Get to Know Butterfly!
Hi! I'm Butterfly, one of the equine members of Pegasus Magazine's staff. I work alongside my older sister, Dragonfly, my cousin Pegasus, and our funny friend Curly!
I write the journal entries (Butterfly's Journal) that can be found on the last page of Pegasus Magazine each season! My life is filled with crazy twists and turns, and I like to share everything that happens with my readers. I think that they like to learn about what happens at Pegasus Magazine when we're not working our hooves off to finish each issue... and let me tell you, we're pretty busy!
Below you can find copies of each of my journal entries, the latest one coming first.
I write the journal entries (Butterfly's Journal) that can be found on the last page of Pegasus Magazine each season! My life is filled with crazy twists and turns, and I like to share everything that happens with my readers. I think that they like to learn about what happens at Pegasus Magazine when we're not working our hooves off to finish each issue... and let me tell you, we're pretty busy!
Below you can find copies of each of my journal entries, the latest one coming first.
Butterfly's Fact File
Name: Butterfly
Article: Butterfly's Journal
Color: White Gray
Breeds: Lipizanner
Wing Length: 4.5 ft. long
Attitude: Bubbly, perky, funny
Article: Butterfly's Journal
Color: White Gray
Breeds: Lipizanner
Wing Length: 4.5 ft. long
Attitude: Bubbly, perky, funny
Winter 2013/2014 Journal
“Thank you, thank you for coming!” Emma smiled as she stroked Curly’s sister, Penelope, on the neck. Emma opened the gate to the field to let her inside, where Dragonfly and I’s parents were waiting, along with other relatives.
“I have gifts for everyone!” She whinnied. “Where should I put them?”
“On the present tab – wait a second... do you mean real gifts, or pranks?” Emma narrowed her eyes.
I laughed and lowered my head to graze. It had been such a long time since I’d been in a field without having to worry about Dragonfly. It almost seemed boring.
Today wouldn’t be boring, of course. Emma was throwing a reunion party to celebrate the finding of Dragonfly and the end of Amelia’s tricks – or so she thought. It had been a week since I snuck out of Amelia’s property behind Firefly, and I still hadn’t told anyone about Firefly’s secret conversation with her in the blood drawing room. What had they been doing?
As for Firefly, he’d seemed normal all week. He and Curly carried on forced conversation, but everyone else got along with him easily. Even Dragonfly mentioned to me that she thought he was attractive – to which I replied, “It took you this long to figure that out?”
I wasn’t sure what I thought about him. Sure, he was a very attractive horse. I’m fairly sure he had some Arabian blood. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t wary about what he and Amelia were doing together. Why exactly did she need his blood? Why did he agree to help her, of all people?
Dragonfly, Pegasus, and I’s nephew, Wings, arrived at the party from the sky, carrying a basket in his teeth. He landed lightly before us and set the basket on the
grass. “Hey everyone! I brought carrots!”
“You look so big!” Dragonfly squealed. “Remember when we used to call you Lil’ Wings?”
Wings bit his lip sheepishly and nodded. I pulled my head up and laughed, then felt a shadow pass over me from behind.
“Hey Firefly,” I smiled without turning around. I was getting used to his unannounced appearances.
“You wanna take off? Just for a little, before the party?” He whispered in my ear. I saw Dragonfly raise the bone above her eye so it looked as if she was raising an eyebrow. I shot her a look that wiped the cheesy smile off her face.
"I'll be right back, guys,” I announced to the group. Then, I backed away and launched into an immediate canter right from walk –a fast transition worthy of Emma’s approval – and shot up into the air. Firefly, as usual, was one step ahead, but he dropped back in the sky to fly next to me.
“I needed to stretch my wings,” Firefly explained. “I can’t stand all the standing around eating.”
“Me neither,” I admitted. “But we’re horses. We’ll get used to just eating and sleeping again.”
“I don’t think I could,” He said simply. Firefly didn’t need to say anything else. I knew what he meant. After all of the danger and drama we’d been through, ordinary life felt mundane.
I shook out my mane and let it flow behind me in the wind. I glanced at Firefly out of the corner of my eye and saw that he was flying much closer to me now – so close that our wing tips were brushing with each stroke. His eyes met mine but quickly darted away, uncharacteristically shy.
“Why are you doing this?” I suddenly asked. One minute he was keeping secrets from me, the next he was letting his wings brush against mine. Was he... flirting?!
“What?” His ears pricked forward. I didn’t answer because we both knew he was playing stupid. Finally, Firefly said something. “Because this might be the last time I ever see you.”
“What are you talking about? Are you leaving?”
“Eventually.” He nickered. “You know I don’t belong here. I don’t work for Pegasus Magazine. I have to go home.”
I suddenly felt as if I was falling, but the ground was just as far away as it had been a second ago. He was leaving us? He was leaving me? I always assumed that Firefly had just been passing by and decided to help us. I never really thought that, when he’d dropped in, he’d been coming from somewhere.
I didn’t ask where his home was, because I knew he wouldn’t tell me. There were some things I knew so well about Firefly, but there would always be things I wouldn’t. Maybe we were close – but he was hiding something.
We flew in silence for a little while before I decided it was time to turn around. We were almost back at the barn when Firefly stopped me.
“You want to race?” He asked, freezing in midair. “The barn is about a half-mile away.”
“You know you’re faster than me,” I said, tossing my mane out of my face.
“No I don’t,” He snapped. “Not yet.”
“Okay, fine.” I glanced at his eyes, so dark that they almost looked black, and waited for him to start.
“5, 4, 3, 2, 1…” He counted. “Go!”
We both took off toward the barn, and I was surprised at my speed. Within seconds, Firefly wasn’t in sight. I kept flapping my wings and gliding until I saw a black feather in the corner of my vision. He was close.
I had to go faster! I pumped at my wings and laughed, grateful for the opportunity to fly at my potential. It felt so good to fly for no reason at all. I wasn’t on a rescue mission and I wasn’t on a journey. I was just going home.
I touched down in the field beside Pegasus.
"There you are!” He neighed. “The eating is about to start – I thought you’d miss it!”
“Oh, in your dreams! You can’t take my serving now,” I teased. “Or Firefly’s!”
Pegasus shook his head in confusion. “Firefly? He told me he’d be leaving before the dinner.”
“He did?” I turned around. “He’s right…” I couldn’t finish my sentence. He wasn’t right there. He was gone.
I searched the sky with my eyes for any signs of a black Pegasus, but if Firefly had been there, I would’ve seen him. My heart ached when I realized how stupid I was. I’d known it was unlike him to ask for something as playful as a race, and I’d known that he was faster than I was! Did I honestly think I was winning when the whole time, he was just flying in the opposite direction?
“Why would he do that to me?” I thought. I hadn’t realized I’d said that aloud until Pegasus’ wing folded over my back.
“It’s okay, Butterfly,” He said softly. “He was always kind of strange to begin with.”
We made our way over to where the rest of the group was. Emma had set up two long tables end-to-end, and the food that horses had brought was stacked on top, buffet style. Horses were standing in a line as if they were in a riding lesson, waiting to take the food.
“We can begin the feast now!” Pegasus announced. “The guest of honor is here!”
“The guest of honor?” I asked. “Why isn’t Dragonfly the guest of honor? She’s the one we rescued.”
“You so know that’s not true,” Curly butted in. “You were the hero of this mission. You were the one that forced us all to go find Dragonfly in the first place. You were the one who did the actual spy work, instead of being a look-out like Pegasus and I. And unlike Mr. Dark and Dangerous, you didn’t run away to get your blood drawn for the enemy!”
I wasn’t in the mood to grab any food when I reached the table, so I snatched a few flakes of hay and walked over to where my parents were grazing with Pegasus’ parents.
“Curly, how did you know about that?” I asked, shocked.
“Oh, how did you think he got that scar in the first place, Butterfly? I’m not an idiot! And then he walks out and the scar looks fresh and it’s not hard to imagine how!”
My mother looked up, but quickly went back to her eating. Out of context, our conversation must have been confusing.
“He did say that he’d gone to Amelia’s before to rescue someone…” I trailed off.
“Who?” My mom asked with a carrot in her mouth.
“Firefly,” I rolled my eyes. Something about him made me ambivalent – I was either hating his mystery or being allured by the unknown. Or both.
My mother choked on the carrot. “FIREFLY? As in, the black Pegasus with a scar in his cheek?”
“He’s the one,” Pegasus nodded.
“How did you know?” I nickered.
“The winged horse he rescued the first time – that was me. Amelia’s father took me when I was pregnant with Dragonfly.”
“No way! Plot twist!” Curly neighed with delight.
“Yes! Butterfly, you were only one or two, and so was he. He was just a colt and he was also trapped there. He escaped, and instead of leaving he saved my life. Amelia’s father caught him and did something horrible to him to leave that nasty scar. I never knew what happened to him, but I flew away before I found out. It was selfish, but I didn’t want Amelia’s father to have both me and Dragonfly in his grasp. He’s a scientist, you know, and he wanted to do experiments on us and our blood…”
“Well, they found Dragonfly again…” I muttered. “That must be how they heard of Emma’s farm in the first place. Amelia’s father must have put a tracker on you when you were there, and some of it transferred to Dragonfly when she was born.”
“Where’s Firefly?” Curly asked. “I want to talk to him!”
“He’s gone,” I answered. “He left.”
Curly stomped on the grass, as if to say Typical Firefly. He’d never really liked Firefly anyway, but he had to admit that we’d never know where he disappeared to, or where he’d come from.
“He didn’t even say goodbye,” I mused to myself, quietly. I didn’t know that he had, just in his own way.
That was before I went back to my stall that night, realizing that I’d miss him, only to find a single black feather, long and shining, that I knew he’d placed there for me.
That was before I kept that feather in my manger, tucked into the wood so that no one ever found it. That was before I went on with my life, never able to forget the dark horse and my time with him that began to seem so long ago and far away that I thought it was a dream.
That was the last time I ever saw Firefly.
We never saw him again.
“I have gifts for everyone!” She whinnied. “Where should I put them?”
“On the present tab – wait a second... do you mean real gifts, or pranks?” Emma narrowed her eyes.
I laughed and lowered my head to graze. It had been such a long time since I’d been in a field without having to worry about Dragonfly. It almost seemed boring.
Today wouldn’t be boring, of course. Emma was throwing a reunion party to celebrate the finding of Dragonfly and the end of Amelia’s tricks – or so she thought. It had been a week since I snuck out of Amelia’s property behind Firefly, and I still hadn’t told anyone about Firefly’s secret conversation with her in the blood drawing room. What had they been doing?
As for Firefly, he’d seemed normal all week. He and Curly carried on forced conversation, but everyone else got along with him easily. Even Dragonfly mentioned to me that she thought he was attractive – to which I replied, “It took you this long to figure that out?”
I wasn’t sure what I thought about him. Sure, he was a very attractive horse. I’m fairly sure he had some Arabian blood. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t wary about what he and Amelia were doing together. Why exactly did she need his blood? Why did he agree to help her, of all people?
Dragonfly, Pegasus, and I’s nephew, Wings, arrived at the party from the sky, carrying a basket in his teeth. He landed lightly before us and set the basket on the
grass. “Hey everyone! I brought carrots!”
“You look so big!” Dragonfly squealed. “Remember when we used to call you Lil’ Wings?”
Wings bit his lip sheepishly and nodded. I pulled my head up and laughed, then felt a shadow pass over me from behind.
“Hey Firefly,” I smiled without turning around. I was getting used to his unannounced appearances.
