Two Worlds (Written by a 10-year-old author, 62,000 words, 72 chapters)

Chapter 36: The animatronics

They barely made it inside the tower.

As soon as Stacy locked the northern door, elves slammed into it, rattling the doorknob and screaming for their capture. Lily calmly rolled a grenade under the door. "What do we do now?" she asked. "Go to the control room," Stacy answered.

They went into a secret garage behind a hidden door. The whole room was completely empty. Jake stepped forward. "Operation Animatronics, engage," he said. The floor opened and four robot animals rose up on a platform. There was a horse, a bear, a giant snake, and a donkey. The animals looked so real, but Lily knew they were actually robots. Stacy inspected each animal. "They're still in good condition," she announced. Lily went up and rested her hand on the horse's amber back. "Do they move?" she asked. "Yes," Tara answered. "Just climb on," Stacy explained.

Lily swung herself onto the horse's back and instantly it reared up on its hind legs, almost throwing her. She clung on as Stacy climbed on the bear. Tara got the snake, and Jake ended up with the donkey. Tara kicked the snake to life. She dashed out the door and came back two minutes later with a fancy, chariot-like wagon. She attached it to the snake and climbed on. "Everyone good to go?" Stacy called. She yelled, "Open the garage!" and the garage door slid up. The horse, smelling freedom (if a robot horse could smell freedom) bolted out onto the grass. The bear lumbered out slowly and the donkey trotted happily outside. Tara carefully steered the snake onto the grass.

"Let's go, then," Lily said. She kicked the horse's sides with her feet. "Giddy up!" The horse didn't budge. On the bear, Stacy scratched her head. "Oh, right," she said, "they'll only listen to you if you call them by their names." She gave everyone the animals' names. When she came to Tara she frowned. "Oops. I think they forgot to give your snake a name."

Lily held on tight to the horse's soft mane. "Uh, hi there. Can you please go to that crowd?" She pointed at the dwarf army. The horse nickered impatiently. "Can you please go to that crowd, Foxfire," Stacy supplied. "Yes, yes," Lily grumbled. She stared at the dwarf army. "Foxfire, go!"

Foxfire bolted forward so fast, Lily nearly tumbled off. Fortunately, the last time she'd ridden a horse was only two or three years ago ... which meant she didn't have much experience, which was rather unfortunate. The dwarves were ten miles away, but the horse was halfway there in two minutes. A streak of gray and gold rushed past below them. Lily looked at it, confused until she saw Tara in her fancy wagon of a chariot being pulled along by the snake.

Lily urged Foxfire forward and he leaped into the battle, scattering dwarves. A dwarf ran towards them with a small but deadly-looking cannon. He aimed and fired a flaming projectile at them. Foxfire whinnied derisively and shot away as the projectile exploded in a miniature mushroom cloud close by. Lily sliced a dwarf's weapon in half as the spear sailed by her face. Trevor the donkey brayed in protest at the dwarves and kicked them with his hind legs. There was a line of dwarves that rippled like a wave, the unnamed snake slithering below them as Tara flattened herself on its back. The snake hissed and with a flick of its tail, pulverized a dwarf cannon.

Foxfire knocked dwarvesover like bowling pins, sending weapons flying. A shadow loomed over them. Lilylooked up just in time to see Geiger squash a dozen dwarves. The bear strodeaway triumphantly with Stacy on top. Nearby, Tara yelled, "Find Theresa!" Lilyleaned close down towards Foxfire's head and whispered the command in his ear."Foxfire, find Theresa."