AUTHOR'S NOTE: More notification of an OC in here. I know a lot of you people don't like OC's, but it's part of who I am. My new character in this story is Princess Phyllis of Barberia, and in all honesty, I got this idea from an episode of "The Smurfs" called "Tear of a Smurf." The villain in this is also one I made up.
It was another beautiful spring day in Ponyland. Molly and Julie were in the daisy field with Baby Lofty and Baby Cuddles. The four of them were picking the daisies. Well, Molly and the two baby ponies were picking daisies. Julie was winding her pile of daisies into wreathes. She was good at that. As they were flower picking, they saw someone coming towards the field.
"Who's that?" Julie asked.
"I don't know," Molly said. The two girls and the baby ponies looked up and saw the person coming closer. Once she was close enough, the foursome got a good look at her. She was an old woman with long white hair and a long pointed nose with a wart on the end of it. She carried a knotted cane, and wore a long pink garment. She looked like a witch. Julie let out a scream.
"Please, don't be afraid," the old woman said. "I know I may look like a witch, but I assure you, I am not."
"Who are you?" Molly asked.
"What you doing here?" Baby Lofty asked.
"I'm looking for one called the Moochick," the old woman said. "Would you know where he is?"
"He live in Mushromp!" Baby Cuddles shouted. "But we not know how to get there. But Megan know!"
"Come on," Molly said, as she and Julie took the old woman's hands. "We'll take you to Paradise Estate! My sister Megan will help you!"
The old woman smiled gratefully at the two girls and the two baby ponies. They reached the Estate and found Megan outside brushing Heart Throb's hair. Firefly had done another one of her stunts, and crashed into Applejack, and applesauce had gotten all over everything, again. The other ponies were helping to clean up the mess.
"Megan!" Molly called. "There's someone here who needs help!"
"What is it, Molly?" Megan asked. She looked at the old woman her sister and cousin were leading to the Estate, and her eyes grew wide. The other ponies started staring at the old woman themselves. Not one of them could say anything.
"It not nice to stare," Baby Lofty said.
"That's all right," Phyllis said. "People have done worse than stare whenever I passed through their towns. I'm a bit used to it."
"Who are you?" Gingerbread asked, after a minute or so. "And what are you doing in Dream Valley?"
"Permit me to introduce myself," the old woman said. "My name is Phyllis. I come from a land known as Barberia."
"I seem to remember a story about Barberia," Paradise replied. "I know there was a woman named Phyllis there, but she was a beautiful young princess."
"That's me," Phyllis said.
"I find that a little hard to believe," Lickety Split said, skeptically. "Unless you ruled over Barberia a hundred years ago."
"I'm under a curse," she explained. "My stepmother, Chloe, doesn't care for love, kindness, or anything of that sort. I'll tell you the whole story, but I must find the Moochick."
"We'll be delighted to guide you to the Mushromp," Wind Whistler said. "It will be no difficulty to assist you lift the blight you're under."
"What'd she say?" Fizzy asked.
"She said that we'll lead her to the Mushromp to help her lift the curse she's under," Galaxy translated.
"Is that what she said?" Fizzy replied.
Wind Whistler, Fizzy, Heart Throb, Magic Star, Galaxy, Gingerbread, Paradise, and Megan started leading Phyllis to the Mushromp. On their way, Phyllis explained her entire story.
"My mother died when I was quite young," she said as she rode Paradise. "My father did the best he could to take care of me. He always said that I was no trouble for him at all, but he still felt I could do with a mother, so he married a noblewoman named Lady Chloe Medala. She became queen of Barberia. But she never fully understood the concept of love."
"Not everyone does," Magic Star replied.
"Chloe never understood me," Phyllis continued. "And I never understood her. My father and I were very close. Until one day when he had to leave the kingdom. When he left, he never returned. I was left with my stepmother."
"That doesn't sound like much fun," Fizzy said.
"It wasn't," Phyllis said. "But she and I managed to avoid each other. For a long while afterward, Chloe and I never really spoke to each other. So I grew into young womanhood, and as I did, I fell in love with a man. But Chloe saw to it that I never had the chance for love."
"That wasn't very nice!" Fizzy exclaimed.
"To make sure I never had a chance for love again," Phyllis continued. "She placed a curse on me, turning me into an old woman. I left my home land looking for the Moochick, knowing that he might be able to break this spell."
"Oh what a terribly sad story!" Heart Throb shouted. "I hope the Moochick will be able to help you!"
"I'm sure he will!" Gingerbread shouted. "He may be a little scatterbrained, but he's really a nice guy. He knows what he's doing."
"At least I think he'll know what to do," Megan said. "We've gone to him with many of our problems, and he seemed to know the answer for all of them."