//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: Jungle Fugue (Part 3) // Story: The Phoenix King // by Turtlehaus //------------------------------// There was a sort of skunky fragrance that wafted through Mira's cave. Mira hovered before a flat stone surface where she engrossed herself in some sort of concoction that involved all of her focus. I elected to separate myself from her work. Much of her attention was on the poisonous fangs she had pulled from the now dead Apep's jaws. I, myself, had gathered Apep's one remaining eye. No sooner had I dislodged it, with my magic of course, did I witness Mira reaching her arm inside its vacant eye socket to dig around. From it, Mira retrieved a very large venom sac from Apep's head; looking quite pleased with herself and her morbidly obtained body parts. "Hey…" Mira mumbled after a while. "Yeah?" I asked, sounding eager to converse and break the silence. "Stand a little closer. I need the light." Mira instructed me, waving her hand for me to move in. "Sure…" I replied slowly, moving closer to her. The smell did not improve. It almost felt like it was seeping into my pores; which made me question if a Flame Pony even had any pores to begin with. This conundrum distracted me for a couple more minutes before becoming bored with my own thoughts and returned to observe what Mira was attempting to do. "What are you doing?" I asked, finally breaking down to ask her the blunt question. "Working." Mira replied flatly. "Yeah, but on what?" I asked again, legitimately curious. Mira seemed annoyed at my insistence, hissing under her breath. "You can call it 'brewing' if you want." Mira replied, dropping Apep's eye upon the table; bouncing in a very queasy squelch. "I take parts out of somethings to make new things to help others things; think of it as making a remedy." I watched as Mira whipped her finger in a downward motion, a thin line of her own magic slicing the Apep's eye in two. The two pieces fell over, balancing on their round edges, as Mira proceeded to scoop the eye jelly from them. "Wh-What are you making?" I asked, trying not to gag at the sight. "Dinner." Mira replied. "What? I'm not eating that!" I shouted in horrified disbelief; shaking her frantically. "Calm down! I was only kidding!" Mira hissed at me, slapping my face to make me back off. I could feel my stomach almost jump for joy at her words. My relief was visible through my sudden smile at not having to eat the gross eye ball jelly. Mira ignored me, occupying herself with scooping jelly into a few of her own stone jars. After a couple of minutes watching her meticulously fill each jar to the brim, I found myself with more questions to ask. "How did you learn to do all this… stuff?" I asked, unsure of what to call the scavenging of other creature's body parts. "I had a friend that taught me…" Mira replied quietly. I could tell that I was drudging up some painful memories for her. Although, it seemed like every memory she had was a bad one at this point. "We're you a better student then me?" I asked, trying to put a light hearted spin on it. "I'm better then you at everything." Mira snapped back, rolling her eyes at me. "Did she give you a hard time like you give me?" I asked, strolling up alongside her once more. "I give you a hard time because you're an idiot. She was probably the most gentle of the Arcana. Always wanted to fix everything, help everyone, and it drove me insane." Mira replied, vicious mashing the eye jelly into the jar. "She kind of sounds like Fluttershy." I mentioned. "What's a Fluttershy?" Mira asked looking confused. "A quiet and gentle pony I know." I replied. "Yeah, well Tier was probably a bigger crybaby and wimp then your Fluttershy could ever hope to be." Mira stated, as if she was trying to win some argument. "So her name was Tier?" I asked curiously. I could see the sudden realization come across Mira's face that she had let slip her friend's name. Deciding to just ignore it completely, Mira continued on. "She used to cry all the time, so she got the name Tier." Mira mentioned casually, floating back to the snake fangs. "Azimuth liked to make each of us unique, in some special way; she made Tier very in touch with her emotions." "What did she give you?" I asked curiously, wondering what was so special about her. "None of your dumb stupid Flame Pony business!" Mira shouted at me; flushing a bit in the face. Within the mountain, amongst the hidden the paradise that Jungle Ponies had taken refuge in, Tier spoke with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Daring Do on where she had come from, what she was, and how she came to be here. "I was known as Arcana. A magical creature that resided within the Kingdom of Naught created by our Eternal Master known as Azimuth. I was to live alongside the Void Walkers who were unable to use such magic, to help them achieve wonders while they protected us; just how the Eternal Master Zenith protected Azimuth." Tier began to explain. