The Quest For The Prosperity Platter

Chapters

1 - Decisions
2 - Flashback
3 - Arrival

1 - Decisions

“Hey, Smolder! Go long!”

Silverstream watched as Smolder, who had her head deep in a book, launch from her chair and take off like a rocket down the library aisle. She wrestled with the tennis ball for a bit before finally chucking it towards her friend.

It was the last day of the year, and everypony and creature was having fun. Several students decided to read in the library for a bit before heading out of the building for the summer, but Silverstream and Smolder had other plans. They found the library a perfect place to play catch, due to the countless open aisles and smaller crowd.

Smolder leapt up and caught the ball just as it was about to fly over her head, with help from her wings. Silverstream smiled wide as the orange dragon landed softly on a pile of conventionally positioned books. She clapped her claws together as Smolder jumped off the pile of books with the tennis ball in hand.

“Nice catch, Smolder!” Silverstream called from one end of the library to the other. Smolder nodded and tossed the ball back to the hippogriff, who returned the favor by catching it as well.

“Not going to lie, that was pretty neat throw, too…” Smolder replied, scratching the back of her head and chuckling nervously. “Except, it almost went over my head, but…”

The dragon was caught off guard by a tennis ball whizzing towards her at an unreal speed. Her eyes widened as she quickly stepped out of the way, letting the ball go past her. It hit the pile of books and bounced in an awkward direction, and soon, Smolder couldn’t even find the thing. She looked at the concerned hippogriff ahead.

“Wow. That was REALLY fast,” Smolder exclaimed, stunned. “Was it because I made fun of your aim?”

Silverstream looked down at her throwing claw, her right, and then at Smolder. She winced. “Sorry! That was NOT my intention. I swear.” She apologized.

Smolder’s smile returned and she crossed her arms. “It’s fine. Just help me find that stupid thing.” The hippogriff nodded, and they both took to the air, searching every corner for the lost ball.

Sandbar finally finished packing his things, sighing, and looking up at his room one last time. He had spent the whole school year living in this small apartment-like space, and now it was time to reflect.

He grabbed his bag and double-checked to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything. He found out that he wasn’t, so Sandbar walked to the door where chaos was ensuing outside. When he opened the door, he was startled to see that Gallus was sitting right in front, yawning.

“Well? Are you finished?” The gryphon asked, tilting his head as if he was bored. Sandbar shrugged, still a bit upset that the school year was ending, and blew a lock of hair out of his face.

“I didn’t know you were waiting,” Sandbar said, walking down the crowded hallway, where ponies and creatures desperately were on their way to leave. Gallus followed him, and they were both silent until they reached the stairway.

“Do you know what we’re doing?” Gallus asked as they started to walk down the stairs, which were equally as crowded as the hallway.

“No. What?”

“We’re supposed to be meeting the guys in the library. Y’know, one last get-together before we end the year.” Gallus explained, and the pair reached the bottom of the stairs. Sandbar started to walk in the direction of the library, and once again, his blue gryphon friend followed.

“That’s cool.” Sandbar said simply, holding back his emotions. He wasn’t in the talking mood, anyways; he was astonished that so many ponies preferred the summer over the school by a long shot. He understood why ponies liked being off school, but not why some hated school so much.

Sandbar, personally, loved this school.

“...that’s where we’re going, right?” Gallus asked, not exactly assured. His earth pony friend nodded, and the gryphon was silent the rest of the way as they weaved through plenty of traffic. Sandbar assumed that they would be alone in the library, with their friends of course, but he found out that his assumption was just a bit off.

Once they got to the library, the two noticed that there were other ponies concentrating on studying before they hit the road for the summer. It probably wasn’t a surprise that these same ponies were at the top of their classes in their respective lessons, but Sandbar wasn’t paying any attention to them. He found it funny that once he scanned the library for his friends, he found Silverstream and Smolder literally throwing a few books out of their spots in the bookcase as if they were desperately looking for something dearly important to them.

Sandbar and Gallus walked over to where Silverstream was, and it wasn’t long before she looked down from whatever she was doing and noticed them standing there. She smiled widely and descended from the top of the bookcase, her arms outstretched, ready for an embrace with her best friends.

“Hey, guys!” She exclaimed gleefully once she hit the ground, wrapping each arm around both of them and bringing them close to her. Sandbar smiled and wrapped a hoof around her as well, and as he did so, he couldn’t help but notice Gallus not particularly enjoying her hug. He made a disgusted face as she hugged him, most likely smelling her usual fragrance, which had a bit of a fishy smell to it. This made Sandbar laugh out loud, but once Silverstream was done, she couldn’t quite figure out why the earth pony was laughing. Just before she was about to ask, though, two more familiar figures appeared in the doorway, so she flew over to greet them as well.

Sandbar watched as Silverstream embraced the small frame of Ocellus the changeling and then the large frame of Yona the yak, who was carrying a large box of books on her back. Suddenly, Smolder poked her head from around the corner of a bookcase, her magenta eyes full of confusion.

“Uhh… since when is Yona so into books?” She asked, leaning on the bookcase. Yona heard this question, so she looked back at the box she was hauling on her back as she gathered her thoughts.

“Ocellus needed help with the cleaning of the room, so Yona come and carry for her big book box!” The always energetic yak exclaimed, grinning widely. Ocellus nodded in agreement and smiled as well.

“I didn’t bring much to school, but since this box of borrowed books was so heavy…” Ocellus piped in, looking at the huge box for a second. “I called over Yona to help. As you can see, she did a pretty good job.”

Yona nodded happily and jumped up once, the box of books comically bouncing with her. Sandbar chuckled to himself and Gallus stepped in.

“Um, I’m guessing it would be the right thing if we helped them reshelve those books and… some of the excess books, right?” Gallus suggested, and everypony else seemed to approve.

The lazy and often grumpy gryphon sighed, facepalming, probably regretting bringing that up. This sent every creature, including himself, into a fit of laughter.

The next hour was spent cleaning up the library. The group was split into pairs and sorted so that each pair had at least one who was capable of flying. For example, Smolder was paired with Yona. Yona would work on the shelves she could reach, while Smolder was tasked with the higher shelves.

