Unicorn Magic

"Unicorns? Pfft, they're not real!"
"No! Of course not! Unicorns aren't real. They're fake."
"Me? Unicorns? Ha! Never. Course I don't believe in them."

A montage of kids declaring their disbelief of unicorns played across the screen. Next to it, the running count of Disbelievers grew by the second.

"Attention, all Pink, Fluffy Unicorns!" Fluffy, the Pink Fluffy Unicorn Leader called. "We have a very important job these next few days. As you can see, the number of Disbelievers is growing by the second, and faster than ever before!"

A murmur of worry swept through the gathered unicorns.

"What are we to do?" Marshmallows, a particularly fluffy unicorn inquired.

"We must change people's minds," declared Fluffy. "Show them rainbows. Let them see us dance. Rescue children in need."

The unicorns nodded.

"Wait! But we can't change people's minds just like that," Reece shook his mane. "I mean, children grow up, and stop believing in fairytales and fantasies to an extent. Some more than others."

"Thank you, Reece, for bringing that up. You see, that kind of thought, in and of itself, is the most dangerous thought there is. We are the pink fluffy unicorns, and we do not-and will not- give up! The mind of a child is easily changed. They just need a bit of magic in their lives to change it."

Reece frowned. "If you say so, Fluffy. So, how do we go about doing this? Rescue little kids from trees?" Reece rolled his eyes.

"Magic. It's in everything. In everyone," Fluffy paused. "Our horns, those are magic too! We can use them to transform into anything. And that is how we bring magic back into the world."

"By showing the kids how we transform?" Reece retorted. "Isn't that against the rules of how we're supposed to use our horn?"

"Yes, it is, Reece! So we're not going to do it that way. Yes, we will be using the magic in our horns, but it won't be in front of the kids. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Fluffy," Reece's clenched teeth distorted his words, but the other unicorn just gave an approving nod and continued speaking.

"Any ideas on how to spread magic?" Fluffy addressed the unicorns.

"Not by dancing on rainbows," Reece scoffed.

"That is a good start," Fluffy hedged. "What not to do is just as important as what we should."

Reece tossed his pink mane and snorted.

Fluffy continued polling the other unicorns. "Yes, good, Cotton Candy! You and your plushies can interact with humans and their plushies!"

"Plushies? I stopped playing with mine years ago," Reece yawned. "They're boring."

The unicorns gasped. "But plushies can help us spread unicorn magic! And help the Believers believe even more! And then they'll spread the happiness and joy, and the whole world will be happy again!" Cotton Candy exclaimed. "Plushies are our friends, and friends can never be boring!"

Other unicorns whinnied and neighed support for Cotton Candy.

"Yeah, whatever. Are we done here? We have... belief to spread," a self-satisfied Reece sauntered away.

The other unicorns watched Reece head towards the Portal separating Fantasyland from Humanland. "C'mon, are we going or not?"

The other unicorns exchanged glances.

"Okay, fine. Seeya." Reece stepped through the portal, muttering as he transformed himself into a boy.

"Whoa! Where did you come from?!" A group of kids looked up at the transformed Reece standing in the middle of the forest clearing.

"Oh, ummm...." Reece frowned. "I was here the whole time?"

"No you weren't!" One of the girls pushed Reece. "Don't lie. Mommy says that's bad."

"Well you wouldn't believe the truth even if I told you," Reece rolled his eyes.

"Try us," an older boy stepped through, arms crossed over his chest. "Not like you're a unicorn who magically appeared," he rolled his eyes back at Reece.

"Okay well..." Reece looked around, trying to think of a suitable explanation. "I...."

"Yes?" The second boy narrowed his eyes.

"I fell out a tree."

The group looked around at the forest. "And why didn't you warn us?! You could've landed on one of us," the girl accused.

"I, uh.... Oh! Look at how dark it's getting. I need to get home," Reece stammered. He dashed into the forest, turning himself back into a unicorn.

"That was SO weird," the group's voices carried through the trees, approaching Reece, who turned himself human once more, hiding behind a tree.

"Did you believe he fell out a tree?"

"No! That was just weird. Who falls from a tree and doesn't warn people?"

"Yeah. Not very friendly, either!"

"Hey, isn't that him?"

Reece gave a start, dodging between trees to avoid being caught.

"Hey! HEY! HEY YOU!"

A tug at Reece's shirt made him stop. "Oh... hi...."

"Why are you running?" The girl asked.

"Uhh I'm late and I need to get home...." Reece backed away, hitting a tree trunk as he did.

"Not so fast, kid."

"Kid? I'm just as old, if not older and bigger, than all of you!"

"Not combined, you're not," the biggest boy closed in on the cornered Reece.

Reece felt his body tingle, and he looked for a way out before he turned pink and fluffy in front of the others. "Look, I really need to go. I'm going to be in big enough trouble as it is, being this late back. It's my brother's birthday and his party is soon..."

"What do you say, gang? Should we let him go?"

"Not until he tells the truth," the girl declared. "Lying is really, really bad."

"I am telling the truth!" Reece willed his body to stay in human form, feeling the last of his unicorn powers drain from his horn.

"You know, we do need to get back, as well..." an older girl spoke up. "Look, I don't think he's worth it. Let's just go." She made to leave, and the others followed reluctantly.

Reece sighed as the group left, and allowed himself to transform once more, before galloping back to the forest clearing and collapsing once he got through the Portal, his horn crumbling from overuse.

"No... No! Reece! Fluffy!" Marshmallows cried. "Fluffy!"
Fluffy galloped over to Marshmallows, who tossed his pink, fluffy mane towards Reece's body. He gave a surprised snort before examining the pessimistic unicorn and broken horn lain before him.
"It's no use, Marshmallows. He's not coming back. Hecan't come back. He ran out of magic, and is stuck in Humanland now. We need to accept it," Fluffy nudged Reece's lifeless body with his snout, then turned and walked away.


WC 1095