//------------------------------//
// Back to the Jungle - Part 2 
// Story: Misadventures of a Henchpony 
// by Big Saij 
//------------------------------//

Usually, I was the first pony to wake up in groups.

This wasn't always the case, of course. There were some occasions where I was just too tired to get up at a reasonable time, or if I had a real reason to sleep in. But since I had almost always been the one nominated to get up early and set up breakfast at camp as a henchpony, it came with the routine. Applejack I would expect to get up even earlier, but her routine was even more set than mine was and really, being a farmer was basically cheating.

What I wasn't expecting, though, was to see Fluttershy's bed empty when I woke up at the crack of dawn.

The most plausible explanation, to me at least, was that she was ponynapped in the middle of the night. However, I was still too sleepy to go running down and trying to find her, so I didn't worry too much about that. Instead, I yawned, got out of bed, grabbed my hat, and walked out the door and down the stairs.

"I got to say, that's some pony you've got traveling with you, Jungle," the innkeeper said as I took a seat at one of the tables, holding back a yawn. "Don't think I've ever seen anyone wake up before you while you were here."

Ah. Well, at least that solved one of my worries. That meant I could afford to relax at least a little while longer. "Did she tell you where she was going?" I asked, mostly just to make sure she hadn't tried going off on an adventure without me and forcing me to save her.

"Yep, to the general store to pick up some stuff she said she needed. She told me to tell you she'd be back soon."

"Fair enough." I'd have to note Fluttershy's early wake-up time in my mental storage somewhere. It was probably because she had to take care of all those animals. "Well, seeing as how I might be waiting here a bit, how about a drink?"

All I got in response was a look I was all too familiar with. I sighed. "You're a real pain sometimes, you know that?" I said as I tossed two bits towards him. He caught them while giving me an infuriating grin before nodding his head.

"Just got a new shipment, actually. Apple Cider, different from the usual stuff."

Darn. For once I was actually hoping for the usual stuff since I was pretty sure I already knew where that cider came from. "Let me guess, Sweet Apple Acres cider?"

I watched as the innkeeper stopped to check the labeling, looking back up at me surprised. "How did you know?"

"Just a feeling." Sighing, I motioned with a hoof for him to pass a mug of it over. It was still worth the bits, but a pony can not live on cider alone, you know? Despite what many ponies believe, there can be too much of a good thing.

After hoofing over the cider, the innkeeper sat at the table across from me, drinking from his own cup. We both sat there in silence, looking into our drinks and occasionally taking a sip. I supposed it was a slow day for him; either we were the only ones here or the rest of his patrons hadn't woken up yet. He had already told me many times that I was his best customer; the rest of the Doctor's henchponies preferred roughing it out in the wilderness for free.

And yet despite that I had never learned his name. Huh. I remembered telling him mine at some point when he asked, but I couldn't remember him returning his in kind. I didn't find it a big deal, though, since keeping things business on at least some level was fine by me.

"So... how has life been treating you?"

The great question. I made the usual response, an iffy motion with my hoof. "Same as usual. Having fun, making bits, and getting into trouble."

"Trouble?" He raised an eyebrow, curious. "I thought you were trying to stay out of that."

"I am!" I responded indignantly, waving my cider around. "I've been doing my best! But trouble just keeps finding me no matter where I try and go!" Taking another sip of the drink, I put the mug down and rubbed my forehead with a hoof. "I never should have gone to Canterlot..."

Now the innkeeper looked impressed, putting down his cider as well. "The capital, huh? Not every day that a pony like you gets to visit a city like that. What was the occasion?"

"Books."

He blinked. "But you're-"

"I know," I interrupted, not wanting to hear it. He was well aware of my inability to read, at least ever since he tried giving me a dinner menu once. "One of the princesses had me moving them over to the big library they have over there. So there I am, just trying to help, and I apparently end up taking the one book I shouldn't have."

"And why do you say that?"