Each pair was assigned a specific area of the library for optimal efficiency and time, and lucky for the group of friends, everything went well. After a while, it was just shelving the books that were somehow left on the floor (and the ones that Silverstream and Smolder threw off the shelves), even though Ocellus’s books were plentiful. But, this wasn’t a surprise from the smartest creature in the group.

Silverstream was paired with Ocellus, but it was helpful that the changeling could, well, change shape, so Silverstream didn’t have to take up so much space. It was actually smart that Ocellus changed into an octopus, so she could easily sort multiple books at a time. As a result, her pair finished early, and while Ocellus went to help some of the other pairs, Silverstream went to look for the lost tennis ball.

She opened the hatch to the catacombs, but found nothing within the first chamber. She assumed nothing could get past that area, so she stopped looking in the catacombs.

Next, she tried every corner of the library. Despite the fact that the ball was thrown at only one side of the ginormous hall, she found the tennis ball to be insanely bouncy and unpredictable. It was small, too, so that didn’t help. After checking every corner and finding nothing, she decided to move on.

For her next move, Silverstream focused on looking under tables and chairs. Everypony that had been there before them left, and it was entirely possible that the ball could’ve rolled under where they were sitting without them noticing. So, she did just that; she looked under every table and chair that could fit a ball, but found nothing, to her dismay.

Silverstream was about to give up when she noticed a small, neon green shape tucked next to one of the many bookcases. While she was happy to finally find the ball, she was upset when she realized that this aisle was the very same one that she and Ocellus had fixed up. She groaned and started to walk towards it.

“How did I not notice this here before?...” she said to herself while she reached for the ball with her claw.

Suddenly, Silverstream felt an object fall on her head, causing her to collapse to the hard floor, dazed. Her ears rang for several seconds as she stood up, holding her head. While she was frustrated that this just HAD to happen at this moment, she did an acceptable job of containing her sometimes explosive anger.

Well, a bump is for sure going to appear there!, she thought to herself, giggling. Silverstream grabbed the ball and studied it, confirming that it was the same ball. She was about to fly out of the aisle and show Smolder her “discovery,” but she was stopped when she noticed the title of the book that had fallen on her.

Supernatural Sensations: Legendary Artifacts of the Land

Silverstream was particularly drawn to this book, since she was always aware of the supernatural. She knew stuff like that wasn’t fake. In fact, she thought it would be a great way for she and her friends to get together and do something fun. So, just as she was about to take off with the ball, she grabbed the book, eager to check it out for the summer.

“Well, that’s the last of the books!” Smolder announced, patting her claws while scanning the floors.

Every creature looked around, admiring their work. The library looked as good as new. Everything was sorted, ready for the next year. It was a shame to them that they had to sit idle for a few months, however. Still, Headmare Twilight would definitely be pleased at the result.

“Yona going to miss huge book place,” Yona said sadly, looking at all the perfectly organized bookcases. “It is home to Ocellus.”

“The sad part is that you’re not too far off, based on all the books you had to carry.” Gallus pointed out, leaning on the giant box. While the three of them—Gallus, Ocellus, Yona—argued if Ocellus actually DID sleep in the library every night, Sandbar wandered off into the aisles, double-checking everything, making sure it was all set to go for the new year.

It was then where, Sandbar, turning a corner, almost got taken out by a flying Silverstream.

“Whoa!” He said, ducking. Silverstream yelped, barely flying over his head. She landed next to him, chuckling nervously as the earth pony let out a sigh of relief.

“Wow, sorry!” The hippogriff apologized scratching the back of her head. “I had no idea you were coming, Sandbar!”

“It’s fine, Silverstream.” Sandbar replied quietly, his eyes drifting off to whatever his friend was carrying in her other arm. “I didn’t see you coming either… uh, what’s that?”

It took Silverstream a moment to process what he was talking about. “It’s just a ball. Why?” She held up the tennis ball.

“No, I mean under your shoulder.”

“A book.”

“Yes, but what IS it, exactly?”

“...a book.”

Sandbar suddenly didn’t feel the urge to explain what he was talking about. Instead, he sighed, not due to frustration from her friend, but at the fact that he wouldn’t be able to have these conversations at all soon.

Silverstream raised an eyebrow. “Anything else?” She asked with a shrug. Sandbar shook his head, so The hippogriff smiled and took off flying again, probably looking for Smolder.

What was that all about?, Sandbar thought to himself while he continued to walk down the aisles, checking every bookshelf, ensuring its freshness for the new year.

The new year.

Three. Long. Months.

“Smolder! I found the ball!” Silverstream exclaimed happily as she flew right in the middle of the Gallus-Ocellus-Yona argument, but her presence ended it. Smolder was leaning on a bookshelf, crossing her arms and staying out of the silly argument, but when Silverstream arrived, she popped up and a smile appeared on her face.

“Really? Wow. I thought that thing was long gone.” She responded, walking up to the hippogriff. Silverstream nodded and opened her bag by the door, putting the ball inside before sealing it up again.

“I’ll save it for the summer.” She explained, putting the bag on her back and glancing up at the clock. “Didn’t want to risk it getting lost again, right?”

Silverstream said this with a wink, and Smolder winked back, ensuring a mutual agreement.

Now, it was time for the announcement.

“Alright, every creature, gather around,” Silverstream shouted, trying to get Sandbar’s attention as well, wherever he was. She placed the book on the ground and everyone else got closer, trying to get a glance at the title.

“...Supernatural Sensations: Legendary Artifacts of the Land?” Gallus read out loud, sounding a bit confused. Silverstream nodded and pointed down at the book.

“I’m checking it out for the summer! Do you think Headmare Twilight will mind?” She asked, raising a claw. The four spectators shook their head just as Sandbar came into sight, and he started walking towards the group.

“I think Headmare Twilight will be thrilled when she finds out someone checked out a book for the summer!” Ocellus pointed out. Everyone else seemed to agree, and Silverstream started flipping to the table of contents page in the book as Sandbar joined the group.

“What’s going on?” He asked, watching Silverstream look through the table of contents.

