My Little Pony Monthly Issue 11 (February 1,
1998)
My Little Pony Monthly
Established June 1997
If you do not want to be on our mailing list, e-mail Tabby at TabbyMLP@aol.com
and you'll be removed.
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Issue 11
February 1998
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P.S. I Love You
Prequel to Friends Forever
By Shining
"What do you think you're doing here? Get out this instant!" Bit A Lace roared.
"And never come back!"
The dark bay filly startled out of her daydream and tore out of the big olympic arena
at Glorified Acres. All she had wanted to do was to learn how to dance like Lacey. Shining
sniffed back a tear and slowed to a trot.
Last year when Lacey picked the three-year-olds she was going to train, Shining
had been left out. "You're much to small to leap and prance like the rest of us. Being the runt of
the herd and all." Those words had stung, but Shining was determined that she was going to
dance.
Lost in thought, Shining bumped into Signature Required, Lacey's star student.
The big colt took a couple of steps back while Shining blushed, embarrassed.
"Hey, are you okay?" The handsome black colt asked.
"Um, yeah. Sorry," Shining looked down. Everyone knew that Siggy, as he was
called, was one of the best, and by silent agreement, he was to be treated like royalty.
"Are you sure? You look upset," Siggy looked quizzically at her. "It looks like
you were crying."
Shining quickly brushed the tears away. "Lacey got mad at me ‘cause I was in the
ring."
"Oh. Hey, you're the filly that she turned away last year, aren't you?" Siggy
realized, looking at her pretty face.
Shining's cheeks burned crimson. She studied the ground. "Yes," she said in a
small voice.
"Wow. I hardly recognized you. You've really grown. I'll ask her if maybe you
could start training with us. You'd probably catch up quickly," Siggy offered.
Shining looked up, surprised. "Oh, well, I don't really think that--"
"Come to the arena tomorrow at nine." And with a wink, the tall colt walked
off.
Shining sighed. I can't believe that he actually talked to me, let alone try to get me
into training. And he's so nice, even though he's Lacey's pet.
* * *
"No, no, no! I won't let that filly join my intense training," Lacey shrieked.
"Lacey, she has a name," Siggy defended Shining. "It's Shining."
"Shining, eh?" Lacey sneered. "What kind of name is that?"
"I like her name," Siggy looked at Shining who was too busy examining her hooves
to notice the look that Siggy gave her.
"Well, she still can't join my class. And besides, you're almost done with training.
Another month, and I'll have taught you everything I know," Lacey batted her eyes at Siggy.
Even though she was twice his age, Lacey had decided that she was in love with her student. She
tried to hint it to him every chance she got.
Siggy sighed. "Fine, another month, and then I'm outta here."
Lacey looked horrified. "Oh no, dear, after you're done training, we'll compete
together as a couple for the rest of our lives. Imagine. Us. Together. Forever."
Siggy didn't say anything, but walked away. As he passed Shining, he whispered in
her ear, "Hey, sorry about that. Come to my stall tonight and we can talk."
* * *
That night Shining quietly crept over to the training barn to talk to her new pal.
When she stepped into the barn, Siggy spotted her immediately and nickered. "Hi, I'm glad you
came. I didn't know if you would show up or not."
Shining, too shy to say anything, studied the ground intently. She had been hardly
able to contain herself and wait until evening when Siggy had invited her to his stall. Shining had
called her best friend, Gusty, and they had chatted for hours about Siggy, Lacey, and
training.
"...so I was thinking that maybe I could teach you at night in the arena when no
one's around," Siggy told Shining.
Startled out of her thoughts by Siggy's suggestion, Shining shyly asked, "You-
you'd do that?"
"Yeah. I see real potential in you."
Shining blushed. "Okay, I guess. You're sure it won't be too much trouble?"
"No way!" Siggy looked indignant. "Not for you. I really want to get to know
you, Shining. You're the only one who treats me decently. It's the least I can do."
Shining was confused. "What do you mean by that?"
Siggy sighed. "It's just that everyone's so occupied with my success as a show
horse, they don't treat me as a friend," Siggy looked Shining in the eye. "Except you, Shining;
when I'm with you, I feel like anyone else. I don't like to stand out, and when I'm with you, I can
forget."
Shining looked at her peer in surprise. "I just treat you like I'd want to be
treated."
Siggy grinned and shoved her affectionately. "C'mon. Let's go into the
ring."
* * *
Shining was a quick learner. Within a month, she had mastered what it had taken
her teacher a year to learn. And as Shining's training excelled and improved, Shining and Siggy
grew closer and closer as friends. They told each other everything.
One night, Siggy explained how he hated the nickname everyone called him by.
"Siggy is so dorky!"
