again!! Please tell me that there’s something, ANYTHING, I can do to make it up to you!!”

At Fizzle’s distress, Lilly hurried forward and pulled him into another warm embrace. “There, there, sweetheart, it’s alright…y’all didn’t mean nopony no harm…” The farmer stepped up as well and laid a comforting hoof on Fizzle’s shoulder. The elderly couple stayed silent for a few moments while Fizzle calmed down before they finally stepped back and the farmer spoke up.

“Now son, listen here. Y’all ain’t a bad pony, both of us kin see that clear as crystal. Ya jest made a mistake. We all do it. Mah wife an’ ah ain’t mad at ya.”

Fizzle looked up at the farmer, disbelief showing through his teary eyes. “You...y-you’re not?? But how…”

The farmer cut him off. “Because yer sorry, tha’s how!! When a truly bad pony does something, well, BAD, he don’ feel sorry for nopony else! But here y’all are, apologizing fer yer mistake, askin’ us fer forgiveness and tryin’ ta make it up ta us. Tha’s the real sign of a good pony, Fizzle. Me ‘n Lilly here are more than willing ta forgive an’ forget.”

Fizzle looked hopeful. “Y-you really mean it? You’re not mad at me?”

“O’ course not, dear,” Lilly answered. “We kin tell ya really feel bad about what y’all have done, and tha’s enough fer us.”

“Well, that ‘n a li’l somethin’ ta make it up ter us,” the farmer interjected. Seeing the slightly crestfallen look on Fizzle’s face he chuckled and continued. “Oh ho, yes young Fizzle, don’ think y’all can just go gallivantin’ off now, y’all said ya was gonna make it up ta us, now din’cha?”

Pushing away his thoughts of leaving without helping, Fizzle nodded. “You betcha! I said I was willing to make it up to you and that’s a promise I intend to keep! So what’ll it be, huh?”

The farmer nodded sagely. “Good on ya, boy. Ah’m actually quite grateful yer willin’ ta help. Applebuck season’s jest around yonder corner an’ me ‘n Lilly ain’t quite as spry as we used ta be. We could really use an extra pair of hooves ‘round the farm fer a week or two, ‘specially a pair as young ‘n strong as yers. So why don’cha head on into the forest over yonder, grab yer things, and git back here so we can move y’all inta the farmhouse proper.”

Fizzle nodded happily, his bubbly energy starting to return to him. “Ok! Sounds good to me, I’ll be right back!” Fizzle turned and started to head off to the forest before he suddenly stopped and looked back, a puzzled look on his face. “Um, sir? How long did you say it was going to take to pay off my debt?”

The farmer looked thoughtful for a moment as he considered the situation. “Well, ah s’pose ah di’nt rightly say, now did ah? Tell ya what, Fizzle. Fer every good day’s work y’all put in fer us, ah’ll pay ya five bits. Now, ah won’t fork over yer money at first cuz that will have ta go towards payin’ yer debt, but once tha’s gone if yer still here ah’ll let ya keep yer earnins. How’s that sound?”

Fizzle brightened at the thought of making some actual money. “That sounds great mister, uh…farmer, sir.” Fizzle saluted clumsily, stumbling a bit over his botched speech, a confused look on his face.

The farmer and his wife chuckled at this. “Hehehe. Well now that ya’ve gone from thief ta farmhand, ah s’pose a proper introduction is in order. M’name’s Greene Apple, but most folks ‘round these parts call me Farmer Greene.” A firm hoofshake.

“An’ mah name’s Lilac Orchards, dear, but y’all can call me Lilly or Auntie as ya please.” Another hoofshake.

“I can’t thank you two enough for your kindness and understanding. I look forward to starting on the farm tomorrow!” Fizzle called as he started towards the woods. But he stopped as he noticed the mischievous glint in the elderly couple’s eyes.

“Oh ho ho! Who said anythin’ ‘bout tomorrow?? Celestia’s sweet sun is hardly up! If ah were you, ah’d hurry up and git yer stuff over here lickity-split, young Fizzle, unless y’all wanna be finishin’ yer chores in the dark!!”

Applebuck Season

Chapter 4: Applebuck Season

CRACK!!

Thunka-thunka-thunka-thud!!

Fizzle wiped the sweat off his brow as yet another apple tree relinquished its sweet fruit, courtesy of a solid buck to the trunk. He stepped back to admire his work. Not bad, not bad. Most of the apples had fallen into the three large buckets he had strategically placed around the tree trunk. Fizzle reached down and scooped up the few apples that missed their marks, or simply weren’t hanging over a bucket, and deposited them on top of the others. He was getting quite good at this whole apple-bucking thing really.

Today was his first day working at Acres o’ Apples, and Fizzle was determined to do a good job. He still felt really bad about stealing apples from Farmer Greene and Lilly, they were such a sweet old couple, and running a farm isn’t exactly the best method of making a living. ‘But it will all be ok!! I’ll work really hard and make it up to the two of them, and then some!’ Fizzle thought enthusiastically to himself.

All Fizzle had to do today was buck his way through a single row of apple trees. It couldn’t be that hard right? It was nice that Farmer Greene was going easy on him, it was his first day after all and he had spent a couple of hours lugging his wagon full of stuff through the forest earlier. Looking towards the farmhouse in the distance, he could see it still sitting there in the field, waiting to be unpacked. That would have to wait a little bit longer.

Fizzle couldn’t really say that he was sad to leave his little dwelling in the forest; it had been kinda lonely and miserable. Sure he was proud of his handiwork, but the wagon still meant more to him than that ragtag shack he had thrown together. It reminded him too much of loneliness, despair, ravaging hunger, and being sick of apples. Not to mention stealing.

So, Fizzle happily put it behind him, carrying away his gems, crystals, powders, rocks, baskets, tools, sacks, and barrel of cider in his wagon. Well, it’s just an empty barrel now, for he had drank the last drop of the cider a few days ago. Oh, what a sad day that had been… Still, it might be useful to store some stuff. It’s very well made after all, at least by his standards.

Fizzle stepped up to the next tree, arranging the buckets around the trunk like Farmer Greene instructed him to. With another solid CRACK! the apples came tumbling down, most of them landing neatly in the three buckets. Fizzle smiled smugly as he scooped up the four apples that decided not to cooperate. Man, this was a piece of cake! Bucking down a whole row? No problem!! After all, there’s only…so many…trees left…

Fizzle’s smile faded as he gazed at the unbucked trees in his row. He counted at least twenty trees still laden with fruit. He looked behind him to see how many trees he had already done. Four trees.

This was gonna be a long day…

*****

The midday sun shone brightly, beating everything it could see mercilessly with wave after wave of heat. Fizzle stopped, panting, next to the tree he was about to buck. This was sheer agony!! He was about half way down the row by now but was getting exhausted! The sun was hot, the work was hard, and he felt awful. Thirsty, sweaty, tired, aching, and a throbbing headache were all suitable words for describing how he currently felt. At long last, salvation arrived in the form of Farmer Greene trotting over to check on his progress.

“Land’s sake, Fizzle! Ah’m a might surprised with yer work, y’all are a real natural apple-bucker! Them buckets look jest as rarin’ ta go as mine did over yonder. How ya holdin’ up in this here heat, son?” Fizzle looked up tiredly at the farmer and grinned feebly before giving his tree an almighty CRACK!!

Thunka-thunka-thud!!

“I’m…*pant*…doing just fine, sir…just gotta…*pant*… finish this row…then I’ll be ready for a nice long…*pant*… rest…”

Farmer Greene simply chuckled knowingly. It was great that Fizzle was so eager to help out, but the farmer could see the signs of heat exhaustion written on Fizzle’s face clear as crystal. “Come now, m’boy, y’all are plum tuckered, don’ try an’ deny it. Y’all have made good progress an’ ah know you’ll be able ta finish long afore sundown, but right now it’s time fer brunch. Ah reckon Lilly’s got somethin’ real nice waitin’ fer us right ‘bout…” Farmer Green paused mid-sentence, as if waiting for something. Without warning, he suddenly finished with “now.”

Sure enough, Lilly’s disembodied voice drifted across the fields, surprising Fizzle yet again with how loudly the older mare could shout. “BRUNCH IS ON YA SILLY STALLIONS! NOW GIT ON OVER HERE AFORE YA KEEL OVER IN THE SUN!!” Farmer Greene gave Fizzle a look that clearly said ‘ya don’ wanna argue with Lilly ‘bout mealtime’ and headed off towards the farmhouse. Fizzle gratefully took the hint and followed.

Lunch was delicious, if not a little short, and soon enough Fizzle found himself back in the heat bucking away at apple trees. Most of the mealtime discussion was between Lilly and Farmer Greene, who talked about the various ins and outs and doings of the farm and how harvest season was progressing, along with a few figures and estimates of profit margins and other such things. Most of it went right in one ear and out the other for Fizzle. He was just so grateful for food, water, and a break from the sun that he was content to sit there and listen.

Of course, Lilly had asked him how he was doing, and although Fizzle felt a little faint and perhaps a tad nauseous, he was determined to stomach his pain and finish his task. He had a feeling the farmers knew he hadn’t told the whole truth, but he was going to pay off his debt, and it was going to start today! Nothing a good night’s sleep can’t fix, right? And so, with about ten trees left, Fizzle continued steadily working down the row…

*****

Fizzle thought he was going to pass out. Any second now was going to be his last conscious one before the ground would be his new best friend. Somehow, the sun had managed to become even hotter as the afternoon dragged on, if that was even possible. The heat was now so oppressive Fizzle felt like he was living a dream. Everything seemed distant and wavy and blurred, and he felt sluggish and sick. Stumbling slightly, Fizzle trotted up to the last tree in the row. He looked up at it and grinned, at long last his task was almost complete!

Arranging the baskets around the tree haphazardly, Fizzle turned, muscles screaming, and gave the tree his last buck of the day. CRACK! Fizzle flinched as several apples hit the ground, his bucket positioning not quite representative of his best work. He bent down to pick up the dropped apples, his face flushing and sweat literally pouring off his brow as the heat melted him where he stood.

As if on cue, Farmer Greene showed up to check on Fizzle’s progress again. “Well ah’ll be, Fizzle, looks like y’all finished yer row! Them buckets look good ta go, plenty o’ apples ready fer storage. All ya gotta do now is drag ‘em on over to the farmhouse an’ stick ‘em in the cellar, then y’all will be done fer today…eh, y’all feelin’ fine ‘n dandy, young ‘un?”

Farmer Greene looked at Fizzle with concerned eyes as the world began to spin, and Fizzle began to sway slightly on his hooves. As if realizing its one big task for the day was complete, Fizzle’s body was now shutting down against his will. Grinning goofily, Fizzle managed to respond with a happy “nope!” as the world went black. The last thing Fizzle heard was Farmer Greene calling his name before he keeled over.

*****

The first thing Fizzle was aware of was the softness of the bed. It felt so good, he just wanted to lie there and fall asleep. He was suddenly jerked back into reality by the sensation of a cool, wet rag being laid across his forehead. Fizzle let out a contented sigh as the coolness of the rag helped combat the raging heat he felt under his skin.

“There, there dearie. Jest stay still an’ git some rest, y’all will be good as new soon enough…” Lilly’s sweet voice cut through the silence. Fizzle groaned and forced his eyes open, trying to figure out where he was. It took a moment to focus but soon enough he could see Lilly’s caring face looking down at him. When she saw he was awake she squeezed his hoof gently. “How ya feelin’, dear?”

“Hot…” Fizzle mumbled. And it was true, his body felt like it was burning up inside. The internal fires were raging so fiercely it was a miracle his body hadn’t already turned to ash. The cool rag certainly was a nice change of pace. Speaking of water… “Can I…have some water please?” Fizzle asked feebly. Lilly immediately complied, handing him a tall glass of ice cold water.

As badly as Fizzle wanted to just chug the entire glass down, Lilly would have none of it. “Uh, uh, uh. Y’all gotta take li’l sips ta make it go down nice ‘n easy. We don’ want ya ta throw up again now would we?” Throw up? Fizzle certainly didn’t remember any throwing up. He made a mental note to ask Lilly about it later; right now he was too busy sipping that sweet, cool liquid, relishing in the feeling it made sliding down his throat, helping to quell the fires within.

Soon enough, the glass was empty. “Thank you Lilly…thanks for everything,” Fizzle mumbled, closing his eyes. He really was quite tired after today.

“Y’all be more than welcome, dearie. Yer temperature has finally stabilized, so ah’m gonna leave y’all ta sleep fer a spell while ah go put supper on. It’ll be a tad late but ah don’ think Greenie will mind, e’s still puttin’ apples away,” Lilly said, making her way to the door. That last statement caused something to click in Fizzle’s mind, and he suddenly bolted upright, the rag falling from his face.

“Oh no! My chores!! I didn’t finish!” Fizzle exclaimed, throwing the sheets off of him and starting to get out of bed. As if by magic, Lilly flew from the door to the bedside, fervently pushing Fizzle back into bed.

“Oh no ya don’t, ya li’l whippersnapper!! Y’all ain’t fit fer work at all right now! As long as ah’m mistress o’ this here household y’all ain’t budgin’ til ah say so! And right now, ah say y’all gotta stay in that bed and git better!!” Lilly said fiercely, rather forcefully tucking Fizzle back into bed.

“But…” Fizzle started to protest. The fiery-tempered mare would have none of it.

“No ‘if’s, ‘and’s, or ‘but’s ‘bout it, y’all are stayin’ right there! Land’s sake, yer almost as bad as Greenie pie when it comes ter chores! But no means no, and ah ain’t changin’ my mind fer nopony! Now y’all git some rest, an’ ah’ll be back in an hour or so with yer supper, an’ that is that!!” Lilly monologued as she continued to bustle about him.

Oh no, condemned to dinner and bedrest! Whatever shall be done? Best to accept defeat gracefully. “Well ok then, if you say so…” Fizzle said quietly, closing his eyes again.

“Ah do say so,” Lilly said as she replaced the rag on his forehead. “Now ah’m gonna go git supper started, an’ if ah see a single green hair outta place ah’ll tan yore hide clean off!”

“Yes, ma’am.” Fizzle answered meekly. “Thanks again, for everything.”

“Yore most certainly welcome, dearie,” Lilly said as she walked out the door, once again her sweet, mild-mannered self. Fizzle let out a sigh of relief and slowly let exhaustion take over…

*****

Fizzle was roused from his fretful sleep by the aroma of delicious food wafting slowly up the stairs and into his room. Fizzle licked his lips eagerly, taking deep breaths through his nose to try and discern what was for dinner. Was that…apple pie?? As if on cue, Fizzle heard two sets of hoofsteps coming up the stairs, clearly with the intent of delivering the promised food.

Fizzle opened his eyes and sat up in bed as the door opened and Lilly entered, carrying a tray of food. Sure enough, there was a nice steaming piece of apple pie on his plate, along with a salad of spring greens with sliced carrots and radishes and some mashed potatoes. Fizzle began to salivate at the scent of food.

“Oh good, yer already awake,” Lilly trilled, walking over to the bed and placing the tray in front of him. “Here ya are, as promised dearie. Eat up!” Lilly looked on happily as Fizzle eagerly dug into his food, moaning in happiness as he tasted the delicious pie.

“Wow, Lilly, I didn’t think it was possible to make apples taste this good!” Fizzle enthused between bites. Lilly blushed at the compliment but looked pleased with herself. Farmer Greene entered the room as Fizzle heartily dug into his food and took a seat in one of the chairs, chuckling quietly to himself as he puffed on his pipe.

“Land’s sake, young ‘un! Ah take it this means y’all are feeling peachier than afore?”

Fizzle paused between bites, chewed, and swallowed so he could answer the question. “Y’know, now that you mention it I think I do feel a bit better, must have been Lilly’s ministrations,” he said smiling at her yet again.

Lilly beamed right back. “Don’cha think nothin’ of it dear.”

Fizzle took another bite of apple pie and moaned happily as he chewed before continuing. “But all the same, sorry I couldn’t finish my chores sir. I really want to repay my debt and I feel awful that I can’t even do that…” he trailed off, looking down at the floor sadly.

“Now don’ y’all be talkin’ like that, ya certainly earned yer five bits today,” Farmer Greene chastised. “In mah, er, advanced age the thing ‘bout Applebuck season that gits harder ‘n harder is the actual buckin’. An’ y’all bucked yer way through a whole row today. Ah cain’t tell ya enough how helpful that is. Carryin’ all them apples inta the cellar is the easy part,” the farmer finished with a smirk. Fizzle looked a little bit happier as he continued to eat.

“However, ah feel that ah should be the one apologizin’ to ya Fizzle. Ah shoulda known that y’all ain’t from ‘round these parts an’ ah shoulda kept a better eye on ya fer yer first day. That there case of heat stroke y’all’s come down with coulda been easily avoided with a few more water breaks, an’ maybe a good hat. When ya finally git back on yer hooves, make sure ya pace yerself with yer work, t’aint nothin’ wrong with takin’ a few breaks ta keep ya goin’ strong til sundown.”

Fizzle swallowed his last bite of food and considered Farmer Greene’s words. “Ok, that makes sense. I definitely could’ve used a few more breaks today…I’ll do better tomorrow, I promise. And don’t worry about me sir, it’s not your fault I got sick. I forgive you.”

Farmer Greene’s eyebrows rose at Fizzle’s words. “Well, tha’s mighty big of ya son, and ah ‘preciate it. But ah wouldn’t go ‘n git yer hopes up ‘bout workin’ tomorrow, y’all still need ta recover from a rather nasty bout of heat stroke an’ that usually takes a day or two ta clear up.”

Fizzle looked confused and bit downtrodden as he mulled that thought over. “Oh… yeah I guess that makes sense…but what if I’m feeling really good tomorrow??” he asked hopefully, a large smile on his face.

Farmer Greene stroked his chin idly with a hoof as he pondered the question, and spared a quick glance at Lilly for assistance. The stern glare he received in return left little room for debate. “Well, son, ah s’pose tha’s possible, but the only way yer gonna be outside workin’ tomorrow is if Lilly declares ya ta be fit as a fiddle in the morn, an’ ah wouldn’t be too hopeful ‘bout that bein’ the case.” Lilly looked pleased with this assessment and nodded her head in assent.

“Tha’s right dearie, ain’t gonna be no sick ponies workin’ on MAH farm as long as ah’m in charge,” she said proudly, as Farmer Greene rolled his eyes and smirked behind her. Fizzle stifled a laugh at his antics. The two of them exchanged a knowing glance before the grizzled farmer stood up stiffly and began to make his way to the door.

“Well, it’s gettin’ a might late an’ ah fer one am plum tuckered from a hard day’s work. Ah’ll see ya in the morn Fizzle, hope yer feelin’ better by then. G’nite all.”

Fizzle yawned and mumbled a response as Lilly scooped up his now empty tray and also made for the door. “Thanks so much for the food, it was delicious!” Fizzle said enthusiastically as he curled up under the sheets.

Lilly smiled as she stepped through the doorway. “Think nothin’ of it sugarcube, it was mah pleasure. Now y’all git some sleep an’ ah wanna see ya feelin’ better in the morn. G’nite, dearie.”

“G’night Auntie…” Fizzle said sleepily as he closed his eyes. Lilly’s smile grew even wider at that statement as she blew out the candle and gently closed the door.

*****

“Aaaah…thank ya kindly fer that breakfast sugercube. It shore hit the spot! Makes an old farmer like me remember them good ol’ days…” Farmer Greene reminisced happily, reclining in his chair with his pipe as Lilly swept up his dirty dishes, her ever-present smile warming his heart.

“Think nothin’ of it dearest. Y’all have a busy day ahead of ya, what with Fizzle bein’ under the weather an’ whatnot. Oh, the poor dear; y’all really shoulda kept a better eye on ‘im Greenie…”

Farmer Greene sighed. “Ah know ah shoulda dear, but y’all know how we’re in a tight spot right now an’ ah was really hopin’ ta get a good harvest tagether fer market day come Sunday. Ah just ‘bout worked my flank off yesterday, an’ today will prob’ly be no different…”

Lilly pulled him into a warm hug as she responded. “Well, ah’m right on track with keepin’ the house ship-shape, maybe ah’ll go out ‘n help fer an hour or two. Help share the load.”

Farmer Greene sighed again. “Oh dearest, y’all know ya don’ have ta do that. Ya know how ah hate ta see ya workin’ the fields…”

“Ah know dear, ah know,” Lilly responded knowingly, returning to the counter to finish the dishes. “But ah think you’ll be surprised at the strength ah got left in the ol’ buckeroos… and besides, it’ll be jest like ‘old times,’ as y’all jest said,” she finished with a twinkle in her eye. Farmer Greene inclined his head in recognition and decided not to continue the argument. He could really use the help after all…

The old farmer’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a stray yawn. He opened his eyes and glanced towards the stairs before jumping in surprise when he saw Fizzle standing there. “Well, good mornin’ dear boy, ah warn’t expectin’ ta see ya up this early. How are ya feelin’?” At the sound of his voice, Lilly turned around to see who Farmer Greene was talking to, and her eyes widened when she saw Fizzle.

