Rememberies

[At the Ice Cream Shop…]

                “I can’t believe the school year is truly over,” said Sweetheart.

                “Yeah, we sure had some fun times,” said Starlight.

                “Remember the time when that new student got caught cheating on that quiz we took?” asked Melody.

                “Can’t forget that one,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Stella, please keep your eyes on your own paper,” said Hackney. *Stella looks back at her paper, then Melody’s quiz shortly after* Stella, I said to not look at Melody’s paper.

                “But I have to see the answers so I can pass the quiz,” said Stella.

                “Stella, looking at someone else’s paper is called cheating and if you continue to do so, I’ll shall have you removed from this class.

                “She got kicked out for that,” said Patch. Remember when Ace and Lancer took part in that robot competition?

                “What are you doing?” asked Melody.

                “We’re entering this robot in a competition called Bot Brawlers,” said Ace.

                “Yeah and we’re going to win,” said Teddy.

                “Boys and their silly competition,” said Melody. Let’s go do something we girls can do.

                “We came in second place there,” said Ace. What about that race we were in?

                “Welcome to the 5^th annual bike-a-thon!” said Dan. This course will be quite dangerous with sharp turns and other obstacles. We’re entering the final lap and it’s going to be a close finish! Here they come and Bright Eyes is our winner!

                “Yay, Bright Eyes!” said Sweetheart.

                “Most pedaling I’ve ever done,” said Bright Eyes. I think I was sore the rest of that day and part of the following day.

                “How about that website we visited where we were laughing so much?” asked Melody.

                “That’s definitely one to remember,” said Starlight. I still visit the site to this day.

                “What site is this?” asked Bon Bon.

                “It’s LOLponehs.com,” said Bright Eyes. This is a site where ponies post funny pictures with ponies like us with a caption.

                “Don’t they know how to spell?” asked Bon Bon.

                “That’s the whole point of the site, Bon Bon,” said Bright Eyes.

                “It took me a while to figure it out but I know it now,” said Bon Bon.

                “Can’t forget the time we encountered that bad antivirus,” said Melody.

                “Wow, the Cleveland Bays have their own site?” said Melody. That’s awesome. *she clicks the link and a pop-up appears* What’s this, mom?

                “Attention, your computer has all kinds of bad viruses on it,” read her mother. Please download our antivirus to fix this problem.

                “I remember trying to figure out how that was done so I could stop it but I couldn’t figure it out at all,” said Bright Eyes.

                “What a day Ace, Teddy and I had,” said Lancer.

                ”Where’s the funnel?” asked Lancer.

                “I can’t see it at all,” said Teddy.

                “There it is!” said Ace.

                “It’s going to hit that town, we’d better get out of here!” said Lancer.

                “Let’s go!” said Ace. *They pedal home*

                “It was quite an experience,” said Ace. We had decided to leave it to the really good weather warriors to go after it.

                “I don’t want to do that ever again, at least not until I’m much older,” said Lancer.

                “Me either,” said Teddy.

                “We sure have had some good times even here,” said Bright Eyes. Remember when Starlight couldn’t keep the orders straight? We found out later that Starlight loved Ace but Ace still loved Melody.

                “I was then able to concentrate from then on,” said Starlight.

                “Well we have plenty more school to go,” said Patch. I can’t wait to find out what goes on next year so we can do this again!

Melody Had a Little Lamb

[At Melody’s house…]

                “Bye, dear, I have to be at the hospital, tonight,” said her mother. Take good care of your siblings.

                “I will, mom,” said Melody. *her mom leaves* Jing-A-Ling and Ting-A-Ling, her siblings, get up and run around* Be careful! *her siblings slide into a lamp but Melody catches it as it wobbles and straightens it back up* Slow down you two, you’re going to get hurt.

                “We very careful,” said Jing (I’m calling them by the first part of their names instead of writing out their names in full).

                “We not get hurt, Mewody,” said Ting.

                “I sure hope you guys are right,” said Melody. *the twins slide around corners* I thought I told you two to be….what’s that?

                “What wrong Mewody?” asked Ting.

                “I’ve never seen this door open before,” said Melody. I’m going up and since I have to watch you two, you’re both coming also.

                “No way, Afwaid,” said Jing.

                “Oh what could be so scary?” asked Melody. Come on. *she walks up the stairs and the twins hesitantly follow* Looks like an attic. I never knew we had this. Just look at all these boxes.  *she sees one of the boxes* What’s in here? *she digs through the box* Oh wow, a stuffed lamb! I haven’t seen this in years! I used to love this when I was a little pony! I can’t let my friends know I love this thing since I’ve seen what they did to Teddy a few years ago. Worse yet, I was part of that! Now I know how he feels to have a secret get figured out by friends you normally trust. Wonder what else is in here? *she digs around in the box* This must be all of my old toys. Thank goodness this box hasn’t been thrown out yet or I wouldn’t have found this stuffed lamb. There’s just so much in here.

                “What’s this box, Mewody?”asked Jing.

                “Dunno, Jing,” said Melody. I don’t recognize anything in that box.

                “What in here?” asked Ting. *Melody walks to the box Ting is asking about*

                “Looks like a bunch of junk,” said Melody. We’d better get back downstairs before mom gets back. *they head back down the stairs and out of the attic* *the twins go back to playing while Melody reads a magazine* [An hour later…]

                “I’m home, Melody,” said her mother coming in the door. How was it with the twins?

                “No trouble at all,” said Melody.

                “That’s good,” said her mother. What do you have there?

                “Huh?” questioned Melody. Oh this.  See I  was was watching the twins and happened to see that the door to the attic was open so I went to find out what was up there and I found this in one of the boxes.

                “You had that lamb since you were 3 years old,” said her mother. It’s surprising how the years just fly by and things you once forgot become unforgotten.

                “It’s like I’ve just seen it now,” said Melody. I love it all the same.

                “Well you can keep it if you want,” said her mother.

                “Thanks, mom,” said Melody.

                “You’re welcome, dear,” said Melody. Now it is late, you should head off to bed now. I’ll get the twins to bed.

                “Alright, mom,” said Melody.*she heads off to bed and sleeps while her mom puts the twins to sleep and they also sleep* [The next morning…]

                “I can’t believe I found this yesterday,” thought Melody. It’s even still as good as when I last used it. I’ll just have to make sure no one finds out about it, not even Teddy for while he knows about his secret, he won’t understand min and will laugh at me. Plus none of my friends know about it and if words gets out I love this thing, they won’t want to be my friend anymore. I’ll leave it here for now. *she puts it under her pillow* That ought to keep it safe. [Later that day…]

                “Hey Melody,” said Bright Eyes. Wanna stop in at the Ice Cream Shop?

                “Sure,” said Melody. *the two of them walk over* [At the Ice Cream Shop…]

                “So anyone hear anything good lately?” asked Bright Eyes.

                “Nope, nothing yet,” said Starlight.

                “About what?” asked Sweetheart.

                “You know, juicy stories,” said Starlight.

The Tooth Hurts

[At Clover’s house…]

                “Oh no,” thought Clover. My tooth hurts. I can’t let my mom find out or I’ll end up going to the dentist, which I fear will be quite painful. How am I going to ease the pain without having my mom find out? *she comes downstairs*

                “Morning, dear,” said her mother. Is something wrong?

                “I’m fine, mom,” said Clover.

                “Are you sure?” asked her mother.

                “Yes, mom, I’m fine,” said Clover.

                “Alright,” said her mother. I sure hope so. [At school…]

                “What’s wrong, Clover?” asked Starlight.

                “Nothing,” said Clover.

                “Sure doesn’t look like nothing,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Oh my tooth hurts,” sighed Clover.

                “Why not tell your mom so you can get it taken out?” asked Starlight.

                “That’s what I’m afraid of,” said Clover. I fear that will be more pain than what I’m dealing with now.

                “It should only truly last a couple of days,” said Sweetheart.

                ‘How do you know?” asked Clover.

                “Well Teddy had one of his teeth taken out last year after school ended,” said Sweetheart. He was truly fine after a few days. He said it didn’t hurt at all since they gave him laughing gas.

                “So he was laughing?” asked Clover.

                “Laughing gas is to put you to sleep so that you don’t feel the pain,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Well that would be good,” said Clover.

                “Why not tell your mom after school today?” asked Melody.

                “Well, okay,” said Clover not completely sure about the idea.[After school…]

                “I’m home, mom,” said Clover coming in the door.

                “How was school, dear?” asked her mother.

                “Fine,” said Clover. Mom, my tooth hurts.

                “Oh dear,” said her mother. Any idea why?

                “I don’t know but I want it removed so that I won’t have this pain anymore,” said Clover.

                “Well let’s go see your dentist then,” said her mother. [At the dentist…]

                “Well, Clover, you have a tooth problem, eh?” asked Ralph the dentist. Not a problem, we’ll take it out in a jiffy. You won’t even feel a thing. *he applies the laughing gas and Clover falls asleep* [An hour later…]

                “Wake up, dear,” said her mother.

                “Wha….what?” said Clover.

                “The tooth is out, Clover, we can go home now,” said her mother.

                “The tooth removal was a complete success,” said Ralph. It should be a few days before you return to normal. [At school a few days later…]

                “Hey, Clove,” said Starlight. Feeling better?

                “Definitely,” said Clover. Feels good to have that tooth out.

                “How was it?” asked Bright Eyes.

                “I don’t remember much,” said Clover. Last I remember was he told me he could get the tooth out quickly and he’d be using the laughing gas, which he did use. He said it’d be a few days before I was back to normal and he was right.

                “Not afraid of the dentist anymore, Clove?” asked Starlight.

                “Well I don’t know about that but I know that getting a tooth taken out isn’t so bad,” said Clover.

                “That’s good to hear,” said Melody.

                “Now you can comfort us if any of us need a tooth taken out,” said Bright Eyes. *the gang laughs*

                “We’d better get into class now,” said Starlight. *they head inside*

                “Oh good, Clover, you’re back,” said Hackney. Clover was out the past few days after getting a tooth removed, which must’ve been painful for you.

                “It wasn’t too bad,” said Clover.

                “Well it’s good to have you back, Clover,” said Hackney.

                “Tell me about it,” said Clover. One thing that I don’t want back is the pain from before I got my tooth removed. *the class laughs*

Bye-Bye Patch

[Outside Patch’s house…]

                “This stuff is heavy,” said Patch’s mother.

                “Mom, isn’t there any way I can stay here?” asked Patch.

                “I’ve told you before, Patch, we need more space and this house doesn’t have enough space,” said her mother. [Elsewhere…]

                “Alright, today’s the day Patch is supposed to move,” said Bright Eyes. We need to get over there and stop this as Patch is our friend.

                “Right!” said everyone else. *they leave* [Back outside Patch’s house…]

                “Let’s go, Patch, “ said her mother.

                “Wait!” said Melody.

                “Who’s that?” asked her mother.

                “It’s Melody!” said Patch.

                “We’re here to tell you why Patch should stay!” said Bright Eyes.

                “We think that when we’re done giving our reasons for Patch to stay, you’ll completely change your minds and allow Patch to stay here,” said Bon Bon.

                “First of all, Patch is our friend,” said Melody. We’ve been with her ever since we can remember. She makes days that are otherwise gloomy feel so much better by telling us something funny.

                “Patch’s entire life is here,” said Bright Eyes. If you move now, Patch’s childhood memories and all the times we’ve had here will be thrown away. If you need the space, make your current house bigger instead of leaving and hunting for the house you need.

                “Who would we be able to fill in that does what Patch does?” asked Starlight. No one. Patch is a one-of-a-kind pony whom we care deeply about.

                “Sure Patch may get into trouble now and again but that’s just Patch’s nature of being who she is,” said Bon Bon.

