Group Precipitation

by FanOfMostEverything

Heart to Heart, by Thought Prism

Author's Note:

The following is decidedly noncanon.

The hot noonday sun beat down upon the plants of the southern jungle. Insects buzzed and monkeys screeched as they went about their business. But this particular section of jungle was not untouched by man. For many centuries ago, the people who lived here had erected a great pyramid. Carved from grey stones, its stepped sides came to a point high above the treeline. Carvings of jaguars, birds, and serpents adorned the pyramid, and it was capped not by a point, but an altar, sheltered under a roof supported by four pillars.

Joining the sounds of nature was a scream, high-pitched and terrified. A young girl was bound in rope, wrists and angles tied. She was being carried up the vine-choked steps of the pyramid on the back of a huge tiger. Other predatory felines stalked alongside it, intimidating in their unnatural cooperation. And leading them all was a man with dark blue skin, clad in ceremonial, red feathered robes and golden jewelry.

The man laughed manically. “It is useless to struggle. There is no escape for you. And soon, you will know peace. Yes, eternal peace.”

The girl whimpered and thrashed against her bonds. “Let me go!”

“I will not. You are necessary,” the man stated, not looking back. They were near the top of the pyramid.

Suddenly, a woman spoke. “Oh, no you won’t. Not if I have anything to say about it!”

Swooping in from above, a tan-skinned woman landed right in front of him, transparent wings spread wide. She leveled a fiery glare at him. “Give me the girl, Ahuizotl, and this won’t have to get ugly.”

Ahuizotl smiled. “Ah, if it isn’t my old friend Daring Do! And she’s sporting a new set of wings! Did you come out of retirement just for me?”

Daring Do narrowed her eyes, reaching for the whip hooked to her belt. “I won’t repeat myself.”

“Ooh, feisty. But times have changed, Daring Do, and today I will not be denied!” Ahuizotl proclaimed. “For you see, you aren’t the only one with a new aspect.”

In a blur of motion, a long, prehensile tail burst out from under his robe and caught Daring across the face. Stunned from the blow, she couldn’t react in time as Ahuizotl’s panther lunged, pinning her to the stones.

Daring cursed, unable to force her way out from under its paws. Ahuizotl laughed at her plight. He gestured to the tiger, walking past Daring and up to the altar with a Cheshire cat grin. “No, don’t!” Daring exclaimed.

“Your words will not sway me, Daring Do! For at last, I have won!” Ahuizotl threw the girl onto the altar. Once he’d tied her to the smooth stone with some more ropes, he pulled out a sinister-looking dagger, its blade curved and razor-sharp.

“This is a bad idea!” Daring insisted. “I’m warning you!”

Ahuizotl paid her no heed, raising the dagger above his head with both hands. “Oh ancient master of the sun, ruler of all the world, great Huitzilopochtli – or, should I say, Sunset Shimmer – I offer unto you the beating heart of this sacrifice, so that I might be deemed worthy of serving as your vassal and carry out your rule one the—”

His fanatical tirade was cut off, as there was a sudden flash of light. When it faded, his whole body was frozen in place, wrapped in a golden aura. Ahuizotl found that only his eyes could move, and he slowly trained them on the new shape in his peripheral vision. There was no mistaking the young woman’s face.

Sunset scowled, brow creased and arms crossed. She took a deep breath. “Seriously? How could you possibly think I would be okay with this, let alone ask for it?” After a pause, she added “Don’t answer, that was a rhetorical question. I just… what? An Aztlan ritual sacrifice? Really?”

Her stomach still bearing the weight of the now confused panther, Daring Do shrugged. “I warned him, but he’s kind of insane and very evil, so of course he didn’t listen.”

Sunset spun to face her. When she did, her eyes widened. “Wait… Daring Do?”

She nodded, smirking. “The one and only. I see my reputation precedes me, though it still pales in comparison to yours.”

Sunset stared, a bit stunned. “Wow. I had no idea you were actually real.”

“I try to stay anonymous when I can. You mind helping me out, here?” she wheezed.

“Oh, right.”

With another flash of magic, the panther and the other cats vanished, returned to their native habitats. Daring Do rose, straightening her helmet and brushing the dirt off her shirt. “Thanks. I’d say you’re my savior, but you’re probably tired of hearing that.”

Sunset sighed. “You have no idea.”

“Still, I’m sorry you had to get involved,” Daring said. “If that bastard hadn’t given me the slip earlier…”

Sunset waved her off. “It’s fine. If everything in those books is true, you’ve done plenty already.”

Here, Daring smiled. “That means a lot, coming from you.”

Sunset returned the grin. “So, what should I do with him?” she asked, pointing a thumb at Ahuizotl.

“You can leave him to me. Just get that girl home safe. Oh, and then make another one of those videos explicitly stating you have no relation to any other preexisting sun deities.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Sunset snorted in amusement, hands on her hips. “Man, Rainbow Dash is gonna flip when I tell her about this.”

Comments

[Eroraf86]

Non-canon or not, this is amazing. I wish I could fave individual chapters.

[Seeking Dusk]

This chapter was a lot more hilarious than I expected. How many rituals does she have to deal with daily. The prayers have been bad enough XD

[BenRG]

After Daring Do was gone, Sunset took a deep breath and looked around herself. As soon as she was sure she was alone, she clutched her hands in front of her and, in a high-speed and high-pitched voice said: "Omigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh...!"

[Ri2]

So, who was the girl Ahuizotl planned to sacrifice?

[FanOfMostEverything]

9232921
I don't think she had any specific identity beyond Generic Distressed Damsel #47.

[Thought Prism]

9232925
9232921

Can confirm.

[Thought Prism]

9231867
9231477

Thanks for the kind words!

[Maran]

I've been wondering if the AK Yearling/Daring Do connection exists in EG. It's unlikely, but you never know.

[Eroraf86]

9233220
Well, in Movie Magic, Canter Zoom did mention that A.K. Yearling is a very hard woman to track down. Make of that what you will.