//------------------------------//
// Survival Is A Way Of Life 
// Story: Jewel Of Nightmares 
// by Darksonickiller 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 4
Survival Is A Way Of Life


As Twilight and the others poured through their portion of the journal, Rainbow sobbed in the world she had been forced into.

“It’s okay, it’s going to be…” She whimpered as she tied off the stub of her leg near a roaring fire.

“You taste far better than I expected,” The creature chuckled as it savored Rainbow’s leg, “a bit gamey and chewy than I’m used to. But I’ll accept it nonetheless.” As the creature snacked on Rainbow’s severed leg, Rainbow Dash pulled a burning piece of wood out of the fire.

“F~u~ck!” Rainbow cried out as she pressed her stub against the burning piece to cauterize her open flesh.

“Now that smells even more delectable than this raw piece.” The creature groaned as she slowly neared Rainbow, “Maybe I’ll cut off another limb and toss it into the fire just to see how it smells and tastes.” Rainbow sobbed as she reached for another burning piece and pointed it at the creature, “Sorry, but that won’t harm me.” The creature stated as it pressed its chest into the burning wooden spear.

“I’m not losing another limb just because you’re hungry.” Rainbow sobbed still feeling the searing pain of her stub, “Come any closer and I’ll rip your fucking heart out.”

The creature laughed as it neared Rainbow, “Like you would ever stand a chance of th-” It began to boast only to groan as its head snapped up and looked towards the left, “bastard.” It groaned before backing away from Rainbow, “We’ll pick this up some other time.” The creature claimed as it rushed off just before the ground started shaking.

Rainbow groaned in relief as she passed out from the pain. It was several hours before she woke up only to stare at something flapping about in the faint breeze, held down in the mouth a skull of a strange creature. Limping over she soon found it to be more pages of the journal tightly clamped within the creature’s teeth.

*Surviving here is difficult enough without anything to eat, though I’d never say it back home to anypony I’ve come to enjoy the taste of meat. I almost want to sympathize with my stalker, but that would mean I’d give myself to that creature just to say I did the right thing. Sadly for it I’d rather watch the damn thing starve as it tries to track me down, last night it almost stuck around for its counterpart to arrive.

I’d have to say one more minute at best, but that thing moves so slow it could have been morning by the time they fought. Though as fast as my stalker took off it was clearly closer than that. The oddest thing about last night from what I could see had me rather confused, I mean sure I had heard it speak a few times but that was just telepathy so the voice could have been anything.

But lastnight I had a good view of it, and I swear I thought I saw it was female. I could be wrong as its body is all I can see in the dark, as it emits a glowing light from itself. Maybe tonight I’ll investigate as I found a set of runes that can trap it. For how long I’m not sure, I won’t have time to study them till after dark. Already I can hear those damn beasts drawing near, if only I had a name for them like smoke pests, dark hounds, I have been tempted to make it something insultive like boner farts. But even I feel that’s too foalish in nature.*

Looking through the pages Rainbow saw the runes and the details of each, event he explanation and hasty written notes on the page containing the trap. *The trap holds better than expected, and I was able to confirm that yes it’s a bitch from how it cursed me and threatened to kill me. On a side note I was able to discover that it is female which only makes me question if the counterpart is male, or if she has a male among her species to procreate.

Going back to the trap it seems to be holding longer than I first anticipated, I had first guessed five minutes from what I understand of these runes. But now I’m wondering if these traps last longer based on the strength of what’s caught in them. And if so, would it be possible to add an amplification to make it hold longer.

With any luck I may be able to do away with her all at once by forcing her to face her counterpart, while I run as far as I can get in the dark, or maybe even just bait my next trap at dawn then let everything fall into place. I doubt she’d be that stupid to think I waited in the same spot all day, maybe a trap set up further out, perhaps half a day’s trip or so? I’ll see what I can do by leaving a decoy half a day out then plan from there.*

Looking over the runes and the continued description for each, Rainbow began to study them as best she could.

“I wish egghead was here.” She sobbingly groaned as she rubbed her throbbing head.

The first set of runes were at least simple enough for her to understand, it left a decoy in place of the real thing to confuse everything in that world. Everything about the decoy was identical to the original with the exception of movement or speaking, it could stay in place of the original for as long as it was needed. Looking over several others, Rainbow found some notes that put a faint grin upon her face.

*Who knew there was a rune that causes explosions in this world. I spent the last few days carefully tweaking it to give it a delay for either time, or a trigger of some kind as if it could be tripped. If I carve the rune into something, then wrap it with a piece of cloth marked by the rune for my decoy.

Then I think I could do something about that bitch. Though my problem would be if any of the other creatures attacked it as well, not that I wouldn't mind it very much anyway, just that it could be a waste of a decoy. I know that the trap works as I’ve tested it in the area surrounding my home, a few birds went poppity pop, pop, pop, but later I learned a hydra had eaten one my decoys and lost its life as well. 

Though I find that to be interesting and rather insightful, I can’t make a comparison from that lumbering pest to the one that stalks me. She has claimed that nothing can harm her, so I wonder if that’s just from the outer scales on her body, or if her internal organs are also protected. Only way to know is to kill her then carve open the cadaver for dissection, preferably within the confines of my home.

Where I will have all the time in the world to study her to the fullest. Though I have come to ponder if she lays eggs like dragons do, and the need for a male is non-existant or the male is her counterpart and their conflict results in a recreation similar to the phoenix. I’ll know for sure once I’ve had my chance to poke around in her squishy bits.*

Knowing the day was still early, Rainbow began practicing how to use the runes. Her main hope was to better prepare herself for the next encounter she may have with her newly acquired stalker. The only thing that made her ponder if there was a way to kill the creature was the last page, where the original owner pondered if she could be killed at all without facing her counterpart.

For the time being it was the only bit of hope Rainbow had, as she began to plan surviving this place just to make it back home.