My Little Pony Monthly Issue 18 (September 1,
1998)
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 18
September 1998
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All The Pretty Little Ponies
(A Revisionist Interpretation of the MLP Mythos)
Chapter 7
by
C. Alan Loewen
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
For Candice and Allison
Synopsis: Megan, an eleven-year-old orphan who lives with her Aunt Constance, has
been
given guardianship over seven magical ponies also known as the Seven Sisters. Megan and the
seven ponies, accompanied by a great Irish Wolfhound named Madra, have discovered that the
ponies are the enchanted seven daughters of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. Sarah, a young
girl around Megan's age who claims the ponies belong to her, has already trapped five of the
ponies on a tiny magic carousel. The carousel is now in Megan's possession, Sarah having
dropped it when she was frightened by Spike, a baby dragon that has now joined Megan,
Twilight, and Applejack on their adventures. Comments and constructive criticism may be sent to
cloewen@juno.com
Megan slept restlessly, her heart burdened by the five ponies trapped on the magical toy
carousel she held tightly to her chest, even in her sleep. As their appointed guardian, Megan did
not think she was doing too good a job and her dreams reflected that doubt.
In her dream she wandered the Wood of the World, hearing the cries of the ponies as
they
pleaded for help; but no matter where she turned, no ponies could be seen. In the midst of that
dream, Megan suddenly found herself surrounded by a glowing light. Dubricius stood there
looking just as she had seen him in the magical castle where she first met the Seven Sisters.
Dubricius looked at her kindly. "Megan, you must return to the Wood. Its path will take
you to me and return the Seven Sisters to their parents."
"But I'm in the Wood," Megan said, pointing to the massive trees around her.
"No. You're dreaming, Megan. It's time to wake up and go back to the Wood and
follow
the path."
Megan jerked awake, her gasp waking Twilight and Applejack. Madra barked in
surprise.
"Are you okay, Megan?" Twilight asked urgently.
Megan blinked the sleep out of her eyes. "Yes, I think so, but we have to return to the
Wood now and keep going." Suddenly, she looked around in puzzlement. "Where's Spike gotten
to?"
An answering squeal came to them from atop the high slate roof on top of Dubricius'
Sanctuary. There, in the light of the rising sun, Spike stared into the sun as it broke over the
horizon, the beams making his scales gleam like green glass.
Spike roared, a true dragon's roar; a roar of pride and honor. Megan gasped that such a
sound could come from such a small creature, even though Spike almost equaled the ponies in
size. Suddenly, Spike inhaled, his chest expanding, and roared again, this time spouting a crimson
flame tinged with blue and green as a greeting to the sun. Megan and the ponies could feel its heat
from where they stood on the ground.
"We're going to take Spike with us?" Applejack asked nervously. "We don't even know
what he eats."
Megan swallowed hard, still stunned at the spectacle of a dragon greeting the rising sun.
"Mother Ellen told us we had to. I think we'll be safe."
"I hope," Applejack muttered under her breath.
Spike climbed down the stone wall of the building, his long claws providing ample
purchase on the rough stone. "Ssshhpike ‘ood ‘oy," he hissed to nobody in particular. At that, he
began to chase his tail.
Megan shared what little was left of Mother Ellen's bread with Madra while Twilight
and
Applejack grazed on the lush grass that grew around Dubricius' Sanctuary. She tried to offer
Spike some bread, but after carefully sniffing the offered crust, he seemed to be far more
interested in pouncing on small grasshoppers.
Megan studied the toy carousel, trying to understand how it worked and what
mechanism
there might be to free the ponies. The miniature versions of Medley, Firefly, Starlight, Bowtie,
and Ember stood frozen, their looks of sadness bringing fresh tears to Megan's eyes. Two
posts—posts meant for Twilight and Applejack—stood empty and, as far as Megan was
concerned, would remain empty forever. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to the tiny figures. "I'll
get you to where Dubricius can free you. I promise."
Megan called the great dog to her. Madra sat, his great tongue lolling about as he
panted.
"Madra, find the girl. Can you find the girl that trapped us in her nets last evening? Can you sniff
her out?" The great dog stared at her for a moment and, to Megan's great joy, barked and began
to sniff the ground. Excitedly, the huge dog ran back and forth. Suddenly, it barked a great
rumbling bark and ran down the path.
"C'mon," Megan shouted to Twilight and Applejack. "Madra's going to lead us to the
girl."
Megan led the way. Unable to bear the thought of putting the carousel in the rough
cloth
bag that Mother Ellen had given them, she carried it cradled in her arms. Twilight and Applejack
followed closely behind. Madra forged ahead, busily following the scent. Spike followed behind,
pausing every so often to investigate curious oddities like earthworms and dandelions, yet
somehow he still kept up with the group.
