In the middle of a desert, there’s a run-down village known as Klugetown. There looked to be a variety of creatures living here, most of them based on sea animals, others were just a bunch of wild-looking animals, but there was one that was different. This creature was known as Capper Dapperpaws.

Capper was an Abyssinian; a species of anthropomorphic cat. He had shades of brown fur all over his body, with a tuft of dark blue hair on his head. His right ear was chipped and his eyes were green with slitted pupils and he wore a red trench coat that had a couple of sewn patches on it.

Capper had a reputation as a con man in Klugetown. He put his skills to the test when he was trying to trick somebody that got on his nerves. He had recently been a little more hesitant with his cons since he had met the ponies who helped defeat an infamous king.

Since then, Capper would be keeping to himself for a little while and wouldn’t be making much profit. Rent was starting to build up and Capper knew he had to think of something before he was out on the street. However, he didn’t know what to do.

Time was running out, and Capper was running out of options. He looked towards the papers all labeled “final notice” which made him worried about which one would be true. The Abyssinian thought of any happy memories he had in this place. The only one he could recall was when six colorful ponies and a dragon wandered into town.

Capper chuckled as he remembered tricking the townsfolk with some spots of paint and helping the ponies out for a while. He felt proud when he even helped them take out the storm king. It felt great taking care of him once and for all. The ponies helped make Capper feel happy, especially that unicorn who helped fix his jacket.

They gave him more joy in a day than Klugetown had given him in a year. That was when it hit him. “That’s it,” Capper proclaimed, “I’m moving to Ponyville!” With that, he quickly found a suitcase and started packing up all of his valuables. Any bits he had left he tossed into a sack, as well as some bagged food, water, and anything else that could be valuable or useful.

Once all packed, Capper carried his suitcase out of the building and down the streets filled with various different creatures. Many of them looks like moles or other rodents just wandering around or some stopped to look at Capper, who they had some bad blood with.

“Hey, you,” called a shark-like creature. Capper didn’t say anything and just kept walking. “You think you’re better than me?” Again, Capper remained silent.

“Eh, here comes Mr. Scammer,” groaned a fish-like creature. Capper started picking up the pace and was almost out of Klugetown, when he heard somebody call for him.

“Oh, Capper!” The Abyssinian stopped and looked to see a naked mole rat in a top hat and suit. He knew this creature as Verko. Capper groaned as he just wanted to leave.

“Verko, I’m done paying your rent,” he proclaimed. “I’m leaving.”

“What?” the mole rat questioned. He gave a laugh as he wasn’t taking this claim seriously. “You really think that it’s that easy to just leave here?”

“I don’t need any more advice from you. I’ve been paying you for years and I’m still not out of my debt. It’s not just because I’m not making as much money as I have been, you’re jacking up the price at your properties!”

Sensing that this wasn’t going the way he planned it, Verko tried to pull out an old cruel trick. “Very well, Capper. You can leave, just remember, if things don’t work out away from here, my place won’t be open for you. You’ll have to check in with one of your friends. Then again, the only one I’ve met isn’t around here anymore.’

Capper knew who he was talking about. He’d only had one friend with him when they came to Kludgetown. After a few schemes and bad betrayals, Capper had been left with a couple of trust issues. He didn’t say anything and just walked away with his belongings. “That’s right son, just run away from your problems. You’ll be running on all your own!”

Capper ran as fast as he could to get out of town. He heard some other citizens calling out to him with rude words. He just kept running until he saw that he was away from Kludgetown. He didn’t think of how he’d get to a new home, Capper just wanted to get out of this horrible place and start a new life for himself.

Once he knew he was away from Klugetown, he stopped and sat down to catch his breath. Capper was relieved that he was finally out of that dump, but now he was alone and homeless. Then he thought about Ponyville, and Rarity. She and the ponies were the first creatures who had given him any kind of joy in years. They were the thing motivating Capper to change and get to Ponyville.

He picked himself up and carried on with his journey, thinking about the adventure he had with the ponies which gave him a lot of hope and newfound respect. It was going to be a long walk and the heat was already beating down on Capper. His legs were already starting to feel cramp and his knees were starting to bend forward as it looked like they were changing from digitigrade to plantigrade.

