Fear from the Heart

by Dragon Heart

Rockinhauzer

They were miles away from the mainland after the fight with the Megalodon, but Hammerheart and the gang returned by air in a matter of minutes. The power of Thalassia was in Hammerheart's possession, but seven more powers still remained uncollected. Naturally, the monsters that protected each of these ancient powers would challenge Hammerheart to prove his worth, but he would take the challenge head on without a second thought.

Hammerheart released his grip on Applejack and Pinkie, touched down, and lowered his wing to let the others off. Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy disembarked his back and onto the sand.

"Alright, we did it!" Twilight said, cheerily. "We've obtained the first of eight powers, now only seven are left."

"Yeah, but where do ya reckon they'd be?" Applejack asked.

"I know one thing." Hammerheart said as he sat down to recuperate, "The powers give off a draconic essence that I can feel, so I'll know when I'm close."

"So, how do you sense that Dragony stuff?" Pinkie asked.

Hammerheart sighed. "It's a natural ability that Dragons are born with, though it usually doesn't come til around their teenage years. Basically, it's like somethin's scratchin' the back of yer neck." Hammerheart then literally felt something scratching the back of his neck, and he looked behind himself to see Pinkie sitting on his upper back scratching her hooftips on his neck. He leered at her.

"What?" She said, "I'm just joking around."

Hammerheart sighed and stood back up, making Pinkie jump off onto the ground. He twisted his shoulders, making them crackle from tension, and was ready to continue the search.

"So, where to next?" said Twilight. Hammerheart stroked his chin as he thought about their next course, then started slowly loping to the jungle, with the six mares following close behind.

"What're ya thinkin' of, big guy?" Applejack asked.

"Where ta go next." Hammerheart replied.

Applejack furrowed her brows from the vague answer. "I know that. I meant where do we all go to, now?"

"And I'm still thinkin'!" Hammerheart growled.

As they walked through the jungle, Fluttershy could not help but let her gaze wander about the scenery. The prehistoric forest they were in rivaled the Everfree in its sheer beauty, mystery, and danger. Carnivorous Dinosaurs were definitely more terrifying than almost every other beast that inhabited the forest back home, but aside from that, the trees and plants that were nowhere to be found on Earth were here, flourishing with their natural fragrance. Even the more harmless animals of ancient times wandered about the forest floor and warm air, traveling in groups, watching out for each other, caring for each other, helping one another out with any problem from injury to old age.

Fluttershy stopped in place and examined her surroundings more closely. Now that she was doing this, she kind of felt bad for misjudging even the Everfree, even though both that forest and the jungle she was in were inhabited by beasts of unspeakable danger, she was judging the book by its cover, without even bothering to read the first page. She never even bothered to think about their beauty in nature and design.

"Fluttershy, ya stuck back there, or what?!" Rainbow's voice called from a distance. Fluttershy snapped out of her light stupor and looked ahead to see her friends had gotten way ahead of her, and quickly galloped to catch up to them.

"What's going on, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy let out a blissful sigh. "Nothing much." Everyone raised their brows in confusion. Never before have any of them seen Fluttershy look so calm in the situation they were all in. Their was something up with her, what it was, they did not know.

---

Their trek led them deeper into unfamiliar territory. Then again, it was all unfamiliar. Everything looked so similar. They could not find any carved paths or land marks they could use as reference points to where they were. It was just the same thing no matter where they went, save for a set of large footprints here, or a few brightly colored plants there.

"Any idea where we are?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Not the slightest clue." said Rarity, just before stopping to look about herself.

The mares were getting nervous. They knew very well what lived in these jungles, and they were less than friendly, so they all huddled near Hammerheart for protection. The Wyvern's veins under the skin of his head swelled as he was getting annoyed by the feeling of someone rubbing against his legs.

"Would you lot stop tryin' ta hug me legs like they're yer mums?!" He snapped.

The mares slightly stepped away to avoid physical contact, but were still mere inches away.

"Sorry, Hammerheart, we're just a little nervous, that's all." said Twilight.

Hammerheart gave a growling sigh, and picked up the pace with his walking. He was beginning to get ahead of his cohorts, but then stopped to sniff the air.

Fluttershy noticed him smelling the air. "What is it, Hammerheart?" she asked.

Hammerheart looked to his left, then drew his head back towards the ponies. "Step back, all o' ya." He snarled. The mares did as he said, and were more scared than before. If he told them to step back, they instantly knew trouble was close by.

The sound of something shuffling through the bushes caught Hammerheart's ears, as well as panting. A screeching roar made him look to his right, and he was tackled by a giant reptile covered in spikes from neck to tail. They bit into each other's hides, rolling over each other on the ground violently in a ball of scales, flailing limbs, and small gouts of blood. The mares screamed and began backing away from the fight, fearing for their lives as well as the life of their large, scaled friend. In his struggle, Hammerheart tore a small bush out of the ground, roots and all, as he fought the creature. They traded bites and slashes, leaving nasty gashes on each other, but the spiked reptile received the most damage. The attacker was aware that this was a losing fight, and began to flee, but Hammerheart bit down on its tail and pulled the wounded creature towards himself. He then pinned it to the ground, bit onto its side, and violently shook his head side to side, growling with pure ferocity.

