~Secrets of Equestria, Part 4~

Here’s chapters 7 and 8 of the weirdest story I’ve ever written.  With a bunch of revising and a whole lot of story changes, it might actually be a decent story, but this here is the original.  

~~~

 

Do you feel the change?” said Clementine, craning her neck to look at the two horses.   Thunder was hopping around like Drover, and Apple Jack was wiping her mouth on the ground.

“I feel kind of… um…” said Thunder, searching for the right word, “LIKE I LOVE YOU!” 

“Not you.   Apple Jack.”

“I feel grossed out… that was wet.   But nothing else.”

“Oh.   There would be a chance, a chance for you.”

“OH, SO I’M NOT SPECIAL!” said Thunder, slapping the ground with his hoof.   “HOW HORRIBLE!”

“Oh, Thunder, it’s not anything on you,” said Clementine.   

“It’s not?”

“Nope.   I think it’s just not the right solution.   It’s the dragon that did it, and he’s crafty, so I think he left it to his Shadow Horses.”

Thunder gasped.   “I don’t like Shadow Horses.   They creep me out.”

“Exactly.   When the Shadow King – Romeo, that is – and his two friends are defeated, Apple Jack will be given the choice to be either a horse or a unicorn forever.   Something tells me she’ll pick – ”

“Totally a horse!” said Apple Jack.   “I like being a horse, not a unicorn!  Although I like the magic it’s just totally horrible being a unicorn.”

“Sorry,” said Clementine.   “I checked on Kayleen last night.   She’s just standing outside of her barn with her head down, not making a sound.   She’s not moving, either, not even when a fly landed right on her forehead.   I really think there’s something wrong with her.”

“What’re you guys talking about?” said Andy, coming up to them.

“Kayleen,” Clementine said.

“Don’t worry about her,” said Andy, waving a hoof carelessly.   “She’s just a big old drama queen.”

“She was doing the right thing,” said Clementine angrily.

“Andy, be nice,” said Apple Jack.   “Her boyfriend just turned into a Shadow Horse, and apparently you don’t care.   What if I turned into a Shadow Horse?  Would you be the same?”

“No.” 

“Exactly.” 

“What a beautiful morning,” a voice said.

“Oh, hey, Rose,” said Andy.

“Hi,” Rose replied cheerfully.   “What’re you doing?”

“Oh, just talking about Shadow Horses,” said Apple Jack.

“Oh, I see,” said Rose.    “That kind of stuff just creeps me out.”

“I know,” said Thunder.   “They have their dead eyes, and most of them are all black.”

“Dead eyes?” said Rose in wonder.   “You know what that means, don’t you?  Do you remember what Phoenix said about the horses on the mountain?”

Apple Jack gasped.   “Phoenix!  Come here!”

Phoenix flew over to the four horses and one bird.   “Yeah?”

“Tell us more about the horses on the mountain,” Rose said.   “Particularly about the one with dead eyes.”

“Well, they had dead eyes, alright,” said Phoenix.   “Except the black female.   And they also had creepy black bodies – ”

“That’s what I said!” said Thunder excitedly.

“You were on the mountain?” said Phoenix, raising his eyebrows.   “That means you’re a Shadow Horse!  Raak!”

“He’s not,” said Clementine.

“Okay.   Are you sure?”

“Yeah.   Look at his eyes.   He couldn’t be…  Wait!  That gives me an idea!  Let me go check something.”  Clementine  flapped away.

“Don’t know what that’s about,” said Phoenix, rolling his eyes.   “My sister can be such a joke sometimes.”

“I know she can,” said Rose with a grin.   “I’ve seen her.   Creepy in an okay way.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.   You haven’t lived with her for eighteen years.   Raak.”

“Eighteen years?”

“Yep-e-dadoozles.   Raak!”

“And I’m only eight!  That’s a long time.”

“Yeah, well, we’re parrots.   We live for a long time.   Wait – you’re only six?”

“Eight.   How old are you, Apple Jack?”

“Fourteen.”

“I’m twenty-one!  Yeah!” said Andy.   “Adult!”

“Do you like being that old?” asked Rose curiously.

“Yeah.   I’m my own man now.”

“Do you enjoy working for the king?”

“Oh, yes!”

“Does he ever punish you?”

“No way.   I do stuff too well.”

Clementine arrived again.   “Araak!  Just as I thought!  I – ”

“ANDY!” the voice of the king bellowed.

“Okay, just a sec!” he yelled exasperatedly.   “Strike one, gotta go,” he said to his sister, and left.

“Araak!  Just as I thought!” began Clementine again.   “Have you seen Kayleen’s eyes?  They’re not dead!  They’re a beautiful shade of chestnut.   She can’t be a Shadow Horse.   She’s innocent!  Raak.”

“Tell that to Ashley,” said Rose.   “She wasn’t being very nice the other day.”

“Ashley said what, now?” said Ashley with a scowl as she walked up to them.

“Kayleen is innocent,” said Clementine proudly.   

“Definitely,” said Thunder.

“No she’s not,” said Ashley.   “She’s black.   She’s a Shadow Horse!  Everybody knows that!”

“But her eyes,” said Clementine.   “Araak!  Haven’t you seen them?”

“Yeah,” said Ashley, still frowning.   “They’re dead.   That means she’s definitely a Shadow Horse.”

“They’re brown,” said Clementine.   “Have you seen his?  Romeo’s?”

“Yeah, they’re dead, too,” said Ashley, her flair for rumors at full work.   “They’re both Shadow Horses.”

“How could you say that?” said Clementine angrily.   “They were gray, and she’s so beat up over it… You wouldn’t think like that if you saw her.”

“Oh yeah?” Ashley retorted.   “Well, I don’t really care about her, Clementine.   I – ”

There was a piercing “Reeeeeeeee!” as Clementine, fast as lightning, flew at Ashley, talons outstretched.   “Hey, watch it!” Ashley yelled.

“Yeah, watch it,” said Dakota, stepping over to his girlfriend’s aid.   “You’re not officially a member of our society yet, so we can kick you out at any time.”

Clementine was still fluffed up to maximum size.   “Kreeeeeeeeeee!” she cried, wings stretched out to her sides in her threat position.   With one movement Dakota pinned her down.   “And I can stomp you to the ground.”  Although Clementine struggled bravely, Dakota, who was huge compared to the parrot, was to strong.   He pinned her down harder.   There was a crack of breaking bones.   Phoenix was too horrified to attack completely, but he knocked Dakota backwards and gave him a shallow cut across his chest with one slash of his talons.   “There you go,” he said imperiously, looking down at his sister.   Clementine was panting.   “Thank you,” she said.   “Thank you, Phoenix.   I’m hurt.   I think a couple of my ribs are broken.”

“Here,” he said.   “Go to the king.   He can help you.   I would send you to Kayleen, but she’s in no fit state to help.”

“Got it,” Clementine croaked, and limped pitifully off, one wing dragging.

“And be sure to tell him what happened!” Phoenix yelled, waving one green wing.

“Baby, are you okay?” cried Ashley, running over to Dakota.   

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said.   

Rose stood up to her full height.   “Oh yeah?  You think you can treat someone like that?”  she said.   “She may not be a member of our society yet, but I am!  And even though I’m young I can stand up to you!”

“Raak!  Really?” said Phoenix, raising his eyebrows.   “Good for you.”

Ashley neighed angrily.   “Don’t you get near my baby!”

“Yeah, sure,” Rose muttered.   “I’ll help you and Clementine, Phoenix.   Kayleen was just trying to be nice, and Mr.  and Mrs.   Gossip over there kept shoving her down.   So I’m with you.”

“She’s a Shadow Horse!” cried Ashley.   

“She’s not a Shadow Horse!” said Rose indignantly.   “Here, look at this photograph of a Shadow Horse.”  She held it up.   “I always carry this with me.”  Ashley looked at it.   “Look at their eyes,” said Rose.   “They’re bright, pearl white.   Have you seen Kayleen’s?”  She produced another photograph that had been stuck in her unkempt reddish tail.   “They’re brown!  They’re dark, shiny, chestnut brown!”

“Huh,” snorted Ashley.   “Dark, shiny chestnut gray to me.”

“No, they’re not.”  Phoenix went to Rose’s aid.   “Duh.”

“Okay, fine,” said Ashley.   “I’m jealous of Kayleen because she’s getting all the attention because she’s new and shy, and I want to have the big bang and stuff, and be the most popular.   Now, I’m dating here Dakota because he’s a wittle cutie wootie, but that’s pretty much it.”

“Really?” said Rose, stunned.   “That’s all?  I can help you with that.   You – ”

“No,” said Ashley.   “You’re six, okay?  I don’t need you.”

“Wrong,” said Rose.   “I’m eight.   And you’ve never seen my mom.   I dress her up every day.”

“Who’s your mom?”

“You don’t know her?”

Ashley shook her head.

“Fine.   She has the stuff to dress you up real nice.   I think your little fashion predicament is over.”

Ashley gave a growl of frustration.   “I have enough fashion, okay?”

“Don’t you want to be popular?”

“Fine.”  She gave Dakota a small kiss.   “Bye.   See you in a little bit.”

“Oh, but Dakota, you can come, too if you want,” said Rose.

“Nah, I’m good.   Fashion is a mare thing.   It’s kind of creepy if you’re a boy.”

“Okay,” said Rose.   “See you.”

“Ohhh, got to go with the six year old,” Ashley grumbled.

“I’m eight.”

 

“Hey, where’d everybody go?” said Phoenix.   

“Raak, I’m not sure,” said Clementine.   “I feel better now.”  She had just come out of the barn two hours after Dakota had stomped down four of her delicate bird ribs, one leg bone, and two wing bones. 

“Hey, you two,” said Spirit, walking up to them.   

“Oh, hi, Spirit, said Apple Jack as she, too joined the two parrots and the horse.   “Haven’t seen you in a day or two.”

