//------------------------------// // Legend of Foœnum – The Tail of Arizona (Rewritten: 8/25/19) // Story: The Fighting Dragon // by Phantom-Dragon //------------------------------// "It was a beautiful and an intensive day," Arizona narrated. "Under the cornflower blue sky, coated with billowing white clouds, the entire cattlekinds of the Prairie have all come together, by the orders of my father, the Head Bull of the Prairie, TEXAS, and my mother, MINNESOTA." In the past, young Arizona was standing amongst the herd, looking up on stage to see her mother and father standing atop a neewly constructed stage. In appearance, Texas is a massive brown bull, with impressively long horns, sprouting horizontally from his head, their black tips curved forward just at the ends. He wears a heavy, wooden yoke to signify his station. Beside him is Arizona's mother, a strong, blue-eyed cow, her short coarse coat patched white and tan. “Gather ‘round friends, I’ve got news from outside our beloved home, The Prairie,” Texas called out to the throng of bovines.  “We’ve all heard the tall tale of old, the story of The Horned Prophet, the little lady who locked away our old enemies long ago, keeping us safe to roam the country, looking for sweet grass and golden sunsets just as Mother Fœnum intended for her calves. Welp, I’ll tell you now, the tale, it was true. And the story, well, a new chapter is startin’. “ Arizona watched as her father narrowed his eyes across the herd, before he delivered the awful news, “The Predators, they’re a-fixin’ to come back.” With that, the entire herds of bovines around Arizona began exchanging moos and mutters of concerns. Before the entire cattlekind could break out into a stampede, Arizona's mother quickly broke up the tension,  “Now don’t get your tails in a knot, folks," She assured. "There’s something we can do about it, don’tcha know.” “Yup,” Texas continued, “The varmints ain’t here yet, and with the Prophet’s key, the lock can be mended. We can still lock ‘em back up in The Hold. But it will take someone with strong moral fiber, someone rough, tough, and bull-headed to boot. So naturally, that means one of us – Cattlekind.” Arizona nodded proudly in agreement with her father's words. However, she noticed that all of the bovines around her were exchanging faces twisted with concern, others with determination, others still, with anger. “Are there any volunteers?” With a confident smug grin on her face, Arizona was about to walk up on stage, when she suddenly finds herself caught in the middle of a stampede as most of the willing bovines all kicked up dusts, shaking the ground with their hooves, arriving on stage to meet her mother and father. “That’s right,” Minnesota called out and motions to an old rain barrel at the end of the stage, “Just put’cher name there in the barrel. We’ll be pickin’ lottery style, don’tcha know.” One by one, each Bovine pressed their nose in a dish full of mud and slams it onto a piece of torn cloth, stamping it with their unique, individual prints. They filled the barrel, overflowing with their “names.” Arizona struggled to get through to put her name into the barrel, but it was no use. Her only path to register her name for the chance of being selected as Key Seeker was completely overrun with so many full-grown bovines. Next thing she knew, she was forced out of the crowd and rolled across the tall grassy plains, while her parents were busy collecting names. “Spread the word to our brethren across The Prairie,” Texas informed the entire cattlekinds present. “Yah. We’ll be drawin’ the noseprint of the champion tomorrow mornin’.” Minnesota finished. For the rest of the day, bulls and cows from across the nation migrate to the main Wagon Train to throw their nose prints into the barrel. With a deep inhale, exhaling it out into a gust of air, blowing her large strands of hair out of her face, Arizona decided to wait until later, before she could finally put her name into the rain barrel. It was nighttime, and the entire herd of cattlkinds were all sound asleep under a dimly half moon, when a small calf stealthily approached the empty stage. The calf is, of course, Arizona. When she got up on stage, where the dish of mud remains fresh, together with a few remaining cloth rags on the side, Arizona looked around carefully, before she makes her print and added her name to the barrel before quickly dashing away. The next day, just after the sun rises, the herd reconvenes, eager to find out who among them will be chosen to save the land. “Friends,” Texas announces. “Get ready to meet your champion!” Minnesota shoves her whole head into the barrel and emerges with the fateful name. Texas inspects it closely, then gasps in horror! “No! It can’t be!” He said in pure horror. Minnesota, unable to speak with the print in her mouth, questions her husband with darting, concerned eyes. “Our youngest daughter…” he cries out, “ARIZONA!” The crowd gasps! Minnesota gasps! The noseprint falls from her lips to the ground before the hooves of… The young calf! She bravely stands the before the herd, determined to claim her title! Arizona stood tall and proudly, just like her father. However, the head bull isn't quite pleased, let alone proud to know that his daughter has been chosen to be the Prairie's – and possibly all of Fœnum's – Champion. “Young lady,” Texas scolds, his voice a combination of fear and indignation, “What were you thinking! I won’t allow it!” Arizona rolled her eyes, as if expecting this kind of reaction from her father, “Sorry Pa,” Arizona yells right back, unintimidated, “But it’s my right! I am Cattlekind, too, and I love The Prairie as much as anybody else.” Texas snorted, not only at his own daughter's response and decision, but the fact that she had the gall to talk back to him, in front of their people, “It’s the law of The Prairie, don’tcha know," Minnesota mooed, attempting to reason with her husband. "Her name was drawn, it really is her right.” However, the cow's words fell on deaf ears