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// Chapter 3: The Scorpion Awakes 
// Story: A Storm on the Horizon of the Arcane World 
// by Fluttercheer 
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When the morning came, Fizzlepop was still alone. No wolves had visited her during the night, in a foolish belief they could get an easy meal of a sleeping filly. Whether it was out of respect and fear for slaughtering one of their comrades or if the wolves had just found a different meal last night, it was something Fizzlepop couldn't tell when she awoke in her resting place at the leaf tree. But it also didn't matter. She was a scorpion and scorpions who are disturbed in their sleep sting and kill.
Fizzlepop stretched her legs and groans of satisfaction, from a sleep that was more comfortable than she expected it to be at this place, growled in her throat. She opened her eyes and took in the sight in front of her; the berry bushes and their lush, green leaves, with the round berries sitting between them like little, red ornaments that a nature spirit left there to decorate the bushes. Some leftover morning dew was on the berries, sparkling in the sunlight.
Fizzlepop got up. Her body felt strangely light. She didn't feel any signs of the stresses and strains from the previous day. In fact, her muscles felt fresh and strong, like she had become reborn while sleeping at this tree. The only negative thing she could perceive was a stiff feeling in her nose and that it was slightly runny. It was a cold night, she realized. But now it was warm and the few drops coming from her nose were nothing compared to the pain of the previous day. Fizzlepop trotted to the bushes and ripped off some leaves. Using them as impromptu tissue, she held them at her nose and blew. A few birds took off from somewhere between the trees, startled by the loud sound her nose produced. She dropped the used tissues and approached a bush, one that she hadn't yet plundered on the evening before.
During her first berry feast, Fizzlepop had barely paid attention to how they looked. But now that she was less hungry and had a restful sleep, she noticed that their red color was not consistent. Sometimes the red was brighter and sometimes it was darker. She saw lines on the individual berries and, after looking at them for a while, she could make out intricate patterns that were formed by the differently-shaded red. The fruits looked like someone had used them as tiny canvases. The patterns were beautiful to behold and it was only her grumbling stomach prompting her to eat that let Fizzlepop stop admiring them and to eat them instead. Guilt pierced her heart as she imagined how her teeth bit down on them and destroyed the tiny artworks.
The sun stood higher in the sky as Fizzlepop was finished with eating. Each of the berries took up only a tiny space in her stomach and filling it completely required her to eat lots of them. Once more she was in a situation when a watch would have been helpful, to figure out how much time passed while she was stuffing herself with hundreds of the beautiful, little berries and to determine how long it still was until it would become night once again. But nothing of this felt important to Fizzlepop, only the sweet juices on her tongue mattered to her and she made sure to get as much of them as possible. And now, Fizzlepop was trotting across the clearing, past the leaf tree who had provided rest for her tired body, and towards the other end of it. Behind the tree line, she could see more dark and deep forest space.
The change of mood as she stepped inside between two trees was overpowering. Bright, comforting sunlight switched places with a dreary, foreboding darkness that made Fizzlepop's heart feel cold. She should have known this feeling already, but now that she wasn't distraught, in pain or hungry and dehydrated, Fizzlepop could fully feel the dreadful atmosphere of the forest for the first time. It gave her shivers, this forest that was so much darker and so much more menacing than the forest her village was surrounded by. But now she was a scorpion and whatever was lurking in the black depths of this forest, she knew she could take it on. Heart pulsating with bravery, Fizzlepop made her way through the gloomy environment.
Her trot was surprisingly uneventful, at first. The forest kept giving her shivers and the fact that the sun could not be seen from under the thick canopy did not make it easier for young Fizzlepop. At some point she could have sworn that a shadow was scurrying at the edges of her view, something black and scrawny detaching itself from a tree. But as Fizzlepop looked at it, there was nothing, of course. It was her imagination playing tricks on her, something she was not surprised about in the slightest in a place like this. But other than this eerie occurrence, the forest was quiet and peaceful. This didn't fit to all the darkness and the atmosphere of threat around her, but what did she know about the world? How nothing happened was a contrast to this environment, a contradiction even, but maybe the world was full of contradictions and she just didn't know it yet. Maybe all of this was normal.
Such were Fizzlepop's thoughts as she ventured through the vegetation. Nothing stirred anymore, except for herself. Eventually, the filly stopped as she spotted something on a tree next to her. On its bark, mushrooms grew. The brown, fleshy growth that inhabited the tree was cone-shaped, with a flat surface on top, but only half of the cone was visible. The other half was not to be seen anywhere, like it had been cut off or like it was inside the trunk. It was the weirdest sight Fizzlepop ever had.
For a good, long moment, she pondered eating these mushrooms, but Fizzlepop decided against it. She had nothing to roast them with and they would probably taste awful if she ate them raw like that. Besides, there was no way of telling if they were poisonous.
Resisting the potential food source, Fizzlepop turned around for her back, on which she had been carefully carrying a small stack of the delicious, ornamented, red berries the entire time. She reached for one of them with her mouth, as something flashing in front of her returned her attention back to the mushrooms. All of a sudden, they were glowing brightly, in a soft shade of blue. The beautiful, but unnatural, light of the mushrooms drove even the last tiny desire to eat them out of Fizzlepop's mind. A glow like that had to come from poison.
While she still pondered how it was possible that mushrooms could create such a light, Fizzlepop heard something snap and crack behind her. The sound pierced through her marrow and bone. Startled, she turned around. What she saw pervaded her body with fear.