Looking to my left and right, I double-checked to make sure that nopony was nearby before leaning in conspiratorially to continue. "It turns out the book I took belonged to the one and only Princess Celestia-"

"What was that about Princess Celestia?"

My hoof instinctively banged against the table as I raised it upwards, knocking over both our ciders as I turned to look at the new voice. "Oh, Fluttershy!" I said, trying to sound relaxed and not at all nervous about her overhearing our conversation. "You're back!"

"Yep!" The mare put her saddlebags on a different table from the one I was sitting at and pulled out various ingredients. "I was going to make breakfast for us... if that's okay with you."

The innkeeper and I looked at each other, the former raising an eyebrow. My response was the faintest hint of a smirk before I turned to Fluttershy, nodding appreciatively. She smiled before turning to my drinking partner. "Um, do you happen to have-"

"Kitchen is in the back. Knock yourself out."

"Oh, thank you." She disappeared through the doorway behind the counter, and I heard a very faint humming as the rattling of metal started ringing out from the kitchen. I also failed to suppress a growing grin as my friend sitting across from me held an expression best described as a mix of exasperation and jealousy.

"Before you ask," I said after finally finishing my cider, "I was not the one to choose my friends like that. If anything, they chose me."

"I know. What I'm wondering is what they could have possibly seen in you."

We didn't speak again for the rest of the morning.





"I swear, that pony sometimes..." Fluttershy and I trotted forward through the trail winding through the Tenochtitlan Basin, the former taking the rear and remaining quiet while I muttered to myself. "Thinks he can get away with saying something like that to me... I'll show him!"

The pegasus behind me cleared her throat softly, barely loud enough to get my attention. "Aren't you two friends, though?" she asked politely, trying her best not to offend me.

"Kind of." I stopped walking to wave a front hoof around for emphasis. "Have you ever known somepony that's really nice but also knows exactly how to get on your nerves and does it a lot?"

"Um... maybe?"

"Well, that's him. He's great, but he also loves to annoy me to Canterlot and back. I just... ugh!" I stomped the ground with my free hoof before continuing the walk forward, a bit more annoyed than before. On the upside, it also meant I was moving a bit faster too. I felt a little bad for forcing Fluttershy to pick up the pace, but I wasn't exactly in the most considerate mood either.

I heard the hoofsteps quicken behind me until my companion was walking right beside me, narrowly remaining on the thin jungle trail. "Well, what did he say that made you so angry?"

One of my front hooves hit an exposed tree root, making me stumble forward and almost fall over. Fluttershy was just able to catch me in the nick of time, and I gave her an appreciative nod before remembering what she asked me and returning to my sullen mood. "Don't want to talk about it," I responded, trying to think of something to finally switch the subject. "Listen, Fluttershy, I might have to... go for a little bit on occasion during this trip."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Well you know, the jungles out here are pretty dangerous if you don't know where you're going." The two of us came across a small river; I used the rocks to jump across while Fluttershy hovered over the waters. "I might need to scout ahead on occasion to make sure everything is safe. Just for a bit though, I promise. And I'll come back as soon as I'm sure the coast is clear."

"Oh, okay." Fortunately for me, she didn't sound too disappointed; I might not have been able to find the will to actually leave her if she had. "So I'll just wait here, then?"

Nodding, I took my hat off and held it over my heart to prove my honesty. "You'll be safe since I know this basin like the back of my hoof. As long as you know where not to go, there's nothing to fear."

"Why would I be afraid? You're here!" Fluttershy said it with such confidence and kindness that it shattered my heart and ego in a single blow, then instantly mended them back again. I was right; I needed to leave now before I was mentally incapable of doing so.

"Thanks, Fluttershy. Be right back." After tipping my hat and giving a signature smile, I foraged ahead along the path, quickening my pace as much as I dared to within this jungle. The irony was not lost on me for the role reversal; where I first believed she would be the burden to assisting Doctor Caballeron, now it was vice versa. Friendships were weird like that.

And speaking of the good Doctor...

"Ah, there you are!" Caballeron said as I stumbled into their makeshift camp, already in the process of being dismantled. " was starting to think you did not get my message."

