The Slipstream arrived at the edge of Hayseed Swamps the next morning, not long until noon. Blueblood had made absolutely sure to show Terra the controls of the airship, how to control altitude, how to set a heading, how the devices and instruments could be set to plot a course, and especially how to land. He'd offered to come along, but Terra, tempted as he was, chose to decline.

It was his time to step up as a Knight of Harmony. He had to do this on his own, not just to prove himself as a knight but also prove it to himself.

The Hayseed Swamps were surrounded by the famous Heatherglades, tropical wetlands that surrounded the actual swamp, which itself was a vast swampy environment with treetops so thick that only the local pegasi knew where to fly in order to get through, meaning Terra was going to have to land at the edge of the territory and take a ferry.

As he brought the Slipstream down, he saw he wasn't the only outsider to come. There were several wagons parked in a wide-open dry glade, with a small cottage next to them, a pony relaxing on a leaned-back chair, a hat covering their face, a sprig of wheat in their mouth, which they were evidently chewing on.

After securing the Slipstream with its mooring line, Terra, saddlebags strapped around his barrel, approached the dozing pony, and hesitantly called, "Um, excuse me?"

A snoozy snort and waking 'huh?' let Terra know the pony, a stallion by the sound of his voice, yawn, tilting his head back to reveal his face, showing a friendly-looking mane. His coat was rusty red, his mane and tail sandy gold, and his cutie-mark was a canoe and paddles.

"Oh, sorry, wern't `spectin' no more company," the pony said with an accent. "Ah take you here t' partake in Swampi Gras? If you lookin' fer a good time, you come to de right place!"

"Uh- Yeah, I am here for... Swampi Gras," Terra smiled shyly, "I heard from someone who came here for it last year that it's a great celebration, had nothing but good things to say about it."

"Well den, we gotta getchoo t' Hayseed village an' you gon' havva good time, Cajun style!" the pony declared with a hearty chuckle as he got up, "You just wait here while ol' Paddy gets his boat, huh?"

Before long, Terra was cruising along the river on Paddy's tugboat. Paddy, as it turned out, was the ferrymane for Hayseed village, using his boat to ferry ponies in and out of the swamp, a job he'd taken on after his pappy got too old to do anymore.

I gotta admit, Terra thought as the boat cruised a steady pace down the river, Hayseed Swamp is actually a lot more beautiful than I expected.

The river was mostly pea green from all the water plants and grasses and algae, but there were lily pads in bloom all around, hanging vines with mossy tendrils, beams of sunlight filtering through the swamp canopy, he saw fish leaping out of the water, presumably to catch buzzing insects, there were herons standing at the river edges, poised before some would strike to spear a fish or frog with its long beak. Terra could of sworn he even saw a green frog in the distance sitting on a floating log while playing a banjo, but it was too far away to be sure and they passed it by rather quickly. He saw water striders and dragonflies skimming and zipping across the water's surface, a family of opossums hanging by their tails on the branch of a swamp cypress, snail kites searching the trees for apple snails, and if his eyes didn't deceive him he was certain he saw an alligator sunning itself on a log.

"Hey son, c'mon up here, huh?" Terra looked up to Paddy as the ferrymane stood at the helm and pointed ahead, "Hayseed village, along with Swampi Gras, dead ahead!"

Moving to the bow of the boat, Terra's eyes soon widened at the sight ahead of him.

They were headed towards a pier extending from the shore not far from the aforementioned Hayseed village. It was bigger than Terra was expecting it to be. The homes looked a little ramshackle yet appropriately designed for living in the swamp, with some of them built upon wooden platforms in case of flooding when the tides came in, bringing more water from the distant ocean. There were wooden walkways that reminded Terra of cat walks in theaters, but these were designed for the locals to get around their village without falling into the murky water. The rest of the homes were built upon higher ground on dry land.

There were shops, a town hall by the looks of it, a humble hotel, and of course Swampi Gras was in full swing!

Terra remembered it was only the first day of the three-day celebration, and the locals and visitors were out and about, having the time of their lives! String-lights of many colors but mostly yellow and white intertwined between the buildings, some over the main street which was filled with dancers, musicians, and even some street performers. There were balloons and confetti, cheers, whoops, and merry music filling the air along with the delicious smells of Cajun style cooking coming from various stands and even food carts!

Already Terra's belly was grumbling with excitement and anticipation of whatever eats they had to serve, and Terra found himself bewildered despite how the merriment was already getting to him. What could be such a problem that the map had sent him here?

After Paddy brought Terra ashore and said goodbye, Terra began to mingle, and found the atmosphere fun and merry! A few locals threw hoofmade bead necklaces over his head and said things like 'welcome to Swamp Gras' with bright and friendly smiles. Many wore costumes, some bright and colorful, others grim and creepy, some looked more obscure or elaborate, and Terra assumed such costumes had some kind of cultural background regarding the Hayseed community. The music was festive, changing tempo and melody every few minutes, so Terra found the different musical numbers evoking feelings of cheerful excitement, reflective contemplation, and the kinds of feelings where he just didn't give a hoot! The music drew him in, compelling Terra to join in on the dancing, stomping his hooves, shaking his booty, feeling absolutely alive!

