Donkey Kong, Diddy, and Spike were still traveling through the Kalimba Jungle on their way to Kong Town and on the way the trio had started up a conversation. "So let me get this straight. Your name is Donkey Kong, your father's name is also Donkey Kong, and your grandfather's name is ALSO Donkey Kong?" Spike asked in surprise upon finding out that his father and grandfather are also named Donkey Kong.
"Yep. My grandfather is Donkey "Cranky" Kong I, my father, Donkey Kong Jr., is Donkey Kong II, and I'm Donkey Kong III." DK said with pride in his voice. Spike just grinned and said "That's cool! I can't wait to meet them!" he said with an eager smile.
At this DK just frowned and turned away. Spike lost his smile and asked "Was it something I said?" Diddy turned to him and replied "Naw, your fine. It's just..." Diddy said with a little hesitation but continued "DK's father disappeared about twenty-one years ago, and nobody's heard from him or his mother since. Upon finding this out, Spike felt guilty and appoligized "Oh, I'm sorry DK, I didn't know." DK sighed and raised one of his huge hands and replied "No, no, your fine Spike. You didn't know."
Diddy leaned toward Spike and whispered "DK says he's fine and that he's gotten over it, but I think it still bothers him sometimes so I try not to mention it." Diddy finished making Spike frown and nod in understanding.
Looking to change the subject and lift the mood, Diddy asked Spike "So earlier you said that you were in a body that's not your own. So if you weren't a... monkey-lizard hybrid before you arrived here, what were you?" DK immediately perked up and said excitedly "Yeah, I don't think you told us!" Spike smirked with pride and answered "Well back in Equestria, I'm actually a dragon." Spike answered. At this answer, Donkey and Diddy stopped and stared at Spike in shock and wonder. "Woah, really!? An actual dragon!?" DK asked excitedly. "Yep." Spike said simply, popping the "P". "Oh, oh, can you breath fire? Can you fly? Do you have a whole hoard of gold and treasure?" Diddy asked jumping up and down in excitement. "In order? Yes, I could breath fire back in Equestria, but I haven't been able to since I got here. I tried to barbecue those... Zingers, but no flames. No I can't fly, and... I really don't like to talk about that last one." Spike answered rubbing his sleeved arm in embarrassment in remembrance of his last birthday.
The Kongs raised an eyebrow at the answer to that last one but shrugged. It wasn't their business. If Spike didn't want to talk about it, that was fine with them. "Anyway, with my fire I can send messages and letters to the monarch of Equestria, Princess Celestia, and it works vice versa in case she needs to deliver a message to Twilight, my best friend and big sister figure." Spike explained. "Really? Directly to the leader of Equestria?" DK asked. "Yes." Spike answered. "Have you tried sending messages to someone other then Princess Celestia?" Diddy asked. Spike thought for a moment but couldn't recall a time he sent a message that wasn't to the princess. "No, I haven't tried actually. Never crossed my mind really." Spike answered. The trio kept talking as they continued their trek to Kong Town.
Soon they reached an opening in the forest and they were greeted to the sight of a small town with wooden huts and a tall stone clocktower near the center. The towns residents went about their day, chatting with friends and store owners and young apes playing in the streets. Spike was speechless at how peaceful this town seemed to be. It seemed as peaceful as Ponyville was in times of peace. And he's talking about a town that got a monster attack at least once a week. "Spike, welcome to Kong Town." DK welcomed.
When the trio entered the town, Spike got a few weird looks his way. The apes here had never seen a purple monkey before. Let alone one with claws and a reptile tail. Spike was getting a little nervous from their staring, but DK assured him that they were just curious.
Then a sudden voice got the group's attention. "DK!" a female voice shouted. Spike turned and what he saw made his mouth dry up. If front of them was a beautiful female kong with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes with light purple eye shadow and pink lipstick. Her figure is slim and fit, most likely from exercising regularly. She has light brown fur and pale skin, and Spike thought he could see pink nail polish on her fingers. She wore a revealing pink vest top that was torn up at the bottom, turning it into a revealing pink crop top that left her midsection exposed. She also wore dark pink shorts with a purple belt and gold ring buckle. Attached to the belt was a small box like device that Spike didn't recognize. On her feet she wore hot pink sneakers, and had a set of headphones around her neck with a wire leading to the device on her belt.
Upon seeing her DK smiled immensely and replied "Heya, Candy. How are you this fine day." DK said all gentleman like. Candy giggled a melodious giggle that was an absolute pleasure to hear. "I'm just fine DK." Candy looked off to the side and saw Spike. To say she was curious was an understatement. She had never seen a purple kong before. When she saw his reptilian tail she became even more curious. She asked DK "So who's this little cutie, DK? You babysitting for one of the villagers?" She asked innocently. "Oh for Celestia's sake, I'm almost 13." Spike grumbled with a blush at being called "cutie". "This is Spike. He... kinda has a unique situation so we're taking him to Cranky to see if he can help." Diddy answered. "Spike, this is my girlfriend, Candy Kong." "Hello, Spike." Candy said in greeting. "H-hi" Spike said shyly to the beautiful woman before he realized something. "Wait...Candy... Kong? You both share the same last name?" Spike asked confusedly.
