Contest Entries

Unicorn Makeover

On the beach, a mermaid laid playing with a crab. The big project called Unicorn Makeover didn't excite her. Their plans for the unicorns could create havoc among the unicorns. War was brewing between the leaders as no agreement had been made. When the war started she had come to the beach in search of the unicorn she had made friends with but with no success. There was a secret hideout she wanted to bring the unicorn to so that they could still be friends. As the sun drew high in the sky she considered turning around and returning to the water so that she could eat something. Suddenly the unicorn she waited for appeared.

"I brought my friends along too. We escaped from an attack of the mermaids and survived it. Did you bring your friends along too? Maybe we can hide somewhere until all this chaos is passed," Elle, the unicorn said.

"Yes, I have my friends as well. They weren't interested in the war either. Come this way, I'll show you the perfect hiding place I have in mind," Anna, the mermaid said.

Elle called over all of her friends and together they swam through a cave into an opening where a path leading into the forest. Anna's friends swam around them as the unicorns climbed up onto dry land. They cheered as Elle looked around and didn't see anyone. Then everyone settled down and all eyes landed on Anna. Anna shuddered at the thought that their noise could draw attention from the main beach where the battle raged on.

"Listen, we need to remain here for while there is a war going on between us. I'm sure there could be an agreement sooner or later. The war started because no agreement could be made and separated us. I'm glad that, now that we're together, we can prove to others that we can live peacefully. We don't approve of the Unicorn Makeover because it sounds like you may change into something else. This cove is hidden from view because the cave should be safe to be in while the war rages on. No two sides should dominate one another. Many lives have been lost and we are the last unicorns and mermaids who don't desire to continue this war. Maybe Elle and I can be brand new leaders and we can form our own territory," Anna announced. Just then a bang could be heard.

Anna and Elle swam to the beach to see what caused the bang. Five mermaids and unicorns were left standing. They continued to hide behind a large rock while stretching their hearing range to hear what was being said. The leader of the mermaids suddenly raised a device and a big bang could be heard. They didn't want to look to see what happened, but then they opened their eyes. The unicorns and mermaids had disappeared. Then Anna and Elle swam back to check on their friends. Everyone was safe and sound.

"What happened? Did the device for the Unicorn Makeover get used?" Lily asked swimming over to meet with Elle and Anna.

"Yes, it did get used. There were five unicorns too. Anna is the only one who can be brave enough to find out what happened. That device needs to be destroyed. We are so close to destroying it too with our magic and not being caught," Elle replied.

"For while I am gone to find the device, everyone else stays here. I promise I will be back with good news," Anna said.

Anna left the cove with Elle in charge of the group. She found trails of magic that seemed to lead in one direction. As the particles floated around she felt the particles touch her skin. Then a merman appeared looking to be her age as well. She noticed he seemed to be sick from the particles as well. He had the same goal of finding the device and destroying it, so, together, they swam deeper into the ocean. As they swam they noticed their hands were becoming more webbed and hurried further down to the bottom of the ocean. There they found five beings that resembled the five mermaids and unicorns. Five mermen had joined them as well with their appearances changed like the others. Then Baso, the merman, thought of the one thing that terrified their sides, stories of a Water Basilisk.

They swam until they saw a frightening shadow. This shadow showed the shape of a basilisk. Looking around, Anna found the head blend in with the shadows. Then an eye appeared and a mouth gaped open. Anna yelped as the head rose and its mouth pointed toward them. A scale fell to the ground and she noticed it swirled with magic. Swimming underneath a rock bridge, they watched as the basilisk mouth moved closer. Then she swam all the way over to where the scale laid and grabbed the scale. It seemed to act as a mirror. As the basilisk snapped at Baso he swam quickly over to where she was. They waited until the mouth faced them again before moving.

Anna swam ahead, leading the way to the group they had found. As soon as she saw them then they swam behind a rock. The basilisk soon hovered above the group and she watched as they started to panic. One by one basilisk attacked them and they all swam away. Then she turned around and found two unicorns mutated from the device behind her. They nodded to her as she ran and picked up the device, seeing how friendly they were. Turning off the device from a lever on its side she explained to them the main way to destroy it was by the spell her group had uncovered when stealing the blueprints to the device. Then they swam back to the cove. Baso brought his friends along, safe from the effects of the particles.

"Some ingredients are missing from the spell. I see you have banana leaves, round fruit, and large grass missing from the blueprints. Yes, we ended up mutated from this device. They were once unicorns and we were once mermaids. However, our minds haven't changed. The last of the unicorns and mermaids that were at war are gone now thanks to a basilisk. Here is a scale to prove it. Now we can finally begin our new lives at peace with each other. It would be best to remain to have this cove as our new home until one day the spread out particles disappear from the ocean and we could travel the ocean again. We'll also search the blueprint for a cure for this dreaded disease and live normally once more," Anna explained as everyone turned to face her, leery of the new unicorns.

"Yes, I'll go search for a cure as we speak," Lantain, their researcher, spoke up and took the blueprints with him into a corner.

"We are glad we have this device in our hands instead of theirs now. That basilisk did something good for once, even if it was dangerous. We can gather these ingredients and then come back to you. Soon the spell to destroy it will be complete, along with having the device in our hands. I say a truce should happen between us as a representation of the end of the war. Even though we're kids still, we're smarter than those who started this war. Watch out for anything out of the ordinary. It's been a while since we had been separated," Elle said. Then she sent her friends to find the ingredients.

