The Phoenix King

by Turtlehaus

Chapter 22: Jungle Fugue (Part 2)

Night had fallen on the jungle once more. Ahuizotl and his henchponies were only a few miles away from the base of the mountain, having followed the direction the beam of light had shown. Deciding to make camp to dispose of Daring Do once and for all, and celebrate their victory. The henchponies drank their rationed barrel of apple cider, toasting one another on a job well done, Ahuizotl feast upon a vine of grapes, sporting Daring Do's hat as his trophy. A large bonfire had been built; a few tents were set up, while Daring Do and Rainbow Dash looked on in grimace. Off to the side Daring Do and Rainbow Dash were bound together, their wings and hooves tied separately, an extra precaution they henchponies had taken, and left hanging from a tree branch.

"Any ideas on how we're getting out of this?" Rainbow Dash asked in a whisper.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking." Daring Do hissed, wracking her brain for ideas.

Ahuizotl gathered his henchponies around him, taking Daring Do's hat from his head and placing it upon Mugsy's as he made his way over to them. Poking them with his hand tail, Daring Do and Rainbow Dash swayed back and forth.

"For the first time, and the last time, it appears you are not the better pony, Daring Do." Ahuizotl began, bopping her on the nose with her finger.

All the henchponies cheered in their agreement.

"Keep telling yourself that, dog breath." Daring Do sneered at him.

"Let us go you flea bitten monkey mutt!" Rainbow Dash shouted angrily.

"Oh, I will, you don't know how long I've waited for this day. How many hours I spent devising ways to do away with your Daring Do, but I'm sad to say that none of them involved a jungle." Ahuizotl said, looking rather sad.

"You just continue to disappoint." Daring Do said snidely.

"So I decided to create a focus group with my henchponies, brainstorm some ideas and we all came together and thought up something just so wonderful that I think you'll enjoy." Ahuizotl said enthusiastically.

"It was my idea." Mugsy chimed in.

"You're going to burn us at the stake?" Daring Do asked, glancing at the bonfire.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked in horror.

"No, we found that to be a bit much. No pony wants to deal with the clean-up." Mugsy spoke up.

"So we decided to simply let nature do away with you." Ahuizotl said with an evil grin.

"How so?" Daring Do asked.

Ahuizotl's hand tail reached up towards the tree branch, unraveling the rope that kept them aloft. Plopping to the ground, Daring Do and Rainbow Dash groaned from the drop; unsure what awaited them. Rainbow Dash and Daring Do suddenly felt themselves sink a quarter inch into the ground. Looking down around them, they realized they were dropped into quicksand, slowly being gobbled up by the earth. Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder at Daring Do, wondering if she had a plan, but Daring Do looked unsure herself.

"Alright, every pony, let's divide up Daring Do's and her friends belongings!" Ahuizotl shouted, getting another roar of cheers from his henchponies...

"Alright! Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" The henchponies exclaimed over one another.

"Now every pony has a raffle ticket, when your number is called you get whatever Ahuizotl pulls out of the bag." Mugsy informed every pony.

"Are they serious?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

"Just ignore them, and try and find a way out of this." Daring Do hissed at her.

"Our first item will be the illustrious hat of Daring Do!" Ahuizotl shouted, holding the hat high in the air.

"Hey!" Daring Do shouted in frustration.

"Who has number three-seven-two-seven?" Mugsy asked allowed.

"That's me! That's me!" A henchpony cried, waving his ticket in the air.

Ahuizotl took the ticket from the henchpony, before giving him Daring Do's hat which he promptly put on his head getting several cat calls from the other henchponies.

"When I get out of here, I'm going to hit them so hard, they'll need to use that dental plan." Daring Do muttered, struggling against her binds; feeling the quick sand pull them under a bit more.

"Next up is…" Ahuizotl started again, digging around the bag. "A… really ugly mask!"

The henchponies seemed rather turned off by the mask. The way ghoulish masked looked didn't seem to have any pony wanting it, even Ahuizotl looked at it with a strange and confused look.

