Monkey's ears went completely flat. He threatened the dragon with his teeth.
Tracey lost his calmness, which was unusual for him, and screamed.
The dragon lifted its tail and lunged at both the horse and the boy.
Tracey dove out of the way, as did Monkey. Right now, they stood side by side.
The dragon tried again. It launched its tail, and spikes flew out from it.
Tracey thought fast. He lifted his arm and yelled, "Promeala!" A green shield appeared before him and Monkey, blocking the spikes from hitting them.
Frustrated, the dragon roared. It stomped its feet. The impact knocked Tracey and Monkey down.
In a telepathic voice, the dragon yelled at Tracey. "Leave!" Turned out it was female.
"We're going!" Tracey quickly yelled back. He could not fight a dragon! Forget it! He would die!
Monkey grabbed him with his teeth and threw him onto his back. Once Tracey was on, he took off at a full gallop.
Yelping, Tracey grabbed his mane. He peered over his shoulder at the dragon.
She shot a ball of fire toward them, but Monkey dodged it.
Tracey thought that she would follow them, but she didn't. She refused to move from where she stood. Only one thing came to Tracey's mind when he saw that: that dragon was guarding something.
Monkey galloped the whole way back to the pasture gate. Quickly, he bucked Tracey off his back, and then he crashed into it.
Tracey landed on his front on the other side of the gate. Covered in dirt and dust, he instantly rose to his knees and shouted, "Monkey!"
Monkey was fine. He stood and shook out his head. His horn glowed and disappeared from his forehead. He also returned to his normal Human World height, which Grove Station Farms was used to. He made a sound that told Tracey he wanted him to return to the barn.
Nodding, Tracey followed his orders. He struggled to his feet, even though his whole body was shaking, and took off.
Monkey watched him go with a scared look on his face.
***
Inside the barn, kids were washing up for lunch. They took turns changing into shorts and ensured to use enough soap to wash their hands. Lunch was going to be at the farmhouse. It was beside the petting zoo.
Mrs. Connie ordered the children to sit on the front benches with their lunch boxes once they were ready. That was so they could go up together.
The remaining helpers were hard at work. Stacie and Corrine were getting ready to take a few horses out to the paddock: April, Balto, Gus, and Muffin, and Leah was sweeping up the rest area.
Mary Alice was monitoring the busy children.
Mary Catherine was the first to sit on the benches with her lunch box, but she looked a little worried.
As did Mrs. Connie. She placed her hands on her hips, asking, "Where is Tracey?" in a slightly annoyed voice.
Only a few minutes later, Tracey finally stumbled into the barn. His leg was still a bit sore from Tonio kicking him.
"Tracey!" Mary Catherine announced.
All activity in the barn stopped. Everybody, including the children, looked at Tracey.
"Oh boy," he nervously said. "Hey, everybody!"
"Tracey!" Mary Catherine yelled again. Her lunch box dropped from her hand. She rushed to Tracey and gave him a huge hug.
"There you are!" said Mrs. Connie. She, Mary Alice, and the kids approached their missing counselor. "Where have you been?" Mrs. Connie added. "We've been looking everywhere for you! What on Earth happened to you?"
Tracey was an absolute mess. His hair was in snarls, and he was covered in dirt and dust. His clothes had ripped a little when Monkey threw him.
To Mrs. Connie, he replied, "Oh, you do not want to know."
"Oh yes, I do want to know," Mrs. Connie said in a stern voice.
"Fine, I'll tell you!" It was obvious Tracey was both frustrated and scared. "I have not rested since I got here at 8:00! Girls have been swooning all over me, boys have bullied me like they don't give a care in the world, and kids are hanging onto me like duct tape!"
"It's horse camp!" Mrs. Connie argued.
"No, it's not. It's more like suicide," Tracey admitted. "Now, if you'll excuse me. You guys did not just fall off a gate." With that, Tracey pushed past Mrs. Connie. He almost stepped on Mary Catherine's foot, but she ducked out of the way.
***
Tracey returned to the indoor ring. He plopped down on the bleachers, pulling his knees close. He rested his head on them and stared at the mysterious haystack. While sitting there, he tried to figure out how on Earth a dragon and an alicorn entered the Human World. He thought the portals to the Human and Magic Worlds closed after he and Makenna traveled down to Atlantis.
Lowering his hands, Tracey peered down at the shin Tonio kicked. He pulled his pant leg up so he could look at it. Oh, terrific. There was a big, fat bruise on his leg. For a little boy, Tonio sure knew how to kick.
A few minutes later, Mary Alice came in, carrying Tracey's lunch bag. Approaching him, she held it out. "I brought you your lunch in case you're hungry."
"Thanks," Tracey said in a low voice. He refused to meet Mary Alice's eyes.
She set the lunch down beside him and glanced at his bruised skin. "Is that where Tonio kicked you?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry he did that to you. Truly." Mary Alice took a deep breath before she sat beside Tracey, on the other side of his lunch bag. There was an awkward silence between the young adults, and then Mary Alice spoke. "Tracey, you are no ordinary boy. I know you aren't."