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Daring Do sat near the water's edge listening attentively to this creature named Tier. Many of the Jungle Ponies had sat down as well to listen to Tier speak; almost as if it was a story being told around the campfire. Chieftain Talon stood beside Tier, electing himself her bodyguard, and protector; taking his role in protecting the Heart of the Jungle very seriously. "A lot of that didn't make sense to me." Applejack confessed, looking rather confused. "Now, when you say created..." Rainbow Dash began, scratching her head. "Do you mean like a Mommy and a Daddy pony becoming really good friends and-" "Azimuth was no pony. Her kind was known to us as the Eternal Masters that had brought our world to life through sand and starlight. They were as tall as mountains, dwarfing entire cities, able to reach into the void of space to pluck stars from the cosmos. I was formed from the black sand from the Valley of Ouroboros, given my own star, and took my first breath from the whisper of Azimuth." Tier cut in. Several Jungle Ponies clapped. Entertained by the imagery Tier had provided them. "I'm right there with you, Applejack." Daring Do said taking notes. Daring Do had a journal out, a pencil in hoof, recording the finer points of what Tier had been saying. Taking some sketches of what she looked like, for posterity sake. "It don't make much sense to me, but it's more than any pony could have hoped for. I'm sure Princess Sapphire will be surprised to hear that there is a creature from the Void right here in Equestria." Applejack mentioned. "No pony can know about the Heart of the Jungle." Chieftain Talon stated, slamming his staff down threateningly. Every pony watched as Tier gently touched the Chieftain Talon's shoulder, a soft glow of purple seemed to pass through her and into him. Chieftain Talon seemed at ease, his hard features softened, almost breaking a smile. "It is okay, Talon. I can tell these ponies don't have any cruel or evil intentions." Tier reassured him. "Of course." Chieftain Talon replied calmly. "What did you do to him?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously. "I can change emotions within creatures. To put them at ease, make them melancholy in their own natural way, while transferring their anger and anxiety into me and vice versa." Tier explained. "Can you do it to me?" Rainbow Dash asked excitedly. "Sure." Tier replied, happily. Tier placed her hand upon Rainbow Dash's head, a soft glow of purple emanated from Tier's palm into Rainbow Dash. A large smile crept across Rainbow Dash's face, looking very relaxed as her eyes started to droop. "Whoa…" Rainbow Dash mumbled. "Is she going to be okay?" Applejack asked, sounding a bit concerned. "What she is feeling is her own euphoria, the best of memories that relax a pony to a point of near bliss." Tier reassured her. "This technique is how our warring ancestors were able to put aside their differences and unite under one new tribe. They swore to protect the Heart and the Jungle for harm." Chieftain Talon mentioned. "We saw some ruins back at the temple that seemed to show some of your history, but a lot of it was destroyed." Daring Do pointed out. "I'm surprised any of the murals lasted as long as they did." Tier mumbled, sounding embarrassed. "The appearance of Tier was marked during the Battle of Midday, nearly a hundred years ago, where every Jungle Pony Tribe fought for control of the mountain and its riches. Jungle Ponies were divided by their sense of greed and bloodlines; seeing other Jungle Ponies as inferior and unworthy." Chieftain Talon elaborated. "That never ends well." Applejack remarked. "You're a hundred years old?" Rainbow Dash asked, in disbelief. "We don't keep track of time in the Kingdom of Naught; all the Arcana are immortal; so I'm more like twelve hundred?" Tier mumbled, looking even more embarrassed. "That's wild!" Rainbow Dash said in disbelief. "Many battles had been fought for areas of the Jungle, but it was said that during the Battle of Midday, when the sun was directly overhead, a loud thunderous crack shook the very mountain, sending a shockwave throughout the jungle, and bringing the battle to an abrupt stop." Chieftain Talon continued. Daring Do was taking notes as quickly as she could. "A truce was quickly made between the five warring tribes to inspect the mountain to see what sort of phenomena had occurred. The five leaders of the tribes agreed to enter the mountain, escorted by their own tribe ponies, as not allow for any Chieftain to establish a presence within the mountain for themselves. What they ended up finding was Tier." Chieftain Talon explained. "That thunderous crack sounds a lot like the portal that opened in the Ashen