Derpy had never camped out in the wilderness in her life, and the inexperience showed. Her very rudimentary tent, basically a tarp hung over a low-hanging branch, looked like it would blow away any second. If Cloudsdale suddenly decided to produce rainclouds, her shelter certainly wouldn't keep her from getting wet.
On the plus side, making the campfire had been surprisingly easy. She had a knack for accidentally setting things on fire, so an intentional one had been a snap.
Geld was only fairing slightly better. Sure, his tented shelter was much more well built, the benefit of having digits, but it also had several holes in it, and smelled a bit musty.
He only had to take a whiff to grimace. "I guess I should have spent those extra bits to get a brand new one," said Geld as he lied down on the ground. "But, if this was good enough for the last owner, it's good enough for me."
"But it wasn't good enough for the last owner; I saw you take it out of the trash."
"Every bit counts," said Geld.
Derpy put down a blanket and lied down on it.
The crackling firewood was the only sound they could hear among the trees, in their little glade. The warm light from the fire shielded them from the cold darkness of the world around them, shadows from the flames dancing among the trees. It was just the two of them.
A thought occurred to Derpy. She was camping in the outskirts of a forest alongside a griffon. That's not something a pony does often. "Geld?"
"What?" asked Geld, lifting his head slightly, looking past the campfire over to her.
"Sorry, but, I'm sort of curious. What's the griffon kingdom like?" asked Derpy.
Geld immediately let his head fall back down on the ground. "Honestly? It's not great. Much smaller than Equestria, and most of it is just mountains. Pretty, got some great views if you like that sort of thing, but... well, we don't have any great leaders. There's not a lot to work with, and it's surrounded by dangerous territories. Last time I checked, Griffonstone was a mess."
"Are you from there?"
"No," said Geld. "It was just the last stop before Equestria. I'm from much further inland. Less dragons, more problems. But, what about you? All I know is that you want your job back and you're way too happy."
"Oh! Well," said Derpy, smiling. "I live in Ponyville, and I have a great daughter named Dinky, and I have a best friend Doc, and I love muffins, and to deliver mail and I lost my job because they thought I was prone to getting into trouble." The branch above her snapped, burying her in her tent.
"It's been a day and you have not only technically lost your package, you've also been targeted by the griffon mob. They might have been right on the money."
"Maybe, but I'll do my best, and If I win, I might get my job back! I'll prove I can do this!" she said, getting out of her tent, walking over to the nearest branch to start again.
"Hey, Derpy, I was sort of thinking about not asking, but it's going to drive me insane... What's with your eye? Is there a story there, or were you born with it?"
"There isn't really much to tell, I was just born with it. Although, one day, some ponies convinced me to have it 'fixed'. I was prepped for surgery and everything." She finished with her shelter, and lied down on her blanket again. This time, her tent was a bit sturdier. "Ponies I didn't know tended to look at me funny, and talk to me like I was a pony somehow... beneath them."
Geld shrugged. "I can relate: I talk to ponies like they are beneath me all the time." Derpy couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not, but he certainly did say it like a joke. She chuckled. "So," he said, turning over to lie on his belly. "It didn't work?"
"I didn't have the surgery. Ponies kept saying I could 'fix' it. I didn't want to let those ponies be right, I wasn't going to let them tell me I was, or have ever been, 'broken'."
Geld looked at her in silence for a little while. "You're a little proud, like a griffon. You'd fit right in back home," he then said, warmly.
"Really?" asked Derpy.
"Sure," said Geld, but he immediately pointed towards her with a serious look. "Do not visit the griffin kingdom, they will eat you alive."
Derpy lied down, her eyes focused on the burning flame before she felt herself slowly drifting off into sleep. "Good night, Geld!" said Derpy.
"Good night, Derpy."
***
"And with that, ladies and gentlecolts, we bid you goodnight! I, Play-By-Play, will see you tomorrow, to continue the coverage of the Pegasi Equestrian Express Race!" one could hear over the radio.
"That's right! Who knows what exciting events will transpire tomorrow! Don't forget to tune in!"
"HOW DO YOU KEEP GETTING IN HERE?"
"Finally, I thought they'd never shut up," said a big gruff griffon, with feathers almost as dark as the dingy basement they were hiding in. It was a tiny little hideout with red brick walls, filled with crates. The only windows were small, boarded up completely, only a single flickering bulb above the door allowed one to see anything.
The griffon was standing right by the door, and he looked over to the table with the radio. "Turn it off."