Slowly the trees changed in appearance and the sound of birds faded away until once
again
they were walking the path through the Wood of the World.
Aunt Constance did not sleep well. Sarah, sniffling in her sleep, lay with her head in
Aunt
Constance's lap while Aunt Constance sat with her back against one of the massive ancient
trees.
Sarah's story was filled with dark magic and Aunt Constance would not have believed it
if
she herself did not now walk in the Wood that traversed time and space. It had taken Aunt
Constance some time to calm the child down, but when she did, Sarah told a story that was truly
remarkable.
"I live only a mile away from your house," Sarah had sniffled as she told her story
through
her tears. "And two days ago, a pretty lady all surrounded by light came to me in my
bedroom.
"She said her name was Morgan and that she was my great-grandmother going back
some
forty generations. She told me the ponies were my inheritance; and the next day, I found the toy
carousel and the magical nets on my bed. That night, Morgan told me where to find the ponies
and how to trap them on the carousel using the nets.
"I love ponies; and when Morgan told me that two of them had wings and two were
unicorns, having them was all that I thought about."
Aunt Constance sighed and stroked Sarah's hair as the young girl slept, wishing she
knew
a way to ease the child's sorrow at risking Morgan's wrath. At least the carousel was safe with
Megan, but where did the dragon come from? Were Megan and the seven ponies in danger? Why
did Morgan send a girl barely twelve years old to trap the ponies? Why hadn't she done it
herself?
Aunt Constance shook her head in frustration. She had too many questions and no
answers. Again, Sarah whimpered in her sleep, and Aunt Constance hoped this mad adventure
would soon be over. At the very least, she longed to sleep in a bed again.
When Aunt Constance awoke, the sun was already well above the horizon, even though
she could barely see it through the trees. Sarah was gone.
"Sarah?" Aunt Constance struggled to her feet. "Sarah? Where are you?"
In the distance, she heard the deep bark of a dog.
Sarah ran through the trees, away from the strange woman she spent the night with;
and,
hopefully, away from Great-grandmother Morgan, dragons, large dogs, magic ponies, and this
horrible forest.
As if reading her mind, the forest became even more confusing. For the first time, the
path
began to fork and Sarah, interested only in gaining distance, took paths at random, hoping that
she would eventually find some way back to her house and her own safe room.
By now, her own parents had surely discovered her missing and probably had the police
and all the neighborhood out looking for her.
She ran around a large tree and suddenly gave a small scream of surprise. Morgan,
surrounded by her aura of light, glared down at her.
"You've failed me, Sarah."
"I'm sorry, Great-grandmother Morgan. It was the dragon's fault. It attacked me. I
barely
got away with my life. I …"
"Silence!" Morgan commanded. Sarah stopped her flood of excuses and shook with
fear.
"I have no use for little failures. I have other tools I can use.
"I leave you here, Sarah, trapped in the Wood. Good-bye." Suddenly, Morgan vanished
as
quickly as she appeared.
"No!" Sarah cried. "Don't leave me here!" The Wood absorbed her pleas without a hint
of
an echo.
Sarah fell to her knees and started to weep.
Several hours later, Sarah still had not found the path that led home or anywhere else.
Terrified she would be trapped in the silent Wood for ever, she suspected she was merely going in
circles. Shaking with fatigue and grief, she slumped down at the base of an enormous gray granite
boulder and wiped fresh tears out of her eyes.
"Hello."
Sarah jumped with surprise. The little white unicorn she last saw back at the funny stone
building where the dragon attacked her stood only five feet away.
"We've been looking for you." The unicorn paused, cocking her head as she studied
Sarah. "Are you lost?"
Sarah had cried so many tears; finally no more would come. "I want to go home," she
said
simply. "I just want to go home."
Twilight nuzzled her, gently helping her stand. "My friends are very close by. I think
we'll
get you home or someplace safe."
Sarah stepped back in fear. "Is the dragon chasing you? Is that big dog with you?"
Twilight whinnied gently in an equine version of laughter. "Spike is harmless. He
thought
you were playing with him back at Dubricius' Sanctuary. He's more interested in chasing tails
than eating little girls.
"And the dog is harmless too." The unicorn studied her closely. "Sarah, what else are
you
going to do? Won't you come with me and release my sisters? If you do that, I'm certain we can
get you home."
Sarah wrung her hands together anxiously. "But the rest will hate me!
Great-grandmother
Morgan has left me here. I ran away from the other woman and I trapped the rest of you in
Morgan's nets."
"We won't hate you. After we found Megan's aunt, Madra the dog followed your trail,
but lost it at a stream. We split up to look for you. Aunt Constance told us everything that you
told her."