In the distance, a small pony was trotting away from her, exactly in the opposite direction. But, much to her dismay, it wasn't a normal pony. The pony she saw was completely made of shadows, a black figure that she could barely distinct from the increasing darkness around her. The glowing mushrooms suddenly entered her thoughts and her mind connected the dots..... Nightfall was near! And now there was a phantom pony made of shadows being here in the forest with her, while she still had no clue about how to get out of it! A prickly feeling went down her spine as she watched the phantom pony, frozen at the spot from the fear she felt.
The pony trotted very lightly. It almost looked like it was prancing, it stepped on the ground with soft, sleek movements, yet it was merely trotting. Fizzlepop was like she could hear the faint chiming of bells. After a few more steps, the phantom pony suddenly turned around. It smiled, a smile from a face without features, a face with no eyes that was barely more than a black surface. Yet, despite that, the smile felt friendly. The bells became louder and now Fizzlepop was sure that they were connected to the apparition. It was a gentle sound, inviting and welcoming. The phantom pony moved its head up a few times, like it was beckoning her to follow.
All fear was falling off of Fizzlepop. Suddenly, she was at ease and a warm feeling spread out in her heart. Fizzlepop took a step forward. Then another. Feeling drawn to the phantom who beckoned her over, she set herself into motion. When she did, the phantom pony turned around and continued its way in the same fashion as before. The bells were chiming faintly again. Fizzlepop followed her otherworldly guide in a respectful distance, a feeling of reverence telling her that getting too close wouldn't be right.
The phantom pony did not turn around at her anymore, it just kept trotting to the rhythm of the bell chimes. Or were the bells chiming to the rhythm of its movements? Fizzlepop had no clue where this phantom wanted to lead her, but she felt no threat coming from it. The direction the being led her was different than the one she had been following, but with no orientation anyway, it did not matter.
As it grew even darker and Fizzlepop could not see her surroundings anymore, a faint, green glow began to surround her guide. It stopped again and beckoned her to come closer. A new surge of warmth arose in Fizzlepop's chest. She felt welcomed and this made the approach easy.
The phantom continued as her coat got lit up by its glow. The bells had a hypnotic fascination for Fizzlepop and she was following the phantom in a trance. It ended as the bells chimed louder. The glow had increased, this was the first thing that Fizzlepop noticed as she awoke. The little phantom stood right in front of her, looking into her face. It still showed the strange, formless smile. Fizzlepop blinked, not knowing how to react on the display of attention. But before she could start raking her brain for something to say, the shadowy pony turned its head away and began pointing it at the space between two trees in some meters distance. Fizzlepop stared at the trees and was greeted with pure darkness. A cold, stiff breeze made her shudder.
As she didn't move, the shadow pony pranced around her and gave her a nudge on the flank. Fizzlepop turned around to look at it, surprised that the pony could touch her. It pointed its head again, still wearing the featureless smile. The instructions were clear.
Fizzlepop looked at the two trees again. She set herself into motion. The bells returned and accompanied each step of hers. As Fizzlepop could take a look between the trees, the silvery shine of the moon let her see grass and flowers with closed blossoms. She looked up and could see the moon without any branches or foliage blocking the view. The forest ended here. Gasping, Fizzlepop looked at her helper, who had guided her out of the forest.
The black phantom leaped up and down, the play of the bells mimicking its movements. Then, as it arrived in mid-air another time, the phantom pony vanished. It faded out and only black dust surrounded by the familiar green glow remained for a few moments. Then the dust was gone, too, and the forest fell into complete darkness again. A smile on her lips, Fizzlepop stepped between the trees and out of the forest.
A breeze as chill as the one before brought her mane into disarray. Somewhere in front of her, Fizzlepop could hear swooshing sounds. It was cooler than in the forest. She followed the sounds through the grassland, guided by the moon's light this time. But in the chill air, something that had only been faintly knocking at the edges of her mind since she began following the mysterious phantom to the exit of the forest, returned. Pictures of her village flashed up in her mind. She tried to fight back the tears, but they did not follow her will and began to flow freely down her face. They made her cheeks sting in the cold wind. The sounds became louder as she trotted along, once more feeling lost in her misery. As their volume was reaching its peak, Fizzlepop could see what produced them.
In front of her, a wide and vast surface of water reflected the celestial body in the sky. A huge lake, spanning farther than Fizzlepop's eyes could see. Unbelievably larger than the mountain lake near her village and with sand instead of grass at its shore. Waves were licking away at it. But the most unusual sight, the most impressive thing Fizzlepop found here was not on the ground and neither was it the moon in the sky.
Amidst the stars and far away, a massive construction made entirely of clouds was floating above the lake. She could make out white, fluffy buildings. A cloud city in the sky. Fizzlepop's mouth went open wide. The sight made her sit down. The berries she carried on her back fell into the sand and she did not notice it. Her eyes belonged to the shiny city.
As Fizzlepop let them wander over the structure, she began to feel at ease. The pain fell off of her. Bright, colorful lights illuminated the clouds of the city. There was a blue structure in one corner of it; long, winding trails of something unknown, a small object whizzing around on it every few minutes. Fizzlepop could hear faint music from the city, carried by the wind into her ears. They welcomed the melody.
The music and the lights, they gave Fizzlepop a never before known feeling of home. Different than anything she knew from her village..... but what would she miss there, really? She was basically an outcast, shunned for the loss of what made her a unicorn, her own people only having scornful looks left for her anymore. But this place, this city in the sky, so full of life and fun, called for her. Maybe, Fizzlepop thought, this could become her new home.
The only problem was how far away this beautiful place was..... But the lost filly she was felt that she could find peace there. She only needed to watch the cloud city a few seconds longer, then it was decided. This would be her new home. Tonight, she would just watch and spend the night on this sandy ground. And tomorrow, she would follow the call.
Her cloud paradise in the sky was waiting.