Fields." Applejack mentioned. "I was very weak at the time, unable to move much less talk. The Chieftain of the Wakanda Tribe was first to come in contact with me, placing his hoof on me to see if I was still breathing, but unknowingly transferring all of my fears and pain into himself. The Chieftain believed it to be a sign, that it I was the manifestation of the Jungle's pain. That I was there to warn them of the misery that was to come if the war was able to continue, so he called for peace right then and there." Tier continued the story. "Just like that?" Daring Do asked in surprise. "They argued a lot." Tier said, thinking back on it. "The other ponies hadn't come in contact with me, they didn't feel the sadness and pain I was feeling like the Chieftain was." Tier mentioned. "Eventually, the other Chieftains agreed upon a meeting to discuss the war during the next midday. Agreeing to cease the fighting until the meeting had concluded. Chieftain Wakanda elected himself the protector of Tier, believing she was a gift from the Jungle." Chieftain Talon added. "I really wasn't…" Tier said covering her face from embarrassment. "The meeting was held right here in this mountain, the neutral place where every Chieftain felt on even terms. That is where Tier united our ancestors and put an end to the war." Chieftain Talon stated. "Being out in the sun restored a lot of my strength. I was able to connect with each Chieftain, sharing with them what the first Chieftain had felt, telling them how our world had been destroyed from all the hate that came from the few that were different." Tier explained sadly. "What do you mean?" Applejack asked. "What ever happened to Tier?" I asked curiously, watching Mira grind the snake fang into powder. "I thought you were more sensitive than to ask things like that?" Mira asked, sounding annoyed. "Well, most of the time you just refuse to talk to me about the friends you lost, but you don't seem so upset when you're talking about Tier." I mentioned to her. "Are you complaining that I don't talk to you enough?" Mira asked, refusing to continue the conversation. "I've been in this cave for I don't know how many weeks, eating Celestia knows what, and fighting a giant corpse, my-my-my-my own magic, and a really big snake with one eye!" I stated feeling frustrated. "What's your point, stupid?" Mira asked casually. "When are you going to start talking to me?" I asked expectantly. I watched Mira's grin grow wider, she started to shake trying hold in her laughter but it all came rushing out in a loud mocking laugh. My mane flared in embarrassment, my attempt to be genuine with her was not going over very well. "Sensitive isn't even the word to describe you anymore, more like dainty little princess, wanting to talk!" Mira mocked me. "I just- I- I wanted- " I stammered, feeling my face flush even more. "Fine! Just forget it!" "You can blame your Mom for that though; she was pretty sensitive about a lot of things too." Mira remarked, taking a few deep breaths from her winded laughter. "My mom?" I asked in surprise, perking up once more. "She begged me to help her find the monster you call a father, telling me all about how much she missed you and how hard it was to leave you." Mira added, sounding nostalgic about it. "Mira-" I started to say, ready to try and pry out whatever I could about my mother. "And then she died." Mira said quietly. I could feel a sharp pain in my heart. Just from the sound of her voice, I could tell that my mother meant something to her, and having lost her must have been difficult. I wasn't sure if I could ask her anything more, it seemed like she was struggling to say that much already. "What… What happened to her?" I asked slowly. "She ended up saving my life; twice." Mira said, sounding rather hurt. "I didn't get a chance to thank her the second time." "How?" I asked. Mira didn't respond again. Busying herself with the grinding of the snake fangs, refusing to look my way. "There were three Eternal Masters, Azimuth, Zenith, and Nadir. Nadir was not gifted to create life like Azimuth was, nor was he powerful to shape the fields of Ouroborus like Zenith did, but his magic gave him the ability to shape our reality." Tier explained to them. "Can you phrase it into something we'll understand?" Rainbow Dash asked, sounding very lost. "Umm… " Tier hummed to herself thinking about it. "Nadir… created monsters… that used to be us… there was a war… and the Eternal Masters died." "That I understood." Rainbow Dash remarked. "But where did the storm come from?" Applejack asked curiously. "Mira, please, I want to know." I pleaded with her. Mira didn't respond. I walked around to the side of the stone table, not wanting to let this silence dictate her response. Mira's yellow eyes were glossy, obviously holding back tears, refusing to look at me as she turned away. "What difference would