Unicorn chased down and returned to owner

Police responding to reports of a unicorn on the loose chased down the mythological beast to find a suitably-augmented pony that had escaped from a children's birthday party.

"She was kind of running amok in some orchards with some white blooms," said Sandra Boos, whose family owns the horse named Juliette. "So, she kind of blended in with the scenery.

"She turned out to be stealthier than we would have imagined."

Juliette, who belongs to 5-year-old Tatum Boos, was finally found in an orchard, wrangled back into custody and returned to her Madera County stable in a fairy-tale ending.

"I was afraid," Tatum said. "She got in a timeout because she was being a bad pony."