Ember, Thorax, and Capper made their way to the city. It is not a short nor a long walk, but it is not far from the ship. A few minutes passed by, and Thorax, still in his disguise as an Abyssinian with his base colors visible, began to feel uneasy to enter Panthera. Remembering the banner he has witnessed, it is super risky to get in. “Capper, one more thing. Have you thought about someplace to sleep in for tonight? Because we might be here for long.”
Capper pondered and considered it as he checked both of his pockets for money. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any of it. None except for a moth flying out of his right pocket, and circling Ember’s head two times and left. “We’ll… work that out later,” he said as they noticed that they were now entering the city of Panthera.
As they entered the city, Ember and Thorax were very amazed by the sights of Panthera. They saw how busy the urban environment is with pedestrians walking in different directions, and how decent the weather is. No rain, just the bright yellow sun and the white fluffy clouds. They even witnessed a very notable landmark from a mile away; the tall flag pole with an enormous flag of Abyssinia waving in the windy air, which is very amusing to the eye. Most buildings appeared to be boxy and the taller ones looked like scratching posts, especially the big clock tower in the distance. When they saw once again the citizens strolling on the sidewalk, some of them wore clothes, while others didn’t. It was baffling why only most of them walked around with their fur coats.
“Hey, Capper,” Thorax whispered, “Is there anything you could tell us about Abyssinian culture? Why are only some of them wearing clothes?”
“It’s a sort of symbol of their professionalism and/or wealth,” Capper said. “I’ll be able to fit in with them and pull a couple of strings and strike a deal with them.”
“Uh huh,” Ember remarked as she struggled to keep her cloak closed. “Ugh, how does Smolder do this?”
“I assume the trick is that the problem finds us,” Thorax guessed. He wouldn’t be too far off as they suddenly heard…
“Oi!” cried a voice. The two visitors and Capper froze in place and saw a police officer in his uniform and sunglasses approaching them.
“Good afternoon, officer,” Capper greeted with uneasiness, “What seems to be the problem?”
“It’s a bit of a hunch,” the officer said, “I’ve never seen ye folks around here before. Some of you seem to be a little suspicious.” Thorax and Ember were getting a little nervous, fortunately for them, Capper stepped in.
“Sir,” he said, “I’m… simply helping this old lady and her…… grandson to the grocery store. Her back isn’t doing so well, so walking is challenging for her. We don’t want any more trouble than she needs.”
The officer scrutinized Ember, seeing the hunch on her back, which he didn’t know was made from her wings. He then looked down at Thorax, who also gave a bit of a concerned look.
“Right, I was unaware of your condition,” the officer said. “You all have a good day, my apologies, and be sure to remember the curfew.”
“…When’s the curfew?” Thorax asked, a bit confused.
“In case you forget, 10:00 PM.” With that, the policeman left, leaving Capper confused.
“Wait… since when did we have a curfew?” he doubted.
“Presumably when they banned magic,” Ember guessed. “You got lucky with that guy, but where are we going to hide?”
“Relax, I got this.” Capper turned to see a couple of commuters standing at a tiny stop with a steel bench and a thick-layered canopy to cover. They heard the ring of a bell as a tram engine came into view, pulling a bogie coach with balconies at each end. The engine had side plates that covered its wheels, and cowcatchers that looked distinct from the ones on Equestria engines. One interesting feature was the top half of the tram was made of wood. Capper was also curious about this engine he hadn’t seen before. “Huh, I guess they cut the budget on the locomotives,” he joked. “Let’s see if we can catch a ride.”
“How?” Thorax asked. “We don’t have any money.”
“Don’t worry, my friends and I jumped on moving trains when we were young.” Capper waited for the right moment just as the tram started moving. He quickly ran towards the coach’s balcony and climbed on while it was moving. Ember and Thorax followed suit, climbing on board with little issue.
“This doesn’t feel safe,” Thorax muttered.
“We’re in a town that has banned magic,” Ember whispered. “Let’s be calm, and hopefully this cat won’t get us caught.” The two disguised guests followed Capper inside the coach to find a seat.
The coach was fairly full with many passengers. The trio managed to squeeze their way into their seats as they had a couple of eyes looking at them. “What do we do?” Thorax whispered.