it make, knowing how it happened or not?" Mira questioned me, sounding angry. "Well… my father said… he did it. I don't want to believe it- I mean I can sort of see it but I… I don't think he could have… I mean…" I mumbled, feeling this uneasy feeling in my heart. "… Null did it." Mira said quietly. I felt a wave of sadness wash over me. I could see Mira's hands clenching tightly, her anger rising through the intense glow of her tattoos. "She tried to stop him, all on her own, trying to beat the storm… but she just couldn't do it." Mira said, shaking with anger. "One of Nadir's abominations, a creature named Null, returned from the Valley of Shadows, the place of banishment, bringing with him the storm. It was a force like nothing we had ever seen, it devoured the light from within us, absorbing our essence, returning us to dust." Tier told them. "That's sounds horrifying." Rainbow Dash remarked. "The Arcana tried to come up with a plan to defeat it, it involved using the Obelisks, but we could not convince any pony to try and help us. We were locked in, unable to summon enough power to open the portals ourselves, just food for the storm. So we hid, trying to find ways to survive, but in the end Null had won; claiming the Kingdom of Naught for himself." Tier said sadly. "What did you do?" Applejack asked. "One by one we were caught by Nadir's creatures that returned from the Valley of Shadows, some of us were brought before Null to appease him, while others met their fate with the abominations; in the end none survived." Tier mumbled, tears rolling off her cheeks. "Then how did you… get away?" Daring Do asked curiously. "Null kept some of us prisoner, using us to force my friend to bring him light, or he would devour us instead. I watched as she brought starlight and wisps to him, sometimes it was enough, but sometimes he would… he would…" Tier trailed off covering her face; sobbing. Chieftain Talon comforted her, placing his hoof upon her shoulder, the noticeable glow of purple emanated through his hoof; causing him to look just as sad. "I'm sorry." Tier mumbled to him. "I want to share your pain, if only to ease your sorrows." Chieftain Talon said, smiling at her. "I can't imagine what that must have been like for you." Applejack said apologetically. "How did you escape? Did you friend save you?" Rainbow Dash asked. "She tried. She attacked Null with everything she had and failed." Tier said, wiping her eyes. "But a pony made of fire came and saved us." "A Flame Pony?" Applejack asked curiously. "That pony brought a storm of fire, battling Null who seemed unable to fight back. That's when my friend carried me to safety, bringing me to the Obelisks and opening the portal for me. She threw me into the world, telling me to never come back, no matter what, and that was the last I ever saw of her." Tier said solemnly, pulling on her finger tips. "Wasn't Matchstick's mom in the Void?" Rainbow Dash asked looking over at Applejack. "Well it sure wasn't the Mad King; I'd say it's a safe bet that it was Ash's mom that stepped in." Applejack concurred. "Well that's good, right?" Rainbow Dash asked. "No, it's not." Tier said sadly. "Why not?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Think about it Rainbow, if Ash's mom had beaten the storm then there wouldn't have been a storm to pull the Great Dragon Char into the Void." Applejack stated, sounding rather sad herself. "Oh… so she didn't make it." Rainbow Dash said slowly. "Who was this friend of yours that tried to save you at the beginning, the one that was being forced to find sources of light for this Null creature?" Daring Do asked, looking over her notes. "Her name was Mira, and she was the last of the Arcana to be made." Tier said, sounding a bit happier talking about her. "The last?" Daring Do questioned. "Azimuth created Mira for the sole purpose of fighting Nadir's abomination, making her one of the most powerful of the Arcana, capable of wielding immense power." Tier explained. "So she was made to be a weapon?" Daring Do asked. "No, Azimuth didn't intend for her to be a weapon, she did not pour her hatred or anger into Mira, she gave her the love she felt for every creature she had created. The want to defend and protect those she loved." Tier explained to them. "But when the storm came, and she was powerless to stop it, her heart shattered from all pain of loss we had to endure. She became bitter, angry, and aggressive. Refusing to show anyone how much she truly cared; all to hide the pain she carried." "It sounds like she needs our help just as much as Ash does." Applejack concluded. "Like I said before, your friend is already dead, just like Mira and the pony of fire." Tier said sadly. "Well that's your opinion, partner, but I'm not ready to give up on Ash just yet." Applejack stated confidently. "Yeah!" Rainbow Dash jumped in. "For all we