“Silverstream found this book and now I think she’s trying to figure out something for us to do over the summer.” Smolder replied, watching the hippogriff as well. Finally, Silverstream’s head perked up, and she had an idea.

“Ok! I know an artifact that sounds cool! Now, let’s pass the book around so everyone has a chance to look at it and choose an artifact that he or she thinks sounds neat. Then, we’ll come together and vote on one that we’ll learn about! I’ll start with Smolder.”

Smolder, who was standing to her left, seemed startled by the request, but nevertheless accepted it. Silversteam passed the book over and the dragon started to read through the table of contents, her light blue eyes glazing over the page. When she found whatever artifact she wanted to learn about, she passed it onto Sandbar, who was also seated to her left. The process repeated, and it went to him, then to Yona, Ocellus, and finally Gallus. Gallus took the least amount of time to figure it out, probably because he wasn't too interested in this thing.

When everyone was done, Silverstream was eager to share her idea.

“The Savior’s Spark!” She blurted, looking towards Smolder, who was next.

“The Light of Las Pegasus sounds cool.” She said.

“I… really couldn’t find anything interesting.” Sandbar revealed, dipping his head a little.

“Yona like the Pony Perpetuator!” Yona exclaimed with a bright single.

“I guess the Staff of Sameness sounds intriguing,” Ocellus said next, rubbing her chin.

“Meh. Prosperity Platter.” Gallus grumbled in his usual tone. Somehow, though, Silverstream felt connected to this artifact, and she knew that this one had her vote for sure.

“Do we start the voting now?” Yona shouted out eagerly. Silverstream nodded and reminded the group that each creature could vote twice, and they couldn’t vote for their own. This would represent a fair and easy voting process. And if there was a tie, those artifacts would essentially move into the next round.

“How many votes for the Savior’s Spark?” Silverstream asked.

“The Light of Las Pegasus?”

“The Pony Perpetuator?”

“Staff of Sameness?”

“Last one. The Prosperity Platter?”

Oddly, there were 5 votes. Everyone except for Gallus (who was looking incredibly surprised by the outcome), because he wasn’t allowed to vote for his own, voted in favor of the Prosperity Platter. Silverstream smiled.

“It’s settled, then,” she announced, flipping the pages of the book until it landed on the chapter labelled ‘The Prosperity Platter.’

“Here we go.”

The Prosperity Platter is the legendary artifact once wielded by some of Equestria’s greatest heroes, including the proficient Gusty the Great.

Although it is a platter, it certainly isn’t and shouldn’t be used to serve a meal. It is, however, easily recognizable, as its golden design is unlike any other disk in the entire land. This golden color is linked to magic from an ancient king. According to the legend, this ancient unicorn king, consumed by power and wealth, tapped his horn on an ordinary silver platter and turned it into what it is today. However, upon consuming a meal that was served to him on this platter, he perished. As a result, the platter was hidden deep in the kingdom’s treasury for hundreds of years.

Gusty the Great, determined to return the legendary three-headed dog guardian Cerberus to Tartarus, researched hard and long for an item that was powerful enough to fulfill her intention. When she came across the ancient platter, she decided to take a chance. She trekked through the treacherous terrain of cold northern Equestria, trying to find the lost kingdom where the platter sat. After several weeks of searching, she came across the ruins of an old castle, and after rummaging through the rubble, her hooves came across the platter among other discarded treasures. At first, she was reluctant to touch the thing, but after she felt a rush of determination throughout her body, she hurriedly lifted the ancient disk.

Gusty the Great returned to her home to banish the dreaded monster. It was a long and hard fought battle as Gusty had to figure out how to use the platter. At some points, she felt the power sparking inside the disk, but in other moments, she doubted that it had magical capabilities after all. Finally, though, after making her intentions perfectly clear to the platter, a large beam of light sprouted from it and penetrated Cerberus. Soon, the dangerous dog disappeared in a flume of black smoke, and the land was safe. Gusty was hailed as a hero, and she named the legendary weapon what it is today; the Prosperity Platter.

Gusty proceeded to bring the circular object along on her many journeys, but it was lost during her first battle against the villain Grogar in southern Equestria. To this day, the platter remains untouched and patience as it waits for its next hero.

According to the journals of Gusty, the platter will only aid those whose intentions are clear and for the best of those around her. For others however…

It only means a long and painful death, the same fate the original greedy king experienced.

2 - Flashback

Silverstream was the first to arrive from her home at the Ponyville train station, two cases of luggage on each side of her. While she waited for her friends to touch down as well, she absorbed the sights and sounds of a clear, sunny, and overall beautiful Ponyville day.

Convincing her parents to let her go on this journey was not easy. They first doubted her responsibility at a time where there were no adults around, and then they were unsure if she would be able to handle being away for so long. She explained that she had been away from home for a while already, during her first year at school, and that if she was responsible enough to do that, she could easily do it on a trip with her friends.

At last, her parents agreed, and she embraced her family for a few long minutes before departing on the incoming train. It was sad and unusual for her to leave her family during summer vacation, but an opportunity like this didn’t come up often. She looked forward to spending many more of her summers with them.

But for now, it was time to spend it with her friends.

Silverstream waited patiently for the next train, and even though she knew it was going to take a while longer, she was really enjoying nature popping up around her. So much so, that when Sandbar stepped onto the platform, she didn’t even notice at first.

“Uh… Silverstream?” Sandbar said, sitting next to her on the bench and trying to get her attention. Finally, the hippogriff snapped out of it, and she smiled as she looked to her right.

“Oh! Hi, Sandbar. Was it hard to convince your parents too?” Silversteam asked. Sandbar shook his head, placing his luggage down on the ground.

“Actually, not really… you did?” He replied with a question. Silverstream shrugged, surprised that he had more luck with it. She sighed.

“Yeah… but just a little bit. It only took about 20 minutes.” She replied. Sandbar chuckled.

“That’s a pretty long time.”

They both giggled for a bit, but then there was an awkward silence. For a few moments, they both enjoyed the sounds of nature. Finally, Silverstream felt the urge to get something off her chest.

“...why were you so upset yesterday?” She asked, facing her friend. Sandbar faced her as well, a look of bewilderment as his expression.

