Romp

Spotty light fell on the two alicorns as they walked through the doorway and into a wall of humidity. Squinting through the haze, they noticed a thicket of trees surrounding the immediate area beyond the door, their lanky brown trunks spiraling up toward a canopy of dew-laden leaves. Both ponies flipped their ears flat to muffle the cacophony of chattering bugs surrounding them, broken only by the call of a macaw far in the distance. The stench of freshly upturned mud and dung wafted over the brush that covered the ground, forcing Twilight to scrunch her snout in protest.

“Good grief,” she mumbled against a fetlock, held close over her muzzle in a feeble attempt to block out the scent. “And I thought my dreams were vivid.”

To her right, Princess Luna stepped stoically into the mud, unfazed by either the smell or sights. “Rainbow Dash should be close by, though I sense she may be acting the part of another pony in this dream.”

“Yeah… more than likely.” Twilight flicked an ear at a pair of horseflies hovering a little too close for comfort. “Since this is a jungle, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s reliving the Daring Do story like I was.”

“Agreed.” And with that, Princess Luna trotted through a small break in the trees.

“Hey, hang on a sec!” Twilight called out. “I thought you were able to appear wherever you want in somepony’s dream. Can’t we go straight to where Rainbow Dash is?”

“It’s not always that easy,” Princess Luna said over her shoulder. “Some dreams are simple in nature and easy to navigate. Others are not.” She motioned forward with her head. “Let us try this way.”

Twilight watched the Princess trot ahead into a darker part of the jungle. Beating her tail against a swarm of gathering flies, she muttered, “At least my dreams don’t smell bad,” and galloped into the break.

__________

The two trudged through the mud and muck for several minutes without exchanging so much as a word – though that was mostly to keep from swallowing any bugs. Twilight struggled to use wing, hoof, ear and tail to keep the bugs at bay, while Princess Luna merely shielded herself with her ethereal mane. “You know, that seems kind of like cheating,” Twilight grumbled at one point. “When do Cadance and I get flowy manes?”

Princess Luna snickered under her breath. Not even a minute later, a hoof-sized mosquito hovered close to her ear. With a flick of her mane, she sent the little bugger on its way and pressed onward.

Twilight rolled her eyes and lit her horn, forming a thin shield around her body. “So, how much farther do we have to go?”

“Not far. Listen.” The Princess paused and flicked her ears forward, as did Twilight. Somewhere ahead of them, the sound of villainous laughter permeated the air.

Twilight trotted past the Princess and craned her head toward the noise. “That sounds an awful lot like Ahuizotl.” She glanced back at the Princess with a grin. “Hey, if we hurry, maybe we can see how Rainbow Dash defeats him! I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s into alternate endings.”

Princess Luna tilted her head. She watched as Twilight skipped ahead like a filly on a mission, then followed after her with a smirk through a copse of underbrush.

Soon, the two came upon a small clearing. A line of trees stood clustered together at the far end, but the canopy of limbs and leaves overhead opened enough to reveal the brim of an ancient stone wall. The two maneuvered their way through the brush that surrounded the trees and examined the limbs above them. “It’s too thick to fly straight through,” Twilight mused aloud. “We’ll need to use some of the branches to make our way up.”

“Agreed.” Princess Luna let the younger alicorn take lead. Leaping from one limb to another, they slowly made their way through the foliage. When they eventually crested the top, they leaped from the highest limb and onto the wall.

“Phew. That wasn’t so bad,” Twilight said, wiping the sweat and grime off her brow as she lifted her head. “I just hope Rainbow Dash is…?”

Twilight blinked at the sight splayed in front of her. Standing on top of the moss-covered wall, she was granted a perfect view of the lush green rainforest covering the land. Dense fog loomed over several portions of the jungle, glistening with amber hues beneath a bright orange sun that hugged the far horizon. Layers of thick puffy clouds floated lazily over the sun, streaking the horizon with vibrant reds and yellows. To each side of the sun, snow-capped mountains stretched far and high – much higher than any mountain Twilight had seen in real life – splitting the cloud layers with merely their presence.

The entire landscape was truly that of a dream. And it did a pretty good job of taking her breath away.

“This… this is incredible,” Twilight murmured, wide eyes soaking in the sight. “I’ve never had a dream this detailed!”

Princess Luna sidled next to the mare, watching as a flock of birds took to the sky from the trees beneath them. “Indeed, it is quite beautiful. The dreams of pegasi have always been some of my favorite. They have such a unique grasp of the intricate details of the world around them.”

“I never knew their dreams were so vivid.” Twilight grinned. “Well, I know what I’ll be studying the first chance I get.”

Princess Luna giggled. “Well, let us not forget the matter at hoof. We still need to find Rainbow Dash.”

“Of course.” Twilight watched the birds fly a few circles over the jungle to gather formation before turning her attention to the ground below. Off to one side of the jungle beneath them lay an open section of what appeared to be an abandoned temple, its ceiling having long since collapsed into fragments of weathered stone below. It didn’t look quite the same as the one Twilight envisioned with Ahuizotl in her dream, but it was similar enough to merit investigation. “Let’s try this way, Princess. I think I know where she might be.”

Princess Luna followed the mare in a short flight over the temple to another wall, touching down atop a stone that jutted partly out of its foundation. Beyond the wall lay yet another section of temple – this time with a familiar throne standing close to the right wall. And sitting in it was none other than Ahuizotl himself.

The dog-like creature lifted its tail into the sunlight, revealing a blue statue with two opposing heads. Twilight looked over at the top of a few trees that sat behind the wall nearest the throne – and just in time. A cerulean pegasus with a rainbow-mane, bandaged wing, and explorer’s hat dove out of the foliage on a vine, swinging down toward the statue. She reached out and snatched the treasure as she swung out and up toward an opposing cliff.

__________

“Better luck next time, Ahuizotl,” Rainbow Dash shouted down with a triumphant grin, holding the statue tight against her side with her one good wing.

Ahuizotl gawked at the mare from far below. He raised a fist to the heavens and shouted, “Noooo! Curse you Daring Dooooo!”

And with that, Rainbow bucked away from the edge of the cliff and galloped across a grassy field. The setting sun cast a warm glow over the pegasus’ sweaty coat, hooves kicking the dew off the wet grass into the air. She flicked her head back to brush away her matted bangs, enjoying the feel of the wind against her muzzle – humid as it was. Her eyes fluttered close for a moment as she soaked in the feeling for all it was worth.

And so, with Ahuizotl defeated, and the Sapphire Statue secure, the world was safe and sound once again – thanks to me! The one and only – the amazing, awesome, incredible, spectacular, stupendous, Daring D—

“OOMPH!”

Rainbow slammed hard into something, knocking the pony onto her back. Almost immediately she rolled onto her stomach, spitting up mud and gunk as she stumbled to her hooves. She glanced to her side, thankful to see the statue still secure beneath her good wing, then spun around with teeth bared, ready to face whoever dared to stand in her way.

When her eyes met the creature, she froze.

A female griffon stood before Rainbow, swinging its tail in a playful motion. It stepped forward and met her stunned gaze with strong amber eyes. “‘Sup, Dash.”