The party followed the Yoshi chief back toward the entrance of the village was, leading them to the small island that held the odd bird statue they saw earlier. The elder walked up to the statue and searched around for something around it, muttering to himself as he tried to remember where he hid whatever was there.
"Ah. Here it is," he said as he stood back up. In his hand, he held a small jade statue, shaped just like the stone one behind him. "This is the Jade Raven."
"Ok, so how's a piece of jewelry going to help us get across that lava moat?" Rainbow asked. "Does it turn into a giant...bird thing and fly us across?"
"It is actually a piece to a similar statue such as this," the Yoshi explained, pointing back at the weird bird statue. "Placing it in a slot will open a path deeper in the jungle to the master of this island's home: Raphael the Raven."
The ponies looked at the strange bird statue, finding it odd that a raven in the Mushroom Kingdom looked like this. "...So, this bird is able to talk?"
"Yes, although I have not seen Raphael since I was a young Yoshi," the chief said. "It is actually quite difficult to reach his nest as the shrubbery and trees in the jungle are really thick along the path. He will surely help you get across and into Mt. Lavalava's entrance. We are meant to seek his aid when our lives are in peril, and considering how much trouble the mainland is right now with the princess captured, I am sure he will not say no."
The Yoshi chief gave Mario to Jade Raven, who gratefully took it in his hand. Rarity peeked over the plumber's shoulder to get a better look at the gem.
"Oh my, is it really made of jade?" she asked. "Or is it aquamarine?"
"Fluttershy, have you met this Raphael?" Twilight asked.
"No, it's the first I've heard of him," Fluttershy said. "But I have seen those Ravens in the village. They have a little home up in a nearby tree. I tried talking to them once, but I couldn't understand them."
"At least we got our ticket getting in that volcano," Goombario said.
"Now hold on just a minute!" Sushie shouted, flopping about angrily. "You all are planning to go inside of Mt. Lavalava!? Do any of you know just how dangerous wandering around in an active volcano is!? If I went in there, I'd be a fried filet if I touch the lava!"
"But we have to," Kooper said. "One of the seven Star Spirits are being held hostage down there, and if we don't rescue all of them in time, Bowser will grow more and more powerful as long as he holds the Star Rod."
"Plus, he's got Peach held captive in her own castle!" Pinkie added. "She might be helping us, but she's also probably worried about all of us!"
"I know how severe the situation is. Fluttershy told me about what happened to her, but I don't approve of this!" Sushie argued. "Especially when the five of you girls are involved! You're still new to our world, and if there's any possibility of you getting hurt, I wouldn't allow any of you outside of this village just like the Yoshi kids!" The Cheep Cheep let out a sigh, as if she was already defeated. "Then again, you're all fully grown adults, and from what adventures Fluttershy has told me, you can defend yourselves quite well...So, if you're all still willing to go through with this...then I'm coming along with you all on your quest."
"...Uhh, what?" Pinkie asked, speaking everyone's thoughts aloud as they were all confused by her statement.
"You're...coming with us?" Twilight questioned. "...Why?"
"Well, with a group like yours, it's like you're recruiting a small army to storm Bowser's castle and thwart his plans," Sushie said. "I may not agree with how dangerous outside a home, town, village, or city can be for young ones, but I was a troublesome youth in my days, and I don't want that to happen to the children of this generation. That also includes suffering from Bowser's tyranny when he invades the kingdom, scared out of their minds over what diabolical scheme he has to kidnap the princess while causing collateral damage and terrifying the land.
"Besides me having a soft spot for a hero rescuing his damsel in distress-" Sushie gave Mario a wink, or as close to a wink as the others could see from her squinted eyes. "-you'll all need me to help guide you through the jungle. I'm also interested in seeing Raphael as well after seeing his statue on a near daily basis since I first flopped on this island many years ago."
The group looked at each other, silently contemplating whether or not they want to bring Sushie along. With how difficult some of these hideouts of Bowser's best lieutenants were, they were going to need all the help they can get, especially when they confront the Koopa King and his ever-growing power.
"If you want to come with us, how well can you handle defending yourself?" Bow asked.
"Oh, she's pretty good," Parakarry said. "I witnessed her take down those Putrid Piranhas with Fluttershy that almost ate one of the Yoshi kids as a meal."