"Really? How can you be so sure?" Tracey still didn't look at her. He merely pulled his pant leg back down and turned away.
"Because nobody has ever been able to calm Monkey down that easily since you came," Mary Alice argued. "How did you do it?"
Tracey said nothing. He couldn't. He would reveal his secret.
"Please, Tracey," begged Mary Alice.
"I can't tell you. It's too complicated," Tracey explained. "Please, just leave me be."
Disappointed, Mary Alice lowered her head. Eventually, she stood back up... and said something that shocked Tracey:
"As you wish, Sire."
Sire?
Nervous, Tracey peered over his shoulder at Mary Alice.
She smiled and gave him a quick bow. "I know you're a prince, Tracey."
"How?"
"Because you talk like a prince, you look like one, and you think like one."
Dang it! Nothing was going according to plan! Tracey never thought of himself as the princely type.
Inhaling a breath of air, he admitted, "I am Tracey, firstborn son of King Tamesis. I hail from the kingdom of Atlantica."
"Huh?" Mary Alice merely stared at him.
"So yes, I'm a prince," Tracey added.
"I thought you were. You must be here for a reason."
"Oh, I am."
"Well, what is it?"
There was a break in the conversation as Tracey tried to think. Eventually, he asked, "Mary Alice, do you want to see what it was that scared me earlier?"
"You looked like you just saw a horror movie."
"Well, technically I did." Tracey hopped down from the bleachers. Glancing at Mary Alice, he offered her his hand.
Though hesitant, she took it.
Tracey led her outside and down to the pasture gate. They were bathed in a wave of hot, summer air.
"Why are we here?" Mary Alice wanted to know.
Tracey gestured for her to be quiet. He then approached the gate and looked out at the pasture, whistling.
He and Mary Alice waited a bit, and then they heard a horse whinny. Monkey cantered to the gate, stopping behind it.
"Monkey!" Mary Alice's eyes widened. "How did you—?"
"Not now," Tracey said. He started to unlock the gate.
"What are you doing?" said Mary Alice.
Smiling hesitantly, Tracey glanced at her. "I didn't see any rules saying that we couldn't wander around the pasture. Please, Mary Alice. This is important." He finished with the lock and pushed the gate open. Stepping inside, Tracey joined Monkey. He rubbed him behind the ears, but saw that he was glaring at Mary Alice. "It's okay, Monkey. She's a friend."
Mary Alice was nervous. She wrapped her arms around herself.
Tracey again held his hand out to her. "You can trust him. I promise."
Mary Alice studied his hand. Her face turned a bright shade of red. Only a little bit later, she found the guts to let Tracey drag her into the pasture. He closed the gate and carefully took her to Monkey.
Mary Alice tried to hide behind Tracey, but he didn't let her.
"You can do this, Mary Alice. I know you can," he said.
Monkey did not move from where he stood.
Mary Alice's hand shook, but she moved it toward his nose.
Monkey let her pet him. He didn't neigh, buck, or rear. He had to look good before Tracey.
Mary Alice's jaw dropped. "How?" she stuttered. "Who are you, Tracey?"
Tracey ran his fingers through Monkey's mane. "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is Monkey."
"Why?"
"Because Monkey is an alicorn."
"An alicorn?" Mary Alice's jaw dropped.
"Do you know what that is?" asked Tracey.
"Yes. An alicorn is a mythical being that is a cross between a unicorn and Pegasus. How do I know you're not tricking me, Sire?"
"You have to believe me," Tracey begged. "If I can't find Monkey's wings, then he is in great danger. Alicorns cannot live in the Human World forever. Leah said you and Mrs. Connie found him in the woods behind the pasture two years ago, right?"
"Yeah, but—"
"Well, he fell in there from the Magic World. I know what happened to him."
"What are you talking about, Tracey?"
"Let me just show you." Tracey bumped heads with Monkey, asking in a gentle voice, "Monkey, can you take us to the forest? Mary Alice needs to know the truth."
Monkey gulped. Back to the forest? Nevertheless, he could not ignore an order from a prince. Therefore, he nodded and started toward the pond.
Mary Alice had no idea what she was doing, but she followed him. As did Tracey.
They walked through the pasture in complete silence. Horses did not come up to see them. In fact, they stayed a fair distance away from the humans and the animal.
It was actually really peaceful out there. Tracey had a hard time believing that there was a dragon in the forest.
Monkey remained in his horse form for the entire journey. If Tracey was going to hide his identity from Mary Alice, then he had to, too, unless it was an emergency.
The walk took about twenty minutes. There were no horses in the field. It was quiet. Too quiet.
Tracey saw that Mary Alice was growing nervous, so he grabbed her hand to comfort her.
Again, Mary Alice's face turned red. She, Tracey, and Monkey ventured up and down the grassy hills and slopes for a good ten minutes before they finally reached the forest. It looked even creepier than it did before.
Sweat trickled down Mary Alice's temples. "Tracey," she nervously spoke.
