//------------------------------// // Welcome to the Jungle // Story: Rarity's Epic Yarn // by Philosophical Tree //------------------------------// *BGM* “Water... I need water!” Rarity, who had been crawling for the past minute and a half, collapsed onto the sands of the desert. The pair had been in Hot Land for a total of five minutes, and already Fluff was regretting his decision to bring Rarity there. The moment she had set hoof in the desert, she had complained non-stop, her cries about the heat and sand and lack of water grating on Fluff. As Rarity ceased movement, Fluff could take no more. He walked over, unfurling his yarn whip. “You. Shut up and don’t question me right now.” Rarity looked up just in time to see Fluff fling his whip at her. She felt her body roll up into a small ball, which landed atop Fluff’s head. Her first reaction was to cry out in terror, but Fluff’s warning kept her silent. She could only watch as the prince carried her across the desert. As the journey continued, Rarity felt a growing sense of guilt in her stomach. Fluff was being challenged by a great deal of hardship, all of which would be difficult if he wasn’t carrying her. Yet the little blue prince met them head on and pressed on, not caring about what stood in his way. Whether it was beast, tornado, sand or spikes, Fluff did everything to ensure that Rarity made it across the desert safely. And for that, Rarity felt extremely guilty. “Fluff, please,” she began, but the prince cut her off. “No,” he snapped, not even giving her a look. “If you want to help, then let me use you as a weapon. A kind of wrecking ball.” Without waiting for an answer, Fluff called out his yarn whip and flung Rarity forward, smashing a waddle dee in front of him. Rarity cried out in shock as she collided with the small creature, and huffed as she returned to Fluff’s grasp. “Please do try to refrain from doing that, I am not Marely Cyrus, that tramp!” Fluffed ignored her, continuing his march over the sands. He repeated the action several more times, taking down a number of creatures much to Rarity’s dismay. The trek across the desert took roughly a half hour, but eventually Fluff set Rarity down, huffing and panting as she glared at him. “Never make me do that again,” he scolded her. “You may not think it, but you retained all your weight from your previous form, and I’m not really that strong. From now on, you walk.” He let out a long breath, and Rarity, who had been about to reprimand him for using her as a weapon, shut her mouth. ‘Of course... this must have been so hard for him,’ she thought sadly, her thoughts turning to words. “I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have reacted as I did. It was most unflattering of me.” She held out her hoof in apology, and Fluff took it, giving her a worn smile. “No worries. Not after what we’ve got in store. In order to get to that volcano’s peak, we have to duck through a cave and a jungle. The sock might be there.” Rarity turned to look. behind her a massive volcano rose to the heavens, lava pouring in streams down the side. She could see the cave entrance near to them, but the jungle was obscured from her view. Slowly, the two made their way into the darkness of the cave. Rarity ducked down as a bat flew over her head, trying hard not to cringe. Sure, she had spent a fair share of time in caves, even against her will, but she knew that she didn’t enjoy them a single bit. Well, not until the cave started to glimmer. Her eyes lit up as gemstones, jewels and beads sparkled in the cave’s natural light. Fluff watched her face light up and chuckled. “Grab what you can. We gotta keep moving. The jungle’s gonna be tough to navigate.” Rarity giggled in delight and galloped off to collect what she could. Fluff shook his head and followed, smiling. “For a haughty mare, you’re alright, Rarity.” __________ Some time later the pair emerged from the cave, Rarity laden with gems. She was surprised to find they were almost weightless, despite the massive number she had collected. When she asked Fluff about it, the small puffball shrugged and shook his head. “Don’t ask me, i’ve never been able to figure that out.” Stepping around a bend in the path, Fluff smiled. “Ah, here we are. Welcome to Dino Jungle.” Rarity’s eyes alighted on the jungle before her. It appeared primordial, a land lost to time. She couldn’t see any manner of creatures, but a roar in the distance alerted her to their presence. She turned to Fluff. “Is it safe? I mean, Dino Jungle... as in dinosaur?” Fluff nodded, setting off into the jungle. “Yup. And it’s safe enough... well, apart from the bees.” The prince disappeared into the undergrowth, but Rarity paused for a moment, hesitant to venture in. Remembering the desert and how Fluff had selflessly carried her across, she steeled