//------------------------------//
// Dangers of the Jungle 
// Story: Unexpected Adventure 
// by WhooshieWoosh 
//------------------------------//

I awoke to find myself chained to a wall. Now, if that wasn't weird enough, I noticed everyone else was restrained too. To further weird me out we were in a large room made of smoothed, seamless wood. Like a hollowed out tree. A little bit away a cauldron was sitting over a dead firepit. I didn't see anyone here so I decided to look around differently.

"Libriva."

As I looked around with my magic infused eyes I saw a pony shape above us. Said pony appeared to be walking towards a door and coming down towards us.

"Morti."

My vision returned to normal as everyone else began to stir. Grip looked up at his bonds and began to look around.

"What the hell?!"

"Ah, I see you are awake."

I kid you not, a zebra walked through the door. A freaking zebra with a voice that showed clear African decent. She had black and white stripes (no duh) and her striped mane was styled in dreadlocks down around her face. Bright purple eyes shone deviously as she sized the gryphon up.

"Who the hell are you and why are we chained to the wall?!"

Everyone else voiced their complaints as they awoke. Zebra laughed before gesturing to her cauldron.

"As you can clearly see, I am a witch. I brew potions that grant me power beyond comprehension. But, to brew those potions, I need ingredients. Most can be found in this jungle, but some...."

She chuckled again as she looked us all over before walking to the opposite end of the wall where Cleghorn was.

"Minotaur horn and blood is vital for creating potions of strength and endurance."

Next she approached Meril.

"The beak, feathers, bones, blood and claws of a gryphoness. Useful for many concoctions."

Then she walked to Leaflet.

"An earth pony hoof and a bit of fur can make one pony as strong as ten."

Next was Cinders.

"As for you. You're not bad looking. I'll use your horn to make an infatuation potion and keep you around to... scratch the itch."

He shuddered as she moved to Gemlight.

"Once again, powdered unicorn horn is most useful. As well as the blood of a virgin. Fortunate that you are young.  Not many remain untouched for long."

As Gemlight cowered away I started trying to remember that lock picking spell. Next was Grip.

"Your feathers, eyes, claws and beak can be used to control wild creatures."

"Try to take my eyes and you'll lose a leg!"

She cackled before trotting over to me. She positively beamed as she looked me over.

"And a dragon. I've always wanted one of you. Scales useful for hardening weapons. Blood for curing even the most deadly of diseases. Tears to make a mare look young forever. And..." she looked over at the ingredients layed out already before winking at me. "Seed of a male dragon to brew a potion that allows the drinker to speak to and command the very beasts of the jungle at will."

"Ew! You're going to try to... and drink it!? You're fricking gross!"

Everyone else gagged and Gemlight said,

"Wait, what's she going to do?"

Leaflet took that as a time to demonstrate her intellectual prowess.

"She is going to stimulate his member until he orgasms and collect it before brewing a--"

"What?"

Cinders rolled his eyes.

"She's going to jerk him off into a bowl and make a potion out of it."

"Eeww! That's so gross! What is wrong with you!?"

By now the zebra was getting annoyed.

"You laugh now, but you'll change your tune as I remove the necessary ingredients and you who are still alive spend the rest of your miserable lives as bloodbags!"

I needed more time. She already had gotten a flask and was walking over to me. Everyone looked at me with pity and frankly I wasn't looking forward to getting raped by a zebra. If only I could... what was it? Cut... something. She sat down and raised her hoof. I needed to stall.

"So, what's your big scheme?"

She huffed.

"What scheme? I'm just going to rule the jungle. Plain and simple."

She pressed her hoof to my lower region and I tried again.

"So what are the odds you've been looking forward to this?"

She froze.

"What?"

I looked at Grip.

"I mean, she just happens to want to do this first? She obviously is turned on by the idea of... you know... 'collecting her ingredient.'"

Grip smirked but remained concerned as she scowled.

"I could care less for your body--"

Cmon cmon! Cut--oh? Cut--ee? Cut... Cutuio!(Unlock)

As she was gesturing to her cauldron I looked up and whispered,

"Cutuio."

My shackles unlocked with a click just as she turned to face me. I raised my claw and pointed my palm at her face before she could react.

"Quoira!"(push)

The glyph flew from my hand and slammed into her sending her across the room where she landed like a ragdoll. I pointed to the other's bonds and shouted,

"Cutuio!"

Their restraints popped open as I turned to the zebra who began to rise to her hooves.

"Dro."(pull)

She flew across the room and I caught her by the neck and held her aloft.

"Not so tough now that I'm free, are you?"

She choked for air and weakly batted at me with her hooves. I squeezed and slammed her into a wall before grabbing her rear hooves and slamming her to the ground. As she reached for a bottle on a nearby table I summoned my knife and drove it into her shoulder. She screamed as I pulled it out and grabbed the bottle.

"What's in here? Something bad?"