Fizzle yawned broadly before replying. “I feel really good, actually. I slept really well last night, and I’m used to getting up with the sun so I guess my body wants to do things the same way today…” he trailed off as he noticed the hard glare Lilly was giving him. “Uh…” Fizzle’s thoughts raced as he tried to think of a convincing argument to prevent the elderly mare from sending him straight back to bed. He turned his pleading eyes towards Farmer Greene, who quickly took a sip of coffee in an attempt to hide his grin.

Gulping noisily, Fizzle resigned himself to his fate as Lilly strode forward to inspect him. “Still goin’ on ‘bout this foolish notion aren’cha? Really! Tryin’ ta work after bein’ laid low like that…all ya stallions are the same ah say! Why in mah day…” she trailed off in surprise as she felt Fizzle’s forehead. Giving Fizzle a suspicious look, she slowly retracted her hoof and began to circle him. Behind her, Farmer Greene raised his eyebrows and puffed in surprise at her sudden pause.

“Well ah’ll be… y’all ain’t even warm no more! Why, ah never seen a pony recover from such a serious case o’ heat stroke so quickly! Surely ya cain’t be fully recovered yet? But as far as ah kin tell, y’all seem ta be the spittin’ image o’ good health…don’ make no sense…” Lilly continued, looking increasingly shocked and concerned as she examined him carefully.

Fizzle couldn’t restrain his grin from breaking out. “Sooo since I’m all better this morning, does that mean I can go back to work?” he asked hopefully. Lilly scowled at him but Farmer Greene let out a guffaw of laughter.

“Hohoho!! Laid low by heat stroke one day, an’ wantin’ ta git back ta work the next!! Magnificent! Y’all shore are a true earth pony, Fizzle m’boy, ah’ll give ya that. Yer desire ta get back ta helpin’ out warms mah old heart, it does. Since Lilly seems ta have deemed ya fit fer duty, ah’d be more than happy ta put ya back ta work, Celestia knows ah need the help…”

Fizzle’s grin grew at Farmer Greene’s delighted outburst but Lilly’s scowl deepened. “So, whaddaya say, Auntie? Can I get back to work? Can I??”

That last statement caused Lilly’s frown to soften and she looked up at him with worried eyes, glancing briefly at her husband before answering with a sigh. “Well dear…it certainly looks as though yore back in good health…ah s’pose y’all can git back ta work, we do REALLY need the help after all…”

“Yes!!” Fizzle and Farmer Greene chorused together, exchanging an enthusiastic high hoof. Lilly’s eyes lit up with amusement at the sight of the stallions’ glee, but her mouth hardened into a determined line.

“But not afore ya git a good breakfast in ya!! An’ ah’ll be out there every hour on the hour ta give ya water ‘n check up on yer, an’ there ain’t nothin’ y’all kin say ta change that!” She said forcefully, but with a smile on her face.

Fizzle responded by wrapping his forelegs around her in a hug. “Aw, thanks so much Auntie! You’re the best, you know that?” he exclaimed happily. Lilly flushed crimson but eagerly returned the embrace smiling ear to ear.

Fizzle took a moment to revel in his happiness. Here he was, fully recovered from a disastrous previous day, enjoying time with ponies who felt like his grandparents. If it weren’t for that familiar nagging feeling lodged in the deepest recess of his mind telling him that this wasn’t quite where he belonged, he would have thought he was home.

No, even if this isn’t where he belonged, in the end it was still a home away from home.

Home on the Range

Chapter 5: Home on the Range

CRACK!!!

Thunka-thunka-thunka-thud!!

The now very familiar sound of apples thudding into buckets was as comforting as ever. Hearing that sound repeatedly on a daily basis gave Fizzle a definite sense of security. After the chaos and randomness of his first few waking days, Fizzle was glad to finally have some sort of regularity in his life. The simple farm work helped him forget about his nagging gut feelings and worries he had about the future. The work just was, and he just did.

Of course, his work had been interrupted quite a few times since his sickness. True to her word, Lilly came out once every hour on the hour to give him a cool glass of water and ask how he was feeling. Even though it was now the third day since his recovery and he knew that he’d been fully recovered for a while now, he still appreciated the gesture. It was nice having a way to keep track of time and the hydration definitely made the work more comfortable.

Poor Lilly was still beside herself with confusion though. Sure enough, Fizzle had bucked his way through another row of apple trees the very day after he collapsed, and this time had still been conscious to put all the apples away. Lilly’s glasses of water were certainly what made the difference, and even though Fizzle would never admit it out loud he hadn’t really been at full strength yet. But his determination outlasted his body’s physical weakness, and the day after his triumphant return he finished his row early, giving him time to do a few extra chores around the house. And now it was the fourth day of work. Fizzle lifted the rim of his hat and wiped his brow as he moved to the next tree.

Oh yeah, Lilly gave him an awesome hat yesterday. It was woven from straw and looked almost exactly like Farmer Greene’s, except newer. Fizzle had been beside himself with glee at the gift and wore it proudly, still fiercely determined to pay off his debt through unrelenting hard work. As his hooves connected with the trunk of the tree in the middle of the row, Fizzle heard a set of approaching hoofsteps. Expecting to see Lilly again with a glass of water, he was surprised when Farmer Greene trotted up instead.

Fizzle hadn’t seen much of Farmer Greene over the last few days. Sure, he saw him at every meal and before bed, but while he worked the west field bordering the dense forest Farmer Greene was out in the south field, doing much of the same work Fizzle assumed. And Farmer Greene almost always seemed exhausted at the end of the day. Fizzle always wondered to himself if he was working too hard, but kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t his place to pry, after all.

“Land’s sake, Fizzle!” he called as he trotted up. “Y’all are gettin’ real fast! Looks like y’all will be done early yet again!”

“Yep!” Fizzle responded happily, placing the last of the stray apples in the buckets. “I should have time for some extra chores today as well.”

Farmer Greene chuckled and shook his head. Oh, the joys of being young and strong… “Fizzle m’boy, it’s jest fine ‘n dandy that y’all wanna help out so much, but ya remember that tomorrow is market day, yes?”

Fizzle looked thoughtful before smiling and nodding, falling into step besides the farmer as they both headed to the farmhouse for lunch. That would certainly explain the amount of baking Lilly’s been doing recently. “Oh yeah! I remember now. Tomorrow’s the day that we get to sell all these apples and treats for tons of money!!” he said excitedly, springing into the air slightly as he finished his sentence. Farmer Greene looked away for a moment, but Fizzle didn’t notice his hesitance.

“Eh… yes we shore will. But tha’s why ah want ya ter take it easy once yer done with that there row today. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long ‘un, an’ ah want ya in tip-top shape, y’hear?”

Fizzle paused to salute smartly. “Yes sir, mister Greene, sir!” The two ponies burst into laughter at Fizzle’s antics, and as they approached the farmhouse they were still chuckling to each other. Lilly looked up from setting the table with an amused glint in her eye.

“An’ jest what’s so funny it’s got all the stallions ‘round here gigglin’ like a gaggle o’ schoolfillies??” she inquired.

Farmer Greene chuckled yet again. “Oh, it’s nothin’ dearest. Fizzle’s jest remindin’ me o’ how wonderful it is ta be young.” Lilly’s gaze softened and the two elder ponies shared a look that spoke more than words ever could. It was a look that contained more than thirty years of memories for the both of them. Fizzle was too busy being excited over market day to notice.

“Oh boy, oh boy! I can’t wait to head into town and see all kinds of different ponies! I haven’t really been to a major population center since I woke up in that field, you know. I can’t wait! And we get to finally sell all those apples and get tons of money! Isn’t that right? Aren’t you excited??”

Farmer Greene and Lilly exchanged a concerned glance before Lilly spoke up. “Er…yes…o’ course dearie, we’re more than ready ta…make some money…” she said cautiously, putting an undue amount of stress on the word “some.” Fizzle finally managed to pick up on their reluctance and gave them a confused look.

“Hmm? Is there something wrong? You don’t seem too excited. But then again, I’ll bet even making a bunch of money gets boring after the hundredth time…hmm perhaps we should try and do something else while we’re in town too? Oh boy, apple pie! My favorite!” Fizzle’s attempts to cheer the elderly couple up ground to a screeching halt as Lilly placed food on the table.

The ponies ate in silence for the most part, except for Fizzle who was busy complimenting Lilly’s cooking every other bite. Finally, when the food was almost gone, Farmer Greene spoke up. “Fizzle, ah think there’s somethin’ we should be tellin’ ya ‘bout market day…” he began slowly. Fizzle looked up from his fourth slice of pie in confusion, but said nothing, opting to chew instead.

“Son, th’ truth is we ain’t done too good with business over th’ past few years.” Fizzle’s eyes widened but Farmer Greene pressed on. “It all began when another farm started up ‘bout ten years past. It used ta be too far away from Baltimare proper ta be an issue, but recent advances in tech…ner…lolgy have made it easier ta transport produce around.” The farmer stumbled a bit over what was obviously an unfamiliar term to him, but continued regardless.

“And so, fer some reason ponies have started ta buy their apples from that farm rather than ours, an’ we’ve been losin’ customers ever since.”

Fizzle’s face was a mix between horror and anger as he replied. “That’s…that’s horrible!! How can they not want to buy these apples! They’re delicious! I can vouch for them myself!”

“Ponies jest don’ appreciate down-ta-earth, hoof-grown apples like they used ter,” Lilly replied sadly. “We’ve even tasted them apples an’ there’s definitely somethin’…off…’bout ‘em. Must be somethin’ they put in th’ soil ta make ‘em taste sweeter. Hmph, if ah ever meet th’ pony who came up with such a ridiculous idea ah’d give ‘em a piece o’ mah mind…” Lilly finished with a hint of anger in her voice.

Farmer Greene’s eyes flashed as well as he spoke up. “Exactly, ah reckon we both would. But anyways Fizzle, we’re tellin’ ya this jest so ya know what our situation is, an’ ta keep ya from accidentally scarin’ off what few customers we’ll git tomorrow. We need ya ta be on yer best behavior, ya understand?”

Fizzle nodded animatedly. “You can count on me sir! I won’t let you down!” The elderly ponies brightened at Fizzle’s enthusiasm.

“Well glad ta hear it! Now, ah think you an’ me both have some apple-buckin’ ta finish. Let’s git to it!” Fizzle nodded his assent and the two stallions trotted off into the fields as Lilly began to clear the table. As Fizzle returned to his trees, his brain was working overtime. How could ponies not want these apples? It didn’t make sense! Fizzle was angry and confused over how some group of dishonest ponies were putting poor Farmer Greene and Lilly out of business with their sleazy, underhanded tactics. But despite his passion, Fizzle couldn’t think of any ideas to help increase sales.

As Fizzle angrily bucked his tree with a loud CRACK!! he felt a familiar feeling return to him. It was like an itchiness in the hooves and a fluttering in the stomach and a restlessness in the brain. It was that feeling that told him to DO something. It was the feeling that he had followed that entire first day after waking up in that field. That feeling that guided him to do things he didn’t understand.

Fizzle forced the feeling to the back of his mind. It wouldn’t go away, he knew that for certain, but Fizzle knew he would have free time later in the day. Right now, he had apples to buck.

And buck apples he most certainly did.

*****

Fizzle grunted with exertion as he heaved the last bucket of apples out of the wagon. It landed on the ground with a dull *THUD*. Fizzle panted slightly from the exertion before dragging the final bucket down into the cellar. As he reemerged, he kicked the door closed with his back hoof and breathed a sigh of relief. He was FINALLY done. Finishing all of his chores while ignoring the feeling was a lot harder than he thought it would be. By now, the feeling was so bad he thought he might tear himself apart.

Fizzle closed his eyes and began to relax. Now it was time to follow, and see what would come of it. Almost immediately, Fizzle’s hooves started moving him towards his wagon, which was now parked under the loft next to the farmhouse. Before he even knew it, Fizzle had a reed basket in his mouth and was heading off to the forest. ‘What in tarnation are you up to, body??’ he questioned. Deciding to do as he did before, Fizzle simply let it happen.

His curiosity only increased as he reached the edge of the forest and set the basket down. Suddenly, without warning, he planted his teeth on the closest tree trunk and, in one fluid motion, ripped a solid chunk of bark clean off. After spitting the bark out into the basket, Fizzle had to pause for a moment to consider what he was doing. First, that bark tasted absolutely awful, and yet the feeling was compelling him to do it again. Secondly, that had actually hurt a bit!! Fizzle really didn’t want to keep ripping bark off of the trees, but the feeling was still there, urging him on…

Fizzle couldn’t resist. The sensation of going along with the feeling was better than the pain and discomfort, and once he had ripped off twenty chunks or so of bark he was so wrapped up in the feeling he hardly even noticed the pain. Setting his basket down by his wagon, his hooves now carried him out to the well, where he filled up a bucket of water. Returning to the wagon, things only got stranger.

Using a bowl he borrowed from indoors, Fizzle smashed the pieces of bark into smaller chunks, going one at a time and carefully adding water as he went. Eventually, the bark/water mixture began to turn into a sort of paste. His confusion mounted as he began to mold the paste into different shapes. If he ran out of paste, he simply smashed up more bark and added more water.

Soon, Fizzle had used up all the bark and his hooves were covered in a light brown paste. He noted with some interest that the substance had already dried, leaving him feeling like he was wearing cardboard boots. Fizzle turned a critical eye to his creations. There were about ten or so tall, narrow cylindrical tubes that flared out at the bottom to make a square base. He noticed that they had a bottom, preventing him from looking through them. ‘What the hay are these for?’ he wondered to himself, before examining the rest of his creations.

There were about a hundred hollow half spheres strewn about the field around him, and about half as many squat cylinders that reminded him of petri dishes. Whatever a petri dish was. He had obviously just haphazardly tossed them a short distance away upon completion.

How long had he been working exactly? Glancing up at the sun, Fizzle guessed that it was about four in the afternoon. Good, he had some time before dinner. Again, Fizzle noted with interest that the spheres and disks could fit easily in the cylindrical tubes. Coincidence? Almost certainly not. Before Fizzle could contemplate the strangeness of his work further, the feeling was back. He wanted to go the wagon, he wanted to go so badly…

Fizzle put his hoof down now. He wasn’t going to descend completely into barbarism because of something his past self was remembering. He had made a mess, and he was going to clean it up. Grabbing the bowl, Fizzle managed to lurch his way to the stream that divided the north and west fields and attempted to wash up, gratefully noticing that the brown muck cleaned easily.

Heartened by his success at resisting the feeling, even if it was just for a little bit, Fizzle returned to the wagon and allowed it to take over again. Now, his hooves were digging through the stuff in his wagon and pulling out various materials he had collected. The green rocks. The yellow crystals. The blue chunks. Several sacks of the black powder. He grabbed almost everything he had, noticing that the gemstones were not included, and laid it out in front of him.

Grabbing the large rock he had scooped up on a whim that first day, he placed the smaller, colored rocks into a basket and started to smash them up into a fine powder. Soon, Fizzle had baskets of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, and black powders arranged neatly around him. Picking up one of the half spheres, Fizzle got to work.

He measured out a very careful amount of the black powder (which he knew from past experience was highly flammable) and poured it into the half sphere. He did the same for the yellow powder, but added a different amount. How he knew exactly how much to add he couldn’t really say, all he knew was that it felt right to do it that way. That excuse was getting pretty lame by now, he dryly noted.

Finally, he added a half hooffull of red powder and a pinch of green powder to the half sphere. Taking another nearby hemisphere, he fitted the two of them together and wet the edges with water, effectively sealing up the sphere. Grabbing one of the disks, he filled it with more of the black powder (fortunately he had a LOT of that) and a hooffull of the yellow powder and attached it to the sphere with some water.

Picking up a sharpened stick, he punched a hole through the disk and into the sphere before threading a length of rope woven from grass through it. During his isolation in the forest, Fizzle had, out of sheer boredom and with some nudging from the feeling, done almost nothing but weave lengths of grass rope, and so had quite a bit of it.

He tore the rope such that there was about a foot of it sticking out of the sphere and considered what it was he had made. In all honesty, Fizzle had no idea what this thing was supposed to do, but before he had a chance to contemplate it further, the feeling kicked in again. Carefully placing the sphere aside, Fizzle returned to his work.

After making about ten of these spheres, Fizzle began to see patterns in what he was doing. Every sphere received the same amount of black powder and the same amount of yellow powder, but always more black than yellow in any given sphere. As for the other components however, the combinations and amounts seemed totally random. Orange and blue for this one. Red, green, and white in that one. Purple and orange here. Blue, white, and purple there. Once the powders were added, the spheres were sealed up with water, attached to a disk, and a length of grass rope was inserted.

As the sky began to change colors, signaling the eventual approach of dusk, Fizzle completed his work. Strewn about him now were ten cylindrical tubes, about fifty spheres with bases, and various piles of powder, baskets, and other random items from his wagon. An insistent rumble from his stomach reminded him of just how long he had been building these…things. And, Fizzle suddenly noticed with a start, the feeling was totally gone. Just like that. Odd indeed.

Fizzle got to his hooves with a sigh and began to pack up his things, starting with the raw materials. Just as he finished putting all of the random things away, he heard a voice calling his name.

“Fizzle!! Dinner!!!” Lilly’s voice sounded from the porch. Based on the volume of her voice, she clearly didn’t know he was so near. Fizzle’s stomach growled angrily again, so he happily left the tubes and spheres where they were and trotted over to the porch.

“I’m right here, Auntie,” he said as he rounded the corner. Lilly turned her head in surprise but smiled upon seeing him.

“Oh, there ya are dear. C’mon inside, supper’s on! Greenie’s already servin’ up.”

Fizzle eagerly served up his food and joined the elderly ponies at the table. They said a quick grace (which Fizzle didn’t really understand the point of but respectfully went along with it anyways) and then they all tucked in. As usual, the food was delicious. The three of them ate in silence before Lilly spoke up. “So, Fizzle, what have ya been up ter with yore free time? Seems like y’all were close at hoof jest now.”

Fizzle swallowed and considered what to say. He didn’t know? He was following a weird nagging feeling? Tools? What? The two farmers were looking at him curiously over their food, eager to know what he had found to occupy himself. Fizzle finally answered, “I was…working with stuff from my wagon.”

“Oh?” Farmer Greene interjected. “What kind o’ stuff exactly?”

Fizzle swallowed again, but this time not due to a mouthful of food. He considered lying for a moment, but upon looking at the two ponies who had taken him into their care without question, fed him, sheltered him, and cared for him, he instantly pushed the thought from his mind. It was time to come clean.

“I…I don’t really know what all of it is to be honest. And the things that I just did…I don’t really understand that either. I think I’m remembering things that I used to know before I woke up in that field.” The reaction from the elder ponies was not what he was expecting. He was expecting confusion at least, and maybe anger, but instead their faces lit up.

“Why, tha’s wonderful dear! Ah’m happy ta hear that y’all are startin’ ta git yore memories back, ah know from Cousin Juniper that havin’ amnesia is no fun at all, bless ‘er heart,” Lilly trilled excitedly. Farmer Greene looked equally excited.

“How’s ‘bout after supper we all head ‘round back ‘n take a looksee, hm? Maybe Lilly ‘n ah kin give ya some sort o’ idea what ya used ta do an’ where ya mighta come from.” Fizzle nodded happily at that idea.

“Yeah, ok! That seems like a good idea! I’ll give you fair warning though, whatever I made is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” he said dramatically before taking another bite of delicious apple pie.

Farmer Greene and Lilly simply chuckled. “Boy, me an’ Lilly have been all over Equestria in our days. We’ve seen all sorts o’ crazy contraptions ‘n doohickies ‘n whatchamacallits, as well as everythin’ in between! Whatever it is, there’s a good chance that one o’ us will remember it from somewhere.” Fizzle nodded excitedly but said nothing more, his attention now wholly returned to his meal.

Once supper was over, Lilly did the dishes while Fizzle put away the leftover food. Farmer Greene went out to do his nightly check of the farm, making sure that the animals were fed and locked up, the gates and cellar were locked, the hoses were off, and the house was mostly secured for the night. Upon his return he immediately found Fizzle.

“Alrighty, m’boy ah’m done with me rounds. Let’s see these ‘confangled doohickies’ o’ yers. Y’all said they were over by yer wagon?” Fizzle nodded and began to lead the way before a sudden thought struck him. As it is with every sudden thought that strikes him, Fizzle had no idea where it came from or how he knew such things, only that they ALWAYS made perfect sense. Somehow. If that makes any sense.

Noticing Fizzle’s lack of motion, Farmer Greene glanced at him with concern. Before he could voice his thoughts, however, Fizzle spoke up. “You wouldn’t happen to have any matches, would you?” he asked with a totally straight face. Farmer Greene glanced quizzically at Lilly, who matched his expression but wordlessly reentered the house to fetch the aforementioned matches.

Leading Farmer Greene around the corner of the farmhouse, Fizzle stepped forward and started to carefully scoop up some of the spheres and place them in his wagon. “Well? Seen anything like them?” he asked curiously.

Farmer Greene gingerly picked up one of the spheres and studied it intently. He rolled it around in his hooves, sniffed it, and tugged experimentally on the grass rope, but not firmly enough to dislodge it. Upon placing most of the spheres in baskets in his wagon, Fizzle grabbed an armful of the tubes and dumped those in as well.

