Deadline almost here!

Heads Up, Pony Fans!

The February 28th deadline for My Little Love Story is almost here! Working on your entry? Have any questions? Feel free to ask here if you're befuddled. I'm still getting great entries and welcome your addition to the pool! You can send me your entry at aceercpATgmail.com or via the contest thread on MLP Arena. We can't wait to see your entry!

PTT Featured on My Little Pony News!

Gee, the things you uncover when you start tracking where your visitors are coming from finally... >_> Bad Anne! I just discovered that PTT and the My Little Love Story contest was featured on My Little Pony News! Check out the entry about PTT right here! Thanks so much, MLP News! ^_^ It's a great site that features any and all pony info and alerts to come down the pike. I came across a number of articles on pony-related tidbits I hadn't heard yet, so it's definitely worth checking out if you're an MLP fan.

If you have a pony site you'd like me to mention on PTT, just let me know and we can help each other out!

About Those Bunnies...

I've felt a bit uneasy from time to time about the bunny thing. As in, do people think I am an anti-rabbit, Down With The Easter Bunny, baby-bunny-drop-kicker? I mean, what's with all the evil bunnies on here? What did a little rabbit ever do to me?

Well, I can say a number of bunnies have reduced our cable remote to a fun game of Guess What That Button Is. Several tops (just the tops, mind you...they get carefully skinned from the button itself so the actual removed portion of the button is about the thickness of two credit cards) have gone through the bunny processing system and been found acting as poop sprinkles in bunny pellets. Apparently cable TV remote buttons taste incredible to bunnies, because this button peeling thing has been performed by every single bunny we've owned that had two unsupervised seconds with a remote.

See, I'm a rabbit owner. I've had my heart both warmed and absolutely shattered by these fragile, fleeting little souls that hop into your lives and leave an indelible mark on your existence. There's nothing sweeter to me than spending a few moments with a house rabbit, just observing its actions, marveling at how complex this oft-misunderstood creature is. And no pet losses (of which, as an animal lover, I've had many) have hurt to such an excruciating degree as the passing of my rabbits have. They have an unfortunate fate as a prey animal of hiding their illnesses until it's too late to for even the most skilled of vets to heal them. I've lived that reality many times and will experience it again many times, I'm sure, as I can't imagine life without a rabbit as a pet. I think it's this gossamer nature of the rabbit, to float out of your life swiftly on the slightest draft, that endears them to their owners on such a deep level.

That said, as a rabbit owner you begin to imagine that if the world was hijacked by animals, bunnies would be at the forefront of the movement. They're too cute to ever expect, yet too smart to ever trust with a room full of weapons. Just look at their perma-frown mouths. Even the nicest bunnies have darling little faces hiding a scowl that would freeze magma. As they push you off the precipice into the Bottomless Pit of Death, they'll find glee in how fast you plummet. Don't take it personally, though! They can't help it. When you're just that cute and just that superior to humans, of course, they do think they can do without you. No rabbit has convinced me of this more than my current girl, Scarlett.

The cutest mean-as-hell bunny you'll ever have the pleasure of knowing. 100,000 kilowatts of pure incendiary fury in a six-pound spotted ball. The cats are terrified of her. Friends approach her with the cautiousness one would use when approaching a viper. She's just so grouchy she's gone around the horn and defied logic by being "so nasty, she's cute." I mean this. Anyone that's met her will agree. As her teeth sink into your flesh, narrowly missing the bone it seems, you'll marvel at how adorable she is. As your nerves pound with electric agony over the chomp, you'll already be forgiving her. Scarlett's had a rough life. Like many of the bunnies at the Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary, where our house rabbits have come from, her earliest memories of life are that of abuse at human hands. She was used as a breeder rabbit and then left in a cat carrier on the side of the road with her babies. And a sign that said "Free." One by one her babies were taken from her until all that remained in the carrier was Scarlett, whom no one wanted. God knows what was done to her during her time with this human, but frankly, I don't want to know. Thankfully, she was found by someone who knew the GLRS existed for rabbits like Scarlett.