“Act natural,” Capper responded quietly. “We’re going to be fine.” He sat back as Ember sat down beside him and Thorax. As she adjusted herself, she noticed that one feline sitting across was holding a bouquet of flowers that had a familiar orange color to them. The Dragon Lord sniffed the air and her nose already began to sting.
“Oh no,” she said to herself, realizing those flowers are from the dragon sneeze tree. Again, they were almost straight across from where Ember was sitting, so she was going to get a good whiff of the pollen. Ember did her best to cover her nose, but it was not going to be easy.
Just then, a conductor came over to Capper with a suspicious look. “Excuse me, sir, I don’t remember seeing you entering the coach,” he said, “Did you pay?”
Despite being put in a tricky spot, the con cat kept his cool. “We were in a rush and… sweet old Alison here was worried so we scrambled on here,” Capper responded, “You might’ve missed a few other passengers while they were on.”
“That might be likely sir. If you and your acquaintances here have paid for your rides, then we’ll be able to check the bits.” Capper kept up his smile, but a bead of nervous sweat started trickling down his head.
“You do that.” A loud sniffle was heard from Ember, much to the concern of Thorax.
“Ember?” the disguised changeling worried.
“It’s… allergies,” Ember groaned. She pointed to the flowers the other passenger was holding. Thorax recognized the flowers and knew what was going to happen.
“Oh, dear… Um… we should get off at the next stop.”
“If she’s ill, I have a first aid kit with me. We can use it until we can get her a doctor,” the conductor said. Ember didn’t respond as she tried to cover her nose to stop the smoke from escaping her nostrils. She started coughing as some of the passengers started staring at them with uneasiness.
“What’s going on here?” One passenger said.
“I don’t know,” the other one replied.
“This is not good,” the third one exclaimed with concern.
“Come on, control yourself,” Capper ordered quietly. Ember would’ve given a remark, but her nostrils were messing with her.
With the pollen penetrating her system, Ember cannot hold it back. Without warning, she let out a huge sneeze of fire straight right up at the coach’s ceiling, burning right through it. Some bit of fire got caught on her cloak, which was starting to burn and create smoke. The driver and fireman noticed the heating flame shooting out of the carriage and quickly brought their tram to a halt. Passengers scrambled out of the coach as the cart burned, and Capper and Thorax both jumped out of opposite sides of the carriage, out of fear of getting caught, with Capper running away from the scene.
Once Ember managed to recover, she took a minute to catch her breath before she saw the burning remains of the coach. “Oh no,” she groaned. She saw that her disguise was being turned to ash now, so faking her way out of there was definitely impossible. The Dragon Lord looked outside to see a panicked Thorax waving a call for her.
Knowing what was going to happen next, Ember braced herself by just walking outside of the burning carriage. When the passengers got a good look at her, it took a few seconds before someone screamed, “DRAGON ATTACK!” They soon started running around like headless chickens as Ember darted her eyes toward Thorax.
“Run!” she ordered.
“But what about…?” Thorax was interrupted by the dragon lord who was wanting someone to stay in character.
“GO!” Thorax didn’t argue and fled from the chaos blending in with the panicking crowd. Ember scattered around to see if there was a certain she was looking for. “Where in Tartarus is Capper?” She soon heard a flurry of bells along with the puffing of engines. “Now what?”
Suddenly, a few tank engines pulled up to the scene, one was blue and yellow with a matching carriage, both of which had “POLICE” painted on their sides. Another engine and carriage matched their shapes, but were painted red and had a couple of tankers and a van coupled to them. The engines appeared to be like actual steam locomotives, but still had the cowcatchers and side plates that the wooden tram had.
Police officers approached the dragon, some holding shields that were bigger than them and spray guns. One of them is a skinny white-and-grey cat with some black stripes on the sides of his body. What was the most eye-catching thing about him, was his right eye having an eyepatch. (No pun intended)
“Alright, ye beast, STATE YOUR BUSINESS!” the officer with an eye patch demanded.
“First of all, this was an accident,” Ember stated. “Somebody had a dragon sneeze tree flower on board.”
“You mean a sneeze sparker?” one of the other officers asked.
“Silence!” ordered the eye-patched cat. He picked up one of the spray guns and held it toward Ember. “Now then, you come quietly with us or you’ll suffer severe consequences.”
