My Little Pony Monthly Issue 32 (November 1, 1999)

My Little Pony Monthly Established June 1997 This Newsletter is Safe for All Ages

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Issue 32
November 1999
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Turkey Time Again by Sugarberry

"Um... Sugarberry?"

"What is it, Chocolate Chip?" queried Sugarberry as she flipped the last pancake onto the plate. She and Chocolate Chip were preparing for a leisurely breakfast on this crisp Saturday morning with no job or classes to call them away from their home.

"There are some really big birds out under the bird feeder," Chocolate Chip stated.

Curiously, Sugarberry peaked out the window over Chocolate Chip's shoulder. "Oh, my! They are big, aren't they?"

One of the birds, bronze and rotund, noticed the movement of the ponies in the window and raised his naked head high, his piercing eye honing in on Sugarberry and Chocolate Chip.

Sugarberry gasped. "Why, it's Rex! And Nestor!" She clapped her front hooves together joyously as she had seen Tabby do hundreds of times. "That means it's almost Thanksgiving!"

Slipping off her apron, Sugarberry rushed out the back door to where the turkeys and their brood were clustered. "Rex! Nestor! Welcome back to Dream Valley!"

Rex's tail feathers rose up, spreading into a regal fan shape. "Hi, Sugarberry. It's good to be back."

His mate joined in. "Yes, Sugarberry, we look forward to our annual visit to Ponyland." Rex and Nestor came from beyond the rainbow, but were of a special breed of turkey gifted with being able to talk. Their family came to take haven in Ponyland every Thanksgiving.

Chocolate Chip, who had followed Sugarberry, was looking in awe at the impressive feathered creatures before her. Sugarberry motioned her forward. "This is Chocolate Chip, a college pony at Pony Pride University. Chocolate Chip, these are friends of ours from across the rainbow-- Nestor, Rex, and family."

"Pleased to meet you," grinned Chocolate Chip, feeling rather foolish to be talking to a turkey.

"Friendly the Bushwoolie adopted the turkeys several years ago when their lives were endangered by the Thanksgiving dinner tradition, and they've been returning each year since in search of a safe haven," Sugarberry explained.

Through this introduction, Nestor had been nervously looking about the yard, her sharp eyes searching worriedly for something.

Sugarberry looked questioningly at Rex. "Is something wrong?" she asked, only now sensing a certain aura of uneasiness about the turkey's manner.

Nestor glanced quickly at Rex, and then responded, "One of our chicks was missing when we woke up this morning."

"We roosted in the big maple tree in your yard," supplied Rex.

"And Little Turk was gone from the branch next to us when we woke up. We thought he had just gone exploring, but he hasn't come back yet." Nestor's eyes once more swept the fringe of bushes edging Sugarberry's property.

Putting a wing across Nestor's back, Rex tried to comfort his distraught mate. "He probably ran into Friendly, or came across a scene to sketch," he consoled. "Little Turk has an artistic talent," explained Rex aside to Sugarberry and Chocolate Chip.

"But he never has stayed away this long," fretted Nestor, worrying as only a mother can.

"Well, we really should gather up a search party, just to be on the safe side," suggested Sugarberry. "Chocolate Chip, you and the turkeys help yourself to the pancake breakfast while I make some phone calls."

Please, Tabby, don't be asleep, thought Sugarberry as she dialed Tabby's number. But, to Sugarberry's relief, the phone was answered on the second ring.

"Tabby, it's me, Sugarberry."

"Your grammar is slipping, Sug. You should say, ‘It's I.' Miss Hackney made me write that five hundred times when I failed that one English test, remember? I'll never..."

"Tabby!" interrupted Sugarberry. "This is serious! Rex and Nestor and family are here!"

"The talking turkeys? And messing up your yard, eh?"

"Actually, they are in the kitchen right now having breakfast with Chocolate Chip. But that's beside the point. One of their chicks is missing and we need to get together a search party."

"A missing turkey? For Pete's sake! You expect me to beat the bushes for a missing turkey?"

"Yes, and call Thomas for help, too. He will do anything for you," bribed Sugarberry. "I've got to call some more ponies, so just meet at my house. See ya!"

Sugarberry hung up before Tabby could come up with an excuse not to help, and dialed Vanguard's number.

Before Vanguard could even say hello, Sugarberry dove in to her request. "One of the babies is lost and we need a search party. Go by the dorms and get as many ponies as you can, okay? Meet at my house."

Ready for any emergency, Vanguard took it in stride. If it was this important to Sugarberry, he'd give it his all. "I'm out the door now," Sugarberry heard over the line, and she sighed in satisfaction. Now Vanguard could take over the search operation.

After calling Quarterback and Tex, Sugarberry made one more call to the Bushwoolie holes and alerted the energetic bundles of fur about the emergency. They would begin a search from their place, and head toward Sugarberry's house.

Sugarberry returned to the kitchen where Chocolate Chip and the turkeys had been joined by Tabby. Thomas soon appeared at the door and made the acquaintances of the feathered family and learned of their connection to Ponyland. Tamara slunk in looking recently awakened and rather skeptical of the entire situation. After gulping down a cold pancake and a not-so-cold cup of coffee, Sugarberry suggested that they wait for the rest of the search party outside.

Everyone arrived at the same time, Vanguard bringing a group of ten college ponies he'd commandeered from their respective dorms-- Prime, Current, Gene, Flowerburst, Vector, Digger, Dainty, Cosmic, and Sparky. Quarterback and Tex seemed to have met-up somewhere along the way, and were heatedly discussing the odds of tomorrow's football game being a complete victory for the green and gold. Seeing Tamara, however, Tex abandoned football for the pony of his dreams. Tamara, for her part, frantically tried to comb the tangles out of her mane with her hoof.

"Don't worry," Tabby said absentmindedly. "Love's blind, remember?"

"Who's missing?" queried Vanguard as he approached Sugarberry. "Not one of the newborns, I hope?"

"You didn't even find out who you were looking for before you gathered everyone up?" Tabby said, horrified. "Love is blind, isn't it?"

"Well, not exactly one of the newborns," confessed Sugarberry. "It's one of Rex and Nestor's little ones." She extended her foreleg to where the worried parents stood, surrounded by the eight other chicks from this years brood.

Vanguard's eyebrows rose. "We are searching for a baby turkey?"

"Don't be so blind next time," Tabby suggested. "This is what it gets you."

"It's Little Turk," continued Sugarberry, quickly explaining the plight of these sojourners in the safety of Ponyland.

"Well, a baby is a baby no matter whom he belongs to," philosophized Vanguard.

"Which means this turkey is still a brat," Tabby muttered under her breath.

"Let's break up into groups, and spread out in all directions from Sugarberry's house," Vanguard continued. "Tamara, you stay here to coordinate the group's efforts. And Nestor, you stay with Tamara in case Little Turk finds his own way back." Vanguard's heart was softened as a giant tear dropped from Nestor's eye into the fallen leaves on the ground. "If not, we will find the little one for you and bring him safely here."

Thomas, Tex, Quarterback, and Vanguard each headed a group of ponies that went out north, south, east, and west of Sugarberry's house. They spread out to cover as much area as possible.

"All these fallen leaves are going to complicate matters," worried Vanguard as his group started out. "Little Turk could easily be hidden by them if he decided to sit and rest."

Sugarberry shook her head. "We've got to find him, for Nestor's sake as well as his own." She grimly thought of Nestor's sad face.

Rex's sharp eyes spanned left and right, up and down, constantly checking for any sign of his young son.

Cosmic and Digger, the other two members of Vanguard's group, took their quest seriously, and silently and carefully searched the landscape. Cosmic heard a rustle behind a fence, but it was only a wild rabbit scampering towards home.

"I wonder if anyone else is having better luck than us?" Sugarberry queried.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the backyard of the Falling Leaves family, Baby Falling Leaves stood guard at the opening of an enclosure made of heaps of orange, yellow, red, and brown leaves that had dropped from the canopy of tall maples, oaks, and poplars in her parents' backyard. "Now, you stay put while I got eat my cookies and milk," the autumn-colored baby pony commanded.

As Baby Falling Leaves turned towards the house, the object of her attention let out a serious of noises that sounded strangely like gobbles. The missing chick was imprisoned in a leaf-strewn jail, fettered to a poplar tree with a jump rope.

Little Turk's irate turkey talk went unheeded as Baby Falling Leaves disappeared into the house. Frustrated, Little Turk dropped to the ground. But letteing his anger fuel his energy, he used his beak to loosen the knot that held him prisoner. His efforts got him nowhere.

Next, he walked to the extent the jump rope allowed him and tried pulling as hard as he could but only succeeded in cutting the rope into his leg. He strained against his confinement one more time, then sank exhaustedly into the dried leaves. He laid his head against his back, and sighed deeply. "If only I hadn't tried to find that beautiful tree I'd seen," he said to himself.

He thought back to daybreak when he had been roosting by his mom on the branch of the maple. The first morning light had struck the orange and yellow leaves of a huge tree far in the distance, backed by the intense stark shapes of some equally tall evergreens. He had fluttered down from the branch and trekked off in the direction of the forest.

From deep in his thoughts, Little Turk shuddered. His life until now had always been easy and carefree. He'd never understood the worrying his parents did over him and his siblings. But now he understood. There was evil in the world.

Little Turk had walked and walked, always keeping the giant tree in sight, but it never seemed to get any closer. When he realized that he had gone quite a long distance away from the roosting tree, he was hopelessly lost. It was then that evil had struck.

The caramel-colored baby pegasus had appeared seemingly from nowhere. Little Turk realized, looking back, that his guard was down at that moment, trying as he was to get his bearings on which way to get to his family. If his mind had been concentrating on any signals of danger, he would have seen the baby pony long before the pony would have been a problem.

But as it was, the baby pony had taken Little Turk by surprise, and scooped him up before he knew what was happening. Little Turk had struggled to escape, but the sharp little hooves had pressed hard into his wings and body until he felt he would burst. He had stopped struggling only to prevent damage to his wings or legs; that would have been a serious problem. He rationalized that if he couldn't escape by physical means, maybe he could eventually outsmart the baby pony and make his get-away.

Little Turk, exhausted by his struggling and his anguish, soon closed his eyes and fell fast asleep.

* * *

"This way! This way!" urged Friendly, the helpful blue Bushwoolie.

"Yeah, yeah, gotta be this way!" assented Cheery in a not-too-cheery tone of voice. He was worried about the lost turkey.

Eager and Wishful added their agreement. "Yeah! Yeah! This way, yeah!"

"Find turkey, yeah! This way!" chimed in Chumster and Hugster.

"Listen, yeah," said Friendly, cocking his head to catch every sound. "Someone talking, yeah."

"Yeah! Someone talking, yeah, yeah!" the other Bushwoolies agreed. They all listened carefully, and heard a baby pony's voice saying, "Wake up, you silly little thing."

The Bushwoolies headed in the direction of the voice, but mainly succeeded in bumping into one another. However, as they got closer, Friendly held up his hand, signaling for the others to stop. This caused a pile-up of Bushwoolies as the other four behind Eager didn't stop walking when he did.

After straightening themselves up again, the Bushwoolies could tell that the voice was coming from behind a wall of leaves. The Bushwoolies strained to hear what was going on. They heard the baby pony say to someone unseen, "Me want your feather!" This was followed by the violent rustling of leaves and a feverish "gobble-gobble".

"Little turkey with baby pony, yeah, yeah!" exclaimed Eager.

"Yeah, yeah!" added Hugster in a panic. "Baby pony hurt turkey, yeah!"

"Yeah, yeah, hurt! What we do?" asked a distraught Wishful.

"That way! This way! Yeah, that way!" Pandemonium broke out then between the six Bushwoolies, and each one started running around in circles in opposite directions. After most of them had been knocked down on the ground, they became aware of more voices behind them. They sat up to see a group of ponies obviously searching through the underbrush for the little turkey.

Once again, confusion broke out as all six of the Bushwoolies made a mad scramble towards the ponies. They ended up in a disarranged heap at Tabby's hooves.

"Oh, dear," was all Tabby said as she stared down at the furry mass.

Friendly immediately started spouting off information. "Baby pony hurt baby turkey, yeah, yeah!" He spread his arms wide in alarm.

"Yeah, feathers, yeah!" the other five echoed.

"I should have known it was a baby pony," Tabby said, shaking her head. "Now, it's not like I'm making a big deal out of this turkey scenario, but-- WHERE IS THE BRAT, SO I CAN GIVE HER A PIECE OF MY MIND, HUH?"

Thomas restrained Tabby as he questioned Friendly. "Did you see Little Turk? Who is the baby pony?"

Friendly only shook his head. "Didn't see, only heard, yeah, yeah." He pointed to the wall of leaves in the distance.

Tabby stormed off in that direction, with Thomas, Vector, Dainty, and the Bushwoolies following. From the area of confinement came the unmistakable sound of baby turkey gobbles.

* * *

Little Turk had slept peacefully, considering the predicament he was in. He was dreaming of jousting with his brothers when he realized that someone or something was poking him with a stick. "Wake up, you silly little thing."

Little Turk raised his head and jumped to his feet, running several feet before his fetters stopped him in his tracks. Reality rushed back to him.

"Me want your feather," explained Baby Falling Leaves as she approached Little Turk and plucked a tail feather from him.

"Gobble, gobble."

"Me want to be Indian," explained Baby Falling Leaves as she worked the turkey feather into her own tail. "Need another," she continued as she grabbed a second feather from his once proud tail.

"All right, creep, I've been informed that you're the one performing various acts of injustice?" Baby Falling Leaves stood, stunned, as Tabby posed menacingly before her. The last stolen feather was still clutched in the baby pony's hoof.

Following Tabby came the others, the Bushwoolies babbling amongst themselves. "Baby pony, feathers, yeah. Yeah, bad. Hurt turkey. Yeah. Poor baby turkey. Yeah, poor, poor baby turkey."

Baby Falling Leaves took a step backwards. "MOMMY!" she shrieked.

Tabby marched up to the bewildered baby pony. "As I was saying, it's apparent that you're the one responsible for the senseless concern over this lost turkey, and the possibility that I may miss today's new Pokèmon episode. What have you to say for yourself?"

"I... I caught him," Baby Falling Leaves stuttered. She took another step backwards, and fell into the pile of leaves.

Tabby continued on. "Yes, we already realized that. However, the fact of the matter is... the fact of the matter is..." She paused. "Beyond this senseless disturbance in my day, the fact of the matter is..."

Thomas moved past Tabby and extended a hoof to Baby Falling Leaves to help her to stand. "There, little lady. Now run get your mom and dad while we check over your prisoner."

Baby Falling Leaves gratefully scampered away from her playtime gone bad, and had no sooner reached the door when her parents emerged from the house.

"Darling, what's all the fuss about out here?" They eyed the yard full of ponies and Bushwoolies with alarm.

"Me not know," declared Baby Falling Leaves. "Me scared," she added as she ducked behind her dad's protective bulk.

"She sounds just like a Furby," Tabby said thoughtfully as she and Thomas inspected Little Turk. Feeling much more confident now that friendly troops had arrived, he was strutting back and forth as much as his fetter allowed, boldly flaunting his fan tail with all the pride he could muster. The ponies had to smile, for a young turkey's tail doesn't amount to much, especially with the gaps incurred from Baby Falling Leaves snitching of the feathers.

"Well, young fellow," greeted Thomas as he reached down to untie the rope from around the turkey's legs, "your parents are going to be glad to see you again."

Once free, Little Turk spread out his wings and flapped them several times before settling his feathers neatly in place. He gobbled a grateful response.

