My Little Pony Monthly Issue 15 (June 1, 1998)


My Little Pony Monthly
Established June 1997
This Newsletter is Child-Friendly

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 15
June 1998
One year anniversary of MLP Monthly!
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All The Pretty Little Ponies
(A Revisionist Interpretation of the MLP Mythos)
Chapter 4


by


C. Alan Loewen


ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


For Candice and Allison


And he said, "Ponies. Now, ponies, don't you worry.
I have not come to steal your fire away.
I want to ride with you across the sunrise;
Discover what begins each shining day."

From Ponies, written by John Denver

Synopsis: Megan, an eleven-year old orphan who lives with her Aunt Constance, has been given guardianship over seven magical ponies that are also known as the Seven Sisters. With the blessing of her aunt, Megan and the seven ponies are now following a path through the magical Wood of the Worlds which has now led them to Mother Ellen, a woman who lives in Ireland in the year 1893 with Madra, one of the few remaining Irish Wolfhounds. Unknown to them, they are being followed by Sarah, a girl who claims the ponies are her property. Sarah, in turn, is being followed by Aunt Constance, who wants to protect her niece and the ponies from Sarah's magical nets. Comments and constructive criticism may be sent to cloewen@juno.com



Mother Ellen listened as Twilight told the story of how the ponies one day awoke in a castle with no memory of how they had gotten there or what had gone on before. The little unicorn told how a girl had one day appeared at the castle and vanished mysteriously after refusing to help them by climbing a ladder to the top of a tower; but, when Megan arrived, she bravely opened up a mysterious door where they met Dubricius who made Megan the ponies' guardian.

Megan then told her story about releasing the ponies from the castle, how she discovered the identity of the first girl who had really been her Aunt Constance, and how the Wood of the Worlds had appeared in her backyard and brought them through time and space to Mother Ellen's doorstep.

Mother Ellen clucked her tongue in surprise. "Ah, yes, and the Wood will take you to even stranger places and times, but it is not my place to tell you the story of the Seven Sisters. First, I know very little of it myself, but I will tell you this. The Seven Sisters are the true daughters of the greatest king and queen ever to sit on the throne of Britain and, you, Megan, are descended from that king also.

"Now, enough of talking. I have made food for you and then you will go to Dubricius' Sanctuary and walk the labyrinth where you will discover the full story of the Seven Sisters; plus, something else waits there that you must take with you on your journey. It has been waiting there for many, many years and it must be returned home. And you will take Madra with you. Once again, his bloodline must serve royalty.

"But do remember this. Not all the old stories have been told correctly."

Ignoring the impatient questions of Megan and the ponies, Mother Ellen went into her little cottage. Going to the window where she had fresh-baked bread cooling on the sill she frowned at the seven loaves sitting there. That morning, she had baked eight loaves. She looked out the window to see if one had fallen outside onto the ground; but instead of a loaf of bread, she saw a set of small footprints leading up to her window and then back into the forest.



Sarah sat hidden behind some brambles where she had a view of the girl and the dog and the ponies where they sat under a large, old tree. All around her, only the crumbs on the ground remained of the loaf of bread Sarah had taken from the window sill; she hoped the theft would not soon be discovered. Finally, she saw the old woman leave the house and give the girl a fully-packed bag made of some roughly woven material. Sarah's heart rose when she saw the girl embrace the old woman and lead the ponies back into the woods. Then she groaned when she saw the dog follow them.

Trying to overcome her fear of dogs, Sarah left her hiding place and made her way through the underbrush so she could track them as silently as possible.

Following the footsteps and hoof prints in the thick loam of the wood, the forest once again gradually changed and Sarah knew she was once again following the ponies and the girl through the wondrous Wood. Sarah had overheard Mother Ellen talk about some place called Dubricius' Sanctuary, but Sarah didn't care. She would simply follow them and catch them all when they least expected it. Hopefully, she would be able to snag the dog in a net first.

Suddenly, with a yelp of surprise, she fell backwards on the ground as the air in front of her glowed. A woman, dressed like a gypsy of old, appeared in the glow and Sarah could tell she was not at all happy.

"Sarah!" the woman said menacingly. "Have you captured those ponies? Show me!"

Sarah trembled. "I'm sorry Great-grandmother Morgan. I don't have them yet."

"What! Do you know where they are heading? They are going to Dubricius' Sanctuary. I want them trapped in the carousel I gave you before they reach it."

"But Great-grandmother Morgan, they have a dog with them. A big, scary dog."

Morgan glared at the little girl in undisguised fury. "If you don't capture those ponies before they reach Dubricius' Sanctuary, you'll have two things to be far more afraid of: what they find there and me!"

With a pop, the woman disappeared and the Wood returned to normal. Crying in fear and frustration, Sarah picked herself up off the ground and ran down the path as fast as her legs could carry her.



Aunt Constance concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Having had no food but berries since this morning, she was overcome with a fatigue that made her legs and arms heavy. She so wanted just to sit down for a while, but she had to catch up with Sarah before Sarah caught up with Megan and the ponies.

The Wood had changed. Birds were singing and the trees were far smaller.

"Good day!"

Aunt Constance yelped in surprise. The speaker was an old woman dressed in a simple frock with a snow white apron, her greeting spoken in a thick Irish brogue. She rested on an old tree stump and Aunt Constance had almost walked by without seeing her at all.

"I'm sorry to have frightened you," Mother Ellen said, looking carefully at the woman's strange attire. Mother Ellen had never seen a print dress before. Her clothes were almost as strange as the ones Megan was wearing. "I'm Mother Ellen. You look tired. My home is right through that stand of trees. Would you care for a drink of water?"

"Thank you," Aunt Constance said, "but I'm looking for a little girl. She has seven … ah … ponies with her."

"And might you be a friend of the little girl?" Mother Ellen asked, a hint of severity creeping into her voice.

"I'm Megan's aunt."

Mother Ellen smiled, all hint of severity gone. "Then come with me. I have food and water for you. You look like you could use it."

Aunt Constance wrung her hands with anxiety. "But, I can't! She's being followed by a little girl who might do her and the ponies harm."

Mother Ellen nodded her head in realization. "I thought they were being followed. That explains the theft of my bread and the small footprints, but be at peace. They have a guardian with them who will not allow them to come to any harm and when they reach Dubricius' Sanctuary, they will have an even greater ally."



"Megan!"

Megan and the five earth-bound ponies looked up to see Medley swoop down through the ancient trees. Gently, she landed and folded her wings to her side.

"Firefly and I found Dubricius' Sanctuary," she said excitedly. "It's not that far ahead. You're almost there." With a run, she spread her wings and leaped into the air. "Keep following the path," she yelled over her shoulder. With cries of excitement, they redoubled their pace.

Madra had taken to following them off the path, occasionally appearing ahead of them and waiting for them to catch up before running off through the trees once again. Megan felt comforted by the sight of the massive dog appearing seemingly out of nowhere and laughing at them in its doggish way before once again disappearing between the trees.

Once again, the wood subtly changed, but the trees were much younger and the underbrush much thicker. They could see Medley and Firefly circling them far above in the sky. "We're out of the Wood and back into some other time and place," Twilight observed.

Within minutes, they found Dubricius' Sanctuary, an old stone building that reminded Megan of some of the old country churches she had seen; but it was very, very old. Its small bell tower had partly crumbled and the front wooden doors stood wide open and looked like they would fall apart at a mere touch. Most of the windows were simply gaping holes and what few were intact had their stained glass covered over with the soot of years.

Medley and Firefly landed and looked at the building inquisitively. Madra appeared out of nowhere and with a deep bass rumbling bark ran up the short steps and into the darkened building. They could hear the echoing of his barking from inside.

Twilight sighed. "This is where the Wood sent us and this is where Mother Ellen told us to go. What are we waiting for?"

The rest looked at her in silence while Madra continued his barking from inside. "I think we'll stay outside," Medley said suddenly while Firefly nodded in agreement.

"We're not much for buildings," Firefly added. "We much prefer being outside."

Twilight nodded her agreement and, leading the way, went through the door followed by Megan and the other four ponies. Madra continued to bark inside.

Firefly rolled her eyes while she stretched her wings. "That silly dog will let half the world know we're here."

Medley laughed. "It's probably echoing so loudly in there, they can't even hear themselves think."

Firefly froze, suddenly alert. "Did you hear that?"

Medley cocked her head. "Yes! There's somebody calling for help!"

With a leap, they both took to the air and in moments saw the person they heard calling. On the path, a little girl with blonde hair lay on the ground clutching one leg. To the ponies' surprise, she was dressed very similar to Megan. The two flying ponies flew down in large descending circles and landed within a few feet of her. She looked up at them with a tear-stained face.

Sarah smiled. "I'm so glad you've come to help me." With that, she casually tossed two tiny circular nets into the air over the ponies' heads. The nets expanded and, with no time to react, Medley and Firefly were soon struggling in the nets, their pinions tangled in the strong cords. Ignoring their cries of surprise and fear, Sarah reached for the toy carousel.