Sarah's shoulders slumped in defeat. Even now, facing the dragon and the dog was
preferable to being alone in the Wood. With her hand on Twilight's shoulder, she glumly followed
the little unicorn, almost tripping over her own feet in fatigue.
Twilight and Sarah found the little makeshift camp where Aunt Constance sat watching
the setting sun. Sarah balked at the sight of Spike, but was relieved to discover the baby dragon
was so soundly asleep that Sarah's presence did nothing to awaken him.
Aunt Constance looked at her and said nothing, but Sarah chewed her lip for a moment.
"I'm … I'm sorry I ran away this morning. I was afraid." She stood silently staring at her own
feet.
"There's no harm done, Sarah," Aunt Constance said at last. "The others will return
soon.
We're all just glad that we found you safe and sound."
"Great-grandmother Morgan left me," Sarah said. "She was angry I didn't capture the
ponies and that I lost the carousel. She left me alone in the woods."
"She's not a nice person," Aunt Constance said, studying Sarah's face.
"I guess I'm not a nice person either," Sarah added, still unable to look anybody in the
eyes.
Twilight nuzzled her again. "There's very little done that can't be undone, Sarah. We'd
like to be your friends."
"You found her!" Applejack trotted into the clearing. "Shall I go look for Megan and
Madra and let them know?"
"No," Aunt Constance said. "The sun is setting and they'll both be back soon enough.
Sarah, I've found some berries and mushrooms. They're not cheeseburgers, but they are
filling."
Some minutes later, Megan and Madra returned to the clearing. Not willing to trust her
feelings, Megan simply held out the carousel to Sarah. Sarah humbly took it and unscrewed the
top knob and removed the carousel's top. Gently, she slid the five ponies off their posts and
placed them on the ground at a distance away from each other.
"It''ll be a few moments," was all Sarah said in explanation. As the last dying beam of
sunlight faded from the darkening forest, there were five bright bursts of light and five ponies
stood where their tiny figures had originally lay in the forest mould.
The reunion was one of laughter and joy. None of the ponies seemed to have been
harmed
by their experience with Morgan's carousel. Sarah stood behind Twilight and tried to be
invisible.
With help from Starlight's glowing horn, the group sat in an illuminated circle. Sarah, at
Aunt Constance's request, retold her story of how she met Morgan and her gifts of the carousel
and the nets and Morgan's fury at Sarah's failure and deserting her to the forest.
"I'm very sorry," she said in ending her tale. "I've caused a lot of problems and I'm very,
very sorry."
The group remained silent for some time until at last Megan spoke up.
"It's okay, Sarah. I think I speak for everybody when we say that we forgive you."
"And now," Aunt Constance chimed in, "it's time to sleep. Morning will come early and
we have to see where the Wood takes us next.
"I am certain," she added to Sarah, "that we will get you home eventually , but first we
have to get the ponies home."
In less then fifteen minutes, the entire group was lulled to sleep by Spike's gentle
breathing as he still chased his tail in his dreams. In her own dreams, Sarah danced in a circle of
laughter with Megan and seven young girls clothed in light.
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Guess Who?
By Applejack
I am an Earth pony. I am orange. I have fruit on my rump. I also have freckles. Who am
I?
I am a unicorn. I am white, and I blue and purple hair. Who am I?
I am a pegasus. I am pink with blue hair. On my rump is something that goes with thunder. Who
am I?
I am a Flutter Pony. I am greenish-blue with bright yellow hair. I have a certain kind of flower
on my rump. Who am I?
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Barnacles and Bushwoolies
by Barnacle
It was a bright and sunny day in port as Barnacle, the most feared (and probably only)
pony pirate of them all, lively stepped along the dock. His ship, the Lucas, was sitting tall and
proud once again after having been in the Berlin Polices' custody for some time. After having
swept the streets of that city for several weeks straight to get his ship back, Barnacle was more
than ready to set sail in search of treasure and get as far away as possible. In fact, just that
morning he had acquired a map which told the way to the greatest treasure of all time! Unrolling
it to take another look, he cast a quick glance to each side to make sure no one with prying eyes
was looking on.
The map showed a single small island with a towering mountain peak in the center.
From
the beach, a dotted line led inland, with pace counts and other notes at intervals along the way.
At the end of the path was a rugged "X" with the words: "The Greatest Treasure of All Time"
scrawled next to it. Barnacle chuckled to himself as he rolled the map up and put it away. It
hadn't taken him long to determine the island depicted on the map was one in the Caribbean
called Apocalypse Island. Now, with the ship prepared and a treasure map in hand, all Barnacle
needed was a crew.
