Fresca the Unicorn Vs the Forces of Evil

Fresca's first experience with something truly evil was the day of her third birthday, the day she would obtain her magic. Being a unicorn, Fresca was born with her horn but it was basically useless until her third birthday. (Unless you count using your horn to dislodge apples from trees or ram unsuspecting siblings) But anyway back to the story. Before this day took place Fresca thought that her friends eating more grass than their fair share was evil, or that cutting down perfectly delectable apple trees was evil. But at the same time, she had never witnessed a clear boundary between good and evil. If a unicorn stole carrots from the bunnies that lived nearby to feed to her starving foal was that really wrong? If a unicorn steals from someone to help her foal it is not right but at the same time, it is not evil she thought. Fresca had no idea that soon she would be in a situation that was very clearly divided by good and evil. She never paid the world outside her safe meadow a single thought. The unicorns were not aware of what was lurking outside their quiet meadow waiting for the right moment to attack. 

Her birthday started off like any other morning. Fresca woke up from her slumber realized it was pouring rain, and huddled under the nearest tree in an attempt to stay dry. Fresca hated the rain. She stood grouchily as the water droplets dripped off her mane and onto her muzzle. It made her horn wet and her tail stick to her back legs. When the rain began to slow Fresca crept out of the tree canopy and began preparing herself for her birthday festivities. When a unicorn turned three the elders would hold a gathering to celebrate them receiving their magic. After their third birthday unicorns were able to use their magic to help protect and preserve their meadow. They could make flowers bloom and revive dying plants so that all the animals had enough food. Their powers were also capable of stronger magic, but no unicorn had needed to use this magic in the last hundred years. Fresca wanted to make a good impression on the older unicorns to show them she was no longer a foal, she was a mature unicorn. The rain had made her chestnut brown coat sticky and muddy looking so she headed down to the stream where she could take a bath. She could not have prepared herself for what she was going to find next to the stream. 

As she trotted down to the stream she noticed that the birds were slowly becoming quiet until the only noise she could hear was the clip-clop of her hooves. Her midnight black mane blew in a million different directions as she headed down the quiet path. That's strange I guess the birds are taking the day off she thought. But then she heard it. The crunching sound of footsteps stomping on the forest ground. ‘’Die shrivel up and die plant!’’ a wicked voice yelled. ''Soon this meadow will no longer be green and lush, it will be barren and desolate.'' Humans in our meadow? What are they doing here? And why are they so angry? Fresca ducked into a large shrub and peered out at the human. 

She was outlandishly dressed in a long black cloak and a thin stick in her right hand. Her face was wrinkled and her teeth were so stained that they appeared wooden. Her bleached blond hair was pulled up into a messy bun, but a few strands were lying on her forehead. She waved her stick and to Fresca's horror, the rose bush that she pointed at shrivelled up and died. First, the bubblegum pink flowers fell off then the green leaves faded until all that was left was a few thorny branches. Then the woman poised her head as if she was listening intently. Then Fresca heard the sound of a group of unicorns galloping towards them. At the sound, the woman fled from the meadow over a hill and into the swampy forest beyond. Fresca stood trembling until she worked up the courage to walk out and examine the damage. But what she witnessed was even more disturbing then the dead rose bush. 

Everywhere the woman had walked was now black and dead. It was as if death followed wherever the woman stepped. The air around the charred footprints was cool and made Fresca shiver from within. When asked to describe it all Fresca could say was magic, but not good magic clearly this was evil magic. She didn't understand it but she knew that this was bad news for the peaceful meadow. And without the meadow, the unicorns would not survive. If she could do that to plants what could she do to us? Fresca made up her mind to make the treacherous journey over the hill and into the deep forest to follow the woman. Fresca had never before been on an adventure or felt the desire to go on one. Maybe it was the confidence her new magic gave her (even though she had never used it before) but whatever got into Fresca’s mind encouraged her to follow the woman and stop her from destroying anything else. 

It was not difficult for Fresca to follow the woman because of the path of barren ground she left trailing behind her. Fresca quickly realized why unicorns resided in meadows instead of dark forests. Her horn kept getting caught in the low hanging vines and her hooves were stumbling over tree roots. The ground was covered in small stones and fallen leaves instead of the cushiony grass Fresca was used to. In the distance, Fresca could see the dark shadow of the woman travelling before her. Sometimes Fresca could hear her yell out and break the silence. Mostly the woman was complaining about the constant buzz of mosquitoes in her ear. Even the bugs know this woman is bad news Fresca thought. As Fresca laid down in a bush for the night she began to put two and two together. The woman I have been following is a witch! Just like the stories Papa used to tell me. If what I remember about witches is correct she needs that stick to perform her magic. Fresca remembered being a young foal and hearing stories about witches, kings, queens, and animals called horses. She never believed any of these stories and thought of them as nothing more than fairytales. But laying in the forest in the middle of the night alone, the stories about evil witches felt very real to Fresca.

