My Little Pony Monthly Issue 26 (May 1,
1999)
My Little Pony Monthly
Established June 1997
This Newsletter is Child-Friendly
E-mail Tabby (TabbyMLP@aol.com) to be removed from the mailing list.
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Issue 26
May 1999
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Chasing the Rainbows
by Northstar (bri059@juno.com)
© All Rights Reserved
Lastly sighed as she put down her flute. Ember was staring into space, as usual.
Lastly smiled to herself. She loved that little pony, even if she was sort-of crazy sometimes. But
they all were at some time or another.
"I don't want to play anymore, Lastly!" Ember whined. She shook her white mane
out of her eyes. Outside of Star Manor's pink and purple walls, ponies frolicked. Ember longed
to be out there with them.
Lastly thought about Star Manor and Ember. Ember had been her friend for only a
short number of years, but they felt so close that it seemed they were sisters. Lastly lived with
Ember and her family in Star Manor. Queen Northstar and Knight Light had been very generous
to Lastly, after her mom had been lost, never to be seen again.
Ember, Northstar, and Knight Light weren't the only ponies in the mansion.
Ember's two sisters, Sweet Star and Baby Northstar lived there, too. They were both pegasi like
their mother and father, but Ember had ended up a magical earth pony.
"Okay, Miss Ember! Let's go!" Lastly called. Lastly was Ember's flute tutor and
the pony had had enough with music for the day.
The sun was shining brightly when the two went outside. Lastly couldn't help but
smile when she saw Ember run to an oak tree and lay down underneath it. Ember loves to
sleep under that tree, she thought. Lastly left Ember to her own amusements and sat by the
cool stream. She waded into it; the water was so refreshing.
She looked at Ember and smiled. The little pony had fallen asleep under the tree,
and her tiara was crooked. She looked like an angel. Each princess had a tiara, but Ember had a
crown as well. She only wore it on special occasions. Lastly wanted to try on the tiara and
quietly stole to Ember's side. Lifting it off the sleeping pony's head, she set it upon her own.
The tiara was stunning and it shone brightly. It was solid gold inlaid with
multicolored jewels, but it felt light on Lastly's head. She went over and looked at her reflection.
She wished she was a real princess.
Ember opened her eyes and saw Lastly admiring herself. She got up and walked
over to Lastly, startling her.
"Oh! Ember! You scared me!" Lastly said.
"Nice crown; where did you get it?" Ember joked. "No, why don't you wear it for
awhile? I don't mind."
Lastly grinned. She loved the fact that Ember had remarkable tact and always knew
what to say without hurting anyone. Maybe that's why the ponies of Star Valley, where they
lived, loved her and her family. They were all wonderful ponies.
Just then, Ember cried out, "Lastly, look at this cool rainbow! I can put my hooves
through it!"
Lastly trotted over to where Ember stood. The rainbow was brightly colored and
sparkled with a glitter-like substance. Being the practical one, Lastly tried it for herself. The little
pony was probably making it up. She put her hoof up to the rainbow and was astonished to find
that Ember was not lying! Lastly was curious to see what would happen if she tried to fly over
the rainbow. Her horn glowing, she floated up to where it disappeared into the clouds.
Ember ran to where Lastly had gone. She looked up and saw no sign of the
silver-haired unicorn. Rolling her eyes, she flew after Lastly after shifting into a pegasus. Where
would this rainbow take them? She would soon find out.
Lastly heard Ember talking to her from behind. Silly girl! The clouds were flying
past her as she reached the end of the Rainbow. She had figured it would take her to another part
of Star Valley, but it hadn't! What was this place? She heard Ember next to her. They were now
flying beside each other. Lastly could tell Ember was wondering about this new place, too.
They were in a lush green valley. Ahead of them was a massive pink castle with
aqua turrets. Ponies of every kind covered the valley. There were strange looking ponies with
butterfly wings, babies, multicolored ponies, and more.
"Where are we?" Ember asked, cocking her head.
"Why, you're in Dream Valley, of course! Where did you think you were? Flutter
Valley?" a green pegasus cried as she flew down to the ground.
The two ponies continued to look puzzled. Those names had no meaning to them.
Where were they?
"I'm Medley!" the pegasus told them. "This is our home, Dream Valley."
"Whose home?" Ember asked, feeling a bit shy.
"We're all Little Ponies!" Medley cried. "There are all kinds of us-- Flutter Ponies,
Big Brothers, and more!"