Having put the word out in all the dock-side establishments that he was hiring, Barnacle
had so far had no luck. Most who came for the job could barely spell their own names, let alone
sail ship. At the moment all he had were his two loyal maties, Jones and Davey. These two
Bushwoolies had sailed with Barnacle often in the past and immediately signed up this time as
well. However, he still needed a first mate. Without one, they wouldn't be going
anywhere.
So caught up in his thoughts, Barnacle didn't even notice that a stranger was coming
down the dock towards him until he called out to the pony, "Ahoy, Matie! I heard you were
hiring a crew for the treasure hunting!"
Although slightly startled at first, Barnacle quickly put forth his pirate attitude and then
took a look at this perspective recruit. He was a clean-cut young man with shoulder-length
brown hair and a cheerful look on his face. Quite frankly, Barnacle thought he didn't look like
he'd ever been on a boat before. "Aye," Barnacle said in response to the man's question. "I be
needin' a scurvy son of a sea dog for me first mate. ARR!"
"I can do that!" the man said cheerfully.
"Aye," Barnacle said wearily. "Can ye work the sails?"
After a thought the man replied, "No."
"ARR," Barnacle said with a sigh. "Can ye cook?"
"Ah, no."
"Can ye navigate?"
"Um, quite frankly, last time I tried, I got the ship two days off course."
"Do you be havin' any skills a sailing ship such as mine be needin'? Barnacle asked in
desperation.
"Hmmm," he said with a thought. "I have a really big sword!" With that he drew a
massive two-handed sword from some concealed place on his back and twirled it around
expertly.
"ARR!!" Barnacle exclaimed. "Yer hired!"
"Yes!" the man yelled and jumped into the air.
"What be yer name, matey?" Barnacle asked.
"Oh, name's Kracken," he said as he sheathed his sword.
"ARR, Kracken, that be a good sea-going name if I ever heard one. Just like some
vicious
sea serpent!" Barnacle replied and then, yelling to the ship, "Davey! Jones! Front end center,
ARR!"
Almost instantly, the heads of two perky Bushwoolies popped up over the railing. They
both looked nearly identical, from their worn Hawaiian shirts right down to the long, beaded
dreadlocks they sported from the top of their heads.
"Ya mon?" the first one said.
"What ya be wantin'?" the other asked. Both of them spoke with thick Jamaican accents
and Kracken barely understood them at all.
"ARR! Kracken, this be the rest of our crew: Jones," Barnacle said as he pointed to the
one on the left, "and Davey," motioning to the one on the right. "Davey, Jones, this be our new
first mate, Kracken! ARR!"
"Hi, mon!" Davey called out with a wave (or was it Jones?).
"Yeah, hi mon!" Jones added (or was it Davey?).
Kracken replied with a wave and an "ARR!!" of his own.
"ARR!! Now ready the ship and let's be settin' sail!" Barnacle howled as he started up
the gang plank. "ARR!!"
"ARR!!" Kracken replied and followed.
"ARR! ARR! ARR!" the two Bushwoolies cried out playfully as they waved their arms
and made a ruckus.
And, thus, they were off...
* * *
A few thousand ARRs and a few thousand miles later...
The sea was calm and the sun was still shining brightly after nearly a full week's voyage.
Much to Barnacle's surprise, he had discovered that his new first mate, Kracken, was a
half-decent sailor.
However, his earlier warnings had been correct that he could not navigate. One time,
Barnacle left him at the wheel while he went below decks. When Barnacle had returned, he found
that the ship was not on its proper heading.
After that, Barnacle made sure not to let Kracken anywhere near the wheel, but instead
left that task of navigating to the Bushwoolies.
Davey and Jones, too, had surprised Barnacle on this trip. Usually, the two
Bushwoolies
would get so out of control that they would mess something up. But this trip, they had
been relatively calm; and in retrospect, that probably worried Barnacle.
Worries, though, were not entering Barnacle's mind at that moment. With the salty
breeze in his face and himself at the helm, Barnacle was completely engrossed in the sailing. That
is what he lived for. That is what he loved.
And it was only a cry from the crow's nest, shouted by Davey, that roused him out of his
mind-set.
"Land ahoy, mon!!" Davey shouted (or was it Jones?). Barnacle made a quick glance at
the compass and then consulted his map. Unless his calculations had been completely
off, this was their target, Apocalypse Island!
Stamping his hoof on the deck, he cried out, "Kracken! Front and center!"
Almost instantly, Kracken appeared before Barnacle. "What do you need, Cap'n?" he
said
with a cheerful smile.
Barnacle growled beneath his breath. He hated cheerful people. "ARR! Ready the
launch! Our quarry is sited and we will be settin' off soon!"
Kracken responded with a mock salute and an "Aye-aye" before he jumped to work on
the
launch.
Barnacle smiled (in an evil, pirate-ish kind of way) as he piloted the Lucas to a stop just
short of the island. He could almost see all the gold and jewels that waited for him on this
tropical paradise named Apocalypse Island!
