Coming down a hill was no easier than going up a hill. After several days of travel, Tarnished Teapot and Maud Pie approached the lowlands. Coming down the grade, Tarnish used his magic to operate the brake lever to keep the wagon from rolling forwards and running over Maud. Normally, Maud, when alone, would have had to take a different route with switchbacks, spending several more days to travel. With Tarnish there to operate the brake however, they were able to take a more direct route.
Ahead of them stretched the lowland highway, a road that wound its way between the Froggy Bottom Bogg and the Everfree Forest. Tarnish had traveled part of this road when he had gone south from Ponyville. The temperature was cooler and there were tall trees to offer shade. The air was humid, sticky, and the reek of hot, rotten, steaming vegetation wafted on the breeze.
There was real danger here; this area was part of the wilds of Equestria. Tarnish had experienced some of the danger here, both by himself and with Longhaul. This was a place full of hostile creatures, unpredictable weather, and untold dangers.
Walking beside Maud, Tarnish kept his eyes open and alert to danger. He walked with a confident, steady gait that held only the faintest trace of a limp. His short tail bobbed along behind him, the fine hairs streaming in the gentle breeze. His pith helmet was tilted off to a rakish angle; Tarnish looked every bit the part of a well seasoned adventurer. His saddlebags were well packed, well balanced, and did not bounce much against his sides, as such a thing would become quite painful after a few miles.
Beside him, Maud walked with the practiced measured gait of a powerful draught pony used to hauling heavy loads. She leaned into her harness and kept up momentum, somehow making her task appear as though it was effortless.
As the pair walked, Tarnish unstoppered his canteen, held it aloft in his magic, lifted it to Maud’s lips, and allowed her to drink. After several days on the road, both Tarnish and Maud moved as a well practiced pair.
The dawn had happened a few hours ago and the day was getting warmer. There appeared to be no good place to pull off to camp, no campsites of any sort. If they did pull off, they would be roughing it.
“Want to keep going?” Tarnish asked.
“The ground is flat and we’re making good time,” Maud replied.
As Maud spoke, there was a distant rumble of thunder. Tarnish lifted his head high, turned to look towards the north, and noticed that dark clouds were drifting towards them. There was another clap of thunder in the distance and then an icy cold wind began to blow from the north.
“I don’t like how that looks… Tarnish, we’re in trouble,” Maud said in a flat monotone that held no trace of panic. “Tarnish, help me get the wagon secured. We’re going to have to stop right here on the road. I’ll get the wagon out of the ruts. I’ll need you to help me get the canopy on over the wagon.”
“There’s a canopy?” Tarnish asked.
“Yes.” Maud veered off to the left to a clear patch of grass on the side of the road. She looked up at the oncoming storm. The wind was picking up. “Under the wagon are several metal poles. You will find brackets on the front and the back of the wagon. Get those poles into the brackets and then connect the front and back poles with the brace pole. After that, we’ll have to throw the oilcloth over the poles and slide some securing pins in place.” As Maud came to a halt, she kicked the front brakes with her hind hoof.
Tarnish pulled the brake lever and then peered under the wagon. He found the poles secured beneath it, just as Maud had said. He pulled them out. Three poles made of solid metal, two short poles and one long pole. The two short poles had connectors at one end to secure the long brace that went from the front to the back of the wagon.
He stuffed one of the short poles in the back of the wagon, it slid down into the mounting bracket with a click. As he worked, Maud was unhitching herself. He slipped the second short pole into the front bracket, wiggled it around a bit, and then heard a click. He lifted the long pole in his telekinesis and secured it into the front pole, sliding it into the bracket, and then did the same with the rear pole. He spotted the brown oilcloth canvas rolled up on the front of the wagon. He undid the ties as Maud opened up a small metal box mounted on the front of the wagon.
He tossed the oilcloth over the main brace pole and began to pull the corners down to the sides of the wagon, tugging everything in place. The canvas formed an ‘A’ frame tent over the top of the wagon. As he got everything pulled snug, Maud began slipping brass pins into grommets located on the canvas to secure it in place.