“Hmm…cain’t say ah’ve ever seen somethin’ like this afore…” Farmer Greene said thoughtfully. “Although somethin’ ‘bout it smells familiar, ah just cain’t quite place it.” The sound of approaching hoofsteps brought the farmer out of his thoughtful reverie. “Ah, there ya are, Lilly. Tell me, does this thing smell familiar ter ya?”

Farmer Greene and Lilly traded objects and Lilly inspected the spherical object, also giving it a curious sniff. “Why, ah do believe it does Greenie pie. As fer what exactly it smells like, ah couldn’t tell ya.”

“Ah hear ya on that one, ah thought th’ same.” Farmer Greene chuckled suddenly at some unknown joke. “It’s been too long, hasn’t it dear?”

Lilly smiled knowingly, but the tired look in her eyes was unmistakable. “It certainly has, dear…” she said so quietly it was almost a whisper. Suddenly snapping her eyes onto Fizzle, she stepped forward and handed him the object. “Well, do ya have any idea what it does?” she inquired.

Fizzle rubbed the back of his head with a hoof before responding. “Um, yeah, I have a general idea…I think…” The quizzical looks he received prompted further explanation. “Here, hand me those matches and let me see if I can figure it out.” Farmer Greene promptly handed over the matches and watched as Fizzle grabbed one of the cardboard tubes as well and started walking away from the house.

When Fizzle was about ten paces from the house, he placed the cardboard tube firmly on the ground, making sure that the square base was flat and steadied. He then gently dropped the sphere into the tube, disk side down, noting with interest that the sphere just barely fit and slid slowly down the length of the tube. Finally, he grabbed the length of grass rope that was hanging out of the tube and readied a match.

Looking back at the two ponies standing near the house he called, “ready??” The two of them nodded, eager to see what exactly these things did. Fizzle lit the match and held it up to the end of the grass rope. The dry grass caught almost immediately, and Fizzle watched as the tiny flare traveled eagerly along the rope, leaving a twisted blackened length in its wake and emitting a faint hissing sound. Something in the back of Fizzle’s mind told him to run, so he shook his head to extinguish the match, tossed it to the side, and ran back to the house.

The three of them stared intently at the tube as the flare reached the top of the tube and then disappeared inside. A few more seconds passed before Lilly spoke up. “Um, dear, is that wha’s s’posed ta…”

FWOOMPH.

Lilly was abruptly cut off by a loud sound as the tube flared and something shot up into the air. The two elder ponies let out involuntary exclamations of alarm but their eyes continued to follow the object as it climbed higher into the sky, and higher still, and higher still…

BOOM!!!

All three ponies screamed as a massive green explosion lit up the night sky above the farmhouse, accompanied by an earth-shattering BOOM that all of them could feel in their chests. As the echo slowly began to die away, and the glittering green stars continued to fall Fizzle let out a cheer of excitement. “All right!! That was AWESOME!! I remember what those things do now, haha yeah woohoo!!!”

Fizzle’s happy shouts started to die off as he noticed the frightened looks the elder ponies were giving him. His smile slowly faded to be replaced with a confused look. “Is there something wrong?” he inquired.

Farmer Greene finally found his voice. “Fizzle…that there smell…ah think ah remember what it is now…” He pointed an accusing hoof at the wagon and said, “Fizzle, them contraptions are filled with gunpowder!”

“But of course they are,” Fizzle said, looking more and more confused. “In two places actually. The initial ignition chamber contains a mix of charcoal laced with nitrates, which can be dug up fairly easily or made from grinding up burnt wood, that’s the black powder, and yellow powdered sulfur, which can be found as yellow crystals and are often mistaken for gemstones and then pitched once anypony takes a good whiff. The actual shell contains those as well as various powdered metallic minerals to give color and shape to the explosion. How else does one go about making fireworks? I AM a professional pyrotechnic, you know.”

Fizzle paused to wait for an answer, but when none was forthcoming he instead took the time to process what he had actually just said. “And…I have absolutely no idea how I know all of that,” he finished, looking even more confused.

Lilly finally spoke up, and Fizzle was relieved to see that she looked considerably more relaxed. “Well dear, it’s obvious that y’all are remembering things ya once knew. As fer how ya know such things, ah haven’t th’ foggiest. Ah ain’t never seen such a…doohickey…afore, an’ so ah have no idea where other ponies who know these things might live. After all, somepony probably taught ya, right?”

Fizzle considered that for a moment. “Yes, I suppose so…but I don’t remember anything about being taught…” Fizzle finished with a sigh.

“Oh, cheer up dearie,” Lilly said reassuringly. “Ah’m shore yer memories will return ta ya in time. If Cousin Juniper is any example, it takes time ta get back ta normal, but it happens eventually.” Fizzle nodded, but looked quite a bit happier.

“Y’know dear,” Farmer Greene suddenly spoke up. “These firework thingies, they’re kinda…exhilaratin’. Wouldn’cha say so?”

Lilly paused to consider this. “Well…ah s’pose so…ah cain’t rightly remember th’ last time mah heart raced quite that fast…”

“Yeah, mine too…” Farmer Greene said thoughtfully. “Truthfully, it was actually…kinda…fun,” he concluded, giving Fizzle a sudden devious grin that lit up his entire face.

“Fizzle m’boy, pack up as many o’ those firework thingies as ya can in that wagon o’ yers. Tomorrow we’re gonna make a bit o’ a splash fer market day…”

*****

Fizzle couldn’t keep his jaw shut if he tried. Baltimare was amazing! He had never seen anything like it!! From the moment the towering buildings came into view over the horizon, Fizzle had been in awe of the pony metropolis. As he walked along the dusty, dirty road, wagon of fireworks in tow, he gawked at the shiny, glossy monoliths around him. Looking up, it was almost like the ground was reaching up to touch the sky.

And that was just the buildings! There were so many ponies walking around, Fizzle had never in his living memory seen so many in one place! The first few he had seen on the outskirts of the city, heading out of town for some reason or another. Fizzle had cheerily waved and said “hi!” to everypony who walked by, but after Farmer Greene and Lilly looked at him funny he decided that wasn’t quite how normal ponies acted. He was glad he stopped too; he never would have been able to keep up!

There were ponies in the street, ponies in the buildings, ponies entering and exiting doorways, and ponies just sitting around; they were everywhere! Even now, the street was filled with a multicolored mass of ponies and wagons, everypony pushing and bustling to get where they needed to go. Fizzle quickly located Farmer Greene and Lilly with their wagons, confirming that he was still walking in the right direction.

That was another thing, Baltimare was huge! If it weren’t for the elderly couple he was following Fizzle would be way past lost right about now. He still had no idea where they were going, and at this point he had no idea where they’d come from either. Forcing himself to watch the road in front of him, Fizzle plodded on, just managing to keep Farmer Greene’s hat in view.

He yawned slightly as they turned a corner. The three of them had gotten up early that morning, loaded up their wagons, and began the long trek into town. Checking behind him to make sure his wagon of fireworks was still there, he plodded on. Even now, he could smell the fresh apples in Farmer Greene’s wagon and the delicious baked goods Lilly was pulling. His stomach growled slightly. They had set out early and it had taken all morning to arrive, and now they had to set up the fruit stand. Once that was complete, they would all have a quick lunch and market day would begin at around two or so.

Eventually, the three ponies turned off of the main street, walked between a few buildings, and finally arrived in a large grassy clearing. The clearing looked to be some sort of park on the edge of town, with buildings behind them and a large pasture before them, stretching off into the distance. The area was covered in a soft green grass with a few flowers and trees scattered here and there. There were several streets leading into the circular area from the city side, and a short ways away there was a fountain with a statue of a pony spitting water out of his mouth. How very odd.

Fizzle also noticed that there were several other groups of ponies setting up various stalls and displays around the clearing, and that all of them had goods of some sort to sell. Glancing to his right, Fizzle saw a bunch of snooty-looking ponies dressed in top hats and fancy coats setting up an apple stand. The large sign they were hanging up read “Appleton’s.” Fizzle snorted in derision and followed Farmer Greene and Lilly’s wagons away from the city. Picking a spot near the outskirts of the area, their progression halted and Farmer Greene turned around to address him.

“Well, here’s th’ place. It’s where we always set up. Shore it’s a bit outta th’ way but ah think that’ll be workin’ in our favor today. Well what are we all waitin’ fer, winter wrap up? Let’s git unpackin’!” And with that, Fizzle unhitched himself from his wagon and dragged it a little ways away from where Lilly and Farmer Greene were starting to set up.

The plan was simple. As soon as market day began in earnest, Fizzle would use a couple of his new fireworks to grab everypony’s attention, and then the real fun would begin. Fizzle couldn’t wait to put on a show of sorts. It was unfortunate that he had so few fireworks to shoot off over such a long time, so he’d have to be spontaneous and erratic to keep their attention. And all while he’s busy putting on a flashy show, Farmer Greene and Lilly would be keeping the ponies snacking on apples and treats. This was gonna be great! Fizzle rubbed his hooves together gleefully and snickered to himself. He had forgotten how much he loved explosions.

Fizzle chose a patch of bare, firm ground and lined up five tubes on it, checking briefly to make sure that there weren’t any buildings or stray vegetation around. He wasn’t really sure why he knew to do this; he supposed it was another one of those things that just ‘made sense’ for no reason. Boy, was this getting old or what? Checking once again to make sure his fireworks were organized by color (he didn’t understand how he could tell them apart, either), Fizzle went to check on the apple stand and grab a bite to eat.

Fifteen minutes later, one couldn’t even see the grass anymore. The clearing was absolutely PACKED with ponies! Market day was a big deal in Baltimare it seemed. A few minutes before the throngs of ponies showed up, Farmer Greene explained that Baltimare was one of the main agricultural centers of Equestria. With so much locally grown produce around, the residents of Baltimare eagerly attended as many market days as they could. That would certainly explain why half the city seemed to be present.

Half an hour in, business was going slowly for the elderly couple. Fizzle could see what they meant by a lack of customers. Staring across the field, Fizzle frowned upon seeing the long line of ponies in front of the Appleton’s stand. Grinding his teeth in anger, he looked away, busying himself with checking over his equipment one final time. Out of boredom and on a bit of a whim, Fizzle wove himself a cape from the long grass growing nearby, along with some sticks and hay he happened to have in his wagon. Donning it, Fizzle grinned. He had to look good for show time, right?

Another half-hour later, Farmer Greene grinned at Fizzle from across the clearing and gave the go-ahead nod. Oh boy, oh boy this was going to be great!! Grabbing an armful of different shells, Fizzle quickly loaded them up in their respective tubes and lit a match. Lighting up three of the fuses in succession, but with a carefully timed pause in between, Fizzle stood back and started counting eagerly. Three…two…one…

FWOOMPH!! FWOOPMH!! FWOOMPH!!

The few ponies unfortunate enough to be in the nearby vicinity jumped in surprise and began to investigate their immediate surroundings in an attempt to discern the source of that strange noise. A few managed to spot the shells as they climbed higher into the sky, pointing upwards and talking hurriedly to their companions.

BOOM!! BANG!! POW!!

Well, that certainly got their attention. It took the utmost strength of will to not break out in a fit of laughter right then and there. Oh man, but the looks on their faces!! Startled by the brilliant red, blue, and green explosions in the sky, the entire marketplace fell silent, staring in a mix of slack-jawed awe and sheer terror as the multicolored stars slowly drifted down to earth and began to wink out of existence. Suddenly, Fizzle got the powerful urge to say something. Abandoning the original plan, Fizzle forged ahead into unknown territory, some mysterious force compelling him to act.

Leaping up onto his wagon, Fizzle shouted as loudly as he could and addressed the crowd, twirling his makeshift cape mysteriously. “Fillies and gentlecolts!! Feast your eyes on the one and only traveling pyrotechnic, Fizzle!! Be wowed and amazed by the wondrous and mysterious powers of the cutting edge of science! Be thrilled and mystified by the breathtaking colors! Be jarred and excited by the deafening roars! Prepare yourselves for the greatest fireworks show known to Equestria!! Hold your breath…”

At this Fizzle paused for dramatic effect, smirking as he saw how literally every pony in the marketplace had their eyes riveted on him. Perfect. Quickly lighting up a match, Fizzle lit the remaining two fuses and stood back with a flourish of his cape.

FWOOMPH!! FWOOMPH!!

“As I, the amazing Fizzle, LIGHT…UP…THE…SKY!!!” The resulting red and gold explosions left no question about his ability to do so. Everypony gasped as the massive booms sounded yet again, shaking all of them to their cores.

BOOM!! BOOM!!

As the final echoes rolled into the distance, somepony began to clap and cheer. “That was absolutely amazing!!” And at that, the dam broke. The crowd of ponies burst into wild cheering and stomping, thrilled by the spectacle they had just beheld. Soon, Fizzle’s wagon was on the verge of being overrun as a throng of ponies pressed close, barraging him with comments and questions.

“How in Equestria did you do that??”

“These fireworks are absolutely phenomenal!!”

“Do more, do more, do some more!!”

“I wanna see the fireworks, mommy!”

Fizzle simply grinned as he started to milk the crowd. Oh, he had them alright. Hook, line, and sinker. “What’s that? You want more??” The resulting “YES!!” left little room for debate. Chuckling to himself, Fizzle plucked a shell from his wagon and lit it off. A fwoomph and a boom signaled a massive white explosion directly overhead. The crowd went wild. Fizzle spared a glance at Farmer Greene and grinned. The old farmer shook his head ruefully as if to chastise him for abandoning the plan, but launched into his pitch none the less.

“Tha’s right, folks! Enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime show with all yer fav’rite appletastic treats! Our hoof-grown, down-ta-earth apples are guaranteed ta tickle yer tastebuds ‘n satisfy yer cravin’s! Git ‘em now while we still got ‘em, an’ while the show’s still goin’ strong!!”

Oh yes, things were going to go quite nicely.

*****

The past two hours had been an absolute blast. Or rather, twenty or so multicolored blasts. The plan was working absolutely perfectly! The farmers’ business was ‘booming,’ and so was his. At one point it occurred to Fizzle to place an empty basket in front of his wagon, and it was now overflowing with bits. So that’s what bits were! Oooooh, shiny!! Fizzle could see why Flim and Flam had been so fixated on them, they certainly looked nice.

Fizzle now had a permanent crowd camped in front of his wagon, patiently waiting for the next round of fireworks to go off. And, he was delighted to see, many of them were snacking happily on apple-related treats. Further on, ponies continued to mill about the marketplace attending to various items of business, but Fizzle knew everypony turned their heads at the telltale ‘fwoomph.’

Sticking to the plan, Fizzle kept the crowd entertained by answering questions about fireworks while launching off sets of one or two at random intervals. Telling the crowd it was time for another round, Fizzle grabbed the basketful of bits and deposited it in his wagon, placing an empty one in its place. You never know, right? Knowing that the crowd could see what he was doing, Fizzle decided to make this next round a doozy. Grabbing another armful, he loaded a shell into all five of his tubes.

“Don’t blink! This one’s gonna be good!” Fizzle told an enthusiastic crowd. Lighting up two matches at once, Fizzle lit two fuses, then one, then two more. Squinting his eyes and comically pressing his hooves to his ears, the crowd watched eagerly as the spheres launched themselves into the air, and then cheered loudly at the resulting sets of explosions.

“All right!! That was the best one yet!”

“Woohoo! Best! Market! Day! EVER!!”

“Yaaaaaay, fireworks!!”

Fizzle smiled at his crowd’s enjoyment and took a miniature bow, getting a standing ovation in the process. From the corner of his eye he could see more bits being tossed in his basket. Wow, haven’t these ponies ever seen fireworks before?? Giving a salute of thanks, Fizzle glanced over at the apple stand. Farmer Greene and Lilly noticed his glance and smiled back, waving eagerly as they pointed to the line in front of their stand.

And what a line it was. They sure had their customers now! Craning his neck, Fizzle located the Appleton’s stand across the plaza and let out a guffaw of laughter at what he saw. Three very frustrated ponies with disheveled manes and ruffled coattails were desperately trying to hawk their wares, with little success.

Grinning in delight at their misfortune, Fizzle grabbed another pair of fireworks and lit them off, sending the crowd into hysterics once again. Oh yeah, this was the good life.

*****

The sun was starting to set as market day began to draw to a close. Many of the shops that had been initially set up were now packed up and moved off, their owners having sold most of their wares. Farmer Greene and Lilly were now sold out of everything they had brought, and as such were packing up their things as well. Fizzle grinned widely when he saw the cases of bits they had with them.

Appleton’s was gone as well, but Fizzle had noticed the sour glances they had cast towards the Acres o’ Apples stand. He chuckled to himself. Maybe that will teach them to put in an honest day’s work for a change! Truthfully, Fizzle couldn’t imagine ponies dressed that way putting in even half a day of work.

Finally, there was Fizzle’s crowd. And it was still huge. It made sense though, Fizzle had been promising one heck of a grand finale for the last hour or so. After all, fireworks were best in the dark! Checking over what remained of his supplies, Fizzle grinned in anticipation. Eight fireworks left: two red, one green, two blue, one white, one gold, and one purple. Oh, this was going to be good.

The gentle lull of the crowd murmuring to itself grew to a feverish pitch as they noticed Fizzle setting up three more tubes. Eight fireworks at once?? Sweet Celestia, this was going to be awesome! Somepony in the crowd starting chanting “all at once! All at once!” and soon the whole crowd was chanting.

“ALL AT ONCE!! ALL AT ONCE!! ALL AT ONCE!!” Fizzle simply grinned at them as he loaded up all eight of the tubes, his intentions clear. The chanting faded rapidly as Fizzle jumped up onto his wagon, preparing to address them once again. At one point, he had managed to slip off into the marketplace for a minute or so, and picked up an actual black cape from the sheep herder.

“Fillies and gentlecolts!!” he shouted, twirling his shiny black cape as he spoke. “As promised, the time for the grand finale is rapidly drawing near!!” Loud cheers. “In just a few moments, when Celestia’s sun has dipped below the horizon, I, the amazing Fizzle, will give you all a brief taste of what a TRUE fireworks show is like!!” The crowd fell into hushed, excited whispering, eagerly discussing the meaning of his words.

“True fireworks show? What does he mean by that??” Fizzle simply smiled. He didn’t know how, but a sudden memory of nonstop fireworks suddenly sprang into his mind. Now THAT’S what he called a show!

Soon enough, the sun slipped below the distant hills, and the lengthening purple shadows of dusk took over. A hush fell over the crowd as Fizzle dramatically pulled out his box of matches. The tiny spark flared, and Fizzle chuckled as he saw it reflected in hundreds of pairs of wide, staring eyes. With a flourish, Fizzle lit all eight fuses, switching up the spacing between them. Three fwoomphs in rapid succession. One fwoomph. Two more. Another. One final fwoomph.

The crowd eagerly watched the eight spheres climb higher into the sky, and then ‘ooooh’ed and ‘aaaah’ed loudly as the series of explosions lit up the night sky. Fizzle had been right; fireworks were really something else at night! As the resounding echoes died away the crowd fell into a hearty applause. Fizzle jumped up on his wagon and bowed repeatedly.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so very much Baltimare! It’s been a genuine pleasure!! I’ll be sure to let you all know the next time I’m in town!” After about five minutes of applause, the crowd finally began to disperse. A few more ponies stepped up to toss a few bits into the basket, and Fizzle noted happily that it was overflowing again. As the last of the crowd was headed back into town, Farmer Greene and Lilly strode forward.

“Well ah’ll be, Fizzle! That shore was a performance! Ah ain’t never seen a bunch o’ ponies so riled up afore! Ya had ‘em wrapped ‘round yer hoof th’ whole time, din’cha? Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!” Farmer Greene enthused, thumping Fizzle heartily on the back.

“Oh dearie, y’all were fantastic! Ah cain’t rightly believe how many ponies lined up fer our apples! Brought back happy memories it did. But even so, ah don’ think we’ve ever made so much! We sold out, didn’t we hon?” Lilly asked.

“Hehe! Shore did! Ah cain’t believe it neither. Y’all jest ‘bout had that crowd goin’ berserk Fizzle. An’ look! Y’all made a killin’ too!”

Fizzle glanced behind him at the pile of glittering gold and smiled broadly. Dumping it into his wagon, Fizzle replied, “Sure did! I can’t believe how well our plan worked, it’s almost as though nopony’s seen fireworks before!” he said grinning. Throwing his cape and tubes into his wagon as well, Fizzle hitched himself up and walked towards the other ones.

“Well, dearie, ah doubt many ponies have. Ah certainly was shocked last night. But th’ way y’all played that crowd, ya had ‘em beggin’ fer more the whole time!” Lilly enthused as she slipped her harness on.

Farmer Greene spoke up with a mischievous glint in his eye as the three ponies started walking, wagons in tow. “But don’ y’all be thinkin’ ya sticked to the plan! What were y’all thinkin’ jumpin’ up there an’ givin’ a speech, like yer all high ‘n mighty? Ah thought fer sure y’all was gonna blow it all the way ter Canterlot!”