“You wanna take off? Just for a little, before the party?” He whispered in my ear. I saw Dragonfly raise the bone above her eye so it looked as if she was raising an eyebrow. I shot her a look that wiped the cheesy smile off her face.
"I'll be right back, guys,” I announced to the group. Then, I backed away and launched into an immediate canter right from walk –a fast transition worthy of Emma’s approval – and shot up into the air. Firefly, as usual, was one step ahead, but he dropped back in the sky to fly next to me.
“I needed to stretch my wings,” Firefly explained. “I can’t stand all the standing around eating.”
“Me neither,” I admitted. “But we’re horses. We’ll get used to just eating and sleeping again.”
“I don’t think I could,” He said simply. Firefly didn’t need to say anything else. I knew what he meant. After all of the danger and drama we’d been through, ordinary life felt mundane.
I shook out my mane and let it flow behind me in the wind. I glanced at Firefly out of the corner of my eye and saw that he was flying much closer to me now – so close that our wing tips were brushing with each stroke. His eyes met mine but quickly darted away, uncharacteristically shy.
“Why are you doing this?” I suddenly asked. One minute he was keeping secrets from me, the next he was letting his wings brush against mine. Was he... flirting?!
“What?” His ears pricked forward. I didn’t answer because we both knew he was playing stupid. Finally, Firefly said something. “Because this might be the last time I ever see you.”
“What are you talking about? Are you leaving?”
“Eventually.” He nickered. “You know I don’t belong here. I don’t work for Pegasus Magazine. I have to go home.”
I suddenly felt as if I was falling, but the ground was just as far away as it had been a second ago. He was leaving us? He was leaving me? I always assumed that Firefly had just been passing by and decided to help us. I never really thought that, when he’d dropped in, he’d been coming from somewhere.
I didn’t ask where his home was, because I knew he wouldn’t tell me. There were some things I knew so well about Firefly, but there would always be things I wouldn’t. Maybe we were close – but he was hiding something.
We flew in silence for a little while before I decided it was time to turn around. We were almost back at the barn when Firefly stopped me.
“You want to race?” He asked, freezing in midair. “The barn is about a half-mile away.”
“You know you’re faster than me,” I said, tossing my mane out of my face.
“No I don’t,” He snapped. “Not yet.”
“Okay, fine.” I glanced at his eyes, so dark that they almost looked black, and waited for him to start.
“5, 4, 3, 2, 1…” He counted. “Go!”
We both took off toward the barn, and I was surprised at my speed. Within seconds, Firefly wasn’t in sight. I kept flapping my wings and gliding until I saw a black feather in the corner of my vision. He was close.
I had to go faster! I pumped at my wings and laughed, grateful for the opportunity to fly at my potential. It felt so good to fly for no reason at all. I wasn’t on a rescue mission and I wasn’t on a journey. I was just going home.
I touched down in the field beside Pegasus.
"There you are!” He neighed. “The eating is about to start – I thought you’d miss it!”
“Oh, in your dreams! You can’t take my serving now,” I teased. “Or Firefly’s!”
Pegasus shook his head in confusion. “Firefly? He told me he’d be leaving before the dinner.”
“He did?” I turned around. “He’s right…” I couldn’t finish my sentence. He wasn’t right there. He was gone.
I searched the sky with my eyes for any signs of a black Pegasus, but if Firefly had been there, I would’ve seen him. My heart ached when I realized how stupid I was. I’d known it was unlike him to ask for something as playful as a race, and I’d known that he was faster than I was! Did I honestly think I was winning when the whole time, he was just flying in the opposite direction?
“Why would he do that to me?” I thought. I hadn’t realized I’d said that aloud until Pegasus’ wing folded over my back.
“It’s okay, Butterfly,” He said softly. “He was always kind of strange to begin with.”
We made our way over to where the rest of the group was. Emma had set up two long tables end-to-end, and the food that horses had brought was stacked on top, buffet style. Horses were standing in a line as if they were in a riding lesson, waiting to take the food.
“We can begin the feast now!” Pegasus announced. “The guest of honor is here!”
“The guest of honor?” I asked. “Why isn’t Dragonfly the guest of honor? She’s the one we rescued.”
“You so know that’s not true,” Curly butted in. “You were the hero of this mission. You were the one that forced us all to go find Dragonfly in the first place. You were the one who did the actual spy work, instead of being a look-out like Pegasus and I. And unlike Mr. Dark and Dangerous, you didn’t run away to get your blood drawn for the enemy!”
I wasn’t in the mood to grab any food when I reached the table, so I snatched a few flakes of hay and walked over to where my parents were grazing with Pegasus’ parents.
“Curly, how did you know about that?” I asked, shocked.
“Oh, how did you think he got that scar in the first place, Butterfly? I’m not an idiot! And then he walks out and the scar looks fresh and it’s not hard to imagine how!”
My mother looked up, but quickly went back to her eating. Out of context, our conversation must have been confusing.
“He did say that he’d gone to Amelia’s before to rescue someone…” I trailed off.
“Who?” My mom asked with a carrot in her mouth.
“Firefly,” I rolled my eyes. Something about him made me ambivalent – I was either hating his mystery or being allured by the unknown. Or both.
My mother choked on the carrot. “FIREFLY? As in, the black Pegasus with a scar in his cheek?”
“He’s the one,” Pegasus nodded.
“How did you know?” I nickered.
“The winged horse he rescued the first time – that was me. Amelia’s father took me when I was pregnant with Dragonfly.”
“No way! Plot twist!” Curly neighed with delight.
“Yes! Butterfly, you were only one or two, and so was he. He was just a colt and he was also trapped there. He escaped, and instead of leaving he saved my life. Amelia’s father caught him and did something horrible to him to leave that nasty scar. I never knew what happened to him, but I flew away before I found out. It was selfish, but I didn’t want Amelia’s father to have both me and Dragonfly in his grasp. He’s a scientist, you know, and he wanted to do experiments on us and our blood…”
“Well, they found Dragonfly again…” I muttered. “That must be how they heard of Emma’s farm in the first place. Amelia’s father must have put a tracker on you when you were there, and some of it transferred to Dragonfly when she was born.”
“Where’s Firefly?” Curly asked. “I want to talk to him!”
“He’s gone,” I answered. “He left.”
Curly stomped on the grass, as if to say Typical Firefly. He’d never really liked Firefly anyway, but he had to admit that we’d never know where he disappeared to, or where he’d come from.
“He didn’t even say goodbye,” I mused to myself, quietly. I didn’t know that he had, just in his own way.
That was before I went back to my stall that night, realizing that I’d miss him, only to find a single black feather, long and shining, that I knew he’d placed there for me.
That was before I kept that feather in my manger, tucked into the wood so that no one ever found it. That was before I went on with my life, never able to forget the dark horse and my time with him that began to seem so long ago and far away that I thought it was a dream.
That was the last time I ever saw Firefly.
We never saw him again.
Autumn 2013 Journal
“First of all – ew! And second – eek!” I wasn’t sure whether to cringe or shriek. Why in the world would Amelia be keeping different types of blood... and why was the amount in the last tank – the one labeled “Pegasus” – slowly rising?
“I bet that’s Firefly’s blood!” Curly gasped. “Where is that coming from? Where is he?”
“Who knows...” Dragonfly mumbled.
“Serves him right for leaving you alone like that,” Curly scoffed. I ignored him. How many times would Firefly have to risk his life for us before Curly finally trusted him?
I stepped closer to the blood tanks. Each one was being fed by a tube at the bottom, covered in coiled black electrical tape so that you couldn’t see the color of the blood. I glanced back up at the Pegasus container and watched blood, so light it was almost pink, still flowing in gradually. “Let’s follow the tubes,” I told the other two before beginning to walk next to the black tubes where they led around a corner.
The corner was so small that I had to fold my wings into paper footballs on my shoulder blades. Whoever said that you couldn’t fold something more than seven times has never met a winged horse on a mission – although, frankly, not many people have.
Curly shuffled his way through and we waited for Dragonfly to squeeze. She got her head through fine, but touched the walls. “I can’t do this,” She finally uttered, out of breath. “My wings are still too sore.”
“You stay back, then,” Curly ordered. “I’ll stay with you just in case Amelia comes back. Butterfly – you need to do the rest of this mission on your own.”
I swallowed. I hated being alone – but they were right. Dragonfly couldn’t risk being put in danger again. “Good idea. You two – sneak out and find a way home. I will meet you back when I find Firefly.”
“See you soon?” Dragonfly whispered.
“See you soon.” I nodded and smiled shakily, the whiskers on my muzzle quivering a little. “Good luck.”
I watched them as they left the center building and snuck away. When Dragonfly and Curly were out of sight, I brought my eyes back to the tube and continued down its wavy path. The tube snaked under a door through an opening that was reminiscent of a mouse hole from Tom And Jerry. I’d never fit. The door was closed.
I’d have to be an idiot to think that the door was unlocked, but I gave it a shot anyway, twisting the knob between my teeth. It didn’t budge, but with my ears so close to the wood I realized I could hear mumbling from the inside. Interested, I leaned into the door, pressing one of my ears to the surface, and focused on the sounds.
“Almost done, now,” A young voice said sweetly.
“I’m glad I could help,” A deeper, more masculine voice bellowed. I immediately recognized it as Firefly.
“Sure. Just remember – this is between you and me, okay?” A small laugh sounded.
There was a short chorus of mechanical beeps and then a small click. “You’re done,” The little girl said. I heard footsteps and suddenly realized what was happening – just a little too late.
Firefly was drawing blood for Amelia, and they were done. They were coming to open the door, and they would see me. But worse – Firefly had made some sort of deal with the enemy – and in doing so, put the rest of us in danger. Maybe Curly was right with his wariness of Firefly...
I didn’t have time to squeeze back out of the building, and before I had time to devise a decent escape plan, the door swung open. Just as I’d thought, Firefly walked out alone, leaving Amelia inside. I barely had time to think about what I was going to say before I went right out and said it.
“What were you THINKING?!” I screamed when he turned the corner, jumping when he saw me.
I’d never seen Firefly off-guard before – and I probably never will. Suave and stolid, he kept walking right past me. “None of your business,” He snorted. “I’ll meet you back at the house.”
“Wait! Hold up! I had to convince Curly to wait here and look for you and this is how you say thank-you?” I wailed, but he ignored me. As he walked away, I noticed that his scar was even more vibrant than usual, and a minute trail of light blood snaked down his cheekbone.
“I bet that’s Firefly’s blood!” Curly gasped. “Where is that coming from? Where is he?”
“Who knows...” Dragonfly mumbled.
“Serves him right for leaving you alone like that,” Curly scoffed. I ignored him. How many times would Firefly have to risk his life for us before Curly finally trusted him?
I stepped closer to the blood tanks. Each one was being fed by a tube at the bottom, covered in coiled black electrical tape so that you couldn’t see the color of the blood. I glanced back up at the Pegasus container and watched blood, so light it was almost pink, still flowing in gradually. “Let’s follow the tubes,” I told the other two before beginning to walk next to the black tubes where they led around a corner.
The corner was so small that I had to fold my wings into paper footballs on my shoulder blades. Whoever said that you couldn’t fold something more than seven times has never met a winged horse on a mission – although, frankly, not many people have.
Curly shuffled his way through and we waited for Dragonfly to squeeze. She got her head through fine, but touched the walls. “I can’t do this,” She finally uttered, out of breath. “My wings are still too sore.”
“You stay back, then,” Curly ordered. “I’ll stay with you just in case Amelia comes back. Butterfly – you need to do the rest of this mission on your own.”
I swallowed. I hated being alone – but they were right. Dragonfly couldn’t risk being put in danger again. “Good idea. You two – sneak out and find a way home. I will meet you back when I find Firefly.”