Shining laughed and did a capriole. "Fine then. I'll call you Signature."
* * *
The next month brought many changes. Lacey insisted that Signature tour and
perform with her, leaving Shining alone at Glorified Acres. While her friend was away, Shining
threw herself into her training. Head carriages, endurance, stadium jumps; each day brought a
new challenge for Shining to defeat.
Weeks flew by and Shining continued her exercises. One warm day in June, Shining
practiced her dressage. Gracefully, she arched her neck and danced across the arena.
"Shining!" A voice pierced through her deep concentration.
Shining looked up into a jet-black handsome face. One she knew, that was so
familiar. "Signature! What are you doing here? I thought you were touring for two years. It's
barely been a year." Shining raced over to the fence where Signature was standing.
"I quit!" Signature explained. "Lacey was way too obsessed with winning, so I
walked out on her and told her that I was going back to Glorified Acres to be with you. She's
probably on her way, now."
"Wow," Shining smiled. "It's so great to see you. I missed you."
"Yeah, um, do you want to dance?" Signature gestured toward the arena.
"Why of course, sir," Shining teased Signature for being so formal. Signature
grinned.
They entered the ring together and began to leap. When they finished, Signature
gave Shining a long look. "You look great," he said softly. It's been so long since I've seen her,
but she's still so beautiful, he thought to himself.
For some reason, Shining was sure that Signature didn't just mean that her
performance was good. She blushed. When she dared to look up again, Signature was still
watching her. She raised her head to meet his gaze.
Signature blinked and glanced away. "Well," he said, changing the subject, "I guess
we should set up a stall for you in the training barn."
Shining nodded, "That would be great. The trek to the arena every day from the
broodmare barn is tiring."
"I'll set you up next door to me. Since Leo went over to Sheltered Farms, the stall
by me is vacant," Signature told Shining.
When Shining was comfortably settled in her new stall, Signature cleared his throat,
and stood nervously by the door. Shining looked up inquiringly. "Um," he began, "Well, I got
this for you at the Congress Show. I hope you like it." Signature handed Shining a brass
nameplate. SHINING was delicately engraved in the shiny brass. On the side was an etching of
an elegant face.
Shining gasped at the beauty of the nameplate. "It's wonderful," she
breathed.
"The face is supposed to look like you," Signature explained. "But when I
described your face to the engraver, I couldn't find words to define how beautiful you
were."
"Thank you," Shining whispered.
"You're welcome," Signature whispered back. "And describing you to an old
gelding named Bubba is pretty difficult," he joked.
Shining smilied shyly and then yawned. "I'm beat. I'll see you in the morning,
Signature."
"Good night, my Shining. Sleep well."
Shining glowed as she got ready for bed. Signature had called her his Shining. Not
just "Good night, Shining," but "Good night my Shining." As Shining drifted off into a deep
sleep, she sighed contentedly. Things were going her way.
* * *
"Siggy!" Shining woke up with a start. It was two in the morning. Who would be
screeching in the middle of the night?
"Lacey!" Shining heard the surprise in Signature's voice.
"How dare you walk out on me at the show! I was so embarrassed! All those
people there, and I had to do the routine by myself. I got disqualified!" Lacey raved.
Shining couldn't help but smile. It served Lacey right for how she treated
Signature.
"I was completely humiliated at one of the biggest shows of the season!" Lacey
screeched. "And it's all because of that little brat Shining! She's just fooling you, you know,
Siggy. She just thinks you're the greatest because of your training. She--"
"Enough!" Signature roared. "Lacey, I'm sick of training with you, I'm sick of
performing with you, I'm sick of hearing you put down Shining, I'm sick of YOU!"
Shining cautiously peered around the door to get a glimpse of the arguement.
Signature had an angry scowl on his face. But the funny thing was Lacey. Her eyes had welled
up with tears, and her lip had begun to quiver. Lacey slapped Signature across the face, turned on
her heel, and galloped out of the barn.
"Signature, are you all right?" Shining abandoned her hiding place to see to
Signature.
Signature rubbed his jaw. "I'm fine. Can you believe her? What a jerk!"
Shining giggled. "Did you see the look on her face when you told her off?"
Shining tried to imitate Lacey's expression, but gave up, dissolving into laughter.
Signature joined in with a chuckle. "Well, I think that I've finally seen the last of
her. Thank goodness."
Shining nodded, a smile still upon her pretty face. She looked up at Signature, dark
and handsome. His face was marred by a worried frown. Sensing that Signature was unhappy,
Shining comforted him. "Oh Signature, everything will be fine. And what Lacey said about your
success; it's not true at all. You're a true friend for who you are. Not what you do."
Signature gave Shining a wobbly smile and walked her back to her stall. "Whenever
I'm with you, I feel as if I have to impress you."
