Chapter 8: Into the Unknown
They had been hiking for only a few hours and Rainbow was already getting antsy. The lushness below the canopy made it hard for her to fly without constantly dodging vines and tree-trunks all deadset, she imagined, against her progress through the jungle. After getting tangled for the second time, Twilight had suggested she walk with the rest of them and taking her advice, Rainbow now led the group, parang at the ready should any foliage get in her way. The pace she set was quick enough but being earthbound for that long never sat well with her and she began to yearn for open sky.
"Can't I just fly above all these trees?" Rainbow asked, craning her neck at the treetops 50 feet above the ponies.
Applejack brought Rainbow's hopes back down to earth: "We shouldn't split up - there are enough missing ponies as is. Besides we wouldn't be able to hear or see you up there, how would we know where ya are?"
"Fine, but next time we take a rest I'm going up to see if I can catch a glimpse of the wall." Spurned on by her self-set goal, Rainbow increased the pace to a trot.
"C'mon Fluttershy! You wouldn't want to be left behind!" Rarity called over her shoulder as she noticed Fluttershy had paused, again, to watch a pack of ants carrying pieces of leaf troop across a low branch.
"Oh isn't this just amazing Rarity? So many new creatures, and the COLORS!" Fluttershy said, galloping to catch up to the Rarity.
Rarity smiled at Fluttershy's rare expression of excitement and though she still walked with her eyes on her hooves to avoid tripping or stomping into any mud, she had to admit that the jungle was certainly a vibrant and lively place.
There were only two ponies who were not focused on their surroundings. Serenity had a far away look in her eyes, which always seem set on the next bend or rise in their path. Twilight spent most of her time poring over the map and compass held in front of her by her magic. Every so often she called to Rainbow to alter course slightly or keep on the lookout for a particular rise or rock formation that would allow her to keep track of their position. Twilight also kept her mind on her navigating in order to distract her from the leaden feeling in her lungs and her legs. Out of all the ponies, besides perhaps Serenity, she was the least fit for a long overland trip. Working at a bakery gave Pinkie ample opportunity for snacking, but her constant hopping and bouncy nature kept her in prime condition and her natural energy made this trek an adventure to her.
"Don't you all just LOVE it here? It's like a giant playground!" Pinkie exclaimed, hopping from root to root as the passed by an enormous banyan tree.
Before anypony could respond to Pinkie's overly optimistic expression, Rainbow went rigid as a board and in as loud as a whisper as she could muster exclaimed, "everypony group up, NOW!"
Too startled to argue or question, the ponies all formed a semicircle with Twilight's glowing horn at the front, a warding spell already forming in her mind. Rainbow landed and crept slowly back, her eyes never leaving a gap in the foliage several yards ahead. By the time she was even with twilight they had both spotted the eyes warily watching them from the undergrowth.
"Leopard I think, looks like a young male" Twilight recited with her usual professorial air tainted with a hint of fear. "What do we do?"
Fluttershy, though at the rear of the semicircle, had seen more in those eyes than hunger. "He's not waiting to pounce, he's...afraid. I can't imagine why though."
Everypony was a bit startled when Cadence spoke; she had been almost completely silent during their hike thus far. "I think this leopard has met with ponies before...and ended up worse for the wear. No pony could handle a leopard physically, so i had to be magic." She paused here, not wanting to sound foolish but unable to control her excitement, "I think he met up with Shining and Zen."
Twilight had been forming a similar thought already so quickly jumped onto the thread: "which might explain why he is glancing behind him - he thinks this may be a trap and Shining and Zen are waiting to spring on him if he shows himself. That means..." and for the first time since they arrived she felt some form of relief, "that means they must have been nearby, and escaped or continued on in that direction. C'mon everypony!"
Spurned on by Twilight's conclusions, and itching to make herself useful in what had so far been a cerebral affair, Applejack let out a wild "Yeehaw!" and took off at a breakneck pace towards the leopard. She was confident one good buck would send the leopard running, but she felt invincible with the sound of fourteen pairs of hooves behind her and a crackling energy that signaled the three unicorns were ready should Applejack's physicality prove insufficient. As the group barreled forward the leopard lost all fear of a trap - his new found fear of a pony stampede made his decision to bolt an easy one and before the ponies reached his hiding place he had melted into the forest as quickly and stealthily as he could. As he slunk across a tree branch several hundred yards away, he decided perhaps it was time to find a new territory - this one was becoming too crowded for his liking.
The pony stampede did not stop at the bush but continued for almost 100 yards, only ending when Applejack abruptly put on the breaks to avoid slamming into a tall stone structure. Fluttershy did not quite get the message though, having run most of the time with her eyes squeezed shut, and ended up in a pile with a breathless Rarity and a giggling Pinkie Pie.
"That was GREAT! Can we do that again sometime?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed between fits of giggles.
"Darling, we have very different ideas of fun. Although I must admit it did get the blood going" Rarity admitted, brushing herself off and helping a blushing Fluttershy to her feet.
Applejack was focused on what had halted her progress. "Well it looks like we found that wall you were talking about, but how in the hay are we going to get to the other side?"
The branches were too thick at the top of the wall to fly over - certainly while carrying the other ponies, and digging would be a laborious and lengthy process. Twilight had an idea, but it went against her powerful love of history. That love, however strong, paled in comparison to the love she felt for Shining Armor. She called all the ponies together and outlined her plan.
"We need to get through that wall and we don't have time to figure out where and how Shining and Zen did it. I need everyone but Rarity and Cadence to spread out along the wall and start looking for cracks - the bigger the better. Rarity and Cadence, the three of us should rest and have a snack while the others work. We'll all meet back here in 15 mintues."
Rainbow, hungry from her flying and the charge was indignant, "How come we have to pore over some wall while you guys get to rest?"
Twilight was only half listening as she pulled a book from her saddlebags but still turned back to answer Rainbow, "Us unicorns need a bit of rest and some energy...it is not easy to blow up a wall."