//------------------------------// // A Prologue // Story: The Wrath of Ahuizotl // by MariusIoannesP //------------------------------// An orange Pegasus filly ran through the dark jungle under the fierce heat of the sun. Her purple mane and tail wafted in the breeze. The cutie mark that adorned her flank was a lightning bolt in a wing on a shield. She wore her usual white pith helmet and olive-green shirt. She was on an adventure. She did not fear the dark either. No, she feared nothing. She was the bravest, most awesome, most adventurous Pegasus in all of Equestria. She was Scooting Do. And Scooting Do was on yet another of her globetrotting, ancient-artifact-finding adventures. The treasure she sought was an ancient one and hidden in one of the most precarious of places. Scooting Do finally burst out of the jungle after running for only Celestia knows how long. She wiped the sweat from her brow with her foreleg. She looked at what lay before her and smirked. She was now on the threshold of acquiring her prize. Before her, standing proud and mighty, was the highest mountain in all of Equestria: Mount Everhoof. The mountain stood so high that its peak was not visible. It lay hidden among the very clouds it pierced. Any pony who set eyes upon this massive mountain would be struck with awe. Scooting Do looked up at the mountain with a rather placid expression and shrugged. “I’ve seen bigger.” According to ancient Pegasus lore, on the peak of this mountain stood a temple made of solid ice and snow. This temple was dedicated to the Pegasus who first conquered winter by her creation of the snowflake. That Pegasus of course was the great blind master Snowdrop. In the heart of the temple stood an ice sculpture of the Pegasus filly in question. It was enchanted by some ancient, mysterious, and forgotten Pegasus magic that prevented it from ever melting. The Everlasting Ice Sculpture of Snowdrop. This was Scooting Do’s prize. Scooting Do tapped her chin with her hoof as she considered how exactly she was going to get to the peak of this mountain. Climbing it was out of the question; it would take too long. And after how long it took already just to get to this point, Scooting Do was not in the mood to wait any longer. Come to think of it, she was not that sure how she came to be running in that jungle in the first place. It did not really matter though. Her face then lit up as she realized that the easiest way to get up the mountain was to fly up. This was not a problem for Scooting Do, the best flier in all of Equestria. Scooting Do crouched down low and then launched herself into the air with her incredibly well-toned hind legs. She rose into the air a hundred feet before she spread her large, magnificent wings and pumped them with all her might. She rose up faster and faster, accelerating as she climbed. In mere seconds, she broke the cloud cover and spotted the peak of the mountain and the icy temple upon it. A few seconds after that, she was high above the mountain peak. A few seconds further, she rose to the point where she could see the stars as if it were the middle of the night. It was at this point that she dove. Scooting Do dove down, accelerating faster and faster. It was not long before she simultaneously broke the sound and rainbow barrier, unleashing a Sonic Rainboom. Yet she still accelerated, unleashing a Double Rainboom, then a Triple Rainboom, and then a Quadruple Rainboom, and then so many Rainbooms she lost count. She was like a great rainbow colored shooting star streaking across the sky. Despite her incredible speed, Scooting Do was able to angle herself just right so that she crashed right through the gates of the icy temple. She hit the floor and then rolled across until she finally came to a stop. Scooting Do picked herself up and dusted some of the loose snow off herself, cracking her neck for good measure. Scooting Do looked around. Everything was indeed carved from ice and made of packed snow. The temple’s inner chamber was circular. The walls were lined with ancient Pegasopolitan columns that supported the temple’s domed roof. At the center of said dome was a skylight, which directed the sunlight to alight upon an icy pedestal in the center of the chamber. Sitting atop that pedestal was an ice sculpture of a rampant Pegasus. Despite the intense heat of the sun’s rays, it showed no signs of melting any time soon. This was it. Scooting Do’s prize. The Everlasting Ice Sculpture of Snowdrop. Scooting Do approached the pedestal. She did so carefully, wary of any potential booby traps, and made it to the pedestal without any incident. That seemed kind of easy. Too easy, she thought. She shrugged it off. She figured the temple’s builders decided it was so far out of the way that any would-be thieves would think twice about even trying to make an attempt to get to it. Either way, the sculpture was right there in front of her. It looks so shiny! She just needed to reach out and grab the sculpture. But perhaps the pedestal itself was booby-trapped? After thinking it over, she decided to throw caution to the wind and, just as she did with the Sapphire Statue, grabbed the ice sculpture with her mouth and stuffed it in her pith helmet. She had just begun to canter away when she felt the mountain rumble. The floor of the temple began to crack and steam shot through the cracks. Scooting Do facehoofed. “Why do I keep doing this?!” Scooting Do ran, but a crack opened up beneath her. A blast of steam tossed her through the temple gates. She then began to tumble a few yards down the face of the mountain. Once she stopped, she looked back up at the temple, and it exploded. She clutched her helmet to her head as she felt the snow beneath her give way, and she began to slide down the mountain. Scooting Do was caught in an avalanche. The rapidly moving snow would not give her enough purchase for her to launch herself into the air. She was forced to just pony-paddle in an effort to keep her head above the snow. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this one. Suddenly, she noticed not too far below her an icy ledge that jutted out of the mountain’s face. She noticed it had a slight curve to it. It was a crazy idea, but it was just crazy enough to work. Scooting Do got herself into the right position so that she would be headed right for that ledge, then braced herself. The snow pushed her down the mountain’s face, onto the ledge, and then the ledge launched her right into the air. Once airborne, Scooting Do spread her wings and began to gently glide back down towards the jungle below. “WOOHOO!” Scooting Do cried as she pumped her forelegs into the air in victory. “WOOHOO!” She did it. She acquired the Everlasting Ice Sculpture of Snowdrop, escaped an avalanche, and now was on her way home safe and sound. Scooting Do landed in a jungle clearing. She continued to whoop and holler over completing yet another successful adventure. “Another day, another artifact recovered, all thanks to Scooting…” The jungle before her exploded. In place of where a number of trees had been now stood Scooting Do’s arch-nemesis, the dreaded Ahuizotl. Scooting Do immediately noticed something new about him. Instead of the golden torc he usually wore, Ahuizotl was wearing a gold medallion similar to the ones Princess Luna and Princess Celestia wore. At its center was a round blue crystal. This was an artifact she had never encountered before. Nonetheless, Scooting had to focus. There was only one conceivable reason for Ahuizotl to be here. “Ahuizotl!” Scooting Do yelled. “I knew you’d be after the Everlasting Ice Sculpture of Snowdrop!” Ahuizotl merely laughed. The medallion around his neck began to glow with blue light. Scooting’s helmet was enveloped by a similar light as it was lifted off her head. “Hey!” Scooting yelled. The ice sculpture floated out of her helmet and into Ahuizotl’s outstretched paw. Scooting started to look worried. “How did you do that?” Ahuizotl just laughed. “I do not care for your trinket!” Ahuizotl growled. The medallion glowed once more and the ice sculpture melted away. Scooting’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks. “That’s not supposed to melt!” Scooting exclaimed. “What I want,” Ahuizotl said, his voice dripping with venom, “is the location of Prism Rush.” “Prism Rush?” Now Scooting Do was confused. “My assistant who helped me destroy the Ring of Destiny to break your power over the Fortress of Talacon?” “Si, si, si,” Ahuizotl cut her off as he waved his paw in a circle a few times. “Where is she?” “What do you want with her?” Scooting asked. “She’s just my assistant.” She pointed at herself with a determined look. “I’m the one you want. I’m the hero of this story!” Ahuizotl’s response was a malevolent cackle. “You think you are Daring Do.” He continued to laugh while he pointed at her. “You are not Daring Do! You are a worthless little filly playing pretend she is Daring Do!” The medallion glowed once again and Scooting’s helmet and shirt disappeared. Scooting quickly covered herself with her forelegs, although Scooting did not normally wear clothes. Or rather Scootaloo did not normally wear clothes. Wait! What’s going on here!? Scootaloo thought. She was shuddering in fear, her eyes were shifting from side to side. “What is going on here,” Ahuizotl said, “is that this world is an illusion, and I am the illusionist. I am the one in control!” Scootaloo suddenly found herself suspended before Ahuizotl’s face. He was holding Scootaloo by the scruff of her neck with the monkey paw on his tail. Scootaloo was caught in the stare of his cold, evil eyes. “I can see your fears and your horrors and make them come true!” Ahuizotl said. “If you don’t tell me where Prism Rush is, I will send you to the Rainbow Factory!” “NO!” Scootaloo cried in panic. She closed her eyes and started to tear up. “Please, no, anything but that!” “Then tell me, where is Prism Rush!” Scootaloo took a few deep, calming breaths. She opened her eyes once more and tried to look as determined as possible to stare down Ahuizotl. “Prism Rush is a character from a book. She isn’t real. And neither are you. You aren’t real! And you can’t hurt me!” Scootaloo shot back. Ahuizotl just chortled. “Oh, she is much more real than you think, mija.” Ahuizotl leaned forward and stared back at her, licking his fanged overbite. “And so am I!” There was a sudden burst of light, and then Scootaloo found herself dropping to the ground. She saw Ahuizotl fly back into the darkness of the jungle from whence he came. Scootaloo stood up and looked behind her to see who her savior was. Behind her stood a night-blue alicorn princess, her sparkly night blue mane billowing behind her as if it were the night sky itself. “Princess Luna!” Scootaloo cried in glee as she turned to face her princess. “I’m so glad to see you.” Luna looked down at her. “Sleep peacefully, my little pony,” she said as her horned glowed. With a pop, Scootaloo disappeared, leaving the dreamscape. Luna turned back to the space Ahuizotl had previously occupied. “I know you are not merely a figment of a young filly’s imagination!” Luna yelled. It was not quite the Royal Canterlot Voice, but it was still pretty loud. “I command you to come forth and reveal to me what manner of night-haunt you are!” Ahuizotl calmly strode out of the jungle. He smiled and began to chuckle quietly when he saw who it was. Luna immediately saw the medallion around Ahuizotl’s neck. Luna’s mouth fell agape when she recognized what it was. “No, it can’t be.” “Hola, Princesa,” Ahuizotl greeted in a faux affable manner. “It’s wonderful to see you again.” Princess Luna reared up and fired a spell at the zenith of the sky above them. The sky exploded as sunlight overwhelmed the dreamscape. It was the middle of the night at Canterlot Castle. Sleeping peacefully in her bed within her private chambers was of course Princess Celestia. She shifted slightly in her sleep and had quite the smile on her face. “Oh Rockhoof,” Celestia mumbled in her sleep. “You really know how to treat a mare.” “CELESTIA!” Celestia awoke with a start, quickly covering her nude self with her blankets. After looking around, she realized she was alone, and sighed. “Just another dream. Wait. Why did I wake up?” A look of realization came upon her face as she remembered that she had heard her sister scream in the middle of the night. Thunder clapped. Celestia turned with a start towards the source of the noise at the foot of her bed. There stood Princess Luna, panting to catch her breath after her rather dramatic teleportation. Luna’s mane was also a bit bedraggled. Celestia looked at her sister with worry. “Luna, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” “Ahuizotl!” Luna gasped as she continued to pant. “He has the Blue Moon Medallion!”