Shining frowned and opened her mouth to contradict him.
"But let me finish. It always turns out though, that I'm myself the most when I'm
around you. Does that make sense?" Signature asked.
Shining nodded slowly. "I think so."
"Good," Signature smiled. And then, tenderly, he kissed Shining on the forehead
where her single white star lay. "Good night," he whispered.
Shining's eyes flew open, but then closed again as she smiled. "Good night," she
replied, stiffling a yawn. I'll never wash my face again! she mused dreamily. It was a long
time before Shining got to sleep that night. She listened to Signature move about in his stall, and
eventually listened to his steady breathing as he slept.
* * *
The next morning, Shining was up with the rooster, watching the sunrise, as she did
every morning. Signature stumbled out of his stall, sleepily, two hours after Shining. "Morning,"
he mumbled, "How long have you been up?"
Shining turned to face Signature. "Oh, I've been up since dawn."
"You crazy?" Signature teased Shining.
Shining grinned, "Always."
"Ready to practice?" Signature changed the subject.
"Yeah. What do you wanna practice today?" Shining asked.
"Anything, as long as it's with you."
The days flew by as the two young horses practiced their routines together. The
shy filly and the bold colt seemed an odd combination, but they were the best of friends. Soon,
they were ready to compete.
"I think we're ready for this one," Signature pronounced, studying the showbill for
their first show.
Shining nodded, her head bobbing jerkily. She was nervous, but she didn't want to
let Signature find out. "We've been practicing for months; we'll do fine," she reassured herself
under her breath.
"What?" Signature asked, preoccupied.
"Nothing," Shining said quietly.
Signature looked up from the paper. His brow creased in concern. "You okay?
You're awfully pale, Shining-girl," Signature used the nickname he had invented.
Shining gave him a wobbly smile, "Just a little nervous. This is my first show, you
know."
Signature shook his head. "I always forget that because you never train and
practice like a novice. You're a pro, Shining." Signature encouraged her with a confident smile,
complete with dimples. "Don't worry, you'll do great."
Half-an-hour later, Shining and Signature stood in the waiting ring, ready to
perform. Shining, still rather pale, reviewed their routine in her head. Signature watched Shining
with growing concern. He knew that she'd be great, if only she'd believe it herself.
". . .please give a welcoming applause to exhibit number forty-eight; Signature
Required along with Shining," the announcer's voice resounded through the arena.
Shining took an apprehensive step forward, and stopped to find reassurance from
Signature. "Signature..." she began, her voice barely above a whisper.
Signature turned a calm eye toward her. "Shining-girl; you'll do great. I know that
large crowds aren't your thing, but we have to show the world how wonderful you are. Okay?"
Shining nodded, "Okay," she whispered.
Shining and Signature entered the arena. The stopped in the center of the stadium,
poised, and ready for their performance. As the music began, Signature realized with relief that
Shining was loosening up, moving fluidly.
Together, the pair danced and leaped around the ring, perfectly in-tune with each
other. After one particularly difficult pass, Signature heard Shining burst out with a gleeful laugh.
He smiled, wondering how the skill came so easily to her.
As the strains of delicate music came to an end, Shining beamed at Signature with a
sparkle in her eyes. "Thank you, Signature!" she exclaimed.
The crowed raised to their feet and clapped, as they would do so many more times
in the future. Gusty, Shining's friend, in the front row clapped the loudest of all. "We love you,
Shining!" she exclaimed.
Signature chuckled, and looked at the delicate filly by his side. "Shining-girl," he
said quietly, "You did great! And," Signature paused, and grinned self-consciously, "Like they
say at the end of letters, P.S. I love you, too." Signature kissed his Shining-girl.
Gusty whooped with joy. "Go Shining!"
Author's note:
Sorry to all of you that I told that this story would be in the January
issue. Long-term writer's block and a busy life are things that I wish
were non-existant. ;-)
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In My Opinion....
by Tabby
The new ponies should not be criticized, and should be accepted into everyone's
collection because of their cuteness.
Being produced by Hasbro, they are real My Little Ponies, just made in a new style.
Flutter Ponies and Sea Ponies are real MLPs made in a different style and we accept them into our
collections, why not the new ones?
In their own way, they're just as pretty as the old ones. The same plastic and ‘hair'
are used in the new ones, and they each have their own symbol and unqiue personality as the old
ones. And yes, they're smaller, but so were Flutter Ponies and Summer/Windy Wings.
With the addition of a jewel, their eyes are just as pretty as the old ones. The eye
itself is painted on like the old ones, with a small jewel implanted in the center.
So can't you learn to accept the new MLPs as part of the MLP world? Go out now
and buy those ponies!
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Survey
Which pony would you most like to be?
