A raspberry-colored unicorn mare with a taller, spikey rose-colored mane and tail and a cutie mark of three small blue, green, and pink firework bursts stood at the top of a short hill overlooking a field of boulders resting in the grass. Standing behind her was a wizened grey-colored unicorn stallion sporting a white, medium-length goatee and wearing white shirt with a royal-blue vest and tie along with a matching fedora with a long, pointed brim.
“Concentrate, Fizzlepop.” His voice was softer than the prairie breeze. “Channel your magic up and let it flow from you.”
“Yes, Starswirl.” Shutting her eyes, revealing a long scar over the left lid, Fizzlepop Berrytwist began to charge her broken horn, a flat, jeweled crown fitting evenly inside the cracks.
As the light-blue aura around the horn glowed brighter, the magenta gem inside the crown began to light up as well before it too was covered in her magic. Soon, similar auras appeared at the top of five boulders and quickly spread around toward the bottoms.
“Slowly now!” Starswirl the Bearded’s sudden sternness stopped Fizzlepop halfway down. “You’ve been doing exceptionally well in these months, but do not rush yourself and lose control.”
Fizzlepop let out a small sigh, both mildly annoyed and accepting of her master’s advice. “Very well. Thank you.”
Resuming her training, her magic more slowly enveloped the rocks until they were fully covered. Her eyes closed tighter as she focused tighter on her objective.
“Relax!” Starswirl cooed. “Keep your eyes open and don’t force it.”
Fizzlepop took a breath out of her mouth and relaxed the muscles in her face before opening her eyes. She concentrated as the boulders began to subtly wiggle from their spots in the ground. Her eyes squinted and her legs bent down as she struggled to maintain her strength, but as she held on, the boulders very slowly began to rise into the air, one by one.
Standing to the left of the hill and observing this was a young unicorn stallion with a cerulean mane styled into a pixie cut and wearing a brown leather vest. At his side, a chubby dark-grey rodent with piercing blue eyes and a head of grey spiky hair in the same style as Fizzlepop’s wearing a black, sleeveless top watched beside him.
“Oh yeah, you show those rocks who’s boss, Fizzlepop!” The rodent enthusiastically applauded, ignoring the fact that he was the only one making any noise.
“Grubber, let her concentrate.” An elderly unicorn mare with a very light-purple coat, continuously blowing faded-green mane and long curved horn wearing a turquoise blouse came between Grubber and the stallion. “She’s doing well enough on her own. Isn’t she, Stygian?”
“Yeah. She’s amazing.” Stygian kept her eyes on the boulders as Fizzlepop held them in place.
As they stayed up, Fizzlepop, the stress on her mind lessening, smiled as she raised the boulders up higher, much to Starswirl’s surprise.
“Fizzlepop, careful!”
Just then, sparks began to crack off the crown, Fizzlepop’s magic beginning to flicker. Dropping the boulders a couple of feet, she caught them, straining hard to keep them back at their heights.
“Oh, no!” Stygian gasped.
“Hang in there!” Grubber shouted. “Keep holding on!”
Starswirl took a step sideways as he could see the magic on the boulders growing unstable. Feeling her aura begin to sparkle more and more violently, Fizzlepop let out a shout as she relinquished her spell, letting the boulders drop hard to the ground, creating tremors that knocked Grubber off his feet and nearly throwing Stygian and the other unicorn off theirs. Fizzlepop swooned and fell to the shins of her forelegs.
Starswirl hopped to her side and slipped his arm underneath her chest, hoping to catch her. “Fizzlepop! Are you alright?”
Fizzlepop bit her lip, hoping to fight her sobs through her panting. “I’m sorry, Starswirl. I got too excited and overdid it.”
“Now, now.” He helped pull her back onto her hooves. “There’s nothing wrong with ambition, and I know how excited you are to move on in your studies, but what I want more than even that is for you to not injure yourself using magic you’re not capable of yet. Now, let me see your crown.”
Fizzlepop knelt her front side down and let her master peer over it, examining it closely. “I didn’t break it again, did I?”
Starswirl gazed closer, looking for any breaks or irregularities inside the gem. After a few moments, he stepped back to give her space to stand again. “There wasn’t any significant damage to it, but I’d still like to look at it when we return to camp. Come, let’s make our way back.”