There were two brief flashes of light and Sarah held the tiny toy up to her eyes. The carousel now held two miniature winged ponies frozen in the action of trying to unfurl their wings for escape, looks of overwhelming sadness in their eyes.

She spun the carousel and a melancholy tinkling tune floated from it. "Two down and five to go," she said outloud to herself. "Dog or no dog, I've got to make Great-grandmother Morgan happy." She gathered her empty nets that had once again shrunk down to toy size and continued on her way to Dubricius' Sanctuary.

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Great Finds


olivia@wardrobe.dircon.co.uk-

Last year, my pen-pal told me I could have all her MLPs, so she sent them over. The ponies included Glow with wings (no tail, poor thing...) and Cascade, probably the rarest pony on the face of the earth! Cascade is yellow with UK green hair (I've only seen that shade on UKs) and splashes in two shades of blue as a symbol, in case you hadn't heard of her... She came with the Waterfall instead of Sprinkles over here. She has got to be my greatest find ever! I've also got another sixteen UKs that came from various places, mainly rummage sales.



*E-mail your "Great Finds" to Tabby (TabbyMLP@aol.com) to have them printed in this section.

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Whatever it Takes
By Shining (ddonnell@iserv.net)


"Are you coming, Slow Poke?" the tall black stallion asked. Signature Required strode over to where his mate sat.

"I'm coming, Signature," Shining said. "I've just finished wrapping my legs." The delicate bay mare had shattered her right foreleg a year before. Now she was always careful to wrap her legs for support.

Shining stood up and joined Signature in the big Olympic-sized arena at Glorified Acres. Signature looked up and smiled. He knew that Shining was a miracle. She had been the best performer in the world. She had defied death. Now, when the doctors said that she would never walk again, she was leaping over five foot jumps.

He trotted over to her. Shining smiled shyly and Signature drew her close. "Shining-girl, you're so beautiful," he whispered. Gently the two swayed back and forth.

Shining giggled softly. She broke away from Signature's embrace to leap into a capriole. She tore away to the end of the arena and began to jump over the crossbars that Signature had set up. Signature laughed and followed close behind.

As the two horses practiced, their two foals, In A Moment and On My Honor, gamboled over to the ring along with their close friend, Baby Gusty. When Baby Gusty had been in grade school, Shining had been her mentor. The "Baby" part of her name had been developed because her mother's name was the same. Now the pony was full grown with a career of her own. She had her own day-care business called "Friendship Nursery."

"Hi, Sweetie!" Shining called.

"Hi, Shining!" Baby Gusty replied. "When's your next show?"

Shining slowed and met them at the rail. "I think we're going to aim for the big show next weekend."

Baby Gusty nodded thoughtfully. "You look ready for it."

"Mama! Guess what we did today?" Shining's foals jumped up and down excitedly.

"What did you do today, Moment?" Shining smiled at her colt.

"We went over to Lickety-Split's Ice Cream Shoppe. I had a hot fudge sundae," Moment replied.

"But that's not the best part," Honor interrupted. "We got to go back into the kitchen!"

"Wow!" Shining exclaimed.

"Mama," Moment began, "Baby Racer asked me if I wanted to sleep over in his treefort this weekend. Can I? Puh-leeze?"

Signature had walked over to the group while Honor had described how fascinating the Ice Cream Shoppe was. "That'd be great, Moment. We were looking for a place for you to stay while we're away this weekend at the show."

"Yea!" Moment cheered, and then stopped abruptly. "What about Honor?"

Shining answered, "She's going with us. She wanted to watch all the competitors. Is that okay, dear?"

Moment thought quickly. "Okay, but she better tell me all about it."

Honor bumped into her twin brother affectionately. "It's a promise!"

* * *
The show grounds were packed. Ponies from everywhere had heard that this would be Shining's first appearance since her accident. A huge banner was strung across the show grounds entrance. It said: WELCOME BACK, SHINING AND SIGNATURE!

As Shining walked through the gates, resounding applause rippled through the air. Shining smiled shyly and blushed. Signature grinned and gave Shining a hug.

Honor tugged gently on Shining's tail. "Mommy," she whispered, "I hafta go to the bathroom."

Shining laughed not unkindly and nodded.

"Signature, Honor and I are going to go get ready. We'll meet you by the warm-up arena in ten minutes, okay?" Shining informed the stallion.

"Okay," Signature agreed, "I think I'm going to go over to the food stands. I'm starved." Signature walked away toward the delicious aroma of the show-ground food.

Shining turned towards her daughter. "Come along, darling," Shining called. Together, they walked through the competition grounds to the backside.

A security guard was standing at the entrance of the barn. Shining fumbled to show him her backside pass. The guard held up a hoof. "Go right through, ma'am. Everyone knows who you are. You don't hafta show me your pass."

Shining flashed a smile and walked on. Honor, however, stopped to introduce herself to the kind security guard. "Thank you, sir," she said solemnly.

The guard smiled delightedly and shook the small filly's hoof. "It's my pleasure, miss. You're sure lucky to have such a great mommy."

Honor nodded wide-eyed. "Oh, I know. She's the bestest mommy I've ever had."

The guard chuckled and winked knowingly. "Yeah, but you better go and catch up with her. She might get lost without you."

Honor agreed, "Yeah. I'd better go. Bye!" she called cheerfully. Quickly, she scampered off to join Shining again.

Shining asked, "Did you have a nice chat with him, Honor?"

"Yep. He was pretty nice," Honor replied.

"That's good," Shining said. "Just be careful about who you talk to. Sometimes ponies aren't as nice as he is."

"Okay," the filly said obediently.

Shining and Honor turned the corner down a narrow hallway. "I hope that--" Shining never finished.

Two dark figures jumped out of the shadows. One grabbed Shining and jammed a burlap bag over her head. The other seized the terrified filly and clamped a hoof over her mouth to prevent her from screaming.

"No sudden moves," a harsh voice whispered.

Shining tried to calm herself, for the sake of Honor. "Where are you going to take us?" her voice shook.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," the sinister voice said.

Shining's captor dragged her along the aisle into an empty stall. She could hear him pulling back loose board planks from the stall wall. Then Shining was dragged away through the hole that had been created.

As she passed through, her head knocked against a sharp corner. Shining saw stars and gasped in pain. Soon, the pain was too much to bear and she slowly drifted off into unconsciousness.

* * *
Meanwhile, Signature waited impatiently for Shining to join him in the warm-up arena. They were supposed to perform in five minutes. Signature sighed and went off in search of her and Honor.

He strode toward the barn. The guard was still waiting by the door, ready to check backside passes. "G'day, to you, Mr. Signature."

Signature nodded in return. "Have you seen Shining?" he asked.

The guard nodded. "They went past here about ten minutes ago. But they haven't come back yet."

"Okay," Signature said, "thanks." Signature entered the barn in search of Shining. As he walked down the hall, he noticed something strange. Stall number forty-eight had his name on it. But he hadn't reserved a stall.

Signature walked over to the stall to investigate. The wall planks had been crudely pulled away. Inside, a note fluttered in the breeze along with the purple ribbon Honor had braided into her tail.

Signature gasped and rushed into the stall. He snatched up the note and read it.



SIGNATURE REQUIRED:

IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR FAMILY SAFE, YOU WILL FOLLOW MY ORDERS! FIRST OF ALL, DO NOT CALL THE POLICE! CANCEL YOUR PERFORMANCE TODAY AND GO HOME. I WILL CONTACT YOU TO GIVE YOU FURTHER ORDERS. REMEMBER, YOUR PRECIOUS SHINING AND HONOR ARE IN MY HANDS. I MAKE THE RULES. ONE WRONG MOVE FROM YOU, AND IT'S GAME OVER! BEWARE!



Signature trembled visibly. The two most important females in his life were gone! And there was nothing he could do about it.

For a while, Signature just stared at the note in his hoof, Honor's ribbon, and the gaping hole in the stall. Then, slowly, he turned and walked out of the barn. He continued to walk steadily out of the show grounds, feeling the stares of all the horses that had gathered to watch him perform.

When he had left the showgrounds behind, Signature bolted. He ran away from the show, he ran away from the terrible stall. He tried to run away from the ache in his heart, but could not escape it. Signature gasped and dashed home, six miles away.

As he entered his own safe stall, the phone began to ring. Signature hesitated and then cautiously picked up the receiver. "Hello?" he asked.

"Signature," a husky voice said, "you got the note?"

Signature swallowed and answered, "Yes."

"Good," the voice rasped. "Now listen carefully. You will not leave your house. Do not contact anyone! We know that your colt is at Baby Racer's house. Call him, but tell him nothing of this. They will remain safe if you obey. We will get in touch with you again later. Do you understand?"

Signature squeezed his eyes shut. "Yes," he whispered, "I understand."

* * *
The pain in her head would not go away. Try as she might, Shining could not make the hurting stop. It was incessant and it finally ached so much, that it woke her up. Shining groaned and rubbed her head. She blinked groggily and saw a pair of dark eyes peering into hers.