"I guess that-...Wait, Fluttershy?" The Boo looked at the meek pegasus, finding it hard to believe that a pony like her was able to fight off a Piranha Plant. "...I don't see her as the fighting type."
"Oh, trust us," Rainbow said. "Fluttershy can be fierce when she wants to. She just needs the right...'motivation', if that makes sense."
"No. It doesn't," Bow muttered.
"I watched her suplex a Piranha, kick it in the chin, and wrestle it into the ground," Parakarry recalled, shuddering a little at the ferocity the mare had when it came to defending the Yoshi. "If that doesn't convince you, it sure did convince me."
"I'll believe it when I see it." Bow then turned to face the newly joined party member. "Just don't slow us down and ask for water every five minutes."
"I'm still in my prime, and watch your mouth," Sushie warned. "That snarkiness of yours is going to leave you by your lonesome."
"All the other Boos adore me, no matter what I say, so get used to how I speak to you," Bow argued, turning away from the Cheep Cheep with a huff.
Sushie sighed and shook her head, letting Bow's behavior slide. With the Jade Raven in hand, the Yoshi chief wished them luck as they made their way back into Jade Jungle. Since Sushie knew more about the jungle than the others, even Fluttershy despite living on the island for the past week, she lead the way, making sure to steer everyone away from the dangerous flora they passed. Just heading north from the entrance of the jungle from the village, they arrived at the statue of Raphael the Raven, Fluttershy and Parakarry remembering seeing this while searching for the Yoshi kids.
"So the hidden path was behind this statue, huh?" Parakarry said.
Mario approached the effigy, finding an indent at the base of the stone platform that seemed to be shaped just like the Raven. He placed the Jade Raven in the slot, hearing a thunk as the statue slid to the side, revealing a path that lead further into the jungle. With the path now opened, they headed deeper inside the jungle, the foliage really thick compared to the many waterways stretched out in the open area behind them.
"Ok, so we're deeper in the jungle," Twilight said. "Now, how to find out where exactly Raphael lives."
As they searched around for a way to go, Kooper was the first to notice a strange pink bulb flower by a row of bushes. He recalled seeing a similar looking plant out at the entrance from the statue. He put in his logical thinking cap and theorized something in significance about the flowers.
"Hmm...Really strange flowers," the Koopa Troopa noted aloud. "Hey, Sushie, have you seen flowers like these anywhere else in the jungle?"
Sushie looked at where Kooper was pointing. "Hmm...No. I've only seen that plant out by the statue we just moved. It's not exactly harmful, if you're worried it'll spew sleeping spores if you touch it."
"Actually, I have a hunch that these flowers are planted specifically for a reason. I wonder..." Kooper approached the flower and touched it, letting out a strange humming sound. Looking around, he decided to check the bushes first to test his theory. Pulling the shrubbery aside, he grinned when he spotted a path leading further in the jungle, revealing it to the others. "Aha! These flowers must be markers, placed in a specific spot for others to find hidden passages in the jungle! That explains why there aren't others like it anywhere else on the island, which means they'll lead us to Raphael the Raven!"
"That's just a coincidence," Bow said. Regardless, they continued onward, where they saw a few movable blocks, some holes in the ground with one of them shooting up a small geyser, and another one of those bulb flowers. Kooper gave her a smug grin, waving his hand over to where the bulb was planted by a giant boulder that blocked their way forward. "That's still just a coincidence."
"Don't be jealous that Kooper figured it out before you did," Sushie said with a chuckle, Bow grunting in annoyance as she floated away from the Cheep Cheep.
"Now the question is how we get by this rock," Goombario pondered aloud, approaching it while tapping it with his foot. "Feels a lot tougher than Mario's hammer, though. And probably a bit too heavy to move, even with all of us working together."
"Not even with Twilight using her magic to lift it alone?" Parakarry asked.
Twilight attempted to try to lift the boulder, enshrouding the rock with her lavender aura. She grunted and tried to pull it up, having gained back her magical energy after losing it from Bowser's attack with the Star Rod, but not enough to fully lift the rock.
"Ugh. It's bigger than it looks," the alicorn said. "We have to find another way to move it."
"Like what? A crane?" Bow asked. "Good luck trying to bring something like that on an island out in the middle of the ocean."
