THE FIRST ANNUAL YALLFEST STORYBALL STORY

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Dear Storyballers:

Thanks for writing our story for us participating in Storyball. We all had a blast worked very very hard and created a totally insane awesome story together. You are the best. We know we promised to give everyone credit for the story alongside the distinguished names of us slackers professional middle grade authors, but alas we have decided to take all the credit ourselves some well-meaning YALLfest volunteers threw away the sign-up sheets. (Seriously, that’s what happened – aargh!) To get your name up here in lights where it belongs, please send a brief note explaining that you were one of the storyball author-audience members to Tori Hill at mgstoryballauthors@gmail.com (subject: storyball)and Tori will put your name up in lights where it belongs. Thanks again, and keep writing!

Yours truly,

The Storyball Authors:

Pseudonymous Bosch (Write this Book), Matthew Cody (Will in Scarlett), Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark and Grimm), Lisi Harrison (Pretenders), C. Alexander London (Dog Tags), Lisa McMann (Crash), Barnabas Miller (Souls), Lauren Oliver (Panic), Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth), Natalie Standiford (The Boy on the Bridge), J.E. Thompson (The Girl from Felony Bay), Sean Williams (Twinmaker)

With:

Ellen O’Brien, Brigham Canty, Beth Compton, Mary Collins Compton, Eliza Compton, Reiley Cote, Marianne Edmounds, Emily Evers, Mattie Johnston, Jennifer Key, Melissa Laws, Denise Luong, Valeria Martinez Pacheco, Nick and Stella, Cailyn Stark, Eliza Taylor, Lexi Taylor,  and Kate Peterson (who blew up the beach ball)

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THREE BRONIES, A PONY, AND A BEANSTALK

Once, far, far away in a room dripping with pink hair, just after breakfast, there lived a little boy named Brian. Brian was a brony, a boy who loved My Little Pony and wasn’t the least bit afraid to show it. But that wasn’t the most special thing about Brian, the most special thing about Brian was the stream that flowed directly beneath his room into an underground cave. No, actually, come to think of it, the most special thing about Brian was the fact there were three of him. 

Three Brians. Three Bronies. But only one Pony.

The Brians loved nothing so much as swimming in their underground stream with their little pony friend as well as their roommate Ms. Nothing. (The Brians had long suspected that Ms. Nothing was really their mother and that the whole roommate thing was just her way of getting her Brians to chip in on the rent and split the chores, but the Brians loved her and her blonde wig anyway.)

Then one day, while the Brians and Ms. Nothing were splashing about in the stream and trying to figure out whose turn it was to do the dishes, the Brians’ very favorite pony wandered out of their apartment and into the dark OUTSIDE by herself. The dark OUTSIDE as we all know can be a very dangerous and confusing and very un-pink place, and soon the Brians’ favorite pony was lost and alone. With nowhere else to go, the pony curled up in a small ditch and tried to sleep. 

That night, a great storm began to blow in the dark OUTSIDE and the wind blew mud and dirt high into the air and the Brians’ very favorite pony was buried alive! (Don’t worry, we are all animal lovers and wouldn’t dream of hurting a pony in our story. It gets better)

The Brians and Ms. Nothing waited vigil at the window all night for their favorite pony to return, but when dawn came she still hadn’t come home.

But … 

When the sun’s rays fell upon the wet earth, a patch that had once been a ditch began to tremble and quake. Bursting forth from the earth like a, oh let’s say like a beanstalk, the pony began to grow. Higher and higher the pony went until its mane could touch the clouds.

“Well I just have to climb that,” said Ms. Nothing when she spied the giant pony-stalk, and she began to climb the mane to the top.

The Brians worried about their roommate mom, but said nothing, until they heard an ominous buzzing in the air. It was Senior Mosquito, the infamous Bandito Mosquito! It was well known that Senior Mosquito considered the sky the domain of insects only, and seeing Ms. Nothing climbing so high on the mane of giant pony stalk enraged the villain.

Diving out of the sky, Senior Mosquito flew at Ms. Nothing, but the Brians were, as it happily turned out, faster climbers than Mosquito was a flyer and he managed to reach Ms. Nothing just as Mosquito jabbed at her with his powerful proboscis (that’s what they call those stingy things on a mosquito right, like a nose? Let’s all just agree that it’s right.) Senior Mosquito’s magic began to transform Ms. Nothing into a mosquito herself !

The Brians, desperate to help Ms. Nothing, searched deep inside themselves and conjured up a powerful prayer of old magic. They shouted, “Hey! That’s so gross!”

Repulsed by the strength of the Brtians’ words, Senior Mosquito retreated before the transformation was complete and slowly Ms. Nothing returned to the roommate mother-possessed-of-questionable-parenting-skills that the Brians nevertheless loved.

Together they summited the new magnificent giant pony and rode off into the sunset, living happily ever after.

Or did they? (Shamelessly ambiguous cliffhanger begging for a sequel)

To be continued…