                “When Patch grows up, she wants to be a circus clown but if she moves, who can she share that with?” asked Bright Eyes. We would accept that choice from Patch but do you think those people where she moves to would? Maybe, maybe not. There’s no guarantee that Patch’s choice will be accepted as easily as it would here.

                “Besides, we’re Patch’s neighbors and are very kind,” said Melody. By moving, you’re taking a chance that perhaps Patch wouldn’t have as many nice neighbors.

                “We work as a team,” said Bright Eyes. We worked together to help fix the roof during that storm.

                “Here comes some more glue,” said Bright Eyes

                “Send it up,” said Starlight. *the bucket lands on Clover*

                “Oh, why me?” sighed Clover. (Boldface and italics text indicates a flashback.)

                “What about the time where we thought Patch was the princess’ missing child?” asked Starlight.

                “The pony has a birthmark on her right front hoof,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Wow, that’s just like Patch!” said Bon Bon.

                “Are you sure?” asked Patch.

                “Patch, you’re the only one that matches what the book says,” said Starlight.

                “We’ve spent the last few years going to school together,” said Bright Eyes. Patch knows what a nice teacher Ms Hackney is but she won’t know what her new teacher would be like until she got there. Why change what’s already doing well for her?

                “Mom, can ‘t you now see why I must stay here?” asked Patch. My friends came here to support me because they care about me and I love the school I go to now.

                “You all have made a great set of points,” said her mother. I didn’t realize Patch had her entire life here and such great friends. I’d hate to throw all of that away just so we can get a bigger house. I suppose can just make the house bigger for more space.

                “So Patch can stay?” asked Melody.

                “Yes, she can stay,” said Patch’s mother. *the ponies cheer* Patch sure is lucky to have friends like all of you.

                “We’re just as lucky to have Patch,” said Bright Eyes.

                “You’ve certainly proved that to me,” said Patch’s mother.

                “It’s great to be here,” thought Patch. My friends stood up for me and prevented me from starting an entirely new life while at the same time missing my friends here. They really are the best friends I’ve ever had. I’ll always remember them for how great they were in saving me from moving away.

Paper Pony

[That night at Bright Eyes’ house…] *a storm approaches and lightning flashes all over the sky*

                “What a storm,” said Bright Eyes. I hope our clubhouse ends up being okay.

                “We have a meeting in there tomorrow,” said Starlight.

                “This storm is truly not letting up at all,” said Sweetheart.

                “Only one way to find out,” said Melody. Wait until morning. [The next day…]

                “Look at our clubhouse!” said Bon Bon.

                “It’s been partially destroyed!” said Melody.

                “What’ll we do now?” asked Starlight.

                “We’ll need to fix it or get it fixed,” said Bright Eyes. If we’re going to fix it, we’ll need wood and paint.

                “We don’t have any paint or wood,” said Starlight. *the family living in the house come out*

                “Oh no, your clubhouse is damaged,” said their mother. I wish we could help but we don’t have the money right now.

                “Well, thanks anyway,” said Bright Eyes. We’ll need a plan to get our clubhouse repaired. Any ideas?

                “I could get a job as a paper delivery pony,” said Bon Bon.

                “That’d work,” said Melody.

                “Are you sure you want to do this?” asked Starlight.

                “Yeah,” said Bon Bon. We need the money and it’s good exercise. [Later that day…] I got the job!

                “That’s great,” said Bright Eyes. When do you start?

                “Tomorrow morning,” said Bon Bon.

                “Cool,” said Melody. [The next morning…*Bon Bon gets on her bike and delivers the news paper*]

                “Whew, this is hard work,” said Bon Bon. Good thing it’s not a school day. *she yawns, then heads back to her house to sleep* [At school the next day…] *she yawns*

                “You look like you didn’t get enough sleep last night,” said Bright Eyes.

                “I didn’t get enough sleep this morning since I had to deliver papers,” said Bon Bon.

                “Well it’ll be worth it when we get out clubhouse fixed,” said Melody.

                “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” said Bon Bon. *she yawns again*

                “Good morning class,” said Hackney walking in. Bon Bon, are you alright? You look tired.

                “Yeah I was delivering papers today,” said Bon Bon.

                “Delivering papers?” questioned Hackney.

                “It’s to raise enough money to repair our clubhouse,” said Bon Bon. It was damaged in last night’s storm.

                “Well that is is a shame,” said Hackney. I do hope you raise enough to get it fixed.

                “Me too,” said Bo Bon. It’s quite a job for me.

                “Try to pay attention, okay, Bon Bon?” asked Hackney.

                “Okay,” sighed Bon Bon.

                “Alright, class I’m going to return those quizzes you took a week ago,” said Hackney. Do not look until I tell you to. *she passes out the quizzes* Alright, you can look now. *they turn over their quizzes* I have to say I’m impressed with all of you.

                “A B?!” said Bon Bon. Yes!

                “I got an A,” said Melody.

                “Yes you all did so well despite my constant interruption to keep Stella, whom was here that week but I removed her for cheating several times,” said Hackney. You all should be very proud of yourselves. [Later that week…]

                “Finally our clubhouse is fixed,” said Bright Eyes. Your work as a paper pony paid off, Bon Bon.

                “Yeah, I guess it did,” said Bon Bon.

                “I call this meeting into our clubhouse,” said Starlight. *the ponies rush in*

                “Now for that important meeting,” said Bright Eyes.

                “What’s it about?” asked Sweetheart.

                “My family is considering moving,” said Patch.

                “Why would they want you to truly leave?” asked Sweetheart.

                “They’re trying to get a bigger house,” said Patch. I don’t want to leave, though, I’ve made so many new friends and Ms Hackney is a nice teacher. I’ll have to start over on all of that.

                “Have you tried reasoning with your parents?” asked Bright Eyes.

                “Yeah but they wouldn’t listen,” said Patch.

Math Master

[At school…]

                “Anyone seen Bright Eyes?” asked Patch.

                “Nope, haven’t seen her at all, Patch,” said Melody. I wonder where she could’ve gone.   

                “I have a note from her mom, saying that she’ll be out today to take part in a special competition,” said Hackney. I’m sure she’d be grateful if one of you would give her her homework for when she gets back. I’m told it’s only for today but we’ll have to wait and see. Still, we must continue with our lecture. Today’s lecture is on long division. With long division, you divide the outer number by the inner number so in this example, you divide 5 into 10 since you cannot divide 5 into 1 and you put 2 above the 10 in 100. Since you cannot divide 5 by 0, you put a 0 next to the 2 so the answer here is 20. These problems can get much more complicated but I’m keeping it simple here so you all can understand it. Any questions before I dismiss you? *the clock chimes 3PM and the class rushes out the door*

                “I wonder how Bright Eyes is doing in her competition,” said Bon Bon. [At the competition…

                “We’re down to 5 contestants,” said the announcer, Brad. Contestant Bright Eyes is in the lead with 600 points with the others not too far behind. We come to our next question. Solve the problem 15 divided by 3.

                “5,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Correct,” said Brad. 10 more points for Bright Eyes. Next question. What is 29 + 5 - 2?

                “30?”asked Lancer

                “Sorry, that is incorrect,” said Brad.

                “32!” said Bright Eyes.

                “Correct!” said Brad. Now for the final question. Solve this equation: 25 divided by 5.

                “5,” said Bright Eyes.

                That’s right and Bright Eyes! We’re out of time for this contest and Bright Eyes, you are our winner, congratulations! *the crowd cheers*

                “Thank you very much,” said Bright Eyes.

                “As 1^st place winner, you receive this enormous gold trophy,” said Brad. *he hands it to her*

                “Oh wow,” said Bright Eyes. Sure is heavy though. I don’t know how I’ll be able to carry it home.

                “We’ll help,” said Ace and Lancer.

                “You guys were in this too?” asked Bright Eyes.

                “Yeah, we wanted to see what we did and didn’t know,” said Lancer. Guess we didn’t know as much as you.

                “You guys did pretty well too,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Thanks,” said Ace. Let us help you get that home. *they left the trophy and help Bright Eyes carry it* [Later that day, at Bright Eyes’ house…*doorbell rings and she opens the door*]

                “Hi Bright Eyes,” said Melody. We wanted to know how you did in the compet….whoa! That’s a large trophy, Bright Eyes.

                “It’s truly the largest trophy I’ve ever seen,” said Sweetheart.

                “Ditto,” said Bon Bon and Clover.

                “It’s amazing, Bright Eyes,” said Starlight.

                “Thanks, everyone,” said Bright Eyes. It was so heavy that Lancer and Ace had to help me carry it here. I won first place. So did I miss anything at school today?

                “We went through long division and Ms Hackney sent home a note that explains it so you could follow the lesson and do the homework,” said Bon Bon. Great that you won first prize.

                “Cool, thanks,” said Bright Eyes. It’s great to be back home.

                “It’s great to have you back, Bright Eyes,” said Melody.

                “Well another day tomorrow,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Yeah, we’ll see you later, Bright Eyes,” said Sweetheart.

                “See ya,” said Bright Eyes. *she closes the door and the rest of the gang leave*

                “It’s great to hear that even though Bright Eyes missed school she still did well at the competition she was taking part in,” said Bon Bon.

                “Just goes to show how smart Bright Eyes really is,” said Melody.

                “I wonder where she’ll put her large trophy,” said Starlight.

                “It’s really big so I’m not so sure she really has much of a choice where to put it,” said Clover.

                “I’m sure the next time we visit her house, we’ll know,” said Melody. Bright Eyes wasn’t even bragging about how she’s smarter than the rest of us and that makes her a better friend than ever before.

Dream On

[At the Ice Cream Shop…] *Ace walks in*

                “Hi Starlight,” said Ace.

                “Hey Ace,” said Starlight. What’ll it be?

                “Oh nothing, I’m not hungry but I thought I’d drop by and say hi,” said Ace. See ya. *he leaves*

                “Is it just me or did Ace look a whole lot better today than usual?” thought Starlight. There’s just something about him but I can’t put my hoof on just exactly what that something is. It’ll have to be something figured out later as I’ve got customers now.

                “Hi Starlight,” said Melody as she and the rest of the gang walk in.

                “So, what can I get you all?” asked Starlight.

                “Banana Split for me,” said Bon Bon.

                “I want a regular sundae,” said Melody.

                “Nothing truly for me, Starlight,” said Sweetheart.

                “What about you, Patch?” asked Starlight.

                “Giant sundae,” said Patch. With sprinkles, whipped cream and hot fudge.

                “Someone’s hungry today,” said Starlight. *she starts making the sundaes, then stops, putting the wrong toppings on the wrong orders*

                “Uh Starlight, are you feeling okay?” asked Bright Eyes. You’re putting the wrong toppings on our orders.

                “Huh? Oh sorry,” said Starlight. Must have dozed off there for a second. Let me try again. *she puts the bowls aside, then gets out fresh bowls and starts again, then once again stops and puts toppings where they shouldn’t be*

                “I think something’s wrong with Starlight,” whispered Bright Eyes.

                “Yeah, she’s never gotten an order wrong,” whispered Melody.

                “Starlight,” said Bon Bon. *Starlight didn’t answer. Starlight, are you there? *Bright Eyes waves her hoof in front of Starlight’s face and Starlight regains focus*

                “What happened?” asked Starlight.

                “That’s what we want to know, Starlight,” said Bright Eyes.

                “I’m sorry,” said Starlight. It’s just that Ace stopped by earlier and I haven’t been able to concentrate after he left. The sundaes are free today since I’ve been screwing up. I have no idea why this could be happening to me.

                “I think you like Ace,” said Bright Eyes.

                “You truly seem to if that’s all you could focus on,” said Sweetheart.

                “I guess that could be true, I’ve had an interest in him before and even wrote a song about it,” said Starlight. I think there’s only one thing left to do.

                “What’s that, Starlight?” asked Melody.