This would only be the start of strange things happening to Capper. As he continued his walk, his paws started to grow more digits. These toes would feel the hot sand underneath them as lost their paw padding, he groaned as the heat quickly started to bother him. It began to feel like he was stepping on hot irons. Capper stopped as the heat was getting too much for him. He sat down on his suitcase to see what was wrong with his paws.

Needless to say, once Capper saw what had become of his feet. He wiggled his new toes until the clumps of fur still clinging to his new feet before they were encased in a new pair of dress shoes, that quickly tied themselves up and gave a good feeling of comfort. Capper watched as some more fur started falling off and slip underneath his shoes to give him a nice pair of socks.

“Is…. This has to be a mirage!” Capper cried. He grabbed hold of his new shoes, which felt real to the touch, combining this with his knees bending in a new way to support Capper’s fear. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but now he felt like he was getting a headache. This would have to be something done by the sun.

The transforming Abysnian would force himself up to stand, grab his bag, and run faster to get to… Anywhere. Any kind of town other than Klugetown would be good. If he could find somebody, he could figure out what was happening to him. The heat was quickly slowly Capper down though, and he would feel like he was going to faint.

He suddenly tripped and landed on something hard as a rock. As Capper stood up, he saw he fell onto some black path that had yellow lines on it. Capper looked down both ends of this path as it seemed to go on by miles. He quickly noticed a strange object approaching him, it looked like some kind of machine with a cab hauling a big trailer, both of them running on rubber wheels.

The machine stopped where Capper was standing and a pony looked out of the cab. “Hey, bud, you need a lift?” the pony asked.

“Um… Yes, actually,” Capper said. “I’m trying to get to a place called Ponyville.”

“Hmm, I think I know that place, but it’s not where I’m going. I can take you to Appleloosa. You should be able to take a train the rest of the way.” This sounded good to Capper, and he quickly climbed aboard into the cab along with his bag. As he climbed inside, he saw more of his fur shed off of his body to reveal some caucasian skin. Fortunately, Capper would have his fur come together and form into a fancy pair of pants, which didn’t help ease his mind.

“Say, you didn’t happen to see anything strange happening out here, did you?” Capper asked.

“Nope, nothing but sand and road out here bud,” the pony said. Capper looked to see that the pony had also gained a pair of pants and even some boots. The Abyssinian didn’t remember the six ponies wearing any clothes or anyone he saw from Canterlot. The only creatures who normally wore clothes were the pirates.

“You sure? Because I feel like the heat is getting to me.” Capper wiped his brow as he was sweating quite badly. He could feel a cool breeze suddenly hit him thanks to the truck’s air conditioner. Capper was finally able to relax. Maybe now he could start thinking straight. He would eventually pass out as the drive was going to take a bit of a while.

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In a dream, Capper saw a strange bipedal creature who didn’t have any kind of hair, apart from the long curly black hair coming from her head. She also seemed to wear a white button shirt with a purple skirt and matching high heels. The Abyssinian didn’t understand what she was, but there was a trusting feeling he had toward her.

“Casper, I do hope you’ll be able to make it,” she spoke in a familiar-sounding voice. Capper didn’t know why this… Person called him ‘Casper,” but he did remember that they had met before. He found they had suddenly started holding hands. “You really should come with us. A charming man such as yourself deserves a better home than this place.”

Capper had a feeling she was talking about Kludgetown, and this woman was one of the nicest people he could remember meeting. She soon started learning closer to the Abyssinian with her lips puckered up, making him realize she was going in for a kiss. The moment the two of them shared one–

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Capper woke up with a jump as he saw they were now in a town. “Oh, good, you’re awake,” the driver said. “Here we are.”

The changing Absynian looked around to see a couple of ponies walking bipedally down the streets. The truck he was riding in had parked at some kind of station for gas, where a couple of other cars coming and going. They were a couple of other cars driving along the streets with some ponies walking on the sides.

All the ponies were walking in bipedal stances and they were all wearing shoes and pants, some of the mares were wearing skirts too. He was a bit confused why none of them had tails. He wiggled his own tail a little bit until it started going numb, when Capper looked back he saw that his tail wasn’t moving. Then it suddenly just went limp, simply dangling from where it hung.

