Junker's Travels

Chapters

Chapter I: King of The Garden
Chapter II: Elementary, My Dear Hazel
Chapter III: Keep Your Friends Close...
Chapter IV: Bogie Mountains
Chapter V: The Serpent's Snare

Chapter I: King of The Garden

Chapter I

King of the Garden

"Two stalks," Junker spat.

"Y-yes," the nervous squirrel squeaked, "as I mentioned, my comrades and I were not very successful at staying hidden, and when the cart driver saw us-"

"NO EXCUSES!" Junker roared back furiously, cutting the timid squirrel off mid-sentence, "There was enough celery in that cart to supply us for days! Do you realize how frustrated you make me?"

"P-p-please!" The squirrel finally managed, "Don't do anything to me, Mr. Junker, sir!"

"Oh, but I can't let this go unjustified, now can I?" Junker lowered his voice, if only to sound more menacing. He paused for a minute, contemplating. "Alright," he said after what seemed like forever to the poor squirrel, "Your punishment shall be . . . lightened. You are free to stay here in the gardens, but you are officially demoted to rank nine. Understand?"

"Rank . . . Nine?" The squirrel gulped, "Sir, please I have a large family to feed and-"

"RANK NINE OR YOU'RE OUT OF THE GARDEN!"

The squirrel shrieked in horror and ran, leaving Junker feeling slightly satisfied at his superiority. Still, he wanted that celery very much. The thought of having over five hundred stalks of celery slip through his paws thanks to some incompetent little squirrel quickly put him back in a bitter mood. After being the birthright to the position as leader of the animals of the Royal Canterlot Garden, and having more at his doorstep than he could have ever imagined, he was quickly spoiled and started abusing his power.

His name, Junker, was his mother's idea, coming from her disgust at his eating habits of taking one bite of something and then trashing it, making it inedible to others. The only reason he kept the insult of a name was because it gave him a sense of power. It made him more intimidating. It secured his place as leader.

After his father died on short notice, Junker quickly snatched the crown up before any of his many siblings could claim it. He had always been grabby that way. After taking the crown, he divided up the animals into nine ranks. He was rank one, and as the number of the rank became higher, the food was shared with you, and the closer you were to being kicked out of the garden completely. Junker lived up to his previous habit of wasting food, and therefore the rank system hardly mattered, as no one but Junker got much to eat. Furthermore, Junker forced all the animals to do his dirty work, most of which was stripping the Canterlot Castle's food supply of its vegetables. The ponies always assumed that it was pony crooks, as the animals were usually good about leaving no trace.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Alder moped back to the small nook he was provided in one of the many giant oaks. The celery heist had been rather unsuccessful due to nothing but rotten luck and poor timing. He was surprised and very pleased that his team had still managed to get away with two whole stalks before fleeing. Alder had prayed Junker would see the effort and dedication instead of just the poor outcome.

The confrontation with Junker was worse than the heist. Alder had worked his entire life to get up to a rank two position, and in one fell swoop Junker stripped him of his rank, sending him to the brink of exile. The large family he spoke of was a lie, as having any family at all under the tyrant's rule was basically impossible; even at his previous high rank, he woke up every morning with a stomachache from hunger. The lower ranks had it worse. Many of them died from starvation, getting as little as one measly vegetable every five or six days. Now that he was among them, he feared he might not live to climb back up the ranks before dying of starvation.

Alder was alive when Chantency, Junker's father, suddenly turned ill and died, leaving the crown for any of Chantency's children. Of all the children that could have taken the crown, why did it have to be Junker? Under Chantency's rule, every creature got a fair share of the food, and the food had been grown by paw from the many farmers of the garden. After Junker came into the picture, he demanded all the crops be harvested immediately to satiate his incredible hunger. He even ate those not ready to be picked, and then went on to devour the seeds. After this, there was nothing to grow. Whenever anyone managed to steal seeds, Junker snatched them up.

Alder curled up in a corner of his nook and murmured before going to sleep, "If only things could change."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Alder! Alder, wake up!"

Alder opened his eyelids to female squirrel looking him in the eye.

"Hazel . . . ?" Alder groggily rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stood up. "Ugh . . . Is it really morning already?"

"Yeah. Come on, I wanted to talk to you."

Hazel was Alder's sister and best friend. The two of them always worked together during heists, and took walks to discuss things and to get away from Junker's crazy commands.

"What's this all about?" Alder asked, trying to shake off the last bit of sleepiness from his movements as he and Hazel ventured towards the statue of Discord.

"Well, I've been doing some reading and -" Hazel was quickly cut off by her older brother's groan. Alder was less than pleased with his sister's habit of sneaking into the Canterlot Library to read books. She was quite knowledgeable thanks to her reading, but she never seemed to have any common sense. She risked getting caught everyday for pointless reading. Alder had tried to stop her, but finally gave up. He wasn't able to talk any sense into her.

