//------------------------------//
// Back to the Jungle - Part 1 
// Story: Misadventures of a Henchpony 
// by Big Saij 
//------------------------------//

There was something off today.

Exactly what was different, one would likely have to guess. The lights being left on as I walked into my home? The doorknob looking like it had been used recently? The open window letting the breeze in despite me clearly remembering that I had closed it? These were all possibilities.

Or, it was the shadowy figure standing in the corner of the room, waiting for me expectantly. I would have been worried, what with my history of break-ins and thefts now, but in this case, I recognized this pony. It was hard not to with his signature fedora, light-brown coat, and red neckpiece.

"Biff," I said nonchalantly as I took a seat on a couch, trying to relax. "Doctor C send you?"

A nod in response. "He got your note. Never would have guessed you had gone back to living the civilian life." The stallion looked around, sizing up the room, doors, furniture, and everything in between. "Nice place you got here."

"Thanks. Managed to get the last owner down to a lower price, since he seemed pretty desperate to get out of here. It's no Manehattan, but this village is still safer than the Basin." Sighing, I stretched out on the couch before getting back up again. "Cut to the chase, Biff. We both know you aren't here because you want to be."

I knew Biff pretty well already. He was probably the one I had gotten along with best out of my fellow henchponies, despite technically being my boss as second-in-command. A bit rash at times, but that made him a quick thinker, and he knew his way around a temple or two. Definitely an adventurer through and through, more than I ever was. The very model of a good, competent henchpony. Biff had even been a sort of role model of mine for a while, while I was still new to the whole job and hoped to one day take his place.

Hey, I never claimed to be the henchpony. Just a henchpony.

The visitor of mine adjusted his fedora. "Doctor C's got a new artifact he's on the trail of, and he needs backup. You'll still get your usual share, but he expects you back at the town in Tenochtitlan in two days."

"Fair enough." Grabbing my hat from its rack, I motioned for Biff to follow. "Any idea what kind of job we're looking at?"

"You think he tells me that kind of stuff?"

"No, but it was worth asking."

After grabbing my saddlebag, I opened the door and the two of us stepped out into the daylight. It seemed to be fairly busy out today, with plenty of ponies making their way up and down the street while chatting with their friends or just humming various sorts of catchy tunes. Fortunately, none I could recognize were nearby. "So, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get in anyway?" I questioned, curious.

"You left the door unlocked," he said back. "Didn't I warn you about that already?"

Stomping the ground with a hoof, I let out a quick exhale. "Look, it's not my fault locking the doors doesn't do anything to keep Pinkie out. It just seemed redundant at this point."

"Who?"

"Nevermind. Look, why don't you go get us our train tickets for the ride to Dodge Junction? I'll wrap up some business here and then catch you there."

A nod and he was gone. Biff was a great stallion, don't get me wrong, but I was grateful this was only a temporary thing. His adventurer blood and loyalty to the Doctor were way deeper than mine was, and I didn't want to spend the next day or two explaining all the stuff that had happened lately. I had already gotten a minor miracle in him not recognizing where the ring that was hanging on the wall back home had come from.

Plus, if he stayed here he would end up cribbing my style, and I couldn't have that. It was one of the few things going for me, alongside my interdimensional journal and a few friends. And my job, which was the next thing to deal with on my bucket list. Not telling Applejack I'd be gone for a few days would be the fastest way to have my trip cut short with a lasso dragging me back all the way to Sweet Apple Acres.

"Oh, Jungle!"

As usual, I didn't see Fluttershy until I almost ran into her. She had this tendency to escape my focus until I was basically two hoofsteps away. It had resulted in a crash or two on occasion, but it was fairly rare. I had a better sense of spacial awareness than that, I'll have you know.

"Hey, Fluttershy," I greeted back, tipping my hat. "What are you doing out here today?"

"Oh, just getting a few things for the animals." She noticed my saddlebags, looking curiously at them before doing the same at me directly. "Um, if you don't mind me asking... are you going somewhere out of Ponyville?"