Hammerheart released his grip on the dead reptile, and gagged from the rather foul taste it left in his mouth. The roof of his mouth and his tongue bled from biting the spiked reptile, but they were not severe.

"Hammerheart, are you alright?!" Twilight asked as she and four of the others approached him.

Hammerheart squeezed his tongue past his fangs as he cleaned it, and then looked at the others. "I'm fine. Stop gettin' all hyped up on me and me fightin'." He said. Twilight began to conjure the healing spell she had used on him before, and the terrible wounds on his body faded away. Hammerheart looked over them and noticed Fluttershy standing perfectly still, wide eyed with the look of sheer horror plastered on her face.

Fluttershy could not believe what she had just saw. For the second time in her life, she just bore witness to a Dragon brutally killing another creature. Her heart raced at a painful rate, causing her to get a little light headed and fall on her flanks. Dracophobia was coming back to bite her, again.

When Twilight finished healing Hammerheart's injuries, she and the others noticed him looking over them, and they looked back as well to see Fluttershy in her predicament. They all walked up to her. "Fluttershy, what's wrong?" said Twilight.

The ground began to shake, and they could hear heavy footsteps approach. "What's that?" said Applejack. A familiar growl came to their ears, and a Tyrannosaurus burst from the trees before them.

"Uh oh, not good!" said Rainbow Dash. Three more Tyrannosaurs burst from the trees, and surrounded Hammerheart and the mares. The girls were paralyzed with fear, but Hammerheart was ready to take them all on.

Then, suddenly, a nasally horn echoed in the air, and the Tyrannosaurs looked up at a tall tree. The Wyvern also looked towards the direction the sound came from, and his companions followed his gaze. On a branch stood a Saurask wearing a loincloth, a bone sword sheathed on his back, and blowing on a crudely made horn with his nostrils. He then dropped the horn, grabbed a vine, and swung towards the pack blabbering madly and swinging his sword in the air at nothing like a madman.

"YEABLBLBLBLBLBL-"

Much to the wily creature's misfortune, the vine snapped, and he fell screaming head first into the maw of one of the Tyrannosaurs which promptly swallowed him whole. With that distraction dealt with, the lumbering beasts turned their attention back to Hammerheart and the others.

"Well, so much for that chance of being saved." said Twilight.

The Tyrannosaurus that ate the Saurask began to choke, and the other Tyrannosaurs looked at him. Its jaws were forced open, and the Saurask shot out of its mouth onto the ground. He had a bundle of flowers wrapped in a large leave. He plucked the heads off and threw them at the dinosaurs. The heads exploded into clouds of noxious fumes that vexed the Tyrannosaurs, making them swing their tiny arms aimlessly at the air in vain attempts to reach their faces.

"Let'z go!" the Saurask shouted before pulling the stem off the last flower with his teeth and throwing the head on the ground, creating a smokescreen. When the fumes cleared, they were gone, leaving the Tyrannosaurs confused.

---

Within a marsh, a pack of Dire Wolves were sniffing the ground in search of prey. Their sense of smell was as sharp as any other canines', but all they could smell was the scent of mud and water. One of the wolves started sniffing a small tree, but the pack leader barked and called for a regrouping. The wolves gathered back up and ran off.

The Saurask rose out of the mud, and could see the coast was clear. The tree the wolf was sniffing was Hammerheart, who had covered himself with mud and leaves. The mares had huddled together and also covered themselves in mud and leaves, much to Rarity's displeasure. They all shook the mud off of their bodies.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack broke away and slowly approached the Saurask. "That was beyond epic!" said Rainbow. "You took on those dinosaurs like they were nothing!"

"I'll say." said Applejack, "He's more of a fighter than even us." The sword fell inches away from the two of them, and everyone looked at the owner.

The Saurask got on all fours and shook himself off like a dog fresh out of water. He then gave scrutinizing looks to them all. He approached Rainbow Dash and Applejack, crawling all over their backs and sifting through their manes. He then grabbed them both by the base of their tails and lifted them up off the ground upside-down.

"What are ya doin'?" Applejack asked, slightly annoyed.

Hammerheart, Twilight, and Fluttershy looked at each other with a raised brow in confusion. The Saurask dropped the mares and leapt onto Hammerheart's neck, making him cock his head in surprise.

"ROCK!" the Saurask barked.

"What?" said Hammerheart.