“Yeah, I’ve been busy,” Spirit said with a shrug.   

“Araak,” Clementine said in her squawky voice.   “I figured.   Since you’re the king’s right-hand horse, I expect you don’t have much spare time.   And with Ashley and your son dating, things must be hard.   I heard she went off with Rose to get dressed up, is that right?”

“Yep.”

“Hey, Mr. Spirit,” said a voice.   It was Midnight, a black horse with a white star on his forehead and two white hooves.

“Oh, hey,” said Spirit.   “Where’s your sister?”

“Oh,” he said.   “Right.   Umm, she’s in the barn.   Oh, there she is.”

“Hello, Midnight,” said the new mare pleasantly.    She was identical to him, height and all.

“Hello, Starlight,” he muttered.

“What’s the matter?” she said.

“You,” he said darkly.   “You being my twin sister.”

“Okay,” said Apple Jack hesitantly.   “I’m going to stay out of this.”  She and Spirit backed away.

“Me being your sister?” Starlight said coldly, the friendliness falling out out of her voice instantly.   “And what exactly do you mean by that?”

“You’re my sister,” said Midnight, “and I don’t really like you.”

“Oh, well that’s just too bad, then,” said Starlight fiercely.   “Yeah!  Booyah!  Okay, that was a little weird.”

“That was pathetic,” said Midnight.   “No, wait.   You’re pathetic.”

“I’m pathetic?!” Starlight said angrily.   “Well, who was on the mountain with the enemy?”

“On the mountain?” said Clementine, astonished.

“Raak!” Phoenix cried.   “On the mountain?  With the dragon?”

“He was,” said Starlight.   

“How did you know about that?” said Midnight, half scared, half angry.   

“How do I know, huh?” said Starlight.   “I was there!  I followed you.”

“Hey!  You weren’t supposed to know about me being a Shadow Hor – ”  He ended on a hiccup-like noise, cutting himself off.  But it was too late

Starlight gasped.   She stood in front of her twin brother, eyes wide.   Her jaw was rigidly set open as her eyes flew over Midnight, who looked furious with himself.   “No,” she said, just a whisper at first.   Then slightly louder.   “No, no.   You can’t be a Shadow Horse.”

“What?” said Phoenix.   “Midnight, you’re a Shadow Horse?”  Good thing Ashley isn’t around, thought Phoenix.   The news would be all over Equestria in five minutes.

“No, I’m not,” said Midnight quickly.   “I was a Shadow Horse for Halloween, and I wanted to play around, you know, and go up on the mountain, and stuff.” 

“Somehow, I don’t think so, as much as I want to believe it,” said Starlight.   “It just doesn’t sound…”  She sighed.   “Midnight, you know I love you,” she said softly, “but… really?  A Shadow Horse?  You can’t be.”

“I’m not a Shadow Horse!” said Midnight, talking very fast.   “I was one for Halloween, and I was trying to trick them so I could see their works and get into their heads.”

“That is a good motive, I suppose,” said Starlight to Midnight, but the volume sounded as if she were speaking to herself.   Then she spoke louder.   “I have an idea.   We can test it.”

“Test how?” said Midnight quizzically.

“You can’t touch a Shadow Horse unless it is the shadows’ will.”

“Oh,” said Midnight, not meeting his sister’s eye.

When Midnight was least expecting it, Starlight reached out to touch him.   Her hoof went right past him, as if there was some sort of force field around him.   Or shadow field?  thought Starlight hopelessly.

“You are a Shadow Horse,” she said quietly.   

“No, I’m not!  I was being one for Halloween!”

“I can’t touch you,” said Starlight quietly.   She tried again but just missed.   That was it.   Her brother was a Shadow Horse.

“Midnight, you wouldn’t,” she pleaded.   “What happened?  I thought Shadow Horses were dead evil horses who chose to rise again as a shadow of their former lives.   What happened to the real you?”

Midnight looked her right in the eye and said, in a very strange voice, “I’ve always been this way…”

 “What?” said Spirit, coming back over to them.   

“He’s a Shadow Horse!” cried Starlight.

“Who?” said Spirit wildly.   

“Midnight!”

“Midnight?  You’re a Shadow Horse?”

“Guys, stop!”  Starlight yelled.   “He’s my brother.   Don’t pressure him.   But still, look at his eyes.”

“King! King!” yelled Spirit.

“Don’t you call the king,” hissed Midnight, stepping in front of the barn door.   

“We have to!” said Spirit.

“What’s the matter?”  The king’s deep voice echoed around Equestria Square as he slammed the door open effortlessly, knocking Midnight to the ground.   

“Midnight’s a Shadow Horse!” cried Spirit.

“Does my deputy speak the truth?” said the king imperiously, facing Midnight, who was shaking his head frantically.

“Tell me, Spirit.”

“He is!  She knows!  She can’t touch him!”  He pointed to Starlight with one hoof.

“I’m not a Shadow Horse!” cried Midnight.   “You have no proof!”

“Oh, really,” said the king.

“I’m not a Shadow Horse!”

“What about this?”  He aimed a blow at Midnight, but it did not hit.   He did it again, and it did; the sheer force of the huge Clydesdale’s blow sent Midnight sprawling.

“I touched,” he said, “but was it against the will of the shadows?  I think not.”

“I’m not a Shadow Horse, though!” said Midnight.

“Shadow Horse say what?” said Apple Jack, arriving on the scene with a swagger.

The two horses ignored her.   “You can’t prove it!” Midnight pleaded.

“Guys, please!” shouted Starlight.   “I know he may be a Shadow Horse, but he’s my brother.   I love him.”

“I’m not a Shadow Horse, guys!” Midnight yelled.   “I can show you!” 

“I don’t know if he’s a Shadow Horse or not,” said Starlight.   If she had hands instead of hooves she would’ve been wringing them with anxiety.   “But I’m on his side.   He’s my brother!”

“You’re a Shadow Horse?” said Apple Jack, puzzled.

“I don’t know,” said Starlight.   “I don’t know if he’s a Shadow Horse or not.   Try and touch him.”

Apple Jack stabbed for his hoof and stopped right in front of it, and her leg wasn’t even stretched out all the way!  So it was real.   He was a Shadow Horse.

“Is it true?” said Starlight sadly.   She looked at him for a few seconds until her lip began trembling, and she burst into hopeless tears.   “You can’t be!” she sobbed.   

“Huh,” Midnight snorted.   “Looks like you’re on the same page as Kayleen.”

“Kayleen,” said Starlight softly, and sniffled.   

Just hearing the name reminded her of something long ago, before she came to Equestria Square when she and Midnight were just foals.   And wasn’t Kayleen new…?

What do I know about her? she thought, racking her brain for anything about Equestria Square’s newest horse.   Suddenly, she gasped.

“What is it?” said the king in his deep, regal voice.   

“You know something about our shy little friend?” she said, a smile coming over her coal-black face.

“What?” said Apple Jack, almost hopping with anticipation.   Starlight rolled her eyes.

“I think she’s my sister,” she said softly, and Apple Jack gasped.

“I always knew you and Kayleen had something in common!” she cried, and embraced Starlight as well as she could (being a horse, it was difficult to hug your friend without knocking her over).

Starlight began laughing.   “I knew we did!” she said.   “We’re both black, we look the same…  She’s our little sister!”

“Oh, yes!” Apple Jack said.   “I am so glad for you!”

“I need to go tell her!” said Starlight happily.   “Maybe that’ll get her out of her lull.”

“Yeah!” said Apple Jack, bouncing around in circles.   “Kayleen!”

“Kayleen!”  Starlight galloped over to where Kayleen was still sitting in her corner.   She looked very thin.   “Sister!”

“Sister?” Kayleen looked confused.   “Oh!  Starlight!”

They walked over to where Spirit and the king were still standing.   “You are better than Romeo could ever be to me, Starlight,” said Kayleen, nuzzling her big sister.

“I am?”

“Yes!”

“WHAT’S GOING ON OVER HEEEEEEERE?” 

Oh, great, thought Starlight.   The perfect party pooper.   Drover had just bounced over to them, eyes bulging.

“What, Drover?” she said wearily.                                                         

“YAY!  SHE SAID MY NAME!”

Drover was so busy bouncing around that he did not notice Starlight staring warily over his shoulder.  She pointed with one hoof. 

“EEEEEEEEEEE!  SHADOW HORSE!”  White-eyed Fiona was looking haughtily over his shoulder at his huge eyes.  “Be silent,” she said coldly.

“You’re creeeeeeeeeeeeepy,” he said, still bouncing.  “But I liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike you ‘cause you’re cooooooooooooooooooooool.”

“Be silent,” Fiona hissed again.  Drover squealed.

“Drover, go away,” said Starlight, staring with a mixture of fear and coldness at Fiona.  “King, I hope you don’t mind me telling you what to do, but get all the able males out here to fight, and make sure all the mares except Clementine and myself are inside a barn or something.  Okay, Clementine’s not a mare, but get her out here anyway unless her wing and ribs haven’t healed yet.  And get Phoenix, even though he’s not a stallion.”

For once, the king nodded deeply and ran to carry out the young horse’s orders.

“Shadow Horse!” yelled Andy, coming out of the barn to find out the cause of the king’s prolonged disappearance.

“Did somebody say Shadow Horse?” yelled Spirit.

“Guys!” said Starlight.

“Oh, no!” yelled Spirit.

Starlight frowned.  These horses were not going to take serious action against the invading Shadow Horses unless she did something fast.  She paused, thinking.  “For Equestria!”

