• Published 28th Mar 2017
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The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse: The Equestrian Adventure - wingdingaling



All Mickey had ever known was his own home. And for years, peace and prosperity had reigned. However, unknown to him, there is another magical kingdom in need of a hero.

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Chapter 44: To the Rescue

Chapter 44

To the Rescue

The skies of Kamelut were blue and clear. The perfect day for the perfect view from the communication tower window in the flying fortress that hovered above the desert sands.

A camel sat at his desk, wistfully watching out the window at the clouds and birds above. How often he had wondered what it was like to fly through the air the same as the zahaks did, before their magic was stolen. Then, something else in the view caught his eye.

Something was flying in the distance, and getting closer. Something that the camel had never seen before, and wasn’t sure of its intentions.

Before the camel could wonder what the strange flying contraption was, his radio crackled to life and the voice of one of his colleagues came buzzing in.

Onward Uncle Scrooge and Fluttershy flew, ready to rescue the others from the clutches of the guards in the fortress.

The sounds of the engine had dulled to a quiet murmur. A sound Uncle Scrooge found quite pleasant, compared to the obnoxiously loud combustion engines he was familiar with. And over the hushed roar of the engine, the sounds of rapidly displaced air and grains of sand were growing steadily louder the closer they came to the flying fortress.

Fluttershy hid behind her mane to escape from the granules of sand. As the fortress came closer, she began nibbling her hoof. Every instinct she had told her to shrink down in her seat. Fighting her clenching gut, she leaned closer to Uncle Scrooge.

“Mr. McDuck?” she asked.

“Aye?” the tycoon answered.

“Do you think...Um...Would they be expecting us?”

“That they would, lass. I’ve not a doubt in my mind that there’ll be some welcomin’ committee for us.”

Fluttershy whimpered quietly, and shrank below her seat.

“Don’t worry. I’ve faced just about everything there is to see durin’ my life. Long as I’m flyin’, we can handle any surprise they throw at us!” Uncle Scrooge assured his timid passenger.

The tight, rapidly pounding feeling in his chest flared up again.

Uncle Scrooge lurched in his seat, and accidentally made the plane dip momentarily.

Fluttershy’s first instinct was to crouch low and take cover. But, Uncle Scrooge’s condition brought forth the caring that helped her brave the greatest dangers before.

“Mr. McDuck!? Are you hurt?” she asked.

Uncle Scrooge breathed deeply for a moment and felt his pains subside.

“I’m fine lass…” he said.

In truth, he had never felt less well in his entire life. A life which had been lived decades longer than most others. His only wish was that he would hold on long enough to keep his promise to his sister, and look after Donald. Just until his nephew’s safety was assured.

“Fluttershy,” Uncle Scrooge began, “If for some reason I don’t make it to the fortress, ye’re gonna have to fly the plane.”

“B-But...But…” Fluttershy did not know how to respond. Whether to protest the idea of taking over the controls, or think of a way to prevent Uncle Scrooge from having another attack, she could not decide.

“It’s simple, long as ye’re in the air--”

Ahead of them, a cloud of smoke was seen suddenly billowing, and an explosive projectile started rocketing toward them. And it was joined by many others.

“Those aren’t just fireworks...are they...I hope…” Fluttershy squeaked.

The lesson Uncle Scrooge was about to give had to be suddenly put to practical application.

“Listen good! Up an’ down is reverse on an aeroplane! When ye wanna go down, push--UP--on the controls!” the tycoon said, as he shoved forward on the control column, just as a rocket went flying over them.

Inside where the engine was, the beetle had to hold on to the machine’s innards to keep from tumbling about. As it held on, it noticed some parts were starting to come loose from the sudden maneuver.

More rockets were fired at the little craft.

“A-And to go up, you--” Fluttershy began.

“Pull down!!” Uncle Scrooge finished, as he demonstrated his lesson.

The plane swooped upward, as more rockets danced around them.

Uncle Scrooge’s top hat flew from his head.

Fluttershy leaned out of her seat, and caught the flying hat in her teeth.

The view below her was the distant ground, making her suddenly remember her fear of heights and of falling from them. From her new point of view, she was able to see the rockets that had missed them curve around in midair, and shoot back toward them.

“EEP!!” Fluttershy gasped, as she scrambled back into her seat. “They’re following us!”

“Ach! Must be some o’ them seeker missiles!” Uncle Scrooge said.

More rockets flew for them, forcing the little plane to be sharply veered to the right.

“Bankin’ left an’ right’s done by pressin’ a pedal on the side ye wanna turn!” Uncle Scrooge said, continuing his lesson.

Being made for a camel, the tycoon found that he had to stretch his legs as far as they would go in order to reach the pedals.

They only just missed being hit by a rocket, which barely clipped the side of their craft. Though shaken, the passengers were otherwise safe. Or so they thought.

Inside the craft, the beetle ran frantically about on its improvised walkway of mechanical parts. Everything was falling apart. Nuts and bolts had to be reaffixed. Pistons had to be manually pushed up and down. Worst of all, the pin that held the arm on the engine’s compressor had come loose, preventing the pump from doing its job.

The mithra stones in the engine slowly started dimming, and the engine began sputtering.