As Jones dropped anchor, Barnacle made his way to the launch. "Are ye ready?" he
asked
Kracken.
Ever cheerful, Kracken said, "I was born ready!"'
"ARR!" Barnacle exclaimed. "Then I suggest ye be launchin' the launch."
Barnacle and Kracken boarded the launch and easily made their way to the shore.
Easier
though for Barnacle, since he wasn't the one rowing.
They brought the small boat onto the beach and climbed out onto the pure white sands.
They both took a moment to survey their surroundings before going any further. The warm,
tropical breeze washed in from the ocean and rustled through the exotic palm trees that lined the
beach. At first glance, one could easily believe that no one had ever set foot on this island, it was
so perfect.
But, Barnacle knew that there was treasure on this island, and that the beauty could
easily
be a deception. No sooner had this thought passed through his brain, then the ominous beating of
a drum started from somewhere in the jungle.
Kracken nervously reached for his sword and said, "What's that?"
As if an answer to his question, no less than thirty blood-crazed creatures jumped out
from
the foliage. Kracken's eyes grew wide as saucers as he realized these were no common natives,
but in fact...
"Bushwoolie savages!" Barnacle cried. "ARR!"
Their minds on the same wavelength, Barnacle and Kracken flipped over the launch and
lept behind it, thus forming a crude barrier.
Several wooden arrows fired from the savages' bows lodged themselves in the boat. By
this point, both of the pirates had drawn their swords.
"Well, Barnacle, looks like they've got us well outnumbered. What do you think we
should do?"
"Well, I be seein' we have two choices. One, we might be able to reason with them and
escape with out lives. Or... we could fight them to our dyin' breath."
There was a moment of silence between the two sailors as they considered their few
options. Suddenly, without another word spoken, they both stood in unison with their swords
raised, yelling, "Fight!"
However, as they were ready to go out in a bloody battle, a strange howl of some sort
came from the far end of the beach which apparently frightened the savages so terribly that they
fled back into the jungle.
Kracken and Barnacle were left dumbfounded by what had just happened. Coming
down
the beach, from the direction of the howl, were four squat figures.
"Oh, no," Kracken groaned as they came into view. "More Bushwoolies."
One of the four strangers, who was wearing a hooded cloak, led the other three by
several
paces and reached the pirates first.
Speaking with an educated British accent, this stark-white Bushwoolie said, "The
islanders
are easily startled, but they will return, and in greater numbers."
"ARR!" Barnacle exclaimed. "We be thankin' you for the rescue, but we be here lookin'
for treasure."
"Hmm," the white one said. "We would love to help you in such an endeavor but I have
to inform you that there is no such treasure on Apocalypse Island."
"What?" Kracken cried.
"ARR! What do you mean, no treasure?" Barnacle asked.
"Oh, there's been no treasure on Apocalypse Island for years and years now. It was all
found nearly a decade ago.
Kracken sighed and lowed his sword as he said, "This sucks!"
"ARR!" Barnacle agreed.
"However," the Bushwoolie said, "I might be able to help you out anyway. While there
is
no treasure here on this island, the nearby atoll of Doomsday Island has treasure to spare.
"ARR! Which way to Doomsday Island?"
"I could show you," the white Bushwoolie replied, "but it would be much easier if me
and
my friends here just took you there. Speaking of my friends, let me introduce you. I am their
leader, Zanatos," he said with a small bow.
Gesturing to the yellow one behind him with the devious grin, Zanatos continued, "This
is
Discord." Discord smiled even wider which greatly unsettled both of the hardened pirates. "Next
to him is Mars." This Bushwoolie, what little you could see of him, was colored red. But most of
him was covered in heavy metal armor. He merely grunted when his name was mentioned. "And
finally," Zanatos said, "we have Tiny." The fourth and final one was a lime green color,
dreadfully skinny, and looked to be flea-ridden to boot. His expression was far from one of
discomfort, though.
"Why is he staring at me?" Kracken whispered as he ducked around to the other side of
Barnacle. But Tiny's shallow gaze followed him.
"ARR!" Barnacle said as he considered the Bushwoolies' offer. "And I suppose you be
wantin' a percent of the treasure as well?"
"Well, yes. But only one piece of treasure for each of us will be sufficient."
"One piece!?" Barnacle exclaimed, forgetting himself for a moment. "I mean, ARR!
You've got yourself a deal."
"Excellent," Zanatos said with a grim smile.
It didn't take long to get everyone back on the Lucas, but by the time they were
aboard,
Kracken was exhausted from the rowing, since no one else would help him.
Zanatos quickly pointed the way to Doomsday Island and they were off with no time
lost.
