After assisting with the rescue effort for the badly damaged Lafayette, it was time for our heroes to move on with their journey. After all, even though they wanted to stay and help, there was no time. For they had to find the others, and there was limited time in which to do so. So, with heavy hearts and sad eyes, they set off on their way. They started by turning right onto a road, as people or ponies tend to do when joining roads where they drive on the right. After that, they turned left, followed by another right turn, after which they crossed on a bridge over more of the iron rails they had followed their entire journey. As they went on their way, the oppressive heat continuing to beat down upon them, they joined another road under a lot of trees, and following that endeavor, they continued straight along that road. Those iron rails appeared next to them, and they continued to follow them, alongside at least, until they crossed over a bridge. Crossing over a bridge was something the iron rails did too, and another iron machine, this time painted black, roared past with an assortment of things.
They then crossed over another river, the name of which none of them could pronounce even with practice, before passing over another bridge which ran over an island. They trotted over another Bayou.
"Why are there so many swamps around here?" Flash asked. "They seem to like swamps and bayous around here."
"I think it has something to do with the terrain," Starswirl noted. "The terrain around here is very flat, and swampy, and as a result water tends to collect in large basins and get stuck rather than flow out into the sea. The locals calls them 'bayous', which derives from a word that means 'small stream'."
"Crocodiles also live in them," Somnambula said. "They are very big, and quite scary."
"Crocodiles live in salt water," Mistmane pointed out. "Alligators are found in bayous because they live in freshwater, which is much better suited to their temperament. The water may be still, but it's fresh from my research."
They crossed over a canal as a boat steamed underneath, and then went left onto another road, but this transpired to be the exact same road they had joined earlier, and crossed over a river far wider than any they had ever seen before. The bridge had a name, but it didn't sound like a name any of them had ever heard. What sort of name was 'Huey', anyway?
They had little time to deliberate on any of this as they now had to take the right lane to access another road, followed by holding to the right hand lane for a while and continuing down the road. As steam rose into the air from the incredibly hot swamps and the extremely muggy day, they suddenly found themselves on the left hand side of the road, followed by three right turns which brought them to the edge of a giant lake.
"Well, where are they?" Flash asked, looking around. "I thought Meadowbrook, Rockhoof, and Stygian would be here?"
Suddenly, they saw a group of Cajun ponies trotting past, talking about something in a language they couldn't understand. Moments later, they spotted a blue one waving to them. They had found Mage Meadowbrook, at the very least.
Meadowbrook quickly galloped over to the others. "What are you guys doin' on this side of the lake?" she asked. "We're set up on the other side."
"Your message didn't give us any coordinates," Flash replied. "How were we supposed to know where to go when we weren't given a destination? We only figured out where Hayseed Swamp is from context."
"Not too loud!" Meadowbrook said. "Ya never knew who's listenin'."
"Wait a second," Starswirl said. "I haven't given you a please of Glowpaz or cast the Balelicus Translation. How can we understand you?"
"Ah took a potion that allows anypony to communicate with anypony else. It seems ta be a little more stable than a few of the others."
"Is there anything you can't achieve with potions?" Mistmane asked.
"This is Meadowbrook we're talking about," Somnambula sighed. "If you plan to outwit her when it comes to potions and healing, you might as well give up."
"Aww, thanks," Meadowbrook replied. "Now then, Ah got a boat on a pulley over by the side of the bay. If we can get over ta it, we can go back across the lake and into the Swamp."
They hopped into the boat, which was closer in nature to a raft linked to a system of pulleys and ropes. Constructing it must have been a pretty impressive endeavor, and the now five ponies hopped onto the raft. With some pulling from their hooves, they made their way across the river.
"How did you build this? The engineering and logistics is stupendous!" Starswirl noted.
"Rockhoof rigged this all up," Meadowbrook replied. "He's a great engineer. He built the defense system that surrounds our little village."
At long last, they arrived at the other side, and found their way through very swampy land. "It's hot down here!" Starswirl sighed. "All the sweat from my forehead is catching in my hat, which admittedly had a nice cooling effect, but much of the rest of it is dribbling down my face and into my beard."
"Ah have some swamp pop in my cooler if ya need a drink," Meadowbrook replied. "The gaters around here can't get enough of the stuff!"
After wandering through some extremely swampy terrain, filled with stagnant green water and lots of lillypads, they arrived in a village of wooden houses built on stilts to lift them free of the bayou. Each of these houses was connected to the others by a network of rickety walkways, also made of wood. The central structure was the tree, which seemed to have a door.
"What's the tree?" asked Somnambula.
"That's mah home," Meadowbrook replied, as she led them indoors. "Don't ya worry none about the heat. We salvaged some air conditionin' units from N'awlins when they were demolishin' a tower. Nearly squashed Stygian flat!"
Flash closed the door behind them, and they all breathed a sigh of relief as the air conditioning came on.
"Is that you, Meadowbrook?" called a Scottish voice. As they looked over, they saw another blue pony trot closer.
Rockhoof himself, still bearing his shovel. He seemed to be very hot. "As I live and breathe," he said. "Hello lads! How are you all?"
"Let me guess; magic translation potion," Flash said.
"Safe to say I've been using them a lot around here, as none of these ponies speak old Horse. Just came back from digging them a new drainage ditch to draw water away from the dam, which will increase the water flow and power the electricity here. Saves money on buying glow worms!"