As they came down the hill, Starswirl seemed a tad surprised to see the older mare standing between Stygian and Grubber. “Mistmane, what are you doing here?”
“Mage Meadowbrook sent me to let you know that supper is nearly ready,” she responded.
“Oh yeah, best news I heard all day!” Grubber didn’t wait for his other four friends before he bolted off in the direction that Mistmane came from.
“Hmph.” Starswirl lead the others at a much more relaxed pace. “Boy has more loyalty to his stomach than he does for us.”
“Oh, come on, Starswirl!” Stygian playfully defended. “There’s nothing wrong with looking forward to dinner, especially if Meadowbrook’s cooking.”
“I’ll agree with you there.” Fizzlepop’s compliment left Stygian mildly blushing.
Nonetheless, the bashful Stygian hid behind Starswirl, and as she glanced over to see him, she was off put to see Starswirl looking back at him.
“Is there something you wished to discuss, Fizzlepop?” he asked, oblivious to the enamored unicorn behind him.
Fizzlepop looked away. “It’s… nothing, Starswirl.”
Sensing the disappointment in her voice, he smiled warmly. “You are learning very quickly. I can’t imagine that we’ll be stuck on kinetic spells for much longer. Keep your chin up, you have no reason not to be proud of yourself.”
“I too look forward to see where she goes from here,” Mistmane added.
Empowered by her mentor’s words, Fizzlepop picked her head back up and looked straight ahead. The smoke from a not-too-distant campfire was visible, the specks of four ponies and their shadows highlighted by its glow. Knowing she’d be back with her friends made her smile eagerly.
_____________________________________________________
Fizzlepop reluctantly came over a hill with Grubber by her side, a pair of half-empty saddlebags fastened around her waist and her broken stub of a horn visible for anyone to see. Looking over the treetops of the forest below, she spotted the thin tail of a campfire's smoke rising up.
“Do you think they have food down there?” Grubber asked her.
Fizzlepop took a deep, nervous breath as she took a tentative step down the path. “I’m not entirely sure they’re down there.”
“Aw, come on, Tempes– I mean Fizzlesticks.”
“It’s Fizzlepop!” she snapped, making Grubber jump, something she very quickly regretted. “I’m sorry, Grubber. I don’t think I’m quite ready for my new life either.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! That Princess Celestia could have thrown us in their deepest, darkest dungeon after what we nearly did, but she’s actually sending you to learn magic from the Starswirl the Bearded! If I were you, I’d be stoked!”
“I just don’t know…”
Grubber approached her and gently petted her shoulder with his paw. “Okay, look, just letting you know, no matter how badly this could go, you’ll still have your pal Grubber.”
Fizzlepop looked down at her partner’s earnest smile and couldn’t help but chuckle herself. “Okay, fine, you win. Let’s go introduce ourselves.”
The two of them went down the hill, their eyes keeping track of the smoke to help them find their way.
Fizzlepop and Grubber were finally able to trace the light of the fire through the barks of the trees, following where the light was brighter and warmer. As they began to see a clearing, they were so preoccupied by who was there that they didn’t notice the dried leaves and twigs that loudly broke underneath their feet and hooves.
“Halt!” The thick gruff accent of the stallion’s voice was accompanied by the sound of metal being pulled from the ground. “Who goes there?!”
“Aiii!” Grubber rushed behind Fizzlepop and trembled.
Fizzlepop sighed and set her hooves gently down. “My name is Fizzlepop Berrytwist, and my companion’s name is Grubber. Princess Celestia had referred me to you.”
“Hmmm,” Starswirl’s voice sounded contemplative, but Fizzlepop did not seem to have much of a reason to fear what she was mostly certain would happen next. “Come forward, Fizzlepop Berrytwist and… Grubber.”
As Fizzlepop walked ahead, ignoring the remaining leaves and branches that crunched beneath her hooves, Grubber leapt over them before quickly rejoining her side. At the moment she entered the clearing, Fizzlepop found Starswirl and his six companions sitting around the fire with a iron pot hanging over it on a spit.
Along with Mistmane and Stygian, one of these ponies was large and bulky cyan earth stallion with a lighter streak of blue running down the bridge of his nose. Minus three small, but long braids, his mane was chopped short and his beard was about half the length of Starswirl’s. Along with an old, battered shovel it slung and held over the back of his neck, he wore a sleeveless brown leather coat with fur lining and brown compression bands around its legs above the hooves.
