"All right, Mr. Baker," said Greta despairingly, "you can have my horn. You
don't need to yank it off."
Mr. Baker relaxed his grip on the forceps, and a split second later Greta's horn came loose and fell from her forehead. Upon seeing this, the teacher laid down his forceps and greedily snatched up the glowing horn.
"Thank you very much, Miss von Horstein," he said, climbing to his feet and lifting his hand from Greta's chest. The dehorned unicorn girl then pulled herself up and stood before Mr. Baker, glaring at him indignantly but making no attempt to flee.
The man then turned his face to D.W. "It's your turn," he said ominously.
"No! No!" cried D.W., struggling to break away from Arthur and Francine. "You can't have my horn! I want to stay a unicorn!"
"Give him your horn, D.W.," Greta advised. "It'll grow back."
Seeing that it was useless to fight, D.W. closed her eyes and caused her horn to appear. Mr. Baker wrapped his hand around her horn and wiggled it until it came loose; he now held Greta's horn in one hand, and D.W.'s in the other. Arthur and Francine released D.W.'s arms, and the little girl ran to Greta's side. Mr. Baker then handed D.W.'s horn to Arthur.
Greta's eyes were full of hatred. "How much did Mr. Baker pay you off, you traitors?" she bellowed at Arthur and Francine.
"He's not giving us any money," said Arthur, holding the unicorn horn in front of him. "We agreed with Mr. Baker to split the two horns. What he does with his horn is his business, but I intend to use this one to have a little talk with the Unicorn Council."
"No, Arthur!" cried Greta with panic in her voice. "Only a unicorn can petition the Council! You don't know what they'll do to you!"
"Then I'll find out," said Arthur fearlessly. "I wish to be transported..."
"UNUS CORNU CONCILIO!" shouted Greta at the top of her lungs.
Arthur stopped in mid-wish, intrigued by the strange words that Greta had spoken. Before he had a chance to ask their meaning, a smoky white mist rose from the floor of the hotel room and surrounded him, Francine, D.W., Greta, and Mr. Baker. The hotel environs completely disappeared; it was as if they were enveloped by a dense, blinding cloud.
For several seconds they remained in darkness, unable to hear each other's voices; then the mist dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. They were no longer in the Tripletree Inn, but in the midst of a brilliant marble colonnade. Before them sat an array of about a hundred gilded stadium seats, all of which were empty; to the left of the seats stood a large marble podium.
"Where are we, Greta?" asked Francine as soon as she had recovered from her initial confusion.
"Unicornix Zero," Greta replied, her voice now confident. "The assembly hall of the Unicorn Council. Arthur, Mr. Baker, I suggest you put away the horns you stole."
As Arthur and the hippo man inserted their ill-gotten unicorn horns into their pockets, the gilded seats began to fill with adult unicorns who seemed to appear out of thin air. They were clad in blue sackcloth robes not unlike those that the Sentinels had worn.
"The words you heard me speak are the code for an emergency convocation of the Council," Greta went on. "Only by petitioning the Council for an exception to the rules of unicorn magic can we change D.W. back to normal."
"Then why didn't you do this before?" asked Arthur.
"The Council grants exceptions only in extreme circumstances," Greta explained as her voice became anxious once again. "Also, to discourage convocations over frivolous matters, they inflict a punishment upon any unicorn whose petition is denied."
"What kind of punishment?" inquired D.W.
Greta hesitated nervously, as if describing the punishment would cause it to fall upon her.
"You remember I said I would give my life to change D.W. back," she said to Arthur and Francine. "I was serious. But if my petition for an emergency exception is denied, then my fate will be worse than death."
Arthur, Francine, D.W., and Mr. Baker all stared at Greta expectantly.
"I will lose my free will," Greta concluded.
Now more worried than ever, the others watched as the last few empty seats were filled with robed unicorns. Finally, a unicorn with a red robe and powdered wig appeared, standing behind the podium with a golden gavel in his hand.
Greta pointed toward the farthest row of seats. "See the two unicorns sitting on the left end of the back row?" she said to her friends. "Those are my parents."
"They don't look very happy to see you," Francine remarked. Indeed, the expressions of all the unicorns in the Council, as well as the judge, were seemingly devoid of feeling.
"The Council members are instructed to never let their emotions get in the way of their judgments," Greta explained.
The judge struck the top of the podium with his gavel. "This emergency convocation of the Unicorn Council will now come to order," he announced in a pompous, booming voice. "Greta von Horstein, you have one minute to state your case before the Council."
