by G. M. Berrow
“Prepare my ship!” Tempest growled at her underlings. Her chipped horn sparked with tiny colored shocks of lightning. Then she narrowed her eyes, determined. “Please, how far can one little pony get on her own?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The ponies were delirious as they trudged across the barren desert landscape, barely moving at all. The hot sun bore down on their hides. They were dusty, achy, and so thirsty they couldn’t remember what water tasted like. They had already come so far. Drops of salty sweat poured down their muzzles, and their eyes were ringed with the dark circles of deep exhaustion. It felt as if Twilight Sparkle and her friends had been trotting their whole lives.
“Saving Equestria!” Pinkie Pie laughed to herself maniacally. “Oh, look!” She plucked an ancient bird skull from the dunes; sand poured from its eye sockets. “Maybe this guy knows which way to go!” Pinkie held the skull to her ear. “What’s that? We’re lost?!” She tossed the skull and erupted into a fit of fanatical giggles before collapsing into a sandy dune.
Nearby, Spike was struggling with a wayward prickly cactus that had adhered itself to his bottom. “We could be going in circles! Endless sand… nothing for miles but sand”—Spike coughed and sputtered, his throat was so dry—“and this road.”
“A road?” said Twilight Sparkle, perking up. “Where there’s a road, there’s a—” She trotted forward, cresting the nearest dune. What she saw next took her breath away. There was a city!
Klugetown was unlike any city Twilight had ever seen, stacked high with dark, smoking spires and foreign buildings. Even the path to the city looked ominous, littered with old wreckage that jutted out from the sand. But it was something.
“Oooh! A city!” Pinkie Pie bounded forward with renewed energy. “We are doing it, you guys!” she squealed in delight. The other ponies rushed forward to join her, wondering aloud what sort of amenities might await them. Rarity was hoping for a spa, but everypony else was just eager to rest, find some food, and gather information on where to find the Queen of the Hippos.
But as soon as they entered the main gates of Klugetown, it became instantly clear that this was not the sort of place a pony wanted to find herself alone. The group stuck close to one another, anxiously alert to the strange sights and sounds. Creatures who looked like giant rhinoceroses, beastly hogs, and prickly porcupines grunted as they hawked mysterious goods from their vendor stalls.
Other townsfolk emerged from shadows to peek at and greedily taunt the candy-colored equines as they passed. “That’s a lovely horn.… How much?” a cloaked monster whispered to Rarity as she trotted along. Rarity’s face contorted in horror at the very thought of selling her horn. Across the way, a tower of spiky-beaked birds in cages squawked at Fluttershy as she neared them. They were scary-looking, but Fluttershy couldn’t imagine what sort of beasts thought it okay to trap the poor little babies!
Twilight searched the perilous streets for a friendly face. Anycreature would do, just as long as they could give some sort of information about where exactly they were right now. Then Twilight noticed a street vendor struggling to tie barrels of cargo to his cart. A wayward barrel sprang loose and toppled the entire pile. “Let me help you with that!” The princess sprang into action, using her magic to catch the barrel in question. But the beast just growled at her to get away from his cart.
“Now, I know we need help, but be careful who you talk to,” Twilight warned the others in a low whisper. “And try to blend in!”
But it was too late. Pinkie Pie was already bounding forward into the market square, screaming at the top of her lungs. “CAN ANYPONY TAKE US TO THE QUEEN OF THE HIPPOS?!” she shouted gleefully.
A gigantic blue monster with fishlike fins scoffed in disgust at Pinkie’s lack of awareness for the rules. “You want somethin’, you gotta give somethin’!” he grunted.
“Oh!” Pinkie giggled and proceeded to offer the beast a big hug, a mane comb with a few curly pink hairs woven through its teeth, and a picture of her sister Maud. When he refused all her offers, Pinkie Pie held out a little white ball. “How about this breath mint?!” Pinkie leveled with the stinky-breathed fish monster. “Seriously, buddy. Help me help you.”