"May I continue?" Hazel asked after Alder had expressed his annoyance. Alder mumbled something along the lines of "fine," and she carried on. "I've been doing some reading on Equestrian myths, and there's this one about an evil tyrant that made life miserable for ponies, unicorns, and pegasi alike."

"Kind of like Junker?" Alder chuckled.

"Exactly," Hazel told him. His smile quickly faded when he realized his sister was being serious. This was bound to go nowhere good. "Anyways, the tyrant was none other than Discord himself!" They had arrived at the statue, and Hazel was excitedly pointing at it.

"I don't get how this is important," Alder said, trying to keep from yelling at his sister. Now that he was rank nine, he had a lot of work to do.

"Well, in the story, it says that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used these things called the Elements of Harmony, and they turned Discord into a statue! According to the story, this statue here is the very same Discord that ruled over Equestria long ago, keeping it in a state much like that of the garden right now!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Again, I don't get how this is important."

Hazel sighed, "Don't you see, brother? If we can get the Elements of Harmony, we can get rid of Junker once and for all! Not a single soul in the garden will ever have to go hungry again! It's the perfect plan!"

Alder's pessimism kicked right in. Below the timid, helpless wreck he pretended to be, he was much more stern and doubtful by nature. "I can think of a few problems with this plan," he objected.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Well, for one, we don't know what or where the Elements of Sympathy -"

"Harmony," Hazel corrected.

"Whatever. We don't know what or where they are. Second, even if we were to find out, we don't know how to use these Elements of Harmony. Finally, how are we going to find out how to use them and where to find them?"

"Why don't we just ask someone who knows?" Hazel suggested.

"Who, the princesses? They're ponies. They can't comprehend animal speak."

"I wan't talking about them. I was talking about the closest known animal to them."

Alder blinked. It took him a few seconds to get who Hazel was talking about. He gasped when realization struck him, "You don't mean . . . "

Hazel grew a smug smile. "Oh, but I do."

"But she's so old and cranky! She'll never listen!"

"It's worth a shot."

"NO IT ISN'T!" Alder shrieked.

"Yes it is. Now come on," Hazel said as she dragged a stubborn Alder by his tail.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chapter II: Elementary, My Dear Hazel

Chapter II

Elementary, My Dear Hazel

"This is stupid. I want to go home," Alder grumbled. He still didn't like his sister Hazel's plan, but had given up resistance. Hazel now lugged the limp, angry body of her older brother by his tail, dragging him across the filthy ground of the Royal Canterlot Gardens.

"And do . . . hhhng . . . what?" Hazel retorted with a mocking tone between breaths, "Mope . . . around? Starve to . . . death? Let . . . that jerk command . . . you around like you're . . . his little . . . hhhng . . . slave? I think . . . NOT!" She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. With little to no food, she had no energy to carry her brother around like this. "Could you PLEASE move on your own? You're not making this any easier for either of us."

Alder grumbled and got up. He still didn't think his sister was thinking things through. It wasn't just a gut feeling either. whenever Hazel had an idea she was really excited about, it went sour fast. There was that one time when she'd tried to sneak the book she was reading out of the library, only to almost get caught by one of the night guards. Then the was the time she'd tried to make a canal system stemming from one of the garden fountains, only to break the fountain and make the ground damp and unpleasant for a week. Alder sighed. Even if he were to go home now, he couldn't stop Hazel.

"We're here," Hazel said aloud, still panting from having to carry alder.

There atop a tall, golden poll about the size of a small tree, inside a golden cage atop the poll, was who they had come looking for.

"WHO GOES THERE!?" Philomeena boomed upon seeing guests had arrived.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Philomeena the phoenix, royal pet of Princess Celestia, had been around for about 4,000 years or so. She couldn't remember anything more specific than that, and had stopped counting each year after she hit 500 years. She had seen many things over the years as she grew older alongside the princess. Philomeena and Celestia had recently become lonely, what with The Nightmare possessing Luna almost 1,000 years ago. To add to her depression, Philomeena was nearing the end of her life cycle, and was starting to lose her feathers. She was usually playful by nature, but with Luna gone and feathers coming out left and right, Philomeena hadn't exactly been neighborly to the other animals.

She was cleaning herself when two little squirrels approached her cage. "WHO GOES THERE!?" She boomed at them, attempting to scare them away. It worked on the boy, but the girl didn't hesitate to step further forward.

"WHAT MORTAL CREATURE DARES TO SHOW HERSELF IN MY PRESENCE!" Philomeena tried to scare the girl off once more.

"My name is Hazel, and this," Hazel said, pointing her tail at her brother, who cowering behind a bush, "is my brother, Alder."