A powerful gust of wind rocked the wagon and Tarnish turned to look at Maud. She was peering at the storm, her eyes a bit wider than usual, her sleepy expression now gone. The first raindrop hit Tarnish, it was freezing cold and soaked right through his pelt, leaving behind a dark spot. He secured the overlapping flaps at the front of the wagon to keep the rain out and then watched as Maud climbed into the back of the wagon.
Tarnish joined her and then pulled the overlapping flaps in the rear shut. He pinned them in place and said, “I didn’t know the wagon had a cover. I’ve seen those brackets before and wondered what they were for.” He heard rain falling upon the oilcloth, the first few droplets of the coming storm.
“Tarnish, this is going to get rough. If the wind gets too strong, we’ll be blown over.”
As if to emphasise Maud’s words, the wagon creaked as a gust of wind hit it.
There wasn’t much room inside the wagon under the canvas cover. Maud was sitting on top of one of the trunks and Tarnish was sitting on the floorboards in a small area between a trunk and the water barrel.
“We’ll stay dry in here. Mostly. I’ve had this happen before.” Maud looked at Tarnish in the dim light. “You made this much easier. When I’ve had to do this in the past, it took me a while to get everything set up. Thank you.”
Outside, a deluge broke loose. There was a powerful clap of thunder, strong enough that the whole wagon shook, and Tarnish started to wonder what would happen if the wagon was struck by lightning. The wagon creaked and swayed as the wind hit it. Maud unrolled a blanket and began to spread it out beneath her. She then slipped off her smock, laid down on the blanket and then gave Tarnish a sleepy stare.
“I can think of a way to pass the time,” Maud said in a husky deadpan.
“Hmm… it might not be the wind that rocks the wagon over,” Tarnish replied.
“That’s the idea.” Maud patted the blanket beside her. “Come here…”
Tarnish opened the rear flaps and stuck his head out of the back of the wagon. The air around him was almost soupy from the humidity. The grassy area at the side of the road was flooded and the wagon had sank down several inches into the loose, muddy earth. Had he jumped out, he would have ended up fetlock deep or deeper in mud.
“Maud, it’s muddy… really muddy.”
“I need to pee.”
“Maud, if you jump down, you’re going to be covered in mud and if you try to get back into the wagon, you will get mud everywhere,” Tarnish said as he had himself a look around. Tree branches were everywhere. Hailstones were strewn about.
“Move over… I’m peeing off of the back of the wagon. Don’t let me fall,” Maud said as she shoved Tarnish over and stuck her head out of the back of the wagon. “It’s going to be miserable trying to pull the wagon out of the mud.”
Tarnish watched as Maud turned herself around. Being a gentlepony, he extended his good leg to give Maud something to hold on to. He felt her fetlock hook around his own. The sweltering air inside of the wagon felt like a sauna.
“We’re going to be stuck here for a while. I say that we settle in and get some sleep if we can.” Maud let out a sigh of relief and then continued. “We should get something to eat, settle in, get some sleep, and then when we wake up in the late afternoon, we’ll need to pull out of this mess. The road is going to be awful.”
“I guess it will be slow going,” Tarnish said.
“If we can go at all. This wagon is heavy and if the road is too muddy, we’ll be stuck here for a few days while everything dries out.” Maud shook her backside, giving it a wiggle, and then pulled herself inside the wagon. “This could be miserable.”
“At least we’re together.” Tarnish grinned. “I think I’ll crack open a bottle of soda.”
“As hot as it is, I really want a bowl of oatmeal. Do you think you can boil water with your magic?” Maud asked.
“I think so,” Tarnish replied. He looked at Maud. “I need the practice. The book says day to day practice is important. Oatmeal does sound kinda good.”
“Good. Fix us some oatmeal and I’ll give you happy husband hugs while we go to sleep,” Maud offered.
“You have a deal.”