Ignoring his icy, threatening stare, Fizzlepop turned to the other three sitting by the fire, including two pegasi, one a light-orange stallion with a deep-red bandana around his neck that matched his tail and mane that popped out from the bottom of a metal-grey beanie hat, the other a light-red mare with a shorter mane and tail of dark green, mostly concealed by a white cloth that covered all but the front half of her head with the ends wrapped loosely around her neck. Also sitting there was an earth mare with a cerulean coat with a wavy, medium-length scarlet mane and tail and wore a short green skirt and a long band around her head.
Starswirl got out from his spot by the fire and approached Fizzlepop, who yielded her ground. “Do you have a letter?”
Fizzlepop reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a rolled parchment out from it with her teeth. Starswirl grumbled quietly as he took the letter from her maw with his magic and unrolled it. Fizzlepop shied away at this gesture and waited as Starswirl read the letter aloud, nodding at the recognition of the hornwriting.
“Starswirl,
If you are reading this letter, then I trust the unicorn and porcupine standing before you have found you and the other Pillars safely. Their names are Fizzlepop Berrytwist and Grubber, respectively, who were former underlings for the evil Storm King.”
“Storm King?” The light-red pegasus asked in a thick, alto accent.
“Never heard of him.” The large blue stallion responded.
“My guess is that you haven’t heard of him until now, but a couple of weeks ago, he and his army had tried and failed to take over Equestria, intending to steal the magic of Twilight Sparkle, Princess Cadance, as well as my sister and I…”
“Whoa!” The orange pegasus shot out from his seat, looking at Fizzlepop and Grubber menacingly. “They both sound dangerous! Why would Celestia–”
“Flash Magnus, calm yourself!” Starswirl glanced behind him before turning his attention back to the letter. “There’s more here.”
“Fizzlepop was tricked by the Storm King into allying with him under the false promise of restoring her broken horn, and after realizing her mistake, she broke her allegiance to him and helped Twilight and her friends defeat him. As for Grubber, he appears to have shown more loyalty towards her than the Storm King, and has asked to accompany her to meet you.”
“Over what, though?” Stygian asked.
“I’m sure there’s more!” The blue earth mare replied in a Southern accent as she sat herself up on the log. “Besides, these two sound mighty fascinatin’, don’t they?”
“I suppose…” Starswirl cleared his throat, ensuring the others would not interrupt him again.
“You see, while Fizzlepop has learned to accept herself and her handicap, Twilight still reached out to me and sought to help her strengthen her magical abilities, which is why I have put her in your hooves. I can assure you here and now that they will not be dead weight to you and the other Pillars and will prove to be useful to you in other ways.
“As I’m sure you learned to forgive Stygian, I’d like you to extend the same courtesies and kindness to these two as both a favor to me and to Twilight. I promise that she will not disappoint any of you.”
Once he rolled the paper back up, he levitated it back into Fizzlepop’s bag and closed it back up. Fizzlepop looked back at Starswirl, whose eyes made it impossible to detect a verdict from. Finally, he walked up to her and she stood firm as Grubber slunk down to his imposing proximity.
After examining her horn closely, he stepped back away from her. “I can tell you for certain that you will not be able to make use of that thing in its state.” Fizzlepop and Grubber’s ears dropped along with their hearts at the news. “But you’re far from a lost cause. There’s a geomancer in a town not far from here that will be of great help for you.”
“Geomancer?” Fizzlepop excitedly stepped to him. “You mean, you can–”
“I will provide the closest replacement for a horn for you that I possibly can, but it will require very much of your mind and body. Knowing that, will you still accept an apprenticeship under me?”
Fizzlepop had already come all this way. With steadfastness, she glared at him. “Yes, I will accept.”
After a tense staredown, Starswirl finally grinned, allowing Fizzlepop and Grubber to drop their guards. “Very good. We won’t start your training until we can mend what we can, but first, I’d like you to get to know your other companions for the time being.”
Both Stygian and the blue mare scooted to the ends of the log to make room for Fizzlepop and Grubber, who took the hint and sat beside them.
“Hello, there!” The blue mare was the first to take Fizzlepop’s hoof in her own and shake them. “Mage Meadowbrook. A pleasure to meet you.”