For a while, lost in his reverie, Terra forgot all his troubles of late, or even why he was there. After dancing, he worked up an appetite and tried some of the local flavor, such as crawfish boil, potato salad, and Tarte à la Bouillie for dessert, with homemade lemonade to wash it all down. He watched a little play, as he digested, performed by the local foals about a mare, lovesick for a stallion who was the local hero of their village, was led astray by a devious witch doctor, but helped by a kindly voodoo priestess and found the confidence to open her heart to the stallion she was in love with and overcome the witch doctor's curse before finding her happily ever after.

It was then that Terra felt his own heart ache out of missing his big fat geo prince.

Later, after listening to a jazz band play a swingin' number, a loud and boisterous voice called out in a Cajun accent, "ATTENTION! YOUR ATTENTION HERE, S'IL VOUS PLAÍT!!"

Eyes and ears turned towards the building that Terra assumed was the village's equivalent of a town hall. It looked like a dapper ol' manor, its pristine architecture looking out of place in a swampy village yet at the same time it fit in so perfectly. It was around three stables tall, looked like it'd recently been given a fresh coat of butter yellow paint with beige accents, boarded roofing, and at least three chimney stacks, one of which was releasing a thin trail of smoke. There was a wraparound verandah with wood railing, and standing in front of the fine house was a large family of ponies, most of them earth ponies, a few pegasi and unicorns, but the biggest of them all was the stallion who was clearly the one who'd called everypony over.

He was BIG. Terra would have pegged this stallion as an above-average sized Geo Pony though he was clearly not one, due to missing the physical characteristics of a Geo Pony. Instead, he just looked like an uncommonly large earth pony with a heavy and jolly fat barrel that had nothing on his bulky withers, sturdy legs, massive chest, and his coat was mint green while his mane, tail, and beard were forest green with signs of graying that made him look rather distinguished. and his brown eyes were big and bright, warm with kindness and good will, and his cutie-mark appeared some kind of pot on his plush backside.

Once everypony had gathered, the large pony laughed and then spoke in his booming voice, "Hello, hello, and welcome one an' all, whether you be local and are joining us here for our annual SWAMPI GRAS!!!"

There were whoops, cheers, lively stomps of applause, before the big pony raised his hoof in a calming gesture and continued, "For those of you joining us for the first time, I am Papa Gumbo! Head of Hayseed village, and, like my family up here with me, a proud descendant of our honored ancestors, Mage Meadowbrooke and Swamp Gas!"

Papa Gumbo gestured to a nearby pair of statues, one of a mare with a large hairdo and gorgeous dress, holding a mask shaped like a large bird beak, and gazing up at a large earth pony who bore a resemblance to Papa Gumbo, though younger and not quite as pudgy.

"O'er a thousand years ago, Hayseed Swamp was the beloved home of these two amazing ponies," Papa Gumbo narrated, "Meadowbrooke followed in her mama's hoofsteps in the healing arts and learned the mystic properties of all Hayseed Swamp has to offer! Her beau, Swamp Gas, he was our hero! He explored the swamp, protected his community, and always lent a helping hoof! `Tis why Meadowbrooke began this celebration, not just in honor of her Swampy, as she called him, but also in honor of our community.

"Some who look at or even just hear of our home, Hayseed Swamp, they fail to see the beauty and wonder there is to be found if you look past what your preconceptions, but don't take my words for it, but rather... my petite granddaughter..."

At Papa Gumbo's words, the lights all around them dimmed and a shimmery mist flowed forth, and a new melody began while Papa Gumbo's sons and grandsons all began to make a deep and rhythmic hum while beginning to play their instruments as a spotlight shined down upon a figure appearing in the mist, which slowly parted to reveal a young pony, no longer a filly but not yet a mare.

She had a spring green coat, her marigold mane held up by a mane-band with a water lily decoration on it, and she wore a gown of gossamer that matched the blue of a summer sky. She rose up and stood proud as she began to sing.

As the song ended with a musical flourish, the crowd all stamped and whooped in cheer while Papa Gumbo's granddaughter smiled and gave a bow. The cheer was mighty and joyous, but it was not loud enough to drown out the bone-rattling ROAR that instantly quashed it all away as everypony turned towards its source and heard something big and heavy approaching.

Distant screams wracked the air and the earth beneath everypony's hooves shook as its source made itself apparent in the form of a stampede of ponies all running towards them in panic, shouting, "RUN!!!" "IT'S COMING!!" "MONSTER!!!!"

Monster?! Terra felt a chill of dread run up his spine and the sound of whatever was coming swelled with the raucous racket of wood and glass breaking, another terrible roar booming over the screams and panic, before it finally appeared busting through a nearby house and everypony saw it!