“See you soon?” Dragonfly whispered.
“See you soon.” I nodded and smiled shakily, the whiskers on my muzzle quivering a little. “Good luck.”
I watched them as they left the center building and snuck away. When Dragonfly and Curly were out of sight, I brought my eyes back to the tube and continued down its wavy path. The tube snaked under a door through an opening that was reminiscent of a mouse hole from Tom And Jerry. I’d never fit. The door was closed.
I’d have to be an idiot to think that the door was unlocked, but I gave it a shot anyway, twisting the knob between my teeth. It didn’t budge, but with my ears so close to the wood I realized I could hear mumbling from the inside. Interested, I leaned into the door, pressing one of my ears to the surface, and focused on the sounds.
“Almost done, now,” A young voice said sweetly.
“I’m glad I could help,” A deeper, more masculine voice bellowed. I immediately recognized it as Firefly.
“Sure. Just remember – this is between you and me, okay?” A small laugh sounded.
There was a short chorus of mechanical beeps and then a small click. “You’re done,” The little girl said. I heard footsteps and suddenly realized what was happening – just a little too late.
Firefly was drawing blood for Amelia, and they were done. They were coming to open the door, and they would see me. But worse – Firefly had made some sort of deal with the enemy – and in doing so, put the rest of us in danger. Maybe Curly was right with his wariness of Firefly...
I didn’t have time to squeeze back out of the building, and before I had time to devise a decent escape plan, the door swung open. Just as I’d thought, Firefly walked out alone, leaving Amelia inside. I barely had time to think about what I was going to say before I went right out and said it.
“What were you THINKING?!” I screamed when he turned the corner, jumping when he saw me.
I’d never seen Firefly off-guard before – and I probably never will. Suave and stolid, he kept walking right past me. “None of your business,” He snorted. “I’ll meet you back at the house.”
“Wait! Hold up! I had to convince Curly to wait here and look for you and this is how you say thank-you?” I wailed, but he ignored me. As he walked away, I noticed that his scar was even more vibrant than usual, and a minute trail of light blood snaked down his cheekbone.
Summer 2013 Journal
“We can’t go,” I squealed. “Not without Firefly. He’s helped us too much for us to leave him in the dust like this. He’s the only reason we found Dragonfly.”
“So now what do we do?” Dragonfly asked. She didn’t know who Firefly was, so it was nice of her to go along with the plan.
“I have an idea,” Curly’s ears pricked forward. “Let’s pull a Trojan horse on them.”
“We do not have time to...” I started.
“Just listen!” Curly asked. “Emma has an empty trailer at home. If she drives over and tells Amelia that we are all inside, Amelia will open the gates to let the trailer into the property. We can sneak in. We will all look for Firefly while Amelia is distracted and escape before she realizes the trailer is empty.”
“Brilliant!” Dragonfly whinnied.
“Pegasus and I will go back and tell her about the plan,” Curly decided. “You too, escape while you can and wait for us here. Make up a plan to look for Firefly.”
We didn’t waste any time. The three of us followed Curly to a gap he’d made in the fence where one of the iron spokes was missing. After all of us jumped through the gap, Curly disappeared through the bushes, emerging with an iron bar in his mouth, and set the bar back on the fence. “There. Good as new,” He snorted.
I could finally breathe. We were safe, if only for a short period of time. It seemed like a bad idea to leave the property, just so we could go back in, but the place was giving me the creeps. I was getting kind of angry with Firefly for disappearing.
A couple hours later, a familiar trailer rolled past Dragonfly and I on the road, Emma sitting in the front with shades covering her eyes. “Ready?” I asked Dragonfly. “I think it’s time we go back in and start the hunt.”
“It will be hard, since I can’t fly,” Dragonfly reminded me. “But I will try.”
“The Trojan horse has entered the property.” Curly’s voice announced somewhere behind us, in code. “All systems go.”
We crept up behind the trailer, just as a deep electronic voice operating the gate asked, “Who is this?”
“It’s Emma... tell Amelia I have...” She sniffed for dramatic effect, always the actress. “Some, uh, things for her.”
“I’ve been told you may enter.” The gates slid open. Stealthily, more like predatory cats than domesticated winged horses, Dragonfly and I followed the trailer inside. It continued down the road, but we forked off into the maze of domed enclosures to look for Firefly.
The search seemed impossible. “What if we can’t find him?!” I blurted, remembering how hard it was to find Dragonfly.
“Don’t be negative. Just look around,” She put her muzzle to the floor and sniffed around. I did the same, but a horse isn’t a dog. All I smelled was grass (a very good smell) and blood (a very bad smell).
“Why does this all smell like blood?” I asked Dragonfly. I wrinkled my nostrils.
“I don’t know, but you get used to it,” She answered passively. “It’s stronger toward that big dome in the middle.”
I had a sudden idea. “That dome. The blood. There’s more than security in the main building. We have to go.”
I started cantering. Dragonfly trailed behind, cautious. I knew I was putting her in danger. When we a arrived at the dome, I could smell the blood even stronger. Ominously, one of the dome’s side doors was ajar. This was all too easy. I stuck my muzzle inside and the metallic scent intensified. I saw a row of large, clear tubes along a dark wall, each labeled with a strip of white tape, a description written in Sharpie. The first, the most plentiful: “Human blood, A-“. The second: “Horse blood, O-“. The third: “Unicorn blood. B+”. The fourth, nearly empty: “Pegasus blood, O+.” the tubes were filled with red liquid. And they were still, motionless, all but the last one.
In the last tube, the liquid level was rising.
“So now what do we do?” Dragonfly asked. She didn’t know who Firefly was, so it was nice of her to go along with the plan.
“I have an idea,” Curly’s ears pricked forward. “Let’s pull a Trojan horse on them.”
“We do not have time to...” I started.
“Just listen!” Curly asked. “Emma has an empty trailer at home. If she drives over and tells Amelia that we are all inside, Amelia will open the gates to let the trailer into the property. We can sneak in. We will all look for Firefly while Amelia is distracted and escape before she realizes the trailer is empty.”
“Brilliant!” Dragonfly whinnied.
“Pegasus and I will go back and tell her about the plan,” Curly decided. “You too, escape while you can and wait for us here. Make up a plan to look for Firefly.”
We didn’t waste any time. The three of us followed Curly to a gap he’d made in the fence where one of the iron spokes was missing. After all of us jumped through the gap, Curly disappeared through the bushes, emerging with an iron bar in his mouth, and set the bar back on the fence. “There. Good as new,” He snorted.
I could finally breathe. We were safe, if only for a short period of time. It seemed like a bad idea to leave the property, just so we could go back in, but the place was giving me the creeps. I was getting kind of angry with Firefly for disappearing.
A couple hours later, a familiar trailer rolled past Dragonfly and I on the road, Emma sitting in the front with shades covering her eyes. “Ready?” I asked Dragonfly. “I think it’s time we go back in and start the hunt.”
“It will be hard, since I can’t fly,” Dragonfly reminded me. “But I will try.”
“The Trojan horse has entered the property.” Curly’s voice announced somewhere behind us, in code. “All systems go.”
We crept up behind the trailer, just as a deep electronic voice operating the gate asked, “Who is this?”
“It’s Emma... tell Amelia I have...” She sniffed for dramatic effect, always the actress. “Some, uh, things for her.”
“I’ve been told you may enter.” The gates slid open. Stealthily, more like predatory cats than domesticated winged horses, Dragonfly and I followed the trailer inside. It continued down the road, but we forked off into the maze of domed enclosures to look for Firefly.
The search seemed impossible. “What if we can’t find him?!” I blurted, remembering how hard it was to find Dragonfly.
“Don’t be negative. Just look around,” She put her muzzle to the floor and sniffed around. I did the same, but a horse isn’t a dog. All I smelled was grass (a very good smell) and blood (a very bad smell).
“Why does this all smell like blood?” I asked Dragonfly. I wrinkled my nostrils.
“I don’t know, but you get used to it,” She answered passively. “It’s stronger toward that big dome in the middle.”
I had a sudden idea. “That dome. The blood. There’s more than security in the main building. We have to go.”
I started cantering. Dragonfly trailed behind, cautious. I knew I was putting her in danger. When we a arrived at the dome, I could smell the blood even stronger. Ominously, one of the dome’s side doors was ajar. This was all too easy. I stuck my muzzle inside and the metallic scent intensified. I saw a row of large, clear tubes along a dark wall, each labeled with a strip of white tape, a description written in Sharpie. The first, the most plentiful: “Human blood, A-“. The second: “Horse blood, O-“. The third: “Unicorn blood. B+”. The fourth, nearly empty: “Pegasus blood, O+.” the tubes were filled with red liquid. And they were still, motionless, all but the last one.
In the last tube, the liquid level was rising.
Spring 2013 Journal
“Dragonfly?!” I squealed, my ears propped up with glee. “Is it really you?”
“Butterfly!” She reached her head upwards to touch my nuzzle with hers. I didn’t know it was possible for eyes so dark to look so bright.
“Let’s get you out of there,” I murmured. “I thought you would be in one of those cages.”
“I was, but Amelia moved me a couple days ago. She was expecting Emma and you all to come rescue me, and didn’t want me sending any covert letters with instructions,” Dragonfly explained hurriedly. “I have no idea how you got me out of here, but thank goodness you did. My wings are cramped.”
“It was kind of just luck that I found the key...” I stopped. “We’ll talk about it later. It’s just me and Firefly here to save you and Amelia is hot on our trail, so we’ve got to move fast.”
“Who’s Firefly?” Dragonfly asked. “And where’s Amelia?”
“Firefly is a new friend of ours. And Amelia... is lying on the floor. I might have knocked her out.”
Dragonfly gasped, but I didn’t have time to elaborate. “Come on, what are you waiting for?”
“Um, I don’t know. My wings won’t move.” She squinted in effort, but her wings were stiff.
I leaned in closer and examined her wings. I was immediately saddened to see Dragonfly’s once-perfect chestnut feathers torn and bleeding. “Amelia must have clipped your wings. They’re destroyed.”
We stood there in silence for a moment. There seemed to be no way of escape. Dragonfly couldn’t leave the hole she was in, and even if I managed to pull her out, she wouldn’t be able to escape the room through the ceiling the way I’d come in. It was times like these where I wished Firefly was there – he always knew what to do, or if he didn’t, he’d make something up. Firefly was the kind of horse that was always, always in control, or at least acting as if he was. I puffed up my chest and shook out my mane, trying to clear my head. If I was Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome, what would I do?
I didn’t have time to come up with an answer. Before I could ask Dragonfly how she’d even gotten in the hole, a loud crash caught my attention. Before I knew what was happening, I saw the metal door to the room lying on the floor, the hinges snapped. On the other side, laughing almost mischievously, was Curly.
“Curly?!” I’d had enough surprise appearances for one day. “How did you...”
“Just a little trick Pegasus and I came up with!” He snorted in enjoyment, then noticed Dragonfly’s head peeking out of the floor. He jumped. “Dragonfly!!!”
“I’m stuck! My wings don’t work!” Dragonfly called.
“Well, if there is one thing I can do, it is help a horse who cannot fly, being one myself,” Curly smiled. He’d finally gotten over the fact that he didn’t have wings like the rest of the Pegasus Crew, and was ready to use it to his advantage. He grabbed a thick electrical cord from the wall and put one end in his mouth. Dragonfly took the other end, and he pulled her out. I just stood there, praying they wouldn’t get electrocuted. When Dragonfly was free, the three of us trotted through the now-open door and stopped.
“Do you want me to take you to Pegasus? Then we can go,” Curly asked. “Mission accomplished.”