The Saurask climbed on top of Hammerheart's head and held onto his horns. "Da name'z Rock." He said with a smile. "Short for Rockinhauzer." He jumped off, landed next to Pinkie, and held her ear open. "Long for..." He then stuck his head into her ear, and his mouth popped out the other, "Rah." He pulled his head out and approached Twilight and Rarity, feeling the tips of their horns. "Hmm. Dull az a stone." He said, leaving them a little baffled and vexed about having their horns touched like that.

The Saurask hopped onto Hammerheart's shoulder. "What are you lot doin' 'round 'ere, anyway?"

"We're trying to save our world from destruction." Twilight said as Rock jumped off and walked up to his sword.

He looked back. "Well..." He smiled, "Lost cause." and dropped it for a brief second before grinning again. "Welcome ta my turf. Now, uh, git lost." He pulled his sword out of the ground and sheathed it again. "Tallyho." The mares dropped their jaws.

Rock looked back at Hammerheart. "Well, tuff guy, ya comin' er whut?" He said.

Hammerheart slightly cocked his head confused. "What?"

Rock crossed his arms. "Ye're tryin' ta save da werld, aren'tya? Den let'z git movin'."

Twilight was even more bewildered by what Rock was saying. "Uh, we're coming too, ya know."

Rock cocked an eye. "Huh?"

Hammerheart nodded. "Aye, they play a part in this, as well."

That was when it occurred to him. "Oh, dey're yer buddiez." said Rock, "I tot dey were yer snackz saved fer later."

Hammerheart sighed. "They're neither, just companions." The mares were disgruntled from that.

Rock gave a hearty laugh from the gut. "Well den, I guess dere'z no 'arm in a couple o' pupz taggin' along, az well."

Rainbow Dash flew up in his face. "Who're ya callin' pups?!" She said.

Rock grabbed her nose and gave it a wiggle. "Alright, don't git yer tail in a knot, I waz only kiddin'."

Hammerheart stepped up. "Can we just git goin'? Daylight's burnin'."

Twilight nodded. "We really do need to keep going."

Rock jumped onto Hammerheart's back and held onto one of his horns. "Den what're we waitin' for? Let'z go an' write a new legend."

And they set off with a new, and utterly deranged companion on board. Almost everyone was a little unsure about Rock's company.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were side to side whispering to each other. "This guy's a total nut job." said Rainbow.

"I think he's awesome!" Pinkie whispered back.

---

Hammerheart and the girls explained the whole story to Rock about what they were doing in Saurosmo and why.

"So, ye're lookin' fer dese goddy powas dat'll help ya kill off some crazy dragon dat'z tryin' ta burn da werld to a crisp?" said Rock.

Hammerheart nodded. "Aye, that be right."

"Pyrkagias is nothing but a warmongering jerk!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Maybe, but I doubt he's stupid." said Twilight. "He's probably plotting and scheming as we speak. That's why we have to find the remaining powers before he strikes."

"So, what power are we goin' for, now?" said Applejack. "My question hadn't been answered properly."

A gentle breeze blew through the party. Its coolness soothed the heat that surrounded them, helping them relax just a little bit. The breeze then began to grow into a standard wind that blew the mares' manes.

Hammerheart sniffed the wind, and it smelled rather strange. It did not smell like actual air, it smelled more stale, and rather ominous.

"What's wrong, Hammerheart?" Fluttershy asked. He could not say anything, for nothing was wrong.

"You smell it to, do ya?" said Rock. Hammerheart blinked and looked back at the estranged Saurask. "It be da scent of an 'ole flock fused into an 'ole monster."

Then, a flock of hawks flew overhead towards the direction they were walking.

"That's weird." said Twilight, "I've never seen hawks fly in a whole group like that. In fact, I don't think they ever fly in groups. They're solitary predators."

"It'z 'im." Everyone looked at Rock.

"It's who?" said Rarity.

"Arhokilion."

"Who?" said Pinkie.

"Da biggest, baddest bird dat'z eva flown da big blu skiez. He'z got da fury of a saber toof, an' da temper of an 'ornet. If he gitz 'iz clawz on ya, ye're az good as pulp fer hiz gullet."

Hammerheart stared at the hawks as they disappeared over the treetops. Then, a strange idea came to him.

"Let's follow 'em." He said.

"Huh?" the mares said.

Rock gave a hearty laugh. "Dat'z da spirit! Let'z go slap some birds outta da sky!"

Fluttershy, having been unnerved by what Rock said, became even more scared. "W-why do we have to f-follow them?"

Hammerheart blew smoke out his nostrils. "I ain't sure, but somethin' about those birds seems strange ta me. Let's go." He took off running, with Rock holding onto his horns and hollering with frenzied excitement. The mares bursted into a full gallop after him, hoping he knew what he was doing. If anything, this Arhokilion creature might be another Keeper of the Power of the Duwiau Ddraig.

Only confrontation would tell.

Author's Note:

Remember Buckminster from Ice Age 3? Yeah, I couldn't help it. I just wanted to.

DON'T SUE ME!!!

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[Moon Glow]

I hope you can continue someday.