Dainty and Friendly had explained the situation to Mommy and Daddy Falling Leaves who, in turn, had suggested to Baby Falling Leaves that she better have a good explanation. They now approached Tabby and Thomas, who were accompanying Little Turk from the leafy enclosure under the trees.

"Sorry to bother you, but this little guy is sorely missed by his family," Thomas began.

"Not to mention simply ‘sore'," Tabby added., referring to his abrased ankle where the rope had rubbed. She scowled at Baby Falling Leaves who was peering apprehensively from between her parents.

"Baby Falling Leaves," her father asked, "why did you tie-up and take feathers from Little Turk?"

Baby Falling Leaves hung her head. "It be fun," she said miserably. "But it no fun no more."

"Don't you think you should apologize?"

The baby pony looked up to see Little Turk preening as he waited; he caught her stare, and lifted his head high, his bright eyes fixed intently on Baby Falling Leaves. Somehow, she didn't seem so ominous to him now that he was surrounded by allies.

"Me sorry, Li'l Turk," sputtered Baby Falling Leaves.

"Gobble, gobble," came the reply.

"Maybe a hug would be appropriate," suggested Mommy Falling Leaves as she nudged her daughter closer to the turkey.

But the arrival of Vanguard and Sugarberry's group of searchers interrupted the peace-making. Rex was radiant with joy to see his son, safe if not a bit tattered. It was a happy reunion.

"Happy ending, yeah, yeah," commented Friendly.

"Very, yeah," added Eager.

"Yeah, yeah!" chorused Chumster and Hugster.

"This is what I like to see," sighed Sugarberry. "Everything turns out in the end."

"But remember, none of this would have happened if it hadn't been for this obnoxious baby pony here," Tabby reminded.

"Why did you go so far away from your folks?" Vanguard asked of Little Turk.

Little Turk spilled out the story of his search for the perfect autumn tree.

"Sounds like you were heading for that giant maple tree at the edge of the Dark Forest," figured Vector.

"Which means Baby Falling Leaves might have done you a favor," continued Vanguard. "The Dark Forest has more than its share of evil."

"Ha! You haven't seen half the evil of the Dark Forest that I have," Tabby said loftily.

Sugarberry shuddered to think of what might have happened if Little Turk had succeeded in reaching his goal.

"I'm just glad that we've gotten Little Turk back," Rex said. "And I want to thank everyone who helped regain him. But right now, I'd like to get him back to his mother so she can stop worrying.

"Oh, yes!" agreed Sugarberry. "We must hurry home."

On the way back to Sugarberry's house, the group met up with Quarterback and Tex and their scouts, so it was quite a gathering that presented Little Turk to Nestor, who, with tears of relief and gratitude, engulfed her son in a motherly bear hug.

"Aw, isn't that sweet!" sniffed Chocolate Chip. She thought of her own mom and dad back in Neighberry, and wondered if they ever missed her at all.

Quarterback broke the sentimental journey with a more personal concern. "I haven't had breakfast yet, and it's nearly noon!"

"Me hungry, yeah, yeah," agreed a chorus of Bushwoolie voices.

"Tabby, what are we going to do?" worried Sugarberry. "I don't have enough food for everyone!"

"Eh, you expect me to help with food? This was your party, Sug!" came Tabby's unconcerned reply from her perch on the porch railing next to several of Nestor and Rex's chicks. "They are rather cute, don't you think?"

It was Tex who saved the say. "Everyone's invited to the salsa shop for brunch! It's on me!" Everyone cheered, excluding Tabby. "I could use some help in the kitchen, though," he added quickly.

Sugarberry, Vanguard, Flowerburst, and Sparky readily volunteered their culinary assistance, and the merry crew paraded down the street toward Tex's Salsa Shop.

"Not the leisurely Saturday we planned on, is it?" Sugarberry whispered to Chocolate Chip when the opportunity arose.

"Not a bit," replied Chocolate Chip. "It's a whole lot better!"

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The Evil Dragon Part Six by Princess of the Stars a.k.a. Starr a.k.a. Marissa

When the ponies had been running for about half an hour, the creature who was leading them to safety stopped. "My name is Vincent," it said in its deep voice. "I'm sorry I frightened your friend. Now I must go."

"Wait, Vincent!" Opal Dreams exclaimed. "You just saved us; how can we make this up to you? How did you know we had been captured?"

"I had been watching you for some time; I jumped out when I saw the rat was Egan. You look as though you need some rest; why don't you come with me? I will take you somewhere safe," Vincent said.

Suddenly Beauty Bloom said, "Hey, does anyone know where Brave Heart is?"

"I'm right here," Brave Heart Lion said weakly, stumbling over to them and clutching his shoulder. Without any words, Vincent set Sam the Hobbit down (who was recovering from the surprise) and carefully picked up Brave Heart. As he parted some bushes, the group stared in amazement at the dark sewage tunnel that Vincent started walking into.

"Wait, where are you taking us?" Salty questioned.

"To some underground tunnels where everyone lives in peace and there is no violence. People go there when their talents have been overlooked or they don't fit in. It is where I live," Vincent said, turning to the group. The ponies walked down the tunnel behind Vincent, virtually amazed as it began getting brighter.

A boy rounded the corner, dressed much like Vincent in clothes of a medieval peasant. "Vincent! Here you are; Father wants you," he said.

"Thank you, Mouse; will you please take my guests to the empty chambers by the Great Hall?" Vincent asked the boy known as Mouse.

"Okay, good... okay, fine! Mouse can do that," the slightly mentally-disabled Mouse said, motioning for the ponies and Sam to follow him.

* * *

"I'm here, Father," Vincent said, entering his father's chamber.

"Good!" the old man said, turning around as he raised his eyebrows. "And just what is that you are holding?"

"It's a friend, Father; he's hurt and his name is Brave Heart," Vincent said, setting down the unconscious Care Bear Cousin on a table.

"Okay, I'll tend to him; but would you please go to the southeast entrance? Winslow says the door won't shut."

"Yes, Father," Vincent said, leaving the room.

* * *

"You stay here tonight, Vincent's friends. Great Hall is where to eat, third door," Mouse said, pointing to a strange door and leaving the ponies.

"I suppose there is a room for each of us, seeing that there are ten doors with ‘Guest Room' carved on them. Let's meet back here in fifteen minutes after washing up," Atlas said, opening a door and seeing a washstand and bed.

Fifteen minutes later, the group was reassembled at their meeting place. "Let's see, Mouse said that that door over there leads to a room where we can eat," Locket said.

"Well, are we going to stand here all day? I'm famished!" Salty said, walking to the door and knocking.

A cheerful-looking old lady opened the door. "Oh! you must be the darling little ponies that Vincent was talking about!" the lady said, leading the ponies to a long table where many others were already seated. "My name is Mary; you can sit down here. We'll be eating in a moment."

The ponies recognized Vincent sitting at the head of the table talking to an old man; and Mouse, who was sitting looking hungrily at the food; and Brave Heart, who now had a cast. Many faces were unknown, however. The old man who sat next to Vincent said, "I hope you have enjoyed yourselves so far?"

"Oh, yes, of course; but could you tell us who all these people are?" Opal Dreams asked, staring at all the people sitting at the table.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm Father," the old man said, "but this is a very large group of people. I think it would be wiser to stay and talk to people after dinner."

So, the group ate their fill and started introducing themselves to the tunnel dwellers. Sam immediately took to a man named Pascal who was like Sam, rather quiet and very smart; it turned out that Pascal was the one who had organized how to talk to people in farther away tunnels. The tunnel dwellers tapped on pipes with special codes! Later, Brave Heart joined the two and learned some pipe codes.

Opal Dreams found the children most interesting; she made a friend named Jamie, who was about fifteen. Jamie gave Opal Dreams a tour of the tunnels. Father taught Digger and Prime how to play chess, while Locket and Northstar went with Mouse to his chamber; it turned out Mouse was a miniature Einstein. Beauty Bloom spent the evening with Mary. As for Salty, he stayed with Winslow at the table eating.

After awhile of talking and games, most everyone went to bed. Beauty Bloom stayed up with Father to tell him of their journey. "You see, half the map was torn off and lost; now my friends and I don't know where we're going," Beauty Bloom finished dejectedly.

"Wait one moment, my friend," Father said, pulling out an old volume of records. "I banished a young dragon some years ago that liked to be called Tornado; but what I hear is that he just moved into some deeper chambers a good stretch from here. Mouse said once when he was off exploring he saw a dragon and followed it; he also made a map. If Mouse can find his map, he may be able to guide you to Tornado."

"Oh, thank you, Father!" said Beauty Bloom, throwing her hooves around his neck. "I was getting so discouraged!"

"Well, if you want to arm yourselves and go off tomorrow, you better get some rest. I just have one thing left to say. Will you keep the tunnels a secret? If anyone saw Vincent, who knows what would happen?" Father said, standing up.

"Of course," Beauty Bloom smiled, heading off to her chamber.

Please send your comments and criticism to PansyPearl@aol.com. Thank you.

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The Insane Crossover Story Chapter Six by Tabby, Merry Treat, and Barnacle

Tabby, Merry Treat, their Pokèmon, and lots of new friends go to seek revenge on somebody...

"Now where are we?" Merry Treat sighed in annoyance. The troupe had been wandering around for what seemed to be hours-- lost in some huge city.

"We don't know where we are again? Well, there's nothing new there," Tabby said matter-of-factly.

"We may have stepped into one of Skeletor's traps, Orko," He-Man hypothesized. "We should keep our guard up."

"Are you sure we still aren't in California?" Petunia Petal asked.

"Everything looks kinda Japanese," Tabby murmured.

"Maybe we've stumbled onto another planet," Whimzee suggested.

"Would you all be quiet?" Brain muttered. "I'm trying to come up with a plan for world domination."

"Why's the noise bothering you?" Pinky queried. "Narf!"

"Because it reminds me of you," Brain replied.

"I still don't know what to make of genetically-altered lab mice," Tess said after a pause.

"I'm sure I could whip up a wonderful recipe for you out of them!" Orko offered.

Jar Jar's eyes opened wide. "Orko, theysa our companions!"

"I'm not sure I like this adventuring life," Petunia Petal sighed.

"Tarkie, where's that map?" Merry Treat called over her shoulder.

A moment later, the Meowth was once again spreading the map out on the ground. The group gathered around it. "This map never seems to do any good," Tarquin frowned.

"I bet we're lost again and we'll vanish in midair--" Tabby started rambling.

"Only if we're lucky," Max interjected.

"--and nobody'll know what happened to us and--" Tabby continued, but was cut short by Merry Treat.

"Cenetra to Tabby, come back!" the white earth pony sighed.

"What's Cenetra?" Ursa Minor asked curiously.

"That's where Tabby and I are from," Merry Treat confirmed.

"Sounds like a singer, not a location," Sam said.

"Whatever," Merry Treat said, and looked at the map. "Now... let's see..."

"I just want to go home," Petunia Petal moaned. "I don't think there's any hope for turning Max into a proper Tea Bunny at this point."

Just then, Max jumped past her, screaming, "Booga-booga-booga!"

Whimzee glanced over her shoulder nervously. "I think I just heard something in those bushes."

"It could be Skeletor," He-Man warned, unsheathing his sword. "Stand back!"

"Or one of the movie snakes," Orko added.

"Movie snakes? What are you talking about, Orko?" Ursa Minor asked.

"Useless junk, I think," Tarquin commented.

"I do that all the time," Tabby nodded.

"Useless junk is the best kind of junk," Sam commented.

"Maybe it's a seachimp!" Pinky suggested. "Zort!"

"There are no seachimps, Pinky," Brain sighed.

"Oh, it can't be anything dangerous," Tess assured the group.

I saw something in those bushes, Merry Treat, Spearow said to his trainer.

"Wassa he be talkin' about?" Jar Jar questioned the pony.

"Spearow thinks he saw something in the bushes," Merry Treat translated. She kept her eyes on the green leaves. She hadn't been receiving any bad vibes, so maybe it was just a stray pet. She decided to keep a hold of her Senshi pen for a bit, at least.

"Target practice!" Max exclaimed, whipping out his luger.

"Nice pen," Sam said, observing the item that Merry Treat was gripping. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that's a mark-five transformation pen device, but why would you have one of those? That's just silly."

Tabby looked at the expression on Merry Treat's face, and couldn't help but be suspicious. What's she doing with that pen again? thought the unicorn.

Merry Treat didn't notice the suspicious stare, and decided to ignore Sam's comment. She turned to her friends. "I think we should find a place to pitch camp. There's a park over there, I think. Let's check it out."

* * *

A while later, the group was seated around a fire in an isolated corner of the park. "Fortunately, we have no regard for ordinances about lighting fires in city parks," Sam commented.

"Eleanore and Tweeg, you've been awfully quiet," Tess commented.

"We're plotting," Eleanore snapped.

"I just want to try making some gold," Tweeg complained.

"So-o-o... anybody know any good ghost stories?" Tabby said, eyes opening wide in excitement. "I'm always scared silly but they're simply so cool--"

"I do, but they're all stupid," Merry Treat said bluntly.

"O-o-h... not ghosts, no!" Ursa Minor said in a quivering voice.

"Ghosts give people bad dreams," Whimzee said in agreement. "Like one I had last night..."

"What was it about?" Tarquin questioned.

"It's always so interesting to hear about dreams," Tabby agreed.

"Yeah! I'm sure it's not as strange as some of the dreams I have," Merry Treat said cheerfully.

Your dreams are always strange! Spearow chirped at her in his own language.

"Well," Whimzee began, "it wasn't that long, but it was so vivid. Crystal was calling out to me to come back, and then I woke up..."

"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?" Brain asked of his companion.

"I think so, Brain, but wouldn't marshmallow ghosts melt in the sunlight?" Pinky said after a pause.

"No, Pinky! If I set everything up correctly, I could have the entire world dream about me as its leader!" Brain explained. "Then--"

"What kind of a fool would worry about dreams like that?" Eleanore sniffed at Whimzee's concern.

Ursa Minor gasped. "Whimzee, do ya think somethin's wrong?"

"I don't know." Whimzee shook her head. "I'm been trying not to worry about it through the day, but..."

"I would suggest you go back to your home as soon as possible, Whimzee," He-Man declared. "Who knows what evil may have invaded while you were gone?"

"Someone like King Snake," Orko agreed.

"Maybe you're right," Whimzee said after a pause. "I've probably abandoned them in a midst of a great disaster!"

"Issa not your fault," Jar Jar consoled her.

"Yeah, don't blame yourself. We had no idea this was going to happen," Tess agreed.

Whimzee stood up abruptly. "I should head back now. I don't mind traveling at night." She smiled slightly. "That's what I do all the time."

"Orko and I will accompany you back, Whimzee," He-Man declared. "We'd never let a lady travel on her own."

"Would you... would you happen to be going through Tea Bunny Land again?" Petunia Petal spoke up hesitantly.

"If we came through there on the way here, we should go through it on the way back," Orko said.

"Would you mind... would you mind if I came along?" Petunia Petal glanced around at everyone. "No offense, but this trip just isn't shaping up the way I thought it would."

"Oh, we understand!" Merry Treat said quickly.

"So He-Man, Orko, Whimzee, and Petunia are leaving," Tabby figured.

"Ursa Minor, you'll have to go back to Starry Up with us, too," Whimzee said.

"Yeah," Ursa Minor mumbled. "I was havin' fun, though..."

"Have a safe trip, you guys!" Tess said as the five packed up. "Whimzee, good luck back at the Milky Way."

"Yes! Thank you!" Whimzee waved, and with that, she, Ursa Minor, He-Man, Orko, and Petunia Petal were off.

"That cut our numbers down drastically," Tweeg commented after several minutes of silence.

