Page 52 of What did you do?

“Why is the fence so short? It doesn’t even come to my hips.”

“Oh shit, here they come. Remember what I told you. Do not touch them,” Eli said. I noticed he had taken on a fight stance as he looked over the hill.

No fierce, monstrous unicorns came; instead, I saw only the gray plaid of a flat cap, soon to be accompanied by the body of a weathered, old, angry farmer.

“Step away from the fence! The tyrants are coming this way! I can’t stop them!” the man yelled, worry pinching his brows together.

“Are you sure this is safe?” I asked, taking another step backward.

“No,” Eli said, and smiled.

He angled his body protectively in front of mine. I could still see around him, but he was clearly ready to take the first hit if something should happen.

I hated it and loved it all at once.

His body tensed as the sound of hooves grew louder, and instinctually, I moved from behind him and stepped in front of him protectively.

The thundering grew louder as the ground trembled beneath our feet. My mouth began to make the sound before I could stop it.

“Awwwwww!”

“Caly, no!” Eli shouted.

As the stampede pulled up before us, I could barely contain myself, unable to stop myself from stepping over the sturdy iron barrier.

“They are so cute! What are these guys?” I squealed.

At least seventy stocky, shaggy mini-unicorns lumbered toward me. They were adorable, none taller than three feet, and each with a fluffy coat and a mother-of-pearl-colored spiral horn parting their forelocks.

“Those are the floricorns, Caly!” Eli cried, leaping over the fence to jump in front of my crouched body again.

The floricorns surrounded us, several snorts and stomps filling the air around us as Eli drew his dagger.

“Leave the prince alone, you floral bastards!” shouted the old man as he tried to move them away. “Petals has gotten me other finger!” the man yelled. “Run, Prince Aurelius!”

“Caly! Are you all right? On the count of three, shield your eyes. I’m going to?—”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to shield my eyes,” I said, wheezing a laugh at the look on Eli’s face when he turned around.

Several of the mini-unicorns had made their way to me and were shoving each other out of the way to get under my hand and receive their share of scratches and pets.

“I think they like me.” I smiled ear to ear. “Just be nice and pet them. That’s all they want.”

“Pet them? Calypso—” But before he could continue, a fluffy chestnut mare with a flaxen-blond mane charged, knocking him over. The stout equine barely missed his head with a swift kick.

“Don’t hurt her, Eli!” I shouted, watching him leap to his feet, his wings spread wide and a bright light pouring through the gaps in his fingers.

He snapped his head to me with a shocked expression. “Hurt her? For sun’s sake! What about m?—”

The sassy floricorn took advantage of his distraction and slammed into him with the force of a battering ram again, pinning him tightly against an iron panel of fencing this time.

My hand slapped over my mouth as I tried to get up, but the lounging minis wouldn’t budge when I tried to push their heads from my lap. I watched as Eli sideswiped the front legs of the mare, freeing himself and pushing her against the wall. At least his powers were not involved in their brawl.

“Yeah! You don’t like that very much, do you?” he said, goading the floricorn. He put his full weight against her…and she bit into his ass with a crunch.

“Aagh!” Eli yelped.

“Okay, do you all see what’s happening? You gotta let me up,” I said to the ponies on my lap to no avail.

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