Fizzle stared at his hooves, shuffling nervously as he walked. “Yeah, sorry about that sir. I don’t really know what came over me, but it just felt so natural I…I went along with it.” Fizzle looked up sadly, but started when he saw Farmer Greene grinning ear to ear.

“Boy, ah ain’t even th’ slightest bit mad at ya. Y’all made th’ both of us so much money, ah cain’t even fathom questionin’ yer actions. As th’ old sayin’ goes, how do ya like them apples, eh??” The three ponies burst out laughing.

Still chortling, Fizzle managed to force out a response. “I like them quite a bit, thank you very much. But those Appleton’s ponies sure didn’t! You should’ve seen the looks on their faces! Hah!!”

Farmer Greene roared in laughter yet again. “Boy, y’all don’ know th’ half o’ things! Ah was eyein’ those scalawags th’ whole time, an’ ah tell ya runnin’ ‘em inta th’ ground like that had me grinnin’ ear ta ear. We shore showed ‘em a thing or two ‘bout growin’ apples!” Farmer Greene and Lilly laughed some more before calming down and growing serious.

“But in all seriousness Fizzle, me an’ Lilly would like ta thank ya most sincerely fer what ya did today. It means a lot ter us.”

Fizzle looked at them questioningly. “But of course! You said you’ve been losing customers recently and were in a bit of a tight spot, right?”

Farmer Greene looked away for a moment before answering. “Ah…ah shore did Fizzle. An’ y’all have made everythin’ better fer us. We thank ya most kindly.”

Fizzle just beamed at them. “It’s no problem at all. Besides, it was fun!!” And with that, the two farmer ponies were smiling again, and the discussion fell to happier topics as the three ponies trekked home under the stars.

Home. Fizzle was going home, with the only family he had ever known. He hoped it could stay like this forever.

But alas, the breeze stirring the leaves beneath his hooves was only the beginning of the change yet to come…

Of Nightmares Discordant

Chapter 6: Of Nightmares Discordant

It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle took in a deep breath and sighed contentedly, reveling in the clean air and her mentor’s bright, beautiful sun. She ran through her mental checklist of errands again as she continued her brisk trot into town. She was a mare on a mission, and there was a lot she had planned for today!

Glancing around with some surprise, she noted that there was nopony in sight. Again? Her mind flitted briefly back to the last time this had happened. But surely everypony knew who Zecora was now? There wasn’t somepony else new in town was there? She certainly hadn’t heard anything. She opened her mouth to ask Spike about it, but suddenly remembered that she had left him in charge of the library while she was out. ‘Oops, guess I’m on my own now,’ she thought. A sudden voice brought her out of her reminiscence.

“Why, hello there Twilight Sparkle! What a pleasant surprise to see you here, and on such a beautiful day too!” Twilight opened her mouth to reply before the familiarity of that voice hit her like a ton of bricks. Stopping in her tracks, eyes wide as dinner plates, she slowly turned around, praying to Celestia that she hadn’t heard who she thought she’d heard.

“Discord!!” she hissed, as the draconequus came into full view. He was floating in mid-air, reclining slightly, that ever-present smirk on his face.

“Why, hello my dear! So good to see you too! And I see that you were prepared for a visit as well, very impressive,” he said chuckling. Twilight paused in confusion as the words sunk in. Prepared? No, she wasn’t prepared!! Preparations involved checklists and brainstorming, not just walking around in town!

A sudden thought struck her. Glancing upwards, she gasped in shock at what she saw. Sure enough, the Element of Magic tiara was perched on her head, gleaming in the sunlight. What?? But, how?? She kept that tiara hidden under her bed at all times! She hadn’t put it on this morning!!

Her confusion grew yet again as another voice sounded behind her. “There ya are, sugercube! ‘Bout time we found ya! Now come on, let’s waste this bad boy once an’ fer all!!” Twilight spun around in confusion, eyes widening even further at what she saw.

“A-AJ? W-what are you all doing here??” Sure enough, Applejack and the rest of the Elements of Harmony were trotting up to her, their golden necklaces around their necks and fierce looks of determination on their faces. Even Fluttershy was looking braver than usual.

Another voice caused Twilight to spin yet again. “What?? You five? I thought I dealt with you for good!” Discord exclaimed, the panic beginning to rise in his voice. He was edging away from the group slowly, clearly more wary of the Elements’ power than the first time.

“Hah! As if!!” Rainbow Dash jeered as she pulled up next to Twilight. “As we told you before, you can’t keep our friendship down for long!” She turned her fiery rose eyes on Twilight. “C’mon, Twi! Let’s show dopey Discord who’s in charge here!!”

Twilight’s head was spinning. This was all happening way too fast! Discord was free? Her friends had been fighting him without her knowledge? The tiara appeared out of nowhere? There were waaaay too many variables unaccounted for to make her comfortable with the current situation. However, here they all were, staring down Discord with the Elements of Harmony at the ready. Confusing circumstances or not, they had a job to do! Twilight closed her eyes and began to channel the powers of the Elements, feeling the surge of energy rising in her chest, feeling it spread out and begin to flow to the others…

Aaaaaaaaand now it’s gone. Just like that, the power from the Elements disappeared, almost as if the flow of energy had been abruptly cut by a pair of scissors. A faint swishing sound and a soft metallic *clink* signaled the disappearance of the power. Twilight’s eyes shot open in confusion and alarm, and upon doing so two things became readily apparent.

One, the sun had suddenly plummeted beneath the horizon to be replaced with the moon, leaving Twilight and her friends surrounded by pitch-black darkness and imposing shadows.

Two, the faint whooshing sound had been that of a pony leaping over her head and grabbing the tiara, leaving her powerless. The pony was now standing a short distance away, the looming shadows obscuring the color of its coat. However, no amount of darkness could hide those glowing red eyes, that malevolent white grin…and the Element of Magic it was twirling around its hoof.

“Hehehe…looking for this??” The pony chuckled. Although its voice was light and its build was slender, the pony was unmistakably a stallion.

“Ahhh, I see you’ve all met my new assistant. I decided that ruling Equestria isn’t really a one-pony show, so I put up a few ‘help wanted’ fliers around town and found myself an apprentice! Isn’t that grand??” Discord cooed mockingly, before throwing his head back and laughing maniacally, the mysterious pony joining him in laughter.

“Hey!!” a brash voice startled the evildoers out of their laughter. “Give that back!!” Rainbow Dash yelled bravely as she and the other Elements charged Discord and the mysterious pony. Before Twilight could open her mouth to stop them, Discord spoke up.

“Uh, uh, uh…I’m afraid I can’t have that,” he said malevolently, snapping his fingers. Twilight saw the spell coming and quickly erected a magical defense, but didn’t have time to extend it to her friends. All five of them suddenly froze in mid-step, their expressions of angry determination turning to grimaces of exertion as they struggled against their magical bonds. Twilight groaned in exertion and slammed her eyes closed as she attempted to resist Discord’s spell, but the chaos deity was strong.

Rallying her strength, Twilight managed to bring their magical struggle to an impasse, allowing her to take a few wobbly steps towards Discord and the pony. Opening one eye slightly, she was delighted to see the pained grimace on Discord’s face as he tried to break through her defenses. Before Twilight could take more than five steps towards him, however, his mysterious assistant tackled her to the ground, using his superior strength and the force of gravity to pin her limbs.

With her magic otherwise occupied keeping Discord’s spell at bay, she was hardly capable of throwing the stallion off of her. As a mare, her ability to extricate herself from her imprisonment by brute force was already questionable, and her naturally weak athletic abilities made it nigh-impossible.

As such, Twilight was powerless to do anything but watch as Discord began to walk towards her friends. His expression lightened and the power of his spell receded oh so slightly, no longer taking up his entire focus but still strong enough to severely limit Twilight’s magical abilities. “Dear me, dear me. What AM I going to do with you all? Every time I think I’ve split you apart, the next day you get back together to have a tea party and come galloping back, necklaces a-blazing. I’m sick of it!! It’s time to get rid of you once and for all…”

Discord hummed to himself as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. Twilight strained against her magical bonds and the stallion above her, but to no avail. Glancing up, the mystery pony’s body and face were STILL somehow pitch-black, but the entirely neon-red eyes and the massive white grin stared directly at her, daring her to try something.

Trying to fight back the panic that was rapidly rising in her chest, she began to cast about with eyes, looking for something, ANYTHING she could use to get her captor off of her. Glancing to her side, she could see the Element of Magic lying discarded on the ground. If only she could reach it!! Casting out with what little magic she had available, the tiara began to move, slowly coming closer, closer, closer…

“Ah hah! I’ve got it!!” Discord announced triumphantly, interrupting Twilight’s concentration. With a *POOF!* he was dressed comically in a cowboy hat and boots, complete with a leather belt, giant brass buckle, and a couple of holsters. Striding up to Fluttershy and staring her in the face, he drawled his next words in a hilariously bad southern accent. “Put ‘er up, pardner! Ten paces ‘n then we draw!!”

Turning around, Discord took ten steps away from her before glaring back at her, his eyes narrowing in false concentration, his hands shaped into guns and thrust into his holsters. “Draw!!” he suddenly announced and pulled his right hand free, aiming it directly at poor Fluttershy.

Time seemed to slow down. Fluttershy’s blue eyes widened in terror as a massive blast of white energy erupted from Discord’s hand, traveling directly towards her. Twilight was aware that she was screaming now, but couldn’t hear anything. The blast of energy continued to fly, closer, closer, getting closer every second but seemingly taking an eternity to arrive…

There was a massive explosion, and Fluttershy was instantly evaporated in a swirl of yellow dust, a smoldering scorch mark and a glowing-hot golden necklace the only signs that she had ever existed. Tears were now streaming down Twilight’s cheeks. She was dully aware that her throat was burning from the screaming she was doing, but she took no notice. “Bang!!” Discord called out cheerfully as the explosion died away. He was now making a game of this, and proceeded to take trick shots at the rest of her friends.

Aiming his left hand under his right leg, he fired again and shouted “Bang!!” as Applejack disintegrated into a fine orange powder and blew away in the wind.

“Bang!!” From behind his back. Rarity was no more.

“Bang!!” Over his head. Rainbow Dash disappeared.

“Bang!!” Right arm fully extended. Pinkie Pie.

No… it couldn’t be…her friends…gone?? But no matter how many times Twilight blinked, hoping desperately that this was all a terrible nightmare, the only remains of her friends were five gently smoldering craters and five golden necklaces…

Twilight was now in hysterics, shouting her friends’ names over and over and cursing Discord with a seemingly neverending stream of curses. Fueled by her distress and rage, she channeled her magical energies and erupted in a flare of purple magic. Discord’s spell was disintegrated by her outburst and the pony holding her down was sent flying away into the darkness, a solid *THUD* indicated his abrupt loss of momentum and consciousness.

Her magical energies now coursing through her body, Twilight prepared herself to utterly annihilate the monster that stood before her, the monster that had…No, it just can’t be the truth! Once she was done wiping the floor with this guy she’d figure out how to get her friends back…yes, that was it…

A sudden explosion interrupted Twilight’s concentration, and an even more sudden force sent her tumbling through the air. Colliding with the side of a house, Twilight was dimly aware of her body slowly slumping to the ground, her ears ringing and her head spinning as she tried to recover from the shock of the explosion and resulting impact. But, try as she could, she couldn’t stand up, she couldn’t gather her magic…she couldn’t even see straight…

Twilight hardly registered the jangling of cowboy boots as Discord strode over to her, his face twisted in a malicious smirk and his hands trailing wisps of steam. Pointing his right hand at her face he allowed himself a victorious sneer. “Time to say goodnight, Twilight Sparkle…” he purred softly, malice dripping from every word. As if to mock her one last time, the moon suddenly dropped beneath the horizon, only to be replaced by the harsh daylight a second later.

“Discord rules, Celestia drools…”

She screamed again. Her entire world went white.

“NNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” Twilight’s scream of anguish rent the still night air as she sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in a cold sweat, eyes wide as dinner plates and pupils shrunk to pinpricks as she screamed maniacally. Some part of her brain registered that her scream was accompanied by others, and she hurriedly scanned her surroundings.

What? Where was she?? This wasn’t the library!! Where is…oh. Twilight finally stopped screaming, her throat burning and her lungs aching for fresh air. As her cry fell silent, an uneasy silence claimed the small, circular room. Darting her gaze around the room, Twilight saw each of her friends sitting bolt upright in bed as well.

Six pairs of lungs suddenly remembered to breathe, gasping for fresh air. Six hearts beat frantically, threatening to tear themselves out of their respective chests. Six wide pairs of eyes with tiny pupils stared at each other, slowly registering the presence of the others. Six cheeks were stained with tears that sprang forth, unbidden, and rolled silently before dropping away into the darkness.

The silence continued for what seemed like an eternity before Twilight finally ventured to break the stalemate. “B…b-bad dream??” she ventured.

“Yeah…” breathed Rainbow Dash. “Like you wouldn’t believe…”

“Oh lawrdy…ah don’ think ah’ve ever been so scared in mah life…” Applejack stated, her voice cracking slightly.

“It was a real doozy of a bad dream…” Pinkie Pie commented sadly.

There was a squeak and a nod from a certain timid pegasus, who then proceeded to squeeze her eyelids shut and hug her pillow tightly.

“Oh, this is SIMPLY dreadful!!” Rarity lamented. “How am I supposed to get my beauty sleep if I can’t even close my eyes without…watching…” she choked on her next words, sobbing quietly into the dark. Fluttershy broke down as well, crying into her pillow. Applejack wordlessly climbed out of bed and strode over to her, gently pulling the yellow pegasus into a hug and helping her onto the floor.

As one, the other four friends threw off their sheets and walked into the middle of the room, meeting Applejack and Fluttershy there. Throwing their forelegs around each other, they simply sat and enjoyed the feeling of being together, softly crying into each other’s shoulders. Twilight finally spoke up again. “I saw…him…again. We had the Elements, and were getting ready to use them when…”

“Some mysterious pony swooped in and whisked the tiara right off your head…” Rarity continued.

“So I charged him, trying to get it back…” Rainbow Dash said, her voice wavering.

“I tried to stop you all, but before I could…”

“Discord snapped his fingers, and POOF! I couldn’t move…” Pinkie added sadly.

“Ah tried ta fight it, but ah jest couldn’t break free…”

“And…and then that pony t-t-tackled Twilight…” Fluttershy stuttered.

“I couldn’t throw him off…fighting Discord’s spell was using all my energy…”

“An’…an’ then ‘e took aim at Fluttershy…”

“And everything went…white…” Fluttershy squeaked, her sobs renewing with vigor.

“An’ then mah vision went white…too…” Applejack choked out.

“I…I tried to help…but then he turned his vile instrument on me, and…and then…”

“I couldn’t do anything…I couldn’t save any of you, and then everything went white…”

“And the next thing I know, everything went POOF…”

“I…I tried to f-fight him, but he was so strong…he stood over me…staring me down…I-I couldn’t stop him…I couldn’t save you…and then he raised his…hand…”

It was too much. All six friends simply broke down, their sobs of anguish filling the room as they hugged each other tighter, the tears flowing freely and pooling on the floor between them. “I…I DON’T WANT TO EVER LOSE YOU…ANY OF YOU!!” they screamed in unison, before the tears renewed with a vengeance, their cries and sobs gradually escalating into hysterics.

It was then that the doors to the chamber burst open, and none other than the Princess of the Night entered, her blue eyes casting worriedly about the room. The logical portion of Twilight’s brain quietly spoke up. Oh right, they were in Canterlot Castle, and had been for the past week. “What is happening here? We heard screaming, and we came as soon as we could…oh…” Her voice faltered as her eyes finally found the six friends, huddled together in the middle of the room and bawling their eyes out. Six pairs of puffy eyes turned towards the sudden disturbance as six voices slowly quieted into the occasional sob or moan.

“Oh…my little ponies…” Luna said sadly. “You have sacrificed so much. I know your pain. Tell me, was it another dream?” The only response she received was a collection of nods. Twilight nodded repeatedly. Applejack dipped her head. Pinkie nodded vigorously. Rainbow shrugged and looked away. Rarity nodded twice in succession. A barely perceivable twitch from Fluttershy.

Luna strode forward and sat next to them, offering her comfort. “Trust me. I know what it is you are going through. Discord is a monstrosity beyond comprehension, and for as long as I can remember no pony who is affected by his power escapes unscathed. Not even Celestia and I can forget that fateful day…”

Twilight finally found her voice. “You…you have nightmares too, Princess??”

Princess Luna nodded her head solemnly. “Indeed I do, Twilight Sparkle, and Tia does as well. Although it has been many, many years since we last beheld Discord’s cruelty firsthoof, and the nightmares are few and far between these days, we will never forget the day we first laid our eyes upon him. Even now, I can recall every detail as if it happened yesterday…” she let out a hearty sigh and closed her eyes.

“I am so sorry this burden has fallen to you, my little ponies. It is a fate nopony deserves, and one that will haunt you for the rest of your lives, I’m afraid. But take heart! The strength of your friendship remains as strong as ever, I see the proof of this before my very eyes. As long as you have each other, there is nothing you cannot overcome. And fear not my little ponies, Celestia and I are here to help you. We will not abandon you to your own devices.”

Luna’s horn glowed, and the pillows and blankets from the six beds slowly lifted up and levitated into the center of the room. The six friends grabbed their respective bedspreads and curled up next to each other on the floor, their sobs finally dying away into sniffles and coughs.

“Sleep now, my little ponies. I promise, no more nightmares will come to you this night. Sleep until the morning sun rises.” Her horn glowed again, and each of the six friends’ breathing slowed, signaling that they were all in a deep sleep. Luna stood and headed towards the door, looking sadly behind her as she exited.

“Fear not, brave ones. All darkness comes to pass eventually.”

*****

Halfway across Equestria…

Canterlot Castle wasn’t the only place invaded with bad dreams. Fizzle tossed and turned in his bed, his eyes screwed tightly shut as he shuffled about. Every now and then he would let out an involuntary pained groan as clear evidence of his distress. Suddenly, without warning, he sat bolt upright, his bloodshot eyes flying open and taking in the room, his gasping breath the only audible sound.

Fizzle stared at his door for what seemed like an eternity, slowly processing what he had just seen. ‘It was a dream, it was all just a bad dream…’ Fizzle glanced at the clock. Seven-thirty. Might as well get up now, he seriously doubted his ability to get any more sleep after a dream like that. Groaning slightly, he rolled out of bed and started to head downstairs. Not surprisingly, the smell of food was already drifting up the stairs and thoughts of Lilly’s cooking began to flit through his head.

The kitchen was a typical sight. Farmer Greene had his nose buried in the newspaper, puffs of smoke overhead the only indication of the pipe in his mouth. A cup of coffee sat nearby, steaming slightly. Lilly was bustling about the kitchen, busy flipping haycakes and frying eggs. Neither pony noticed his immediate entrance.

Fizzle strode over to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup. “Morning…” he mumbled as he took a seat at the table and sipped his coffee. Aaaah, yes that’s quite nice. Both ponies startled slightly at the sound of his voice, not expecting him to be awake just yet. He did usually get up at eight, after all.

“Oh, good mornin’ dear! How are y’all…oh goodness! Fizzle y’all look dreadful! Are ya alright??” Lilly became frantically worried as she took in Fizzle’s unkempt mane and bloodshot eyes. Farmer Greene put down his paper to eye him critically but said nothing, waiting for a response.

“Bad dream… ‘s all…” Fizzle said quietly before taking another sip of coffee. This was really hitting the spot right about now. He looked up and raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw the two elderly ponies giving him odd looks. “What? It was just a dream, that’s all. I’ll be fine, really.”

Lilly took a seat at the table and leveled a searching gaze at him. When she finally spoke, she did so slowly. “Dreams kin mean a lot ta us, dearie. Sometimes they’re more than they appear ta be. Me an’ Greenie have seen that time ‘n time again. Yers shook ya deep, ah kin see it in yer eyes. Ah find that th’ best way ta deal with bad dreams is ta talk ‘bout ‘em with th’ ones y’all hold dear.”

Under both Lilly’s and Farmer Greene’s expectant gazes, Fizzle caved. “I…I was in Baltimare, I think… except that the city was on fire…ponies were screaming, and I was in the middle of it… it was awful.” Fizzle finished speaking with a slight tremor in his voice, prompting Lilly to pull him into a caring hug.

“There, there, dearie. Jest spit it all out. Feels better in th’ end.”

Fizzle turned a pair of doleful eyes on her. “That…that wasn’t the worst part…” he trailed off, directing his gaze towards his hooves. Eventually he worked up the courage to continue. “I couldn’t move. I wanted to help, to find somepony else and figure out what had happened…but I couldn’t move…and I couldn’t fight this irresistible urge to laugh…”

Fizzle took a trembling breath before continuing. “I…I wanted so bad to move, to run, to help… but somehow I got the distinct feeling that I had caused the destruction…the chaos…and all I could do was laugh…” Fizzle couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. He began to sob quietly, rubbing his eyes in a futile attempt to clear the tears that were leaking out. Lilly hugged him tighter, and Farmer Greene stood up to lay a comforting hoof on his shoulder.