E-mail Tabby at TabbyMLP@aol.com. Results will be in the next issue!
Last month's-
"What is your favorite out of the new 1998 ponies?"
alison@a.crl.com-
The question was: What is your favorite of the new 1998 ponies?
My favorite is Sky Skimmer. She looks a lot like Rosedust the flutter pony (with her colors), and
Rosedust is one of my favorite MLPs. Plus, I've just always loved yellow ponies, especially pastel
yellow - it looks so happy, friendly, and inviting!
Alison, aka Baby Firefly
Sharnox@aol.com-
My favorite of the new ones is Clever Clover, he is darling! My second favorite is Petal Blossom
:)
MST3KGypsy@earthling.net-
My favorite new MLP is Ivy.
~Gypsy
Cymbryana@aol.com-
My daughter's favorite new pony (she's 5 so I have to respond for her) is Berry Bright. She says
she loves that basket on her back (and I say it has something to do with those neon colors!).
---Nicole and Ashley
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INVENTO PONIES
by Barnacle:
The Four Bushwoolies of the Apocalypse
A special mail-in offer for sending in the proofs of purchase off of all four of the Ponies of the
Apocalypse.
Death: white bushwoolie with a cloak and staff
Pestilence: yellow bushwoolie with staff
Famine: lime green bushwoolie, really skinny
War: red bushwoolie in full plate armour
by Baby Firefly:
Valentines' Sweetheart Ponies
All are earth ponies with jewel eyes and glittery symbols.
Be Mine - white with red hair and silver tinsel, bouquet of red roses symbol
Sweetie Pie - pink with dark pink hair and white tinsel, several chocolate candies for symbol
Luv Ya - pastel yellow with pastel pink hair and silver tinsel, different sizes of red and pink hearts
for symbol
Yours Truly - red with white hair and pink tinsel, symbol is the words "Love" and "XOXO" with
one white carnation
--
Special Edition Twins: "Baby Winter Wonderland" and "Baby Silver Bells"
Both twins have a pearlized silver body with white hair, and clear crystal jewel eyes. Baby Winter
Wonderland's symbol is pine tree with glittery snow flakes falling around it, and Baby Silver
Bells' symbol is two silver bells tied together with red ribbon, with glittery snowflakes falling
around it.
-----
by Applejack:
Name - Dexter
Body Color- beige
Hair Color- brown
Symbol - a book
Breed - Earth
Name - Sticky
Body Color - white
Hair Color - pink with a white stripe
Symbol - a bottle of glue
Breed - Unicorn
Name - Day Dream
Body Color - light purple
Hair Color - very light blue
Symbol - a pink Cloud
Breed - Pegasus
Name - Santa Pony
Body Color- white
Hair Color - red w/ green
Symbol - a Santa hat
Breed - Male Earth
Accessories - would come with a Santa suit, a red bag w/ mini toys in it (for the baby ponies), and
a beard
Names - Megabyte and Baby Byte (a mommy and baby set)
Body Color - mint green
Hair Color - white
Symbol - Mommy - a computer; and baby - a mouse (a computer mouse)
Breed - Earth
Precious Metal Ponies - These ponies have shimmering bodies with the names of precious metals
Name - Goldy
Body Color - shimmering gold
Hair Color - gold
Symbol - a gold ring
Breed - Unicorn
Name - Silver Streak
Body Color - shimmering silver
Hair Color - silver
Symbol- a silver streak of lightning (bigger than Firefly's)
Breed - Earth
Name - Wiry
Body Color - shimmering copper
Hair - copper
Symbol - a roll of copper wire
Breed - Earth
-----
LSflip@aol.com:
I was reading the part in the newsletter that had ideas for new ponies. Here's an idea:
Astrological ponies! Have a pony with a bull, and one with rams, and one with twins... etc.
-----
by Majesty:
Name: Valentine
Color: pink
Hair color: white, red
Type: Twinkle-Eyed unicorn
Symbol: heart
Name: Cupid
Color: gold
Hair color: red, white
Type: flutter pony
Symbol: heart w/ arrow through it
Name: Angel
Color: white
Hair color: gold, white
Type: Twinkle-Eyed unicorn, and has a variation of pegasus wings-- angel wings, a little
bigger, wider wings
Symbol: angel w/ halo
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PONY OF THE MONTH
Crunch Berry
(mauve Sundae Best earth pony with bright yellow hair and ice cream sundae
on rump)
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Ice Cream Escapades
by Tabby
"Hmm, that might be interesting to interview for!" Crunch Berry thought to herself
as she saw a sign posted outside of the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe that Scoops was looking for a
new worker. "I'm going to try for it!"
So she walked inside and up to the counter. "Scoops, I saw that sign up outside
that you're looking for a new worker?"
