Act Three
Begin Chapter 1
The jungle echoed with malicious laughter. Ahuizotl leered at his captive.
“This time, Daring Do, you will not escape.”
“Ahuizotl, you fiend!” Daring Do cried, struggling against her bonds as the fiend dangled her over a bubbling pit of oil. “You think that just by stealing my research you can discover the immortal secret of the Raidawren Ruins? You don’t have the brains to accomplish such a feat!”
“Mmm. Perhaps,” Ahuizotl chuckled. “But what I do have is a century’s worth of stockpiled wealth. I can buy the brains!”
“*Gasp!* You filthy swine!” Daring cursed. “If you think money and thievery can beat pure archeological spirit, then you’ve got another thing coming, Ahuizotl! I will defeat you!”
“Mhmm? And how, Miss Do, are you going to do that when you’ll be dead!?” Ahuizotl screamed. Daring Do let out a cry of surprise as suddenly the rope, dangling her from a tall tree, dropped slightly, bringing the boiling liquids below even closer. Ahuizotl broke into another fit of mad laughter at the sight of his arch-nemesis, so close to her demise.
Suddenly both turned at the sound of rustling to see a familiar, and very confused troll enter the clearing. “:33 < Err- Am I inpurrupting something here?”
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“D --> How could this happen?”
“Beat2 me,” Captor replied as his fingers flew across the keyboard, navigating through windows and programs at an awe-inspiring speed. “II 2uppo2e you mu2t’ve looked away for a 2econd or 2omethiing.”
“...” Zahhak looked down at himself, then gave a depressed sigh.
“Hey, calm d0wn,” Megido reassured, gingerly placing a hand on Zahhak’s back. “Leij0n is t0ugher than y0u give her credit. I’m sure she’s d0ing fine!”
“D --> Well, I’m not,” Zahhak groaned. Megido gave him a shoosh, gently patting his back. Several seconds of silence passed between them, where the only sound was the constant background noise from the squabbling trolls. Then Zahhak turned back to Captor. “D --> Can’t you find her any faster?”
“Not wiith everyone behiind me yelliing liike wriiggler2 who mii22ed theiir nap2. Do you thiink you could do 2omethiing about-”
“D --> QUIET!!!” Zahhak screamed as he rose to his feet and turned to the arguing trolls behind him. Vantas and Ampora froze and stared with mutual terror as Zahhak approached them in two great strides.
“D --> Which one of your e%cruciating disagreements could possibly be so imperative that it runs the risk of delaying our search for Leijon?”
The two glanced briefly at each other before Ampora spoke up. “Wwell, you sea, I’vve been thinking for a wwhile that this wwhole “teamwwork savves the day” thing isn’t really wworking out and that me and Peixes should just get out of here.”
“No, you were saying that you were impatient that we didn’t just handle your drek before handling the much more immediately relevant drek, as if claiming that for some reason you occupy the highest shitty rung on the drek ladder,” Vantas growled.
“Oh, wwell excuse me if I wwas promised a servvice and wwish to actually recievve it,” Ampora shot back. “Imagine if you had some immediately pressing matter and found that evveryone else seemed blind to its urgence.”
“More urgent than reacting to what’s going on right now!? Ampora you idiot, we haven’t had a chance to do any of that stuff yet! In case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve sort of been too busy dealing with all the shenanigans going on already to worry about your maniacal ambitions or whatever you’re talking about.”
“Oh, and wwhat havve wwe accomplished by dealing wwith those shenanigans? Wwe fought some ponies, savved the ponies wwe literally just fought, and then fought some bugs. My, such a broad vvariety of achivvements, don’t you agree?”
“D --> Both of you SHUT IT!!!” Zahhak interrupted, grabbing each of them in a separate, massive hand. “D --> This is some of the most childish tomf001ery I believe I’ve ever had the lu%ury of e%periencing! If you two wish to act this way then go dr001 of in a corner where you won’t bother anyone!!!”
“II’ve got iit!” Captor cried from his desk. Zahhak dropped the two trolls like jars of spiders as he rushed to the Psiionic’s side. His monitor showed Leijon staring at some great blue beast and a pony suspended above a vat of burning oil, with a puzzled expression on her face.
“Hmm. 2he 2eem2 two be iin 2ome 2ort of jungle. And who are tho2e guy2? Whatdya thiink, Zahhak… Zahhak?” But a couple wisps of blue light were all that remained of Zahhak. Captor turned to Vantas. “Err- 2hould we go after hiim?”
Vantas thought very carefully on the issue for the next quarter of a second. “No,” he replied.
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“L-L-Leijon? Ahuizotl sputtered at the sight of a long-lost companion. “You’re alive?”
“The Huntress?” Daring Do cried, more so with fear than with surprise.
“:33< In the flesh!” Leijon smiled. “:33< How’ve you b33n, Mr. Furry Lips?”
Ahuizotl grimaced with annoyance as Daring stifled a giggle. “Leijon, I thought we agreed to forgo the nicknames. They compromise the villainous image.”