Taking the plunger of the pump that had been used to jury rig the engine, the tiny bug ran forth to pick up the fallen pin.

With the pin in hand, it pulled the plunger along over its shoulder to reattach it to the gyrating arm it had fallen from.

It jumped to pin the two parts back together.

Miss.

It jumped again.

Another miss.

It jumped a third time.

The gyrating arm uppercutted the beetle, and knocked it off of its feet.

Six little legs scurried in the air, before the beetle rolled itself upright. Shaking its head, it quickly skittered to collect the pin. Otherwise, the machine was doomed to crash.


DiMosco paced impatiently at the platform as he awaited his ride. He had specifically ordered for an express sky tram to pick him up, and it was already a minute late.

In the distance, he heard a loud explosion. Turning to the source, he saw the sky filled with explosives as a barrage of missiles shot toward, missed and dtonated midair around a small flying machine.

“Aw!!! Willya lookit that!! I shoulda told ‘em not to use explosives!!” the magnate cursed himself.

He was all ready to go to the nearest comm station and chew out the artillery operators, but was stopped by the sight of another vehicle rocketing toward him.

On the cable that led to his platform, DiMosco saw the familiar red of an express sky tram rocketing toward him at an incredible speed. At the moment, it was little more than halfway down the wire.

The miles long trip was finished in less than a minute. With a loud screech, the sky tram stopped at the platform and a loud crash was heard within it.

The door to the sky tram opened, and a gnat staggered into view. He was wearing a bellhop uniform, which was made for a bug twice his own height, and a hat which nearly covered his eyes.

“...Thank you for using Di...Mosco Express Skyways…” the gnat began, as he gave a clumsy salute, swaying back and forth on his wobbling knees. “...How may I be of...”

“Skip the howdy-do’s! I gotta get to my office! Pronto!!” DiMosco said, as he shoved his way past the gnat.

“Okie-dokie...Uh, boss...Me and the other express operators were wondering...could we get helmets for when we’re on the job?”

The innocent request was met with DiMosco cracking his cane over the gnat’s head.

“If I get you a helmet, then I gotta get every-friggin’-body else a helmet!! You’ll take yer lumps, an’ you’ll like the ten cents an hour y’all get for it!! Now, get this thing rollin’!!” the magnate shouted.

Taking the message in full, the gnat quickly locked the door closed, then set to work operating the sky tram.

With only the press of a few buttons and switches, the express tram began to rumble.

Working parts within the machine rerouted themselves to shoot fiery exhaust from one side to the other. And with a sputter of flame, the sky tram took off like a rocket from its platform.

During the trip, DiMosco held tightly to the safety rail, while the operator was swept off his feet by the inertia.

The fortress was growing closer by the second. Once he was there, DiMosco was going to set everything right himself: shoot down the plane, recapture the prisoners to bargain for the engine, and dispose of them all in one fell swoop the moment he had the chance.

Seconds passed, and the miles were crossed in the span of them. Even after the sky tram arrived, DiMosco would need to take another commute to his building. Then, he would have to climb every single step to his office at the very top.

Taking his cane in hand, the magnate smashed a glass panel next to himself, and took hold of the lever, which said ‘EMERGENCY BRAKE: DANGER!! DO NOT PULL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!’

“You’re not serious!!?” the gnat shouted, as he held on for dear life.

He was most dismayed when he saw that his boss was dead serious.

DiMosco kept his hand on the switch, and stared intently at his office window. He had to pick his moment.

Just a little further…

And…

The switch was thrown. DiMosco let go of the switch and held tightly to his trilby as he smashed through the window with his cane.

The magnate shot through the air, while the little gnat behind him smashed face first into the seat at the far end of the tram.

It was a feeling of flight like was never felt before by DiMosco. Almost as if he were a living rocket that had taken off. Perhaps the closest thing he could compare it to was being shot out of a cannon.

He could not meditate on it for much longer, as he was growing close to his office balcony.

Holding out his cane, DiMosco hooked the handle around an outcropped beam of an awning. He spun twice around the wooden beam, until his revolver dislodged. His firearm continued to spin around the beam, and the magnate went spinning into the air.

With a graceful aeril twist, DiMosco landed safely on his feet. He outstretched his arm and held his cane upright. His revolver stopped spinning around the beam, and dropped neatly into its sheath with a resounding click.

Once everything was in place, the magnate ran full speed into his office, carefully navigating past all of the carefully placed displays until he reached his desk. As soon as he reached it, he picked up the black phone that was attached to it.

“Sybil!!! Get the guys in artillery on the horn!!!” he barked into the mouthpiece.

As the centipede operating the communication lines worked her many arms to connect the proper wires to their proper place, DiMosco impatiently drummed his fingers on his desk, which gradually escalated to him slamming his palm onto the flat surface. Until a voice was heard on the line.

“Boss?” the voice on the other end asked.

“WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA, BLOWIN’ AWAY OUR HOT PROPERTY!!!? YOU BOYS DOWN THERE BETTER KNOCK OFF THAT MISSILE BARRAGE, OR I’M LOADIN’ YOU INTO THEM BATTERIES!!!!”