"Oh! You are called Little Ponies?" Ember asked, watching the other ponies
continue with their activities; they appeared to be oblivious to her and Lastly.
"Yeah! You're Little Ponies too, right? Where'd you come from?" Medley asked,
her bright eyes shining.
"We are Ember and Lastly. We come from Star Valley," Lastly explained to the
curious pegasus. This place looked interesting; maybe they could stay awhile.
"Why don't I show you around and take you to Megan?" Medley asked.
The two ponies shook their manes, having heard more names with no meaning to
them.
"Megan is a human friend of ours. She is really kind. By the way, how did you get
here? Did you fly over the rainbow?" Medley asked the bewildered ponies.
"Yeah! It was cool!" Lastly answered. "Sure! Show us around, but what is a
human?"
"It's hard to explain," Medley answered. "Come on; I will give you the grand tour
of Dream Castle! Hey, why is that crown on your head?'‘ she asked Lastly, noticing the glittery
tiara.
"Oh! It's mine; I am Princess Ember, but Lastly is wearing my crown," Ember
explained.
"Okay, neat!" Medley replied. These ponies seemed very intriguing. One was a
princess and the other was a gorgeous unicorn. She had never seen a silver-haired pony before.
The three of them set off through the valley. Medley talked along the way, telling
them about the kinds of ponies there were.
"The Flutter Ponies are the butterfly-winged ones. They flutter all over
Ponyland."
"Ponyland?" Lastly asked. At last a name they had heard of!
"And the Big Brothers are those ones over there,"Medley said, gesturing to some
ponies playing football. "There are babies, and Twice-As-Fancy Ponies. They have symbols all
over their bodies. The Sunshine Ponies are like that, too. There are Rainbow Ponies as well.
They have rainbow hair."
Lastly was interested. "Boy! There are a lot of ponies!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, but never any like you!" a new voice joined in the conversation. There, in
front of them, was a Rainbow Pony, with pinwheels glittering on her hip. "Hi! I am Pinwheel; I
saw you two fly down here. That is really cool!"
The two ponies blushed. They knew that these ponies here might not have the skills
they did.
Medley introduced them to Pinwheel and they went on their way.
Inside the castle, the two met Majesty, Queen of Dream Valley. The blue-haired
white unicorn was very kind to them. She put them both in a room in one of the wings of Dream
Castle. They got settled in and then went back outside to finish meeting more ponies.
They were walking by the Waterfall after meeting the Sea Ponies, when a Big
Brother Pony pranced up. "Hi! I heard about you; you're new, right?" he asked.
Lastly smiled at the blue pony with a treasure chest symbol. "Yeah! And you
are...?" she asked.
"Barnacle's the name; deep-sea diving is the game. If you want, I'll take you sailing
and diving with me sometime," Barnacle told her. "We can invite more ponies if you like."
"Yeah! That would be neat; don't you think, Lastly?" Ember said.
A baby pony toddled up to them. She was a white unicorn with a shooting star
symbol. "Hi-I-I... I Baby Glory," she said adorably. She held out her hoof, and there lay a
beautiful flower. "For princess."
Ember blushed and took the flower. The ponies were so kind here; it was almost
like home. Home... she wished she could stay here forever, but she also missed her home, Star
Valley. Looking at Lastly, Ember knew she was thinking the same thing.
By now, all the ponies were gathered around Lastly, Ember, and Medley. Lastly
and Ember had never seen so many ponies before. A kind-looking yellow butterfly-winged pony
came forward. "I am Rosedust, Queen of the Flutter Ponies," she said, and turned to the other
ponies around her. "And this is Cherries Jubilee, Sundance, Sky Flier, Moondancer, Surprise,
Tabby, and Sugarberry," she told them, pointing to each pony as she said their name.
Lastly and Ember were only half listening to Rosedust. They were staring at a tall,
blonde girl in a blue jumpsuit. She wore a bright red heart-shaped locket around her neck. Was
this a hu-man...?
The girl smiled. "I am Megan; Medley told me about you."
"Oh!" Ember said. "She said you were a human; we have never seen one before.
Do excuse us for staring."
Megan laughed. "It's all right; I have never seen ponies like you before. Tell me,
what kind of magic can you do?"
Before the two of them could reply, a yellow earth pony with a magic wand on her
side came running up.
"Oh! Yes! Show us your magic," the pony cried. "I'm Magic Star."
