Chapters Chapter 1: Diamond Tiara’s Dilemma
At the Rich Family Mansion...
Inside the mansion, everyone on staff, maids and butlers alike, were getting ready for Diamond Tiara’s birthday party.
They were tying balloons to seats, placing the goodie bags on the table, and putting up a "Happy Birthday" banner above the buffet table. Megan, Pinkie, and Rarity were helping with hanging the balloons and streamers near a small stage, while Spoiled Rich, Diamond Tiara’s mother, “supervised” to make sure things went her own way.
“No No No!” Spoiled Rich said, “There should be more streamers near our stage and fewer balloons!”
Megan, Rarity, and Pinkie moaned in frustration.
“Yes, your nagginess,” Pinkie Pie angrily mumbled.
“What was that, Ms. Pie?” Spoiled Rich shouted.
“Nothing!” Pinkie says with a blush pinker than her.
Spoiled Rich snubbed the three in a huff as she walked away to check on more of the set-up.
“Pinkie, this is the last time I help you set up a party that involves Spoiled Rich,” Rarity said.
"Seriously, what does a nice guy like Filthy Rich see in that high-horse?" Megan asked as she wiped the sweat off her head, “No offense.”
“None taken.” Pinkie and Rarity respond.
"It’s one of Equestria's biggest mysteries, that’s for sure," Diamond Tiara giggled as she walked in.
Diamond Tiara walked up to the trio with a sad look on her face.
“I’m sorry about how my mom is treating all of you,” Diamond Tiara said, “Some high class ponies are coming to my party along with my friends, and everything has to be perfect for my mom.”
“What about for you?” Megan asked, “This is your birthday party.”
“And my mom always turns it into her party, Megan,” Diamond Tiara said.
Seeing how glum Tiara looked from what was happening, Megan decides to cheer her up by petting her on the head and mane.
“Is Spoiled Rich always high maintenance?” Megan asked as she petted Diamond Tiara.
“Always,” Rarity and Pinkie giggled.
Then, a family of carpenter ponies came in with their tools and cables. Diamond Tiara notices the youngest colt with the drill cutie mark and walked up to him.
“Hey, Drill Bit,” Diamond Tiara blushed, “Um...Did you get my invite?”
“I sure did,” Drill Bit said, “I’d love to come tomorrow. Can I, Dad?”
“Sure, Son,” said the pony with the hammer cutie mark.
“That’s great,” Diamond Tiara said, “I guarantee that you’ll have a good time.”
“I know I will.” Drill Bit says with a bow of the head.
Tiara couldn’t help but blush at the bow Drill Bit gave her.
Spoiled Rich approached the carpenter ponies, hoping to hear about the fountain and her new patio, Drill Bit’s father noticing right away.
“Your fountain is all set for the party, and the tiles for your patio match it, Mrs. Rich,” said the hammer pony.
“Thank you, Hammer Down,” Spoiled Rich said, “You and your family may take your leave.”
"Might as well. I have to get cleaned up and ready for Diamond Tiara's party!" Drill Bit said.
Spoiled Rich gave a look of shock when she heard what the young colt said.
The two repair ponies left while Diamond Tiara waved to Drill Bit. Then, she noticed her mother giving her a stern look and bit her lip.
“Did you truly invite that foal to your party?” Spoiled Rich asked.
“Yeah,” Diamond Tiara shyly said, “What’s wrong with that?”
“Working-class ponies do not associate with us, Diamond Tiara. Inviting their kind would not only lower our social status but allow them to rob us of every expensive material we have.”
“But Drill Bit’s nice, and he’s my friend from school,” Diamond Tiara said.
“Diamond Tiara, I order you to uninvite that pony, or consider your party cancelled.”
Spoiled Rich walked away. Diamond Tiara sighed heavily and walked away with gloom.
Unknown to her, Catrina and Rep were setting up everything outside in the garden when they heard everything from a window. When they heard everything, well, they wanted to do something about it right away.
“Sounds like Diamond Tiara’s got a problem, Catrina,” Rep said.
“Does this remind you of what we’ve went through when we met?” Catrina said.
“Yeah. We better talk to her tonight.”
Chapter 2: How Our Story Began
That night, Diamond Tiara was sulking in her room as she paced around, thinking about her dilemma.
“What am I going to do?!” she said with panic, “If I don’t do as mom says, my birthday is cancelled; however, if I do as I’m told, Drill Bit will be mad at me. I don’t know what to do!”
She held her face and she sat herself on her bed. Just then, she heard a sound of tapping glass outside her window. Curious, Diamond Tiara went over to her window and opened it. What she saw outside completely shocked! It was...a green dragon! Flying outside her window!
“Hey, Diamond Tiara,” the dragon said.
“Huh? How do you know my name?” Diamond Tiara asked with confusion.