                “Tell Ace that I love him,” said Starlight.

                “We’ll follow,” said Bright Eyes. *Starlight and the rest of the gang visit Ace’s house and ring his doorbell*

                “What’s up, Starlight?” asked Ace.

                “Ace, I have something to tell you,” said Starlight. I-I love you.

                “Well I do have the good looks,” said Ace brushing back his hair.

                “That’s all I wanted to say,” said Starlight.

                “Well it sure was a surprise, Starlight,” said Ace.

                “Yeah, well see ya,” said Starlight. *they leave and Ace closes his door* Well that feels better now. I think I can go back to making correct orders again.

                “That’s good,” said Bright Eyes. Ace didn’t even seem to mind that you love him.

                “That’s what makes it even better,” said Starlight. I guess we do make a perfect pair.

                “Doesn’t he still like Melody, though?” asked Bright Eyes.

                “Can’t he truly love both Starlight and Melody?” asked Sweetheart.

                “He doesn’t love me, Sweetheart, I love him,” said Starlight. I don’t know if he’ll love me back if he loves Melody instead.

                “Either way, we’ll still love you,” said Bon Bon.

                “Thanks,” said Starlight. It’s getting late here, I’m supposed to be home by now. See you guys later.

                “Bye, Starlight,” said everyone else. *they go their separate ways*

                “Even if Ace doesn’t love me back, at least I can now get things right with my job at the Ice Cream Shop,” thought Starlight.

Rad Radio

[At Sweetheart’s house…]

                “This is PNYV on 42.7 FM,” said Randy, the radio host. We’ll have more music coming up in a minute but first a few callers. First caller, you’re on the air.

                “Love your show,” said Hackney. You have the most soothing music.

                “Thanks for the the comment,” said Randy. Next caller.

                “I listen to you all the time,” said Melody’s mother.

                “Glad to hear that,” said Randy. Caller number 3.

                “Great show and music,” said Bright Eyes’ mother.

                “Well we do as best as we can,” said Randy. That’s it for calling tonight and now back to the music. *music starts playing*

                “That was awesome,” said Melody.

                “Maybe we should start one?” asked Patch.

                “We’d need to research how it is done,” said Bright Eyes. We can’t just go in and put it together just like that. *Sweetheart turns on her Ponytop and browses the internet*

                “Says here we need a host, microphones, and sometimes ways to play music to keep people listening,” said Sweetheart.

                “Where are we going to get that kind of stuff?” asked Starlight. It must be expensive.

                “My dad and I have this kind of stuff, said Patch. I go in there all the time. The stuff there is expensive but they also have used stuff too. Maybe I can see if he can lend us his stuff.

                “Cool, Patch,” said Melody.

                “Let’s meet back here tomorrow and hear what Patch has for our radio show,” said Bright Eyes. *the rest  of the group leave and Sweetheart goes to bed* [The next day…]

                “So Patch, what’d you find out?” asked Starlight.

                “He said we could but we have to be very careful as the equipment he has doesn’t exist anymore,” said Patch.

                “Alright, let’s get set-up,” said Bright Eyes. *everyone works hard and gets the radio station set-up*

                “Wow, it truly looks great,” said Sweetheart.

                “So what should we talk about?” asked Starlight.

                “We could have it be about the stuff we hear about in school,” said Melody.

                “What about music?” asked Bright Eyes.

                “My band and I can play music,” said Melody.

                “Well, I guess we’re set then,” said Bon Bon. *They turn on the equipment*

                “We’ll need an announcer,” said Bright Eyes.

                “What about one of the boys?” asked Sweetheart.

                “I say it should be Ace,” said Bright Eyes.

                “I have to agree,” said Melody. Teddy wouldn’t want to do it anyway and neither would Lancer. *Bright Eyes calls Ace* [At the end of the phone line…]

                “Announcer for a radio show, huh?” questioned Ace. I was born for this. I’ll be right there. *he and Bright Eyes hang up*

                “Well what’d he say?” asked Bon Bon.

                “He’s coming over here,” said Bright Eyes. *Ace enters*

                “Think you can handle it?” asked Clover.

                “Handle it?” questioned Ace. No problem. Where’s my seat? *he sits down* You are listening to PONY on 7.77 FM radio. Coming up will be the day’s forecast and Melody’s music so stay tuned. *the radio shuts off* Uh-oh.

                “What do you mean “uh-oh”? asked Bright Eyes. What happened to the radio?

                “It shut off,” said Ace.

                “Well turn it back on,” said Melody. *Ace moves the on/off switch back and forth but nothing happens*

                “This isn’t good at all,” said Patch.

                “Ace, let me have a look,” said Bright Eyes. *she moves underneath the table* A-ha! The wire came out, that’s all. *she puts the wire back in and the radio turns back on*

                “Thank goodness,” said Patch. *Ace picks up the microphone*

                “We’re back with PONY FM radio,” said Ace. Now here’s a little from Melody and her band the Rockin’ Beats! *Melody’s Sweet Music song plays* [After the song…] That’s all for today on PONY radio. See ya next time! *the ponies cheer and clap*

Pedal to the Pavement

[At their tea party…]

                “So, anyone signing up for the bike-a-thon this weekend?” asked Starlight.

                “I am,” said Bright Eyes. I’ve been training all week.

                “Me too,” said Melody. It’ll be a blast!

                “Not me,” said Clover. I’d be too clumsy.

                “I have babysitting that weekend so I really truly can’t enter,” said Sweetheart.

                “I know I’m entering,” said Bon Bon.

                “Me too,” said Patch. It’ll be my greatest adventure ever!

                “I truly wish all of you the best of luck,” said Sweetheart. I wonder if Teddy will enter.

                “If he does, he’d better not cheat or anything,” said Bright Eyes. We have enough to focus on during the race and we don’t need anyone else trying to win unfairly.

                “Ditto,” said everyone else. [At the race that weekend…]

                “May I have your attention?” asked the announcer, Dan. The 5^th annual bike-a-thon is about to begin!

                “This is it,” said Patch.

                “On your mark…..” started Dan. …..get set…….GO! *the ponies race off* *Ace rides ahead*

                “Ace is in this?!” said Melody.

                “Shocked me too, Mel,” said Bright Eyes. Then again he is trying to be the best at everything. He’ll just have to settle for 2^nd best in this one.

                “Hi Melody, Starlight,” said Patch. This is just the greatest isn’t it?

                “Yeah, it is, Patch,.” said Melody.

                “It’s a real workout,” said Bon Bon.

                “Go Patch, go Melody!” said Sweetheart from the audience. I hope one of them truly wins this.

                “We’re half-way through this race and now comes the tricky part,” said Dan. There’s plenty of rocky roads and sharp turns so one must now be extra careful.

                “Oh no,” said Clover. I’m glad I didn’t enter. I hope they all make it through that part of the course.

                “That course doesn’t look so tough,” said Ace. I’ll pass through it with no problem. *he drives through it but his bike chain breaks* Aw man, I’ll lose for sure!

                “Gosh, that was too bad for Ace,” said Bright Eyes. I hope we’re not next for that. *the rest of the group drives over the rocky road with only minor struggle*

                “It’s the final few laps now!” said Dan. Who will be our winner? All bikers are very close together so this should be a tough finish for everyone!

                “The sharp turn!” thought Bright Eyes. I have to make it through and hope that everyone else does too! *she barely makes it around the turn* Whew, that was a close one. *the rest of the group makes it also* At least they also were able to make it through. What a race this has been thus far and I’m starting to get tired.

                “I hope we’re near the end,” said Bon Bon. My legs are getting tired.

                “I want it to keep going,” said Patch. I’m having a great time here.

                “The final lap is upon us, folks and it’s neck-and-neck for all riders!” said Dan. We’re sure to have quite a finish for this race. Everyone is so determined to win that you almost might think that one may try cheating but these racers are pretty honest here so I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. Here come the racers now! Who will cross the finish line? The winner is……..Patch!

                “Yay, Patch!” said Melody.

                “Wow, Patch, you were great,” said Bright Eyes.

                “That race was too,” said Patch.

                “Finally it’s over,” said Bon Bon. I’m beat.

                “First prize to Patch!” said Dan. *he hands Patch the trophy and the audience claps*

                “Way to go, Patch!” said Melody.

                “You truly won!” said Sweetheart.

                “I know I’ll be sore tomorrow,” said Bon Bon.

                “Me too, Bon Bon,” said Bright Eyes. It was a tough race. I hope Ace is okay.

                “He’s fine,” said Melody. Here he comes now. *Ace walks in*

                “Congrats, Patch,” said Ace. I can settle for being 2^nd best here.

                “That’s good,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Wow what a race,” thought Patch. I’ll definitely have to do this again the next time it comes around. This was certainly the best race I think I’ve ever been a part of, especially with my friends to cheer me on.

I Can Has Funny

[At the ice cream shop…]

                “You guys have to check this website out,” said Starlight.

                “What is it?” asked Bright Eyes.

                “It’s a site that shows pictures and their captions and it features ponies like us,” said Starlight.

                “Where do we go?” asked Sweetheart.

                “This first part is one word,” said Starlight. LOLponehs, a dot, and com. It’s a very funny website. *Bright Eyes visits the site and starts laughing* See? I told you it was funny.

                “My goodness, I can’t.....*she laughs*…stop laughing,” said Sweetheart.

                “This site is hilarious,” said Melody.

                “What are you guys laughing at?” asked Bon Bon coming in.

                “This site,” said Bright Eyes. It’s really funny and you can read them with us.

                “Don’t they know how to spell?” asked Bon Bon.

                “That’s the point of it,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Light Pony had an idea,” read Bon Bon. Take out the bulb. I don’t get it.

                “The pony has a light bulb over her head, which in cartoons means they have an idea,” said Starlight. You just have to get what they’re pointing at.

                “Roof pony knows that the next leg of the tournament will be the right leg,” read Melody.

                “That is pretty funny,” said Bon Bon. I think I get what they’re talking about.

                “That’s good,” said Starlight. Now you’ll see just how funny this site can be.

                “There’s plenty on this site,” said Melody. They seem to add more each day or almost each day.

                “This gives us something to do before school starts or on weekends,” said Bright Eyes.

                “You guys might want to write this site down so you’ll remember it,” said Starlight.

                “I can send it to you guys but I’ll need your e-mail addresses,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Mine is rockin’beats@musicrus.com,” said Melody.

                “It’s candygirl@willywonka.com for me, said Bon Bon.

                “Teddy and I share one,” said Sweetheart. Ours is sweetheartteddy@ponyville.com.

                “Got them,” said Bright Eyes. What about you, Clover?

                “I don’t have one,” said Clover.

                “That’s okay, Clover, we’ve written down the site’s web address for you,” said Starlight

                “Oh good,” said Clover. At least I can still check the site.

                “We wouldn’t want you to be left out,” said Bright Eyes.

                “What’s all this?” asked Ace coming in.

                “It’s LOLponehs.com,” said Bright Eyes. This is a site that has funny pictures and captions for them. People even vote on the picture and it looks like they all get good ratings.

                “Cool,” said Lancer. I’ll have to take a look later.

                “Why not right now?” asked Melody. We have the site up on Bright Eyes’ ponytop computer.

                “Oh great,” said Lancer. Let me see. *he walks over to the computer screen and laughs* Those are great.

                “Do you have an e-mail address, Lancer?” asked Starlight. We can send you the web address for this site so you can view it just about anywhere any time.

                “That’d be great,” said Lancer.

                “Big deal,” said Teddy. I could do that.

                “I don’t think you’d want to put yourself up on the internet, Teddy as it might not stay at this site,” said Bright Eyes.

                “What do you mean?” asked Teddy.

                “Not everyone using the internet is good,” said Bright Eyes. I’ve heard that they will sometimes take others’ images and use them to make other images that fool others into thinking that the new image is real and therefore they’ll ruin the status of the person whose image was stolen.