“But what about Firefly?” I asked. “He disappeared a while ago and he could be anywhere.”
Curly sighed. “We have Dragonfly back. We can’t risk staying here any longer because that puts all of us in jeopardy. Let’s just go. Firefly’s a tough guy. He can save himself.” He started moving, but I was frozen in place. Dragonfly was the one with the wounded wings, but I was torn.
“Butterfly!” She reached her head upwards to touch my nuzzle with hers. I didn’t know it was possible for eyes so dark to look so bright.
“Let’s get you out of there,” I murmured. “I thought you would be in one of those cages.”
“I was, but Amelia moved me a couple days ago. She was expecting Emma and you all to come rescue me, and didn’t want me sending any covert letters with instructions,” Dragonfly explained hurriedly. “I have no idea how you got me out of here, but thank goodness you did. My wings are cramped.”
“It was kind of just luck that I found the key...” I stopped. “We’ll talk about it later. It’s just me and Firefly here to save you and Amelia is hot on our trail, so we’ve got to move fast.”
“Who’s Firefly?” Dragonfly asked. “And where’s Amelia?”
“Firefly is a new friend of ours. And Amelia... is lying on the floor. I might have knocked her out.”
Dragonfly gasped, but I didn’t have time to elaborate. “Come on, what are you waiting for?”
“Um, I don’t know. My wings won’t move.” She squinted in effort, but her wings were stiff.
I leaned in closer and examined her wings. I was immediately saddened to see Dragonfly’s once-perfect chestnut feathers torn and bleeding. “Amelia must have clipped your wings. They’re destroyed.”
We stood there in silence for a moment. There seemed to be no way of escape. Dragonfly couldn’t leave the hole she was in, and even if I managed to pull her out, she wouldn’t be able to escape the room through the ceiling the way I’d come in. It was times like these where I wished Firefly was there – he always knew what to do, or if he didn’t, he’d make something up. Firefly was the kind of horse that was always, always in control, or at least acting as if he was. I puffed up my chest and shook out my mane, trying to clear my head. If I was Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome, what would I do?
I didn’t have time to come up with an answer. Before I could ask Dragonfly how she’d even gotten in the hole, a loud crash caught my attention. Before I knew what was happening, I saw the metal door to the room lying on the floor, the hinges snapped. On the other side, laughing almost mischievously, was Curly.
“Curly?!” I’d had enough surprise appearances for one day. “How did you...”
“Just a little trick Pegasus and I came up with!” He snorted in enjoyment, then noticed Dragonfly’s head peeking out of the floor. He jumped. “Dragonfly!!!”
“I’m stuck! My wings don’t work!” Dragonfly called.
“Well, if there is one thing I can do, it is help a horse who cannot fly, being one myself,” Curly smiled. He’d finally gotten over the fact that he didn’t have wings like the rest of the Pegasus Crew, and was ready to use it to his advantage. He grabbed a thick electrical cord from the wall and put one end in his mouth. Dragonfly took the other end, and he pulled her out. I just stood there, praying they wouldn’t get electrocuted. When Dragonfly was free, the three of us trotted through the now-open door and stopped.
“Do you want me to take you to Pegasus? Then we can go,” Curly asked. “Mission accomplished.”
“But what about Firefly?” I asked. “He disappeared a while ago and he could be anywhere.”
Curly sighed. “We have Dragonfly back. We can’t risk staying here any longer because that puts all of us in jeopardy. Let’s just go. Firefly’s a tough guy. He can save himself.” He started moving, but I was frozen in place. Dragonfly was the one with the wounded wings, but I was torn.
Winter 2012/2013 Journal
Firefly led me past aisles and aisles of golf-ball shaped domes. I kept my eyes on the ground, trying not to look at them. I knew that if I looked up, it would only make me feel worse. I knew it was important that we rescue Dragonfly, but there were so many other horses that looked like they were in trouble, and I wasn’t as strong as Firefly. With just one look at their dewy, hopeless eyes, I knew I would start crying... or worse.
It was with my head on the ground that I noticed something with dull shine beneath my hooves. “Firefly, stop!” I whispered. “I found
something!”
I felt his dark shadow hand over me as I dug at the soil with my hoof until a small key was unearthed. It was gold in color but not very shiny. It seemed like something Firefly would be very interested in. I looked up to see his expression, but instead of seeing his dark face, I saw the face of someone else. The shadow that I’d felt – it wasn’t him. Firefly was gone.
“Amelia?” My eyes widened in total fear.
There she was in her evil glory: a head full of out-of-control kinky red curls and a face full of freckles. She was only around 10 years old, but she scared me more than Pegasus on Halloween.“What have you got there?” She asked in an utterly horrible whine.
I covered the key subtly with me hoof.“Have where?” Frantically, I used my 280 degree vision to look for Firefly. He wasn’t in sight (unless he was in one of my blind spots, but I seriously doubted he was hiding between my legs or under my neck at a time like this). Where could he have gone in such little time? I felt like two seconds ago he’d been at my side.
I felt like panicking, but I had to keep my cool. Amelia was right here, right now. She could probably capture me and stick me in a dome just like Dragonfly. I’d have no hope of escape.
If Amelia had noticed the key, she didn’t say anything. “My motion sensors, silly. You knocked them off of the gate.”
I pawed at the ground with my hoof, trying to lodge the key in it. I had a feeling that it would come in handy, and I had no pockets or hands so a hoof would have to do.
“You went right along with the plan. I expected you’d come here. You see, I never really wanted Dragonfly. I have plenty of winged horses here that I could use instead of her... no, I just wanted her as bait. I want you.”
“Me?” I couldn’t help but cringe.
“And Pegasus and Curly too.”
“What about F...” I stopped myself. She didn’t know about Firefly. Of course she didn’t... he’d come to us after Dragonfly had left.
“Why do you want us?”
“Well, it’s not that I want you, it’s that I don’t want Emma to have you. With you four in her power, she’s producing magazines by the minute. In a few years, Pegasus Magazine might just be a huge, mass produced publication. Emma would be making money like a horse makes poop! I couldn’t have that, could I? Especially not when I could have all of that fame and fortune for myself.”
“You’re only ten. What would you do with money?” I asked, honestly wondering. If Amelia was ten years older, 100 pounds heavier, and had a voice an octave deeper, I would have taken to the air right there and then in fear. But she was just a little girl with a high squeaky voice, standing there and delivering a malicious monologue about her evil plans for the future. Badly-thought-out plans, but still plans.
Amelia didn’t answer me.“Without her horse crew, Emma couldn’t make Pegasus magazine successful. And with you four in my hands, I could start producing my own magazine! It would be more popular than Pegasus Magazine and I’d be a millionaire!”
“You can’t write a magazine like Emma does. You haven’t even had middle school language art yet.”
“I don’t need to take any classes. With all of the money I’ll be earning and my father’s connections, we can hire all of the writers we need. We can have photographers and journalists and a cartoonist...” She sighed. “It’ll be amazing. And that’s not all. I even interlaced you into my little plan.”
“And what would you want me to do?” I swore that if Amelia ever asked me to write a journal entry for her, it would just be a bunch of insults using the worst words I could think of.
“Imagine this: Butterfly magazine. Not Pegasus, not Curly, not Dragonfly. It can be all you. Now do you want to help me out?”
“Never. Ever. Not in a million years.”
“But Pegasus doesn’t do anything. You’re the one that does all of the hard work. Wouldn’t it be nice to get some credit for once?” She batted her little pretty eye lashes.
That was the moment when I stopped being scared and I got angry. “Pegasus is my friend, my cousin, and one of the best horses I know! And you... you’re just a spoiled little brat!”Before I knew what was happening, I had two hooves in the air and one of them was headed directly for Amelia’s chest. I kicked her hard out of the way and didn’t watch her fall to the ground. I rose into the air, my wings buzzing and feeling stiff. I didn’t know what had gotten into me. I never hurt people on purpose. I was mortified with myself.
It was too late to go back now, though. I had to find Firefly, wherever he went, and get Dragonfly out this disgusting place. With a golden key lodged in my hoof and a fire in my heart, I took to the sky.
I spent what seemed like forever circling the area, searching for Dragonfly-looking shapes in each of the golf balls. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I’d checked in every cage twice when I gave up. Obviously, Amelia had a special hiding place for her. I just had to find it.
I was scanning the ground for black winged horses when I realized that the motion sensors had been a trap. Amelia had known we were coming and was ready. I needed to watch my back.
I directed my eyes back to the ground. It just looked like miles and miles of cages, with one giant cage in the center. I didn’t know what else to do, so I plummeted down and landed on the roof of the large golf ball.
There, I found a skylight in the ceiling and looked down. There appeared to be screens showing all of the horse exhibits and a few showing other areas on the farm. There were video feeds coming in from all over the property – meaning there were cameras everywhere. I couldn’t be too careful.
Another skylight provided a view of a wooden, circular room with a hole in the ground. It was a giant hole, big enough that a horse could fit through easily. It was then when I got worried. What could Amelia possibly be keeping down there?
It was the one area that I hadn’t yet checked for Dragonfly. If she wasn’t in any of the cages, was it possible she was down there? Underground? I had to try.
I chewed through the wood around the glass and opened the skylight. I slowly descended from the ceiling and landed in the center of the room, fully aware that somewhere in this odd place someone could possibly be seeing me on a screen. I was beyond being safe now. I had to take risks. I was running out of options.
I raised my hoof to step forward when I heard a loud clink. The key had fallen out of my hoof and was sliding across the floor. As it tumbled closer and closer to the hole, I held my breath. I was worried that I would lose the only clue I had, but it kept going and slid right to the giant hole in the center of the floor. I gasped.
Then, a very strange thing happened. It didn’t fall. It seemed to levitate, right there in the middle of the hole. I thought it was magically floating, but upon further inspection I realized the key was sitting on an invisible cover. The hole was closed up. I couldn’t get in. Unless...
I felt around the edge of the hole with my muzzle until I found a tiny indent. There was a little gap in the invisible covering. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it. When I picked up the key with my mouth and placed it in the little groove, it fit perfectly. I heard a buzzing noise and a second later there, in the place where the hole had been, was a familiar bay face with a white stripe down the nose.
It was with my head on the ground that I noticed something with dull shine beneath my hooves. “Firefly, stop!” I whispered. “I found
something!”
I felt his dark shadow hand over me as I dug at the soil with my hoof until a small key was unearthed. It was gold in color but not very shiny. It seemed like something Firefly would be very interested in. I looked up to see his expression, but instead of seeing his dark face, I saw the face of someone else. The shadow that I’d felt – it wasn’t him. Firefly was gone.
“Amelia?” My eyes widened in total fear.
There she was in her evil glory: a head full of out-of-control kinky red curls and a face full of freckles. She was only around 10 years old, but she scared me more than Pegasus on Halloween.“What have you got there?” She asked in an utterly horrible whine.
I covered the key subtly with me hoof.“Have where?” Frantically, I used my 280 degree vision to look for Firefly. He wasn’t in sight (unless he was in one of my blind spots, but I seriously doubted he was hiding between my legs or under my neck at a time like this). Where could he have gone in such little time? I felt like two seconds ago he’d been at my side.
I felt like panicking, but I had to keep my cool. Amelia was right here, right now. She could probably capture me and stick me in a dome just like Dragonfly. I’d have no hope of escape.
If Amelia had noticed the key, she didn’t say anything. “My motion sensors, silly. You knocked them off of the gate.”
I pawed at the ground with my hoof, trying to lodge the key in it. I had a feeling that it would come in handy, and I had no pockets or hands so a hoof would have to do.