“It’s me. Rep.”
“Rep?”
“Yeah. Catrina and I overheard you and your mom talking earlier, and we understand what you’re going through.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. Catrina is waiting for us in the garden. Can we talk there?”
“Okay.”
Diamond Tiara climbed onto Rep’s back, and they both safely landed on the ground. Rep changed back, and then they walked into the hedge maze. They entered and stopped right at the entrance when they saw Catrina sipping tea while sitting at the gazebo. A plate of cookies and teacups of green tea were set up for the three of them.
“Hey, Tiara.” Catrina greets, “Care for some cookies and green tea?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Diamond Tiara sat herself and bit into a cookie.
“We heard your mother doesn’t want you to invite Drill Bit,” Catrina said.
“Yeah. My mom has always been on her high horse,” Diamond Tiara said, “She means well. She grew up thinking that we should be with our own kind.”
“Does that mean you’re not gonna let Drill Bit come to your party?” Rep asked.
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I can’t go against my mom, but I don’t wanna lose my friend either.”
“Believe me,” Rep said, “Catrina and I have been through the same thing as you.”
“So you told me. What happened?”
“It’s a long story about how Catrina and I met one another and became close. It started shortly before we enrolled in the Tambelon’s School of Knighthood, back when we were kids…”
****
Tambelon-1900 AC (After Celestia)
Inside of a house not far from the castle, where Rep and his family lived...
“…My father and brothers were part of the royal guard of Tambelon. I wanted to be just like him and do something heroic like he did during his time. Problem was...I was the smallest and weakest of my family…”
Young Rep is trying to carry a spear, and it looks like he was successful. A smile appears on his face at what he accomplished, holding his spear above him. But his triumph...
...was short-lived.
His arms backwards and he fell on his back from the weight of the spear. A dark green lizard and a light green laughed upon what they saw.
“Don’t worry little brother,” the dark green lizard said, “We’ll find a pair of safety scissors for you to use as a weapon.”
Both continued to laugh until a short, dark green lizard in armor gave the two lizards a stern look, causing them to stop.
“That’s enough out of you two!” he said, “Now, report for training.”
“Yes, Father,” both lizards said with a salute.
They run off while their father looked at Rep with concern.
“Rep, what were you doing?” his father asked while helping him up.
“I just wanted to train with you, Croc, and Cham,” Rep said.
“Rep, you’re too young to train right now. You’ll get to be part of the family business when you’re old enough.”
“But I want to do some of the heroic stuff that you did.”
“You will, Rep. Heroism takes time, and it has to be a deed that no one else has ever accomplished. Someday, you’ll be a hero in your own way.”
Rep smiled to his father’s wise words. Then, they heard the sound of pipe organ music.
“…Just then, Dad and I, along with the rest of Tambelon, heard the sound of a pipe organ playing. We looked outside from our tower and saw caravan of cats coming…”
Catrina narrates, “That caravan was mine, Diamond Tiara. I was part of a troupe of gypsy cats who go around from town to town, performing magic acts and acrobatics. At that same time, I too was trying to find my place…”
A young Catrina was in her carriage, filling the smoke bombs she and her troupe had with tons of glitter. She was carefully putting in a potion when an old, brown cat with an orange mustache came in and startled her, causing a colorful explosion to happen. Catrina was coughing while brushing the glitter off of herself.
“Catrina, what are you up to?” the old cat said as she took her beaker away, “You know you’re not allowed to handle the smoke bombs!”
“I just want to do more for the troupe, Daddy,” Catrina said, “I’m tired of being backstage where no one else can see me. I want to be in the light of the show instead of the darkness of backstage.”
“I know. That is why I talked with the rest of the troupe.”
When her father told her that, Catrina couldn’t help but tilt her head with curiosity.
“You did?” Catrina inquires.
“Yes. You get to participate in the magic show tonight.” her father told.
“*gasp* Really?!”
Catrina’s father chuckled, “You get to help me with the magic box trick during show time.”
“That’s my favorite trick.”
“I figured it’s time you’d be a little more hands-on. Just no more making smoke bombs.”
“Okay, Daddy.”
After her father left, she started to clean up the mess that she made from trying to make smoke bombs.
Chapter 3: Unpleasant Welcome
"Within moments, the guards outside opened the doors for Catrina's clan, where they were greeted by the Moochik...” Rep continued telling.
Catrina and her gypsy cat family came in just as the guards opened the doors for them. They went into the palace, and strolled down the Grand Hall, taking in the sights of everything it held. They strolled until they approached another pair of guards who were guarding more doors.
The guards opened the doors for the clan. This time, it wasn’t just to let them through, it was to let them in the throne room, where the Moochik resides.
Sitting upon the throne is the great Gnome Ruler of Tambelon, the Moochik himself. Standing next to him is his centaur general, Torarc.