Twilight and the others watched, growing more nervous with each passing minute. This didn’t seem like the sort of place a pony should go around teasing anycreature. Twilight darted to Pinkie’s side and pulled her away from the growling creature. “You can’t just take off! And you don’t need to announce to every—”
“Relax, Twilight! I’ve totally got this.” Pinkie smiled, waving her hoof nonchalantly. But the two pony friends were so caught up in their conversation that they didn’t notice a group of the ruffians closing in on them! Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy took a few steps back toward one another. Even Rainbow Dash looked shaken by the shouts of the pushy mob.
“How much for the giant gecko?!” yelled one, pointing to Spike.
“Uh…” Twilight shook her head. “Spike isn’t for sale—”
“I want that fancy purple hair!” shouted another. “I’ll give you two hippos for it!”
“Two hippos?!” Rarity cried out indignantly. “It’s worth more than that.” Unfortunately, this only caused the bidding war for everything the ponies had—and the ponies themselves—to get louder. The vendors shouted and argued with one another over their pony prizes as they got closer and closer to the ponies.
The friends held on to one another in terror and closed their eyes. Twilight couldn’t help but think that this could be the end of their journey, before it had even begun.
CHAPTER NINE
A mysterious fellow named Capper had been watching the entire fiasco from the shadows. The lanky golden-colored cat slunk around in his shabby deep-red duster coat. His shocking green eyes and the curl of purple fur on the top of his head made him stand out in a crowd—when he wanted to, that was. And luckily for the little ponies, he decided right now was the perfect time to do so.
“Back up, everyone!” Capper leaped into the middle of the crowd, landing gracefully on his hind legs right in front of the scared ponies. “Back. It. Up!” He extended his arms protectively to the greedy crowd of hooligans and spoke directly to them. “Y’all are in some serious danger! Now, you didn’t touch any of them, did you?” He pointed to the ponies and feigned concern. It was enough to stop the vendors in their tracks.
“Just look at all those colors—you think that’s natural?” Capper leaned in close and whispered, “They’re infected with ‘Pastelus Coloritis’!”
The crowd gasped in horror, even though they had no idea what that was. It just sounded quite serious.
Applejack couldn’t abide the implication that she and her friends were sick. Why—they were healthy as horses! She stepped forward in a defensive huff. “Now, you listen here, fella—”
Capper shot her a look and covered Applejack’s mouth with his tail. Then he slyly dipped his tail into some nearby purple liquid and flung it at the nearest creature. The giant fish man didn’t notice. “Don’t worry, though…” Capper waltzed and weaved through the crowd in a dizzying movement. “As long as you’re not covered in purple splotches, you’ll be fine.” Capper gasped and pointed at the giant fish man’s arms, where the splotches of purple liquid had landed. “Uh-oh…”
“What do I do?!” the fish man cried out in desperation. The other creatures started to slowly back away from him.
“Enjoy your last moments.” Capper smirked. “And don’t touch anyone—because parts will fall off.”
“Aaaaaahhh!” the crowd screamed, completely forgetting about their pony and Dragon prey. Without a second thought, they scrambled to get as far away as possible. Clouds of dust were kicked up in the process, and when they settled a moment later, the only souls in the whole vicinity were Capper and the ponies.
“Well, all right…” The smug cat spun on his paws and turned back to his new friends to see just how impressed they were with his quick thinking. He grabbed the lape
ls of his red coat and raised his eyebrows expectantly.
“You. Are. Awesome!” Rainbow Dash flew over, her face breaking out into a look of pure admiration.
“And quite charming…” Rarity giggled and blushed, oblivious to Spike’s jealous grunt.
“Capper’s the name,” said the cat with a wink. “And charming’s my game.” He bent down in a deep, formal bow. He locked eyes with Twilight Sparkle. “So, shall I lead you to the hippos, then?”
While Pinkie Pie and the others began to follow the cat out of the square, something inside was telling Twilight to be cautious. She held out her wing in front of Pinkie and hissed, “Wait! I don’t know if we should trust him.…”
“We could definitely use a friend out here!” Pinkie reminded her. But before Twilight could even consider Pinkie’s point, Capper popped in between the two of them.
“You know what?” Capper said, voice as smooth as a purr. “Little Cotton-Candy Hair is right. This town is not a nice place for little fillies all alone.”