She started shambling away and I threw the bottle. It shattered right in front of her releasing a cloud of green vapor. She choked before slumping over, unconscious. I turned to my companions who were looking at me in awe.

"What?! I think she deserved it. Who knows how many people have suffered because she needed 'ingredients.'"

Grip shook his head.

"It's not that, it's just... that was...."

Gemlight bounded forward and hugged me.

"AWESOME! You were like distracting her then you said some weird gobbledygook and she went flying! And then you were putting the smack down on her and it was SO COOL!"

I laughed as she snuggled her cheek against mine.

"And you saved us all from horrible stuff like getting pulled apart and bleeding and...."

She laughed as she nuzzled my cheek.

"Sheesh! Calm down Gem! Did you really think I'd let her hurt you?"

I looked at the others who were giving me appreciative looks.

"Or any of you. Sorry, but she'd need a whole lot more than some shackles to keep me down."

Everyone chuckled as Cinders walked over to the sleeping zebra.

"So what are going to do with her? If we leave her she'll just capture some other schmucks and torture them."

"Anyone know a memory spell?"

Cinders and Gemlight shook their heads. I sighed.

"I don't see any other way but to... you know."

Grip nodded.

"Not that she doesn't deserve it. I have a feeling we weren't the first."

"Yeah. I'll take Gem and meet you upstairs."

As I carried her out Gemlight looked back and said,

"Wait, what is he...."

"Don't worry about it. Let's make sure nobody else is stuck here."

I pretended not to hear the solid thunk of axe hitting wood.

As we explored the witche's house we found rooms filled with strange masks and charms, rooms full of bottles and scrolls where I spotted our bags, and finally a room with a bed. In the bedroom I saw a large metal cage sitting in the corner. I looked inside and saw a pitiful sight. A mare, older than Gemlight but younger than Leaflet was huddled in a corner. Her coat was shaggy with scars showing all over and her mane was ragged. She turned to look at me, showing she was missing an eye.

"P-please. Do you have anything to eat? I... I'm so hungry."

I unlocked the cage and slowly reached inside. She shied away and covered her face with her hooves. I slowly continued until I gently stroked her back.

"Shh. It's okay. I'm going to help you."

She looked at me in confusion. It was obvious she had given up hope a long time ago. I gingerly picked the shivering mare up and carried her in my arms. She looked frantically around.

"N-no! She'll catch us! I... I don't want to be punished again! I can't! It hurts too much!"

I held her tightly as she feebly struggled in my grip. I returned to the room with the scrolls where I had seen our bags. I pulled out half a loaf of bread and gave it to her. She sniffed it before slowly taking a bite. She froze and tears welled up in her one good eye.

"I... I know this. It's bread. Equestria... I... I ate stuff like this before."

She began to voraciously devour the bread until I stopped her. I'd heard stories of the prisoners in concentration camps being given food by soldiers and their stomachs not being able to handle it. I wasn't letting her die now.

"Slow down. Savor it. You're free."

She choked and looked at me as Gemlight sat down beside her. 

"F-free? I... I'm...."

"I'm taking you with us. Far away from here. Anywhere you want to go. Well, after we find what we're looking for."

She looked at the bread and then looked over at Gemlight who was holding a small piece of fruit out towards her.

"I... I can go home?"

I nodded and she started sobbing.

"I'm... I'm going home!? It's been so long. I... I don't know how long I've been here. Me and my friends were on vacation. We'd just graduated from high school and wanted to visit the jungle. They... she killed them. She cut them up and stewed them into potions. She kept taking my blood and my fur and my mane."

She reached up and touched the empty space where her eye had been.

"My eye."

I reached into a bag and pulled a strip of cloth out. I tied it around her head so it covered her gaping socket. She started to shake and cry harder.

"Is this real? For so long I dreamt of somepony rescuing me. But... I never thought someone would."

She shivered again and I pulled her closer. She shuddered again before leaning against me. Gem shifted over and patted her on the back. Grip and company chose then to walk in. Everyone looked on in pity as I comforted the grieving mare. She took a shuddering breath and spoke in barely more than a whisper,

"Petunia, Clockwork, Rosemary, Cloud Skipper... I'm going home. I promise... I'll tell your parents goodbye for you. I... Why was it only me that is still here."

She looked up to me, despair covering her face. Obviously survivor's guilt.

"Why did only I survive?!"

I rubbed her back gently and shook my head.

"You just did. Don't feel guilty. The only one to blame is the witch, and she won't be bothering anyone ever again."

I had to carry her out of the house. She was so weak and thin she couldn't walk. As we left the witch's house behind the now free mare clung to four buckles we'd found. One had a flower on it, one two interlocking gears, another a green plant, and the last a cumulous cloud. Seeing her like this made me realize. I might be a thief and a rogue, but that didn't mean I couldn't still be a good guy. I wasn't going to be a villain, or a hero. I was going to be whatever the hell I wanted to be. I'd ignore the rules and do whatever I felt was right. And woe be to those who'd try to stop me.