"Welcome to Tambelon," the Moochik said as he greeted them.
"Lord Moochik," Catrina's father said as he bowed, "I am Ioz, of the Romani Gypsy Cat Clan. My family and I have come by caravan to share our magic with your fair city."
"The pleasure is mine, Ioz. It is an honor to meet you," the Moochik said.
Just then, as the Moochik and Ioz continued to introduce themselves, Rep and his family came into the room. Rep's father was the first to take notice of what was happening, and when he saw the Clan, he gasped with horror. When Catrina's father Ioz heard the gasp and saw Rep and his family, he gasped as well.
"Papa? Is something wrong?" a concerned Rep asked.
"Oh there is, Son!" Lt. Chamel shouted, "Lord Moochik!"
Rep's father stomped toward the Moochik and the Cat Clan and said, "Sire, you cannot invite them in!”
“And why ever not, Lieutenant?” the Moochik asks.
“They are Abyssinians! They are cat creatures well-known for being con artists and thieves! And gypsy cats are the worst of them all!"
"Yay! Well we know a lot about you Sheegana chameleons! You lizards have been known for taking advantage of your shape-shifting abilities and using your powers to bully others into giving you what little they have!" Ioz roughly said.
"A downright lie if I ever heard one! I'm ordering you and your family to get out of our kingdom and go back to the trench you came from!"
“And I’d like to tell you to crawl into the nearest hole leading to Tartarus and stay there!”
Lt. Chamel pointed his spear at Ioz just as he hissed and reared his claws. Catrina timidly got behind her father. Rep could see the ruckus that was happening in the throne room and ran to stop it, especially because he feared for his father's safety. When he reached his father, he pulled his tail.
"Dad, stop!" he cried.
Then, he and Catrina saw each other and looked each other in the eye. When their eyes locked onto each other, both kids gained a feeling they have never felt before, and were not familiar with at all. They also didn’t know why they never noticed each other before.
Ioz and Lt. Chamel were about to charge at each other when General Torarc got between the two of them.
"Stand down, Lieutenant! That's an order!" General Torarc commanded.
"Yes, General!" Lt. Chamel saluted.
The Moochik stood himself up from his throne.
"Lt. Chamel, you and your family don't have to attend their show. But whether you want them here or not, all creatures are welcome in Tambelon no matter what! You and the lizards are prohibited from harming them!" he tells the lieutenant.
Lt. Chamel took Rep by the arm and walked with him in hand. Rep turned around and got a good look at Catrina while he waved to her. Catrina waved back to him before her father took her by the arm out of the throne room.
****
Later...in the palace courtyard...
Lt. Chamel was telling his sons why he was outraged about the Romani Cat Clan as his sons watched him pace.
"I can't believe the Abyssinian Gypsies have been welcomed by the Moochik," he shouted, "His diplomatic moments are going to be the end of Tambelon one day!"
"What's the big deal, Papa?" Rep asked, "They are just a family of cats."
"The big deal, Rep, is that this family of cats are Abyssinians, a race of cat creatures well-known for being tricksters. They con, steal, and lie in order to get everyone's hard-earned money. That is why I'm ordering all three of you to stay away from those cats, especially their leader!"
"Yes, Papa," all three sons said.
Chamel and the family soon departed from one another, each going in separate directions. Chamel was headed for the family home, while two of the boys left to play. Rep stayed behind because he couldn’t help but have second thoughts about the whole thing.
He was thinking about the girl cat he saw earlier.
“That girl...she was...beautiful.” he said to himself, before going off to catch up with his brothers.
****
Meanwhile, at the caravan...
Catrina is getting the same lecture from her father in their caravan.
"I'm telling you this now, Catrina. Those lizards are nothing but trouble.”
“Why, Papa?”
“Because they are Sheegana chameleons! They are sneaky shape-shifters who use their powers to intimidate others and take whatever they can get their hands on. Especially Abyssinians! And they’re even more dangerous when working in a royal guard!" he yelled, "Luckily, the Moochik is willing to give us a chance. I'm warning you, Catrina. Stay away from those lizards. They will do nothing but cause harm to you!"
"I will, Papa!" a panicked Catrina said.
Her father left the caravan. As Catrina looked out the window and into the palace, she couldn't stop thinking about Rep.
Chapter 4: Secret Friendship
That night, Rep looked out his bedroom window and saw the caravan under the stars. Catrina was on his mind, and he couldn't stop thinking about her.
‘I’ve never seen anyone like her before,’ he thought to himself, ‘I wouldn’t mind seeing her again. Maybe even more.’
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spots something...
It was the cat girl, and she was sneaking around the garden, looking at some flowers.
"It's that cat girl I saw," Rep said, "I oughta go down there and see her."
