Tale 202: Jack and the Seven Ponytas (Misty)

(real tale: The Seven Foals)


"There was once a poor couple who lived in a small thatched hut, far away from any civilization, in a forest." Misty begins. "They only just managed to live from hand to mouth, and had great difficulty in even doing that, but they had three sons. The youngest of them was named Jack, and he did nothing else but lie and poke about among the ashes."

"Sounds familiar..." Ash muses.

"Typical Jack tale beginning..." Brock agrees.

"One day the eldest brother said that he would go out into the world to seek his fortune; he soon got permission to do that, and set out on his way into the world." Misty goes on. "He walked on and on for the whole day, and when night was beginning to fall he came to a royal palace. The king was standing outside on the steps, and asked where he was going."

`Oh, I am going about seeking my fortune, my lord,' Ash replies in a deeper version of himself for the eldest brother.

"Will you serve me, and watch my seven Ponytas?" Brock asks as the king. "If you can watch over them for a whole day and tell me at night what they eat and drink, you can have the Princess Elena and half my kingdom, but if you fail, I will cut three red stripes on your back."

The Pokemon gasp at the painful condition for failure. "The eldest brother thought that it was very easy work to watch the Ponytas, and that he could do it well enough." Misty quiets the fearful speculation. "The next morning, when day was beginning to dawn, the King's Master of the Ponytas and Rapidashes let out the seven Ponytas; and they ran away, and the eldest brother not far behind, over hill and dale, through woods and bogs. After running for a long time he began to get tired, and when he had held on a little longer he was weary of watching at all, and at the same moment he came to a cave hollowed in a rock where an old woman was sitting spinning with her distaff in her hand."

"And then?" Melody wonders.

"As soon as she spotted the eldest brother, who was running after the Ponytas till the sweat streamed down his face, she cried..." Misty then switches to the best "old woman" voice she can muster. "Come here, come here, my handsome son, and let me comb your hair for you."

"Pika..." Pikachu comments.

"The lad was willing enough, so he sat down in the cave beside the old hag, and laid his head on her knees, and she combed his hair all day while he lay there doing absolutely nothing." Misty continues as herself, to some giggles. "When evening approached, the eldest brother wanted to leave. `I may just as well go straight home again,' he thought, `for it is no use to go to the king's palace.'"

"Wait till it is dusk," she instructs as the old hag, "and then the king's Ponytas will pass by this place again, and you can run home with them; no one will ever know that you have been lying here all day instead of watching the Ponytas."

As herself, she continues "So when they came she gave the lad a bottle of water and a bit of moss, and told him to show these to the King and say that this was what his seven Ponytas ate and drank."

"Have you watched faithfully and well all day?" Brock asks as the king.

"Yes, that I have!" Ash replies as the eldest brother.

"Then you are able to tell me what it is that my seven Ponytas eat and drink," Brock grins as the king.

"So the eldest brother produced the bottle of water and the bit of moss which he had got from the old woman..." Misty narrates as Ash pantomimes doing this.

"Here you see their food, and here you see their drink." Ash sets the pantomime props before Brock.

"Then the king figured out what had really happened, and got so mad that he ordered his knights to chase the eldest brother back to his own home; but first they were to cut three red stripes in his back, and rub salt into the bleeding wounds to make them hurt even more." Misty goes on.

"I am not pantomiming that, for our safety and to keep this relatively family friendly." Brock assures Ash. Ash just heaves a sigh of relief at this,

"When the eldest brother reached home again, you can imagine the state of mind he was in." Misty acknowledges the boys with a nod. "He had gone out once to seek his fortune, he said, but never would he do such a thing again."

She then continues "The next day the middle brother said that he would go out into the world to seek his fortune. His father and mother said no, and bade him look at the red stripes on his brother's back, but the middle brother would not give up, and stuck to his guns, and after a long, long time he got permission to go, and set out on his way. When he had walked all day he too came to the king's palace, and the king was standing outside on the steps, and asked where he was going; and when the middle brother replied that he was going about in search of fortune, the king offered for him to enter into his service and watch his seven Ponytas. Then the king promised him the same punishment and the same reward that he had promised his brother."

"That didn't go so hot, did it?" Ash grins.

