A few days later, Slipp and Blaggut were in the Everfree Forest. They came to a clearing with a green pool of water beneath a tree. Blaggut flung himself down and drank from the surface of the pool with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse. Slipp gave Blaggut a kick to the behind that nearly sent him falling into the water.

"Yew arf-baked barnacle, don't drink so much, for Vulpuz's sake! You're gonna be sick like you was last night."

Blaggut sat up, water dripping down his back. "Tha's good," he said. "You drink some, Captain. You take a good big drink." He smiled happily.

"I ain't sure it's good water," Slipp said. "Looks kinda scummy- like you!"

Blaggut dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so the water arose in little splashes; rings widened across the pool to the other side and came back again. Blaggut watched them go. "Look, Captain. Look what I done."

Slipp knelt beside the pool. Cautiously he dipped a paw in and drank from it. "Tastes all right," he admitted. "Don't really seem to be running, though. You never oughtta drink water when it ain't running, Blaggut," he said hopelessly. "You'd drink out of a gutter if you was thirsty." He threw a scoop of water into his face and rubbed it about with his paw, under his chin and around the back of his neck. "Now lissen hard, cockle brains, mark this tree, remember where it is, an' don't get lost. Take yore moldy carcass off into these woods an' get me some vittles."

Blaggut stared hopelessly at Slipp. "Vittles, Cap'n?"

"Aye, vittles! You know wot vittles is, don't yer? Food to shove in yore face; berries, nuts, fruit, there must be stuff aplenty to eat in this jungle. Get goin'!"

Blaggut's dull features brightened.

"Aye, aye, Cap'n, vittles! I'll bring yer all I kin lay claws on, an' water to drink as well."

Slipp glared at the westering sun as if it were partly to blame, then he smiled disarmingly at his servant. "We've got water right here, nit brains. Wot would we need more for? Look, just go an' get the vittles, will yer? An' remember the way back."

Blaggut stumbled off into the woodland muttering to himself. "No water, jus' vittles, an' remember the way back, got it. No vittles jus' remember an' water if y'come back, or was it don't remember water an' no vittles on the way back…"

Slipp covered his face with his paws and slept.

He dreamed he was back on the deck of his old ship, the Pearl Queen. He and his crew were feasting and having a good time. But then the black shadow appeared! Slipp tried to sail away, but the dark figure followed the ship, floating through the air.

Suddenly somebeast was shaking him. At first he thought the shadow had caught him, but then he realized it was just Blaggut. "Cap'n, Cap'n, guess wot I found?"

Night had fallen now. Slipp sat up and blinked in the darkness. "Don't tell me, a cask of seaweed grog and a roasted gull!"

"Oh, that's a good un, yer a one you are, Cap'n!" Blaggut chuckled heartily.

Slipp grabbed hold of the slow-witted searat. "I'm an 'ungry one right now, flop'ead. Where's those vittles?"

"Oh, er, vittles, er, there wasn't none," Blaggut rattled on with excitement. "But I found three liddle beasts asleep; they're livin' in a tent jus' a stroll further up the bank, Cap'n!"

"You didn't wake 'em, did yer?"

"No, Cap'n. Bless their liddle 'earts, they looked so peaceful. I came right back 'ere t'let you know."

"What kind of creatures were they?" Slipp demanded.

"They was three little horses, only one of them had a horn on 'er head and another one had wings. The third one was just regular, though."

Slipp realized with a jolt that Blaggut had just described a unicorn, a Pegasus, and an earth pony! "I know where we are now! We're in Equestria! That's where Captain Graypatch met his end!" (See MARIEL OF PONYVILLE.)

"You mean we're in that place from the My Little Pony cartoon? Oh, that's nice. I've always wanted to meet Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends," Blaggut chortled.

Slipp's thoughts were running along rather different lines. He was imagining the plunder and loot he could find in Equestria. He had heard it was full of diamonds and rubies. "Lead me to those three ponies you saw sleeping in the tent, nice an' quiet like," he murmured, rubbing his paws together greedily. "You've done something right for once, Blaggut."