A Fizzling Hope

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!