Ashlynn's Misfortune

Chapter Two

Ashlynn spent the night in the stables. The next morning, Holly and Poppy fed the other animals their usual food and gave Ashlynn hay and water. They decided to name her Dash and admired her blue coat and orange mane. She wasn't an ordinary-looking donkey.

Ashlynn stayed put, laying on the floor of her stall, staring melancholy at her food as the other animals happily munched their breakfast. Holly and Poppy were oblivious to their new guest's sadness.

While Ashlynn was a donkey, news of her sudden absence swept the school like wildfire. Everyone was wondering and worrying about where she was.

"Blondie Lockes here to tell you, or show you, our latest scoop at the Ever After High School," Blondie says excitedly, blond ringlets bouncing, microphone in hand as a camera videos her. "And I bet you all know already what the scoop is. Where is Ashlynn Ella? Her roomie, Briar Beauty, claims that Ashlynn has been turned into a donkey."

Some students laugh and snort off-screen. Kitty and Faybelle simply smirk at each other from across the castleteria, where Blondie was currently being filmed.

"In fact, I'm here today with Briar right now. Let's see what she has to say for herself, folks." Briar appears on screen next to Blondie, looking agitated and uncomfortable.

"Blondie, I already told you, Ashlynn drank a potion she found in her bookbag and turned into a donkey. Someone pranked her and it isn't funny. You hear me?" Briar says, shoving her face close to the camera. "Whoever put that potion in her bag better confess what they did and apologize. Turning people into animals isn't funny. Ashlynn needs to be back to human form before the faire, or else."

"Well, folks, you heard it from here," Blondie says, signing off, "Ashlynn Ella is supposedly a donkey." 

"What a load of rubbish," someone mutters before the recording camera clicks off.

Ashlynn's stomach growled loudly throughout the day. She was hungry, but she wasn't going to eat that disgusting hay that was provided for her. Nor was she going to drink from the water trough with gunk in it. Being a donkey was horrible and all she could do was mope about it. She missed the sweet, savory tastes of the gingerbread houses and the smell of porridge, and she missed her friends.

That evening, Ashlynn finally gave in and ate the hay and water. The water wasn't that bad, but the hay was coarse and chewy. She tried to think positive thoughts as she forced herself to chew and swallow. She wasn't going to be a donkey the whole rest of her life, she'd make sure of it.

When the sky darkened and the doors to the stables were closed and locked, Ashlynn hears them open and footsteps approach. Has someone come to rescue her finally? Had her friends risked detention for her by being out past curfew?

Another pair of footsteps joins the first. When they speak, one voice is scratchy, the other gruff.

"Stealing one of the animal is gonna be a piece of cake, Bern," the scratchy voice says, "see, they're all sleeping and the students at that confound school are asleep too. No one's gonna see us."

"Just get me her and get us out," the gruff voice says.

The footsteps grow closer and closer and her stall door is suddenly opened. One man is covered in hair with tattooed arms, short and stocky, the other lean and balding, double swords crossed over his chest.

Ashlynn hee haws fearfully and backs away.

"Stop it you confound girl," the hairy man says.

A bag is shoved over head and a rope tied around her neck. The hairy man jerks on the rope, forcing her to follow them out of the stall, out of the stable, and towards an unknown destination. Ashlynn wonders where they were going, as the briars that border the school at curfew prevent anyone from entering or exiting until dawn arose. Who are these men? And where could they possibly be taking her?