“What the…?!” Capper gasped. He grabbed a hold of his tail and felt no sensation in it. He tried giving it a couple of pinches, scratches, even trying to bite it, but Capper didn’t feel anything from it. He started to get scared, but his fright would skyrocket when he tried to pull his tail to get any kind of feeling until it was pulled further than it naturally should have.

Capper looked and gasp when he saw he had pulled his own tail off. “Gah! My tail!” He looked around and nobody seemed to have heard him, or even seen what was going on with his tail. Looking back at his unintentional amputation and saw one end had a buckle on the end of it as it was starting to lose its fur and got flat.

The flesh of his tail would quickly turn into leather and quickly wrapped itself around Capper’s waist as the tail had turned into a belt that now held up his pants. Capper was just at a loss for words as he didn’t have a clue about what was going on. A migraine soon struck him again, but this town wasn’t as hot as the desert. What was causing it?

Capper suddenly held his stomach as it felt like somebody punched him in the gut. The stallion that drove Capper here saw him in discomfort. “Hey, buddy, are you okay?” the pony asked.

“I’m… I’m not sure. Things don’t feel or look right.” Capper looked back at the truck and thought it looked more modern. “Did your truck change? Like the ponies around here?”

The stallion looked worried as he walked over to the changing Abyssinian, looking concerned. “I think you should get something to drink, and maybe a snack too. The nearest ponies are at Brandon’s ranch and my truck’s always looked like this.”

Capper rubbed his head as checked the cash he had in his jacket pocket to see how many bits he had. Strangely he saw there was a green piece of paper in with his coins. When he blinked, he saw that some of the bits had changed into these new papers. Capper thought he should get some water after being in the desert for so long. It must've caused dehydration.

The changing Abyssinian walked inside the gas station and quickly found a water bottle and some chips to have some kind of snack, and handed them to the cashier along with the amount of cash required. As Capper took his purchases outside, he found another piece of paper in his jacket pocket, one that had a collection of numbers on it.

He looked around the gas station and saw a pay phone nearby. Capper saw he had another quarter in his pocket and figured out what to do with these numbers. Capper walked over to the pay phone, inserted the quarter, and dialed the numbers written on the paper.

As he dialed the number, his claws started becoming blunt and flattened out over the top of his fingertips. The fur fell off of his hands as their padding sank into them, now showing Capper had some tanned skin from being out in the sun for long periods of time.

Capper rubbed his head again as he waited for an answer, only to be met with a message. “Hello, you’ve reached Rebecca’s Boutique,” said a woman’s voice. “I’m afraid I’m unavailable at the moment so you may call back later or leave a message so I could call you back.”

Capper sighed as he hung up and walked away from the gas station, feeling more down than before. “Does she even remember me?” he muttered. “I helped her and her friends in the past but…. I tried making money…. Couldn’t make more after my conscience…”

Capper felt depressed now. He couldn’t contact anybody he trusted, he didn’t have a way to make more money, or even find a place to stay with the money he had. He just sat down on a bus bench and tried to open his bottle and chips, wondering what he would do.

“Something on your mind, fella?” asked a voice. Capper looked to see a stallion wearing a cowboy’s hat. He also wore some jeers, cowboy boots, and a shirt that was under a brown jacket. His head seemed to be the only pony part of him left as everything else looked like…. A human?

“Um…. Sorry,” Capper apologized. “I’m just…. Kind of upset about my luck recently,”

“Would you like to get it off your chest?” Capper sighed as the stallion sat down next to him.

“I’m trying to start a new life since my old one is a complete waste. I used to be a conman, but now I’ve grown conscious and I keep talking myself out of scamming innocent people. Now I’m trying to move to the town where the only nice people I’ve met in years live.”

“Oh, so what’s the problem there?”

“I’ve spent the last of my money just getting the bare minimum of food and water I need and I don’t even know how close I am to my new home.” Capper brought his hands to his face as he almost felt like crying.

The stallion stood up and offered him a hand up. “Look, if you tell me more about that place I think I can help you get there. Not to mention get you a proper lunch,” he explained.