“Stygian,” the unicorn greeted, allowing Grubber to take his hoof and shake it.
“Cool name!” Grubber exclaimed.
Mistmane walked up to the two and extended her hoof, which Fizzlepop gingerly took. “Mistmane, at your service.”
The red pegasus mare came beside her and bowed humbly. “Somnambula. It’s a privilege.”
“Same,” Fizzlepop nodded as well.
Flash Magnus zipped himself above Mistmane and Somnambula, crossing his arms. “One question I want to ask. How were you able to hold your own with this Storm King fellow? I mean, without a horn, that is?”
“I had other ways of defending myself,” Fizzlepop mumbled, glancing away.
“Oh, really? I want to see! I’m interested!”
“Flash, really,” Starswirl scolded, “there’s no need for that now.”
“No, it’s okay! Besides, Celestia said she can handle herself. I’d like to see. In fact, I’ll let you take the first shot!”
“Please, I–” Fizzlepop was interrupted by Flash Magnus turning his cheek to her and shoving it near her face. “Please, I don’t want to fight you!”
“Maybe I want to fight you! Maybe it’s not all about what you want!”
All eyes were on the two now, the expectation of either a fight or a refusal to appearing acceptable to all. Fizzlepop hummed through her nose, knowing it couldn’t be helped.
“Okay, then,” she softly said, “uh, what was your name again?”
“Maybe if you can knock me down, I’ll tell–”
*TWAHP*
Fizzlepop kicked Flash Magnus hard in the gut, sending him into the air with the wind knocked out of him. Following her momentum, Fizzlepop tumbled backwards off the log and kept her eyes on Flash Magnus as he limply began to fall back down. Charging out and leaping off the log toward him, Fizzlepop bit down on the end of Flash Magnus’s tail and front flipped herself over, swinging Flash Magnus around and letting him go to slam back into the ground beside the fire. While the other ponies were shocked to their cores, Grubber couldn’t help himself as he fell back off the log, howling with laughter.
Fizzlepop landed with her hooves on either side of Flash Magnus’s overturned body, teasingly bringing her face close to his. “Now, that name?”
“Flash… Magnus…” he gurgled.
Just then, she felt the large presence of the large light-blue stallion behind her. Before she could react, she felt its arm wrap around her and pick her up.
As she was turned to face him, she saw the stallion smiling and chuckling jollily and respectfully. “Princess Celestia wasn’t kidding when she said you wouldn’t disappoint. Rockhoof’s my name, and I’d be thrilled if you agreed to spar with me sometime!”
Feeling his tug get tighter, Fizzlepop tried to breathe as hard as she could. “Yeah… maybe!”
“Oh, sorry!” Rockhoof set Fizzlepop back down, allowing her to gulp for the air that he had squeezed out of her.
Turning back to Flash Magnus, who was slow to get up, Fizzlepop stood back over him and offered him her hoof. Without much hesitation, he hooked his arm to it and pulled, Fizzlepop also pulling him up as well.
“Hehe…” Flash Magnus rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, the lump that was forming there making him wince. “Okay, I’m sorry for misjudging you.”
Fizzlepop smirked. “Maybe next time you’ll actually see me coming.”
“Maybe… Maybe you’ll have to teach me to.”
Fizzlepop, Rockhoof, and Flash Magnus all laughed as they went to sit together by the fire. Starswirl looked upon the sight, smiling with the blessing he was sure was delivered to him.
Stygian made room for Grubber as he got back up onto the log, wiping the tears from his eyes. “She’s the best, right?”
Stygian peered over to see her engaging in conversation with the others, who were appearing to quickly enjoy her company. Smiling to himself, he was filled with the desire to enjoy her company too.
_____________________________________________________
Fizzlepop could finally make out her friends as they gathered around their fire, waiting for dinner to be served. Upon seeing them from the corner of their eyes, the others turned to see Starswirl and Fizzlepop returning.
“Fizzie!” Flash Magnus called with an enthusiastic wave. “How’d today go?”
No matter how many times he called her that, it still brought a cute smile to Fizzlepop’s face. “Better.”
Grubber was already near the pot as Mage Meadowbrook slowly stirred its contents: a thick, creamy stew. “MmMM! Truffle Chowder again?”