~~~

Sorry this is so long.  For some reason, WordPress double-spaced all the paragraphs, so it looks even longer than it actually is.

Thanks for getting through that!!

Summer XD

~Secrets of Equestria, Part 3~

So here’s the next two chapters of my incredibly weird story. Weird on.

~~~

“We have defeated the mighty dragon!” Apple Jack’s voice rang through the streets of Equestria as she and her two bird friends returned home after the battle with Alexor.
“Oh, you have?” said Ashley in a tone that suggested she did not care much about whether or not Apple Jack defeated the dragon. “Really? I didn’t know. Hey, Dakota, baby?”
“Yes?”
“Do you know where my necklace is?”
Dakota gasped. “No! What happened to your necklace?”
“I don’t know! I had it one minute and the next minute it was gone!”
“It must be the Shadow Horses,” said Apple Jack. “Fiona probably took it.”
“What?” said Ashley slowly, not responding to the “Fiona probably took it” part.
“Shadow Horses,” Apple Jack repeated.
“Fiona and May,” said Clementine. “And Romeo, too. They’re all Shadow Horses.”
“Yeah – wait – what?” said Ashley. “Oh my goodness! I knew it! Your little boyfriend,” she looked directly at Kayleen, who was standing about fifteen feet from her, “is a Shadow Horse!”
“What?” said Kayleen.
“Yes, Romeo!” said Ashley enthusiastically. “Your boyfriend! He’s a Shadow Horse!”
“No,” said Kayleen, unable to comprehend what Ashley had just said. “It couldn’t have been him.”
“It was!” said Ashley pompously.
“It was,” said Apple Jack gravely.
“Raak! It was! It was!” said Phoenix matter-of-factly. “We fought him!”
“But he disappeared at the last moment,” said Clementine. “Awark! Stinking piece of tripe.”
“Wh-what?” said Kayleen, and burst into tears.
“He’s a Shadow Horse,” said Ashley impatiently, stamping her hoof.
“Just forget about her,” she said casually. Then she turned to Drover, who was peeking between the planks of a fence around one of the barns. “Drover, I don’t know what you’re feeling. You are just so weird.”
Clementine clucked her tongue. “For once, I have to agree with her.”
“Oh, come on, guys, be nice,” said Apple Jack. “I like him because he’s really cute.” She kissed him on the nose and walked away.
“She kissed me!” said Drover in his weird voice. It was high and wobbly. “Heehee!” He jumped away on his hind legs.
“Huh,” said Clementine, watching him bounce around the perimeter of Equestria Square. “Never heard him talk before.”
“Heehee, hello, have a nice day,” said Phoenix, trying to imitate the ridiculous horse. Clementine just looked annoyed.
“I just hope we didn’t hurt Kayleen’s feelings,” she said. “That wouldn’t be good.”
“Yeah, she really liked you,” said Phoenix, abandoning his attempt to sound like Drover. “Raak!”
“Maybe we should’ve let off a little easier,” said Clementine. She walked over to where Drover was, chipper as ever, still bouncing resolutely, although he had just ran into a wall and missed the door to his barn. “Araak. You Ok?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah…”
She looked annoyed. Suddenly Andy burst out of the king’s barn where he worked. “Apple Jack!” he yelled. “Where are you?”
“Right here,” she said in a pleased voice, walking up to him. “I love you.”
“You’re not a unicorn anymore!” said Clementine.
“Yeah, okay,” she said. “Everybody, we can go to sleep now.”
“Definitely,” every horse in Equestria said. They had stayed up all night the previous evening due to Alexor’s roar, and it was evening anyway.
“Goodnight,” everyone said, and all over Equestria Square barn doors closed as the sun went down. Except two.
One was Drover, who was still singing, “Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah”. The other was the one that belonged to Kayleen. She had enclosed herself at the far end of her pasture and was silently weeping for her Romeo as her barn door creaked gently, and at the end she cried herself to a deep, dreamless sleep.

In the middle of the night, Apple Jack gasped. “Oh my goodness!” she cried. “I’m a unicorn!”
Clementine yawned. “What are you doing, yelling at the top of your lungs in the middle of the night? Wake up half of Equestria, you will!”
“But I’m a unicorn!”
“I know, I know.”
“But that’s impossible!”
“Remember when you put Alexor in the air? I think he must have cast an enchantment on you. A unicorn by night and a horse by day.”
“Oh no!”
“I’m sorry, but that’s the truth.”
“Oh no! How do I break it?”
“I don’t know.”
Apple Jack paused. “They say in fairy tales that a kiss can make or break a spell,” she said. “I’ll get my brother to kiss me in the morning. But by the morning …” Clementine looked at her with wide eyes. “By the morning it’ll be too late! I have to go wake him.”
“No, no, no,” said Clementine, shaking her head. “He’s assistant to the king now, remember? You’ll wake the king, too, and who knows what he’ll do. Banish you to the Forests of Chanter to say the least. Raak!”
“Oh, no, you’re right!” cried Apple Jack. She thought for a few seconds before saying, “Thunder!”
“You don’t need Thunder,” Clementine said. “I think – ”
“I’ll get him to kiss me!” Apple Jack cried.
“No, I think it’s the Shadow Horses,” said Clementine.
“I have to get kissed by a Shadow Horse? Eeew!”
“No,” said Clementine with a frown. “When the Shadow Horses are gone the enchantment will be broken and you will get to remain either a horse or a unicorn forever.”
“Oh, a horse hopefully,” said Apple Jack.
“Yeah, unicorns are cool, but I couldn’t give up wings. Oh, hello, Phoenix.”
Phoenix had just stepped up to them. “I’m really sad for her.”
“Who?”
“Kayleen.”
“Yeah. I don’t know how she can bear it all.”
“Well,” said Apple Jack, “I’m going back to sleep, and hopefully this nightmare is going to end!” She left for her barn and slammed the door.
“Somehow I don’t think it’s a nightmare,” said Clementine. “Do you, Phoenix?”
“Slap me.”
Clementine thwacked him hard on the back with her wing. “Ow!” he yelled. She did it again. And again. “Okay! Not a nightmare! Oww! Ow! Okay! That’s enough!” It had become a wrestling match between the two siblings.
“Okay, not a nightmare,” said Clementine, satisfied. “Just don’t tell our night mare.”
“What about the nightmare? Oh my goodness, what about the night mare? Could she have cast the spell on AJ?”
“The night mare?” said Clementine, annoyed. “You don’t get it, do you?”
“I have nightmares about her!”
“I’m talking about Apple Jack, you dodo!”
“Oh, sorry,” said Phoenix. “I’m just tired. I’m going back to sleep.”
“Okay. I think I’ll go check on Kayleen, though. I haven’t heard a peep out of her all night, and she usually snores something terrible. See you.”
“Well, okay. Just try not to wake her up.” Too late. Clementine had disappeared. “Okay. Whatever.” Phoenix left to go to bed.

The next morning, when the rooster crowed atop the hay bale that was Cinnie, Equestria Square was still fast asleep. Except Dakota. He had risen bright and early that morning, and with a slight yawn he leapt over his fence. “Life,” he said. “Oh, come on, Star of my Life.”
“You know, Ashley would do,” said Ashley, annoyed. She had been asleep. “But hey there anyway.” She jumped the fence and gave Dakota a little kiss, and together they walked off.
As they left, Clementine landed on top of Cinnie. He was still a hay bale. Apple Jack was awake too. “Hey, Clementine,” she said.
“Raak,” said Clementine. “Hi there, Apple Jack.”
“Hi.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m getting my apples for the day.” There was a smack as she kicked them down.
“You know, today might be the day,” said Clementine. “We could defeat the Shadow Horses, and you could be a horse forever.”
Apple Jack was too busy admiring her fresh, shiny apples to listen. “What nice apples,” she said to herself. “I’ll put them in the refrigerator later. They’d make a spanking good apple pie, and – hey, Thunder, what’s up?” The pinto stallion was looking at her.
“You mean in the sky? What?” He looked up, squinting.
“The clouds, the sun – no, silly, I meant what’s up today. Like, with you.” She touched him on the nose with one hoof.
“Oh, not much. Just a-hanging out, BABY!” He started prancing circles around her.
“You’re weird.”
“I know. I’m not as weird as Drover, though.”
“Oh, Thunder!” Clementine said.
“What?”
“We wanted to ask you something.”
“Yep-e-dadoozles.” He gasped. “Is this about my dirty hoof? I’m sorry, I didn’t clean it! Oh my goodness, this is terrible!”
“It’s not about your hoof,” said Clementine with a frown. “As you probably know, Apple Jack has been having a bit of a… unicorn predicament, and we wondered if something you could do could help her.”
“What?”
“You know, like in the stories, a prince’s kiss breaks the spell?” Clementine was half-holding her breath. She could imagine only too well the reckless stallion’s reaction to her indirectly calling him a prince.
He gasped. “MY APPLE JACK!” he said, grabbing her with his two front hooves as well as he could without knocking her flat on her back. “MY BEAUTIFUL APPLE JACK!”
“Okay, you don’t have to do that,” said Apple Jack, annoyed. “Here, just – go ahead…”
Then they kissed. 

~~~

So… if you’re reading this that means you probably just sat through Part 3 of the weirdest story on earth. Thumbs up to you.

Thanks for reading!