Philomeena shifted a bit from annoyance. This brat wasn't going anywhere soon, might as well see what she wants. "And what business, Miss Hazel, do you have with the Royal Pet of Celestia?" She asked, showing off her glorious wingspan at "Royal Pet of Celestia".

"We hail from the kingdom under the rule of Chantency's son," Hazel began. Philomeena groaned. She hated those little critters that invaded the garden so long ago and tried to act as though they were equals of the Canterlot ponies, establishing a monarchy and "declaring rule" over the garden. "This bunny, who goes by Junker is a tyrant of incredible feats and -"

"Spare me the sob story," Philomeena spat, "What is it that you want from ME? What is so important that you came to the Royal Pet of Celestia?"

"Well, I read a story about this monster called Discord and how Celestia used these thing called the Elements of Harmony to -"

"WHAT!?" Philomeena shrieked. Hazel looked annoyed that she couldn't finish a single sentence without being interrupted by the phoenix. Philomeena, however, looked both nervous and enraged, scaring Alder back behind the bush the instant he had worked up the courage to face the fiery bird. Philomeena racked her mind, looking for an answer to the outstanding problem that had suddenly reared its ugly head. The Elements were one of the secrets of Equestria, known of by only a few, including Philomeena. When Celestia had entrusted her with the secret, she had warned her faithful pet not to tell anyone at all, no matter what. The Elements, as well as the magic behind Luna's corruption and descent into Nightmare Moon could easily scare ponies all over Equestria, or even worse, drive them to revive the black magic in a power-hungry attempt (the princess did NOT need a repeat of the events with Kuchen from 500 years back).

"We were wondering if you know anything about the Elements of Harmony. We kind of need to . . . borrow them for a bit."

Philomeena burst out of her cage, enveloping herself in a small fire. Embers fell of her in every direction, singeing the dirt ground. "NEVER," she thundered at the squirrels from above, "NEVER WILL YOU EVER GET SO CLOSE AS TO EVEN SEE THE ELEMENTS WITH YOUR GREEDY, FILTHY EYES. GO NOW, AND NEVER SPEAK, NAY, NEVER THINK OF THE ELEMENTS EVER AGAIN IF YOU CHERISH YOUR LIVES," Keeping the same fire, she swooped down the ground and looked Hazel dead in the eye. The embers Philomeena emitted fell on Hazel, burning through the squirrel's flesh with a scorching rage of uncanny pain. "Is that clear?" Philomeena hissed in Hazel's face, her breath smelling of fresh cinders.

Hazel was struck with fear. "B-b-but we just -"

"IS THAT CLEAR!?" Philomeena roared heatedly.

"Yes!" Hazel squeaked as she bolted back in the direction she and Alder had come from. Alder had long since fled from the scene, back to the Discord statue.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Alder strolled down the wide dirt path in the garden that lead straight to Junker's throne, whistling a happy tune along the way. The earlier . . . situation . . . didn't worry him at all anymore. He had just participated in a successful heist and wanted to tell For once, things were going his way.

As Alder reached Junker's throne, he realized that Junker wasn't there. "Hey, where'd Junker go?" He asked the guard.

"His majesty is taking a walk with a subject. She had said there was a secret she wanted to tell him that would strengthen his rule and the kingdom for generations to come."

Alder went pale. Could this be Hazel's doing? No, no, don't jump to conclusions. it could've been anyone, he thought, I talked to Hazel. She knows better now. Still . . .

"Which way did they go?" Alder asked. The guard pointed vaguely in the direction of Philomeena's cage. Alder thanked him and quickly ran off, cursing the entire way. He had thought Hazel had learned her lesson! He had TRUSTED her!

"GANG WAY!" Hazel shouted as she sped past Alder, who turned around confused. Then he heard a scream from behind him, turned, and saw Junker running as fast as he could, Philomeena on his tail.

"FOOL! YOU HAVE DOOMED YOURSELF AND YOUR ENTIRE KINGDOM!" Philomeena boomed overhead, enveloped in a deep crimson flame. She roared once more, "HOW DARE YOU NOT ONLY SPEAK OF THE ELEMENTS, BUT INTENTIONALLY SPREAD WORD OF THEM! I WILL END YOU AND YOUR RABBIT FRIEND!"

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF EQUESTRIA HAVE YOU DONE, HAZEL!?" Alder screamed between breaths as he caught up and attempted to stay with Hazel and Junker.

"YOUR SISTER TOLD ME ABOUT THE ELEMENTS, SAID I COULD BECOME A MORE POWERFUL LEADER WITH THEM IF I DEMANDED THAT ROTTEN OLD PHOENIX GAVE THEM TO ME!" Junker yelled back. Hazel gave an "Oopsie Daisies" grin and the three ran further, towards the south exit of the garden. As they exited the garden, Philomeena followed them, her fire growing bigger, brighter, harsher and hotter.