Shining gasped and jumped back. A hoof darted out and grabbed her shoulder. Shining struggled to stifle a scream, her eyes wide in fear. She tried covering her mouth with her hoof, but discovered that both her forelegs and her hind legs were tied.

She had never seen anything like the pony that sat before her. He had a completely black body with a dark gray mane. But he was not handsome like Signature. A thick, angry scar ran down the side of the pony's face. The symbol, a fierce storm cloud, marked his hindquarters. The dark pony smiled unkindly. "Did you sleep well?" He reached over and harshly untied Shining's legs.

"Where's Honor?" Shining asked worriedly. She rubbed her wrists where the thick rope had rasped her skin raw.

"Oh, she's fine. She'll be joining you in a few minutes," the pony replied. He sat back against the wall and watched Shining.

Shining looked around to try to get her bearings. She seemed to be in a small room that once was an office. A large metal desk was shoved into a corner. File cabinets were disorderly aligned against the far wall along with huge stacks of paper. Other documents were strewn all over the floor. She seemed to be in the middle of the clutter. There were no windows in the room. The only light came from a solitary bulb that hung from the ceiling.

The door opened and a tall steel gray horse walked in carrying Honor. Honor squealed when she saw her mother and wiggled out of her possessor's grasp. "Mama!" Shining held out her forelegs and Honor ran to the safety of them.

Shining hugged Honor tight. "It's okay, Baby," she murmured.

The gray horse strode over to Shining. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" he screamed in her face.

Sensitive Shining cringed. What had she done?

The gray leaned closer to Shining. In a low whisper he growled, "My name is Thunder's Rage. Sheza Classy Jewel is my sister. You ruined the greatest thing that could have ever happened. You broke Classy's and Signature Required's relationship."

Shining held back a sob of fear and squeezed her eyes shut, clutching tightly to Honor.

* * *
Signature stared at the phone with bloodshot eyes. It was one o'clock in the morning, and he had been waiting for hours for the mysterious voice to call back. In a way, he had been dreading it, but he had to make sure his Shining-girl was okay.

The phone rang and jerked Signature out of his trance-like state. "H-hello?" he gasped, still recovering from the shock the phone ringing had given him.

"Are you prepared to give what I ask of you in exchange for Shining's safety?" the voice asked.

Signature gripped the phone receiver tightly. "I'll give anything. Whatever it takes."

The voice chuckled evilly. "You must never see Shining again. She is no longer a part of your life. What you will do is contact Sheza Classy Jewel and become acquainted again with her. She will replace Shining in your heart."

Signature was shocked. "But--"

"This is the only way that will ensure that Shining and your child will be safe," the voice interrupted.

"Can I have some time to think it over?" Signature asked.

"I'll give you until sunrise." The phone clicked and the dial tone buzzed in Signature's ear. He replaced it in a daze.

How can I let Shining go like that? Signature moaned. I love her so much. And then to have to become Classy's mate. But what else is there to do?

Signature looked up abruptly. The glassy-eyed look no longer haunted his face. He had plans. But he was running out of time. Quickly, he sprinted out the door and into the night.

* * *
Thunder's Rage had tied Shining up again. But only after he had angrily shouted at the dark pony, Scarface, for untying her in the first place. Shining's hooves had become numb and puffy for lack of circulation. She shifted uncomfortably, triggering a chain of reactions.

Thunder's Rage jumped up and roared in her face. Shining yelped. Honor wailed. Scarface snored loudly.

"Hey! Wake up, Scarface!" Thunder's Rage poked the napping pony.

"What, Rage?" Scarface asked sleepily.

"I called ol' Siggy back. He said that he needed some time to think about it. He better not say no."

Shining shivered. What were they talking about? When would she ever see Signature again?

* * *
Signature was hot on the trail. He had found tracks in the mud at the showgrounds behind the stall. They were clear from the rain that had dusted the earth of Dream Valley. Now Signature was following them easily.

The tracks led him to an old warehouse. An old wooden sign was on top of the brick building. It said "Pony Pizza." Signature guessed that it must have once been a storage building for a pizza company.

He had called his friend, Chief, who was the head of the Volunteer Rescue and Police Force of Dream Valley. He would join him shortly.

Signature hesitated and looked at the sky. The first pale pink strands of sun were peeking through the darkness. It was almost sunrise. He didn't have time to wait for Chief.

* * *
Rage looked at the clock on the faded walls. It was five o'clock. He smiled to himself. Time to call his pal Siggy. Slowly he lifted up the phone and dialed the number. The phone rang three times. He let it ring four more. "Where is he?" Rage grumbled.

Suddenly the door of the old office flew open. Everyone jumped in surprise. "I'm right here." There stood Signature, his forelock brushed away from his handsome face, his eyes narrowed in anger.

Scarface surveyed Signature quickly and decide that he wasn't going to fight. Making his escape, Scarface dove under an immense pile of papers, quaking with alarm. The pony's gray mane twitched nervously.

Shining barely breathed. He had finally come. She had been so scared. And now here he was. The relief almost made her faint. "Signature....." she whispered.

Signature's gaze softened when he saw his love. He took a step forward. But Rage saw the moment of weakness and took advantage of it. Quickly Rage jumped to his feet and lunged toward Signature.

Eyes wide in surprise, Signature deftly dodged Rage's blow and leaped high into the air, toppling the big gray over. Signature landed and steadied himself. Rage had righted himself and was ready to attack again.

"Grraaaaaahhh!" Rage cried. He charged forward, knocking Signature solidly in the ribs. Signature gasped and fell defenseless. He clutched his chest in pain.

Shining watched in horror. She held Honor close, but the filly squirmed out of her grasp. "Honor--" Shining cried.

Honor had had enough of the kidnaping. Seeing her father in trouble, the fearless foal darted into the action, much to her mother's dismay. As Rage raised his hoof to strike again, Honor dodged between his legs. She grabbed his hind leg and bit down hard.

Rage cried out and clutched his leg. Signature had recovered enough and abruptly got to his feet.

Thinking quickly, Signature knocked him over and sat on top of the gray. "You! It's all your fault! My sister was going to be a star! It's ruined because of you!" Thunder's Rage screamed.

Just then, the sirens sounded. The police had arrived. Chief entered into the chaos and immediately took over. "Good job, Signature. I'll take it from here." Chief seized Rage's two front hooves and handcuffed them. "You're under arrest."

Signature sighed and walked over to Shining. He gently untied her wrists and frowned, seeing the rope burns. Deliberately, he kissed each wrist. "Better?" he asked.

"Much better," Shining whispered.

Signature lifted his head to look at Shining. She grinned with relief and flung her arms around him. Signature hugged her back, wishing he would never have to let her go.

"You're my hero," Shining giggled.

The handsome black stallion rolled his eyes. "Honor saved us. She's the real hero. If she hadn't chomped down on him like that, I'd still be rolling on the floor."

Shining laughed quietly. "So how'd you find us?" she asked.

"The trail was really easy to follow," Signature explained. "And I just said that I'd find you. And I'll never let you go again. Whatever it takes."

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Brightblade Warpony
An Epic


Recorded by Clipper as Dictated by the bard Ramon


Chapter 7


The trio drew near the Dark Forest. "Khaar!" called Breeks. "The end of our quest is near; I can sense it!"

"Not the end," said flame-maned Epona, "but a stepping stone to the next leg of our journey."

"I wasn't talking to you."

"Could you try to get along with Epona, Breeks?" implored the Warpony. "Our quest is too important to jeopardize over some petty…whatever your problem is."

Breeks was silent as they passed into the shadow of the wood.

"We will follow the trail only until nightfall. In the morning we will leave the trail and go northward to a river; that will lead us to the ‘stepping stone' I mentioned. Now, Warpony, continue your tale."

Ramon, Breeks, and I moved quickly among the rocks until Ramon called a halt. "I don't like this; we must be nearing the land of Death and this bird directs us further west. He is driving us to our deaths!"

"Yes, we approach the land of Death, but you will be safe as long as you do as I say. The wolves fear death, and they fear me because I do not. Now move!"

I did not have long to consider the arguments before I heard our pursuers closing in. Breeks took to the air. "Kraaa! Follow me, quickly!"

I galloped after Breeks, away from the howls of Kerberus' pack. The landscape changed gradually as we neared the land of Death. To my surprise, the land seemed to grow more fertile; brush and trees began to fill the already narrow passages between the rocks. The growth slowed my progress, but still, we seemed to be outdistancing the wolves.

"You see," said Breeks from atop a tall rock, "they will not follow; not willingly anyway. Kerberus inspires great fear in his followers. He may inspire them to follow us but they will be hesitant. We must keep moving."

I struggled through the brush and soon came to a clearing bounded on three sides by brush and on the fourth by a massive rock. "I have to rest awhile," I said.

"Very well," said Breeks. "Rest quickly."

"While we are halted, would you mind explaining why you are helping us?" asked Ramon. "Not that your help is not appreciated."

"Krhaa!" kawed Breeks. "I am a great warrior; my name is sung by many bards in the western lands; but to have my name sung in verse with the great Brightblade Warpony, that would be true greatness! Aye, our legend will be sung for many years and our names will not be forgotten!"