“:33< Fine,” Leijon groaned. “:33< That’s always the thing with you, isn’t it? You’re always trying to maintain appurrance.”
Ahuizotl sighed. “Alright, I suppose that’s not the way to greet an old friend, is it?”
“:33< No, not really,” Leijon said. “:33< It’s all right, though. How are the kitties doing?”
“Ah, you know. It’s usual business with them- always hungry, always eager to pounce.”
“:33< Well, it’s glad to know they’re alright.”
“Indeed,” Ahuizotl said. He glanced back at his captive, who was staring at the two, observing their conversation with a nervous look. “Ooh, that’s right. I almost forgot, didn’t I. Leijon, would you like to join me as we send Daring Do to her death?”
“Ooh? Are you using the oil?” Leijon cheered as she hopped up next to the vat for a close seat. Ahuizotl flashed a grin that was somehow caring and still villainous, before he slowly began lowering the rope that held Daring Do above her bubbly demise. The adventurer’s thrashings became more and more frenzied as the oil inched closer and closer. As she frantically struggled against the ropes wrapped tight around her, she glared at Ahuizotl.
“This isn’t over, you despicable dog! You’ll turn your back and I’ll escape, and then you’ll be finished once and for all!”
“But why would I ever turn my back on this?” Ahuizotl asked, smirking at his enemy’s fate. “No- this is a moment I will remember and cherish forever.”
“D --> Err- am I interrupting something here?”
Both Ahuizotl and Leijon turned to see Zahhak standing at the edge of the clearing “:33< Zahhak!” Leijon cried. “:33< I didn’t notice you! What are you doing here?”
“D --> Well, I was going to take you back to the meteor lab, but if you and your… friend are busy.”
“:33< Ah! I almost furgot!” Leijon turned to Ahuizotl. “Ahui, this is Zahhak. He’s a good friend of mine.”
“...Hello,” Ahuizotl responded. “You were interrupting something, actually.”
“D --> I see. Is your captive supposed to be swinging from her rope?”
Ahuizotl turned quickly to see Daring Do, her knots undone, swinging back and forth on her rope. With a roar of rage, Daring released her hold, and snapped open her sings as she zoomed towards Ahuizotl. The great creature recoiled as Daring gave him a flying kick to the face.
Daring landed feet first and immediately turned to the table where her stolen research journal lay, open and face down. She dashed towards her book, until a massive hit knocked her back. Daring glanced up to see Leijon standing between her and her goal, claws drawn. “Listen, Huntress. I’m no martial artist, but you can bet that if you don’t get out of the way I am going to kick your ass.”
“:33< Heh. Bring it,” Leijon replied, pouncing towards the pony. “:33< Rawr!”
The two combatants met, claw against hoof. Daring leapt back, before zooming forwards in a burst of speed. Leijon grinned, and sidestepped the speeding pegasus, before bringing down her fist as the pony passed, slamming her into the ground. Daring struggled to her hooves, before Leijon grabbed her and tossed her away. Daring hit a tree, but rebounded off it with a solid kick and rocketing towards the troll. Leijon sprung forwards, meeting Daring midair, before tossing her back to the ground. The archeologist hit the ground hard, but quickly stood up and dodged as Leijon slashed at her. Daring ducked beneath another few swipes, before giving the Huntress a solid punch to the gut. Leijon stumbled backwards, as Daring turned to deliver a powerful buck to the troll’s chest. The blow made Leijon slide back, and she panted with pain, but grinned all the while.
“:33< I’ve fought farmers stronger than you, Daring. Is that all you’ve got?”
Daring growled, before charging at the mocking troll. Leijon smirked, before blocking Daring’s first couple attacks. Daring turned for another kick, but Leijon sprang to the left, avoiding the hit. She gave Daring a punch that left her tumbling away. Daring returned to her hooves, only to leap back to avoid Leijon’s pounce. The Huntress followed up with several claw slashes. Daring ducked beneath the first two, but the third tore scratches through her exploration jacket. Daring winced, and Leijon pressed her advantage. Another slash left a long, red mark on Daring’s cheek. She tried to back away, but her hooves found themselves pressed against a jungle tree. Leijon smiled, baring her fangs, before the Huntress went for the kill.
In desperation, Daring gave the tree behind her a solid kick. A crack- then, a tree branch above snapped, tumbling down and striking Leijon on the head. She stumbled backwards, rubbing her wound. Daring’s gaze hardened, as she dashed forwards and took a leap over Leijon. Her wings shot out as she glided to the table. She grabbed her journal, stuffed it into her jacket, before turning and giving a smirk to the slowly recovering Ahuizotl. She leapt from the table, and dashed off.
...Before smacking face-first into something she couldn’t see.