"Poit," Pinky agreed, his ears dropping.

"Yes, it's kinda sad, actually--" Merry Treat was abruptly cut-off in mid-sentence by a shout.

"All right, hold it!" cried the voice of a girl.

All heads turned in the direction the voice was coming from. All eyes rested on a young, blonde-haired girl with rather large blue eyes. She was dressed in an interesting outfit that consisted of a white bodysuit and a short, blue pleated skirt. She wore white elbow-length gloves and knee-length red boots. Her blonde hair was up in an odd style that appeared to be two hairbuns with long tails falling down to her knees.

Merry Treat let out a gasp-- not out of fear, but out of surprise. How did we end up in Tokyo? she thought in confusion.

"I am Sailor Moon, champion of justice! And in the name of the moon, I shall punish you!" the girl declared in a forceful tone.

"And don't think she's the only one, either!" cried another voice as a second blonde-haired girl in a similar outfit came up beside Sailor Moon. "She's got a lotta help!" This girl's suit was mostly orange, save for a navy blue bow on her chest with a small yellow button in the center, and a yellow bow at the back of the skirt. "I am Sailor Venus!" she said.

"You said it, Venus! We're gonna bust these Nega-creeps! I am Sailor Jupiter!" came another girl. This one was a tall brunette with green eyes, and her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. Her outfit was similar to the one worn by the girl she had just called by the name of Venus, but hers was mostly green with pink bows.

"Yeah! What makes you think you can just show up here and try to hurt innocent people? I'm Sailor Mars, and we won't stand for it!" Yet two more girls showed up. The one speaking had long black hair and was wearing a similar outfit that was mostly red with violet bows and red high-heeled shoes.

"That's right! We're gonna stop you!" cried the last girl. She had short blue hair and her outfit was blue with light blue bows and knee-length blue boots with a white line going around the tops. "I am Sailor Mercury!"

"Wassa goin' on?" Jar Jar said, frightened. "Meesa wasn't too clumsy again, wassa I?"

"Whoa! Luna and Artemis were right when they told us they saw some bizarre creatures!" Sailor Venus said in a surprised tone.

Luna and Artemis... they must be who were sneaking around in the bushes, Merry Treat noted in her mind.

"No kidding! What are they, Mercury?" Sailor Jupiter turned to her friend.

"We're wondering the same thing about you guys," Tarquin said under his breath.

Sailor Mercury was furiously typing on what looked like a palm-top computer. "I'm not sure..." She stopped typing for a moment to study the screen. "From my readings, it says they aren't from the Negaverse."

"Well, that one sure looks like it came from the Negaverse!" Sailor Mars commented, gesturing her head towards Jar Jar.

"Yousa jumping to conclusions, methinks!" he said quickly in a scared tone.

Just like the people in those Godzilla movies, Tabby thought. Hey-- and if this is Japan-- She began tittering softly to herself.

"That one, too," Sailor Jupiter agreed, pointing at Tweeg.

"Finally, someone who sees me as evil" Tweeg said in relief.

"You have a long way to go, Tweegie!" Eleanor said sharply to her son.

"Oh my, they talk!" exclaimed Sailor Moon. "But what is that accent on that... weird-lookin' thing? And why is the Negaverse sending out such... strange creatures?"

"I hope that's not one of Snowball's schemes, too," Brain muttered to himself.

"Maybe it's a fun-fun, silly-willy place!" Pinky laughed hysterically. "Can we go there?"

"O-o-o-oh! A little white bunny! How cute!!" Sailor Moon squealed, catching sight of Max.

Crying out triumphantly and waving his arms in the air, Max exclaimed, "At last, my fans have arrived!!!"

"Lady, you probably wouldn't be saying that if you saw the way he eats," Sam added.

"See, Sam, I told you the marketing people where wrong; the public loves me!" Max said as he jumped into Sailor Moon's arms only to be thrown back to the ground.

"EEEK! It touched me!" the girl screamed.

"Ack! Lower the decibels!" cried Sailor Mars, covering her ears.

"What are you talking about? My decibels are fine!" The blonde angrily turned towards the other scout.

"You are going on in a high-pitched voice and it's annoying!" the black-haired girl shot back.

"Oh, no, not this again!" Sailor Mercury groaned.

"Guys, this is no time for arguments!" Sailor Venus chided the quarreling scouts.

"They sound like when you and Clever Clover start going at it, Tabby!" Merry Treat commented.

"Oh, no, we don't sound like that!" The unicorn turned to face her friend.

"Do too!" Merry Treat angrily put her hooves on her hips.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Now they're going at it!" Tess groaned in the same tone as Sailor Mercury. The two looked at each other with the same "not this again" expression.

Merry Treat waved her hoof in dismissal and turned back to the scouts. "Please believe us! We don't wanna hurt anyone! I can assure you that we aren't from the Negaverse! Just let us explain..."

"It's not another name for M.A.V.O., is it?" Tweeg questioned.

"Of course not," Eleanore said. "M.A.V.O. would never go by such a trivial name as ‘Negaverse'."

"The Negaverse is a dark, evil, place that is full of terrible people that like to send out evil creatures to destroy people," the Christmas pony explained.

"It doesn't sound much different than M.A.V.O.," Tweeg said thoughtfully. "Except they're more into sending out evil tax collectors."

"We ran into a bunch of weirdos..." Sailor Mars trailed off as her eyes scanned over the strange party.

"How do you know about the Negaverse?" Sailor Venus gave the mare a look of curiosity.

"Well... uh..." Merry Treat threw her friends a nervous glance.

"I sense something..." a small black cat that came up beside Sailor Moon murmured softly to herself. She stared hard at the pony.

Merry Treat gulped. "Well... uhh... I... uhh... err..." What her companions didn't know was that she actually had a secret identity as Sailor Fauna.

"Out with it, MT! What are you hiding? I know you're hiding something." Tabby turned towards her friend. "You're trying not to tell us something. Tell! Tell!"

Merry Treat set her jaw. "Sailor Fauna told me about the Negaverse." She swallowed nervously as she saw the expressions on the scouts' faces and Tabby's change from mere curiosity to just plain confusion.

"Sailor Fauna? Luna..." Sailor Moon slowly turned to the black cat with a yellow crescent moon on her forehead.

"Sailor Fauna is one of the lost Senshi..." the cat, known as Luna, trailed off and fixed her eyes on Merry Treat.

"A talking cat. Isn't she the cutest thing?" Tabby squealed.

No sooner had she said this when a white cat with the same symbol on his forehead stepped up next to Luna. This one had big, blue eyes. "But Sailor Fauna... she disappeared a long time ago," he said in a curious tone.

"That's what I thought, Artemis... pony, how do you know her?" Luna stepped forward a few steps to better see the white pony.

"I'm her! Err-- close friends with her," Merry Treat quickly saved. She could just hope that her friends and the scouts hadn't caught the first thing she had said.

"You have yet to introduce her to us, MT," Tabby said threateningly. "Does this Sailor Fauna have anything to do with that moon-dust you keep blathering about? Hmm? What in the world are you hiding?"

"Uh, yeah, well... sometime, yeah," Merry Treat replied to Tabby's first comment, but kept her fearful eyes on the bewildered scouts. She was unsure of how to answer the second part of her friend's question, and decided to ignore it. She could sense that the scouts were on to her. "Maybe sometime."

"Why would a Sailor Scout reveal her identity?" Sailor Jupiter wrinkled her brow in confusion and suspicion.

"She's just like you, Sailor Moon. Incredibly absent-minded," Sailor Venus joked and tossed her friend a cheerful expression to show that she was kidding.

"Grrr, traitor!" came the reply.

"Blabbety blah blah," Sam interjected.

"Blabbety blah," added Max.

"Well, if you aren't from the Negaverse, then what are you doing here?" Sailor Mercury clasped her computer shut and stepped up a little closer to the menagerie in front of her.

"Well, we don't really know what we're doing anymore, but we're seeking revenge on somebody," Tabby explained.

"Hmm... do we trust them?" Sailor Mercury turned to her fellow scouts.

"I think we can, scouts. I don't believe they're dangerous." Artemis stepped up next to the blue-haired girl.

"Oh, if that's what you think about me..." Eleanore muttered under her breath. "One of the most dependable M.A.V.O. members."

"What's that, Mommy?" Tweeg queried.

"Oh, be quiet," Eleanore hissed. "Don't mention anything about our dealings with M.A.V.O., and maybe we can get these girls to do something useful for us."

"Where are you guys from, anyway?" Sailor Jupiter asked, curiosity getting the best of her. "No place I've ever been..."

"Oh, just about everywhere," Tweeg said.

Sailor Moon raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really?"

"Well, with that... thing hanging out with you, I'd believe it!" Sailor Venus nodded at Jar Jar.

"Meesa be a Gungan," Jar Jar filled her in.

"From Naboo," Tabby added. "Ever been to Naboo? It's a nice place. If you like swampy kinds of places."

"Sorry we were suspicious," Sailor Jupiter apologized.

"That's all right," Merry Treat said.

"Phew! Am I ever glad that's over!" Tess heaved a sigh of relief.

"Hey, what are those things!?" Sailor Moon exclaimed and pointed at the three Pokèmon, which she had just taken the time to notice. "They don't look like anything I've ever seen!"

"You haven't seen the likes of a lot of us before," Tabby pointed out.

"Well, not unless you watch a lot of sci-fi movies," Tarquin commented.

"Spearow row!" Spearow added.

"Or cartoons," Tabby added.

"Don't worry, those are just our Pokèmon. They won't hurt you unless you provoke them," Merry Treat assured. "We should be clearing out of here soon, anyway."

"Hey, do you guys happen to want to come with us?" Tabby queried. "It seems like that's what just about everybody we meet up with wants to do."

"I dunno..." Sailor Jupiter trailed off.

"O-o-oh, sounds cool!" Sailor Moon exclaimed.

"But what about the Negaverse?" Sailor Mercury said in an anxious tone. "If they attack and we're not here, who is going to stop them?"

"Good point! I guess we had better stay here," Sailor Mars confirmed with a hint of dismay in her voice.

"Don't worry, Sailor Scouts. Luna and I will stay here and keep an eye on things while you are gone. You girls need to get on an adventure sometime in your lives," Artemis said warmly to the five girls.

"What? You mean it?" Sailor Venus exclaimed excitedly. Then her smile faded. "But you two are no match against those Nega-creeps."

"Yeah! We don't want you to get hurt!" Sailor Mars agreed.

"This conversation is dragging on and on, just like the plot from one of those Japanese cartoon shows," Sam commented, turning to Max.

"Only with less speed lines," Max replied.

"Artemis and I will be all right. We will contact you if there is trouble. Don't worry about us," Luna insisted. "Now, run along and have a good time."

"Yipe-e-e-e!!! Oh, this is so cool!" Sailor Moon cried out gleefully.

"Then you'll have to sign this list of Rules and Regulations!" Tabby said promptly, and held out the sheet to the excited girls.

The five Sailor Scouts huddled around the paper and scanned it over before signing their names. "Here ya go!" Sailor Jupiter handed the paper back to Tabby.

"You know what? Eleanore's name isn't on this," Merry Treat frowned, carefully inspecting the growing list of signatures at the bottom of the tattered sheet.

"Oh, I must not have remembered then," Tabby said absentmindedly.

"Ooh, and we need to cross out a few of these signatures since some people left," Merry Treat continued.

"What was that about me?" Eleanore questioned quickly.

"We seem to have passed you by on the Rules and Regulations list," Merry Treat explained.

"What's that?" Eleanore asked suspiciously.

"Just a few laws we've set down," Tarquin explained. "They're not that hard to follow, really, especially if you can't summon up monsters in the first place."

Eleanore snatched the sheet from Tabby. "No insults against my Tweeg?" she said in outrage. "Who do you expect to follow these rules?"

"Well, everyone else has," Tess pointed out.

"I thought it was kind of nice for a change," Tweeg said timidly.

"Your opinion doesn't count!" Eleanore snapped. "Tweegie, how do you expect to become a good villain while hanging around a bunch of goody-goodies like these?"

"I figured out the correct way to make gold out of buttermilk from them!" Tweeg defended himself.

"And did you try the updated recipe, Tweegie?"

"Well, no, I didn't have time--"

"Then it probably doesn't work," Eleanore continued. "I'm not hanging out with these do-gooders any more."

"But you were going to teach me to be a good villain!" Tabby interjected.

"That was before you mentioned this rules thing," Eleanore said simply. "I don't think there's any hope for you."

"Oh well," Tabby sighed.

"Don't worry about it, Tabby," Merry Treat said to console the unicorn, and lay a hoof on her shoulder. "You don't need to be a villain."

"Is youssa gonna leave now, Eleanore?" Jar Jar asked, trying to conceal his excitement at the fact.

"Yes, immediately," Eleanore said firmly. "And Tweegie, if you really want to become a M.A.V.O. member in good standing, you'd better come with me."

"I guess so," Tweeg said. "I guess it would be good to see L.B. again."

"You're not half the villain that L.B. is," Eleanore sniffed. "Come along, now."

"Our numbers really are diminishing," Tarquin lamented as he watched the two walk off.

"Maybe we'll run into some of them again," Merry Treat said.

Meanwhile, the Sailor Scouts had been exchanging goodbyes with Luna and Artemis. "We'll miss you two!" Sailor Venus said, and scooped up Artemis in a loving hug. "Be careful!"

"We will, and you girls be careful, too," Luna said as Sailor Moon gave her a goodbye hug.

"Why do I get the impression that we picked up another useless life form?" Sam questioned.

"Probably because we have, Sam," Max said.

"You crack me up, little buddy," Sam chuckled.

"Have fun!" Artemis called cheerfully as the group set off once more.

"Are you sure we're doing the right thing, Artemis? I mean, what will we do if the Negaverse attacks and they're away..." Luna trailed off, suddenly becoming aware of the consequences.

"Don't worry, Luna. We can contact them on the communicator. Besides, an adventure like this will be good for them," Artemis assured.

"I hope you're right, Artemis; I hope you're right." Luna watched the group walking off down the street. Sailor Moon was talking nonstop to Jar Jar, who was listening intently; but the girl suddenly tripped over a rock in the street, and caused the Gungan to fall over as well.

"Okay, so she can't walk and talk at the same time..." Luna sighed and sweat-dropped.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Invento Ponies

by Merry Treat: Star Wars Set Name: Luke Skywalker

Breed: Earth

Body Color: White

Hair Color: Sandy-Colored

Eye Color: Blue

Symbol: Blue Lightsaber



Name: Princess Leia

Breed: Earth

Body Color: White

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Symbol: Rebel Blockade Runner



Name: Han Solo

Breed: Earth

Body Color: Cream-Colored

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Hazel

Symbol: Millennium Falcon



Name: Chewbacca

Breed: Earth

Body Color: Brown

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Symbol: Wookie Bowcaster



Name: Darth Vader

Breed: Earth

Body Color: Black

Hair Color: Black

Symbol: Darth Vader's Helmet



Name: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Breed: Earth

Body Color: White

Hair Color: Gray-White

Eye Color: Blue

Symbol: Blue Lightsaber



by Princess of the Stars a.k.a. Starr a.k.a. Marissa: Name: Pumpkin

Breed: Pegasus

Body Color: Orange

Hair Color: Green

Symbol: Jack-O-Lantern

Personality: Pumpkin is an outgoing pony; she is known among many and loves parties, especially fall parties.



Name: Fall Colors

Breed: Earth

Body Color: Red-Orange

Hair Color: Orange, Red, and Yellow

Symbol: Bright Red Leaf

Personality: Fall Colors is talented; if you ask her to do something she will do it quickly, neatly, and think it was a piece of cake.