“You went right along with the plan. I expected you’d come here. You see, I never really wanted Dragonfly. I have plenty of winged horses here that I could use instead of her... no, I just wanted her as bait. I want you.”
“Me?” I couldn’t help but cringe.
“And Pegasus and Curly too.”
“What about F...” I stopped myself. She didn’t know about Firefly. Of course she didn’t... he’d come to us after Dragonfly had left.
“Why do you want us?”
“Well, it’s not that I want you, it’s that I don’t want Emma to have you. With you four in her power, she’s producing magazines by the minute. In a few years, Pegasus Magazine might just be a huge, mass produced publication. Emma would be making money like a horse makes poop! I couldn’t have that, could I? Especially not when I could have all of that fame and fortune for myself.”
“You’re only ten. What would you do with money?” I asked, honestly wondering. If Amelia was ten years older, 100 pounds heavier, and had a voice an octave deeper, I would have taken to the air right there and then in fear. But she was just a little girl with a high squeaky voice, standing there and delivering a malicious monologue about her evil plans for the future. Badly-thought-out plans, but still plans.
Amelia didn’t answer me.“Without her horse crew, Emma couldn’t make Pegasus magazine successful. And with you four in my hands, I could start producing my own magazine! It would be more popular than Pegasus Magazine and I’d be a millionaire!”
“You can’t write a magazine like Emma does. You haven’t even had middle school language art yet.”
“I don’t need to take any classes. With all of the money I’ll be earning and my father’s connections, we can hire all of the writers we need. We can have photographers and journalists and a cartoonist...” She sighed. “It’ll be amazing. And that’s not all. I even interlaced you into my little plan.”
“And what would you want me to do?” I swore that if Amelia ever asked me to write a journal entry for her, it would just be a bunch of insults using the worst words I could think of.
“Imagine this: Butterfly magazine. Not Pegasus, not Curly, not Dragonfly. It can be all you. Now do you want to help me out?”
“Never. Ever. Not in a million years.”
“But Pegasus doesn’t do anything. You’re the one that does all of the hard work. Wouldn’t it be nice to get some credit for once?” She batted her little pretty eye lashes.
That was the moment when I stopped being scared and I got angry. “Pegasus is my friend, my cousin, and one of the best horses I know! And you... you’re just a spoiled little brat!”Before I knew what was happening, I had two hooves in the air and one of them was headed directly for Amelia’s chest. I kicked her hard out of the way and didn’t watch her fall to the ground. I rose into the air, my wings buzzing and feeling stiff. I didn’t know what had gotten into me. I never hurt people on purpose. I was mortified with myself.
It was too late to go back now, though. I had to find Firefly, wherever he went, and get Dragonfly out this disgusting place. With a golden key lodged in my hoof and a fire in my heart, I took to the sky.
I spent what seemed like forever circling the area, searching for Dragonfly-looking shapes in each of the golf balls. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I’d checked in every cage twice when I gave up. Obviously, Amelia had a special hiding place for her. I just had to find it.
I was scanning the ground for black winged horses when I realized that the motion sensors had been a trap. Amelia had known we were coming and was ready. I needed to watch my back.
I directed my eyes back to the ground. It just looked like miles and miles of cages, with one giant cage in the center. I didn’t know what else to do, so I plummeted down and landed on the roof of the large golf ball.
There, I found a skylight in the ceiling and looked down. There appeared to be screens showing all of the horse exhibits and a few showing other areas on the farm. There were video feeds coming in from all over the property – meaning there were cameras everywhere. I couldn’t be too careful.
Another skylight provided a view of a wooden, circular room with a hole in the ground. It was a giant hole, big enough that a horse could fit through easily. It was then when I got worried. What could Amelia possibly be keeping down there?
It was the one area that I hadn’t yet checked for Dragonfly. If she wasn’t in any of the cages, was it possible she was down there? Underground? I had to try.
I chewed through the wood around the glass and opened the skylight. I slowly descended from the ceiling and landed in the center of the room, fully aware that somewhere in this odd place someone could possibly be seeing me on a screen. I was beyond being safe now. I had to take risks. I was running out of options.
I raised my hoof to step forward when I heard a loud clink. The key had fallen out of my hoof and was sliding across the floor. As it tumbled closer and closer to the hole, I held my breath. I was worried that I would lose the only clue I had, but it kept going and slid right to the giant hole in the center of the floor. I gasped.
Then, a very strange thing happened. It didn’t fall. It seemed to levitate, right there in the middle of the hole. I thought it was magically floating, but upon further inspection I realized the key was sitting on an invisible cover. The hole was closed up. I couldn’t get in. Unless...
I felt around the edge of the hole with my muzzle until I found a tiny indent. There was a little gap in the invisible covering. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it. When I picked up the key with my mouth and placed it in the little groove, it fit perfectly. I heard a buzzing noise and a second later there, in the place where the hole had been, was a familiar bay face with a white stripe down the nose.
Autumn 2012 Journal
We took to the sky early the next morning when the early Autumn sun was creating streaks of pink, orange, and red in the atmosphere. I flapped my wings in harmony to Firefly’s as the two of us made our way through the surreal colors of a September sunrise. Below us, somewhere in the forests of leaf-shedding trees, Pegasus and Curly were galloping in the same direction, ready to fulfill their duties as
look-outs and help us save Dragonfly.
"Are we there yet?” I asked Firefly, perking my ears forward. I was so impatient and nervous that I was seriously wondering if I’d swallowed a ton of butterflies when Firefly and I had flown over the insect farm.
“Almost,” Firefly replied calmly. He seemed like a pro at this, but he’d only een to the tortuous farm once before. hat if it had changed?
A few minutes later, he turned his wingtips downward and I followed. Like eagles we swept to the ground and landed gracefully at a halt. “We should walk from here. It would be too conspicuous to fly,” He suggested. I couldn’t tell if Curly and Pegasus were close to us or not, but I knew that if danger was coming in the middle of our quest, they’d find a way to alert Firefly and I. Quietly we walked for almost and mile. Then, I saw it. The stable we’d been looking for.
Perched on the horizon it almost looked like a mirage – but I knew it couldn’t be because mirages were usually good-looking. Basically, I saw that Amelia’s place was a collection of domes that looked like golf balls, except you could see through them. And inside of the golf balls, trapped like birds in cages, were Pegasi just like me, hopelessly flying in circles.
“This is horrible!” I shouted.
“Shhh,” Firefly warned.
“We have to save them. All of them!' I cried in despair.
“We don’t have time,” Firefly snapped. The closer he led me to the farm, the more noxious I felt. And when we finally arrived, he didn't say anything. He just kept walking and went right up to a tall black gate. “We should be able to fly over this.”
“No!” A voice hissed from behind me. Without moving my head I swiveled my ears back to hear the sound.“Don’t fly over! There are motion detectors!”
“Curly?” I asked. “Are you back there?”
“Yes. But you can’t see me. I’m hiding.” He said as if he were still a young colt, only a yearling, hiding behind something much smaller than him and pretending that he was invisible. It reminded me of all of the great memories I had of the five of us (four excluding Firefly) playing around as foals. I knew we had to get Dragonfly back. Nothing would stop us.
“There’s no way to get over but to fly, but that doesn’t mean that they have to catch us.” I said.“Especially if their security isn’t working.”
“Curly, how did you know that there was a motion sensor?” Firefly asked.
“There’s two little black things up on the gate with blinking lights.” He replied, confused. “It was obvious.”
Quickly, I flew up to the top of the gate and knocked the sensors off. "Now we have to be quick, Firefly. They're going to realize that someone broke their motion detectors.”
He nodded. “We can be quick.”
“Thanks Curly!” I whispered. Then I unfolded my wings and shot over the fence, landing on the other side softly. Pegasi in nearby enclosures noticed me and came to the edges of their golf balls to look at me with hopelessness in their eyes. “I’m sorry,”I nickered.
look-outs and help us save Dragonfly.
"Are we there yet?” I asked Firefly, perking my ears forward. I was so impatient and nervous that I was seriously wondering if I’d swallowed a ton of butterflies when Firefly and I had flown over the insect farm.
“Almost,” Firefly replied calmly. He seemed like a pro at this, but he’d only een to the tortuous farm once before. hat if it had changed?
A few minutes later, he turned his wingtips downward and I followed. Like eagles we swept to the ground and landed gracefully at a halt. “We should walk from here. It would be too conspicuous to fly,” He suggested. I couldn’t tell if Curly and Pegasus were close to us or not, but I knew that if danger was coming in the middle of our quest, they’d find a way to alert Firefly and I. Quietly we walked for almost and mile. Then, I saw it. The stable we’d been looking for.
Perched on the horizon it almost looked like a mirage – but I knew it couldn’t be because mirages were usually good-looking. Basically, I saw that Amelia’s place was a collection of domes that looked like golf balls, except you could see through them. And inside of the golf balls, trapped like birds in cages, were Pegasi just like me, hopelessly flying in circles.
“This is horrible!” I shouted.
“Shhh,” Firefly warned.
“We have to save them. All of them!' I cried in despair.
“We don’t have time,” Firefly snapped. The closer he led me to the farm, the more noxious I felt. And when we finally arrived, he didn't say anything. He just kept walking and went right up to a tall black gate. “We should be able to fly over this.”
“No!” A voice hissed from behind me. Without moving my head I swiveled my ears back to hear the sound.“Don’t fly over! There are motion detectors!”
“Curly?” I asked. “Are you back there?”
“Yes. But you can’t see me. I’m hiding.” He said as if he were still a young colt, only a yearling, hiding behind something much smaller than him and pretending that he was invisible. It reminded me of all of the great memories I had of the five of us (four excluding Firefly) playing around as foals. I knew we had to get Dragonfly back. Nothing would stop us.
“There’s no way to get over but to fly, but that doesn’t mean that they have to catch us.” I said.“Especially if their security isn’t working.”
“Curly, how did you know that there was a motion sensor?” Firefly asked.
“There’s two little black things up on the gate with blinking lights.” He replied, confused. “It was obvious.”
Quickly, I flew up to the top of the gate and knocked the sensors off. "Now we have to be quick, Firefly. They're going to realize that someone broke their motion detectors.”
He nodded. “We can be quick.”
“Thanks Curly!” I whispered. Then I unfolded my wings and shot over the fence, landing on the other side softly. Pegasi in nearby enclosures noticed me and came to the edges of their golf balls to look at me with hopelessness in their eyes. “I’m sorry,”I nickered.
Summer 2012 Entry
It was pouring by the time Curly and I arrived back in the field. Through sheets of blinding rain, I could see Pegasus and Firefly talking.
Pegasus’ ears were perked upright with interest and Firefly’s were laid back against his neck, furious and determined.
“How is the planning going?” I asked, leaping over the fence and trotting over to the pair. Curly followed, splashing me with a wave of mud as his hooves struck the ground.
“Firefly just finished telling me his plan,” Pegasus explained. “I think it’ll work, Butterfly. We have a chance!”
“Great!” I stepped closer to Firefly and asked him to describe the plan for Curly and I. A cold rain droplet landed between my eyes and ran down my muzzle. I snorted.
“First, we must split into two groups, the look-outs and the adventurers,” Firefly bellowed in his powerful voice. “The look outs will make
sure that Amelia and her father do not leave their house. If they do, the lookouts have to distract them while the adventurers put the plan in
action.”
“What do the adventurers do?” Curly asked.