With a gentle blue glow, Zahhak slowly became visible as Daring lay below him, rubbing her aching head. She glared at him and returned to her hooves, before throwing several sturdy punches at the troll. They simply bounced off his solid frame, and Zahhak’s perpetual frown became an annoyed glare. The Heir of Void gave the archeologist a powerful punch, sending Daring flying across the clearing. In a flash of blue, Zahhak teleported, obstructing Daring’s flight path. He caught the aerial explorer, before turning and hurling her with all his might from the clearing. Daring crashed through the brush, tearing through foliage before crashing to the ground. She could've sworn she saw Ahuizotl's hand for a moment, but she had more pressing concerns to deal with. To her horror, she began tumbling down the steep hill, thrashing and screaming and regretting not taking her warnings seriously. She’d been warned about hills. She’d been told.
“Ahhhhhhh!!!” With several bounces, Daring ricocheted off of all manner of bush, log, and rock, before the ground gave out beneath her and she fell away over the side of a cliff, screaming all the while.
“D --> There. She’s dead,” Zahhak said as Daring’s screams faded away. He knelt down to help Leijon back to her feet. “D --> Let’s go. Now.”
“She’s not dead, you idiot,” Ahuizotl cried as he too returned to his feet. “She’s a pegasus, so she could’ve just flown off. Or she could’ve grabbed a conveniently placed vine and swung to safety. Or she caught a ride on a flying saucer. How doesn’t really matter- the problem is that without fail, whenever Daring Do is subjected to something that should kill her, unless one were to personally supervise her demise she’ll escape unscarred.” The beast gave a great sigh. “And with her research, too. Without that, I won’t be able to find the Raidawren Ruins, much less navigate them to discover the immortal secret held within.”
“:33 < Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Leijon grinned. “:33 < You see, I know some people.”
“D --> No,” Zahhak interrupted. “D --> We are not going to lend assistance to this obno%ious buffoon.”
“I’m right here, you know,” Ahuizotl groaned.
“:33 < Yes we are,” Leijon grinned. “:33 < Because he’s my friend, and I always help a friend in n33d. But let’s s33 what Vantas thinks?” Leijon grinned, retrieving her computer-tablet.
“D --> *Sigh*”
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With a slightly creased brow, Princess Celestia surveyed the group she had just rescued from the trolls. They did not appear to be in good spirits. Applejack was looking uncomfortable. Rainbow Dash was cursing up a storm. Fluttershy and Rarity were sitting very close together, discussing something with quiet voices. Twilight was lying on the floor, looking even more uncomfortable. And Pinkie Pie, whom she now noticed to sport very familiar-looking horns, was holding her head in her hooves. She decided to start from the party planner.
“Err- my little pony. Whatever is the matter?”
Pinkie looked up, and smiled wryly. “Princess Celestia, has anypony ever told you that you have incredibly bad timing?” She idly flicked a troll-horn with her hoof, turned, and walked away.
Celestia sighed. Typical Pinkie response.
She turned away from the retreating party planner. She didn’t quite know where Pinkie was going, but she didn’t quite care.
“Ooh, if she only knew.”
Quiet, Pinkie. I have a story to narrate.
“Oh shut it, Mr. Narrator. After that stunt you pulled back in Act Two, I think I deserve a couple interruptions!”
Pinkie, you’re compromising the integrity of the story!
“Fine.”
Celestia idled up to Twilight next. “My faithful student- is there… I mean, is something wrong?”
Twilight gave a sigh, before standing up. “No, I just… need to be alone in my thoughts for a while.” She too turned to leave. As Celestia glanced around, she found that the others seemed to be making to leave as well- Rarity, Rainbow, Applejack… Wait…
Celestia put a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder as the seamstress turned to the door. “Rarity, I’m not omniscient,” she said softly. “I won’t be able to understand why you all are acting so depressed unless one of you tells me.”
“No- I-I-I mean, not now, Princess. See, a lot of things happened that we need to spend some time thinking about- or, at least, that’s how it is for me.”
“I see,” Princess Celestia said. “And you’re sure you wouldn’t like to talk about it?”
“Yes. No. I mean-”
“I get what you mean,” Celestia said. “But I do have one more question. Did you see where Fluttershy got off to?”
“Oh. Now that was strange,” Rarity muttered. “One minute we were having a hushed chat about… private things, and the next, Fluttershy’s eyes went wide. She paused for a moment, and I tried to gain her attention, but to no avail. A couple seconds later, her eyes returned to normal and Fluttershy said she had to go. It was all very strange.”
“Hmm…” Celestia thought to herself.
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“Can I help you ma’am?” a well-dressed waiter asked.
“Err- yes,” Fluttershy responded. She glanced around the fancy cafe, before saying, “May I have a table for two, please? My… friend… hasn’t shown up yet, but he will. His name’s… Swift Lance, I think it was.”
“Very well, ma’am,” the waiter responded, before turning to guide Fluttershy to an small, vacant table. The waiter made a gesture to sit, then returned to his post.
Fluttershy took a seat and laid her head on the table, all kinds of thoughts swimming through her mind. Why did he contact her? How did he contact her? Why did he want her to come?
“Hey.” Fluttershy looked up to see a minotaur, his skin grey, his eyes yellow, his horns long. “M1nd 1f 1 t8ke a seat?”
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End of Chapter 1