"What the hay is that?" A henchpony asked aloud.

"Looks like your mama!" Another henchpony shouted.

"What did you say?" The henchpony asked, taking offense to that.

"Is it worth anything?" Another henchpony asked.

"It's worth your life." Daring Do spoke up.

Every henchpony turned to look at her, Ahuizotl as well, still holding the mask. Stepping over towards the quicksand, Ahuizotl pressed his finger atop Daring Do's head, trying to sink her a bit faster.

"I'm not sure why they call it quicksand; it seems to be working very slowly." Ahuizotl remarked.

"Why's it worth our life?" Mugsy asked aloud.

"Did Ahuizotl not tell you about the legend of the Heart of the Jungle?" Daring Do asked curiously.

"Yeah, whoever has the Heart of the Jungle has the power to defeat any adversary." A henchpony replied.

"Did he mention the Hom Dai?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"The Hom Dai aren't real." Ahuizotl hissed at the two of them.

"What's the Home Buy?" Mugsy asked curiously.

"The Hom Dai are horrid creatures that wear those masks, sworn to protect the Heart of the Jungle, promising to cleanse the forest if any pony dare try and take it." Daring Do warned them.

"W-W-W-Why would we want the mask then?" Asked a henchpony.

"Well, when the Hom Dai come to drag you into their world of eternal pain and suffering, at least one of you will slip away by disguising yourself as one of them." Daring Do replied.

Every henchpony glanced at Daring Do, then at the mask, back at Daring Do, and then back at the mask Ahuizotl was holding. Almost every pony made a mad dash to grab it from him, wrestling with one another to get closer to it while Ahuizotl had to push and show the ponies away from him; holding the mask out of reach.

"There is no Hom Dai you stupid ponies! It is another one of Daring Do's tricks! The Hom Dai are merely legend; a story to scare the little jungle foals so they don't go wandering around the jungle on their own!" Ahuizotl shouted at them.

"We saw them! They chased us right after we took the ruby and before when we found that abandoned Jungle Pony village." Rainbow Dash said aloud.

"Why was it abandoned?" Mugsy asked, looking very nervous now.

"The Hom Dai don't pick and choose their victims, as long as you are in their jungle, you will be cleansed." Daring Do said in a very ominous voice.

All the henchponies were looking very frightened now, jumping at every noise, and looking about the jungle as if waiting for the Hom Dai to appear.

"Fools! Daring Do is simply trying to scare you! This mask is nothing more than a Jungle Pony Nightmare Night costume! Get a hold of yourselves and stop being a bunch of babies!" Ahuizotl shouted at them. "I'll even prove it to you!"

Ahuizotl walked over to the bonfire, tossing the mask into the flames, the wood immediately caught fire, burning rapidly, and crackling with the rest of the wood.

"There are no Hom Dai, no pony should be afraid of Daring Do's lies. In a matter of minutes she'll be gone and the Heart of the Jungle shall be ours!" Ahuizotl shouted in triumphant.

Every henchpony looked rather rattled, trying their best to find the excitement they once had before. None seemed so eager to be celebrating, sticking rather close together, no pony wanting to be singled out in fear of being nabbed by a Hom Dai.

"Come on, every pony; let's get on with the raffle! I have Daring Do's compass to give away next!" Ahuizotl shouted, trying to win them back.

All of his henchponies stepped back from him. Looks of fright and horror strewn across their faces. Unsure of what was going on, Ahuizotl felt Mugsy tugging on his arm trying to get his attention.

"S-S-S-S-Sir?" Mugsy stammered nervously.

"What is it, Mugsy? What?" Ahuizotl asked.

Mugsy pointed behind him, towards the other end of the camp. Turning to look, Ahuizotl saw a creature standing several yards away, barely illuminated by the bonfire, wearing a similar ghoulish mask. Ahuizotl was quick to front himself at the mask wearing intruder, pounding his chest with his fists, before thrusting out his chest.