"You enjoy being a snarky, sarcastic Boo, don't you?" Sushie asked skeptically. Bow ignored her, already disliking having the Cheep Cheep join them if she was going to be the overbearing mother of the group. Sushie flopped over to the geyser, noting all the different holes in the ground. "Hmm...These holes must be where other geysers spout out of, but only one of them is active."
She looked up when she heard Pinkie giggling, sitting on top of the geyser as she slowly bounced up and down as if it were a ride. While looking around, some of them noticed all the blocks randomly strewn about the area. They weren't something one would find on a tropical island jungle unless they were brought here.
"Maybe we can try covering the holes with those blocks?" Rainbow suggested. "You think there might be one under that rock if we build up enough pressure to send it flying?"
"Might as well give it a try." Going with Rainbow's plan, they split up and approached the many blocks in the area.
One by one, they began pushing nearby blocks over to the holes where the geyser was shooting up from. After blocking the first one, Pinkie plopping on top of the block with her fun ride over, one of the other holes shot water up in a stronger geyser. They repeatedly moved blocks over to the geyser to block its escape route, and when they stopped the last one, they felt the ground shake slightly. The boulder blocking their path began shuddering, getting everyone's attention as they backed away from it. The geyser from the built up pressure underground managed to lift the boulder up and send it flying, watching it disappear through the trees and heard it land hard with a thud far from them, and thankfully Yoshi's Village. Now that the boulder was gone, the path was revealed, the party continuing onward.
"Sheesh, where exactly is this bird?" Rainbow asked. "I'd rather fly around to search for him than walk through the jungle."
"But where's the fun in the adventure, Dashie!?" Pinkie asked. "Dangerous plants, pony-eating plants, lava, treasure! Daring Do wouldn't fly over all this, would she?"
"...I guess not." Rainbow wondered how Daring Do would react exploring the Mushroom Kingdom, although with how dangerous this world's inhabitants were outside of safe environments, she wouldn't want to risk too much for a small trinket. "Meh. Unless there's some mystical artifact that could doom the world, I don't think she'd right a book about it...but that would be so awesome!"
"Can't you make up your mind about whatever this 'Daring Do' would do?" Bombette asked.
"Ironically, Daring Do is the only book Rainbow ever reads," Twilight said. "She got into it after injuring her wing during a stunt, got sent to the hospital to rest for about a day, and got so bored that she finally picked it up and got hooked on the stories. If only I can get her interested in other adventure novels that are just as interesting."
"Nopony's more awesome than Daring Do!" Rainbow exclaimed. She then hovered down beside Bombette and whispered to her. "And what's even better is that the author, A.K. Yearling, is actually Daring Do, so it's fiction to everyone else, but it's all totally real adventures."
"...Wow. That's...just confusing," the Bob-omb uttered, pondering how a non-fictional tale from a pony's life could be made as a fictional novel while the author was able to both go on expeditions and write her novels without anyone spotting Daring Do out in the open.
The next area had a few trees with some vines hanging off their branches, but unfortunately for Kooper's theory, there wasn't a pink bulb flower showing them the next general area where they need to keep moving. "Oh no...There's no flower around here..."
"Well, umm, now what?" Watt asked as she floated around the trees.
"So, Kooper's little guess turned out to be a farce," Bow said. "For wanting to be an explorer, you sure do jump the gun with your theories."
"But I was sure that was it," Kooper mumbled.
They searched around for another path, going without one of those flower bulbs around to help guide them toward Raphael the Raven. They must be getting close with how far they've gotten. While looking around, Pinkie thought it would be fun to swing on some of the vines hanging around, either dropping some random items hidden in the branches or an ambush by some Jungle Fuzzies. The Fuzzies were quickly beaten up and they were left alone again, but Pinkie continued swinging from vine to vine, one of them in particular moved a pair of bushes aside and opened a path.
"Hey, I found a way!" Pinkie called out, letting out a yelp as she slipped off the vine she hung on that opened up the hidden pathway. "Very convenient trees around here."
"How does that even work?" Twilight asked, scratching her head at the possibility of a tree's vine acting as a mechanism to move a bunch of bushes away that were covering a path.
"There have been weirder ways to open doors, passages, etc. in Bowser's fortresses," Goombario said.