It's no surprise that she has never totally warmed up to humans. Sure, years later now she lets me hold her now (but only me) and she's learned to love being scratched under the ears, but that aura of "I don't trust you" still lingers. She's possessive of food and will even run away from the person that gave her the treat, as if we'd take it back and eat the lettuce ourselves. Any movement she doesn't approve of will be met with a grunt and a lunge. I've owned rabbits that were the definition of "snuggle bunny" and they were contented in spades to be held and loved on. Not Scarlett. Do you blame her, though? Could anyone?

She shows all the classic signs of a Happy Bunny, like laying out flatter than a board in her pen and doing sonic-speed "binkies" (little weird rabbit "happy dances") around the living room. But the underpinnings of Abused Bunny still show at times. It breaks my heart. I'd sever my own hand before it would ever cause harm to this tiny creature, yet there's no way to tell her that.

I could agonize over how terrible I feel that this little bun was abused, but instead, let me get back to that world domination thing. Yes, if human kind was about to be eradicated by a single push of the "Easy" button, a bunny would be doing the honors. It's not that they hate us as much as they tolerate us as providers of hay, water, and a place to poop. They're far too smart to stoop to "pet" level so they let us humans believe they're just docile little balls of fluff, and after we go to bed, they're on the Hop Line checking on how those WMDs are coming along.

Scarlett, I imagine, would be on the front lines of this movement. When you first enter Her Room (actually our second bedroom where I keep my pony collection, but we know it's actually hers) you get THE LOOK. "Ewww! Humans!" Beady brown eyes bore directly into your skull. She assumes an imposing, alerted posture that can go into "Lunge and Grunt" mode in a split second. This moves on to "Well, if you have to be in here, what do you have for me to eat, peasants?" If you spend time in Her Room without giving due attention, she will create increasing levels of ruckus until you pet her and give her some form of foodstuff. Pen gates will be rattled violently, bunny toys flung as far as a one inch wide mouth can fling them, crinkle tunnel marched upon endlessly to create a din. Woe to anyone that stays in the room. She has been known to actively work to wake you and then remove you from the room by blasting the walls of her "diggy box" with litter and shaking the pen fences with considerable force. Once you leave the room, Oh, good, it's gone! Not a peep from her again unless you make the mistake of trying to go back to sleep in there.

I'm sure the ponies offend her. "Ewww, stupid blobs of plastic that human is foolish enough to collect!" I made the mistake of "showing" her a pony one time. Said pony was chomped on, carried into her crinkle tunnel, and then defended like Fort Knox. Had I left it in there, I can promise you nothing would be left of that pony until it came out the other end of her in colorful cylindrical forms.

She's just so curmudgeonly that she's just....precious. How can you not adore a bunny that could easily obliterate all living things (save one that cleans her doodoo box and refreshes the hay pile) and then quietly return to contented Bunny Loaf form, quite pleased with herself?

I'll also note that on an frighteningly frequent basis I encounter evidence that shows me other humans have realized this bunny thing. Pay attention from here on out to how many times in entertainment media you'll find bunnies in positions to cause pwnage for humans and other creatures alike. Rayman Raving Rabbids, anyone? Surely you've seen Disapproving Rabbits? That's just the eeny-teeny tip of the iceberg. Now that I've alerted you, I promise that many other examples of this phenomenon will stick out. Feeling a bit paranoid now? I hear that offerings of Cheerios will reduce the torment slightly once Judgement Day comes.

I wish I could say that Scarlett's story ends with a "happily ever after." It hasn't. We discovered that she was suffering from previously undiagnosed cancer not long after we adopted her. It was easy to miss her tumors, what with the fact that humans were Bad News and holding her was an exercise in patience. If she's already poised to shred your hand, you're not going to be easily tempted to search her belly for lumps. Fortunately our vet is a specialist that works with the GLRS and suggested surgery to confirm the cancer and to remove the lumps. That helped for a while....and then the tumors came back, eliminating the hope that surgery could eradicate them. A series of immune-boosting medications has kept her with us since 2007. I consider that a major miracle considering how delicate rabbit health can be. Our vet has warned us, though, that despite our current luck our time will inevitably run out given her condition.