Name: Wilt

Breed: Unicorn

Body Color: Gray-Brown

Hair Color: Light Brown

Symbol: Wilted Flowers

Personality: Wilt is extremely gloomy-- some would say pessimistic. Despite her name, she hates the fall because everything dies.



Name: Frost

Breed: Unicorn

Body Color: Frosty Blue

Hair Color: Frosty Green with Brown Tips

Symbol: Mound of Snow

Personality: Frost loves the fall; you'll see her out for an early morning jog on a crisp cool morning. She is rather shy and absolutely hates large crowds and giving speeches. She would rather sit reading by a tree than join a group.



Name: Hibernation

Breed: Earth

Body Color: Blue

Hair Color: Red

Symbol: Curled-Up Bear Sleeping in its Burrow

Personality: Hibernation is always rather tired and you rarely see her in the winter. She says the dull colors of winter make her tired, and it's much easier to sleep in the darkness of winter. She also hates the fact that most of her bird friends go south until spring.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Time Machine Discovery by Merry Treat and Tabby

Tabby and Merry Treat were hanging out at the Pokèmon Center. Tess, Spearow, and Tarquin had gone to escape from the "other species" for a while.

"Gosh, this is boring! Where is everyone today!?" Merry Treat commented in an annoyed tone.

"I don't know. Maybe everyone went to your gym, and they're waiting for a Pokèmon battle," Tabby murmured as she typed something in an e-mail.

"You think? I doubt it. I've battled just about all the Pokèmon trainers in Ponyland," Merry Treat replied and read casually over Tabby's shoulder while the unicorn was typing. "You made a spelling error."

"Whoops! I can't type today..." Tabby quickly backspaced to fix it, and hit the "send" button. "Okay, now what do we do?"

"Why don't we just gossip for a little bit?" Merry Treat suggested, and leaned up against the counter.

"Okay!" Tabby said cheerfully, and signed off the internet. She and Merry Treat loved to gossip.

"What's been going on lately?" Merry Treat asked almost as soon as her friend had spun back around in her chair.

"Tiffany has decided she's come down with a rare eye disease," Tabby said.

"O-o-o-oh, an eye disease! What happened?" Merry Treat questioned, curiosity in her voice.

"Nothing, I believe. I think she's making it up so she'll be able to go to the hospital more," Tabby snickered.

Merry Treat nodded in understanding. "Ah, to see Toby."

"Uh-huh," Tabby nodded.

"I wonder when those two are finally gonna stop stalling and get married," Merry Treat said offhandedly.

Tabby shrugged in reply. "I don't know, myself. I do hope it's soon, so Tiff'll stop bragging about the expensive engagement ring Toby's supposedly gonna get her."

Both ponies giggled. Somehow, they found it easier to talk about their friends when their Pokèmon weren't around. They had known each other since sixth grade, and had become fast friends.

"Spike and Friendly each got a new Furby!" Tabby squealed excitedly.

"Cool! What do they look like?" Merry Treat grinned.

"Spike's is green, and her name is Loo-Loo. Friendly's is a bay-you-tay-full light brown one named Toh-Loo. She's Ah-Loh's one true love," Tabby said, using her southern accent.

"Cute!" Merry Treat smiled.

"So, what's been going on with you lately?" Tabby asked to change the subject.

"Not much. Dad's putting a new addition to his and Mom's house. There's a big hole in the backyard," Merry Treat explained. "It looks like they're trying to put in a swimming pool!" she giggled.

"Just like what Quarterback is doing," Tabby commented.

"I do hope they get finished before winter," Merry Treat shivered. Already, the leaves on the trees outside had turned color; and many of them had fallen to the ground. The crisp scent of autumn was in the air, and Halloween was coming.

"Yes, I'd imagine it'd get rather cold," Tabby agreed, and gazed out the clear door of the Pokèmon Center.

"Oh, yeah!" Merry Treat nodded in agreement and followed her friend's gaze out the door.

"Did you hear about the ruins Cleve Clove found in the Dark Forest, MT?" Tabby asked after a few minutes.

"Oh, no. I haven't. Do tell," Merry Treat said with interest.

"He hasn't begun excavating yet, but wouldn't it be cool if they were somehow related to that burial site of that skeleton king dude?" Tabby said excitedly.

Merry Treat shivered again. "O-o-o-oh, from what I've heard about that dude, it'd be rather creepy..."

"It's fun arguing with him, though. The skeleton king and Cleve Clove, actually," Tabby responded.

"You two sound like Raye and Serena when you're going at it," Merry Treat remarked with a grin. She had somehow convinced Tabby to start watching Sailor Moon, and by now Tabby knew a lot about those famous arguments.

"Nah, more like Ash and Misty," Tabby corrected.

"I had the most delicious pink fruit drink earlier," Merry Treat changed the subject.

"Cool!" Tabby said as she lifted a magazine off the counter and relaxed in her chair. She handed another magazine to Merry Treat.

"It was pink, tasted like bubble gum, and I loved it. Vixie was shocked that I could drink it!" Merry Treat laughed as she took the magazine. "Thanks."

"She was at your place earlier?" Tabby asked as she began flipping through pages.

"Yeah, she was visiting. She bought the stuff first, but said it was too sweet, and gave it to me," Merry Treat explained. "Gosh, they got some weird stuff in here..." She, too, began flipping through pages.

"It gets annoying when relatives stay too long... like Tamara..." Tabby muttered under her breath as she began to study something on one of the pages. "This is interesting..."

"She still hasn't found herself a home?" Merry Treat asked, momentarily glancing up from the article she was reading.

"Nope. She's always too busy dressing up for her dates with Tex," Tabby said and rolled her eyes.

"I wonder when those two are gonna stop stalling and finally get married..." Merry Treat trailed off, just realizing what she had said.

"You say that a lot, don't you?" Tabby asked.

"Uh-oh... don't hurt me!" Merry Treat shielded her head with the magazine.

"Oh no, I'm not thinking of hurting you. Won't she ever get sick of Tex?" Tabby mused.

"I promise I'll never mention Tamara and Tex getting married again!" Merry Treat said hurriedly.

"But what if it happens, MT?" Tabby worried.

"Congratulations to both of them. They deserve each other. They will be a very happy couple," Merry Treat declared as she looked back at the article. "Tex isn't so bad, Tabby. He's actually kinda cool!"

"That's what everyone says about him that didn't have worms in their lunchbox," Tabby sniffed. "What would the present world be like if that incident had never happened?"

Merry Treat rolled her eyes. "Oh, Tabby, haven't you forgotten about that yet!? It was in sixth grade! Even though you did throw a fit..."

"I don't like worms," Tabby said simply.

"...and Sugarberry and I could hardly keep you from destroying him with your horn..." Merry Treat continued.

"I despise worms," Tabby repeated herself venomously.

"...and we've never heard the end of it. Hmm, you hate worms, but you love Caterpies and Weedles. Strange, you are..." Merry Treat said slowly, like Yoda.

"Well, Caterpies, yes. But Weedles..." Tabby trailed off nervously.

"--are cute!" Merry Treat finished for her.

"If he had packed my lunchbox with Caterpies-- well, just one Caterpie-- it wouldn't have been so bad," Tabby said.

Merry Treat rolled her eyes. "Maybe we could find a time machine, and fix everything," she said very sarcastically.

"Nah. Who knows what could have happened if those worms never ended up in my lunchbox?" Tabby questioned.

"It would be terribly exciting to find out..." Merry Treat said slowly.

"That's true. We gotta find a time machine, MT!" Tabby suddenly exclaimed.

Merry Treat got a crazed look in her eyes. "Yes, yes, yes! We gotta!"

"Ooh, we could have lots of fun, couldn't we?" Tabby said with an evil grin on her face.

"Wait, what would Sugarberry say if she knew we were plotting this?" Merry Treat paused in thought.

"She would say... hmm... that we shouldn't mess with the past?" Tabby tried.

"Hmm... yeah, she probably would... let's do it!" Merry Treat cried gleefully.

"We could always try to get her a higher-paying job. Hey, you sounded just like Max in that last line!" Tabby said, and started giggling.

"I did? Cool!" Merry Treat giggled as well.

"How are we gonna find a time machine, though?" Tabby asked.

"Hmm... does Spike have any metal detectors?" Merry Treat pondered.

"Maybe. He does have dominion over all of Paradise Estate. Are time machines made of metal?" Tabby wondered.

Merry Treat shrugged. "I dunno. If they are, we'll be ready with a metal detector. Spike can come with us, if he wants."

"Oh, no. Let's just keep it between us two," Tabby said quickly.

Merry Treat started laughing insanely. "Bwahahaha! Okay!"

"Let's go find Spike!" Tabby gushed, and the two scribbled out a note for their Pokèmon, bolted from the Pokèmon Center, and dashed to Paradise Estate.

* * *

Soon afterwards, the two ponies stood in front of the large pink building that was Paradise Estate. Merry Treat knocked on the door. "Hey, Spike! It's Tabby and MT! You here?" she called.

A few moments later, the door was answered by the small pink and green dragon. "Hey, guys! Come on in!" he welcomed his friends.

"Hey, Spike! MT n' I need to ask you something of upmost importance," Tabby rattled off.

"Sure! What is it?" Spike asked with curiosity in his voice.

"Do you have any metal detectors?" Merry Treat questioned almost immediately after the dragon had finished talking.

"I think so. Why?" Spike said, furrowing his brow.

"MT n' I are gonna go see if we can find a time--" Tabby started, but was quickly silenced by a jab from Merry Treat.

"A what?" the pinkish dragon questioned.

"She means that we need the metal detector to find spare change in the park, and we don't have time to waste," Merry Treat quickly explained.

Spike eyed the two suspiciously. "Why do you need change?"

"Well... er... we gotta find more money to buy more My Little People," Tabby said, trying to sound as believable as possible.

"You want more of them!? Don't you each have about a hundred of them already?" Spike laughed and turned to head down a hallway. He motioned for the two ponies to follow.

The three walked a short stretch of hallway before Spike stopped in front of a door and heaved it open. "This is my junk room. I don't know if you'll find any metal detectors, but this room is your best shot at it. I'm busy doing something upstairs, so you're on your own. If you need anything, just holler," the baby dragon quickly explained as the trio peered into the dark room.

"Okay, thanks, Spike!" Merry Treat said and fumbled around the wall with her hoof, searching for a light switch. The lights clicked on, revealing a room full of a wide assortment of miscellaneous junk.

"Good luck!" Spike smiled and headed up the stairs.

The pair of ponies watched as the dragon disappeared up the staircase. "Well, let's get started!" Tabby exclaimed, grabbing Merry Treat's foreleg and pulling her along with her as she pranced into the room.

They split up and began digging through piles. "Gosh, I had no idea that we left this much stuff here when we went to live in our own houses," Merry Treat commented as she tossed aside an old-looking book. She wasn't looking where she was throwing, and it ended up hitting Tabby in the head.

"Ouch! MT, watch where you're throwin' stuff!" Tabby cried and rubbed her head.

"Sorry, Tab," Merry Treat blushed. "I'll be more careful," she promised.

"I didn't think everyone would have had this much stuff, either. You'd think they would have taken more stuff with them when they moved into houses," Tabby mused.

"That's right; your mother owned that huge mansion, and you were living there long before the big move out of Paradise Estate," Merry Treat recalled.

But Tabby wasn't listening any more. She was looking at an old picture she'd found. "MT, isn't this our old school picture?"

"What? Lemme see!" Merry Treat walked over to where her friend was kneeling, and took a look for herself. "O-o-o-oh, interesting."

The picture was of twelve baby ponies, and a teacher that they couldn't remember. "Is that Miss Hackney?" Tabby said as her eyes grew wide.

"Yeah... I think so... oh my gosh, she was pretty!" Merry Treat exclaimed. "She's our age now in that picture!"

"Yeah... it's hard to believe that Miss Hackney was actually twenty once!" Tabby giggled as she scanned the picture over again. "Let's see... there's me... there's Tex, unfortunately... there's you... there's Sugarberry..."

"There's Lofty... there's Surprise... there's Firefly... there's Fizzy... there's Mimic... there's Medley... there's Moondancer..." Merry Treat took over. "Hm, I wonder who that pony is!" She pointed at a pink female baby pony with golden hair and a rose symbol.

"I don't know... I think she moved away. I've never seen her since," Tabby said. She thought for a moment before exclaiming, "Oh, wait! Now I remember! She was Miss Hackney's niece. I don't remember much else."

"Oh, yeah! I think I know! She transferred to another school a few years later," Merry Treat said as the memory came back. "At least, I think that's what happened..."

Tabby shrugged and set the picture back in the box. "Oh, well. We can worry about that later. We still need to find a metal detector."

Merry Treat nodded in agreement. "Okay. But I think I see one over there." She pointed at a nearby pile.

The two rushed over to the pile Merry Treat had pointed at, and furiously began digging to uncover the item they thought they had spotted. "Ah-hah! I found one!" Tabby cried triumphantly and held up the device.

"Wha-hoo! Let's go on our search for a time machine now!" Merry Treat squealed with happiness.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Let's go tell Spike we're leaving!" Tabby cried in the same excited tone.

After calling up the stairs to their friend that they were leaving, Merry Treat and Tabby didn't bother to see whether Spike had heard them or not as they excitedly left the building.

* * *

Tabby seemed to have an idea where to head on their search, and several minutes later she and Merry Treat stood on the path leading into the Dark Forest. "You think we're gonna find anything?" Merry Treat glanced at her companion.

"Of course! Where else would someone put a time machine?" Tabby said cheerfully and switched on the metal detector. "The Dark Forest is the perfect place to look."

"Alrighty! Let's go!" Merry Treat strode boldly forward with Tabby following behind.

It seemed like they hadn't gone far when the metal detector started beeping. "Hey, I... I think it detected something!" Tabby breathed, and the two abruptly halted.

"Where's it picking up the signal?" Merry Treat asked excitedly.

"I don't know..." Tabby slowly moved the detector back and forth. The signal got stronger as she moved it towards the left. "It's coming from... that way!" she declared after a moment.

"C'mon, let's go!" Merry Treat exclaimed, and the two walked off the path and continued deeper into the forest, with the beeping of the detector their only guide.

The further they went, the louder the beeping got, until Merry Treat and Tabby reached a clearing with a large, strange-looking machine in. It was circular-shaped, and looked like it had been squashed by something big.

"Whoa! What is that thing!?" Merry Treat gasped.

"I... I think it's a time machine!" Tabby breathed in an awed whisper.

"Wow... but it's smashed. We won't be able to use it!" Merry Treat sighed with dismay.

"Don't give up, MT! It's probably still functional! We just need to fix it!" Tabby said encouragingly. "I told you we'd find one in the Dark Forest. It's no bother that it's a bit beat-up."

"But how are we gonna fix it? It looks like a dinosaur stepped on it!" Merry Treat said in an agitated voice.

"Well... eh... I don't know... hmm..." Tabby appeared to be deep in thought. "Hey, maybe it's an Atlantean time machine!"

Merry Treat went up to the machine and began inspecting it. "Hmm... what's this button do?" she said curiously, mainly to herself.

"What's what button do?" Tabby prodded and walked up to the white pony.

Merry Treat was eyeing a small red button on the outside of the hull. There was something written above it, but it was undecipherable. Tabby squinted. "Let's see... it says... something about ‘Emergency Repair'."

"Emergency Repair!?" Merry Treat exclaimed.

The two ponies looked at each other, and both hit the button at the same time. The time machine-- so they hoped-- glowed for a moment, and began to vanish. Merry Treat and Tabby let out a shriek and dashed for the safety of the trees.