"So you do this only to serve your own ego?" I asked.

"Just be glad that my ego is served by the cause of Light. Are you ready to travel yet?"

"Almost, I…"

I was cut off by a vicious growl as a large wolf entered the clearing. "Ah, the quarry is mine," he snarled. "You will bring me great honor."

Breeks took to the air. "Kharrr! Be gone, ruffian!"

I only stared at the wolf in terror.

"I am not so superstitious as the others, bird. I will not be frightened off so easily." The wolf advanced toward me.

"Uh, Brightblade," Ramon whispered in my ear, "I think you better do something."

The wolf drew closer. "Move!" he commanded. "Back to the Pack Lands."

The abruptness of the wolf's command caused me to jump, freeing me from the spell of fear. I was backed up against the rock and could hardly move. I summoned up all my strength and courage and leapt over the wolf into the middle of the clearing. As he turned to face me, I lashed out with my hind feet. My hooves caught the wolf in the midsection and he was thrown against the rock.

I turned to see the wolf's still form lying at the base of the rock. I froze in terror again as I realized what had happened. "What have I done?" I sobbed.

"Ya did what had to be done," called Breeks from high above. "Now move! Speed is now more urgent than ever!"

I could not move, though. I could only stare at the still form of the wolf. "I didn't mean to…"

"Come on, Brightblade," said Ramon. "We have to move on, to complete the quest."

I walked slowly from the clearing in a daze.

As I glanced back one last time, I saw a small red rabbit hop out of the brush. I didn't think much of it at the time, but it was the only other animal I saw in the land of Death.

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Mystery Pony


This month's-

gray earth pony with pink hair; hearts symbol

E-mail your guess to Tabby (TabbyMLP@aol.com). Results in next issue!



Last month's-

The correct answer was Windwhistler! The winners are:



SLRURANUSZ@aol.com-

The pony of the month is Wind Whistler.



Kogler@greatlakes.net-

That's an easy one. Wind Whistler. But she actually has both blue and pink whistles for a symbol.



MeryTreat@aol.com-

Wind-whistler!



Puffmag@aol.com-

Wind Whistler is the Mystery Pony.



BioSSoMe@aol.com-

lol Windwhistler



SLIGHTLY3@aol.com-

Wind whistler!



littleb@primenet.com-

Is this month's mystery pony Wind Whistler?



Bluflyer@juno.com-

Hey, even I know that one! That's Windwhistler!



invisigoth42@hotmail.com-

This months's mystery pony is Wind Whistler-- one of my faves! :)



Cymbryana@aol.com-

Wind Whistler!



TippyLee@aol.com-

This month's mystery pony is Windwhistler



olivia@wardrobe.dircon.co.uk-

Wind Whistler!



meredith@wardrobe.dircon.co.uk-

The answer is Wind Whistler.

I hope that I got it right!

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PONY OF THE MONTH
Buttons
(pastel green Twice As Fancy unicorn with blue hair; buttons and bows on side)
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The Search for Le Ann
by Tabby


"Oh no!" Buttons gasped, suddenly becoming wide-awake when she realized she had overslept. Her clock read 9:57; Toys 4 Ponies R Us opened in just three minutes!

Buttons quickly scrambled up out of her bed. "I've got to get there early; I've just got to!"

Word had gotten out that Toys 4 Ponies R Us would be putting a new shipment of the popular My Little People toy line on their shelves that morning. Buttons, one of the many My Little People collectors, wanted desperately to find the extremely hard-to-find doll, Le Ann. Getting to the store when it first opened was her only chance of getting her.

Running a comb through her curly mane and tail and quickly brushing her teeth, Buttons grabbed her purse and then ran out into the hallway. Without even bothering to get any breakfast, she ran all the way to Toys 4 Ponies R Us, completely forgetting her winking ability in the thrill of the moment.

But, before she could get there, she was stopped by Bouquet.

"Hello, Buttons!" Bouquet greeted her.

"Umm, hi," Buttons mumbled. "I'm kind of in a hurry now..."

Bouquet started talking any way. "Just a few minutes ago, I walked by Toys 4 Ponies R Us; and you wouldn't believe the crowd standing around outside!"

"Ahh," Buttons said.

"And it must all be because of that new shipment of My Little People! Can you imagine how anyone could get so caught up in stuff like that?"

Buttons could very easily imagine how anyone could get caught up in them, but refrained from saying anything.

"Well, I should get moving along now, too," Bouquet said after what had seemed like forever to Buttons. "Talk to you later!"

"Bye," Buttons said and again took off in the direction of Toys 4 Ponies R Us.
The store was open already when she got there, and Buttons anxiously pushed through the doors. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, she found out it was 9:15. The shelves would be picked clean by now!

She walked past the aisles to the My Little People section. Everyone else had already finished, obviously, because the aisle was empty. Buttons flipped through the few remaining My Little People on the rack. Just as she suspected, there was no Le Ann.

She was about to walk away when something caught her eye-- what looked to be a package wedged between two of the large My Little People boxed playsets in the back. Buttons slipped her hoof between the boxes and picked up the package. It was indeed a My Little People doll. Holding her breath, Buttons looked on the front of the package.

"Yes!" Buttons exclaimed, hardly believing her good fortune.

It was Le Ann!

Buttons turned to go towards the checkout line when another pony walked into the aisle.

"Hi, Baby Crumpet!" Buttons greeted the new-comer.

"Hewo," Baby Crumpet responded.

"Are you looking for some My Little People?" Buttons asked.

"Yes." Baby Crumpet busied herself looking through the racks. When she turned around, holding no packages, she looked as if she might cry.

"No We Ann," she sniffled.

"Oh, Baby Crumpet!" Buttons comforted her. "Don't you want any of the others?"

"Just want We Ann." A tear trickled down Baby Crumpet's face.

Buttons' heart went out to Baby Crumpet. "Here, you can take my Le Ann!"

"Rewy, Buttons?" Baby Crumpet said, a smile breaking out on her face. "You mean it?"

"Sure!" Buttons grinned and handed Baby Crumpet her Le Ann package.

"Thank wou!" Baby Crumpet said cheerfully and skipped off to the checkouts.

Feeling happy to have cheered Baby Crumpet up, yet sad she didn't have Le Ann now, Buttons trudged outside.

"I guess I'll have to check out all the other stores," Buttons decided.

Pony-Mart was right next to Toys 4 Ponies R Us, so she went there next.

There was no Le Ann in the Pony-Mart My Little People section either; it didn't look like they had been re-stocked since the last time Buttons had been there, anyway.

On the way out of the store, Buttons ran into her friend, Bouncy, in the clothes department.

"You've got to help me!" Bouncy wailed when she saw Buttons.

"Of course! But what with?" Buttons replied.

"I can't decide which of these two sun dresses looks best on me," Bouncy explained.

Buttons looked over the two sun dresses Bouncy had selected. One was blue, patterned with yellow flowers; the other was pink with blue trim.

"They both look good with your colors," Buttons said after thinking awhile.

"That's what makes it so hard," Bouncy sighed.

"Go with the pink and blue one," Buttons finally decided.

"Okay, thanks!" Bouncy grinned. "I hate making decisions!"

"I'm still searching for the Le Ann My Little People doll," Buttons confided in Bouncy.

"How many stores have you been to already?" Bouncy asked.

"Just Toys 4 Ponies R Us and here," Buttons said.

"You could try the drug store next," Bouncy suggested. "Maybe they got some in!"

"It's a possibility," Buttons said thoughtfully. "I'll try it!"

"And meet me at the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe for lunch at eleven!" Bouncy invited.

"I'll be there!" Bouncy called as she walked away.

At Healthy Pony Drug Store, Buttons strolled over to the toy section. There was one rack of My Little People.

Buttons anxiously flipped through them. Unfortunately, there was no Le Ann.

Buttons sighed and looked up at the clock on the wall. It was nearing eleven o' clock; she decided to head over to the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe to meet Bouncy.

When she got there, Bouncy wasn't around yet. Buttons stood near the entrance. As she was waiting, Tabby and Sugarberry walked in. Tabby was carrying a Toys 4 Ponies R Us shopping bag. Buttons overheard their conversation.

"So I was the very first one who got into the store," Tabby was telling Sugarberry. "I ran to the My Little People section, and Le Ann was sitting right out in front of the rack! Lucky me!"

"Wow!" Sugarberry exclaimed.

"I beat everyone to the section by only seconds," Tabby went on.

"Oh, well," Buttons thought to herself wistfully.

Just then, Bouncy came in. "Great, you're here!" she said when she saw Buttons.

The two ordered their lunch and sat down at a table right across from the Sweetheart Sisters, who were celebrating the end of their school year.

"What're you girls planning on doing this summer?" Bouncy asked them.

"I'm going to get a job waiting tables here!" Fancy Flower announced. "I'll get some extra money, and get to hear all the interesting gossip that goes on in here!" She giggled.