Summer 😛

~Secrets of Equestria, Part 2~

Here’s the next two chapters of the weirdest story in the world. Enjoy, and don’t be afraid to stare at the screen thinking “What did I just read??!!”

~~~

The rooster that lived in the streets of Equestria crowed to announce the new day’s beginning. Rose, who had been left unconscious in the streets, groaned and stood up.
“Hey, Rose, you’re up!” said Dakota, who had just walked out of his barn. “You fainted and we just left you there.”
“Oh, well that’s nice,” said the eight-year-old filly grumpily.
“Oh, what a beautiful day,” said Ashley, galloping into the streets to join her boyfriend. “And the Prissy family isn’t around here anywhere.”
“Neither is the dragon, thankfully,” said Rose.
“So, hey, did you hear?” said Ashley, always one to spread gossip. “Romeo is actually in the work of the Dragon Lord.”
“I know,” said Dakota. “We found out after you passed out.”
“What? Why Romeo?” said a familiar voice. “I’d blame it on those two Prissies any day.”
“Whoa, when did you get here, Kayleen?” said Dakota with a small jump.
“When did I get here?” she said testily. Just now, but long enough to know that you’re blaming all that on my little Romeo.”
“Well, he did,” said Ashley in a rude matter-of-fact voice. “They said that there was a black horse up on the mountain with the dragon, fighting the birds.”
“Are you saying that was Romeo?” said Kayleen fiercely. “It could’ve easily been someone like me.”
Dakota gasped. “So you’re saying you did it.”
“No.”
“You did it!”
“I didn’t do it!”
“What’re you guys talking about?” said Spirit, marching up to them. “Wait, I already know. Hey, Dakota, son. I know who we could ask. Hold on, just a moment.”
“Phoenix, come on!” said Spirit. “Yes?” he said sleepily, walking up to the horses.
“Were the horses on the mountain boys or girls?”
“Well, there was, let’s see, two boys and one girl. Raak!”
“What did they look like?”
“They were all black horses, for one thing. Raak! There was one that looked like he had dead eyes, and there was a second one, raak, that was black with a star on his face, and two white hooves. Then the last one was a female, and she kind of looked like you, Kayleen.”
“Any differences?”
“Well, yes. She looked just like the last male. Still, it could be make up. Raak!”
“What? It wasn’t me! You believe me, don’t you, Spirit? You know I never would!” There was a tear running down Kayleen’s cheek, and a note of desperation had crept into her voice.
“You could be putting on a show,” said Ashley with a scowl.
“Of course I’m not!” cried Kayleen. “You know I’m not.”
“Hey, so what’re you guys talking about?” said Apple Jack, walking up to them cheerfully.
“The dragon,” said Kayleen dully.
“Oh, yeah, Romeo was up there,” said Ashley in an almost cheerful way.
“Oh, sorry, I won’t say the word,” said Kayleen.
“What word?” said Apple Jack.
“The D word. D-R-A-G-O-N.”
Apple Jack shivered. “I’m getting cold.”
“I didn’t mean to,” said Kayleen worriedly, taking a step back. The by-now familiar unicorn chime sounded somewhere in the distance. Apple Jack was once again the snow-white, glittering unicorn.
“Hey, unicorn!” said Phoenix abruptly, spinning around. He gasped. “You can fight the dragon!”
“Don’t say it,” said Kayleen, but it was too late. The transformation wasn’t coming easy. Apple Jack was rolling on the ground, white hooves flailing in the air. It was actually pretty funny.
“Counter that,” said Kayleen quickly. “Dragon.” Apple Jack stopped at once and got up. “Okay,” said Kayleen, turning to Ashley, Dakota, and Spirit (Rose had long since walked away). “None of you say the D word. She needs to stay a unicorn. How else is she going to fight the… thing?”
“What’s going on over here?” yelled a voice. It was an appaloosa named Andy. “Where’s my sister?”
“Charlotte?” said Kayleen.
“No, my sister’s not Charlotte! My sister’s Apple Jack!”
“Well, there’s been a slight bit of a…” Her voice trailed off.
“I’m Apple Jack,” said the unicorn.
“No, you’re not,” said Andy.
“Umm… Andy?” said Kayleen tentatively. “Your sister’s a unicorn.”
“What?” said Andy incredulously.
“She’s the only one who can fight the – thing,” said Kayleen.
Clementine walked over. Disgruntled by the sudden amount of crowdedness, Ashley left.
“Can I finish the story now?” said Phoenix impatiently.
“We’ve heard all we need,” said Apple Jack. “Now we can go up to the mountains!”
“You can do it!” said Kayleen encouragingly.
“Raak! Is your wing still hurt?” asked Phoenix.
“Nope, all better,” said Clementine. “Seems that unicorn’s magic made it.”
“Okay.” Apple Jack jumped into the air – and stayed!
“I can fly!” she yelled down, although she was barely six feet off the ground. Clementine and Phoenix lofted into the air to join her. “We could always fly,” said Phoenix. “But good for you.”
They gained altitude at a surprisingly fast rate until, at last, they reached the huge mountains. They were full of rocks of all colors: gray, white, red, gold-like beige, and even a strange bluish color. “Wow!” exclaimed Apple Jack. “We can see all of Equestria from up here!” The land of Equestria – and even Chanter, a wilderness beyond Equestria, folded out beneath the mountain.
“I see something else,” said Clementine, squinting. “Hey, it looks like a horse!”

Romeo!” said Apple Jack in surprise. “I thought you were with Kayleen!”
“Huh, Kayleen,” said Romeo, and the three friends noticed his eyes were gray. Dead eyes! Although no one said it out loud, each knew what the others were thinking. “Couldn’t care less about her. Nor could my master, Alexor, the Dragon Lord of the Mountains!” He stepped back
“I knew it! Raak!” yelled Phoenix as the terrible sight greeted them.
Alexor was there. He was dark green with yellow eyes and huge yellowish claws. His wings were as big as rooftops and had humongous claws on them. His teeth were as long as daggers, and he had two horns that curled behind his head. He was majestic, but in a horrible way.
Alexor roared. It seemed to shake the very mountaintop on which they stood; he was thunder and an earthquake and a tornado all rolled up in one. His eyes glinted evilly as he slashed out with one claw. Looking directly at Apple Jack, he struck, missing her by a bare inch. “Stand and fight, horse!” he roared, swaying his long green neck menacingly. Apple Jack took a few steps back.