Ember looked at the gun and knew they just had some liquid that was likely not going to do much with her. “And how whatever is in that could…” She stepped forward and got a spray of familiar dust. She wheezed as she recognized it as the same pollen that caused her to accidentally burn down the coach. “Okay… that’s enough… I’ll cooperate.”
Meanwhile, Thorax had gotten a good distance from the incident only to find himself getting lost. “Oh boy,” he sighed, “They’re going south fast. I wish I could’ve saved her, but with this disguise, I’d get the same treatment as well. For now, it looks like I need to find a place to stay. But where?” As he was about to move, he heard the scampering of feet and yelling. They came from a local bakery right in front of Thorax. “What’s going on in there?”
All of the sudden, a small blonde kitten popped out of the door and ran swiftly on all fours like a cheetah. As she ran, while turning back, she roughly collided with the disguised changeling without noticing, making both of them fall. “Ugh, get out of my way!” the kitten growled. She tried to get up again, only to be tackled and caught by a police officer.
“Gotcha!” he cried. The cat was quite big and chubby, and also had blue fur on the front of his body with the rest of his fur being purple. He held the kitten up by the nip of her neck as the kitten flailed around trying to break loose. “Little Molly, this is the third time this week you’ve attempted to escape.” He then drew his attention to Thorax, who felt a little bruised at the moment. “Oh… and I’m sorry if you got caught in the crossfire, lad.”
“It’s okay,” Thorax responded, “I’ve had worse.”
“C’mon, little one,” the officer said to the blonde kitty. “Time to go home.”
The officer then left with the kitten. For a while, Thorax then thought back to his current situation and tried to think of an idea. “Um, excuse me, officer, I was hoping you could help me.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I… I don’t have a home to stay in.”
“Hmm, are you lost?” Thorax nodded yes as he pretended to be scared, though, right now that feeling was becoming real. “Do you have any other relatives you know around here?” Thorax shook his head left and right. “Okay, I think I know a place you can stay for tonight until we can find your family. What’s your name?”
“Um… Chester.” He held onto the officer’s claw as he took him and the kitten named Molly away to where they could stay for a while.
As for Capper, he ran for a while until he was a safe distance from the conflict. He took a minute to catch his breath as he realized he was now separate from the two creatures he was supposed to be doing his mission with. “Aw, hairballs,” he panicked while bringing his claws to his face, “what do I do now? This mission might not end well.”
As he sighed, he noticed another tram engine sitting on a siding. Unlike the one that he escaped from, this engine had the same shape as the ones the policemen and firefighters used, and its carriage had a lovely color of aquamarine with purple linings. Capper took a peek at the very customizable carriage, wondering what it was for. The coat of paint was polished so that it could easily reflect the rays of the sun, and with a small rub with his finger can make a satisfying squeak noise. As he curiously observes the cart, he heard voices talking from the other side.
“Mrs. Fluffington, we need to be getting home now,” said a male voice.
“I know, it’s just… this is going to be the biggest decision of my life,” said a woman’s voice.
Peeking to the other side of the engine and coach, Capper saw an Abyssinian in a purple and blue-green dress with a diamond necklace. He gasped as he recognized her black fur with a big fluffy gray collar. The fancy-dressed cat was about to climb onboard the carriage when she noticed the raggy trench coat. “Hey, you can’t be here. This is private…”
She paused when she took a good look at the cat who was watching her. She stepped away from the carriage, much to the confusion of the engine crew. Capper and the fancy cat walked up to each other and got a good look before they spoke the names of who they thought they were looking at.
“Capper?”
“Shadow?”
The two stood there in awe before the female cat got tears of joy in her eye. She cheered as she swooped up Capper in a hug. “Oh, Cap, I haven’t seen you in years!” she wept. “I… I wouldn’t think I would see you again.”
Capper chuckled as he hugged his old friend. “I’m alive and well, Shadow,” he noted. “How… How are you?”
“Never been better.” Shadow let her friend go so she could wipe away her tears.
“I’ll say. Since when did you get a sweet ride like this?”
“I’ll explain on the way home. I have so much to tell you.” Shadow held her long-time pal’s paw and led him inside the coach. The inside was something a sight to behold. Inside of benches on each side of the carriage, there was a bookshelf, a compartment to hold a tea set, and seating that looked to be just as expensive as regular coaches used for public transport.