"I'll be doing something much more exciting than getting a job; I'm going to be on vacation in Hawaii!" Sunsplasher exclaimed.

"How cool!" Buttons remarked.

"I think I might get a job like Fancy Flower," Bright Night said. "Like at Pony-Mart or Toys 4 Ponies R Us!"

Buttons and Bouncy listened to them chatter on for awhile longer, and then got up to leave.

"Have fun this summer!" Buttons said as she and Bouncy left.

Once out of the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe, Button said, "I'm going to the Best Wishes Gift Shop next."

"Still looking for Le Ann?" Bouncy asked.

"Yeah," Buttons said, depressed.

"You'll find her someday!" Bouncy consoled her.

At the Best Wishes Gift Shop, Buttons went up to the counter to ask Best Wishes if she had any My Little People in stock and Bouncy browsed around the shop.

"Can I help you with anything today, Buttons?" Best Wishes questioned her when Buttons walked up.

"Yes, I was wondering if you had any My Little People?"

"We do have some in!" Best Wishes said. "I'll show you where they are."

Best Wishes led her to a shelf near the back of the store. There were many My Little People hanging on it.

Buttons quickly went to work looking through all of them. When she had finished, she got up and shook her head. "I can't find the one I'm looking for."

"That's too bad." Best Wishes paused and thought for awhile. "I suppose you've already looked at Toys 4 Ponies R Us and Pony-Mart?"

"Yes, and the drug store," Buttons answered.

"You might try the JC Pony store. I'm not sure if they'd have any toys in at this time of year, but it's possible," Best Wishes suggested.

"Okay, I will!" Buttons said. "Thanks!"

"Good luck!" Best Wishes said.

Buttons found Bouncy again, and the two walked out of the shop.

At JC Pony, Buttons walked around trying to find a toy section. Bouncy went to look at clothes.

Buttons had been walking around awhile when she saw Speedy, who worked there.

"Excuse me, but do you know if you have any My Little People in stock?" Buttons questioned her.

"I'm not sure, exactly," Speedy said. "I'll go check."

As Buttons was waiting for Speedy to return, she noticed a display of hats nearby. One of them in particular caught her eye-- a straw hat decorated with blue and pink flowers.

But just then Speedy came back. "We don't have any in right now, but we might in out Christmas catalog this year," she reported.

"Oh, okay," Buttons said. "Thanks any way."

"No problem," Speedy said, walking off again.

Buttons then trotted over to the hat display to have a closer look at the straw one she liked.

She tried the hat on, and looked at herself in a mirror that was hanging on the wall right next to the display. She grinned. It look great on her!

Buttons quickly looking at the price tag. It was on sale for only six jangles!

"Ooh, Buttons! You should get it!" Bouncy said, who had just come up next to her.

"I think I will." Buttons smiled.

After Buttons had paid for her purchase and they were outside the store, she sighed. "There's no other place around to look for Le Ann; I'm going to have to give up looking!"

"It's just awful you can't find her," Bouncy said. "And I've got to leave you; I just remembered I have an appointment at the Perm Shoppe in a little while!"

"See you," Buttons said and started to head back to Paradise Estate. On her way, she passed the Lullabye Nursery. She saw Baby Crumpet playing outside and stopped to talk to her. "What're you playing with, Baby Crumpet?"

"My Little People," Baby Crumpet said promptly. "And wook! Mommy got me ‘nother one!" Baby Crumpet held up a doll that Buttons recognized as Nancy, whom she had bought last week.

"So you got two new ones today!" Buttons exclaimed, thinking back to Le Ann.

"Uh huh," Baby Crumpet said. "But Nancy much better than We Ann."

"Is that so?" Button said.

"Def-nit-ly." Baby Crumpet nodded her head vigorously. "Nancy comes with more hair accessories than We Ann."

"Don't you like Le Ann at all anymore?"

"Nwope. Nwot at all." Baby Crumpet picked up her Le Ann doll, who was lying on the ground beside her. "You can have her," she offered Buttons.

"Are you sure?" Buttons said disbelievingly.

"Yes." Baby Crumpet shoved Le Ann into Buttons' hoof.

"That's very nice of you, Baby Crumpet!" Buttons said, smiling. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Baby Crumpet said, getting back to playing with Nancy's hair.

Buttons walked back to Paradise Estate with Le Ann, who still had all of her accessories, even. In her room, she placed Le Ann on a shelf with all her other My Little People and sat back and looked at them all happily.

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My Little People Site
by Tabby


Visit the My Little People website! I have just started this, so there are only some descriptions of People up, and I'm hoping to make pictures of each one someday. Feel free to send me descriptions of some People you've made up. The address to the site is:

http://www.crosswinds.net/milwaukee/~tabby/MLPeople.htm

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Steamer and Baby Midnight's Adventure
by Steamer


While Steamer and Baby Midnight were away from Dream Valley, they were not bored. They did quite a few things together, like a beach trip that ended up being profitable for Baby Midnight.



One day Steamer and Baby Midnight decided to go to the beach. While they were there, Steamer saw an old friend from high school.

Steamer and his friend started talking while Baby Midnight went swimming in the ocean.

* * *
Later, Baby Midnight went looking for shells. While he was looking, he found an abandoned toy little pony.

He picked up the pony and took it back to Steamer because he wasn't sure of the pony's name; Baby Midnight knew Steamer collected ponies, so he thought Steamer might know her name.

Well, Steamer did know her name; it was Flowerbelle, who is a Flower Fantasy pony.

Soon after that, Steamer and Baby Midnight went home.

* * *
When they got home, Baby Midnight went into his apartment, cleaned off Flowerbelle, and added her to his collection. Baby Midnight wrote a little note saying where the pony was bought or traded and the date.

So, on Flowerbelle's note, Baby Midnight wrote: "Flowerbelle was found at South Beach on Saturday, April 23, 1998."

And that is the story of Steamer and Baby Midnight's beach adventure.

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The Tabby and Sugarberry Gossip Hour!
by Tabby and Sugarberry


Tabby: It's time for the first ever Tabby and Sugarberry Gossip Hour! Yay!

Sugarberry: That's right! We used to compose the "Did You Know..." articles, but we thought it'd be more fun and amusing to do it this way.

Tabby: Exactly! Any way, what's first?

Sugarberry: Okay... Miss Hackney's front yard was TPed on the last day of school.

Tabby: They don't even know who did it yet. They had to have been led by Patch, though.

Sugarberry: Now, now, Tabby; you shouldn't just accuse ponies like that.

Tabby: Yeah, but who else would've done it?

Sugarberry: And the baby ponies nicely volunteered to clean up the mess!

Tabby: By the time they were through, there was a bigger mess than there was originally. Nasty little baby ponies.

Sugarberry: They can't help being the way they are, Tabby!

Tabby: If you say you'll clean something up, you should actually clean it up and not start playing in the piles of stuff.

Sugarberry: You can't blame them; they're too young to understand responsibilities yet.

Tabby: And the next item on the agenda is an update on the new Bushwoolie Bargain Books store in Friendship Gardens!

Sugarberry: Construction is getting close to finished, isn't it?

Tabby: Right! Friendly says he's surprised at how quickly it's going up.

Sugarberry: They should have it opened within the next two months.

Tabby: I can't wait! And don't forget; I got the job of winking the Bushwoolies back and forth between locations!

Sugarberry: We've heard a rumor about Princess Tiffany, too.

Tabby: Aww, do you have to talk about Tiffany?

Sugarberry: It is gossip, Tabby; we have to tell everyone.

Tabby: I guess. Besides, it IS always fun to gossip about her!

Sugarberry: Anyway, the rumor is that Tiffany will be taking an extended European vacation this summer.

Tabby: With stops in London, Paris, Geneva, Cologne, Rome, and Madrid. Then she'll come back to Ponyland and make our lives miserable again.

Sugarberry: Even I have to admit that she gets on my nerves a lot.

Tabby: She's way to snobby.

Sugarberry: And then we were talking to Spike earlier at the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe.

Tabby: He said he was extremely disappointed in the new Godzilla movie.

Sugarberry: He thought it was unfair that "the beautiful creature" was annihilated and that her "precious offspring" were so cruelly wiped out.

Tabby: I didn't see the movie, but I still have to agree with Spike. All the poor little baby Godzillas!

Sugarberry: I thought it was sad, too. But I also thought you didn't like babies.

Tabby: It's just baby ponies I don't like. They're nasty. But baby Godzillas and all other baby animals are sweet and nice.

Sugarberry: Thanks for clearing that up.

Tabby: And back to our conversation with Spike. He also complained that it's movies like that one that give monsters a bad name.

Sugarberry: Ooh, Tabby! We still have to talk about Serena's coronation ceremony!

Tabby: Yay! Serena! I'll let you talk about it, Sugarberry; I'm no good at describing stuff.

Sugarberry: Okay! So Tabby and I, of course, went to the ceremony. Royal Paradise was a virtual garden with flower bouquets and potted plants everywhere.

Tabby: Yep.

Sugarberry: The royal throne was surrounded with roses of varying shades of red and pink with a few white ones for accent.