“Raak! Raak! Raak! I will defeat you! I am a Bird Warrior! Hiyyaa!” Phoenix knocked him into the rocks behind the bird with a force that knocked his breastplate off, but the mighty Alexor wasn’t fazed. While he was still knocked over on the side of the mountain Clementine rolled him over the edge of the cliff with one smack with her talons, but with one beat of his vast scaly wings, he was back up, eyes glinting dangerously, huge spiked tail swaying behind him.
Apple Jack, though sweating profusely, took a few kicks against his chest that ended in the same smack sound she loved so much that always rang in her ears when she kicked down her beloved apples. With one easy swoosh of his mighty claws Apple Jack went spinning. “My horn is hurt,” she said through gritted teeth, wincing in pain.
Phoenix covered up for her. With one bite from his large black beak he sent Alexor sprawling headfirst, then he and Clementine lifted the huge dragon up by the tail.
“Raak! I got him! I got him!” Phoenix squawked. “Raak! Raak!”
With a deafening swoosh and an immense wave of freezing air, Alexor flapped and pulled free of the two bird’s grip, but the Bird Warrior and his sister were not giving up so easily. Again Clementine seized on of the mighty dragon’s horns while her brother grabbed his tail. Phoenix was flapping like a mad bird, all the while yelling, “Meet your fate! I am the Bird Warrior! Raak!”
Apple Jack was not fighting. While the air filled with deafening screeches, roars, and “Meet your fate!”s, she was struggling to rise.
Clementine too was beginning to get the warrior flair her brother had. “Raak! The dragon’s reign shall end today! Araaaaak!”
Phoenix was crying his crazy battle chants, Clementine was batting Alexor over the head, and apple Jack was now standing, weak but raising her horn ferociously. She wasn’t attacking, however.
“What about AJ?” said Phoenix. “She’s not fighting with us!”
“She’s the only way we’ll ever defeat him!” squawked Clementine. “Get up, get up! Fight!”
“I’m too scared,” whimpered Apple Jack. “He hurt my horn, and I certainly don’t want to do that again!”
Alexor roared again, and Apple Jack groaned. She stepped backwards.
“Apple Jack!” said Clementine. “We can hold him back, but we can’t destroy him. Get up, get up and fight with us!”
“So, I’m the only way?’ said Apple Jack hopelessly.
“Araaaak!” cried Clementine, aiming a slash at Alexor’s neck.
“Yes you are, you’re the only way!” cried Phoenix, landing on Apple Jack’s snow-white back.
“You’re the way! You’re the way!” yelled Phoenix, beginning his wild battle cries again.
“You’re the only one that can do it!” cried Clementine urgently as Apple Jack reared up to join the fray.
“Araaaaaaaak!” Clementine cried as she felled Alexor with a blow to the side of his neck. Now crying “Meet your fate!” again, Phoenix began slashing at the great dragon’s tough, leathery wing, but his hide was so strong he barely left a mark.
Gathering her strength, Apple Jack concentrated the magic in her horn and, with it, made Alexor rise. His eyes widened, and he gave a confused half-roar. Higher and higher he rose until he was lost in the clouds. Apple Jack turned him sideways and dropped him. With another roar that grew softer and softer, Apple Jack dropped him over the side of the mountain and onto the land below, not on Equestria Square, but over into the moorland beyond where he could never harm another living creature again.
“Yay!” cried Apple Jack, prancing atop the mountain. “I defeated him, I think.”
“You did it, you did it!” said Clementine joyfully.
“I did!” Apple Jack brayed. Romeo walked up to them, chest puffed out, and said, “What have you done?”
“We defeated your Dragon Lord, evidently.” Apple Jack answered him proudly. She emphasized every syllable of the last word.
“There was no use for him anymore, as it was,” Romeo growled. “Today, a new reign shall begin.”
“Not you!” said Apple Jack fiercely.
“The reign of the Shadow Horses!” He held his head high. “And I have a few friends to show you. Come on out, girls!”
A horse stepped out of the shadows. “Fiona!” cried Apple Jack. And then another. “May?” They had been stripped of all their various apparel; May wore only a green rope tied around her neck and Fiona kept only her purple saddle blanket. One other thing was different, too; their eyes had attained that deadened look that Romeo’s had.
“Have you ever wondered who fathered May?” said Romeo. “Let me tell you that it was I that was Fiona’s husband.”
But Apple Jack was not listening. “Your eyes!” she shrieked. “What happened?”
“We too are now a part of this clan.” Now Fiona spoke. “The Shadow Horses are our true family.”
Phoenix leapt up onto Apple Jack’s head. “Raaaak! What have you done? Why are May and Fiona like that?”
“I thought I could trust you!” squawked Clementine angrily. She and Phoenix made to rake at the three Shadow Horses with their talons, but they vanished into thin air.
“Where’d they go?” said Clementine confusedly.
“They could be right behind us!” shrieked Phoenix, spinning around. “Reeeee! Everybody run around like crazy!” He calmed down slightly and looked confused. “Wait – where are they?”
There was a whacking noise, and Apple Jack was flat on the ground. Clementine hopped over to her. “They are Shadow Horses, aren’t they?” she said profoundly. “That we cannot comprehend, but we can fight this evil. Let us now return to Equestria to see our true friends and tell them about – ”
“Don’t you care about me?” yelled Phoenix. “I’m being tossed around like a ragdoll here!”
“Sorry, Phoenix,” said Clementine. “Our unicorn is – oh, for goodness’ sake, flip over.” Phoenix was rolling around on his back, bawling at the top of his lungs.
“I DON’T CARE!” he yelled. “RAAK RAAK RAAK RAAK RAAK RAAK RAAK!”
“I don’t care how loud you are,” said Clementine, drawing herself up proudly to her full height. “I shall fight by your side forever.”
“Oh, finally,” muttered Phoenix, and stalked off. “Something you can do with me.”
“Oh, well, you talk,” Clementine called after him. He turned around. “I thought birds took grammar class. Well, I took one, anyway! ‘Take me my sister’? Seriously?”
“Okay,” Phoenix said, “I messed up. Raak! Now, I can take the unicorn by my talons, on her horn… no, no, that’s not going to work…” He switched sides of the injured unicorn. “I can get her up by her back. Come on, Clementine. Raak!”