“Seriously, what deal did you make to get all of this?”
Shadow took a seat before giving him an answer. “My husband.” She smiled as she showed the ring on her left ring finger.
Capper swore his jaw hit the floor. “Yo… You’re… You’re married?!” He suddenly felt his balance shift as the engine started moving.
“That’s right. A lot has changed since you left. Take a seat, we’ll be home in a few.” Capper was just stunned by what he just learned while he sat down. He didn’t know what to say or even think. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but after…” Shadow paused as she remembered something that she thought Capper would want to forget.
“Could you tell me more about these anti-magic rules? Those banners I came across recently are kind of hard to miss.”
“It all started with… you know who.” Capper groaned as he thought he knew who she was talking about, and the two filled the air with awkward silence while staring at each other and fiddling with their paws. As they awkwardly stared at each other, the train stopped all of the sudden, and another Abyssinian onboard approached them. The cat had brown and beige fur with thick fur on his muzzle, giving him the appearance of a mustache. He wore a blue-green bowler hat that had a purple stripe around it and he also wore a matching suit. The fancy dress cat looked at Capper and was rather confused.
“Sir, this isn’t a public coach,” he said, “You better be…”
“No, Andy,” she pleaded. “You don’t have to command him to leave. He’s my friend… Childhood friend.”
“Childhood friend?”
“Yes. I haven’t seen him in a very long time.”
“…I see.”
“Um… hi,” Capper said, giving a tiny wave.
The fancy-dressed cat came near to Capper and shook his paw. “Nice to meet you. I believe Shadow has told me about you before,” he said.
“I bet.”
“I’m Andrew Fluffington,” he greeted while tipping his hat.
“Capper. Capper Dapperpaws,” he greeted back. “Uh, sir. I’m guessing that’s what most cats call you?”
“Indeed. It’s often sir, or Mr. Fluffington, My wife here and my close friends call me Andy.” Andy sat down next to Shadow, who he wrapped his arm around, making her blush.
As the train started moving along the tracks again, Capper had a couple of questions. “Okay, first question, how did you two first meet each other?” he asked.
“Remember the pub, The Milk Maid?” Shadow reminded.
“Yes,” he replied, recalling the time he passed the pub when he and Chummer were sneaking out for the night. “I remember that.”
“That’s where I first met him,” she noted. “I worked there as a bartender serving the best drinks. Andy frequently came there most of the time and had the best chat with me, he’s occasionally or sometimes stressed from working on his railway system.”
“Indeed,” Andy confirmed. “It was only a short time after inheriting my father’s business. I met your friend here and…. we hit it off. We would both vent to each other about the issues we had, with or without work.”
Shadow chuckled. “Yeah. Andy sure had a lot to say. And after a while, then he said something… Well, it’s obvious what he said.” Shadow showed her ring before she nuzzled against her husband.
“Well… uhhh… I’m very happy for you, Shadow,” Capper said. “So um… these trams are new. Why are they made of wood? Normally, it’s made out of metal.”
“I’m glad you noticed. It’s only the outer layer that is made of wood,” Andrew answered. “That’s to cover up the boiler. Trams like this are some of the most versatile engines of the Fluffington Rail Network, or the F.R.N. for short.”
“I’m guessing by that name, it’s the company you own, am I right?”
“Absolutely,” Shadow confirmed. “It’s one of the three major railways in Abyssinia.”
“Awesome! You know, maybe you two should give me a tour of your railway and how it works and changes over the years. This is my first time back home in a very long time, and I am yet to see some changes for myself.”
“I can help with that. It’ll be like the old days when we sneak out and explore.” Capper chuckled as they would soon reach their destination.
When they came to a stop, the three all stepped out of the coach and Capper gasped at what he saw. There was a huge mansion on the outskirts of Panthera. It was a two-story tall building that stood in front of a roundabout of tracks that lead in and out of the city and was surrounded by nicely trimmed shrubs.
“Woooah!”
“Right this way, Cap,” Shadow said, guiding her friend to the entrance with her love.
Once they were inside, Shadow showed Capper the interior, which he couldn’t believe seeing. There were such clean carpets, a chandelier hanging from the second floor, which had a large opening to make room for the balcony and stairs, and artistic paintings hanging on evenly coated light yellow walls. It was almost too much for Capper to take in at once.