Greta stepped in front of the podium and bowed her head meekly. "Your Honor, there has been an unfortunate mistake. My young friend D.W. Read made a wish on a unicorn horn, unaware of its magical properties, and as a result was changed unwillingly into a unicorn."
"That's not true!" cried D.W., who was now running toward the podium. "I like being a unicorn! I want to stay like this!"
"Quiet, D.W.!" said Greta, glaring at the little girl. She then turned to look at the judge again. "It is my desire that an exception will be made to unicorn law, and that D.W. will be transformed into her former self."
Silence filled the assembly hall, and then the unicorn councilors began to mutter among themselves. "The Council will now decide," proclaimed the judge, pounding the podium with his gavel. D.W., frightened by the loud nose, hurried away and rejoined Arthur and Francine.
The discussion among the robed unicorns became animated, with most complaining about the fact that they had been pulled away from their other responsibilities to wait upon a little girl's wishes.
"I don't think she understands the seriousness of what she's done," said one councilor. "And her friend doesn't even want to be changed back. I doubt that the verdict will be in her favor."
"I thought we had taught her better than this," said Greta's mother, shaking her head.
"Although she is our daughter," Greta's father remarked, "we must respect the law."
As Greta's friends watched curiously, each of the unicorn councilors pressed one of two buttons that were part of a small panel on the back of each seat. "It's like an election," Francine noted.
When all the councilors had voted, the judge hit the podium with his gavel again. "The Council has spoken. Three votes in favor, ninety-seven opposed. Greta von Horstein, your petition is denied."
Arthur, D.W., and Francine let out horrified gasps. Mr. Baker's expression was one of indifference, as if he were observing the outcome of a gubernatorial election pertaining to another state.
Greta lowered her eyes humbly. "I submit to the decision of the Council," she said in a tone of utter hopelessness.
Then she turned to her friends. "You may not want to watch this," she warned them. But they did.
As they looked on, Greta underwent a frightening change. Although her exterior appearance was unmodified, her face and eyes had become drained of all emotion. She stood rigidly, like a soldier awaiting a command from a superior officer.
"You are hereby stripped of your free will and sentenced to labor in the gold mines for the remainder of your natural life," said the judge coldly.
Without a word, Greta turned and walked toward a marble-framed door that apparently served as the exit from the assembly hall. "Greta, come back!" D.W. cried after her, but the unicorn girl seemed oblivious to everything around her. The door swung open automatically, and Greta disappeared through it.
(To be continued...)
Mr. Baker relaxed his grip on the forceps, and a split second later Greta's horn came loose and fell from her forehead. Upon seeing this, the teacher laid down his forceps and greedily snatched up the glowing horn.
"Thank you very much, Miss von Horstein," he said, climbing to his feet and lifting his hand from Greta's chest. The dehorned unicorn girl then pulled herself up and stood before Mr. Baker, glaring at him indignantly but making no attempt to flee.
The man then turned his face to D.W. "It's your turn," he said ominously.
"No! No!" cried D.W., struggling to break away from Arthur and Francine. "You can't have my horn! I want to stay a unicorn!"
"Give him your horn, D.W.," Greta advised. "It'll grow back."
Seeing that it was useless to fight, D.W. closed her eyes and caused her horn to appear. Mr. Baker wrapped his hand around her horn and wiggled it until it came loose; he now held Greta's horn in one hand, and D.W.'s in the other. Arthur and Francine released D.W.'s arms, and the little girl ran to Greta's side. Mr. Baker then handed D.W.'s horn to Arthur.
Greta's eyes were full of hatred. "How much did Mr. Baker pay you off, you traitors?" she bellowed at Arthur and Francine.
"He's not giving us any money," said Arthur, holding the unicorn horn in front of him. "We agreed with Mr. Baker to split the two horns. What he does with his horn is his business, but I intend to use this one to have a little talk with the Unicorn Council."
"No, Arthur!" cried Greta with panic in her voice. "Only a unicorn can petition the Council! You don't know what they'll do to you!"
"Then I'll find out," said Arthur fearlessly. "I wish to be transported..."
"UNUS CORNU CONCILIO!" shouted Greta at the top of her lungs.
Arthur stopped in mid-wish, intrigued by the strange words that Greta had spoken. Before he had a chance to ask their meaning, a smoky white mist rose from the floor of the hotel room and surrounded him, Francine, D.W., Greta, and Mr. Baker. The hotel environs completely disappeared; it was as if they were enveloped by a dense, blinding cloud.
For several seconds they remained in darkness, unable to hear each other's voices; then the mist dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. They were no longer in the Tripletree Inn, but in the midst of a brilliant marble colonnade. Before them sat an array of about a hundred gilded stadium seats, all of which were empty; to the left of the seats stood a large marble podium.