“We’re not alone,” Twilight pointed out. She gestured to her friends. “We have each other.”
Capper nodded. “Ah yes, but I know every nook and cranny, every dark twist and corner of this place! You’re all actually quite lucky you ran into me.…” His green eyes glowed with mischief.
Applejack cocked her head to the side. “So what’re ya sayin’, exactly?”
“I’ll be the friend you need!” Capper smiled and tugged at his ragged coat. “Follow me, and I’ll lead you to safety.” The cat skipped ahead in a nimble fashion. “And help you find the hippos you seek!”
Finding the Queen of the Hippos was exactly what they needed, so Twilight nodded at the others to go. As they followed Capper, the ponies and Spike all looked to one another for reassurance. Everypony’s face seemed a little unsure, except for Pinkie Pie’s. But Capper was right—Klugetown was an unfamiliar place, and he had saved them from the villagers. What more proof did they need that he was on their side?
CHAPTER TEN
The ponies followed Capper, darting through the darkened streets, past creepy alleyways and tattered curtains in a labyrinthine spiral. Now and then, Capper would scurry ahead and whisper something to a random villager. Whatever he was saying allowed the group access through secret shortcuts, so the ponies didn’t mind a little bit of clandestine activity.
Finally, they arrived at a gigantic water mill. Capper hopped onto the wheel and motioned for them to do the same. A moment later, they were whisked up into the belly of the mill tower.
“Welcome, my little ponies, to my little manor!” Capper announced with pride as they finally entered the funky dwelling. The ponies filed in, and Capper got busy at once, trying to make them feel comfortable. It wasn’t difficult, because his cozy hideaway was chock-full with treasures of all kinds to explore, soft pillows to sit on, and refreshments to warm their bellies. It was just what they needed.
“How lovely,” cooed Rarity, settling into a purple armchair. She noticed that her mane blended in to the color. It looked fabulous.
“Oh, I feel better already!” Fluttershy said with a satisfied sigh.
Capper pointed to Spike, looking slightly concerned. “Oh, uh, did you house-train this baby crocodile?”
“Crocodile?!” Spike repeated with a bitter grunt. The little Dragon might have been the only one in the group who was unimpressed by Capper. Spike even caught Rarity subtly mooning over an old painting with Capper’s face in it.
“So this Queen of the Hippos—what kind of powers does she have?” Twilight trotted close behind Capper as he fumbled about, fluffing pillows and straightening up. “And how long will it take to get to her?”
“Hippos? Oh!” Capper was taken aback. He grabbed a stack of teacups and began to set the table. “Yeah, they got powers! Heavy, large powers… and, uh… I’ll take you soon enough!”
Twilight’s eye began to twitch. “We don’t have time!”
“Please, please. Relax!” Capper insisted, holding out his paws. “Put your hooves up. There’s always time for some dillydally tea.” He poured a cup for Fluttershy, and she took a happy sip.
“Mmmm,” she cooed. “This is wonderful.”
“I guess we can stay for a few minutes.…” Twilight bit her lip, feeling conflicted. It was nice to see her friends enjoy some rest and relief. The other ponies and Spike didn’t have to come with her on this journey, and they deserved a few moments to regroup. Even Applejack and Rainbow Dash sipped their tea gratefully—and they didn’t usually like tea!
But that didn’t mean Twilight couldn’t make good use of this time to learn something from their gracious host. The very instant they’d entered Capper’s manor, Twilight had noticed the various bookshelves lining the walls. She trotted over to one of them and scanned the titles. Twilight had no idea what she was looking for—a book on hippos? It seemed extremely unlikely that she would find such a perfect answer right in front of her face, but it was worth a shot.
A very old, ornate tome caught her eye. It was a deep-maroon color, with gilded edges and a mysterious map on the cover. It appeared to be an old atlas. Twilight used her magic to gently lift the book from the shelf. But as she did, a loose piece of paper fell out!
“Huh?” Twilight mumbled to herself as she unfolded the discovery. She couldn’t contain a gasp as she laid her eyes on it. This was their key to finding the queen! The ponies had been looking for the wrong thing the entire time.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Please!” a long-necked vendor cried out as a Storm Creature smashed her booth. “I don’t know anything!”