“You. Are. Loaded!” he cried.
“I know,” Shadow responded. “It’s what happens when you’re married to the owner of one of the biggest railways in the kingdom.”
Just then, a female orange cat butler approached them and Andy promptly gave her his hat. “Welcome home, Mr. Fluffington,” the butler welcomed. “Just in time, lunch is about to be served…” She paused as she noticed Capper from behind still observing the fancy mansion in awe. “…in a moment.”
My apologies, madam,” Andy said, “but my companion seems to recognize him as a childhood friend.”
“I understand, sir. Surely there will be enough food for all three of you. I’ll notify the chefs right away.” The butler quickly headed back to the kitchen to let the chefs know about the visitor while Shadow then thought of something.
“Capper, I almost forgot to ask you: what brings you back here?” Shadow asked. “I was just so excited to see you… I didn’t even think about it.”
Capper chuckled before he tried explaining himself. “Believe it or not, I’ve been sent here by the princess from the kingdom called Equestria by the name of Twilight Sparkle. This might sound crazy, but there was a magical map that…”
Capper was quickly cut off when Shadow covered his mouth. “Cap, I might be happy to see you again, but you cannot be saying that word around here anymore. It’s the orders of the new king.”
“New king?”
“Exactly, I’ll…. explain more over lunch. Come.” Capper, Shadow, and Andy then headed over to the dining area to have their afternoon meal. The round table itself is made out of white marble covered with giant ceramic white table cloth, and its diameter is enough to fit 14 occupants to sit down with each other. On each spot are white and gold ceramic plates with silver forks, knives, and spoons on each side. On top of the plates are soup bowls made out of the same material used for the plates. In the middle of the round table are 6 bundles of roses placed in a glass vase filled with iced water, which helps them last longer. As they reached the table, Capper shared one more detail.
“You should know this, I didn’t come alone. I also had others who came along with me.” As they sat down, Shadow and Andy were confused by this. “Yeah, allow me to start from the beginning.”
Back with Thorax, he and Molly were taken to an orphanage with the fat policeman assisting. Molly had given up getting herself free and just crossed her arms in a pout. “Here we are, kids,” the officer said, pointing at the orphanage. “And little Chester, this is where you’ll stay.”
They soon arrived at the entrance, and the officer knocked on the door. It opened shortly to reveal a female caretaker, who saw Molly and sighed in disappointment. “Oh, Molly, what will we do with you?” the caretaker questioned. “What damage did she cause this time, sir?”
“Nothing major,” the officer replied. “Only a small disturbance in a bakery. And… she also got a new friend this time.” The caretaker looked towards the disguised changeling. “He revealed himself as Chester.”
“Hello,” he fibbed.
“Oh, dear,” the caretaker sighed, “Another mouth to feed. Come inside, Chester, I’m sure we’ll help find you a home in no time.”
“That’s what they all say,” Molly whispered.
“Now don’t you go planting ideas in his head,” the caretaker ordered. She picked up the blonde kitten and put her under her arm. “I’ll take it from here, officer. Thank you very much.”
“Very well, ma’am,” the big cat replied. “Take care.” He waved goodbye and walked away as Chester and Molly were taken upstairs.
“Honestly, what is it going to take to make you stop running off?” the caretaker questioned. “Wash up and get ready for bed, it’s time for your afternoon nap.” The caretaker took a breath before calming down to talk with Chester. “Now, little Chester, I’m sure we’ll find your home soon. Be on your best behavior.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the fake Abyssinian said. He was given some assistance by the caretaker to get cleaned up. Molly did most of her bedtime routine on her own, dragging her feet in the process. Eventually, the two were taken to the dining hall where lunch was being served to the kittens. Some of them were zooming around being crazy, and some were making a mess while eating their food.
The caretaker sighed as she just looked down at the kitten. “Now, just get some lunch and behave,” the caretaker requested.
“Yes, ma’am,” Thorax replied. He and Molly got what remained of the lunches, which mostly consisted of cold fish and some vegetables most kittens refused to eat. The two got their food and sat down at an empty table together, much to Molly’s annoyance.
“What are you doing?” the blonde kitten questioned.