Well, no point in being dishonest. Applejack would approve. "Yeah, I am. There's some business in Tenochtitlan I gotta go deal with. Shouldn't take more than a few days, but I figured I should probably tell Applejack ahead of time just to be safe."

"Tenochtitlan? You're... going back there?"

"Yeah. Anyway, gotta run. Nice seeing you again." I stepped to the side to move past her, continuing along the road to the farm. What I noticed, though, was the distinct lack of hoofsteps behind me. Instead, wingbeats gradually got louder until they were coming from right behind me. "What?"

The sound of hooves quietly tapping together told me exactly what Fluttershy was doing. "Well... I was wondering if I could maybe... go with you?"

I stopped dead in my tracks before turning to face the pegasus again. "You. Want to go with me. Back to Tenochtitlan?" As you could probably tell from my pauses, I was both confused and surprised in equal measure. "You do remember that it's dangerous, right?"

She nodded. "Oh, of course! But one of my friends at the Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures was telling me all about the flora and fauna they were studying there, and I knew I just had to see for myself! Think of all the rare wildlife that's still living out there!"

"I'm well aware of the wildlife," I grumbled. "But your meeting with the society was a while ago. Why haven't you visited yet?"

"Are you kidding? It would be way too dangerous for somepony like me to go there alone. But you've been there before, so you can help me find all of the plants and animals I'm looking for! Please?"

Now, this was a dilemma. On one hoof, it was an objectively terrible idea. I'd have to deal with keeping Fluttershy safe in addition to myself, which was already hard enough. Not only that, but I'd also need to figure out how to do that while simultaneously fulfilling my henchpony obligations to the Doctor. He hadn't seen her at the Fortress of Talacon, thank Celestia, but the two of them meeting would seriously complicate things for everypony involved, especially me. And I liked keeping things as simple as possible.

But on the other hoof... she was my friend. And one giving an awfully convincing pleading look too. That second part was doing some real heavy lifting, despite all rational thoughts screaming at me to say no.

Being honest, I never had a choice in the matter.

"Fine. But I have stuff to do on the trip, so you'll need to go solo at least until Dodge Junction. There's no train that goes into the basin, so-"

"Oh, I know," Fluttershy responded, stopping me. "Rarity said the stagecoach ride was absolutely dreadful for her mane."

Right. I kept forgetting they had all already gone to Tenochtitlan before. Bad memories and all that. "We won't be taking the stagecoach. Once we're at the end of the line, I'll meet up with you so we can go on this 'nature quest' or whatever of yours, okay?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Thank you, Jungle. And good luck with Applejack!"

"Applejack is the least of my worries now," I muttered as I waved goodbye before turning around to resume my journey. I had wanted to make our chat as short as possible, but now I was almost hoping she'd have a two-hour argument with me.

Something told me this was going to be a long train ride...





"You're late."

I rolled my eyes. "I know I'm late," I responded to Biff, grabbing one of the tickets from his hoof and giving it to the conductor before trotting aboard the train. "But if the train's still here it doesn't matter, does it?"

"You know Doctor C wouldn't take that answer."

The two of us took our seats across from each other as the train began to move forward from the Ponyville station. "I am well aware of what the boss would and wouldn't take. I know you, however, are not Doctor C."

"Fair enough."

Biff wasn't a very talkative stallion. A great contrast to me, I know. As I'm sure you've noticed, I can keep a conversation going for a long time. He, on the other hoof, preferred to keep his words few and his impact high. He kept his thoughts hidden, and rarely spoke his mind unless it was a suggestion on how to proceed or something important. I had always respected that, being able to keep silent. Sometimes saying nothing at all was the best way to talk.

...Looking back, it was probably one of the reasons why Doctor Caballeron had chosen him as his right hoof.