Capper looked up at him and felt a glimmer of joy when he was offered the hand up. “Thanks, sir.”

“Please, call me Brandon.” Brandon helped Capper over to a nearby diner, where they were quickly seated at a table. After they gave their order to a waitress, Brandon started breaking the ice with the cat man. “So, what was the name of the people who changed your life?”

Capper started to think about the ponies, but when he remembered their names being different. “I remember names like Tiana, Polly, AJ, and Rebecca,” he informed. “That last lady was a beauty.”

“Hmm, AJ. That name kind of sounds like a cousin of mine. Did she wear a cowgirl hat?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

“Then I think she and her friends live in Pennywood.”

Capper thought his destination had a different name, but Pennywood was the only one that came to mind. As he thought about this, the fur around his torso started turning into fabric as it clumped off. The fabric would get some buttons added to it to help keep it together across the front. The big fluff at the top of his chest would practically pop off and form into the shape of a bow before it got tied around his neck to give Capper’s new button shirt a snazzy bowtie.

There was almost no fur left on him, the only bits left were on his head and some hairs on bits of his body. “Yep, that’s the place. It’s the best place I can think of to restart my life. I don’t know if Becky would want me around though.”

“She’s a nice woman from what I know. She even helped me out when me and my girlfriend started dating. Try giving her a call, hopefully, she’ll let you stay with her until you’re on your feet,” Brandon said. “There’s a pay phone in the back of the diner, and I’ve got quarters to spare.” He handed Capper a dollar’s worth of quarters before pointing to where the payphones were located.

Capper smiled as he took the quarters and entered the quieter part of the diner and inserted another coin into one of the phones. After dialing the number again, crossing his fingers while he listened to the tones. While he waited for an answer, his trenchcoat had all of its patches sewn up to its original condition.

Not only that, the coat was starting to change in style to cover his undershirt better. The coat lost the cuffs at the end of his sleeves. The pockets near his hips gained some flaps while an additional pocket appeared on the left side of his chest to help finish the look of Capper’s new jacket, completing the look of his suit.

This would leave Capper’s head as the only Abyssinian part of his body left. He was busy paying attention to his phone call. Just when he thought he was going to get another voicemail, somebody answered. “Hello, this is Rebecca’s Boutique,” answered a woman, “How may I help you?”

Capper took a deep breath before he started speaking. “Hello, it’s Rebecca Belladona, right?” he asked, stretching the collar of his shirt in nervousness.


“Yes, why do you ask?”

Pushing aside another headache, he spoke again. “Do you remember a man named Casper Dickenson? One from a town you’d never want to visit again?”

There was a bit of a pause before Ms, Belladonna gave a response. “Were you that man who helped us away from those vulgar ruffians?”

“Yep, the one with the fake infection.” Casper chuckled a bit before he started getting stuff off of his chest. “Listen, I’m pretty much at rock bottom right now. I think you and possibly your friends are the only chance I’ve got for a place to stay. Just… Give me a chance, I’ve helped you and your friends in the past.”

He could feel his heart stop as there didn’t seem to be a response. “You weren’t like the other people there. You actually have a heart. You can stay at my place until you’re stable and maybe we can… Get to know each other. Sound good?”

Casper smiled. “That sounds good to me. I’ll be there in Pennywood as soon as I can.” The phone call ended once their time ran out. Still, Casper had gotten what he needed and walked back to the table where Brandon was sitting, just as their food arrived. Both men started enjoying their lunch as Casper was about to hand back the spare quarters he was given.

“You can hold onto those if you want,” Brandon said. “You need it more than I do.”

“Oh, seriously?” Casper questioned. “I’m surprised that you’re being so nice to me. I know why Becky is giving me a chance, but I only met you today. Why are you doing this for some stranger?”

“We’ve had a bit of a scuffle with some groups of people around here, but my cousin and I help her set some things right. Plus, you’ll find a school in Pennywood where they’re accepting students all over the world.”

“Huh, that sounds pretty sweet. Wish I had a place like that to do when I was a kid.” Casper and Brandon kept exchanging details with each other until their meals were finished. Casper was wanting to pay his half, but Brandon covered the bill. In fact, he even gave him some money to buy a ticket for Pennywood. It was expensive, but it would get him there.