“What? No. I wasn’t at all upset yesterday.” But his response only made Silverstream even more unconvinced and unsatisfied. She frowned.

“Sandbar, don’t lie to your friends… we can help you. Surely you trust me enough to assist?” She asked, placing a claw on her earth pony friend’s shoulder. Sandbar closed his eyes, lowered his head a little, and sighed sadly, as if preparing to tell a story.

“...Silverstream, you know me pretty well. You know how much I appreciate this school. So, I really don’t want to leave, and I didn’t want to leave you guys,” He said, opening his eyes again, but still looking towards the wooden ground of the platform. Silverstream kept her claw planted on his shoulder, a concerned look on her face. “I’m going to be honest with you, and you’re, like, one of the only people I can trust about this…

“But my home life isn’t all that great. I’m an only child, and the only way I can hang out with ponies my age is when I’m with you guys. I… really don’t have any friends in town, except for Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, I guess.”

Silverstream was shocked. She and Sandbar hadn’t really been alone much, so it was unusual for either of them to pour so much information into each other. They were more used to being a group, but obviously it was a bit new for them to be spilling their personal lives to each other.

When Silverstream thought about it more, she realized that she didn’t really know much about her friends’ lives away from school, besides where they lived.

“I had no idea you felt so bad about something only temporary, Sandbar.” Silverstream answered with a smile, trying her best to cheer up her friend. “I know we’ll be separated again after the trip, but that only serves as a reminder to enjoy it while it lasts! We shouldn’t move around after it’s over, so instead we should cherish and remember the memories we experienced from the trip.”

“But there’ll still be time left in summer, and I’ll be alone again…” The earth pony cut in quietly, but Silverstream wasn’t finished. She flared her wings.

“So we’ll have some other kind of get-together then!” She exclaimed, feeling quite happy when she noticed a small smile starting to form on Sandbar’s face. “You won’t be lonely. As long as we all stay in touch, it won’t be a problem at all.”

Sandbar breathed out a sigh of relief (presumably) and patted his hippogriff friend on the back, smiling. “Thanks, Silverstream. You really seem to care about us.” Silverstream giggled and rubbed the back of her head with a slight blush.

“If you guys are happy, I’m happy.”

The previous night...

Twilight Sparkle sat at her desk, finishing off final report cards that would be sent to the homes of her students during the summer. She was mostly pleased with the results, as many of the students had very good grades.

She took a brief break to stretch her limbs after several hours of sitting. As the princess walked towards one of the windows in her office, she stretched her stiff wings, yawning.

It was almost dusk. The Sun was barely visible over the surrounding mountains, yet it’s golden light still crept in around Ponyville. This was Twilight’s favorite view of her town, especially around this time, which bore her name as well: twilight. She chuckled to herself when she heard the thought in her mind.

Suddenly, when she thought she was alone, she heard a knock at the door. Her ears instantly perked up as she looked towards the sound, curious yet cautious of what was behind it.

“Hello? Who’s there?” She questioned, closing her wings, awaiting an answer. The answer came almost instantly after she spoke.

“Headmare Twilight? It’s me, Silverstream!”

The door opened. Sure enough, the energetic hippogriff poked her head through the crack between both doors, waving a claw in the air. Still, Twilight was confused.

“Silverstream? What are you still doing here? Everyone else is gone, you know that, right?” She asked, standing next to her desk. Silverstream nodded as if she understood, and then took a seat in front of the desk. A book was tucked under one arm.

“Well, I kinda forgot something in my room, and then I remembered that I needed to check out a book for the summer, so I went to your office and you weren’t there! You must’ve been out for dinner or something. Anyways, I just waited in the library for a little bit, looking to see if I wanted another book, but I didn’t, and then I went here.” She explained with intricate claw gestures, shrugging at the end.

“Oh! I’m sorry I kept you waiting, Silverstream, but all the students left at least few hours ago. I didn’t know you were still here…” Twilight apologized, sitting down in her chair again. The waning sunlight was now creeping through the windows and casting a golden color on the floor of the dim room.

“Eh. It’s ok. It was worth a look at all the books one last time, I guess,” Silverstream replied with a nod. Then, she peeked over at the desk and noticed the piles of report cards strewn over it. “What are you doing that makes you so disorganized at this time, Headmare Twilight?”

Twilight sighed tiredly and looked down at the papers, rubbing her temples. She chuckled. “Report cards. Hundreds of them, not just from the students here, but from some other students who were studying abroad,” she answered. “I might be here all night, if it comes to that.”

“You still have to close up the school too, right?”

“Yes. But I can do that tomorrow.”

Silverstream nodded and the two were silent for a few seconds. Twilight was unsure of why she was here until she remembered that she had a book to check out.

“So you’re checking out a book for the summer? What is it?” She asked, reaching her hooves out. Silverstream placed the book in her hooves, and she took it in.

“Supernatural Sensations: Legendary Artifacts of the Land. Sounds cool, right?” Silverstream replied, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah and, believe it or not, I’ve never read it before.” She revealed, gazing at the book and turning it over in her hooves.

Sure, it sounded interesting to someone like Silverstream, but Twilight knew it was nothing more than chance at this point. Hell, she doubted that any of the ‘artifacts’ listed in the book existed at all, even more so than the fact that the ones that did happen to be true actually exist today. So, in all honesty, she didn’t really think much of it. But still, she couldn’t steer a student away from their interests.

“What’s it for?” Twilight asked. Silverstream sat up in her chair and looked at the book again.

“Well, I need a book to read this summer, and my friends and I are trying to find something to do together, so—“

Twilight cut her off. “Wait. You’re thinking of looking for one of these things?” Silverstream winced a little bit, seemingly expecting a lecture, which the headmare was considering giving.

“Uh, yeah, I guess so,” she replied, but as soon as Twilight opened her mouth, she spoke again. “The Prosperity Platter. It’s in southern Equestria. I know it’s strange, but…”

“It’s not danger I’m worried about, Silverstream,” Twilight said softly, sighing and putting the book down on her desk. “But don’t you think it would be kind of silly if you looked all summer long and came up with nothing? Do you think that would be fair to your parents and family, who probably want to spend time with you?”