Rep changed into a green butterfly and fluttered toward the garden.
****
In the garden, Catrina was admiring the beauty of the flowers. She especially admired the pink glowing flowers, which glowed like they were the stars of the ground.
She giggled and said, "These are even more beautiful than the Abyssinian roses back home."
She was about to smell one, when suddenly...a green butterfly fluttered in front of her. She was surprised by it at first, but when she let it land on her finger, she could feel the gentleness it gave.
"Hey there, little fella," she said, "You come to show me around the garden?"
When she asked that, the butterfly fluttered off of her finger. It flapped its wings to where a person could be at a regular distance from another person.
Then...the butterfly transformed...into the lizard boy that Catrina saw in the throne room earlier. She quietly gasped and stepped back as she made rustling sounds in the grass.
Rep shushed her and whispered, "Hi there. I’m sorry if I scared you.”
Catrina looked around to make sure nobody else was around and said, "It’s alright. I was just surprised, that’s all. No harm done.”
"I'm Rep. What's your name?"
"Catrina."
"Catrina? That’s a pretty name.” Rep compliments.
When Rep gave her that compliment, Catrina couldn’t help but blush and giggle a little.
“Thanks.” she responds, “What brings you out here, by the way?”
“I noticed you were admiring the pink moon flowers. My mom once said if you hold one close to your face, it will make your face glow like the stars."
Curious, Catrina plucks one of the moon flowers and held it close to her face. The flower let out a glow that outshone the stars themselves.
"Does it work on me?" Catrina asked.
As Rep looked at the star-like glow on Catrina's face, his heart began beating, his eyes looked as if they are stargazing, and the feeling he had ever since he saw her became greater.
"It sure does, Catrina," Rep said.
Catrina giggled. Then, the two shook hands with each other.
"I don't care what my dad says, Rep," Catrina said, "You're cool to be with."
"You too. I think we should hang out together more often."
"Me too. But we should meet someplace where our dads can't find us."
Catrina and Rep looked around until they saw a hedge maze in the courtyard. It gave Rep an idea.
"I got an idea, Catrina," Rep said, "We'll meet in the hedge maze. I can turn into a butterfly and spot you from the air."
"Then it's settled. We'll meet at the hedge maze at sunset."
Suddenly, they heard their dads calling to them.
"Rep, it's time to turn in!" Lt. Chamel cried.
"Catrina, time for bed! You have a busy day tomorrow!" Ioz called.
"I gotta go, Rep. I'll see you at sunset."
"Bye, Catrina," Rep said.
The two kids went in opposite directions back to their fathers.
"Already, we set up plans to meet and hope our fathers would never find out," Catrina said, "Little did we know that someone saw us together, and he plotted to use our friendship to his advantage.”
A pasture-green crow watched the two from a tree and said, "Hmmmmm. Those two could be useful for my plans."
The crow snickered and flew off.
Chapter 5: Jet's Evil Plan
As they had their tea party, and as Catrina poured more tea into Tiara’s cup, Diamond Tiara couldn’t help but feel curious about something involving the story.
"I see how you two became friends. But, who was that green crow that was watching you?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"That green crow...was Jet," Catrina said.
"Jet?" Diamond Tiara gasped, "You don't mean-?"
"Yep," Rep said, "This was also the time when Jet tried to steal from Tambelon’s treasury. We didn't know it at the time, but Jet was planning perhaps one of the biggest heists in history..."
****
The green crow flew without a care in the world, flying above whatever citizen of Tambelon he passes. None of the people minded the bird that was above them, especially since they were unaware it was really Jet. What they also couldn’t see was the devious grin on his face because of what he had seen moments ago.
Then, as if something that he saw attracted him like a magnet, he started to flap harder and faster towards the something.
In the distance...was the tallest tower in Tambelon, Jet’s Lair, which was precisely where he was headed. Nobody even thought he could be there because it was abandoned long ago.
He flies to the window and lands on the wooden sill it had on the bottom. He takes in the surroundings of his lair, even though it wasn’t his first time seeing it. His room had a straw bed with pillows and a blanket, and on his door is a picture of Rep's father covered in darts.
‘Lair, sweet lair.’ he thought to himself.
He flew in, landed on the floor, and slowly transforms back to his original form, seeing that he really wasn’t in any rush. While he did, a mouse was about to come out of a hole in the wall, but it got scared when it saw Jet’s transformation and ran back in.
Jet completely transforms back to his scaly wicked self.
“This is perfect,” he says to himself, “With that juicy forbidden relationship of theirs, Chamel's son, and the cat girl known as Catrina will be the perfect pawns of my plans.”
With the use of his tail, he reaches over to a box of darts and grabs one from out of it. After bringing it over to where he could reach it, he uses one of his hands to grab the dart.