Ignoring the confusing mechanics of the tree and bushes, the group kept moving onward. Thankfully, there weren't anymore hidden paths to find anymore when they saw a pink flower bulb, only to quickly hide in the bushes when they saw a roadblock of enemies beside it. There was a Magikoopa and three Putrid Piranhas, keeping a lookout for Mario as if they knew he would try to find a way to reach this part of Jade Jungle. The mage wore a white robe, letting out an irritated sigh as he wrung out the sleeves of his sweat-coated robes.
"I can't believe I was sent down here to keep watch in this jungle," the Magikoopa muttered to himself. "It's always so humid, and the water in this place is probably teeming with bacteria. And this is the fifth time I'm going to have to clean this robe with my darn sweat in this tropical heat today. At least I'm not INSIDE the volcano, thank goodness." He then looked at the Putrid Piranhas he was grouped up with as they idly stood in front of him like stoic guards. "How do you Piranha Plants stand this heat inside and out of Mt. Lavalava?" They didn't respond, making the Magikoopa sigh. "You know, you fanged flowers aren't good at striking conversations. You make standing around here all the more boring."
"It's a Magikoopa with those Putrid Piranhas," Goombario said. "And if that Koopa's wearing a white robe, I have a bad feeling he's got some healing magic up his sleeves."
"Well, I think that was obvious: white robed wizard equals white mage," Pinkie explained. "Simple RPG logic everypony should know. Never underestimate the white mage." She then pulled out her hammer, tapping the head against her hoof while leering at the Magikoopa. "Let's take him down first."
"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Rainbow was about to charge forward with a flap of her wings, only for a lavender aura to keep her held in place before zipping off out of their hiding place.
"Rainbow Dash, there are also those three Piranha Plants we have to deal with," Twilight reminded. "And they're called...'Putrid Piranhas'?"
"They have a poisonous breath that can really get you sick and leave you vulnerable to be chomped," Sushie explained. "Granted, if you have Tasty Tonics on hand, one drink will cure it. These things can be dangerous out here in Jade Jungle, which is why I warned those boys to steer clear of the jungle in the first place."
"We do outnumber them thirteen to four, so we have an advantage, along with the element of surprise," Parakarry said. "Kooper and I can catch them off guard as incoming projectiles, then while they're distracted, you guys can charge in and ambush them."
"Great idea, Parakarry," Kooper said.
Both Koopas hid in their shells as they approached Mario and Pinkie, both plumber and pony readying their hammers to give them a hard whack toward the enemies blocking their way. They both swung their mallets hard into the blue and cyan shells, shooting them off through the bushes and slamming them into two of the Putrid Piranhas heads.
"W-What in the world!?" the Magikoopa exclaimed in surprise.
"CHARGE!" Rainbow shouted, Watt held firmly in her hooves as the Li'l Sparky assisted in giving the pegasus's body an electric jolt, Bow flying behind her while invisible as Rainbow rammed into the third Putrid Piranha.
"Agh! An ambush, eh!? Well, it won't work when I can-!" Bow suddenly appeared in the white Magikoopa's face, shocking him as he screamed like a girl at the sight of her.
"Heal this!" she said, slapping him repeatedly in the face and sending him spinning in place.
With the healer distracted, the Piranha Plants hissed and retaliated once they came to their senses, although one of them was paralyzed from the electrified pegasus. The others jumped out from the foliage as they snuck closer, all except for Fluttershy, ambushing them yet again. Making sure to stay clear of the Putrid Piranha's mouths and their noxious breath, they circled the defenseless animated flora and wailed on them: body slamming, pouncing on their heads, tackling them, explosions, water spouts, and electricity shooting out from the large dust cloud of fighting sounds while limbs or heads poked out every so often. Bow dove in once the Magikoopa was dizzy enough, her hard slaps smacking the Piranha Plants out and in front of the magician in a pile.
"Uuuuuugh," the Magikoopa groaned, shaking his head once the ground beneath him stopped shifting. Looking down, he let out a startled yelp as his "bodyguards" were already defeated, all by himself as he looked up at the large group staring him down. His grip shaking as he held his wand, he gulped nervously with an equally nervous chuckle. "...Y-You guys wouldn't hit a Magikoopa wearing glasses, would you?" He flinched when a blue aura appeared in his face, then levitated his spiral glasses off his face, Rarity taking them off for him. "...Mommy..."