"Where are we, Greta?" asked Francine as soon as she had recovered from her initial confusion.
"Unicornix Zero," Greta replied, her voice now confident. "The assembly hall of the Unicorn Council. Arthur, Mr. Baker, I suggest you put away the horns you stole."
As Arthur and the hippo man inserted their ill-gotten unicorn horns into their pockets, the gilded seats began to fill with adult unicorns who seemed to appear out of thin air. They were clad in blue sackcloth robes not unlike those that the Sentinels had worn.
"The words you heard me speak are the code for an emergency convocation of the Council," Greta went on. "Only by petitioning the Council for an exception to the rules of unicorn magic can we change D.W. back to normal."
"Then why didn't you do this before?" asked Arthur.
"The Council grants exceptions only in extreme circumstances," Greta explained as her voice became anxious once again. "Also, to discourage convocations over frivolous matters, they inflict a punishment upon any unicorn whose petition is denied."
"What kind of punishment?" inquired D.W.
Greta hesitated nervously, as if describing the punishment would cause it to fall upon her.
"You remember I said I would give my life to change D.W. back," she said to Arthur and Francine. "I was serious. But if my petition for an emergency exception is denied, then my fate will be worse than death."
Arthur, Francine, D.W., and Mr. Baker all stared at Greta expectantly.
"I will lose my free will," Greta concluded.
Now more worried than ever, the others watched as the last few empty seats were filled with robed unicorns. Finally, a unicorn with a red robe and powdered wig appeared, standing behind the podium with a golden gavel in his hand.
Greta pointed toward the farthest row of seats. "See the two unicorns sitting on the left end of the back row?" she said to her friends. "Those are my parents."
"They don't look very happy to see you," Francine remarked. Indeed, the expressions of all the unicorns in the Council, as well as the judge, were seemingly devoid of feeling.
"The Council members are instructed to never let their emotions get in the way of their judgments," Greta explained.
The judge struck the top of the podium with his gavel. "This emergency convocation of the Unicorn Council will now come to order," he announced in a pompous, booming voice. "Greta von Horstein, you have one minute to state your case before the Council."
Greta stepped in front of the podium and bowed her head meekly. "Your Honor, there has been an unfortunate mistake. My young friend D.W. Read made a wish on a unicorn horn, unaware of its magical properties, and as a result was changed unwillingly into a unicorn."
"That's not true!" cried D.W., who was now running toward the podium. "I like being a unicorn! I want to stay like this!"
"Quiet, D.W.!" said Greta, glaring at the little girl. She then turned to look at the judge again. "It is my desire that an exception will be made to unicorn law, and that D.W. will be transformed into her former self."
Silence filled the assembly hall, and then the unicorn councilors began to mutter among themselves. "The Council will now decide," proclaimed the judge, pounding the podium with his gavel. D.W., frightened by the loud nose, hurried away and rejoined Arthur and Francine.
The discussion among the robed unicorns became animated, with most complaining about the fact that they had been pulled away from their other responsibilities to wait upon a little girl's wishes.
"I don't think she understands the seriousness of what she's done," said one councilor. "And her friend doesn't even want to be changed back. I doubt that the verdict will be in her favor."
"I thought we had taught her better than this," said Greta's mother, shaking her head.
"Although she is our daughter," Greta's father remarked, "we must respect the law."
As Greta's friends watched curiously, each of the unicorn councilors pressed one of two buttons that were part of a small panel on the back of each seat. "It's like an election," Francine noted.
When all the councilors had voted, the judge hit the podium with his gavel again. "The Council has spoken. Three votes in favor, ninety-seven opposed. Greta von Horstein, your petition is denied."
Arthur, D.W., and Francine let out horrified gasps. Mr. Baker's expression was one of indifference, as if he were observing the outcome of a gubernatorial election pertaining to another state.
Greta lowered her eyes humbly. "I submit to the decision of the Council," she said in a tone of utter hopelessness.
Then she turned to her friends. "You may not want to watch this," she warned them. But they did.
As they looked on, Greta underwent a frightening change. Although her exterior appearance was unmodified, her face and eyes had become drained of all emotion. She stood rigidly, like a soldier awaiting a command from a superior officer.
"You are hereby stripped of your free will and sentenced to labor in the gold mines for the remainder of your natural life," said the judge coldly.
Without a word, Greta turned and walked toward a marble-framed door that apparently served as the exit from the assembly hall. "Greta, come back!" D.W. cried after her, but the unicorn girl seemed oblivious to everything around her. The door swung open automatically, and Greta disappeared through it.
(To be continued...)