“Anything for my favorite porcupine!” She rubbed the back of his ear, making him shudder in pleasure.
“Thank goodness you’ve returned,” Somnambula greeted. “I am positively famished.”
“Grubber,” Mistmane called, “you wouldn’t mind helping to serve, would you?”
“On it!” Grubber rushed to Rockhoof’s saddlebags and pulled out ten metal bowls, two of which were more lustrous than the others.
Rockhoof leaned his front on the end of his shovel as Fizzlepop approached him and Flash Magnus. “So, how high did you lift those boulders today?”
“I managed to get those five about twenty feet into the air before I started losing control,” she answered with a twinge of discontent.
“Ah, you’ll get there eventually!” he replied with a knock of his hoof to her shoulder. “Just be sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
“Right… Starswirl told me as such.”
“Speaking of chewing,” Stygian bumped in, “dinner’s ready!”
Grubber was already ladling his fifth bowl of chowder as the rest of the group began to convene around the fire. Starswirl took the five bowls that had been poured and lifted them into the hooves of Stygian, Mage Meadowbrook, Flash Magnus, Somnambula, and Mistmane. By that time, Grubber had finished with the other half, allowing Starswirl to take three of those bowls, giving two to Rockhoof and leaving the other for himself. Grubber handed Fizzlepop her bowl, which she easily and deftly took in her magical grasp.
Grubber took his own bowl and went with Fizzlepop to sit beside Stygian and Mage Meadowbrook. With everyone gathered, Starswirl rose his bowl up in toasting.
“To another day well traveled!” The others responded by raising their bowls up themselves.
“To another day!” The motley crew cheered.
Putting their bowls back to themselves, they each took savoring sips, careful not to burn their mouths or spoil the enjoyment of their supper. Grubber, however, was pouring his scalding chowder down his throat without any sign of discomfort or pain.
“Oh, yeah!” He licked the leftovers out until his bowl appeared clean and spotless. “Is there more left?”
“Of course, Grubber!” Mage Meadowbrook giggled as she licked the chowder moustache above her lip. “Help yourself, please!”
“If he even knew what it tastes like is beyond me,” Starswirl squinted at Grubber as he ran to back to the pot.
“Well, it’s not as if he lets it go to waste,” Flash Magnus commented.
The others couldn’t help but giggle as Grubber sat back beside Fizzlepop with a fresh bowl on his lap. As he lifted the bowl to guzzle down his next helping, he noticed as a wind was picking up around him, creating ripples in his meal. The others were quick to notice it themselves in their own bowls, and as they looked about, uncertain of the source, a shadow quickly formed around them from overhead.
Looking up, their eyes and mouths went wide as a wooden dirigible with rainbow-colored wing-shaped sails quickly descended down. As the sails beat down, reducing the speed of its fall, globs of chowder began to splash out of the bowls, nearly landing on the ponies.
They quickly set their bowls down and stepped away from the fire, which was also soon extinguished by the ship’s gusts. The ponies and porcupine all ran out from under the shadow of the ship as they gathered together to await for someone or something to depart down to greet them.
As the ship came to a steady level, a rope was tossed out the side before the group, its end just coming inches from the grass. A figure jumped off the side of the ship with its talon-hands gripping the rope. As the figure slid down, Fizzlepop quickly recognized her from her emerald peg leg and leather attire. Without much reduction to her speed, she landed before the group with her good knee breaking her fall.
As she stood up, her eyes were locked on to Starswirl, who glared at her with an unthreatened stare. “Are you Starswirl the Bearded?”
“Celaeno!” Fizzlepop shouted. “What are you–”
“Yes, hello Tempest Shadow. Or, you go by your own name now, right? What was it, Sodapop Buttertwist?”
Fizzlepop pursed her lips in anger, but Starswirl was quick to counter. “Who are you, and what is your purpose here?”
“Well, as your friend correctly said, my name is Celaeno, and I am the captain of the Awesome Rainboom.”
“Awesome whatboom?” Flash Magnus snickered.
“Please be quiet, this is very important.” Celaeno pulled a letter from her breastplate and handed it to Starswirl, which he quickly glanced through. “The long and short of it is that Celestia sent me over to let you know that she needs you in Canterlot right away, and that we’re giving you all a lift.”
“What could Celestia possibly need?” Stygian wondered aloud.