~~~

Thanks for reading this… uh… interesting story we wrote.

Summer 😛

~Secrets of Equestria, Part 1~

This is a special for my friend coming over. Two or three years ago, we made a movie with her toy horses called Secrets of Equestria. Admittedly, it was about the dorkiest story I’ve ever taken part in writing, but the story could have been decent with a little revising, and I just can’t bring myself to scrap it. I was going to post the entire thing, but I realized it’s more than fifty pages with tiny font, so I’ll just be posting a little bit at a time.

~~~

Cinnie, resident stallion of Equestria Square, neighed in happiness at the loveliness of the fresh morning air. “Today is so beautiful, isn’t it?” he sang.
“Yes it is,” a young filly said, giving her head a little shake. “It’s perfect for, well, a Rose. Like me.”
“And look at my tail. It’s blowing in the wind. Blowing, blowing, blowing, blowing, blowing…” He galloped in circles. Rose giggled. “I love love love love love, love love…” Cinnie sang to nobody in particular.
“Oh, hello, Spirit!” said Rose over Cinnie, who was still singing, “Love, love, love, love love”.
“Hey, Rose,” said Spirit, a big buckskin stallion. “Do you want to go to Apple Jack over there and tell her that the apples are ready?” He tipped his head to a young gold-brown mare who was chatting with another horse a few yards away.
“Oh, that would be great!” said Rose cheerfully. “Hey, AJ, you know the apples are ready, doncha?”
“Oh yes,” said Apple Jack, nodding, as Spirit trotted away to one of the barns of Equestria. “I was just about to go pick them.” She walked over a few yards over to her barn, and there was a smack as she kicked the tree to knock them down. “Isn’t that a beautiful bunch of apples?” she said cheerfully, with a little hop.
“Very nice,” said Rose, nodding.
“I know!” said Apple Jack. “They’re so red this year.”
“I see you’ve been taking good care of them,” said Rose.
“Yep.”
“Hey, Rose,” said a young stallion, trotting over to them. He was brown with a beige mane. “Guess what?”
“What?” said Rose.
“Did you hear that Dakota, me…” he took a huge breath, “has a girlfriend?”
“Really?’ said Rose, politely surprised. “Hmm.”
“Yep, her name’s Ashley,” said Dakota. “Ashley, c’mere!”
“Huh, Ashley. That’s a nice name. Oh, hello.” Ashley had just cantered up to them. “Ooh, that’s a cool necklace.”
“Oh yes,” she said. “And look inside of it. It’s a ruby.” She opened her locket, showing them the beautiful ruby inside.
“The ruby of – ” Ashley began, but Rose interrupted her. “I just remembered something,” she said in a low voice.
“What?” said Dakota.
“I have to go,” said Rose. “Sorry. My mom wants me back for dinner early. Bye.”
“Okay,” said Dakota, and Rose left. “Oh, hey, Charlotte,” said Dakota.
“Hi,” said a brown mare, but she was interrupted by a voice coming from behind them.
“Oh, May, will you look at that lovely necklace,” it crooned.
Ashley and Dakota turned around. It was Fiona Prissy and her daughter May, the two snottiest horses in Equestria. They were both decked out in all kinds of charms, ribbons, and rings, and Fiona was wearing a saddle, something almost unheard of anywhere around Equestria. It was said to be invented by mythical creatures called humans.
“Don’t touch the necklace,” said Dakota defensively. “I gave it to her.”
“Why would I listen to you?” sneered May. “What’s wrong with that one hoof, anyway? It’s white. Yaach!”
“It’s white because it’s in my genetics,” retorted Dakota. “Oh, is your foot broken, or is that supposed to be fashion?”
“It’s fashion, silly,” said May. “Now get out of my face!”
“Get out of my face,” said Dakota.
“Leave him alone,” said Ashley.
“Oh, really,” snorted May. “And why am I supposed to listen to you?”
“May, shut it,” Fiona ordered. “That’s quite a pretty little thing you have around your neck.” She tweaked Ashley’s locket with one hoof.
“Oh, yes,” said Ashley aggressively. “And it has the ruby of get out of our way inside of it.”
“Oh, really,” jeered May. “Well it’s not working, ‘cause here I am.”
“Blah blah blah,” said Ashley loudly. “C’mon, Dakota. Let’s go.” They cantered off primly without a backward glance at the two rotten horses.
“Oh yeah?” said Fiona softly. “I’ll get that necklace if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Hmph,” said May irritably. “Come on, Mummy.”
Apple Jack, who had, unbeknownst to the Prissies, watching on the sidelines, snorted. “Man, they really like fashion,” she said. “Ha. That’s why I like apples.”
“Fashion’s okay,” said a young black mare named Sabrina Kayleen (although she went by Kayleen). “But, really? What’s the deal?”
Apple Jack left. Charlotte walked up to Kayleen. “Hi,” she said.
“Oh, hello,” said Kayleen.
“My name’s Charlotte. What’s your name?”
“My name is Kayleen,” said the black horse shyly. Kayleen was very skittish around people she didn’t know.
“Ooh, that’s a pretty name,” said Charlotte. “Are you new around here?”
“Yes, pretty new,” said Kayleen. “But I’ve already got a friend. His name is Romeo.”
“Romeo?” butted in Cinnie, who had been lollygagging around near the end of Equestria Square. “Doesn’t that guy come from the mountains?”
“Yeah, he does, but he’s just so delightful,” said Kayleen enthusiastically. “He’s always going away, though. I don’t know where he goes. I – ”
“Probably to the mountains to serve the Dragon Lord,” said Cinnie.
“Oh, you are just so paranoid,” said Kayleen with a frown. “He’s really nice. He’s really quite delightful.”
“That’s all you see in people, delight,” muttered Cinnie, stomping off.
“And all you see in people is war,” replied Kayleen scathingly when a tiny woof came from the ground below. There was a tiny puppy there.
“Oh, hello, sweetie,” crooned Kayleen. “Is everything okay, puppy? Aww, poor little guy. Come on, I’ll take you to my room.” Together, they walked off.
“I’m going back inside,” muttered Charlotte, and wandered off.
“Dee dee deedeedeedee dee dee dee, dee, dee dee deedeedeedee dee-dee-dee-dee! Dee dee deedee – ” sang a grayish-black horse named Drover. His eyes were as big as his hooves. He did not have a reputation for being particularly intelligent.
Spirit, who had been standing behind Drover, was nearly smacked by his flying storm-gray tail. “I really don’t see what that guy is for,” muttered Spirit to himself, and wandered off.

The sun had set, and around Equestria “goodnights” were floating around everywhere. “Goodnight,” said Spirit. “Goodnight,” said Cinnie. “Goodnight,” Dakota said, directed at Ashley. “Okay, Dakota. Goodnight,” said Ashley sleepily. “Goodn – ” Apple Jack started to say, already half asleep, but she was interrupted by an earth-shaking boom and a “ROAR!” that shook roofs! Neighs and snorts rang through the streets a pandemonium broke out in Equestria Square. “What was that?” yelled Cinnie. “What was that?” screamed Spirit. “Oh my goodness, that was so creepy!”
Suddenly there was another loud booming sound, like something falling on the floor, this time coming from the King’s Barn. “What was that?” cried Cinnie. Another voice came from the barn, but it was not that of the king. It was croaky, and punctuated by squawks like a bird’s. “Raak! Danger in the mountains! Don’t go, don’t go! Araak!”
“It’s a bird!” yelled a paint named Thunder. “Oh no. Here, little buddy.” He made to pick it up. “Oh, wait. You’re a girl, sorry.”
“What was that?” said Ashley. “I – oh, was it this bird?”
The bird began her feverish cries again. “Danger in the mountains! No one goes, no one goes! Reeakk!”
“What was that?’ said Dakota grumpily. “Who woke me up?”
“There’s something terrible in the mountains!” the bird said urgently. “Something terrible, terrible, terrible!”
“What?” said Ashley, almost screaming with impatience.
“I – I don’t speak of it,” croaked the bird.
“Tell us,” said Spirit firmly. “It might be important.”
