Chapter III: The Island
It was early in the morning when the captain of the small vessel told me that we were approaching our destination- Hooveria. Ruby and I gathered our things and waited on the forward deck as the ship slowly broke through the rolling waves of the sea. A dense fog had engulfed us, making it near impossible to see a great distance ahead even with the flood lights blasting on high. My heart was pounding. Ruby could see that I was visibly shaken, and grasped her small claw around my right arm.
The fog broke as Celestia’s sun cut through the morning night, revealing the island group several miles ahead. Even from such a far distance away, I could see green trees covering a mountain that formed at the center of the island. Beaches and rock bluffs surrounded the island, and I could see several sharp outlying rock spears all around, cut and battered by the foaming tropical waves. The water changed from a soupy greenish color to a bright, vivid, and lively blue that was so clear I could almost see to the bottom sands.
Fish, the kinds I had never heard of before much less seen, swam about freely, rising to the surface to spit out water or collect an insect, only to once again descend. I pressed by forelegs up against the railing and peered out over the side of the ship to watch and study all around us. With my mouth gaping wide, I watched as a large fish approached the side of the boat. It was beautifully colored with hues of blue, green, and yellow. I wanted nothing more than to touch it. However, it felt differently, and splashed me with several buckets-worth of cold ocean water.
“Phtht phat ugh!” I muttered nonsensically. It tasted awful, worse than my father’s cooking! As I think of it now, I even remember swallowing a small fish.
“Haha,” Ruby chuckled. She was wet, also, but not to the extent that I was.
I groaned and glared at her with a lowered brow, “It’s not funny!”
She chuckled some more before replying, “Sorry.”
I let out a bellowing sigh, “Great. Now my mane is a mess.”
I did try to make myself presentable. It was one way I had to help pass the time. I used my magic to collect the water and dump it back into the ocean. Ruby fumbled through our bags and pulled out a mane brush that I tossed inside in a hurry. I was very glad I took it with us. Without a mirror, I pulled the bristles through the strands of my mane and untangled the mess the fish caused. It was better than how I assumed my mane looked, at least. Ruby did not say anything about it, and I had not seen myself until I looked into a mirror later that day.
Once the distraction was over, I resumed my previous concern over our impending approach to the island. The old ship creaked and groaned as we were violently bombarded by rougher seas and harsh, breaking waves. We bounced up and down, left and right. I had not been ill throughout the entire voyage, but I felt so sick at no other time in my life besides that moment. My stomach could not hold the breakfast Ruby and I had just eaten. With a panicked groan, I launched half my body over the railing and let loose all I had eaten that morning. To my surprise, once that was complete, the rocking ceased.
We quickly came upon the southern capitol of the Island, Ihana. Ihana was a town much like Ponyville and about as large. The town was built on the southern peninsula of the island; a large chunk was covering a small island at the southernmost point, and on a portion of the land beyond the inland river on the other side of town. Do not worry; I sketched it down for you. I did manage to find a map of the Islands while I was there.
Ihana in Hooverian:
Ihana map:
The ship slowly docked beside a few other, smaller fishing boats on the peninsula section of the town. A small lighthouse overlooking the ‘port’ loomed upon the boat as we passed by. I was immediately met with a welcome party of constantly smiling earth ponies of every color and size. A reddish stallion grabbed my bags, while a yellow stallion picked up Ruby’s case. A mare I would soon come to know as Kolkoa shook my hooves, escorted me off the boat, and into the town of timberframe houses with thatched roofs. There was no real beach surrounding the town, so there was a sudden and unexpected transition from a tropical sea to a paved settlement like any other. Before anypony began speaking, I looked around for myself and I was curious about this new place.
Initially, I was a little disappointed. Had I not just gotten off the boat seconds before, I would have sworn I never left Equestria. There was one major difference than any place in Equestria, however- the flowers and greenery. Flowers, trees, vines, bushes, and anything in between were growing in nearly every nook and cranny. Brightly colored birds flew all about, lizards climbed up the wooden posts of the homes, and there was a constant background noise of the breaking waves just beyond the small homes at the town’s edge.
I took in a deep breath, momentarily ignoring those around me. Yet, my heart could not stop racing. The warnings of the Princesses lingered in my mind. I kept wondering to myself what it was that I would find there. My brief ponder was ceased when I was addressed by the ponies who had just welcomed me into their town.
“Welcome, welcome!” Kolkoa, a younger mare with a beige coat, yellow mane, and dark brown eyes, exclaimed as she shook my hooves. Her accent was thick with heavy emphasis on vowels, and the letters R and K. “We have been expecting you!”