"Oh, yes!" Scoops said. "Here's an application to fill out, if you're interested."
She handed an application to Crunch Berry and added, "Ever since I hired that Lava Demon and
Ice Orc a little while ago, I realized how nice it was having more workers!"
Crunch Berry quickly filled the application out and handed it back to Scoops.
"Okay, I'll call you back in a few days if you get the job!" Scoops called to her as
she headed towards the door.
"Great, I can't wait!" Crunch Berry replied enthusiastically.
* * *
Two days later, Crunch Berry's phone rang. She jumped up, and grabbed the
receiver. "Hello?" she said into it.
"Crunch Berry? This is Scoops."
"Scoops!" Crunch Berry squealed.
"I've selected you for the job," Scoops continued. "You can start this afternoon;
come in at 1."
"That's wonderful!" Crunch Berry exclaimed. "I'll be there! Thanks so much for
picking me!"
"Oh, well, see ya!" Scoops said, hanging up.
* * *
At 1:00 that afternoon, Crunch Berry had just arrived at the Satin Slipper Sweet
Shoppe.
"Okay, put this apron and cap on," Scoops instructed, handing them to her. Crunch
Berry tied them on, and Scoops went on, "Now, start by taking this tray of sundaes out to that
table." She pointed to one of the tables.
Crunch Berry took the tray from her, and Scoops went into the back room. She
had just walked out in front of the counter when the tray began to tilt, and one of the sundaes
started to slide off.
"Oh, no!" Crunch Berry gasped as the sundae fell right on top of the Lava Demon's
head, who was just walking by.
"AHHH!!!!" the Lava Demon cried out in pain.
"I'm so sorry!" Crunch Berry frantically grabbed a towel off the counter and wiped
all the ice cream off the Lava Demon. He muttered something, and walked off angrily.
"Crunch Berry!" Scoops, who had come out of the back room and had been
watching what had happened with the Lava Demon, exclaimed. "Please try not to do that again.
If he gets too angry, he might quit, and he's a very valuable worker." She added under her
breath, "Unlike some."
"Oh, I'll be extra careful next time," Crunch Berry mumbled, embarrassed.
"Why don't you go unpack the new shipment of ice cream we just got in?" Scoops
suggested. "The boxes are in the back room; just unload each carton into the freezer."
"Okay, great, I'll do that!" Crunch Berry said, backing away.
She walked into the back room and opened one of the boxes of ice cream.
"Ooh, Fudge Ripple, my favorite!" Crunch Berry exclaimed, examining the cartons.
Suddenly she realized how hungry she felt. "Scoops'll never notice if I snitch just a
little..." She carefully pried the lid off one of them and dug her hoof in.
"Yum!" she thought to herself, licking her hoof. "This is even better than I
remember it!" Before she could stop herself, she dug in for another taste, and another, and
another--
"CRUNCH BERRY!" Scoops roared, standing behind Crunch Berry and tapping
her hoof on the ground.
Crunch Berry's face went bright red. "Well... umm..." she stammered.
"Look, why don't you just go home for today?" Scoops said, exasperated. "Come
in at 1 again tomorrow."
Crunch Berry wordlessly nodded her head and ran out the door, and past the Ice
Orc whom Scoops had called in to finish unpacking.
* * *
The next day at 1, Crunch Berry got to the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe again.
Sweet Blossom, Songster, Mainsail, and Sweet Lily had just walked up to the counter as Crunch
Berry quickly slipped into her apron and hat.
"Your order, please?" Crunch Berry said breathlessly to the group.
"I'll take a strawberry sundae," said Mainsail after studying the menu.
"A chocolate shake for me!" added Sweet Blossom.
Crunch Berry frantically tried to keep all the orders straight in her head.
"A chocolate cone with sprinkles," Songster decided.
"And a peach cobbler!" Sweet Lily said.
"Okay, you can all sit down, and I'll bring them out as soon as I have them ready!"
Crunch Berry said, heading off to prepare the order.
"Let's see-- Mainsail wanted a sundae, and Sweet Blossom wanted a shake. It was
a strawberry shake and a chocolate sundae, I think. Yes, it must have been!" Crunch Berry
thought to herself, and prepared the two things. "Now... Songster wanted a cone with sprinkles,
but chocolate or vanilla? Oh, well, I'll do it twist-- I'll be at least half right. And then Sweet Lily!
Gosh, I know there was fruit in it... so it must have been a banana split!" She hurriedly made the
last two items, and loaded everything on a tray. "I sure hope that's right!"
Crunch Berry headed towards their table, being careful not to tip the tray like last
time. She set the tray down on the table. The four ponies inspected the tray with confused
faces.
"Is everything all right?" Crunch Berry asked weakly.
