CHAPTER FIVE

The young Unicorn walked for days across the desert. She kept going, putting one hoof in front of the other, through dozens of sunrises and sunsets. She tried not to think about what had happened at the Salt Block in Appleloosa. She tried to stop picturing the other ponies’ faces when they saw her broken horn.

She couldn’t figure out how many days had passed. How many weeks had it been since she’d traveled through the outskirts of Equestria? She was out of food, and she only had a few drops of water left in her jug. There was a small city in the middle of the desert, just a cluster of buildings against miles and miles of sand. She’d have to stop there. If she didn’t get water soon, she’d be in trouble.

Most of the buildings were boarded up, and there was only one small restaurant with dirty windows the young Unicorn could hardly see through. The streets were lined with different creatures who appeared to have come down on hard luck. They were sleeping in alleyways and doorways. Many of them had tattered shawls covering their head and shoulders. The young Unicorn couldn’t even see their faces.

She crept to the window of the restaurant and peered inside. Through the dirt and grime she could just barely make out a few figures sitting around tables. Some were drinking cider; others were eating plates of gross-looking food. She tugged extra tightly on her hood as she stepped inside.

As soon as she sat down, she realized she had much more to worry about than her horn. The place stunk of sour cider and rotting food. Everyone in there seemed sad. Their clothes were ripped and torn. Many of them were sitting alone.

Behind her, two rough-looking creatures ate the last of their food. One was looking at a newspaper. “Ugh… more news from Equestria. Can’t stand it.”

“Makes me mad,” the other said. “They’re up there, sparkly streets and fancy clothes. Princesses and princes. It’s like the rest of us don’t exist.”

The young Unicorn swallowed hard. “Uh, yeah…” she muttered under her breath. She hated to admit it, but she understood what the creatures meant. Since she left her town, every day had been a struggle to survive. She’d tried so hard to forget about Canterlot… and Celestia’s school… and the three princesses. It was too painful to think that other ponies had easier lives. That they lived in castles with views of all Equestria.

The waiter came over, and the young Unicorn ordered something off the menu, which was stained with bits of food. She struggled to eat the meal, even though it tasted horrible. After she was done, the waiter let her fill up her jug of water. When he finally put the bill down on the table, she went into her bag, looking for her bits.

“No… this can’t be…” she said, pushing her hoof through a hole in the bottom of the sack. She must’ve ripped it at some point on her journey. All her bits had fallen out of the bottom. “I’m sorry—I’ve lost my bits. I don’t know how I’ll pay.”

A customer at the table next to her laughed. “Likely story! We’ve heard that one before.”

It seemed like the whole restaurant was laughing now. The waiter, an older creature with just a few teeth, shook his head. “You’ll have to work off your meal, then.” He pointed to a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. “Plenty for you to do around here.”

The young Unicorn glanced around the dingy restaurant. She hadn’t wanted to stay even an hour in this city, and now she’d have to stay days. Her stomach twisted at the thought. She stood and went to the sink, starting her first shift at the tiny place.

The young Unicorn ended up working in the restaurant for moons. She lived on the streets of the small city, which was called Drungar. She ate food she’d take home from the restaurant and slept in an abandoned shack she’d discovered in an alley. It had taken her only a week to work off the bits she owed for her meal, but she never seemed to make enough to leave the city. It felt as if it took forever to build up enough savings to buy supplies and continue her journey.

She’d finally taken off into the desert, hoping she’d find somewhere else besides Drungar. Anywhere would be better than that place. The dank, dirty streets. The smell of rotting garbage everywhere. The piles and piles of dirty dishes that she could never get totally clean. The only good thing about it was that no one seemed to notice her horn was broken. Or maybe they simply didn’t care.

The sand stretched out in every direction. Up above, the stars were shining brightly in the sky. It seemed like the best night she’d had in a very long time. As she walked, she noticed a glowing light appeared up ahead. She climbed over a hill and saw a burning wreck in the valley below. It looked as if some sort of ship that had caught on fire and crashed there in the desert. She started toward it, looking down at some of the charred pieces. There were burnt supplies and giant chunks of the ship deck. She walked deeper into the wreckage, noticing something sparkling in the blackened sand.

There was a large gem sitting in the rubble. She picked it up and turned it over in her hooves. It looked like it was worth more bits than she’d ever be able to make at that restaurant. Even better, when she held it, she could feel that it possessed some sort of special power. But for what? How could she use it?