"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THE WRATH OF PHILOMEENA THE GREAT!" Philomeena screeched. Ponies of the city of Canterlot watched in awe, confusion and horror as two squirrels and a bunny ran from the furious grip of Celestia's phoenix's talons. "YOU HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME LIKE NO OTHER, AND YOU SHALL PAY FOR IT!"

The four of them ran far outside the city's borders. Eventually, Philomeena halted, realizing the Princess would wonder where she went. "YOU ARE NEVER ALLOWED IN CANTERLOT AGAIN. I WILL BE WAITING. I WILL BE READY." She yelled at the three breathless creatures running into the distance.

Realization suddenly hit Junker: He may never get back home. Even if he were to find his way back, he was seen as a criminal, thanks to these two mutinous traitors. He was going to die in the wilderness.

He was going to die alone.

Chapter III: Keep Your Friends Close...

Chapter III

Keep Your Friends Close...

Junker turned bitterly towards Hazel, his teeth grinding heavily, and a crazed look in his eyes as he panted furiously. "You," he growled, "You did this to me! You tricked your leader, and now I'm stranded so far from my garden I'll NEVER get back!" His voice steadily rose until he was shouting.

The word "back" echoed into the sunset-tinted, empty mountainside and stayed there. Even the wind seemed to stop howling to give a feeling of utter emptiness for the three critters.

Alder frowned. The last thing the three of them needed was tension between them. "Listen, Junker, we need to -"

"YOU ARE MY SUBJECT," Junker snapped. "YOU WILL REFER TO ME AS KING JUNKER."

"Actually, you have no power here," Alder pointed out. "No body guards, no throne, no nothing." Alder leaned in closer and smiled ever so slightly as he said, "Out here, you and I are equals."

Junker away, flustered and furious with the back talk. "Why you little - EXILE! YOU ARE OFFICIALLY EXILED! GUARDS!" Junker called for his always-loyal guards. The wind still wasn't howling, so the command reverberated into empty space for no one else to hear. Hazel let out a giggle. What was so funny? The guards should be at Junker's side whenever he called them, and there were no . . .

Realization hit Junker in the face like a cruel, cold slap of rain. Junker had no one but these two. He needed to stop forgetting that. Hazel burst out laughing when she saw his face of frustration. Alder nervously tried to calm her down, and said, "You see? Now, if we want to survive, we're going to need to stick together. Power in numbers, after all." He gave a grin, hoping Junker would agree, hoping for once in his life he would see reason to something.

"Forget it!" Junker protested. Alder needed to stop hoping his king would see reason in anything.

Hazel looked at her older brother, who looked back and nodded. "Okay!" she said cheerfully. The two of them started to walk away, leaving Junker to fend for himself.

Junker didn't need them. Junker would be fine on his own!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Junker was not fine on his own. It had only been a few hours and Junker was already starving. His body had grown used to having huge amounts of food, and with no food, he was getting hungry fast. The air howled and whistled through the many hollow caverns made by the train tracks, upon which the occasional train would rocket past, bringing a fast, rhythmic thundering through the mountain. Junker sighed heavily as his stomach growled.

"That stupid little squirrel," Junker grumbled, "What was her name? Hazel? Her and her brother, throwing their glorious king out of his own kingdom to kill him, and then left him to die when he refused to fall into another one of their traps. If I ever get back -" Junker paused. Did he just say if? No, he must stay positive. "When I get back to the garden, I will make sure they are executed publicly! And that blasted bird as well!"

His motivational speech was cut slightly short by a train that ran along the tracks from Canterlot in the opposite direction. However, this train was different from the others that had passed along. This one contained . . .

"FOOD!" Junker shouted aloud. "Sweet, glorious FOOD!" She ran after the train. He knew that staying confident would pay off! If he followed the train, he could find where it was going, and get that food and more! There was just one problem.

Junker's stomach growled loudly to remind him that he needed food now. He wouldn't be able to chase the fast-moving train in this condition. He needed to get his energy up.

Junker groaned when the only option he had that would work in his favor hit him. He ran in the direction Hazel and Alder had gone, hoping it wasn't too late.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Are you sure we did the right thing?" Hazel asked her older brother, best friend and now travel companion as they walked through the brightly-colored forest of oranges and reds from both the coming of winter and the beautiful sunset that was showing its last minutes. It had been a few hours since the two of them had abandoned their former king Junker to fend for himself, after he refused to take their help. "I kind of feel bad for him. I mean, this mess is just as much our fault as it is his."

