How Do You Shoot a Gun With Hooves?

by defender2222

Tropic of Capricorn Part 1

“That wasn’t supposed to happen, right?” Castle asked as they galloped down the lane. “Right? I don’t think they’ll have that on the tour…”

“For the last time, yes!” Beckett snapped, turning her head to glare at him, only to snap it back just in time to avoid a tree branch that was in the road. It was hard enough to run now that she had four legs…she wasn’t going to make things more difficult by looking the wrong way. “The statue wasn’t supposed to turn into a capricorn that threatened to bring an army to destroy us all!” She put on another burst of speed, trying to keep up with the rest of the ponies as they raced to Twilight’s house.

“Remember…when us being magically turned into colorful ponies…was the strangest thing we’d dealt with this week?” Castle huffed, long legs eating up space as he finally came to race beside Beckett.

“I remember when being told that a mystery writer with no police experience was going to tail me was the strangest thing I’d dealt with.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you can hold a grudge?”

Beckett smirked slightly as they rushed into the library. “Tell me? Oh Castle, that’s what it said under my photo in my yearbook.”

“…mine said ‘I can’t believe I ate the whole thing’.”

“You stole that from The Simpsons.”

“All writers are thieves, Beckett…the good ones just hide it well.”

Beckett let out a ‘humpf’ but didn’t argue the point. Her mind instantly went into ‘detective mode’ as she thought about what had just happened and the danger Ponyville was in. As bad as it sounded, Beckett had missed having mystery and danger looming over her head. Ever since her mother had been killed she had allowed herself to be swallowed up by her job; the grim and gritty reality of life in the trenches in the great war for the soul of New York had allowed her to avoid focusing on everything that tried to steal her attention away. Here in Ponyville she had found herself with only time and her transformation…and the latter had been pushed to the backburner when it was clear they would have to wait for the Princess to get answers.

And Beckett had feared that, without something to keep her occupied…she would go mad.

And considering how much she was coming to like Ponyville and her new friends…that might have already happened.

But now there was something that needed to be done. There was action to take and orders to give and Beckett was the wo…pony for the job.

“Alright,” she barked out, all the other ponies stopping their frantic search for information on Tydal. They instantly lined up like good little soldiers, waiting for her commands. “We need to get organized and quick.” She stomped her hoof once. “First-“

Beckett’s next statement was cut off by, of all things, the opening riff to what sounded like ‘Old Time Rock ‘n Roll’.

Every pony turned, watching as Spike slid into the room, holding a tennis racket and wearing sunglasses, dancing to the music and lip syncing along.

“Just take them old records off the shelf!”

“Spike…SPIKE!” Twilight shouted, using her magic to turn off the music.

The baby dragon frozen, realizing he had company. “Uh…back so soon?” he asked meekly, lifting the sunglasses up.

“Dude…” Castle said softly, “they are never going to let you live this down.”

Beckett took the racket and tossed it aside. “Spike, Twilight, see if you can find anything out about capricorns. The rest of you go back to your houses and pack anything you need and be back in half an hour latest! Applejack, can you pack two extra packs for me and Castle?”

“Sure thing, sugarcube.”

“Alright, we’ll get packing!” Pinkie said, racing out of the library…only to return 2 seconds later. “Why are we packing again?” Pinkie Pie asked innocently.

“I know…we’re goin’ after that crazy capricorn, aren’t we Kate?” Rainbow Dash did a hoof pump when Beckett nodded her head. “Alright! Time to bring on the painbow!” With that the Pegasus blasted off, already planning on what gear she would need to take down Tydal.

Twilight ignored her friends as they hurried out to get ready. She was too busy flipping through books, trying to learn anything she could about capricorns. “Kate, thank you, but you and Richard shouldn’t come…this could get dangerous.”

Castle gave her a wide-eyed look. “You honestly expect us not to come? There is an evil capricorn army to take down and I want to try this horn out! All I’ve used it for so far is to make muffins!”

“It will be dangerous,” Twilight repeated. “The girls and I have dealt with these kinds of threats before… none of us want you two hurt. You would just be in danger and I think…no, I know…that you will be safer here.” Twilight walked over to Castle and placed a hoof on his shoulder, keeping her tone firm yet compassionate. "I am tell you two not to come. Okay?"