 I can't help but feel that her feisty nature has been a blessing. She's a fighter, both against those evil people that dare to come into Her Room and the cancer she is so unfortunate to have.

Let it be known that this is a Bunny Friendly Blog. I encourage you to visit the GLRS site and consider donating to their wonderful operation. They have gone above and beyond to create a safe haven for abused animals and have an incredible success rate at finding these rabbits new Forever Homes. I also ask that you remind anyone you might know that is considering a rabbit as a pet that responsible, humane rabbit ownership takes more than just a cage and a bowl of rabbit pellets. There are many books and sites (such as The House Rabbit Society ) that will explain the proper methods to ensure a pet rabbit has a healthy, happy, and long life. As we approach Eastertime, I especially ask that you strongly discourage anyone you know from using a rabbit as an "Easter Bunny" gift. These poor rabbits are the most abused of all and often the saddest stories to come out of places like GLRS. The decision to own a rabbit needs to be made thoughtfully and consciously, backed with research into humane ownership requirements. They are absolutely incredible pets....but unfortunately, the decision to become a rabbit owner made without thought can lead to heartbreaking results. When you do it the right way, however, you'll honestly wonder how you lived life without the ability to see a bunny go absolutely nuts over a plate of Romaine. Talk about stress relief!

I take great personal risk in revealing these secrets behind rabbit motivation. I dismantled the gun turrets Scarlett built, but I've been wondering why that box of camouflage-colored Legos is in her pen. And why I found a detonator buried under the litter in her diggy box. I'm sure this rash on my arm is just an allergic reaction. And all packages, like the large one that just showed up, make a ticking sound, right?

New Contest! "My Little Love Story"

Finally! It's time to give away another pony! I heart my readers and here's another chance for me return the love....with the My Little Love Story photo contest!

It's simple. Do you have two ponies that are the lovebirds of your collection? Maybe they've always been together, ever since you first got them as a kid....or maybe when she or he showed up in your growing collection it was love at first sight for one of your existing ponies. Maybe their colors just work. Maybe their symbols make it seem like they'd have something in common. Maybe you just know they're in love. No matter the reason, I want to hear about your happy couple!

The winner will be the new happy owner of a G1 Twice As Fancy Milky Way MLP! Isn't she a gorgeous gal? TAF ponies are just too cute to begin with, and then you cover one in glittery stars? And make her a unicorn? And add a random blue streak of hair?! This is why we love ponies, folks!

Here's an example of an entry to get your creativity flowing! Thanks to Kelly Wade for submitting her pony couple. They've been together since her childhood, I hear...

Slugger and Whizzer

 

He was a superstar baseball player stallion. She was a top speed flying Pegasus. They were the perfect match. Slugger and Whizzer first met during the annual picnic and field day, held every spring once the weather got warm. Whizzer caught Slugger’s attention when she was competing in the sky obstacle course. She set a new record; completing the course in just a minute and 40 seconds (most Pegasus ponies could finish in 2 minutes)! Slugger was impressed by her speed and desire to win. He had to meet her. After the competition Slugger went to congratulate Whizzer. Their eyes met, and everything around them seemed to just….freeze. It was love at first sight. Slugger couldn’t stop gazing into Whizzer’s beautiful twinkling eyes. After that Whizzer and Slugger spent all their time together. She attended his baseball games, he attended her flying competitions. One day Slugger asked Whizzer to marry him, and she eagerly accepted. The two were married in the gardens around the Paradise Estate and lived happily ever after.

 

Want to enter? Here's the rules! Learn it...know it...live it!

You may send your entries to me through My Little Pony Arena PM via the contest thread on Pony Corral, or you may email them to me at aceercpATgmail.com. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, of course!

 

1) To enter, submit both a photo of the couple and an explanation of why these two ponies found each other. As many details about them as you'd like to share is a plus! Remember, you're surrounded by like-minded people who won't think it odd no matter how elaborate the tale is. :) This can be a long story, just a little blurb, or whatever strikes your fancy. The ponies also don't need to have their given names; Slugger doesn't have to be Slugger if, in your imagination, his name is Babe!

 2) Just one photo, please. Yes, you may use Photoshop to add text, effects, or whatever you'd like. But basically think of this as being your "portrait" shot of the couple...you're welcome to be as creative as you want to be in showing us the two ponies together.