Kooper shell tossed himself past the Magikoopa, making a quick U-turn and slamming into his back, sending him flying toward the others with a terrified scream. Heading straight toward Mario, the plumber crouched, then leapt up and spun around, giving the Magikoopa a hard roundhouse kick that sent him spiraling in the air, landing on top of the beaten Putrid Piranhas with a groan.
Now that the roadblock was taken care of, Rarity inspected the odd, swirly glasses the Koopa wore. "How are glasses like these capable of enhancing vision with how garish they appear to be as an accessory?"
"Lemme see!" Pinkie said, snatching the glasses and putting them on her face. After about a minute, she took them off, her eyes spinning around in her head. "Ahhh! How does he see through these!? I couldn't tell where up was, and I think I saw my tail doing the hula!"
"Yeah, Magikoopa and Kamek glasses are meant to be like that," Kooper explained, taking the glasses away from Pinkie before her eyes literally rolled out of her head. "Not sure why they're made like this. Probably to enhance their focus with their magic or something." He tossed them over his shoulder, surprisingly landing right back on the unconscious Magikoopa's face with perfect accuracy. "Well, let's go see what's ahead."
Walking past the unconscious foes, they seemed to have finally arrived at their destination, everyone looking up with a gasp of awe. Before them was a large tree that seemed about as tall as Mt. Lavalava, maybe even bigger. Its roots were massive, curled out around the base and way to big to make in a single bound, unless you were Mario, which wouldn't be much of an obstacle.
"Wow. That is a really big tree," Rainbow said, stating the obvious for everyone. "How did we not see this thing out on the ocean?"
"Probably due to the canopy of the thick part of the jungle masking the leaves at the top of it," Twilight pondered. She noticed the bulb flowers leading toward the base of the tree, where there was a hollow entrance with a carved out staircase on the inside. "Hopefully this Raphael is still there and hasn't flown the coop yet."
"It's a pretty big place to live in for a Raven," Fluttershy said. "The other ones in the village seemed content with the smaller trees."
"Maybe it's considered a castle to Raphael, and he's the king of all birds," Goombario said.
"Well, we got quite a climb," Sushie said, letting out a sigh as they walked inside and saw just how high the flight of stairs goes. "I'm gonna get quite the workout today..."
Without delaying the inevitable, the group began climbing up the wooden steps to reach Raphael the Raven, if the Raven was up there waiting for them. All the while, Pinkie was humming along to some song she could hear, bouncing in time to its beat. The stairs up the couple stories they made ended to a doorway back outside, where they climbed a long, winding, thick, and really big branch that looped up and around the tree to another passage inside, where they climbed up several more stairs. Eventually, they reached the top as they walked out onto a thick branch, nearly taken aback when they first spotted the big nest which had a huge Raven sitting in it that was possibly ten times bigger than an average one.
"Well, well, well," the Raven said. "Seems like I have visitors. Been quite a long while since I've had guests visit me, although I expected them to be Yoshis. I am Raphael the Raven! Welcome to my home!"
"You're Raphael!?" Twilight exclaimed. "...You mean, you're the master of Lavalava Island!?"
"Affirmative," Raphael said. "I look a lot different than my statues down below, huh?" The others could see the difference, a pretty big one considering the statues were smaller compared to him. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes, Mr. Raphael, sir," Fluttershy said, being the first to snap out of the surprise everyone experienced. "We need to find some way into the volcano. You see, Mario needs to go in there and help save a Star Spirit trapped down there."
The raven looked at Mario, recognizing him and knowing of his exploits in the mainland. "Hmm, yes. I recognize him with the hat. But, never fear, for I knew that question would be asked."
"Umm, you did?" Watt asked.
"I had received a message from the stars and knew I would receive visitors today," he said. "I will be glad to assist you all in getting into the volcano and across that dangerous moat." Raphael cleared his throat before he ended up turning red and looked enraged. "Caw CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!!!!" Everyone winced and covered their ears at the screeching call Raphael made. They soon heard more caws coming from the sky a moment later, finding a few smaller Ravens flying over to the tree, somehow able to fly without any wings as they only had a body and feet. They landed on the branch and stood in front of Raphael in a straight line as if they were military soldiers. "Excellent response time, Ravens. Now, we've got work to do, and I'm only going to say this once, so I want your full attention!"