                “I meant posting pictures and adding captions,” said Teddy.

                “The site allows you to do that right there but you have to have an account there,” said Starlight.

                “They even have pics that you can use,” said Bright Eyes.

                “This is easier than I thought,” said Teddy. See ya. *he leaves along with Ace and Lancer*

                “I’m guessing that the captions would have to be your own and not one you took from another captioned picture,” thought Bright Eyes. Still, this is a site to keep anyone busy for long periods of time and even if there’s nothing new up yet, the old ones are just as good and can still give you a good laugh, even on the 3^rd viewing.

Weather Hunters

[At home…]

                “Are you ready?” asked Ace.

                “Ready for what?” asked Teddy.

                “Yeah, what’s this all about?” asked Lancer.

                “We’re going weather hunting,” said Ace.

                “What’s that?” asked Teddy.

                “It’s when we go out looking for the meanest weather,” said Ace.

                “M-m-meanest weather?” stuttered Lancer.

                “Yeah, it’s dangerous but I think the three of us can handle it. We can ride bikes to follow the storm but first we’ll need to see what the weather is like today. *he goes on the computer and searches* Weather.net says strong thunderstorms today.  It’s a good start but we need storms that make funnels so that we can follow them.

                “We’ll get hurt,” said Lancer.

                “Aw don’t be such a baby, Lancer,” said Teddy.

                “Yeah, Lancer, it’ll be fine,” said Ace.

                “Are you sure?” asked Lancer.

                “Positive, my bike has  been equipped with the technology necessary,” said Ace. It also has two side cars that have roofs on them to keep you two dry and out of danger.

                “How long do we wait?” asked Teddy.

                “When the storm gets bad enough, we go,” said Ace. [Later that day…] Awesome, we’ve got a big storm coming, let’s head out! *the trio get on Ace’s bike and they head out* We have to take north Ponyville Rd to catch this storm. I can see it in the distance. *Lightning flashes and thunder crackles* We need to be close enough to see the funnel but not be in the funnel itself.

                “Do you see the funnel yet?” asked Teddy.

                “Not yet,” said Ace. The storm is rotating though, meaning we could get a funnel very soon.  * sirens wind-up* There’s a city nearby so their warning system has just been activated.

                “Why? There’s no tornado,” said Lancer.

                “There will be,” said Ace. Cities need to warn their ponies early so they have time to get into a shelter as funnels can do lots of damage and injure ponies like us.

                “Then what are we doing here?” asked Lancer.

                “Following this storm,” said Ace. I know it’s a dangerous job but if we can help scientist ponies out, we’ll make the warnings more effective. There’s a funnel dropping down now. It’s pretty thin.

                “I can’t see it,” said Lancer.

                “Me neither,” said Teddy.

                “It’s wrapped in rain now,” said Ace. Now it’s even more dangerous because we can’t see it. That also means no one else can see it unless they come at the storm in a different way. We should get back now, this is too dangerous for us since this is just our first time.

                “I agree,” said Lancer.

                “Let’s get out of here,” said Teddy. *Ace pedals home*

                “Ah well, we’ll have to wait for a less dangerous storm but still one that makes a funnel,” said Ace. I hope someone out there gets the necessary info so we can get better warnings out.

                “I hope that city is going to be okay,” said Lancer.

                “That too, Lancer,” said Ace. Maybe we can watch it on the Mother Nature Channel. *he turns on the TV*

                “This is live from Pony Town as this city was just hit by a funnel minutes ago,” said Dan. We don’t know the strength of this funnel yet but we do know that many homes are damaged or destroyed. We fear that we may have lost some of the folks in that city but we’ll have to wait until more reports come in.

                “We were lucky,” said Lancer. We could’ve been in that storm.

                “I know that if we got caught in that storm and didn’t make it back, I think a lot of people here would’ve been very upset,” said Ace.

                “Glad we got out when we did,” said Teddy. Well, I’m going home, see ya.

                “Me too, later, Ace,” said Lancer. *They exit Ace’s house*

                “This year is just getting started,” thought Ace. We got only a small taste of what this time of year brings. We may not have gotten into the storm but we’ve learned a valuable lesson: Never go after a storm that is more dangerous than you can handle. Someday we’ll return and succeed in our quest to be Weather Hunters.

Environmentalist Bright Eyes

[Outside the school…]

                “What’s going on, Bright Eyes?” asked Starlight.

                “I’m campaigning to help save the environment,” said Bright Eyes.

                “That’s a truly good idea,” said Sweetheart.

                “Thanks,” said Bright Eyes. Want to join me?

                “I truly will,” said Sweetheart.

                “We’ll all join,” said Melody.

                “That’s great,” said Bright Eyes. Now our first order of business is to stop people from cutting down trees since that’s taking away from the Green-Winged Songbird’s home and trees help keep the world with fresh air for us to breathe.

                “Well I’m not joining,” said Ace.

                “Me neither,” said Teddy.

                “Yeah,”  said Lancer.

                “What a stupid idea anyway,” said Teddy. *the three of them walk away*

                “Who needs them anyway?” asked Melody.

                “That’s right,” said Starlight. If they don’t want to help, it’s their own fault.

                “We need everyone’s help, Starlight,” said Bright Eyes.

                “How will we get them to join?” asked Sweetheart.

                “We can show them what will happen if we don’t save the rainforest or the environment,” said Bright Eyes.

                “How?” asked Melody.

                “I have several books on the environment and many PVTs from the Searching channel,” said Bright Eyes.

                “What’s a PVT?” asked Sweetheart.

                “It’s a Ponyville Video Tape,” said Bright Eyes. It’s like the one Ms Hackney showed in school for the events of 11/9.

                “How does it work?” asked Sweetheart.

                “You just slide it onto the PVR the Ponyville Video Recorder,” said Bright Eyes. Then you press Go and the video starts playing.

                “Oh,” said Sweetheart.

                “Do you not own a PVR or PVT, Sweetheart?” asked Melody.

                “Well, no,” said Sweetheart. We just don’t truly have the money for them.

                “Never mind that, Sweetheart,” said Bright Eyes. We need to show Ace, Teddy and Lancer why it’s necessary to save the environment. *They go off to find them* [Meanwhile…]

                “Can you believe they want us to save the environment?” asked Teddy.

                “I know,” said Ace. Since when should we do anything when nothing bad has happened with the environment.

                “That’s not a good reason,” said Bright Eyes.

                “What are you all doing here?

                “We want to show you the effects of not caring for the environment,” said Bright Eyes.

                “What effects?” asked Lancer.

                “We’ll show you,” said Starlight. *she pops in a PVT into the PVR and presses “Go”* Watch this video. *Lancer watches the video* *Ace and Teddy turn their heads part way through the video and start watching* [At the end of the video…]

                “No way,” said Ace, Lancer and Teddy together.

                “We had no idea this could happen,” said Lancer.

                “Now will you come help us?” asked Bright Eyes.

                “Of course,” said Lancer. *the group set off, showing the effects of leaving the environment uncared for* [At their City Hall…]

                “As mayor of Ponyville, I congratulate these ponies for showing the world the importance of the environment and present each and every single one of them with a gold medal,” said the mayor. From, now on, we must use more efficient ways of using electricity, recycling and making cars with proper environmentally friendly materials. Thank you. *the crowd claps*

                “We did it, Bright Eyes,” said Starlight.

                “Yes we did,” said Bright Eyes. All of us did. With what we did today, the environment is sure to remain the happiest place on Earth.

Teddy’s Bear

[At Teddy’s house…]

                “Goodnight, teddy,” said Teddy. Tomorrow’s another day. [The next day…] Where’d my teddy bear go? *he searches all over his room* I know I had it last night because I slept with it but somehow it’s not here. I’ll have to ask Sweetheart to help. *he races off and finds her*

                “So you really truly lost your ted…,” started Sweetheart as Teddy covers her mouth.

                “Shh, not so loud,” whispered Teddy. You remember the last time they found out, right? They never let me forget it so we’ll have to keep it to ourselves, okay?

                “Sure, Teddy,” said Sweetheart. Where do you remember truly leaving it last?

                “It was still at my house,” said Teddy. I slept with it last night.

                “Do you think it’s truly still there?” asked Sweetheart.

                “I looked all over and didn’t find it anywhere,” said Teddy.

                “Hmm, do you think maybe someone took it?” asked Sweetheart.

                “Maybe, but who would want my teddy bear anyway?” asked Teddy.

                “Well there was that one baby pony that wanted it back at that fair,” said Sweetheart.

                “Yeah but I traded her something else to get it back,” said Teddy.

                “We should truly look back at your house,” said Sweetheart. It must still be there somewhere. [At Teddy’s house…] *Both she and Teddy begin searching* [A few hours later…]

                “See it yet?” asked Teddy.

                “No, not really yet,” said Sweetheart.

                “We have to keep looking,” said Teddy.

                “We’ll need to truly look all over the house,” said Sweetheart. If you say your Teddy is still here, then it must be. *the two of them get up and look around* [Meanwhile…]

                “Ugh, this thing is so old, I can’t imagine him still wanting it,” said Teddy’s mother. *she throws it in the washing machine* [Back at the search…]

                “Sorry, Teddy, no sign of it anywhere,” said Sweetheart. I can come back tomorrow and help you look more but the rest of tonight I have babysitting.

                “Okay,” sighed Teddy. See you tomorrow.

                “I’m truly sorry we couldn’t find it,” said Sweetheart. *She walks out the door and back home*

                “Now what am I going to do?” asked Teddy to himself.

                “Teddy, it’s getting late, dear,” said his mother.

                “Okay,” sighed Teddy again. *he gets into bed and sleeps uncomfortably* [The next morning…]

                “I’m back, Teddy,” said Sweetheart entering Teddy’s room.

                “Great,” said Teddy. Where should we look next?

                “We’ve looked through and awful lot of places yesterday and haven’t found a thing,” pondered Sweetheart. Wait a minute, we haven’t looked downstairs yet.

                “Let’s go,” said Teddy. *He and Sweetheart walk downstairs and begin searching*

                “I can’t find it anywhere,” said Sweetheart.

                “Me neither,” said Teddy. Who could’ve taken my teddy bear?

                “Maybe your mom has truly seen it,” said Sweetheart.

                “Seen what?” asked his mother. This? *she holds up his bear*

                “My teddy bear!” said Teddy. Why’d you take it?

                “I felt it could use a wash,” said his mother. At first I thought you wouldn’t want it anymore but then I figured that maybe you would so I threw it in the washing machine and  now it’s as good as new.

                “Well uh thanks, I guess,” said Teddy puzzled.

                “Well I’m glad that’s truly over,” said Sweetheart.

                “So am I,” said Teddy. Now I can sleep normally again. I’ve also kept my secret safe once again, at least safe from being found out again.

                “I’m truly tired,” said Sweetheart. That was quite the search we had to do over the weekend.

                “You said it,” said Teddy.

                “See you at school tomorrow, Teddy,” said Sweetheart. *she leaves*

                “See ya, Sweetheart,” said Teddy. I’m glad to have you back again, Teddy.

                “Time for bed, Teddy,” said her mother.

                “Okay, mom,” said Teddy. *he gets into bed* Now another night with my teddy once again, thanks to Sweetheart. *he sleeps*

Edgar Allan Poet

[At school…]

                “Students, we have a guest speaker today,” said Hackney. It’s Edgar Allan, our very own poet. *the class claps*

                “I’ve heard about him,” said Bright Eyes. He wrote the Tell-Tale Hoof.

                “That’s right,” said Edgar. I’ve been a poet for many years.  That story in particular was one of my scarier ones and a lot of ponies know about it since it’s often read and talked about in schools.

                “Sounds like a good one for me,” said Patch. I love adventure.               

