Fleur-Di-Lis followed the whinny to a farm. She saw a stable where there was a little brown pony with tan mane and tail inside. Fleur-Di-Lis's face fell. It wasn't one of her friends. It was just a plain, ordinary little pony.

"This isn't one of the little ponies," she said, sadly.

"How do you know?" Claudius asked.

"He's brown," Fleur-Di-Lis said. "All of my friends are all sorts of different colors. And they can all talk, too."

"I get it," Claudius said. "Well, don't feel too bad, Fleur-Di-Lis. I'm sure they'll be some other little ponies around here. Somewhere."

"Yes indeed," the Moochick said. "You can't be the only little pony here. Yes, yes."

Claudius looked at the Moochick oddly, and rolled his eyes. The pony in the stable nudged Claudius's shoulder, and the wizard began to stroke his nose.

"He may not be one of your friends, Fleur-Di-Lis, but he's a friendly fella," Claudius commented.

"Get your hands off my pony!" a voice shouted.

Claudius, the Moochick, and Fleur-Di-Lis turned around and saw a young girl standing there. She had long, blonde hair in a ponytail.

"We were just . . . ." Claudius said.

The girl didn't let him finish. She charged at the trio, jumped into the air, and kicked Claudius right in the stomach. He fell to the ground, flat on his back. The girl then gave the Moochick a kick. Claudius regained his senses, picked up his magic wand, and raised it at the girl. She grabbed Claudius by the arm, and flipped him over her shoulder.

"Wow!" Claudius shouted, dazed. He was impressed. This girl was half his size, and yet she managed to clobber him.

"Get out of here you horse thieves!" she shouted.

"They're not horse thieves!" Fleur-Di-Lis yelled, running between the girl and Claudius. "They're helping me find my friends!"

"A talking pony!" the girl shouted, surprised.

"Unicorn actually," Fleur-Di-Lis said. Then she smiled. "Do you like ponies?"

"Yes," the girl said, nodding. "But I never thought I'd see a real unicorn in my life. I've had dreams about you. But I didn't know if you were real. Are you real?"

"As real as you are."

The girl reached her hand out slowly, and gently touched Fleur-Di-Lis's face, afraid that it really was a dream, and the unicorn would disappear if she touched her. Fleur-Di-Lis smiled at the girl.

"Don't be afraid," she said. "I'm your friend."

Claudius and the Moochick stood up and regained their senses.

"What's your name?" Claudius asked.

"Tara," the girl said. "And I'm sorry. I thought you were horse thieves."

"No problem," Claudius said. "Although the other wizards ain't gonna believe I got my butt kicked by a little twelve-year-old girl!"

"Hey, I may be little," Tara said. "But I'm strong, and I can fight!"

"Will you help us find my friends?" Fleur-Di-Lis asked.

"Sure I will," Tara said. "Let's go!"

The foursome walked off into the woods. Claudius took out his book, and made a couple of notes in it. He felt his danger sensors begin to flare up again, but he didn't say anything just yet. He wanted to be entirely sure there was big trouble ahead.

The group walked along the path, until they came to another valley. It was as lush and green as Dream Valley, but something was very different about it. Claudius couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"Think we should turn back?" Fleur-Di-Lis asked.

"No way!" Tara shouted. "If we want to find the other ponies, we've got to keep moving!"

Tara charged ahead, leaving the Moochick, Claudius, and Fleur-Di-Lis starting after her, but only for a few minutes. Claudius shrugged, and walked on.

"The gal's got guts," he said. "I'll give her that."

Fleur-Di-Lis and the Moochick nodded, and followed. When the foursome reached the edge of a clearing, they came across a small village.

"What in the world?" Claudius asked as he looked at the inhabitants.

"Duck!" Tara shouted.

Promptly the Moochick dropped to the ground and covered his head with his arms.

"No, the other kind of duck!" Tara shouted, a bit exasperated.

"Oh," the Moochick said, picking himself back up. "I knew that, yes, yes."

Tara, Claudius, and Fleur-Di-Lis rolled their eyes and groaned. Quite obviously, they knew the Moochick didn't know what Tara had meant. In any case, there, walking in the village were ducks. But they weren't like any other duck the group had ever seen before. They were tall, wore clothes, and looked like humans, only with the heads of ducks.

"I wonder where we are," Fleur-Di-Lis said.

"Duckington," one duck said, coming over. Fleur-Di-Lis screamed, and hid behind Claudius.

"What's the matter with her?" the duck asked. "She acts like she's never seen a duck before."

"Not a six foot duck that talks," Claudius said. "I have to admit, I've never seen one, either."

The duck shrugged, and walked off. Another one came directly up to them. She had pale blue "feathers," dark blue hair in a ponytail, wore a long green dress, and a red, heart-shaped locket around her neck.

"Permit me to introduce myself," she said. "I am Lady Camille, the ruler of Duckington."

"Nice to meet you," Claudius said. "I'm Claudius Nelson, and these are the Moochick, Tara, and Fleur-Di-Lis."

"We're looking for my pony friends," Fleur-Di-Lis said. "Especially the unicorns. Have you seen them?"

"I'm afraid I haven't," Camille said.

"But I have!" a voice from the skies said. The group looked up and saw non other than Enchantra flying one of her Strattadons towards Duckington.

"They all belong to me now!" she shouted. "And soon, you will too, little pony!"

Enchantra let a ball of magic build in her hand, and then threw it at Fleur-Di-Lis. The blue unicorn dodged it before it could hit her.

"What do you want a bunch of unicorns for anyway?" Camille asked.

"They're the only ones who can destroy my power!" Enchantra shouted. "And I can't let them do that!"

"But what about all my other little pony friends?" Fleur-Di-Lis asked.

"All the pretty little ponies are mine!" Enchantra cackled. "Soon, I'll have every last pony in the land!"

"Not if I can help it, sister," Claudius said. He thrust his arm out and blasted Enchantra's Strattadon. He turned it into a tiny salamander, right in mid air. Enchantra crashed to the ground.

"Oooohhhh, I'll get you for that, Claudius!" she shouted. "So help me . . . . ."

"That's nothin' but rubbish, Enchantra," Claudius said. "You can't do anythin' to me. You have no power here. Now be gone, before someone drops a house on you or somethin'."

"Very well," Enchantra said, and she started off to Midnight Castle. "I'll bide my time, Claudius! But I swear, I'll be back for you. And the unicorn. I'll get you my pretty! And you're little friends, too!"

Enchantra cackled like a witch, waved her hand, and disappeared into thin air. The others watched her go. Claudius groaned and shook her head.

"I hate her," he said.

"We've got to save my pony friends!" Fleur-Di-Lis shouted.

"But how are we going to do that?" Tara asked.

"We need to infiltrate Midnight Castle," Camille said. "Then we find a way to sneak in, and find the source of her power."

"Good thinkin'," Claudius said. "Come on, everybody. We're on a mission!"