The Storm Creatures tore across the main plaza of Klugetown with no regard for the destruction they were causing to the vendor booths. They had strict orders to do anything in their power to find the wretched purple princess pony who had escaped back in Canterlot. Villagers screamed and darted away, frightened by the growls and ferocity that punctuated the massive soldiers’ movements.
Tempest Shadow trotted stoically behind them. This side trip was a mere inconvenience to her. All she had to do was find the princess and get back to Canterlot. It wouldn’t be difficult. That Twilight Sparkle was weak—Tempest just knew it.
“You really think the ponies got this far?” Grubber asked, walking alongside his master and munching on an apple tart. He was constantly eating.
Tempest narrowed her eyes and stopped in her tracks. She noticed a bright-pink strand of pony hair caught in a jagged piece of wooden fence. “Oh, they’re here.” This confirmation was all she needed.
“Attention!” Tempest called out, her voice strong and even. “A little purple pony passed this way. Tell me where she is—”
“Or somethin’ real bad’s gonna happen!” Grubber added. The bite of apple tart he took right after really didn’t do much to make him seem intimidating.
“You think we’re gonna fall for this again?” The giant blue fish man who’d been told he had the dreaded “Pastelus Coloritis” stepped forward. Obviously, despite what he’d been told, the beast still had all his parts. He frowned. “I don’t know what kinda scam you’re working with Capper and the rest of your friends, but—”
Tempest cut him off. “Friends?” She had assumed the little purple pony was working alone.
“Poison or no poison… you’re gonna pay!” The fish man came at Tempest, thrusting his fishy fist at her muzzle. She snapped into action, ducking his punch. Tempest shot into the air, grabbing the fin that had nearly caught her muzzle. Then she swung the massive beast down to the ground with a giant crash! The fish man groaned in pain.
“Now,” the satisfied Unicorn said as she stood over him, her broken horn sparking and sputtering with electric energy, “about this ‘Capper’…” From the terrified look on the face of the not-so-formidable fish monster, Tempest Shadow knew she was going to get all the information she needed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The ponies were all gathered around Capper, sharing stories from Equest
ria. Rainbow Dash was deep into her story about the first time she’d ever successfully performed a Sonic Rainboom—the most epic stunt a Pegasus could attempt—when Rarity trotted over to fix Capper’s coat. She’d found some spare thread and a few buttons, and she used her magic to make a few quick, expert stitches.
“Here you go!” Rarity declared as she finished up. “I do apologize. If we were back home, I could have matched the coat from your portrait.” The Unicorn gestured her hoof to the painting on the wall.
“Whoa.” Capper’s jaw dropped when he caught his reflection in the mirror. He couldn’t believe how much better his coat looked. It was almost like new! But why was Rarity helping him with this? Capper stroked his whiskers and raised his eyebrow. “Okay, what’s the catch?”
“Nothing! After all you’ve done for us?” Rarity smiled warmly. “Consider it a thank-you.”
“Oh, don’t thank me. Really…” A wave of guilt washed over Capper. What had he done to these poor ponies, who now considered him a friend? He deflated with the weight of his secret. Capper opened his mouth, considering telling them the truth as to why he was being so hospitable, when Twilight Sparkle came rushing into the room.
“We’ve been looking for the wrong queen!” Twilight exclaimed. She unfurled a scroll and laid it on the table. It was a map! The ponies all gathered around to look. Twilight pointed her hoof at an illustration. “We don’t need the Queen of the Hippos—we need the Queen of the Hippogriffs! Part pony, part eagle.”
The ponies all turned to Capper for insight on the development. It didn’t really add up. Capper scrambled to come up with something. “Oh! The Hippo-griffs? Now, the trouble with that is, no one knows where they are.…”
Twilight frowned suspiciously. “It says right here they’re on top of Mount Aris.”
“Oooh!” Pinkie Pie pointed her hoof at the window. “You mean the mountain right outside?” Sure enough, far off in the distance was a tall peak surrounded by clouds that looked almost identical to the one in the map’s illustration.