“That’s the tricky part,” Firefly replied solemnly. “They’ll be responsible for looking for the key to Dragonfly’s enclosure. You see, Amelia’s family keeps their Pegasi on their property like caged animals in a zoo. They must have acres and acres of land, and almost all of it is filled with huge wired domes. The Pegasi are kept inside of the domes so they can’t fly away, and there isn’t much space. From what Dragonfly told us in her letter, we can tell that she is in a dome with a shed and a pen and paper inside. There is only one dome that has a shed inside, and it is in the middle of the property. It is the hardest to break in to, but we must try.”
Curly’s eyes widened with curiosity. “How do you know all of this?”
“I’ve been there,” Firefly said distantly, as if his mind was millions of miles away. His voice was as flat and emotionless as always, but I wondered if, somewhere underneath his dark shield, Firefly was feeling scared, sad, or maybe in pain. “I went to save a friend once. She was in the same place as Dragonfly.”
“Is that how you got your big scar?” I blurted before I realized. Instantly, I wanted to take my question back, but I couldn’t.
Firefly shot me a glaring look. His eyes weren’t threatening, but almost angry. Angry as if he was impressed by my logic. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t. I guessed.” I lowered my head submissively. Still, I could see with my 260 degree vision drops of rain running down Firefly’s cheek and falling into the scar, riding along it until they hit the arc and ridge of his throat, like a leaves in a river. I watched as the drops fell from his face to the ground almost like tears.
“We should pick jobs,” Pegasus decided.
I still felt like I didn’t have enough information about Firefly’s plan, but I knew that each second that we took asking questions was another second that Dragonfly had to live in torture. There wasn’t enough time for clarifications.
“There should be two people on each team,” Firefly neighed. “I will be an adventurer. I know the place.”
“I’ll be a look-out,”Pegasus offered.
"Ha. Coward," Curly teased.
I was about to volunteer myself as an adventurer when I remembered Curly. Being a “look-out” was probably the less-exciting job. Would Curly feel as if we were assigning him something easy because he didn’t have wings? Would he think we were treating him unequally?
That was when Curly shocked me. “I’ll be a look-out.”
“Are you sure?” I looked at him carefully.
“Yes. You should be an adventurer, Butterfly,” He nudged me lightly with his nose – the horse version of a smile. “You’ll be good at it.”
Pegasus’ ears were perked upright with interest and Firefly’s were laid back against his neck, furious and determined.
“How is the planning going?” I asked, leaping over the fence and trotting over to the pair. Curly followed, splashing me with a wave of mud as his hooves struck the ground.
“Firefly just finished telling me his plan,” Pegasus explained. “I think it’ll work, Butterfly. We have a chance!”
“Great!” I stepped closer to Firefly and asked him to describe the plan for Curly and I. A cold rain droplet landed between my eyes and ran down my muzzle. I snorted.
“First, we must split into two groups, the look-outs and the adventurers,” Firefly bellowed in his powerful voice. “The look outs will make
sure that Amelia and her father do not leave their house. If they do, the lookouts have to distract them while the adventurers put the plan in
action.”
“What do the adventurers do?” Curly asked.
“That’s the tricky part,” Firefly replied solemnly. “They’ll be responsible for looking for the key to Dragonfly’s enclosure. You see, Amelia’s family keeps their Pegasi on their property like caged animals in a zoo. They must have acres and acres of land, and almost all of it is filled with huge wired domes. The Pegasi are kept inside of the domes so they can’t fly away, and there isn’t much space. From what Dragonfly told us in her letter, we can tell that she is in a dome with a shed and a pen and paper inside. There is only one dome that has a shed inside, and it is in the middle of the property. It is the hardest to break in to, but we must try.”
Curly’s eyes widened with curiosity. “How do you know all of this?”
“I’ve been there,” Firefly said distantly, as if his mind was millions of miles away. His voice was as flat and emotionless as always, but I wondered if, somewhere underneath his dark shield, Firefly was feeling scared, sad, or maybe in pain. “I went to save a friend once. She was in the same place as Dragonfly.”
“Is that how you got your big scar?” I blurted before I realized. Instantly, I wanted to take my question back, but I couldn’t.
Firefly shot me a glaring look. His eyes weren’t threatening, but almost angry. Angry as if he was impressed by my logic. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t. I guessed.” I lowered my head submissively. Still, I could see with my 260 degree vision drops of rain running down Firefly’s cheek and falling into the scar, riding along it until they hit the arc and ridge of his throat, like a leaves in a river. I watched as the drops fell from his face to the ground almost like tears.
“We should pick jobs,” Pegasus decided.
I still felt like I didn’t have enough information about Firefly’s plan, but I knew that each second that we took asking questions was another second that Dragonfly had to live in torture. There wasn’t enough time for clarifications.
“There should be two people on each team,” Firefly neighed. “I will be an adventurer. I know the place.”
“I’ll be a look-out,”Pegasus offered.
"Ha. Coward," Curly teased.
I was about to volunteer myself as an adventurer when I remembered Curly. Being a “look-out” was probably the less-exciting job. Would Curly feel as if we were assigning him something easy because he didn’t have wings? Would he think we were treating him unequally?
That was when Curly shocked me. “I’ll be a look-out.”
“Are you sure?” I looked at him carefully.
“Yes. You should be an adventurer, Butterfly,” He nudged me lightly with his nose – the horse version of a smile. “You’ll be good at it.”
Spring 2012 Entry
The pounding of my hooves mimicked the rhythm of my furious, rapidly-beating heart as I galloped after Curly. His trail was still fresh in my mind: I’d seen him take off into the forest beyond Emma’s house. My wings burned with the urge to flap and take flight, but I knew that my eyesight wasn’t good enough to track Curly from the air. I’d never see his furry little orange body through a spider-web of gnarled, naked tree limbs. For a horse who’d just written an article of horse’s vision, Curly sure didn’t seem to know what I saw in Firefly.
Curly had never been the fastest runner, and I caught up to him in a flash. “Curly!” I whinnied in distress over the caw of startled birds. “Wait up!”
He halted in front of a thick, curling tree trunk and glanced back at me with confusion in his eyes. “What’s going on?” I asked him. I needed to know the whole story. Why had he run away? “Does this have something to do with Firefly?”
He pawed forcefully at the undergrowth with one hoof, and then spoke. “I don’t trust him, Butterfly. And I know what is going to happen. He’s going to make up some complex, complicated plan where the three of you guys fly over the stable and swoop down to save Dragonfly.”
“What’s wrong with that?” I asked innocently. “It’s better than my idea.”
Curly pinned his ears back. “You just don’t get it. I can’t fly.” He pointed with his muzzle to his back. “I don’t have wings. Back when Dragonfly was here, it was always the three of you flying together while I just stood here on the ground, counting the seconds until you’d return. Do you know how painful it was to just wait for you three? I’m never included in your inside jokes. I never know what you’re talking about when you rave about flying through cumulus clouds. I feel excluded, but I put up with it because you guys are my friends. But when it concerns Dragonfly, I will not put up with it. I won’t let you guys go out and do all the hard work. I want to help.”
I lowered my head submissively. I didn’t know what to say. Why didn’t Curly just tell us when he felt left out?
“And that idea you had? You never told me what it was. But I know for sure that it was a better idea than Firefly’s.”
Then I got angry. “Curly, you don’t even know Firefly’s plan! He never had time to tell us because you ran away! And my idea was stupid. I was going to tell Dragonfly to act like the worst horse possible so that Amelia would be forced to sell her, but we all know that won’t work because Dragonfly is a complete angel and stinks at pretending!”
Curly sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll give Firefly’s idea a chance.”
“And I’ll make sure that his plan doesn’t involve flying. And if it does we will force him to go back to wherever he came from.” I agreed solemnly. I wasn’t really keen on the idea, mostly because Firefly seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t want him to leave yet.
We both started walking back home, trudging over a muddy carpet of leaves. I was glad I knew Curly’s side of the story, but now we had to return to Emma’s house and get to work if we wanted to save Dragonfly in time. I had the urge to fly back since it would be much quicker, but I quickly discarded the idea. The sky started to darken and the air around us chilled. It wasn’t long before large, round water droplets began sprinkling down. “It’s raining!” Curly shouted gleefully. “April showers!”
And so we started cantering back thorough the blur of Wisconsin’s first drizzle, knowing that we were on our way to saving our best friend.
Curly had never been the fastest runner, and I caught up to him in a flash. “Curly!” I whinnied in distress over the caw of startled birds. “Wait up!”
He halted in front of a thick, curling tree trunk and glanced back at me with confusion in his eyes. “What’s going on?” I asked him. I needed to know the whole story. Why had he run away? “Does this have something to do with Firefly?”
He pawed forcefully at the undergrowth with one hoof, and then spoke. “I don’t trust him, Butterfly. And I know what is going to happen. He’s going to make up some complex, complicated plan where the three of you guys fly over the stable and swoop down to save Dragonfly.”
“What’s wrong with that?” I asked innocently. “It’s better than my idea.”
Curly pinned his ears back. “You just don’t get it. I can’t fly.” He pointed with his muzzle to his back. “I don’t have wings. Back when Dragonfly was here, it was always the three of you flying together while I just stood here on the ground, counting the seconds until you’d return. Do you know how painful it was to just wait for you three? I’m never included in your inside jokes. I never know what you’re talking about when you rave about flying through cumulus clouds. I feel excluded, but I put up with it because you guys are my friends. But when it concerns Dragonfly, I will not put up with it. I won’t let you guys go out and do all the hard work. I want to help.”
I lowered my head submissively. I didn’t know what to say. Why didn’t Curly just tell us when he felt left out?
“And that idea you had? You never told me what it was. But I know for sure that it was a better idea than Firefly’s.”
Then I got angry. “Curly, you don’t even know Firefly’s plan! He never had time to tell us because you ran away! And my idea was stupid. I was going to tell Dragonfly to act like the worst horse possible so that Amelia would be forced to sell her, but we all know that won’t work because Dragonfly is a complete angel and stinks at pretending!”
Curly sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll give Firefly’s idea a chance.”
“And I’ll make sure that his plan doesn’t involve flying. And if it does we will force him to go back to wherever he came from.” I agreed solemnly. I wasn’t really keen on the idea, mostly because Firefly seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t want him to leave yet.
We both started walking back home, trudging over a muddy carpet of leaves. I was glad I knew Curly’s side of the story, but now we had to return to Emma’s house and get to work if we wanted to save Dragonfly in time. I had the urge to fly back since it would be much quicker, but I quickly discarded the idea. The sky started to darken and the air around us chilled. It wasn’t long before large, round water droplets began sprinkling down. “It’s raining!” Curly shouted gleefully. “April showers!”
And so we started cantering back thorough the blur of Wisconsin’s first drizzle, knowing that we were on our way to saving our best friend.
Winter 2011-2012 Entry
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Pegasus broke the silence.
The ash-colored stallion raised his head. I could see his scar more clearly. It was long and deep, but it wasn’t fresh. “I’ve heard of your troubles. And I know how to help.” We pricked our ears forward, waiting.
“Well, are you going to tell us this plan, or are you just going to brag about it?” Curly asked, annoyed. What’s his problem? I wondered. Things had suddenly got a lot more complicated.
“I know a lot about the Michelson family. Dragonfly is not their only victim.” We all leaned forward, wondering what he was talking about. Without saying a word, Firefly explained it to us. He lifted his colossal wings slowly, like arms on a carnival ride. They raised into the air and stood out against the dreary gray sky like black ink spilled on an old sheet of paper.
Underneath his breathtaking wings I could see more scars. There were two, the same length of the one on his face, and they were so strikingly scarlet that I couldn’t pull my eyes away.
Curly didn’t seem to have a problem with adverting his gaze, though. “Ew. How did you get those?”
“It was Amelia and her father,” Firefly retorted.