"You can't fool me, Daring Do! I know this is one of your tricks!" Ahuizotl shouted, looking over to Daring Do.

Daring Do looked equally as worried as his henchponies, making him a bit nervous seeing Daring Do so unlike her brave self. Rustling from the brush around them, more of the ghoulish masks appeared, plentiful in number, nearly thirty by a quick count.

"Ooga-Chaka! Ooga-Ooga! Ooga- Chaka!"

"What in Celestia's name is going on?" A henchpony cried in fright.

"The Hom Dai…" Daring Do whispered, her own heart starting to race.

"Every pony run for your lives!" Rainbow Dash shouted, struggling to get free.

Several henchponies had taken her advice, running towards the tree line. The sudden emergence of several ghoulish masked appeared from the bushes, stopping them hard in their tracks. All around the campsite, ghoulish masks were appearing, their chanting rising louder and louder. The henchponies screamed in fright, racing past Ahuizotl, past Rainbow Dash and Daring Do.

"We're sorry! Ahuizotl made us do it!" Some of the henchponies shouted. "I just wanted to pay off my student loans!"

Ahuizotl's henchponies sprinted off in a mad dash down the path they had come from. Leaving nothing but a trail of dust in their wake while a group of the Hom Dai gave chase; the rest approached Ahuizotl who was nearly purple in the face from his anger.

"Get back here you cowards! How dare you abandon me!" Ahuizotl shouted in outrage.

"Ooga-Chaka! Ooga-Ooga! Ooga- Chaka!"

The Hom Dai were surrounding Ahuizotl, their chanting never ceasing. Ahuizotl straightened up, his arms raised in the air; ready to challenge the Hom Dai.

"The Heart of the Jungle is mine and no mask wearing spirits are going to stop me!" Ahuizotl declared.

Ahuizotl watched as the Hom Dai stopped dead in their chanting. He blinked a few times; unsure of what had happened when the closest ghoulish mask pulled out a machete. Like a wave of silver, the Hom Dai brandished sickles, knives, swords, machetes, axes, and one even seemed to have scissors. The color had drained from Ahuizotl's face; the sound of the snipping scissors sent him over the deep end as he leaped over the group of Hom Dai chasing after his henchponies into the jungle.

"Wait for me, Mugsy!" Ahuizotl shouted in terror.

The quicksand now nearing their necks, Daring Do and Rainbow Dash watched as they focus of the Hom Dai turned to them.

"Daring Do?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah?" Daring Do replied.

"Even though we're about to be dragged into their lair of eternal suffering, or suffocate in this here quicksand… I'm glad that I got to share in an adventure with you." Rainbow Dash said meekly.

"As far as adventures go… having you and Applejack around made it ten times better, because I have some ponies to share it with." Daring Do replied.

"Ooga-Chaka! Ooga-Ooga! Ooga- Chaka!"

The Hom Dai took hold of the bindings of Rainbow Dash and Daring Do, pulling them from the quicksand. Now free from one moral peril, the Hom Dai dragged them into the forest sure to be bringing them to a new fresh set of horrors.

"Would you think I was a coward for screaming help?" Rainbow Dash asked in a frightened voice.

"Not at all, allow me to join you." Daring Do replied, sounding just as freaked out.

"HELP!" Daring Do and Rainbow Dash shouted aloud.

Through the jungle the Hom Dai dragged them, Rainbow Dash and Daring Do's voices had become hoarse from shouting but they squirmed regardless hoping to break free. The Hom Dai brought them into a clearing, near the base of the mountain, a large cave, half covered by the moss that clung to it, was lit by magical glowing rocks; similar to the one they saw Princess Sapphire use in the Frozen North. Being tossed forward towards the cave, Daring Do and Rainbow Dash were sat upright, while the Hom Dai began their chanting once more.

"Ooga-Chaka! Ooga-Ooga! Ooga- Chaka!"