“But, you said--”

“I’M SAYIN’ NOW: ANYTHING, BUT EXPLOSIVES!!! EVEN IF YA GOTTA RESORT TO SPITTIN’ A WAD O’ GUM AT IT!!!! I DON’T WANT THAT PLANE, OR ANYTHING IN IT BLOWN AWAY!!! UNDERSTAND ME!!?!!?”

“U-Understood, boss!!”

DiMosco growled fiercely into the phone, before he saw something that spiked his rage. The display case for his aviator’s suit was shattered, and the contents within it were gone.

“RRRRAAAAARRRRGGHHH!!!!!” DiMosco yelled, as he smashed his phone against his desk.

It was time to put a constituency plan into effect. The magnate knew that he would have to do something, in case the intruders survived. The moment that he acquired the plane and the marvelous engine within, he was going to hightail it to another one of his established strongholds. From there, he would spread another network of mega rails, connecting them to other hubs and spread Yen Sid’s influence further around the globe.

Luckily for him, he had already laid out the groundwork for such an escape, just in case. A plan where he would take all the contents of his money bin with him wherever he went.

He turned on the security monitors in his office to keep an eye on his money bin as it was emptied of its contents. To his greatest shock and horror, he saw that there were two uninvited guests within.

The pony and duck he had apprehended only minutes earlier were smack dab in the middle of his money bin. At the moment, the pony was bucking the duck into the air. At the zenith of every buck, the airborne duck reached for the catwalk that ran over the bin, where the large gold nugget was suspended. But, he kept coming up several feet short.

How had they gotten in there? What blindspot did they find that he had missed? More distressing still was that the duck was wearing the aviator’s uniform that the magnate had so painstakingly collected piece by piece over the years.

“That no good, thievin’--!!!”

DiMosco took the phone he had just broken and slammed it repeatedly against his desk, until it was nothing but a few shards of plastic and wires.

Once the initial fit of rage passed, an idea occurred to him. He would be able to pack up his bin and dispose of the two interlopers in one fell swoop.

Smiling deviously, DiMosco slid aside the name plate at the front of his desk, revealing a red button beneath it. The button popped up from its hiding place, ready to await its duty, which DiMosco happily obliged.

With all gusto, the magnate slapped his palm down onto the button, and his escape plan was put into play. Once that was finished, he opened his desk and loaded his pockets to capacity with bullet clips as he monitored his bin’s drainage.


“WAAAAK!!” Donald shouted, as he was bucked into the air again.

He rapidly rose to the catwalk above, and reached his hand out for it.

His momentum was quickly lost, and he went dropping back down.

“Ya got it yet!?” Applejack asked.

“No!” Donald called back, as he fell back downward.

Applejack stood on her front hooves and readied to buck upward again.

“We better get it this time--” Donald said, as he landed on his friend’s hooves, “--I don’t know how much more of this I can--” He was rocketed back into the air, “--Taaaaake!!!”

It wasn’t that Applejack didn’t try as hard as she could. It was only that even from the tops of the simulated jeweled trees, it was still such a long way up. And it was about to get longer.

The gilded ground beneath Applejack’s hooves dropped a sudden inch. Before she could try to figure out what was happening, Donald came plummeting back to the ground. Without being alert, she was unable to catch the falling duck, who landed face first into hard ground.

“What’s the big idea!? What’s the big idea!? WAAAAAAK!!!!” Donald shouted, as he hopped up and down, twirling one arm around in circles and holding the other straight out.

Before he could continue his trademark tantrum the ground dropped again, and steadily continued to lower.

“Ulp...Did I do that…” Donald meekly wondered.

Whether he had or not, a dip was growing in the middle of the money bin. And it was getting steadily larger.

Knowing they would have no chances of survival if the bin swallowed them, Donald and Applejack began desperately running to the edges, hoping to escape the peril.


Qard’s flying machine sputtered in the skies as rockets exploded all around it.

Uncle Scrooge fought the controls, as the plane started to fail him.

Fluttershy did not dare to look out from her seat. She could feel their altitude dropping, just the same as she had experienced countless times when she found she had flown too high and grown queasy when she suddenly looked down.

The machine was growing more difficult to control by the moment. Every time they dodged a rocket, another one sped by closer than ever.

Uncle Scrooge tightened his grip on the controls and swerved away from an oncoming rocket.

The errant missile collided with another, creating a pressure wave that gave the entire plane a jolt of turbulence.

Inside the aircraft, the beetle bounced around. Though it held tightly to the arm of the pump, it could not stop itself from spinning around it. In its two middle arms, it held tightly to the pin that would clasp the working parts together. If it could only stop jumping enough to aim it properly in its slot.

There was another turbulent jump, and the beetle fell from the arm it was hanging to. Worse still was that it dropped the pin that it was holding.

With a frightened squeak, the little bug skittered after the pin as it rolled toward the edge of the metal platform.

One end of the pin teetered over the edge.

The beetle dove.

The pin dropped straight down into the machine.

The beetle landed on the edge and was only just barely able to brush the tip of the pin as it dropped below.

More turbulence, and the beetle was bumped down after the pin.

