Chapter 3: Arrival at the Great City
Author's note: For this chapter and the next, the story will be told from Tonatiuh's point of view. Also, here are how to pronounce the character's names:
Tonatiuh – taw-nuh-tyoh
Tezozomoc – teh-zaw-zuh-mock
Mazal – mah-sahl
Camayo – kah-mai-yoh
Machakwe – mah-chak-way
You'll also encounter these terms:
Tawa (tah-wah) – the Tonamec creator god who made the first Tonamec out of wood from the Everfree Forest. (Trivia: Tawa is actually the name of the Hopi sun god.)
Tsolpena (tsol-peh-nah) – the Tonamec term for Poison Joke flowers. (Trivia: in Tonamec, tsol means blue, and pena means flower, so tsolpena literally means "blue flower.")
"Placeholder" – Tonamec dialogue (the translation will be placed after the dialogue in underlining)
Placeholder – thoughts or animal dialogue
I'm trying to upload a chapter at least weekly, so I just wanted you to know that I haven't given up on this story – I've put in too much effort to chuck it.
The path was steep and long as it meandered around the mountainside. None of us said a word as we walked. We were only focused on getting back home.
My name is Tonatiuh. I come from a people called the Tonamec. We're very tall, and even though we have four limbs, we walk on our back legs. We call our front legs "arms" and our back legs…well, simply "legs." We're mostly hairless except for the top of our heads. We have no muzzle, wings, horns, or claws.
My father's name is Emperor Tezozomoc. He's about forty years old, and he has olive-colored, slightly sunken skin and shoulder-length black hair. I've been told he was a powerful warrior when he was young. My father said that Pony Guards imprisoned and killed my mom when I was just a baby. Ever since, he's been raising me. Since he's the emperor of the Tonamec people, that makes me the prince.
Standing next to him was a man named Machakwe. He was one of my father's finest warriors and was a general of the Tonamec army. He was known was being very strong and ruthless in battle. He was a very tall, muscular man, and always seemed to be holding a weapon. He spoke with a very deep and powerful voice.
My sister's name is Mazal. She's about my age and also has olive skin and shoulder length black hair. Mazal is very strong and wants to be a great warrior one day – I remember one time when Mazal came home with a bloody gash in her left arm. When Dad bound the wound and demanded how it got there, she said the wound was from a spear – she ambushed a lone Pony Imperial Guard and beat him down. She still has the scar to prove it.
The only friend I had was Camayo. Camayo is about fifty or sixty years old – he never told me his age. He was wearing a white robe and carried a six-feet-long wooden staff topped with feathers, tapping it around on the ground as he walked. Camayo is our chief priest to the Great Temple back in Tonameca – our main temple to Tawa, the creator god. He has olive skin too, but his hair is white and his skin is more sunken and wrinkled. I first met him when I was four. My father went to the Great Temple to pray, and he took me with him. I looked at Camayo for the first time, and I learned that he was actually very kind and wise.
Both Mazal and Dad hate Ponies, probably like almost every other Tonamec here. My dad and Mazal probably hate Ponies the most.
I've never told anyone this, but I don't think Ponies are bad at all. I'd seen them before – they're harmless. They may have invaded our land, but they're so much like us. I didn't understand why we have to fight one other. I think Camayo agrees with me, so at least I'm not totally alone.
Still, I didn't think the Ponies thought the same way, and I was worried that any minute Pony Guards would ambush us. I looked back at the bow slung across my back. That bow was a gift from my father, and he taught me how to shoot. Still, I hoped I wouldn't have to use it.
When we finally got to the end of the path, we saw the Everfree Forest ahead of us. Camayo told me this was the birthplace of the Tonamec. He said this was where Tawa carved the first men and women from wood. For some reason, the Ponies were afraid of this forest. My father says it was because the spirits in the forest did not like the Ponies invading our land, so they frightened off any Ponies who came in.
All of a sudden, the forest began to rustle. The trees and branches looked like they were bending, like they were making a path for us. I saw blue flowers bloom from the trees. We call them tsolpena, but the Ponies call them Poison Joke.