                “My story is available at the public library down the street,” said Edgar. You can pick up a copy of it or I happen to have it right here and I can have you look at it by passing it around.  By the way, what is your name, young lady?

                “Bright Eyes,” said Bright Eyes.

                “I’ll start with you then,” said Edgar. I hope it’s okay with you, Ms um.

                “Hackney, call me Ms Hackney,” said Hackney. It’s fine by me.

                “Well then alright,” said Edgar. *he hands Bright Eyes the poem* Be careful now, it’s fairly old and the paper won’t last too much longer. *the class passes the poem around, ooh’ing and ahh’ing throughout*

                “Well, I’d better get going,” said Edgar. I’ll leave once that poem comes back. *the poem returns to the front* It was nice meeting you all.

                “We had a splendid time with you as well, Mr Allan,” said Hackney.

                “I appreciate that,” said Edgar. Bye now. *he leaves* Such a great class.

                “Well didn’t that make for a great Friday?” asked Hackney. *the class cheers* Time’s just about up for today but know that on Monday it’s back to my lectures. See you all tomorrow. *the clock chimes 3PM and the class leaves*

                “Wow, what a great guy,” said Melody.

                “I guess he was kinda nice, wasn’t he?” asked Clover. I didn’t like his poem though and I think I’ll have bad dreams tonight.

                “Maybe a trip to the Ice Cream Shop will help you forget it,” said Starlight.

                “Well, okay,” said Clover. [At the ice cream shop…] I do feel better now.

                “That’s good,” said Bright Eyes. Maybe you might like some of his other poems.

                “He also wrote a bunch of short stories,” said Melody.

                “He did?” asked Clover. I’ll have to look at them later.

                “There’s The Black-Colored Pony said Bright Eyes. It’s another one of his more famous stories but I don’t think you’d like it as it’s a horror story.

                “No, no, definitely not that one,” said Clover. Anything else?

                “How about The Spectacles?” asked Starlight. It’s a comedy about love at first sight.

                “That sounds good,” said Clover.

                “Sundae?” asked Starlight, handing Clover a sundae.

                “Sure,” said Clover.

                “That should help clear you mind of this,” said Starlight.

                “I don’t know if I truly like his stories and poems either,” said Sweetheart. They did seem pretty scary. I think I might have bad dreams tonight as well.

                “It’s okay, Sweetheart,” said Bright Eyes. They aren’t for everyone. Some like them, some don’t. I’m kinda interested in reading what else he’s written just to see if I like it or not.

                “Yeah, me too,” said Melody. Maybe he wrote music that I could rock to.

                “I don’t think you’d like it, Melody,” said Bright Eyes. You’re more than welcome to look and see.

                “I think I like this pony,” said Patch. He seems to have all the adventure that I’m looking for. I’ll have to get every story and poem he’s ever done. See you guys later. *he dashes off*

                “Well at least she’s happy,” said Bright Eyes. If neither you nor  Clover like his stuff, just give them to Patch since she seems to consider Edgar Allen Poet as his idol or something.

                “I just hope she doesn’t start to act like him,” said Starlight.

                “Wouldn’t surprise me if she did,” said Melody.

                “Same here,” said Bright Eyes. After all, we all jus heart what Patch said. We may have to keep Patch in check every once in a while to make sure she does her schoolwork.

                “At least it’s truly not a bad thing,” said Sweetheart. At least not a really bad thing.

                “That’s true, Sweetheart,” said Starlight. In any case, she’ll still be our Patch.

Having a Ball

[At the bowling alley…]

                “Ready to lose, Ace?” asked Melody.

                “No way!” said Ace. You’re all going down!

                “We’ll see about that, Ace,” said Bright Eyes. *they walk inside and head over to the front desk*

                “Can I help you?” asked the front desk manager, Jerry.

                “Hi, we need to rent shoes and a ball,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Well lucky for you, I happen to have what you’re looking for and one size fits all,” said Jerry. Here you all go. Now I suppose you’ll all need a lane?

                “Two lanes, actually,” said Ace.

                “Two lanes it is,” said Jerry. I have lanes 20 and 21 set up for you.

                “Thanks a lot,” said Starlight.

                “Anytime,” said Jerry. [At their lanes…]

                “So who wants to be first?” asked Bright Eyes.

                “I’ll go first for my team,” said Ace.

                “Wait a minute, aren’t our teams truly uneven?” asked Sweetheart.

                “One of us can sit out and another of us can join Ace’s team,” said Bright Eyes. I’ll sit out and keep score.

                “Well I’m not joining Ace’s team,” said Melody.

                “Me neither,” said Starlight.

                “Or me,” said Clover. *Sweetheart sighs*

                “I’ll do it,” said Sweetheart.

                “Works for me,” said Bright Eyes.

                “I’ll go first for our team,” said Melody. *she throws the ball down the lane and knocks down 8 pins*

                “Great throw, Melody,” said Bright Eyes. Only two more! *Melody throws the ball and just makes the spare.

                “Nice shot, Melody,” said Starlight.

                “Now it’s my turn,” said Ace. *he throws the ball and gets a strike.

                “Wow, Ace, that was incredible!” said Teddy.

                “Beginner’s luck,” said Melody.

                “No luck, just skill,” said Ace.

                “Alright, Starlight, your turn,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Watch and learn, Ace,” said Starlight. *she rolls the ball and also gets a strike*

                “Not bad for a girl,” said Ace.

                “You’re up, Sweetheart,” said Teddy.

                “I truly am?” asked Sweetheart. *she cautiously rolls the ball and gets 1 pin* Well that wasn’t truly good.

                “It’s okay, Sweetheart, you still have one more roll,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Okay,” said Sweetheart. *her ball returns and she rolls, knocking down the remaining pins* I truly got the spare!

                “I’m up next,” said Patch. *she rolls the ball and leaves a split*

                “That’s tough, Patch,” said Bright Eyes.

                “It’s an adventure,” said Patch. Just what I’ve been looking for. *her ball returns and she rolls it, knocking down two of the 3 pins still standing* That was a good enough adventure for me. *she sits down*

                “Lancer’s turn,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Mine?” asked Lancer. Already?

                “Just go, Lancer,” said Teddy.

                “If you say so,” said Lancer. *he rolls and gets down 6 pins*

                “Not too bad, Lancer,” said Bright Eyes.

                “You can do it, Lancer,” said Teddy.

                “Well, okay,” said Lancer. *he rolls the ball and picks up the spare* Yes! [Later that day…]

                “Good game, Ace,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Yeah I guess it was,” said Ace. We would’ve won if we had more luck with the pins.

                “We should get back home,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Us too,” said Ace. *the group walks home*

Ace in the Box

[Inside Ace’s garage…]

                “Alright, team, it’s time to get to the arena for Bot Brawls,” said Ace.

                “This’ll be awesome,” said Teddy.

                “Win or lose, we’re in this together,” said Lancer. [At the competition…]

                “Hello Bot Brawl fans it’s the championship here on Bot Brawls and our two contestants are here in the arena,” said Michael. Our first opponent in the maroon square has a nasty cutting blade and rear wedge. Builder Ace says his robot is named Devourer. In the Purple square sits their opponent, a flipper and its builder Greg Francine.

                “The robots are ready to go,” said Mark. Winner is champion Bot Brawler. We have our two Robo-Thrashers Push and Lieutenant Ram in the arena corners.

                “The championship bout is now underway as we see Chaos Squared tossing Devourer over but Devourer with the quick self-right back over,” said Michael. Devourer coming back and delivering Chaos Squared to the Buzz Saws.

                “Here comes Double Chaos with another flip but misses!” said Mark. They were lucky to remain upright as to not waste any CO2 gas.

                “Devourer now using the saw to cut into Double Chaos but the saw falls off!” said Michael. Now they’ll have to rely on their skills at driving backwards. Chaos squared with another flip!

                “Devourer now going for the back wedge and delivering Double Chaos into one our RTs and its Push, who is no push-over when it comes to facing off,” said Mark. Oh no, Chaos Squared’s CO2 tank has been punctured! Hope that’s not the end for our semi-finalist.

                “Uh-oh, Devourer flipped by our own Thrusters on the arena floor!” said Michael. Now Devourer is on his side and Chaos Squared is bringing it to the Micro Buzzers but somehow Devourer has escaped!

                “Chaos Squared has to be careful, he probably could’ve won the brawl right there, Michael,” said Mark. I guess he wanted to be a good sport and help a down robot out.

                “This braw is winding down to the last minute and a half but neither robot giving in,” said Michael. This should be a close bout to judge if it comes down to a decision.

                “Despite having little or no weaponry, both competitors are showing some amazing aggression in this brawl,” said Mark.

                “30 seconds left and now both robots are showing some slowing down,” said Michael. This could count against one or both of them in the decision.

                “Oh no, our battery died,” said Ace.

                “That looks to be it for Devourer,” said Mark. He’s no longer moving but this bout is just about over so it’ll be up to the judges to decide.

                “Our championship bout has ended and the fate of who is our champion is upon our 3 judges now,” said Michael. In a few moments, we’ll have our Bot Brawls champion.

                “Well we now have the decision and it was a close one,” said Mark. The judges have decided that Chaos Squared is our new champion. We also congratulate Devourer for taking second place in this Bot Brawls event.

                “Aw we lost,” said Lancer.

                “It doesn’t matter,” said Ace. We got second place and this is our first time at this competition. We just lost to a much better driver. Let’s go home. [At home…]

                “Whew what a day,” said Lancer. I’m pretty beat from this competition. We should do it again next year.

                “We could build a better robot,” said Teddy.

                “One that will definitely win,” said Ace. We’d better rest up because we have school tomorrow.

                “Okay, see you later,” said Teddy and Lancer. [The next day…]

                “Alright, class, I’m handing out a project due next week and I want you all to make a little environment in a shoe box. I am now passing out instructions for how to do it. You have the rest of the class to pick a partner and discuss what you and your partner will do for this project. [After school…]

                “So, how’d your silly competition go?” asked Melody.

                “We made second place,” said Ace.

                “That’s truly amazing, Ace,” said Sweetheart.

                “Yeah, Ace, that’s incredible,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Well I guess that is pretty good,” said Melody.

                “Was the robot damaged in any way?” asked Starlight.

                “Yeah both ours and our opponent’s robots took a beating but ours stopped moving,” said Ace. We were lucky to survive the bout but I know that with a better robot, we’ll go all the way to the top!

Player Pointers

[At school…]

                “Did you guys hear this?” asked Ace. There’s some new card game out.

                “What is it?” asked Lancer.

                “I’ve heard it’s called Point Battles,” said Teddy.

                “Where can we find it?” asked Lancer.

                “I’ve seen it at one of the school sales we had here recently,” said Ace. We should go check it out. They sell packs of the stuff at Bulls Eye. *Ms Hackney enters*

                “Hello class,” said Hackney. Today I’ll be talking about rock climbing safety. Although probably not all of you will become mountain climbers when you grow up, it’d be good to know the ropes so to speak so that you can help someone in trouble if they need it. With rock climbing, there is some training required as you need to be careful around places in the rock since they can and sometimes do slip out from underneath you. [After school…]

                “Let’s go check out that store,” said Ace. *He, Lancer and Teddy rush over*

                “Boys and their silly things,” said Melody.

                “Yeah, we can just do something else like get our hair done at the salon,” said Bright Eyes. *They walk over to the salon* [At the store…]

                “Check out these packs,” said Lancer. They have  Metal Invasion, Legend of the Dragon Slayer and even Magic Owner.

                “Cool,” said Ace. *They get their packs and open them*

                “Awesome, I got Skull Skeleton,” said Lancer.

                “That card is pretty rare,” said Ace. Look at the lettering, it’s a yellowish gold and it’s a pretty powerful M card.