Tabby: Why not just say, "There were flowers everywhere"?

Sugarberry: It's more descriptive my way.

Tabby: Description is bad.

Sugarberry: The woodland birds added their melodious tunes and a number of luna moths, nocturnal though they are, added their delicate green shading--

Tabby: Luna moths?

Sugarberry: Yeah, they're pretty green moths.

Tabby: Moths are disgusting. They start out as larvae; anything that starts as larvae has to be bad. Sugarberry: You like butterflies, though.

Tabby: Butterflies start as caterpillars, Sugarberry. There's a different between larvae and caterpillars.

Sugarberry: Uh huh.

Tabby: Ya know, that's the only plus side to spiders: they're spiders all their life, and never worms.

Sugarberry: Ladybugs are larvae at first, and you like those, too.

Tabby: That's because I just found out recently they start as larvae. Before I thought they were born ladybugs.

Sugarberry: Tabby, we're getting off topic.

Tabby: Oh, right! We're supposed to be talking about the coronation, not bugs! Go on with the description, Sugarberry.

Sugarberry: Anyway, the luna moths added their delicateness to the magical setting. A myriad of butterflies also joined in the celebration, hovering over the fragrant flowers.

Tabby: Description is boring, too.

Sugarberry: The other five princesses preceded Serena to the throne. Each was dressed in an identical pastel gown except for color. They were trimmed in white lace at the throat, wrists, and hemline.

Tabby: Tiffany was in blue, Royal Blue in white, Starburst in lavender, Primrose in yellow, and Sparkle in pink.

Sugarberry: And their manes and tails were braided and intertwined with tea roses of coordinating colors.

Tabby: Plus, the Bushwoolies were also there, accompanying their princesses.

Sugarberry: Each was carrying a symbol of Serena's responsibilities as queen: Friendly with the Rainbow of Light which represents Ponyland, Wishful with a heart which represents kindness, Hugster with the scales of justice which represents fairness--

Tabby: Eager with the book "Pony Wisdom," which of course represents intelligence--

Sugarberry: And Chumster with an orchid which represents poise.

Tabby: Cheery preceded Serena carrying the queen's crown on a purple velvet pillow.

Sugarberry: The crown was beautiful! Delicate gold filigree intricately patterned in flowers and leaves!

Tabby: Right.

Sugarberry: Serena was dressed in the most beautiful gown!

Tabby: At least it was purple-- that's a plus. That's my favorite color, ya know.

Sugarberry: It was long, flowing, and royal purple, trimmed in lace and flowers.

Tabby: And a diamond and amythest necklace.

Sugarberry: With matching earrings. And the bouquet she was carrying was a cascade of red tea roses with babies breath and ivy.

Tabby: Exactly.

Sugarberry: The band was playing the Grand March as the princesses processed to the throne. Waiting proudly, Majesty nodded as each princess curtsied to her.

Tabby: The whole coronation was too formal, in my opinion.

Sugarberry: Tabby, coronations are supposed to be formal. So, when Serena approached Majesty, she dutifully curtsied as well.

Tabby: And then Majesty bid her to stand before her.

Sugarberry: And emotionally hugged her. Serena then stood before the throne and faced the crowd gathered there.

Tabby: Everyone from Ponyland was there.

Sugarberry: Ooh, and this is the best part! Majesty picked up the crown from the pillow and held it high for all to see.

Tabby: And placed it on Serena's head.

Sugarberry: She gently placed it on Serena's head with the words, "I now pronounce you Queen of Ponyland."

Tabby: Everyone was very happy.

Sugarberry: The crowd cheered; the birds sang; the band played, and the butterflies fluttered.

Tabby: Were the moths still there?

Sugarberry: Yes, they were fluttering around with the butterflies.

Tabby: Nasty moths.

Sugarberry: Anyway, Serena smiled broadly and waved to the throng of well-wishers, yet silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

Tabby: After the noise died down, she addressed the crowd, didn't she?

Sugarberry: She said: "Majesty, Bushwoolies, earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, sea ponies, Grundles, and Spike. How happy and proud I am to stand before you as queen! You have placed your trust in me, and I will do all in my power to deserve that trust. I promise to listen closely to everyone's ideas and needs, and to respond fairly, quickly, and with the best interest of Ponyland at heart. Thank you, citizens of Ponyland! I am your queen; never hesitate to approach me."

Tabby: You memorized that whole thing?

Sugarberry: No, I was reading it off this paper here.

Tabby: Oh.

Sugarberry: Then, thunderous applause broke-out and everyone came forward to congratulate the new queen.

Tabby: Aren't you done yet?

Sugarberry: Just about! And as the festivities began in and around Dream Castle, Queen Serena began fulfilling her promise as she sat patiently on her throne listening to the requests and problems of everyone in Ponyland.

Tabby: Serena's such a great queen!

Sugarberry: I think Tiffany's still mad she didn't win the election.

Tabby: Of course she's still mad! She thought everyone would vote for her because of her "incredible beauty," and in the end she only got one vote!

Sugarberry: And that concludes the first Tabby and Sugarberry Gossip Hour!

Tabby: It probably didn't last an hour, but we thought "Hour" would sound better than the "Tabby and Sugarberry Gossip Half Hour" or the "Tabby and Sugarberry Gossip Fifteen Minutes."

Sugarberry: See what we mean?

Tabby: Anyway, we'll be back next month! Same time, same place!

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by chamber@www.lakenet.com


Whizzer gasped as he stepped off the small plane. "Woah! I didn't know a vacation in Alaska would be so beautiful!"

Storm, Dancer, Wonder, and Dutchess were right behind him.

"Yeah, this place is beautiful!" Dancer said with a smile.

"When are we going to see Baby Firefly, Baby Glory, Baby Gusty, and Lucky?" Whizzer asked.

"They should be at the cabin already," Storm said. "Let's get goin'!"

* * *
"Whizzer! You're here!" Baby Firefly cheered as they arrived at the cabin later that day.

"You're not gonna believe it, but they don't have TV here!" Baby Glory whispered.

"I can't wait to go exploring. Can we go out and play?" Lucky asked Majesty, Windwhistler, and Megan.

"Sure, just stay close to the cabin. And don't get lost! This is the wilderness up here and if you get lost, you're lost," Windwhistler said.

Then the five babies galloped out the door.

"This is fun. There's still snow up here!" Baby Gusty squealed.

"There's snow up here all the time," Whizzer said.

"Look! A sliding hill!" Lucky said.

"It looks too steep. It's a long way to the bottom!" Baby Glory whined. "And there is a river down there!"

"Nah!" Lucky said. "Watch a pro!" He slid down the hill.

Then Whizzer, Baby Glory, Baby Gusty, and Baby Firefly slid down, too.

"Wow! That was fun!" Whizzer said.

"What's that noise?" Baby Gusty asked as the five stood together at the bottom of the hill.

"I don't know," Whizzer answered.

"It's the ice cracking!" Baby Firefly screamed as a huge chunk of ice they were standing on broke off and floated out into the river.

"Well. Now we're in trouble," Lucky sighed as the five watched as they floated downstream.

"One of us can fly back and get help!" Baby Firefly suggested.

"It's already too far. We should try to jump off once we get down river. Then we can walk back," Whizzer said.

* * *
That evening they found a place to jump off. They had figured they drifted about twenty miles. It seemed that far, maybe farther. There wasn't any snow in the clearing.

"But the cabin was upstream, and we were on a mountain! That's why there isn't any snow here," Whizzer said.

"We better get walking," Baby Glory sighed.

"Hey! What's that?" Baby Gusty asked.

Lucky leaned forward and listened. "It sounds like a baby animal," he said.

He was right. As Whizzer and Lucky looked over a fallen log and down a hill, they saw a camp. There was a wolf puppy in a cage outside a tent.

"We have to save him and find his family!" Baby Glory said.

Whizzer slowly crept down the hill and over to the cage.

"Help me!" the pup whispered.

"Sure," Whizzer said as he opened the cage door.

"Who are you guys?" the pup asked once they were far away from the camp.

"I'm Whizzer, and me and my friends are lost. We have to find out way back to our cabin," he told the pup.

"The hunters captured me; I want to get back with my mom, and the rest of the pack," he whimpered.

"We'll help you. Right?" Whizzer said.

"Sure!" Baby Firefly, Baby Gusty, Baby Glory, and Lucky said.

* * *
As the six walked along, Lucky started thinking they would never make it.

"It has to be right over that hill!" Whizzer said as they looked up at the giant hill.

They had spent the night in an old cave, and had been walking most of the morning.

"I hope you're right," Lucky said as they started climbing the hill.

"I'm so tired!" Baby Gusty moaned.

"We're almost to the top," Whizzer said encouragingly as he walked along with the small puppy on his back. Whizzer himself hoped he would be right when he said they would be able to see the cabin from the top of the hill.

But when they finally reached the top there was only trees and more hills.

Lucky gasped. "Whizzer! I thought you said this was the way!"

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Survey


Which pony has a personality most like your own?

E-mail what you think to Tabby (TabbyMLP@aol.com); results will be in the next issue.