Silverstream said nothing, just looking at the book with a blank expression. Twilight stood up from her chair, prolonging the silence by walking to one of the windows. The Sun was still gleaming through, but it was almost set all the way. “Southern Equestria is… a bit hazardous, I should say.”

“Yeah? Why do you say that?” The hippogriff questioned from behind her, not exactly in an angry tone, but definitely curious.

“...When my friends and I faced off against the Storm King, we had to go through southern Equestria just to get to Mount Eris, your home,” Twilight turned to face Silverstream, who was clearly intrigued by what she had to say. “We found this ragtag town called Klugetown. We had a good reason for being there; we needed a place to rest and replenish ourselves. But we had no idea what was really here.”

She looked back towards the window and sighed, watching the Sun. “We were almost sold to some creep. I still can’t believe we befriended Capper afterwards.”

Silverstream suddenly buzzed in. “Capper? Who’s that?” She asked curiously. Twilight turned to her again.

“He’s a cat. You know, Abyssinian? Well, he’s the one who tried to sell us.”

“So why didn’t you just, like, NOT befriend him?”

“He was a huge help to us after I was captured. My friends used him to get through Canterlot unharmed and save me from the Storm King.” Twilight answered with a slight smile. “We went our separate ways after the Friendship Festival. Apparently, Rarity stays in touch with him and is actually his personal tailor. Therefore, he is still a friend…”

She could tell that Silverstream was interested in this topic. The hippogriff rubbed her chin as she processed the story, likely noting the things Twilight had to go through in the desert. “So, does he still live in Plugville?”

“Klugetown,” Twilight corrected, grinning, before answering her question. “And, yes. Why?”

Silverstream tapped her class, smiling nervously. “If you can contact him, can you let him know we’re coming so we can stay at his place during our journey?” Twilight facehoofed, walking back to her desk.

“Nothing’s stopping you from this trip, huh, Silverstream?” The princess questioned in a monotone voice. The hippogriff nodded.

“Headmare Twilight, this school has taught us to be brave, responsible, and smart wherever we go in life. I think my friends and I are capable of going out on our own.”

Twilight recollected her thoughts and reconsidered the whole ordeal. Was she looking at this from the wrong angle? Was she actually stopping her students from using aspects they learned at her school?

It didn’t matter anyway. She couldn’t tell her students not to do something over the summer; it wasn’t in her authority. Twilight sighed and closed her eyes, sitting down in her chair across the desk from Silverstream.

“You know, Silverstream, you’re right. You can go if you really want to. Just… be careful, ok?” She answered finally, opening the book to the first page and stamping on the checkout log, signifying ownership over the summer. Silverstream’s face lit up as she grabbed the book and was about to fly out the door when Twilight, at the last second, felt the urge to do something else for her. Her magic stopped the hippogriff in mid-air, and she reached down below her desk. Her hoof submerged with an empty journal, and she levitated the vacant book over to Silverstream.

“Before you go, one last thing.” Twilight said as Silverstream grabbed the new book, and the headmare released her magic. The hippogriff studied the journal carefully before tucking it into her saddlebag.

“What’s that for?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Twilight clapped her hooves together and levitated an ink container and quill over to Silverstream, who only looked even more confused.

“While you and your friends are away, I want you to document your travels, just like I would do when I was a student of Princess Celestia,” Twilight replied, looking at a picture of a younger version of herself next to the towering yet comforting figure of the supreme leader of Equestria. “Then, when you come back from break, you can share your experiences with the rest of your classmates.”

Silverstream nodded, as if understanding what Twilight was telling her. “Have a good summer, Headmare Twilight!” She called while trotting out the door.

“You too, Silverstream!” Twilight shouted after her, hearing the hippogriffs clawsteps echo throughout the hall as the door closed. Twilight sighed, smiling, and looked out the window. The Sun had dipped completely below the horizon, and a purple color replaced the previous orange sky.

Afterwards, she focused on completing her student’s report cards, and as it turned out, it DID take her all night.

By the time Silverstream finished recounting the previous night’s events with Headmare Twilight, all of her friends had arrived from their homes. They listened in on the end of their friend’s story, and when it was finally complete, it was almost sundown.

“Honestly, this Capper guy sounds kinda cool.” Smolder pointed out, dropping her relatively small bag of luggage onto the wooden platform. Everyone else gave her an odd look, and she shrugged in response. “...besides the part where he tried to sell Headmare Twilight and the other teachers. That wasn’t cool.”

“Yona thinks meeting the cat isn’t a bad idea.” Yona said enthusiastically. Gallus rolled his eyes, basically signifying that he didn’t care what was going to happen, and continued reading his comic book.

“I agree. It would be helpful because the desert down there is unrelentingly hot and dry. We would need a place to stay and recharge. At least, that’s according to King Thorax. He got stuck in the desert after losing the rest of the hive, and that experience essentially forced him to go back north,” Ocellus recounted with a gulp, clearly a little nervous about the story. “It was… not fun.”

“Well, it certainly does that,” Sandbar said, referring to the benefits that come with staying at Capper’s place. “But remember, Silverstream said it wasn’t even a sure bet that it will happen. Headmare Twilight still has to contact him, and if he agrees, she’ll send Silversteam a letter informing her of it, right?” The earth pony looked towards his hippogriff friend for the last part, and she nodded in return.

“Of course. You’re right. I just wanted to get everyone’s opinion on it, and it seems like you all agree.” Silverstream announced. She smiled. “So, that’s what we’ll do if we get the all-clear.”

The rest of her friends nodded, ensuring that they were all on board with it. She then announced that she was going to get the tickets, but by then they were all absorbed in reading books they brought along or talking to each other, so she went to the ticket booth without any comments or objections.

The pony managing the booth was an older-looking earth pony stallion. He had an orange coat that was faded a bit with age, and some thin black but graying hair sat on his head. Despite his tired and old appearance, he did look like a happy and lively pony. He smiled once Silverstream walked up to the booth, a bag of bits tucked in one of her wings.