As Barnacle navigated the ship, Kracken made his way to his side and in a shallow voice
said, "That green guy is still staring at me!"
"Aye!" Barnacle agreed. "He looks hungry. I'd watch my back if I were you!"
"Hey, that's not funny," Kracken replied. "Something about these little guys worries
me."
Peeking out of the corner of his eyes, Kracken saw that Tiny, who was sitting on one of
the hatches, was still staring at him ominously.
"ARR!" Barnacle said. "They do seem a little different from regular
Bushwoolies. But I wouldn't worry about it."
Meanwhile, on the front deck…
As Jones tended the lines, Mars and Discord looked on without lending any help. They
merely pointed and whispered between themselves. For Bushwoolies, who are usually very social
creatures, this was strange behavior and Jones was more than a little unnerved by it. Finally, Mars
got up from where he was sitting and walked past Jones, making a point of it to rudely bump into
him.
"Hey, mon," Jones said rather irritatedly. "What ya think ya be doing?"
Mars just turned and stared at the sailor.
"He doesn't like you," Discord said as he jumped from his seat and hopped over.
"Sorry to hear that," Jones replied.
"And I don't like you either," Discord added.
Jones just looked at them like they were crazy and tuned away saying, "I'll be careful
then."
As he hopped away, Discord added, "No, you'll be dead!"
Both of them started laughing hysterically, but Jones simply ignored it and went back to
work.
When Zanatos informed Barnacle that they were nearly at Doomsday Island, they had
only
been out about half a day from Apocalyptic Island. No sooner had he said this then did Davey,
who was in the crow's nest, call out, "Land ho, mon!"
After they laid anchor off shore, Barnacle made the decision that everyone would go on
to
the island this time. "If there be as much treasure here as they be sayin'," Barnacle said, "we be
needin' all hands to carry it, ARR!"
"Indeed," Zanatos agreed with one of his evil smiles. "We will definitely need everyone
to
go ashore to help."
"Good," Jones said. He was still a little upset from before. "It's about time these guys
did something." The last part he said only loud enough for Davey to hear.
So within minutes, the launch was loaded and everyone was off towards Doomsday
Island. Even before they set foot on the beach, it was obvious this place was much different from
Apocalypse Island. The shore was made of a sickly brown-colored sand and black jagged rocks
that stuck out all over the place. Right beyond the beach was again a thick jungle, but this one
didn't look exotic and inviting. It looked quite scarey and maybe even haunted. Plus, it grew on
the sides of the rocky slopes that formed the jagged mountain peak at the center of the
island.
Pointing at the top of this, Zanatos said, "That, my friends, is where we shall find our
treasure."
"ARR!" Barnacle exclaimed. "Then let's not be wastin' any more time!" With that, he
jumped out on to the beach. Kracken followed right behind him but for the first time on the entire
journey, he was not his cheerful self. Something was beginning to worry him and it wasn't the
creepiness of Doomsday Island.
The way Zanatos had said that made Kracken wonder if he was even talking to Barnacle
and him at all. For some reason he had the feeling that the Bushwoolie had only been talking to
his three friends-- Mars, Discord, and Tiny. But, it was only a feeling and there was little he could
do about it. Everyone was now on the beach and Barnacle was already slicing a path into the
jungle with his sword.
The trek to the top was a long and treacherous one. Everywhere they walked there
were
sharp rocks protruding from the ground. One had to be careful not to step on any or he would be
in for a painful experience.
Finally, after a long and hard march, they came upon a strange structure that seemed
very
out of place in the jungle. Standing right before them was a squat, gazebo-like building carved of
the same black stone that was everywhere on the island. A small round base formed the
foundation and six pillars carved to look like twisted snakes rose up from there to support a roof
which had partly collapsed long ago. The entire thing was almost completely covered in vines,
and a steep slope of loose stones nearly two-feet high encircled it.
They were now so high up on the mountain that a break in the trees there provided a
spectacular view of the entire island. Jones and Davey hurried to it and marveled at the
sight.
"Hey, look!" Jones said, pointing down at the sea.
"Yeah, mon, you can see the Lucas from up here!" Davey said.
"Bah!" Zanatos exclaimed as he hopped up the stones that circled the structure. They
shifted under his feet and made it quite hard for him to get to the top. "Why waste your time
taking in a view when this is where you shall find the treasure!"
"ARR!" Barnacle exclaimed as he hurried after the Bushwoolie. "Finally I be getting me
treasure!"
Discord, Mars, and Tiny tripped over one another as they all rushed to be the first one
to
the center of the "gazebo." Kracken, meanwhile, pulled himself away from the breathtaking sight
of Doomsday Island and followed, too. Even though it was, at first glance, a rather frightening
place, the view from that spot made it look quite appealing in a way.