Eventually, Fizzle was able to compose himself and gratefully returned Lilly’s hug. “I’m sorry…I know it’s just a dream…”

Lilly’s eyes were ablaze as she gently scolded him. “Sorry? Sorry fer what? We’re all ponies Fizzle, an’ we cain’t help but feel. It’s jest how we are. Y’all have done nothin’ wrong, an’ ah know that if yer dream ever comes ta pass fer real, y’all will be more than capable o’ helpin’ out. Tain’t nothin’ ta be afraid of. Have faith in yerself, ah know we do.” She stood and returned to the kitchen counter.

Fizzle beamed gratefully at the two of them, his mood rapidly restoring itself. “Thanks Auntie. Thanks both of you, for being so understanding.”

Farmer Greene smirked as he replied. “Well o’ course, m’boy. What are we here fer? Don’cha think nothin’ of it, we’re plum grateful fer all yer doin’ fer us, an’ ah’ll be damned afore ah turn away yer fears like they tain’t nothin’. Anytime ya wanna talk, we’ll be here ta lend a friendly ear.”

Lilly spoke up from the counter. “Tha’s right, dearie. We’ll always be here fer ya. Now, no more o’ this mopey business! Ah think ah’ve got jest the ticket ta cheer y’all right up!”

Fizzle’s ears perked at this. “Oh? And what might that be??”

Lilly turned around with a smile and set a steaming plate of haycakes and eggs on the table in front of him. “How’s a nice hot breakfast tickle yer fancy?”

Grinning from ear to ear, Fizzle happily replied, “Oh, Auntie. You know me only too well.” She beamed, and Fizzle eagerly dug in.

*****

Breakfast was delicious. As always. Fizzle seriously had no idea how Lilly made food taste so good. He thought back to his own attempts in the kitchen, under Lilly’s supervision of course, and the resulting messes. Well, they had been edible at least. And, to be honest with himself, they hadn’t actually tasted that bad. They simply paled in comparison to the marvels that Lilly’s hooves brought into existence.

Leaning back in his chair and sighing contentedly, Fizzle spoke up. “So what’s on the agenda for me today, sir?”

Farmer Greene looked at him over his paper and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm…tell ya th’ truth, Fizzle, ah don’ really know. Market day went so well we don’ have ta rush our way through Applebuck season no more. Ah could have ya buck more trees, but truth be told at this point it’s best ta leave ‘em on the trees as long as possible. They taste better that way.”

Fizzle looked a bit downtrodden. “Soooo…you don’t have anything for me to do? You don’t need my help anymore?”

“Well now, ah didn’t say that. There’s always somethin’ that needs doin’, ah would jest be a might pressed ta come up with ‘nuff ta keep ya busy all day.” Farmer Greene continued to look thoughtful until his features lit up.

“Ah’ve got it! How ‘bout them firework thingies, eh? Ah bet if y’all made a bunch more, ya could make another killin’. Codswallop, ah betcha could even sell ‘em fer loads more than ya’d git fer show tickets! Honestly, that kind o’ money fer th’ farm would be a real help right now. So how ‘bout it?”

Fizzle pondered his request thoughtfully. “Well sure I’d love to make more, but I’m pretty much out of materials right now. I’d have to find some more…” More thinking. “Do you have any mountains nearby?” he asked suddenly.

Farmer Greene was taken aback by the sudden question. “Well…uh…th’ closest mountains are th’ Ridgebacks, but even those are ‘bout a half-day’s travel from here. Why do ya ask?”

“Well, the first day after waking up in that field, I took my wagon up into a mountain range and collected all those materials I used for my first set of fireworks. If I were to make a bunch more, I would need to get more ingredients. So, I guess I’m going to have to make a trip to those Ridgebacks, as you called them,” Fizzle replied casually. To him, walking around in the wilderness was no big deal after all he’d been through.

Lilly’s eyes nearly bugged right out of her head. “Yer what?? Oh, no y’all don’t!! Nopony ah know’s gonna go wanderin’ off inta th’ wilderness in search o’ some crazy modern doohickies! No, sirree! Y’all are gonna stay right here, where it’s safe!”

Fizzle looked upset. “Awww, c’mon Auntie! How am I supposed to make more money if I can’t make fireworks? Those ponies ate it up! They’ve never seen anything like it! Now is the time to follow up and really draw them in.”

Farmer Greene also looked perturbed by Lilly’s sudden outburst. “Lilly, ah think ‘e kin handle ‘imself. After all, ‘e lived in Bramble Brush fer ‘bout a week all by ‘is lonesome, an’ tha’s sayin’ somethin’. Ah think he should go. It’s what e’s good at an’ y’all know just as well as ah do that we could really use the income.” He fixed his wife with a meaningful stare, and she let out a hollow sigh.

“Besides, it’s not like e’s walkin’ off inta a complete wilderness. Them mountains are filled with gemstone an’ metal mines. Ah betcha ‘e could stay in any one o’ those minin’ camps an’ nopony would be th’ wiser. ‘E kin handle ‘imself ah’m shore.”

Lilly sighed again before responding. “Oh ponyfeathers, it’s always ‘bout th’ money ain’t it? Ah know tha’s th’ way it has ta be, but y’all know that ah’ve never liked that. But society is as society does, an’ we jest gotta follow th’ crowd…” She turned a worried pair of eyes onto Fizzle and looked him up and down.

“Ah…ah s’pose ‘e could go…” Fizzle and Farmer Greene whooped and shared a high hoof.

“But!!”

Fizzle gulped as he turned to see Lilly’s fiery gaze, the intensity of which he had not yet seen.

“‘E ain’t goin’ nowhere without several good blankets fer warmth! An’ plenty o’ food! Ah’ll be darned if ah send one o’ mah kin out inta th’ wilderness without proper supplies!!” Fizzle grinned at her outburst, but also cocked his head in confusion at the “kin” remark. Ah, it’s nothing, she’s just worked up. That’s all.

*****

Two hours later, the three ponies stood outside the farmhouse. Fizzle’s wagon stood before them, loaded up with blankets, food, water, his tools, baskets, some crates, and a few other odds and ends. Fizzle turned to face the elderly couple with a look of determination set on his face.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I’ll see the both of you in about two days’ time, ok?”

Farmer Greene stepped forward and they clasped hooves firmly. “Ah know y’all will be jest fine Fizzle. If y’all kin stay out in Bramble Brush fer a week then ah think y’all mighta been a survival expert too!” he said with a wink. “Ah look forward ta seein’ ya return, an’ even more so ta them fireworks. They really are somethin’, y’know?”

Fizzle nodded happily. “They sure are, sir. They sure are.” Fizzle turned to say goodbye to Lilly but was unprepared to be suddenly tackled by a sobbing mare.

“Ohhhh, do be careful dearie!! Ah don’ want nothin’ ta happen while yer gone! Y’all better come on back, y’hear??” Fizzle gently returned her hug and softly stroked her mane.

“I’ll be fine, Auntie. I promise. And who knows? Maybe I’ll find you a few shiny gemstones!”

Lilly pulled back and smiled at that, despite her tear-stained cheeks. “Oh, well ah think that would be lovely, Fizzle. Do take care, y’hear?”

Fizzle chuckled as he hitched up his wagon. “Don’t you worry about me! I was doing this before I even knew my own name!” The stallions laughed heartily while Lilly chuckled slightly, clearly still worried. “Take care, now! I’ll be back before you know it!” he called as he began to trot away.

“Ok, dear!! An’ don’ forget ta wash yer mane, y’hear me!!” Lilly called after him.

Fizzle and Farmer Greene rolled their eyes but nonetheless he responded with, “I will! Don’t worry!” Upon reaching the crest of the closest hill Fizzle turned back and waved one last time. The two distant figures eagerly waved back.

And so, his straw hat securely upon his brow and his trusty wagon trundling behind him, Fizzle set off into the distance. The next adventure awaited him!

On the Road Again

Chapter 7: On the Road Again

CRACK!!!

Thunka-thunka-thunka-thud!!!

Farmer Greene wiped the sweat from his brow as he watched another set of apples fall perfectly into their respective buckets. Smirking with pride, he moved on to the next tree. Fizzle may have been a pretty good apple-bucker, but the grizzled old farmer hadn’t let an apple touch the ground in ten years, a fact that he was immensely proud of. Even by Apple family standards, that’s a most impressive feat.

As thoughts of Fizzle reached his mind, the farmer’s face slowly devolved into a thoughtful frown. He missed the energy and cheerfulness the boy brought to the farm, and although he would never admit it out loud where Lilly could hear, he was a bit worried about him. How long ago had he left? Today was the second day since his departure wasn’t it? Yes, that was right. He left mid-day two days ago, and had been gone all yesterday and all through today. He had said two days’ time right? Silently, the old farmer hoped he would see that cheerful green face later today.

The hours dragged by as the apples fell by the dozens, Farmer Greene making slow but steady progress through his apple fields. By the time Celestia’s sun was nearing the horizon, the farmhouse cellar was crammed full of several fresh new baskets of apples. Breathing in the delightful scent of dinner as he closed and locked the cellar doors, Farmer Greene trudged slowly into the farmhouse and gratefully flopped into a seat at the dinner table with a tired sigh. Lilly looked up from her cooking to examine him. “Tired, dear?” she questioned.

Farmer Greene let out another tired sigh as he responded. “Y’all kin count on it…ah near forgot how much work that boy was doin’ round here. Shore is different without ‘im.”

A flicker of worry passed over Lilly’s features before she spoke up. “Tha’s fer shore. Ah reckon ‘e should be back purty soon, though. ‘E did say only ‘bout two day’s time, right?”

Farmer Greene scratched his chin with a hoof idly as he answered. “Sounds ‘bout right…ah was hopin’ ‘e’d show up in time fer supper but ah s’pose we won’t be seein’ ‘im ‘til tomorrow. It’s rather late, after all.”

Lilly let out a depressed sigh as she finished placing dinner on the table and took a seat besides her husband. “Ah know, ah was hopin’ th’ same. But if ‘e don’ show up by tomorrow, ah think we should ask th’ sheriff ta go ‘n find ‘im. Wouldn’cha say?”

The two elderly ponies served up their food and said a quick grace before Farmer Greene responded. “Ah s’pose ah kin see th’ logic in that, if only ta make ya feel better,” he said with a wink, rewarding him with a glare from the older mare. She grumbled something unintelligible concerning ‘stallions bitin’ off more then they kin chew’ as she violently speared a slice of cucumber with her fork and ate it.

Farmer Greene knew that his wife was distressed over Fizzle, he could easily tell. Wisely deciding to drop the subject, he brought up the uplifting news that he had easily made the months’ payment on the house ad farm. He also commented about how their current financial situation probably had them set for the rest of the year. The two farmers shared a happy discussion over dinner concerning their recent success, but the reason for said success weighed heavily on their minds.

Once dinner was finished, the two ponies cleaned everything up and headed straight to bed, the combined physical and mental strain of the day leaving them both exhausted. As they lay under the sheets, listening to the nighttime symphony of crickets and frogs, Lilly spoke up. “Y’all think ‘e’s really okay, Greenie?”

Farmer Greene rolled over to face those bright silver orbs, the concern radiating from them in waves and emphasizing the slight moistness at the corners. He pulled the shaking mare into a gentle hug and kissed her forehead. “What does yer heart say, love? Ah kin feel that e’s jest fine…an’ y’all know as well as ah do that come tomorrow, ‘e’ll come marchin’ down that road with a wagonful o’ goodies an’ that wide, happy smile on ‘is face. Ah jest know it.”

Lilly smiled hopefully. “Ya really think so? Ah’ve been havin’ these terrible dreams ‘bout ‘im of late…they got me worried sick…”

Farmer Greene squeezed her tighter. “Ah don’ think so. Ah know so. It’s Celestia’s will that ‘e come back ta us. Now git some sleep love, it ain’t gonna do ya no good ta worry yerself like so.”

And so, safe, comfortable, and warm in each others’ embrace, the two ponies slowly drifted off into sleep.

*****

Breakfast was an uneventful affair. Truth be told, these last few days reminded the elderly couple of how life used to be before Fizzle arrived. It was strange to think that it had only been such a short time since his arrival, yet the lack of his presence felt so unnatural.

As the day wore on, both ponies began to become noticeably more agitated. Come lunch time, one would think that somepony had died based on the solemn expressions and dead silence that pervaded the atmosphere. As the early afternoon wore on into dusk, the house was cleaned (twice), the apples were bucked and stored, and dinner was yet again prepared for two. As Farmer Greene trudged back into the house, exhausted after a hard day’s work yet still worried sick, his eyes met his wife’s.

Farmer Greene paused, taken aback by how distraught she looked before he hurried forward to embrace her. She hugged him back, sobbing quietly into his shoulder. Farmer Greene gently stroked her mane before he whispered, “tomorrow, ah’ll head inta town an’ have a work with th’ sheriff.” Lilly lifted her tear-stained gaze to meet his, but managed a small smile nonetheless.

“Th-thank ya kindly, dearest,” she managed to say before devolving back to uncontrollable sobs. Eventually, she pulled herself together and finished getting dinner onto the table. The two ponies sat down and prepared for yet another lonely, dismal meal before a familiar sound permeated the still air. It was the unmistakable sound of trotting hoofsteps.

Pausing for a moment to identify the sound, and to make sure that it was really there and not just a figment of their imaginations, the two ponies looked each other in the eyes and grinned ecstatically. “Fizzle!!” they shouted together as they hurried outside to greet him.

Sure enough, there was the green pony of the hour, slowly trotting up to the farmhouse with not one, but two fully loaded wagons in tow! And looking rather exhausted to boot. Farmer Greene paused to gape in surprise at the massive amount of supplies, but Lilly wasted no time and charged Fizzle at full speed, nearly tackling him as she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

Her tears of joy flowed freely as she sobbed happily. “Ohhhh there y’all are dearie!! Y’all have no idea how happy ah am ta see ya! Ah’ve been worried sick ‘bout y’all but shore ‘nuff, here ya are, fit as a fiddle! Ohhh ah’m jest so glad yer safe…” as she went on, Fizzle simply smiled tiredly at her and happily returned the embrace, struggling to breathe a bit at the same time.

“Of course I’m ok Auntie! Trust me, I know my way around the wilderness like nopony does! It was a cinch, really! I’m sorry I took a bit longer than I promised but there was just so much good stuff to collect, I simply HAD to build another wagon and take it with me. Unfortunately, you’d be surprised how hard it is to find even half-decent timber up in the mountains…”

As Lilly continued to hug him and sob happily, Farmer Greene finally stepped forward and grinned at Fizzle, giving him a few hearty slaps on the back. “Well ah’ll be boy! That there is more supplies ‘n doohickies than ah think ah’ve ever laid eyes on! Ah bet y’all will make tons o’ fireworks with all this! Ah’m glad yer trip panned out so well fer ya. Good ta know it was worth it. We was jest a tad bit worried ‘bout’cha, after all.”

Fizzle lifted an eyebrow at the grizzled old farmer and his eyes flicked to the sobbing mare clutching him briefly. Farmer Greene grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. “All right, all right, we was a might worried.” Growing slightly more serious, the old farmer laid a hoof on Fizzle’s shoulder and spoke again. “We’re mighty glad ta have a back safe ‘n sound boy. Y’all do us proud, ya do.”

Fizzle beamed happily before a sudden loud noise interrupted the revelry. It was a very loud grumbling sound. Fizzle grinned sheepishly. “Ummm, so it was a bit of a walk to get here…got any food?”

The three ponies shared a good laugh before Lilly quickly ushered Fizzle inside to eat.

*****

Three guesses as to how dinner tasted after a couple days of traveling. That’s right, absolutely fantastic. Fizzle suppressed a belch as a rubbed his taut stomach idly. In his zeal to finally have some of Lilly’s fresh cooking, perhaps he had eaten just a bit too much. Ah well, it can’t be helped. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix, right?

Fizzle trudged tiredly up the stairs, staggered down the hallway, wrenched open his door and finally collapsed on his bed, too tired to even tuck himself in properly. As his mind began to drift away into dreamland, he reflected briefly on the meal he had just shared and the days beforehoof. Of course, Lilly and Farmer Greene had wanted to know EVERY. LAST. DETAIL about his trip into the mountains, so he had gone ahead and told them. Between bites of delicious food, of course. He hoped he didn’t talk with his mouth full too much…

The journey there had been boring and uneventful. Truth be told the whole excursion had been rather uneventful, and upon reflection Fizzle decided that was a good thing. Ursa Majors and dragons tended to fall into the category of “very, very badly eventful.” By the time Celestia’s sun was setting on the first day, Fizzle had reached the base of the mountains. Setting up a camp on the edge of a small forest nearby, he slept soundly the first night.

The next day he spent entirely wandering the mountains, using nothing but that infallible feeling that somehow told him where to find things. There had been a startling lack of rare metals and gemstones however, but he quickly found out the reason behind that. Sure enough, the mountain ranges were swarming with mining camps, and the unicorns in charge used pretty meticulous spells to pick the rolling hills clean of everything valuable. But fortunately for Fizzle, one pony’s trash was another’s treasure…

After collecting an entire wagon’s worth of charcoal, sulfur, and various metallic rocks and powders by late afternoon, Fizzle had decided to make this trip even more profitable. Returning to camp, he chopped down a few trees and built himself a second wagon. This one was far superior to the first he had happily noted, despite the wood from the spindly, aged trees being a bit difficult to work with.

The next day, a group of mining ponies stopped him to ask what he was doing. Fizzle had said that he was basically a miner too, but of a different variety. At first they were suspicious, probably worried that he was competition of some sort, but once they saw the “junk” he was collecting they were friendly enough, and even invited him to join them at their camp for lunch. Fizzle was most grateful for the offer.

By the end of that day, Fizzle had yet another wagonful of stuff, and had made his way back to camp. Satisfied with his gatherings, Fizzle packed up the next morning and spent all day trudging home. Yes, this was his home now, he was sure of that. He loved it here, and in all honesty, he was starting to think of Farmer Greene and Lilly as the parents he had forgotten about. Maybe someday he would remember who they really were, but for now he was content to substitute.

Sighing happily at these thoughts, sleep finally overtook Fizzle and he dropped into a sleep so deep not even those silly dreams could reach him.

*****

The next few days were certainly busy. Now with two wagons filled entirely with materials, Fizzle had a lot of work to do! Already, he had spent three hours just collecting bark! But Fizzle worked solidly through the day, and by suppertime had amassed about a hundred of the little spheres. Using a pencil from the house, he marked them based on color and sorted them into baskets. After all, if he was going to sell these ponies had to know what they were buying.

The next day was also very busy, but Fizzle came across a few discoveries. Without realizing what he had done, he had built one of the spheres with an extra compartment in a ring around the inside of the sphere. Upon experimentation, which of course involved the necessary explosion, Fizzle found that he had produced a special firework, one that exploded with a very particular ring-like shape. It appeared that more of his memories were resurfacing!

As the day progressed, he continued to make strange alterations to his newest creations. As always, he had no idea how he knew that what he did would do something, only that doing that something which he knew to do would result in something new and interesting if he did it. A few late night experiments after dinner revealed that his explosions could now be jagged-star shapes, bright strobe-like flares, and golden spiraling tendrils based on how he built the shell. Satisfied with this work, Fizzle slept soundly that night.

After one last day of work, Fizzle had used up almost all of his materials, and had stripped many a tree bare of its bark. However, his efforts were rewarded with about three hundred or so firework shells, ready to be used for sheer entertainment! Fizzle rubbed his hooves together in glee. If the townsponies’ excitement over his show was any indication, they’d be tripping over each other to get their own hooves on some!!

Halfway through dinner that night, Fizzle decided to announce his plans. “So I think I’m ready to head into town tomorrow,” he said confidently.

“Oh?” Farmer Greene looked up with a questioning, yet slightly amused, glance. “That so, eh? How many o’ dem firework doohickies ya got now?”

Fizzle did some brief mental calculations before responding. “I think somewhere around three hundred.” Lilly coughed around her food and Farmer Greene whistled in surprise.

“Land’s sake boy, y’all ‘ave been busy! Seems like jest a few days ago y’all came prancin’ back with yer stuff. Ya rememberin’ how ta make ‘em nice ‘n fast like?”

Fizzle nodded happily. “Yup! I can whip together one of those babies in about ten minutes flat if I really wanted to. Not only that, but I’ve been remembering how to alter the design to produce a few more effects. I’m sure you saw from my, ahem, experiments that they can do some interesting things.”

“Shore did!” Lilly piped up. “Ah thought th’ first round was somethin’! But jest when ah thought ah’d seen it all y’all go ‘n make a bunch more, each fancier then th’ last! Ah’m shore yer business will be boomin’ tomorrow!”

Farmer Greene nodded his assent. “Tha’s right, ah bet y’all will make a killin’ with dem flashy shows o’ yers. An’ this time yer gonna try ‘n sell a few, right?”

Fizzle nodded again. “I was planning on it, yes. Two hundred is an awful lot to shoot off in just one night.”

Lilly spoke up again, but this time with a bit more reservation. “Fizzle, ah s’pose ah should be askin’ y’all somethin’…these doohickies o’ yers…are they, y’know, safe? Ah haven’t really bothered askin’ afore cuz y’all seemed ta know what y’all were doin’, but if yer gonna sell ‘em ta other ponies are ya shore they won’t hurt themselves or somethin’?”

