The surface world was a place full of wonder. Drinks were sweet. Food was sweet. Food was made with flavour in mind, and there were things to eat other than seaweed or marine plants.
Feeling full, Riptide sat back in his chair and looked around the room. The walls were covered in papers. Some of the papers had pictures, others had words on them, he had no idea what any of the papers were for, but the surfacers seemed to love to flaunt their paper.
Riptide let out a whinny, which startled him. He was still unused to the sounds that his body tended to make on its own. He had feathers now, and wings, and hind legs, and a tail with a whole bunch of fine silver-blue hairs that flowed down from it.
Murdlow and Curry Combs were in the other room, talking about something, and Riptide heard only bits and pieces of their conversation. Lifting up a hind leg, he stared down at it, missing his tail but appreciating his new legs.
Learning how to walk with them was tricky, but he had taken a few steps to the table on his own after some help from Murdlow. The air was dry, there was no water all around him to hold his body up, and it took effort to even sit up. Already, Riptide was feeling kind of tired from the effort of walking to the table, sitting up, and eating. Even holding up one’s head took effort here on the surface, there was no buoyancy for assistance.
Officer Combs burst through the door and looked at Riptide, grinning from ear to ear. “Don’t freak out or anything, but I am going to introduce you to a new friend. His name is Officer Watch… Pocket Watch. He’s a diamond dog and he’s super nice. He’s big, but he’s kind, even if he does smell a little funny after it rains when he’s wet.”
Watching the door, Riptide saw a large bipedal creature step into the doorway. It waved. Riptide had seen nothing like it, he had no frame of reference. It was big and had claws. Its face was wrinkled, drooping, big teeth were visible.
“Hello.” Riptide tried to sound as polite as possible.
“Hi.” Officer Watch’s tail began to wag behind him. It was long, bushy, and spotted. “I can’t stay for long, as I am expected in other places, but Curry Combs insisted that I meet you because you need friends.”
“He does!” Curry Combs bounced around the diamond dog, beaming, her mane bobbing as she pronked.
“Anyhow, I have the train tickets you will need. The evening trains were all booked. You’ll be traveling on the Solar Express, it leaves Vanhoover just after dawn. It goes to Canterlot with no stops on the way, following a nice scenic route,” Pocket Watch said.
“He’s a watch dog? Get it? It works on so many levels! He’s on the city watch, he’s a watch dog, he watches for trouble!” Curry Combs bounced back and forth in front of the diamond dog, her tail twitching and her hooves clattering on the floor.
“I broke my father’s heart. He wanted me to work in the family watch business… we make fine watches and timepieces. After our shop got robbed when I was just a pup, I’ve had me a keen nose for justice. Combs here just can’t stop laughing about me being a watch dog.” Pocket Watch sighed and looked down at Curry Combs as she bounced.
“I don’t know what I was expecting… I was told that Equestria was a nation of ponies.” Riptide, feeling a little confused and more than a little exhausted leaned forward on the table to support his weight upon his front legs, which were folded before him.
“Oh we’re integrated now. We’re a nation of everybodies. It is better that way. I mean, how else was I going to find the love of my life, my big moody Murdy Birdy?” Curry Combs froze mid-pronk, hanging in the air for a moment before coming down and landing on her hooves with a thud.
“I need to be going. It was nice meeting you. Good luck on your trip,” Officer Watch said in a voice that was more of a low rumble.
“We need to figure out what to do with Riptide for the night,” Murdlow said from the other room.
“We’ll take him home with us of course,” Curry Combs said. “We have a nice apartment. Only one bedroom, but we have a nice sofa you can sleep on and I know for certain it will be better than the cot in the cell.” The pink mare watched as the diamond dog departed, and for a moment, she seemed sad that he was leaving. “Goodbye Officer Watch. Stay safe!”
“See ya later,” Officer Watch replied.
“Yay… I’ll get to see him tomorrow… I have something to look forward to!” Overcome with happiness, Curry Combs bounced in place a few times.
“Ready?” Murdlow asked, his talons on the door handle.
Riptide nodded. He looked at Curry Combs right beside him.
“Okay,” Murdow said, pushing open the door.
Stepping forward, almost falling, Riptide walked through the door with Curry Combs at his side. The city was filled with sound, bright colours, smells, and…
Sky.
Looking up, Riptide let out a wail of fear, his knees wobbled, and he felt his guts clench up. His heart began thudding in his chest. Leaping, his legs still uncertain of this strange new world, Riptide landed on Murdlow and clung to the big griffon, wrapping his forelegs around the big griffon’s neck.
Murdlow stood there, rolling his eyes as a very frightened pegasus clung to him, shivering and trembling.
“Murdy! Murdy Birdy! You have a new best friend! Extra squeezy pegasus hugs are the best sorts of hugs!” Curry Combs began bouncing around Murdlow. “I’m jealous… I didn’t get a hug… this isn’t fair!”
Still shrieking, Riptide redoubled his grip on Murdlow, fearing that he would fall upwards, towards the sky, into the now orange with sunset void that stretched out in all directions above him.
Saying nothing, Murdlow backed himself through the door, taking Riptide with him. Once inside, he waited for Curry Combs and then shut the door. He took a deep breath, summoning his patience, he was living with a Pie after all, so patience was something he had in spades, and waited for Riptide to realise it was okay.
“You’re silly,” Curry Combs said in a voice filled with bubbly laughter, not making it clear who was silly.