"The middle brother consented to this and entered into the king's service, for he thought he could easily watch the Ponytas and inform the King what they ate and drank. Misty continues. "In the grey light of dawn the Master of the Ponytas and Rapidashes let out the seven Ponytas, and off they went again over hill and dale, and off went the middle after them. But the same thing happened--when he had run after the Ponytas for a long, long time and was hot and tired, he passed by the cave in the rock where the old woman was sitting spinning with a distaff, and she called to him..."

As the old hag, she calls "Come here, come here, my handsome son, and let me comb your hair."

As herself, she goes on "The middle brother liked the thought of this, let the Ponytas run where they chose, and seated himself in the cave in the rock by the side of the old hag. So there he sat with his head on her lap, taking it easy all the livelong day."

"Bad idea..." Brock smiles in anticipation.

"The Ponytas came back in the evening, and then he too got a bit of moss and a bottle of water from the old hag, which he was to show to the king." Misty replies. "But when the king asked the middle brother..."

"Can you tell me what my seven Ponytas eat and drink?" Brock asks as the king.

"and the middle brother showed him the bit of moss and the bottle of water, and said..." Misty narrates.

"Yes--here is their food, and here their drink," Ash fills in the middle brother's line.

"...the king got mad again, and commanded that three red stripes be cut on the middle brother's back, that salt should be sprinkled on them so it hurt even more, and that he should then be chased back to his own home. So when the middle brother got home again he too related all that had happened to him, and he too said that he had gone out in search of fortune once, but that he never would he do it again." Misty continues.

After pausing for a beat, she continues "On the third day Jack wanted to set out. He had a fancy to try to watch the seven Ponytas himself, he said. The two others laughed at him, and teased him. `How do you suppose that you are going to succeed?' they said. 'You look like succeeding--you who have never done anything else but lie and poke about among the ashes!'"

"Yes, I will go too," Ash confidently replies as Jack, "for I have a plan."

"The two brothers laughed at him, and his father and mother begged him not to go, but all to no avail, and Jack set out on his way." Misty goes on. "So when he had walked the whole day, he too came to the king's palace as night began to fall. There stood the king outside on the steps, and he asked where he was going."

"I am in search of fortune," Ash replies as Jack.

"From where do you come, then?" Brock asks as the king,

Ash pantomimes talking to Brock as Misty continues "So Jack told him from where he came from, and that he was brother to the two who had watched the seven Ponytas for the king, and then he inquired if he might be allowed to try to watch them on the following day."

"Oh, shame on them!" Brock sighs as the king. "If you are brother to those two, you too are not good for much. I have had enough of such people."

"Well, I am already here, you might just let me try," Ash assures Brock as Jack.

"Oh, very well, if you are absolutely determined to have your back cut, you may have your own way if you will,' Brock sighs in defeat as the king."

"I would much rather have Princess Elena," Ash notes as Jack.

"Pika pika pi pika pikachu?" Pikachu asks as the other Pokemon applaud the boys' interplay.

"The next morning, in the grey light of dawn, the Master of the Ponytas and Rapidashes let out the seven Ponytas again, and off they set over hill and dale, through woods and bogs, and off went Jack after them." Misty assures Pikachu. "When he had ran for a long time, he too came to the cave in the rock. There the old hag was once more sitting spinning from her distaff, and she cried to Jack..."

"Come here, come here, my handsome son, and let me comb your hair for you." she intones as the old hag.

"Come to me, then; come to me!" Ash retorts as Jack.

"When he had got safely past the cave in the rock, the youngest Ponyta said..." Misty narrates as herself.

"Get on my back, for we have still a long way to go." Melody instructs Ash as the Ponyta.

"They traveled a long, long way." Misty narrates as Melody flies around the tent with Ash not far behind.

"Do you see anything now?" Melody asks when she and Ash complete their lap.

"No," Ash replies as Jack.

"So they went even farther." Misty narrates as Melody and Ash begin a second lap.

"Do you see anything now?" Melody asks as the Ponyta.

"Oh, no," Ash replies as Jack.

"When they had gone on for a long, long way, the Ponyta asked again..." Misty narrates.

"Do you see anything now?" Melody asks as she and Ash complete a third lap.

"Yes, now I see something that is white," Ash replies as Jack. "It looks like the trunk of a great sycamore tree."

"Yes, that is where we are to go in," Melody explains as the Ponyta.

"When they got to the trunk, the eldest Ponyta broke it down on one side, and then they saw a door where the trunk had been standing, and inside this there was a small room." Misty continues. "In the room there was hardly anything but a small fireplace and a couple of benches, but behind the door hung a great sword and a small pitcher."