"I've got you, Mary Alice." Yet, Tracey released her hand so he could move closer to the overgrown canopy.
"Why are we here?" Mary Alice wondered, and Tracey answered:
"Because I need to show you what we're dealing with this week." He remained brave. A serious look washed over his face. He stood tall, clenched fists dangling from his sides for a minute or two, and then he yelled, "I know you're in there! Show yourself!"
Mary Alice noticed Monkey's ears flattening. He bent down and showed his teeth.
The dragon did not come out.
"Coward!" Tracey shouted. "If you're not going to fight me like a man, then we're going to do this the hard way!"
Nothing. The forest was completely silent.
"Tracey, please. Let's go back to the barn," Mary Alice begged.
"But I know she's in here," Tracey said.
"Whoever it is, I do not want to know! The other helpers are probably wondering where we are! I'm going to get this into your thick skull right now, kid! There is no such thing as magic!"
The second Mary Alice said that, she, Tracey, and Monkey were ambushed. The dragon leaped out of the forest and aimed for them.
"Ahhh!" Mary Alice screamed.
"Great! Now you've made her mad!" Tracey shouted.
Mary Alice did not stop screaming.
The dragon's purple underbody glowed, and it launched another fireball. Except that one was purple.
Monkey came to the rescue. He lowered his head, and his forehead glowed. From it came his horn. He also grew taller and stronger.
"What the—?" Mary Alice shrieked.
Monkey neighed. He rushed to the two young adults and leaped before them, his horn giving off a blast of light. At his command, a barrier was put up between them and the dragon. The fireball smashed into it, knocking him back.
Now, the dragon opened her enormous, spiky wings.
"Run!" Tracey yelled at Mary Alice.
She did not have to be asked twice. Mary Alice turned on her heel, taking off at a full sprint.
The dragon lifted into the air. She let out a terrifying roar and began chasing the friends.
"Go! Go!" Tracey shouted at Monkey and Mary Alice. He prepared to hit the dragon with a spell, but just before he could, she zipped over him. One of her sharp claws caught his left shoulder. She ended up dragging him on the ground. It was literally the most painful thing Tracey had felt in his entire life. It tied with the pain after he broke his wings.
Distressed, he yelled. Eventually, the dragon threw him off, and he back-flipped away from her.
At the sight of him, Mary Alice stopped running. "Tracey!" She hurried back in his direction.
Monkey distracted the dragon while she tended to him.
"Tracey!" Mary Alice shouted again. Reaching him, she fell to her knees. A dragon claw was sticking out of Tracey's shoulder. It did not take him long to notice that.
"There is a dragon claw in my shoulder!" he shouted.
In a calm voice, Mary Alice said, "You're going to be okay." To help him up, she rested her hand on his shoulder, but when she pulled away, it was covered in blood. She wrapped his good arm around her own shoulders, glancing at Monkey.
He did not want her to fly to Grove Station Farms, so he lured her back to the forest.
Mary Alice and Tracey quickly figured out his plan.
Tracey pulled his arm away from Mary Alice so he could run on his own two feet, even though he was losing quite a bit of blood and magic.
The second he and Mary Alice were in the forest, they ducked behind a log.
Monkey galloped past them and found a tree where he could hide. It was so overgrown with trees and dark that the dragon lost sight of them. Her eyesight was not as good as her sense of smell.
Where Mary Alice and Tracey were, Tracey breathed heavily. He was on the verge of passing out.
Mary Alice had to get the claw out of his shoulder, but how? "Stay with me, Tracey," she begged. "As soon as we get out of this, I'm going to take you to the hospital."
Unfortunately, the dragon heard her remark. She paused, folding her wings.
Monkey, Mary Alice, and Tracey held their breaths. They did not move a muscle.
Closer and closer the dragon approached. Before long, she hovered over the log and searched the forest beyond it. Dragon drool dripped from her mouth and landed on the kids.
Mary Alice wanted to scream; she wanted to move, but couldn't. A dragon spat on her, and she could do nothing about it.
The dragon remained over the log for a few minutes before she finally gave up and pulled her neck back. Growling a low growl, she swung her tail and left the log. She headed toward a cluster of scrunched-up trees across a river.
Mary Alice and Monkey did not move until they were sure she was gone.
By the time she could no longer hear giant feet stomping the ground, Mary Alice shook Tracey and said, "All right, the dragon's gone. We need to get out of here. Tracey? Tracey!"
Tracey had passed out. Hair covered in dragon spit, he rested his head on the log.
"No, no, no!" Mary Alice begged.
Monkey soon joined them. "Monkey, he's losing too much blood! We need to do something!" said Mary Alice. "Please!"
Suddenly, a blast of light burst from behind the friends. It was green and purple. The light caused the trees in the area to glow.
Mary Alice stopped shaking Tracey.
Monkey again flattened his ears.
Together, they looked in the direction from which the light came.
It glowed brighter until, finally, a figure emerged in its heart: a woman. A fairy. It was Selene, the wisest, oldest fairy in the world.