“For years, Lieutenant Chamel has been nothing but a thorn in my side, standing in my way of being the most notorious Sheeganian lizard ever known. But now...I have finally found a way to make that insufferable excuse of a reptile crack, like an egg!”
As if to prove his point, he throws the dart he had right at the picture of Lieutenant Chamel, and it makes contact straight on the picture’s forehead, like an assassin getting his victim.
Satisfied with his hit, he makes his way over to a large table, one where two maps sat, one being a large map of Tambelon’s castle and the area outside of it, and a map of the entire city. To map out his plans though, he brings out two chess pieces as a way of mapping who someone is and what someone is doing. One chess piece was for Chamel; and the other was for Ioz the cat leader.
“If I stir up enough negative emotions between Chamel and the leader of those cats,” he brings the chess pieces representing them closer together, and puts three more chess pieces in front of them, “The royal guard will be distracted by their feud. Once they are occupied, I will be able to sneak into the city’s vault and take the treasury with ease.”
He picks up a dagger with a black-handle, and stabs it onto the city’s bank.
“When the safe is completely clean of the treasure, I will become the richest lizard in Tambelon, and when I do, the Moochik will have no choice but to marry Leah off to me. Only then will I become the new King of Tambelon!"
Then, he gives a low malicious chuckle because of how clever his plan was. His chuckle turned into a laugh that echoed throughout the tower.
****
"I get why he wanted to steal the treasury, but...who is Leah?"
"Leah was the Moochik's daughter, and the Princess of Tambelon." Catrina said.
"W-what?! None of you mentioned he had a daughter!"
"That's because we don't know what happened to her," Catrina said, "According to the Resistance that helped us out of Tambleon, the Moochik sent her to a secret location when Grogar and his forces invaded, but we never got to learn where. No one, not even Grogar, knows where Princess Leah went into hiding.”
Chapter 6: Maze of Friendship
"When sunset came, I changed into a sparrow and flew myself above the hedge maze until I saw Catrina...," Rep narrated, "I had never felt so excited about anything in my whole life."
Rep flew over the hedge maze with a smile on his beak as he felt the wind blowing underneath his wings. He tweeted a nice bird song, passing a couple of robins as he did. He kept flying when he saw something at the center of the maze: Catrina.
Rep flew down in a whirlwind until he perched himself on a bush of pink blossoms.
****
As she waited for Rep, Catrina was sniffing some flowers and touching their petals, until she saw a green sparrow perched on the bush next to her. The sparrow made a tweet in greeting.
"Hello," she greeted as she curtseyed, "Have you seen my friend? He's a Sheegana lizard."
With a few flaps of his wings, the bird lands himself on the ground and suddenly...transforms into Rep. Catrina gasped with awe.
"How did you-?" she asked.
"Your dad was right about one thing," Rep said before he turned into a cat, a dog, and then...himself, "We can shapeshift."
"So, what do you want to see first in Tambelon?" Rep asked as he held out his hand.
"Absolutely everything, Rep!" an excited Catrina said.
"Okay, but we have to make sure our families don't see us," Rep said, before transforming into a pegasus pony, “Hop on.”
****
As the two friends flew over Tambelon, Catrina was able to see the whole city. She watched with awe and wonder in her face as she saw the people and buildings below. Several different species were down there, all living side by side like prejudice and differences in race barely existed.
Rep is giving her the tour as they flew over each landmark, each of them standing out like needles in a haystack that were easy to find.
Rep pointed and said, "Over there is the Palace of Harmony."
Catrina looked over and saw a palace of ivory with giant bells at the top tower.
"It’s the home of the Moochik and the Council, and it is the first building to be purified back when Tambelon was Nightmare Valley. Over to the right is the market place, where you can shop for anything: clothes, potions, all kinds of stuff."
Catrina gazed with astonishment at the hustle and bustle of the market place as she sees everyone buying and trading with the merchants. An anthropomorphic deer-like being for instance was making a trade with an anthropomorphic chubby looking dog-like being.
"But all those places can't compare to the place where we‘re going."
"Where's that?" Catrina asked.
"You'll see," Rep said.
It was in that moment that Rep began to fly like a pegasus in a race. Catrina hung onto her friend as they flew, while, as they did, Rep couldn’t help but note the grip she had on him. It was a little tight, but it was most of all gentle, and her touch on his pegasus fur gave him a soothing feeling.
****
As the sun created a twilight sky before it set, Catrina and Rep flew over a familiar building made of gold. Catrina was amazed by the glittering architecture as her eyes shined.
"What building is that?" Catrina asked while pointing.
"That is the Tambelon School of Knighthood. The children of Tambelon go there to learn how to be true knights. They teach history, magic, potion making, combat skills, and the Four Codes."
"Four Codes?"