Alder grumbled, "You should have considered that BEFORE telling him about the Elements. Besides, we're going to help him. He just has to prove humble enough first. He will. Just give him time."

Hazel's face turned red from shame. "I'm really sorry, big brother," She started to cry. "I just wanted to make the garden a better place. I didn't think it through. I thought that if I could get rid of Junker, you'd be proud of me." She burst fully into tears and buried herself in Alder's fur.

Alder felt awful. "Hey, don't be like that," He said soothingly, "I AM proud of who you are, and I love everything about you." Ever since their parents died, Hazel and Alder had had many little spats. They had been becoming more frequent, and Alder realized he might have been giving off the vibe that he hated his sister. This was far from true. Hazel was Alder's world; his last shred of innocence and happiness in the bleak world of the garden. He wouldn't want anything to happen to her. "Come on, we have to find some food and shelter for the night."

"Um . . . Mind if I help . . . ?" Junker peeked out from one of the nearby bushes sheepishly. He pleaded they would let him.

Alder smiled. "Told ya," He said to his little sister, who was still buried in his fur, stained with tears. Told her what? Junker wondered. His attention snapped back to Alder when he spoke up. "Yes, you can stay with us, but before we make this official, I'd like to set some ground rules."

Junker grimaced. He didn't like the sound of that. Alder stepped forward, looking Junker dead in the eye. He started to speak, sounding very stern, which irritated Junker.

"One: There are three of us, so we vote on decisions and majority wins." Junker already didn't like where this was going. He started to interject, but Alder continued, not phased by him.

"Two: We are a group. We stick together, eat together, sleep together, and don't leave each other behind.

Three: We share the food, and everything else for that matter, EQUALLY between the three of us.

Four: There will come a time for us to part ways. Splitting up will be a unanimous decision, and we stick together until we all agree it's safe."

Junker knew he would have to abide by these rules if he wanted to survive. He stuck out his paw and shook Alder's. "Agreed," He said reluctantly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Chapter IV: Bogie Mountains

Chapter IV

Bogie Mountains

"One: There are three of us, so we vote on decisions and majority wins.
Two: We are a group. We stick together, eat together, sleep together, and don't leave each other behind.
Three: We share the food, and everything else for that matter, EQUALLY between the three of us.
Four: There will come a time for us to part ways. Splitting up will be a unanimous decision, and we stick together until we all agree it's safe."

It was safe to say that Junker was still incredibly angry at Alder and Hazel for the trouble they had put him through. He was living a perfect life, and then, out of what was OBVIOUSLY sheer jealousy, they ran him out of his own kingdom. If they hadn't been chased out as well, they would probably be on the throne - HIS throne - right now, taking his place, turning him into nothing more than a distant memory. Even worse, after the three of them were chased off, they had the nerve to try and take leadership over him! He had accepted after a while, but only to use them until he could survive on his own. He didn't intend on keeping the promise he had made with Alder. Why should he? This mess was his sister's fault.

Plus, he had lied to Junker not a few days ago. Junker could've sworn Alder lived with his sister and no one else, but when trying to keep his precious rank after he failed to get the large amount of celery from an unsuccessful heist, he mentioned that he had a family to feed. After further investigation, this proved to be nothing but a fib.

Junker tried to save his rage for later and pretend to go along with the two disaster-prone squirrels. He took the lead as they followed the trail of the track the train loaded with food that passed Junker had taken. After all, he was the one who had seen the train. He had its scent, so it was reasonable that he lead the two troublemakers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hazel took a look around, trying to take in the mountainside and ignore the lingering sting of regret. She had made up with her brother, and if Junker was willing to swallow his pride, that was definitely progress. She absorbed the rocky landscape around her. The dew still clung dearly to the tall, individual blades of golden grass along the side of the worn rail road. Everything had that damp, earthy smell that makes everything feel heavy and bogged down, yet brightens up those it touches with a cool, crisp, "let's start this day out right" sense to the air.

And starting this day out right was precisely what Hazel intended on doing.

She wasn't that surprised that Junker had seen a train carrying food rocketing down the tracks; that's what the tracks were mostly there. She had read a bit about it once in one of the books in the library she had visited so many times. Hazel racked her brain, trying to remember what it had said about the mountains. She thought it through as though she was reading the book herself.