Last month's--



The question was: What is your favorite MLP show episode?



Cymbryana@aol.com-

My daughter's favorite episode is the one where Bon-Bon dreams of becoming a model. She always sings and dances along with Bon-Bon!



Sugrbery@aol.com-

My favorite episode is the one where the ponies find out that Teddy sleeps with a teddy bear at night.



Late entries from two months ago (Loving Family Pony names):



olivia@wardrobe.dircon.co.uk-

Hi!

Rats, I don't believe I've missed the only survey I have a proper answer for, the Loving Family one!

Ah well, better late than never...

The Appledelights:

Daddy - Oakwood

Mummy - Coxy

Baby Brother - Charlesworth

Baby Sister - Appley-Dappley

The Sweet Celebrations:

Daddy - Fernsborough (don't ask me why!)

Mummy - Liddy (Just kind of suited her!)

Baby Brother - Kingsleydale

And I don't have Baby Sister Sweet Celebrations or the other family, so I don't have names for them!



meredith@wardrobe.dircon.co.uk-

I would call Baby Meadowsweet Daisy, Daddy Apple Delight Oakwood, and Mummy Apple Delight Coxxy.

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Package Back Stories


The Teeny Tiny Ponies Come to Ponyland

One morning, the ponies found a wicker basket on their doorstep. Inside the basket, four tiny ponies sat on soft, lacy cushions and smiled up at the delighted ponies. The pretty babies were the smallest ponies they'd ever seen, and were soon named Teeny Tiny ponies because of their cuddly size. They happily brought the babies inside and gave them warm bottles, then tucked them into cribs for their midmorning nap. That same afternoon, the ponies had a big party to welcome the Teeny Tiny ponies to Ponyland, with lots of tasty food and surprises for everyone-- and warm bottles for the little ponies!



Island Magic

Of all the pretty places in Ponyland, the Paradise Babies like Paradise Island most of all. They like to sip pineapple juice under a palm tree and build sandcastles on the beach. One day, something wonderful happened as they napped in a tropical garden on the island. The magical flowers touched the baby ponies with their colorful petals, and gave them a bright, new looks from nose to tail! When the ponies awoke, they loved the brilliant colors and couldn't wait to show everyone what a nap on Paradise Island could do!

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Flutters to the Rescue (Slightly Revised Version)
by "Lily"
© March 1998


"Oh, Morning Glory, you've gone and spilt the lemonade!" Rosedust looked irritably towards her careless friend.

The Flutter Ponies were having a picnic down by a beautiful river, under a large weeping willow tree. The sun shone down brightly and the bees were humming in the reeds and flowers that grew beside the river.

Peach Blossom floated gently down from the sky with just a flutter of her beautiful wings, and joined the group.

After a delicious lunch of cream cakes and tea, Honeysuckle and Lily went off to pick some of the blossoms that lay all about them.

It was then that Honeysuckle made an astonishing discovery. She was stooping for a particularly lovely daffodil, when she noticed a slip of paper concealed in the leaves of the shrub behind the flower.

Honeysuckle picked it up, and called to Lily, who was sniffing roses a few feet away.

"What is it?" asked Lily.

"I've found this among the plants," replied Honeysuckle. "It has something written on it."

The note said: "Tonight we shall strike. Snuzzle and Molasses will no longer be in our way."

"Oh, good grief," exclaimed Lily. "This must have been left here to be read by someone who wants to do something to Snuzzle and Molasses!"

The two ponies rushed back to their friends on the river bank.

"What on earth shall we do?" cried Tropical Breeze, Cloud Puff, and Wingsong together.

"Well, the first thing is not to panic," said Rosedust calmly. "Now why would anyone want to hurt Snuzzle and Molasses?"

"I think it's jealousy, with their new business and all," said Lily.

Snuzzle's sandwich company had just been partnered with Molasses's cake shop and had achieved great success.

"You could be right, Lily, but I don't think any of the ponies would do such a thing!" cried Morning Glory. "Could humans from outside Pony Land be behind this?"

"No, I don't think so," reasoned Peach Blossom. "It's more than likely to be the humans that are already here; probably the people that own the confectionery store out of town."

"Okay, we'll go with Peach Blossom's idea," announced Rosedust. "Honeysuckle should search round for any clues she can find. Yum Yum can help her."

"Fine, Rosedust, we'll start right away!" answered Yum Yum. "But what are the others going to do?"

"We'll search the fields to see if we can find anything there," said Tropical Breeze and Wind Drifter.

"Right, you two; get going!" encouraged Rosedust, who was getting rather excited at the prospect of saving her threatened friends. "I think Hollywood and Pink Dreams should go and find Sparkler. She may be able to help us in this. Forget-me-not, Wingsong, and Lily will need to check out the suspected confectioners, and the rest of us will stay under this tree and try and figure something out. I think we should copy that note exactly and put the original back where we found it. In case anyone comes for it, you see," Rosedust explained, "we'll see them but they won't see us because of the weeping willow branches that surround us."

"Good idea, Rosedust," said Lily enthusiastically. "Wingsong should copy it before we leave; she's so clever at that kind of thing."

Wingsong blushed slightly at the compliment and flew off for a pen and paper.

* * *
Lily, Forget-me-not, and Wingsong soared gracefully above the trees of a wood that separated Dream Castle and the ponies' houses from "Barker's Biscuits," the ponies' destination.

They landed before they had quite reached the shop, so that they couldn't be spotted by anyone too easily.

Lily tip-hooved up to a window at the back of the building while her friends had a look round the area. She saw the shadows of two people cast on the opposite wall. Lily had to strain her eyes really hard to see anything through the window, as it was thick with dust, but her efforts paid off.

As she peered through the gloom, one of the figures began to speak.

"As you know, Snuzzle and Molasses are to be kidnaped tonight when they're packing up to leave their shop," said a deep voice. "The ponies are to be brought back here and locked in the cellar with a little bit of food and water. We don't want them to die of starvation. By the time those two are found, we'll be out of Pony Land, and Snuzzle and Molasses will lose their shop, too. They can't pay their rent locked in a cellar. That'll teach them to run us practically out of business!"

Lily whispered this information to her friends, and they set off for the weeping willow tree they knew their friends would be under.

* * *
But the Flutter Ponies were no longer by the river. Neatly written on a sheet of paper under the willow were the words: "Gone to Sparkler's house; meet us there. Rosedust and Friends."

Sparkler's house was a charming red-brick building with a large buddlea bush by the blue front door. Sparkler was having tea and cake in her sitting room. As well as the Flutters, Tuneful of the world famous pop group, the Rockin' Beats; and Tuneful's constant companion, Bowtie, were in the room.

Pink Dreams rushed up to Lily, Forget-me-not, and Wingsong and asked them if they'd found out anything.

Forget-me-not passed on what they had discovered, and Rosedust commended the three ponies on a job well done.

"We didn't find a single little thing," said Hollywood. "So it's a good thing that you found out something."

"So what are we planning to do?" asked Lily. "We don't have much time."

"I have a suggestion," said Morning Glory.

"Go ahead, Morning Glory; let us all in on this!" encouraged Rosedust.

"Well, we all know about this and Snuzzle and Molasses don't, right? Well, if we got those two out of the shop to, say, this house, before we tell them about this plot, they won't spoil everything by panicking. Then we can wait for those villains!"

"But hang on a minute, Morning Glory," said Pink Dreams. "Wouldn't those brutes notice that the shop was occupied by twelve flutter ponies instead of two earth ponies? That shop has pretty big windows; anyone could see in really easily. And we can't all hide because if those people think the shop is empty, they won't come in."

"Two ponies will have to stand in for Snuzzle and Molasses, but not one of the Flutters; we're too small. But there are three ponies in this room who're possibles."

"So who will it be; Sparkler, Bowtie, or Tuneful?" asked Rosedust.

"Tuneful couldn't very well do that, what with being so famous and all. She would be sure to be recognized. I mean, she isn't exactly "Plain, Unnoticeable Pony of the Year," right?" pointed out Bowtie. "So Sparkler and I will have to pretend to be Snuzzle and Molasses."

"Haven't you forgotten something here, folks?" asked Sparkler. "I'm a unicorn; neither of the ponies we're trying to save have horns. It's not exactly an unnoticeable feature!"

"Keep your head down," suggested Morning Glory.

"Now how am I supposed to do that?" answered Sparkler. "I guess I could wear a very broad-brimmed hat or something."

"Okay then, we've got a plan now; everyone get ready for tonight," said Lily. "We have a big job ahead of us!"

* * *
It seemed like ages before the plan was put into action.

"Oh, this waiting is dreadful!" complained Morning Glory. "The more I wait the more nervous I get!"

"The time will come soon enough, Morning Glory, and there's no need to be nervous. Everything will go just fine," reassured Hollywood. "I'll go put on a pot of tea and some English muffins; that should sooth our nerves!"

At last the waiting was over.

Tuneful had been sent over to the shop to lure Snuzzle and Molasses away to the safety of Sparkler's house.