The little bug bumped its head against what felt like every metal part as it dropped into the belly of the plane. When it stopped, it felt like it had fallen into another world.

The inside of this machine was far more hospitable and forgiving than the last one it was inside. It was cooler, and there were more places to walk and climb. But, the constant winds that blew there felt liable to send it all the way to the other end of the plane. And that’s just what was happening to the pin.

The landing gear had been pulled up, but there was nothing to cover the openings where the wheels were retracted. Which was exactly where the pin was being blown.

The beetle tried to crawl after the precious component, but was pushed forward by the gale behind it.

It was a stroke of luck. Between its skittering legs and the wind, the beetle was able to run more quickly to the pin.

The wind caught the little bug’s shell, forcing it to pop open and act as an impromptu drag chute.

Suddenly caught like a sail, the beetle went gliding over the top of the pin, unable to reach it no matter how it strained to do so.

It was stopped from gliding by slamming into the front of the wheel of the landing gear, where the pin was rolling.

Held against the front of the wheel by the wind, the little bug quickly started running down its surface. Only, its progress was slowed by the wheel spinning against it.

Not daring to stop and miss the pin before it fell, the beetle started running faster, slowly descending down the face of the wheel.

The pin rolled closer to the edge, and the beetle doubled its effort to catch it.

Both were so near one another. If only the beetle could stretch farther, as the pin teetered on the verge of a mile long drop to the dunes below.

Desperate action was needed.

The pin dropped, and the beetle jumped from the face of the wheel. Reaching out, it caught the pin in all six of its legs as it unfurled its shell.

The air current in the plane’s undercarriage caught them both, and swerved them both around to the back of the landing gear.

Quickly as ever, the little bug reached one little leg up to grab onto the nearest metal outcropping.

It did not even take the time to gasp and sigh with its newfound relief. It simply continued to firmly grasp the pin as it climbed back up toward the engine.


Uncle Scrooge continued his aerial maneuvers, weaving in and out of the flying rockets. Like a grand aerial show, plumes of smoke trailed around creating intricate shapes in the sky, followed by a burst of flame as the rockets detonated.

One rocket exploded so near that the little aircraft was blown off balance. The entire craft rolled over, until it was very nearly upside-down.

The pilot and passenger both struggled to stay in their seats, while the beetle inside had a sudden drop to its intended destination. Before it fell past, the little bug grasped onto the edge of its metal platform, pulled itself up and set to work trying to reaffix the jury rigged compressor back together.

Fluttershy propped her four hooves tightly against the edges of her seat, trying her best not to fall out as Uncle Scrooge jerked the plane around. She tried flapping her own wings, in a futile effort to save herself from falling.

From her inverted view of the world, she saw something that she would recognize from any angle. Somehow, in a way that she could never have imagined possible, Applejack’s hat was hooked onto the tailfin of one of the rockets.

Knowing that Applejack would never be whole without her hat, the timid pegasus carefully craned her neck out of her seat to grasp the treasured item in her teeth.

The rocket was growing closer.

Fluttershy’s nerves faltered.

Even though the rocket passed nowhere near close enough for her to be harmed by it, she still retracted her reaching neck to safety.

“Hang tight, lass!!” Uncle Scrooge called, as he slowly reoriented the plane.

Fluttershy did no such thing. The missile with Applejack’s hat on it swerved back around, ready to make another strike at its target.

She had no idea of when the rocket would explode. All Fluttershy knew was that she had to save the hat before it did.

The plane was on its side now as the rocket flew closer. Fluttershy reached further out of her seat, this time outstretching her hooves.

The loosened grip on her seat was nearly a fatal mistake.

Uncle Scrooge pulled hard on the control column, making the plane stall sharply upward out of the way of an oncoming rocket.

Just as the rocket passed by Fluttershy, she fell out of her seat and went freefalling to the ground below after knocking Applejack’s hat from the tailfin.

It was only her shrill scream, just before the rocket detonated that alerted Uncle Scrooge to the danger his passenger was in.

The tycoon quickly veered downward to catch Fluttershy.

The downward momentum was just what the beetle had needed. As it was jumping to fit the pin back into its slot, the world around it shifting had reoriented the two metal arms to align their slots with one another. All the little bug had to do was fall in order to put the pin back into its place.

With the compressor working once more, the mithra stones started glowing brightly,] and power was restored to the engine. Once that was taken care of, the beetle returned to setting right all of the other minor bugs that were happening within the engine.

There was a sudden surge of cooperation from the flying craft, and Uncle Scrooge was able to dive beneath Fluttershy and catch her just in front of the pilot’s seat. Once she had landed, Applejack’s hat flew in and perched itself atop her head like a bird.

The pegasus and tycoon almost dared to laugh, if only for the sense of relief it would bring. But, now neither could see what was in front of themselves.

If either of them were able to see, they would have noticed the assault of missiles had stopped, and new weapons were manned.

A loud metallic panging jolted Fluttershy forward, as bullets pelted the plane just through the hairs at the end of her tail.

She scrambled across the top of the plane and held tightly to the wing’s supports, where she hoped whatever was happening would not happen to her.