The mountains that surround the grand city of Canterlot, known as the Bogie Mountains, was filled with countless tunnels and hideaways, many of which Celestia and Luna used to shield themselves from Discord's reign before using the Elements of Harmony to defeat him. After Discord was defeated, Celestia and Luna colonized a city atop these mountains, which is now modern-day Canterlot, fearing that Discord was not truly gone. Once the princesses were positive that the chaotic beast was gone, a problem surfaced: Because of Canterlot's location, they were isolated from the rest of Equestria. They had no way of communicating with the other cities that were popping up throughout the land, and the city had already developed to the point where the ponies who lived there couldn't move elsewhere. Bogie Caboose, a strapping young stallion and a resident in Canterlot, suggested to the princesses the idea of having a railroad system run throughout the mountains. The princesses loved this idea, and put Bogie in charge of the project. The project was surprisingly beneficial in many other ways, such as helping the economy of the young city of Canterlot and taking the ponies' minds off of Discord and the terror he had so recently caused them. Sadly, Bogie died right before the railroad system was finished. Celestia and Luna decided to name the mountains in his memory, and told his workers to expand the railroad system as far as they could, connecting every major city that had sprouted to every other one. The crew got right to it. Thanks to both Bogie and his crew, transportation of both ponies and goods between distant locations became a lot easier. No single city was able to be prosperous without connecting themselves to the railroad system, though a couple tried to, including the distant town of. . .

"HAZEL!" Alder barked, snapping Hazel back into the real world from her tangential train of thought. She had strayed from Junker and Alder in her daydreaming, and quickly jogged to catch up with them, giving an embarrassed giggle.

They kept at the rugged mountainside for a good two hours until Junker doubled over, his stomach growling loudly. "Oh, dear Celestia!" He moaned, "I don't think I can make it much longer without some more fuel! I'm starving!"

"Come to think of it, I'm getting hungry, too," Alder admitted.

"Me three. I'll go and look for something," Hazel offered as she scampered away. Once Alder and Junker were out of sight, she started reciting a book on flora in the Canterlot area.

There was a wide variety inside the city of Canterlot, thanks to Princess Celestia's fondness of plants. Different types had been imported from all over Equestria to the Royal Canterlot Garden. Normally, the sheer amount of alien species would be catastrophic to the ecosystem, but not in Canterlot. Because it was shielded by the Bogie Mountains, there wasn't anywhere for many of the plants to go, seeing that they could never survive the harsh elements in the mountains. There were a few however, that established themselves across the mountains. One of them was the mumblebush. The mumblebush grew wide and low to the ground, and sported many tiny, maroon berries called mumbleberries that were safe to eat in small quantities, but would make you lose your voice if you ate too many.

After going over the passage in her head, she quickly spotted a small cluster of mumblebushes. She plucked a good amount and rushed back to Junker and Alder.

"Eat these," Said Hazel as she shoved some of the berries towards Junker. She then gave some to Alder and started eating the rest herself.

Junker ate them, and immediately felt better. "Wow!" He exclaimed, "What were those?"

"They're called mumbleberries. They're really good at perking you up," Said Hazel.

They were. All three of them felt full and energized despite the small amount Hazel had retrieved. Hazel was glad it was enough, because she wasn't sure how much they could eat before losing their voices.

Though, now that I think about it, it wouldn't be the end of the world if Junker couldn't talk, She thought to herself, giggling.

Junker, Alder and Hazel continued the path for most of the day, following the winding track towards the train's destination, wherever that was. Quite frankly, Alder was beginning to suspect that this was all just a wild goose chase, and that following the train would get them nowhere helpful, but Hazel and Junker seemed positive, and he didn't want to crush their hopes. In fact, if anything, he wished he had them himself. They stopped again after about five hours had passed to regroup and eat again, and then they resumed their quest.

It was growing dark rather rapidly. A cool evening breeze flowed through the tunnels of the mountains, and the entire landscape was tinted with a beautiful yet chilling blue-violet hue. All of a sudden, Junker halted. Alder bumped into him. Junker looked back with a stern look on his face.

"Problem?" Alder asked.

"Problem," Junker confirmed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Well, which way do we go?" Hazel asked, looking at the fork in the road that had appeared. The train could've gone in either direction. Junker strained his senses, trying to figure out the answer to Hazel's question. After some time, he looked up with a confident face and pointed left.

"That way. The train definitely went that way," he spoke with certainty

"Are you sure?" Alder asked doubtfully. "That way leads back up the mountain. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't take the trail back to Canterlot."

"Of course I'm sure!" Junker shouted. "Come on!"

"We should vote," Hazel suggested. Oh, for the love of Celestia, Junker thought.

"Fine. We already know which way I want to go, which way do you to want to go?" Junker asked the two squirrels. They both pointed to the track on the right. Junker groaned on the inside. He should have realized that when he agreed to join up with them, he would be powerless. The two siblings thought the same way, yet their vote counted as double of what Junker's did.

"You have to trust me!" Junker pleaded. "Give me this one chance!"

"I'm sorry, Junker, we're going this way," Alder said as they started to continue down the path leading down.