“Good evening, young lady!” The old stallion said in a soft tone. “You caught me just in time. I was about to close up for the day. Where to?”

Silverstream placed her bag of bits on the counter in front of her, glancing at the train schedule for a second before looking back towards the ticket pony. She decided that she wanted the one way ticket for each of her friends.

“6 one way tickets to Dodge Junction, please.” She said, reaching into the bag of bits, beginning to count the price. The booth manager announced that all in all the tickets would be 30 bits, so Silverstream started placing the bits on the counter.

“So, what for? Is it a family occasion? Or simply a vacation?” The old booth manager asked kindly, watching the hippogriff place the bits on the counter. Silversteam stopped her counting and thought for a moment, debating whether or not she should tell a complete stranger what she and her friends would be up to. That debate didn’t last long, though.

“Oh, my friends and I are heading down to south to look for something,” she replied, continuing to put down the bits, one by one. “Nothing too special, honestly.”

She heard nothing from the old pony until she was done counting the bits. As soon as she placed down bit number 30, she looked up, and was immediately met by a skeptical look from the booth manager.

“You and your friends by yourself… down there? Haven’t you heard about the conditions down there, Miss?” The old pony said, his tone completely changed. His kind attitude was replaced by a cold and slow voice, everything that could possibly concern Silverstream. “Record heat. Rapidly increasing crime rates. Some parts are in complete chaos after the brief reign of the Storm King wore off…

“Surely your parents talked to you about this.”

“I think my friends and I are capable, sir, but thanks anyway.” Silverstream clapped back, a bit frustrated that a stranger was trying to steer her away from her vacation. “Can I have my tickets now, please?”

The old pony scoffed, reaching below the counter and grabbing a hoofful of tickets. He placed them down on the counter, and Silverstream grabbed them immediately. She was starting to walk away when the old pony called for her again. She turned around after he said this.

“Be careful out there. It really is treacherous, that platter you’re looking for.” The booth manager’s voice had changed even more. Now, it was a sickly and icy threat, his facial expression dead and empty. Then, almost as quickly as it came, and it was replaced by a nice-looking older pony, waving. “Have a good trip!”

Silverstream put on a fake grin and waved back. “Of course… thank you!” She walked away, wondering what just happened, and was soon back to her friends, who had not moved at all since the last time she was with them. She sat down, and no one paid attention to her again. All they had to do was wait for the train to come, which wouldn’t be for another half hour.

But all Silverstream kept thinking about was the old pony. How had this voice changed so dramatically? Why did this old pony feel so evil suddenly? Why had she snapped so quickly?

How did he know what they were looking for?

Or did she imagine that part? She probably would never know.

The train came at the same time it should have, and the crew boarded it just before the Sun touched the surrounding mountains.

3 - Arrival

Silverstream woke up as the train trekked through a daylight desert setting, a barren wasteland just filled with sand. It was clear that these tracks were newer as there were barely any bumps or turbulence during the smooth ride.

She didn’t remember much from the ride; she crashed not long after boarding, leaning on a grumpy Smolder as she slept before the dragon pushed her against the window. When her eyes opened, she was still leaning against the window.

The hippogriff rubbed a claw against her temple as she sat up, shaking her head before focusing her attention on Smolder, who was casually reading a novel, her legs crossed. Silverstream raised an eyebrow as she looked over her friend’s shoulder.

“Whatcha reading?” She asked suddenly, smiling. She noticed Smolder jump, startled, before the dragon sighed and the book, closing her eyes. When she reopened them, she was looking at Silverstream flatly. Not long afterwards, however, she raised the book to her face.

“It’s the same thing I was reading before you passed out on my shoulder. Gusty: A Mare of Legend. I thought it would be fair to catch up on the pony who basically harnessed the thing we’re looking for to banish a monster.” Smolder explained before opening the book yet again, flipping to the page where she left off. Silverstream gushed enthusiastically. Seeing her friend immerse herself in a world of history and legend was something she loved to see as a history buff herself.

My willingness to learn is contagious! She thought happily. Smolder noticed the beaming hippogriff and looked at her oddly.

“Are… you okay, Silvy?” She asked reluctantly. Silverstream’s grin was unwavering as her excitement rose.

“Good morning, Smolder!” She said randomly. Smolder rolled her eyes and got back to reading her book. This was the time to break out her signature monotone voice.

“Good morning, Silverstream.”

Eventually the train skidded to a stop on the tracks, reaching a dead end in the form of a sand dike protruding from the earth. Of course, the students were the only ones to get off the train, as no one else really had the time nor the willingness to go this far out of Equestria and in the middle of nowhere.

As soon as Silverstream stepped off the train, she felt her claws dig into a strange, hot substance in the ground. Sure, she had touched sand plenty of times before--nearly everyday when she was home, in fact--but this desert sand felt vastly different. Firstly, in some patches, it was scorching hot from the sun beaming down on it all day. Secondly, there was absolutely no sign of water anywhere.

The thought of that shook Silverstream as she subconsciously touched the small pearl fragment necklace resting against her chest.

“Alright now…” a male voice came from behind her, causing the whole crew to turn around and look up. On the last step of the train was All Aboard, the longtime conductor of the Friendship Express, which ran through Ponyville. He cleared his throat and looked down at the young creatures.

“You all need to be careful around these here parts. There are a lot of dangers ‘round here, and even though this dead end ain’t too far from Klugetown, it’s still mighty dangerous once you get there, ya hear?” The blue stallion with his signature deep brown handlebar mustache stated, gazing around the landscape surrounding the idle train. Silverstream also did the same, but really couldn’t find anything dangerous outside of it being so barren and hot.

Barren and hot. Oh dear.

“Um… I quite literally can’t see anything.” Gallus pointed out in a snarky manner, shrugging as he did so. All Aboard responded with a raised eyebrow and slight snort as he stepped back into the train car.

“Y’all will see what I mean. Anyways, have a fun trip! See ya back in Ponyville soon.” He replied, waving as the train oddly started moving backwards. He was familiar with the group as he was in Ponyville basically every day, so they all waved back in a friendly manner. Soon, he was gone, and the group directed their attention to what was obstructed by the train. A huge town loomed ahead of them, causing some ooo’s and aaa’s from the 6 creatures. Of course, they weren’t astonished because of how it looked, but because of how vast and huge the town really was.

