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Acknowledgements323 words
Bonus Chapter - Tempest's Patrol1,329 words

Eight

Fourteen years ago...

The next day, Avon and Star Myth started walking up the same hill that they always walked up to reach their favourite picnic site. Avon carried the basket of food and Star Myth carried the blanket, along with some books on Latin and the collective works of The Four Pillars of Equestria, all written in old Ponyish. Both Avon and Star Myth looked up; even though the sky did look dark and gloomy, there wasn't a drop of rain to be seen. The blue colt had decided to do some homework whilst having lunch with his friends. He pulled out his golden pocket watch and looked at the time. Star cringed at what the two needles were pointing at.

Twelve minutes past one.

Star Myth sighed and looked over towards Avon. The only response she gave was a lazy shrug, followed by her simply continuing getting everything out of the picnic basket. Thankfully, on this occasion, she remembered the cucumber sandwiches. Avon pulled them out of the basket and put them all on a large plate. Afterwards, she took out some pink lemonade and dandelion wraps and placed all of them on the blanket.

Meanwhile, Star Myth was bouncing his toy ball whilst on the lookout for Fizzlepop. He couldn't believe that she was this late; Fizzlepop was never late. Star Myth looked at the time again.

Fourteen minutes past one.

"Where could she be?" Avon asked her friend. The colt shrugged, before returning his focus to what he was doing. Star Myth did have other matters on his mind, including homework and other pieces of work that needed to be completed by next week. After all, the Hearth's Warming holidays were nearly over.

Just then, Star Myth caught sight of a unicorn filly running towards him very quickly, this time not wearing a dress or even a hood. They knew who the filly was as soon as they saw her horn, or rather, what was left of her horn. Avon waved her hoof in the air and in response, Fizzlepop sped up her pace and halted before she ran into her two friends.

"Where in Celestia have you been?" Avon asked her friend, "We were beginning to worry what had happened to you? Why did you take so long to get here?"

Fizzlepop panted and breathed heavily, before falling face first onto the fall.

"I... was finishing... homework!" the filly panted, slightly muffled, "Lot's of... catching up... to do. Going to school... tomorrow."

Avon and Star Myth looked at their friend with a confused expression, both raising an eyebrow in response. They had never seen their friend so unfit before. It must have been the treatment that she was receiving at the hospital or even the fact that she rarely went out, in case anypony saw her horn.

"Well, at least you're here now," Avon said positively, "Star Myth's brought along his ball, so we can play with that. Also, that's great news to hear that you're going back to school!"

Fizzlepop was given a helping hoof when her two friends lifted her up from the ground and got her back onto all four hooves. The crimson unicorn wobbled about, before balancing herself again into the normal position. She then went over to the picnic blanket and inspected the food.

"This all looks lovely!" she said to Avon, "Did you make all of this by yourself?" Avon blushed.

"Well, I did have some help from mum," the green unicorn replied, "but the idea did come from me. The pink lemonade was mostly done by her."

"I think you did amazing anyway, Avon!" Fizzlepop complimented, "Remind us two to do something in return, like a trip to Klugetown, or even...!"

The filly held her breath, before sighing romanticly.

"Canterlot!"

The other two sighed as well before all three ponies started laughing away.

"If only we were that wealthy..." Avon said, giggling, "...if only."

"Well, if we ever have the chance, we could always get into Celestia's Royal School for Gifted Unicorns!" Fizzlepop added, "And after that, the University of Canterlot!"

"Oh, think of all the books they have in their library!" Star Myth cried out, "Thousands and thousands of books like old pony language, historic figures, Equestria's records and classic novels! They're all there, waiting to be read!"

"Cucumber sandwich, anypony?"

Thirty minutes later, the three fillies had a rest from eating and chatting and lay down on the picnic blanket. Star Myth kept throwing his ball in the air and balancing it on the tip of his hoof, whilst watching the clouds moving and shifting in the sky. It was a sunny day, but it was still bitterly cold and there were still patches of snow around, especially on higher ground. The colour green was not to be seen, only a shade of white and grey. The snow was deep, especially in some places where the residents had just dumped snow from the roads and pavements. Snow piles were getting bigger each day and soon they were becoming taller than some houses.