                “What’s  MIV?” asked Teddy.

                “That’s what pack the card came from, or Metal Invasion,” said Ace.

                “We should find out how to play this game,” said Lancer.

                “You can get beginner decks that have rulebooks and mats to put your cards on,” said Ace. I bought one not too long ago and I can help you play,” said Ace. [At Ace’s house…] What you need to do is put your deck in the Card Stack Zone here. You put M cards in the M Card Zone and  S and T cards in the S and T Zone. Special S cards called Terrain S Cards go here in the Terrain Card Zone. If you have any Combiner M cards, they go in this purple space.

                “Sounds easy,” said Teddy.

                “What’s next?” asked Lancer.

                “Well, we’ll start by drawing 4 cards,” said Ace. Then, if you have any M cards with 1 to 4 points, you can play them in Battle Mode or set them in Defend  Mode like this. I play Weapon Stealer with 17 Battle Points. You can also at this point or in 2^nd Core Phase, set your T cards face down or activate them if they were set one turn earlier. I’ll set 1 other card face down here. When you can’t  do anything else during your turn, you enter your Stop Phase, where your turn ends. Now it’s your turn.

                “Okay,” said Lancer. Um, I play my Skull Skeleton with 25 Battle points in Battle Mode.

                “That’s a 6-point monster,” said Ace. You have to send a monster you already posses on the field to a burial first.

                “Oh, sorry,” said Lancer.

                “It’s okay,” said Ace. I was new to this at some point. It just takes practice.

                “Okay I bring out my Giant Rock Soldier with 13 Battle Points,” said Lancer. That’s it for me.

                “I’ll play Personality Change,” said Ace. It’s an S card that lets me claim possession of your monster. Now I can send it to a burial to bring out Metal Man with 24 Battle Points in Battle Mode. Since you don’t posses any M cards, I can attack your Score directly and when I do, you subtract the Battle Points of my monster from your Score and you start with 80 Score.

                “Okay that’s 24 and 17 so I’m left with….,” thought Lancer.

                “37,” said Ace. It’s just simple math, Lancer. I end.

                “I set an M card in Defend Mode and end,” said Lancer.

                “I now use my Lightning Streak S card,” said Ace. It take out all M cards you possess. You now send your M cards as a burial. *Lancer puts his monsters as a burial* I attack your Score directly and I win. Good try, Lancer.

                “I’d better get going,” said Lancer. Thanks for introducing this game to me. *he leaves* Man what a cool game. I have to learn how to get better at it.

Starlight, Starry Night

[That night, at everyone’s houses….]

                “Wow, what a truly beautiful night, Teddy,” said Sweetheart. Don’t you agree?

                “So what?” said Teddy. They’re just stars.

                “I think they’re really truly beautiful stars,” said Sweetheart. *the rest of the group appear* What are you all doing here?

                “We brought over my telescope so we can all look the stars,” said Bright Eyes. Hope that’s okay. *Sweetheart’s mother pops in*

                “Sure is,” said Sweetheart’s mother. Is it alright with each of your parents?

                “Of course,” said Bright Eyes. They all asked before coming over to my house.

                “Alright, then,” said Sweetheart’s mother. *she leaves the room*

                “Now we just need a place to set up,” said Bright Eyes.

                “How about right where we are?” asked Sweetheart.

                “Hmm, do you have a porch, Sweetheart?” asked Starlight.

                “Yeah, that’d be perfect,” said Melody.

                “Well we could use the backyard,” said Sweetheart.

                “Great, then let’s go there,” said  Bright Eyes. We’ll follow you, Sweetheart. [In the backyard…]

                “Wow, look at how many stars there are,” said Bright Eyes.

                “I can’t even count them all,” said Melody.

                “Look, there’s the large spoon,” said Starlight.

                “There’s the small one,” said Patch.

                “Shooting star, I see a shooting star!” shouted Melody.

                “Uh guys, what’s wrong with the moon?” asked Clover.

                “Hey, Clover’s right,” said Starlight It’s getting darker.

                “Let me look this up,” said Bright Eyes. I brought over my laptop in case we couldn’t figure out what something was in the sky. According to Youhoo Responses, it’s a Total Lunar Eclipse, which means the moon is behind the Earth and the most of the sun’s light is blocked, except for a red ring, which like tonight, casts on the moon, giving it it’s color.

                “How long does it stay like that?” asked Sweetheart.

                “It says here that a Total Lunar Eclipse can last up to 107 minutes,” said Bright Eyes. That’s over an hour.

                “Cool, we should watch and see what it does,” said Starlight. *the group looks into the telescope*

                “It’s not even moving,” said Clover.

                “How can that be when the sun comes up and down every day?” asked Starlight.

                “The sun and moon never actually rise or set,” said Bright Eyes. They’re always out in space, it’s because of our earth tilting that they seem to rise and set.

                “Tilting?” questioned Clover. That doesn’t sound good.

                “We never feel it tilting, Clover,” said Bright Eyes. It’s too slow for us to feel.

                “Oh good,” said Clover.

                “Look, the moon is truly losing its color,” said Sweetheart.

                “Must mean that the eclipse is ending,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Are there any other eclipses we could see?” asked Sweetheart.

                “Hmm, let me check,” said Bright Eyes. There are other Lunar Eclipses but you won’t see as much. We saw a rare one tonight and even the sun can be eclipsed.

                “What does that mean when it does?” asked Clover.

                “It means that for a few minutes the sun will be blocked by the moon,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Can we see it?” asked Starlight.

                “It’s dangerous and rare,” said Bright Eyes. It says to not look at the sun for any reason but it also says that if you have a Solar Filter for your telescope, you can look at the sun but I don’t have one. Solar eclipses don’t happen very often and when they do, they’re generally on the other side of the Earth or at really rare times here but really early in the morning.

                “When’s the next one?” asked Patch.

                “Says here July 11, 2010,” said Bright Eyes. That’s a long way away.

                “Aw,” moaned everyone else.

                “It’s getting late, we’d better get back home,” said Melody.

                “I had a really truly fun time with you all,” said Sweetheart. With them here tonight, it was extra magical.

Bot Brawls

[At Ace’s house…]

                “Hurry up, Lancer, Bot Brawls is on,” said Ace.

                “What’s Bot Brawls?” asked Lancer.

                “Hurry up getting the food and you’ll find out,” said Ace. *Lancer gets out the food and watches*

                “Welcome to another smashing episode of Bot Brawls, I’m your host Michael Warner and here is my co-anchor  Mark Vero,” said Michael. If you’re new to the sport, let me fill you in. In each episode of Bot Brawls, we have robots from all over the world compete in the arena behind us. The robots aren’t just about fighting each other, it’s to use the arena dangers to their opponent’s disadvantage. We’ve got Buzzsaws, which will bite into the underside of the robot and send it flying across the arena floor, sharp spikes that pop-up from the floor to dent the underside of the robot and lining the arena are what we call Micro Buzzers, which are essentially mini saw blades to really cut up the competition.

                “We also have dangers lurking in each corner,” said Mark. These are robots that if your robot enters their corner, they get 30 seconds to have at whatever you own. We have 3 judges to spice up the entertainment.

                “In the left corner, is Chaos Squared, which has a powerful flipper and great builder Greg Francine,” said Michael. For the other corner is a wedge robot with front jaws named Razor Sharp.. It’s got two builders named Ivan Leroy and Shane Scaro. We have two of what we call Robo-Thrashers or RTs, which are the robots that lurk in the corners and here they are.

                “The first RT is named Crushalot,” said Michael. He’s a tank robot with a saw blade on one arm and a drill on the other. Our other RT is an armadillo-shaped robot with a front-mounted flywheel and a rear wedge and we call her evil and malicious as well as Miranda.

                “Oh man, this is awesome, isn’t it?” asked Ace.

                “Totally,” said Lancer.

                “We should try and build a robot for this competition,” said Teddy.

                “The competition already ended, Teddy,” said Ace. This is what they filmed. We can build one for their next competition, which I’ve read on Ponypedia is next fall.

                “Awesome,” said Lancer. We need to find out how to build a robot though.

                “No problem, a friend of mine does this stuff for a living,” said Ace. I’ll go talk to him tomorrow.

                “Okay, cool,” said Lancer.

                “He better be good,” said Teddy. [The next day…]

                “How’d it go?” asked Lancer.

                “Check this robot out,” said Ace. *he drives the robot in*

                “Whoa, cool,” said Lancer.

                “Does it fit within the tournament’s rules?” asked Teddy.

                “Of course,” said Ace. My friend checked the rules of the competition and he didn’t find any rules that our robot broke.

                “Cool, let’s go fight with this robot!” said Lancer. *Melody and crew arrive*

                “What are you 3 doing?” asked Bright Eyes.

                “We have a robot,” said Lancer.

                “A fighting robot,” explained Ace.

                “For what?” asked Starlight.

                “This competition called Bot Brawls,” said Teddy.

                “Never heard of it,” said Bright Eyes, Melody and Starlight together.

                “Well you’re all girls, of course you haven’t heard of it,” said Ace. You all wouldn’t be interested in this stuff anyway.

                “You’re right about that, Ace,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Why would we be interested in it anyway?” asked Melody. It’s just a dumb robot competition.

                “Dumb robot competition?” questioned Ace, Teddy and Lancer together.

                “We’ll show you all how dumb it isn’t when we win it,” said Ace.

                “Well have fun, then,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Yeah, enjoy your silly little contest,” said Starlight.

                “We will enjoy it and it’s not silly!” said Teddy.

                “We don’t need them,” said Ace. We should be focused on driving this thing. After all, we don’t want it taking too much damage in the arena do we?

                “Let’s do this!” said Ace, Teddy and Lancer together. *they start practicing to drive the robot*

Student Snobbery

[At school…]

                “Class, we have a new student joining us today, her name is Stella,” said Hackney. Why don’t you tell us something about yourself, Stella?

                “Well my family is rich,” began Stella. We moved here from North Carolina a week ago. It feels good to be here.

                “Thank you, Stella, why don’t you take a seat next to Sweetheart?” suggested Hackney.

                “Why thank you, um…,” said Stella.

                “Ms Hackney, Stella,” said Hackney.

                “Thank you, Ms Hackney,” said Stella. *she sits down*

                “Now, class, today’s lecture is on cranes,” said Hackney. Cranes are like pulleys in that they lift things but cranes lift larger things like cars. You need to be careful around them because they are tall objects and if the wind is strong enough, the crane could fall over. If you happen to be walking towards a crane while it is moving the equipment, wait for it to pass, then move carefully ahead.

                “Have you ever seen a crane, Ms Hackney?” asked Starlight.

                “There was a crane that put this town back together after the sinkhole last year, Starlight,” said Hackney. Cranes certainly are wonderful things. *the school clock chimes* See you tomorrow, class. [The next day…]

                “I’m sitting here, today,” said Stella.

                “But that’s my seat,” said Sweetheart.

                “Now, Sweetheart, she’s still new to this class and I’m sure you can take her place today,” said Hackney.  I have left some problems on the board and would like a few of you to solve them. How about, you Melody, you Starlight and you Stella? *the three ponies go to solve the problems* *Stella pushes  Melody out of the way.

                “Hey, what was that for?” asked Melody to Stella.

                “Oh I’m sorry, I slipped,” said Stella sarcastically.

                “Yeah right,” muttered Melody. *she solves her problem on the board, then sits down, crossing her arms*

                “Let me see how you all did,” said Hackney. Melody, that’s not the right answer.

                “What?” said Melody. *she looks at the board* I didn’t write that. *Stella grins with delight* It was Stella!

                “Melody, you know it’s not nice to blame others for what we do,” said Hackney.

                “It really was her,” insisted Melody.

                “I’ll have to talk to you after class, Melody,” said Hackney.  [After class…] Melody, don’t you know how to treat a new student?