“How do we get him home?” Murdlow asked of his wife. He watched as Curry Combs shrugged while somehow standing on her front legs and using her hind legs for shrugging. For a moment, he marveled that he knew that she was shrugging, and then realised he had lived with a Pie descendent for too long.
Feeling unsettled, he began peeling the petrified pegasus off of him, mindful of his claws, with gentle effort he got Riptide to let go.
“We need a hat!” Curry Combs bounced from her front legs to her hind legs, stood up, and booped Murdlow on the beak.
“What is a hat going to do?” Murdlow asked, regretting and fearing the answer.
“A hat will keep Riptide from looking up. We’ll get something stylish, something with a big wide brim… and then… I dunno… that is where my idea ends,” Curry Combs replied.
Murdlow nodded. Curry Combs’ idea had a shocking amount of logic and made sense, which scared him somewhere deep inside.
“A hat?” Riptide asked.
“A hat will make everything all better!” Curry Combs promised.
“It will?” Riptide drew in a shuddering breath and looked at Murdlow. “I’m sorry… I don’t know what came over me—oooof!”
Taken by surprise, Riptide found himself being crushed by Curry Combs. She was squeezing him, making it difficult to breathe, and he saw stars in his vision.
“I want my extra squeezy pegasus hug! It isn’t fair that Murdy Birdy got one! Gimme gimme gimme!” Curry Combs demanded as she wrapped her forelegs around Riptide’s neck and applied her earth pony strength to express her friendship.
“Curry, he can’t breathe and he’s turning purple,” Murdlow said, offering a warning.
“Oh.” Curry Combs let go. “I guess I gave you the extra squeezy pegasus hug. I wonder how I did that?” The mare looked perplexed and blinked a few times as she tried to figure it out. “I’m not a pegasus. I’m going to go hat shopping, I’ll be back just a bit! I have a new superpower… I can do super extra squeezy pegasus hugs!”
Opening the door, Curry Combs went pronking off to look for a hat.
As Murdlow was closing the door behind the pronking pink pony, he heard her say, “Check this out, I have a new superpower!” He then heard a grunt and a panicked cry for help.
Murdlow shoved the door shut with a click.
“She’s… something,” Riptide said, hoping he would not offend.
“I love her more than anything in the world, but there are moments where I ask myself what was I thinking… anyhow, I think the hat might help. Try not to look up. Just try to look down, at the ground. The sun is setting, it will be dark soon. The walk home is not a long one, but you are still getting your legs. It is warm out, and I have no doubt that Curry will want to stop for ice cream on the way home, so you’re in for a treat. Welcome to Equestria, Riptide, watch out for Pie family descendents.”
“It seems to be working, Murdy Birdy,” Curry Combs said as she pulled Riptide along.
“You pushed the hat down over his eyes. He’s blind.” Murdlow, walking behind Riptide, gave the pegasus a gentle nudge to keep him going in the right direction.
“This is a trust building exercise… just like we have on training days!” Curry Combs squealed. “How ya holding up? Feeling scared?”
“A little… I can’t see,” Riptide replied.
“Let me fix the hat for you.” Reaching out his talons, Murdlow made ready to fix Riptide’s hat.
“No! I don’t want to see!” Riptide said, his panic causing him to stumble. He fell forward and felt something soft against him, pushing him backwards and setting up upright.
“I gotcha.” Curry Combs patted Riptide and continued to walk forwards backwards. Her backside seemed to know where it was going and it was important to keep an eye on Riptide. “Your cutie mark is a book.”
“Cutie mark?” Riptide asked from beneath his hat.
“Cutie mark. I have no idea why ponies call it that,” Curry Combs replied.
“We call it an assignment mark. What you have determines the job you are assigned. I’m an archivist.” Riptide continued walking forward, hoping that he wouldn’t fall.
“I have a flaming ice cube… it showed up after a really hot plateful of apple, mango, and chili pepper curry… it was really good too… served over rice that smelled just like popcorn. It was so hot that I had trouble breathing and I thought I was going to die as I laid on the floor and saw a tunnel of light. And then I started to go down that tunnel but I think my great how ever many great grandmother Pinkie Pie was there because I met a pink mare and she hugged me and squeezed me and kissed me and told me I was special and that I was too special to be here so she kicked in me in my plot and booted me out of the tunnel of light and told me that there was a grumpy griffon that I had to go cheer up… she didn’t apologise for kicking me in my hiney, but that’s okay it’s never healthy to carry a grudge. I ate every bite! So nummy!”
Riptide made a mental note to avoid curry at all costs.
“I wonder what sort of job I would get with a flaming ice cube where you come from?”
Riptide, almost stumbling again, felt himself being righted. “I don’t know.”
“I never did find a grumpy griffon. Only Murdlow. He’s been so much happier since he met me,” Curry Combs said in a confused voice.
Riptide, his eyes covered by the hat, did not see Murdlow’s feathers fluff out in exasperation, nor did he see the griffon rolling his eyes.
“Oh what the hay… my booty has betrayed me… it was supposed to take us home but here we are at the ice cream shop… why would you do this to me booty? Aren’t you pudgy enough from all the ice cream we eat? I would have Murdlow punish you later, but we have a guest staying with us tonight… traitorous booty, you’ll get yours!”
Riptide heard a loud sigh and guessed it came from the griffon beside him.