"I'm surprised you remembered that I existed," I thought silently before pushing those feeling down. No sense in needlessly antagonizing my semi-former employer. "Sorry for being late," I responded, putting on my henchpony ponysona. "So, what kind of artifact are we after today, and how many times will we have to fight Daring Do to get it?"

It was a bad joke, but one rooted in truth nonetheless. I was not particularly enthused by the prospect of getting my flank handed to me on this trip. "Nothing less than the Diamond of Lapis Lux!" the Doctor responded, putting on his usual flair. "As for Daring Do, we do not need to worry about her. I have sent others to distract her and make her believe we are after the key to the Amulet of Culiacan instead."

Huh. So Rogue and Withers were both gone. That just left me, Biff and the Doctor himself for this little excursion. If I had known that it was going to be going like this, I might have actually had the spine to tell Fluttershy I couldn't take her with me. "Don't we want the Amulet of Culiacan, though?" I asked, only semi-interested in the answer.

"Of course, but the amulet can wait until later. Besides, it will be easier to have Daring Do find the key and take it from her later. The defenses in the temple guarding it would be... difficult for us to navigate. Now, to find the Diamond we must-"

The Doctor was interrupted by a shrill scream echoing through the jungle, emanating from behind me. I screamed internally as well; there was only one pony that it could possibly be. "I'll check it out," I said trying to appear reluctant, while at the same time readying myself to race towards Fluttershy as fast as possible.

"Do not take too long!" Caballeron called out after me as I galloped back the way I came, curving towards where I had heard the scream. Of course Fluttershy had moved from where I had left her. Now, if something dangerous had come along and forced her to move, I wouldn't blame her, but come on. How would I be able to find her if she hadn't screamed and tried breaking my eardrums?

Especially since the path I now had to take was going into the more dangerous parts of the Basin. Not exactly a place I wanted to be in, considering the consequences of venturing through it in previous expeditions, which were generally bad for my health and well-being. I wasn't really into that pirate aesthetic, despite how cool having an eye patch and a peg leg might look.

The rock under me moved.

On pure instinct I jumped backwards, just narrowly avoiding the cragadile snapping its jaws at the exact place I was a moment ago. As soon as my hooves touched ground I turned and galloped as fast as possible in the exact opposite direction, hearing the roar coming from behind me. There was no stomping, which indicated to me that the cragadile was too lazy to actually give chase, but I was also willing to take no chances. I hopped over a tree root, ducked under a vine, dodged a tree trunk...

...and tripped on a rock, tumbling forward down a hill head first. Down and down I rolled, only being able to hope I wouldn't hit my head on something hard until the ground gave way beneath me and I fell into waiting treetops. Vines snagged around my back hooves and my barrel, snapping tout and leaving me elevated a mere hoof or two off the ground.

I tried moving my back hooves. Nothing. Tried my front hooves too. One was completely stuck in the vines above me, and the other I could barely use. Twisting myself around was out of the question with how tight things already were. And I already knew how strong the plants were; I had used them as a replacement for rope many a time in my misadventures.

In essence, I was stuck. Typical.

There was a rustling in front of me. At first, I thought the cragadile might have returned to finish me off now that I was incapacitated. Fortunately, it was just Fluttershy instead.

Unfortunately, that meant I had some explaining to do now. A prospect that sounded about as bad as facing the cragadile, all things considered.

"Oh, Jungle!" Fluttershy approached me, looking curiously at the situation I was in. "I was just about to look for you. What, um, happened to you?"

Grunting, I tried to position myself to look at the pegasus better, failing miserably in the process. "Just the usual," I groaned, blinking hard. "Why didn't you stay where I left you?"

Fluttershy looked at the ground, nervous. "Well, I was going to, but then some animals came along and told me that one of their friends needed help. I didn't know when you would be back and they said it would be really quick, so..."

"Why did I hear you scream, then?"