Poison Joke flowers are just like any other kind of flowers to us, but the Ponies don't go near them. The flowers do all sorts of crazy things to Ponies, like making their horns go soft, deepening their voices, making them lose their balance, causing them to grow lots of hair – there are a lot of them.
My father smiled. "I see the forest is happy." We went straight in. I looked around as the open fields and mountains left us and the forest came. Trees surrounded us on all sides, and all sorts of plants grew along the path's edge. Still, the forest was peaceful and calm.
You may be wondering why we would just walk in to a giant forest and expect to find a giant city. Camayo said that the Tonamec have a connection to the Everfree Forest. We can navigate around it to Tonameca. When I asked Camayo how it worked, he said something about how the spirits and how the Tonamec were made from the Everfree Forest.
I still have no idea how it works. But, we were all following my dad, who was marching forward. In the back of my head, I somehow knew where to go too – whenever we came to a crossroads, my mind instantly knew which way to go. I can't really explain it any better.
I turned to Camayo. "What did he mean, the forest is happy?"
Camayo turned to me and said, "He means that the spirits of the forest are happy that we have returned. There are spirits everywhere, Tonatiuh, from the ground to the trees to the animals to the sky – and that includes all Tonamec as well." He pointed to my neck. I looked down and saw my xokak around my neck.
Xokak means "spirit guide." A spirit guide (Camayo tells me) is a spirit that guides and protects people, bonding them to the Spirit World. It can also be an amulet that people carry with them, to ward off evil. A xokak is usually an animal, like a manticore or a Tatzlwurm. My xokak was a phoenix, which my father says is a sign of strength, cunning, and royalty.
Suddenly, I smelled something rotting and slightly earthy. A pack of Timberwolves jumped out of a bush – gigantic wolf-like creatures made of dry logs and sticks with glowing green eyes.
My father smiled. "Hello, my brothers." The timberwolves stepped back like they were surprised.
Then, I heard a raspy voice in my head. It can't be…
"Who said that?" I said out loud.
Camayo turned to me. "No one."
It is! The Tonamec have returned! the voice said. The Timberwolves surrounded us, wagging their tails. A small Timberwolf jumped up and gave me a wet kiss on the cheek.
We must tell the others, the voice said. Farewell, Tonamec! The Timberwolves ran into the forest.
Who was that? Did I imagine those voices? I decided to forget about it.
After a couple minutes, we arrived at a waterfall. Lily pads and other plants floated in the water. A Parasprite flew down on a lily pad flower, like it wanted to smell it, and then flew on.
My father stepped to the edge of the lake. He raised his hands and said, "Nawal Tawaran!" I am of Tawa! Immediately, the waterfall started to rumble. The water eventually parted slowly, dividing into two waterfalls, revealing a cave and a stone pathway leading to it.
My father suddenly stopped. I knew exactly what he was thinking.
"I got it," I said. I went to the side and grabbed some dry sticks. I set them on a boulder near the pond and took out a piece of flint. I picked up a rock from the ground and struck the flint with it. With each strike, red-hot sparks flew from the rocks. Eventually, some of the sparks touched the dry twigs, and I saw some smoke rise from the sticks. I carefully blew on the sticks until there was a small fire going. I looked around and picked up a dry stick. I put one end in the flames until the end was completely on fire. I ran up to my dad and gave his the torch.
He smiled. "Very resourceful, my son." I smiled back, and then cupped some pond water with my hands and put out the fire that was still on the boulder.
He turned to the group behind us. "Let's go," he said simply. We all walked ahead on the stone pathway. Eventually, the forest gave way to a pitch-black cave. Rocky walls, stalactites, and stalagmites faded in and out of view with the flickering torchlight. The cave was absolutely silent except for the sound of thousands of footsteps on the cave floor. Soon, we saw light up ahead.
There was our home, Tonameca. I was eager to run up into the light, but I forced myself to walk.
When we finally arrived there, what we saw totally surprised us. The entire crowd cried out.
