The Ballad of Becky Apples

## Official Synopsis

Rider defies the general's orders and goes to the Nowhere King's castle to get the artifact. But her new horse, Becky Apples, isn't exactly cooperative.

## Plot

In the humanworld, Rider waits for the General to return from a raid on the Nowhere King's castle to retrieve the key, however only he and one severely wounded soldier return. The General says they are losing the war and need to go on the defensive, but Rider objects and argues that if they retrieve the key, the minotaur army will lose their advantage, but his answer is final. Undeterred, Rider asks the other survivor to tell her about the castle so she can attempt a solo mission, the other soldier considers it a suicide mission, but Rider believes it is the best chance they have.

At the castle, Bayden is "texting" (saying a message into an egg that's repeated by a newborn chick) the other birdtaurs about what he's seeing, which alerts the minotaurs, who capture him and fuse him with a minotaur and alligator to form a monster (known thereafter as "Baydenbeast"). Meanwhile, Rider takes Becky Apples to attempt a raid on the castle, but struggles with her new mount, who does not co-operate with her at all. After nearly falling off a cliff when Becky Apples jumps across it, Rider is mugged by a boy and girl a few years younger than herself.

When Rider regains consciousness, she talks with the pair and asks them to let her go so she can retrieve the key and bring an end to the war, explaining about Centaurworld and how her Horse is recruiting an army there, though the girl thinks it's the result of her being hit too hard on the head. She becomes angry when the girl refers to Becky Apples as Rider's horse and fights the pair, easily over powering them while tied up, and freeing herself. The frightened girl admits that she only wanted to try an apple, Rider sympathizes with her and reminds her that people should be banding together in difficult times before leaving.

She eventually finds Becky Apples and together they reach the castle, only for the mare to run off on her again, leaving Rider to infiltrate the castle by herself. Once inside, Rider locates the machine the key is connected to, where the minotaurs are preparing to use Waterbaby to make another monster, as per the Nowhere King's orders. The Hippotaur quickly realizes their intentions and fights them off, but is outnumbered and backed onto the platform that will drop her into the machine. Rider takes out the minotaur operating it and Waterbaby starts fighting the remaining soldiers while Rider attempts to retrieve the key. However, reinforcements soon arrive, and the two of the escape into the catacombs where they find Becky Apples has killed several more soldiers.

Once outside the castle, Rider tries to figure out another way in to get the key, but Waterbaby advises her to abandon the idea, reminding her that Horse is fighting so they can be together again and and would be devastated if anything happened to her. Instead she suggests that they go meet the General, as Waterbaby herself has powerful magic, which she believes will be enough to convince him, and the two return to camp where Becky Apples is already waiting.

Though the General is relieved that Rider survived both the minotaurs and the horse, he reprimands Rider for going in the first place, until Waterbaby reveals herself and tells him the plan to bring both the human and centaur armies together for one final fight against the Nowhere King. She quickly wins the soldiers' support and the initially reluctant General agrees. However, the Nowhere King is also preparing his army for the fight.

## Features

### Locations

* Human world
	+ The General's army camp
	+ The Nowhere King's castle

## Trivia

* This is the only episode that does not feature Centaurworld nor the herd, and takes place solely in the human world.
* It is also the only episode to not feature any songs (ironically, despite the word "ballad" in the title).
* The scene where Waterbaby reanimates several skeletons and has them dance to distract the minotaurs may be a reference to the 1929 animated short *The Skeleton Dance*.

## Gallery

### Production Art

Storyboard panels by Christine Liu, Story ArtistStoryboard panel by Christine Liu, Story ArtistStoryboard panel by Christine Liu, Story ArtistStoryboard panels by Christine Liu, Story ArtistBayden (super minotaur) storyboard drawing by Alex Chiu, Story ArtistMasked figure 1 turnarounds by Harley Huang, Character designerMasked figure 2 turnarounds by Harley Huang, Character designer
### Screenshots

Becky Apples is nobody's horse