“Of course they’re safe Auntie! If used correctly, that is. I will admit, if used incorrectly they could be very dangerous. They ARE explosives after all, and they can start fires and hurt ponies. So that’s why I was planning on giving a detailed, fifteen minute safety lecture before letting ponies buy them! All anypony needs is a quick set of instructions and they’re good to go! What could possibly go wrong?”

The two elderly ponies looked satisfied with that response. “Oh good. Ah’m glad ta hear that y’all are already thinkin’ ‘bout safety. Helps me sleep better at night,” Lilly said, sounding quite relieved.

“Well, y’all got a big day ahead of ya boy. We better git ter bed, y’all need ta leave early in th’ morn ta make it ta Baltimare by noon.”

Fizzle nodded happily and stood up to take his empty plates to the sink. Spotless, as always. He bade the two elderly ponies a warm good night before retiring to his bedroom. Curling up in bed, Fizzle sighed in excitement. Tomorrow was going to be great, he just knew it…

*****

Fizzle still couldn’t get over how awesome the city was. Despite this being his second trip to Baltimare, Fizzle couldn’t help but gape in awe at the towering glass structures and the sheer, incomprehensible number of ponies. The thought briefly struck Fizzle that Equestria was a much larger place than he may have realized, with many, many more ponies than he thought possible to live in one country.

Fizzle shook his head slightly. Focus! That’s what he needed to do right now. He checked behind himself again to make sure that his two wagons were still hitched up. Still there, good. He panted slightly as he turned a corner, hauling two whole wagons was hard work! It was a good thing he’d gotten up early and eaten a good breakfast, the trip to Baltimare was a lot more tiring than he had been expecting.

Now the big question was: where to set up? Fizzle immediately decided to head for the park area again. After all, it was a big open clearing away from any nearby trees, buildings, or other potentially dangerous obstacles. It was the perfect fireworks demonstration ground!

Following the familiar path from the first trip, Fizzle soon arrived in the park. There were lots of ponies about, either playing, reading, talking, or simply napping in the sun. Fizzle nodded sagely, he could relate to naps in the sun, after all. Upon his arrival, many of the gathered ponies looked up at him. He imagined that a strange pony hauling two wagons into a park might look a bit odd, so he supposed this couldn’t be helped. But then, somepony recognized him.

“Hey! I know you! You’re that pony with all the fireworks!! I saw you on market day, it was AWESOME!!” Fizzle turned to address the sudden voice. He immediately recognized the tan colt with a short brown mane and tail. He had sat in the front row of the audience for almost the entire evening, after all.

Fizzle grinned and replied, “why yes!! It is I, the amazing traveling Fizzle, the best pyrotechnic in all of Equestria!!” He glanced around as a crowd began to gather, talking animatedly among themselves.

“So Mr. Fizzle! You have some more fireworks for us or what?” the colt asked, jumping in place with his excitement.

“But of course, good chap! What do you think THESE are full of, hmm??” The assembled crowd ooh’ed at the two wagons piled high with fireworks. Alright, playtime was over. It was time to get this show started! Fizzle unhitched himself as he stopped in the desired location and jumped into his first wagon. Quickly donning his new black cape, he stood up to address the crowd.

“Citizens of Baltimare!! You have received but a taste of what the amazing Fizzle is capable of! I have returned, after gathering more materials and honing my skills, and now my ability to wow and amaze you has been doubled!! Feast your eyes on my newest creations, and then once you are satisfied with their awe-inspiring powers, you too can experience the magic of fireworks firsthoof!”

Quickly setting up five tubes and loading them, Fizzle lit them all off in succession. The resulting cacophony of booms was accompanied by a dazzling assortment of colors, shapes, and effects. The crowd cheered and stamped their hooves in approval. Fizzle briefly took a bow before speaking again.

“As you can see folks, my creations are unrivaled in sheer power and beauty! With only a quick and easy set of rules, you too can safely light off your very own fireworks from the comfort of your homes!! So what do you say? Who would like some of their very own EXPLODING MAGIC??”

The crowd cheered again and several hooves shot in the air, excited voices calling out.

“Oh! I would like some!”

“YES!! I was hoping you’d ask!!”

“Here, here! Pick me, pick me!!”

“SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!”

Fizzle calmed the crowd with a few quick hoof motions. “Very well! I shall give you what it is you seek! But first, let me give you a few brief rules so that you may avoid any…unpleasant accidents while handling your fireworks. The first rule is quite simple: never EVER keep unlit fireworks near open flames. The only time these shells should be anywhere CLOSE to fire is right before you’re about to light them off. The second rule is…”

Fizzle talked on about how to safely use fireworks. He mentioned how they should only be fired from clear, flat ground, such as the field they were currently in. He talked about how one should always have a bucket of cold water nearby in case they failed to go off. He also told them to never EVER point lit fireworks at buildings or other ponies. Once it was lit, leave it on the ground and get at least ten feet away! Oh, and don’t forget to save your fireworks for nighttime, that’s when they work best!

While he spoke, more ponies showed up in the park, drawn to the strange lights and noises. As Fizzle continued to talk, he lit off an occasional demonstration, either to make a point or to keep the crowd entertained. Eventually he finished, and told all the ponies who had heard the entire speech to line up if they wanted some fireworks. And so, the first of the sales begun!

Fizzle laid out all of the fireworks he had, organized by color and shape and sorted into baskets. Just to be fair, Fizzle had to limit everypony to no more than five fireworks. After all, a lot of ponies wanted some! Just to make sure that everypony making purchases had heard his safety talk, he quizzed them all on what he had said, especially in the beginning. Most ponies answered the questions easily, but a few sneaky ones had tried to cut in line! Fizzle simply tsked at them and told them to wait their turn.

Eventually, the first round of ponies cleared out and another crowd had gathered, this one even bigger than the first! Fizzle grinned like a madpony in a chemicals factory and launched into his safety speech once again. As he spoke, Fizzle reflected on how perfectly things were going. Oh, he had them all right. Hook, line, and ka-boom!! What?? Who said sayings have to make any sense, what fun is there in making sense??

*****

It was dark by the time Fizzle was finally sold out. He wasn’t surprised really, the crowds had been so large he actually hadn’t had enough for everypony! He felt a bit bad about that, but first come WAS first served. Fortunately, most of the ponies who missed out understood that they had been pretty late to the party, and simply departed saying they couldn’t wait for Fizzle to be back. Oh, he’d be back all right. Hmm, maybe next time five hundred fireworks would be enough…

As Fizzle reached the crest of a hill, he looked back at the city. It was quite beautiful at night, with all its lights and signs and such. Oh yeah, and the occasional firework exploding overhead. Fizzle chuckled slightly, pleased that ponies were already enjoying his creations. With a content sigh, Fizzle headed on home, pleased with his solid day’s work.

*****

Farmer Greene and Lilly were asleep by the time Fizzle got back, so he just quietly let himself in and went to bed. Utterly exhausted, he was still asleep several hours after the farming ponies woke up the next morning. Lilly had cracked his door open to see if he was there, and satisfied with his presence she let him be. Fizzle still hadn’t gotten a proper night’s sleep since his adventure, after all.

It was about midday, but not quite lunchtime, and Farmer Greene was happily working his fields just like any other day. However, as is oft to be the case, the days that seem the most normal are the ones where something odd happens. The grizzled old farmer just happened to be pulling his watering cart from the north field to the west one when he spied a peculiar sight marching up the dusty road to the farm. Was that…Mayor Stone?

Uh oh. Now, Farmer Greene had lived near Baltimare for nearly forty years, and he had been here when Mayor Stone was first elected Mayor of Baltimare eighteen years ago. The two ponies had met several times, and always maintained a respectful cordiality around each other. Mayor Stone was a sensible pony, and appreciated all the hard work the farming ponies like Farmer Greene did to grow quality produce for the city. He had worked with Farmer Greene and other farmers several times in the past to pass legislation to help the agricultural sector stay competitive, fair, and profitable.

Farmer Greene had great respect for this. He knew that the foundations for Equestrian society lay with the farming class, and he held the Mayor in high esteem for defying the rest of his rich, snobby economic class in order to help him and his brethren out, many times at his own expense. Although he wouldn’t go so far as to call the two of them friends, they were certainly well-known acquaintances, and Farmer Greene was always proud to tell others that he voted for Mayor Stone in the elections.

But still. Having the earth pony Mayor trot up to your front door flanked by two bodyguards wasn’t always the best of signs. Usually it was an indication of trouble. Farmer Greene unhitched himself from the cart and trotted briskly over to the gates. As the Mayor and his guards approached, Farmer Greene opened the gates up and waved cordially. “Howdy, Mayor Stone! A pleasure ta see y’all, as always. What brings ya ‘round these parts?”

Mayor Stone was dressed in a powder blue business suit with a white undershirt and darker blue tie, a stark difference from his stony gray coat. His carefully combed white mane looked slightly disheveled after his trot to the farm, and it was a bit matted down with sweat. That was another thing Farmer Greene appreciated about the Mayor: when he felt the need to go visit outlying areas, he would run there himself. He considered transportation such as limos to be silly and a waste of money, and instead enjoyed a bit of exercise.

The Mayor was quite a strong stallion, too. Despite being nearly fifty, he was very well built and was in peak physical condition. The Mayor’s steely silver eyes bored into Farmer Greene from behind his spectacles as he trotted through the gate. He was followed by his guards, a silver unicorn and a brown pegasus, both massively built and wearing simple black-and-white tuxedos, sunglasses, and ear pieces.

“Good day, Greene,” the Mayor finally spoke in his deep baritone voice. “I assure you, the pleasure is all mine. Celestia has truly blessed us with a beautiful sun today, I much enjoyed getting out of the office for a mid-day stroll. Tell me, how have things been on the farm recently?” Farmer Greene smiled at the Mayor’s question. No matter what reason the Mayor had for visiting the farm, he always inquired about their welfare. It was obvious he cared about their well-being.

“Everythin’s jest fine ‘n dandy! We had a real humdinger o’ a harvest a few days ago, an’ last market day everypony seemed ta remember who grew th’ best apples ‘round these parts! Them Appleton fellers didn’t know what hit ‘em!” Farmer Greene chuckled at the memory. Mayor Stone looked amused by this, a ghost of a smile flitting across his face. But the air of professionalism held. Farmer Greene had often joked about how the Mayor should loosen up, but all he ever got in reply was some excuse about ‘maintaining an image.’ Eh, politicians, what’s a pony to do?

“Ah, I see. Well that certainly explains their recent behavior. I don’t think you will have to worry about those scoundrels for quite some time, Greene.” Farmer Greene cocked an eyebrow at this.

“Oh, really? An’ what, might ah ask, is th’ reason fer that?”

“Let’s just say that the managers at Appleton’s were feeling a bit desperate, and made a rather…unprofessional decision. Suffice to say, their business is just a few feet underwater right now, thanks to Chief Cobalt.”

Farmer Greene laughed uproariously at this. “Ohoho, this is too good! Ah’m glad ta hear that them stinkers finally got what was coming ta ‘em. We both know that they were jest a bunch o’ rich ponies tryin’ ta put us outta business! Nearly did too, iffin it warn’t fer Fizzle…”

“Indeed. I am pleased to see that hard, honest work has won out over greed once again. Agriculture is what really brings out the magic of the Earth Ponies. The ability to work hard and honest to produce for everypony is a most admirable quality, one that I am proud to support. It does not surprise me that a group of pampered unicorns ultimately couldn’t measure up.”

“Darn tootin’! Ain’t nopony good ‘nuff ta grow high quality apples ‘round here ‘cept fer th’ Apple family!” Farmer Greene enthused, his chest swelling with pride.

“Quite.” The Mayor cleared his throat. “Now Greene, we must get on to business. I’m sure you’re curious as to why I am here. In fact, you mentioned the problem just a moment ago. Am I correct then, in assuming that the traveling pyrotechnic known as Fizzle is currently taking up residence here?”

Farmer Greene turned a surprised gaze to the Mayor. “Uhh…well, yeah ‘e’s here right now, but what exactly is this all ‘bout? Fizzle ain’t done nothin’ wrong, sir. Well, ‘e filched a few apples a week or so ago but tha’s long since been cleared up. ‘E felt right sorry ‘bout it too, poor feller. Broke down inta tears when ah told ‘em ‘e’d been stealin’. Turns out ‘e’s got amnesia too, cain’t remember nothin’ ‘bout ‘is old life! Really quite a shame. Y’know, mah Cousin Juniper had a bad case o’ amnesia too, but...”

The Mayor suddenly interrupted. “Excuse me for interrupting Greene, but you said that Fizzle has amnesia?”

Farmer Greene looked more confused as he answered. “Well, ah’m pretty shore at least. Why else cain’t ‘e remember nothin’? Eh, somethin’ th’ matter?”

The Mayor looked suddenly concerned at this new bit of information. He stroked his chin thoughtfully before answering. “This…complicates things,” he said at last.

“Mind tellin’ me what th’ issue here is?”

Mayor Stone looked Farmer Greene in the eye before calmly responding, “I think Fizzle needs to hear it more than anypony else.” As he finished this statement, the party of ponies arrived at the porch, and the sound of the Mayor’s deep voice drew Lilly’s attention. She came trotting out of the house and smiled when she saw who their guest was.

“Mayor Stone! Howdy doo ta y’all. Been a while since ya last came ‘round. How are th’ wife ‘n kids?”

“Good day to you, Ms. Lilly. Fuchsia’s doing just fine, and Rocky’s been accepted to the Canterlot Law Academy. We’re both very proud of him.”

Lilly squealed in delight at the news. “Oooh tha’s jest marvelous!! Tell ‘im ah said ‘best o’ luck’ won’cha dear?”

“I most certainly will. Now if I may inquire, is Fizzle currently available? I need to have a discussion with him.”

Upon hearing this, Lilly turned a concerned gaze to her husband. “Greenie? Wha’s this all ‘bout now?”

“Ah don’ know, Lilly, ‘e won’t say. Is Fizzle even awake right now?”

“Yes, ‘e is. Poor dear’s been exhausted since ‘is trip, so ah let ‘im sleep in today. ‘E’s gettin’ somethin’ ta eat right now. Ah’ll go an’ git ‘im.” Flashing one last worried look in the direction of the Mayor, the elderly mare turned and entered the house. A moment later, she reemerged with a slightly bedraggled-looking Fizzle behind her.

The Mayor strode forward to address him. “Good day, Fizzle. My name is Mayor Stone, and I am the Mayor of the city of Baltimare. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said as he held out a hoof.

Fizzle grasped his hoof and gave it a firm shake. “Good to meet you too, sir. Name’s Fizzle. Sorry for looking a bit out-of-sorts, but the last couple days have been rough.”

The Mayor smiled faintly at that. “No worries. It happens to the best of us. Now, on to business. Is it true that you manufacture entertainment devices referred to as ‘fireworks’?”

“Yes, I do,” Fizzle replied.

“And is it true that you took some of these fireworks into town yesterday and sold them?”

“Sure did!” Fizzle said, nodding happily.

“And you also put on a fireworks show on market day?”

“Yep! It’s all true!”

“Finally, is it also true that you are an amnesiac, and thus may not have a full understanding of modern Equestrian society? Even more importantly, is it true that you do not remember when and where you learned about fireworks and how they were used there?”

Fizzle frowned as he considered the questions. “Well, I do believe I have amnesia. After all, I just woke up in a field one day not knowing where I was or what I had been doing. So yeah, I don’t know how I know what I do, only that it works. And yes, there are some things that I don’t really understand yet, but Farmer Greene and Lilly are teaching me about how Equestria works. Why is all this important?”

Mayor Stone’s professional demeanor finally slipped a bit as he let out a tired sigh and rubbed his temples with his forehooves. “Fizzle, I’m afraid you’ve caused quite a problem, and truth be told I don’t really know how to solve it.”

“Problem?? Wh-what kind of problem??” Fizzle inquired, a slight hint of nervousness starting to creep into his voice. The two elderly ponies exchanged a nervous glance before turning their troubled gazes back to the Mayor, who let out a slightly depressed sigh and drew himself up to his full height before answering.

“I’m afraid that the fireworks you sold last night managed to start eight minor to moderate fires, sent about thirty ponies to the hospital with various first or second degree burns, and caused about five thousand bits worth of damages,” the Mayor said bluntly. All three of them gasped in surprise and stared at the Mayor in slack-jawed horror. The Mayor shifted a hoof uncomfortably. The two guards stood a little ways away, impassive as ever.

Silence reigned for about two whole minutes before Fizzle suddenly burst out crying. Lilly immediately rushed forward and pulled him into a hug. “Ohhh, don’ y’all fret none, Fizzle. Y’all didn’t mean nopony harm, it’s all jest an accident…Yer a good pony, ya really are…” Lilly desperately tried to console the sobbing stallion in her forelegs, but his wails only grew louder.

“Nooooo!! It’s not true, Auntie!! I HURT other p-p-ponies!! I’m a terrible, awful p-pony!! BAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!” Fizzle’s hysterics continued to escalate despite Lilly’s best efforts. The Mayor looked on sadly before an irate Farmer Greene pushed himself into his line of sight.

“Greene, please, let me explain…”

“Explain what, Stone?? What in Equestria ‘as gotten inta y’all!! Ya couldn’t ‘ave at least gone easy on th’ poor feller?? Fer pony’s sake, what were ya thinkin’??”

The Mayor looked apologetic as he tried to respond. “Greene, I will admit that perhaps I did not break the bad news as…tactfully as I should have, but you must understand…”

“Tact? TACT??” Farmer Greene roared in his face. “Tact mah flank, Stone!! Gosh darn it all! Now ya know we all respect ya ‘round here, an’ we know y’all was only tryin’ ta do yer job, but tha’ was jest a gall-darn FOOL thing ta do!! Ah don’ think ah’ve ever seen ‘im so upset!”

The Mayor let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, Greene. I messed up. I really do apologize, but I’m under a lot of pressure to get this sorted out right now. I’m afraid I let that get to me a bit. But I still have to decide what I’m going to do about this…”

“Yer not honestly tryin’ ta pin this all on Fizzle are yeh??” Farmer Greene interrupted incredulously. “Ah mean, jest look at ‘im!! ‘E feels jest awful!! It was all an accident, honest! ‘E was jest tryin’ ta make some money! It’s even ‘is special talent fer pony’s sake! Jest look at ‘is cutie mark!!” The Mayor looked. Sure enough, a cutie mark obviously related to chemistry and mixing was emblazoned on his heaving flanks.

“Greene!” the Mayor interjected rather forcefully. “Please! Think about it from my perspective. This morning there was practically a riot outside town hall, for Celestia’s sake! The citizens of Baltimare are incensed and I don’t know what to tell them! Fizzle’s amnesia only complicates the matter further. Clearly, I don’t want to make him take the full blame for this, but what else can I do? What would you do in my place, Greene??”

Farmer Greene’s eyes slowly slid to the ground and he was silent for a few moments. “Ah…ah don’ know…” He raised his face in surprise when Mayor Stone laid a hoof on his shoulder.

“Then help me figure this out. There must be a solution acceptable to all parties.” Farmer Greene nodded and the two stallions turned to look at Fizzle, who had finally calmed down enough to speak. He raised his bloodshot eyes to meet the Mayor’s and tried to form a coherent sentence.

“B-but, how?? How c-could this happen? I made sure that everypony heard m-my safety speech start to finish b-before I sold them anything…I-I just don’t understand…” he managed to stutter out, still clutching Lilly tightly.

The Mayor raised an eyebrow in confusion. “You gave a safety speech? On how to use fireworks safely??” Fizzle nodded dejectedly. The Mayor however, broke out into a genuine smile. “Oh, excellent! Most excellent indeed!! This saves a lot of trouble!” All three ponies turned to look at him with confused looks.

“Er, beggin’ yer pardon Stone, but ah don’ rightly follow ya. How exactly is this ‘excellent’?” Farmer Greene questioned slowly.

“It’s quite simple Greene. The fact that Fizzle attempted to keep everypony safe by clearly outlining safe usage of fireworks means that this isn’t entirely his fault. From what we gathered, most of the accidents resulted from ponies doing some seemingly stupid things with their fireworks. If Fizzle tried to tell them not to do such things, then they are to blame for these accidents, and Fizzle isn’t liable for any damages.

“However, I still have to do something. The citizens would be infuriated if I didn’t. But I simply don’t know how to handle the situation! I’ve never heard of fireworks before this incident, and there is no legislation in place describing how to treat them. I have no legal precedent to follow. Therefore, I am at a loss concerning the next step, but I’m sure now that it’s not to blame Fizzle for everything.”

Farmer Greene considered this for a while, stroking his chin in thought. “So basically ya want ta punish Fizzle in th’ smallest way possible?”

“That would be ideal, as long as it makes sense,” the Mayor replied. “Community service simply won’t do, for example.”

“Well…” Farmer Greene continued. “What about a fine?”

