Dr. Caballeron and the Magic Flower

by My name is R

A Chance Meeting

Doctor Caballeron was not an archaeologist. Somepony who has never been well informed in the field could be forgiven for thinking he was, but any true archaeologist could tell he was just a treasure hunter. True, his team had picks and shovels, but they only had one per pony. They also didn't have any of the finer tools needed for sifting through debris without harming delicate artifacts.

On a less professional level, the fact his cutie mark was a golden skull certainly implied a preference of gold to historical artifacts. And the rest of his team had the look of thugs. But one should endeavor not to judge a book by its cover, so let's take a look into how they treat each other.

"Hey boss, can we slow down a little? I don't think we can carry this stuff as fast as you can walk." The speaker was Biff. He was a young light brown earth pony stallion with a dark brown mane.

"No! If we don't hurry then Daring Do will finish up with Ahuizotl and come try to stop us. We have to do this quickly. I'm not letting her have the Flower of Life!" Caballeron set off even faster than before, leaving his team in the dust.

"Maybe if you helped carry the tools, then we could go faster," grumbled Biff.

On the other hand, we build the associations of appearance for a reason.

---

"At last!" cried Doctor Caballeron. "I've finally done it!" He was standing in the mouth of a cave, staring at a cave in. The whole thing was set in the side of a mountain. "This must be the entrance to the hidden temple of the Marechu Picchu volcano! And with Daring Do busy foiling Ahuizotl, nothing can stop me!"

Doctor Caballeron looked around him at the dense jungle. "As soon as I find where my henchponies set up base camp." A monkey threw a stick and hit him in the head. "And the first thing I'll have them do is get rid of you!" he shouted at the monkey, who scurried up the tree and out of sight. "That's right, run away! And don't come back!"

He headed back into the jungle in search of his camp.

---

After several hours he had found a stream, several crumbling statues, and not a single sign of his henchponies or their camp. He was beginning to think he had gotten turned around when he saw something that would change his life. It was the secret entrance to the Marechu Picchu temple. The same entrance he had been elated to see just hours before now infuriated him. "Now now," he said to himself. "There's no need to panic. I'll just set up a campfire. That way they can come to me."

He began collecting fresh green wood to make an extra smoky fire. That way he wouldn't have to wait for nightfall to send the signal.

---

Fizzlepop Berrytwist was a mess. She had lost track of how long she had been lost in the jungle. She had set out to find the Flowers of Life, a powerful breed of flower that was said to be able to cure any ailment. She didn't care how long it took, or how many ferocious beasts she had to fight, she would find them. On the plus side, all the beast fighting had taught her how to use her broken horn to attack her foes.

She was collecting water in her bottle when she saw a trail of smoke rising to the east. "Who would be out here in the middle of the jungle? Unless they're here for the flowers too!" She looked down at herself. Her coat was as brown as it was purple, and matted everywhere. She had scratches all over her body and she hadn't been full for over a week. "I might as well see if they'd be willing to help me. I've got nothing to lose."

---

After around half an hour of hard marching through an uncooperative jungle Berrytwist heard screaming.

"Henchponies! Biff! Anypony! Help!"

Berrytwist took off at a run towards the cries. She found a brown earth pony stallion running from a jaguar. She stood her ground and lowered her head as the stallion ran past her. Just as the jaguar leaped at her she released a powerful magic blast from her broken horn. It hit the cat square in the chest and sent it tumbling backwards. The cat stood up and jumped into the bushes. "Are you ok?" asked Berrytwist, looking at the stallion.

"Yes, thanks to you," he said. He had an accent she couldn't place. "Say, I could use a powerful pony like yourself. Would you be interested in a job miss... ?"

She opened her mouth to say 'Fizzlepop Berrytwist' when a thought occurred to her. She could say anything to this stallion and he would never know anything was amiss. "Tempest Shadow. And I'm on a quest to find the Flowers of Life, I don't want anything but one of the flowers."

"That's perfect then, I am also looking for the Flowers of Life. In fact, I already know where to find them. I just need somepony to help clear some rubble and we'll be set. Do you think you can blast rocks as well as you can jaguars?"

"I'll break anything in my way."

"So, is that a yes, you'll take the job?"

"Yes."

The Stallion began walking back the way he had come. "This way to the temple of Marechu Picchu! For it is within those buried halls the Flowers of Life grow." The newly christened Tempest Shadow followed him. "By the way, I am Dr. Caballeron. If you see a yellowish-orange pegasus with a gray mane, shoot them and alert me."

"Why's that?"

"Because that is what Daring Do looks like. I don't think she is in this jungle, but she has a habit of taking the treasures I find. And if you see four idiots with gear for an expedition they're my team. They got lost in the jungle this morning."

"If they got lost, shouldn't we try to find them?"

"I'm sure they'll be fine, and besides, you've got to look after yourself. In the end, you are the only person you can trust completely. Others might be stupid, lazy, or ignorant. You are limited only by your intellect and cunning. Others can be useful, but in the end it comes down to you, and you alone."

Tempest thought about that. She had already lost her friends. She wasn't sure why she had been trying to help others when they hadn't helped her. "You're right. I don't need friends. I used to think I did, but no more. From now on it's strictly business."

"Well then, let's get ourselves some flowers."

---

Once they reached the fire Caballeron put some more wood on it to ensure it would burn through the night. "We'll wait here until dawn. Get some sleep so we're ready to tackle the temple at our best. It's full of booby traps, but I know how to get past them."

"So, why do you want the flower?" asked Tempest as she sat by the fire. "I want it to restore my horn, but you seem healthy."

"Ah. I just want to sell it and become rich."

"I see," said Tempest, a hint of displeasure in her voice.

Caballeron grabbed some berries and set them on the ground in front of Tempest. "Here, eat."

"Really, for me?"

"There are plenty of things to eat here for somepony with a degree in botany, such as myself. And you look half starved, I don't want you fainting in the middle of something important. Your welfare is in my best interest. That's how teams work."

"Ok." Tempest tore through the berries, finishing them off in seconds.

"If you're still hungry there are more on that bush," said Caballeron pointing. "Make sure not to eat any other berries. Some look rather similar but are toxic."

Tempest began picking berries from the bush. "So your degree is in botony? Seems like an odd choice for a treasure hunter."

"I minored in botany and geology, my major is in history. And I wasn't always a treasure hunter, I used to be a history professor. Then I went on an archaeological dig. That's where I realized how much more money some ponies will pay than the museums. I think I might go back to teaching history in a decade or two. It doesn't pay as well, but it was fun. And it's a lot less physically demanding. A perfect job to keep me busy in my golden years."

Tempest listened to his tale with some interest, and nodded politely when he was finished. Then they went to sleep, both anticipating what tomorrow would bring.