3) While I ask that the couple be two ponies, they do not have to be girl/boy couples. If you have a girl/girl or boy/boy couple, that's just fine. Love is love! :) This is an equal opportunity blog. <3   ^_^   <3

4) International entries are great! You do not have to be from the USA.

5) When it comes to judging, myself and the Friends of PTT go off of gut. Our first impressions are the ones that stick usually. Humor may win, or a triumphant love story may win, or an incredibly cute story may win...there is no particular type of entry we'll place higher than another.  What does stand out is a liberal dose of imagination and a carefully thought out plan when it comes to telling us your story!

6) I will need a mailing address to send your pony to, so if you're in a situation where someone in your household may have an issue with giving out an address online, please take this into consideration...thank you!

7) The deadline for entries is February 28. Winners will be announced by March 4! The winner will be posted on PTT and all entries will be available for viewing in a special album!

 

I can't wait to see your entries! The world needs a little more love around, so show the world your heartwarming pony love stories!

My Little Love Story Contest Details Tomorrow!

It's finally time for the My Little Love Story photo contest!  I wanted to wait until the Valentine's Day festivities were over for three reasons:

     1) People are too busy around a holiday to get things like a contest entry done, so now that the holiday's over you'll have time to work on your entry!

     B) Valentine's Day has passed, so you can use the happy vibes from your own celebration as inspiration for your story and photo!

     3) Valentine's Day has passed, so your rage and animosity towards the holiday will start to simmer down, therefore the idea of creating pony love story will touch down smoother on the palate!

The prize is a gorgeous little Twice As Fancy Milky Way G1 MLP! Details and examples to follow tomorrow!

Episode 1-6

Back at Rainbowville, the three Fakie friends were steaming over the way they were treated at the park. "Big pony" was found wandering the park muttering to himself after the other two Fakies had been on the roller coaster. As you might recall, the two head honcho bunnies had removed him from line for being too fat to ride, despite a cargo-sized foal behind him escaping the same fate. Some knocked over trash cans and random inappropriately placed muffins might have been attributed to the big Fakie's ire. Now reunited, the three had nothing left to hold back the tidal wave of rage they were feeling. Even the little pathetic Fakie was feeling the blood rushing to her muzzle.

"I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

"BIG PONY SMASH!"

"You're right, you guys! This day was unbelievable! You come here to have a good time and get treated like the manure on the bottom of their hooves!"

"THAT NOT WORK. BIG PONY KICKED OUT BY BUNNIES NOT PONIES."

"Ugh! Semantics! I wasn't saying it was ponies, it was just a figure of...."

"Will you two can it? We need to do something about this. I see a building over there that might be customer service."

"Now that is a big door."

"BIG PONY NOT KNOW WHAT GEST RELASHUNS IS."

"It's where we go to get people FIRED! That's what it is, friends, and that's what we're going to do!"

"Who goes dere?"

"What kind of crap is this? This ain't Camelot! We need to get in! We have to report some bad stuff!"

"Onlee if oo say da majik woord."

The Fakies muttered amongst themselves...

"Please?"

"Dat not it."

Mushroom butt pony was seeing stars. The rage was incalculable.

"Look, we're not mind readers. Tell us and we'll just say it."

"'Bummies is da best anamals evoo."

"Are you serious?!"

"Dat not it."

"That isn't even just a word! It's six words!"

"Dat not it."

"Fine! 'Bunnies are the best animals ever'."

"Dat it! Tank oo! Watch oo step as oo enter da kassle!"

A drawbridge started to slowly creak. After that little toe-to-toe with the Gatekeeper up there, the Fakies were ready to lay the hurt on. Horseshoes were going to fly.

And then they saw the staff behind the service desk. Uh oh. These didn't look like reasonable bunnies (if those even existed)....

 "Wat da heck do oo want? Pbtbtbtbtbtbt!"

Next to this rude bunny that stuck his tongue out at the end of everything he said was a bunny that appeared to be asleep standing up. Maybe she just had a long night. But more likely was that it was just another bunny that didn't give a hoot about anyone....