“I’m just sitting down,” Thorax responded. “What else?” He glanced at the other kitten, seeing they were giving them dirty looks.
“I’m not used to having others join me.” Molly scooted a little bit away from Thorax and started eating her lunch. The disguised changeling was about to dine in when he overheard two caretakers talk.
“By the way, have you heard about that dragon attack recently?” one whispered.
“ Yes, I saw smoke while I was arriving back,” another said. “I’m glad I decided to walk instead of taking the tram.”
“What would a dragon even be doing on a tram?”
“No idea. I don’t know if that’s accidental or intentional. Who knows.”
Thorax kept eavesdropping on what the caretakers had to say about the earlier moment when he was with Ember and Capper during the incident. Molly noticed this and tapped on his shoulder to get some answers. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“They’re… talking about dragons,” Thorax quietly responded.
“Wait, a dragon is in Panthera!?”
Molly’s cry was heard across the room and the other kittens didn’t think she was serious until one of the caretakers gasped, “How did she know?” Within seconds, the dining room was now filled with panicked chatter with the orphans questioning what was going on. Thorax was wishing he kept his mouth shut. He was hoping that Ember would be alright.
Ember was playing along with the police taking her to a jail cell within the police department. The officer with an eyepatch threw her in there and locked the cell door while holding the puffer that was filled with the dragon sneeze powder. “You realize I could just break these bars whenever I want, right?” Ember asked.
“We have gear specifically built to contain dragons,” the officer stated, “so don’t do anything destructive, and all cats would not get hurt.”
“Ugh, fine. It’s just if you let me explain myself, I wouldn’t have to be in here. I’m a Dragon Lord ruling the Dragon Lands.”
“And how do I know that doesn’t make you a dictator?”
“Because you seem to have forgotten to bring your common sense.” A little puff of the dragon sneeze power quickly made Ember shut up. She sat down on the tiny bed she was given to sleep on.
“Is there anyone else working for you?”
“Well, the other dragons are back in my place, though I had two friends traveling with me.”
“And who were they?”
“Ehh… one of them is a cat like you and the other is…. uhh…”
“Who is it? State it now.”
“…I don’t know much about that cat guy, but I do know I’m not letting my boyfriend get caught.”
“Your boyfriend?”
“Yes, dragons like me can have dates. If you lay one claw on him, I swear I’ll be shoving that puffer down your damn throat and know what it feels like when I inhale that powder!”
The officer pointed the puffer into the cage, pointing it right at Ember. “Now you’re threatening me, huh?”
“Go ahead! Spray that s*** on me and you’ll regret it. Do you want to see a dragon in a blind rage?” The officer wasn’t wanting to risk injuries like full blindness, so he took a step back.
“Ugh, I don’t have time for this.” He turned away from Ember before calling out for someone else, “Can somebody contact the king urgently?!”
“Oh, sure. Maybe he can explain why you guys hate magic so much,” she mocked sarcastically and loudly
“We have our reasons, MADAM!” He turned to see two other policemen walking over to Ember’s cell. “Alright, you two, keep your eyes on her.” The officer handed his puffer to the ones taking his shift. “Let me know if you can get any useful information out of her. Until then, I’ll be waiting for him.”
“Yes sir,” the policemen replied in unison. The cat with an eyepatch headed towards the exit of the room to contact their king, leaving Ember in her cell with the two officers with puffers loaded with dragon sneeze powder. She covered her head with her pillow, knowing she was going to be there for a while.
A little later, Capper was finishing his meal at the dining table with Shadow and Andy. The two old friends were recalling the tricks they pulled off in the past. The two laughed when they remembered one time they stole fish from a salesman. “I still can’t believe we got him to drink white paint,” Capper laughed.
“I know,” Shadow agreed. “It was sticking to the side of his glass. And the smell. It was so obvious.”
“If he couldn’t tell the difference between milk and paint, I think he was too easy to trick.” The two calmed down from the laughter as they enjoyed their quick trip down memory lane.
“You two certainly sounded like you had fun in your youth,” Andy commented.
“We sure did,” Shadow commented. “Such good times.”
“I miss those days honestly,” Capper sighed. He looked down at his empty plate as a butler walked over to him.