From the mouth of the cave, the most fiendish and ghoulish looking mask by far emerged, quite possibly their leader; its mask nearly twice the size of the others. With it, the Hom Dai leader carried a large staff that head several pony shaped skulls clattering against one another at the top. The Leader of the Hom Dai approached the Daring Do and Rainbow Dash, striking its staff down before them, silently gazing at them as the chanting quickly died away.

"W-W-W-We come in peace?" Rainbow Dash mumbled, shaking nervously.

The Hom Dai leaned in closer to them, its giant mask coming very close to their faces. Rainbow Dash and Daring Do did their best to smile, but their fear was making them shake all over.

"Hold on their, partner!" A familiar voice shouted out.

Rainbow Dash and Daring Do perked up in disbelief at her voice. The Hom Dai Leader stepped aside, revealing Applejack trotting out from the cave entrance, looking completely fine.

"Applejack? What the hay are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

"Chieftain Talon, sir, these here ponies are my friends, the ones that were trying to protect the Heart of the Jungle." Applejack said to the Leader of the Hom Dai.

"Chieftain?" Daring Do asked in surprise.

The Leader of the Hom Dai lifted the mask from its face, revealing a rather handsome Jungle Pony underneath it.

"Rainbow Dash, Daring Do, I would like you to meet Talon; the chieftain of Jungle Ponies." Applejack introduced him.

All around them the Hom Dai began removing their masks, disrobing their cloaks, revealing themselves to be Jungle Ponies. They were earth tone in color, each Jungle Pony had a different style of tattoos, ranging in different colors, but Talon himself had a cutie mark of a tribal mask, his hide a deep brown, and his tattoos were white like snow; mostly tribal and ceremonial markings. His mane was a jet black.

"I am Talon, sworn protector of the Heart of the Jungle, as are all of my ponies. On behalf of our tribe I want to thank you for your help in keeping that blue creature from reaching the Heart." Talon introduced himself; motioning to the Jungle Ponies.

The Jungle Ponies cut Daring Do and Rainbow Dash free. Giving Rainbow Dash the chance to embrace Applejack, happy to see that she was alright, while Daring Do was offered a hoof from Talon to get her back on her own hooves. Flushing slightly at the grip Talon had, Daring Do was helped up still looking quite confused.

"So you ponies aren't really evil spirits, but just ponies using the legend to scare away would by thieves?" Daring Do asked in amazement.

"When we learned of this blue creature's intent of taking the Heart for himself, we mobilized to bring forth the legend of the Hom Dai. Our ancestors used it to protect the Heart of the Jungle from neighboring factions outside the Jungle provinces but in the past years we've only scared away second rate treasure hunters but this Ahuizotl proved to be a much more viable threat." Talon explained to them.

"So you ponies are the ones that have been chasing us and scaring the living daylights out of us?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

"We had no idea who we could trust; we didn't want to reveal ourselves and chance that things would come to violence. We wanted to simply scare every pony away." Talon stated.

"Well a job well done." Rainbow Dash remarked.

"We were surprised that you ponies had gotten as far as you did. When we came to the temple we found your friend, Applejack, trapped inside. Believing she was working with the blue creature, we decided to take her hostage to see what we could get out of her." Talon continued.

"I told them that we were trying to stop Ahuizotl from stealing the Heart of the Jungle, that we stole the ruby to stop him from getting to it, and that we were going to use the Heart of the Jungle to stop the Hom Dai from cleansing the jungle." Applejack reported.

"An interesting idea to say the least, but Applejack's honesty swayed us to trust her. We kept her here for her own safety and went to look for her missing friends, said to have been abducted by the blue creature." Talon concluded.

"Well, thanks for saving us." Daring Do mentioned.

From the brush, a group of the Hom Dai, still masked emerged; the group that had broken off to chase the henchponies. Talon approached them, his Jungle Ponies removing their masks to speak.

"Chieftain, we've routed the intruders to Beggar's Canyon, the blue creature was with them, and by the way they were running they'll be out of our jungle before daybreak." The Jungle Pony reported.