"To be a knight, one has to follow the Four Codes of Knighthood: Inner Strength Within, Love for Another; the Courage Within; and Self-Sacrifice for others. Anyone who follows the codes will receive the Medallion of Knighthood and become a true knight of Tambelon."
Everything Rep said about the school filled Catrina with wonder and inspiration. When she saw the school shining, she could almost feel the light and harmony that the school and Tambelon share. Suddenly, the clock tower dinged. Catrina gasped with horror when she saw the clock pointing at six o'clock.
"It's six! I gotta get back to the caravan!" she panicked.
"I'll fly you home fast!"
Rep zoomed while Catrina hung onto his mane tight, and to Rep, even the feel of Catrina tightening her grip on him gave him a soothing feeling.
Chapter 7: Trouble Begins
"Sounds like your friendship was off to a great start," Diamond Tiara said as she took a bite off a cookie, "What happened after that?"
Catrina moaned, "You mean what hasn't happened..."
****
That night at the Cat's Caravan, orange and yellow light was flickering on the caravan wagons from their campfire, and the cat troupe (minus Catrina) were each having a nice feast as they sat in front of the fire. What they didn’t notice though, was the flying lizard-turned-pegasus and the cat girl on his back.
Out of hearing distance of Catrina’s family. Rep safely landed on the ground and let Catrina off. Then, in the blink of an eye, he changes back.
Just as he thought nothing else would happen, Catrina leaned in and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, causing Rep to blush as he held his cheek.
"I had a wonderful time with you, Rep," Catrina says with a flirty tone.
"Uh...Likewise, Catrina," a blushing Rep replies.
Slowly, Rep was about to lean over and return the kiss when he hears someone humming from east of the caravan, the sound also catching Catrina’s ears. Coming toward them is Catrina's father, Ioz, with a few pieces of wood in his arms. Catrina gasped while covering her mouth.
Ioz, having heard her gasp and saw her, walked toward her and said, "Catrina? What are you doing out this late?"
Catrina looked behind her and saw a flower in Rep's place. She sighed with relief.
"I was just waiting for you to come home," Catrina said.
Ioz lovingly chuckles upon hearing those words.
"Well, you can stay up as late as you want," Ioz petted her, "We have a day off from rehearsal tomorrow."
"Okay, Dad. I plan to meet someone in the market tomorrow. Can I go?"
"Sure. Just make sure you stay away from those Sheegana Chameleons."
Catrina couldn’t help but bite her lip because of what he said, because ironically...a Sheegana Chameleon was who she was going to meet.
"Okay,” Catrina says, “Good night, Daddy.”
"Good night, Sweetie," Ioz said.
The two walked back to their wagons for bed. As they walked further, the flower turned into Rep. Catrina saw him back in his lizard form right after her father enters the caravan. She winks at him, which causes Rep to blush more.
After the two cats enter for bed, Rep walks back home, excited to spend more time with her tomorrow.
****
The next day...
At Tambelon’s Town Square, Sheegana chameleons were out on patrol, making sure that everything was normal and there was no trouble happening. They rested by the fountain, thinking that a few minutes rest would do them good considering that they felt tired.
Suddenly, just when things seemed quiet for the two...they got pushed into the fountain, landing in it with a splash. They spat out water and rubbed their eyes, when they saw...a tall cat in white clothes laughing at them, before running away.
Angered by what the Abyssinian just did to them, the lizards got up and chased the cat . They chased him and chased him, until he made a right into a nearby alley, which the guards quickly followed. When they came into the alley, the guards pointed their spears when they saw that there was no one in front of the brick wall the path lead to. The only thing they could see was a rat digging through a trash can.
"Where did he go?” the first guard asks.
“I don’t know, but it’s obvious he got away,” the second guard says, “Who was that anyway?”
"It's gotta be one of those Abyssinian cats that our lieutenant warned us all about.” one guard said.
"We better scout around and see if anymore are causing trouble.” the other guard said.
And just like that, the two guards leave the alley to search the rest of the city for anymore troublemaking Abyssinians.
He jumps into the air off the trash can, and transforms into Jet.
"Silly guardians. The trouble has just begun.” Jet snickered more.
Chapter 8: The Feud Begins
A few minutes later...
After the fiasco with the guards, Jet arrived at the area where the caravan was staying, hiding behind some old broken-down stone walls. He snickered to himself, thinking that this was going to be fun.
In the blink of an eye, he became a crow again and flew over the Romani Caravan, right over the rooftops without any of the Abyssinians noticing. He gently landed down on the ground behind a caravan and transformed back into himself. He snickered again when he saw a rock below him at his feet.
As a precautionary measure, he transformed into another Sheegana lizard called Grey so that no one would know it was really him. Then, he picked up the rock, and threw it at one of the windows of Ioz’s caravan.