“Nothing horrible I pray,” Somnambula responded.
Starswirl rolled the letter back up, having gotten the gist of it. “I… that’s very thoughtful of you, but we still have to pack our camp if we’re–”
Four more ropes flopped down beside Celaeno’s, and coming down on them were four other parrots in leather attire on both sides of her, one large and muscular with a hook on the end of his right arm, a slimmer one wearing a grey bandana with a red feather and an eyepatch, a shorter pink one wearing a green apron and blouse, and a crookedly-stanced one with scattershot eyes wearing an aviators cap and goggles.
“Don’t you worry about that!” Celaeno pointed to them with her thumb. “My crew will handle everything. Now, let’s just focus on getting you aboard. Those with wings, get to the ship and help pull your friends up.”
As the four parrots hustled to the camp, Somnambula and Flash Magnus pushed off the ground and flew up to the ship. Meanwhile, Rockhoof, Mage Meadowbrook, Stygian, and Mistmane went to their ropes, the latter gripping on with her arms while using her magic to further tether herself to it.
Fizzlepop glanced to the remaining rope before looking to Starswirl. “Aren’t you going to go up?”
“I can teleport myself on. You go ahead.”
Fizzlepop nodded and went to the rope with Grubber, Celaeno’s judgmental gaze following them the entire way.
As Starswirl backed away, Celaeno turned to face him. “So, how exactly did you come to know Temp–”
With a glow of his horn, Starswirl vanished into thin air, leaving her by herself. She threw her arm up in exasperation. As Stygian, Mistmane, and Mage Meadowbrook were hoisted up, Grubber ran to Fizzlepop. Scooping him up into her arm, she looked up and was pulled up as well.
Both Fizzlepop and Grubber were surprised by how fast they were rising, and within a matter of moments, they reached the side of the ship. Peering over the edge, Mage Meadowbrook, Mistmane, and Stygian walked over to greet the ones who helped them, several of them tall, colorful equine beings with avian heads, wings, and forelegs. Among them was a brown, anthropomorphic cat who stood as tall as the hippogriffs he assisted, who sported a long red coat and a patch of purple hair atop his head.
Flash Magnus held the rope as Somambula rushed over to help Fizzlepop and Grubber onboard. They then both turned to see several of the hippogriffs struggle to pull the rope Rockhoof was attached to by their teeth.
“Come on,” Somnambula said to her. “They could use our help.”
The cat clapped the dust and rope fiber off his paws before turning to see Fizzlepop making her way toward Rockhoof’s rope, his entire body tensing and his eyes narrowing.
He leaned down to Stygian and cupped his hand to the side of his mouth near his ear. “Uh, pardon me. She with you?”
Seeing where the cat was pointing, Stygian lit up walking behind him and pushing him toward her. “Yeah, she’s with us! Let me introduce her!”
“Nah, that’s okay, we’ve… met before.”
With her magic, Fizzlepop was able to help the hippogriffs lift Rockhoofup, allowing him to pull himself aboard and land inside with a heavy bang of his hooves.
“Woohoohoo!” A greyish-yellow hippogriff fell onto her back laughing, snorting a couple of times. “He really was a big one!”
Along with her feathery, droopy light-blue mane and tail, the bridge of her nose was mottled with freckles and she wore a necklace of seashells around her neck. As she stood herself up, she walked around her other friends to give thanks to Fizzlepop and Somnambula.
“Thanks a lot, you two! We would have never gotten him up without your– Tempest?!”
The hippogriff jolted her body into an arch, her mane standing on end before Stygian brought himself and the cat to them.
“So, this is Fizzlepop Berrytwist, Mr…” Stygian’s face suddenly twisted, realizing something he had forgotten. “Oh, pardon me, I never even got your name.”
“It’s… Capper,” he responded. “And trust me, I’m well acquainted with *ahem*… Fizzlepop here.”
“She’s great isn’t she?” Rockhoof’s one-armed around-the-back hug nearly wrapped around her entire body. “One of the strongest, quickest ponies I’ve ever known!”
“Uhuh… and how exactly did you meet her?”