"YEAH? WELL, I QUIT!" Junker shouted. "JOIN ME WHEN YOU REALIZE YOUR MISTAKE! UNLIKE YOU TWO FILTHY SQUIRRELS, MY NOSE DOESN'T LIE TO ME!" And with a loud harrumph he marched off alone towards the trail leading up.

However, as they parted ways, all three critters were haunted by a lingering sense of doubt about which path they had each chosen. Hope in their tiny hearts faded away with the sunlight as the mountains grew even darker and much, much scarier. A timberwolf howled in the distance, and Hazel could only hope that it was her wild imagination that was perceiving it as a dangerously bad omen.

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Chapter V: The Serpent's Snare

Chapter V

The Serpent's Snare

"One: There are three of us, so we vote on decisions and majority wins." Junker already didn't like where this was going. He started to interject, but Alder continued, not phased by him.
"Two: We are a group. We stick together, eat together, sleep together, and don't leave each other behind.
Three: We share the food, and everything else for that matter, EQUALLY between the three of us.
Four: There will come a time for us to part ways. Splitting up will be a unanimous decision, and we stick together until we all agree it's safe."

Junker knew he was right. There was no doubt in his mind. He had always trained his senses to look for incoming food back in the garden. Alder and Hazel were beyond wrong in every single way. Yes, the path that the train took LOOKED like it went back up towards Canterlot, but it winds back down onto ground level after a little detour, following a huge forest until going off somewhere else. Junker couldn’t sense further, but it had to lead to civilization, seeing that it was the only way the train could’ve gone. The path that Alder and Hazel took . . . It didn't seem very natural. Well, none of the tracks were NATURAL, but the one the squirrels had taken didn't seem to be made by ponies. Junker had strained his senses to try to see what laid beyond it, but something had blocked him; clouded his vision. He had no idea what it could have been, but he had brushed it aside as nothing.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Alder and Hazel walked with a sense of regret. They were certain they had chosen the right path to walk, but they weren't sure they had chosen the right decision to make.

"Are you sure he'll come back to us again, brother?" Hazel asked.

"Of course, Hazel," Alder said, "Junker is a pretty predictable bunny. Give him time."

"But what if he was right?" Hazel asked, "What is he comes back, gives in to our persistence, and all three of us end up following the wrong path?"

"I've thought about that," Alder said firmly, with a hint of darkness in his tone, "and I've come to a conclusion. The path he took, if wrong, will most likely lead us back to Canterlot. The path that we took, if wrong, will likely not lead us anywhere where food will be readily available, and we'll die of starvation. Even if we manage to get back to Canterlot from his path AND avoid Philomeena for the rest of our lives, we'll still have done all of this for nothing. Quite frankly, I'm tired of that forsaken garden, and would rather die than go back to living that kind of life."

Hazel was shocked. What her brother had just said was really, really dark. Alder was usually a pessimistic squirrel, but this was depressing even for him. Hazel hugged her older brother. "I really wish I could make things better for us. For you."

Alder looked solemnly at his younger sister. "I wish I could do the same for you," He said.

Suddenly, a shrill, unfamiliar cackling filled the mountainside. It echoed around the hollow tunnels sent chills down the spines of the two startled squirrels.

“Aw, what a touching little scene,” A scratchy, otherworldly voice said with oozing amounts of sarcasm, “A brother and sister who have made a terrible mistake have set out to find a new home. It’s a shame you’ll never find one.” The voice burst out into its unpleasant laugh again. It scared Alder and Hazel out of their wits.

“Wh-wh-who are y-you?” Hazel managed, trying to hide her fear but failing miserably, “WHAT are you?”

“Oh, how cute,” The voice responded with a mocking and condescending tone, “It appears the little bookworm has misplaced her guide to mythological creatures. What a pity. I thought you would be able to take a good guess. Apparently you’re not nearly as smart as you come off to be.”

“SHOW YOURSELF!” Alder screamed.

“Why, I thought you’d never ask.” The air grew colder around the two squirrels, and a brightly glowing mist that stood out against the inky night sky swirled around them, enveloping them in it.

Slowly, as the voice’s cackling grew louder and crazier, the mist began to take form. A gust of wind slapped Hazel and Alder’s faces, but the swirling mist seemed unaffected. The mist gradually became a long, rope-like shape. At the end of it, two piercing eyes popped up, and it opened up to form a jaw, showing a formidable pair of fangs. It started growing scales and losing transparency until there was no longer any mist in front of Alder and Hazel.

Instead, a giant, 10-foot long, glowing snake the color of the pale moon in the night sky sat before the two horrified squirrels with a huge, menacing grin stretching across its face.

Suddenly Hazel realized what they were dealing with.

“A . . . Pandora Serpent . . .”

The snake cackled again. “In the flesh,” He said.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Alder shook his head and said, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up, you two. What exactly is a Pandora Serpent?”