Something clicked in my head. I suddenly understood. Michelson was Amelia’s last name, and Firefly was her last “pet”. He knew what it was like, and he had a plan to free Dragonfly. Before he had even showed up, I had a plan too, but I instantly tossed it to the back of my mind. The magnificent stranger would probably have a better idea.
“Amanda did that, didn’t she?” Pegasus asked.
“Her father did. Amelia was only a baby at the time, and so was I. By now, I think she should be about eleven years old. Back then, she was two. She wanted a flying horse, just like any other toddler in the world, and her father took her seriously. He found me, and captured me. I lived there for a whole year until I found a way to escape. All we have to do is pretend to be normal horses and wander into Amelia’s field. Then we locate Dragonfly’s shed. There is a coded lock on the door, but I know the password. Then we can all fly away before they find out that she’s missing.”
“Do you think that will work? How in the world will we pass as normal horses? And how did Amelia’s dad even find you in the first place?” I had a million questions in my mind, but I only said a few out loud.
“Wait a second!” Curly interrupted rudely. “What are you all doing? This is a huge mistake. We don’t even know this guy! For all we know,
Firefly could be on their side! All he has to do is walk in here and pretend to know what he’s doing, and suddenly, we are letting him take charge! Whatever happened to your plan, Butterfly? And what is so great about Mr. Tall Dark and Mysterious that lets him be the leader? You two are stupid! Do you even realize what is going on?!”
“Curly!?” I squealed, appalled. My tail stopped swishing and froze in mid-swing. “What is wrong with you? We just had a change to save
Dragonfly, and you want to throw it all away?!”
“You’re the crazy one here,” Curly pinned his ears back and growled from the back of his throat, more like a cat than a horse. “If you want
to let Firefly take over, then fine. But I quit. Say good-bye to Curly.” And with that, he galloped off to the other side of the field, jumped the fence, and kept sprinting until I the fuzzy puff of brown fur that was his tail disappeared from view.
The ash-colored stallion raised his head. I could see his scar more clearly. It was long and deep, but it wasn’t fresh. “I’ve heard of your troubles. And I know how to help.” We pricked our ears forward, waiting.
“Well, are you going to tell us this plan, or are you just going to brag about it?” Curly asked, annoyed. What’s his problem? I wondered. Things had suddenly got a lot more complicated.
“I know a lot about the Michelson family. Dragonfly is not their only victim.” We all leaned forward, wondering what he was talking about. Without saying a word, Firefly explained it to us. He lifted his colossal wings slowly, like arms on a carnival ride. They raised into the air and stood out against the dreary gray sky like black ink spilled on an old sheet of paper.
Underneath his breathtaking wings I could see more scars. There were two, the same length of the one on his face, and they were so strikingly scarlet that I couldn’t pull my eyes away.
Curly didn’t seem to have a problem with adverting his gaze, though. “Ew. How did you get those?”
“It was Amelia and her father,” Firefly retorted.
Something clicked in my head. I suddenly understood. Michelson was Amelia’s last name, and Firefly was her last “pet”. He knew what it was like, and he had a plan to free Dragonfly. Before he had even showed up, I had a plan too, but I instantly tossed it to the back of my mind. The magnificent stranger would probably have a better idea.
“Amanda did that, didn’t she?” Pegasus asked.
“Her father did. Amelia was only a baby at the time, and so was I. By now, I think she should be about eleven years old. Back then, she was two. She wanted a flying horse, just like any other toddler in the world, and her father took her seriously. He found me, and captured me. I lived there for a whole year until I found a way to escape. All we have to do is pretend to be normal horses and wander into Amelia’s field. Then we locate Dragonfly’s shed. There is a coded lock on the door, but I know the password. Then we can all fly away before they find out that she’s missing.”
“Do you think that will work? How in the world will we pass as normal horses? And how did Amelia’s dad even find you in the first place?” I had a million questions in my mind, but I only said a few out loud.
“Wait a second!” Curly interrupted rudely. “What are you all doing? This is a huge mistake. We don’t even know this guy! For all we know,
Firefly could be on their side! All he has to do is walk in here and pretend to know what he’s doing, and suddenly, we are letting him take charge! Whatever happened to your plan, Butterfly? And what is so great about Mr. Tall Dark and Mysterious that lets him be the leader? You two are stupid! Do you even realize what is going on?!”
“Curly!?” I squealed, appalled. My tail stopped swishing and froze in mid-swing. “What is wrong with you? We just had a change to save
Dragonfly, and you want to throw it all away?!”
“You’re the crazy one here,” Curly pinned his ears back and growled from the back of his throat, more like a cat than a horse. “If you want
to let Firefly take over, then fine. But I quit. Say good-bye to Curly.” And with that, he galloped off to the other side of the field, jumped the fence, and kept sprinting until I the fuzzy puff of brown fur that was his tail disappeared from view.
Autumn 2011 Entry
“Hey guys. You got a package.” Emma said dully as she tossed a orange envelope into our field. It was addressed to “The Horses and Pegasi At Pegasus Magazine” and there wasn’t a return address. The stamp had a picture of Amelia’s pudgy face on it.
“It’s from Amelia! And it is for us!” Curly squealed. It was the first glimmer of hope we’d seen since Dragonfly had left. It had been almost three days, and we wanted her back. Amelia was probably treating her horribly, and I missed her. We all missed her.
Emma nodded, and then turned around to go back into her house. She left us alone, out in our field.
Pegasus chewed through the orange packaging and pulled a two pieces of paper out. He held them in his teeth and let us look. The handwriting was messy, as if whoever had written the letter had been in a rush.
Dear Butterfly, Pegasus, and Curly,
It’s Dragonfly. I’m fine here, but I don’t think I’ll be leaving for a long time. Enclosed is my article for Pegasus magazine. Even from Amelia’s shed, I will not stop writing my advice column. Please tell Emma to type it up for me. I have to stop writing now. If Amelia or her father catches me, they’ll confiscate my pen and paper. Don’t write back, please. They might find out.
XO Dragonfly
"We need to think of a plan,” Curly whickered in alarm. “We need to find some way to get Dragonfly back!”
“I know, I know,” I murmured under my breath.
“Think, everyone. Think!” Pegasus demanded. “Why does Amelia want Dragonfly so badly?”
“’Cuz she can fly.” Curly mumbled.
“Exactly. Amelia doesn’t just want any horse. She wants a Pegasus.”
“Oh, I get it!” I neighed. “We need to find a way to make Dragonfly flightless so that Amelia doesn’t want her. Then that evil kid will give
Dragonfly back to us and get a unicorn or something!”
Curly’s face suddenly lit up. “Smart thinking!” He whinnied animatedly.
I fluttered my wings and hovered above the ground for a second, delighted. I was about to ask if anyone had ideas, when a dark shadow passed overhead.
The familiar sound of beating wings above broke the silence. My heart stopped for a moment, thinking Dragonfly was back. We all looked up in unison. In the air was a huge, dark figure. It loomed over us, it’s 60-foot-long wings expanding out in both directions. It wasn’t Dragonfly, but it was another Pegasus.
The giant winged horse landed a few feet from us. Its face was dark, the color of ashes, and it had a large red scar on the side of its face, below one of its inky eyes. A long, shaggy mane fell between the horse’s ears and down its muscular neck. It didn’t fold its wings inward like we did, but instead let them drag on the ground. They trailed behind the black Pegasus as it approached us like a dark cape. The image was almost unreal. It looked like something out of a movie.
“Hello.” The dark horse bellowed, its voice deep. “I am Firefly. I have come to help you rescue your friend.”
Pegasus, Curly, and I just stood there, not saying a word, staring in awe at the large creature standing before us.
“It’s from Amelia! And it is for us!” Curly squealed. It was the first glimmer of hope we’d seen since Dragonfly had left. It had been almost three days, and we wanted her back. Amelia was probably treating her horribly, and I missed her. We all missed her.
Emma nodded, and then turned around to go back into her house. She left us alone, out in our field.
Pegasus chewed through the orange packaging and pulled a two pieces of paper out. He held them in his teeth and let us look. The handwriting was messy, as if whoever had written the letter had been in a rush.
Dear Butterfly, Pegasus, and Curly,
It’s Dragonfly. I’m fine here, but I don’t think I’ll be leaving for a long time. Enclosed is my article for Pegasus magazine. Even from Amelia’s shed, I will not stop writing my advice column. Please tell Emma to type it up for me. I have to stop writing now. If Amelia or her father catches me, they’ll confiscate my pen and paper. Don’t write back, please. They might find out.
XO Dragonfly
"We need to think of a plan,” Curly whickered in alarm. “We need to find some way to get Dragonfly back!”
“I know, I know,” I murmured under my breath.
“Think, everyone. Think!” Pegasus demanded. “Why does Amelia want Dragonfly so badly?”
“’Cuz she can fly.” Curly mumbled.
“Exactly. Amelia doesn’t just want any horse. She wants a Pegasus.”
“Oh, I get it!” I neighed. “We need to find a way to make Dragonfly flightless so that Amelia doesn’t want her. Then that evil kid will give
Dragonfly back to us and get a unicorn or something!”
Curly’s face suddenly lit up. “Smart thinking!” He whinnied animatedly.
I fluttered my wings and hovered above the ground for a second, delighted. I was about to ask if anyone had ideas, when a dark shadow passed overhead.
The familiar sound of beating wings above broke the silence. My heart stopped for a moment, thinking Dragonfly was back. We all looked up in unison. In the air was a huge, dark figure. It loomed over us, it’s 60-foot-long wings expanding out in both directions. It wasn’t Dragonfly, but it was another Pegasus.
The giant winged horse landed a few feet from us. Its face was dark, the color of ashes, and it had a large red scar on the side of its face, below one of its inky eyes. A long, shaggy mane fell between the horse’s ears and down its muscular neck. It didn’t fold its wings inward like we did, but instead let them drag on the ground. They trailed behind the black Pegasus as it approached us like a dark cape. The image was almost unreal. It looked like something out of a movie.
“Hello.” The dark horse bellowed, its voice deep. “I am Firefly. I have come to help you rescue your friend.”
Pegasus, Curly, and I just stood there, not saying a word, staring in awe at the large creature standing before us.
Summer 2011 Entry
Hello, everyone! It’s Butterfly, here!
Dragonfly and I have been pretty busy for the past few weeks. Remember that little girl (Amelia) that I was talking about in the last issue? It turns out, she’s been stirring up some trouble for everyone at the Pegasus Magazine Headquarters.
On the first of July, Amelia arrived at Pegasus Magazine Headquarters with a man in a business suit. “Hello, Emma,” She said when she arrived, “This is my Dad! He is going to talk to you about buying Dragonfly.”
If a horse’s jaw could drop, mine would’ve.
Amelia’s Dad stepped forward and pulled a pale yellow file from his briefcase. Before he could say anything, though, Emma told him that Dragonfly wasn’t for sale.
“I understand that you don’t want Dragonfly to be sold, but Amelia really liked riding her around and would like to have her for a pet. Don’t worry – we’ll keep Dragonfly in a secret place so that no one finds her and discovers that Pegasi are real.” Amelia’s father said quickly.
“We have a very nice little shed in the forest where we are going to put her.” Amelia chirped. “I’ll go down there once a day with a bucket of water for Dragonfly, and there will be plenty of grass for her to eat in the forest. I’ll let her loose when I go down to get her, and put her back in her shed when I come the next day.”
Pegasus, Curly, Dragonfly, and I watched the scene happen from behind the field fence. “What about grooming? And Exercise? And FOOD?” Curly squealed, appalled at Amelia’s words. “I JUST wrote an article on the feed needs of horses! Don’t you read Pegasus Magazine? Dragonfly cannot live on grass alone!”