                “I do, Ms Hackney, but she’s clearly picking on me,” said Melody.

                “I want you to act better towards her tomorrow, Melody,” said Hackney. Do you understand?

                “Yeah, I understand,” sighed Melody.

                “Good, I’ll see you tomorrow, Melody,” said Hackney.[ The next day…]

                “Alright class, it’s time for your quiz,” said Hackney. There is to be no talking, even if you finish early. When you complete the quiz, turn it over and sit quietly. *she hands out the quiz* You may now begin. *Stella starts peeking at Melody’s quiz and copies the answers* [A little later…] *several ponies finish early* “Stella, there is to be no peeking at anyone else’s quiz. *Stella turns away and Ms Hackney continues watching* *Stella then again looks at Melody’s quiz* Stella, I told you not to look at anyone else’s quiz!

                “I have to see the answers,” protested Stella.

                “This is a quiz, Stella,” said Hackney. Looking at someone else’s quiz or test and copying answers is cheating,  I know you are new to this but your behavior is starting to make me want to take away that excuse. No more peeking, Stella. *Stella finishes her test* *the clock chimes 3PM* Class dismissed, everyone. Stella and Melody, could you both come here please? *Stella and Melody walk over*. I’ve been watching you and I think you have switched Melody’s real quiz paper with this one.

                “What makes you say that?” asked Stella.

                “This quiz isn’t Melody’s handwriting and based on your behavior today, I’d say you are indeed responsible for everything Melody has told me about yesterday,” said Hackney.

                “But……I didn’t…..” stuttered Stella.

                “I’m sorry, Stella but your behavior has left me no choice. I’m having you removed from this school,” said Hackney. Your behavior here is unacceptable and isn’t tolerated here. You may now leave. *Stella leaves* Melody, I apologize for not believing you when you told me the other day about Stella. Even a teacher can make mistakes.

                “It’s okay, Ms Hackney, you’re a great teacher,” said Melody.

                “I’m glad you think so, Melody,” said Hackney.

A Sight for Bright Eyes

[At Starlight’s house…] *phone rings and Starlight answers it*

                “Hello?” asked Starlight

                “Hey Starlight, it’s Patch,” said Patch.

                “Oh hi, Patch, what’s up?” asked Starlight.

                “Since it’s the weekend and all, why don’t you and I visit that cave again,” said Patch.

                “What cave?” asked Starlight.

                “You know, the cave where we found Teddy that one day?” questioned Patch.

                “The one where he scared us after disappearing?” asked Starlight.

                “Yeah, that one,” said Patch. So will you go?

                “I don’t know,” said Starlight. Last I checked we didn’t want to go there anymore.

                “It can just be the two of us,” said Patch.

                “Well…..,” started Starlight. I guess we could.

                “Yes!” said Patch. See you there. [At the cave…]

                “Sure looks different than I remember,” said Patch.

                “That’s because it’s been a whole year since we’ve been here, Patch,” said Starlight.

                “I wonder what we’ll find in there,” said Patch.

                “That’s what I’m afraid of,” said Starlight. *They walk in* [Meanwhile, at Melody’s house…] *phone rings*

                “Hello?” asked Melody.

                “Melody, it’s Bright Eyes, have you seen or heard from Patch or Starlight?

                “No, sorry,” said Melody. What’s wrong?

                “Their parents are looking for them and they called me to tell you that so we could look for them,” said Bright Eyes. See you there, bye.

                “Bye,” said Melody hanging up the phone.

                “Who was that, dear?” asked her mother.

                “Bright Eyes and she wants me to help look for Starlight and Patch,” said Melody.

                “You can’t tonight, you have to babysit,” said her mother. I also have to be at the hospital tonight.

                “Oh okay,” said Melody. *calls Bright Eyes* Sorry Bright Eyes I have to babysit my sisters tonight.

                “Well okay,” said Bright Eyes. *she calls Sweetheart* [At Sweetheart’s house…]

                “Starlight and Patch are truly missing?” asked Sweetheart. I’ll really try to get over there as soon as I can. *she hangs up and meets at Bright Eyes’ house*. [Back at Bright Eyes’ house…]

                “Which way do we go?” asked Sweetheart.

                “That’s a good question,” said Bright Eyes. Where would those two like to go? Patch is more of an adventure pony so she’d go where there’s danger. What about that cave we went in last year?

                “The cave where Teddy really truly scared us?” asked Sweetheart.

                “Yup,” said Bright Eyes. We should start there. *they walk over to the cave* [At the cave…] Starlight? Patch? You guys in here?

                “I didn’t hear anything,” said Sweetheart.

                “Let’s try inside,” said Bright Eyes. *they walk inside* What’s this?

                “What’s what, Bright Eyes?” asked Sweetheart.

                “There’s something bright over here,” said Bright Eyes. *the two walk over to the site*

                “It’s really truly pretty,” said Sweetheart. What is it exactly?

                “What’d you guys find?” said Starlight.

                “Starlight!” said Bright Eyes and Sweetheart together. Where were you guys?

                “Patch wanted me to go into this cave,” said Starlight

                “It was awesome,” said Patch. Just look at all the neat stuff here.

                “We’d better get you guys home,” said Bright Eyes. *they walk out of the cave*

                “So what did you two find over there?” asked Starlight.

                “We don’t really truly know,” said Sweetheart. We found you kind of when we found the stuff back in that cave.

                “This makes me want to find out what it was,” said Patch.

                “Another time, Patch, another time,” said Starlight.

Trust Your Web

[At school…]

                “Class, I have an exciting announcement,” said Hackney.  We now have internet access! This ties in perfectly with today’s lesson. With the internet, many computers are connected to one place and you can see what are called web sites, which is where people post pretty much whatever they want or it can be a site where on the same site, people can upload their own content, like YourTube, which is a site for uploading videos but not everything up on that site is good and the site will warn you if you click the link. I won’t go into complete detail of this as it’s not appropriate for your age group. I should warn you that with the internet, there are also bad web sites, either because they show very bad images like fighting or because they are trying to trick you into doing something.

                “What do these sites look like, Ms Hackney?” asked Bright Eyes

                “Since we just got internet, I don’t really know, Bright Eyes but I’ll try to look that up as best I can to see if I can answer that. *the clock chimes* That’s it for today, class, see you all tomorrow.

                “Wow, we now have internet,” said Melody.

                “This is really truly great news,” said Sweetheart. I hope our parents can afford to get us computers. *they walk home* [At Melody’s house…]

                “Melody, dear, I  have a surprise for you,” said her mother.

                “What is it, mom?” asked Melody.

                “A new computer,” said her mother.

                “It’s awesome, mom, “ said Melody. How’s it work?

                “According to the instructions, the power button, used to turn the computer on, is right here,” said her mother. The computer comes doesn’t automatically come with the internet but I have installed it on this computer so you’re ready to go now. The instructions even go over details about the internet in case you’re new.

                “To visit a site, visit Goozle.com and type what you want to search for using the keys for the keyboard, located in front of you,” read Melody. Well this doesn’t look too hard. Let’s see here I have to type this address in this box called Address. *she types the address* I’m going to search for my favorite band the Cleveland Bays. *she types the phrase into Goozle’s search engine* They have their own website? Way cool but how do I visit it? *she picks up the instructions again and reads* To visit a site, click with your left mouse button when your mouse pointer is on the title of the link. Sounds easy enough. *she clicks the link and a pop-up appears* What’s that, mom?

                “Attention, your computer has dangerous viruses, spyware, adware and other malware,” read her mother. Download our latest antivirus software to clean your computer of these infections. What? That can’t be right, you just got your new computer and all you visited was that site and Goozle.

                “What do we do, mom?” asked Melody.

                “Let’s close it and go back,” said her mother. *Melody picks up the instructions*

                “Closing a window is easy, click the red x in the upper right corner of the window with your left mouse button,” read Melody.  *she closes the window and the website page changes* Mom, what’s going on?

                “It changed the page and appears to be now scanning your computer,” said her mother.  It found 22 infections but that’s not right.

                “We’d better do what it says and download their antivirus,” said Melody. *she clicks the link to download and Norman Antivirus pops up*

                “Uh oh,” said her mother. I forgot to mention that this computer has Norman Antivirus on it, which will defend your computer against stuff like this. It appears it’s found an infection called “fakeAV” but I don’t quite know what that means. Norman is asking if we want to clean the file. Yes we do. *Melody clicks “Yes” on Norman’s pop-up and Norman cleans the file*

                “Whew, that was close,” said Melody. I’d better be more careful when using the internet. [The next day…]

                “Good morning, class,” said Hackney. I’m sure you all had a pretty good day using the internet? I think I found the answer to your question, Bright Eyes as I think we all faced it yesterday. It was trying to make us think we were infected, like when we are infected when we’re sick, on our computers when they were brand new. It’s called a Bad  Antivirus and what antivirus is, as I’m sure you were told by your parents, is your computer’s defense against the bad things on the internet. When using the internet, we need to watch out for things like that because if we don’t our internet fun can turn into no fun at all really fast.  Luckily we haven’t reached a point where these Bad Antivirus things can take money away from you by telling you to enter personal information, which is not what you want to do at all. I know this is a pretty scary first look at the internet but if we can be more careful, we can lower the chances of us having a bad time. I think we’ve learned a valuable lesson today so I’ll let class go a bit early today. *the class cheers and runs out the door*

Rules Already Broken

[Inside everyone’s houses…] *The ponies sleep* [The next morning….]

                “Melody, time for school,” said her mother.

                “I’m not going,” said Melody. *Her mother opens the door*

                “Why not?” asked her mother. Are you sick?

                “No, I have no interest in going,” said Melody.            

                “You have to go, dear, you need the education,” said her mother.

                “I’m staying here,” said Melody.

                “Melody, don’t make me ground you,” said her mother.

                “Good, then that means I won’t have to go to school,” said Melody.

                “No, it means you won’t be going outside or to anyone’s houses,” said her mother. Now you’re going and that’s final!

                “Fine,” Melody scowled. [At school…]

                “Who can tell me the answer on the board?” asked Hackney. Melody? Do you know? Melody? I insist you take the headphones out of your ears and answer me when I’m talking to you. *She takes the headphones away and Melody turns away* If you don’t answer my question in the next minute or two, I’m assigning you detention. *Melody refuses to answer* That’s it, Melody, you now have detention this afternoon after school. I’m calling your mother right now so she knows. *everyone gasps*

                “What’s up with Melody?” whispered Bright Eyes

                “This isn’t like her at all,” whispered Starlight.

                “We need to find out what’s really truly up with her,” said Sweetheart. [After school and detention…]

                “What’s wrong, Melody?” asked Bright Eyes. You’re not one to make Ms Hackney mad, none of us are, let alone get detention.

                “Is it something we did?” asked Sweetheart.

                “Leave me alone,” said Melody. *she races off* [Later that night…] * she eats junk food, then sleeps* [The next day…]

                “Melody, come down here right now!” yelled her mother.

                “No!” yelled Melody.

                “If you don’t come down here, I’m coming up and I’m going to be really mad at you, young lady,” said her mother.

                “Come up here then!” said Melody. *Her mother enters the room*

                “Melody, I received a call from Ms Hackney that you were disobeying her and got detention,” said her mother. This is unacceptable! Look at what you’ve done to yourself, you’re now overweight! How do you expect to get through the rest of your life like this? Now you can sit here the rest of the day and think about what you’re doing. Ms Hackney also sent the homework home and I suggest you do it right away, young lady. *she closes the door* *Melody does nothing for another hour, then starts crying*

                “What have I done to myself?” sobbed Melody. I got myself in trouble with Ms Hackney, more trouble than I’ve ever gotten in before. I’ve disobeyed my mother and now she’s angry at me too! I don’t know how this happened as yesterday I was just fine. Maybe I got tired of the rules and decided not to follow them? I need to remember that rules are there for our own protection and safety, not to be annoying. I know what I must now do, apologize to everyone as soon as possible. I’ll have to wait until school the next day since I’m still grounded but I can at least apologize to my mother after I get this homework done. *she finishes the homework, then heads downstairs*

                “Melody, I hope that homework is done,” said her mother.