Outside the window, the plains of Ponyville slowly shifted to the trees of the bog. The change in scenery almost surprised me; I had forgotten life outside the picturesque parts of Equestria already. The train trips to Canterlot and the Crystal Empire were much more beautiful than the ones heading southward. Unless you had business in Dodge Junction or Appleloosa, there was little reason to take this line.

Well, either that or you liked looking at deserts. To each their own, I suppose.

"So, what were you doing in there?" Biff's comment came out of nowhere, causing me to almost bump my head on the window. "Didn't seem like the kind of place for someone like you."

I resettled into my seat before responding. "First, that just means you don't know me that well. Second, I'll have you know I'm supposed to be working as an apple farmer now. Pays much more regularly than henchpony work, and is much less dangerous too. I did tell you I wanted to settle down before I left, right?"

"Yeah, but... it seems a little boring for somepony like you."

Bursting out into a laugh, I leaned forward towards him conspiratorially. "Between you and me, living there is anything but boring. Between mirrors, castles, the capital, and the ponies, it's almost just as dangerous there as in the Basin. I almost feel like I should be getting paid there too."

"Then why don't you come back?"

A shrug in response. "It's been fun, meeting them all. Not that you guys weren't, but there's something special about them. And besides, I think I'm in a bit too deep to leave now." I saw his raised eyebrow and snorted. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

There was a nod, and that was that. We each sat back in our seats, both pulling our hats over our eyes. Both of us knew it was smart to try and at least get some sleep on the train before the trek from Dodge Junction to Tenochtitlan since there was no direct railroad there. It wasn't particularly hard, but it was long, and from the current time it would definitely be night by the time we got to the village.

Yet out of the corner of my eye, I saw something through the door to the next train car in front of me. A yellow pegasus, Fluttershy. We locked eyes and she gave a little wave at me. I risked one back, hoping she saw the small gesture before turning back to my seat.

"Who are you waving to?"

Celestia darn it. "Just an old acquaintance I saw. Don't worry about it."

Biff grunted and looked back down. It was a good enough explanation for him... at least for now.

And yet, as I knew very well already, it would only be the first of the difficulties to come.





I didn't like Dodge Junction. One would never suspect that a desert town would be the last stop before heading into a jungle, but that was just how things were. Whoever made the geography of Equestria really should have put more effort into it. Ponies from the jungles like myself would just never get used to the dry and dusty nature of these types of settlements, and I'm sure it worked both ways too. Seldom did I see residents come into Tenochtitlan, or familiar faces here.

Well, basically nopony went to Tenochtitlan. Only the occasional tourists. Why you would visit the dangerous basin over places like the Crystal Empire, I would never understand. Maybe they enjoyed taking risks?

Anyway, back to the journey. Stepping off the train onto the station, I spotted Fluttershy waiting for me at the other end. "Oh, there you are," she said while approaching me. "I thought you might have left without me. Where's your friend?"

"Him?" I paused, trying to think of a believable excuse. "He left the train before I did to go where he needs to. Don't worry about it, it'll be just us two until we get to the Basin."

Technically, it was all true. I had told Biff to go on ahead and take the next stagecoach to Tenochtitlan while I picked up some personal supplies in Dodge Junction. If you couldn't tell, that was obviously a lie to him. But I felt a lot better about that than lying to Fluttershy. He didn't know about my secret methods going south, either, and I didn't really feel like telling him about them.

And besides, I would see her and her friends a lot more than I would be seeing my fellow henchponies now, so it was definitely the right move. Probably. Hopefully.

"Okay. So, you said something about not taking the stagecoach?"

I nodded, pointing my head towards where I saw a few stallions loading up a carriage with barrels and crates. "The supplies to the city in the basin take the same route. The drivers will almost always let you hop on for a few bits. Way cheaper than taking an actual ride."

The two of us began walking towards the said carriage, myself taking the lead as usual. "But... isn't that dangerous?" Fluttershy asked, trying her best not to stir up dust with her hooves while I was kicking up a storm.