DK, Diddy, and Candy laughed at his confusion before Donkey replied "No...no see, Kong isn't really a last name per se. It's the name of our species." "Then how do you know who's related to who?" Spike asked with a raised brow. "That's simple, we just do." Donkey replied. Spike stared at them for a second before shrugging. Basically deciding to just not question it.
"Anyway, I just stopped to say hello. I better get back to my jog. Hope Cranky's able to help you with your problem, Spike. And DK, don't forget: we have a date this coming Tuesday." Candy said waving goodbye before jogging off. DK waved back to her and replied "Don't worry Candy, I won't forget!" After Candy left, the trio continued on their way to Cranky's.
On their way through town, they noticed a crowd in front of a booth. Deciding to see what was going on, they saw a well-dressed Kong manning the booth. 'Maybe this guy's a nobleman' Spike thought in his head. He wore a black bowler hat, and wore a golden plaqued buttoned dress shirt. That was all Spike could tell because the rest of him was obscured by the booth. The kong was currently addressing the crowd "Step right up folks, don't be shy! Try your luck at Swanky's Darts!" the Kong said waving his hands at a dart board behind him. "And I'm your host, Swanky Kong!" The Kong, now known as Swanky declared. "For only 25 Banana Coins you have the chance to win awesome prizes! For children, price is only 10 Banana Coins! So step right up, hit the target, get a prize!" Swanky finished, speaking in a confident spokesperson's voice. The well-dressed Kong turned and saw Spike and addressed him "You there!" he said pointing at Spike.
Startled, Spike looked around and saw that the crowd was looking at him now. From the crowd he could hear some whispers like "What's with his fur color?", "Is he sick?", "What's with the tail?" "His hands are purple.".
Spike looked back at the ape in the booth and asked "Me?" Spike asked pointing to himself. "Yes you!" Swanky confirmed "How about a game of darts? Price for kongs your age is only 10 Banana coins!" Spike stumbled on his words. From the sound of it, Banana Coins was the currency around here. Which he had none of, so he was trying to think of a way to tell him he didn't have any money. Fortunately, Donkey came to his rescue "Um sorry, Swanky, Spike's new around here and were kind of busy right now. We're headed over to Cranky's place to see if he can help him with something." he explained. Swanky waved his hand "Oh it's fine DK, surely the kid's got time to play just one game?" Swanky asked looking at Spike who's only response was "um…" "...No? That's alright kid, I won't pressure you. Name's Swanky Kong by the way. I run gameshows and small carnival games that give away fantastic prizes. If your looking for something to help you unwind and forget your troubles, I'm your Kong. NOW can I interest anyone in a game of darts!?" Swanky said addressing the crowd once more as Donkey, Diddy, and Spike continued on there way.
"So what's Cranky like anyway?" Spike asked. "Well, once you get past his cranky demeanor, Cranky can be a really cool Kong. He tends to complain a lot about how some things are done nowadays. Something about how stories use to be original and there being no need for fanfiction. I don't know, I can never pay attention when he goes on one of his rants." Diddy summarized. DK replied to him "Me neither, little buddy. Me neither."
"Yo! Donkey-Dude! Diddy-Dude! I was just looking for ya!" a Jamaican accent said happily. DK and Diddy smiled upon seeing who it was. Spike just looked and saw a big kong with a similar build to DK and had light brown fur instead of dark brown like Donkey's. He wore a white tank top tucked under blue shorts with a black belt and a silver belt buckle. This Kong sported purple tinted shades and a red bandana with white polka dots wrapped around his head. Carried under his arm was a red surfboard.
The kong walked up to DK and Diddy "What up, my friends!" he said in greeting. "Heya Funky." DK said back. "Catch any big waves today?" Diddy asked. Funky shook his head 'no' and answered "Not today Diddy-Dude. The tides have been flat today so there have been no waves to catch." Funky then looked at the third member of their party and noticed the tail and exclaimed "Woah! Far out tail, man! Donkey-Dude, who's your new friend?" Funky asked. DK put a hand on Spike's shoulder and answered "This is Spike. He's new around here. Spike, this is my older brother, Funky Kong." "Hi, Funky." Spike said waving at him. "We're taking him to Cranky to see if he can help Spike get back to his home." DK informed. "Well what a coincdink, Cranky just sent me to look for you guys! Talk about great timing!" Funky said. DK and Diddy raised an eyebrow in confusion. DK confusingly said "Uh, Cranky sent you to look for us? We were only gone for about an hour. We didn't have to go very far into the Kalimba Jungle." "Try almost two hours, Donkey-Dude." Funky corrected.