The snake slithered around Alder. “A beast of the night,” He said, “Directly from the bitter, dark crevices of Tartarus.”

“They feed off of the virtues of others, turning them into bad people,” Hazel continued, “However; they can’t take your good traits away unless they get you to show your bad traits.”

“Very good,” Said the serpent, “Might you care to elaborate?”

Keeping her eyes fixed on the otherworldly snake in case it made any sudden moves, Hazel continued, “Pandora Serpents are also good at knowing a lot about their prey from just a glance. They build dens for themselves that exist in dimensional pockets in space, and create openings for careless souls to stumble into. Once it catches something, it won’t let them out until it’s been drained of everything wholesome in its body.”

“So . . . Are we those careless souls?” Asked Alder nervously.

The Pandora Serpent lunged at Alder, stopping only a few hairs from the terrified squirrel, “Exact-a-mundo!” It exclaimed happily, “Now I get to have a little fun with you! Man, I haven’t had a meal in years!”

“Alder!” Hazel cried, “Don’t let it get to you! It’ll play mind tricks with you, but you have to resist!”

The Pandora Serpent locked its gaze on Alder as it circled around him menacingly. “You can call me Doubt,” Said the giant snake to its hostages, “That’s what everyone calls me. Of course, when I say everyone, I mean me. No one likes giving names to heartless, reptilian beasts from the depths of hell, you know?” It gave a playful pout as it said the last sentence, knowing full well it wouldn’t get any sympathy from the squirrels.

We might as well humor this thing, Hazel thought, Maybe I can even trick him into opening a path back to the mountains if I play my cards right. “So . . .” She began, “What’s a Pandora Serpent like you doing so far away from home? I thought you guys lived further down south.”

Doubt took the bait, indulging his prisoners in his story. “Oh, you’re right about that, my dear rodent,” He said, “but I myself am a bit of a traveler. I want to see the world, and diversify the range of creatures whose lives I make miserable. Canterlot seems like a very nice place. Lots of unsuspecting ponies to prey on. I’ve hoping to catch an entire train of them,” Doubt’s eyes burned with hunger as he spoke, “Wouldn’t that just be fantastic?”

“I don’t think so,” Hazel said, carefully thinking about how she worded each sentence, “More victims means more of a chance you’ll fail. Pandora Serpents may be powerful, but against enough ponies, they might take you down. Especially if they were unicorns, skilled in magic, they could pry themselves out.”

“Not a chance!” Doubt exclaimed.

“Hazel, what are you . . .” Alder tried to ask before Hazel shut him up. Her plan was going too well to be ruined by her worrisome older brother.

“Oh, really?” Hazel inquired, “You think you’re that good? What exactly would you do if they managed to open up an escape?”

Doubt fell for Hazel’s plan, hook, line and sinker. “Why, I’ll tell you,” He said, “If some sharp little unicorn was lucky enough to both find and exploit a way back, I would close it on them immediately. Perhaps, if I’m just as lucky as the unicorn, I would catch them halfway through their little getaway, and snap their bodies in half, setting an example for the rest of the little ponies.”

“They so do not close that fast,” Hazel said, a cocky smirk concealing the giddy smile she was attempting to hold back. Her plan was working! She and Alder would be out of this deathtrap!

As Doubt opened the pathway back to the Bogie Mountains, Hazel grabbed Alder by the arm and bolted out faster than Doubt could react. Well, that is, that’s what she would have done if it hadn’t been for something on the other end of the opening that caught Hazel, Alder and Doubt all off-guard.

Junker was there; ever so slightly tattered from hiking, and clasping a sharpened rock that had been fashioned into somewhat of a spearhead in one hand. He stared at them back with equal astonishment on his face. However, unlike the other three’s, his surprise quickly melted away, replaced by a smoldering rage, unlike any anger Alder had ever seen in all his time working for the rabbit.

“NO! NOT THEM!” Shouted Junker at the very top of his lungs. Screaming, he charged towards Doubt, who was still in shock from seeing him on the other end of the portal. Junker lodged the spearhead he was carrying into the cranium of the Pandora Serpent. Doubt tried to stop him, but seemed to be crushed beneath Junker’s fury. The rabbit repeatedly thrust the spearhead into Doubt’s skull, causing the giant and once-intimidating snake to shriek in pain over and over again.

“MERCY! MERCY!!!!” Doubt pleaded.

Junker ceased stabbing for a moment to lean in. “Let them out,” He growled, “NOW.”

Doubt opened the portal further, allowing the three critters to leave a whimpering and near-dead Pandora Serpent behind them. Hazel and Alder were taken back by the rage that was now quickly fading from Junker.

“Come on,” Junker commanded. The two squirrels followed without making a sound.

They didn’t even take the spearhead out.

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