“I need help first,” croaked the bird weakly.
“I’ll help you,” said Thunder’s sister, Sylvia. “So can Kayleen. Wait, where’s Kayleen, everyone?”
“Oh, no!” cried Charlotte. “Where’s Kayleen? Kayleen!”
“Kayleen!” yelled Sylvia.
“Kayleen!” they yelled together.
“Oh, no, where’s Kayleen?” groaned Charlotte.
“Kayleen!”
“Hey, don’t step on the bird!”
“Sorry, I can’t see. Where are you, Kayleen?’
“Hey, Kayleen!”
“Oh no, where’s Kayleen?”
The bird interrupted their frantic search for their black friend. “Awark, awark, I must warn you… Big monster… giant wings…”
“I’ll help you,” said Sylvia. “Here, get on my back.”
In the background, several horses were still crying for Kayleen when, at last, someone cried, “Hey, there’s Kayleen!”
“Kayleen!” said Dakota. “We have a bird. He fell in the barn.” It didn’t seem like Dakota cared much about the bird.
“Oh, you poor thing!” cried Kayleen. “King, will she be okay?”
“She’ll be alright,” said a voice, and the king stepped out of the barn.
“Oh, we were looking all over for you, Kayleen!” said Cinnie.
“Sorry, I almost tripped over the bird!” said Spirit.
“Oh, I am so sorry, you poor creature,” said Kayleen to the bird. It was several different colors, all of them shades of yellow, green, orange, or pink. She had a crest of scarlet feathers on her head.
“What in the world is going on over here?” said Apple Jack, swaying up from her pile of hay in her barn.
“I really don’t know,” said Kayleen, “but there’s a little bird here.”
“What’s going on?” said Apple Jack. “I heard a boom, a big roar – and then I woke up.”
“Oh, you poor thing, what’s your name?” said Kayleen sweetly to the bird.
“My name is Clementine,” said the bird. “You know, I’ve got a sister. I just don’t know where she is… oops, I mean brother. I’m just all… nnnh. After my fall I can’t tell what’s what.”
“Oh, go put him in a nest or something,” said Dakota carelessly, once again mistaking Clementine for a boy. “I’m gonna go try to find her brother.” He walked away back to his barn, grumbling about birds, loud noises, and the middle of the night.
“Come on,” said Rose gently, caressing the wounded bird in her hooves. “Kayleen and I will take good care of you.” She, along with Kayleen, walked off with Clementine towards Kayleen’s pasture.
“Raak!” said a voice. It wasn’t Clementine.
“I found him!” hollered Spirit.
“Reeeaa!” cried Clementine’s brother. He was breathing hard. “Where’s my sister?” he said.
“She’s very hurt,” said Sylvia, trotting back from Kayleen’s stable. “You are her brother, aren’t you? What’s your name?”
“Raaa,” said the bird. “My name’s Phoenix. I’m a Bird Warrior.”
“I can tell,” said Sylvia, sizing him up. He had a silvery white breastplate across his chest. He looked just like his sister, except he lacked the orange crest on top of his green and yellow head. “That’s a very fine breastplate you have. Who made it?”
“I did,” he replied proudly. “Raak. I gotta go. I am trying to find my sister.”
“Your sister is currently in our custody,” said Sylvia. “She’s very hurt, and she – ”
“Take her to me!” yelled Phoenix, abandoning all pretense of regality. His vivid feathers puffed up in aggression. “Take her – raak! That’s it! Raagh!” He tried to bite Sylvia’s hoof, but she stepped out of the way just in time. “Give me my sister!”
“Fine,” said Sylvia calmly. “Kayleen, give us the bird.”
“Okay,” yelled Kayleen.
She brought her over to where Phoenix was standing. “Clementine!” he yelled.
“Oh, Phoenix!” she said.
“What happened to your wing?” he said.
“Big monster,” said Clementine, “big wings… loud roar, attacked me.”
“Dragon!” Phoenix blurted out. “You were attacked by a dragon!”
In the distance, there was a faint sound of chimes as beautiful as a rainbow.
“Oh yes, I forgot to tell you guys, there’s a dragon in the mountains. There were a few black horses up there, and – ”
“Yeah, the dragon!” said Clementine with a shake of her head. The chimes sounded again. At this Phoenix flew off to perch on the roof of a building.
“Huhhhh,” said Apple Jack with a shiver. “I’m getting kind of cold.” Her teeth were chattering.
“Are you okay?” said Clementine.
“I do-do-do-don’t know,” stuttered Apple Jack.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” said Clementine, but at that moment there was a whoosh, and Apple Jack changed.
“Oh my goodness!” gasped Phoenix. “Apple Jack!”
“What?” said Apple Jack confusedly.
“Apple Jack?” said Sylvia in wonder.
“What?” said Apple Jack again.
“Awark, awark!” said Clementine in a hushed voice. “It’s the one! The one that can destroy the dragon!”
“What?” Apple Jack said impatiently.
“Apple Jack!” gasped Rose, who had just come out of her barn, awakened by all the yelling outside.
“What? Tell me what!” said Apple Jack, almost screaming.
“You’re a…” Rose hesitated, seeming to be at a loss for words, “unicorn.”
“No, I’m not!” said Apple Jack, tossing her magnificently white, glittering head.
“’Course you are,” said Rose with a frown. “Here, look.” She held up a wooden mirror.
“Oh – oh my goodness,” said Apple Jack, stunned. “I’m a unicorn! No, no no no, I’m not the one to defeat the d-dragon… I didn’t even know I was a unicorn!”
“Awark, awark, It’s alright, it’s alright,” said Clementine. “You’re the one for sure. You’ve got magic. Try that horn.” Apple Jack was still breathing hard. “Try it, try it, fix my wing.”
Apple Jack was unsure of whether that was a good idea. “Uhhh… I’ll test it on him.”
“Me?” said Cinnie.
“Yeah, yeah, you.”
“Mmm… okay.”
“One… two… three…” There was a whoosh, and Cinnie disappeared.
“Oh no!” said Apple Jack. “He’s a hay bale!”
“Raak,” said Clementine thoughtfully. “Something went a bit wrong…”
“I’m sorry,” said Apple Jack in a panicky voice. “I just… I got nervous and I got hungry.”
“Raa,” said Clementine soothingly. “Apple Jack, Apple Jack. It’s okay, we all forgive you.”
“I don’t know how to turn him back!” said Apple Jack frantically.
“It’s okay,” Clementine was trying to say, but Apple Jack was pacing back and forth, saying to herself, “This is terrible!” over and over.
“It’s okay, we forgive you,” said Clementine patiently. “You can defeat the dragon for sure.”
“I’m getting kind of hot,” Apple Jack said. “I’m burning up…” She started panting.
“Apple Jack, are you sure you’re okay?” said Clementine.
There was yet another whoosh, and the real Apple Jack was out, tan body, reddish-brown mane, and no horn.
“Apple Jack,” said Clementine. “What happened?”
“What?” said Apple Jack.
“You’re not a unicorn anymore.”
“I’m not? But he’s still a hay – ”
“Bale. We know. Oh dear. Shall we call the King?” said Rose, cutting in.
“I don’t think the king has magic,” muttered Apple Jack.
“Oh yeah… but we need some HELP! EVERYBODY PANIC!” She screamed one long, piercing scream, running back and forth across the street. “Wait – it’s only one guy,” said Rose. “But he’s a hay bale…” With that she fell over in a dead faint.
“Dee dee dee deedeedeedee!” Drover hollered in the background. “Dee dee deeee…” He trailed off awkwardly when he realized no one was listening.
“A dragon? Really?” said Sylvia, walking over, and for the third time, chimes sounded from somewhere in the distance. Apple Jack started shivering again.
“Whoa! Apple Jack!” said Sylvia in awe.
“What?” said Apple Jack.
“You’re a unicorn again!”
“I am? Oh, I think I figured it out! Every time somebody says the word ‘dragon’ – ”
“Don’t say it,” Sylvia interrupted firmly. “Spell it. D-R-A-G-O-N.”
“Well, every time somebody says that, I turn into a unicorn! I’ve got it!”
“Well, we’d better hope you stay a unicorn, or that mountain monster’s going to stay,” said Clementine.
Just as she said that there was another earsplitting roar from the mountain that towered above the Equestria Square.
“Oh no, he’s back!” said Apple Jack.
“Come on, guys,” said Sylvia. “We’re going to the mountains. I’ve been thinking, and I think I’ve got a bone to pick with Romeo.”