"Rockhoof, they got our message," Meadowbrook explained. "They know about the Pony of Shadows, and Torch."
Rockhoof's face darkened. "Those bastards are going to pay," he growled. "Torch killed thousands of innocent people, and for what?"
"We helped to clean that mess up," Mistmane said quickly. "But we think we know where they are going. We have been told to travel to Maxwell Air Force Base, which is in the place the humans call Alabama."
"I passed through there on my way to Hayseed Swamp," Rockhoof said. "But there was nothing odd at the time."
"We also have this clue," Mistmane continued. "A psychic imprint from a dream."
She hit play on the interface, and the message played back.
"From your actions, all I can see is that you and your fellow Pillars are cowards! Lowly lickspittles! You must be emulating those wastes of flesh you call Princesses, for you are as feeble and useless as them! I am ripping this world asunder, and you do nothing! I see you hiding in your hotel, weak and pathetic. I am here, in this world. FACE ME, IF YOU DARE!"
"That's the Pony of Shadows, alright," Meadowbrook said. "Now all we need ta do is get Stygian. He's currently performing at the Hayseed Bar and Smokehouse, and boy is he popular."
"He always was quite the talented bard and writer," Starswirl smiled. "Without him, we'd be an amorphous mess, but his strategic thinking and logic skills got us out of many tough spots. Let's go!"
The journey to the smokehouse was fairly short, and the atmosphere inside was pleasant and welcoming. Many ponies sat at the tables, cheering and drinking and eating various local things- a lot of fish, which was hardly surprising given the location. Up on stage was a small band of four or five ponies. Two guitarists, one playing percussion of some description, an accordion player, and a fiddler- Stygian himself. He was in the middle of one of his songs, about an old legend of even more ancient Equestria.
"Mare from off the dresser pranced, found a colt and gaily danced!
Ponies neighed and champed their bits, for Emperor Hurricane had lost his wits!
Well, cow jumped over, dog barked wild;
Panzy lay prone and sweetly smiled!
Puddinghead cried 'Play faster, Pat!'
Because we all want to dance like that!"
"Gambol and totter till you're hotter than a hatter, and you spin all akimbo like a windmill flailing!
Whirl with a clatter till you scatter every cotter, and the strings start a-pinging as the world goes sailing!"
"Downsides go up- hey! Outsides go wide!
You can clatter with your platter, but Hurricane slept till Sonnabend!
Upsides go west- hey! Broadsides go boom
With a batter and a clatter You can shatter every platter, But Hurricane slept till Sonnabend!"
It was just then Stygian noticed the entrance of the Pillars, but his composure changed not. "Ladies and Gentlecolts," he called, "Please give it up for the Pillars of Old Equestria!"
They turned and cheered, suddenly joining in an elaborate call and response sequence with the band! The tables were cleared from the centre of the floor to let the Pillars into the centre.
"Fi- fo- fiddle- diddle!
Fi- fo- fiddle- diddle!
Hey- yey- yey- yey- oh- ho!
Hey- yey- yey- yey- oh- ho!
Hey- hey- din- gen- do!
Hey- hey- din- geli- do!
Hoo- rye- and- hott- a- cott- a ho!
Hoo- rye- and- hott- a-c ott- a ho ho!
Hott- a- cott- a- hotta- ko!
Hott- a- cott- a- ko- cott- a- ko- ho!
Fi- fo- fiddle- diddle -hi- ho!
Fi- fo- fiddle- diddle- hi- ho!
Ho fiddlee- ding- galli- do!
Ho fiddlee- ding- galli- do
Hoo- rye- hoo- rye oops- oops- ay!
Hoo- rye- hoo- rye oops- oops- ay!
Hotta- cotta- hotta- cotta- mi- fo- fo!
Hotta- cotta- hotta- cotta- mi- fo- fo!
Hotta- cotta- hotta- cotta- hotta- cotta- hotta- cotta- hotta- cotta- hotta- cotta- mi- fo- fo!!"
Stygian called out in the break. "Come on and dance, everybody! Let's raise the roof!"
The Pillars looked to their respective partners. "Let's do this," Rockhoof said to Meadowbrook.
"I hope I can keep up with you," Flash joked.
"Mistmane, may I have this dance?" asked Starswirl.
"You may!" the unicorn replied.
"Lock forelegs!" Stygian called.
The six did as instructed, and circled in the centre, brushing close but not coming close to hitting one another.
"Downsides go up- hey! Outsides go wide
With a twiddle on the fiddle in the middle by the griddle
but Hurricane slept till Sonnabend!
Upsides go west- hey! Broadsides go boom With a batter and a clatter
You can shatter every platter but Hurricane slept till Sonnabend!"
The crowd cheered and clapped. "Give it up for our six visitors!" Stygian called. He hopped off the stage, and went over to them. "It's so good to see you all again! Meadowbrook has been most kind allowing me to stay in her spare room, and Rockhoof helped me in collecting more information on this area."
"Stygian, I wish we were reunited under better circumstances," Starswirl said, "but the times are dire. The Pony of Shadows has returned, and the entire world is in danger."
"I should know well," Stygian said sadly. "I was possessed by him due to their experimental technology. We need to stop him and his human lackeys. I heard he had a card causing chaos in a big house."
"Oh! You mean Donald Trump!" Somnambula suddenly realised.
"I suggest we rest in preparation for the battles ahead," Starswirl said. And with that it was settled. An uneasy calm settled over Hayseed Swamp, for nopony knew what was coming.