That made Fluttershy look even more embarrassed. "I slipped and started falling down one of the trails. Sometimes I, um, forget I have wings when I'm scared." My eye-roll was legendary as she flew upwards out of my sight. I felt one of my back legs shift before the vines holding me up gave way and I unceremoniously fell to the ground. "Are you alright?"

Getting back up onto my hooves and brushing myself off, I waved her away with a hoof. "I'm fine," I responded with a bit more aggression than I probably should have. "Did you at least find any of the plants and animals you were looking for?"

"Oh, yes! There was plenty of flora and fauna on the way that I had never seen before! A lot of them were scared by a big mean cragadile nearby, though."

I flinched before stretching out a leg, trying to ignore the pain remaining in it. "Yeah, I think I figured that out too," I answered, eyes already scanning the surrounding jungle to try and find a way out. "Anyway, it isn't safe here. We should probably head for higher ground, which should be over-"

"Hey!" I froze, recognizing the voice. Knowing I had to act fast, I grabbed Fluttershy's hoof and raced down a nearby trail, hoping my memory would prove itself in my time of need. Fortunately, it did; there was a cave right where I expected, a perfect haven for my non-henchpony friend. "Can you wait here for a bit?" I asked her, half-shoving her inside.

"Well, okay, but who was-"

"Thanks, be back in a minute!" I immediately ran back up the way I came, hoping I wouldn't be caught acting about as suspicious as a pony could be in a deadly and hostile jungle environment. Right when I got back to where I had fallen, Doctor Caballeron and Biff stepped out from the shadows of the tall trees and plants, looking rather annoyed.

I tried putting up a hoof to speak first, but the Doctor beat me to the punch. "There you are!" he said, acting like he was actively looking for me when we both knew that he had definitely just happened to run into me again while knowingly leaving me behind. "I am sure you dealt with the situation, yes?"

Shrugging, I fell in line behind Biff as we continued onward. Also something very expected of the Doctor; situations like this did not require any delay in artifact hunting more than necessary. "They won't cause us any trouble," I vaguely responded in my usual style of expertly crafted half-truths. Or assumed half-truths, at least. There was a small possibility that Fluttershy would come crashing out of the trees any second now with an army of snakes or something crazy like that, but I was willing to hedge my bets against it.

"Good! The Diamond of Lapis Lux awaits!" The most surprising part of this so far was the fact that Doctor Caballeron did not have a map out to look at as we trotted along. Usually, those were a solid standard for charting our misadventures through the basin. It meant that either he was confident enough in knowing the location of the diamond that he didn't make one, which was my hope, or that whatever gave him the information in the first place was sketchy enough that he couldn't make one.

That was the worse, albeit more likely option.

"So, uh," I started awkwardly, "anything special about this diamond? Any magical properties that we should probably know before we take it?"

"Like what?"

"Like dooming the basin to eight hundred years of unbearable heat," I answered flatly, keeping my usual charm and humor out of my voice for once. "It would make it a bit difficult to keep finding artifacts."

That actually got the Doctor to stop dead in his tracks and look at me. He contemplated, deep in thought, which I really wished he would do more often. He's generally more pleasant to be around when he's not talking. Then, he shrugged and turned back to continue walking. "The Rings of Scorchero were an... unfortunate misunderstanding. The diamond has no magic, save for its high price to the right ponies. And besides," he added, twirling a hoof for added emphasis, "Ahuizotl is not our buyer this time."

My response was interrupted by a familiar shrill scream. I slapped my forehead with a hoof as Doctor Caballeron looked at me with a look best described as pure annoyance. "You said they would not cause any trouble," he said, his tone exactly matching his expression. And in this case, his complaints were regrettably valid.

"I'll... handle it. Again." This was already extremely tiring. Though being fair, I'm not sure with the benefit of hindsight whether I would have said no to Biff or Fluttershy. Something to ponder on.

And so, I began to wander off from the group. Again. Into yet another dangerous part of the Tenochtitlan Basin that I would have rather avoided. Again. "Why do I even pay him again?" I heard Caballeron mutter to himself as they headed in the opposite direction, which did absolutely nothing to help my mood. I was just about ready to find Fluttershy and shove her on the first carriage back to Ponyville.