Raphael began speaking to the other Ravens in their language, though whatever it was that involved them getting over the moat of lava into Mt. Lavalava was a mystery to them. "So, any idea how they're getting us into that volcano?"
"Fluttershy, you know what they're saying?" Rainbow asked.
"I don't know," Fluttershy said. "I haven't had time to understand Raven. Or ever bothered learning since they seemed intent minding their business in the tree."
"...and it must be done as soon as possible, got it?" Raphael asked his troop of Ravens, the smaller avians all cawing in agreement simultaneously. "I should hope so! Let's move, Ravens!" He leapt out of his nest, looking toward the confused group. "Follow my lead, everyone!" Raphael walked over to the edge of the branches and leapt off the side. "GERONIMOOOOOoooooo...!"
The Ravens followed their giant leader with a caw, diving down after him. As soon as the last one disappeared through the canopy, the others looked down over the side of the branch, grateful for some parts of it having a fence to keep others from sliding off by accident aside from the big gap they jumped off from.
"...So, are we supposed to follow them?" Bombette asked nervously. "It's a pretty big drop."
Mario grabbed the rim of his hat and straightened it, deciding to take that risk as he ran forward, performed a triple-jump, and dove down after the Ravens. "...Welp, guess that means Mario trusts them," Goombario said after a moment of awkward silence. Steeling himself, he let out a breath to calm his nerves as he got a running start. "Here goes nothing!"
The Goomba ran forward and jumped off, falling through the canopy with a scream. "Well, come on!" Rainbow said. "I'm not going to climb back down the tree! I'm taking the easy way!"
"Last one down's a rotten egg!" Pinkie said with a hop, skip, and a jump off the branch, cheering gleefully as Rainbow dove down after her.
The others soon followed, some a bit more reluctantly as they jumped off, though the ones who were able to fly just hovered or dove down, easily able to slow their descent. Down below, Raphael and his Raven troop reached the bottom, safely bouncing off a small tree that bounced them safely to the ground. They looked up and watched Mario and his companions follow after them, the plumber landed on the tree and vaulted off, backflipping a couple times before landing perfectly on his feet. The rest of the group landed as well, although where Rainbow, Fluttershy, Twilight, Parakarry, Bow, and Watt simply hovered to safety, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Sushie, Pinkie, and Rarity weren't as lucky as they ended up in a dogpile, not realizing how much of a time gap they all needed before they fell on top of each other.
"Ok, probably should have waited a few seconds longer before we all jumped off," Goombario groaned as he ended up at the bottom of the pile.
"That was fun!" Pinkie said excitedly. "Can we do that again!?"
"Never again!" Rarity shrieked. "Next time, I'll take the long way back than jump off the top of a mile high tree and hope for a safe landing!"
"I don't think the tree is actually that high," Twilight said. "It's about as tall as the volcano, so it would probably be a couple thousand feet tall."
"I was exaggerating!" Rarity complained. "It felt that high! Not all of us have wings!...I wish I still had those beautiful butterfly wings when we first went to Cloudsdale..."
"Magic wings?" Kooper asked Twilight, the alicorn nodding her head in response.
Once the party stuck in the pile stood back up, Raphael continued onward as he approached a nearby root. He jumped up, turning red again and slammed his body hard into the ground, causing the root to spring up and make an archway.
"This way," he said, marching forward with his Ravens following in line behind him.
"Doesn't seem like Raphael's tree was that far from the volcano," Parakarry said after he took note of the geography of the island from the top of the tree. "In fact, we didn't seem that far away from it or Yoshi's Village." The party followed the Ravens until they finally reached their destination. Pushing aside a few bushes, Raphael lead them back to the same area of the jungle where they could see Mt. Lavalava from Yoshi's Village. "Huh. Well, what do you know? Raphael's tree wasn't really all that far after all."
"Aye aye, everyone ready?" Raphael said to the Ravens, all five of them squawking with a nod. "Alright, Ravens! Get to work!"