herself and charged in after him, feeling herself transform once more. She hadn’t been rolling for more than a minute when the ground began to slope upwards. The slope felt very different than the ground, so Rarity slowed to a halt, looking down. “What on earth...” she scraped her hoof against the substance. It felt hard, but not uncomfortable. Almost alive, like a small dragon she knew. “What on earth?” She looked up to find herself eye to eye with a felt dinosaur. She wasn’t sure what kind of long neck it was, but it was enough to cause her to scream and slip from her perch, falling into the water below. “Really?” Fluff called down to her. She shook herself off and turned to see him standing on a cliff face not far above her. “That one’s a plant eater, like you. It’s not gonna bite. Now come on!” Rarity glared at him, getting to her hooves and dashing back up the dinosaur. It didn’t react as she rolled up it’s neck, over it’s head and onto the ledge beyond. As she arrived on the ledge, she found herself facing a sheer cliff face. “Take the Pterodactyl!” Fluff called down from the cliff above. Rarity turned her gaze upwards to see the very reptile flying down to her, a button protruding from it’s chest. She flipped out her yarn whip and latched on, feeling herself curl up into a ball as the pterodactyl rose into the air. The pterodactyl reached the top of the cliff, and Rarity hopped off, bidding it thanks as it descended once more. Turning, she found herself on the banks of a wide, flowing river, the opposite bank unreachable due to the current. She sighed, looking around for any means of crossing. The only thing near her side of the bank was another dinosaur, this one sporting a lovely crest. She watched it for a moment, confused. “Are you... beckoning me over?” she asked. It gave a nod, then pointed with it’s eyes across the river. She turned in that direction, comprehension dawning on her face. “Oh, I see. You wish to carry me across?” It nodded again, seeming pleased with itself. Rarity smiled, trotting over and hopping on top of its crest. “By all means, then. Let’s be off.” The dino began to swim, pushing itself against the current. Rarity was impressed by the strength of the dinosaur, as it powered through the water towards the other shore. After passing by a small island, the dino reached the other side, and Rarity leapt from his head onto solid ground. “Thank you, dear,” she called. The dino made a happy noise before sinking beneath the waves. Rarity watched him go before turning back and making her way along the bank. It wasn’t long before she arrived at a second river. She growled. “If this becomes a pattern I am going to be very upset.” Spotting a second, almost identical dinosaur, she trotted over, smiling. The dino made a happy noise and beckoned to the other shore. Rarity nodded in return, hopping atop the crest as the dino began to power it’s way through the second river. The current was swift and strong, but the dino pressed on as if it was nothing. Rarity watched as two small islands passed by before she noticed a sound. It was quickly growing louder, so she turned to find out what it was. Her eyes went wide and she ducked as a giant button bee flew over her head, buzzing angrily. She turned to watch it go, but more buzzing alerted her to more bees. She turned to face them, unlatching her yarn whip. If Fluff could pick her up, she wondered if he could do the same to these bees. As they drew near, she lashed out with her whip, latching onto one. Holding her grasp, she drew it close, whirling it up into a ball, just as Fluff had done to her. The bee rested upon her head, buzzing gently. “Hmm... I wonder,” she mutter, balancing the bees on her head. She heard a few more bees approaching, so she put her theory into action, flinging the bees out. Before she could stop herself, though, the ball slipped from her grasp, flying outward. She gasped as it split into three smaller balls and homed in on the three approaching bees, colliding with them in a shower of beads. The dinosaur below her made an approving sound. “Well... go with what works, as they say,” she muttered as her dino swam past a trio of long necks. Arriving at the other shore shortly thereafter, the dino let Rarity disembark with a pleased sound before diving beneath the waves. Rarity smiled and waved before turning to find yet another river blocking her path. She groaned. “Oh, lovely, I see this is now happening.” “There’s one more after this one, Rarity. Sorry to disappoint.” Rarity whirled to find Prince Fluff standing beside a third dino, a cocky grin on his face. She stuttered for a minute before finding her voice. “W-where have you been!?” she snapped. Fluff held up his arms defensively. “I’ve been waiting patiently. I see you’re learning how to take care of yourself. Keep