It was Tonameca, I knew it was, but…
Buildings were crumbling. Vines and moss covered and webbed the sides of statues and temples. Some of the steles had topple over and broken. It wasn't destroyed, it was just…dilapidated.
"What…just…" was all I could say.
"What is the meaning of this?!" my father demanded, his eyes wide.
"How...?" Camayo asked before his voice trailed off.
"Our city, it's in ruins!" Mazal exclaimed. "What happened?!" The entire crowd erupted in angry shouting.
"Silence!" my father roared. The yelling died down in an instant.
I looked around silently. I couldn't believe it. What happened here? Then, I thought of something. "Camayo…how long were we in those statues?"
He turned to me, staring me down. "If what you say is true," he said in a voice impossibly soft, "then I don't know…and I'm not sure I want to find out."
It wasn't reassuring. Statues don't keep time well, but I thought we were in there for, a few days, maybe. But cities don't become like this in just a few days…
I looked back and saw my father kneeling before a fallen stele. He was cutting off the vines on it with a knife. Then, with a low grunt, he lifted the stele up until it was standing again. He brushed off the moss and dirt from the stele and then said, "We need to repair Tonameca. Every able man and woman, come with me."
Everyone immediately set to work, removing vines, scrubbing away moss, standing steles, and repairing buildings. It was amazing – seeing thousands of people all working together. Mazal and I managed to help out a bit too before Dad stopped us.
By nightfall, most of the steles were standing again, the Palace was nearly repaired, and the nobles' houses no longer looked like they would collapse at any minute.
I had just finished dusting off the moss from a stele of my father when I heard a voice call, "Tonatiuh!" I saw Dad, Mazal, and a couple of guards standing by the palace gate. I ran over to them, and together we entered the courtyard.
I looked over the courtyard – or what was left of it. Weeds sprouted on the grounds. The flower bushes had turned to dry brown bundles of sticks. The trees were bare. But there were some Poison Joke flowers that had spread across the ground in certain places. I took some comfort in that.
We entered the main hallway, which didn't help my mood at all. It was dark and dingy, certainly not what a palace should be. Moss and vines covered the walls, and insects would occasionally crawl along the walls.
We went through the Hall of Murals – which is exactly what it is. The murals, my dad told me, show the history of the Tonamec people – there was a mural of Tawa creating the first Tonamec, the construction of Tonameca, and even the Pony invasion. But the murals were dull and grimy; a couple even had cracks or parts of them erased.
I didn't understand any of this. The last time I was here, the palace was beautiful. The courtyard was full of rare plants and trees. The palace was always kept spotless. And the murals were always brightly colored, as if they'd just been painted. But now…
Before I knew it, we arrived at my bedroom. It was just like the rest of the palace – there were vines and moss on the walls. Dust was everywhere. Weeds sprouted out from cracks in the walls.
My dad turned to me and Mazal. "Tonatiuh, Mazal," he said softly. "I'm not sure what's going on…but it's going to be alright. We will repair the city and find out what happened."
"Thank you, Dad," I said.
He smiled. "Mazal, you go to bed. Tonatiuh…I would like to speak with you."
I thought that was strange, but I walked with him down the hallway. I eventually saw the throne room – which was just as grimy and worn as everything else. The throne was eroded and worn, and it had even cracked in some places. The hearth was black and grimy, with black, charred pieces of wood.
I saw Camayo standing near the hearth. Dad walked towards the hearth, and then reached for the inner wall. He pulled out what looked like a box and carried it over. It just looked like a gray stone box sprinkled with ash to me.
Then, he opened it, showing what looked like a pan flute. It was a row of hollow clay tubes arranged from shortest to longest, held together by a small wooden stick and some twine. It wasn't decorated and it didn't have fancy designs, or anything.
"A pan flute," I said.
"It's a family heirloom," my father said. He gingerly picked it up and placed it in my hand. "Your mother would have wanted you to wear it."
Then, I widened my eyes. The world around me faded out into black.