By now, every pony's eyes were on Lastly and Ember. Ember went first, telling
them that she could read minds. The unicorns in the crowd looked surprised. They had never
met an earth pony who read minds! They hung on to Ember's every word. Ember also explained
that she could shape-shift, like Mimic, one the unicorns they had met. Ember tossed her white
mane. Her eyes glittered. She shifted into a purple pegasus with a pink flower symbol. The
ponies were in awe-- all except for Mimic.
"That's nothing!" she cried, shifting into a unicorn, purple with white dots for a
symbol. "What else can you do?"
"Lastly can create music and produce any other sound with her horn," Ember
explained as Lastly caused a thunderclap.
But it wasn't Lastly who caused the rain that began to fall. Nor was it Baby
Rainribbon, who had that power. The ponies all began to head for Dream Castle. By now, the
rain was falling in sheets.
"Hurry, now; everyone into Dream Castle," Magic Star called, rearing up.
Inside the castle, the ponies sighed. What were they to do now?
"I'm cold! And it's crowded here!" Baby Glory whined. She was right; it was cold
and crowded. Every space in Dream Castle was filled.
Majesty straightened her crown. "I am the queen and I say everything is going to
be all right!" Just then water leaked onto her head. "Can anyone conjure something to help the
leaks and stop the rain eventually?"
Munchy spoke out amongst the crowd. "I can help with food!" she cried as a feast
fit for a king appeared on the table. Dishes of every kind covered it and the ponies set to eating.
"I can help the rain a bit. Well, I can try," Rainribbon said with food in her mouth.
"It's highly logical for me to start planning how to stop the rain scientifically,
while
Rainribbon stops it magically. And perhaps Windy could help," Wind Whistler said, gesturing to
Rainribbon, who by now had her face buried in a key-lime pie. Rainribbon looked out sheepishly
and went back to eating.
"Wind Whistler, that is a marvelous idea!" Windy said as she went to putting on her
rain-gear. She opened the massive door to Dream Castle and stepped outside. The rain poured
down around her. "Are you coming, Rainribbon?" she called, dripping wet.
Rainribbon had finished the pie and now was eating the pie plate. Her ears pricked
up; she put it down and ran after Windy.
Lastly smiled as the two closed the door. "Is she always like that?" she asked.
When the rest of the ponies laughed and nodded, Lastly laughed.
Wind Whistler came in the room, her mouth full of graphs. "By my immaculate
calculations, the rain should stop in exactly... seventeen days," she said, letting the charts fall to
the ground.
The other ponies were surprised, and murmurs went through the crowd. Ember's
symbol glowed and she sent a flash of light out through the crowd to get their attention. The
murmuring stopped and the ponies were quiet.
"Hear me! If there is anything you can do to ease the discomfort and maybe stop
the rain, do it now," Majesty called, after thanking Ember.
Dream Castle became abuzz with activity. Buttons ran to the closet, pulling out
linen. "I can help make temporary beds for everyone!" she called.
Cupcake, Taffy, Munchy, and Gingerbread all headed to the kitchen to prepare food
for storage. Munchy began conjuring as many non-perishable items as she could. Soon, the
kitchen counters were overflowing with fruit, bread, canned food, and more. They heard a sound;
the babies were crying!
There were twenty babies in the castle, so Glory, Lily, Mirror Mirror, and Bright
Eyes all had their work cut out from them. Munchy conjured up bottles of milk and Buttons sent
Moondancer to fetch cradles and buggies from the Lullaby Nursery. She soon returned and the
ponies went to work soothing the wailing babies. Glory quickly got her daughter calmed down,
but the other nineteen babies were still crying.
Lastly and Ember thought they could be of some help, as well. Lastly and Medley
went to creating lullabies with their magic, while Ember started a warm fire in the fireplace. Soon
all the babies were asleep and the ponies were exhausted. But something else was wrong; where
were Windy and Rainribbon?
Right then, they came bursting through the door. "The weather is too strong!" they
both cried. They were astonished at all the activities the others were working at, so instead of
talking, they went right to work helping.
Sugarberry and Posey had headed outside to uproot plants and pot them. "Oh, my
dear flowers!" Posey cried, as they stepped outside. She and Sugarberry went right to uprooting
the plants and putting them in the wheelbarrow they had brought along. If they needed light,
Sunlight could help them.