The Mayor contemplated this for a moment, rubbing his chin idly with a hoof. “Yes…yes, I think that might actually work! It is true that Fizzle cannot be held responsible for what has happened, so I could fine him for unintentional arson. That’s probably the best we can do, to be honest. I doubt there are any other laws that would be relevant to this case. This gives the punishment a proper legal basis, which is necessary, however…”

The Mayor trailed off, looking increasingly worried as he mulled something over in his head. Fizzle eventually managed to break the silence, now much more composed. “A fine you said? How…how much do I owe?”

The Mayor looked at Fizzle sadly as he replied. “The law clearly dictates an amount of three hundred bits. It may seem like a lot, but trust me, it’s a lot less than what most ponies wish you were paying.”

Fizzle nodded sadly as he processed the Mayor’s statement. “Ok…I can pay that, I made enough yesterday…b-by hurting other p-ponies…” he trailed off sniffling. Lilly hugged him gently again.

The Mayor nervously cleared his throat, drawing everypony’s attention back to him. “However, the citizens of Baltimare will not be pleased with this verdict. The aforementioned punishment prevents anypony from pursuing further legal conflict with you, but there is little we can do to stop them from coming out here and…giving you a hard time. I need to somehow be able to assure the citizens that this will not happen again sometime soon.

“Fizzle, I…I hate to say this, but for the sake of your own safety, the livelihood of this farm, and the peace of mind of an entire city, I…I think you need to leave town for a while,” he finished quietly. All three ponies’ jaws dropped nearly to the ground. They gaped at the Mayor for a very uncomfortably silent minute or two before Lilly burst into tears and nearly tackled poor Fizzle as she hugged him. Fizzle didn’t react, he just kept idly staring off into space in slack-jawed astonishmet.

Farmer Greene was the first of the three to recover enough to speak. “WHAT?? Stone, what in tarnation are ya sayin’??” he sputtered. “Have y’all taken leave o’ yer senses?? Ah didn’t never think o’ ya as th’ type o’ pony ta throw somepony else inta th’ dirt fer yer own benefit!!”

This was not the wisest thing to say, and Farmer Greene regretted it almost immediately. His eyes flashing angrily, the Mayor drew himself up to his full height and thundered, “do not misunderstand my intentions, Greene!! I have been Mayor of this town for many years, and never, EVER have I used another pony’s misfortune for my own benefit!!” The Mayor stopped, noticing the fear emanating from the three ponies. He sighed tiredly and spoke quietly to Farmer Greene, “if you would follow me please.”

The Mayor led Farmer Greene around the corner of the house to speak with him in private, leaving Fizzle and Lilly to sob quietly in each others’ embrace. “Greene, please. You and I have always adhered to the same logic: the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. That is why I always stick my neck out for ponies like you. It is important to me to make sure that our large agricultural class is prospering. Equestrian society depends on it.

“Even though my policies do not win me much support from the upper class, I care not. Evidence of my success and popularity are clear enough when voting time comes around. I am the champion of the people, and will continue to be for as long as I am able. You know this to be true, Greene. And now, my entire city is furious with Fizzle for the trouble his fireworks caused. I know it’s not his fault, but you know as well as I how irrational irate crowds can be. In this case, I must adhere to my golden rule: the needs of my city outweigh the needs of one pony. Now that your emotions are clouding the issue, can you still push them aside to see the logical solution??”

Farmer Greene stared at the ground, shuffling his hooves uncertainly. “Well, ah…oh, consarn it Mayor Stone. Ah s’pose yer right, like always…”

Mayor Stone patted Farmer Greene on the back comfortingly. “Come now, Greene. I’m not always right, and you know it. I only do the best that I can. What is it that troubles you about this? I was under the impression that Fizzle was some sort of vagabond renter, yet clearly you are reluctant to have him leave. Why is this so?”

Farmer Greene looked up sadly, and the Mayor was shocked to see that the hardened old-timer was close to tears. “Ya don’ understand, do ya Stone? Fizzle, ‘e…’e reminds me o’ th’ joys o’ youth. An’…an’ ‘e reminds me o’ mah son…”

The Mayor sighed unhappily and placed a hoof on Farmer Greene’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Greene, I had no idea this would be so hard on you. If there was another solution to this problem, I would gladly take it. But as it is, I see nothing. Do you see any better way to resolve this problem?”

Farmer Greene shook his head sadly. “I thought not. I would like to speak to Fizzle briefly, and then I must take my leave. Tomorrow morning I will announce to the town what has been done, and I will be back at midday to see him off. I feel it is only right to be responsible for my own decision.”

The old farmer nodded again. “Let’s go an’ find th’ boy then…”

*****

Fizzle was taking the news that he had to leave hard. He had finally managed to calm himself and Lilly down before the Mayor and Farmer Greene returned. He had nurtured a small hope that Farmer Greene would be able to convince the Mayor he could stay, but upon seeing the defeated expression on his tired, old face, Fizzle knew it was not to be. The Mayor had then motioned for him to come and speak to him. Fizzle didn’t want to, but knew that he had to.

The Mayor had calmly apologized for the whole situation, and also explained why he believed Fizzle needed to go. Fireworks were just too new to Equestria, and despite Fizzle’s best attempts to help ponies use them safely they just didn’t take him as seriously as they should have. The situation couldn’t have been helped.

Although the fine settled the ordeal legally, he worried that angry ponies might show up on the farm and do mean things. They might yell at him, or demand money for him, or, Celestia forbid, they may even damage the farm or hurt him and the elderly couple he was staying with. The thought of causing damage to the farm’s livelihood or even worse, bringing harm to the two ponies he cared most for was too much to bear, and Fizzle had reluctantly agreed to leave.

The sun was setting by the time the Mayor and his guards finally left. Dinner that night had been a solemn affair. Lilly had prepared all of Fizzle’s favorite foods, and the three ponies ate heartily. Eventually, Farmer Greene started talking about all the good times they had together. He started by remembering the first day they had met, and how he thought Fizzle was just a lowly thief. They chuckled at the memory.

They recalled the time Fizzle got sick, and how determined he had been to get back to work. Then there was that wonderful market day, where they had, as Farmer Greene put it, ‘stuffed a few rotten apples up them Appleton ponies’ rumps!’ By the end of the night, the three ponies were practically rolling on the floor in laughter, recalling all the happy and funny times they had shared together.

But it was not to last.

Fizzle was roused early in the morning and they shared a solemn breakfast. Gone were the festivities of the night before. Gone were the attempts to keep him cheerful, or to forget about what the imminent future had in store for them. It was clear from everypony’s bloodshot eyes that nopony had slept particularly well that night. Farmer Greene regarded Fizzle sadly every time he looked at him, and Lilly purposefully avoided his gaze, clearly on the verge of tears.

At long last, Fizzle’s higher-quality wagon was loaded up with everything he still owned, and the three ponies stood by the gates to Acres o’ Apples. Just as the midday sun reached its peak, they spotted three ponies off in the distance: Mayor Stone and his two bodyguards, just as before. Farmer Greene solemnly opened the gate and the three burly ponies trotted through.

Mayor Stone stopped and looked them over before speaking. “Well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the citizens of Baltimare seemed to be accepting of our solution, and I doubt there will be any problems for the farm in the future.” The three ponies nodded silently at this and waited for him to continue. “The bad news is…I’m afraid it’s time for you to leave Fizzle,” he finished quietly.

Fizzle heaved a sigh before picking up a heavy leather sack that jangled as it moved. He deposited it on the ground before the Mayor and said, “here’s the three hundred bits for the fine, sir.” The Mayor nodded to the unicorn guard, who levitated the heavy sack into his saddlebags.

“Good, that’s all taken care of. Now it’s time to say farewell. Take…take as much time as you need.” And with that, the Mayor stepped back between his two guards, the three of them waiting patiently for Fizzle to depart.

Slowly, Fizzle turned around to gaze at the two elderly ponies who had come to mean everything to him. Both of them stared back, small globules of liquid building up in the corners of their sad, sad eyes. He felt his own eyes begin to water as he forced himself to speak. “Well…I guess this is goodbye…” he heard himself say.

Wordlessly the two ponies strode forward and pulled him into a firm embrace. He hugged them back, and the three ponies shared a quiet moment that seemed to stretch on forever, the silence only interrupted by an occasional sob or the sound of tears hitting the ground. Eventually Fizzle felt like he wanted to say something, but what? What could he possibly say to express the emotions he felt right now? Well best to start somewhere…

“I…I would like to thank you. Both of you, for being so kind, generous, and understanding. I…I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t found you. I’d probably be dead in the woods. I had no idea where I was, where I wanted to go, or how to function in society. You took me in out of the goodness of your hearts and helped me when I needed it the most. Thank you both, from the bottom of my heart…” He trailed off, any further words stifled by the rising choking feeling he felt in his throat.

The two ponies pulled back and gazed at him softly, faint smiles on their lips. “Don’cha think nothin’ of it m’boy,” Farmer Greene said quietly. “We was jest doin’ th’ right thing. If anythin’ we should be thankin’ y’all.”

Fizzle cocked his head in confusion. “Me?? What for?” Farmer Greene and Lilly shared a sad look before he answered.

“Fizzle, we…we never really told ya th’ whole truth ‘bout our financial situation. Th’ truth is, if that last market day had gone sour, we prob’ly woulda had ta sell some o’ our land in order ta make our payments. Th’ help ya gave ta our business with yer fireworks show helped bring customers back, an’ we should be all set fer another ten years or so now. We…we cain’t thank ya enough fer savin’ our farm…it’s all we know how ta do…” he couldn’t go on, so he simply smiled as eagerly as he could given his breaking heart. Suffice to say, it was a half-hearted attempt.

Fizzle couldn’t even think of a response, so he just gaped in astonishment. Him? Saving the farm? “I…I had no idea…” he managed to stutter out.

Lilly spoke up now, her voice cracking with emotion. “Not only that, but y’all reminded us how wonderful it is ta be young. It’s been so long since we had anypony like y’all around, an’ ya warmed our old hearts, ya did. When ya left fer them mountains a few days ago, ah came ta realize…y’all remind me so much o’ our darlin’ son, who we ain’t seen fer so long…” she sniffed and let out a stifled sob but bravely forged on. “Tell ya th’ truth…ah’ve come ta think o’ y’all as a son too…”

Fizzle had tears flowing freely down his cheeks now. “You…you do?? Both of you??” Both elderly ponies smiled and nodded, despite the tears that they too were shedding.

“Shore do…son,” Farmer Greene said finally. And with that, the dam broke.

“I…I love you both!!!” Fizzle cried out forcefully as he leapt forward to embrace them. “You…you two are like my parents!! The parents I can’t remember! I already lost them once! I…I WANNA STAY HERE!! I DON’T WANNA GOOOOooooo!!!” His last sentence devolved into wails of anguish as he sobbed his heart out. How could he leave them?? This was his home, his family! He’d already lost that once, did he really have to lose it again??

Fizzle was crying harder than he ever had before, but the two elderly ponies seemed strangely at ease. Sure, they had tears flowing freely at this point as well, but they both felt as though they had gotten a mighty weight off of their chests.

A loud trumpeting sound was heard off to the side, and if any of them had cared to look they would have seen the Mayor blowing his nose loudly into a hankerchief, clearly moved by the scene before him. Even his bodyguards, impassive as they normally were, had a single tear rolling down their cheeks, though they stood taller than ever. Fizzle finally started to calm down after about five minutes, and Lilly gently tried to soothe him.

“Shhh, quiet now dear. This is all jest a part o’ life. Everypony has ta leave home at some point. Ah know that, deep in mah heart, no matter where y’all go y’all won’t ever forget us. Nor we forget y’all. Tha’s th’ true power o’ family. This is jest th’ start o’ another adventure. Ah know we’ll see each other again someday.”

Fizzle finally pulled back and regarded them with puffy, bloodshot eyes. “You…you really think so?”

“Ah don’ think so, son. Ah know so,” Farmer Greene responded gently. “Jest remember boy, no matter where y’all go, don’ ever be afraid ta tell anypony that yer Apple family. Ya may not look or sound th’ part, an’ y’all may not have apples fer a cutie mark, but yer kindness, determination, an’ hard work speak fer themselves. Them qualities o’ yers are enough ta make even other Apples envious. So chin up, an’ stand proud! We go back a long ways, an’ though y’all may be adopted rather than born inta th’ family, y’all are an Apple by heart, through an’ through. If anypony ever questions it, tell ‘em ta come have a chat with ol’ Greene Apple! Now go forth son, an’ make us all proud!”

There was a fire in the grizzled old farmer’s eyes as he spoke, and Fizzle couldn’t help but feel his spirits lift. “Tha’s right, son. We’re so very proud o’ y’all, an’ we just know that y’all are gonna go an’ do somethin’ wonderful in th’ world. All ya have ta do is take th’ first step, but that one’s always th’ hardest,” Lilly added encouragingly, the determination in her eyes matching her husband’s.

Fizzle steeled himself. The time for tears was over, now it was time for strength! He was an Apple now! He felt himself swell with pride at that knowledge, and he bravely turned to face the distant horizon. He was ready! He could do this! World here I come!! …Wait a second, where exactly to go?

Turning back to his parents with a confused expression, he asked, “Um, but where exactly should I go?? What’s the closest city?”

Farmer Greene suddenly had an amused glint in his eye, and spoke up. “Well y’all may have ta forgive mah memory in mah old age, but suddenly ah seem ta recall that y’all were rather excited ta git ter a certain Las Pegasus, hmm??”

“Ohhh, yeaaahhh…” Fizzle said thoughtfully. Las Pegasus, of course!! He still hadn’t gotten to that awesome place! “Yeah, that sounds great! Is it close??”

Farmer Greene chuckled at his sudden enthusiasm. “Shore is! Jest head down th’ main road that-a-way an’ follow th’ signs. Las Pegasus is th’ closest major city, y’all will know when yer there by all th’ fancy lights ‘n such.”

“Ok! I…I think I’m ready now,” Fizzle said as confidently as he could. He strode forward and gave his parents one final hug. “Thank you again…for everything. I WILL come back and visit someday, I promise.”

“An’ we look forward ta it, dearie,” Lilly responded fondly. “Y’all be safe now, y’hear?”

“I will,” Fizzle said confidently as he hitched himself up to his wagon. Staring out at the road beyond the gate, he was about to take his first step when Farmer Greene suddenly spoke up.

“Oh, an’ Fizzle? Try ta stay outta th’ woods this time, won’cha??” The three ponies shared a good laugh at this, the mood lightening considerably.

“I most certainly will, Dad.” And then, Fizzle bravely took his first step towards the gate. This was soon followed by another, and another, until he was moving down the dusty road at a steady trot, his wagon rattling behind him.

“Bye, Fizzle!! Y’all come on back now y’hear??” Farmer Greene called out from behind.

“I will, I promise!” Fizzle shouted back.

“An’ don’ forget ta wash yer mane, dearie!!” Lilly yelled.

Fizzle groaned and facehoofed. Oh, brother. “Yes, Mom!! I will!!” Soon, Fizzle reached the crest of a hill and paused to look back, knowing that this would be his last opportunity to see the farm. Off in the distance, he could see the farmhouse, the rolling apple fields, and the five ponies standing by the gate.

Knowing that it was too far to shout, he simply waved at them. His parents waved animatedly back, the Mayor lifted a hoof in farewell, and even the two guards saluted smartly. He was going to miss his parents dearly, he knew, but it couldn’t be helped. Destiny called!

Turning his back on the farm for good, Fizzle was once again on the road!! Just him and the wilderness! And of course, his trusty wagon containing various fireworks materials, some food, blankets, a tent, gemstones, all the money he had left, storage supplies, tools, and his trusty hatchet, cape, and freshly filled barrel of cider. He was ready to take on the world!!

Suddenly, he was struck with an odd thought. As with every odd thought that strikes him, it comes seemingly out of the blue, with no indication of where it originated from, and always manages to make perfect sense. As he walked, he found himself muttering a strange phrase to himself, and as he repeated it a few times it seemed to be more and more appropriate.

“Viva, Las Pegasus!!”

Viva, Las Pegasus!

Chapter 8: Viva, Las Pegasus!

“Whoa…viva, Las Pegasus indeed…”

Fizzle could only gape in awe at what had to be the brightest city he had ever seen! From his current vantage point upon a nearby hill, Las Pegasus looked like a sprawling field of gemstones glittering in Celestia’s glorious sun. The neon signs, bright lights, and glimmering fountains all combined to give off an almost otherworldly glow, piercing the darkness of the night for miles around. It was more awesome then he ever could have imagined…

Fizzle stood for a few moments more, appreciating the otherworldly beauty as his shock and awe slowly ebbed away before steeling himself and starting down the well-traveled road. Mentally, he braced himself for what was yet to come. It had been a week since he had left Acres o’ Apples, and as such he was currently more acclimated to being out in the wilderness, alone. If Las Pegasus was anything like Baltimare, and it certainly looked like it would be, then he would have to be ready for the influx of ponies that would undoubtedly surround him soon.

As Fizzle approached the outskirts of the city, he breathed out a sigh of anticipation. The time alone had been refreshing, and it had certainly given him a lot of time to collect more materials and build more fireworks, as well as time to just think. In the end, he was glad he was moving on. Sure, he missed Farmer Greene and Lilly quite badly, especially after their shocking revelation that he was like a son to them, but honestly it was good to get out and explore the world. After all, there was a lot more to life than bucking apples, right?

Fizzle glanced up into the sky, and noticed with some perturbation that he could no longer see the bright stars and the funny shapes that they made. It was obviously too bright in the city to see them. This new discovery unsettled Fizzle slightly, but he brushed the feeling aside and eagerly pushed on, finally emerging onto what seemed to be a main street.

And boy, was it PACKED.

If Baltimare was busy, then Las Pegasus was overpopulated. There was literally a sea of ponies before him! Fizzle pushed his way into the crowd uncertainly, his heaping wagon rattling behind him. Unsure of where to go, Fizzle just followed the crowd for a while and took in the sights.

And what sights there were.

The buildings here were magnificent! They were tall and majestic, adorned with ornate pillars and fancy stonework, and painted all sorts of lovely shades and hues. There were brightly lit signs as far as he could see, often times changing or flashing colors so bright they were almost painful. Much to Fizzle’s confusion, almost every building on this street was called either a “hotel” or a “casino.” He wasn’t really sure what either of these things were, and even less so why one city would need so many of them. He didn’t remember seeing anything like these buildings in Baltimare, after all.

Finally, there was one more thing that stood out to Fizzle, and it took him a few moments of wandering the streets before he could put his hoof on it. The atmosphere here was so…happy. It was almost like the whole place was having one big party! All around him ponies were talking animatedly with one another, laughing, or jovially moving towards some destination, eager to partake of whatever it was they could do there. Baltimare had such a business like demeanor while he was there. This newfound happiness was a bit unsettling, truth be told. But nonetheless, fun!! Surely he would grow accustomed to it in time.

Fizzle also noted with some confusion that many ponies appeared to be stumbling slightly, or leaning on other ponies for support as they walked. How very odd. Fizzle made a mental note to determine the reasons for such strange behavior at a later date.

His spirits heightened by the persistent cheerfulness around him, Fizzle soon spotted an open stone plaza near a fountain. Aha! The perfect location to start drumming up some business! That was the first thing he should probably do, after all. Thinking back to his experiences in Baltimare, Fizzle decided that he was definitely NOT going to sell fireworks this time. He liked it here! So what to do then? Put on a show of course, and every good show needs good advertising!

Fizzle stopped at an open spot in the plaza, near the fountain, and unhitched himself from the wagon. After all the supplies he’d collected in the mountain range he’d spotted from the road, his wagon was practically overflowing with stuff. Doing some quick estimations, Fizzle guessed he had three hundred and some fireworks at his disposal. Perfect, he’d shoot off a few tonight and then put on a decent ten minute show tomorrow. It was the perfect plan!

He quickly donned his cape and set up three of the cylindrical tubes, loading them each with a shell. A few nearby ponies noticed his bizarre actions and paused to stare inquisitively. Fizzle flashed them a grin and waggled his eyebrows mischievously before lighting up a match. Oh boy, it was time for the best part!!

FWOOMPH!! FWOOMPH!! FWOOMPH!!

BOOM!! BAM!! POW!!

Oh Celestia! The looks on their faces! The multicolored explosions in the sky instantly grabbed the attention of everypony in the square, their shocked gazes turned upwards. Fizzle could practically hear the jaws clattering to the ground. Leaping on top of his wagon, Fizzle launched into his pitch:

“Fillies and gentlecolts! Feast your eyes on the amazing capabilities of Fizzle, the traveling pyrotechnic!! Be wowed and amazed at the spectacular fireworks that only I, Fizzle, know how to create and launch! Don’t miss out on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a live fireworks show as tomorrow evening, in this VERY square, I, the amazing Fizzle…” Here he paused for dramatic effect, and also to light off the two additional fireworks he had loaded during the speech.

FWOOMPH!! FWOOMPH!!

“…LIGHT! UP! THE! SKYYY!!!”

The crowd finally burst into hearty applause as the resounding booms and bright colors once again flooded the night air. Fizzle looked around and noted approvingly that more and more ponies were pulling out of the main street and entering the plaza to see what was going on. Nodding knowingly, he continued to advertise.