                “It is, mom, I promise,” said Melody. Mom, I’m sorry for everything I said and did today. I don’t know what caused me to act this way but maybe I just needed some time to relax at home.

                “Perhaps I did go a little over the top when I was angry at you, dear,” said her mother.  I guess I just got caught up over the fact that for once in your life you got into major trouble with Ms Hackney. If you really are sorry and your homework is indeed done, you can go outside again starting tomorrow.

                “Really?” asked Melody.

                “Really, dear,” said her mother. [The next day in class…]

                “Melody, it’s you,” said Bright Eyes.

                “I’m so sorry for how I acted yesterday, Ms Hackney,” said Melody

                “I think what happened to you was something everyone goes through one time or another,” said Hackney.

Truth or Lies

[At Ace’s house…]

                “Today’s the big day,” thought Ace. Once school gets out today, it’s time to head on over to my special club. [At school…]

                “This, ponies is what we call a prime number,” said Hackney. It’s a number that can only be divided by the number 1 and itself. Can anyone think of some prime numbers?

                “7,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Very good, Bright Eyes,” said Hackney.

                “5?” asked Sweetheart.

                “Yes, that’s one too, good, Sweetheart,” said Hackney. Anyone else? *The clock chimes* Class dismissed everyone. See you tomorrow.

                “So we have no homework, this afternoon,” said Sweetheart. What do you all want to do?

                “Ice cream shop anyone? “asked Starlight.

                “Sounds great to me,” said Bright Eyes. *They head over* [Later that day…]

                “See you guys later,” said Melody.

                “See ya,” said the others.

                “Wait a second, what’s that noise?” asked Sweetheart.

                “It’s coming from over there,” said Bright-Eyes. *They head over* [At the site…]

                “Are we willing to believe that this could’ve happened to possibly the two most famous buildings in Ponyville City?

                “No!” said the others.

                “We have to tell the world what really happened!” said Ace.

                “Yes!” said the others.

                “What we have been told to have happened here is a total lie!” said Ace. What are we going to do about it?

                “Spread the truth!” said the others. [Just outside…]

                “Who are they?” asked Sweetheart.

                “Don’t know, Sweetheart,” said Starlight.

                “Wait a second,” said Melody. I think the pony on top of that platform looks familiar.

                “Melody’s right,” said Bright Eyes. Who could it be?

                “Is that Lancer and Teddy?” asked Melody.

                “What would they be doing here?” asked Starlight.

                “What are they wearing?” asked Sweetheart.

                “Let me see if I can read it,” said Bright Eyes. *she steps closer, then gasps* No way, it can’t be.

                “What is it, Bright Eyes?” asked Sweetheart.

                “They’re chanting about 11/9,” said Bright Eyes.

                “The day the Siamese Towers fell?” asked Melody. I thought that was resolved when Ms Hackney played the tape?

                “Look, on top, that’s Ace!” said Starlight.

                “We need to find out what’s going on,” said Melody. *They walk over*

                “The battle for truth will not cease until the real truth has come out!” said Ace. *He sees Melody and the gang*

                “What are they doing here?” asked Teddy.

                “More importantly, what are you all doing here?” asked Melody. You know you watched the tape Ms Hackney played in class so why are you back out here spreading the false information of that tragic day?

                “We uh had a meeting here,” said Lancer.

                “Yeah, yeah, that’s it but it wasn’t about  11/9, it was about, uh our weekend activities,” said Teddy.

                “Oh come on, we heard you preaching about 11/9,” said Melody.

                “Ace, what you’re looking for has been answered already with the real facts,” said Melody. You’re just lying to the public. *Ace stands and ponders*

                “This isn’t right,” said Lancer. We shouldn’t be trying to lie to people, we should be accepting what we are given, unless it really seems doubtful.

                “Lancer’s right,” said Ace. I don’t even know why I started this. I must’ve forgotten Ms Hackney’s tape. All for abandoning this stupid practice, say I

                “I!” said Lancer and Teddy.

Lost Love

[On a sidewalk…]

                ‘Why’d she have to go?” thought Teddy. It’s not like I harmed her in any way. She just left without any explanation, except for a note that I found when I got home from school yesterday. *he flashes back* *He walks up to his door and reads the note*

                “Dear Teddy, I have left for reasons even I don’t know,” the note read. I have no idea how long I will be gone or if I’ll even come back. Don’t blame yourself, you did nothing to force me to leave.  I will say that I will miss you very much and hope to come home soon. Signed, Sweetheart. [Back outside…]

                “It would be nice if she came back,” said Teddy. I’d feel so much better and could go back to my life again. *Lancer shows up on his bike*

                “Hey Teddy, wanna come over later?” asked Lancer.

                “Uh yeah, sure,” said Teddy disappointed.

                “See ya then, Teddy,” said Lancer. *He rides away* *Ace shows up*

                “Catch you at soccer practice, tomorrow,” said Ace. *he passes by*

                “Sure, tomorrow,” said Teddy. *Ms Hackney sees Teddy*

                “What’s wrong, Teddy?” asked Hackney.

                “My girlfriend, Sweetheart, left without much notice at all and I miss her,” said Teddy.

                “Oh I’m sorry to hear that, Teddy,” said Hackney. I hope she comes back soon. See you in school on Monday.*She keeps walking*

                “Me too,” said Teddy. How can I get through school on Monday without her? I never got to say goodbye. [Later that day inside his house on his bed…] What would’ve made her leave if it wasn’t me? It just seems not like her to run off and not tell anyone where she’s going beside a note. Perhaps her friends know about it, or maybe not. I’ll just have to take my mind off it by doing something else. What else can I do though? I can’t concentrate on  a soccer game with Sweetheart missing. This day hasn’t been starting very well at all. If only I could see her once more to brighten my day. *Sweetheart comes in the door*

                “Hey Teddy, sorry I left,” said Sweetheart. I bet you were really truly worried about me.

                “I sure was,” said Teddy. Where exactly did you go?

                “I went to another part of the town, just to, get a way for a bit,” said Sweetheart. Sorry I didn’t tell you or anyone else beforehand, I was just in such a rush to leave since things weren’t going quite right for me.

                “I’m glad you’re back,” said Teddy. I couldn’t really do anything around here, I was too concentrated on wondering where you were.

                “I really truly am glad to be back, Teddy,” said Sweetheart. So want to go to the ice cream shop with me?

                “Sure,” said Teddy. [At the ice cream shop…]

                “So, where were you Sweetheart?” asked Starlight.

                “I left to clear my head,” said Sweetheart. Things hadn’t been going well lately. The entire day went wrong and nothing I did fixed it or helped me at all.

                “Oh that’s too bad,” said Starlight.

                “Yeah but I’m truly better now,” said Sweetheart. Teddy is too.

                “That reminds me, Teddy, where were you for the soccer game and my house?” asked Ace.

                “I was at home,” said Teddy. I couldn’t concentrate. I missed Sweetheart and didn’t feel like going. I was too puzzled trying to figure out where she went but now I know.

                “Well, okay,” said Ace. So, are you going to the soccer game tomorrow?

                “You bet,” said Teddy. [The next day…]

                “Go Teddy, go!” yelled Sweetheart from the bleachers. *Teddy scores the winning goal and the crowd cheers loudly*

                “I say we celebrate at the ice cream shop,” said Ace. *Everyone races over* [At the ice cream shop…]

                “That was awesome, Teddy,” said Lancer. If you hadn’t scored that last goal, we wouldn’t have won the game.

                “It was a close game,” said Melody. Congrats to your team winning, Ace.

                “Thanks, Melody,” said Ace.

                “Ice cream sundaes anyone?” asked Starlight. They’re on me today. *Everyone else cheers and Starlight hands each of them a sundae*

                “Three cheers for Teddy winning the game,” said Ace. *The other ponies cheer three times*

The Great Ponyville Discussion*

[At school…]

                “Is not!” said Melody.

                “Is so!” said Ace.

                “Is not!” said Melody.

                “Is so!” said Ace.

                “Alright, what’s this all about?” asked Hackney.

                “Ace thinks that the events of 11/9 were caused by our own government,” said Melody. I say they weren’t.

                “Why would you argue about something like that?” asked Hackney.

                “It’s driving me crazy,” said Patch.

                “Same here,” said Lancer.

                “Come on, Ace, admit you’re wrong!” said Melody.

                “Why don’t you?” asked Ace. If the events of 11/9 were caused by terrorist ponies, explain how the Siamese towers both fell in 9 seconds.

                “What?” said Melody. The towers did not fall in 9 seconds and I can show you.

                “How?” asked Ace.

                “It’s in the footage,” said Melody.

                “How do you know it wasn’t faked?” asked Ace.

                “Why would such a terrible act be faked?” asked Melody. Thousands of ponies died that day, it’s too horrible to be faked.  More importantly, thousands saw the planes hit.

                “What about the Pentagon, huh?” asked Ace. There’s no way a 757 could fit through that hole and more importantly, why is it that the footage of the “plane” hitting the Pentagon is missing frames and has the wrong date?

                “Oh come on, Ace, what else could’ve struck the Pentagon?” asked Melody. Many witnesses saw the plane fly into that building.

                “Building 7 was a clear controlled demolition, you can clearly see squibs come out from the top of the building and it fell in 9 seconds,” said Ace.

                “Are you out of your mind, Ace?” asked Bright Eyes. Building 7 fell like the towers and none of them fell by your so-called “controlled demolition”.

                “Yes they did,” said Ace. How can 3 buildings fall that quickly with no resistance? Also, Building 7 wasn’t hit by a plane.

                “Building 7 and the Siamese Towers both caught fire,” said Melody. The fire weakened the steel to the point of collapse.

                “Steel can’t melt at the temperature the fires at the Siamese Towers were burning at,” said Ace.

                “Didn’t you hear what I said, Ace?” asked Melody. I said the steel was weakened not melted.

                “The fireponies were in on it, they said “we should be able to knock it down in two lines”,” said Ace. That meant they were going to take out the building in two attempts.

                “I don’t recall a firepony ever having to be involved with knocking a building down,” said Sweetheart.

                “That’s because they weren’t, Sweetheart,” said Bright Eyes. Ace, do you even know what you’re talking about? There’s no way our own fireponies could be responsible for helping to bring down the towers or even Building 7 since it’s not part of their job.

                “Why is it that there are so few tapes showing what hit the Pentagon?” asked Lancer. The government doesn’t want to show the public that they caused it.

                “Lancer’s right,” said Ace.

                “Maybe not many of the cameras were working,” said Starlight.

                “Okay, then what about the drills that happened the day before?” asked Ace.

                “A building as large as the Pentagon needs to have drills to be prepared for attacks,” said Bright Eyes.

                “Maybe but how about Flight 47?” asked Ace. There should’ve been plane debris all over the place and there wasn’t anything except an engine. Where’d the rest of this “plane” go?

                “The plane was traveling at over 500 miles per hour, Ace,” said Melody. Furthermore, it was upside down, unlike most plane crashes. Would you really expect large amounts of debris to remain after an impact at 530 mph?

                “Alright, that’s enough,” said Hackney. As a matter of fact, on that day, I conveniently had my video camera rolling once you ponies spotted the planes. I’ll put this to an end once and for all. *she slides in the tape*

                “Wow, there really are planes hitting the buildings,” said Ace. You were right all along, Melody. I’m sorry.

                “No problem, Ace, just as long as we can all be friends again,” said Melody.

                “Deal,” said everyone else.