"Can you wield that sword?" Melody asks as the Ponyta.

"Jack tried, but could not do it." Misty narrates, trying oh-so-hard not to laugh at Ash pantomiming lifting something heavy. "so he had to take a drink from the pitcher..." Ash takes a long drink from a water bottle at this. "and then one more, and after that still another, and then he was able to wield the sword with perfect ease."

"BA-DA-DA-DAAAAAAAAAA!!! Brock can't resist singing the Zelda 'got item' stinger as Ash lifts the pantomime sword over his head.

"Good," Melody smiles as the Ponyta. "Now you must take the sword with you, and with it lay it on the heads of all seven of us on your wedding day, and sing the Great Holy Spellsong: 'Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul'. Then we shall become princes again as we were before. For we are brothers of Princess Elena, but there is a mighty troll who has cast a spell over us. When you touch our heads, be sure not to wound us, and then the spell the troll has cast upon us will be broken."

"Jack promised to do this, and then they went on farther." Misty narrates. "When they had traveled a long, long way, the Ponyta said..."

"Do you see anything?" Melody asks.

`No,' Ash replies as Jack.

"So they went on a great distance farther." Misty narrates.

"And now?" Melody asks as the Ponyta, "Do you see anything now?"

"Alas! no," Ash sighs as Jack.

"So they traveled onwards, for many and many a mile, over hill and over dale." Misty narrates.

"Now, then," Melody asks as the Ponyta, "do you see anything now?"

"Yes,' Ash replies as Jack; "now I see something like a bluish streak, far, far away."

"That is a river," Melody explains as the Ponyta, "and we have to cross it."

"There was a long, handsome bridge over the river, and when they had got to the other side of it they again traveled on a long, long way, and the Ponyta asked if Jack saw anything." Misty narrates. "Yes, this time he saw something that looked black, far, far away, like a shrine."

`Yes,' Melody adds as the Ponyta, "we shall go into that.'"

"When the Ponytas arrived into the shrine's courtyard they turned into young men in flashes of light and looked like the sons of a king, and their clothes were so magnificent that they shone with splendor."Misty narrates, to awed chatter. "They went into the shrine and received blessings from the miko, who was standing before the altar, and Jack went in too. But when the miko had laid her hands on the princes and blessed them, they left, and Jack went out too, but he took with him some of the food the miko had served them. No sooner had the seven princes come out into the courtyard than they became Ponytas again, and Jack got on the back of the youngest, and they returned the way they had come, only they went much, much faster."

After a moment to collect her bearings, Misty goes on "First they went over the bridge, and then past the trunk of the sycamore tree, and then past the old hag who sat in the cave of the rock spinning, and they went by so fast that Jack could not hear what the old hag screeched after him, but just heard enough to understand that she was terribly enraged."

Giggles go up at this. "It was all but dark when they got back to the king at nightfall, and he himself was standing in the courtyard waiting for them."

"Have you watched well and faithfully the whole day?" Brock asks as the king.

"I have done my best," Ash replies as Jack.

"Then you can tell me what my seven Ponytas eat and drink?" Brock presses Ash for more information in character.

"So Jack pulled out the food from the shrine, and showed them to the king." Misty narrates as Ash pantomimes doing this to Brock.

"Here is their food, and here their drink," Ash gestures to the pantomime props for effect.

"I see you have watched diligently and faithfully," Brock smiles as the king. "and you may have Princess Elena and half the kingdom."

"So the entire castle got ready for the wedding, and the king said that it was to be so stately and magnificent that everyone would hear of it, and everyone talk about it."Misty goes on. "But when they sat down to the marriage feast, Jack left the table and went down to the stable, for he said that he had forgotten something which he must go and tend to. When he got there, he did what the Ponytas had told him--he lay the sword on each of their heads and sang..."

Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul.... Ash sings as Jack.

"One by one, the Ponytas became princes again in flashes of red light." Misty goes on. "When he returned to the banquet hall with the seven princes, the king was so joyful that he both kissed Jack and hugged him tight, and Princess Elena's love for him grew even stronger."

"Half my kingdom is yours already," Brock grins as the king, "and the other half will be yours when I join Arceus in the heavens, for my sons can get countries and kingdoms for themselves now that they have become human again."

Misty smiles as she concludes "It goes without saying there was joy and merriment at that wedding."

"I'm sure there was..." Ash smiles as he leads the applause