Kolkoa:
“You have?” I asked in my native language, cringing my teeth. I forced a smile, but their smiles and constant staring made me uncomfortable. I was, of course, not welcomed by everypony in town, but the swarm certainly made me feel like I was.
“Mahtava! Of course! You’re our special guest! We do love having Equestrian tourists!” said she, with a rush of enthusiasm in her voice.
Mahtava, a Hooverian exclamation: 
“How was your trip?” A stallion asked.
“Can I get you anything?” Asked a mare.
Before I could answer, my stomach began to growl. I knew they all heard it. Once the growl was over, there was a brief silence as we all stood just barely in the town. Without so much as a verbal confirmation that I wanted food, even though I really did, we were literally carried away to the Hooverian Islands Resort, which was established on the southern island part of town. I caught a good glimpse of the town this way. A few main roads connected the town together, but like Ponyville, one could simply walk in between buildings and houses, as there were few barriers.
There was a great change from one section to another. The buildings on the peninsula were larger and well built, while the houses on the island were small and shack-like. However, the inhabitants did not seem to care. Every house, though worn down, was finely decorated with plants and regional pottery. Some of the ponies waved to me as we all passed by. I tried to wave back, but I was rather distracted being forced across the town.
The resort was quite literally the most southern building in the nation. It was a long structure, old and worn just like every other building, and three floors tall. The resort blocked most of the southern coastline from the island’s inhabitants, saving those views for tourists who rented rooms. For some reason, I felt rather sad as we approached the aged red hotel. The open porch surrounding the ground floor looked like a wonderful place for a party, though it was now barren with broken chairs wearing away from the salty sea breeze.
It was around this time I was finally able to walk around on my own. The other ponies dispersed apart from Kolkoa, who showed Ruby and I into the main lobby of the hotel. A blue-coated secretary was working behind the main counter, though it looked more as if she was reading an Equestrian newspaper. When she saw me, she rose from her seated position and stepped up to the counter. She looked much older than Kolkoa, who was approximately my age at the time.
“My, my!” said the secretary, “The royal guest has finally arrived!”
“Royal guest?” I asked, pretending not to know about Celestia’s plans.
“You’re booked for the royal suite, are you not? Best room in the house!”
I forgot about any kind of identification! I began to sweat badly. Then, before I could say anything to incriminate us, Ruby pulled out a scroll from one of her bags and handed it to the secretary behind the counter, saying, “Yep! Here!”
“My, my! And a dragon!”
“Voi mahalaina kylesen nes köjkka! Where did you get her?” Kolkoa exclaimed.
Voi mahalaina kylesen nes köjkka! I have only heard of them! 
I remembered some of what I read in that grammar book, and responded in Hooverian, “Voi koolit xhas siis Kaanterlohtii.” Or, I got her in Canterlot.
Voi koolit xhas siis Kaanterlohtii.
“Here is your room key,” said the secretary. She gave it to Ruby. “Enjoy your stay!”
“I’ll let you get settled,” Kolkoa told me as others brought the remainder of our belongings inside and placed them on a moving dolly.
“Kiitojo,” I replied, which means thank you.
Kiitojo.
I could smell the food nearby, but I wanted to be settled, first. Kolkoa left the hotel, and the two of us were left alone in the lobby. While I enjoyed the silence, I knew we would not be seeing the last of the crowds. Our room number was on the third floor, so we took the elevator to the top. Each footstep creaked against the wooden floor. The interior of the hotel was nicely furnished, but I could tell little maintenance had been performed in a very long time. Pictures were tilted, carpets were curled and uneven, and some of the smaller side tables were coated in dust. I saw a few roaming house cleaners, but they seemed more interested in the big things or reading.
We came to our room after about five minutes of wandering through the long corridors of the hotel. The lights were dim and there were few ponies around. Anxious by the silence, Ruby climbed atop my back and clutched by mane tightly. I could not blame her. I kept feeling as though I were being followed by the sounds of the progressing hoofsteps. The squeaking of the dolly I was pulling with my magic was not helping, either. Our door was at the southernmost end of the hotel. I know this based upon the window and balcony view overlooking a portion of the island. To our left, I could see the small lighthouse near the docks where we arrived. To the right were a few bluffs and ocean waves.
Ruby, using the golden key, unlocked the door and pushed it open. Our room was wide and spacious, clearly what the ponies working there spent most of their days preparing.