“Are you finished, Mr. Dapperpaws?” the male butler asked. Capper simply nodded and the table was soon cleared by the mansion’s staff.
“Speaking of which, you guys think you could give me that tour around this mansion and show me what else has changed?”
“Sure,” Andy shrugged.
“We’ll be happy too,” she joined. “And… you should take a shower first.”
“Oh, thank you for saying that,” Andy sighed. “I notice a bit of a stench from your friend.” Capper rolled up his sleeves and sniffed her fur, not noticing his smell.
“Phew, you’re right. It has been a while since I had a proper bath,” Capper admitted.
“There’s a shower room on the second floor,” Shadow noted. “I’ll take you there.” Shadow quickly stood up and took her childhood friend upstairs to the bathroom. Once there, he immediately took off his coat. “Go and shower until you get the smell…… and sand… out of your fur.” She just noticed the sand that looked to have been stuck under her friend’s fur.
“Huh. That explains those itches I’ve had the past few days.” Shadow rolled her eyes and closed the door after leaving the bathroom.
Capper glanced at the walk-in shower, then he saw the bathtub that stood beside it. Normally, he would go for the tub because it would allow a more relaxing wash, but since this was the home of his friend and her husband, he went for the shower instead to get cleansed quickly.
A few moments later, Capper exited the bathroom with steam still coming from the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and was about to get his trenchcoat. He noticed that it was not inside, he had sworn that he placed it on the toilet seat before walking in. So, with his towel still tied on his waist, he searched everywhere around the mansion. As he was about to turn the corner, he could hear Andy and Shadow talking with each other. He poked his head and saw them standing having their conversation.
“Shadow, dear, can you genuinely trust your friend when he’s in that kind of condition?” Andy questioned.
“Andy, please, I haven’t seen him in years… and you heard his story,” Shadow responded. “He barely survived the Storm Strike. He could’ve lived with us if it…” Shadow paused her tone and changed from concern to fuming. “If it wasn’t for that no good one-eyed swine just crashing…!”
“Shadow, please!” Andy grabbed his wife’s claws to try and calm her down. Both of them then noticed Capper had been eavesdropping on them for a bit.
“Sorry… you want me to forget everything you’ve said?” Capper asked.
“No, Cap, i… it’s not important,” Shadow muttered. “So… are you ready for your tour?”
“Almost. Have you seen my trenchcoat?”
“It’ll take a little bit since… it seriously needed a wash.”
“Heh, tell me about it. Wish I could have Rarity remake that thing.”
“She’s that unicorn that makes garments, right?” Andy asked.
“That’s her,” he declared.
“Okay, Capper, we’ll have your coat clean as soon as possible,” Shadow said, “Just remember: whatever you do… don’t mention magic. Understand?” Capper simply nodded and gave her a thumbs up.
A little bit later, Capper was riding in the private coach with the Fluffingtons, sitting back in his seat with his newly clean coat. “Gotta admit,” he said, “That was one of the best showers I’ve had in months.”
“I could tell,” Shadow chuckled. “Where were you living to smell so much?” Capper rubbed the back of his head as Shadow could tell something was bothering him. “You were a little… vague when it came to where you landed and met the ponies.”
“There’s sort of a reason for that.” Capper looked away as he seemed uncomfortable, so Shadow decided to try and change the subject.
“Anyways, let’s take a look at how the station changed while you were gone.”
Capper noticed the coach suddenly got darker and peeked out the window to see the reason. The tram was stopping at a platform that was right underneath a big station. The platform and upper station were connected by flights of stairs which led to six platforms filled up with passengers coming in and out of the city.
The three Abyssinians climbed up the stairs into the busy station, seeing there were already trains, either picking up passengers, leaving, arriving, or some of the tank engines shunting some trains for the bigger engines. Capper was amazed at the size of the station. “I… don’t remember seeing this on our adventures,” he commented.
“It was a rebuild of the last one,” Shadow explained. “This now has a transfer from the platform for the trams and some of these tracks can be used for engines passing through. And if you think it looks busy now, wait ‘til rush hour.”
The two then looked over to Andy, who was double-checking his pocket watch. “He should be here any minute now,” he commented.
“Who?” Capper asked.
“You’ll see.”