"Excellent, have two of scouts check the canyon in the morning to ensure that the blue creature and its helpers have left." Talon instructed.

"We also recovered this, Chieftain." The Jungle Pony added.

Talon was given Daring Do's hat, looking it over; he turned to the three ponies, holding it up if it belonged to any of them.

"Mine! That's mine!" Daring Do said quickly, taking it from him.

"So the abandon village was your village then, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"That is correct. We brought our children to safe place while my most skillful Jungle Ponies donned the Hom Dai masks to search the jungle for the blue creature." Talon explained.

"I guess this means that the Heart of the Jungle is safe, seeing as Ahuizotl went running with his tail between his legs." Rainbow Dash stated.

"Not quite." Talon remarked, the Jungle Ponies suddenly coming to attention.

Daring Do, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stepped closer to one another, realizing that the Chieftain wasn't about to let them go that easily. Stepping towards them, his staff striking the ground once more, the pony skulls dancing about; he stared at them with his steely eyes.

"If you did not come here to steal the Heart of the Jungle, then why are you here?" Talon asked suspiciously.

"We're here on a research mission, led by me, to find some Obelisks for Court Wizard Floe in the Frozen North. Applejack and Rainbow Dash are part of my team who are here to help me find them." Daring Do answered, sounding very convincing.

"The affairs of the Ice Kingdom do not concern us; we do not allow any pony to desecrate our ruins for the whims of rich and pompous ponies. We are grateful for your help in keeping the gemstone from the blue creature but your mission ends here." Talon stated decisively. "My ponies will escort you to the edge of the jungle where you can find a settlement a few miles north of here that can help you get home."

"W-W-Wait! Chieftain Talon, if you would just here me out, I'm Daring Do, I'm-" Daring Do started but Talon shut her down.

"I am sorry, but you have overstayed your welcome." Talon stated.

Talon turned to leave, heading back towards the mouth of the cave. The Jungle Ponies motioning them to follow but Applejack wasn't having it.

"Now wait just an apple bucking moment here, friend." Applejack said aloud, refusing to budge.

Talon did not turn around, continuing to walk into the cave.

"This is not a discussion, you will leave freely, or you shall be forced to." Talon stated.

"I can get behind the idea of wanting to protect what's yours but we didn't come here just for research. A friend of ours is in trouble and these here Obelisks, somewhere in this jungle, is the only way we have a chance of saving him!" Applejack shouted at him.

Talon stopped short. Applejack's words seemed to register with him. Seeing that Talon was clearly listening, Rainbow Dash decided to join in.

"It would take like two days to tell you what he's been through, but what you really need to know is that he's counting on us to help him. He needs us now more than ever and we're not leaving until we find these Obelisks, whether you like it or not!" Rainbow Dash stated firmly.

"Laying it on a bit thick there, Rainbow Dash." Daring Do whispered to her.

Talon glanced over his shoulder; his steely gaze seemed to be reading their faces, as if to see any lies within their eyes. Nodding his head towards the Jungle Ponies, they backed away from the three of them while Talon turned back.

"We know of the Obelisk's you seek, but to reach them you must first prove yourself worthy." Talon stated.

"How do we do that?" Daring Do asked.

"By standing before the Heart of the Jungle and being judged." Talon replied, motioning for them to follow.

Rainbow Dash, Daring Do, and Applejack followed Talon into the entrance of the cave. The Jungle Ponies followed behind them, lighting torches to light the path, Talon leading the way, his staff lightly clicking against the stone floor. The cave stretched on, leading them deeper into the mountain.

"Are… are those real pony skulls?" Daring Do asked after a while.

"These? They're just plaster, my niece made them for me." Talon replied, giving his staff a little shake to make the skulls smack together.

"They're… cute?" Daring Do offered, finding it mildly creepy.

Reaching a large rock face, an assured dead end, Talon knocked thrice against the rock wall, twice more, thrice again before knocking once. The sound of stone sliding against stone could be heard from the other side, the wall started to separate like two sliding doors, the cave shook from the sheer mass of the rocks.