Uncle Scrooge veered the craft to the side, assuming that they were now using machine guns once they had gotten closer to the fortress. It was even worse for them now. They now had to dodge a rapid stream of small, blindingly fast ammo, with no way of knowing what direction it was coming from.

The only thing that was going their way was that the bullets did not seem to be able to pierce the metal hull of the plane. But, the engine and propeller at the front were not so sturdy.

The beetle had to press itself against a wall as the bullets shot through the very front.

The propeller began to slowly stop, and the little bug ran forth to manually turn a crank, keeping the propeller spinning.

More gunfire forced the beetle to abandon its post and run for cover.

The flying fortress was practically upon them, but Uncle Scrooge did not dare fly higher, for fear of being made a sitting duck by the gunners.

His old eyes darted desperately behind his spectacles, searching for any other way in, or a place to land safely. And he became even more desperate when he felt another surge of pain in his chest.

Then, there was something. Through the blinding sandstorm below the fortress, the tycoon thought he could see a balcony or a walkway. He could not gauge how large it was. Only that it was the only chance they had of survival.

“Ach!!” he shouted, as the pain in his chest throbbed harder, now into his arm.

“Mr. McDuck!!” Fluttershy gasped.

“Fluttershy…!!! Take the controls!!!”

“But--”

“Do it!!!...For the sake o’ the others…!!!”

For Applejack and her new friend, Donald, Fluttershy would risk anything.

Securing Applejack’s hat atop her head, Fluttershy leaned forward into the pilot’s seat, and slowly clambered into it. Uncle Scrooge scooted aside, allowing the pegasus to take over the controls.

“Where are we flying?” Fluttershy asked.

“There...Into the sands…” the tycoon said, as he weakly pointed a shaking finger to the sandstorm below the fortress.

Fluttershy did not protest. She did not ‘but,’ or ‘eep,’ or ‘if you want to.’ She fully trusted what the elderly duck was telling her, even if she didn’t understand it.

She was just beginning to feel the grains of sand blow against her face, and squinted her eyes.

Something was there. Something in the sandstorm that looked unnatural, as if made by hoof.

More sands pelted her face, as the propeller chugged and sputtered.

She pulled on the controls and closed her eyes, hoping to live to see the landing.


Any solid surface in the money bin was giving way beneath Applejack and Donald, as they frantically ran for safety. Slowly but surely, the incline they were escaping was getting deeper, and threatened to pull them toward the sinkhole in the center.

They ran along the length of the catwalk above them, hoping that at the end of it was a ladder or a staircase to help them escape.

How far they had run, neither of them could guess. But, no matter how they tried, they could not escape the constant hazards that the unnatural disaster constantly presented to them.

The golden brick road warped and waved as it slid toward the sinkhole.

Applejack had trouble keeping her hoofing on the unstable surface. Her legs ran madly across the aureate ground, kicking up heavy golden blocks in her wake.

Behind her, Donald had to bob and weave his way around the bricks Applejack kicked up.

“Hey! What’s the big--” Donald shouted, before he had to spit out a gold brick that had become lodged in his bill.

“You’re gonna get it for--”

He spat out another gold brick.

“I’d horsewhip ya, if--”

He spat out another gold brick.

“WAAAAAAAAK!!!!”

Donald had enough. He jumped and ran across the tops of the flying bricks, using them like stepping stones to overtake Applejack.

One of the amber trees toppled over, right into the path of Applejack.

The farmpony jumped and caught Donald on her back, just as her hooves landed on the fallen trunk.

Donald’s flailing arms caught two of the smaller branches, as Applejack swerved around the oncoming limbs.

One particularly large branch stuck straight up in the center of the trunk.

Just as Applejack was fumbling for a way to swerve around the branch, Donald flapped his arms.

With a sudden jolt, both duck and farmpony went sailing over the top of the oncoming limb.

Applejack’s hoof barely brushed against the tip of the stiff branch, making her tumble forward in the air.

Donald was thrown from her back, and literally hit the ground running across the moving currency. After him, Applejack landed squarely on his shoulders, about to take the ride of her life.

An avalanche of platinum boulders came rumbling toward them.

Donald tried running up the side of another fallen tree, but had to jump aside when a branch plowed rapidly toward him.

His webbed feet landed on the top of one of the rolling boulders, before jumping to the next one.

One boulder jumped over the others toward him.

Applejack swung herself around Donald’s neck and bucked the silvery white boulder away.

With the boulders came what looked like a forest of trees. By bunching together, these trees managed to stay upright. And it was precisely that what allowed Donald and Applejack to escape from the rolling boulders.

Applejack reached her hooves up and caught a branch, pulling Donald up with her as she climbed.

Once they were both on the branches, they began frantically climbing their way through the moving forest. They climbed higher, hoping to see the edge of the money bin, before they were swallowed.

A loud crash sounded high above. Whatever it was, neither could see through the thick branches. All they could do was hope that it would do them no further peril than they were already in.

Qard’s flying machine smashed through the bay window, showering the floor with shattered glass and broken metal bars.

Neither passenger had a chance to shout as they were thrown from their seats. Uncle Scrooge rolled to the side, away from the broken plane.