A few minutes later, they heard a loud whistle, which seemed to delight the railway controller. Looking down the track, they saw a big tender engine swiftly approaching the station pulling fancy brown and cream coaches. The engine started slowing down and stopped at the platform. A door opened up and a roll of carpet popped out and unrolled itself. Trumpets can be heard playing. Out of the coach, stepped a black and white cat, wearing a golden crown, and purple cape, and holding a staff with a violet gemstone on the end.
Andy and Shadow kneeled to the royal cat, which Capper didn’t do. “Cap, kneel to him,” Shadow whispered, “That’s the king.”
Capper quickly realized his mistake and kneeled like the others. “You couldn’t give me a heads up?” he questioned.
“We weren’t expecting to see him. I’ll tell you, this is the current king of Abyssinia; King Meowmeow.”
“M… Meowmeow?”
“Thank you for introducing me to this hobo,” King Meowmeow said bluntly.
“Wha?”
“And Mr. Fluffington, your men have done a brilliant job with this prototype. It has such a smooth ride and we didn’t have to stop thanks to the new design of that tender.”
“My honor, Your Majesty,” Andy said as he stood up.
“Hobo?” Capper questioned quietly. “I recently showered before we left.”
“Quiet,” Shadow ordered, “You can’t win an argument with him.”
“Now, I would now send a letter to you saying what I’ve just said,” the king continued, “But I’ve been given a word about a dragon suddenly running loose.”
“Oh yes… that dragon,” Andy commented. “I’ve heard about that incident in the papers.” He glanced back at a nervous-looking Capper. “What’s your plan on that, Your Majesty?”
“My guards and I will take care of that beast. Who knows what abominable plans that thing will bring? It might be as worse as the former if you know what I mean.” King Meowmeow held his staff in his mouth and clapped his claws. Out of the coach summoned three guards, each one wearing armor, and each one being a different shade of blue.
“Did we bring Sheila along?” asked the indigo-colored guard.
“For the last time,” groaned the cobalt-colored guard, “She’s too big and dangerous to bring her out.”
“Hey, Capper,” Shadow whispered, “Remember how you said you didn’t come alone?”
“Yes, I think that the dragon he’s talking about is the same one that came here with me.” They both glanced at King Meowmeow and his guards, who thankfully didn’t hear them whispering. “Okay, let’s ease ourselves. We should be able to think of a strategy like old times.”
“Now then,” King Meowmeow said, “this prototype is too big for the city tracks, so I was hoping we would be able to use your private coach.”
“It shouldn’t be too much of a problem, Your Highness,” Andy responded. “Shall we go to the police station now?”
“Certainly. Come along, men.” The king and his guards walked down to the tram platform, boarding the private coach. Andy then followed suit, and Shadow and Capper came too. Despite the fact that King Meowmeow called him a hobo, it still annoyed him, but the king himself didn’t mind him coming along. After they were all boarded, the tram set off toward the police station. Meanwhile, Shadow and Capper stepped onto the coach’s balcony so they could talk privately.
“Capper, you better play smart,” Shadow warned. “If the king knows you’ve befriended creatures like that dragon you’ve mentioned, you could be labeled as a traitor, and would be sentenced to jail for a lifetime, or worst-case scenario... death sentence.”
“I can handle this,” Capper retorted. “I helped with a plan that took out the Storm King. I think I can help think of an escape plan.”
“This isn’t like when we were kittens, my friend. King Meowmeow has made stricter rules since you left.”
“I know about the curfew and the anti-magic thing. I’ve convinced creatures in that other town. I should be able to convince those guys that dragons and other creatures aren’t threatening.” Shadow wasn’t feeling too confident about this but wasn’t too sure what else they could do.
Eventually, they made it to the police station and left the tram in a siding near the police engines’ sheds. The Abyssinians stepped out of the coach and headed towards the entrance before someone called out to them.
“Your Majesty,” said a rough voice. King Meowmeow turned to see the police officer with an eyepatch walking toward them.
Capper, Shadow, and Andy also took notice of the approaching officer, with Shadow not pleased to see him. “Chummer,” she said unimpressed.
“Excuse me?” Capper suspected. He hadn’t heard that name in a long time. The officer took a moment to turn around, and noticed Capper behind him with Shadow and Andy. Immediately, he recognized him. A large amount of awkwardness could be felt in the air. “Ch… Chummer?”