Or at least I would have, if my face hadn't run straight into a tiger.

Now, I know what you're thinking. 'Oh, Jungle, isn't that one of Ahuizotl's minions? It's on your side!' While that may be true, either you're thinking of the wrong tiger, or the aforementioned beast completely forgot about my work with said guardian of the basin. It also could have been that it didn't like my face, but I doubt it. What mattered was that it growled and swiped at my muzzle in a very unfriendly manner, my sharp reflexes just barely saving me from an unwelcome scar. Unimaginable amounts of pain too, but it was mostly the permanent damage to my perfect appearance that mattered, you know?

To the detriment of said appearance, I was still in a bit of a sticky situation. Namely, that I was trapped by a very unlucky placement of trees and shrubbery, the only exit being blocked by the tiger. At least I would be able to go down fighting. A great and climatic ending to the tales of Jungle Trek, defeated by a fearsome beast of the Tenochtitlan Basin-

"And just what do you think you're doing, mister?"

My inner monologue about my impending doom was interrupted by the surprisingly angry voice of Fluttershy. Turning my head to explain that I was being viciously attacked by a wild animal, I fell silent when I realized that she was looking at the tiger, not me. Said tiger was also looking ashamed of itself, which was quite the odd look for the animal.

"Having a bad day is no excuse for scaring ponies, mister tiger! Now what do you have to say for yourself?" It was actually a bit humorous, seeing such a dangerous animal wilt under the sheer pressure of a disappointed pegasus and make a few sad noises before hurrying away. I was smart enough not to laugh, of course; even with Fluttershy, that typically wasn't a smart thing to do towards something like a tiger. "Are you okay? The basin can be pretty dangerous sometimes..."

And there went my mood again. Having somepony else lecture me about my home away from home was enough to put a damper on all my internal comedy. "I'm fine," I replied roughly, getting a sense of déjà vu. "Why did you scream again? I thought I told you to stay in that cave."

"Oh, um, I thought I saw a monster in the cave, but I think it might have just been my own shadow..."

Alright, that's it. I was officially done. Throwing up my hooves, I pointed an angry hoof at Fluttershy, causing her to take a step back. "Fine," I responded, "then you're on your own. If you want my help, go back to the town and wait until tomorrow. I have actual things to do today."

Fluttershy blinked. "I-is something wrong, Jungle? I didn't mean to interrupt something of yours..."

"Yeah, but you did." Beginning to walk away, I didn't even bother looking back as I continued. "Do whatever, but don't expect me to come running again if you need me. I'm needed somewhere else."

"And you probably wouldn't even need my help anyway," I silently added on, the voice in my head quickly turning depressive. At least with the Doctor, I knew I was needed, that I was helpful. Here? There was none of that.

"Jungle, wait!" But I paid her no heed. I only quickened my pace, taking a path through the trees specifically so that she wouldn't be able to keep up. I saw the direction Caballeron and Biff were heading, and though they knew these jungles well, there was a reason I was the one with a map on his cutie mark. Nopony was able to navigate this place through pure instinct and memory as well as I did. And if they kept going in the direction I think they were, and I took the shortcut here and ignored the trail there, then it should put me right in the path of-

I slammed face-first into Biff, causing both of us to fall over. It was a much better alternative than running into the Doctor himself, since he didn't enjoy that sort of thing. "You're finally back," he said, some level of displeasure remaining in his voice. "Are matters finally resolved, then?"

Quickly getting back to my hooves, I gave a mock salute as my fellow henchpony shot me an angry glare. "I got the message across a lot clearer this time," I responded, remaining serious. "She will cause us no more trouble."

Doctor Caballeron studied me for a moment before finally letting the last traces of annoyance disappear from his muzzle. "Good!" he declared in typical Caballeron style. "We are almost to the diamond! Let us make haste, for fortune favors the bold!"

I did not look back as we marched forward again.