//------------------------------// // Animality // Story: Three More Things! // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// As Tohru and the other Enforcers cornered the girls against the edge of the boat, Jackie leapt up out of the water, standing between his nieces and the criminal agents. Raising his hand out, he ordered, "Stop!" As he spoke, the storm that had been gathering broke with three flashes of lightning behind him that cast shadows over his face, the rumble of thunder shattering the silence left by his word. Everyone held perfectly still for a moment. Finally, Finn spoke up. "Why are we listening to him?" "Didn't you hear through the grapevine what he did to that Nibbler guy?" Chao hissed back, backing away slowly. "So we'll be careful of the girls, then," Finn snapped, moving forward. "We'll deal with him, then get the rock from the half-pint." "Yeah, good luck with that," Jade taunted as the four girls scattered across the boat, trying to make room for Jackie to fight the Enforcers. Unfortunately, between the breaking storm sending waves over the ship and tilting it, the resulting wet decks, and Jackie not having time to remove his flippers, the fight didn't go smoothly for anyone. Jackie was able to hold off Finn, Chao, and Ratso - once he leapt out of the water - but Tohru was heavy and stable enough to move about at leisure, and no one was able to get enough leverage to do anything to him. Luckily, the slippery deck worked to their advantage in evading him for the most part...until Jackie slid right into Tohru's belly, allowing the massive man to grab him. Seeing this, Jade did the only thing she could think of to turn the tide: tried to use the Talisman. "Monkey magic better be good," she mumbled as she started shaking it to make it activate. However, much to her frustration, it remained inert. "Come on...come on!" As she struggled, a large wave rocked the boat. "Ugh..." she groaned out. "Do something before this boat ride makes me yak!" The talisman in her hand glowed and shot out of an arc of energy. She just barely managed to point it away from herself, where it impacted into Jackie. In a blaze of light, Jackie turned...into a brown yak, which licked Tohru's face, making the massive man drop it. The fillies gathered around Jade to stare. "Wow..." Scootaloo murmured in wonder. "How'd it do that?" The Enforcers reeled back in shock, murmuring about what could have happened. Tohru, however, thought much faster. "The Talisman!" "Uh...Yakkie?" Jade asked nervously. "I mean, Jackie?" The yak snorted, unamused. "I've got an idea!" Sweetie Belle called out, snatching the Talisman. Pointing it at the yak that had been Jackie, she shouted out, "Dragon!" All the Enforcers - Tohru included - reared back in terror as the light flashed out to strike the yak...leaving behind a low slung brown reptile, approximately ten feet long. It glowered at Sweetie Belle for a time, then turned on the Enforcers and hissed, revealing small, pointed teeth and a waving tongue. Sweetie Belle's eyes went flat. "I didn't mean Komodo..." "Nobody move!" Ratso barked out. "Maybe he won't see us as a threat." "He's just an overgrown lizard-" Chao started to say. "Komodo Dragons can reach 12 mph on land, and their bites will rot your body from the inside out with the amount of toxins and bacteria in their saliva," Ratso interrupted. "Do you want to risk that?" He noticed everyone - Jackie included - staring at him. "What? I like to read." Finn blinked, then turned to Chao, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Ratso. "Dude, we should totally get him on Jeopardy." "Look out!" Scootaloo screamed out, diving for the others as a massive wave crashed over the boat just as a bolt of lightning - possibly drawn by the released magical energy - struck the cabin. The boat burst apart as it tipped over, dumping everyone into the roiling sea. As Apple Bloom gasped for air, she got a mouthful of water and a rock stuck in her teeth. As she struggled to get it dislodged, she realized it was the Monkey Talisman. Seeing everyone slowly sinking into the water, she tried something she hoped would work. Storm Dragon! she thought as hard as she could, hoping that being more specific would get a better result. The bolt of magic lashed out of the Talisman, then arced back around to hit her. In a flash, she had changed. She was covered in dark blue-black scales, with short horns growing from her forehead. Each of her four legs ended in claws. She felt gills along her neck filtering oxygen out of the water and feeding it into her lungs, letting her breathe. She felt the wings on her back, pushing water as easily as air. At first she was ready to whoop for joy...until she realized she was only two feet tall. "Dagnabbit!" she barked out as she pulled the Talisman from her mouth. "What good does this do me?" Turning, she saw the others slowly sinking, being dragged away by the currents. Desperately, she lunged for them, catching up to them quickly as she felt the water respond to her will, drawing them all - Jackie, the girls, Tohru, and the Enforcers - closer together. However, she was unable to do much more than that...and she soon realized why. "It turned me into a baby Storm Dragon!" she wailed out. "How am I supposed to-" She felt her magic lose its grip on one of them. "Jackie!" She though quickly, trying to come up with something - anything - she could do. It wouldn't let me turn him into a magic creature... Desperately, she pointed the Talisman at Jackie. "Elasmosaurus!" The magic flashed out, and Apple Bloom's eyes widened as the massive form rose up under everyone, pushing them to the surface.