In reality, Klugetown was ugly, airship platforms jutting out every which way and an overall dullness of the buildings also becoming evident. In addition to that, there was literally nothing surrounding it. Like, nothing… just the vastness of a giant hole in the desert shrouded by mist and smoke. A dreary sight to say the least.

It was a gigantic town, nevertheless. That was one thing going for it.

Ocellus was the first to start walking to civilization, so everyone else followed her. Silverstream trailed behind with Sandbar, and from this viewpoint she couldn’t help but notice how much her friends stuck out in the near-colorless landscape. The pastel colors were beaming with energy as they trekked towards Klugetown, the place becoming closer and closer with each step, it seemed. It was quiet, for the most part, before her friends in front of her started to chat amongst each other, prompting Sandbar next to her to clear his throat, indicating a conversation was beginning.

“Ahem… so, Silverstream, what’s the plan once we get there?” Sandbar asked, looking over at her with a questioning look. Silverstream raised an eyebrow and rubbed her chin.

“Hm… well, first of all, I would like to get settled in with Capper, so I can do that while you guys all get something to eat?” She suggested as they walked. Sandbar ran a hoof through his messy mane.

“Well, would you mind if I went with you?” He asked curiously, somewhat nervously even. But the hippogriff shoved that aside and smiled at him.

“I wouldn’t mind at all. It’s nice having a friend to come with me and see someone I haven’t met before.” Silverstream replied happily, clapping her claws together. The earth pony let out a sigh of relief and continued to walk with her.

“That’s great. If anything weird happens, just let me know and we’ll take care of it together.”

Silverstream nodded. It was great having friends who genuinely cared about her.

Silverstream knocked on the door to a large windmill building in the middle of town before stepping back next to Sandbar and waiting for Capper to answer. They waited for a minute with no answer, causing the earth pony to look at her strangely. “You sure you got the right address?”

The hippogriff furrowed her brow and shuffled through her saddlebag before pulling out a scrap of paper. On the paper was the address Headmare Twilight had written down before Silverstream left, and she squinted at it, also looking up to make sure the address was indeed correct as shown by the number adjacent to the door. And it better be, as she gave each of her friends copies of this exact address so they could eventually come once they were done with whatever they were doing.

“Either Headmare Twilight Sparkle has REALLY bad hoofwriting, or we actually are at the right place.” She replied, tucking the paper back in her bag, continuing to stand in front of the door. She noticed Sandbar shift nervously.

“Err… I’ll take the latter. Princess Twilight doesn’t seem like the type to have bad hoofwriting…” He explained, rubbing his chin. Silverstream believed him. The headmare was a clear perfectionist, which was okay in some sorts, but an obsessive one at that… that part was something Silverstream never understood. How could any creature be that worried about anything?

Silverstream was about to go up and knock again before the door suddenly creaked open. She shrieked a little when a single green eye stared back at her, her reaction causing it to squint.

“...yeah?” A charming and sleek masculine voice spoke from behind the door, causing Silverstream to shiver. She was about to reply before Sandbar stepped forward, a stern expression on his tan face.

“My friend and I were sent from Ponyville to meet you, Mr. Capper.” He responded firmly, and the eye stopped squinting at both of them. The door flew open and an anthropomorphic cat stood on his hind legs, towering over the pony and hippogriff. His shaggy brown fur, pompous black hair, and red overcoat were distinguishable features in the feline, to go along with his sharp cat-like eyes. He smirked at them and held out a paw.

“Ah, yes, Twilight Sparkle informed me of your arrival~” Capper announced, taking Silverstream’s claw in his paw and kissing it affectionately. Silverstream recoiled and blushed slightly while the cat moved on to Sandbar, simply shaking his hoof. “The name’s Capper, kiddos. Pleasure making your acquaintance.”

Sandbar chuckled and removed his hoof from Capper’s paw, scratching the back of his mane nervously. “Y-Yeah, Mr. Capper, nice to meet you…” He spoke for both himself and Silverstream and the two of them exchanged glances. Silverstream cleared her throat and nudged her head towards the anthropomorphic cat, basically asking that the pony continue what he was saying as she wasn’t as confident. Sandbar rolled his eyes but ultimately obeyed his friend.

“We were wondering if we could, uh, bring some our friends we brought along here and stay while we search for… something…” His voice trailed off near the end, but Capper didn’t seem to budge. He chuckled quietly and crouched to face the small pony at eye level. He smiled, and to Silverstream, it seemed like an odd mix of friendliness and creepiness. How was that even possible?

The cat stared at Sandbar, eyeing him from head to hoof. “Kiddo, I’m fine with your fellas staying at my place for a bit. You may have to curl up on blankets and sleep on the floor, at least some of y’all, since I don’t nearly have enough beds for all of y’all…” He finished the sentence scratching his chin as he stood up straight again, his green eyes darting around the perimeter. Silverstream did the same.

A lone tumbleweed rolled by behind them.

“Um… what were you looking at, Mr. Capper?” She asked, raising an eyebrow as well as a claw. Capper stared straight forward before twitching a little. He then brought his paw to his chin again and scratched it some more.

“I was feeling a musical number coming along…” He responded with a low hum, adjusting the collar on his scarlet coat. Then, in an instant, he snapped his fingers, smirking as he looked down at the two of them. “But I’ll just wait into your friends get here. Enough standing around. Why don’t y’all come inside already?”

Silverstream and Sandbar eagerly shook their heads and Capper held the door open for them in response, allowing them to trot inside of his humble domain. He looked gazed around the empty surroundings, letting out a huff before shutting the door and employing a dozen of the locks he had attached to it after Tempest Shadow and her gang of Storm soldiers snuck in like nothing at all.

Silverstream dug through the books in Capper’s personal library, coming across some that were a real doozy, like:

Revenge of the Zombie Abyssinians.

Tales and Tails from a Frightened Armadillo.

Why Cats are better than Dogs.

And so forth. Oh brother.