that in mind. I might not always be here. Now come, hop on my parasaurolophus buddy here and let’s keep moving!” Fluff turned and hopped on the dino, Rarity close behind. She looked at him quizzically as the dino began swimming. “What do you mean you might not always be here?” Fluff sighed at the question, avoiding looking at the pony. “You never know,” he muttered, loud enough for her to hear. She shook her head, choosing not to press the matter further. The dino seemed to swim for quite a long time, struggling against the flowing water, but the two were silent the whole time. Something about what Fluff had implied made Rarity apprehensive. A long, awkward silence passed before the dino arrived at the shore, letting the pair disembark. He watched them awkwardly for a second before disappearing beneath the waves. Rarity sighed. “Can we just forget that happened?” she asked. Fluff nodded. “We’ve got one more river to cross and then we’re almost home. Come on.” __________ The final river proved uneventful, and after disembarking the pair marched off into the jungle. A roar, similar to the one Rarity heard early, resounded off the trees, much closer this time. Fluff chuckled a bit. “Oh great, these two,” he said, not explaining further. Rarity wondered what he meant until she felt the ground under her change again. She knew she was walking up the back of another dinosaur, so she thought nothing of it, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, her vision was filled with razor sharp teeth. She screamed and recoiled back as the teeth came crashing down. Fluff began to laugh uproariously. “Don’t worry, these two are complete airheads,” he said, reaching down to pat the head of the dinosaur the pair stood on. “These rexes never move from this spot. Just follow me across that one over there and we’ll be home free to get to the summit. Come on.” Rarity watched as he stepped onto the tip of the first rex’s nose, waiting until the beast’s jaw had opened to it’s maximum. He then leapt across onto the second rex as it began to raise it’s jaw. He turned and called to Rarity. “Just follow my lead, alright?” Rarity gulped nervously, but nodded, the thought of teeth still filling her mind. As she watch, the jaw that Fluff had leapt from slammed shut in from of her, so she trotted over to the edge as it began to rise again. She bit her lip nervously, waiting for the right moment to leap. As it came, she charged forward, feeling her hooves leave the dino. Looking down, she realized that she hadn’t jumped far enough; She wasn’t going to make it. Fluff threw out his whip, catching the tip of her horn and wrapping her up in a ball. She closed her eyes, waiting for the teeth to come down and sever her lifeline. It never came. She opened her eyes to find herself resting atop Fluff, his eyes wide with panic. “You alright?” He asked, setting her down and letting her unravel herself. She panted heavily for a moment, regaining herself, then nodded. Fluff sighed with relief. “Good. That was too close... I should’ve moved quicker, though.” Rarity shook her head, laying a hoof on Fluff’s shoulder. “That doesn’t matter,” she said, her eyes tearing up from how close she had come to death. “You saved me, and that’s all that matters.” Fluff smiled, turning to face the path down the rex. “Come on. Time to find that sock.” __________ The climb up the mount was short, and eventually the two arrived at the summit. Fluff sighed in remembrance of the battle that had been fought here. “I remember this. Kirby and I managed to take down Hot Wings the phoenix here... but I don’t see the sock.” He and Rarity began to search around the summit, but neither of them could find a single thread from it. Fluff sighed, sitting down near a rock and closing his eyes, trying to think. Rarity trotted up, sitting next to him. “Cheer up now, Fluff,” she said consolingly. “So we couldn’t find the sock. I still want to explore what this world has in store. So we take a little bit longer getting me home. I can collect a few more beads for my collection.” Fluff nodded, his eyes closed. “There’s something else-” he began before a loud roar cut him off. His eyes flew open and he jumped up, looking skyward. A massive form flew overhead, heading in the direction of the lands beyond Hot Land. Fluff shook his head, disbelief etched into his face. “That’s not possible!” He shouted as the form began to fade into the distance. “Kirby and I took Fangora down! How is he still alive?” Rarity followed his gaze wonderingly. “What was that?” she asked. Fluff didn’t move. The disbelief had faded, only to be replaced by anger. “A dragon.” He turned and started back down the summit path. "Come on, we're going to Treat Land, as quick as we can. That thing's a serious threat. We need to stop it, and we need to stop it now."