~~~

I know, it’s an insanely strange story. It was a horribly planned-out story, but my fiction life wouldn’t be complete without mentioning this one. Thanks for reading, even though I can imagine this story driving anyone nuts. Especially my friend’s mom.

Summer 😛

P.S. I’m pretty sure this is full of My Little Pony plagiarisms. I don’t claim to have thought of the names Equestria, Apple Jack, or any more that may pop up.

Tips and Pointers on Making Your Own Movies

Hey, guys! I thought of this post when I was looking at my friend’s comment on Animal Jam: Bringing Back the Beta. A few years ago, we made a movie with her toy horses called “Secrets of Equestria”. Looking back on it, it was ridiculous, but it helped me learn what I liked in a homemade movie.
First of all, plan out your scenes. We ended up with more than three takes of the first scene, and one of them towards the end was more than twenty minutes long. It will also help the dialogue be less “Hey, what’s up” and more “We have to go save the world from the evil snowmen!!” Okay, I totally made the evil snowmen up, but you get the idea.
Second, arrange the places well. If I’m not clear, two true examples of this from SoE are when a horse named Ashley stuck her butt at the camera at an angle so that it aimed right up the manufacturer hole under her tail and when my friend accidentally put her knee in front of the camera so you couldn’t see anything else. Not kidding. A plastic horse’s privates aren’t exactly what you want to see in a movie.
Third, keep your characters ready! In “Secrets of Equestria”, there’s a five-minute scene where everyone is screaming a character’s name that got lost. The character wasn’t just lost; we actually lost the horse we were using. The other two tips are completely irrelevant if you don’t follow this one. A script isn’t going to do you any good if you can’t find the character to say it!
This goes for movies about humans, too. Keep your costumes on hand at all times. Although this one is a little more geared toward movies about dolls or objects, but it’s still useful for everything else.

Thanks for reading, you guys are so cool!!

Summer 😛

P.S. If you guys want me to, I can tell you the story of “Secrets of Equestria”. It’s decent, I guess, but it’s mostly just funny.