"Relax, they have everything tied down. It isn't like a crate is going to fall on you or something." I heard the pegasus cough and looked behind me to see her trying to shield her eyes from the dust clouds. "Oh, sorry," I apologized, trying to trot more carefully. "Guess I'm just used to not walking in the front... or walking alone."

"Oh..." We both trotted on in silence, making our way to the back of the carriage. "Well, at least you can lead me when we get there, right?"

It was an attempt to make me feel a bit better about it, not that I needed it. I had come to terms with my last place position on the henchpony hierarchy a long time ago. Now, I was free to be my own pony, and follow my own path. Or, in other words, the path that my friends usually told me to walk down.

I felt a tap on my hindquarter. "Jungle? Would you mind if I... go for a second? There's somepony I saw in the crowd I want to talk to."

"Huh? Oh, sure. I'll go and pay the driver, don't worry about it." Making my way up to the front, I looked up at the pony sitting atop the wagon. "Two extras," I said, tossing a couple of bits up to him.

He counted them out before giving me a level look back down. "For two?" he asked, deadpan.

Sighing, I pulled out a few more bits and tossed them up. After making sure he looked satisfied, I walked back and hopped up onto the wagon, taking a seat on one of the shorter containers. It certainly wasn't as comfortable as the train, or an actual carriage, but I wasn't looking for comfort. After all, I wasn't Rarity.

And this time that comment wasn't unfair, given what Fluttershy had told me.

Speaking of Fluttershy, the pegasus came trotting back and just jumped onto the wagon before it started moving forward, the sound of hooves synchronized in the front as they pulled it along. Glancing up worryingly at the crates which wobbled back and forth with every bump on the dirt road, she eventually settled in and put down a box full of cherries.

I blinked. "Where did you get that from?" I asked, leaning in to get a closer look.

"These? Well, we met Cherry Jubilee here a while ago while we were looking for Applejack, and when I said hi again she gave me these to thank us for helping Applejack come back to Ponyville."

Wow, these mares did travel a lot. And meet a lot of ponies, too. It would make sense, given they were heroes and all that, but most of the time the places they went to had nothing to do with that! And here I was thinking that I was the well-traveled one.

"That's nice," I commented, not sure what else to say. "Guess we should make sure they don't go to waste." Grabbing a few of them, I made sure not to crack my teeth on the cherry pits (a mistake I had made once a long time ago) before spitting them back out onto the road behind us. Fluttershy seemed mildly disapproving, but really, where else was I supposed to put them?

"So, if you don't mind me asking... what are you going to do in Tenochtitlan?"

"Nothing much," I answered back between cherries. "Just tying up a few loose ends and all that. Turns out I had moved to Ponyville in a bit more of a rush than I should have, so once I finish up a few things we should be good. And you finish your nature stuff, of course."

"Right..." Uh oh. The pegasus was giving me a look, which meant I really fumbled somewhere on the evasion. Twilight was one thing, but if even Fluttershy was smelling something fishy that wasn't her cottage pond, then it meant I dropped the ball somewhere big time. "This wouldn't have anything to do with those friends we saw you with last time, does it?"

I nearly choked on a cherry pit, stumbling backwards into a tower of crates while trying to cough it back up and just managing to launch it out of the carriage. "N-no," I sputtered, recovering from the temporary blockage of my airways. "What makes you say that?"

We hit a bump in the road. Fluttershy's eyes, full of concern for me, turned skyward and widened into fear. "Jungle, look out!" she said, pointing a hoof upward. I traced it to where it was pointing, seeing the highest crate of the pile I had stumbled into tilting over me, before starting to fall downwards.

"Oh, horseapples-"

And then I blacked out.





"...Jungle?"

My head hurt. It was a simple observation, but with my eyes closed it was the only thing registering in my brain. Groaning, I slowly opened my eyes, and saw myself staring right into a pair of teal eyes.