"I'll lock the place up for you," Tuneful assured Molasses, and after that was done, the keys were dropped into the plant pot by the door in such a way that they were completely hidden by the leaves of a large, red geranium.

Shortly after that, the others arrived and unlocked the shop. The Flutters quickly found hiding places. At least three of them were behind the counter.

Bowtie started pretending to count the stock on one shelf with her back turned to the window.

Sparkler, complete with a large be-ribboned hat that completely covered her horn, twiddled with the till.

Sure enough, after about ten minutes, two large men burst through the door!

"Aha, you two; we've got you now!" shouted one man gleefully.

"Well, that's where you're wrong!" Bowtie shouted back.

Suddenly Rosedust, Cloud Puff, Forget-me-not, and Morning Glory flew from their hiding places and lifted the men off the ground by their shoulders!

Then the other ponies, led by Lily and Peach Blossom, tied the helpless men up tightly with some rope discovered at Sparkler's house. Only then were the men put down.

Lily went to call the police.

Soon Steamer, who was at the time a volunteer for the police force, came to pick up the scoundrels.

Honeysuckle went with him to give the police all the facts. After all, she was the one who found the note that started off the whole rescue.

All the other ponies went back to Sparkler's house, and found that Snuzzle and Molasses had baked a cake and put "Thank You for Saving Us!" in pink and blue icing on the top!

Everyone had a piece; it was extremely good.

"Thanks ever so much everyone," said Molasses. "If it weren't for you, we'd be in a big mess right now!"

"Shucks, what are friends for?" mumbled Morning Glory through a mouthful of cake.

The next morning, Majesty heard of the Flutter's heroic deed, and asked her friend Sunbeam to organize a party to celebrate.

"Of course I will do a party!" cried Sunbeam. "That's what I do best!"

* * *
Sunbeam sure was good at parties; everything was perfect! All the ponies came, along with Spike the Dragon and his friends, and all the other Pony Land residents that the ponies liked.

Salty arrived late because his ship's deck had caught fire and he had to put it out.

Snuzzle and Molasses didn't come ‘til later as they were hard at work making biscuits, cupcakes, and other nice things in their shop. Snuzzle made up dozens of delicious sandwiches with all kinds of fillings!

Luckily, Wigwam and a small boy from the outskirts of Pony Land whom the ponies liked very much helped carry the food to Dream Castle. Majesty had allowed Sunbeam to use the Banqueting Hall to put all the food!

There was plenty of room for everyone, and certainly enough food.

Tabby, Mimic, and Dainty were waitresses, and Sweet Notes came and sang a few songs.

Majesty came in her pink cloak and golden crown, and proposed a toast. "To the Flutter Ponies!"

"Sparkler, Bowtie, and Tuneful helped, too," cried Morning Glory.

"Right, then I will propose another toast, to Sparkler, Bowtie, and Tuneful!" declared Majesty.

Suddenly the phone rang; Gypsy ran to answer it.

"It's for you, Flutters," she called. "Somebody's found a note attached to a tree branch; Bluebell and Ribbon are in trouble......."

------
THE END
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School News


The baby ponies wrote about the most important thing they learned in school this year.

-Tabby



The most portant thing I have learned in school this year is that George Washington is the president of the United States and he lives at Mount Vernon. Baby Nectar



I have learned that I can hit the ball far enough in baseball to get to second base. This comes very in handy in life because most of the other babies can only get to first and I can brag to them that I can run better. Baby Stripes



I know that math is my least favorite subject now. Just about the only thing I member is that four plus two equels ten. Baby Lucky Leaf



I've learned an extremely important lesson! I found out I can eat twice as much food as the other baby ponies! And in half the time, too! Baby Leafy



Last year I could hardly read at all. Now I can read whole books all by myself! I liked reading Black Beauty. Ember



I always thought whales were really big fish. Now I know that they are mamalls. That is a good thing to know, I think. Baby Nightcap

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Invento Ponies


by MeryTreat@aol.com:

Name: Cresent Moon

Type: ‘98 pony

Body Color: White

Hair Color: Yellow

Symbol: Cresent Moon Want, Impiriom Silver Crystal on cheek (from Sailor Moon)

Breed: Earth

Eye Jewel Color: Blue



by meredith@wardrobe.dircon.co.uk:

Pony name: Sunny Saloon

Breed: Unicorn

Type: Twice as Fancy

Symbol: A sun and a Saloon

Body colour: Dark Yellow

Hair colour: Pale Yellow

Eye colour: Bright Yellow

Sex: Male



Pony name: Melon

Breed: Earth

Type: Newborn Twin

Symbol: A Melon

Body colour: Bright Red

Hair colour: Bright Green

Eye Colour: Brown

Sex: Female

&

Pony name: Movie

Breed: Earth

Type: Newborn Twin

Symbol: A Moving Picture

Body colour: Bright Green

Hair colour: Bright Red

Eye Colour: Brown

Sex: Male



Pony name: Birds-of-a-Feather

Breed: Unicorn

Type: Flutter Pony

Symbol: Two Doves Two Pigeons Two Parrots and Two Chickens flying around together

Body colour: Red, Green and Blue

Hair colour: Grey, White and Brown

Eye Colour: Dark Brown

Sex: Female



Pony name: Baby Ribbons-and-Lace

Breed: Unicorn

Type: Baby-Twice as Fancy

Symbol: Lots of Ribbons on a Lacey Background

Body colour: Pale Blue

Hair colour: Pale Green and Pale Yellow

Eye Colour: Pink

Sex: Female



Pony name: Ribbons-and-Lace

Breed: Unicorn

Type: Twice as Fancy

Symbol: Lots of Ribbons on a Lacey Background

Body colour: Pale Blue

Hair colour: Pale Green and Pale Yellow

Eye Colour: Pink

Sex: Female



Pony name: Silent Midnight

Breed: Earth

Type: Twice as Fancy

Symbol: A White Moon with Two Clouds Drifting on either side

Body colour: Black

Hair colour: Black

Eye Colour: Butterfly Blue

Sex: Male



Pony name: Baby Lava

Breed: Unicorn

Type: Twice as Fancy

Symbol: A Volcano with Lava gushing down the sides

Body colour: Dark Red

Hair colour: Bright Red

Eye Colour: Pale Red

Sex: Male



Pony name: Lava

Breed: Unicorn

Type: Twice as Fancy

Symbol: A Volcano with Lava gushing down the sides

Body colour: Dark Red

Hair colour: Bright Red

Eye Colour: Pale Red

Sex: Male



Pony name: Coins

Breed: Earth

Type: Newborn Twin -Crystal eyes

Symbol: Coins

Body colour: Yellow

Hair colour: Gold

Eye Colour: Silver

Sex: Male

&

Pony name: Pennys

Breed: Earth

Type: Newborn Twin-Crystal eyes

Symbol: Pennys

Body colour: Yellow

Hair colour: Gold

Eye Colour: Silver

Sex: Female



Pony name: Crystals

Breed: Pegasus

Type: Newborn Twin

Symbol: Seven Crystals on a Gold Ring

Body colour: White

Hair colour: Pale Green

Eye Colour: Pale Blue

Sex: Male

&

Pony name: Gems

Breed: Pegasus

Type: Newborn Twin

Symbol: Seven gems on a Silver Ring

Body colour: White

Hair colour: Pale Green

Eye Colour: Pale Blue

Sex: Female



Pony name: Lady Amber

Breed: Unicorn

Type: Twice as Fancy

Symbol: Yellow Resin Dripping from a Vegetable turning into Amber before it reaches the ground

Body colour: Yellow

Hair colour: Green

Eye Colour: Butterfly Blue

Sex: Female



Pony name: Ducky

Breed: Unicorn

Type: Hug ‘n' Twirl

Symbol: Ducks

Body colour: White

Hair colour: Yellow

Eye Colour: Brown

Sex: Male



Pony name: Whiskers

Breed: Earth

Type: Hug ‘n' Twirl

Symbol: Whiskers

Body colour: White

Hair colour: Grey and Brown

Eye Colour: Butterfly Blue

Sex: Female



*If you have some Invento Ponies you would like to share, e-mail them to Tabby (TabbyMLP@aol.com) and they will be listed in the next issue.

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MLP Website


Some of you probably already visited my site, but I've got it up. My website has many My Little Pony stories including some from the backs of Euro-Pony packages, but there are still more stories I don't have. My website address is:

http://nimbus.temple.edu/~dgrandst/mlpstory.html

If you want to you can view it and if you have any stories I don't have listed you can send me a copy. Once I make my page have different sections on it, I will add stories from new My Little Ponies.

Flutterbye

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**MLP MONTHLY POLICY STATEMENT: PLEASE READ**
All submissions are expected to stay true to the sweet, innocent nature of the MLPs. This means nothing immoral and nothing violent. I shall reject any submissions I do not think meet these requirements.

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Note to AOL users: Since MLP Monthly is sent in color and you may want to avoid wasting all the ink if you print it out, just copy and paste it into your word processor and print it from there.

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Our next issue will be sent July 1st.

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