Swinger had wandered into Dream Castle's music wing and was finding tapes to
keep them amused while the storm raged on. Suddenly the power went out!
All the ponies immediately stopped working and raced to where the others were.
Best Wishes and Ember went to work on conjuring candles, while Megan soothed the
babies.
The rain raged on and on and the power was still off. By now, the ponies were
restless and bored. Baby Tiddley Winks had made them play game after game, and they were
tired.
There was nothing to do but sit in the cold damp castle listening to the rain. "At
least the babies are not crying..." Crumpet trailed off.
"Yet," finished Heart Throb.
The door burst open. Sugarberry and Posey galloped in. "We found the source of
the rain!" they called.
"The witches of the Volcano of Gloom are causing it," cried Sugarberry as she
dried herself off.
"They want to dwown us," cried Baby Cuddles as she ran and hid in her baby
buggy.
All the ponies immediately started yelling and Majesty had to calm them down.
"Wind Whistler, you said seventeen days, right?" the queen asked. Wind Whistler
nodded.
"Okay, then we have to use lots of pony magic, besides the Rainbow of Light,"
Majesty continued, referring to Megan's locket. Once more, the castle was abuzz.
"Some will have to go get the Princesses!" Megan cried. "Who is the fastest flyer?"
Whizzer stepped forward. "Gee, Megan, it's me, it's me. I can get you there, quick,
quick. I can get you there."
Wind Whistler shook her mane. "I don't think it is logical for Megan to travel in
this calamity of the skies."
Lastly grinned at Whizzer and everyone else. "She doesn't think Megan should ride
in the rain," she translated. "But Ember can go; she just has to morph first."
"How about it, Ember? Want to go?" Majesty asked. "You are a Princess yourself.
Maybe you should not go."
Ember laughed. "It's not that bad; besides, I love to fly!" she said as she morphed
into a purple pegasus with a white star symbol and white hair.
Lastly nodded at Majesty; it was Lastly's job to watch over Ember while they were
here so she would go, too. She, too, morphed, and replaced her horn for wings. Then they were
off.
The three of them-- Whizzer, Ember, and Lastly-- flew through the clouds, the rain
pouring down around them. Would they make to the princess ponies' court?
Ember was anxious to meet these princess ponies. They must be really beautiful
and magical. She had never met another princess, besides her sisters. Her sisters... she wished
she could be home with them and her mother. Queen Northstar must miss her; and her father,
Knight Light, would be saddened as well. She missed the dark blue pegasus with aqua hair. She
had inherited her fire and light power from him. He had even named her. She sighed.
Whizzer's voice interrupted her thoughts. "There! Just ahead is the princess
ponies' court!" she cried.
Ember and Lastly were a bit nervous. Sure, they were used to dealing with royalty,
but these were the princess ponies. Ember laughed as she saw little balls of fur scampering under
their hooves. "What are those?" she called to Whizzer.
"Bushwoolies-- each of them you see belongs to a princess," Whizzer replied. "I
guess I better tell you a bit about the princesses before we meet them. Their names are Tiffany,
Starburst, Taffeta, Primrose, Sparkle, Serena, Royal Blue, Dawn, Misty, Moondust, Pristina, and
Sunbeam. They are really nice and control the magic of Ponyland."
"I hope they can help us!" cried Lastly, who up to now had been silent.
The three landed. Ember tried to land gracefully, but ended up tumbling over and
hitting Lastly, who just rolled her eyes.
Just then, the door to the princess ponies' castle burst open, and the princesses
came galloping out. "Do hurry!" they cried, ushering the three ponies into the castle.
The princess ponies stood in a line before Whizzer, Lastly, and Ember. Peeking out
from their legs were the Bushwoolies. Each of them stepped forward and introduced themselves.
"What is the problem?" a blue earth pony princess, who had said her name was
Royal Blue, asked.
"We came... here to ask for... help," breathed an exhausted Ember. "I am Princess
Ember, and this is Lastly."
"Princess? I am sorry, but you don't look like a princess to me!" Tiffany haughtily
replied. "Where is your crown?" she asked, pointing at Ember's drenched head.
"My crown is right here..." Ember told her, feeling the top of her head. "My
crown! Where is it???" she cried, distraught. Lastly had given it back to her when they left
Dream Castle; when they had left, she must have lost it!
"Queen Northstar is not going to be happy with either of us..." Lastly trailed off.