"ha...hahaha...hahahahahahahahaha!"

At first, Castle and Twilight assumed that Pinkie had returned. But the source of the laughter wasn’t from the party planner. Beckett rolled on the ground, kicking her hooves in the air as she laughed so hard tears were rolling down her cheeks. The two other ponies and Spike watched her as she pitched back and forth, giggling and snorting and stammering so hard Castle was afraid his partner was suffering from a mental breakdown.

"Kate?" Twilight said softly, nervously approaching the dark red-purple pony. "Kate?"

"Oh...Oh God..." Kate laughed, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. "You...you actually think...he'll listen to you..." Beckett burst into another fit of giggles.

"UH...someone want to clue me in here?" Twilight said, facing dropping in annoyance.

Beckett ran her front right leg against her nose, sniffing slightly. "You honestly think...you can tell Richard-Freaking-Castle...to stay put...after you told him there would be danger?" Beckett was lost once more in a sea of laughter.

Castle stared at her, mouth agape. "I think I am getting a bit insulted!" While he was pevved, he was also a bit concerned; such antics from Beckett were not the norm. She was likely to snark back and giving him a sly wink or maybe a chuckle...but to break down and laugh so hard was simply not like her.

Of course, he had noticed that he too was thinking a bit...different...then he normally did. His desire to pull some pranks on his partner had been growing with every passing hour and the only reason Beckett hadn't woken up with a whip cream beard was that the girls had arrived before he had a chance to get his 'tools' ready. He also found that his emotions were running to the extreme. Like Beckett, even the smallest thing could get him giddy and he always felt the urge to look around and just be HAPPY. Even his more negative emotions, such as the annoyance he felt now, were being tapped down and shortened by the pleasant feelings that seemed to radiate out of him.

Which left him with three possible conclusions: Ponies feel things different from humans; this place was such a magical world that it was hard to say mad; or they were going insane.

Judging by how Beckett was still clutching her sides, he was thinking the third option was looking better and better.

"I found something!" Spike called out. Twilight and Castle hurried over, while Beckett forced herself to stop giggling and shortly join them. "It was in here: 'The Myths and Monsters of Equestria'. It's an older book..."

"Old?" Twilight said, running her hoof along the dark cover and finding it covered in dust. "Spike, I think this book started off white!"

"Ok, so maybe it's out of date...still, listen to this!" The baby dragon cleared his throat before reading. "Capricorns were considered by some of the ancient Equestria's founders to be the guardians and protectors of the sea. While it is now known that they were merely a myth, ancient ponies would worship the capricorns, asking for protection from the seas. Capricorns were said to be fierce warriors who could send a hundred ponies flying with just a swish of their tails. They were said to be not as fast on land as ponies, but in the water they were described as being second to none."

"The book seems to think that capricorns aren't real," Twilight said. "Guess the author never met Tydal."

"Yeah," Spike said, flipping the page, "I bet-"

"Oh my God!" Castle laughed, stopping Spike's claw and forcing him to turn back to another page. The others began to snicker at the image of a small dragon that somewhat resembled spike: the same purple skin and green spines, but this dragon was much fatter and seemed less...cute...than Spike. Oh, it was still cute, but in a more crude way...a rolly-polly sort of way.

"What the?" Spike exclaimed.

Twilight leaned down. "A Gem Dragon...mostly harmless."

Now Castle was the one rolling on the ground laughing.

"That’s it? All the book as to say about me is mostly harmless?!?! MOSTLY HARMLESS!?!?!" Spike shouted in shock and frustration.

"Well...they did say mostly," Beckett said with a smile.

Spike grumbled.

Beckett, finally deciding to let the baby dragon off the hook, walked over and gently rubbed his back with her hoof. "Come on Spike, think of it this way: this book was wrong about the capricorns, so it must be wrong about you. Heck, maybe the opposite is true and you are really some fierce, dangerous dragon!"

Spike gulped. "Well...maybe not dangerous..." his mind went back to a few months ago, when his greed had magically turned him into a monster. "But...a good fighter, and someone that can help out against threats!" He turned his head, mumbling under his breath, "Yeah...the hero Rarity knows me to be."