"What did we do!?" Merry Treat shouted in confusion.

"I don't know! All we did was hit a button!" Tabby cried in the same frightened tone.

The machine suddenly appeared again... looking just like new. "Well, what d'ya know! We fixed it!" Tabby said in amusement and laughed.

"C'mon! Let's see if it works!" Merry Treat gushed and breezed up to the machine with Tabby close behind.

They opened the door of the contraption and looked inside. The interior of the thing looked like a typical spaceship out of a movie. There were seats for the pilots, some sort of a control board with lots of miscellaneous knobs and buttons on it, and a front mirror; everything was in shades of gray and brown.

"Well... this is interesting," Merry Treat commented as the two stepped inside.

"Terribly bland colors, though," Tabby remarked offhandedly.

Merry Treat seated herself in one of the seats. "Hmm..."

Tabby sat down on the seat next to her. "What do all the knobs and buttons do?" she questioned.

"Well... there's this little wheel thing. Hmm... ah-hah! You turn the wheel to what year you want to go to!" Merry Treat exclaimed after a few minutes of studying the control board.

"And here's a thing for the day of the week! And here's another one for the month, and the day!" Tabby cried and pointed to the appropriate knobs. She looked over the board a moment more. "And a ‘Go' button, too!"

"All right! Tabby, what day was it when Tex put those worms in your lunchbox?" Merry Treat asked, her hoof poised, ready to turn the wheel. "Hmm... I think I remember the year, anyway," she thought for a moment. "Let's see... if I was born in nineteen seventy-four, and we were both eleven or twelve when that incident happened..." she calculated on her hooves.

"Well?" Tabby asked anxiously.

"Nineteen eighty-six," Merry Treat confirmed. She spun the wheel to that year.

"I remember the day now! It was the fifteenth of August!" Tabby exclaimed in remembrance. "That's Callie's birthday, too."

Merry Treat set the date. "Alrighty! You ready?" She placed her hoof over the "Go" button.

Tabby thought for a second. "Yes, but we'd better write down today's date so we'll be able to come home okay."

Merry Treat nodded in agreement and took out a scrap sheet of paper from her pocket. "What's today's date?"

"It's the seventeenth of October, nineteen ninety-nine," Tabby confirmed.

Merry Treat scribbled this down with a pen, and stuffed the piece back in her pocket. "Ready to go now?"

Tabby nodded quickly, and Merry Treat hit down on the "Go" button. There was suddenly a strange glowing all around them, and everything seemed to turn white.

"What's going on!?" Tabby exclaimed, suddenly afraid.

The clock on the dashboard (which they had just then taken the time to notice) started going backwards. They watched the forest outside the window of the pod as it went from night, then to day, then to night, then to day, then to night, then to day, then to night-- they lost count of how many times this happened. After what seemed to be only five minutes, the clock suddenly stopped.

The two ponies sat in silence for a few moments, stunned. "You all right, Merry Treat?" Tabby breathed, wide eyed.

"Yeah... yeah, I guess so. Did it work?" Merry Treat glanced at her friend with wide eyes.

"I'm... I'm not sure. Let's... let's take a look outside," Tabby said in a shaky voice.

Cautiously, the pair opened the door and slowly stepped outside. The air was a hot summer temperature, and the trees were full of leafy green leaves. "Well, I guess it worked," Merry Treat said after a few minutes of looking around.

"Wow, everything looks pretty much the same..." Tabby trailed off.

"Yeah, no kidding," Merry Treat said in agreement. "Let's go see if Dream Valley looks the same as in the future."

The two wandered around the forest for a bit trying to find the well-known path. They eventually found their way out, but still found no path. "Hmm, let's see... in sixth grade, we were still living in Paradise Estate," Merry Treat figured. "Well, you weren't, Tabby, but most of the rest of the town was. So that means the town's gonna look a lot different."

Tabby nodded in agreement. "Yes, but the school's still gonna be in the same place."

"Yup! We'd better try to find it," Merry Treat declared, and the two trotted forwards in an attempt to find their way to the landmark.

* * *

About an hour later, Merry Treat and Tabby appeared in front of the school. "It looks exactly how I remember it!" Merry Treat marveled.

"Yeah... creepy!" Tabby agreed.

They heard shouts from baby ponies on the playground. "C'mon!" Merry Treat grabbed her friend's foreleg and pulled her along behind her.

The two dashed behind the building, and ducked behind some bushes. They could see Baby Tex digging up worms out of the dirt in one corner of the playground.

"There's the little brat!" Tabby said menacingly. "He's gonna put those in my lunchbox! That-- that-- creep!"

"Shh! He might hear you!" Merry Treat hissed and clapped a hoof over Tabby's mouth. Baby Tex, however, appeared to be too engrossed in his task to even be aware of the fact that he was being spied upon.

"But we gotta stop him!" Tabby jerked her friend's hoof off of her mouth in anger. "O-o-oh, that little jerk makes me so mad!"

"He's not going to do it if we can help it! C'mon! We gotta somehow convince him not to do it!" Merry Treat grabbed Tabby's foreleg and hurried over to the bushes behind where Baby Tabby and Baby Sugarberry were just setting their lunchboxes down. Baby Merry Treat was sitting by herself in the corner with her lunch. She was eating quietly and gazing off into space.

"Gee, MT, you look pretty lonely," Tabby commented.

Merry Treat was gazing at the small figure that was her past self. Pain washed over her face and sorrow filled her eyes. "Yes, I was extremely lonely. Almost no one wanted to be my friend..." A small tear fell down her face.

Tabby looked at her friend sympathetically. She had been an acquaintance of the Christmas-themed pony at the time, and had rather liked her. Almost without thinking, Tabby lay a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Merry Treat turned and smiled at Tabby. "I have an idea as to how to get Tex not to put those worms in your lunchbox."

"How? How?" Tabby's eyes lit up eagerly.

"Just a simple matter of changing shape..." Merry Treat took out her special disguise pen, granted to her because of her position as Sailor Fauna, one of the Sailor Scouts. "I did have quite an imagination at the time, so this should work!"

Tabby eyed Merry Treat suspiciously. "What are you going to do?"

Merry Treat winked at Tabby. "You'll see!" She held the pen up. "Disguise power! Change me into a song bird!" In a flash, Merry Treat had transformed into a small robin.

Tabby gazed at the robin with wonder. "Whoa!"

"I'll be back!" Merry Treat chirped, and fluttered up into the branches of the tree that Baby Merry Treat was leaning against. Baby Merry Treat bit into an apple and continued to gaze off into space. She hadn't heard the bird land above her.

From the safety of the bushes, Tabby watched with interest. "What are you up to, MT? You didn't tell me," she muttered under her breath.

From the branch, Merry Treat chirped something out to the baby pony. "Baby Merry Treat!"

Baby Merry Treat stopped gazing for a moment, and looked around with excitement in her eyes. "Hello? Who's calling me?"

"Baby Merry Treat, I can't tell you who I am, but you must listen. Something awful is going to happen if you don't."

Baby Merry Treat stood up and nodded solemnly with her mouth open in wonder. "I'll listen. What is it? What's going to happen?"

"Baby Merry Treat, look over there, where Baby Tabby and Baby Sugarberry are. They have identical lunchboxes because they are best friends. You must switch around the name tags on each box when they go off to play on the playground," the robin that was Merry Treat chirped.

Baby Merry Treat began looking for the source of the voice. "Why? They'll remember which lunch is whose, won't they?"

"Yes, they will; but it'll be much better for both of them if you do as I say," Merry Treat explained.

Baby Merry Treat nodded solemnly, believing in this mysterious voice. As soon as Baby Tabby and Baby Sugarberry had scampered off to the swingset, she saw her opportunity.

* * *

The adult Tabby watched with interest as Baby Tex walked over to the spot where the two unattended lunchboxes sat, clutching a handful of wiggly, slimy worms in his hoof. Baby Merry Treat had already done her job of changing the name tags on them.

I do hope Baby Sugarberry doesn't have a heart-attack and die when she sees those worms, Tabby thought in concern. She momentarily considered walking out there and disposing of the worms completely, but she didn't want to get near those creepy things, or risk being seen. Oh, well, she consoled herself, I'm sure Baby Sugarberry will take it better than I did. Tabby recalled that afternoon spent in the principal's office after screaming at Tex about those worms.

"What's happened so far?" Merry Treat asked anxiously, crouching down by her friend again after changing back into her proper pony form.

"Baby Tex placed the worms in Baby Sugarberry's lunchbox a few minutes ago," Tabby whispered. "The creep."

"And here come you and Sugarberry," Merry Treat noted.

"Woah, it's weird seeing our past selves," Tabby breathed. "It's, like, totally weird."

Baby Sugarberry and Baby Tabby seated themselves on the ground, and each reached for her lunchbox. Baby Tabby nonchalantly opened hers. "That test today was really awful, wasn't it, Baby Sugarberry? How good do you think you did on it?"

Baby Sugarberry did not reply, however. The white earth pony had just opened the lid of her lunchbox. Her eyes opened wide. She screamed.

Baby Tabby, in turn, screamed as well. That was normal for her; whenever another pony screamed, she would scream along with them, even before she knew what was upsetting them. Baby Sugarberry continued shrieking as her lunchbox clattered to the ground. She ran across the playground, and cowered behind the bars of the swingset.

"Oh, gross, worms!" Baby Tabby said in disgust, backing off, too.

Behind the bushes, Tabby began talking to Merry Treat. "Now, I started screaming my head off, and Baby Sugarberry didn't know what to think until I threw my lunchbox into the bushes." She paused. "Gosh, I'm glad that didn't happen this time. Anyhow, once I got collected again, I confronted Tex, and then I started screaming at him, and then the teacher came over..."

"Baby Sugarberry, Baby Tabby, what's going on here?" The teacher in charge of monitoring the playground, a pale lavender pegasus with vibrant aqua hair, came over.

"There's worms in my lunchbox," Baby Sugarberry stuttered. "Somebody put them there. Oh, they're so ugly!"

"That's what happened," Baby Tabby affirmed.

"Worms, you say?" The teacher raised her eyebrows. "Baby Tabby, are you sure you didn't have anything to do with this?"

Baby Sugarberry's eyes opened wide at the possibility that her best friend had done this to her. "Baby Tabby..."

"Hey!" Baby Tabby looked indignant. "I would never touch such hideous creatures. I'd die before I did that. Baby Sugarberry, I didn't do it! Please don't be mad..."

"Who else was in the area when this occurred?" the teacher said sternly.

"Well... there was..." Baby Sugarberry searched her brain slowly.

"There was Baby Merry Treat," Baby Tabby said after a moment of thought. "But she would never do something like this."

"It was me," came a meek voice as a yellow baby brother pony stepped forward. "Don't blame Baby Tabby. I did it."

"Baby Tex," Baby Sugarberry whispered, still wobbling from her fright. "How could you?"

"Yes," the teacher said sternly, "this was very bad behavior on your part, Baby Tex."

"I thought I put the worms in Baby Tabby's lunch," Baby Tex further explained.

"What?" Baby Tabby shrieked.

"But why would you have done that?" Baby Sugarberry gasped.

"Probably because I said his Texan accent was really stupid earlier," Baby Tabby said knowledgeably.

"Well... yes, I did do it to get back at you for that," Baby Tex admitted.

"That wasn't nice to either of us," Baby Sugarberry protested. "I hate worms."

"So do I," Baby Tabby agreed.

"But I didn't think it was fair that Baby Tabby was getting accused," Baby Tex mumbled.

"That's a nice thought," the teacher said seriously, "but Baby Tex, you and Baby Sugarberry will still have to go to the principal's office to talk over this incident. Come on, I'll take you there now..."

From her hiding place in the bushes opposite where her older counterpart was couched, Baby Merry Treat heaved a sigh of relief. "Phew! Thank goodness none of them spotted me!"

Baby Tabby watched as the three headed inside the school building, her eyes shining. "How perfectly honorable of him," she sighed blissfully, "even if he does have that accent..."

"Does she like this guy, or what?" Baby Merry Treat commented after hearing Baby Tabby's romantic remark.

The adult Tabby and Merry Treat, however, weren't aware of the last part of the incident. They had taken off right after the teacher had appeared on the scene, for they had noticed an older baby pony coming dangerously close to their position in the bushes.

"Want to check out any place else?" Merry Treat questioned as the two walked past Paradise Estate.

Tabby shivered without thinking. "Let's go back home-- that is, the present-- that is, the future-- that is.. oh, you know what I mean. This time travel is making me feel really creepy."

"Yeah, you're right," Merry Treat agreed. "I'd be happy to be hanging out with the gang at the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe right now."

This decided upon, Tabby and Merry Treat headed back to the time machine in the Dark Forest.

* * *

The process of getting back to September of nineteen ninety-nine was much the same as it had taken to get to August of nineteen eighty-six. Merry Treat still had the correct date with her that she had written down, and she carefully adjusted the dials. The same white light filled the world; and when it went away, the window they looked out showed the ominous trees of the Dark Forest with their bright orange and yellow leaves falling to the ground.

"This feels a lot better," Tabby said in relief, stepping outside. "But isn't this a different part of the forest than before?"

Merry Treat shrugged. "Who can tell? Especially with time travel."

"Let's just head back to Dream Valley," Tabby said eagerly. "I can't wait to get to the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe."

"It looks like it's about the right time of evening for that," Merry Treat agreed. "Let's hurry!"

Tabby and Merry Treat took off running on the familiar path of the Dark Forest, and in what seemed to be no time at all they were standing in front of the door of the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe.

"Hey, are we gonna tell anybody about this?" Merry Treat questioned before turning the doorknob.

"I don't know..." Tabby said slowly. "Oh, let's just not worry about it."

"Alrighty then." Merry Treat strode up to the counter. "A chocolate sundae for me," she requested of Scoops.

"And a strawberry sundae!" Tabby added quickly.

Scoops smiled at the two. "Hi, Merry Treat and Tabby! I thought you just left, Tabby."

"No-o-o..." A shadow of confusion crossed Tabby's face. "We just got here."

"Oh. Maybe it was Tamara, then... but..." Scoops furrowed her brow. "Never mind. That'll be three jangles."

Each taking her sundae once Scoops had placed them on the counter, Tabby and Merry Treat looked around the shop for any of their friends. At one of the center tables, they spotted Sugarberry, Chocolate Chip, and Steamer.

"Hey, Sug!" Tabby greeted her friend. "Anything interesting happen at the clinic today?"

"The clinic? You mean the veterinarian clinic?" Sugarberry queried. "Well, of any of us here, Merry Treat would probably know the most on that," she winked at the Christmas pony.

Merry Treat was slightly confused by this last comment, but pushed it to the back of her mind. "Yeah, Sug, and what's Steamer doing here?" she said jokingly. "Have you been secretly seeing him all this time?"

"You two are certainly in a good mood tonight," Chocolate Chip commented, raising an eyebrow.

Sugarberry just laughed at Merry Treat's question. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about Steamer since last evening!"

"Sugarberry and I have only been married five years now," Steamer added in a jovial tone.

"And, Tabby, didn't you just leave with Tex?" Chocolate Chip interrupted.

"That's right! Nothing happened, did it?" Sugarberry asked, changing to a concerned voice.

"Tex?" Tabby echoed. "What are you talking about, Sug?"

"Yeah, Tabby would never stand to be seen alone with Tex!" Merry Treat added.

The three at the table exchanged confused glances. "Did we miss a break-up or something?" Steamer said skeptically.

"Well... eh... um... you're right. And we'd better be going now. See ya!" Merry Treat said quickly as she grabbed Tabby's foreleg and pulled her out the door. Their sundaes were forgotten at Sugarberry's table.

