Tell Her Tail

In realms once old, where legends unfold,
A villain’s ambition, both dark and cold,
Came to an end, a mighty fall,
By heroes brave, who answered the call

Sunny Starscout, with friends so true,
Defeated foes, in a generation new
A crushing defeat, a bitter blow,
For Allura and Twitch, those furry foes

A catastrophic end they found,
Their plans exploded, all around.
Stranded now upon a floe,
In icy waters, deep and slow

On icy floe, adrift in sea,
A chilling fate, for them to see
Equestria's ponies have told their tale
But now a villain shall tell her tail

Allura's hind legs were stuck straight up in the air like two awkward tree branches, and her tail flopped over her head.

Twitch was sitting on his tail beside her. He blinked in surprise, shaking his head to clear the dizziness caused by the catastrophic failure of their latest evil plan. He looked around and realized they were sprawled across a small, snow leaopard-sized ice floe bobbing in the middle of the endless, open ocean.

Allura groaned, her eyes crossed from whatever strange force had deposited her and her sidekick onto this piece of ice. "Ow… what did those ponies do to my spell?" she muttered, her voice muffled by the cold ice beneath her chin. Her back felt like it was locked in a painful cramp, her hind legs still sticking up at a comically awkward angle.

Twitch hopped over, assessing her predicament with a thoughtful expression. He twitched his nose, then his ears perked up. He quickly went to work, tapping his little paws rapidly against various spots along Allura's spine, applying pressure with a series of rapid, precise strikes.

"What are you—Ow! Hey, that’s—Ow!” Allura hissed through gritted teeth. But before she could finish, a loud pop sounded from her back, and suddenly, her muscles unlocked. She yelped as her legs shot back down, and she collapsed flat onto her stomach.

She blinked a few times, groaning slightly as the feeling returned to her limbs. “Okay… I guess that was… helpful,” she muttered. Twitch gave her a smug look and dusted off his paws, clearly satisfied with his handiwork.

Allura shook herself off and got back onto her paws. "I can't even remember what even happened. We were so close to winning. Equestria was ours. And then those ponies ruined it all, as usual." She growled as she lifted a forepaw to press against her aching head. "I think it ended with a magical. . . explosion? Teleport? Warp? Portal that opened for a second and closed right away?"

Allura stood up taller to spread her wings, only to wince and snarl as crackling energy sparked through her feathers. "Argh! My wings! That magical backlash or whatever it was wrecked them! Probably took out all my powers too!"

Twitch stood up a mimed popping something in his mouth.

"Well, we don't have any of those mushrooms that regulate excessive magic with us, do we?" Allura shot back. Then she tossed her long hair back and huffed, "Alright, alright… Enough messing around. Time to swim! Keep up!” She crouched down, giving a determined nod to Twitch. With a mighty leap, she launched herself off the ice floe and into the frigid ocean.

The moment her paws hit the water, she realized her mistake. The icy waves engulfed her immediately, and she started flailing around in a frantic panic, her paws splashing and kicking wildly. “Wait—I CAN’T SWIM!” she shrieked, floundering as water splashed into her face. Her wings slapped against the surface, soaking uselessly, only adding to her chaos.

Twitch sat back on his haunches, watching the spectacle unfold with a bemused expression. He rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh, tapping his foot impatiently on the ice floe.

Moments later, Allura scrambled back onto the ice, water streaming from her fur and wings. She was panting hard, her eyes wide with a mix of panic and embarrassment. “Okay… swimming’s off the table,” she mumbled, her voice barely more than a grumble. She glanced around, noticing for the first time the endless expanse of ocean stretching out in every direction, no land in sight.

Allura’s shoulders slumped, and she moaned in despair. "What are we gonna do, Twitch? We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by water I can’t swim in, and my wings don't work! We’re doomed!” She let out a melodramatic sigh, flopping onto her side, her fur dripping onto the ice.

Twitch, however, seemed oddly unconcerned. A small smile played on his lips, and with a lighthearted hop, he bounced over to a clear spot on the ice. He used his little paw to scratch a tic-tac-toe grid onto the surface.

Allura watched him, her mouth falling open in disbelief. “Really, Twitch? Tic-tac-toe? This is your plan?” She slapped her paw to her forehead, groaning loudly. “We’re stranded in the middle of the ocean, and you want to play games?”

Twitch didn’t answer. He just sat there with that infuriatingly serene smile, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he waited for her to make the first move.

Allura sighed, long and heavy, her breath fogging up the cold air around her. “You know what,” she muttered, “Why not? It’s not like I’ve got any better ideas…”

She leaned forward, and with a single claw, she drew an X on the icy grid. And as the two of them sat there on that tiny ice floe, surrounded by endless blue, their own tale finally began.