//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Stranded // by EternalShadow54 //------------------------------// Stranded, Ch. 3- "So... does anypony have a plan to get off this place?" questioned Rainbow Dash. It had been a couple of days since the shipwreck and all the ponies were huddled around near the campfire. "Because I'm tired of living off fruits and nuts." "All I can think to do is sit here and survive until somepony notices that we are missing and come searching for us." Twilight said. "But that can take FOREVER!" Rainbow raised her voice. Applejack put a hoof on Dash's shoulder. "Calm down sugarcube, it's gonna be alright. Now is not the time fer some silly quarrel." "Alright? ALRIGHT?!" Dash grew angry. "Applejack, look around you! Look at the situation we are in! Hay, you can barely move as it is and you're going to tell me it's going to be alright?" She was furious. " Sitting here and doing nothing will get us nowhere!" Applejack went from sincere to serious, "What do YOU suppose we do then?" she sarcastically asled. "I don't know!" She yelled at Applejack. Her eyes clouded with tears, "I...don't... know..." She sat down and buried her face in her hooves, trying hide the tears... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What was that all about?" whispered Rarity to Fluttershy, who was watching Applejack try to calm the rainbow maned pegasus. Fluttershy whispered back, "Oh, I'm sure she is just a bit stressed out is all." "A bit?" "Well you're certainly one to talk Ms. Drama Queen." Fluttershy said jokingly. Rarity blushed... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Is she going to be O.K.?" Scootaloo asked Twilight as Rainbow Dash still refused the orange work mare's comforting embrace. "I'm sure she will be just fine, but she does have a point. Maybe we can find a way off this island ourselves." Twilight said, thinking about the possibility. "If there is, you need to find it soon. If it only took a few days for somepony like her to become this way, who knows how long the rest of us have." "Don't talk like that Scootaloo, we're going to be fine. Trust me..." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morning came and everypony was off doing their regular jobs. Fluttershy and the young fillies were out gathering food along the coast as the rest stayed and tried to built up camp. "I sure do wish we had something more sturdy than twigs and leaves." posed Rainbow Dash. "Why don’t we just go into the woods and find some logs or something." "That might not be the best idea Rainbow Dash." Twilight said, "We don’t even know if this island is inhabited or not." "Me and Applejack went through the jungle with ease and didn't run into anything." Rarity said, "Besides, if there was anything on this island I'm sure we would have encountered them by now." "EXACTLY!" the pegasus stated. "I still don't know you guys. I've got a bad feeling about this place." Twilight stated, hoping her friend would listen. She didn’t. "Ah phooy, I'm going in there no matter what you say." said Dash as she ran towards the jungles edge. "Rainbow Dash, WAIT!" screamed Twilight. It did no good. "Let 'er go, she just needs some time to cool her head." said Applejack... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was merely minutes later when Fluttershy and the rest came back to the camp. The first thing Fluttershy noticed was that Dash was gone. "Twilight, where's Rainbow Dash?" "That stubborn little pegasus ran off into the jungle and we haven't heard from her sense." "Shouldn’t we go look for her?" said Fluttershy, obviously worried. Pinkie Pie spoke, "She is just a bit cranky wanky is all. By the way, did anypony else notice a loud noise coming from the jungle soon after she left?" "Knock it off Pinkie." demanded Twilight. "She'll be fine." Applejack said. "She's just a bit... overcome by tha situation at hand." "Oh... I hope you're right Applejack. I hope you're right..." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Rainbow Dash, WAIT!" she heard Twilight call in the distance. "Hmph, I'll show that pony what to do in a emergency. Now, let’s see if I can't find a tree for us to use as a foundation." There was a rustle in the leaves behind her. Rainbow Dash turned to look, but nothing was there. "That's strange. Eh, probobly just my imagination. Now back to the trees, ooooh this looks promising, and those seem-" Her sentence was cut short by another rustle. "OK, that's it. Who's over there? Show yourself!" and just as fast as she could blink her eye, there was a flash of brown and a excruciating pain in her front leg. "GYAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Rainbow screamed. She glanced down to notice that she had a gash in her front right leg. She was scared. "OK guys, this is not cool. Stop joking around." There was another flash, but Rainbow was quick and was able to dodge the brown flash by instinctivly jumping to her left. "Come on, cut it out guys." Then, before her very eyes, was a creature of such strange proportions that it could not be explained. Rainbow was stunned with fear. "Wha- what are you?!" The creature said nothing, looking menicingly. 'What's going on?' Dash thought. 'What is this thing, and why is it hurting me?' She didn’t move. The creature lifted his arm and showed his claws that were dripping with her blood. The creature stepped back, gave a devilishly evil grin, and dashed for another strike. Rainbow rolled out of the way, just dodging the creature, and sprinted as fast as she could towards the beach. She screamed as she ran. "HELP!" *pant* *pant* "HELP ME!" She was getting tired quickly from lack of proper food. The creature was gaining fast and Dash was growing desperate. The only thing hindering her was the slash in her leg, which slowed her greatly. She was losing a lot of blood as she ran. "I- I'm not.. gonna...make it." she said to herself as she collapsed at the edge, a mere three hooves away. She started to crawl, right at the bridge of breaking through, when she felt the cold, sharp claws pierce her hind leg. She let out a scream as the creature started tearing at her backside when, as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone. Moments later she heard Fluttershy calling, "Rainbow Dash! Where are you!" Dash was weak from blood loss, and with her last ounce of energy, managed a faint whisper. "Flu...tter...shy..." She blacked out...