Spotty Joins A Gang

Spotty Joins A Gang

Written by Estee Lauren Verdery

Scene 1:

(Mia, a ten year old student rider, enters the arena for her horseback riding

lesson from her instructor, Mr. Gerald.)

Mr. Gerald: Good morning Mia, are you ready for your lesson today?

Mia (excitedly) Oh yes! I’m super excited for my jumping lesson today—Yippee!

Mr. Gerald: Okay Mia, just go over the pole jumps as we practiced.

(Spotty, Mia’s little Shetland pony, struggles over the jumps and, try as she might, can’t complete the course.)

Mia (concerned) Spotty!—what’s wrong with you girl?

Spotty: I don’t know! The jumps just feel bigger than usual.

Mr. Gerald: Mia, I definitely think something is wrong with you pony. The veterinarian is coming by later today; maybe have her take a look at Spotty.

Mia: Okay, Mr. Gerald, I will.

Scene 2:

(Mia takes Spotty to the vet. Dr. Daniel examines Spotty.)

Dr. Daniel: Mmm…

Mia (worried): Wha—what is it Dr. Daniel?—is it serious?

Dr. Daniel: Well, it seems that your horse is a bit overweight—make that A LOT overweight! In fact, let’s see just how much she really weighs.

(Spotty starts to step onto the weighing scale.)

Spotty (indignant): Overweight!? Stuff and nonsense! I probably will weigh like zero pounds and zero ounces!

(Suddenly, the scale breaks under Spotty’s extreme weight.)

Dr. Daniel: Whoo-weee! Forty pounds overweight!—that’s not good.

Mia (concerned): Oh, that’s terrible-horrendous! Dr. Daniel, what should I do to get Spotty back in shape?

Dr. Daniel: Ration half her food and no more in between mealtime snacks. That’s the way that you’ll have to cut her food.

Spotty (indignant): Cut my food!? Cut my food?! Uh, I have an idea!—yeah—let’s cut YOUR food and see how you like that!

(Spotty shoves doctor Daniel to the ground.)

Mia (concerned): Oh!—doctor Daniel! I’m so sorry for Spotty’s behavior; let me help you up.

(A very startled doctor Daniel is helped to his feet.)

Dr Daniel: Umm—yes—well, thank you.

Mia: I’m sorry I let Spotty get this big and I appreciate your help doctor Daniel, we’ll do everything you said, right Spotty?

Spotty (gumbling): No—no we won’t.

Mia: Don’t worry doctor, we will. Bye.

Scene 3:

(Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Mia and Spotty, in the woods, lurks a wild white Shetland pony with her gangster friends; all wearing eyepatches and dressed like pirates, coming toward Mia’s family’s stable. The unaware Mia leads Spotty to her stall and gives her a little portion of food. When Mia leaves, Snowball, the lead gangster pony, emerges from the shadows and comes over to Spotty.)

Snowball: Hey!—Over here!

Spotty: What? No, you come over here! I’m stuck in a stall, can’t you see that?

(Snowball comes over to Spotty)

Spotty (inquisitively): So, what’s with the eyepatch; are you like one of them street ponies?

Snowball (offended): Twah!—the idea!

Spotty (excited): Oh, Oh!—wait!—know who you are! You’re one of those wild ponies—those little thieving ponies who raid farms for food!

Snowball: That’s right honey—and boy!—do we have an offer for you! We’ve been watching you—we think you’d be the perfect fit for our little gang! How’s would you like to join?

Spotty (taken a-back) Wh-Why would you like me to join!?

Snowball: We’ll, we’ve seen your little nasty hankering for food: and that’s tha kind of desperation that drives one to determination in our field of work—we think you’d be a perfect fit!

Spotty (nervously): Okay, I’m in. Whatcha got in mind?

Snowball: Well, first you gotta say our creed.

Spotty: Your creed?

Smowball: Yeah, our creed. Raise your right hoof.

Spotty: Alright.

Snowball: Now say—“I will always”.

Spotty: “I will always”

Snowball: “—Live to eat”.

Spotty: “—Live to eat”

Snowball: “—And not eat to live.”

Spotty: “—And not eat to live”. Huh,—wow! Guess you gotta be pretty dedicated, huh?

Snowball: Yeah, we’re a tight knit gang—we’ve never had a defect—and you BETTER not be the first. Now, come on, I’ll show ya tha gang.

Scene 4:

(The two ponies travel through the woods and arrive at camp.)

Snowball: Okay, let’s start introducing ourselves—so here’s Fudgy, an’ Brownie, an’ that over there’s Coco, (she wears her eyepatch on the left eye—freaky, right?) And finally, Toffee, (He’s so cool—he’s got two eyepatches!)

Spotty (whispering): Wh—well, how does he see?