"Hang on, there might be something good on," said a smaller light-brown griffon, but no less intimidating. She reached over and turned the radio, finally finding something with a half-catchy tune.
"I told you to turn it off!"
The griffon at the table by the radio rolled her eyes. An orange pony sitting opposite her reached over and turned it off, he didn't need the big guy to start a fight again.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, a very specific knock. The big griffon looked annoyed but still unlocked the door and opened it.
Immediately that look of frustration vanished. "M-miss!"
A female griffon, only slightly larger than the pony, walked into the room with elegant steps. She was wearing a bright white dress, like she had just come from a high-society party. She looked frail compared to any of them, but she walked with absolute confidence. The large griffon closed the door behind her.
"What are you doing here at this hour?" asked the pony.
"A bit disrespectful but I'll ignore it," said the griffon in the dress. "There's been a change of plans. I'm going to need you to gather the rest of the Big Bills in the city and get these parts moved to another storage. We are not going to assemble anything in the coming days, as we don't know when we'll start. Maybe in a week at best."
"A week? That's late," said the pony.
"Yeah, why the holdup? The boys back home won't be happy about it," said the big griffon.
The griffon in the dress sighed. "We got a telegram just over an hour ago. The race is going to delay our plans. As a side note, you'll also be interested to know Geld is participating."
"Geld? That idiot?" asked the big griffon.
"The very same," said the griffon in the dress.
The pony looked at the female griffon opposite him, and then gave the others some odd looks. "Who the hell is Geld?"
"Well, you know how we sometimes 'generously' lend others some cash?" asked the griffon at the table. "Well, let's just say no griffon or pony has ever asked us Big Bills for the amount he asked for."
The griffon in the dress nodded. "Our boys and girls are stationed at every major checkpoint in the race and are looking for him and a gray pony with a lazy eye he seems to be traveling with."
***
Derpy was sprinting over the vast plains of western Equestria, with Geld gliding behind. There were just dry grass and farmland as far as the eyes could see, green hills stretching to the horizon, with a gentle wind making it all flow, forming waves upon the green. It was beautiful, but far from familiar.
"Geld, I think we're lost. We're lost a lot," said Derpy.
Geld was gliding, holding up the map, trying to get his bearings. "I'm sure we're close. It can't be that far now."
"That's the third time you say that," said Derpy, looking straight ahead. "Water!"
Geld immediately reached down to grab Derpy around her front legs, and flapped once, allowing them to glide over a large body of water right in their way without losing momentum.
"And that's the second time we've jumped over that pond, and that tree up there sure looks familiar," said Derpy.
"Okay, I admit, we might be a little lost."
"How can we miss an entire floating city in the sky?" asked Derpy.
"By not looking up?" asked someone right above them.
Derpy lost her balance, falling face-first into the soft dirt. Geld didn't have enough time to adjust, and slammed right into the only tree that was around for miles.
"Ow," said Derpy, sitting upright and clutching her head. "That was the second-worst fall today." She looked up towards the familiar pegasus flying above. Her Wonderbolts suit and aviator goggles couldn't hide her colors. "Hello, Rainbow Dash!"
"Hiya!" said Rainbow. "What's up, Derpy? Spotted you down here, had to say hello."
Geld walked over, his claw on his aching forehead. "Hey, I know you, you're that famous pegasus, with the Element of Royalty."
"Loyalty," said Rainbow. "Rainbow Dash: Wonderbolt, racer, hero."
"Geld Greifen: nobody, vagabond, in debt."
"This is fun! Derpy Hooves: mother, unemployed, I want a muffin."
"It's good to see you, Derpy. What are you doing this far from Ponyville? Visiting family?"
"We're racing! It's been both good and bad so far," said Derpy, omitting the griffon mafia, deciding to not get her friend from home in trouble.
Rainbow Dash had to pause, and landed when she realized she wasn't kidding.
"Are you serious, Derpy? You're in the race?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, sure!"
At first she looked at her in disbelief, but quickly shook that off. "You're in the race? And you've gotten this far already?"
"Yep!"
"Wow, Derpy, I'm impressed! I didn't know you had it in you! Although I shouldn't be surprised, all that delivering every day. It makes perfect sense you'd be good at this," said Rainbow Dash.
"Thanks!"