"What's going on here?" Tabby said, her face quivering, as she looked into Merry Treat's eyes.

"I'm not sure, but let's not jump to conclusions just yet," Merry Treat said consolingly, not wanting her friend to start panicking. "Maybe they were just joking back there. Let's go to your house and see what Tamara's up to."

"Alright." Tabby shakingly followed behind Merry Treat as they trotted along the familiar streets.

* * *

"Merry Treat," Tabby stated, "something is wrong." The two ponies stood in the doorway of the living room of Tabby's house.

Seated on the chairs surrounding the coffee table were ponies Tabby and Merry Treat recognized as Cliff, Tamara, Clever Clover, and Tiffany. Except for Tamara and Tiffany, none of these four ponies were usually seen together.

"Hello, Tabitha," Tamara said cordially. "Weren't you going to a movie with Tex this evening? But have a seat, if you like. And you too, Merry Treat. By the way, where's Thomas?"

"What are you all doing in my house?" Tabby stuttered. "Especially Cliff-- I mean-- what's he doing here?" Cliff was a stallion from Friendship Gardens who had been trying to attract Tabby's attention a year or so ago. Tabby couldn't stand the guy, as he was only into extreme sports and that alternative music. Frankly, she had been overjoyed when he'd mysteriously disappeared awhile ago.

Tamara's eyes flew open. "Tabitha, I don't seem to remember you having anything against Cliff the last time you saw him."

"The last time she saw him was months ago; she couldn't stand him then, as I recall," Merry Treat declared.

Cliff looked taken aback. "Tabitha, you always said I was a delightful companion for your cousin."

"That's right," Tiffany sniffed. "Have you developed a dislike for Clever Clover since yesterday, too?"

"She just healed his Rattata this morning," Merry Treat said in defense of her friend.

"That's right!" Tabby agreed.

"My Rattata?" Clever Clover said, puzzled. "I haven't done any battling for over a week, and--"

"He's been too busy taking me out to delightful restaurants," Tiffany said, batting her eyelashes.

"--and you're not any Pokèmon nurse, anyway," Clever Clover finished.

"Hey, and where's Toby, Tiff?" Tabby protested.

"Toby? Why are you bringing him up?" Tamara snapped. "Tabitha, you're being just plain mean tonight."

"Toby is probably with Berry Bright," Tiffany sniffed. "It's a good thing, too, or she may have stolen Clever Clover from me." She batted her eyelashes a few more times.

"This is really weird," Merry Treat gulped.

"Perhaps you need a rest, Tabitha," Cliff suggested. "With such a busy life, you may be having delusions from all your work."

"Why-- why--" Tabby fumed.

"Tabby, come on." Without another word, Merry Treat quickly pulled Tabby outside again, closing the door securely behind her.

"I don't think we should have used that time machine," Tabby said chokingly as the two quietly walked along the darkening street.

"I know," Merry Treat said helplessly. "Our only chance to get everything back is to return to nineteen eighty-six and divert what we did."

"I didn't know changing one thing would do all this," Tabby said softly.

"Let's find a place to sleep for the night," Merry Treat suggested, "and we'll go back to the time machine in the morning."

"Is any place the same?" Tabby moaned. "Does Sugarberry even live next door to me any more?" She glanced down the street at the familiar house, hearing gleeful shouts of baby ponies coming out of it.

"We can always disguise ourselves-- I have my pen, and you have your unicorn magic-- to change what we look like," Merry Treat suggested. "Then we could just act like strangers to this town, and somebody could rent us bedrooms for the night."

"Oh, let's do that," Tabby said wearily. "I can't stand always having Tex brought up when I'm around."

"And I seem to be somehow connected to the clinic," Merry Treat puzzled.

"Well-- anyway--" Tabby jumped behind a small grove of trees in someone's yard and began her transformation. Her horn began to glow, and soon she had changed herself into a bright purple pony with white hair.

Using her transformation pen, Merry Treat became a green pony with yellow mane and tail. "How do I look?" she grinned at Tabby, trying to cheer her friend's gloomy face.

"What if we can't get our world back?" Tabby sighed. "What if we've screwed it up too drastically? What if we've--"

"This looks like a nice house here," Merry Treat decided, silencing Tabby. They peered up at the well-managed blue-sided dwelling they were standing in the yard of. "Come on, we'll go around to the front again and knock on the door. Then I'll ask if they'll let us stay the night."

"If they dare say a word about Tex, I'll simply die," Tabby moaned. "I'm sick of hearing about Tex. I don't want his name mentioned again in my presence. Why are they always mentioning his name in my presence?"

"You don't look a thing like Tabby, and I don't look a thing like Merry Treat," Merry Treat assured her. "Now, don't say anything suspicious. We'll fix everything in the morning." Stepping up on the porch of the house, she knocked firmly on the door.

A few minutes later, just when the two had about given up hope of anyone being around, the door began to open. And standing inside was-- Merry Treat!

The disguised Merry Treat was taken quite by surprise at this turn of events, but gulped down any unnecessary shriek. How was it that, out of all the houses in Dream Valley, they had happened to pick the one where her alter-self was living? She wondered what the story was behind why her alter-self was living in this house-- apparently just recently constructed.

"Excuse me," Merry Treat began, trying to sound confident of herself, "my sister and I just arrived in town." She gestured behind herself at the disguised Tabby. "We were just wondering if you'd be able to rent us some rooms for us to lodge in for the night."

"Oh, you just got here?" the alter-Merry Treat said sympathetically. "Where did you travel from? When did you eat last?"

"We come from... oh... across the mountains," Merry Treat said vaguely. "My name is... Moonglow, and--"

"Hello-o-o-o there, and I am her sister, Moonglimmer," Tabby introduced herself, regaining some of her personality.

The two "sisters" seemed to touch the alter-Merry Treat's heart. "Certainly, certainly, come in," she invited. "I'll be happy to let you use the spare bedrooms. Follow me, and I'll get you something to eat."

"Well, Merry Treat, now we can see how we've changed your life," Tabby whispered in her friend's ear. "Won't this be exciting?"

"Fascinating," Merry Treat agreed, trailing along behind her alter-self through the soft, carpeted hallway.

"Here's some chocolate chip cookies if you'd like them," the alter-Merry Treat mumbled, rummaging through her kitchen cupboards as Tabby and Merry Treat seated themselves at the table. "And I can pour you some milk-- or some interesting pink fruit drink," she giggled. "My sister just gave it to me, and said it was too sweet, but I loved it."

"See? Not everything has changed," Merry Treat whispered to Tabby.

Tabby slowly munched on one of the chocolate chip cookies she had been offered, and was beginning to feel more herself again-- as much herself as she could feel in this strange reality, at least. Merry Treat also helped herself to the cookies and milk.

Hey, where's Tess and Spearow? Merry Treat suddenly realized. "Are you the only one living here?" she prodded of her alter-self.

"There's my husband and my cat," the alter-Merry Treat reported, "but I'm sure they won't mind that I'm letting you stay for the night. I'd better go tell them about you two. Be right back!" She quickly excused herself from the kitchen, and strolled off through the doorway.

"I'm married already!" Merry Treat exclaimed once her alter-self was out of hearing range. "Hmm... there's no Tarquin or Tess!"

"Unless she was referring to Tess as ‘my cat'," Tabby mused. "But-- oh dear! Tarquin!"

"We haven't heard any mention of Tarquin, Tess, or Spearow," Merry Treat said, wide-eyed.

"We have to have our Pokèmon!" Tabby argued. "We just... have to."

"Now, she probably just didn't mention Tess or Spearow because she didn't want to scare us with Pokèmon right away, in case we didn't know what they were," Merry Treat said reasonably. "And Tarquin was probably just up in your room, talking to Tess on the phone or something."

"That's true," Tabby said in relief. "I'd hate to think of our alter-selves being that changed."

"So I must have a real cat," Merry Treat mused. "She's probably awfully cute."

"Now I have some introductions to make to you, Moonglow and Moonglimmer!" the voice of Merry Treat's alter-self announced, reappearing in the doorway. "First, there's my husband, Thomas. Thomas, this is Moonglow and Moonglimmer. They're sisters from--"

Tabby's face froze, and she lost track of what the alter-Merry Treat was saying. Any kind thoughts she had built-up for this other reality were immediately broken into bits as she took note of the familiar white unicorn stallion standing next to the alter-Merry Treat's side. Merry Treat's husband... Thomas... married... the thoughts raced through Tabby's head, and with a bad attempt at stifling a sob, she bolted out a small side-door of the kitchen.

"Uh..... did I say something wrong?" the alter-Merry Treat questioned with concern as she exchanged nervous glances between Thomas and the disguised Merry Treat.

"Oh dear... uh... eh..." Merry Treat faltered, staring at the open door her friend had just run out. "She tends to get rather... umm... skittish at times." She pushed back her chair. "And I'd better go after her." Merry Treat dashed out the door in search of Tabby, leaving the couple staring after them in confusion.

Tabby, meanwhile, had run into the woods that bordered the back property of the house before tripping herself. She had, without knowing it, changed back to her proper colors and sat there in a disorganized heap, sobbing her eyes out.

"Tabby!" Merry Treat said in a pleading tone, catching up to her. "I didn't know..."

"It's not... your... fault," Tabby said through a strained voice, trying to swallow down her tears.

At first, Merry Treat could only stand by helplessly as her friend's heart crumbled. When she was able to move again, she walked over to the pink unicorn. Sadly, she knelt next to Tabby in the grass, and laid a hoof on her shoulder. Using her free hoof, she gently lifted the unicorn's chin so she could look in her eyes. "Tabby, I'm so sorry. We had no idea this was going to happen. But you've got to pull yourself together. You know as well as I do that if that was the real me in there, I wouldn't ever dream of taking Thomas away from you," the white pony said soothingly.

"But... I... I... can't... help it, MT! This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me! Thomas is..." Tabby sobbed and broke down crying.

Sadly, Merry Treat pulled Tabby close to her, wanting to keep away the pain that was filling the unicorn's heart. Who knew how long they sat outside after Tabby had calmed down.

"Are you okay?" Merry Treat asked anxiously once the unicorn was silent.

"MT, would you be okay in this situation? Everything's ruined. Why did we have to use the stupid time machine? How are we ever going to fix this? Our lives are a mess, and we're stuck here as strangers, and--" Tabby rambled hysterically.

"Calm down, Tabby, calm down! We can still use the time machine. We'll just go back to nineteen eighty-six and not get in the way," Merry Treat said soothingly.

"Then I'm not waiting any longer than I have to," Tabby said with new determination, struggling into a standing position. "I'm going to find it tonight."

"Well..." Merry Treat hesitated. "We ought to at least go back and tell them that we're leaving."

"You can go back if you wish. I'm not," Tabby said simply, taking a step forward into the forest.

"Okay, I'll catch up with you in a few minutes... don't do anything without me," Merry Treat pleaded, turning back.

Tabby silently nodded her head in reply, but didn't stop walking. Merry Treat's still-green body blended in well with the dark forest as she slowly plodded back to the house, trying to come up with a reasonable story for Tabby's abrupt departure.

"Is everything all right? Where's your sister?" the alter-Merry Treat asked in concern as "Moonglow" wearily trotted back up to the open door.

"Oh, Moonglimmer's very easily startled. She's been like that since she was a baby pony," Merry Treat said quickly, and she took note of a furry cat body wrapping itself around her front legs.

"Catalina, let's not disturb Moonglow." The alter-Merry Treat swiftly scooped her cat up off the floor.

"That's okay," Merry Treat said, attempting a smile. "I like cats."

"And where did Moonglimmer run off to?" Thomas questioned.

"Um..." Merry Treat faltered. "Well, you see, we decided-- well, we found where a friend was living-- I mean, Moonglimmer just found their address that we thought we'd lost-- so we thought we wouldn't bother you and would head over their. To our friend's place. So, uh, thanks for everything; we really appreciate it and all." With that hurried speech, Merry Treat took off back onto the street and circled around back to the forest, as to not be seen going that way.

"Funny," the alter-Merry Treat commented to her husband, "that sounds like something I'd say."

* * *

Tabby, in the meantime, had gotten herself lost. She had thought she'd found the path in the Dark Forest that led to the time machine, but she must have wandered off it. It was pitch-black out now, and without any path, there was no way to tell where she was.

Tabby was just about to collapse again and start wailing when she caught a small, but bright, flash of light from the nearby bushes. She curiously approached the foliage. There was something about that flash that had been awfully familiar.

Brushing the branches aside, Tabby gasped as she saw the source of the bright flash. It had obviously come from the gold charm of the Meowth that was hiding in the bushes-- a Meowth that could be no other than her beloved Tarquin, she was sure!

The beige cat-like creature was immediately on the alert. He jumped to his feet and leaped forward; but luckily, Tabby was skilled in the behavior of Meowths, and avoided the scratches to her face.

"Tarquin, Tarquin!" she cried out. "Don't attack me! If even you turn on me, I'll-- I'll--" Tabby turned away then, and brushed a tear from her eye.

The Pokèmon relaxed himself, but had a confused expression on his face. "How do you know that's my name?" he asked cautiously.

"Then it is you!" Tabby said gleefully. "Oh, Tarquin!"

"Aren't you that Tabitha from town? Or her cousin?" The Meowth looked at her closely. "There's something mysterious up, isn't there?"

"Oh, I am Tabby," the pink unicorn said earnestly, "but no Tabby you've ever heard of. This isn't the real present world, you must understand. Merry Treat and I found this time machine, and we've screwed everything up terribly, and it's the most awful alternate-reality I could have dreamed up!"

"You found the time machine, did you? I've seen that," the Meowth said knowledgeably.

"Do you know where it is?" Tabby asked eagerly. "I'm trying to find it, but I got lost, and Merry Treat's out there somewhere, too, and--"

"Sure, I know where it is," Tarquin said nonchalantly. "I never used it, though. You actually know me in your world?"

"Oh, yes! You're my most beloved pet in the world."

"I don't seem like anything this Tabitha would think about."

"What is my alter-self doing, anyway?"

"Tabby! There you are!" All of a sudden, Merry Treat came bounding up, changed back to her proper white, green, and red colors. "Are you talking to somebody? Hey, it's a-- no, it can't be--"

"He's Tarquin," Tabby said happily, turning to her friend. "He's the most sane character out of this world that we've found yet."

"So you're still out wandering in the wild," Merry Treat said softly, crouching down by the Meowth.

"Your friend?" Tarquin questioned, looking up at Tabby.

"Uh-huh, she's Merry Treat. And Merry Treat, Tarquin here says he knows where the time machine is!" Tabby announced.

"Oh!" Merry Treat clapped her hooves together. "Tarkie, that's wonderful!"

"It would still be better to wait for daylight until I lead you two to it," Tarquin advised. "Would you mind spending the night in the forest?"

"Not if we can spend it sitting around and talking," Tabby said. "Tarkie, I've got to know. What am I doing in this world?"

"And how did I end up marrying Thomas?" Merry Treat added.

Tarquin nodded. "You want your life histories, I suppose? I'll see what I can do. Sit down." After Tabby and Merry Treat had seated themselves on the forest floor, he began. "Tabby-- she's better known as Tabitha, actually-- is a voice actress, from what I know."

"Gosh, a voice actress? I stopped pursuing that dream in sixth grade," Tabby breathed.

"And you're-- she's-- engaged to Tex," Tarquin continued.

"The worm incident really did change things, didn't it?" Merry Treat giggled.