Nobody seemed to hear Curly. Emma kept fighting Amelia’s Dad until he said, “If you don’t sell us Dragonfly right now, I will tell the whole world that Pegasi aren’t fantasy creatures! I will let the secret out! I own a very successful newspaper company, and I am not afraid to use it!”
Emma gasped. “You wouldn’t do that! That’s horrible!”
“Yes, I would!” Amelia’s dad shouted. He pulled his Blackberry out from the pocket of his suit pants and took a picture of Curly, Pegasus, Dragonfly, and I standing at the fence-line, our wings poised in fury. “And now, I have proof.”
“Ugh!”I neighed in anger. I hated Amelia’s dad!
“Shhh, Buttefly,” Emma cooed softly. “We’ll just have to let the world know about Pegasi. They
were going to find out eventually.”
“I won’t let that happen!” Dragonfly screamed. “You promised the Pegasus breeder in England that you’d never let anybody see Pegasus except your closest friends and family! I will not let you break that vow!” Then, she took one valiant leap over the fence and snorted. “I will do what I have to do to protect my family.” And with one stamp of her hoof, she put her hoof-print on Amelia’s Dad’s paperwork, signifying that she was now property of Amelia’s family.
“No! No! No, don’t leave us, Dragonfly!” Pegasus wailed.
But Dragonfly couldn’t turn back now. “Emma, you’re the best owner that I could’ve ever asked for. But now I need to protect my fellow Pegasi. Thank you for everything that you have done. Goodbye.”
Emma didn’t answer Dragonfly. She stayed silent until Amelia and her father left our headquarters on Dragonfly’s back, flying away into the sky until they disappeared from view.
Dragonfly and I have been pretty busy for the past few weeks. Remember that little girl (Amelia) that I was talking about in the last issue? It turns out, she’s been stirring up some trouble for everyone at the Pegasus Magazine Headquarters.
On the first of July, Amelia arrived at Pegasus Magazine Headquarters with a man in a business suit. “Hello, Emma,” She said when she arrived, “This is my Dad! He is going to talk to you about buying Dragonfly.”
If a horse’s jaw could drop, mine would’ve.
Amelia’s Dad stepped forward and pulled a pale yellow file from his briefcase. Before he could say anything, though, Emma told him that Dragonfly wasn’t for sale.
“I understand that you don’t want Dragonfly to be sold, but Amelia really liked riding her around and would like to have her for a pet. Don’t worry – we’ll keep Dragonfly in a secret place so that no one finds her and discovers that Pegasi are real.” Amelia’s father said quickly.
“We have a very nice little shed in the forest where we are going to put her.” Amelia chirped. “I’ll go down there once a day with a bucket of water for Dragonfly, and there will be plenty of grass for her to eat in the forest. I’ll let her loose when I go down to get her, and put her back in her shed when I come the next day.”
Pegasus, Curly, Dragonfly, and I watched the scene happen from behind the field fence. “What about grooming? And Exercise? And FOOD?” Curly squealed, appalled at Amelia’s words. “I JUST wrote an article on the feed needs of horses! Don’t you read Pegasus Magazine? Dragonfly cannot live on grass alone!”
Nobody seemed to hear Curly. Emma kept fighting Amelia’s Dad until he said, “If you don’t sell us Dragonfly right now, I will tell the whole world that Pegasi aren’t fantasy creatures! I will let the secret out! I own a very successful newspaper company, and I am not afraid to use it!”
Emma gasped. “You wouldn’t do that! That’s horrible!”
“Yes, I would!” Amelia’s dad shouted. He pulled his Blackberry out from the pocket of his suit pants and took a picture of Curly, Pegasus, Dragonfly, and I standing at the fence-line, our wings poised in fury. “And now, I have proof.”
“Ugh!”I neighed in anger. I hated Amelia’s dad!
“Shhh, Buttefly,” Emma cooed softly. “We’ll just have to let the world know about Pegasi. They
were going to find out eventually.”
“I won’t let that happen!” Dragonfly screamed. “You promised the Pegasus breeder in England that you’d never let anybody see Pegasus except your closest friends and family! I will not let you break that vow!” Then, she took one valiant leap over the fence and snorted. “I will do what I have to do to protect my family.” And with one stamp of her hoof, she put her hoof-print on Amelia’s Dad’s paperwork, signifying that she was now property of Amelia’s family.
“No! No! No, don’t leave us, Dragonfly!” Pegasus wailed.
But Dragonfly couldn’t turn back now. “Emma, you’re the best owner that I could’ve ever asked for. But now I need to protect my fellow Pegasi. Thank you for everything that you have done. Goodbye.”
Emma didn’t answer Dragonfly. She stayed silent until Amelia and her father left our headquarters on Dragonfly’s back, flying away into the sky until they disappeared from view.
Butterfly's Winter Holiday Journal 2010
I knew that this year, I was doomed for a very eventful holiday season. Let’s face it, with Pegasus and Curly around; every day is eventful, but having the whole family come over to watch it is even more so.
We invited everyone we knew to a Thanksgiving meal in Emma’s backyard. She said as long as we kept her backyard clean, we could use it. We invited Curly’s sister, Penelope, Pegasus’ nephew, Lil’ Wings, and me and Dragonfly’s parents.
Dragonfly decided she would swoop down to the airport to collect everyone’s bags, and then show them the way home. Penelope was going to have to hold onto someone’s tail or something, because she couldn’t fly.
Since Dragonfly took the job of ‘chauffer’, it was my job, as the ‘leader’, to hand out the rest of the occupations. I gave Curly the ill-suited job of ‘food-picker-upper’ and Pegasus the job of ‘decorator’.
While the boys were out doing their jobs, I set up a table dragged chairs away. I decided that we could all stand and eat, because we’re horses. When Curly came running back, he had a huge grin on his face. I knew something was up.
“I got everrrrrrrything on the list!” Curly said. He opened up a sack that he had tossed over his back. Inside were what looked like hay, oats, barley, pony mix, and even bananas. “Curly!” I cried in delight, “You actually got it all!” He smiled and then dumped it in the center of the table. I used my muzzle to push the food into 8 neat stacks, one for every guest. As soon as I finished though, I heard something.
I turned my head and saw Pegasus hurdling through the sky, straight for the table. “Pegasus!” I screamed. Curly started shaking his head and neighing. Peggy veered to the right and landed a few feet away. Streamers and tinsel came flying out of his sack, and spread out into a giant pile on the floor. When I looked at the decorations closer, I saw something. “Peggy…” I said quietly. “What – what is this?” On the ground were decorations – but for the wrong holiday! Pumpkins and witches were sticking to the black garland, and Christmas lights were wrapped around an Easter basket. A banner with the words, “Happy Seventh Birthday!” was stuck, intertwined with a chain of Chinese New Year paper lanterns.
At that moment, Curly started screaming with laughter. "Peg!” He said, nudging Pegasus on the shoulder with his nose. “What did you do?!” The two of them stopped giggling when they saw my face. “What’s wrrrrrong, Butterfly?” Curly asked.
“I just wanted to have a normal holiday for once, and you two ruined it.” I muttered. “Now we’re stuck having a Halloween-Christmas-Easter-Birthday-Chinese New Year-Thanksgiving party!”
Pegasus hung his head. Curly sighed. “We were just goofing around,” Pegasus said. “We didn’t really mean anything. Sorry Butter.” Curly picked up a piece of orange and black tinsel with his teeth. “Let’s make the most out of this,”He said through the decoration. I grabbed the Easter basket and hung it on a tree branch. Pegasus draped the banner around Emma’s play set, and Curly hung the paper lanterns by the deck. Then Dragonfly came back.
The guests arrived and looked around. “This is an interesting theme for a party.” My mom said. I was about to say something, when she said, “I love it. Very creative.” I smiled. She really liked it! “Let’s eat!”
We all stood around the table and said what we were thankful for. Then Lil’ Wings bit into his pile. “Um, Pegasus?” He asked. “What exactly is in this food?” Pegasus shook his head. Then Curly and Pegasus started laughing again.
“It’s fine, I just put cheesy powderrrrr on it!” Curly said through giggles. I sighed. So much for my Thanksgiving!
You could say that I had a Thanksgiving that I’ll always remember. I guess all you need to have a good thanksgiving is family and friends to share it with. Talk to you later, Butterfly
We invited everyone we knew to a Thanksgiving meal in Emma’s backyard. She said as long as we kept her backyard clean, we could use it. We invited Curly’s sister, Penelope, Pegasus’ nephew, Lil’ Wings, and me and Dragonfly’s parents.
Dragonfly decided she would swoop down to the airport to collect everyone’s bags, and then show them the way home. Penelope was going to have to hold onto someone’s tail or something, because she couldn’t fly.
Since Dragonfly took the job of ‘chauffer’, it was my job, as the ‘leader’, to hand out the rest of the occupations. I gave Curly the ill-suited job of ‘food-picker-upper’ and Pegasus the job of ‘decorator’.
While the boys were out doing their jobs, I set up a table dragged chairs away. I decided that we could all stand and eat, because we’re horses. When Curly came running back, he had a huge grin on his face. I knew something was up.
“I got everrrrrrrything on the list!” Curly said. He opened up a sack that he had tossed over his back. Inside were what looked like hay, oats, barley, pony mix, and even bananas. “Curly!” I cried in delight, “You actually got it all!” He smiled and then dumped it in the center of the table. I used my muzzle to push the food into 8 neat stacks, one for every guest. As soon as I finished though, I heard something.
I turned my head and saw Pegasus hurdling through the sky, straight for the table. “Pegasus!” I screamed. Curly started shaking his head and neighing. Peggy veered to the right and landed a few feet away. Streamers and tinsel came flying out of his sack, and spread out into a giant pile on the floor. When I looked at the decorations closer, I saw something. “Peggy…” I said quietly. “What – what is this?” On the ground were decorations – but for the wrong holiday! Pumpkins and witches were sticking to the black garland, and Christmas lights were wrapped around an Easter basket. A banner with the words, “Happy Seventh Birthday!” was stuck, intertwined with a chain of Chinese New Year paper lanterns.
At that moment, Curly started screaming with laughter. "Peg!” He said, nudging Pegasus on the shoulder with his nose. “What did you do?!” The two of them stopped giggling when they saw my face. “What’s wrrrrrong, Butterfly?” Curly asked.
“I just wanted to have a normal holiday for once, and you two ruined it.” I muttered. “Now we’re stuck having a Halloween-Christmas-Easter-Birthday-Chinese New Year-Thanksgiving party!”
Pegasus hung his head. Curly sighed. “We were just goofing around,” Pegasus said. “We didn’t really mean anything. Sorry Butter.” Curly picked up a piece of orange and black tinsel with his teeth. “Let’s make the most out of this,”He said through the decoration. I grabbed the Easter basket and hung it on a tree branch. Pegasus draped the banner around Emma’s play set, and Curly hung the paper lanterns by the deck. Then Dragonfly came back.
The guests arrived and looked around. “This is an interesting theme for a party.” My mom said. I was about to say something, when she said, “I love it. Very creative.” I smiled. She really liked it! “Let’s eat!”
We all stood around the table and said what we were thankful for. Then Lil’ Wings bit into his pile. “Um, Pegasus?” He asked. “What exactly is in this food?” Pegasus shook his head. Then Curly and Pegasus started laughing again.
“It’s fine, I just put cheesy powderrrrr on it!” Curly said through giggles. I sighed. So much for my Thanksgiving!
You could say that I had a Thanksgiving that I’ll always remember. I guess all you need to have a good thanksgiving is family and friends to share it with. Talk to you later, Butterfly