Star Myth sighed.

"I'm bored."

Avon looked down at him. Where Star Myth was looking, it looked like Avon was upside down. This made him laugh, before reverting to his frowny expression.

"Then why we play a game then, dumbo?!" she asked, giving him a poke.

"Okay then, let's play some hoofball!" the colt suggested, "Everypony on their hooves once! Fizzlepop, are you playing?"

Fizzlepop gulped and hesitated for a while, before getting onto all four hooves. She walked over to the other two ponies, shying away slightly from the idea of playing hoofball. After all, it was the reason why she lost her horn to the Ursa.

"Erm, perhaps we-." Fizzlepop began but was cut off from Avon grabbing hold of her hoof and pulling her towards the ball.

"Oh, come on, Fizzlepop!" the green unicorn said, "We're nowhere near any Ursas where we're sitting. Plus, you need to get out more. Don't let your horn stop you from doing the things you're good at."

Avon placed her friend on a flat piece of surface, right in front of the goal. Then, Star Myth prepared himself to shoot but was distracted by Fizzlepop constantly shaking. She seemed nervous, so Star Myth didn't kick the ball.

"Are you okay, Fizzlepop?" he asked, "You don't seem yourself today."

Fizzlepop started sweating and shaking like a rattlesnake on a bad day. Her vision became blurry; from where she was looking from, it looked like there were three of Star Myth rather than one. But soon, it died off and Fizzlepop reverted back to normal.

"Yes, I'm fine!" Fizzlepop replied, "Give me your best shot!"

Star Myth backed up, taking ten hoof steps back before stopping. He eyed where he would be shooting, before digging the ground with his hoof. He stirred up the ground, grinding up the mud into a small pile. Star Myth made his target and then, he swung his leg into the ball and kicked it as hard as he could.

The ball flew into the air like a cannonball firing out of a cannon. It headed towards Fizzlepop like a bullet firing out of a gun or an arrow being propelled from a bow. Fizzlepop gasped in surprise, for she didn't have time to duck out of the way. The ball was going to hit her in the face wherever she liked it or not. Fizzlepop prepared to face the pain from the impact of the force the ball was going at.

Suddenly, the ball stopped just centimetres from her face midair and hovered steadily in front of Fizzlepop. After opening her eyes, Fizzlepop saw that the ball had stopped flying towards her and had, in fact, stopped midair.

The ball was frozen in place where it was hovering, with colourful magic surrounding it. After jiggering about, the ball was beginning to stretch and twist in unnatural positions. It looked like a rugby ball for one moment and then something else the next. Fizzlepop started breathing heavily and tried to stop her magic from destroying the object, but it soon became too much for her to even control.

"What... what are you doing, Fizzlepop?" Avon asked.

"I don't know!" Fizzlepop replied, "I can't control it! It's the horn, not me doing this, I swear!"

Avon and Star Myth stepped away from their friend, before hearing a loud bang, along with a bright flash. The rest of what came happened so quickly that no pony could tell what was going on. All they knew was that the ball had exploded, with the material and pieces flying about all over the place. Dark magic swarmed around Fizzlepop like a snake suffocating its prey by wrapping its body around it. The magic travelled around Fizzlepop, before going straight into both her eyes. The whole process was horrifying for her friends, as they watched metres away in fear.

Eventually, the magic stopped and Fizzlepop landed on the ground again, opening her eyes to see her friends. They were shaking like maracas, for they had fear crawling their bodies. Avon tried to reach up and grab Fizzlepop, but the dark magic gave her shock, pushing the green unicorn back and making her land on the floor.

"What's happening to Fizzlepop?" Avon asked Star Myth, "Why is her horn doing this?"