"That's terrible!" Tabby gasped, her eyes flying open, and the comments made to her by Sugarberry and Scoops finally falling into place. "How in the world did I decide that-- well, not me, but you know-- and why, and--"

Tarquin simply closed his eyes and sat back smugly. "They've actually been engaged for a few years now, but her work keeps her busy. She's been hanging on his every word since he saved her from something to do with worms in their early school days."

"I really enjoy having Tex as an enemy more than I do knowing my alter-self is his fiancé," Tabby scowled.

"How do you know all this, Tarkie?" Merry Treat questioned.

"Word gets around, just like I do," Tarquin said mysteriously. "I hang around that ice cream shop a lot; there's plenty of jangles dropped around there. And you hear many things."

"Tell me about my alter-self," Merry Treat prodded. "That is... if you don't mind, Tabby... you know I wouldn't..."

"I just want to get back," Tabby said, turning her head quietly.

"Ah, yes, Merry Treat." Tarquin settled himself in more comfortably. "She's married to the vet in town. They first met when he saved her cat's life."

"It's ironic that my alter-self's cat is named Catalina," Merry Treat reflected, "because that's the name of my Mew, too."

"There're many Mews running around in the forest," Tarquin said knowledgeably.

"And what's the deal with Sugarberry? And Cliff? And--" Tabby interrupted.

"One at a time!" Tarquin interrupted. "Sugarberry, you said? What does she look like?"

"She's a white earth pony with red hair and strawberries all over," Merry Treat filled-in quickly.

"I think I remember who she is," Tarquin said after a pause. "She's at the ice cream place a lot. Now, I think she's the librarian."

"It just doesn't seem right to think of her as doing anything except being the receptionist at the clinic," Tabby sighed.

"She's been married to Steamer awhile," Tarquin continued, "and they have a few baby ponies."

"We certainly got married quickly here," Merry Treat commented.

"Except for me-- my other me, you know," Tabby added. "At least the me of this world still hasn't completely lost her mind. Maybe she'll break off the engagement."

"But we won't have to worry about anything like that by morning," Merry Treat declared.

"Now, Tarkie, you just have to tell us about Cliff," Tabby pleaded. "He's the gray dude with green hair. How did Tamara start hanging out with him?"

"Cliff? Oh, he's been the banker in Dream Valley for several years," Tarquin said nonchalantly.

"The banker?" Tabby's eyes opened wide. "Cliff is a banker?"

"Why, what's the Cliff you know like?" Tarquin asked curiously.

"He's an idiot that leads a gang of ponies into extreme sports, and he listens to alternative music," Tabby explained. "What turned him into a banker?"

Tarquin shrugged. "I don't know. I've never heard anything about him being an extreme pony in the past."

"I guess we'll never know the story behind that," Merry Treat said. "But it would be interesting to know. An extreme sports pony to a banker?!"

(Author's note from Tabby-- The truth of the matter is that Cliff's father was the principal at the Dream Valley school at the time the worms were placed in Baby Tabby's lunchbox. Up until this point, Baby Cliff had been a refined baby pony and his father was scheduled to take him to clarinet practice the afternoon of the incident. However, because Baby Tabby was making such a fuss in the principal's office over how evil Baby Tex had been, Baby Cliff's father wasn't able to take his son to his music lesson. It was an absolute trauma to Baby Cliff to miss his clarinet practice, and it made him positively furious at his father. Therefore, he rebelled and went over to the extreme side of life.

However, in the alternate world, Baby Sugarberry did not create near the racket that Baby Tabby had with worms placed in her lunchbox. The case was cleared up quickly between Baby Sugarberry and Baby Tex, and Cliff's father was able to take Baby Cliff to his clarinet practice on time. And so, Baby Cliff grew up to be a dignified banker.)

Tabby was only dimly aware of Tarquin and Merry Treat talking in the background. "What's Butch doing? And is Clever Clover really dating Tiffany? How about..." And Tabby slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"HOW CAN YOU GUYS STILL BE SLEEPING AT THIS TIME OF DAY, FOR PETE'S SAKE! WE'VE GOT TO GET BACK TO THE FUTURE!!" Tabby's voice echoed throughout the forest the next morning. "Or would that just be the present? Or the past? No, but then--"

Merry Treat began to stir, and yawned. "I guess you can sleep on the forest floor if you're tired enough," she mumbled, not fully-awake.

"You kept me up ‘till two o' clock answering questions," Tarquin said drowsily.

"It couldn't have been that late!" Merry Treat protested.

"Take us to the time machine, Tarquin!" Tabby instructed. "We haven't time to waste!"

"How about breakfast? Well..." Tarquin glanced at his companions. "I guess I don't have anything around that you two would eat. All right, follow me. We're going to the time machine."

Tabby nodded in satisfaction, and the two ponies fell in step behind the Meowth.

* * *

"Here you have it," Tarquin said proudly, pointing at the familiar time machine. "Told you I knew where it was."

"Oh, Tarquin, you're wonderful!" Tabby squealed, picking him up and squeezing him. "Even if you aren't exactly the real Tarquin... that is, my real Tarquin... that is..."

Tarquin struggled to free himself from Tabby's grasp. "Sure, sure," he said nonchalantly. "So, you can be on your way now."

"Thanks a bunch, Tarkie," Merry Treat smiled. Tarquin simply nodded and disappeared back into the forest.

Tabby, meanwhile, had gone inside the pod. "Merry Treat! Merry Treat, come on, get in here. You know how to set this thing up better than I do."

Merry Treat scurried inside as well and seated herself in front of the controls, and began the process again.

* * *

"This stupid time machine keeps changing where it lands," Tabby scowled, stepping back out into the forest of nineteen eighty-six.

"But I don't think we're far from the school at all this time," Merry Treat whispered. "I can hear baby ponies playing from here."

"You're right." Tabby paused to listen. "Now, exactly what are we going to do here? We've been to so many worlds I've confused myself. Well, not worlds, but times, but--"

"Let's put on our disguises again," Merry Treat directed. "There're a lot of possibilities for what could happen, so we'd better be prepared not to be recognized as Merry Treat and Tabby."

After changing into the color combinations for Moonglow and Moonglimmer, Tabby and Merry Treat set out, walking towards the sounds they could hear from the playground. Soon, they halted.

"Oh, dear. Time travel is too confusing," Tabby wailed, ducking behind a tree as they saw what was ahead of them.

A few yards beyond their outlook behind the tree crouched another Tabby and Merry Treat behind the bushes surrounding the playground-- the adult Tabby and Merry Treat, in addition to Baby Tabby and Baby Merry Treat. It appeared that Merry Treat was just preparing to change into a songbird.

"Don't stop to get confused; we've just got to stop them from doing anything," Merry Treat said urgently to Tabby.

"Well, what're we waiting for? Gosh, this is going to be a terribly dramatic entrance," Tabby said excitedly. She took a leap forward, and made her appearance in front of the past Merry Treat and Tabby.

"What're you doing here?" the past Tabby gasped, whirling around. "Who are you?"

"I'm here to stop you, so drop that pen of yours, Merry Treat!" Tabby commanded.

"That's right! It's for your own good; believe us!" Merry Treat appeared next to Tabby.

The past Merry Treat eyed the two suspiciously. "What about my pen?"

"The one you're going to use to change into a songbird," Tabby said matter-of-factly.

"This is our past we're dealing with, so you two stay out of it, whoever you are!" the past Tabby declared.

"Well, it's our past, too!" Tabby snapped. "...I think..."

"Something's up," the past Merry Treat said. "You two shouldn't have known about my transformation pen. You aren't from the Negaverse, are you?"

"Oh, stop babbling about the Negaverse," Tabby snapped.

"Never mind!" Merry Treat said quickly in defense of her past self. "It's not important."

"Then why are you here?" the past Tabby questioned. "We've got work to do!"

"Let's just put it in simple terms," Merry Treat said decisively. "We'll have a Pokèmon battle--"

"--and if you win, you can do as you want; but if we win, you've got to back off and go back to your time machine," Tabby finished.

"Huh!" The past Tabby tossed her mane. "I can beat you any day."

"It's decided, then?" Merry Treat grinned as she reached for one of her PokèBalls she had with her. Tabby followed suite.

"Vulpix, go!"

"Come on, Hitmonlee!"

Their past two selves were a little slower to react, but they still got their Pokèmon out within a few seconds of the others.

"Vulpix, go!"

"Come on, Hitmonlee!"

It was Merry Treat's Vulpix against Merry Treat's Vulpix, and Tabby's Hitmonlee against Tabby's Hitmonlee.

"Vulpix, Firespin, now!"

"Hitmonlee, uh... uh... do a High Jump Kick!"

Merry Treat's Vulpix fired a powerful funnel of fire at the opponent Vulpix just as the past Merry Treat was shouting, "Vulpix, Firespin, now!"

And Tabby's Hitmonlee got a wonderful, clean kick at the opponent Hitmonlee just as the past Tabby was stuttering, "Hitmonlee, uh... uh..."

The Vulpix and Hitmonlee belonging to the past Tabby and Merry Treat wobbled on their feet, stunned, before their trainers called them back. "But... I didn't..." the past Tabby gaped.

"WE WON, WE WON! MERRY TREAT, HITMONLEE, VULPIX, WE WON!!" Tabby grabbed one of her Hitmonlee's arms and began swinging him around giddily.

"Wha-hah!" Merry Treat cheered, and joyfully kicked the air. "We won! Oh my gosh, we've fixed everything!" she laughed happily.

"It was so close," the past Merry Treat mourned. "I wish I'd used Jigglypuff."

"But it was a fair battle," Merry Treat declared. "You do remember what we agreed to?"

"Yeah. Now we gotta go back without doing anything," the past Tabby sulked.

"It was a fair battle, though," the past Merry Treat reminded her friend.

"Yeah, but-- oh!" The past Tabby turned to face the disguised Merry Treat and Tabby. "I still don't know who you are, but you're going to pay!" She stalked off into the forest, and the past Merry Treat cast a final curious glance at the other two.

"I don't know who you guys are, but I don't think I'll ever forget you," she commented before disappearing after Tabby.

"That worked rather well," Tabby commented. "Oh, look!" She peered over the bushes. No one had noticed the commotion of the battle; luckily, that had taken place while Baby Tabby was screaming over the worms in her lunchbox.

"It looks like it worked," Merry Treat said in satisfaction.

"Hmm. Who would have thought such a traumatic incident would have such a turn-out in the future?" Tabby mused. "Come along. Let's get back."

The two ambled back to their time machine after calling back Vulpix and Hitmonlee. Feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted from their shoulders, they boarded the time machine pod.

But they didn't stop to notice the single, small sapling tree they had broken off during their escapade.

* * *

"What if it didn't work, Merry Treat? What if something else screwed up this time? What if those other selves we battled didn't go back to the time machine and did something really mind-altering, and reset the whole cosmic balance of the universe, rendering the--"

"Tabby!" Merry Treat giggled. "I'm sure I would have convinced you we'd won fair and square and had to follow the rules. Here we are, back in nineteen ninety-nine, and everything's fine. Trust me."

"And it's so good to actually be myself again!" Tabby tossed back her shining red mane. "Until we find out what we screwed up..."

"Don't even say it," Merry Treat warned. "Look! Here we are at the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe!"

The two went inside. "Remember, don't say a single word about the time machine," Merry Treat reminded as they stepped up to the counter.

Scoops was fixing a sundae, and hadn't heard the remark. When she turned back to the counter, she smiled broadly at the two ponies. "Well, hello, Merry Treat and Tabby! The usual for today, girls?" she questioned cheerfully.

"As long as my usual is a strawberry sundae..." Tabby said cautiously.

"Alrighty! I'll go and prepare those right away!" Scoops turned back and went about making the two sundaes.

After they had been served, Merry Treat and Tabby thanked their friend, and surveyed the shop for their other friends. "There they are!" Tabby whispered and pointed at a center table.

Merry Treat nodded, and the two cautiously and slowly approached the table. They succeeded in receiving curious looks from the seated group.

"What's the matter, you two think we're gonna bite or something?" Thomas asked jokingly with a laugh.

"Yes, you two look as if you're freaked out," Sugarberry noted. "Did something happen? Is something wrong? Oh, Tabby, tell me!" She pushed back her chair and stood up with alarm.

"Oh, no! Nothing happened!" Merry Treat said quickly to calm her friend. "Everything's fine now."

"Now?" Clever Clover lifted an eyebrow.

"We hope," Tabby said without thinking.

"Uh... did I say ‘now'?" Merry Treat blushed at her mistake. "I'm a little absent-minded today, that's all..."

"She's always absent-minded," Tabby took over. "We just saw a really weird movie, and she means that... eh... everything's fine now that we've seen the movie," she said vaguely.

Everyone at the table exchanged confused glances. "Uh... whatever," Chocolate Chip shrugged. "Would you sit down? You're making me nervous."

Tabby and Merry Treat each gratefully grabbed a chair. It would appear that everything was normal again.

* * *

Tabby, however, could not sit still at the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe until she'd checked on a few things. She flung open her front door and flew through her house. "Oh, good, Tarkie, you're here," she said breathlessly, noticing her Meowth curled up in a chair.

Tarquin shrugged, stretching as he assumed his standing stance. "There's plenty of cherry pie filling in the house, so where else would I be?"

"And is Ah-Loh here? Ah, my beloved Ah-Loh!" Tabby gleefully picked up her treasured sky blue Furby off her dresser, scooped Tarquin up in the other hoof, and dashed back downstairs.

"You're hyper tonight," Tarquin noted.

"Tarkie, who wouldn't be hyper?" Tabby said, intoxicated with giddiness. "Thomas isn't married, and you're not running around without a home in the Dark Forest, and Ah-Loh isn't in the hooves of an evil baby pony!"

"Me sleep again," Ah-Loh the Furby said as he started snoring.

"Your three great loves in life, huh?" Tarquin snickered.

"Isn't life wonderful?" Tabby hollered at the top of her lungs. "Wait a sec, Tarkie! What did you just say? Tarkie! Why--"

"Oh, nothing," Tarquin said innocently.

"Well, anyhow, we've got to get back to the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe," Tabby went on. "It's early, and I just came back to--"

"--ensure that all three of your great loves in life were still alive," Tarquin supplied.

"Tarquin!"

* * *

Much later that night, Merry Treat came through the door of her house, and flopped down on the couch. "Phew! I'm never doing that again!" she sighed with relief.

"Doing what again?" came Tess's voice from behind her.

Merry Treat instantly sat up. "Tess! Spearow! Oh, am I ever glad to see you!" She flew from the couch, and engulfed the two Pokèmon in a gleeful hug. "I'm so glad you two are here!" she said, almost in tears.

"We're glad to see you, too!" Tess purred. "Tarquin, Spearow, and I found the note you and Tabby wrote, and decided there was no reason to stay at the center. So we came home," she explained. "Why, where you looking for us?"

"Oh, no, we weren't looking for you. I'm just very happy to see you," Merry Treat said softly as she pulled back from the two and looked at them with tears in her eyes. "I love you guys, you know that? I'm so glad your all right!" She pulled them close to her again, and this time, let herself cry.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riddles by Princess of the Stars a.k.a. Starr a.k.a. Marissa

1. Who am I? I am a gardener that you can see in my garden a lot; my name is another word for "flower" and my body is yellow.

2. Who am I? My name is the time between afternoon and night, and I am pink.

3. Who am I? I am a Twinkle-Eyed pony who has the same name as one of the 101 Dalmatians.

4. Who am I? I am a newborn twin whose name means something that occurs right after a rainstorm.

5. Who am I? I am a purple pony whose name is that of a kind of pie. I am the same kind of pony as Blueberry Baskets and Strawberry Surprise.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Merry Treat and Tabby Gossip Hour! by Merry Treat and Tabby

Merry Treat: Hey-hey, everyone!