The beetle fell from Fluttershy’s mane as the pegasus nearly skidded right into the money bin. Were it not for the safety rail, she would have fallen right in. After her, Applejack’s hat and Uncle Scrooge’s cane rolled up to her side.

After the crash, something else fell from the broken aircraft and fell into the bin.

Down below, Applejack’s head emerged from the golden canopy. Above the peril, she was glad to see a familiar, butter-yellow coat and pink mane.

“Fluttershy!!! Down here!!!” she called.

“Fluttershy!!?” Donald echoed, as his feathery head popped above the golden leaves. He quickly looked around, until he caught sight of his timid friend above. “Hey!! Help us!!”

Though she was so near, Fluttershy laid completely still. Though her friends shouted loudly, she remained unroused.

The pains in Uncle Scrooge’s chest had stopped, but he was still too feeble to stand up without his cane.

From somewhere that he could not determine, he could hear the sounds of his nephew’s voice yelling for help. It was that which made him realize that he had to do something. Anything.

The tycoon spotted the tiny beetle lying on the ground, its six legs flailing about as it laid immobile on its back. Desperate for anything that would help, he thought of a way to wake Fluttershy.

With a shaking hand, he flicked a piece of shattered glass to the bug.

The beetle was propped up on its side, where it rolled over rightside-up.

More pieces of glass were flicked at it by Uncle Scrooge.

Quickly, it ran for the safety of Fluttershy’s mane.

Once it reached its larger friend, it quickly skittered up her face and behind her ear. There, it had a clear view into the money bin, where it saw Donald and Applejack desperately trying to escape what looked like golden, glittering quicksand.

There was nothing that the little bug could do. But, perhaps if it could wake Fluttershy.

It quickly jumped to the front of the pegasus’s face, and hastily began tickling her nose with its first two legs.

Fluttershy’s nose twitched gently. She sniffled.

The beetle stood up and started using two more legs to tickle the pegasus.

“Ah...Ah...Choo!” Fluttershy said, as she awoke with a sneeze.

The beetle was blown backward, nearly over the edge of the bin.

“I’m alive…! I-I flew!!” Fluttershy excitedly said to herself.

In spite of her several tiny cuts and the incredible ache she was feeling all over, Fluttershy had never felt prouder of herself. She had been riding passenger with Uncle Scrooge since they had taken off. But, after taking the controls for herself she felt as if she were actually, truly flying on her own.

“Fluttershy!!”

“Get us outta here!!”

The pegasus jumped when she heard Applejack and Donald’s voices shouting to her. She also became aware of a rumbling noise in the room that shot a pang of fear through her being.

Looking to the source of the sounds, Fluttershy was horrified to see her friends in mortal peril.

She didn’t stop to think about how. She knew the great, glittering sinkhole meant the end of her friends. If she did nothing, they were going to die.

Quick as she could, she looked for a way out. There was a ladder at the end of the catwalk, but her friends were nowhere near enough to reach it. But, there was something else that may have been able to help.

A control console by the catwalk sat with many buttons and a great lever atop it.

No thoughts were in Fluttershy’s mind as she limped forth and pulled the lever on the console.

There came a loud groan of metal, and the sounds of hydraulic whirring. At first Fluttershy thought she had made the situation worse, until the catwalk split in two at the middle, and the end closest to herself started lowering downward.

It was just what she needed to have done. Carefully as ever, the pegasus started edging her way down the ramp, until she was almost at the end.

“Over here!” she called, as she reached out a hoof to her friends.

For as much as they were trying, neither Donald or Applejack could reach her. Their outstretched limbs simply would not connect to Fluttershy’s waiting hoof.

The beetle dragged over Uncle Scrooge’s cane. At the other end of the cane was Applejack’s hat, which fell off as the little bug hiked down the ramped catwalk.

As it walked, the beetle tripped and let go of the cane, which rolled down the ramp, hooked onto one of the supports and bumped Fluttershy’s leg.

Fearing she had just been nudged by one of DiMosco’s thugs (or worse, The Big Bad Wolf), Fluttershy gasped as her eyes met with nothing but a harmless cane.

It was exactly what she needed. She took the cane in her teeth and reached out for her friends to grasp onto it.

Donald grabbed first and pulled himself up to the catwalk, where he helped Fluttershy haul Applejack up to safety. Once all feet were safely on solid ground, they quickly ran up the ramp, as the treasure below them sank away.

Once they were back up to the ledge, no words were said at all, before Fluttershy threw her hooves around Applejack.

“Applejack! Applejack!” Fluttershy said, her voice muffled by Applejack’s shoulder.

“It’s alright, sugarcube. I’m fine, thanks to you,” the farmpony assured her friend.

To Applejack’s surprise, when Fluttershy looked up at her, it was not with the usual worry, fear or concern. Instead, it was a beaming smile.

“Applejack! I flew!!”

Amid the gasps of excitement, Applejack’s brown hat skittered over as if it had a life of its own.

“Ya flew!? How!?” Applejack said, catching Fluttershy’s excitement.

“It was--Mr. Qard--He had his machine--And the mithra stones--And it flew!! I flew it!! And your hat--” Fluttershy answered.

“My hat!?” Applejack interjected.