It was big, almost matching the size of an Ursa Minor, but was made up of what appeared to be plant matter from the swamp. Grasses, reeds, cattails, lily pads, moss, algae all clumped and bunched together to form the basic shape of a pony, and it stank worse than any swamp gas ever could! Its mouth was an opening in its head while its eyes were holes filled with bluish-white marsh light that often appeared naturally in swamps, but they burned savagely, as the monster set its gaze straight for Papa Gumbo.

"What is that?!" "A monster! What else could it be!?!" "We're all doomed!" the locals and visitors were all crying out, on the verge of panic-

"SHUT IT!!!"

All eyes turned to Papa Gumbo, his gaze focused upon this monster that had the nerve to threaten his community and interrupt their Swampi Gras.

"All able-bodied stallions, with me! Mares and foals, take cover in the manor!"

As though responding to Papa Gumbo's words, the Swamp Monster let out another roar, its "breath" fouling the air before it, as though it had belched a vile gas that made everypony in town gag, cover their noses, cough, and squint their eyes shut as they teared up from a nasty stinging sensation. Terra did so as well, but then he heard several sounds, like something lashing through the air, followed by cries of terror.

"AUGH!!" "HELP!" "IT'S GOT ME!"

Terra forced himself to open his eyes and was horrified to see the monster had, what appeared to be, tentacles made up of its swampy plant matter, that had lashed out from its withers and reached out to ensnare several ponies, including one of Papa Gumbo's sons.

"DAD!! HELP US!!" the son begged in alarm as he and the other captives were then dragged towards the monster.

"LET THEM GO, YOU FESTERING PILE O' POND SCUM!!!" Papa Gumbo roared as he charged, followed by some more of his family members, mostly the stallions, as they ran to aid the ponies the monster had ensnared while Papa Gumbo tackled the monster head-on.

The mighty earth pony managed to push the Swamp Monster back a few pony-lengths... only to find himself being thrown back in response, getting his big keister hooved to him, while the Monster lashed out more tentacles, knocking away the ponies who were trying to free its captives before reeling them in. Everypony watched in horror as the captives screamed while being swallowed up, absorbed into the Swamp Monster's body.

The mares grabbed their foals and ran to the manor, as Papa Gumbo had ordered, while the stallions all stood together, a few of them helping Papa Gumbo to his hooves.

What the hay have I gotten myself into...?! Terra thought to himself. His 'fight or flight' instincts were spurring him to do the latter, but somewhere in his head (and perhaps his heart) something kept Terra rooted to his current position. Was it courage? Was it fear? Or was it something more...?

Out of the corner of his eye, Terra saw another pony standing dumbstruck with fear as he gazed upon the Monster. He was an earth pony, big, fat, and tall, taller than a pony like Macintosh but not as tall as the average Geo Pony, and he was stil ldwarfed by Papa Gumbo by a considerable amount of mass. His coat was an orange-brown while his mane was a pinkish-red. On his flanks, jiggling with fear, was a cutie-mark displayed as a streaming plate of some kind of food seasoned with a green herb, and his eyes were wide with fear, showing them to be bright green. Despite his considerable bulk, there was some respectable might in this pony's muscles, though that didn't seem to cross his mind as the pony was frozen in fear, even as the Swamp Monster turned its gaze upon him.

What's he doing? He's gotta get out of there! Terra thought, as that feeling keeping him from running seemed to slacken just a bit, but running wasn't on Terra's mind in that moment.

The Swamp Monster snarled as another of its tentacles emerged from its disgusting form and reared up, the pony standing fear the clear target.

Run... get out of here! Terra's heart began to pump, not with fear, but with a drive.

The tentacle lashed out...!

"NO!!" Terra finally freed himself and charged forward, his sword manifesting, as he quickly stood between the pony and the tentacle-

*SLISH*

-which then fell to the ground, writhing like a snake that got its head cut off.

The pony was in awe to see Terra, standing there, holding his sword out in a position that made it clear he had slashed the tentacle, saving his life. Though Terra was smaller than this pony, he couldn't help but blush at how bold and heroic he appeared in that moment. The Swamp Monster snarled in vexation as it retracted its tentacle, and Terra stood tall, as he said, "You've gotta get out of here! This thing is- !!"

Terra had turned to speak directly to the pony he had just saved... and was flummoxed to see right through the pony. The pony no longer looked like flesh and blood, but rather his whole form was transparent and light reflected off of him in a manner akin to... some kind of gelatin? His hooves looked goopy, and dribbles of something slimy slid down the pony's withers and mane, and it was a moment before the pony realized why Terra was staring at him.

"Er-!! I-I can't..." the pony, who looked as though he were made of goo stuttered, before his eyes popped and he shouted, "LOOK OUT!!"

The pony turned and his form seemed to collapse into a pile of goo that then bounced up and away, and Terra turned around just in time to see another of the Swamp monster's tentacles swinging his way before everything went black. The last sounds he heard before fading into the oblivion of unconsciousness were more screams, shouts, roars... and then cries of despair as someone cried, "PAPA GUMBOOOOooooo....!!!"

Disclaimer:

"I See a Kingdom" - Vanessa Williams