know, this Mira friend of yours is the one that has been calling to Matchstick for help." "What do you mean?" Tier asked sounding confused. "Our friend had a magical Void Mirror that allowed ponies to walk into your world, but it got destroyed during a volcano eruption. Turns out Matchstick's been talking to some pony on the other side, so who knows? It might be your friend." Rainbow Dash explained. Tier's eyes opened wide in fear, covering her mouth with her hands to try and hide her gasp. It didn't seem to work as Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at one another in worry. "Is something wrong?" Applejack asked. "Mira… what have you done?" Tier whispered to herself. "What? What?" Rainbow Dash asked hastily. "Mira must be desperate now, so consumed with revenge and hatred that she's willing to go to such extremes to win." Tier said her voice full of fright. "No more talking gibberish, tell us what sort of trouble this Mira of yours has gotten our friend into." Applejack said promptly. "Mira's the one that's going to kill your friend." Tier told them; a look of fear washing over her. "I... I know it must have been hard to say it." I began, fumbling with my hooves. "But I appreciate you telling me." Mira glanced over at me, her face still screwed up in anger from her painful memories, but her face seemed to relax. "Your mom was..." Mira started but stopped short, as if trying to comfort me with a few words. "She... she was... a lot like you." I felt myself smile at this. It was a compliment I never thought I would hear or feel so much pride from; especially since it came from Mira. "So try not to be a disappointment!" Mira snapped, killing the mood. "Right." I said, nodding my head. "You've still got a lot of work to do with your magic, so you might as well get started while I finish this up." Mira instructed, pointing me towards the other end of the cave. "What should I be practicing now?" I asked curiously. "That blazing phoenix thing you did against Apep, that's a form of fire manipulation. It uses your magic to shape your fire into a construct or animal, allowing you a form of protection and offense without needing trouble yourself with breathing fire or prepping a spell." Mira explained to me. "Cool, cool." I replied. "Your next lesson will be to extend your abilities in using both your magic and fire cohesively." Mira continued. "Many of your spells use the magical energy within your body to create barriers, and offensive magic. For this, you will need to draw on your body's fire to fuel your magic, allowing you the ability to store that energy for later and use your natural state to work for you." "So?" I asked trying to think of what she wanted me to do. "You know that shield you're so proud of?" Mira asked, sounding annoyed with me. "Yeah?" I replied. "Make a shield of fire." Mira stated simply. It seemed simple enough. I didn't feel the need to brag to her but my shield was the best spell I could cast. Making a phoenix wasn't too hard, it felt more natural to me when I was in the air, imagining it clearly with the beat of my wings. So a shield of fire wouldn't be too hard; it was just a sphere. A could feel my flames jump from my mane, my horn beginning to shine, a dome of fire surrounded me in an instant. I could feel myself smiling at my work. "So what do you-" I was cut short by a rock hitting me upside the head. I nearly toppled over, holding me head from the stinging pain, the dome of fire disappearing around me. I was hissing under my breath of how bad it hurt as I heard Mira click her tongue at me in disappointment. "What do you do that for?" I asked sounding annoyed. "Wasn't much of shield if a rock could get through." Mira stated. "Well... yeah but-" I began. "Making a wall of fire is fine to scare away idiots like you but what good is it if it can't stop something from getting through?" Mira asked me. "How am I supposed to make a wall of fire thick enough to stop a rock? It's not a solid thing to begin with." I asked, still rubbing my head. "That's what you have to figure out, stupid. Let me know when you want to test it again, I'll throw another rock at you." Mira said to me, before returning to her stone jars. I was still a little mad at the rock throwing, but like always it served a higher purpose for my training so I just let it go. Closing my eyes I started to focus on my magic, trying to think of some way to my fire more solid, which seemed impossible at the moment. Mira looked back at her Flame Pony, focusing hard on controlling his magic. Watching the flourish of the flames leap from his body, the spiral of flames that circled him as it concealed him in a dome of fire. She knew that he was getting closer and closer to being at his peak, that her plan would finally come to fruition, where she would steal his fire, drain him of every last ounce of power, and face Null alone.