Something bumped Fluttershy’s leg again, and she found it was the hat in question. She quickly picked it up, revealing the beetle beneath it.

“Here,” Fluttershy said, returning the hat, as the beetle crawled back into her mane.

Applejack took her hat back, and placed it atop her head. Now, she was whole again.

Uncle Scrooge managed to pull himself to his feet by grasping onto the safety rail. Once he had, Donald approached him, having retrieved his hat and cane.

“Uncle Scrooge! I knew ya’d come through!” Donald said.

The tycoon took his items back, and promptly whacked Donald over the head with his cane.

“Ow!! WAAAAAAK!” Donald said, as he shook his fists in the air.

He was stopped by another hit from his uncle.

“Gettin’ captured by the enemy like that!? I ougtha put ye to work spit shinin’ my office buildin’ from basement to rooftop!!” Uncle Scrooge fumed. “I taught ye better than to just roll over an’ accept defeat! Where’s yer McDuck backbone!?”

“Probably knocked outta me by the end of your cane!!” Donald rebutted.

He was struck again by his uncle’s cane.

“That’s a pretty way to talk to the duck that raised ye!! Next, ye’ll be tellin’ me that temper o’ yours is my fault!”

“I got it from your side, ya know! Who do ya think I learned it from!?”

“There ye go again, bringin’ my sister into the debate!! Ye think just ‘cause I cherished her as greatly as my money, ye can use her to win every argument!?”

“Ya never cared about anything more than your money, ya tight-fisted old coot!!”

Both ducks hopped up and down, shaking one fist and whirling the other around.

The mares watched in silence, unsure if the two ducks were glad or angry at seeing one another again.

As he bounced, Uncle Scrooge gasped suddenly and leaned against the rail.

“Uncle Scrooge?” Donald said, his fury leaving him in an instant.

The pain had come back. Not as bad as before, but enough to make the tycoon reel. As he looked over the side of the rail, he saw something that nearly stopped his heart on the spot.

“Fluttershy! Look!” he said, pointing into the bin.

Fluttershy, Applejack and Donald all looked over the side. But, it was only the pegasus who noticed what was so perturbing.

The marvelous engine from the plane had fallen loose during the crash, and fell into the sinking pile of treasure.

There was nothing that they could do. For almost a minute, they watched helplessly as the last bit of the treasure drained. And the engine along with it.


“Yes!!!!!” DiMosco shouted, as he jumped for joy before his monitors.

Everything had gone his way. He was about to make his escape, and with the engine he sought to possess.

With that marvel of engineering, he would monopolize the transportation industry. Money from all corners of the globe would flow his way. And he and the rest of Yen Sid’s minions would cover more ground than ever before in their conquest of the world.

With a victorious smile, he pressed another button beneath his desk, which opened a door behind one of the display cases. Beyond it was a metal pole, which DiMosco slid down all the way to his secret escape route. That is, secret to most.

Big Bad was already at the bottom, making a few last minute preparations. The glutton huffed and puffed loudly as he carried the last box of documents and stuffed it into its compartment.

Behind him, DiMosco arrived with a loud clack of his polished soles on the concrete.

“Everything better be loaded!” DiMosco curtly said.

“All present an’ accounted for, boss!” Big Bad said.

“Good! Now, get in! I wanna be outta here ‘fore anyone knows I’m gone!”

Both filed through the door in the side of a vehicle that was mounted on a massive railroad track.


The inside of the money bin began to rumble, and the sound of something moving was heard over the raging sandstorm outside.

They all ran out through the broken window to see what was going on.

Before their eyes, a massive railway rose from the sands, and a train with busses the size of blimps rode out.

Though they could not see it, they knew exactly who was aboard.

“That swindler’s escapin’ with the engine!!” Uncle Scrooge shouted

“How do we stop him now!?” Fluttershy said.

Donald pushed past them all. On his arms, he held firmly to the broken wings of Qard’s flying machine. He spread his wings wide and readied to jump.

“Donald! What are you doing!?” Fluttershy gasped.

“No! No ye don’t!” Uncle Scrooge said, trying to hook his nephew with his cane.

It was no good. In a sudden burst, Donald was gliding after the gargantuan train.

“When ye find that missin’ spine, make sure it comes with a brain!!” the tycoon shouted after his nephew.

Another sharp pain stopped him from fuming after Donald. He had just rescued him from one danger, and he was now flying off to another.

Fluttershy stopped to offer her comforts to Uncle Scrooge, and steadied him as his knees wobbled.

“Hey! Get a load o’ all this!” Applejack called.

They walked to where her voice sounded from, and found that she was standing before a flight of stairs, which led down to a gigantic train platform. On the platform were countless other spare parts of the train. Huge wheels, giant axles, and loading bins that were set beneath a massive chute. One look, and they all had the same idea.

“I can make this in a second!” Applejack said, as she set to work cobbling together their means to chase DiMosco.

Fluttershy stayed behind to mind the ailing Uncle Scrooge.


DiMosco cackled victoriously in the lounge bus of his train. He jumped and slapped the hanging chandelier, slid down the bar and opened every tap into a single glass as he passed them, swallowed his drink and danced merrily when he touched back down to the floor.