“That’s right, folks! Tomorrow night, right here, watch as I shoot off three hundred fireworks in the most dazzling, sensational, and magical spectacle you’ve ever seen!! Tell your friends, tell your families! Come one and come all!! Admission is four bits. I’ll be here for a few more hours to answer any questions you may have, and to give further demonstrations as necessary.” Smiling mischievously, Fizzle grabbed another shell and loaded it. Lighting it up, he shouted “NECESSARY!!” and watched gleefully as yet another explosion flared above them.

The crowd simultaneously laughed at his joke and cheered at the spectacle, some of them heading off hurriedly to tell their friends and family while others pressed close to ask questions. Fizzle spent the next two hours happily discussing what fireworks were made of and how they worked. As for how he made them however, Fizzle would simply waggle his eyebrows and reply with “that’s the catch, isn’t it?” or some other similarly mysterious remark.

Eventually, most of the crowd had dispersed, many of them bidding him farewell with sentiments of excitement or comments about how they would be back tomorrow. Fizzle yawned tiredly and realized that it was quite late. Hmm, where to sleep, where to sleep…

“Excuse me.” Fizzle’s thoughts were interrupted by a burly unicorn stallion standing before him. He had a tan coat and a brown mane, and was dressed in a navy blue uniform with bright gold buttons. He was wearing a hat of the same navy blue with some sort of gold star on the front.

Fizzle took a moment to look him up and down before replying, “can I help you?”

“Yes. I was wondering what it is exactly that you are doing. I’ve never heard of fireworks before, and I’m trying to figure out if it’s legal or not.”

This confused Fizzle a bit. “Legal? Why would that concern you?”

The officer gave Fizzle a strange look before replying. “Well, I AM an officer of the law. Usually our job entails reprimanding those who commit illegal acts. So, what’s your setup? You have a permit or something?”

“Permit??” Fizzle’s head swam for a moment in confusion, before he suddenly recalled Farmer Greene telling him about laws and police officers. Oh, this stallion was one of those guys! “Ohhh, I know what you’re talking about. I don’t know about any permit, but I remember Mayor Stone told me there aren’t any laws about fireworks, so I’m not breaking any rules, if that’s what you’re asking.”

The officer looked skeptical. “Right…so what exactly do these fireworks do?”

Now it was Fizzle’s turn to give a strange look. “What, you didn’t see earlier? No? Y’know, the bright explosions in the sky?”

The officer showed a brief flicker of recognition at that last statement. “Is that what those loud noises were?” Fizzle nodded in affirmation. “Ok, could I have a demonstration of one?”

Fizzle looked about and shrugged apologetically. “Isn’t it a bit late for that? I don’t want to wake anypony up…”

“Er…” the officer’s professional demeanor dropped a bit at Fizzle’s sudden insight, but he quickly recovered. “Ok I suppose you have a point. What do you plan to do with these fireworks?”

“Put on a show of course!” Fizzle exclaimed happily.

An eyebrow raised. “A show?”

“That’s right!”

“What kind of show?”

“The kind where I shoot off hundreds of fireworks! It’s gonna be awesome!!” Fizzle said gleefully, putting particular emphasis on the word ‘awesome.’

The officer slowly nodded before speaking again. “Last question. How exactly do these fireworks work? What are they made out of?”

“Mostly gunpowder.” Fizzle answered, shrugging nonchalantly. “You see, I put them in these tubes, and then-”

Fizzle’s explanation was cut off by the officer’s sudden outburst. “Gunpowder? Don’t you know that’s a dangerous substance?? How do I know you’re not trying to blow up the square?” He took a ready stance as he said this, half expecting Fizzle to pull out a detonator and scream praises to Sleipnir any second now.

Fizzle just chuckled at the outburst. “Silly! Why would I want to blow them all up at once? That would be a pretty lame show, if you ask me. No, the proper way to put on a show is to light them off one at a time, or sometimes in sequences of two or three-”

Again Fizzle was cut off. “But gunpowder is still dangerous. How do I know you’ve been approved to handle it safely?”

Fizzle rolled his eyes and snorted in disdain. “Gunpowder is only dangerous if you’re stupid. Don’t worry officer, I’ve already learned my lesson. That’s why, come tomorrow evening, I’m going to be the only one handling the fireworks. I AM a professional pyrotechnic, after all.”

The officer fixed Fizzle with a wry stare. “Is that so, huh? I’ve never heard of a pyrotechnic before…”

Fizzle sighed sadly. “Yeah. I’d tell you more about where I learned my skills and stuff but unfortunately I can’t remember. Apparently I have amnesia or something like that…”

The officer’s glare finally softened a bit. “Oh, is that so? I’m sorry about that. I suppose it’s been a bit rude of me to question you like I did. I just wanted to make sure that everypony’s staying safe. It’s my job, after all.”

Fizzle happily waved him off. “Don’t worry about it! It makes me happy to know that I’m not breaking the law! This one time, I accidentally stole some apples from Farmer Greene and I felt just awful about it. I worked for a whole week to pay that debt off, but I did it!”

The officer smiled amusedly at the energetic green pony, but there was one more doubt lingering in the back of his mind. This pony seemed…innocent and happy. Perhaps a bit too happy. “One final question and then I’ll be off, I promise. Are you currently inebriated at all?”

Fizzle stared questioningly at him. “Inebriated? What’s that mean?”

Now it was the officer’s turn to look confused. “You know, intoxicated?” Blank stare. “Drunk?” Blank stare. “Under the influence?” Blank stare. The officer sighed in exasperation. “Son, what I mean to ask is, have you had anything to drink tonight? Anything at all?”

Fizzle rubbed his chin in thought. “Well not really, but I suppose I have had some-”

He was interrupted yet again as the officer noticed the large barrel in his wagon. “What’s in that barrel?”

“Apple cider!” Fizzle replied enthusiastically. “From Acres o’ Apples! It’s reaaaaally good.”

“Is it spiked?” the officer questioned. That confounded blank stare again.

“Spiked?”

“Argh.” The officer had to fight the urge to facehoof. “Does it have alcohol added?”

“Alcohol?”

The officer fixed him with a blank stare, trying to determine if this pony was joking with him or not. No, he definitely SEEMED sincere… “You really have no idea what alcohol is?” Fizzle shook his head. “Fine. If you could just open your mouth and exhale, I’ll be on my way.”

Fizzle looked confused, but he replied none the less. He took a deep breath and slowly emptied his lungs, his breath misting slightly in the cool night air. The officer’s horn glowed with a silvery aura, and he focused intently on the air in front of Fizzle’s muzzle. A few moments later, the glowing stopped and the officer turned to face him.

“Well you’re sober, so that’s good enough for me. Just make sure that everypony stays safe around the fireworks tomorrow night. If anything goes wrong, we’ll be coming after you. Got that?”

Fizzle saluted smartly before replying. “Yes sir, mister officer sir! You can count on me, I know what I’m doing!”

The officer chuckled as he started to leave. As an afterthought he turned back to Fizzle and called, “oh, and if I were you, I’d be careful about drinking anything that’s not water. Some of the drinks around here can make ponies act a little…loopy.”

Oh. That must be why some of the ponies Fizzle saw earlier were acting strangely. Well, certainly don’t want to end up like that! “Will do, thanks for the tip!” he called back with a friendly wave. The officer waved back and headed off towards the main street. ‘Well now that that’s over with, where was I…’ Fizzle thought. Oh yeah, sleep.

After spending a few days in the wilderness with food in tow, Fizzle quickly learned that the best way to keep his belongings safe while he slept was to throw his tarp over the wagon, tie ropes to the corners, and tie all the ropes together under the wagon. That certainly did the trick of keeping the rabbits, squirrels, and other critters out of his stuff. More out of habit than anything else, Fizzle threw the tarp over his wagon and tied it down.

At long last, he grabbed his blankets and settled down underneath the wagon. It was still a bit noisy, but Fizzle didn’t really mind at this point. He was quite exhausted, and tomorrow was going to be a good day. Reassured by his conversation with the police officer, Fizzle drifted off into a restful sleep.

*****

Fizzle awoke to the early morning rays of Celestia’s bright sun. Shrugging off his blankets, he crawled out from under the wagon and stretched. Yawning lazily, Fizzle looked around. Sure enough, he was still in the plaza from last night, but something seemed…off. Oh, it was quiet. Too quiet. Compared to last night, Las Pegasus looked like a ghost town right now. Huh, apparently the ponies of Las Pegasus aren’t early risers. Interesting. Fizzle rubbed his hooves together eagerly in anticipation for what was to come today. It wouldn’t be quiet for long, he mused.

Fizzle’s happy thoughts of explosions were interrupted by a sudden growling noise. His stomach. ‘Time for breakfast!’ Fizzle thought happily, trotting off towards the main street. Fizzle quickly located a decent-looking diner and entered the building. He merrily skipped up to the counter and took a seat.

“I’ll have the pancake breakfast, please.”

“That’ll be five bits.”

Fizzle placed the money on the counter without a second thought. Half an hour later he was back outside, his stomach content as he trotted jovially along that same street while admiring the clear blue sky. Those pancakes had been actually quite good, although they couldn’t hold a candle to Lilly’s cooking…

Fizzle forced the thoughts of his new parents out of his head. What was past was past, and right now he needed to focus on his show. Returning to his wagon, Fizzle untied the tarp that was draped over it and began to unpack it. In just a matter of minutes, all of his cardboard tubes and several baskets of shells lay scattered around him, along with plenty of fuse. Fizzle rubbed his forehooves together gleefully. It was time to get to work.

*****

Two hours later Fizzle had a rough plan. To any passing observer, however, it didn’t look like he’d accomplished much of anything. But Fizzle knew that he’d accomplished everything. Spread out before him was a large piece of paper covered in some sort of drawing. The drawing itself consisted of twenty or so circular shapes connected to each other by lines. There were notes and scribbles written all over the sheet, as well as times. Any ordinary pony wouldn’t be able to make heads nor tails of the confusing scrawl, but to Fizzle it was all he needed to set up his show.

The next few hours passed without incident. Fizzle carefully arranged his twenty tubes in a more or less rectangular shape and started laying several feet of fuses on the ground. To the passing bystanders, it looked almost like Fizzle was weaving a spider’s web. The fuses twisted, turned, merged with others, and finally terminated a short ways from the tubes. With the preparations complete, Fizzle used a couple hooffulls of the yellow powder to draw a yellow boundary around his setup.

Next came the shells. Fizzle loaded as many shells as he could in the tubes before sorting the rest of them into their appropriate locations. With roughly three hundred shells and only twenty tubes, things were going to be a bit hectic tonight. The idea was to launch off the first set of twenty in a specific order before quickly reloading and relighting. If all went according to plan, Fizzle would be able to keep a steady stream of fireworks going for about ten minutes or so.

By the time the preparations were complete, Celestia’s sun was low in the sky, rapidly approaching the horizon. Fizzle wiped the sweat from his brow and took a moment to appreciate the sunset before he was violently jerked back to reality by the rumbling in his stomach. Oops, time for dinner! Fizzle headed back to the same diner and ordered a sandwich and hay fries, which were surprisingly delicious. His stomach sated, Fizzle returned to the square to see a small crowd had already gathered. Along with a couple of police officers, Fizzle noted with some trepidation.

Fizzle paused at his setup, eyeing them warily. When they made no move to confront him, Fizzle allowed himself to relax a little bit. He even recognized one of them as the stallion he talked to last night. There were just here to make sure nothing went wrong, right? Fizzle gulped a bit nervously and looked back to the sky. It was mostly purple by now, and the sun had just dipped beneath the distant horizon. In about fifteen minutes, the show would begin.

Leaping onto his wagon, cape swirling suavely about him, Fizzle addressed the crowd. “Fillies and gentlecolts!! Thank you all so much for joining me tonight to witness the prowess of Equestria’s one and only traveling pyrotechnic!!” There was a hearty round of applause and stamping from the gathered crowd. “Before we begin, I’d like to pass a few of these baskets around. Admission is four bits, everypony! Here, you can have that one…and if you would take that please, thank you…”

Fizzle continued to make small talk as the baskets started to move through the crowd. “Oh! I almost forgot. For the duration of the show, please everypony stay outside of the yellow line I drew here, for your own safety’s sake. I will admit that fireworks are a bit dangerous, but fear not! I am a professional. How are the baskets doing? There and there? I suppose we’ll be working off the honor system tonight folks, I don’t feel like being forceful. Besides, if you don’t think my show is worth paying for I probably don’t want your money anyways.”

The crowd chuckled slightly as the baskets were passed around, ponies willingly tossing small hooffulls of bits into them as they went by. More ponies were streaming into the crowd from the main street and started adding their money to the baskets as well. By the time the three baskets got back to Fizzle, they were all three heaped with gold. Fizzle nodded approvingly and set them aside. “Is that everypony? Did I get you all? Excellent. Thank you so much for your cooperation, I really appreciate it.

“And now!! Without further ado, the moment I know you’ve all been waiting for! The part where I, the amazing Fizzle, light up the night sky!!” The crowd cheered enthusiastically as Fizzle took a couple of bows before motioning with his hooves for quiet. The excited whispers and murmurs died down and complete silence overtook the plaza, only the distant sounds of the main street disturbing them. Slowly, carefully, Fizzle pulled out his box of matches and lit the first one with a soft hiss.

Holding the match in his mouth, Fizzle trotted over to the first fuse, hundreds of pairs of eyes following his every move. Bending down, he held the match until the fuse caught, and then Fizzle quickly moved on to the next one. Moving around the outside of the rectangle, Fizzle lit up all of the fuses in quick succession, but carefully keeping track of the time between lights. Some he would light up one right after the other, but other times he paused for a second or two before continuing. As he reached the tenth or so firework, the first fwoomphs sounded, marking the beginning of the show.

Five fwoomphs in semi-rapid succession started things off, and the crowd of ponies ‘ooh’ed and ‘aaah’ed at the resulting set of explosions. No sooner than they finished appreciating the first volley, the next set was already airborne. As Fizzle completed his first lap, half of the fireworks were either launched or exploded. Quickly stomping out the match, Fizzle reloaded a few shells and lit up another match. As he proceeded around the perimeter yet again, he continued to load more shells with his forehooves while lighting fuses with the match held in his mouth.

The next ten minutes were a blur for Fizzle. The work was hot, fast-paced, precise, and strenuous. His back was killing him from all that bending over! However, the crowd’s response to the show was more than worth a bit of suffering. Implementing his plan perfectly down to the very last shell, the crowd was absolutely amazed by the continuous stream of fireworks. Fizzle had to admit that he was rather impressed as well, both at his ability to keep the action coming and at how well his plan was working. It really was an impressive show.

Now it was time for the best part, the grand finale! As Fizzle continued around the lap for the final time, he lighted up all the fuses in a rhythm, a set amount of time passing between each ignition. What the crowd didn’t know was that in the final set, all the fuses were different in length, and by the time Fizzle finished the last fuse…

FWOOOOOOOMPH!!!

All twenty tubes fired in rapid succession, their respective noises blurring together into one long, prolonged sound. Fizzle sighed contentedly and looked up at the pitch-black night sky. At least he could see the very end of his labor!

BOOOOM!!! BAM! BAM! POW!!

And what a grand finale it was. Fizzle had never seen so many explosions at once, and neither had the crowd. For a good ten seconds or so, there was constant light in the sky, and everypony present felt the solid thrum in their chests continue unabated for that whole time. When the last red and green streams and golden sparkles fizzled out, the crowd erupted into massive applause. Jumping onto his wagon once more, Fizzle took a bow.

“Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you so much! It’s been a genuine pleasure Las Pegasus, and I hope all of you enjoyed the show as much as I did!” More raucous applause. “Thank you so much for your time tonight! I’ll be sure to advertise for a couple of days once I get some more materials, so feel free to come back here to see how I’m doing. If I had to guess, I’d say the next show will probably be in a week or so from now, so stay tuned! Thanks again for your participation tonight, and have a wonderful evening everypony!”

The crowd applauded enthusiastically once more and began to disperse. Much to Fizzle’s surprise, a few ponies came forward and threw a few bits into his baskets, apologizing for arriving late and thanking him for the show. Fizzle looked on happily as he took in the enthused faces of his audience as they left. It made him feel good inside. He even caught the eye of the police officers as they trotted away, the one from last night giving him a friendly salute.

Soon, all the ponies in the plaza were cleared out. That is, except for one. Standing before Fizzle was a lone pony wearing a cloak that drooped so low he couldn’t even see its face. Fizzle stood there, awkwardly, for a few moments before finally clearing his throat. “Can I help you?”

The pony said nothing, simply raising its left forehoof and waving it through the air, motioning for him to follow. “Excuse me?” The pony raised its hoof and beckoned again, more forcefully this time.

“You want me to follow you?” The pony nodded several times, and began taking measured steps away from him. After five paces or so, it turned back to him and beckoned again. Fizzle paused for a moment to consider the situation. Perhaps the pony would lead him to a place to stay? That would be nice, sleeping outside could get rather dreary after a few days.

“Ok,” Fizzle relented. “I’ll follow you. Just give me a minute to pack up my things.” The mysterious pony waited patiently as Fizzle put his tubes and baskets of gold into his now much emptier wagon. Hitching himself up, he trotted over to the pony, casting one final glance backwards to make sure he had everything.

“Ok, let’s go!” he said happily. The pony nodded and began to walk off, albeit rather slowly for some reason. Fizzle fell into step behind it. Sure it was walking a bit slowly, but Fizzle didn’t really mind. It gave him an opportunity to study the city some more.

Fizzle followed the strange pony for quite some time, weaving in and out of main streets and sometimes cutting through some rather spooky back alleys. At long last, the pony paused in front of some sort of store. It looked old and dusty, and didn’t have a sign above it marking its purpose. It was located on a rather deserted-looking road, squashed in between a rather run-down bar and some sort of antiquities shop. The pony pulled a large, metal key out of its cloak and unlocked the front door before stepping inside. Fizzle unhitched his wagon in the road and stepped inside.

It was dark. And dusty. And smelled…weird. Fizzle’s nose was immediately assaulted by several smells, almost all of them quite unfamiliar. “Um…hello?” Fizzle called out into the darkness, which had long since swallowed up the mysterious pony. “Are you in here? Why does it smell so funny?”

Suddenly, the room lit up as a match was struck, and the mysterious pony used it to light up a few candles scattered around the room. Fizzle finally got a good chance to look around. It was some sort of shop, with strange bottles of various colored liquids along one wall and jars of plant matter and…other stuff…along the other. Fizzle cocked his head in confusion as he addressed the pony again. “Um, excuse me, but what is this place? And why did you bring me here?”

The pony in question shuffled in front of him, and finally reached up and slowly removed its hood. Staring back at Fizzle was probably the oldest Earth Pony mare he’d ever seen. Her coat was a soft pink, probably a bit faded in her old age. Her mane was bright white, and tied back in a neat little bun. But the most distinguishing feature about her were the bright green eyes that stared back at him, sharp even in her old age.

After what seemed like an eternity she finally spoke. Her voice was cracked with old age, but strong and steady nonetheless. “Welcome to my shop, dearie. ‘Herbal Remedies and Potions.’ Not many ponies know about it. Well, not many that are from out of town.” At this, the old mare chuckled heartily, and Fizzle couldn’t help but join in.

“Er, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly is this place? And who are you?” he inquired, looking around once again at the multitude of strange objects lining the walls.

“This is an apothecary, dear, and you may call me Granny Orchid. I’ve spent most of my life in this very shop brewing potions and medicines. It’s an ancient art, dear, one that can be traced back centuries. Unfortunately, very few ponies remember its ways…” Fizzle was intrigued by this information. Potions and medicines? That certainly sounded useful. He opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it.

“That was a very impressive show, sonny boy. Were those fireworks you was launching off?”

Fizzle nodded happily. “They certainly were! Made them myself out in the wilderness. My name is Fizzle, by the way. Pleased to meet you.”

The elderly mare nodded sagely, understanding in her eyes. “And ya made them with gunpowder? Charcoal, sulfur, and whatnot?”

Fizzle nodded again. “Sure did! As well as some…hheeeyyy, how come you know about gunpowder? Can you make fireworks too?” Fizzle suddenly gasped as a realization popped into his head, and he started yapping a mile a minute. “Oh my gosh! Are you the pony who taught me how to make fireworks in the first place? You see, I have amnesia and I can’t remember where I learned it but if you remember me then that’s super great! So have you ever seen me before? Huh? Have ya?”

Granny Orchid chuckled heartily and raised a hoof for silence. “No, my boy, I ain’t never seen you before. But I do see something IN ya.”

Fizzle scratched his head in confusion. “What do you mean, something in me? I don’t see anything…” he said questioningly, looking down at himself as he did so.

The mare laughed heartily again. “No, no, my boy. I see what you’re capable of. You have the gift.”

Fizzle cocked his head again. “Is that why you brought me here?”

Granny Orchid nodded her head sagely. “Yes, it is. I see what you made with your own hooves, you’ve got the talent. I’m old, and it’s time I passed on my skills to another. In all my days, I ain’t never seen a pony as skilled as you are at mixing different materials to make something else that is truly amazing.”

Fizzle paused to let that sink in. He looked back at Granny Orchid to see a delighted smile creasing her old face.

“Fizzle my boy, I’m going to teach ya.”