"Look, man, we had a bad day here. We paid just like every pony else to get in, spent money on funnel oats and cotton hay candy. We're not no second-class ponies. And two of these bunny goons kicked my big friend out here for being 'too fat' when a foal behind us the size of the Goodpony Blimp got to ride. That's a load of pony apples! We want something done about this!"

"YEAH! BIG PONY WANT.....WHAT HE SAID."

"Getting rwid of bad guest is diskreshun of da park manidgemint! Pbtbtbtbtbtbt!"

 The little Fakie was appalled.  "Bad guests?! How is he a bad guest?! I want to speak to your manager!"

"Manager aseep as oo can see. I not wake up. Pbtbtbtbtbtbt!"

"Dat manager aseep too. In fact I nebber seen dat one awake ebber. Pbtbtbtbtbtbt!"

"I sowwies but we just don't cawe. Go take a long walkies off a short cliffies. Pbtbtbtbtbtbt!"

Mushroom butt Fakie couldn't believe her ears. Her hair actually stood on end she was so full of umbrage.

"WHAT?! I OUGHT TO TURN YOU INTO COMPOST, YOU SCUMBALL!"

"You made a grave mistake, mister! Us Fakies are up to here with you bunnies and the manure is going to hit the fan!"

"YEAH! BIG PONY PUT MANURE FAN ON YOU."

"Do oo twuly tink I cawe? Pbtbtbtbtbtbt!"

"Do oo tink my manager cawes? Pbtbtbtbtbtbt!"

"Do oo tink I gonna jump throo hoops for oo? Pbtbtbtbtbt!"

"I don't cawe if oo leeve hewe and get sent to da glue faccy. Pbtbtbtbtbt! Why wood I cawe if oo happy or not? Besides, we just want oo monee...."

"We got famblees to feeds. Why don't oo tink of da childrun?"

"This is it. C'mon.....we're going to take them down."

The Fakies burst out of the castle at a high rate of speed. They'd heard the chatter...a revolution was in store. Now they understood why and they were going to make sure they were a part of it....

Galloping out of the park with the rest of the day's crowd, the Fakies quietly discussed what they knew about the revolt that was fomenting....

  "Some rear end is going to get kicked, let me tell you.  As soon as we find the rest of the herd I'm sending out feelers, 'cuz I wanna be on the front lines of this!"

"BIG PONY SIT ON THEM!"

"I just need someone to sit the kids, but I'm right there with you! Things need to be made better for them more so than us. They're going to have no future with the bunnies around!"

Speaking of the kids, the little Fakie had enjoyed her day off but was starting to miss her foals. They rounded a corner to find a Fakie who played babysitter for her waiting with her herd...

"Kids! I missed you!"

Little whinnies of happiness came up from the ragtag group. As they started to gallop forward to greet Mom, a familiar voice sullied the air....

"Well, well, well, if it isn't that stable-trash beat out mare. Don't you see how gross you are? How uncute, how unlovable?"

"You're a disgrace. You're so poor you don't have two bits to rub together, but you have this giant herd of yucky, dirty foals. Why don't you stop having them? They're going to be nothing but sent to the glue factory, because they're useless with a foal machine like you for a mom!"

Silence came over all in the vicinity. This was a vicious attack and even the mean pony's friends knew it. They gulped and took a couple steps back, expecting the Fakie's friends to come flying with hooves in the air. But no one dared to move or speak. Finally, the little Fakie broke the silence...

"None of them are actually mine. I love them like they're mine though. They're all the foals of Fakies that died because they didn't have enough to eat. Or died of exposure because they had nowhere warm to live and were already ill. I want the foals to at least have a chance, so I keep taking them in. Some of them I found wandering the streets after their mothers died and none of you real ponies would help. They are so close to dying themselves when I find them that..sometimes...sometimes...I...I try...but I can't save them.  Are you happy now, you &*^%$?"

Absolute. Utter. Silence. The foals gathered around their mom and the rest of the Fakies knew to just let it go. The bomb had been dropped. Even the evil pony couldn't muster a response to that. But her friends couldn't contain themselves....

"HA! PWNED!!!!!!!!"