"Hold on a second," Starburst said, holding up a hoof. "Queen Northstar? We
know her! But we did not know she had a daughter. Her husband is Knight Light, right?"
Ember nodded. "Yes, and now Mom will be furious that I lost my crown." She
hung her head, tears rolling down her face.
"I am sorry you lost your crown, Princess Ember. And that I doubted you," Tiffany
said.
Ember sighed. "It's okay. We have come to ask your help in stopping the rain.
The witches from the Volcano of..."
"Gloom?" asked Taffeta, and Ember nodded.
"Why, of course we will help you! We must leave at once!" cried Moondust,
grabbing her wand. Eager, the Bushwoolie, jumped on her back. "No, you must all stay here,"
she told the Bushwoolies, nudging Eager onto the floor.
All the princesses followed Moondust outside. Each wore their damsel hat and
carried their wand. By then it was so dark, they could barely see.
"Okay, pegasi and unicorns, fly. Earth ponies, if you want to fly, Ember or Lastly
can morph you into a pegasus, but only for a short time," Moondust explained.
Princesses Royal Blue, Primrose, and Serena all decided to go by land, while earth
ponies Moondust, Dawn, and Taffeta decided to be morphed by Ember. They soon sprouted
wings and were on their way.
In the sky, they had no way to know which way to go. Ember grinned, and her
symbol glowed as she guided the way. The ponies on ground could look up and follow the light.
Ember looked at the others. She knew what they were thinking. Where would this adventure
end?
Back at Dream Castle, Majesty was thinking the same thing. She was getting old
and soon was to pass the crown to another pony. But who? She couldn't think about that right
now; they had to stop the storm.
The storm raged on as if it had a mind of its own. The bitter cold rain pelted the
pegasis' wings as they bravely flew through the dark sky.
On the ground, Serena sighed. "We'll never make it!" she cried.
"Yes, we will. We just must have hope!" answered Royal Blue, her reply barely
heard over the winds. This storm was getting odder by the minute. All of a sudden, snowflakes
began to fall. "Oh, no!" Royal Blue cried. "The pegasi can't fly through this snow!" The snow
was quickly turning into a blizzard, and the pegasi couldn't take much more, it seemed.
In the air, they decided to land. At least they would have strength in numbers.
They were walking along when Ember saw something sparkle. Digging in the freezing snow, she
found it was her crown, missing some of its jewels. Lastly came over to her and asked what was
the matter. Ember showed her the crown. She would barely have seen the white unicorn if it
wasn't for her silver hair. By now, the snow was up to their knees, but they were almost
there.
"Look!" cried Sparkle, hanging her head down to avoid the bitter wind that froze
them from head to toe. "It's the Volcano of Gloom, and there is sun there, not snow!"
"I knew the witches were in on this," Tiffany said, a little too haughtily, Ember
thought.
"Yeah! ‘Cause we told you," Ember replied.
Lastly rolled her eyes; Ember was getting another attitude. Silly pony! Tiffany
should not try to fight her; Ember would always win. Lastly had learned this the hard way, having
many an argument with Ember. She was a wonderful pony with all the grace of a princess, but
she could argue for days.
"Excuse me?" asked Tiffany, looking down at Ember. " ‘Princess,' you said. More
like street rat! You never showed me your crown and you don't have a royal mark, like we
princess ponies do." Tiffany showed Ember her left front hoof. There a dark blue tear
drop-shaped mark lay.
Ember looked at the mark. She didn't have that in her present pegasus form, but
she did have her crown back. "Okay, this means war!" Grabbing her crown, she shoved towards
Tiffany. "See?" she cried. "This is MY crown!" The others just stood by, watching.
Tiffany looked at her. "So?" she said rudely. "Prove you are a princess; you could
have stolen that crown from Queen Northstar and said you were her daughter."
"You want proof?" asked Ember. "Okay!" She put on her crown and closed her
eyes. As she morphed back into her true self, there was a flash of light. There, before the ponies,
stood a shimmering pony-- dark blue with white hair. A tiara glittered from upon her head.
Ember's star symbol was glowing brightly. She walked bravely up to Tiffany and held up her
hoof. "See that?" she asked, not waiting for an answer.
Tiffany looked at the white star on Ember's hoof, speechless. "I am so sorry,
Princess Ember. Sorry I doubted you." Tiffany bowed. She was a Princess of Star Valley. Only
a true royal from Star Valley could have that mark.
"That's okay," grinned Ember. "Let's go!" she cried, running towards the Volcano
of Gloom.