Beckett glanced at Twilight, who mouthed "it's complicated". Beckett shrugged; she was a talking pony who was getting ready to chase a capricorn who had come out of a statue...interspecies romance didn't even make it on the Top Ten for weirdness.

The door to Twilight's home burst open and the rest of the girls hurried in, each with saddle pack hung over their backs. "We just got word from Diamond Tiara's daddy," Applejack said breathlessly, "some ponies saw that capricorn go runnin’ into the Everfree Forest about 10 minutes ago."

Twilight's horn glowed and she pulled a map to her, studying it as Spike helped her get her pack on. "Ok...if Filthy Rich’s shop is here...yes! Tydal must being using the old eastern trail! It leads directly to the Bridle Bay."

Rainbow Dash frowned in annoyance. "Man, the Everfree grows right up to the coast! Even if I fly over it I would never see where he came out of!" She sulked, crossing her arms over her chest and blowing a strand of orange hair from her eyes. "We'll never manage to catch up to them!"

Twilight smirked as she stood up. "I think we will. Spike found a book that said that capricorns are slower on land than ponies. It is a day's walk to the coast...I bet we can overtake him."

"And may I ask exactly what we will do when we do catch up to the brute?" Rarity asked. "He did manage to destroy a wall with just a pinch of magic!"

"That's why I am bringing the big guns." Castle and Beckett, who were working to slip on the saddle packs Applejack had brought them, watched as Twilight retrieved a thick book from the shelf. Opening it, Beckett and Castle could only stare as Twilight, with utter reverence, slowly used her magic to lift up five golden necklaces and a brilliant tiara from inside the hollowed out book. Each necklace went to one of her friend's packs while she placed the tiara in her own.

"Uh...what is with the bling bling?" Castle asked.

"These are the Elements of Harmony.” After the incident with the changelings, Twilight had convinced Celestia to let the girls keep the Elements at the library, in case a major threat arose. “Each of us represents one of the elements and with their power we can defeat any foe." Twilight frowned slightly. "As long as we stay united." The other girls shuffled uneasily, remembering clearly their battle with Discord and how he had warped each of them, using their insecurities and weaknesses to make them not just abandon their friends but become, in each girl's own opinion, a monster just as terrible as Discord. Fluttershy had become a bully and a brute; Pinkie Pie a dark, brooding figure who sucked up any ounce of joy; Applejack a cruel liar; Rarity a selfish self-centered fool; Rainbow Dash an uncaring pony too lazy to help those in need; and Twilight into a pony who abandoned her friends and country when trouble came around.

Spike looked at Rainbow Dash's necklace. "Uh...that looks so much better on you." Rainbow gave him a confused look.

"So, what happens...your powers combined and you summon Captain Planet?" Castle asked.

Pinkie frowned. "Why would we call my old 3rd grade teacher? I mean, he was a bit scary, always telling me to be quiet and he did want my mom and dad to put me on some medication for something called OMG or something like that-"

"This must be a nightmare for you Castle," Beckett said with a slight smirk, "a word where no one gets your references."

Twilight, breaking herself out of the melancholy that had arisen at the memories of their first battle with Discord, stood tall and marched towards the door. "Ok girls...and Richard...we need to get a move on! Spike, I want you to send a letter to Princess Celestia, letting her know about Tydal and to prepare for his army if we don't reach him in time!"

"Will do, Twilight! Good luck!" Spike waved to the girls, Beckett and Castle as they raced out towards the Everfree. "Good luck..." he said softly, praying to Celestia for their fast return.

Comments

[defender2222]

And thus we begin the hunt for Tydal. This one is going to be a wild ride and set the stage for a lot of subarcs to come in upcoming episodes.

[CookieMonstar]

Oh that Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference!

[defender2222]

1174054

MC stands for my other pen name, Mr. Chaos. I tend to use that as a way to break up my scenes and find out if people are stealing my stories.

[fferror]

"UH...someone want to clue me in here?"

"Uh", no capital 'H'.

While he was pevved

"peeved".

this place was such a magical world that it was hard to say mad

"stay mad".

Capricorns were considered by some of the ancient Equestria's founders

Drop the "the".

"a word where no one gets your references."

"world"