The Ravens all cawed as they leapt up onto a nearby tree not too far from the lava moat surrounding the volcano. One of them, however, ended up smacking its head into a low branch, falling back down with a thud and a small bump on its head. Fluttershy helped him up, the avian barely wincing as it shook its head and climbed up the tree to join its friends. They soon began to work, the sound of tools hammering and screwing parts into place, which was odd yet fascinating all at once to the others watching them.
"Ok, how exactly are they building all that, and where did they get all that stuff?" Bow asked skeptically.
"This won't take long at all," Raphael said.
"You're ignoring my question!" Bow exclaimed.
"I'd say just go with it," Sushie said. "Ravens are a mystery even to me, but they seem to know what they're doing."
While they waited, Kolorado arrived on the scene after hearing the racket going on from the village. "I say, what is with all the noise?"
"Raphael the Raven is helping us find a way into Mt. Lavalava," Kooper said.
"Really?" Kolorado looked up just in time to see the Ravens had finished their work, which happened to be a lift rising up to the top of the tree, along with a zip line that lead down to the entrance of the volcano on the other side, another one set up to bring any of them back to the safety of the jungle if needed. The explorer grinned, now that they had access to Mt. Lavalava whenever they pleased. "By Jove."
One of the Ravens flew down and cawed something to Raphael, who responded in kind with pride at the hard work they did. "Roger that! You all can reach the volcano now."
"Top notch!" Kolorado said. "Now that the way inside Mt. Lavalava is available, we shan't delay the expedition any longer! Onward, to ancient treasures!"
The Koopa explorer ran forward, testing out the Raven's newly constructed elevator and zip line for the others as he rose up in the bowl-like lift, then zipped down on the wire with a whoop, landing safely on the other side. "Wait, Prof. Kolorado!" Kooper called out, but his words fell on deaf ears as Kolorado already began making his way inside. "Oh, man. We need to hurry after him before he ends up hurting himself in there."
"Well, that Koopa is bold, I'll give him that," Raphael said. "...Bold and certifiably nuts charging headfirst into an active volcano." He then looked back at the others. "Well, at least he tested things out for you in the end. Safe enough to travel without those of you with wings to get blown up by the updraft of heat rising from the lava. I wish you all the best of luck! And when you get the chance, tell the chief of the Yoshis to come visit my tree again."
"We'll try," Fluttershy promised. "And thank you for helping us."
"It was no trouble at all!" Raphael was about to head back to his tree home while the other Ravens "flew" back to their tree in the village, the big Raven stopping and turning back to Fluttershy. "Oh! By the way, I saw you earlier in the week when you appeared in that yellow light and treated the Yoshis like pets for a moment. Quite hilarious to see them pant like Poochies when giving them a belly rub," Raphael said with a laugh. "And, seeing you were a bit curious about the language of a species not like your own..." He let out a caw, calling one of the Ravens who had stayed behind and told him something before the smaller Raven nodded and climbed back up the nearby tree. "I will have that Raven make you a little translation book and learn a little bit about how we speak."
"Oh, that would be lovely, Mr. Raphael!" Fluttershy said. "Thank you very much!"
Raphael finally left, heading back into the deepest parts of the jungle to return home. Fluttershy was already giddy, learning more about another species from a new world, and there were still plenty more non-threatening creatures she wanted to see and befriend. Now that they had their way to get across the river of lava, it was actually going to take some time for all of them to use the lift, for those who weren't able to fly, hover, or jump high, and use the zip line one at a time. Luckily, the handle on the pulley system automatically retracted back to the top, surprising everyone with how ingenuitive the Ravens seemed to be.
Bow and Watt were able to get across no problem as they floated to the other side. Rainbow, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Parakarry used the zip line first since they easily flapped up to the branch it hung over. Mario easily jumped over the pit, carrying Bombette and Sushie with him since they would have a harder time holding onto the rope handle. Finally, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Goombario, and Kooper held onto the zip line, Pinkie wanting to swing off it again for fun, but there was no time for too much fun when there's a Star Spirit needing to be saved and an eager Koopa explorer carelessly venturing off into a dangerous volcano that also served as a base for one of Bowser's men. If most of the group from this world thought Fluttershy's meek and timid nature would be a liability for them, then Kolorado's eagerness for adventure could lead to recklessness, rivaling his liability with the pegasus's as they explored Mt. Lavalava for the first time.