After another bright light, Fizzlepop landed on the floor along with the destroyed ball. The magic had vanished into thin air and Fizzlepop had reverted to her regular self. Avon and Star Myth looked down on her, both who were afraid of what she would do that. Fizzlepop opened her eyes and looked up, seeing the upset expressions of her friends. They looked as if they had become tired of her strange magical abilities.

"I... I thought they fixed you..." Avon whispered.

Fizzlepop scoffed, before getting on all hooves again. Her horn was still buzzing electrical magic energy. Even if her eyes had reverted back to their natural blue colour, it was really too late for Fizzlepop to hide anything from her friends at that point onwards.

"They have!" she cried, "I'm better, I just need to practise my magic, that's all! I'm not that ill anymore, I swear!"

Avon raised her eyebrow but was halted after Star Myth turned her head to face him.

"It's a one-off, Avon!" he said to her, "Fizzlepop's fine. She just needs to practise to control it, that's all!"

Avon growled, before slapping Star Myth to the ground with her hoof and then grunted.

"I am sick to death with every pony calling us names, being mean to us, treating us like dirt and refusing to help us anymore, because our friend here no longer has a horn!"

"You're being silly, Avon!" Star Myth replied back, "Everypony's different. You're different to me and I'm different to you. We're her only friends, remember? I can't believe you just slapped me! What's happened to you?"

"Damn it, Myth! When will you get it? We're freaks, all three of us! It's not just her!"

"I'm sorry, Avon..." Fizzlepop said, "I didn't-."

"Never mind!" Avon cried, cutting her friend off, "I'm going home! I'll leave you two to clean up!"

"Avon!"

The filly didn't listen. She simply stormed off, stamping her hooves as she left the park. Fizzlepop and Star Myth didn't dare to do anything, apart from just watch. The filly went over to the colt and put her hoof on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered. A tear dripped down her cheek. Star Myth put his hoof on her shoulder, before drawing her into a hug.

"I know." Star Myth looked over at the abandoned picnic blanket and then smiled. "Let's go home, shall we?"

Fizzlepop nodded, before going over to pick up everything. Star Myth put the picnic basket on his back and then followed his friend on the way back home, walking along the path that was lined up with tiny winter honeysuckles and the odd blade of grass that poked through the surface of the snow. Star Myth cleared the path with his magic, including melting the icy gravel path. He took Fizzlepop all the way down, heading towards her house.

Fizzlepop continued wiping away tears of sadness. She took out her handkerchief and soaked up the dirty liquid that was pouring over her face. The day she lost her horn had lost its place at the top of Top 10 Worst Days Ever. The day she lost one of her best friends was now officially the reigning champion.

The atmosphere in Fizzlepop's living room was crestfallen. There was an awkward silence between the three residents of the cottage, with a hint of tension lurking around each and every being. Even Mrs Berrytwist hadn't said a word since she came in from work. She knew her daughter was having a painful time, judging by the growing wrinkles across her eyes and the dried tears attached to her cheeks. Her make-up was ruined. It had stained Fizzlepop's face and dripped onto the living room's carpet, creating a pool of black blobs sinking into the material of the floor. Mrs Berrytwist went over to her daughter and stroked her hoof over her back. The little filly sobbed quietly, folding her front legs over her eyes and hiding her head underneath one of the sofa's cushions.

"It's all my fault!" Fizzlepop wailed, "I should never have gone into that cave! I should never have tried to get Star Myth's ball! Avon hates me now and so does the whole school! I'm screwed!"

"It wasn't anypony's fault, Fizzlepop," Mrs Berrytwist whispered, "it the Ursa that attacked you. Your horn's magic has just become faulty, that's all. I'm sure, when you get used to it, your horn will no longer explode with magical sparks that can cause damage to anypony. We're here for you anyway."

Fizzlepop frowned and folded her front legs again, but this time covering her chest.

"My friends aren't, though!" she replied.

