Altered Ponies

This pony was rather beat up when I found him in a box at one of my favorite thrift store haunts. Both his mane and tail (a bright fuchsia then) had been trimmed to nubs and it looked as if someone’s puppy might have cut a few teeth on him, leaving lasting scars. I didn’t fill in any of the gouges, but a little blue and some black acrylic paint disguises all but the deepest of scratches. We call those battle scars and bear them proudly. His alicorn is a spiral seashell reused from an old necklace.

Elan is a direct descendant of Aris, thrice removed from the old Patriarch, Orlen, of the Celestar clan. He is the fastest unicorn in his herd, holds the third highest record for jumping, and, imbued with Caretaker qualities like his ancestor, can strike a bridge (magic!) more than a mile long. His favorite snacks are buttercups and clover buds, and he thinks spring dragons are “cool.”