* * *
Far atop the ponies, Hydia laughed. She would get those miserable princesses and
their powers; then she could rule Ponyland. She had to thank Draggle for stealing the Moochick's
book of weather spells. Those spells had certainly come in handy, she thought. "Start preparing
the traps!" she cried to Draggle. Lousy girl-- never was much use. All she did was lay on the
sagging couch and eat.
"Yes, Mommy!" Draggle called. She knew the remark would aggravate Hydia.
Draggle went to preparing the traps and chains for the ponies.
* * *
The ponies were now running towards Dream Castle, their vision blocked by the
snow. Dream Castle was covered in it. The group ran inside, shaking from the cold. "Okay, we
are all here!" Tiffany called. The other ponies looked up, startled.
"Come, come. Sit by the warm fire," urged Majesty from her throne.
"Thank you very much for the offer, but we have to be on our way. We need every
unicorn we can get, plus any other magic ponies who can be of service," called Princess
Sparkle.
"We will go!" cried a pink Flutter Pony with purple hair.
"No, Lily. We cannot go, because the snow is too strong for our delicate wings,"
answered Rosedust. Lily looked back at her; she wanted to help. Rosedust was firm; she was
Queen of the Flutter Ponies, after all.
"No babies are allowed to go, either!" called Majesty, as she saw Clipper heading
towards the door.
Reluctantly, the babies and Flutter Ponies retreated from the door. "I don't think
we need more than five pegasi," Whizzer said, watching the princess ponies pace.
They decided the best fliers would go. Lofty, Whizzer, Wind Whistler,
Masquerade, and Surprise would go by air. They needed all the magic they could use, so
Rainribbon would go after she finished eating; Windy, Fizzy, and Mimic would go along with
Lastly and Ember, who by this time were exhausted.
They started the long walk towards the volcano. Fizzy went inside first when they
reached it. There, waiting for them, was Hydia and Draggle. Her other daughter was nowhere to
be seen. "Stupid ponies to be coming here!" cried Draggle. "We are gonna get you!"
Fizzy laughed. "Not if we get you first!" she cried, sending a bubble towards
Draggle. The bubble engulfed her and she floated to the top of the ceiling.
"Have a nice day!" Windy called as she blew Draggle out of the volcano.
By now, all of the ponies were in the volcano. It was Hydia against all of them.
Surely they would win!
"Hideuous chainus biggitus!" Hydia cried, waving her hand over Ember. Chains
appeared on Ember's neck and legs. Lastly gasped. Ember struggled to break through the
chains, but couldn't.
"Does anyone want to join her?" Hydia laughed wickedly. The ponies all shook
their heads.
Lastly reared up on her hind legs. Her hooves striking the air, she snorted.
"Everyone cover your ears, NOW!" Ember cried to the others. The other ponies
raised an eyebrow but followed her example.
Lastly continued to rear and whinny. Her horn glowing, she pointed it directly at
Hydia. A sonic boom rifled through the air. A second, then a third, followed it. "Want another?"
Lastly asked Hydia, who winced and held her ears.
"No! No! I am sorry! Anything! I will stop it right now," she cried. "Snowus,
blowus, rainus tainus," Hydia chanted.
Wind Whistler went back outside. She flew back in, grinning. "The snow and rain
have stopped! And the snow is already reaching a liquid state."
"Melting," Lastly translated.
Ember, who had been cowering in the corner, looked at her chains. They lay
broken. Lastly's sound boom had broken them!
"Now will you leave?" Hydia groaned. "I made it right again."
"Not quite!" Wind Whistler replied. "Fizzy, do your stuff."
Fizzy bubbled Hydia, and Windy blew it outside. Masquerade flew after the bubble
and pushed it into the lava gurgling outside. She left Hydia there, hovering above the lava.
The ponies left. When they reached Dream Castle, all the ponies were laughing in
the warm sunshine. "You did it! You did it!" they all cried.
The ponies crowded around Lastly and Ember. "We would love to stay but we
have to get home to Star Valley," Ember told them.
"We know, but we would like you two to accept these," Majesty said, offering a
wand to each of them. "Rub either of these and you can come here anytime. Oh, and
Ember?"
"Yes?" Ember asked.
"Can I see your crown?" Majesty asked. Ember passed to her and Majesty waved
her horn over it. The crown gleamed and there was Ember's crown, looking newer than
ever!