“Go back to where you came from, Cats!” he shouted.
The sound of glass shattering can be heard by the camp as the entire Romani Clan came out. Ioz came out of the targeted caravan, covering a bleeding cut on his face from the shattering glass.
Finally, they saw Jet disguised as Grey. The entire clan shouted in anger as they threw stuff at Grey/Jet, but he turned into a bird and flew off.
Infuriated, Ioz said, “Those blasted lizards are just as the other clans have said!”
****
At the Royal Palace, the guards reported to Lt. Chamel by the fountain outside, reporting what had happened.
“One of those cats came out of nowhere and attacked us, Sir,” one guard saluted.
“I knew those cats couldn’t be trusted!” Lt. Chamel shouted while raising his fist.
Just then, Chamel and the others heard moaning coming from around the right corner. They turned and gasped when they saw Grey/Jet against the wall, covered in bruises and cuts while he breathed heavily. Lt. Chamel and the guards ran to him and laid him on the ground.
“Private Grey, what happened?” Lt. Chamel asked.
“The Romani Clan...*coughed* attacked me...when I tried to stop...one of their thefts,” Grey/Jet said, breathing heavily, “I overheard them...talking about your youngest son. They are sending one of their own to trick him. He and a cat girl are meeting at the marketplace. You have to stop them.”
“My son, Rep?!” Chamel exclaims, “This is terrible! Can you take us to them?!”
“I’ll regenerate and catch up with you, but you have to save your son,” Grey/Jet coughed, “Besides, you know where it is anyway.”
“Right,” Lt. Chamel said, before directing his attention to the others, “You heard him. We must get to the marketplace.
“What a fool!” he says to himself mischievously, then transforms back into his old self, “Now for the Romani Clan.”
Jet transforms into an eagle and flew at such speed, he disappeared in a second.
****
Jet flew back to the caravan and saw the angered cats raising their fists as they shouted about what happened. He landed behind a tree and transformed into a green Abyssinian. He ran toward the crowd and searched for Ioz. Then, he saw the big cat raising his hands as he calmed the crowd.
“Everyone please!” Ioz shouted, “I will talk to the Moochik about this attack and see what he can do!”
Jet (disguised as the white-clothed Romani clan member named Cain) runs up to Ioz while calling his name, “Lord Ioz!”
“Cain, what is it?!” Ioz asks with concern.
“I have news for you! One of the lizards has spirited Catrina away! The royal guard are on their way to the marketplace to meet them and hold your daughter for ransom!” Jet said.
“Catrina! Two of you come with me! We must stop them!” Ioz orders.
With that, he ran off with two of the cats. Jet sneered while he was still in his cat form, not one other cat noticing him do so.
Chapter 9: Feud or Friends
At the Market...
Rep was standing by the checkout counter, checking out something that seemed to have really caught his interest. It was a golden locket, with a star symbol similar to Twilight’s cutie mark, but with four small stars surrounding it.
Nearby, Catrina was looking around, checking out the shelves and seeing what they beheld.
“Bueno Dias, Rep,” Someone said from behind Rep.
Turning around, he found that the local jeweler, who was a chubby-looking anthropomorphic hog with short tusks, was standing behind the counter.
“Oh, hello Mr. GiChino,” Rep greeted in return.
“You have your eye on something you like, Señor?” Mr. GiChino asked.
“Yes, Sir. It’s this locket right here.”
Following Rep’s finger, Mr. GiChino saw what Rep was looking at.
“Ah. Beautiful one,” GiChino comments, “A gift for a Señorita, no?”
“Uh-huh,” Rep replies, “She’s right over there.”
Following the direction of where Rep was looking, Mr. GiChino found Catrina, who had a dove on her finger. The warmness in her soul helped the dove to consistently enjoy her company, as well as the petting.
“Ah, my friend. She is wonderful inside and out. Locket you are eyeing will be perfect for her.” GiChino told him.
“That’s what I was thinking.” Rep agreed, “How much is it?”
“Oh, if you’re willing to pay, the locket will be ten pesos.”
Without a moment of hesitation, Rep reached into his pocket, and pulled out the exact amount needed to buy the locket.
“Here you go,” Rep said, handing him the money.
Being handed the money, GiChino grabbed the locket from out of the glass casing, and handed Rep the locket.
“There you are, Señor Rep,” Mr. GiChino said, before assuring, “Go ahead and take it to the lovely flower you seek.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Without a moment of hesitation, he strolled right to Catrina, putting the locket in both of his hands before putting them behind his back.
When he made it to her, he said, “Hey, Catrina.”
Her attention caught, she turned to find Rep behind her.
“Oh, hey Rep,” she greeted, “What’s up?”
“I brought you something,” he told her.
He took the locket out from behind his back, showing it to her.
She gasped in awe upon seeing it.