Big Bad celebrated too, by stuffing his face with everything he could find in the fridge. Even the bulb at the top, which made his cheeks illuminate slightly. Despite that, he swallowed it all anyway.

“I got it! I got it!! Ahahahahaha!!! Promotions all around!!!” the magnate shouted.

“I bet Yen Sid gives me a smokehouse big enough for an ursa major!!” Big Bad cheered.

“What makes ya think ya earned it, wolf!?” DiMosco snapped. His demeanor quickly lightened. “Aw, what the heck! I’m in a good enough mood to put in a good word for you!”

Their feeling of victory faded when they saw something outside the window.

The duck who they had very nearly killed was still after them. Their escape had failed. But, DiMosco was not worried.

He walked over to the nearest table drawer, and took out all of the revolver clips from within. Unsheathing his firearm from his cane, he loaded one clip inside and pocketed all the others.

“This shouldn’t be too tough. Help yerself to the rest o’ the food while I’m gone,” DiMosco said, rather unwisely.

Big Bad smiled as he left, and started stuffing his face with the rest of the contents of the fridge.

DiMosco climbed a flight of stairs, and exited the bus through a hatch in the roof.

The wind whipped his white hair around as he steadied his trilby atop his head. The magnate aimed his pistol at the flying duck.

“YEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAWWW!!!!”

A loud shout drew the magnate’s attention behind himself.

There, on the track behind the train was another very different train. Three large trolleys had been cobbled and hitched together from the spare parts of the train, carrying a passenger in each.

Applejack was in the lead, waving her hat around in the air. Behind her, Uncle Scrooge leaned eagerly forward, ready to take Donald from danger again. And bringing up the rear was Fluttershy, who half hid within her trolley.

“Looks like we got us a little carnival game goin’ on,” DiMosco said, as he aimed his gun, ready to see how many ducks in a row he could drop.

Author's Note:

You know that familiar feeling of impending finality. It's time for a showdown!!!
The very moment that I started this story arch, I wanted the showdown to take place in DiMosco's money bin. But, the longer I went on I started to realize that a person like DiMosco would never risk any harm of any kind befall his beloved bin, and a fight inside of it would put him at a severe disadvantage. So, that led me to decide that the final encounter with the unscrupulous magnate would happen during a high speed escape. To make it interesting, it's against him in a gigantic train.
It's not quite going to be like the fight against Rex, with a small army's worth of artillery at the villain's disposal. But, I think that you'll find it a fun read anyway.
Speaking of which, this was a fun chapter to write. Three different perils were all going on at once, and they were all loads of fun to figure out.
As you may have guessed (and I know some of you have) the aerial antics of Uncle Scrooge and Fluttershy were inspired by Baloo's fancy flying in TaleSpin.
The beetle was given another shot at stardom by navigating the inside of a much more forgiving environment. Instead of fighting against an evil engine, it simply had to keep this one from falling apart. Of course, it had to be made exciting, so it had to chase the important part through the plane.
Finally, Donald and Applejack's peril was inspired by one very obvious source: the Carl Barks Donald Duck comics. I just wanted something that seemed like something out of those old time adventure serials that Donald used to appear in. Of course he still does, but mostly in the European comics.
This is a bit of a tangent, but I feel like Europe is kind of the cultural blind spot when it comes to things like animation and comics. I just say this, because just today I met three friends of friends who said that they only ever watch anime. Me? I think that's a pretty narrow-minded attitude. I too enjoy anime, but I also really like the media of my home in the USA, and the wonderful media of my roots. (My parents are European). Long gripe short, I don't think people should limit themselves to only one medium, based on cultural preconception. But, that's your business, not mine.
Moving on, learning about how to fly a plane was easy for me. One of my friends is a bush pilot, and he gave me a short crash course in how to fly such a small craft. Turns out that flying small, single engine planes has changed very little from back in the days of Charles Lindbergh. Who'd have thunk it? Basically, the lesson that Uncle Scrooge gave Fluttershy is the one that I got. I didn't actually fly, though. That would have been bad for everyone present.
Another fun tidbit was the design of the gnat who operated the express sky tram. That was inspired by a mix of Orko from 'He-Man,' and Spirou from 'Spirou et Fantasio.' I recommend 'Spirou' for a good read. It's a lot of fun, like those old 'Mickey Mouse' and 'Donald Duck' comics. Even though that little gnat hardly appeared, he was still a fun little character to write.
And, I may be jumping the gun here, but I really want to give you all a heads up that after the showdown with DiMosco, we'll be checking in on my favorite group: Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Goofy. The goofs will be going into territory that the others have not. I won't say where. Just that it's going to be a wretched hive of scum and villainy. (No, not Mos Eisley! This isn't that kind of crossover). And the creatures who inhabit that kingdom are ones that we've seen before.
I think that's about all I have to say here. I'll just leave you with this to hang on your conscience, until the next chapter: if you readers know me by now, I am not afraid to kill off a character that you like. And Uncle Scrooge isn't looking so good. Will he live to the end of the story? That still remains to be seen.
Rock on to that little jam, until the thrilling conclusion of this story arch \m/

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