Gisella and the City of Fire and Ashes

Chapter 4

"Pixella! Stop hiding in the leaves! I'm going to go on another adventure and you can't stop me!" said Blissia the unicorn. She was all white with a bright pink nose, mane and tail and a golden yellow horn. She also had a yellow and orange pouch slung over her back. That was where Pixella normally hid when they were off on adventures together.

Pixella was a small fairy about the size of a little mouse. She had cute features: rosy apple cheeks and a heart-shaped mouth. She wore her golden blonde hair in pigtails on either side of her head.

"Oh come on, Blissia. What if we get hurt? What if we never come home again? What if the demons capture us and make us their slaves?"

"Don't be a baby, Pixella. I'm tired of staying at home here in Magistopia. We'll just gallop around. We can even go past Dystopia Demen so you can see the demons won't hurt us. They're scared of us! Or scared of me, at least." She stamped her hoove impatiently. "Last time I saw the biggest tree ever. And it was growing magic saplings, the best kind of saplings! We could get magic apples!"

"But, but, but, Blissia!"

"But what?! Pixella, just get in the pouch."

Grudgingly Pixella flitted up to Blissia's back and hopped into the pouch so that just her head was peeking above and her little hands too.

#

They galloped across Magistopia.

The fields were lovely greens and the flowers were everywhere: daisies, tulips and every kind of flower. The air smelled like sugar.

They passed many other unicorns who were tending to the fields, eating the grass and pooping rainbows. The fairies flitted nearby, pulling down apples and other fruits from the high branches. They also helped by combing all the pink manes and tails.

In the distance they could see the magic apple tree. It had beautiful pink flowers all over it instead of leaves, and in each of the flowers was a huge golden apple the size of a softball.

"Can I get a hand with those apples?" Blissia said.

"Okay!" replied Pixella.

Pixella crept out of the pouch and flew up into the branches. The apples were almost as big as she was! She twirled around the apples to loosen the stems and then she gave a huge yank to pull the apples down. They plummeted to the grass below where Blissia snatched them up with her snout and tossed them into the bag.

"Oooh, we could make a magic apple pie at home! And this time it won't be dangerous," said Pixella. Last time Blissia had made explosive pies out of dynamite fruit from the border of Dystopia Demen and Magistopia.

"Fine, Pixella," the unicorn said. "But you gotta admit that was pretty awesome!"

"Easy for you to say," mumbled Pixella, "you weren't right next to the pie when it exploded!"

Pixella flew back to the pouch filled with apples and settled in.

"All right," she said, "so we can go back now, can't we?"

"I've...got a surprise for you!" said Blissia.

"Oh no," said Pixella, "your surprises are never good!"

Blissia set off at a gallop, almost knocking Pixella out of the bag. She galloped and galloped until they could see the blood-red sky of Dystopia Demen.

"I don't like this, Blissia..." said Pixella.

"It'll be fine!" said Blissia as she charged ahead. The factories loomed overhead but it wasn't them that made Blissia stop in her tracks. It was the huge hoard of demons waiting smack on the border.