As Rep gave her the locket, an excited Catrina said, “Oh thank you, Rep! I’ll cherish this locket just like I cherish our friendship.”
“I’m glad.”
Catrina held Rep’s hands and asked, “Speaking of which, I want to invite you to the Magic Show tomorrow night. Can you make it?”
“You bet I will. I can’t wait.”
With their plans in mind, they decided to leave together.
“Catrina!” A yell suddenly made itself known.
They turned and saw Catrina’s Clan coming from the south of the Square, yelling and growling with pitchforks. They gasped upon seeing this, until...
“Rep!” Another yell sounded.
They turned to find Rep’s family, and the rest of the squad, coming from the north of the Square, with swords and maces in hand.
“Oh no!” Rep shouted.
“H-how did they find us?!” Catrina yelled in fear.
The two groups finally meet at the center of the Square where the two kids are. Both fathers gasped with shock to see the two together.
“Catrina! Away from that two-faced reptile!” Ioz commanded.
“My son is not two-faced! But your daughter is trying to steal him away! Typical Abyssinians to con others!” Lt. Chamel said.
“You dare call my daughter a con cat?!”
“Only if you dare call my son two-faced!”
Ioz and Chamel charged at each other with their weapons in hand and their families following them. Rep and Catrina watched in horror as their families clashed with each other. Both sides swung their weapons at each other as they tried to hit, but each were blocked by the other, unable to land a hit at the moment. The sound of metal clashing hurt the childrens’ ears.
“Stop!” Rep cried.
“Please, don’t do this!” Catrina also cried.
Suddenly, the sound of a horn blew.
A group of knights, lead by Vorak and his son Tirek, blocked the two clans from each other as they ran through. Vorak looked very gruff and irate.
“Who started this?!” he bellowed.
As if each were wanting to respond first, Ioz and Chamel unwittingly started talking at the same time. Each of them were blaming the whole thing on the other, but it came to the point of being nothing but babbling, until they faced each other again and babbled angrily at each other.
“ENOUGH!!!” Vorak bellowed, having had enough of it all.
The shout was enough to silence the two leaders from ever speaking at the moment.
“The Moochik has warned both you and the rest of your clans about this feud! If anyone, including the two of you, is caught fighting again, you will face the Moochik in a court of law! No exceptions!”
Upon hearing this, the leaders and their clans (with the exception of Rep and Catrina, who are looking around each other with fear) growled at each other and walked in opposite directions away from each other.
“Rep, come to us!” Lt. Chamel commanded.
“Catrina, come here!” Ioz shouted.
With heavy hearts of sorrow, Rep and Catrina looked at each other with forlorn looks, before they walked towards their respective families.
“Goodbye, Rep,” Catrina sobbed.
“Bye, Catrina,” Rep said, tears cascading down his eyes.
As they walked away with their families, they looked toward each other. Without anyone else looking, Catrina showed him the locket he gave her, giving a sign that their friendship would remain strong. Rep smiled with hope in his heart.
Chapter 10: Advice from the Moochik
Diamond Tiara swallowed a cookie she was eating. Then she sighed and said, “I take it your families didn’t listen to you when you tried to explain what you were doing together.”
Rep said, “Yeah. Both Families forbade us from seeing each other. That evening during sunset, I was sulking on my bed when I heard a knock on the door...”
An angry Rep was in his room pouting when someone knocked on the door. Assuming it was either his dad or one of his brothers, he angrily shouted, “Go away!”
“It’s me, Rep,” a familiar voice said, “It’s the Moochik!”
A shocked Rep quickly got up and opened the door for the Moochik.
“Come on in, Sire,” Rep bowed.
The Moochik walked in with a look of concern toward Rep and said, “I came in to check up on you. I heard your father came down hard on you.”
“Yeah,” Rep said, “He says that I’m not allowed near Katrina. She said that she would rob me blind in an instant.”
“What do you think?” the Moochik asked.
“I don’t believe that. Katrina is nice and she’s my friend. I want us to remain friends, but I can’t disobey Dad. What should I do?”
“I can’t make that decision, but if I did, I think you and Katrina should continue being friends.”
“Huh?”
“Rep, your friendship with her could provide an example for both of your clans. For too long, the two races have fought each based on mistrust and false stories. You and Katrina can bring them together. Sometimes, people can become friends even when others are against you.”
“You’re right, Lord Moochik,” Rep said, “Tonight, I am going to that magic show. I just need to make sure I have a good disguise and make sure only Katrina recognizes me.”
The Moochik gave him a flower from the maze, causing Rep to dance with glee.
“I’ll make sure your father doesn’t find out,” the Moochik assured him as he left.
What Rep didn’t know was the Moochik was really Jet in disguise. He transformed back into himself.
“See you at the show, Rep,” Jet chuckled.