Snowball: He doesn’t need eyes, he can smell out tha food; as a matter of fact, he’s our scout. He’s been hot on the scent of a big wear house of food the past few days—we finally located it today.

Spotty: Okay, well, ummm…hi everyone—I’m the new pony and well I was just wondering—ummm…I couldn’t help but notice that your all named after foods, huh?

Snowball: Yes, yes, they love food just as much as you do—you’ll get along great with them. Now I’m tired, let hit tha sack; we have a great big raid to carry out tomorrow.

Scene5:

(Snowball leads Spotty to the deserted barn where the gang sleeps.)

Snowball: Welcome to our palace!—the Shetty Shack.

Spotty (disgusted): Ummm…what a nice home you have—yes—ummm—very welcoming…you say you call it the ummm…shabby shack?

Snowball (offended): Twah, no! It’s call the SHETTY shack—we’re Shetland ponies—don’t cha know?

Spotty (confused): Ummm…?

Snowball: Whatever, let’s hit the sack, we have ta get up in the middle of the night to hit that ol’e farmer’s barn when he don’t expect it.

Spotty: Wha? Get up in the middle of the night, reallllyyy?

Snowball: Yup—ya snooze, ya lose, honey.

Scene 6:

(Ponies go to sleep until snowball awakes them and they head to the barn under the cover of the night. They tip-toe as they approach the barn.)

Snowball (whispering): Now everyone, be very quiet. Shhh…

Spotty (distressed): Wait! You can’t steal from here! This barn belongs to Mia’s family!

Snowball: What?! Aww…is baby not ready for the big leagues? Ya gotta steal when ya got the opportunity and the chance!—it doesn’t matter who the barn belongs to.

Spotty (upset): No! It’s not right! You ain’t gonna do it! I’ve got to warn Mia!

(Spotty tries to run away but Snowball trips her and Spotty falls to the ground.)

Snowball: You’ll do nothing of the sort!—you’re not gonna foil our plans—no way!

Spotty (scared): Wha-what are you gonna do to me?!

Snowball: You’ll see. He-he!

(Snowball and the gang drag Spotty away to the barn’s loft where the tie her up using an old rope suspended from the top of the barn. Spotty struggles to free herself, but to no avail.)

Snowball: Okay gang! Stuff your faces with as much food as you can—hurry! Come on—let’s get to it!

(The gang of horses ravage the barn, eating furiously. Meanwhile, Spotty tries to untangle herself from the rope.)

Spotty (struggling and grunting): Got to get free!—uhh! Got to warn Mia! Uhh!

(Spotty frees herself and falls to the ground. Snowball and the gang are so busy stuffing their faces that they don’t notice their escaped prisoner. Spotty then runs past and makes her way to Mia’s house, threw the door, and up the stairs.)

Scene 7:

(Spotty locates Mia’s bedroom but struggles to open the door.)

Spotty: Huh, door knobs!

(Spotty finally busts the door down and enters the room. Mia wakes up startled.)

Mia: Wha? Spotty—in my house!? Is this a dream!?

Spotty: This is no dream Mia! You’ve got to come with me! Ponies are raiding your family’s barn!

Mia: Oh no! This is terrible! Let me go get mom and dad!

(Mia gets wakes up her parents. Then her parents get trailer hitched up the the family truck and zoom toward the barn.)

Scene 8;

(As Mia’s family drives up, they see the pony gang ransacking the barn.)

Mia’s dad: Mia, stand back—I’ll handle this!

(Mia’s dad grabs one pony at the time, and with his near super-human strength, tosses each pony into the trailer until all are loaded in.)

Mia: Wow, dad! You’re so strong!

Mia’s dad: Yup! Thank ya sweetheart! Humph! Yup—I think that that was the last of them!

Mia: Horray!

Scene 9:

(The next day, when Mia is back at the barn, Spotty comes over to Mia in the tack room where Spotty apologizes to Mia.)

Spotty: Oh Mia! I’m so sorry for my difficult attitude. I really shoulda realized that you only want what best for me. Now I’ve seen what an obsession with food can do to someone: I don’t want to end up like Snowball. She doesn’t want to know what a good life is—she lives for food. I thought I was like her: I thought I could handle her lifestyle but I can’t—we’re just too different—I don’t want to live like her and she doesn’t want too live like me. She lives for food—nothing else but I’m not going to.

Mia: That’s good, I’m glad you’ve learned your lesson.

Spotty: Yeah, that’s for sure, but I think we taught her a lesson ourselves—a lesson she CAN’T forget, at least, when she looks at her food trough, she can’t!

Mia (chuckling): Oh, you mean her new diet, yup, she’s one tough cookie!

Spotty (wistfully): Mmmm…cookies…delicious!

Mia (laughing): Oh Spotty!

The End