   The next morning Fresca watched the witch walk up a path that led to a small shack next to a towering evergreen tree. The building appeared to be deserted and was covered in vines crawling up the walls and onto the roof. A few of the windows were shattered and the door was left open. The witch walked onto the front porch paused for a moment and then went inside the shack. Fresca decided to walk up to one of the broken windows and peer inside. 

Inside there was a small coffee table that was ever so slightly leaning in one direction, a dirty rug, and a dim lamplight. Fresca heard the witch enter the room so she quickly ducked out of sight under the windowsill. This is obviously not easy for a large animal, such as a unicorn, to do. But Fresca crouched as low as she could so that just the tip of her horn could be seen from inside. Please don't look out the window and see my horn, Fresca silently prayed. The witch did not look out the window though, she brought in a low stool that she placed next to the table and sat down. All Fresca could hear was the witch tapping her foot impatiently as if she was waiting for someone. Soon Fresca realized that she was indeed waiting for someone. Fresca began to hear the clip-clop of an approaching horse and rider. Then she saw a plump woman dressed in a long blue cloak riding a large black horse up to the shack. The woman then dismounted as gracefully as possible, tied the horse to the evergreen tree and walked in through the front door. ‘’Hello, Pipi’’ The fat woman said merrily to the witch. ‘’What took you so long’’ the witch, who Fresca now realized was named Pipi, snapped. Pipi, her name is Pipi? ‘’Stupid Horse!’’ The woman mumbled pointing out the window, ‘’He bucked me off three times on the way here.’’ ''Well, maybe you should learn to ride before jumping on a stallion,'' Pipi mumbled. What'' the fat woman angrily replied. ''Nevermind!'' Pipi snapped ''What I meant to say was ha, you fool how many times have I told you horses are not what we should ride unicorns are.’’

When Fresca heard the witch say that her heart stopped. They want to do that to us. Jump on our backs and try to domesticate us. We are unicorns, not ponies. ‘’Well, that is what I came here to discuss isn’t it.’’ The fat woman replied harshly. ‘’Well, I would imagine that's why you came here unless you just came for a free meal'' Pipi said with an evil grin. ''Stop it you know you need my help to capture the unicorns'' the woman replied. Poor Fresca laying under the windowsill hearing this and not able to run away for fear the witches might see her. 

‘’If we destroy their meadow with our magic they will be starving and easier to catch’’ ‘’Yes, I agree but how long will that take you have only destroyed one bush.’’ The fat woman said condescendingly. ‘’You must have more patience, it takes time for great plans to succeed,’’ Pipi replied. ''Why are you so sure this is a great plan, oh wait, it's because you made it isn't it.'' The woman said with a smirk.

While they were bickering Fresca was forming her own plan. If I attempt to use my magic to break the rope holding the horse, I think they will chase after it. Once they are gone I can sneak inside and steal their wands. The only flaw in her plan was the fact that witches never ever left their wands unattended and of course, the fact that Fresca did not know how to use her magic. Fresca thought long and hard about breaking the rope and to her amazement, it pulled off the tree when she tilted her horn towards it. The pitch-black stallion immediately started galloping away. The witches saw this from the window and ran outside to catch the horse. But Fresca was long gone by then. With the distraction of the horse escaping she had turned and bolted into a nearby bush.

When both the women were gone chasing the horse. Fresca snuck inside the shack but found that they had taken both wands with them. So Fresca galloped through the woods following the sound of galloping hooves and screaming women. Once she caught up to them the witches turned around at the sound of hooves. A unicorn’’ the woman gasped. ‘’Get her!’’ Pipi yelled gritting her wooden teeth. Fresca pointed her horn at them and a magic vine grew straight up from the ground winding around their ankles. They both tripped and landed in a pile cursing and yelling. When they fell they both dropped their wands so Fresca grabbed them in her mouth turned to the opposite direction and bolted. ''You will pay for this unicorn!'' Pipi screeched after her. Fresca did not stop running until she was at least a two days journey away from the witches. There she stopped to rest under the protection of a great big spruce. She laid down underneath the tree and went to sleep on top of the wands knowing that the witches would soon return for revenge.