“Okay, listen.” Fizzlepop broke free of Rockhoof’s grasp and approached Capper. “I know what I did back then was far from okay, but I came to Starswirl because I wanted to make that change for myself. I don't intend on getting you all to like me after what I’ve done, and to be honest, I’m just as surprised to see you all here again. All I want is to help Princess Celestia with whatever she needs from us. Until then…”
Fizzlepop thrust her hoof toward Capper’s chest, making him back off. The yellow hippogriff looked genuinely stunned by Fizzlepop’s candor, her pursed-beaked stare becoming a forgiving smile.
“So… truce then?” Capper wondered.
Fizzlepop nodded. With a pondering hand to his chin, Capper’s eyes relaxed with resignation and he slapped his hand onto her hoof, giving a single firm shake.
“Yeah, alright. I mean, I can’t see what you see in her, but if Celestia herself has this much faith in all y’all… and who might you all be anyhow?”
“Yes, sorry, I’m Stygian,” the unicorn spoke, pointing to his other two friends. “And this is Somnambula and Rockhoof.”
The yellow hippogriff came close to Somnambula’s head, looking at the garment on her head. “I just love that robe thingy on you. It really brings out your eyes!”
“Um… thank you!” Her enthusiasm was contagious. “I do miss my more traditional dress, but I’m trying to, how do they say, live in the moment!”
“And there’s no moment like this moment! I’m Princess Skystar. Mom let me bring some friends from home to help as you can see!” She giggled and snorted again before noticing Mistmane and Flash Magnus on the back end of the ship. “Oh, you have more friends! You have to introduce me to them!”
“HEY!” Celaeno’s voice was clearly heard from below, and turning back to the side of the ship, they noticed the ropes being tugged on. “We still have stuff to bring up!”
Skystar sheepishly smiled back to her new friends. “Maybe we can wait until we set sail?”
“Right.”
On Rockhoof’s approval, he went to a rope and grabbed hold with his teeth. Capper, Skystar, Fizzlepop, and Somnambula also went to a rope and prepared to pull the parrots and their belongings onboard.
Rockhoof and Fizzlepop both pulled on their ropes as Celaeno, the aproned parrot, and the eyepatched parrot observed. Rising over the banister of the ship was the hook-handed parrot standing atop the spit and the chowder pot, and the other two parrots went over and pulled the spit, pot, and their comrade up onto the ship.
“Yes!” Grubber walked toward the pot. “You saved the chowder!”
Before he could touch it, the googly-eyed parrot popped his head out from the pot, splashing chowder onto Grubber and a portion of the deck. Despite Grubber’s sheer annoyance, the googly-eyed parrot happily and absentminded cawed.
“On second thought, I’m not hungry anymore.” Grubber disappointedly rejoined Fizzlepop’s side as they went to Starswirl and his companions.
“Okay, you guys,” Celaeno said to them. “We got everything?”
Rockhoof brandished his shovel while Flash Magnus looked at a shiny copper shield that he let balance against him. “We’re good,” Flash Magnus reported.
Mistmane and Mage Meadowbrook looked at a pink flower in a small clay pot and a large blue-and-yellow bee-head mask that rested with their saddlebags while Somnambula kept a sandy-colored cloth wrapped around her right foreleg. The three of them nodded as their treasured belongings were accounted for.
Starswirl also made note of a greyish-blue tome that was placed in their pile of belongings. “I believe that’s everything that we can’t replace.”
“Very good! Alright, scallywags, all talons to stations!”
The parrots sprung into action, the googly-eyed parrot leaping out from the pot and leaving a trail of earthy smelling chowder in his wake that Grubber was close to mourning. Celaeno leapt up to the helm at the quarter deck and threw the wheel to turn the ship north. A gust suddenly picked up behind them, throwing the sails open. With the parrot crew each grabbing hold of a rope and tying them down, they kept the sails steady as they were carried off.
As they rose into the sky, Fizzlepop made her way to the starboard and put her hooves on the banister, watching the plains below become less featured as they climbed towards the clouds.
Behind her, Skystar was ecstatically introducing herself to Starswirl and Mage Meadowbrook as Rockhoof and Somnambula enjoyed her enthusiasm. Capper leaned against the back wall below the quarter and kept her eyes on Fizzlepop and Grubber. Without much of a reaction, he slowly walked his way to Starswirl and the others to mingle with them.
As Fizzlepop peered to the north, Grubber climbed onto her and mounted her upper back to see, both smiling as they awaited their next big adventure.