"Your friends understand differently," Mrs Berrytwist explained, "family thinks what I think. Each and every single pony will have a different opinion of you, Fizzlepop. If there were no opinions in the world, then nothing will happen. We would all just be doing the same thing every day and there would be no fun. Think about that? Nothing fun to do!"

Fizzlepop sniffed, before looking up at her mother.

"Really?"

"Of course! Your father and I do very different jobs, remember?"

Fizzlepop then smiled and moved closer to Mrs Berrytwist, closing in for a hug. Her mother stroked her head gently and slowly. The stroking calmed Fizzlepop surprisingly and soon drifted her into a deep sleep. Mrs Fizzlepop noticed that her daughter had nodded off, so she decided to take her up to her room. Using her magic, Mrs Fizzlepop lifted Fizzlepop into the air and went upstairs as quietly as she could and then went into her room. She tucked Fizzlepop into bed and gave her a soft kiss on her horn.

The horn suddenly ignited, blowing off a hint of green magic that shot into the air, before vanishing into thin air. Mrs Berrytwist smiled, before getting up and walking over to the door. She began to close it but stopped to look at Fizzlepop one more time.

"Goodnight, Fizzlepop," Mrs Berrytwist whispered, "we both love you very much. Remember that."

Mrs Berrytwist then closed the door behind herself and trotted downstairs. Sandals Berrytwist walked over to her and gave a kiss.

"How is she?" he asked. Mrs Berrytwist shook her head.

"Upset," she replied, "very, very upset."

Sandals sighed. He rubbed his beard softly with his hoof, before walking over to the sofa and lying down. Mrs Berrytwist sat in the armchair and started reading the newspaper quietly. The stallion had started a fire only a few moments ago and the roaring flames warmed up the tiny living room. After a quick glance through the window, Mrs Berrytwist saw that it was snowing outside again and that the snow level was rising rapidly.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Mrs Berrytwist asked, "I mean when she grows up, how will ponies accept her then? She'll be treated differently, I'm sure. Oh, why did this have to happen to us, Sandals?

As it got warmer, both Mr and Mrs Berrytwist started nodding off to sleep. Despite trying to keep their eyes open, they soon found themselves too tired to stay awake and they both eventually dropped off happily without a problem whatsoever. All was soon quiet in the Berrytwist's cottage and, soon after, the whole village followed afterwards.

All was quiet once more in a small town outside Equestria.

When she heard her parent's grandfather clock chime midnight, Fizzlepop got out of bed and grabbed a large saddle bag. She put the bag on her bed and started filling it with stuff; make-up, clothes, tools, books and a photograph of herself and her parents standing together in front of her home. Then, Fizzlepop grabbed a very dirty black cloak and threw it around her, pulling the hood over her head.

She looked into her mirror and made sure that her face wasn't visible. Only her green-blue eyes appeared from the blank space that was filled with an inky black colour and the odd glow of her broken horn. After she was satisfied, Fizzlepop grabbed her saddle bag and opened her window.

The filly climbed out of the tiny window and grabbed hold of the drain pipe that went along the side of the cottage. She slipped down steadily, before dropping onto all four hooves. She then started trotting down her parents' path that led up to the cottage. Afterwards, she jumped over their gate and found herself no longer on their property.

Fizzlepop stood on the pavement and turned around to look at the place where she was brought up for the very last time. Whilst looking, a single teardrop dripped down her left cheek. All the memories suddenly came back to her, as she remembered all the happy moments she had in that cottage. The time she used her magic to levitate in the air for the first time, the time she turned her mane green by accident and the time she managed to turn her parents' tiny dead rose bush into a magnificent apple tree. All of those moments made Fizzlepop feel like she should stay, but before she could change her mind, Fizzlepop began her long journey into the unknown and stepped out of the village for the very last time.

Author's Note:

Important information! I have installed Grammarly, so I can now write chapters and cover up my grammar errors! All fanfic writers, get it now! It will save your sanity, I assure you!

Thank you for getting this story over 600 views! You guys are awesome, I love you all!

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