as Texas and Arizona face off, nose to nose, overprotective father against rebellious daughter. “She is too young!” he proclaims. “The future belongs to the young! Let a young one protect it!” Arizona defies. “Then it is my right, as Head Bull, to take your place!” “Not unless I defeat you first, Pa.” With that, Arizona stood her ground in a fighting stance. “Very well, calf. But remember, you mess with the bull…” Texas paws the ground and lowers his immense horns. Minnesota rolls her eyes as he booms:  “YOU GET THE HORNS!” “Hoo boy,” Minnesota says to herself, shaking her head, “Here we go…” Without a moment’s hesitation, Arizona rushes to her dad. He is prepared, though. He lowers his head and throws her high into the air. She flips nose over tail through the air and lands square on her feet, the force of her landing rocking the bull off balance. “Don’t go easy on me, old timer!” Arizona mooed. Texas is surprised! Not just by her sass, but by her strength. He narrows his eyes, resolved to give her his all. "It was the most intensive battle ah ever fought," Arizona narrated, as she recalls the battle between both her and her father. "Not because my pa was bigger than ah was. But it's because he's still my pa! I wus fightin' against my own pa, jus'to prove him and the entire Prairie that ah've got what it takes to be a Key Seeker. Sometimes, ah wasn't sure if I'd stand a chance. But ah had to try." Texas reared up on his hind legs and brought his massive hooves down on his daughter, but she was fast. Clearly, what she lacked in size, she makes up for in speed and agility. She rolls and weaves between the furious stomps, unencumbered by the deafening booms of his hooves on the ground. Finally, he pinned her by the tail, “Ha! Don’t mess with Texas!” He mooed arrogantly. Minnesota face-hooves.'Unbelievable,' She thought in dismay. The calf kicked him in the face! Stunned, he stammers back, releasing her tail. They position themselves for a final face off, staring each other down. Texas lets out a mighty bellow and catapults himself towards his daughter! The entire herd was shaken by the thundering of his hooves. Arizona waited for a moment, then coils. She lowered her head, raised her hoof, then POUNDS the dirt, rocketing herself towards the raging bull like a battering ram! The impact threw him into the air! But before he lands, Arizona banks off the side of the stage, twists her hind legs before her and landed a mighty buck square into his chest! The herd watched, mouths agape as their powerful leader is launched into the air spinning uncontrollably, before falling with a cacophonous, booming THUD! When the dusts finally cleared, the bovines were aghast to see their champion. Arizona standing tall and proudly on her fallen father, a vision of youthful independence and strength. “No use crying over spilt milk!” She said triumphantly. Minnesota winced at her daughter's choice of words, “Oh geez, c’mon…” But it doesn't matter. The entire Cattlekind rejoiced as they cheered, “MOOOO! Yee haw! Wee dogie!” Minnesota looks on, filled with pride. “Well done, little calf.” She says softly to herself, “Yah, you bet’cha.” After a moment to recover from the agony of his defeat and humiliation, Texas got up and watched as Arizona is swarmed by the crowd, cheering for their champion. “Moooo!  Our champ-een!” They hooted and hollered, “This calls for a hoe down! Git along little cowgirl! Moo!” With a smug, knowing expression, Minnesota sidles up by Texas. He was angry, but humbled. With her great weight, she nudges him with her shoulder, knocking him off balance, if only slightly. He gives her a side eye before looking out at his little girl, carried high on the backs of her happy brethren.  His face softens and a proud smile crosses his lips as Minnesota puts her head on his shoulder. With a hint of a tear in his mighty, brown eye, he opens his mouth to speak. Minnesota braces herself for the worst… “The future belongs to the young.” He says, quietly expressing his approval. Minnesota breathed a sigh of relief. That wasn’t so bad. Present "And that's how I was chosen as the Champion of the Prairie," Arizona finished proudly, before an astounded Spike. "Wow," He gasped. "That's.....AWESOME! Taking on your own dad just to prove yourself is one thing. But you would actually exert all that power and adrenaline onto him to prove a point? After seeing the way you handled those dummies back in the field, I'd believe it was all real! Heck, you remind me a lot about my friend, Applejack!" Arizona raised a brow, looking confused, "Who is this, Applejack, friend of yours?" She asked. Spike's enthusiasm quickly subsided, as he started to remember the farm pony. Hesitant at first, Spike sighed as he began to speak, "Well, back home in Ponyville. There is this country girl who you remind me a lot of," He explained. "Her name's Applejack. And like you, she's hardworking, honest, and very headstrong. This one time, she was able to save a team of archeologists from a landslide, with her bare hooves!" "Really?" Arizona asked. "C'mon, Spike. Ya gotta be pulling my legs. No pony can ever be that strong." "Well, Applejack is living proof," Spike replied, before he looked down solemnly. "If she was here that is." Seeing how saddened Spike looked, Arizona placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder, "I would've love to meet her though," Arizona said, trying to lighten the mood. "If what you say is true, then she sounds like a real country gal." Spike nodded, placing a claw over the cow's hoof, "Yeah, I knew you would," He replied. Feeling tuckered out, Arizona let out a yawn, "Welp. Time for us to hit the sack," She said, as she soon got herself settled, with Spike doing the same, in the sleeping bag he was given. "Tomorrow's gonna be a new day for us. And hopefully, we'll find a way to get ya home safely." "I hope so," Spike replied. "Well, goodnight Arizona." "Goodnight, Spike," Arizona replied, before she reached over to the lamp and switched its lights out.