On the other side Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Daring Do stared in amazement at what was hidden behind it. Any other word other than paradise would not do the landscape justice, there was an entire other jungle within the mountain itself, several holes and cracks from the miles high ceiling of the mountain shown moonlight through; illuminating the inner landscape. There was an underground spring within the mountain, acting like a waterfall; large grassy fields that rolled into forests, several familiar stilted huts could be seen in the valley below where a large lake sat reflecting the moonlight.

"What is this place?" Daring Do asked in wonder.

"This is where the Heart of the Jungle is kept, a place where Jungle Ponies go when our jungle is threatened, and where the Heart protects us." Talon answered her.

The Jungle Ponies rushed passed them, their families waiting in the village below. Smaller, younger looking Jungle Ponies appeared from the stilted huts, running out to meet their family members. Daring Do, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash followed Talon into the village, the commotion that was going on from reuniting with each other took president over their guests. Talon slammed his staff into the ground a few times to bring his ponies to attention.

"These three ponies were instrumental in keeping this sanctuary, our families, and the Heart of the Jungle safe from the blue creature that intended take it by force. Applejack, Daring Do, and Rainbow Dash have earned our trust, and the opportunity to stand before the Heart." Talon stated to every pony.

"Hey." Rainbow Dash said, waving hello.

"It's Daring Do!" A young Jungle Pony mare screamed in excitement.

There was a sudden group of fillies and foals that charged Daring Do, several of her books being raised to her, asking for autographs, dozens of questions being asked at once. Their excitement seemed overwhelming, but Daring Do smiled, speaking to them kindly and signing the books one by one.

"I should have brought my books." Rainbow Dash said almost pouting.

"So what is the Heart of the Jungle, Chieftain Talon?" Applejack asked curiously.

"What you are about see has been kept secret for nearly a millennia. No pony, beyond our own, have seen it, I ask that you continue to keep this a secret to protect our Jungle and its ponies." Talon said to them.

"Of course, we're just here for the Obelisks. The sooner the Heart of the Jungle deems us worthy, the sooner we can forget about the Heart." Rainbow Dash remarked.

"No pony ever forgets seeing the Heart." Talon stated.

Talon approached the lake, Applejack, Daring Do, Rainbow Dash, and even the Jungle Ponies followed them. Stopping at the water's edge, Talon held his staff over the water, lightly touching the top of the lake, sending a small ripple outward. The ripple slowly disappeared across the top of the water, except that another ripple appeared from the center of the lake, then another, and another.

The water started to bubble, the center of the lake started to boil like crazy. Daring Do, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash stared in awe as a black orb started to rise out of the water. It was seamless, black like the night sky, no trace of light, or even a reflection from it. It floated towards Talon, who waited patiently at the edge of the lake, and it stopped before him. Giving it a few soft taps with his staff, he turned to the three ponies, pointing his staff at them.

"These ponies are looking for the Obelisks." Talon stated. "Are you not?"

Rainbow Dash didn't respond. Just staring wide-eyed at the orb. Applejack nudged her with her elbow before looking up to speak.

"That's right, we're here to find the Obelisks so we can save a friend of ours who's trapped in the Void." Applejack stated to it.

The black orb started to split; hints of purple light shone through the cracks of the orb as the orb faded away. There were no real words to describe what they saw; it was something they had never seen before.

The creature before them looked to be twice as tall as Spike, its skin was an olive black, there were noticeable markings upon her arms like tattoos; it's hair like stardust floating in some unseen breeze. Its eyes were a bright yellow, her tattoos and hair were a proud purple as she floated down towards them.

"My name is Tier, and I've come from that Void." The creature said to them. "I'm afraid your friend is already dead."

Comments

[Meynbuhdei]

I got the chills when the Arcana Tier was revealed. nice

[Turtlehaus]

8422565
Thank you. I was hoping that the reveal for what the Heart of the Jungle was wouldn't feel disappointing.