Within the perimeter of the stone pillars, all they found was a smooth stone floor with a
large hole in the center. Barnacle crouched down and looked into the darkness. "ARR, it looks
ta be some kinda' well," he said.
"In a way," Zanatos replied. "Down there you will find all the treasure you will ever
need
for the rest of your life. But, you and your fist mate will have to go down alone; Bushwoolies are
not allowed..."
"Hmm," Barnacle said thoughtfully as he considered this. "Davey! Jones! Bring the
torches and rope! Me and Kracken be goin' down! ARR!"
Almost instantly, Jones popped up on one side of Barnacle with a large coil of rope in
his
hands and Davey on the other side holding a pair of torches.
"Kracken, get that rope tied off to something while I light these torches! ARR!"
Barnacle
ordered.
"Aye-aye," Kracken replied rather flatly. Considering that half of the ceiling had already
collapsed, Kracken figured the pillars would not be up to supporting the weight of their descent
into the well. So instead, he fastened the rope to a large tree which was growing right next to the
structure. Back at the edge of the well, Barnacle took one of the torches he had just lit and tossed
it down into the blackness. It only fell about fifteen feet before it hit bottom. It kicked up a bit of
dust upon impact but other than that, nothing happened.
"ARR," Barnacle said. "It be lookin' safe enough. Kracken, lower the rope."
"Are you sure this is such a good idea, Barnacle?" Kracken asked as he prepared to
throw
the rope down. "I mean, I have a really bad feeling about this."
Barnacle looked shocked. "How can ye have a bad feeling about treasure!?!?"
"I don't really know--" Kracken started to say but Zanatos gave him a shove from
behind
saying:
"You idiot! Just get down into that well!"
Loosing his balance, Kracken fell face-first into the pit! He hit the bottom with a
resounding "thud" which echoed around the inside.
"Kracken, are ye alright!?" Barnacle shouted.
In reply, Kracken merely lifted his hand and gave a thumbs-up but said nothing.
"Good!" Barnacle said. "I'm comin' down!" Taking hold of the rope, he too jumped
down into the well. And while his descent was much more controlled than Kracken's, he still
landed squarely on Kracken's back! Barnacle jumped to the side just as his first mate leapt to his
feet screaming.
"What did you do that for!?" he howled.
"ARR. It was... an accident," Barnacle replied, trying to hold back laughter.
"Sorry."
Kracken was about to come back with something but Zanatos interrupted. "You two
stop
your horseplay this instant and get on with the mission at hand! We need that treasure!"
"Man, what's wrong with him?" Kracken said under his breath.
"What isn't?" Barnacle replied. "Right! Back to the treasure huntin'! ARR!"
Kracken snatched the torch from the ground and held it aloft. The flickering light it cast
about gave the place an even more eerie appearance than before. Barnacle and Kracken were
standing in a round chamber that was nearly the same distance around as the structure above. It
was completely empty except for a few loose stone and dead leaves scattered about. All along the
outside wall were four evenly spaced doorways that each opened into a smaller room.
"You check those two," Barnacle said and pointed to two of the doors. "I'll be lookin'
in
these ones. ARR."
Kracken saluted and stepped into one of the chambers. Just like the main room, this one
too was empty. However, instead of being dry and dusty, this place was moist; and moss was
growing on just about everything.
"Shoot," he muttered. Even though he had a bad feeling about the situation, he was still
disappointed not to find anything. But as he was turning to leave, his toe caught on something
and once again he was falling face-first to the floor.
Just than Barnacle called out excitedly, "I found something! ARR, and it be worth quite
a
lot!"
Sitting up, Kracken retrieved the object that had tripped him. To his disappointment, he
found that it was only a gnarled wooden stick with four pointed hooks on one end. He did a
quick check of the room but that was everything.
He stepped into the center chamber where Barnacle was admiring his find, a marvelous
staff of black ebony with a dark gold skull mounted on the end.
"I found a stick," Kracken said as he held the artifact up for Barnacle to see.
"Arr, but there still be two more rooms," Barnacle replied. "What are yee waiting
for?"
Both of the pirates turned quickly and ran for the last two chambers. Inside one,
Barnacle
easily found another black staff. This one had no head piece but instead, one end was orbited by
four metal spheres. How this was happening without any kind of visible support was beyond
Barnacle. He simply carried this strange find back into the central room.
There he found Kracken with a unique item of his own, a huge battle axe made out of
bright gold and dark crimson metals. He looked much more pleased with this than he had with
the stick he had found earlier. But the moment he caught sight of Barnacle's new find, his mouth
dropped right open.
"How does it do that?" Kracken asked as he waved his hand between the staff and one
of
the rotating balls.
"ARR, I be havin' absolutely no idea," was all Barnacle said.