Before she could think about it more, there was a rushing sound overhead. She turned to see a huge airship floating above her. A long plank was lowered, and a small, round creature started down it. He was short with a tuft of white hair. He had piercing blue eyes and wore black armor with a strange symbol on the front—almost like a face. When he set foot on the sand, he pointed in the Unicorn’s direction.

“There it is! The Misfortune Malachite! That gem belongs to the Storm King!” he yelled.

The young Unicorn tucked the gem into her bag, not wanting him to take it away. Maybe she hadn’t figured out what it was for, but she’d found it. It was only fair that she get to keep it.

“Does it?” she said. “He should have taken better care of it, then.”

“Hand it over, lady!” the creature said. “Or face the Storm King’s wrath! That gem’s got a lot of magic, and he needs it!”

So she was right. The gem did possess a special power. Maybe she could use it to grow back her horn. She turned and started off again, but the creature called after her.

“Halt! Stop right there!” he yelled, but the Unicorn continued on. “Not another inch! Seriously, I’m telling you to stop walking. Do not go any farther. You must give that back.”

She only walked faster, trying to get away. The creature didn’t look like he would hurt her (or that he could hurt anyone, really), and she’d never seen him before. Who was he to tell her what she “must” do?

But before she could go any farther, she heard the sound of footsteps. Many, many footsteps. She turned, realizing the creature wasn’t alone. There was a small army behind him. These creatures were taller and much scarier looking. Some had horns; others had long claws. They all had white hair and scraggly faces with sharp teeth.

The Unicorn had no time to think. She took off across the desert, running as fast as she could. It wasn’t long before one of the creatures caught up to her. She spun around to face him. The creature looked surprised that she was ready for a fight. He was twice her size, with a hunchback and two sharp fangs. He sprang forward and tried to grab her bag from her back, but she darted out of the way at the last second. He tumbled headfirst into the sand.

Before she could take off, another creature came at her from the other side. She bucked back, landing a kick in the creature’s stomach. He folded over in pain.

There were more creatures pouring out of the airship. She turned and ran as fast as she could. The creatures were much bigger and slower, and it wasn’t long before she had a good lead. She turned back one last time to see the small, round creature watching her. She stared at him, daring him to follow, then took off into the night.

Leaving the desert wasn’t easy. She’d been able to outrun the scary creatures with the white fur, but then they’d followed her in the airship. She had to hide beneath a rock and wait as they circled above. It took an hour before they finally left.

As soon as she was sure they were gone, she made her way out of the desert. She couldn’t travel through the open stretches of sand anymore. Now that the small army knew she had their gem, they would be searching for her. And the desert would be the first place they’d look.

Instead she continued on until she came to a small village. A sign outside the main gate read KLUGETOWN. Tiny cottages and shops lined the narrow streets. She walked, keeping her head down, and ducked into a store to buy some supplies.

She set her haul down on the counter and listened to the two creatures working there. They were busy and hadn’t noticed her when she walked into the store. “There are rumors that the Storm King’s expanding his empire,” a large purple creature said. “He wants more power.”

“How much power does he need?” the other creature asked. He was shorter, with long green hair. “I feel like I already see those airships everywhere.”

They both turned, suddenly noticing the Unicorn waiting. The purple creature was silent as she put a few bits on the counter. They didn’t start talking again until after she left the store.

Once she was outside, she ducked down an alleyway and pulled the gem from her bag. They’d spoken about the Storm King and his airships.… This gem was his. But what kind of magic did it hold? And how could she use it on her own?

As she held it between her hooves, she tried to focus. It had been so long since she’d used her broken horn. It glowed and shot sparks across the alley. Then she stared at the gem, hoping she could activate it. Suddenly, she heard someone say something.

She turned, thinking someone was behind her, but no one was there. It took her a second to realize the voice was coming from the gem itself. She leaned closer, listening to the quiet whispers. “Beware the Misfortune Malachite,” the voice said. “As soon as I held it, terrible things began to happen.”

The Unicorn shook her head, shocked at what she was hearing. A gem that gave you bad luck? She didn’t believe in such a ridiculous thing. But a different voice whispered another warning.

“Rid yourself of this stone at once! You must!” the voice said. “Or your life will change for the worse!”

The Unicorn tucked the gem back into her bag. She wondered if maybe this Storm King was playing a trick on her. Maybe he wanted her to think the gem was bad so she wouldn’t keep it. Besides, she’d already lost her horn and left the only town she’d ever known. How could things get worse?

She glanced out the alleyway, noticing a caravan passing by. There were a dozen covered wagons leaving the city with supplies. She hopped onto the back of the last one and hid behind some crates so no one would see her. Then she closed her eyes and slept.