"Thank you!" Ember cried. The crown's top now came to form a star.
Lastly turned to Ember. "We have to go now. But we cannot thank you enough.
We will come back; I promise," she said to the crowd. "But before we go, we would like to leave
Whizzer, Fizzy, Masquerade, and the rest of you a gift.
Ember conjured a bunch of crowns. She gave one to Majesty. "This can let you
visit us anytime you wish," she told the unicorn. Ember gave the other crowns to their friends
and they were on their way.
Megan opened the Rainbow of Light. The rainbow appeared in front of Lastly and
Ember. Ember grew wings and Lastly floated to the top of the rainbow. "Goodbye, my friends;
we will be back someday!" she called.
Ember waited until Lastly disappeared. She thanked them all and ran after Lastly.
She looked down from the top of the rainbow. "Bye!" she called.
The last thing the ponies saw were silver and white strands of hair. And then they
were gone.
Epilogue
Ember and Lastly landed on the other side of the rainbow with a thump. They were
back in Star Valley.
All the ponies had come to greet them. Queen Northstar came galloping out, with
King Knight Light and the princesses in tow.
Everyone went back inside the manor, and Ember gave her parents a short summary
of Lastly's loyalty and bravery.
And then Northstar pulled out a crown-- a tiara similar to Ember's. "We were
going to give you this one day when you were older. But seeing how brave you were and how
you protected our Ember, we have decided to adopt you," Queen Northstar said, placing the
crown on Lastly's head. Lastly shimmered like Ember had in the snow.
"Look at your hoof, dear one," Knight Light told her.
Lastly looked down at her hoof, and there was a purple star.
"You are a true princess now," Ember told her, smiling. "We have to tell you the
full story of our adventure, Daddy!" she cried.
"Yes, do tell us now," he replied, taking her by the hoof. The family walked up to
their thrones, where there was now one for Lastly. Ember began telling the full tale and the
others listened intently.
*The End*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Batpony Forever
by Berry Bright
Clever Clover and Berry Bright were walking down the street to the Satin Slipper
Sweet Shoppe, hoof in hoof, happy as larks.
Suddenly, a familiar beacon appeared in the sky.
"To the Bat Cave!" shouted Clever Clover. (Lame, isn't it?)
Off they went to the Bat Cave, and in the places of the two ponies now stood two
valiant figures (yeah, right), Batpony and Robin. They rushed to the police office and
found commissioner Quarterback waiting there.
"Oh!" he cried. "I have terrible news!"
"What?" Batpony asked.
"Three villains are planing to turn all of Ponyland into something horrible!"
"Who, and what?" gasped Robin.
"Poison Ivy, Catwoman, and Joker are turning Ponyland into something unknown
to us." Quarterback shuddered.
"What do we do, Batpony?" asked Robin. (DUH!)
"Stop them," said Batpony firmly.
* * *
Comical music played and ceaseless laughter rang out in a room across town.
"I," said a light blue pony, "think she's crazy." Yes, this was Poison Ivy. Her
purple and pink mane fell on her shoulders. She wore a tight green dress covered with poison ivy.
"I know," replied Catwoman. "We should give her a chance. After all, she is
Joker." This pink unicorn was dressed in a very tight silver jumpsuit. (If any of you have
watched Star Trek Voyager, which I know some of you have, her outfit is like Seven of
Nine's.)
The two walked over to the sofa where Joker sat. "Sit down," she said and turned
off the music. "So, any doubts?"
"How do you know it will work?" asked Catwoman, watching her comrade drink a
bottle of Ponypop. (That's the pony-version of Surge.)
"No wonder she's so giddy," remarked Poison Ivy. "All that sugar and
caffeine!"
"Delightful stuff," said Joker. She was wearing a hot pink bikini with a large white
cape. The pony herself was white, with a pink, purple and orange mane. "I know it will work,
dear," she giggled.
"But, what about Batpony?" pointed out Poison Ivy.
"Who would be more perfect to test it on?" suggested Joker.
"Poison Ivy, put on a disguise and lure Batpony and Robin here," Catwoman
said.
"All right," Poison Ivy agreed, and swiftly put on a disguise.
* * *
Batpony and Robin were searching for the secret headquarters of the villainesses. A
lovely, light blue pony approached them. Her hair was maroon, and she wore a black dress. "Are
you THE Batpony?" she asked. It was Poison Ivy in disguise.