DK and Diddy squawked in shock "TWO HOURS!?" they said at the same time. "Yeah. You know how impatient Cranky can get so he asked me to go find you two." Funky answered. "Well then let's not keep Cranky waiting any longer." DK said as they were about to continue to Cranky's until Diddy came up with a brilliant idea.
"Hey... maybe we don't need to go to Cranky's. Funky can just take Spike back to his homeland." Diddy suggested. DK perked up and turned to him with a smile and said "Say... that's not a bad idea little buddy. Funky can just give Spike an express flight back to this Equestria place in his Airplane Barrel." Spike hearing them asked confusingly "Take me back to Equestria in a what barrel?" Funky facepalmed and declared "It's not a barrel, man! It's an actual airplane!" "It's still in the shape of a barrel Funky." DK said before turning to Spike and saying "See Spike, my big bro runs a business by the beach called "Funky's Flights". He takes people to their destinations around the world in his airplane." "Well... not the entire world DK. I haven't ventured any further than the Northern Kremisphere. And THAT is a twenty hour flight." Funky stated. "Well Funky. Have you heard of an Equestria? It's Spike's homeland." Diddy asked. Funky tapped his chin in thought, trying to think if he's ever heard of such a place... "Mmm... nope. Can't say I've ever heard of an Equestria..." Funky stated but then snapped his fingers as he got an idea "but maybe Cranky's has. We all know he has a ton of knowledge in that brain of his, maybe he's heard of it and knows where it is. And then, once he gives us the lowdown and a map, I can take Spike back to his home." Funky planned. DK, Diddy, and Spike agreed with Funky's plan and continued on there way to Cranky's.
They had now reached Cranky's house and now DK was knocking on the door. The one who opened the door was an elderly female Kong that was slightly hunched over wearing a green poncho over a white robe. "Ah, Funky, back so soon?" the elderly Kong asked and then she saw DK and Diddy. Wrinkly laughed in surprise and stated "Ah, you found them already. My, you work fast, Funky. Now if you could just find a girlfriend as fast. I want some great-grandkids to spoil rotten."
At this, Funky groaned while DK and Diddy snickered at his expense. "I keep telling you Grandma Wrinkly, I just haven't found the right girl yet!" Wrinkly folded her arms and asked "Really? You flirt with all those women at your workplace, Funky's Flights, and yet you haven't made a connection with any of them? Shame on you, Funky." Wrinkly said to her oldest grandson. Funky just groaned more as Donkey and Diddy continued to laugh at his expense.
Wrinkly then noticed Spike and his strange appearance and asked "My, now who's this strange looking young man?" Spike, noticing she was talking to him, introduced himself "Um... hi, I'm Spike." "Wrinkly Kong. I'm Donkey and Funky's grandmother." Wrinkly said extending her hand out for Spike to shake. Spike shook her hand while DK told Wrinkly they were here to see Cranky. Hearing this, Wrinkly invited the four in.
They sat down in the living room while Wrinkly went to go get Cranky. Before leaving the group Wrinkly said she had a batch of Banana Cream Cookies in the oven that were almost done, much to the joy of the three Kongs in the room. They loved Wrinkly's cooking.
Spike and the Kongs chatted until Wrinkly came back into the room with who Spike assumed to be Cranky while Wrinkly went into the kitchen. The elderly Kong ignored Spike and marched up to Donkey and Diddy and asked "Well? What did ya find?" Cranky asked impatiently. "Well, Cranky. While we were exploring the Kalimba Jungle, we found Spike here... " DK said gesturing to the aforementioned dragon turned... lizard-monkey that Cranky just now noticed and just stared at him "being attacked by a group of Zingers." DK finished. "We rescued him and asked what he was doing in the middle of the Kalimba Jungle and he told us he just woke up in the middle of the jungle. Said he was from a place called "Equestria"." Cranky head snapped back towards DK with his eyes opened wide as DK finished "So we took him here hoping you could help get him home or at least provide a map so Funky can take him back."
DK leaned back as Cranky pointed at his walking stick at his face and demanded "Equestria? Did you just say Equestria?!" Dumbfounded, DK answered "Yes. Why?" Cranky turned his head away in thought. 'So that dragon wasn't making it up after all...' Cranky thought to himself. "So what do you say Cranky? Can you help him?" Diddy asked.
Cranky saw the hope light up in Spike's eyes. Cranky sighed and walked away from DK and went to sit in his rocking chair in defeat. After about a minute of silence, Cranky spoke "There's no easy way to break this so I'm just going to rip off the band-aid and get it over with." What the elderly ape said made the light disappear from Spike's eyes as the three Kongs glanced at each other in confusion. "Kid, I'm sorry to say it but... your stuck here. Ain't no way to get you back to Equestria. It's impossible" Cranky said finally.
"WHAT!?"