Geld walked between them and faced Rainbow Dash. "Do you know where Cloudsdale is?"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Like I told you." She merely pointed with her wing straight up. Both Geld and Derpy looked up, and to their embarrassment Cloudsdale was obviously there. While one couldn't see anything except clouds, the overabundance of rainbows and the sheer size of the static formation should have been a clear giveaway.
"How did we miss that?" asked Geld.
"I have a lazy eye. What's your excuse?" asked Derpy. "Come on, let's go!"
"R-right," said Geld, quickly flapping his wings, grabbing hold of Derpy, and before long they were all soaring up towards the end of the first leg of the race.
"What gives, Derpy?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Oh, I can't fly. You see, I had an accident. I had to run here."
That one little explanation was enough to almost cause Rainbow to plummet several feet, but she quickly recovered. While Derpy didn't want to share about their problems with the mafia, she was more than willing to talk about her little run. It made for a nice conversation as they got higher and higher, closer and closer to Cloudsdale.
As they reached the first Cloud, and landed upon the white fluff, Geld had to take a moment to breathe. Once he composed himself and stretched his back, he finally got a good look of the city. The sight of it almost made his jaw hit the clouds.
"Not bad, huh?" said Rainbow Dash.
"I- Wow. This is something else," said Geld. The architecture, wide and spiraling buildings made from the vapor, so curved yet firm, was something to behold as it glistened in the midday sun.
Geld glanced behind him, seeing the landscape stretch to the horizon with the mountains and even the sea, overwhelming. "We've never been big on clouds, but that's some view."
"Pretty awesome place," said Rainbow Dash with pride.
Derpy, glad to have arrived, grabbed hold of Geld and dragged him along. "Come on, Geld! We've got to check in! Have you already done it, Rainbow Dash?"
"Sure," said Rainbow. "I did it like an hour ago. I'm just taking a bit of a rest, don't want to overdo it, you know? It's a long race."
They reached something that looked like a plaza, with a familiar type of tent and setup. It only took a few minutes for them to get checked in, and just like that the first leg of the race was officially over for them.
To celebrate, all three of them decided to grab a bite to eat. There was a restaurant in the plaza that had a special offer for racers, and they decided to take advantage. They could either get it served, or take it with them. They ordered, and waited for their meals to be finished.
"I'm taking mine with me, saving it for later," said Rainbow Dash. "I've rested long enough, and unfortunately I've got to get going pretty soon. I've got my eyes on that first prize."
Derpy spotted something interesting across the plaza. "Geld, I'm just going to get something. Will you get my food for me?"
"Oh, yeah, sure," said Geld.
Derpy hurried across the plaza, towards a Cloudsdale gift store. There, hanging from a hook, she noticed a pair of nice, practical aviator goggles, not that different from Rainbow Dash's. She tried them on in front of a small mirror, and sure enough they fit her perfectly.
"Yes!" she said. Finally something to protect me from bugs! Should I get it with or without sunglass lenses? she thought to herself.
"Anyway," she heard coming from just outside. "Keep a lookout for a gray mare with weird yellow eyes." Just a glance in the mirror and she noticed a pair of intimidating griffons standing just outside the shop.
Sunglass lenses it was.
As quickly as she could without arousing suspicion, she paid for the goggles, put them on, and calmly sneaked back across the plaza. She managed to avoid the griffons, and before long she got back to Rainbow and Geld.
"The food is almost finished," said Geld. "Hey, cool goggles."
Derpy leaned in and whispered into his ear. If not for his feathers, surely Geld would have looked pale. "Actually, on second thought, we'll take those to go," he said to the chef.
"What's up, Derpy?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Other than the whole town, I mean."
"Oh- um-" said Derpy.
"How can we stay in one place with a race this exciting!" said Geld. "We've better get going."
"Oh, you're going right now?" said Rainbow. "Cool, I'll come with you."
Geld and Derpy looked at each other. As long as no Big Bills saw her travel with them, they both guessed it was fine.
"Well, better get going!" said Geld, and they hurried to the edge of the plaza, towards the edge of the cloud.
They all jumped off, and started to glide the long way down. In the horizon one could clearly make out the familiar landmark of Canterlot.
Derpy actually managed to land directly into her sprint. There was very little terrain in Canterlot's direction, and it was a straight line. It couldn't have been more than a day's journey away. The first leg of the race was over, and the second promised to be short without surprises. Derpy was aware that when they reached Canterlot, however, there could be trouble. The Big Bills really seemed to have it out for Geld, with members indeed keeping watch around every checkpoint. They'd been lucky so far.
That luck couldn't possibly last.