"Stop gawking, you morons!" Zanatos yelled. "Tie them to the rope so we can pull
them
up here!"
"What?" Kracken asked. "You mean this is all the treasure?"
"Just send them up!" Zanatos snapped. "There is more treasure elsewhere!"
"ARR, matey! I don't think I be likin' yer tone!" Barnacle replied with equal fury.
Zanatos took a deep breath. "My friend, please be calm. Those four staves are the
small
portion of the treasure that we agreed to. Everything else on this island you may have as yours.
Simply tie those artifacts in your hands off to the rope so we can pull them up. And then we shall
pull you up and we shall all find the rest of the treasure. Agreed?"
"ARR," Barnacle said after a thought. "Go ahead, Kracken, tie ‘em off."
After that was done, Barnacle and Kracken stood back and watched as the Bushwoolies
pulled the four staves slowly towards the opening in the ceiling and then dragged them out of the
pit. Several moments followed when all that could be heard was the hooting and hollering of the
four Bushwoolies from Apocalypse Island.
Then, above the other voices, they heard Zanatos cry out, "I never suspected that that
anyone could be so stupid as to freely hand over the most powerful artifacts on the planet to the
Four Bushwoolies of the Apocalypse! Now, with the keys to our masters' tombs in hand we shall
unleash Death, War, Famine, and Pestilence on the world once again! Come, my brothers, to
Judgement Day Island!"
Slowly, their laughter disappeared into the distance as they went back down the
mountain
side.
"Um, Barnacle," Kracken said. "I think we may have just made a little mistake."
"ARR, I think you be right."
TO BE CONTINUED...
*See pictures of the characters in this story! Go to:
http://www.crosswinds.net/milwaukee/~tabby/Barnacle.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
School News
Miss Hackney had the returning baby ponies write a paragraph on the most exciting
experience they had during the summer.
Baby Pockets-
Baby Hoppy and I got to visit Australia. We had a very, very long plane ride. When we
were at the beach, a shark was spotted. Baby Hoppy was really scared, but I led her to some big
rocks for safety. The shark was really, really big and scary, but I was brave.
Baby Hoppy-
I got to go to Australia with Baby Pockets. One day at the beach, we saw this
humongeous shark-- it was really big. Baby Pockets got scared and started to cry, but I thought
fast and told her to hide behind some rocks on the beach. I nearly saved Baby Pockets' life!
Lucky-
When Barnacle was home, he let me come aboard his pirate ship, the Lucas. I got to
see
the hold where he keeps all the treasure he finds. It was empty, but next time he comes it will be
full. Barnacle said so. And he let me climb up into the crow's nest. I could see my house from
up there. Barnacle's ship is really neat! I'm going to be a pirate someday!
Baby Fleecy-
I went to the fair with Baby Wooly and got to see the rabbits, goats, cows, pigs, and
sheep. I just love to see the animals! Oh, and chickens, geese, ducks, and turkeys, too. The rides
at the fair weren't that much fun.
Baby Wooly-
My most exciting experience was riding the ferris wheel at the fair. It was almost like
flying when we went over over the top and started going down. It was very thrilling. Baby
Fleecy threw-up.
Baby Blue Ribbon-
Mommy and Daddy took me to the museum to see all the exhibits and stuff. It was so
exciting to see the big, mean dinosaur eating the other dinosaur. He looked like he might eat me,
too! I'm glad we don't have dinosaurs like that anymore.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You're Too Slow, Baby Tic-Tac-Toe!
By Bubblefish
CHAPTER TWO
The first to get to the middle of Ponyland were, of course, the Flutter Ponies. But the
second ones were Baby Fifi and Baby Firefly who brought the Bushwoolies, the dragons, Brandy,
and Twinkles. The next to come were Baby Rainfeather and Baby Flicker who had covered the
grounds of Dream Castle and came back with a great deal of ponies who had been around in the
gardens as well as the castle proper.
Then Baby Lickety-Split and Baby Sunnybunch came after being all over the grounds of
Paradise Estate; they also came back with a lot of ponies-- even more than Baby Rainfeather and
Baby Flicker had come back with.
The last to come were Baby Tic-Tac-Toe and Baby Racer with many more ponies
because
they had covered much more ground (they had been searching out of the way of the others).
Majesty stept forward and said, "Why have you gathered us here?"
Tootsie called from the crowd, "I told Baby Flicker that I was going to arrange this
year's
Sports Day." She stepped forward and stood with the Flutters. "But I will need help from my
friends as well," Tootsie said, smiling. "I want the baby ponies who gathered you here and the
Flutters to help me most, though," she added.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mystery Pony
This month's--
Guess who the pony described below is:
purple pony with dark purple and aqua hair; green clover symbol