A couple of hours had passed since Elle sent her friends to find the missing ingredients, so Anna decided to come up with a game in which Elle was happy to do the drawings. They settled into groups of 10 and then the game started. One by one, each team had to guess the correct answer to the drawing. Elle's attention to detail made each drawing look realistic. The only thing missing was a background to the drawing so that the drawing could stand out more. More time passed by since the group disappeared and Anna started wondering what could be taking so long. Finally, she spoke up first.

"I'm concerned about how late it's getting and your friends haven't returned yet, Elle. I'm wondering if we should split up and search for them," Anna said after a round of the game finished up.

"Good idea. It shouldn't be too hard to find all the ingredients but they haven't come back yet. I think they would be back by now," Elle agreed.

"We'll split up and search the coast. If we find them then we could find out why it's taking so long. We'll meet back here in an hour. Daylight is almost done so there isn't any time left to waste," Anna said.

Friends of Anna split up and they took heed of the warning not to swim in the purple stuff. A few of them stayed behind so they could guide the mermaids back to the secret cove. Some time passed by with Elle and Anna talking to each other and wondering if there was any chance more unicorns and mermaids have survived the war with no intent on hurting each other like them. They did speak about the chances of befriending any of them since the war had lasted so long. Being together and sticking by each other's side was what they remember enjoying the best. It had been just a short time of being separated, but the separation felt like an eternity. Then a few mermaids returned smiling.

"They have a lot of each of the missing ingredients. Everyone is working together to bring them all back here. Some were close behind. We avoided the purple goo that was left behind. It makes me shudder to see the results of the device. Now we can get to work on that spell," the bigger one reported. Sure enough, soon more mermaids showed up carrying the ingredients with them. Then they heard some neighs out there which represented Elle's friends returning from the trip.

"Thank goodness everything is okay. I was starting to worry about all of you. Now, let's get this spell on the roll. There's not much time to waste and it'd take over the night to work," Anna said cheerfully.

For the rest of the day, they set to work with the spell. A glowing pattern appeared over the water as they began the spell. Excited, Anna encouraged everyone to join in so that the spell would be more powerful than the device. The purple square quivered and rocked the device as they continued to cast the spell. The expected results in the end for them was a black, charred square that would give way to the touch easily when the device was destroyed. So far the rocking seemed to be the only side effect of the spell. After muttering the last of the spell Anna took a deep breath and sighed. Then she looked around as the glowing pattern lit up the cove inside. Peering out she could tell the sun had already set for the evening.

"Alright everyone, this is it. We all better head to bed for the night. See you in the morning, everyone," Anna announced as the spell continued to be at work. Nothing could stop this spell now, she felt sure that in the next day or two the device would be destroyed so they wouldn't have to worry about the side effects happening to anyone else.

"This is good news. I was told bad things will happen if the device is used and seeing the results they were right about it," Elle said. She wondered if the two unicorns affected by the purple goo were going to be alright.

During the night Anna couldn't sleep. Baso came up to her side as she swam out of the cove to see the night sky. She sighed as he put his arm around her shoulders. His warmth felt comforting and inviting. They continued to watch the stars in the sky in silence for a few more minutes until Baso started coughing. The cold air caused her to wonder if being out here they would both catch a cold. Then she pushed him to the side and wondered why he was up.

"What are you doing up so late? Tomorrow we have a big day- watching the device and see if the spell would work like it said it would," Anna scolded.

"I was wondering why you were up so late. I heard you sneaking out of the cove and decided to find out the answer," Baso said.

"I'm nervous. What if this spell doesn't work and we would have to make sure nothing touches the purple square inside the device. I guess there really isn't anything to worry about. But, still."

"Everything will be okay. This spell has to work. Once it is done then the device will be destroyed for good so that it wouldn't hurt anyone else. I think the mastermind behind it got a good dose of that device and it serves them right. How hideous it was to think of and create such a thing. The unicorns did the right thing by not agreeing to the queen's plans."

"That sounds very convincing. Okay, I think I'll be able to sleep for the night now that you've said that. I needed it. Only us mermaids versus the unicorns. In a way, I've sided with the unicorns because of how suspicious I was of the device. Good night."

The next morning everyone woke up. Anna felt refreshed and ready to go. One problem she had was how her stomach rumbled. Her stomach reminded her that she hadn't had a bite to eat for a while now. Swimming up to the surface, she noticed the device still stood and the glowing pattern lingered which told her the spell continued to be at work. Over the night wasn't enough for the spell to complete its job. Groups went out in search of food at a time and Elle and her spoke to each other about what they plan to do when the device was destroyed. They wanted to meet each other daily but food was scarce. Then she decided she would take a short trip around the coast just to freshen up her mind. She remembered Baso's words.

A flash suddenly happened from the cove's entrance and she wondered if everyone was okay. The groups had found enough food to feed everyone and some had given her food to eat while she wandered back to the secret cove. Quickly, she swam to the surface where the device was. The glowing pattern had disappeared and there were shattered pieces of what was left of the device. Heart pounding, she floated there in shock about what happened. Her joy rose as she realized the ordeal was done, no longer would the device harm anyone else.

The Unicorns and Mermaids are on the verge of war or war has already broken out. Spin tales of what happened to bring this about, how the war is going, or who wins and why/how. This is inspired by , the mermaid lover, , the unicorn lover, and , the one smart enough to remain neutral.
Written for "The Whatever Contest." "The Whatever Contest -- Closed for Now" 

Word/Line Count: 2,514