"Yes," answered Batpony. "I am."
"Come over to my house for a Ponypop," she invited.
Robin was suspicious. "We're looking for Poison Ivy, Catwoman, and Joker."
"I know where they are," said Poison Ivy. "But first you have to have a
Ponypop."
"Okay," said Batpony cautiously. (He's not very bright, is he?) Off they
went; Poison Ivy led the way to her house.
As soon as the two heros were in the house, they fell through a trap-door to the
basement.
"They're here!" shouted Catwoman.
"Splendid!" Joker said.
Poison Ivy descended the stairs to the basement. Her hair was still maroon, but she
was in her normal dress.
"Poison Ivy, bring in the oyster shell," Joker said slyly.
To be continued...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flashback Fantasia
by Tabby
"Barnacle will be coming home soon!" Sugarberry declared jubilantly as she held up
a glass bottle to show her friends gathered at the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe.
"Can't wait ‘till he's home!" Friendly said excitedly.
"You heard from him, did you?" Clever Clover questioned.
"Yes, I got this bottle from him in the mail just this morning--"
"I'll read it." Tabby snatched the bottle from Sugarberry's hooves and extracted
the piece of paper. "Ah, let's see here." She spread her hooves wide and began to read the note
in her dramatic voice. " ‘ARR, Sugarberry!' "
"Tone it down, Tabby!" Clever Clover said, cringing.
Tabby went on, trying to keep the pitch of her voice down a bit. " ‘I finally be a'
sailin' home to Dream Valley. Be watchin' for me in June. You can tell the rest of the gang,
ARR!!' " She laid the note down on the table.
"It'll be interesting to see this Barnacle," Thomas commented. "Was it his dream all
his life to be a pirate?"
"Actually, yes." Sugarberry nodded. "He was always coming up with piratey
games as a baby pony. Remember that, Tabby?"
"You know, I only have two more Redwall books to read," Tabby sighed. "Oh!
What was that? Ah, yes. Barnacle as a baby."
"There was that time he built a raft," Sugarberry went on. "We saw him sailing
down the river on it; you have to recall that, Tabby!"
"A raft, wot? Hmm..."
Sugarberry continued to tell the story:
* * *
Baby Sugarberry and Baby Tabby were racing along the riverbank. "You not
‘sposed to wink, Bwaby Twabby," Baby Sugarberry complained.
"Ain't ‘gainst none o' my rules," Baby Tabby snapped back.
"Bwaby Twabby! Wook!" Baby Sugarberry's attention was diverted to something
on the river.
"What that?" Baby Tabby looked out at the object floating on the river.
"It Baby Barnacle!" Baby Sugarberry squealed. "He on a raft, see!"
"Ooh, a raft!" Baby Tabby exclaimed. "Think he'd give us a ride?"
"Wet's see." Having said that, Baby Sugarberry stood as close to the river as she
could and waved a hoof in the air. "Baby Barnacle! Baby Barnacle! Come wover here!"
"He floatin' over this way," Baby Tabby noted.
Sure enough, Baby Barnacle had soon paddled his hoof-made float over to the two
other babies. "ARR!" he greeted them.
Baby Sugarberry giggled. "Silly Baby Barnacle; you're still pwacticing to be a
pirate."
"Maybe he is gwonna be a pirate," Baby Tabby said seriously.
"Me already a pirate, ARR!" Baby Barnacle declared. "Me got a boat, and me
gonna sail out to the sea."
"Got no weapons," Baby Sugarberry said.
"Can we come with ya? Pretty pwease?" Baby Tabby pleaded.
Baby Barnacle shook his head. "Nwope, can't. You not pirates."
"We could learn," Baby Tabby suggested.
"Me don't wanna be a pirate and run away from home," Baby Sugarberry sniffled.
"Me goin' back to my mommy."
"Don't be a sissy," Baby Tabby chided her friend. "It'd be fun."
"Me not lettin' you on," Baby Barnacle said, and started floating away.
"He's gettin' away!" Baby Tabby shrieked in outrage. "Me got an idea, Baby
Sugarberry. We build a raft, and we go after him! We gonna be pirates too, and we hunt him
down!"
"Wokay," Baby Sugarberry said apprehensively. "How you build a raft?"
"You just gwet some sticks together," Baby Tabby explained.
"And they stick together on ‘deir own?" Baby Sugarberry questioned.
"No." Baby Tabby sighed. "Me don't really know how to make one."