"Are you sure this is the right order?" Sweet Blossom asked.
Then Scoops walked over; she had been watching the scene from the other side of
the room. "What seems to be the problem here?"
"Crunch Berry screwed-up our order!" Songster exclaimed.
Scoops sighed wearily and looked at Crunch Berry. "I'll take care of it," she said,
picking up the tray. She whispered to Crunch Berry, "You can have the rest of the day off again.
Just come in tomorrow at the same time."
Crunch Berry, dejected, walked out of the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe.
* * *
The next day, yet again, Crunch Berry walked into the Satin Slipper Sweet
Shoppe.
"You can manage the counter again today," Scoops instructed her, and added,
"And here. Write down the orders so they don't get messed up." She handed her a paper and
pencil.
"I'll be careful not to mess any up!" Crunch Berry promised, nodding her
head.
"Come get me if you run into any problems," Scoops said. "I'll be washing dishes if
you do need me." She headed off.
Crunch Berry stood behind the counter, waiting for someone to come in. After half
an hour, she had filled a few orders with no complaints. But then her best friend, Swirly Whirly,
walked up.
"Oh, hi, Crunch Berry!" Swirly Whirly exclaimed when she saw her friend. "You'd
told me you'd gotten a job here, hadn't you?"
"Yeah, I'm not doing such a good job at it, though," Crunch Berry sighed.
"That's too bad," Swirly Whirly said sympathetically. "You'll have to tell me all
about it sometime."
"Well, anyway," Crunch Berry said. "What do you want?"
"Hmm..." Swirly Whirly thought about it. "Make it a twist cone!"
"Coming right up!" Crunch Berry called, making one twist cone and another for
herself. "We can talk right here," she said to Swirly Whirly, setting the cones down on the
counter.
"Okay, great!" Swirly Whirly picked up her cone.
"See, on the first day I..." Crunch Berry started to explain everything that had
happened to her. The two ponies got deep into their chat. Crunch Berry forgot all about her
duties.
"CRUNCH BERRY!" Scoops yelled furiously, who had just come up behind
her.
"Oh, Scoops, I was just... ah... well..." Crunch Berry defended herself feebly.
Swirly Whirly stood there uneasily.
Scoops was sick and tired of having Crunch Berry make all these mistakes, and
would do anything to get her out, but she didn't want to outright fire her. Suddenly, she came up
with an idea.
"Crunch Berry," Scoops started again, trying to sound calm. "I have an idea. I'll
offer you free ice cream whenever you want it if you stop working here."
"Oh, wow!" Crunch Berry said, excited. "You'd really do that?"
"Yes," Scoops nodded her head firmly.
"I'll take you up on your offer, then!" Crunch Berry exclaimed. "Come on, Swirly
Whirly! Let's go do some shopping!"
So the two ponies ran out of the shop, and Scoops smiled at the thought of no
longer having Crunch Berry around behind the counter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mystery Pony
Guess who this pony is-
white baby pony with pink hair with tinsel in, glittery castle on rump
and e-mail Tabby at TabbyMLP@aol.com. Winners will be listed in the next issue!
Last month's-
The correct answer was Petal Blossom, one of the Secret Surprise Ponies! Although, there is
another pony that pretty much fits her description also, Flowerbelle the Flower Fantasy Pony.
One person guessed her, rza@lancnews.infi.net, so she basically got the right answer too! The
ones who guessed Petal Blossom are:
littleb@primenet.com
jmattys@ix.netcom.com
Sharnox@aol.com
Equine80@aol.com
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Brightblade Warpony
An Epic
Recorded by Clipper as dictated by the bard Ramon
Chapter 4
As Brightblade and Epona set out on their quest, Brightblade continued his
narration.
Ramon and I built a small fire near the gorge. There was no sign of activity in the
shadows on our side, but we could hear chattering from the far side. The night passed
uneventfully.
As the bleak dawn broke, we broke fast on dried mushrooms. They were chewy
and flavorless but they filled our stomachs. As we began our trek, I quickly realized that our
progress would be slowed as we climbed out of the valley. Fortunately there was no sign of the
inhabitants of the valley, at least not during the first day's journey. That evening we finished the
last of our mushrooms around a small fire.
The next day we set out with only some water in our stomachs. It was about
midday when I realized that Ramon was no longer with me. "Ramon!" I called, "Ramon, where
are you?" I began to panic; my heart almost stopped when I heard a noise in the brush. "Who's
there?" I uttered weakly.
Ramon appeared from the thorns carrying two fresh mushrooms. "Don't worry," he
said "It's only me, but you should be quiet. I've seen signs of those things. We're not out of the
woods yet."