Silverstream rolled her eyes at the last title, not because she had an opinion on such a vague and one-sided statement, but because of the sheer circumstances involving it. A cat--err, Abyssinian--having a book about how much better cats were versus dogs, basically lavishing his own race with a coddling piece of literature. It was more frivolous than humorous, in the opinion of the browsing hippogriff. She eventually started ignoring those mindless titles and progressed further along the shelf, searching for a book that could lead to more information on the Prosperity Platter.

Capper laid on a sofa near the circular window of the residence and Sandbar sat on a lush chair several paces behind Silverstream, facing away from her and towards the bipedal cat. They both shared some tea--the hippogriff was offered some but she respectfully declined, asking for some water instead to replenish the seapony side of her. Both of them talked while she checked the arrangement of books leaning against one of the walls of the place.

“So… y’all are from Ponyville?” Capper’s voice spoke softly as he lounged on the sofa, afternoon light basking him in a golden glow. Sandbar was quiet for several moments, perhaps sipping some of the tea that was he was offered and accepted, but it wasn’t too long before he was talking again.

“Yeah. It’s definitely a nice little town… you ever, y’know, visited your friends there? It’s practically the capital of friendship nowadays.” He replied. Unlike Sandbar, Capper took a very limited amount of time to gather his thoughts and a response.

The bipedal cat chuckled and sipped his tea. “Why, I haven’t had the chance. Equestria is a faraway place it simply is too hard to get a ticket here in Klugetown most of the time… y’all arrived at the right time. By the time the summer’s over, a lot of tickets become available in town, so y’all can go get some there once they can be bought.”

Even though she knew he wasn’t specifically talking to her, she felt like she needed to take what he explained into account, and she did, making a brief mental note in her head.

At the end of the summer, Silverstream, get some tickets so we aren’t stuck here for the first day of school.

The hippogriff smiled a little and gave herself a little “mhm,” which caused Capper and Sandbar to turn their heads towards her behind her back.

“Uhh… you find somethin’, little lady?” Capper’s voice rang out through Silverstream’s head as it was directed towards her. She stopped what she was doing and her body went still, her pupils shrinking to the size of coins before turning to them both. Sandbar appeared to be shocked, an expression similar to Silverstream’s on his face as well, while Capper’s expression was more smuggy than anything. He chuckled and stood up, walking towards the frightened Silverstream.

“Why so shocked, girl?”

Silverstream simply stared up at the taller bipedal, gulping nervously, before raising a claw and pointing it at him shakily.

“You… have incredible hearing.”

Wow, Silverstream, who knew? She thought to herself.

Capper’s smirk widened as he coifed his slicked back hair and adjusted his collar, clearing his throat in the process. He lowered her claw with a single paw and leaned over to face her directly.

“I know I do, Miss Silverseem--err, what’s your name again?” He interrupted his presumably less humble statement to ask her quite an embarrassing question. After all, she had given him her name less than 15 minutes ago.

“Silverstream… hey, Mr. Capper, I do have a major, MAJOR question I need to ask you!” Silverstream corrected with the statement, putting on her best fake smile. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of her head as she stared up at the cat, after all she was still quite nervous around him after hearing of a near-disgusting act he committed on Headmare Twilight and the professors in attempting to sell them. What kind of danger would they be at risk for? She smartly pushed a grotesque image out of her mind and focused on her host, who was clearly curious.

“Please do tell me, my dear. I can’t assist in your search for… something… without knowing what it is.” Capper brought up a good point. Of course, it was obvious, but she was admittedly tired at the current moment, so she would take all the help she could muster.

“...It’s called the Prosperity Platter.” Silverstream dug through her bag and eventually pulled out the same book that possessed information on the artifact; Supernatural Sensations: Legendary Artifacts of the Land. Capper raised an eyebrow and took the book right out of her claws, looking at the table of contents before flipping to the subject matter. He read over the pages quickly and curiously before giving it back to her with a shrug.

“Can’t say I’ve heard of it, sister. But, maybe there’s somethin’ in this library that talks about it.” The smooth-talking bipedal cat announced, already looking to his fruitful yet humble library. His paws traced along the spines of the many books he had at his disposal, and as he made his way down the shelves, Silverstream moved out of the way, allowing him to have as much space as he needed. Capper smirked and continued to search.

Several minutes passed before the cat purred in surprise and snatched a book right out of the shelf. He blew some dust off the book before gracefully offering it to Silverstream. She took the book with an awkward smile, feeling no more or less comfortable with him, even with his calm and laid back demeanor. After this she inspected the book, marvelling at its brown leather texture, which felt great in her light magenta claws. The title and text on the cover and spine saved it from its blandness, however, as they were lined in gold that shimmered in the residence’s dim light. There was also a design below the title that was also lined in glossy gold; five leaves along with a gust of wind underneath.

Oh, right. The title.

Gusty the Great: An Autobiography.

Things just got interesting!, Silverstream thought to herself.

Capper noticed the hippogriff smiling to herself and chuckled, walking back over to his sofa. Sandbar was leaning on the back of his seat, trying to see the book over Silverstream’s shoulder as she flipped through the yellow pages. It was quite a large book, but that was expected from an Equestrian hero. Silverstream was sure the adventures Gusty went on were incredibly action-packed and, well, awesome!

Silverstream grabbed a chair next to Sandbar and sat down, flipping to a page that was labeled “The Platter.” It undoubtedly had something to do with what they were looking for. She was about to read before she heard Capper chuckle from his position on the sofa. She looked up at him with a questioning look, just enough time to see his smirk.

“Aren’t y’all gonna read aloud to your friend and I?”

Silverstream blushed and smiled a little, flustered, darting her eyes down to the page. Maybe they could be friends, instead of just him being a mild-manner host for them. He seemed like a nice enough guy.

Well, my friends, I have acquired an extraordinary treasure.

Whilst I searched thru the ruins of the kingdom I had mentioned in the previous entry, my hooves came across a hard metal, one that I have never felt nor seen before. Here I saw an incredible scene, a golden disk that looked as if it was served to a king. Of course, it had been, and I had found just what I was looking for:

The platter. A platter that was so epic and true, it shone the brightest of all...