Tabby: Tiffany has decided she's come down with a rare eye disease.

Merry Treat: I am very hyper, so I'm gonna talk really-really-really fast today, okey-day??? O-o-oh, an eye disease! What happened?? ~rattles this out in about twenty seconds~

Tabby: Nothing, I believe. I think she's making it up so she'll get to go into the hospital more. *snickers*

Merry Treat: Ah, to see Toby.

Tabby: Uh-huh.

Merry Treat: ~nods~ I wonder when those two are finally gonna stop stalling and get married.

Tabby: *Loo-Loo and Ah-Loh the Furbys begin their hiding game*

Merry Treat: Oh, why are they hiding?

Tabby: *shrugs* No one can tell with Furbys...

Merry Treat: Weird...

Tabby: The green one, Loo-Loo, is Spike's Furby. Ah-Loh is, of course, is mine. Then there's Friendly's, Toh-Loo. She's Ah-Loh's one true love.

Merry Treat: Cute!

Tabby: So, what's goin' on in your family lately?

Merry Treat: Not too much. Dad is putting a new addition on the house. There's a big hole in the backyard...

Tabby: Just like Quarterback is doing.

Merry Treat: I do hope they get finished before winter.

Tabby: Yes, I can imagine it'd get rather cold!

Merry Treat: Oh, yeah!

Tabby: Barnacle has given up trying to write his memoirs; and is, instead, letting Protius write them.

Merry Treat: Letting who?

Tabby: I think you'll have to read his memoirs to find out...

Merry Treat: Hmm... where do I find those? I'm terribly curious...

Tabby: *shrugs* They haven't been written yet... that's just what Barnacle has told me.

Merry Treat: Well, get them written, whoever.

Tabby: Protius is working on it. That's what Barnacle tells me.

Merry Treat: Is there any way I can meet this Protius?

Tabby: Not that I know of. You'd have to go to Port Scurvy and ask Barnacle.

Merry Treat: O-o-oh... sounds terribly inconvenient... just tell him I say, "Hi, Barnacle."

Tabby: I shall dispatch that to him later. Did you hear about the ruins Clever Clover discovered in the Dark Forest, MT?

Merry Treat: ~interested~ Oh, no, I haven't. Do tell.

Tabby: He has yet to begin excavating. But wouldn't it be cool if they were somehow related to the burial site of the skeleton king dude?

Merry Treat: O-o-oh, from what I've heard from you guys about him, it'd be way too creepy...

Tabby: It's fun arguing with him, though. The skeleton king and Cleve Clove, actually.

Merry Treat: You two sound just like Raye and Serena...

Tabby: And, like, Chocolate Chip still hasn't decided what she's going to major in in college.

Merry Treat: She should choose a good one. She's a very bright pony.

Tabby: She has to get some direction in life.

Merry Treat: She has a good head on her shoulders, and I'm positive she'll come to a decision.

Tabby: *stares off into space*

Merry Treat: ~ponders what to talk about~ La de da...

Tabby: If anyone's interested, Windwhistler is giving a lecture on protons next week at the library.

Merry Treat: Protons... neutrons... it's all confusing to me...

Tabby: I love electrons... *sighs blissfully*

Merry Treat: Let's make up a song about science!

Tabby: O-o-oh... okay!

Merry Treat: I-I-I-I-I'm-m-m-m-m!-- a scientific pony, and I love science so! ~begins chanting~

Tabby: ‘Cause he's naturally scientific... *begins humming that under her breath without really thinking*

Merry Treat: Some say that I am crazy, but I'd rather play in the snow! I am making no sense, but I don't care!

Tabby: ...anything from something-or-others to something-or-others...

Merry Treat: I am a scientific pony, and I love to see the snow! I love to make snowballs, and hurl them at my friends! Then I get pelted and run for safety scampering up a tree...

Tabby: WHAHOO! YEAH!

Merry Treat: I am very hyper, ‘cause I'm singing a stupid song!

Tabby: And it still makes more sense than most science lessons in school do.

Merry Treat: ...but it's the result of that pink fruit drink I drank earlier...

Tabby: Na-a-a-a-af...

Merry Treat: It tasted like bubble gum, and it was pink, and I loved it... I've been hyper ever since... Vixie was shocked that I could drink it...

Tabby: She was visiting your place?

Merry Treat: Yeah, she came over. She bought the stuff first, but said it was too sweet and gave it to me.

Tabby: It gets annoying having relatives hang around too long... like Tamara... *mumbles this*

Merry Treat: She still hasn't found herself a home?

Tabby: No, she's always too busy dressing up for her dates with Tex.

Merry Treat: I wonder when they're gonna stop stalling and finally get married... ~trails off, realizing what she said~

Tabby: Hmm, you say that a lot, don't you?

Merry Treat: Uh-oh... don't hurt me! ~holds up her forelegs to protect herself~

Tabby: Oh, no, I'm not thinking of hurting you. Won't she ever get sick of Tex... hmm...

Merry Treat: I promise I'll never mention Tamara and Tex getting married again!

Tabby: But what if it happens, MT?

Merry Treat: Congratulations to both of them. They will be a happy couple. Tex isn't so bad, Tabby. He's actually kinda cool!

Tabby: That's what everyone says about him that didn't have worms in their lunchbox. *sniffs* What do you think the present world would be like, now, if the worm incident hadn't occurred?

Merry Treat: Oh, Tabby! Can't you forget about that? It was in sixth grade! Even though you threw a fit...

Tabby: I don't like worms.

Merry Treat: ...and Sugarberry and I could hardly keep you from destroying him with your horn...

Tabby: I despise worms. *says this venomously*

Merry Treat: ...and we have never heard the end of it since. You hate worms, but you love Caterpies and Weedles... hmm... strange, you are... ~sounds like Yoda~

Tabby: Well, Caterpies, yes... but Weedles...

Merry Treat: --are cute!

Tabby: If he had packed my lunchbox full of Caterpies-- well, crammed in one Caterpie-- it wouldn't have been so bad.

Merry Treat: ~rolls eyes~ Maybe we could find a time machine and go fix everything... ~says this very sarcastically~

Tabby: Nah. Who knows what could happen if I didn't get those worms in my lunchbox?

Merry Treat: Hmm... but it would be exciting to find out...

Tabby: That's true. We gotta get a time machine, MT!!!

Merry Treat: ~gets this crazed look in her eyes~ Yes, yes, yes! We gotta!!

Tabby: Oh, we could have lots of fun, couldn't we...

Merry Treat: Wait, what would Sugarberry say if she knew we were plotting this?

Tabby: She would say... hmm... that we shouldn't mess with the past?

Merry Treat: Yeah... she probably would... let's do it!

Tabby: We can always try to fix it so she'll get a higher-paying job. You sounded just like Max in that last line!

Merry Treat: I did? Cool!

Tabby: ...but we can save that for another day.

Merry Treat: Yeah, how about Saturday? ~insane flicker in her eyes~

Tabby: How we gonna find a time machine, though?

Merry Treat: Hmm... does Spike have any metal detectors?

Tabby: Maybe. He does have dominion over all of Paradise Estate. Are all time machines made of metal?

Merry Treat: ~shrug~ If they are, we'll be ready. He can come with us, if he wants.

Tabby: Let's just keep it between us two.

Merry Treat: ~insane laughter~ Mwahaha!!! Okay!

Tabby: In other news... hmm...

Merry Treat: In other news... uh...

Tabby: Baby Noddins is continuing on her quest to find histories of names, whatever she means by that.

Merry Treat: Sounds like something you'd come up with, Tabby.

Tabby: She is insistent upon finding out about ponies with three names as opposed to one, and she's constantly hanging around me...

Merry Treat: Baby Noddins did call me the other night, questioning me about my name. I wonder how she got my number? ~eyes Tabby suspiciously~

Tabby: Oh, that. *waves hoof through air in dismissal* I told her a bunch of my friend's numbers to get her to stop bugging me.

Merry Treat: So that's why she called. I had no idea why she was asking me that.

Tabby: It's research, she says. Who can tell with a baby pony?

Merry Treat: Hmm... I guess you're right. Me, I'd be researching things on my obsessions, rather than waste time with that stuff.

Tabby: I hope Miss Hackney makes her buckle down on a book report or something soon. *yawns*

Merry Treat: ~shrugs~

Tabby: What else has been goin' on, MT? Oh! I just remembered that I had the most awful dream last night about Tamara marrying Tex!

Merry Treat: Don't worry, Tab. If those two are gonna get married, it'll probably be awhile.

Tabby: Why do ya say that? I mean, I hope so, but... knowing Tamara...

Merry Treat: If she's smart, she'll wait a bit before worrying about marriage.

Tabby: *nods* I hope she waits a long time...

Merry Treat: So, anything else?

Tabby: Mmm... not that I can remember at the moment.

Merry Treat: Me neither. Gosh, I'm hungry...

Tabby: Let's go to the Satin Slipper Sweet Shoppe!

Merry Treat: Good idea! Bye-bye!!

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After Barnacle and his crew succeeded in saving the world from the villainous Bushwoolies of the Apocalypse on Judgement Day Island, the pirate pony's ship was destroyed, leaving him, Kracken, Davey, and Jones stranded on the island. However, after smashing a mystical crystal, they are somehow teleported to a new and strange land...



The Continuation of the Beginning by Barnacle

The caverns were dank and cool. Except for the insistent sound of dripping water, the silence was absolute. Brilliant crystal formations, slowly deposited drip by drop over hundreds of thousands of years, covered every surface with their delicate beauty. Few beings had ever laid eyes on this wondrous sight, sealed away miles beneath the surface of the earth.

Well, until now, anyway...

With a sound like crashing thunder, a blue bolt of energy lashed out across the cave. It lasted but a split second, but in that moment, the light reflected off all the crystal surfaces in the chamber creating a veritable kaleidoscope of color. But, as the strange phenomenon vanished, as quickly as it appeared, four persons found themselves standing there in the cave.

"My," Kracken said, almost nonchalantly, "that was... interesting."

"ARR! Interestin' wouldn't exactly be the word I'd be usin'!" Barnacle, the fearsome pony pirate, exclaimed. "ARR, what just happened, and how did we end up here?"

Davey and Jones, the two Bushwoolie crew members, had fallen in a heap upon being deposited in the cave and were just now getting back to their feet. "Yeah, mon," Davey said as he helped his brother to a standing position. "This don't be lookin' like no Judgement Day Island."

"This don't be lookin' like any place we ever been," Jones added, his thick Jamaican accent full of wonder as he surveyed their surroundings.

"Hmm," Kracken muttered as he closely examined his sword which he was still holding. "The only thing I can think of is that when I hit that crystal with my sword, the resulting energy back-lash was channeled through my sword, and pulled us through a trans-dimensional vortex."

Davey scratched his head. "Yeah, that's what I woulda been sayin', mon."

"Yeah, yeah," Jones added, equally confused.

"ARR, and ye be sayin' that like it happens all the time," Barnacle said as he sheathed his own sword.

"Actually, only once before," Kracken clarified. "But it wasn't quite this bad."

"ARR!" Barnacle exclaimed. "Do ye be mad, man?!"

"No," Kracken said defensively, "it's kind of a... magic sword. It does weird stuff sometimes."

"Like gettin' us from stranded to completely lost?" Barnacle cried.

Kracken threw out his hands. "At least we're not on Judgement Day Island anymore... I think."

"ARR, but that don't necessarily make us any closer to Port Scurvy, Dream Valley, or even Friendship Gardens!"

"Yeah, but--" Kracken was about to reply when a new voice came from out of nowhere and cut him off.

"If I tell you how to get to Dream Valley, will you go away and let me have my silence back?" the voice said, rather tiredly, as if he were sick of asking.

Slowly, everyone turned around. There they saw, sitting on top of a large boulder, a figure who had been so still no one had even noticed him before now. But as they looked, they could see that the speaker was some kind of a feline-like creature. Apparently he walked on two legs and had two arms, but his face was definitely that of a cat. Leaning into a spear, he was wearing metal armor and was resting his chin on a crested helm. His entire body was covered in gray and black striped fur except for a patch on top of his head and across the backs of his paws which was a pale orange color.

Under other circumstances, this warrior may have looked very fearsome and intimidating, but as Barnacle and Kracken eyed him, he instead looked only weary and tired. Davey and Jones, however, were scared witless by the stranger.

"Aahhh! Run, mon, it's a monster!" Jones cried.

"Yeah, run," Jones agreed in a frightened tone. Each Bushwoolie took off running in a different direction, but they only succeeded in running head-first into each other with such force that they fell over on their backs.

As they lay there, the stranger just sighed and shook his head.

Stepping boldly forward, Barnacle said sternly, "ARR, who are yee and what are ya doin' here?!"

"Who I am is not important," the feline creature replied, "but, I came here to find tranquility and inner peace in the silence-- however, someone seems intent on not letting me."

"Wait a second," Kracken chimed in. "What did you say about Dream Valley?"

"I said," the stranger said testily, "that if I tell you how to get to Dream Valley, will you leave me alone?"

"ARR, so you know where Dream Valley is from here?" Barnacle said.

Sighing again, he replied, "Yes-s-s-s."

"Great, how do we get there?" Kracken said, cheering up at the prospect of being able to get out of the cave.

"There," the stranger said, pointing to a rather large passage leading out of the cavern they were all in.

"ARR, and that be takin' us to Dream Valley? Why don't I believe ya?" Barnacle said.

Narrowing his eyes, the stranger looked at Barnacle for the first time. "And why would I lie to you?" he asked bluntly.

"Hold up," Kracken said, waving his arms in the air. "Everybody chill out." Then addressing the cat creature, he continued, "So, this tunnel will take us out of here?"

Sighing once again, the anger left the feline's face and he replied, "Not directly. You will come to a fork in about a mile. Take the right passage--"

"And that takes us to Dream Valley?" Kracken interrupted.

"No, shortly after that the passage splits into four and you must take the second one from the left."

"And then..." Kracken hazarded consciously.

"After another half mile or so there will be a side passage to your left. That will turn around and take you in an easterly direction."

"Hold on," Kracken said. "Does anyone have a piece of paper? I need to write this down. So, what was that again, a left and then a right?"

"No, no," the stranger said. "A right and then the second from the left."

"ARR, maybe you should just show us," Barnacle suggested.

Pausing before replying, the stranger said, "As loathe as I am to the idea, it may well be the only way to get you out of my fur."

"So you'll take us?" asked Kracken.

"Yes, I'll take you," the feline replied. "The screams of lost and starving people carry far too well through these caves; I'd never get any quiet."

Standing up in a very fluid movement, the stranger let his helmet fall to the cavern floor with a loud clang that reverberated off the stone walls. Then, as he stepped lightly off of the boulder on which he had sat, he thrust his spear between two large rocks. Barnacle and Kracken both drew their swords, fearing he was about to try something, but all he did was twist the shaft to the side and snap off the point.

Holding up his newly-made staff, the stranger just started slowly for the passage leading out and waved for everyone to follow, saying, "Come on, follow me."

Barnacle and Kracken looked at each other. "Can we trust this guy?" the first mate asked.

"ARR," Barnacle replied. "Right now, we don't be havin' much choice. Just keep an' eye on him."

"Right," Kracken agreed and tried to follow him.

"And, Kracken, don't be forgettin' Davey and Jones," Barnacle added as he motioned to the two Bushwoolies who were still laying on their backs, but were now pointing out interesting crystal formations to each other.

"Right," Kracken said again.

To be continued...

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Answers to "Riddles"

1. Posey

2. Twilight

3. Whizzer

4. Puddles

5. Boysenberry Pie

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