Casper thanked Brandon for the money, even giving him a hug before the ran off to catch the train. He managed to catch it in time, bought his ticket, and soon got on board. After a little while, Casper’s train left as he headed off to Pennywood. “Finally, almost there,” he sighed.

The trip would take a while so Casper lay back in his chair, taking a bit of a nap while his body would change one more time. His whiskers would shrink back into his face as his muzzle was pushed back in length. He let out a yawn as his sharp fangs shrank to a much more appropriate size so they could fit in his new mouth.

A majority of his teeth would become flat so he would have an easier time eating fruits and vegetables with his meat. With his muzzle now gone, his nose started losing its shape and moisture, becoming rounder and boulder. A bit of fur would remain around his chin but felt more like hair as it started turning black.

More changes accrued as the rest of his fur started falling off of his face. His ear would slip to the sides of his head, not only becoming rounder but losing some sensitivity so he couldn’t hear the clattering of the tracks too well now. All of his fur was no more at this point, leaving his blue hair to get darker until it was pitch black.

The hair itself would be freshly combed as Casper started getting some memories back. He remembered having a bit of rough childhood, only having one friend who ended up backstabbing him over some anxiety. Casper wasn’t sure if he could trust anybody after that. He was on his own in Mexico.

It felt like a couple of years until a couple of women and a young boy wandered into Mexico, needing a boat or plane to Hawaii. Casper managed to help them get a ride in the end, but he didn’t almost scam them at first. What got him to change his mind was Rebecca helping to fix up some of his outfits.

It was only a minor thing, but Casper couldn’t help but be thankful for the woman’s actions and helped her and her friends out when they really needed help. After that, Casper kept the woman’s phone number so that they could stay in contact. He couldn’t believe it took him this long to move to Pennywood and visit Rebecca. Then the day came when Casper had enough of living in Mexico and got himself together to move to Pennywood.

Before Casper could think about that, he woke up to the sound of the PA system. “We have no arrived at Pennywood,” the woman over the system announced, “Thank you for riding with us and we hope you have a wonderful evening.”

Casper looked to the opening door and quickly grabbed his suitcase and exited the train to head into town. The journey was much quicker than he initially thought and he made it to the Belladonna's household in no time. However, as soon as he walked inside the building, a lot happened in the blink of an eye.

His suitcase seemed to have teleported into one of the closest and all of his clothes inside were placed away in wardrobes and drawers. Casper’s eyes, which were still cat-like at the moment, stung a tiny amount, making him blink a couple of times until they were a regular green iris, with pupils and whites.

He rubbed his eyes as he remembered being with Rebecca for a while, the two of them both working together at her boutique. The two of them also went on dates, one he was dressed just for the occasion.

“Oh, Casper, you’re ready,” commented a voice. Casper turned around and smiled as Rebecca walked downstairs, wearing one of her best dresses, it was slim as white as snow.

“I sure am,” he proclaimed. “I don’t understand what technique you do to get yourself looking so good.”

Rebecca held her hand to her mouth as she giggled at the compliment. “Casper, you’re so charming,” she said. “Shall we get going?”

“Of course.” The couple left the building and got into the convertible, with Casper opening the passenger side door for his girlfriend. As he sat in the driver’s seat, Casper let the hood down so the two could look up at the clear night sky.

“Oh, Casper, the stars are beautiful tonight,” Rebecca commented.

“I know someone who’s more beautiful,” Casper noted. He wrapped his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulder, making her blush.

“Casper, you don’t have to give me compliments all of the time.”

“I can’t help it. You helped me out when I was at rock bottom. You helped me start my life again. I don’t know where I would be now if it wasn’t for you.” He couldn’t help but shed a tear, which Rebecca helped wipe away.

“A charming man such as yourself deserves a happy life.” Both of them looked at each other before they leaned toward each other and shared a passionate kiss for a few seconds. When they released, Capper put the hood back up before they started driving down the street. “I love you, Casper.”

Casper smiled as he couldn’t be happier. “I love you too.”

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