We rested and ate the mushrooms; they were better than the dried ones, less
rubbery anyway, and they tasted rather bitter. As we resumed our travel we again heard the
sounds of the mysterious inhabitants of the valley following us. That evening, the eerie character
of the fire again haunted me. A strange feeling in my stomach made it hard to sleep.
Walking the next day was as difficult as sleeping had been the night before. I
pleaded with Ramon to let me rest a day, but he insisted that we press on. My legs felt like rubber
but I made my best effort to walk. My memory of the rest of the day is fuzzy, but I got the
impression that we were not making much progress.
As I lay near the fire Ramon built that evening, he opened the wine jug and gave me
a drink in hopes that it would ease my ailment. It was strong stuff and it burned my thought, but
it numbed the pain in my gut.
That night as I lapsed into and out of consciousness, I recall that Ramon was talking
continuously, though I cannot say what he talked about. I couldn't make any sense of it as
Ramon's rambling was intermingled with strange dreams and hallucinations.
The next day we did not travel. I lay incapacitated by my illness while Ramon
scurried about gathering firewood. That night Ramon was silent, at least when I was conscious.
At dawn Ramon told me that he was going to scout ahead, to see if he could find help. Before he
left, he made me take another drink of wine and told me to keep the fire burning night and day. I
was too weak to argue with him.
I remember little of the next day-and-a-half save fear.
By the time that Brightblade reached this point in his tale, he and Epona had
reached the pleasant fields of Ponyland. It was near noon and as they sought a place to take
lunch, they encountered three ponies, Sundance, Firefly, and Tabby, who were out on a picnic.
"Hey, Brightblade!" Sundance called. "Who's your new friend?"
Brightblade introduced Epona to the ponies.
"Where'd you get the cool hat?" Firefly asked.
"That's a long story; I was just telling it to Epona."
"Why don't you join us on our picnic and tell us all the story?" suggested
Tabby.
"I don't know if we have the time for that. We're on a very important
journey."
"Oh, nonsense," said Epona. "Time is not that short that we cannot afford to be
sociable."
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Package Back Stories
Flowers for the Garden
Four o'clock-- time for tea! The Flower Fantasy ponies waltzed to their favorite flower
garden for an afternoon snack. On a white wicker table were teacups, a pot of tea, tiny
sandwiches, and sweet cakes. Everything was ready, except... all the flowers had disappeared
from the garden! With a quick wink and whispered wish, the ponies magically made the garden
bloom. Roses, lilies, tulips, daisies, and more pretty flowers appeared. The Flower Fantasy
ponies marveled at the beautiful blossoms, and sat down to enjoy their tasty snack.
A Splash of Color
One warm, sunny day, the Sundazzle ponies went to the beach for a day of surfing.
Hopping on their surfboards, they paddled out to sea, yelling with excitement as they rode the
waves back to shore. A bit of magic would make the day even more wonderful, they thought, so
they blinked their eyes and... the waves turned into bright, wet rainbows to ride! Then, the sun
touched the ponies' hair and added a pink streak that matched the rosy stripe in the waves. How
magical the beach can be when the Sundazzle ponies are there!
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Skippety-Doo's Macaroni and Cheese
2 cups dry elbow macaroni
1 ½ cups milk
½ tsp. salt
2 cups grated medium cheddar cheese
First, cook the macaroni as the package directs. Drain well when cooked.
While the macaroni is cooking, generously grease a 9x9 baking pan. Also, combine
milk and salt in a pan and cook over low heat to just boiling.
Combine cooked macaroni, heated milk, and the grated cheese so that the cheese
gets evenly distributed.
Pour into the greased pan and cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Covering the
pan with a cookie sheet while baking will keep the macaroni soft; if you prefer a crisp top, bake it
uncovered.
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School News
The baby ponies were asked to write verses for Valentine's Day this month. -Tabby
Valentine's Day
A day for hearts and candy
And bouquets of flowers red
It sure is neat and dandy
To have a special day ahead.
by Baby Noddins
Love
If I could draw a picture of love,
It would be red and white and pink,
All soft and warm and caring
And framed in lace and flowers
by Baby Graffiti
Valentines
Cut and snip
Paste and glue
Paper hearts
Just for you!
by Baby Snippy
My Love
Flowers for you
My pony love
Soft and sweet
A pastel dove
by Baby Whirly Twirl
Valentine Party
It's time to party
So don't be late
Eat up hearty
There's candy and cake.
Hearts and streamers
A big bowl of punch
Dance with the dreamers
And drink a whole bunch
by Baby Ribbs
Friends
Each of you mean so much to me
And now is the time to show it
With a Valentine that states my love
I wish it was carved in granite!