"Jeez!" I reeled back, hitting my head back against the ground. Hissing, I waved Fluttershy away as I rolled over to get on my hooves, the pain slowly receding again after a second hit."How long was I out?" I asked, shaking my head lightly to reorient myself.

Fluttershy looked up. "Well, it is night now, so..."

"A couple hours, got it." Blinking a few times, I half-stumbled off the wagon, which had stopped. The driver was busy with a few other ponies unloading the crates and bringing them to a nearby building. It seemed we had already arrived at the city.

Well, I use the term 'city' generously. It was smaller than Ponyville, and only had the bare necessities. A general store, maybe a clothes shop or two for would-be explorers, some tourist attractions, you get the idea. All of the houses were sort of like Ponyville's, only much less uniform and... tidy, if you get what I mean. They blended in much more with the jungle, and the colors were much more subdued.

Basically, it wasn't as bright and cheery as Equestria usually was. Go figure.

"Huh, I thought I would be less tired from all that downtime on the ride here," I said, noticing I was already starting to struggle with keeping my eyelids fully open. Making sure I didn't stumble over any of the many rocks that littered the roads, I gave Fluttershy plenty of time to catch up and keep pace as I walked towards where I knew the only inn in town was.

"The ride here was awfully bumpy..."

Grunting in response, I reached the building I was looking for and opened the door, walking inside. "Welcom- oh, it's you," the innkeeper said. He was a stallion I had known for a long time, with a light green coat and a subdued blue mane and tail. "I thought you were moving elsewhere."

"Last minute business." I stopped in front of the desk, Fluttershy taking her place at my side a hoofstep behind. "Two."

"Two, huh?" Thank Celestia he was not the type of stallion to make those types of jokes; I was not in the mood for dealing with that kind of thing. "Is that going to be one room with two beds or two rooms with one?"

"Two rooms," I said almost instantaneously. "Two nights."

"Right, that'll be forty bits."

That price tag almost jarred me completely awake by itself. Forty bits?! It did match up, since each room was ten bits a night, but still! I guess that was what I got for not liking mental math. And plus, usually I paid upfront per month for a discount. Made it a lot cheaper, especially back when this was basically where I lived when I wasn't actively sleeping out in tents on adventures. Despite my title of henchpony, I did not enjoy only having a cot at best outside in the cold.

Fluttershy seemed to notice my alarm at the price tag. "You know, Jungle, I don't mind sharing a room," she said, basically offering the cheaper way out. It was a way out I usually vastly preferred, but in this case... my mind weighed the options, the pros and cons until finally, my frugal nature won over my aversion to sleeping with others. "Alright, we'll take the two beds," I said, surrendering to the whims of the bit and market.

I swear I saw the innkeeper trying to suppress a grin as he hoofed over the key. "It's nice having you back, Jungle," he told me, accepting the small bag of bits I had pulled out for him.

"Yeah, yeah." Back up the stairs. Past the usual doors. Except for this time, I walked past the room where I had slept for so many moons. I was almost tempted to try the door to see if someone had booked it in my absence, but my common sense won against that impulse. No need to possibly wake somepony up and start yet another problem.

Instead, our room was a door over. Two beds, the setting sparsely decorated save for a single lamp. Just like how I was used to. I all but flopped onto my bed, sighing as I relaxed into a comfortable, familiar bed. A home away from a new home.

My ears heard Fluttershy gently get into bed, pulling the covers over herself. The light from the lamp went out, and everything went dark. A few seconds of rustling from sheets, and then quiet. I slowly began to nod off, tired from the entire day of antics. Despite knowing that tomorrow would only bring even more trouble, I was certainly ready to finally end today with a good night's sleep.

And then I heard the words. "Good night, Jungle." It had come from Fluttershy, obviously. And I knew how I should respond. I knew what was courteous. But the words were so foreign, so new to me, that I was actually at a loss for words. I lay there in silence, staring into the darkness and the wall.

Minutes passed.

And quiet ruled for the rest of the night.