You all are special and kind
As ponies are meant to be
The best friends anyone could ask for
Sharing and caring and fancy free.
by Baby Sweet Stuff
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Did You Know...
by Sugarberry, Tabby, and Barnacle
At the annual school Valentine party, Spike recited a touching love poem, only to
become so caught up in the thrill of the moment that he accidently breathed fire which lit his box
of Valentines. Due to their fragile and frilly nature, the Valentines were soon engulfed in flame,
and completely destroyed. Quick thinking on Miss Hackney's part spared any further damage.
Spike was so saddened to lose all his precious Valentines that each student presented him with
one of their Valentines so he could still enjoy the day.
Sources tell us that Barnacle has finally located his ship, the Lucas, in Berlin,
Germany. How it got there no one can say but it had been impounded by local authorities for
numerous unpaid parking tickets. Barnacle, in turn, was apprehended when he tried to sneak into
the impound yard to retrieve his ship. Sentenced to one hundred hours of community service,
Barnacle is serving out his sentence by sweeping the streets of Berlin (the day care gig just didn't
work out). When asked for comment he replied, "ARRRR!"
The monthly meeting of the Ponyland Running Club will be held Saturday, February
21, at the meadow. Opening the day will be a 3 mile run, with a one and one-half mile walk
beginning at 1 PM. This will be followed by refreshments and a business meeting. All club
members are invited to attend, as well as any other interested ponies.
To celebrate Valentine's Day, the Bushwoolies baked a large quantity of their
special Woolycakes in heart shapes. These delicious confections were then sold at a festively
decorated booth at Bushwoolie Bargain Books at the Mall. Many satisfied customers took
advantage of the event. "Yummy, yummy Woolycakes, yeah, yeah," commented Hugster.
Are you overwhelmed by the millions of sites on the World Wide Web? Streaky,
the Ponyland librarian, can help. A one-hour session covering the basics of using the internet will
be offered at the library each Tuesday in February. A variety of useful sites will be covered
including travel, fashion, news, and sports. Class size is limited and pre-registration is required.
Call Streaky for further information.
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Heart Throb's Valentine Puzzle
See if you can fit these words into this puzzle!
KISS
FLOWERS
LOVE
SWEET
FEBRUARY
RED
CANDY
FRIENDS
HEART
__V_
__A__
_L_____
_E_
____N__
____T
_I__
__N__
_E______
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Dancer's Story
Part Two
Within the next few days, Dancer made friends with all the baby ponies, and all the
foals and fillies like herself. They went sledding all afternoon, and Dancer came home to hot
chocolate and nummy meals made by Wonder. Meanwhile, Wonder was doing everything
possible to find where Dancer came from. Princess Serena and Princess Tiffany helped her search
papers and ask around.
When Queen Majesty came to see how the search was going, Wonder said, "There
are no missing babies in all of DreamValley. So someone must have brought her here."
Majesty looked at the three princesses and said, "Well, it would be impossible to
search everywhere. Wonder, she loves you, so why don't you adopt her?"
Wonder's mouth dropped open. "I really could? Oh, WOW! Majesty, thank
you!"
* * *
Wonder waited to tell Dancer until the papers went through; and with Majesty's
help, and the fact that Wonder was one of the Princesses, it only took four days.
Then when Dancer came home from Baby Firefly's house, Wonder told her.
"I can't believe it!" Dancer said excitedly. "I finally have a mommy! Does this
make me
a Princess too?"
Wonder looked down at her and smiled. "It sure does."
That afternoon they went out and celebrated. They went shopping and bought
some new CDs, the new My Little People dolls, and a purple scarf for Dancer. Then they went to
see "Anastasia" at the movie theaters. When the movie was over, they went to Party Time's
Pizza Parlor for supper. Dancer was very sleepy when they got home, so Wonder tucked her into
bed.
"Goodnight, Wonder, thanks for the great time," Dancer said. Then she drifted off
to sleep.
* * *
The next day was another big day for Dancer. She had been invited to Hollywood's
birthday party. Hollywood was one of the coolest yearling fillies in Dream Valley. They ate cake
and played hide-and-seek, tag, and had races to win prizes. While Dancer was at the party, Queen
Majesty came over. "Wonder, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Dutchess, the Queen of horses,
has just told me that her daughter, Princess Clover, and Clover's husband, Lord Ainsley, have
been killed in a train hijak."
Wonder's mouth dropped open. "WOW! That's awful..."
But Queen Majesty said, "That's not all. The hijackers kidnapped their only child.
A black thoroughbred filly. They have been arrested, but the filly is missing. There is a reward
for her safe return."
Wonder hung her head. "I was all she had as family. I adopted her... and her
parents are dead. Do you think she would still be mine?"
Majesty thought for a second and said, "It will be up to Dutchess who takes care of
her. Let's go get Dancer and take her to see her Grandmother."